I wake up with a smile on my face for the first time in years. I’m smiling because I know that when I open my eyes and glance over to the normally vacant side of my bed, I’m going to see the most beautiful girl in the world lying naked next to me. But instead of doing that right away, I wait. I deny myself the immediate pleasure and instead, I keep my eyes closed and replay the incredible events of last night.
I think about our first kiss and how incredible it was. I remember how it felt when I first reached out and touched her there on the couch at her parents’ house after wanting to for so long. I raise my lip up to my nose and inhale the scent of her pussy from when I had my face buried between her legs last night and I had my tongue pressed against her clit, lapping away like a hungry dog, looking up at those two mounds rising up from her chest as her body shook and her orgasm took her.
Christ, what a fucking moment. I could do that to her for hours. As a matter of fact, I could wake her up with another session of that right now…
I open my eyes and look over to see Nikki sound asleep next to me, side-sleeping, her hair a cute mess all over the pillow, half obscuring her gorgeous face. Her mouth is partially open, and I have to keep myself from laughing. God, she looks absolutely adorable. The comforter is pulled back slightly, showing both of her perfect breasts, and I instantly feel myself getting hard. But just as I’m about to pull back the blanket to give her the best wake-up call of her life, I hear something I really don’t want to hear; the sound of someone pulling up outside. And I know by the sound of the car and by the hour it is that it can be only one person.
Reed.
“Shit,” I curse under my breath as I quickly, but carefully, slide out of bed and throw on some clothes. I make my way downstairs as fast as possible, hoping to meet the little scoundrel outside before he can use his key to get into the house, but by the time I reach the door, he’s already coming in.
“Oh hey, Pops,” Reed says in that obnoxious tone he always has when he’s working himself up for something. By the looks of him, I’d say he’s been up all night partying.
“Reed.”
“Whatcha doin’?” he asks, stepping past me to the fridge.
“This isn’t the best time,” I reply. Christ, if Nikki wakes up and comes downstairs…
“No? Well, I was just wondering,” he muses, taking out a Mandarin seltzer and cracking it open. “Why I haven’t received a check for my new car yet.”
I try not to laugh. Of course that’s what he’s here about.
“Your mother didn’t tell you she and I had a conversation about that?”
“She did.” He nods. “And she said you had agreed on sending me a check for the car.”
“Not quite.” I shake my head. “I told her that a college student doesn’t need a Porsche. That’s what I told her.”
Reed grins like the spoiled little boy he is and takes a swig of his seltzer. “Well, obviously she disagrees.”
“Yeah, well it doesn’t matter, does it? I’m the one writing the check.”
Reed’s eyes narrow. He’s so used to getting his way and using his mother to fight his battles for him, but after knowing how he treated Nikki last night, I’m through. There was a time where I may have given in to this just to not have to deal with his mother again, but that time is over. If I have to deal with an angry phone call from Elaine or a letter from her lawyers, so be it.
“What are you saying?” Reed asks.
“What I’m saying,” I reply, glancing out the window at Reed’s Audi, “is that when I was your age, I was driving a fifteen-year-old Volvo with a rear window that had to be duct taped to the roof to stay up. I think your Audi is just fine. You don’t need a Porsche. Now why don’t you head back to school and hit the books? I’ve got work to do.”
When I first got together with Elaine, Reed was just finishing middle school, and he wasn’t the cocky, spoiled little prick he is now. I thought we’d be able to get along back then, but now – especially considering his mother and I are no longer together – I know there’s no hope. So when I see the look of utter disappointment and anger on his face, I have to keep myself from grinning right back at him.
Yeah, maybe don’t treat girls like disposable pieces of meat, you jackass.
“Well, we’ll see what my mom has to say about this!” Reed replies as he slams the seltzer down on the counter and stomps out of the house, looking less like an intimidating lacrosse player and more like a young boy, unhappy that things didn’t just go his way.
The door slams, and I watch out the window as Reed slides into his Audi, texts someone (probably Elaine), and then peels out of the driveway. Seconds after he’s gone, I hear a voice behind me, “Well, that was awkward.”
I turn to see Nikki emerge, completely naked, from behind the couch, biting her lower lip and wiggling her hips.
“How long were you there?” I ask, shocked.
“Pretty much the whole time,” she giggles. “I snuck down behind you, trying to surprise you by being all sexy and naked, but then that happened, and well…”
Smiling, I go over to her and scoop her up into my arms. I kiss her and feel instantly better. It’s not like Reed has that much of an effect on me, but he is obnoxious, and pressing my lips to Nikki’s makes me forget all about him.
