6. Bailey
CHAPTER 6
Bailey
T he entire drive home, Charlie talks about how cool it was to watch the game and how much fun she had skating with Caleb. The absolute joy in her voice has me grinning.
Charlie has never been a sad or unhappy kid, but I can’t remember ever hearing her this happy. It makes me happy to hear her like this, but it also has me questioning where I’ve failed as her mother. Why is she not this happy at home?
I know not having her dad around is not easy on her. Derek didn’t come around a lot during the separation, so Charlie didn’t see her dad often. By the time the divorce was finalized, she was beginning to adjust to our new normal. He’s been making an effort to be around more, saying he wants to use his court-mandated visitation. But rather than spending time with Charlie, he’s been using this time to try to win me back. He still doesn’t understand there is no way we’re getting back together.
By the time we get home, Charlie is exhausted. After a quick shower, she gets ready for bed. I don’t even make it through half a book before she’s fast asleep .
Sneaking out of her bedroom, I quietly close her door and move to my bedroom, where I shower and climb into bed. The cool sheets feel smooth against my skin.
My mind wanders back to the game and watching Caleb skate along the ice. Watching him with Charlie, his pure strength when he hit other players into the boards, the power of his legs as he pushed himself to fly across the ice.
My hand slides down my body, slowly over my stomach, to the tops of my thighs. I slowly run a finger through my folds, feeling just how wet I am picturing him from tonight. I flick my finger over my clit, and a jolt moves through my body, forcing a groan up my throat. I have to bite my bottom lip. I continue to slowly work myself, building my release until I’m wound so tight my toes are curled and my body arches off the bed.
Images of what I think he looks like under all that hockey gear have me exploding. I turn my face into my pillow, muffling the moan that tears through me as I come. I work to catch my breath after having the best orgasm I’ve ever had.
That is so fucking sad.
I was married for four years, and with Derek for six, and I just had the best orgasm I’ve ever had while fantasizing about a man who probably never wants to get involved with me and my baggage.
Letting out a deep sigh, I get up and head into my washroom, cleaning myself up before climbing back into bed. I toss and turn until sleep finally takes me.
My alarm wakes me up at 7 a.m., and I quickly turn off the annoying thing and toss my blankets to the side. The cool air hits me, helping wake me up. Climbing out of bed, I grab my robe and go wake up Charlie, making sure she gets out of bed before I head downstairs to cook breakfast. I scramble eggs, fry bacon, and get toast ready, calling for Charlie when I’m about to plate the food .
She moves slowly into the kitchen and slides into her chair, rubbing her eyes. Running my hand over her hair, I place a kiss on the top of her head as I give her a plate. She’s quiet as she eats, and I don’t push her to talk. Like me, she’s never really been a morning person, but she doesn’t give me issues about getting up for school, so I let her go about her morning how she wants to.
When we’ve finished eating, we brush our teeth before heading out the door and I drive her to school. As she jumps out of the car, she calls out, “Bye, love you,” and joins her friends on the playground. In desperate need of coffee, I go to a drive-through and get a pumpkin spice latte before heading to work.
I’m an office manager for a medical practice in the city. Five doctors work out of the office as well as other locations. It’s my job to make sure everything runs smoothly and coordinate the doctors’ schedules.
I’m running the reception desk to cover for someone who called out sick today when the front door opens. I plaster on my usual customer service smile when I look up. My eyes widen as I come face-to-face with Caleb.
I thoroughly take him in. His black Vancouver Police Department shirt stretches, showing just how muscular he is, and his jeans are so tight across his thighs I’m surprised the seams haven’t ripped. They lead down to black boots so large, I wonder if it’s true that shoe size can be an indicator of the size of a man’s dick. I swallow harshly, ripping my gaze back up to his.
Fuck. He just caught me practically drooling over him.
With my smile back in place, I say, “Good morning. How can I help you?”
He smirks. “Good morning, Bailey. I have an appointment with Dr. Markstrom.”
I quickly begin typing in the computer and see he’s here for an annual department-mandated physical. As he leans on the counter, I watch the veins that bulge in his arms and swallow.
“How did Charlie get to sleep last night?” he asks. Him asking about her has my heart skipping a beat.
I clear my throat. “She slept well. As soon as I put her to bed, she was out. She was wiped.”
