20. Megyn
CHAPTER 20
MEGYN
I had to work before I could go spend the night with Carter. Suzie was there, for a half-shift, as well as Darren and two others. It was a pretty full team, which meant our breaks could overlap a little. I was taking my second and last break, nursing a diet soda and trying to find the energy to get through the last bit of the work day, when Suzie arrived to get her things from her locker.
I shrank down in my spot, trying to be invisible.
Suzie turned and looked at me. I shrank down even more in my seat, almost under the table by that point. She nodded to me, a single tilt of her head, before grabbing her things and heading out.
I sat up properly and watched her go, confused and a little guilty. I could have sworn I had seen pain in her eyes when she looked at me. Clearly, she wasn’t taking Carter’s continued rejections very well. That was what I felt bad about. I knew how bad disappointment felt. As a person, I wished her no ill will.
As a rival though, I was tired of dealing with her.
And I was tired of the constant back-and-forth, the swapping personalities. Why did she have to alternate between being okay to work with and a royal jerk?
At least having her gone would improve the rest of my shift, I supposed.
I finished my soda and tossed it out, heading back up to the front to the register. Business was a bit slow, but steady, and all the customers were polite. Time passed in a sedate manner and I lost track of it until June showed up to give me my share of the tips from the communal cup. I took the few bills proffered to me and tucked them into my pocket.
“I can’t believe it’s the end of my shift already,” I said.
June put the cup back where it belonged. “Well, if you want a few more hours, I could use an extra closer.”
“I wish I could. I’ve got a date tonight.” The words popped out of my mouth before I even knew what I was going to say.
June raised her thin eyebrows. “You do?”
“Y-yes.”
“Well, I hope they’re a good person, whoever they are.” June smiled and made a shooing motion with her hands. “Get out of here and go have fun.”
I smiled and scurried off, grabbing my coat from my own locker. I stopped by the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face to cool down my blushing cheeks.
Carter waited for me in the parking lot, standing outside against the hood of his parked car. The wind teased his hair, ruffling his trench coat around his slim frame. I went to him and into his arms and kissed his lips. “You look like a detective,” I whispered.
He pulled me deep into his warm coat and kissed the top of my head. “I must be a good one. The lady I was looking for came right up to me on her own.”
I giggled and stuck my arms inside his jacket sleeves. “Just don’t expect that tactic to work with everyone you need to find.”
Carter twirled me around and walked me backwards to the passenger car door, our arms still stuffed into his sleeves. He released me and opened the door for me. “I’m not going to have to get out the handcuffs to keep you where I want you, am I?”
A dirty joke sprang into my mind. I decided not to say it and just climbed into his car since I wasn’t quite sure if he’d find it funny.
Carter shut my door and came around to the other side. “Do you want to stop by your house for anything before we go to mine?”
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
“Well, alright.” He seemed like he wanted to say more, though he didn’t and just got to driving.
I was glad for his silence on the matter. I didn’t want to have to go through the embarrassment of him seeing my rinky-dink little house again.
“I’ll tell you, you about saved my life yesterday when you texted me.”
I jerked my head up, disbelieving. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe that was a little dramatic.” He chuckled. “What I meant is that I was having a hard time with things.”
I could only imagine what he must have been going through. “You were the one who texted me.”
“Yes, but you’re the one who asked if I wanted to make plans.” Carter put his hand on my thigh. “That really have me something to look forward to so I could get through the whole mess.”
I put my hand over his, feeling his smooth, strong fingers. “Is it… too presumptuous to ask what was happening? I’m not sure I’d understand but I want to listen,” I admitted shyly.
Carter patted my thigh and then gave my knee a little squeeze, which made me catch my breath. “Very sweet of you. I’d rather let that sleeping dog lie for now. I want this night to be just you and me.”
My pulse raced, rushing in my ears. “Me, too.”
We drove back over the bridge to Staten Island, skirting the perimeter of the island until we reached the fence of a gated community.
Carter rolled his window down.
