37. Adam
Adam
T he sizzling of the bacon overtakes the beating of my heart. School has been out for about a month and in that time, Emily and I have snuck in more time together. But sneaking around and making excuses to run out of the house have become exhausting.
“Baby, I’m tired.” Emily tells me as we watch the sunset.
I know she’s not metaphorically tired, so this must be about how our relationship has been closed door.
“I know,” I start and wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer. “I think I’m gonna tell him tomorrow morning.”
Her hand weaves through mine. “I don’t want to rush you if you’re not ready.”
“I’m ready. I want my two favorite people in one spot.”
“I want that, too.”
I flip the bacon and get started on the pancakes. Am I trying to butter Dylan up with his favorite breakfast foods? Does that make me a bad parent or a smart parent? I’m thinking through the best way to tell Dylan I’m dating his teacher when he barrels down the stairs.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Hi, Daddy.”
Taking the bacon off the stove, I place it on the island and face my son.
“So I wanted to talk to you about something,” I start and turn back around to flip the pancakes.
Dylan’s munching on the crispy bacon drowns out my ragged exhale.
When I turn back around his eyes are solely on the bacon and if I don’t take the plate away, he’ll eat it all. I do just that and his eyes finally meet mine.
“I’m dating someone.”
His little forehead scrunches as he tries to figure out what that means. “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Yeah. Like that.”
“Is she pretty?”
His question brings a smile to my face. “Yeah, buddy. I think she’s very pretty.”
I plate the pancakes and eggs on the island. Dylan loves strawberry jelly and butter on his pancakes so I get that out for him along with the syrup for me. He slathers on the strawberry and I look on in mock horror. I’ll never know where he picked that taste up.
“When do I get to meet her?”
Oh, right. We were talking about my dating. “I was thinking at your game on Saturday?”
Dylan shovels a piece of pancake in his mouth and chews, then tries to talk with his mouth full but it comes out garbled.
“Chew your food first, kiddo.”
I chew my food as Dylan chews as fast as he can. I watch with amusement as I see his little jaws work overtime.
“Who is she? Does she like baseball?”
That’s a tough question to answer. Dylan is too young to understand permanent loss. So I can’t say that she used to until she lost someone close to her.
“You know, I don’t know if she does. Do you think you could teach her how to like baseball?”
His eyes light up. “Yeah, I can do it, Dad.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second, buddy. But do you remember your teacher? Ms. Bailey?”
“Yeah,” he responds.
Just do it, Adam. “She’s my girlfriend.”
“Do I have to call her, Ms. Bailey?”
I ruffle his hair and huff out a laugh. “No, buddy. Maybe call her Ms. Emily or Emily. You’ll have to ask her.”
“Okay,” Dylan responds. And that’s that.
We finish eating and then Dylan is off to the living room with the sound of Transformers interrupting the quiet of the house. I clean up from breakfast and then head out to the backyard. I keep the doors open and pull up Emily’s number.
“Hi, baby,” she answers on the second ring.
“Hi, sunshine. I told him,” I come right out and say it.
I hear her suck in a breath. “How did he take it?”
“Pretty good. But I think he’s still too young to know what me dating someone is supposed to mean.”
“That’s understandable,” she agrees with me. “So what next?”
I sit on the chaise lounge she and I shared one of our first moments on. “Well, he has a game on Saturday and I told him you’d most likely be there.”
“Baby steps. This is good.”
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
Em blows out a breath. “A little. Not because of Dylan?—”
“But, baseball,” I finish her sentence.
“Yeah.”
I didn’t forget about Em’s need to go slow when it came to baseball. And while I’ll never understand the need to ease myself back into something, I’ll also never rush her.
“What are your plans for tonight?” I change the subject to something lighter.
I hear a clink of glasses through the phone and it’s almost as if I’m in her kitchen with her.
“The girls and I are doing a girl’s night,” Emily tells me with glee.
“And what goes on at these girls' nights?”
“You know, the usual. Talks about boys and how much we don’t really need them. Gorging ourselves on greasy food and drinking wine.”
“Huh,” I start. “So women don’t need men to satisfy your needs?”
