ChristopherI stared at the bubbles for several minutes. How long did it take to type out a damn message? I was all thumbs and I managed to text relatively quickly. I stared at the screen so long my eyes began to water from lack of blinking as I made my way downstairs.“Come on, come on,” I whispered.The bubbles disappeared. I waited, thinking maybe there was a minor delay. Nothing.“No!”“What’s wrong?” Olin asked coming down the stairs.I shook my head. “Nothing.”“Does this mean dinner isn’t coming?” he asked, straightening his tie.“It should be here any minute,” I answered. “You look nice.”He scoffed. “I hate wearing ties.”“Wait until you get a job that requires ties,” I said with a laugh.“Nope. I’m not going to get that kind of a job.”“You planning on going into construction?”He grimaced. “No.”“Then get used to ties.”The doorbell rang, bringing a halt to the conversation. I walked to the door, opening it for the small parade of caterers. The smell of the roast turkey fil
Christopher“That’s for sure,” she snapped. “He was a lousy husband. A woman needs to be treated right. That man didn’t have two nickels to his name. I should have known better.”“Let’s get a seat up front,” Caleb said, ignoring his mother.Olin looked at me. “I’ll be up there.”I wanted to beg him not to leave me alone with the barracuda leering at me. “I’ll sit with you,” I offered.Olin gave me a look that said that was the last thing he wanted. “Dad, just text me when you’re ready.”I nodded. I had to remember he was sixteen. I didn’t want to smother him. “All right, have fun. I’ll be close.”“Well, I guess it’s just the two of us,” Gina said moving to stand a little too close to me.I offered her a smile. “I’m going to grab a hot chocolate. It was nice to meet you.”“Oh, I’ll go with you,” she volunteered.I hid my grimace. “Great,” I said with a forced smile.“How have you been doing?” she asked.“Good. We’ve been enjoying the warmer weather.”“I’ve always thought about heading
LeilaWe were crazy. I knew we were crazy, but it never stopped us. The best sales, sales that paled in comparison to the Black Friday sales, were the day after Christmas. It was a tradition for me and Kami to get up early and hit the stores, scooping up some great deals. It was one of the few days of the year we were both off.We trudged our way into a sea of people all with the same idea. Kids were hyped up on Christmas candy, waving gift cards around and acting like they had won the lottery. I stepped around a crowd of blonde kids that were all shouting at their poor parents at once. The noise level in the Target we had walked into was just below that of a rock concert.“I think I would take them one at a time,” I said to Kami as we walked by.“No kidding. That would give me a headache. Those are some brave parents.”“I think I would rather shop online,” I said.She laughed. “I don’t think those kids think that is nearly as fun.”“Then I would drag them out at midnight. It’s like h
LeilaI hadn’t been a size eight since eighth grade. It was very clear I would not find anything for me in the store. The woman wasn’t lying. She was being honest. Blunt and lacking any tact, but she was only telling me the cold, ugly truth. The shop didn’t sell normal women’s sizes because they didn’t fit the mold of beautiful.They didn’t want women like me darkening their door. It would ruin their image. That part I didn’t mind rebelling against. I liked the idea that the saleswoman was uncomfortable with me pawing through the items they sold. I glanced up, catching the stare of another woman working behind the register. She looked like she was physically in pain as she stared at me. I ignored her and turned my attention back to my friend. I didn’t want to ruin Kami’s shopping and pretended to be interested in the clothes, smiling and offering my opinion when she held up a cute blouse or pretty dress.The woman was never far away, always chiming in and offering her opinion. Kami fr
ChristopherI didn’t want to jinx it, but things were going well for Olin and I. He’d barely thrown an attitude in days. He hadn’t put up a fight when it was time to return to Conroe. It was like we had turned a corner and we were on track to have a good relationship.I was thrilled with the progress. It made me even more confident I was doing the right thing by choosing to focus on him instead of dating. I was still tossing around the idea of going back to school. I had been studying the catalog of classes and was confident I could pick up a couple and still have plenty of time to devote to Olin.He’d been chatting with some kids from school and seemed to be a little happier. He wasn’t a barrel of sunshine and rainbows, but I never expected him to be that way. Angst was part of a teenager’s life. If he was too happy, I’d worry he was on drugs.I picked up the dirty dishes from his late-night snack and carried them into the kitchen, stuffing them in the dishwasher before going into th
Christopher“How do you know I’m not the bad influence?” Olin retorted.I shrugged. “I guess I don’t know that, but I do know you’re smart and you know the difference between right and wrong. That will always lead you to make better choices than those who choose to ignore common sense and what they know to be right.”He rolled his eyes. “Can I go or not?”“Will there be parents there to supervise?”He groaned. “No, dad! I’m sixteen, not six.”“Olin, teenagers are probably worse than toddlers when left alone,” I told him.“We’re not going to stick our fingers in light sockets. We’re not toddlers.”“No, but teens, especially teens together, can get into some pretty ridiculous situations.”He rolled his eyes, shaking his head with disgust. “So, no. I can’t go because you think I’m a child.”“You can go, but listen, I need you to make me a promise.”He nodded. “What?”“If you see something that isn’t okay or you find yourself in a position that makes it unsafe for you to get into a car wi
