40. Colt – “Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens.” ― Maria von Trapp
40
Colt
“Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens.” ― Maria von Trapp
My dad wasn’t even here yet, and I could feel my anxiety rise as the time ticked by. I knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up. I told him my house was being renovated, so I wasn’t staying there, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out where I could be staying in the meantime. My father knew more about my finances than I did.
Kiss by Prince played in the background as Abigail made us a healthy lunch since I had just returned from football camp with Bodie.
Before my father interrupted us, I had a proposition for her. I didn’t know if she would be willing to comply, but if not, I would offer her money to help seal the deal. That’s the beauty of having money, it makes people more manageable to deal with—the ones you wanted in your life. The ones you didn’t, it just kept them coming back for more.
I come up behind Abigail as she tosses what looks like a burger patty on the skillet.
“Smells delicious.” I hugged her around her waist and sneaked a kiss.
“It will taste good too.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s in this, or will you make Bodie and I guess on this one, too?”
“If I tell you, then what’s the fun in that?” she says, placing one burger patty on a large glass plate.
“I chopped up some fruit. Can you grab it from the fridge? Lunch is ready.”
“Sure,” I tell her as I turn around and walk over to the refrigerator.
“Bodie!” I call upstairs to let him know that his lunch is ready. I started training this morning, and an idea dawned on me when I was at the gym.
“What do you think about putting a gym in the garage?” I ask Abigail as I place the container of fruit on the counter.
“For?” She asks as she carries the burgers, a few slices of bread, and a large salad to the table.
“Guests, but also for you or me, it would be convenient to have when we are out here, don't you think?” I froze when I realized the words that just came from my mouth. We . When the fuck did I ever use that word, unless it’s about Bodie and me.
“It could be a great selling point when marketing the lake house. Unless it’s mainly old people that come out here.” She smirked as she passed by me, grabbing some water.
“No, it’s usually the family type of people, and the lake house is big, so it’s always a family renting it out with another family or two to three couples staying here all at once.”
“Then I’d say go for it. I know I’ll use it.” She says.
I lean in to whisper. “I would love to see you bend over in front of me in it.”
My dick twitches at the thought of how insatiable this girl is. Last night, she saw how bad of a mood I was in. She began sucking my dick, and that just got me going. Then we fucked like wild animals, and I finished with her legs spread around me as I held my hand over her mouth so she didn’t wake up Bodie.
We couldn’t fall asleep, so I started asking her what it meant to be a Scorpio and all that zodiac stuff. I wanted to know what got her into all that astrology stuff. She started going into how she was proud to be a Scorpio because they were a powerful sign in astrology. Any other zodiac sign unmatches their intensity, passionate nature, and strength. But their downfall was they could quickly form addictive traits, and sex was the one she tried to avoid because she never wanted to be ashamed of being a slut. But she always knew she loved it. She told me how she humped a pillow at sixteen and had her first orgasm, and after that, she would sneak off in the bathroom at her parent's house and masturbate almost every other day to chase that feeling again.
I knew then she was a hidden freak.
The girl loved to please and get pleased, and I was not complaining. With Abigail, I’m learning that she’s not only independent but full of surprises, too.
“In that case, you better get started on that gym immediately, Colt Kilian.” My name rolls off her tongue, and I love the sound of it. It doesn’t feel like I’m this big-time NFL player, a dad or a fucked-up older brother running from the ghosts of his past. When she says it, I feel like me. She stretched on her tippy toes to kiss me. “I’m starving. Football practice was rough. I don’t know how you practice in this kind of heat, Dad,” Bodie says from down the hall.
I break away from Abigail and notice a flicker in her eye. Was she mad? Hurt? I wasn’t sure, but I’m sure it had to do with how fast I peeled myself off of her just now. It’s a normal reaction. Bodie was always the number one person I tried to protect, and I wasn’t sure what this was or where it was going, so until then, I didn’t want Bodie to think it would be anything permanent.
The doorbell rings as soon as Bodie comes into view. “I’ll get it,” Bodie says, opening the door before I can warn him.
“Hey, Bodie Bear. How ya been?”
I rub a hand down my face as I take a deep breath.
“Is that your-”
“Yes,” I say, cutting her off, “and don’t call him that. Sperm donor, remember?” I walk off. I know I might sound like a total dick right now, but my father had a great way of bringing that side out of me.
“Grandpa!” Bodie shrieks as my dad brings him in for a hug.
“Cliff, it’s so nice of you to stop by,” I say tersely. There isn’t even room for sarcasm. I never joked with my dad. How could I? He didn’t make it easy when he was the butt of all my jokes.
“Hi, son,” he says.
