HadleyMy knee shakes as I sit on the couch in Trick's living room. The damn cat has taken up the seat next to me and keeps looking up at me. I swear he's taunting me. Five minutes ago, Trick asked me if I wanted to shower first, and when I said no, he went into the bathroom and shut the door. I can hear the water, and my imagination's running wild.I don't want to have sex with him tonight, it's too soon, but dear Jesus it's been a long time for me, and the man is hot. Not to mention the emotional baggage we laid out for each other earlier. I just need some human contact. I need someone to hold me, I want to feel someone's lips against mine, fingers digging into my flesh. I'm raw, and I don't want to deal with the emotional fallout of my past by myself. I've been doing that for such a long fucking time. There's a bottle of Jim Beam on Trick's counter, a sign I should do what I'm thinking of doing.Getting up, I march over to it, rip the top off, and take a fortifying drink. I h
TrickI've had a lot of women in my life. Some of them I truly cared about, some of them were there for one night to keep my bed warm, or to make sure I wasn't lonely for a few hours. None of them have made me breathless with the first kiss. Not one, and as I pull away from her neck, I'm panting like I've run a damn marathon.She slips slightly against my hold, and I press my hand against the shower, tightening my other arm around her. "Goddamn, woman," I breathe deeply, her scent rushing through my pleasure receptors. I love this scent, it's everything she is. Coconut with a hint of spice. I've never thought of a more accurate description of the woman I'm holding in my arms right now. And knowing she came to me? Fuck, that does everything to me, makes me feel like I'm fucking bulletproof.Picking her up against me, I turn around to cut the water off. If I'm going to do this with her, it's going to be somewhere I'm not scared I'm gonna break a bone or pull a muscle. Letting go of
Hadley"How are things going with Patrick?" Rebecca stares at me, and I swear she can tell just by looking, that Trick and I have been spending time together. It's almost like she knows I've been having inappropriate thoughts. Not that we've done anything inappropriate yet, but after spending the night with him, I've done nothing but think about everything we could do to each other. All. the. Time. Giving him a blow job and him getting me off wasn't inappropriate, right? We're both consenting adults, both sure of what we were doing with one another.Why do I feel like I'm lying to my mother after being out with my boyfriend the night before? Can she see the fucking hickey I have on my neck?"Good," I answer, nodding. I figure offering as little info as possible is the best way to not blow our cover. She seems super intuitive to anything and everything. The last thing I want to do is get someone else involved in a relationship that neither I nor Trick is prepared to put a label on
Trick"All right Sprite, which one are we getting?" Hadley's let us come hang out at a pumpkin patch while she meets with Rebecca. I'm nervous with her by myself, but I'm grateful Hadley trusts me enough to have alone time with Riley. Halloween is coming up, and we're picking out a couple of pumpkins. I think Sprite's grown a foot since the last time I saw her a few days ago. How can her dad not realize what he's missing out on? "We need three," she puts her hands out in front, counting on her fingers. "One for me, one for you, and one for Mom.""Then we'll get three." Damn good thing she rode with her mom, because all those aren't going to fit on my bike. "You ever carved one of these things before?""No," she shakes her head. "Last year we painted ours, but this year I wanna carve it. I saw this show on TV where a family got together and did it."So that's what this is about. She wants something normal, and who doesn't? She's a little kid who hasn't had a normal life in
HadleyI'm almost positive these two have picked the three biggest pumpkins they could find to bring home and carve. "Are we even sure these will fit in the car?" I joke as we make our way to where I've parked. For a few minutes I can almost believe we're a real family. I'm pulling a wagon, and Riley's perched in Trick's arms, jabbering away about carving these pumpkins. On my way over to meet them, I stopped at the grocery and picked up stuff to make us dinner, and Trick's mentioned s'mores again. Maybe one day, this really can be my family. I stop at my trunk, opening it, while Trick walks Riley over to the backseat. "I'll get those," he yells, so I can hear him, as he buckles her in. Another thing I'm not used to, someone helping me with all the heavy lifting. It's a lot harder for me to get used to than I ever thought it would be. I fought hard for my independence, and it's hard letting someone help me. Which, I'm aware, is completely insane. Trick finishes up with
Trick"I have a little bit of work I need to finish. It shouldn't take me any longer than you cooking," I tell Hadley when we get back to the apartment. "The guy is picking his bike up tomorrow," the tone of my voice is apologetic, and I hate I have to do this to her, but spending all the time with her yesterday cut into my work day."That's cool," she doesn't even seem pissed. "This'll take about an hour from start to finish. We can eat, carve pumpkins, and then head on home.""Or you can stay and watch a movie," I blurt out before I can stop myself. I want to convince her to stay. Having her here last night was the highlight of my week. Hell, the highlight of my month, maybe even my year."Sounds good to me," she looks over at Riley. "What do you say?""As long as I get to play with Tux, I don't care." We both laugh. Decisions are so easy when you're six years old. "Then I guess we're staying," she answers, washing her hands in the sink."Alright, I'm gonna go get what
HadleyThe door to the apartment opens and in spills Trick, the cat, and Riley. "Damn, it smells good in here," Trick moans as he herds Riley towards the bathroom. "Is it almost done?" "Just have to get the tortillas out of the oven, then it'll be ready. Y'all have perfect timing.""We need to wash our hands, and then we'll be ready to eat, right Riley?""I've got a man-size hunger," she tells me, rubbing her stomach. "He worked you hard huh?" I hear the timer go off, signaling my tortillas are done. "She earned her keep today," Trick grins. "But right now I feel like I could eat all those tacos on my own. Let's go get cleaned up, Sprite."The way she follows him, doesn't question what he says to her, and the way she looks up to him fills me with pride. She's such a good kid, and all she's ever wanted is someone to love her. That's all either of us have ever wanted. I dread what's going to happen when we run out of hours, and we don't have Trick anymore.Unexpecte
TrickI hadn't meant to spring this on Hadley, hadn't even planned on talking to her about any of it tonight, but it felt right. I'm beginning to trust my instincts when it comes to her. So far, they've not steered me wrong. "She's out," Hadley whispers as she looks at Riley.The cat and girl are curled up in the chair. "Don't wake her up. You're both welcome to stay here," I whisper back. "The couch folds out. I'll sleep out here, and you two can take my bed. It's not a problem."I walk down the hallway, grabbing the extra set of sheets and the pillows I keep there. It's not often people stay with me. Every once in a while, I have a buddy who comes through town on a bike and will crash with me if it rains, or it gets cold, or they need to have some work done. It's probably been at least six months since anyone's slept on it, and I know tomorrow my back is going to kill, but to have these ladies with me for a little longer is worth it all.Hadley helps me fold the bed out, a