The guard at the gate peered through the window. Recognition flashed on his face and his demeanor changed in an instant, from suspicion to a deep respect. “Good evening, Mr. Bryant.”
“Hey, Hal. How’s the wife?”
Hal pushed a button to open the gate. “Oh, she’s good. Got nothing on that young lady you got there, though.”
Carter laughed. “I won’t tell Patricia you said that about her.”
“We didn’t marry for looks,” Hal said warmly. “Have a good night, Mr. Bryant.”
Carter drove through the gate and onto the streets of a quiet beachfront neighborhood. Houses the size of mansions sprouted from sandy yards covered in seagrass. Each house backed up against the roiling fall ocean. The sharp tang of salt blew in through the car air vents, reminding me of the aquarium in the Lonely Whale. It was a scent I was coming to associate with luxury.
“You’re very quiet,” Carter remarked. He drove slower than what I thought to be necessary, presumably to give me a good look around.
I had already seen enough, though.
“Megyn?”
I didn’t want to give away how overwhelmed I was. I’d done that at the restaurant and while Carter had been nothing but patient with me, I wouldn’t push my luck. “You know that man well?”
“Hal? Oh, sure. He’s been a guard for the past ten years.” Carter shrugged good-naturedly. “He could care less about art and isn’t particularly imaginative, but when you pass a man a few times a day for over a decade, you come to be familiar with him. He’s an okay sort. Blunt.”
“I’d be mortified if my husband told someone else I was prettier than them.”
“Oh, it’s just a game those two play. They like to insult each other.”
I shuddered, rubbing my arms. “I can’t see how arguing is supposed to be fun.”
“I’m sure it’s different from that. Here we are. My house.”
Bursting up from a scrubby yard was a dark blue two-story house, standing on pillar legs to account for high tide. A ramping white walkway led up to a raised balcony and front porch area, which wrapped all around the side of the house and presumably to the back.
“It’s… It’s…” I couldn’t even find a thought to explain what I was seeing.
Carter pulled up to the driveway, which rose at a slant to a huge garage big enough for three vehicles. Two were already inside, and even I could tell they weren’t in working order.
The garage looked like any ordinary garage, though kept neatly swept and with organizational shelves and tubs rather than clutter.
Carter shut the motorized door with a press of a button and stepped out of his car.
I climbed out and shivered as the chilled air struck me. Dust went up my nose and I sneezed.
Carter looked at me apologetically and ushered me out of the garage and into the house proper, through a laundry room and adjoining pantry to a combination kitchen and dining area. The walls were in different shades of blue, teal and aquamarine and navy, accompanied by distinctly beachy furniture, made to look like rattan or driftwood.
“I feel like I’m in a vacation home,” I breathed. I turned to Carter, shaking my head. “When you live like this and you saw the awful wreck where I live…”
Carter shook his head back at me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “Don’t be silly. Remember what I said before? Pumpkin or carriage, you are my Cinderella.”
His reassurance calmed me down a little, though I could still hardly believe that he lived in such a beautiful place. I had known he would, but actually seeing it was very different from thinking about it.
Carter grasped my hands in his and swung them back and forth between us. “I have the whole evening planned out for us,” he said. “I picked out a movie for us to watch in my theater.”
“A home theater,” I said faintly. “Do you happen to have your own bowling alley?”
He smiled and continued. “My in-home chef will prepare us a meal and we can eat it while watching the movie. If we want it later on, then we’ll have popcorn and slushies.”
“Of course you have a chef.”
“Well, he’s more like a live-in butler, but don’t tell him that.” Carter took my hand and pulled me along, through his gorgeous beach home. “He’s pretty bad at everything except cleaning.”
“He… has his own bedroom?” I stared at the doors we passed, now wondering what secrets each one held.
Carter laughed. “Actually, there’s a small apartment attached to the back of the house. That’s where he lives, though he has a key so he can come and go.”
“Oh,” I said, and left it at that. I had no idea what else I could say. I could barely afford groceries sometimes and here Carter had a person specifically to cook for him.
