Twisted By Desire (Lust, Desire and Love Trilogy #1) Page 20

  “That sounds good; I’ll start checking places out.”

  “The place my mom took me in Orlando was nice. Maybe we can add that to the list of shops.”

  “Text or email me the name, and I’ll add it.”

  “Thanks. I better get to work; I’ve been kind of slacking the past week.”

  “I’m sure I’ll see you before we leave today.”

  Candace was the smart one of us three. She’d taken the day off. I hadn’t seen Tristan or Robert, so I figured they must have taken off as well.

  I couldn’t concentrate. It was always the same story around Thanksgiving and Christmas. You come in to work and think about everything except work. Today, my mind kept drifting to my dad. It had been a long time since I’d seen him, and I missed him. I really wanted to see him again, but I wasn’t sure if he wanted to see me. I really wanted to invite him to my wedding. He probably didn’t even know I had been married once already. Why did he have to be such a complete asstard and walk out of our lives?

  My cellphone rang, pulling me off the path of my trip down emotional memory lane.

  “Hey Gary, where are you guys?”

  “Stuck in traffic around Orlando, just like I expected.”

  “You knew it would happen.” My brother is no exception to the male species. They were driving over from Ft. Lauderdale. I told him to take Alligator Alley, but he was scared of that stretch of road with nowhere to stop. I guess I can see it; he has three young kids. Eighty miles is a long way to drive without stopping.

  “Yep, we did.”

  “Whenever you get in is fine. I’ll be home. Mom has Abby today. I’ll go pick her up and head home.”

  “Why not just stay at Mom’s and we’ll meet you there?”

  “That works. I’ll stay and wait for you there.”

  “Ugh, freaking people! They get on my nerves!” I heard Carla tell him to calm down.

  “Bye, Gary; drive safe. I’ll see you all when you get here.”

  “Bye, Sissy.”

  I was pretty sure Mom and Jim would be completely bat-shit crazy after this weekend. There were nine grandkids all together, and they’d all be in their house tonight and tomorrow for dinner.

  The next two hours were spent alternating between checking my home email on my phone and my work email. I glanced at the account I had up on my screen occasionally, but couldn’t find the motivation to make any updates. I was also afraid anything I did today would result in an ass-ripping on Monday. One of those per decade was more than enough for me.

  I came back from the ladies’ room with thirty minutes remaining of the work day. I couldn’t believe a half day seemed to be taking longer to end than a normal nine-hour day. I checked my work email one more time and still hadn’t received anything. Reality was slowly setting in; Georgia may be right. I logged off and turned my monitor off. I reached in my desk to get my purse before locking all the drawers and doors. Fifteen more minutes. I was fidgeting with my phone, checking my Facebook and Twitter. It was eating me alive. I had to check my email one more time before leaving -- and there it was. I screamed. The email I had been waiting for. I jumped up out of my seat as I did the I’m-gonna-be-on-TV dance.

  “Whoa there, tiger, slow down. Are you in that big of a hurry to get out of here?” I almost knocked Georgia flat.

  “Oh my god! It came! I got the email.”

  “What’s it say?”

  “It says I need to confirm we can make it to the Atlanta taping on December thirteenth.” I couldn’t stop smiling and squealing.

  “Calm down; jeez, I know it’s exciting. When is that?”

  I quickly pulled up the calendar app on my phone and scrolled to December. “It’s a Thursday. It’s a Thursday,” I sang. I was bouncing around like a kid in a toy store.

  “I guess on Monday we can all put in our request to take off.”

  “Shit, Georgia, I need to get out of here. Are you busy on Friday?”

  “No, I’ll be looking for an escape from my family.”

  “I’ll call you. Let’s get together Friday morning and do some Black Friday shopping before Jeff gets in town.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll talk to you later. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “Thanks, you have a good one too.”

  I was bopping as I walked out to my car, dancing and walking at the same time. Dalking or Wancing; jeez, I was going crazy. I’m fucking going to be on TV. Yeah, bitches. I laughed as I hit the key fob to unlock my car door. I tossed my purse across to the passenger side, sat down in the driver’s seat, turned the radio up loud after starting the car, and continued bobbing and celebrating that I was going to be on TV.

  I parked my car in Mom’s driveway, jumped out, and had to grab the side of the car to steady myself. Perhaps I jumped up too fast, or got too excited, but the brief bout of dizziness was accompanied with a slight feeling of nausea. I really didn’t need to get sick now, not with Gary and his kids coming to stay with us. Once my head was back on solid ground and the dizziness subsided, I continued my merriment and went into Mom’s house.

  “Mom? Mom, where are you?”

  “Good grief, is there a fire somewhere?” She walked out of the kitchen drying her hands on a towel. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s great. I got my email today. I’m going to be on that show.”

  “That’s wonderful, dear.”

  “I want you to come with us.”

  “That’s silly; you girls go have fun. You don’t need me tagging along.”

  “No, I do need you. I need you to help me make sure I have the right dress. I need you to be there for me … with me.”

  “Well, come in the kitchen and tell me all about it, and I’ll try to make arrangements with my job to be away.”

  I followed her into the kitchen, and we talked. Abby was taking a nap, so we weren’t interrupted.

  I sent a flurry of texts to Sky to ask what his schedule was. He was able to watch Abby those two days since he was able to take her to day care.

