Chapter 12Milked you for a sample
Chapter Twelve
MILKED YOU FOR A SAMPLE
Emmanuel thought he would sleep in after the hectic day he had yesterday. Not to mention being up half the night talking to Ivy, but he found himself fully awake after only four hours of sleep. He wanted to call her, but she needed her rest, plus she had a busy day ahead of her. Before their date, which he patted himself on the back for asking for, she was spending the day with his Mom and Sage. Then the granddaughter/grandmother duo would take off for the mini getaway and the couple would meet for dinner.
After he abandoned the idea of trying to sleep, he headed to the condo’s gym. Emmanuel didn’t want to purchase equipment and place it in one of the spare rooms. Something about that sounded way too permanent. He had no intention of his current living situation being long term.
He did not intend to have a long or gruelling workout session, but at one point, he felt like he was being chased by an insatiable longing. It had been decades since he felt the weight of it bearing down on him. As a child, it had been horrible. Otherwise, his childhood was what dreams are made of. Emmanuel had the very best money could buy. He was well-liked by his peers, so they wanted to spend time with him. His mother adored and doted on him. Still, that loneliness was always there… a treacherous companion. It became so persistent that he eventually became accustomed to it. It played like a soundtrack as he went about his life. The only time it dissipated was after he fell for Ivy. Now that he was away from her, the feeling came roaring back.
Emmanuel only put an end to the rigorous torture when he registered his shorts were soaked from his sweat. The workout would be felt later. After a quick shower, he made himself breakfast. It was nothing like he would have prepared for his family. Sage loved blueberry pancakes and damn near burnt bacon. Yeah, he had to get back to his life. Before they experienced more separation. He hadn’t discussed it with Ivy, but Sage wanted to move in with him. The idea of his little girl being away from her home didn’t sit right with him. The taste of the food was barely registering. At this point, it was just fuel.
Despite his lengthy workout, he had the whole day ahead of him. The very last thing he wanted to do was work or anything related to it. Instead, he pulled up the initial file Darsh had sent over on the Journee woman. Emmanuel didn’t know what he expected to find, but it wasn’t this. By all indications, the woman was a choir girl. Obviously, she couldn’t have a criminal record and be a vice-principal, but she didn’t even have a damn parking ticket.
They had poured over her finances. Fiscally responsible was an understatement. The Journee woman had a perfect credit score. Emmanuel had to call Darsh to verify what he saw.
“Is this right? Does she actually pay all her utilities in one payment at the beginning of the year?”
“Yeah. This chick is unbelievable with money. Her house is almost all paid off. She has paid off her car. She has a healthy savings account and a retirement savings plan. Oh, and she has started a registered education saving plan for the kid. Whatever her motivation is, I don’t think it has anything to do with money.”
That wasn’t good news. Greed, Emmanuel understood. Greed was easy to address. The unknown…
The Journee woman’s upbringing was picturesque. Upper-middle-class family. Her parents were high school sweethearts and still married. Her father was retired and had handed over the accounting firm to his eldest daughter. She, like her mother, was an educator. The Journee woman was a teacher. She had won Educator of the Year seven out of the ten years she taught in the classroom. The Journee woman attended the same church since she was a child and still attended every Sunday. After which she went to her parents for lunch.
“What the fuck!! What are we missing?” Emmanuel asked himself.
Her social media presence was scarce. She had one private account, and when Darsh had managed to get in, well, his notes said it all.
‘No pictures of her or her family. It is mostly of nature, her garden, and places she visited.’
Again, no ties to the province of Ontario. She lived on the other side of the country. This shit didn’t even begin to make sense.
It seemed that she was all in on being a parent. She had the child in a premier preschool and had him in all kinds of activities. So, she took parenting seriously. No partners that they saw.
On paper, she seemed to be a normal hard-working woman. So why did she decide to blow his life to smithereens? They were still digging, but it didn’t seem like she had any mental health illnesses.
The majority of pictures were surveillance photos. So, most of them were from a distance and/or grainy. Once the Journee woman didn’t jog his memory, he didn’t dwell on the younger black woman. Emmanuel double-checked her age, though. At first glance, he had thought she was twenty-five years his junior. In his opinion, thirty-four was almost as bad. She was practically a kid to him, regardless of how accomplished she was.
Darsh was still watching her, as well as digging into her past. He’d asked the investigator to do a background check on every single person in her life. Emmanuel was starting to wonder if the Journee woman was the villain in all of this. They had to be missing something.
Emmanuel would drive himself crazy, poring over the same information repeatedly. For tonight, he would have to push it to the back of his mind.
He had a date which he was looking forward to. Tonight, was all about them. Fuck all the stress and the doubt of the last few months.
Emmanuel had just gotten on his shirt when the buzzer rang. The person who normally visited was supposed to be on a Dinner Cruise. He knew because he had gotten him tickets. Yet when he opened the door there, he was.