We came to a stop in front of an open, dark doorway. Carter held my arms and turned to me. “I know it must seem weird to you,” he began.
I held up my hand. “You don’t have to tell me anything. You aren’t obligated.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m some sort of spoiled rich boy,” Carter said. He tilted his head. “Megyn, I started out with a lot less. As my wealth grew, it took me a long time to adjust. Eventually, I managed to get it through my own head that I had earned this money. It’s mine. I shouldn’t feel ashamed to use it, when others have so little.”
I listened quietly, mostly watching his solemn green eyes.
“That’s also around the time when I realized I could use my money to help others accomplish their goals like I had. It’s been a long work in progress, striking this balance.” He leaned in, touched his forehead to mine. “I’m so busy helping others that if I didn’t have Antonio, I would probably never eat. My theater, I rarely use. I can’t remember the last time I swam in the ocean back there. But I have these things and I’m proud of them. I have earned them. And now,” he tapped my nose, “I get to share them with you! Okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed. If anything, he seemed to be in touch with reality. He remembered where he had come from and had worked to balance his wealth with his obligations as a wealthy person. Suddenly, I admired him a lot more, even more than I already had.
“Let’s go in,” Carter encouraged, nodding his head to the door.
The theater looked like any real movie theater, except that there was only one row of seats, and instead of chairs, they were huge, luxurious couches. Candy jars lined the walls, filled with an assortment of everything from Twizzlers to lemon drops, to Halloween-style fun-size candy bars.
“I can see why you hardly ever come in here,” I teased. “It’s so boring.”
Carter laughed. “Sit down and get cozy. I’ll put the movie in.”
I walked up to the center couch and sat down. The cushion enveloped my rear like a cloud. I sank in, breathing out a long sigh, feeling tension drain from my body as I relaxed. With a couch like this, it was impossible not to.
The theater lights dimmed and the huge projection screen lit up. Carter joined me, wrapping his arm around me. I cuddled closer to him, watching the beginning company names and logos fade in and out. I still had no idea what the movie was.
However, as soon as the movie really got going, I started to get an idea. And when the actual title of the film came up, I had it confirmed for me. It was the live-action version of Cinderella.
Carter grinned at me. “Good choice?”
“Oh, Carter! Stop it! It’s such a good choice.” I had to laugh. He was so sweet.
Carter pulled me even closer to him, so I was leaning on him. “I happen to think so, too. Antonio should be along soon.”
We started watching. I hadn’t seen the film outside of posters and images online, when I had been looking up references for my Halloween costume, and I could hardly take my eyes off the beautiful images. I wouldn’t even have noticed Antonio’s arrival, if he hadn’t had to open the theater door and let the light in.
Antonio turned out to be an older black man, with shoulders like a football player. He set up a folding table in front of us and placed a tray full of dishes on top. “These are crab cakes,” he said, voice hushed. “With arugula salad, tomato and pepper slaw, and herb roasted potatoes. Enjoy.”
I looked at the delicious meal spread out before us and my stomach growled, loud enough to be heard over Cinderella’s singing in the background.
Antonio chuckled. “Best let the girl eat before she tries to chow down on you, Carter. I’ll bring popcorn in about an hour. Enjoy,” he repeated, and left again.
“This is amazing,” I said, reaching to take my heaping plate.
Carter balanced his own plate on his lap. “Isn’t it? I’m very lucky. Antonio paid his own way through college by working at restaurants. No formal cooking education.”
“Wow.”
We sat back to eat and watch the movie. I struggled to pay attention to everything at once. The delicious food, the movie, Carter’s body pressed to mine . . . despite sitting still, I was so dizzy. And so happy. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so happy. Even all the other times I had spent with Carter paled in comparison to this. Just the two of us, no distractions.
When the movie was almost over, it was time for a kiss scene between Cinderella and her prince. As their lips touched, I got an idea. I turned to Carter, looking up at him.
He tilted his head and peered into my eyes. “Yes?”
I leaned in close, my lips searching for his, hoping and hoping he would reciprocate. He brought his lips to mine and we kissed.