“I’m not your son.”
His million-dollar smile doesn’t even falter. He was an expert at smiling when shit was flying at him. Cliff walks inside before I can even greet him.
“Something smells good.”
“Yeah, Abigail made us lunch, Grandpa.”
“Abigail?” My dad says as he looks down at Bodie and then at me.
“Yeah, she’s Dad’s new friend. And mine. She cooks and cleans, and she likes doing it. She also spends time with us and watches movies.” Bodie turns around to face me. “Dad, can Grandpa eat with us?” He says with a jump
“Sure, why not,” I forced a smile.
“Yay, I’ll go tell Abigail.”
Bodie scurries off into the kitchen.
“Friend, eh?” Cliff nudges my shoulder and laughs through a breath. “Oh, man. What I would give to live those days again. What are you pushing now? Nine? Ten million?”
I don’t answer him. I just stare at him, wondering if he knows how much I loathe his presence here.
“I bet you just wiggle your finger, and the ladies just drop their panties.” He sticks out his stomach a little as he places both hands on his hips. “Man, those were the days.”
“Yeah, the only difference is now the women are the ones who wiggle their fingers, and you drop your panties. Ain’t that right, dad?”
He gives me a look before walking towards the kitchen. “I’m hungry. And I believe I was invited to lunch by my one and only grandson.” And without hesitation, he pads over to the kitchen. If looks could kill, the one I’m giving him right now would do just that: straight through his back.
“C’mon in, Dad, eat, be merry. Oh, you need ten grand again? Let me run to the bank so you can be on your way.” I say to myself as I gently close the door. My dad only came around when he needed something. Or he had nowhere else to go because the woman he was with got tired of his shit and kicked him out or found out he was dead broke. At least he wised up a little, or should I say the women did, and they stopped marrying him before they found out he was nothing but a charmer with one hell of a mouthpiece on him.
“What the hell is this?” My dad says. He hadn’t even been here for an hour and was already complaining.
Abigail clears her throat. “It’s a burger patty.”
“I have eaten burgers. Some of the best burgers in the world, actually, and that ain’t no burger.”
“I’m sorry. Did anyone ask your opinion?” I say briefly. My jaw clenched so hard it felt like I would crack a tooth.
“No, thank God, because those taste like some eggplant mushroom vegan crap or whatever those healthy burgers you youngins eat nowadays.”
“It is a veggie burger, but I mixed it with the turkey meat. To make sure Bodie gets his veggies.”
“I like them, Abigail. They are super yummy, plus anything tastes good with ketchup, Grandpa.” Bodie dips a cut-up piece in his ketchup.
“Are these cauliflower mashed potatoes too?” My dad asks.
Abigail’s chin dips down with embarrassment, making my jaw stiffen.
“Since you were informally invited, why don’t you go to Charlie’s Chicken or Taco Bueno down the street? Or is that too expensive for you?”
Cliff glared at me. I know I’m insulting him, but I didn’t care because he insulted Abigail. Did I particularly like all this healthy stuff? No. But I loved that she thought of Bodie and was trying to get him to eat healthier. No woman, not even Naomi, put in effort like that to instill Bodie was being taken care of. They were all lazy and stopped at a restaurant to get meals. No one slaved away in the kitchen like Abigail has for us, so he can shove his opinion up his ass if he doesn't like the food.
“How about I just head to my room.” My dad stands up
“Your room?” I say, pushing my seat back so fast it squeaks.
“Are you staying with us, Grandpa?” Bodie says with excitement.
My dad leans down and whispers. “Yup, and that means ice cream every night, but only if you show me how good you’ve gotten at football. I may be getting older, but your pops here can still show you a few moves.” He claps a hand on Bodie's shoulder, giving it a little wiggle as he laughs, returning his gaze toward mine. My face remains stoic.
“So where is it? Upstairs? I've never been to your lake house; I'm not sure how many rooms you’ve got in this joint, but it looks big and spacious.”
“That’s because you’ve never been invited.” I remind him. “Besides, this is one of my rental properties.” I stand, every muscle in my body tense.
“Right. So you’re telling me you don’t have room for your dad? Is this about Blake again?”
I run a hand through my hair, trying not to curse in front of Bodie.
“Hey bud, how about we go outside and let your dad and grandpa have a minute to themselves? Besides, maybe you can show me how far you can toss that football, and I’ll show you the surprise I have in my car.”
“Surprise?” I can hear Bodie and Abigail shuffle to their feet from my side view, but I don’t take my eyes off my dad.
“What do you want, Dad?” I say once I hear the back door close. “Let’s just cut the bullshit and get to the real reason you’re here.”