“Frank, what are you doing here?”
Frank didn’t bother to greet him. Instead, he just pushed past him and took a seat on the couch. Despite Emmanuel’s protest, his friend had made sure that he wasn’t ‘lonely’. Even if he didn’t have a date, Emmanuel didn’t want to spend his Saturday with his friend. Not that he didn’t appreciate Frank looking out for him, but Frank’s theories were becoming more outlandish
“Hey, have you ever been on a trip and woken up disorientated? Or couldn’t remember the events of the night before?”
Or one of Emmanuel’s favourites.
“Has anyone sent you a drink, or brought you a drink? Well, I suppose they could have slipped something into your food.”
Emmanuel couldn’t help himself. He wanted to ignore Frank, but he asked, “What do you think happened after someone slipped something into my food?”
“Maybe they followed you back up to your room and waited for you to pass out, then they milked you for a sample.”
Frank snapped his fingers. “Is that any way to greet your oldest friend?
“Aren’t you supposed to be on a cruise?” Emmanuel countered.
“Darren got offered rink-side tickets to the Hockey game. I called the cruise people, and they changed the date. Then I thought I would come over. I’m in the mood to rewatch the last episode of Games of Thornes (GOT).”
Damn those cruise people and Darren’s plans. Emmanuel was hoping Frank would be too preoccupied to stop by.
His first order of business was to address GOT. He wanted it clear that the option wouldn’t be on the table now or ever. “I’ve already sat through that shit once. It bears repeating, I’m not doing it again.”
It was then that Frank took in his appearance. Sweeping his gaze from his head to toe. “You’re going out? Where are you going?”
“Well Dad, I’m taking my wife out. If that’s okay with you?”
“Ivy?”
“She’s the only one I have.”
Excitement morphed his expression. “So, what does that mean? You’re moving back home?”
“No. It means that we are just going to have dinner.”
“I love you two, but it has to be said. You guys are fucking weird.”
“Thank you for your opinion.”
Frank’s assessment irked him.
“Look, I didn’t mean any offence. It is just I still don’t get why you moved out. Especially whenever I see either of you, you guys still look like moon-eyed, love-struck kids.”
“If this is weird for you, imagine what it is like for the both of us. So tonight, we are just going to put all that shit to the side. Sorry, you are going to have to find something else to do tonight.”
They had agreed that Roy would drop Ivy off at the restaurant. The condo wasn’t too far away, so he’d walked over to Fusion. Emmanuel was there waiting to open the door the moment the car came to a stop. He reached inside and as soon as their hands connected, all these years later, he still felt that ever-present spark. A few days apart couldn’t dim their connection. By the time Ivy emerged from the vehicle, his smile was mega-watt. The first thing he noticed was her smile mirrored his own.
“Come here Doc,” Emmanuel instructed as he pulled her into his arms. She sighed as he embraced her.
“Hey, Manny.” Her voice was light and airy.
He wished they could remain this way, but they were on a bustling sidewalk. He pulled her away enough so he could give her a brief, tender kiss. Anything more than that, and their plans for the night would have been thwarted.
“Let’s get you cleared out of the door so Roy can be on his way.”
Once they had waved Roy off, they still stood facing each other, holding hands. Her hair was pulled back in one ponytail, and her makeup was light and flawless. Ivy wore her long wool coat, which probably meant that she was wearing a skirt or dress beneath it. He was looking forward to seeing her outfit. Especially because she wore healed boots.
“Hey Manny, do you mind if we go for a walk before we go in to eat?”
It was a nippy winter night. Despite the temperature being below zero, there was no wind.
“You won’t be too cold?”
“No. The walking with keep me warm.” As Ivy spoke, she let go of his hands and pulled her gloves out of her pocket. “There. I’m all set.”
They didn’t have a reservation, so why not? The couple held hands as they walked the busy streets. She was right, as long as they were moving, the cold wasn’t a bother.
“So, what inspired this walk?”
“It feels like I have been cooped up inside all week.”
Manny had been too. The coolness was pleasant against their skin. It was reminiscent of when they first started dating. They had done this a lot.
They walked for almost an hour. “After this, I don’t know if I want to go sit down in the restaurant.”
“Wanna grab takeout and go back to my place?” Emmanuel suggested.
“Maybe we can watch a movie on Netflix or something.”
Emmanuel’s step faltered. He slowly turned to Ivy, and with a raised eyebrow asked, “why Doc, did you just ask me if we could Netflix and chill?”
She bit her lip. “I guess I did.”
“I think we can manage that. Any idea of what kind of food you want to grab?” The street that they were walking on was full of diverse choices. If they traced their steps back from where they started, they had their choice of practically any cuisine in the world.
“I could go for some pizza. Oh, we passed that place the kids like, a few blocks back.”
