Hold Me Close, page 7
part #31 of Forever and Ever Series
Cayson fist-pounded me. “That was awesome, man.”
“Thanks. Hopefully, he learned his lesson.”
Cayson clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m sure he did.”
***
The second I took off my heels, I released a loud sigh. “Mother of god…” My feet were in so much pain that it hurt to stand even without shoes on. My feet screamed in pain and begged me not to put them through that torture again.
Trinity unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Then she lay on the bed with her ass in the air. “Hubby want to play?”
I was too tired and uncomfortable to get in the mood. “Let me shower first.”
She pouted her lips at me. “Come on…I want you.”
“How can you want me?” I stood in pantyhose and boxers. My wig was off but make up was still on my face.
“Only a real man can pull off that look.”
“Even so, I need to get this shit off my face.” I headed to the bathroom. “How do you breathe in this? Shit, how do you walk in heels? How do you walk the streets while being harassed every second of the day?” I didn’t wait for her to answer and stepped inside the shower. The warm water felt good on my body.
I used shampoo to scrub all the make up off my face. It felt heavy and thick. The foundation formed a mask over my face and it itched my skin. The eyeliner made my eyes watery, and the eye shadow made my eyes appear bigger than they already were. I scrubbed everything off, rinsed, and then repeated just to make sure.
The door opened and Trinity joined me under the water. She looked at me with concern in her eyes. The walk back to the hotel had sobered her up a bit. “It seems like something is wrong.”
“Just tired.” I was thankful I finally looked like a real man in front of her. My face was clean and I was naked.
“You’re never too tired for sex.”
I never turned down an offer from my wife. Why would I? She was gorgeous. “I’m just not in the mood right now. It’s nothing personal.”
She came closer to me and wrapped her arms around me. “I’ve wanted you all night…since we danced on the floor together.”
“I’m sorry. Tomorrow.”
She clearly didn’t like being rejected. “Slade, what’s on your mind?”
“Nothing,” I said defensively.
“Don’t lie to me.” Her voice came out harsh. “I can tell when you are.”
I bowed my head and let the water run through my hair and down my face. I stared at the drain in the bathtub for a moment before I turned to her. “I guess I got a wake up call tonight.”
“Meaning…?”
“Now that I understand what it’s like to be a woman, I see how shitty it is. The bartender hit on me and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He even grabbed me. And he looked at me like I was a piece of meat. I’ve never felt so violated in my life. Then when I was in line at the bathroom, another asshole made a pass at me. Even when I said no, he didn’t back off. It happened twice in the span of a few hours. I just can’t believe women put up with that all the time.”
She shrugged. “It’s just how it is.”
“But that’s not how it should be. You should be able to wear whatever you want and do whatever you want to do without being harassed. When you say no, they should walk away. But they don’t.” I shook my head and closed my eyes. “And I’m just as bad as they are.”
Trinity grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her. “Slade, you’re nothing like them—any of them. How can you possibly say that?” There was heartbreak in her eyes.
“Because I used to be that way. I used to throw out words like sweetheart and baby. I used to use proximity to get girls into bed. I just…I did the exact same thing.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said. “Those women slept with you because they wanted to. You flirted with them, dropped a few lines, and called them sweetheart but you never pressed on if they said no. Right?”
“Well…yeah.”
“It’s not the same thing at all,” she said. “You’re nothing like those pigs and don’t ever say that again.”
“But I still—”
“It’s okay to hit on a girl. But it’s not okay to pester them after they say no. You’ve never done that.”
“I just…feel terrible for you. For Skye. For my sister. For Clementine. For every girl…”
“I know.” She rubbed my arm. “And that’s very sweet. But we’re a bunch of badass babes and we can handle it.” She gave me a smile of encouragement.
I was too depressed to return the gesture. “Trinity, I know I told you I would give you kids but I think I’ve changed my mind…”
She dropped her hand. A look of devastation overcame her face.
“I can’t have a girl.” The emotion caught in my voice. “I couldn’t handle it if a guy looked at her wrong. I couldn’t remain calm if some asshole harassed her. I couldn’t stand back and watch a guy check out her tits. I just couldn’t…I’m sorry.”
Her eyes softened. “It’s okay, Slade. Every father feels that way.”
“Now I completely understand why your father is so protective of you…why Sean is so protective of Skye.”
She rubbed my shoulders. “You won’t be able to protect our daughter all the time but we’ll teach her right and how to avoid those situations. And one day, she’ll find a great guy who loves her more than anything in the world and he’ll protect her from everything and anything.” She gave me a look of encouragement. “The world is a dark place and there’s not a lot of beauty in it—unless you look really hard. What we have is pure and untarnished. The goodness in your heart can’t be defeated by evil. While all these terrible things go on around us, we’ll remain unaffected by it—because you’ll keep us both safe.”
Trinity always knew what to say to make me feel better. Perhaps it was because she was my wife. Or perhaps it was because she’d known me since the day I was born.