Leila I parked my car in the relatively empty lot reserved for faculty of the university. I wanted to grab a couple of things and make sure I was ready for the start of a new semester. I was a planner and an organizer, and I always made notes throughout the semester about what I could do a little different to make my class even better. I had reviewed the comment sheets that had been submitted by a few of the students from the first semester. Some of them felt like I was giving them too much information to digest. I wanted to find a way to make it easier for them to remember. I wanted everyone to love my class. Each semester was a chance for me to try again. I loved the first day. It was always exciting for me. It was always a challenge setting the tone for a new semester. It was like getting a New Year’s Day twice a year. I loved seeing the new faces and wondering who was going to be the star of the class. Hands down, Christopher had taken that title for the last class. I was goin
ChristopherI was a nervous wreck. I kept telling myself he was old enough to make his own decisions. He’d been raised right. I had to trust Carlie’s parenting skills. She’d done a great job with him and it was my turn to take it home. I couldn’t let her down. I had to show her I could take care of him.I had gone back and forth, trying to decide if I should rescind my approval. I couldn’t. He was sixteen. I had to let him spread his wings. If I didn’t give him the okay to do it, he would do it anyway and it would likely end up going very bad for him. This was that part of parenting that sucked. I had to let him grow up.He came downstairs, tugging on the shirt we had picked up at a mall yesterday. “You look nice,” I said.“Thanks.”“You know the rules, right?”He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”“I’m serious. If you’re sloppy drunk, don’t be afraid to call. If you see something that isn’t right, call. I promise, I will be there as fast as humanly possible. No judgment. I swear to you, on
LeilaHe looked at me and smiled but didn’t answer me. He parked the truck in the empty parking lot of the bar not far from the house. It was the same bar we had met up at on New Year’s Eve. Since moving in, we had become regulars at the bar, getting to know the staff very well.“Come on,” he said jumping out of the truck.“I don’t understand,” I said climbing out. “Isn’t everyone going to be waiting for us? You were the one who said we were going to be late. I don’t think we have time for a drink.”“Will you just come on,” he said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. I noticed all the lights were off.“Christopher, they’re closed.”He pushed open the unlocked door, which seemed very odd to me. We walked into the bar. There was a flash of lights and a cacophony of surprises echoing around me. I clapped my free hand over my mouth, taking in the huge banner that said congratulations, and the hundreds of twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling.“Oh my God,” I gasped.“Surp
LeilaOne year laterI reviewed the admissions essay for another potential student. I loved reading the essays—most of the time. Some were absolute garbage, but the majority warmed my heart. I loved reading about the struggles and triumphs of the young people who wanted to attend our school for their educational needs. I always felt like we were the ones being interviewed.Students had thousands of options and when they applied to our school, I felt like we should be proud they had chosen us from the thousands. It had been a long year and the university was still recovering from the scandal that the dean’s extortion had brought on. I felt like we were making headway. It was being talked about less and less and I was hoping by this time next year, it would be a distant memory.My position as associate dean was implemented as a prevention method. Dean Johnson had been allowed to run unchecked, which made him feel invincible. Now, our new dean had me. It was a system of checks and balanc
Leila“You’re going to kill me if you keep doing that,” I told him with a shaky voice.“I love watching you come apart in my arms,” he said before angling his hips and pushing the head of his cock into my opening.I closed my eyes. Two orgasms and no penetration had left me slick and swollen. He pushed, gently probing my opening with his cock. “You’re tight and swollen,” he breathed out the words on a painful breath.“I’m ready,” I told him, looking directly into his eyes.He pushed himself a little deeper inside. Both of us sucked in a breath as powerful sensations rocked through our bodies. He held himself up on shaking arms before sliding inside a little bit at a time. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like our souls were joining. I could feel his essence merging with mine. We stared into each other’s eyes, the joining nearly complete.The last inch of his thick cock filled me. My eyes dropped closed, wanting to lock in all the sensations I was feeling right then. I felt a tear slide down