The smile that spreads across his face is soft, as though it genuinely makes him happy that my daughter slept well. My mind rushes back to me in bed last night, getting off to thoughts of him. I squeeze my thighs together as I reach for an intake form, grab a pen, and hand them to him.
“Can you please fill these out and return them to me.” My voice comes out more breathy than I’d like. I clear my throat before finishing. “Dr. Markstrom should be ready for you shortly.”
He nods, taking the forms and settling into a chair in the waiting room. As soon as he’s seated, I shoot out of my chair and move into the backroom where I fill my water bottle with cold water. I chug half the bottle before my body returns to normal.
Of course, the man I lay in bed thinking about last night while I made myself come is a patient at this clinic. It’s like the universe decided to add one more reason this man is forbidden fruit. He responded to a 911 call at my house, I have a lot of baggage, the man looks like a fucking god while I have a mom body, and he’s a fucking patient.
I thump my forehead against the wall, taking a deep breath before heading back to the reception desk.
Caleb is leaning against the desk when I get back. He smiles as he hands me the documents. I take them with a smile and review his answers while I add them into the system. I look at his date of birth, September 18, and note the year is three before mine, I just turned twenty-six so he turned twenty-nine last month.
His emergency contact is his mom, and I noticed during our first few interactions that he doesn’t wear a ring, so he’s probably unmarried and not in a long-term relationship. No family history of heart disease or cancer, and he has no concerns he wants to bring up with the doctor.
I mentally slap myself for looking more thoroughly at his form than I do other patients’. The only thing that doesn’t have me feeling like complete shit is Caleb seemed to have no issues with me seeing this information.
Dr. Markstrom comes out and calls Caleb’s name. Caleb smiles at me as he follows him. When they’re both out of sight, I shoot a text to Lily.
Bailey: I’m going to hell.
Lily: Why? What happened?
Bailey: You remember Officer Sutton? Well, he’s a patient here and I may have taken a special interest in his intake form after he filled it out.
Lily: If you haven’t divulged anything and haven’t crossed any lines, you’re good. Don’t stress, hun.
Bailey: I may have crossed a line…
Bailey: I may have used fantasies of him to get off last night. ????
Lily: Oh, really? You go girl!
Lily: You haven’t crossed any lines. You’re okay. I’m here to talk if you need to .
Putting my phone away, I lean my head back on the chair, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Lily is right. As of right now, I haven’t crossed any lines. I just have to keep it that way.
Caleb and Dr. Markstrom come out a while later. They shake hands before Caleb grins and waves as he leaves the office.
I’m in a rut the rest of the day, my mind constantly wandering back to Officer Caleb Sutton. After I get Charlie to bed that night, I send Lily another text.
Bailey: If I can get a sitter for Saturday, you and me, a bar, and lots of booze.
Lily: Down. Let me know.
I text my regular babysitter asking if she can work on Saturday and when she confirms, Lily and I make plans to meet at one of our favourite bars in the city.
O n Saturday night, I pull out my trusty little black dress and do a light makeup look before heading downstairs. Charlie is curled up on the couch with Vanilla and her babysitter, Taylor. They have Paw Patrol on the TV and a bowl of popcorn between them. I kiss Charlie on the head and tell her to be good for Taylor before I head outside to meet my Uber.
The cold air bites, and I tighten my jacket around me, but it doesn’t protect my legs. I hustle to the car, climbing in the back and rubbing my legs, trying to combat the cold. It’s a short drive to the bar, and when we get there, I hop out of the car and rush into the warm building.
When I walk in, I spot Lily sitting at the bar. I raise a hand, catching her attention as I make my way through the throng of people bu stling about. She passes me a strawberry margarita when I get to her. Grabbing it, I take a large sip.
“I really need to get laid,” I say as soon as my glass hits the bar top. Sliding onto a stool, I face her. “And I don’t mean just any kind of sex. I mean toe curling, back arching, forget my name, can’t walk the next day sex. I’ve never had that sex before. God, this dry spell is killing me,” I groan and lay my head on the bar.
“I volunteer,” a voice says behind me.
I turn and look at the man who was obviously eavesdropping on our conversation and take him in. He’s probably twenty-one or twenty-two and has that stereotypical frat boy-fuckboy look.
“Oh, honey, you’re a baby. One, I doubt you could handle me, and two, you’re a little young. You might want to try someone your own age.”
I turn back to Lily and take another huge sip of my drink. “New criteria: must be at least my age, and he has to look like he knows what the fuck he’s doing.”