“Feel better?” she whispered.
I nodded.
“Good.” She gave me a smile. “I know something else that will cheer you up.”
“Sex?” Now I was smiling. My body was finally able to feel arousal now that the pain in my heart was gone.
“Actually, something better.”
I released a laugh. “There’s nothing better than sex.”
“You don’t have to dress like a girl tomorrow. You can be yourself.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
“Yes. Skye and I think you’ve two had enough embarrassment for one day.”
“And you aren’t going to a strip club…?”
She chuckled. “Hunk-O-Mania isn’t even sexy so I don’t understand why you’re so upset about it. But no, we aren’t going. We’ll finish the trip doing something else. There’s lots of gambling and alcohol in Atlantic City.”
That sounded too good to be true. “Good. Because I couldn’t wear those heels again if my life depended on it.”
“I can imagine. When I first started wearing heels, it was painful.”
“I have new respect for you.”
“Why, thank you.” She leaned close to me in the shower. “Now, will my husband make love to me? I’ve been waiting all night. Don’t keep me waiting any longer.”
“You got it, Wife.” Even though my feet hurt, I picked her up and pulled her to my chest. Then I used one hand to point my shaft at her entrance. She slowly slid down it, taking me all in. Once I was completely inside her I gave her a long and sensual kiss. Then I made love to her in the shower, not caring how late or how tired we both were.
Chapter Eight
Conrad
“I think I’m still drunk.” Lexie sat across from me at the deli with lidded eyes. She kept rubbing her temple like she had a pounding migraine deep behind her eyes.
“You look like it.” There was a smile on my lips.
“Thanks…”
I ordered a tea from the register then brought it to her. “Try this.”
She stared at it. “Green tea?”
“It’ll help. There’s no caffeine in it.”
She eyed it for a moment longer before she drank half of it.
Mondays were always a pain in the ass. I always looked forward to the weekend because I got to spend it with Lexie. She came to my apartment with a bag of supplies and never left my embrace. She was my hostage, my prisoner—although willingly.
“So…why did Cayson and Slade dress up as girls?” She squinted like it was too bright inside the deli.
“It was a deal they made with Trinity and Skye. If they dressed as women, then Trinity and Skye wouldn’t go to a male strip club.”
Lexie seemed confused by this. She had a concentrated look on her face like she was trying to work out a calculus problem without a pen and paper. “They would rather dress up as women than let them go to a strip club?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never understood Slade. But I understood Cayson even less than I normally do.”
“Why didn’t they want them to go?”
“I honestly couldn’t tell you,” I answered. “They’re insecure, controlling, weird…”
“You wouldn’t have cared if I went?” she questioned.
I held her gaze as I spoke. “We both know not a single guy in their lineup compares to me. They look like a bunch of boys in comparison.”
“Did you look them up?” There was a smile on her face like she knew she caught me.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said darkly. “I don’t need to look at them to know. And even if they got your motor running we both know you would pull into my garage for a tune-up.”
“Interesting metaphor…”
“You catch my drift.”
“Well, I don’t want you going to a strip club. And if you do, I’ll dress up as a guy to prevent that from happening.”
Now I smiled. “You would set yourself up for ridicule like that?”
“I don’t want you watching a bunch of sexy naked chicks spin on a pole.”
“Jealous?” That idea made me grin.
“Yes,” she blurted. “Maybe you don’t feel threatened by Magic Mike but I certainly feel threatened by other beautiful women.”
“Why?” I asked. “They don’t compare to you.” That was the honest truth.
She sipped her tea again. “I don’t want you to go. End of story.”
“I wasn’t going to go anyway.” Strip clubs weren’t my style—anymore. Since Clementine used to be a stripper it was even weirder now. What if I walked in there and saw someone I knew? Someone I didn’t want to see?
“Good answer,” she said. “I admit I’m a little jealous that Cayson and Slade were so determined to stop their ladies from going but you couldn’t care less…”
“Really?” I blurted. “Trinity and Skye were incredibly annoyed with them.”
“It may be a little controlling but it’s sweet.”
“Well, I don’t think a male strip club is the same thing as a regular strip club.”
“How so?” she asked.
“A traditional one has a bunch of perverted guys with hard-ons as they stare at the girls and think about fucking them. The male versions are for entertainment and fun. Girls get together with their girlfriends to dance and have a good time. It’s not the same thing at all. I tried to explain that to Cayson and Slade but they didn’t understand it at all.”
Lexie seemed satisfied with that response.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” I asked. “Sleep it off.”
“I can’t.” She sighed like she wished she could.
“Just quit your job. You don’t need it anyway.”
“Excuse me?” She raised an eyebrow. “I need to pay rent, buy food, and take care of the rest of my expenses.”
“I’ll pay for all of that.”
She regarded me coldly. “I don’t need you to pay for all of that. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
I wasn’t sure why it bothered me that she worked. I wanted her to sleep in every day and lounge around the house. I didn’t want her to answer to anyone but herself. I wanted her to have dinner on the table when I came home every night. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Well, don’t say offensive things,” she snapped.