LeilaHis sweet kiss sparked a hot fire within. He loved me. I had probably repeated the phrase in my head a hundred times since he said it. He loved me. A sexy, beautiful, kind man loved me. I didn’t think it was possible. I was convinced I wasn’t worthy for so long. I never imagined I could ever experience true love with a man that checked all the boxes.“Maybe we should go upstairs?” I whispered against his lips.“I think that sounds like a very good idea. Go ahead and go up while I lock up down here.”I headed upstairs, running my hand along the banister and imagined us going up to bed together every night. We hadn’t talked about any of that, but I realized in that moment, I was ready for the real deal. I went into his room, turned on the fireplace and shut off the lights. I stripped out of the clothes I wore for our night out and crawled onto the bed naked as the day I was born. I did my best to pose in a seductive fashion, waiting for him to come in.I heard his footsteps on the
ChristopherLeila nodded, still sipping the wine. I knew the look on her face. She was in deep thought about something. I waited for her to say what it was.“And you?” she finally asked. “Will you be picking up where you left off with your classes?”I sighed. It was something I had been thinking about quite a bit. I had to do a lot of introspection into my life and what I wanted. “No.”She turned to look at me. “Really? You can’t let one bad dean ruin your idea of a good education. I promise, he does not represent the entire school. The rest of the professors are great—most of them.”I smiled. “It has nothing to do with the dean. It’s about me.”“You don’t want to go to college?”I shook my head. “Not anymore. I don’t need to. I was looking for something. I found it. There are other things I would prefer to do with my time.”“What were you looking for?” she asked.“I was looking for understanding. I needed assurance that things were okay for Carlie.”She looked confused. “I’m not sure
ChristopherI grabbed Leila’s hand and pulled her towards the mini Ferris wheel. She was giggling, resisting at first but eventually following along. We climbed in the seat and were quickly buckled in before the car started to move forward while the next couple boarded.“I don’t know if I like heights,” she told me.“I guess we’re about to find out,” I answered.She was smiling big. “This is nuts.”“This is fun. Look, there’s Olin!”“Olin!” she shouted his name, waving her arms.Olin looked up at us and grinned, waving back as the car went up a little higher. It wasn’t long before the ride began to move, taking us high above the fair. We had done dinner and happened to see the rides and tents set up. It was irresistible. Even Olin had been on board to come along.Once the ride was over, we made our way over to the bumper cars where we were supposed to meet Olin. “He looks like he is having a good time,” Leila commented.I watched Olin laughing as he rammed a young woman in another car
LeilaChristopher nodded. “Yes. He never wanted to get another degree. His wife made him go undercover. There is a camera in the dean’s office. He knew it was there, so all the video they’ve obtained will be legal to use against him.”“Why would he commit a felony on camera?”He grinned. “Because he thought it didn’t work. I have a feeling he purposely broke it. It was fixed and the police have been monitoring him. Today when I went in there, he asked me again for money.”I let out a breath. “Holy shit. I don’t even know what to say. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”He laughed. “I know. I was in shock. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get arrested.”“I can’t believe Alan never told us!” I said a little irritated.“He couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk me acting different or saying the wrong thing. They had to let it play out.”I shook my head. “I almost quit. If they hadn’t busted him when they did, I would have quit for nothing. Wait, the police know it was me?”“Alan knows
LeilaI tossed another file folder into the box. I was taking everything that was my personal property. My lesson plans and my research were mine. I wasn’t about to leave them behind for someone else to poach. I had put in the time and energy into creating my lectures and tests. They were my personal property and if the dean tried to stop me, I’d give him hell.I threw in the answer sheet to the multiple-choice test as well. My replacement would have to grade the tests sitting on my desks without the answer sheet. It was my way of thumbing my nose at the institution. I found myself angry. I wasn’t even sad. I was pissed.I had come back to campus thinking I could just pick up where I had left off. I couldn’t. I realized I would never feel secure in my job. I would always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the dean to surprise me with an accusation or an insinuation.I thought about how he had tried to blackmail Christopher and realized he was not the kind of man I wanted to work
ChristopherThe detective left, leaving me and Alan alone in the office. I stared at Alan, absolutely dumbfounded. “What the hell?”Alan laughed. “Sorry I had to keep you in the dark, but we needed this all to play out just right.”“We? Who is we?”“The cops. My wife. Me.”I studied him carefully. “Who are you?”“I am who I say I am, but I did not sign up for more classes because I’m interested in pursuing any more education. The last thing I want to do in my golden years is study and take tests while hanging out with a bunch of kids. My wife made me do it.”“Made you do what?” I asked feeling like I had skipped several chapters in a book and was missing the bulk of the story.“Go undercover,” he said with a grin.“As an old guy in college?”“I’ve been talking to students and trying to get information on the dean. Almost a year ago, a young man from an affluent family came to my wife and asked for help. As it turns out, the dean had been extorting him for months. He pulled the same sh