As they walked back, they discussed what pizza Ivy had a taste for. Emmanuel’s taste was simple. Just pesto, roasted garlic, and Pecorino cheese. Ivy tended to be more adventurous. Sometimes too much so. There were times she would end up eating from Manny’s pizza while he finished her strange choices.
Once they arrived at the busy storefront restaurant, he suggested. “Why don’t you go in and place the order? I’ll call Roy and ask him to pick us up. The temperature is dropping.”
While Ivy disappeared, he contacted Roy. He wasn’t far away, as he always kept a respectable distance. Yes, his primary role was to chauffeur Ivy, but he was much more. His job was also to see to her safety. Roy was ex-military police intelligence. He appeared to be laid back, but it was best that one not pose any threat to Ivy.
Once he finished his request, he went inside to wait with Ivy. Standing behind her, he pulled her into his embrace, and he placed a kiss on her temple. She sighed contentedly. They didn’t speak while waiting for their food. He enjoyed being tucked away in the corner of the restaurant.
Once their pizzas were ready, they jumped into the waiting car after the boxes were secured in the front seat. It was a good thing they’d put an end to the frosty adventure. In just the short period they’d been in the restaurant, the temperature had dipped. Seated in the back seat of the car, his suspicion was confirmed. Ivy was wearing a knee-length dress.
“I’m surprised you weren’t cold.”
“The coat is super warm, and the boots are high. Like I said, as long as we kept moving, I was good.”
They didn’t touch as they sat beside each other. It was the wisest thing. They weren’t too far away from the condo and if he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop. The scent of her perfume tickled his nostrils. He didn’t, couldn’t, look at her. Emmanuel made the mistake of glancing at her when they had been stopped at a light. The need had struck him so hard that he had to adjust his pants as he lengthened at just the sight of her parted lips.
If the drive to the condo was difficult, the ride up the elevator was pure torture. When they had joked about Netflix and chilling, why did he think they would actually get through dinner and actually start a movie? Before moving on to more adult activity. As he opened the door to the condo, he was certain neither of those things would happen until he could bury himself where he belonged.
The moment they entered. He dropped the pizza boxes on the counter in the kitchen. Then returned to help Ivy as she stood at the entrance taking in the space. She said something about the condo, but he barely registered her words as he helped her out of her coat, and regrettably, her high ‘fuck me’ boots. It would have been nice if she could leave them on, but they had walked all over the city.
Emmanuel groaned as he took in her dress. There was something about the way the cashmere sweater dress hugged her figure up to the waist, then flared above her knees that made him feel weak in his own knees. He was out of his coat and jacket in no time. All three articles of clothing were thrown on a nearby sofa as he grabbed her hands.
“Are we going to eat?” she asked.
As he continued his hastened steps with Ivy in tow, he answered, “yes, I am about to eat. I am starved.”
Once they reached the bedroom, he closed the door behind them. Emmanuel cupped her face. “I only want to talk about this once.”
Ivy’s face became a mask of confusion. “What?”
“It is fine if we do, but I need to know. Do we need to use anything?”
A look of embarrassment blanketed her features before she cast her eyes downward. She mumbled something that was barely audible. “Doc, it is okay.”
“No, I am sorry I put us through…” Ivy looked up then and the regret he saw there was raw. “…all of this.”
“You have nothing to apologise for. Do you want to use something?”
She shook her head. “No, no, I don’t.”
Emmanuel meant it he didn’t want to revisit the topic. Hell, he didn’t want to talk at all. He missed his wife. It had been over a week. It had been torture. Every night when they spoke, he would be so hard with need, but he had denied himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have, because just helping her out of her dress was testing his resolve. There was no teasing or posturing, as they were both eager to get out of their clothing.
Emmanuel’s hand shook slightly as he parted her thighs. The scent of her arousal greeted him, and his mouth watered for the taste of her. He was not the only one whose arousal was raging. Ivy was so vocal, and it didn’t take much to push her over the edge. With a few swipes of his tongue and a slight bit of pressure on her hardened pearl, she was singing his name.
His name hadn’t even died on her tongue before he was surging into her hot, wet, tight tunnel.
“God, I’ve missed you, Doc,” he ground out.
She was his home. The place he belonged. With every stroke, he reclaimed what was his. The woman who would always be his. It wasn't the gentlest of couplings, but what mattered most was that they were together again. It was passionate, rough, and didn’t last as long as he would have liked, but he would need a bit of time before he could make it up to her. However, Ivy seemed to be properly satisfied.
“That was so good, Manny,” she purred.
They took a moment to catch their breath and get cleaned up. Emmanuel smiled as they sat naked in bed eating pizza right out of the box. It reminded him of the nights they had when they were at university. They talked and laughed. Emmanuel even got a movie started. Of course, between the nourishment and recovery time, they didn’t make it very long until their bodies were joined again. This date was exactly what the couple needed.