“I just meant—”
“I like my job, Conrad. Sure, I wish I could just not go to work today because I’m hung over but that’s once in a blue moon.”
I glanced at my watch just so I had something to do. I successfully made the conversation tense when that wasn’t my intent. “I’ll always take care of you. That’s all I wanted you to know. I apologize.”
Lexie relaxed when she heard the sincerity in my voice. “It’s okay. But you need to understand I’m not the kind of girl who will ever be a housewife. I won’t stay home all day then make sure dinner is on the table.”
“Never?”
“Never.” Firmness was in her eyes.
When I pictured my future, I saw Lexie in it. Marriage was something that still gave me anxiety, but she was always my wife when I thought of my life down the road. But my version was different than the one she pictured. “I’m very wealthy and I’ll be even more wealthy very soon.”
“If I cared about your wealth I would have quit a long time ago. But I don’t, Conrad.”
I knew she didn’t. And that was really nice. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want her to enjoy it. I understood my parents a little more. I understood why Dad worked and asked Mom to stay home. He liked keeping her away from everything else, making her a princess in his castle.
She looked at her watch. “I should get back to work. Thanks for lunch.”
“Sure.”
She shouldered her purse then gave me a quick peck. “I’ll see you later.”
When she turned to step away, I snatched her and pulled her across my thigh. Then I kissed her hard on the mouth. “Don’t ever leave without telling me you love me.”
Her eyes burned with desire. My lips made her react in the same way as usual. “I love you, Con.”
“I love you too, baby.”
***
I walked inside the bar then looked around. The TV’s were on and blaring. A baseball game was on, and everyone’s eyes were glued to the screen. Waiters moved around to the different tables and the beer poured from the tap.
I approached the bar. “Is Jared here?”
The girl took in my features and clearly liked what she saw. But she kept her guard up. “You know him?”
“Obviously.”
“I’ll call him. Hold on while I man my tables.” She walked away from me carrying two pitchers of beer.
I didn’t want to stand around and wait so I texted him. You at the bar?
He responded almost immediately. What’s it to you?
I’m here and I want to talk.
Give me a minute. Take a seat.
I took a seat then rested my ankle on the opposite knee. I watched the game on the screen and ordered a beer. I still wore my suit from work and it was a little uncomfortable, particularly the tie. I wanted to take it off then tie Lexie to my headboard with it.
Jared dropped into the chair beside me. “What’s up, Con?” He fist-pounded me.
“Nothing much. You?”
“Just working and saving the world—one beer at a time.”
I was closer with Beatrice so I preferred to speak to her, but I knew Lexie was uncomfortable with that. I told her I wouldn’t be alone with Beatrice as much as possible. I respected her request and obliged as much as I could. “You’re a superhero.”
“I like to think so.” He waved down a waitress and ordered his own beer. “So, what can I do for you?”
“Wanted to see how things were going with Beatrice.”
“B and I are good.”
“B?” I asked. Was that her nickname now?
“That’s what I call her,” he said with a shrug.
I cocked an eyebrow. “So, you’ve been spending a lot of time with her, I presume?”
“Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes on me. “You’re her father now?”
“Yes,” I said in all seriousness. “He’s not here anymore and I’ll stand in his stead.” I would always look after her, even if I didn’t directly see her. It was the least I could do.
Jared took a drink. “We’ve been hanging out a lot. She showed me her vineyards. That place is pretty sweet.”
“So…is this romantic now?” I wanted them to be together but I was also on my guard about it. Jared seemed like a good guy that made a few mistakes, but I had to make sure his past was really behind him.
“No,” he answered. “She’s just a friend.”
I studied his face. “Are you lying to me?”
“Why would I?” He held my gaze. “You’re the one who wanted us to spend time together.”
“I did,” I said. “But I want to know what’s going on.”
He chuckled. “You’re the craziest ex-boyfriend I’ve ever encountered.”
“I consider myself more of a protective brother at this point.”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about. She and I are just friends and that’s all we’ll ever be.”
I had a hard time believing that. The moment I laid eyes on Beatrice, I thought she was exquisite. She had the beauty of a prominent queen. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds. Her intelligence was sexy, and her wit was even better. The second we crossed paths I had to have her. How did Jared not feel the same way? “You aren’t attracted to her?”
“I didn’t say that,” he said with a laugh. “I think she’s beautiful—as beautiful as they come. But…I’m just not in the right place.” His voice trailed off toward the end.
“Lexie?”
He nodded and averted his gaze.
“You won’t be in love with her forever.”
“And Beatrice is still into you. I’ve gotten to know her pretty well and she won’t just forget about you and move on.”
“I know…” It was annoying. “You have to give her a push otherwise she won’t do anything. She’s so damn stubborn.”
He laughed. “You’re telling me…”
“I hoped if you spent enough time together she would picture herself with someone else.”