Her laugh is audible and I fear I missed out on the joke. “You naive man. That’s what vibrators are for.”
I damn near choke on my tongue. “Is that so?”
“You’re picturing it, aren’t you?” She asks teasingly. “Me using my vibrator on myself after one of our many makeout sessions before we crossed the line. My body climbing higher and higher to release until I remember the way you teased me and I fall over the edge.” Her voice has taken on a huskier tone and it makes me want to climb through the phone and use that bloody device on her.
My silence over my loss of words must be entertaining. But it’s only because the blood has rushed to my cock.
“God, I love breaking you,” Emily taunts over the phone with a laugh.
Dylan rushing outside is like a bucket of cold water on my body. It’s a welcome reprieve but this phone call was getting somewhere good.
“Hey, Dad?”
I hear Emily’s laugh as I pull the phone away from my ear, “Yeah, buddy?”
“Can I sleep over at Jackson’s house tonight?”
My son is a mastermind. “Let me call Sandra and make sure it’s alright with her.”
“Okay,” and then he’s off back inside the house as fast as he came outside.
“You heard all of that, didn’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Goodbye, Adam,” Emily sing-songs before hanging up the phone.
With the help of the younger employees, they convinced me that ‘theme nights’ would draw in a crowd during the weeknight. I was skeptical at first. But these ‘theme nights’ have been running smoothly for the last few weeks.
As it’s a Wednesday, it’s Wine Down Wednesday with the women drinking at a discount. We have the menu catered to complement the wines on our menu so nothing goes to waste.
Jenny: Dylan sprinted out of my car when I pulled up to Sandra’s house.
Me: Of course, he did. Thank you, Jenny.
Jenny: Anytime. See you later.
The night goes by with groups of women just getting off work, a 21st birthday party, and a last minute bachelorette party. I help Matt out behind the bar when he needs it and converse with a few men who braved the theme night. Or dare I say strategic on their part?
When the night slows down I retreat down to my office to check my email and see what slots need to be filled in terms of entertainment, food, booze, and apparel. I see an email from the head of the city in regards to a block party during the Fourth of July weekend. It looks as if all of the restaurants on the street, along with vendors, will be in attendance. Half of the proceeds made from the weekend will be donated to shelters in the area, with food deliveries for the rest of the year.
My office phone rings and the time shows that an hour has passed. I let them know to clean up and that I’ll be up in a bit to lock up.
Me: Sober up, sunshine.
Emily: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Me: So if I were to drive over to your place you’d be sober enough?
Emily: As a skunk.
Me: Drink some water.
I shut down the computer and head up the narrow staircase. The kitchen is cleaned up from the day and I wander out of the closed kitchen and to the bar. I hear keys jingling to my left and see everyone waiting for me.
“It’s about time old man,” Matt whines.
“Watch it.”
Together we leave and I lock up and we make sure the girls get in their cars before we’re both heading opposite ways. I peel out of the parking lot and head to Emily’s. I’m never one for speeding. But when I get a chance, I’ll break all the rules for her.
I pull into a parking spot right next to her little SUV. Taking my keys, I jog up the single flight of stairs and knock on her door. It opens five seconds later and I bulldoze my way inside. Taking her face between my hands, our lips crash in synchronous harmony. The door closes behind me and I push her up against the wall.
Emily wraps a leg around my waist and I take her other leg, hoisting her up against the wall. My cock is painfully hard against the zipper of my jeans. But the warmth of Emily’s pussy is like coming home.
“Bedroom,” Emily says against my lips. Her legs tighten around my waist and I turn, walking us to her bedroom.
I close the door to her room when I cross over the threshold and kneel onto the bed. Not breaking the kiss as I’m finally breathing better after weeks of chaste kisses. Between work at the restaurant and baseball with Dylan, all we’ve gotten were small moments when Emily would drop by my work.
This past month we’ve been together has only made my craving for her unstoppable.
I break the kiss and trail my lips down her neck. Her heavy breaths and mixed moans are enough to make me lose my mind. When I get to the waistband of her leggings I stop.
“Adam?”