I raise a hand to the bartender and point to my drink. She nods, and I suck down the last of it. Lily listens to me ramble as my new drink is placed in front of me. “Did I tell you I had the best orgasm of my life while thinking about Caleb? I was with Derek for six years and I’d never come like that. I don’t even want to imagine what it would be like if he actually did touch me.”
“Oh, tell me more, Bailey,” a familiar female voice says.
I choke on my drink and pat my chest as heat climbs up my neck and spreads across my chest. Once I’ve got the cough under control, I turn on my stool and come face-to-face with Hannah, Zoey, Olivia, and Liz, who are all grinning at me. I offer them a weak smile and wave.
“Hi,” I croak, and Lily elbows me. “Lily, this is Hannah, Zoey, Olivia, and Liz. ”
They all wave at Lily as I introduce them.
“So, we were just grabbing a table. Why don’t you join us and fill us in,” Hannah says as she grabs my hand and pulls me off my stool.
Lily grabs our drinks and follows as Hannah drags me. Hannah stops at a corner booth that wraps around a large table. She ushers me in like her intention is to prevent me from running. I slide in, trying to adjust my dress that keeps trying to ride dangerously high up my thighs.
Lily puts my drink in front of me, and I finish it. Holding up the empty glass I say, “I’m going to need another, or better yet, why don’t you bring a pitcher over.”
The girls all grin, and Lily and Liz make their way back to the bar.
I smile at Liv. “So, you must be the designated driver tonight?”
“Nope,” she says, popping the p. “Josh agreed to pick us up. He and the guys are doing poker tonight.” She runs a hand over her belly. “I’m not drinking tonight, but he didn’t want me to lug the girls by myself later.” She smiles softly as she talks about her husband. It sounds like he takes care of her completely. I wish I had that, but right now, I’d settle for some good orgasms .
Lily and Liz return with a tray full of drinks and a pitcher of margaritas. Lily, being the angel she is, immediately fills my glass right to the top. I take another large sip, preparing for the questions that are going to come now that everyone is back at the table.
Hannah adjusts herself so she’s facing me. “Okay, spill. What’s going on with you and Caleb?”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,” I say.
She arches a brow.
“Seriously, nothing. If he wasn’t forbidden fruit before, after Monday, he one hundred percent is.” I groan as I lean my back against the booth.
“Okay, why is he forbidden fruit? And what happened Monday?” Liv asks.
“Well, let’s see. First, he responded to a 911 call at my house after my abusive ex-husband showed up, grabbed me, and scared the shit out of my daughter enough that she called 911 on her dad. Second”—I tick off the numbers with my fingers—“I’ve got baggage between my ex and a lack of support, besides Lily, and a kid. Third, he looks like a Greek fucking god, and I’ve got a mom bod. And lastly, the fucking icing on the cake: He’s a patient at my work. He walked into the office on Monday for a doctor’s appointment. All of that equals forbidden fruit,” I finish explaining, looking around the table full of assessing looks.
Hannah breaks the silence. “Babe, to be honest, the only one I see as an issue is that he’s a patient at your job, but he could always go and find another doctor. So there is the solution to your only real problem.”
“What about the fact he responded to the 911 call, I have baggage, and the man is so far out of my league it’s not even funny.”
Hannah throws her head back and laughs. She fucking laughs. I scowl at her, but it only causes her to laugh harder.
“Babe, firstly, Caleb would never hold that call against you. Secondly, we all have baggage, and I can guarantee you that man has baggage most of us don’t even know about. And lastly, you’re hot as fuck. So stop saying he’s out of your league. He is totally in it.”
I hide my face in my drink and take another sip. No one other than Lily has built me up in a long time, and I’ve known her for years. Now I have a practical stranger sitting here, taking apart every negative thing I’ve just voiced. My body is warm, and I ’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or the affection I have for this woman.
“She’s right you know,” Liv says. “I’ll let you in on something. Before Josh, I had some major self-image issues. My ex cheated on me all while telling me how I needed to improve my body. I really struggled with it. It took the support of these girls and a lot of affirmations from Josh to make me believe I was worthy.” A blush stains her cheeks as she talks about affirmation from Josh. “These girls wouldn’t lie to me and they won’t lie to you either. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I’d be able to have the happy, healthy, and loving relationship I have with Josh.”