“Did he seriously want you to buy him a Porsche?”
“He seriously did,” I laugh. “And there was a time when I might have, just so I wouldn’t have to get into a conversation with my ex-wife. But not after what he did to you.”
Nikki plumps up her lower lip and makes sincere puppy-dog eyes at me.
“You’re too sweet to me.”
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, gorgeous,” I reply. “As a matter of fact, instead of spending money on Reed today, why don’t we spend a little money on you?”
“You gonna buy me a Porsche?” she teases, obviously sarcastically.
“I’d rather buy you one than him, I’ll tell you that much. But no. I had a better idea. Get dressed, we’re going out.”
“Um, yeah…” Nikki says. “About that. Can we swing by my house real quick so I can get something decent to wear? I only have sweatpants and that sweater from last night.”
I chuckle. “Of course we can.”
I watch as Nikki, in nothing but her birthday suit, scampers up the stairs to the bedroom and returns in her outfit from last night. God, what I wouldn’t give to have her running around here every day. She squeals as I toss her over my shoulder and carry her out to the Benz and set her down in the passenger seat. A few minutes later, we’re pulling up in front of her house.
She looks over at me, so cute, so innocent. “I’ll just be a minute, okay?”
“I’ll be timing you,” I tease. “Sixty-one seconds and I’m gone.”
Nikki shrugs. “Time me, Daddy. I’m not one of those girls who takes thirty-minutes to get ready.”
Before I can respond, she’s out the door and running up to her house. I’m laughing as she vanishes through the front door, and just for kicks, start the timer on my phone. Of course I would never leave without her, but why not have a little fun?
I quickly check my e-mails as I wait. Luckily I don’t have anything pressing for today, so I’m not needed at the office. I send a quick reply to my assistant, and when I switch back to the timer, I see Nikki has twelve seconds to make it back in time before our little game ends.
Christ, I can’t believe how much fun I’m having with her. I’m a very guarded man, but I’m completely vulnerable around her, teasing and messing around like I’m back in high school again. I can’t remember ever feeling this way in my life.
Six seconds left…
The door to Nikki’s house bursts open, and she comes hurtling out, hair teased up, wearing a pair of ripped blue jeans with white sneakers and a cute white T-shirt that she’s almost bursting out of. She’s smiling all the way to my car.
“So did I make it?” she asks as she slides in beside me. I twist my timer to her as the last second ticks down to zero. She laughs triumphantly. “Ha! I told you!”
“Barely,” I tease, kissing her on the lips.
“Oh, you are not going to give me that,” she laughs. “A full outfit change and making my hair look like I didn’t just crawl out of a sleeping bag in one minute? That’s talent right there.”
I nod, pulling away from her house. “Yes, you are talented, Nikki. And I cannot wait to see what other talents you have that I haven’t seen yet.” Nikki blushes and lets her hair fall in front of her face. It’s cute how shy she still is around me. “Speaking of talents, that’s actually where we’re headed right now.”
Nikki looks back at me, her eyes curious. “What…what do you mean?”
I smirk back. “You’ll see when we get there.”
She tries goading me into revealing our destination as we drive, but I give nothing up. It’s not until we’re pulling up in front of the Mac Store that she finally looks over at me with a hint of realization in her eyes.
“Wait…what?”
“When I was reading your story back at your house,” I explain, “that MacBook of yours was looking pretty worn out. I think it’s time we get you a new one. I can’t have a talented girl like you working on something so old and beat-up. Come on.”
I tug the handle on my door and swing one foot out of the car, but Nikki grabs my arm to stop me.
“Grant, wait.”
“What is it, gorgeous?”
“You-you don’t have to do this.”
“I know,” I chuckle.
“I’m not…I’m not one of those girls,” she says. “You don’t have to spoil me to make me like you…”
As an attorney for many years, I consider myself pretty adept at reading people and knowing when they’re being truthful and when they’re not, and right now I’m absolutely sure that Nikki is not lying to me. And although the thought that she was a gold-digger had never even crossed my mind, the fact that she’s saying this to me now voluntarily makes me only like her more.
“I know you’re not,” I tell her, gently taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “God, it should be a crime to be this beautiful, you know that?”
Again, she blushes and averts her eyes. One of these days maybe she’ll grow accustomed to my praise, because I sure as hell am not going to stop showering her with it.
“Stop, I’m blushing,” she whispers.
“But I like it,” I tease. “Come on. This is just the beginning of our day together.”