I place a kiss on her lower stomach. “Do you wanna play a game?”
A smile spreads across her face as she nods her head quickly against the pillows.
“Good girl,” I praise and crawl off the bed. I move over to her nightstand that houses her toy collection. Emily’s eyes grow wide when she sees where I’m moving towards and I’m guessing in her wine-induced haze that our conversation from this morning slipped her mind.
I take my time perusing through the drawer and hold in my retort to her collection. I have an idea of what I want to use on her and when I land on a little device that’s meant for clitoral pleasure, I know what to do.
Looking over at her. Her chest heaving and lips puffy from my kiss. Something animalistic runs through my body.
“Clothes. Off.” I demand.
Emily hesitates for a breath before she slides off the bed and strips. She holds my stare as each item of clothing comes off. This is what I love about her.
Woah.
Love?
The feeling of love that slammed into me a while ago comes back at full-speed.
When Emily is bare before me, I step into her space and slide my hands through her hair. Tipping her head back and gazing into those beautiful eyes of hers.
“I love you.”
Her eyes well with tears as the hands resting on my waist and her bottom lip trembles. “You do?”
“Yeah, baby. I do,” I wipe away a stray tear. “I think I fell that night when you came to my restaurant and wiped that godforsaken line away. It was made clearer to me the next morning. I love you, Emily Marie Bailey.”
“I love you, too. I love you for showing me that I can love again. And that I get to love you means more than I could ever have imagined.”
Our lips are a breath apart. I inhale what she exhales. I soak in what she pours out.
Ghosting my lips over hers I say, “On the bed, baby.”
She sneaks a chaste kiss as she brushes past me. I pull my shirt off and toss it to the floor. When Emily is settled back on the bed I strip down to just my boxer briefs. I hold up the toy that I grabbed from her nightstand drawer and hold in the laugh as her eyes widen.
“You said you wanted to play, so we’re gonna play,” I announce as I crawl back up the bed and lay out beside her.
The toy I was holding sits between us as I trail my fingers up and down her body with featherlight touches. She holds her breath as she anticipates my next move. I drop my lips to her collarbone. Licking and sucking at her skin. Emily turns her head to meet my lips and I take the toy, trailing it down to her pussy. I can smell her arousal and it’s enough to make me want to say to hell with the game and make her come with my cock buried inside of her.
Breaking the kiss, I look down at where her legs are spread and place the toy over her clit. With my thumb over the silicone button, I turn my attention back to Emily and watch as a red flush instantly runs up and down her neck and chest.
Her hands fist in the sheets as I keep suction on her clit. Her teeth bite down so hard on her bottom lip that I fear she’ll break the skin.
My name is moaned from her mouth.
My cock is as hard as stone.
Her breath comes in pants as she gets closer to release.
I pull the toy off of her clit and give her a moment to breathe. When her chest is no longer heaving for breath, I place the toy back on her clit.
Emily’s hand slides up her torso and grabs a handful of her breast. Pinching her nipple as the pleasure gets to be too much.
I pull the toy off her clit again and the breath of relief from her is bone tired.
“One more baby. You’re doing so good,” I whisper in her ear. Praising her for playing along as I push and pull her from the edge.
“Adam,” she weakly says my name.
“One more. And then I promise to bury my cock so deep inside this pussy.”
I place the toy back on her clit and turn it on. Emily whimpers as I press the device closer.
“Oh, fuck.” She exclaims when I bump the speed up to the next setting. Her hips move as if she’s looking for more friction.
I bump the speed to the third, and highest setting, and watch as magic happens.
“Adam!” Emily yells as she comes.
I look down, seeing her feet curled into the sheets as her release squirts out of her. This is the hottest thing I’ve seen and I maneuver myself between her legs and continue to lap up her arousal. Her hands fly to my head as she keeps coming. My name a cry on her lips as I still haven’t removed the toy.
I let myself have a few more seconds to her soaked entrance. Then I’m turning off the little device, sliding up her body, and slide right into her tight heat.
“Baby,” thrust , “you did,” thrust , “so good.”
I pull a boneless leg up around my waist as I slow my pace and make love to her.