The girls each put a hand in the middle of the table and they all grab on and squeeze. I feel all their eyes on me as I stare at their hands. Lily adds hers and nudges me. I add mine, using my free hand to wipe the moisture from the corner of my eyes.
“You girls are the best,” I choke out.
We separate, and I finish my drink before pouring another and chugging it. “Okay, enough touchy-feely shit. Who’s going to dance with me?”
Zoey and Hannah slide out of the booth, and the three of us make our way to the edge of the dance floor.
My arms go above my head as I move my hips to the music. The alcohol hits, and my body temperature rises. I lose all worry about how I move in front of all these people. Hands grip my hips, and a body press against my back. I move my hips with theirs, tossing my head back with my eyes closed. The grip on my hips tightens as warm air dances over my neck.
“Why don’t you and this sexy ass of yours go into the washroom with me for a good fuck.”
I jolt at the words. “Let go of me. I’m not interested,” I say.
I go to move out of his hold, but his grip doesn’t relent. He pulls me backwards so I can feel his erection pressing into my ass.
“Oh, you know you’ll like it. You’re practically asking for it the way you’re shaking your ass in this dress.”
Just as I’m about to whirl around on this douchebag, his body is suddenly ripped away from me. I turn around quickly, reaching out and grabbing the nearest thing to settle myself. I realize it’s an arm.
“She said she wasn’t fucking interested. Take the hint and get lost,” the man who pulled away the creep growls.
The guy that was pressed against me has his arm pulled behind his back as my saviour towers over him. My head tips back as my eyes trail up my saviour’s body. My eyes take in the defined muscles and the way the material of his jeans hugs his large thighs and his shirt stretches across his chest. I inhale a familiar scent of bergamot and something slightly sweet, and my gaze is met by panty melting, steel-grey eyes.
Caleb smirks. “Panty melting?”
I inhale sharply. “Fuck, did I say that out loud?”
I know I’ve had a lot to drink if I’ve lost my filter. I quickly turn, throwing my arms out to steady myself, and make my way back to the table. When I get there I reach a hand out to Lily, making a grabbing motion, and she hands me my drink.
“No filter Bailey is here,” I say, and she throws her head back and lets out a loud laugh.
“What did you say?”
“Panty melting,” Caleb responds from behind me.
I point a thumb over my shoulder at him. “That. I said that.” I take another large drink.
Lily’s eyes go wide and bounce between Caleb and me before a smile spreads across her face like she’s just solved the problem of world hunger.
“You must be Officer Caleb Sutton,” Lily says, and I scowl. Of co urse she had to say it like that. Now he’s going to know I’ve talked about him.
He reaches a hand out to her, and they shake. “I am. And you are?”
“Oh, I’m Bailey’s best friend, Lily. Just know if you ever need a babysitter, I’m the one to call.”
I bang my head against the table and groan. How drunk is Lily? Is this some kind of nightmare? It has to be, because why else would my best friend be basically throwing me at a guy she’s never met?
A hand goes between my head and the table. Heat envelops me from behind as Caleb wraps around my back.
“Bailey, baby, let’s not do that,” he whispers in my ear.
“You just had a quicky in the washroom didn’t you?” Hannah’s voice cuts through the noise around us, and my head snaps up.
I grip Caleb’s arm as my head spins. I just now notice Olivia isn’t at the table and she and Josh are making their way to us. Olivia slaps Hannah’s arm and shushes her.
“Why the fuck do you have to be so loud?” she whisper-hisses.
“Well, at least you’re getting some good sex. You could be like our girl Bailey over here,” Hannah hikes a thumb at me.
I groan and let my head fall to the table again. Why? Why did she have to say that in front of Caleb of all people? Caleb groans, and my body heats, a blush spreading across my entire body.
“Liv is the only one getting anything decent,” Zoey says, and all the girls nod.
That at least makes me feel better. I go to stand, but I stumble. My legs feel like jelly and my head won’t stop spinning. The next thing I know, arms are being wrapped around me under my ass and I’m being tossed over a shoulder.
“Apple ass,” I yell when I come face-to-face with a perfect tight ass th at looks so biteable. I can feel my body shake as Caleb laughs.
“I’m going to take her home. Lily, you want a ride?”
She must nod because I hear her gather her things and a chorus of byes called as Caleb walks out of the bar. I groan as he places me in the front seat and does my seatbelt for me. I pass out on the ride home, and the next thing I know, I’m being carried up the stairs in my house and placed in my bed.