I gasped when I felt just a little bit slide into me.
"Do you want me to stop?" He whispered. "If you seriously want me to stop -"
"No," I whispered.
"Do you want me to go slow?"
I shook my head. Negative.
"I don't want to hurt you."
I pul ed his face to mine and kissed him deeply and passionately. While our tongues and lips were busy with each other, Luke slammed into
me. I cried out, not knowing if I was crying out from pain or pleasure. He pul ed out slowly and then did it again, but a little harder. I had never felt
anything so painful y
good
. I cried out for more, for him to go faster, and even harder though I knew my poor body would regret it later. At the end, we
exploded together, both of us shouting out expletives and fiercely holding on to one another.
I woke the next morning in Luke's arms. He was sound asleep and I didn't mind watching him sleep for a little while, until I felt myself stirring for
more action. I was sore as hel , but I wanted more anyway. I woke him by stroking him until he was not only ful y awake, but ful y erect. He didn't
waste any time pul ing me on top of him.
We made love a few more times throughout the day. By the time I made it home that night, I real y was walking funny, but Luke was wel worth it,
and I couldn't wait to spend more time with him.
The gala I had studied so hard for was approaching. It was an annual event and al proceeds went to various institutions to aid the families that
had chronical y il children. Anyone who could afford five grand a plate could get an invite, but it was a notorious occasion for big business, rich
house wives having a chance to show off their bling and rubbing elbows with the occasional celebrity. Kyle and his father, whom I worked for before
Kyle, always attended, and not because they cared so much for the children, but because they almost always met new business associates there or
were able to further their business opportunities with current clients.
My parents have been attending the galas for years and flew in the week before the event. Luke went with me to pick them up from the airport
and we were going to dinner afterward. I was nervous about my mom meeting him. I didn't want her to start asking questions about his family tree,
whether or not he was ready for marriage, or boring him to tears with stories about the south. It was embarrassing. And even though I didn't love
Luke or anything as deep as that, I didn't want him to see me in a different light because my mother was crazy.
"He's a very good looking man," she whispered to me in the back seat of my car. Luke was driving and my dad rode shotgun.
"How is he in bed?"
I took a deep breath to help me resist the urge to push her out of a moving vehicle.
"I haven't slept with him, Mom." I whispered, lying through my teeth. I just didn't want to discuss my sex life with her. She would probably critique
my oral skil s or something.
"I should have known. You don't sleep with anybody. That's why you can't keep a man."
I glared at her but said nothing more for the rest of the car ride to the restaurant. I let her chatter on about the gala and what she was going to
wear and what I should wear and a bunch of other things I didn't real y listen to.
During dinner, my mom badgered Luke about his family, his finances, and a long list of other things. He was clearly flustered, and my dad tried
to tame my mom as much as possible, but it wasn't enough.
"Did Emmy tel you we have a plantation?" She asked, moving onto talking about the south.
"Mom! Stop cal ing it that!" I was so embarrassed.
"What am I supposed to cal it? That's what it was when my mama was young and it hasn't changed."
"A lot has changed, but you're blinded by your insanity," I said.
"Emmy did tel me your family stil grows cotton," Luke said to my mom before she could say anything else to me.
I was thankful that she was leaving the day after the gala. She and my dad would be returning to Louisiana - back to the
plantation
- until the
end of May or early June.
The rest of dinner went smoothly, as my dad wanted to discuss business and sports, two things my mom had no real interest in, so she had little
to say.
"Your mom is a riot," Luke said later outside of my house. We were standing next to his car.
"Yeah. Sorry about that."
"Now I know where you get your gift for speaking bluntly." He laughed and then leaned in to kiss me.
"So I wil see you at work," he said after a long kiss.
"Bring me a muffin, wil ya?"
"Banana nut for the nut."
I giggled and went inside.
When I got into work in the morning, I was surprised to find Kyle already there.
He wanted to go over the gala guest list every morning leading up to the event. I had other work I would have liked to get done, but it could be
juggled around to another time.
I got us some coffee and he sat in the chair next to my desk while I quizzed him on who's who. He wasn't doing too bad. I was impressed with
how much he knew. Before the office could get too ful , I wanted to say something to him.
"You're doing real y wel with the staff," I whispered. "Your attitude is so much better and it appears that everyone is responding so wel ."
He actual y blushed!
"I'm getting to know everyone a little better. I didn't even know Eliza had three kids until a couple of weeks ago. And she's worked for me for a
year."
"I understand you can't get too personal. It makes it hard to properly do your job, but you're doing wel . I just thought you should know."
He smiled, started to say something else but then frowned. I was perplexed for only a moment. Luke was suddenly at my other side, carrying
what I presumed to be my muffin in a paper bag. I stood up but didn't hug him or kiss him. Those things aren't prohibited in the office but I needed to
be an example, as an office manager slash assistant to Kyle.
"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Long morning. I have a long meeting today, so I can't meet for lunch. Maybe dinner?"
"Sure. Let me know later. Thanks for the muffin." I smiled, which made him smile, which made Kyle make a smal gagging noise behind me. I
didn't acknowledge it and Luke didn't seem to notice.
"Have a good day," he said, and despite my personal rules, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. He then looked directly at Kyle and nodded a
hel o before walking away.
I sat down, could feel Kyle glaring at me. I looked at the clock on my desk.
"Don't you have a meeting in a little bit?" I asked lightly.
"Did your muffin bring you a muffin?" He asked with a smile that didn't touch his eyes.
"How's Jess?" I asked.
He gave me a sour look and left me without another word.