His lips were so warm and soft, I couldn’t get enough of them. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my body closer to his, feeling my breasts push on his chest.
Carter turned, putting one leg up on the couch behind me. He pulled me even deeper into his arms and kissed me harder, deeper, deeper than we had ever kissed before.
Nerves swirled through my stomach. I knew what I wanted. But I had done it so infrequently. I might not be ready for this.
But I wanted him.
No, I needed him.
I forced all my doubts away, forced myself to relax on him, the only man in the world who mattered. I relaxed my body against his, my stomach resting on his, his hard abs pressing on me. Something else pressed on me, too, a hot bulge between Carter’s legs. Breathless, I kissed him more, sliding my tongue over his lips.
Carter let out a soft growl, almost a groan, and moved underneath me, pressing his hips harder to mine. His lips parted and his tongue flickered out to meet mine.
I gasped, heat swirling through me. “Carter…”
“Megyn,” he murmured, kissing me again and again. He skimmed his hands down my back, almost to my butt. His fingers hesitated, dancing their way up under the hem of my shirt, before stopping and sliding back up towards my shoulders.
I reached behind me and grabbed one of his hands.
Carter looked into my eyes, his lips pressed to mine. “You’re sure about this?”
I swallowed hard. I was so nervous, but I was so ready. All the soft kisses we’d shared up until now, and all the cuddling and rubbing we’d done during the movie, it had all been leading up to this. I knew it. And I wasn’t going to stop because I was a little scared. I’d spent my whole life doing that and it was time for a change.
To answer his question, I pressed my lips to his again, shoving my tongue into his mouth to meet his.
Carter’s eyes went wide. They shimmered, reflecting the dancing colors at the end of the movie. Then, a haze overtook them, a mist of lust. He shut his eyes and pressed his body to mine, kissing me, stealing my breath as his tongue and lips danced over mine. He ran his hands down my body again, fingers straying once more to my rump. This time, he did what he had been wanting to do, sliding his fingers beneath the waistband of my pants and pushing them down off my hips.
Gasping, I raised my hips and let him strip my pants and underwear away, and then do the same to my shirt and bra. Fully naked, I lay on top of him, trembling and ready, my inner muscles hot and pulsating.
Carter grabbed my shoulders and rolled us over on the couch, so I was beneath him. The theater twirled around me, a blur of colors. I focused on Carter to get rid of the dizziness, watching as he shed his shirt, showing off his sculpted body and the ripples of his muscles.
Rising up on his knees between my thighs, he grabbed his zipper and yanked it down.
I stopped breathing, staring, everything inside me brimming with anticipation.
Carter pulled his jeans down and reached into his underwear, pulling out his huge manhood.
“Carter!” I said, a little alarmed. “Will it fit?”
Carter chuckled and leaned over my body, rubbing his lips on mine until I forgot all about my momentary fear. “Why don’t we find out? Just relax, Megyn.”
I trust him.
I closed my eyes and opened up my body to him. Carter kept kissing me as he brought his manhood to my wet entrance. He held my face and lavished attention upon my nose, my cheeks, my ears, while pushing himself slowly inside me. I held back a wince as he stretched me, not wanting him to stop because he thought he was hurting me.
I focused on his body, laying over mine, and his hands so warm and gentle, and relaxed.
Carter pushed deeper inside me until our thighs met. “Ready?” he breathed.
“Ready,” I whispered.
He began to move inside me, thrusting gently, his hips lifting and falling in a steady motion. I moved with him, found his pace, and then all thoughts ceased as we were locked there together in the midst of pleasure, building a fire that, all too soon, yet not soon enough, overtook us both in its heat.
I collapsed onto my back, my breasts heaving with my breathing, unable to think, unable to say anything except, “Wow.”
Carter laughed his gentle, warm laugh and pulled me against his chest.
I tucked my face to his neck, breathing in his scent, letting the last tremors of orgasm work their way through me.
It’s never been like that before.
That could sum up my entire relationship with Carter.
As I lay with him, I felt myself actually starting to get excited about the future.