“What? I can’t hang out with my son and grandson. It’s not like you're living a crap life these days, son. Let’s not forget you’ve taken way more from me in the past.”
“For fuck sake, here we go again.”
I start to walk off and begin clearing the table.
“Did you forget how you played a role in taking the one son I had a chance to form a relationship with?”
“No, Dad,” I say with conviction. “You did that all on your own.” I turn the faucet on and start scrubbing the plates vigorously, trying to do anything that will keep me from punching my dad in the face.
“Okay then, tell me something, if it’s all my fault, why haven’t you cleared out Blakes's room? I’ll bet my left nut that the room I could sleep in is still untouched. Why is that, son?”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your son. You never raised me.” I feel the heat rise to my chest.
“No, I just helped create you.”
“Not a big deal. Anyone can create a kid. It’s keeping them alive that counts. You know, the part that comes after you shoot your sperm into the womb. Or should I say whoever the flavor of the month is for you?”
“That’s not true. At the time, I loved every one of those women, including your goody-two-shoes mom.”
“You mean responsible. Keeping a career to ensure your son is cared for doesn’t make her a goody-two-shoes. It’s called being a responsible adult. Maybe you should try that for a change.”
“What do you think I’m doing here?” He shouts out. I reluctantly look up at him and see the anguish in his eyes. Raking a hand through his hair, he lets out a long sigh.
“Look, I know I’m getting older, and the women these days expect so much more out of you, especially the younger ones, so I’ve been looking at becoming a football coach for young kids. I was hoping you could put in a good word for me at Bodie’s school. It would even allow us to get to know each other better.”
I dry my hands on the kitchen towel and grimace at my dad.
“C’mon, you saw how Bodie lit up when he saw me, and I-I want to be around more. I’m getting older and-” he turns around, and I cross my arms over my chest, leaning back on the kitchen counter.
“For fuck sake, cut me some slack here, son,” he mutters under his breath.
“How much?”
His shoulders slump over, and his head dips down. Before lifting it back up and slowly turning to face me. “Fifteen grand.”
I shake my head in disbelief.
“I promise, I’m done. If you help me out this last time, I promise I’ll pay you back.”
“Bodie will graduate high school before that happens.”
“Please, son.”
“I 'm not your son,” I say through gritted teeth.
“You know, I see a lot of Blake in Bodie, I think he-”
“Don’t!” I raise a hand. “Don’t act like you know my son. How many times have you ever seen him? Six? Is that one time for each year of his life? He’s going to be seven, so save the heartfelt bullshit for someone who actually gives a shit.” I throw the towel on the kitchen counter and start to walk off. I needed to get away from him.
Cliff follows me, and I can feel him on my heel. I charge upstairs, but he doesn't take the hint.
“Also, who’s this Abigail chick? I mean, I get having a younger woman to bang, there’s nothing like young pussy. But what happened to Naomi? She was smoking hot. Is it true that they are cousins like Bodie told me?”
“Shut up,” I turn around so fast Cliff bumps into me once I reach the top of the stairs.
“What? I’m just saying, son. You are a famous NFL player. Why are you banging that when you could have the hottest chick on your shoulder in a heartbeat.”
“Don’t talk about her like that. Abigail is a hardworking, respectable human being, unlike you. Besides, she’s Josh’s friend, and that’s the only reason I’m helping her because he asked me. They are friends from college.”
“Oooh, that makes sense.”
I ignore him and walk into my room. “In that case, do you mind if I put the moves on her? She’s got a smoking hot body, and it’s been a while since, you know, I had a woman's touch. I could explode with her just being naked in front of me. It’s been that long.”
I slam my dresser drawer shut. “No, she’s off limits.”
“Why? I mean, I thought you s?—”
“No, don’t look at her or even breathe in her direction. I wouldn’t want her tainted by your fucked up life and soul even if we weren’t together.”
“Weren’t. So you did bang her?”
I take my pants off and start putting my shorts on. I needed to go for a run. If I didn’t, I think I might kill my dad.
“That’s none of your business,” I say as I tie my sneakers. He picks up a picture of my dresser—one of Bodie and I smiling after I won my first Super Bowl. My face was dirty, and my hair sweaty from the intense game we won against the Dallas Cowboys. One of the best games I played in my life.
I brush past Cliff’s shoulder and out back to the hallway.
“So is that a yes then?” My dad shouts behind me.
Without saying another word, I jog down the stairs and open my front door to the outside world. I start running as fast as I can, hoping to blow off the steam that’s been building ever since my dad stepped foot in my house. As I ran, the haunting ghosts from my past crept in, causing me to run faster until I couldn’t feel my legs underneath me.