Ever since he figured out Luke and I were dating, Kyle has been making little snide comments or looking at Luke like dirty dish water. At first I
could hardly believe it. Was he jealous? I final y chocked it up to some kind of ego trip because he had slept with me and maybe he expects me to
only want him. It didn't make things awkward, but it was annoying.
For the rest of the week, every morning Kyle and I would go over the guest list and sometimes just have a simple conversation about a movie or
food or whatever. He never brought up Luke again, not that he was real y given the chance. Luke had been working a lot lately and didn't real y
come to my office after the muffin incident.
Friday night I didn't stay late at work. Kyle and I left at the same time. He offered to drive me across the bridge to the train station where my car
was parked. I accepted, because I had a lot to do before the gala Saturday night.
"Is Luke coming with you tomorrow?" He asked as he navigated into traffic out of the parking garage.
"No. He wil be on a cruise with some friends from Chicago. Besides, I'm more or less working."
He nodded but said nothing in response. Every now and then he would look over at me, but I pretended not to notice. After a while, he spoke
again.
"So. Are you two pretty serious?"
"Why does that matter to you?" I looked at him.
"It doesn't matter to me." He feigned surprise by my question.
"What's going on with you? You act like a jealous teenage boy when he's around."
"I do
not
act like a teenage boy."
"But you are jealous." I said pointedly. "And I don't know why. You have your own life going on with Jessyca and it was only one weekend. It's not
like we had this elaborate love affair going on."
I know I sounded irritated. In a way, I guess I was. I'm not sure why. When I looked at him, he looked a little hurt and I instantly felt bad. He
recovered quickly though, with bitterness.
"I apologize. I didn't realize it meant so little to you."
"You're wrong," I said, looking out the window. "It wasn't a 'little' thing, but..." I searched my mind for the words. "It doesn't matter what it meant for me."
We arrived at the parking lot for the high speed line. I directed him to where I was parked. The area was crowded with mostly people on their
way home from work. In a few hours it would be busy with people going back into the city for a night out.
"Thanks for the ride." I said, opening the door.
"Wait. We're not done talking." Kyle protested, his hand on my arm.
"There's nothing to talk about. I'm sorry. See you tomorrow night." I got out, closed the door and walked to my car quickly before he could stop
me.
My parents made a striking couple when they weren't al dressed up for a gala, but the fancy clothes made them a remarkable couple.
My mom was almost sixty-eight years old and didn't look a day over forty-five. Her hair color, a honey blonde, was maintained by a hair dresser,
but she had no other artificial work. She barely had wrinkles or sagging skin. Women her age envied her. Women
my
age envied her.
My dad was going bald, but was stil a good looking man. He stayed in shape after retiring from the military. He was bulky, but not fat. He also
had few wrinkles and no saggy skin. He looked twenty years younger than his seventy years. Women of al ages flirted with him.
For the gala, my mom wore a white gown by Dior and had her hair swept up in an elegant bun. I spent significantly less money on my dress, a
long blue gown that fluttered when I walked. I wore a simple diamond pendant with matching earrings. My money wel spent was on my Minola
Blahnik shoes. Heaven on my feet.
My mother wrinkled her nose when she saw me, and the whole way into the city she wouldn't shut up about how I wouldn't let her buy me a
different gown and that I should have went to her hair dresser and why didn't I wear pearls instead of the diamonds.
"Can you
stop
?" I slapped my hand on my lap and glared at her from the backseat. "I'm real y tired of
hearing
you. Don't you ever get tired of berating me?"
She turned in her seat to look at me, al shocked and surprised.
"I'm not berating you. I just -"
"Samantha," my dad said firmly. "Leave her alone."
"But - "
"It's over." He said with such finality that she turned back around in her seat.
By the time we got to the gala, I was so wound up, I couldn't think straight. As soon as I could get away from my mother, I did. I found the bar
quickly and was already on my fourth drink when Kyle found me. I drank them pretty fast and on a mostly empty stomach. It took everything I had to
keep my composure and not look as tipsy as I felt.
"You look amazing," Kyle said, letting his eyes travel over my body.
"Thank you." I smiled. "My mother doesn't think so, but at least someone does. Where's your date?"
"She's running late. She'l be here soon, by the time dinner is served." As if it were natural, he put his hand on the smal of my back and lead me
away from the bar. He then held out his elbow expectantly and I took it, looping my arm through his.
We walked through the reception area for the rest of the cocktail hour, greeting people we knew and introducing ourselves to those we didn't.
Kyle was a freakin' social butterflying master. He remembered names without my help and spoke to others in a way that always made them feel
flattered. Whenever we would move on, he would put his hand on my back.
"I love this dress," he whispered to me.
My back was ful y exposed in my dress. What he was loving was touching my bare skin, the curve of my back.
Jessyca arrived just as they started seating for dinner. I hastily released Kyle's arm and made my way inside with the rest of the crowd.
Galas sound like a lot of fun, but once someone gets on stage and starts talking, you can find yourself al dressed up and bored to tears. The
food is always good and most of the time the entertainment is good, too. This year's entertainment was a cover band covering a number of songs
from Frank Sinatra to Green Day. There were a lot of younger people this year, so the dance floor stayed busy with bodies. I loved to dance at any
event, so I took to the dance floor with or without a partner. One of my frequent partners happened to be an up and coming film star. He was hel a
cute, but when he offered to take me back to his hotel room, I politely declined and went back to my table.
Kyle didn't real y need my help al night, so I was free to roam and socialize and dance and drink to my heart's content. When he wasn't with
Jessyca, he would fol ow me around. When he was with her, he would watch me as much as he dared from afar.
During dinner, whenever Jess wasn't paying attention, he would try to talk to me about something mundane. At one point he started talking to