Two
DAVID
AFTER
“Precious, you ready to go?” I’m already in a shitty mood and I haven’t even crossed the threshold of my parents’ house yet.
Despite my better judgment since getting married and moving away, I’ve respected my father’s terms by showing up to my parents’ annual Christmas party.
This year, however, they requested—demanded—the presence of my wife, Lisa, and our daughter, River, which explains my rising blood pressure and the pain in my jaw from all the teeth grinding.
Reaching over to the large chair in the corner, I pluck the thick scarf from its resting place, walk up behind my wife, and drape it around the sleek column of her neck. “Right here, my love.”
Our eyes meet in the mirror and if it weren’t for this ridiculous party my parents required us to attend, I’d be stripping her down and sinking my cock inside her.
I’d be swallowing her moans and spilling myself in the deepest recesses of her body.
Fuck, I love this woman more than life itself.
In fact, I wouldn’t give a shit about life if it weren’t for her presence in mine.
“Thank you, Bauble Boy.” I groan at the namesake she gave me all those years ago, her voice light and airy like the butterfly wings she admits to feeling every time we share the same space.
“Maybe I should show you, again, that I’m no boy.” I punctuate my statement with a push of my groin into her ass, twin moans escaping us as our bodies naturally bend to each other’s wills.
Lisa turns in my arms, her slender body fitting against mine like two puzzle pieces.
“You are all man.” She’s mocking me, her voice an octave too low, her lips pursed out.
In the last eighteen years, her effect on me hasn’t wavered one iota. Every time she’s near me, my body naturally gravitates toward her like it’s seeking out its other half.
I press myself harder against her, pinning her to the dresser, my hips pushing at her core, my head dipping as my lips find hers in a kiss that leaves my soul wide open.
One of her legs hikes up my thigh, my hand curling around her flesh and holding her tighter to me as my tongue invades her mouth, taking complete and utter control of the moment.
I may be living the peaceful life, but my need to dominate in the bedroom has never wavered.
Thank fuck for Lisa’s overactive libido because, though she rejects male dominance in any other aspects of her life, when I’m fucking and teasing her with my filthy mouth, she embraces it fully.
How easy would it be to slide my hand under the skirt of her fancy dress, pull her panties to the side, and push two fingers inside her slick cunt?
Too easy. Too tempting. Too perfect. If I start, there’s no way I’m fucking stopping.
If I get one little taste of her dripping wet pussy, I’ll have her naked and under me within seconds and that’ll just make it that much harder to go to this damn party.
“Mom, I can’t find my shoes.” Without turning away from my wife, I guide her leg back down and give her one last peck on her plump lips as our seventeen-year-old daughter invades our little bubble with her exuberance.
Lisa grins up at me, a knowing glint in her eyes that mirrors my frustration for this entire situation. We have to go to this party. It’s the only way to keep us safe and under the protection of my family. Without it, we’re sitting ducks.
With one hand on my cheek, her lips on mine promising a million things for when we get home, Lisa turns to our beautiful daughter and sighs.
“Come on, River, let’s go find them together.” I smile at my girls as they walk away, drinking in their closeness. An infectious laugh escapes Lisa and a swell of pride fills my chest as she wraps her arm around River’s shoulders, their heads leaning in to rest against each other.
When we first learned that we were expecting, we talked for hours about the kind of parents we wanted to be.
About following the teachings of her new-found beliefs and leaving behind the aggressive and traumatizing lessons my father forced down my throat.
Every time I see my kids laughing and playing outside, I know for a fact that we made the best decision for us and for them.
Every time I see them happy, laughing, and bursting with hopes and dreams, any semblance of doubt disappears completely.
Returning my attention to the bow on my tuxedo, I try to psych myself up for the worst evening since…well, since before I met Lisa. It’s all muscle memory from here. Crossing the two ends. Under and over. Looping around and—
“Why can’t I go with you, Dad? This sucks.” Interrupted by Everest, our youngest, I turn to him and place a hand at the top of his head, ruffling the messy mop he calls his hair.
“Trust me, you do not want to be there.”
“But I’ve never met Grandma and Grandpa.” He stands next to me at the mirror, our features so similar. He’s going to be tall. Taller than me, I think. At thirteen, he’s only had one significant growth spurt so far and I’d bet the next one will put him at my height.
“They’ll force you to be prim and proper.
” I slide my gaze to his just in time to see him grimace.
We’re not used to prim or proper around here.
My life with Lisa is more about love and communication than it is about appearances and power.
There’s also a lot of trial and error, but at the end of the day there are worthwhile lessons to be learned every day.
Lisa first discovered this way of life at college, when she was finally able to break free of her suffocating parents who demanded she live out their dreams and pay them for the privilege, whereas I grew up in luxury and the belief that feelings should only be experienced in private and never in front of witnesses.
Neither of us have a guide book on how to do this, but thankfully, our children are open with their feelings, though with adolescence it becomes… a lot.
“Gross.”
“Gross.” I imitate him, feeling his repulsion straight to my core.
“You’ll need to be here to make sure we can shake off the snobbery from our clothes.
” I hesitate to continue. The truth is so much worse and, until now, I’ve tried my best to shelter them from the borderline evil that lives inside my father.
His eyes turn serious, staring straight at me through the mirror. “Is it that bad?”
I know it’s hard for our kids to fathom the extent of my old world’s atrocious way of life, but it’s not easy to describe it without tainting their minds with all the negativity.
Turning to fully face him, I sit on the bed, tugging at the bowtie at my throat, the tightness akin to a noose.
“Unfortunately, yes.” His attention is unwavering as he hangs on every word I say.
“This world is filled with people who are distinctly different from one another. For example, most people around here think we’re weird with our land housing multiple families and our kids playing outside all the time. ”
“Riley, from across the street, got a new video game thing for her birthday last month. Sounds cool.” He shrugs and I know his curiosity was probably piqued, but Everest is happiest when his hands are working the earth so I’m confident that our strict no video games rule won’t traumatize him in the least.
“Well, your grandparents would have probably bought you that game, maybe even two, so you could be locked away in the game room and out of sight of the adults.” It’s almost comical how his eyes grow wide and his mouth slowly forms into a perfect circle.
“Would they play with us?”
“No, definitely not. My father didn’t believe that adults and children should ever spend time together.” Letting my voice drop an octave, I try to imitate my dad. “‘Boys grow into men and only then are they useful to me.’ That was your grandfather’s favorite motto.”
“Yeah?” His frown makes me smile with its similarity to his mother’s.
“Yeah, buddy. The reason we keep him away from us and you is because they aren’t really good people. In fact, they are toxic and their entire world is an ad campaign for child abuse. Can you imagine growing up without love in every room?”
“Sounds sad.”
“It is, bud, it really is. And one day, you’ll have to make decisions about how you want to live your life for you and your children.
If living like we do makes you and the love of your life happy, then don’t hesitate.
If giving up our way of life for the way of the world out there is what makes you happy, then don’t hesitate.
” I ruffle his hair again as I mock-whisper, “I might try to change your mind though, so beware.”
We chuckle but then he shrugs. “I just want to save the world, Dad. Whatever it takes.” I grin because, fucking hell, that’s a tall order.
“That’s it? I mean, I thought maybe you could squeeze some world peace in there first but hey…you do you.”
He rolls his eyes at my sarcasm then jumps up from the bed and runs to the door.
“Kai’s waiting for me. See ya tomorrow, Dad.” He turns to run out but stops to look at me and grins. “Saving the world includes world peace. Later, Dad.”
“Later, Ev.”