  As it turned out, my mom’s schedule was already free on December twelfth and thirteenth. She said she would drive out with us, but would fly back on the thirteenth in the evening. She had an open house on Saturday the fifteenth that she couldn’t miss and she didn’t want to be away from Jim until Sunday anyway.

  Watching the way her eyes lit up when she talked about him was incredible. I wanted that kind of love. I’d had it with Sky, but things didn’t work out. Was it possible for me to love Jeff as much as I loved Sky? First, I’d probably have to feel like I actually loved him at all.

  “Have you heard from Gary?” I was snapped out of my musing by my mother’s worrying nature.

  “He called me earlier; they were stuck in traffic around Orlando last I heard.”

  “He’ll get here pretty soon, then, I would think.”

  “It won’t be long. Once he breaks free of the traffic, it should be smooth sailing. Any word on Jim’s sons?”

  “They’re on their way.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them all. Hey, I was thinking. Why don’t you all come to Jeff’s house and cook dinner? We have more room and the pool; plus, he has the movie theater.”

  “I don’t know, sweetie. I’d rather do that when he’s home and he invites us. I don’t like the idea of invading his house.”

  “Don’t be silly, Mom; he won’t care. And seriously,” I raised my eyebrows, “would you really want to be there when he is?”

  “I plead the fifth.”

  “That’s what I thought. Just come by tomorrow, and I can help cook. The kids can play and swim and have a good time.”

  “It’s tempting,” she started. “But, Nikki, I just –”

  “I’ll be up at six in the morning waiting for you. No more trying to find an excuse. Everyone else can come over later, after they wake up.”

  “Fine. I just hope he doesn’t get upset.”

  Well, that made two of us. I’d find out when I let him kno
w later that his house was the new Thanksgiving dinner location.

  Chapter 25

  He took in a deep breath and rolled his eyes. I knew what that meant, and my stomach sank in reply as I watched him on my laptop screen. After releasing what seemed like every bit of breath in his lungs in a slow sigh, he replied, “Fine, Nikki, it’s fine. Just don’t let the kids into the movie theater with any food, candy, or juice. And make sure their hands are clean. I don’t need a bunch of sticky fingerprints all over everything.”

  “I will.”

  “And whatever you do, don’t let them in my closet to touch my audio visual equipment. No one turns things on or off or operates the DVD player except you, got it?”

  “I got it.”

  “And I hope like hell I don’t come home to the house looking like a tornado went through there.”

  “Jesus, Jeff, it’s my family, not a bunch of random people off the street.”

  “Do you know how they live? Because if you don’t, and they let their kids just do whatever they want in their house, they’ll do the same thing in mine. And that’s the kind of behavior that will cause my things to get broken or become part of the great Thanksgiving mystery of why shit no longer works.”

  “Then I’ll be extra watchful. I didn’t think you’d mind this much.”

  “You live there too; you can have them over. I just don’t want any of my shit to get fucked up. Do you get that?”

  “Yes, I get it.” I get that I’m sick of you talking to me like I’m a fucking child.

  “So what else is new, kitten? Did your brother make it to our house okay?” So my fiancé was a tad bit neurotic.

  “Yep, I met him at Mom’s earlier, and they followed me here. They are getting the kids settled now.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting him Friday.”

  “Yeah, things should be calmer by then. You’ll miss Jim’s side of the family, but they’ll hopefully be in town for the wedding.” I licked my lips and rubbed my hands together. “You know, I like Skyping better than just talking on the phone. I love looking at you.”

  “You’re not so bad on the eyes yourself; I wish we had more time, but I understand your brother’s there and you’re going to be cooking early.” I had an early morning and a lot of food to help cook.

  We talked for a few more minutes before saying our good-byes.

  When the alarm clock began blaring at 5 AM, I briefly resented that I’d offered to have Thanksgiving at our house. What in the hell was I thinking? This is ridiculous. But I knew my Mom. I told her six, and, to her, that meant five-thirty. I pulled myself out of the bed, rummaged through the dresser drawer, and pulled out underwear and some yoga pants. Then I rifled through Jeff’s drawer and found a Florida State T-shirt. I dragged everything into the bathroom with me and took a nice warm shower.

  I stepped out and towel dried my hair before I wrapped myself in the extra long towel. It was so soft, fluffy, and cozy. After drying every inch of me, I slipped on my clothes. Jeff’s T-shirt had a hint of his cologne, just enough to tantalize my senses and stir the butterflies in my stomach. I inhaled his scent before slipping it over my head. I brushed out my hair before heading downstairs.

  As expected, the doorbell rang around five thirty-five, right after I started the pot of coffee.

  “Good morning, Mom.”

  “Good morning, sweetie. Are you ready for this?”

  “I have to be, I guess.” I helped her unload everything from her car and got it all into the kitchen. Pots and pans, food, utensils and, thank God for Mom, wine. She turned the oven on to let it warm.

  We spent time washing some of the dishes that hadn’t been out of storage since last year’s Christmas dinner. Mom washed and pulled the paper wrapped package of stuff out of the turkey, then slathered it with butter, salt, and pepper before slipping it into the turkey body bag and tying it off with the provided zip tie. She fit the twenty-five pound bird into the roaster pan, and into the oven it went.

  We sat out back with our coffee. We had about an hour before we needed to get cracking on everything else.

  “I take it Jeff was fine with us all being here today?” She sipped her coffee raising her gaze to meet mine.

  “Mom, if I told you he wasn’t, would you leave?”

  “No, I’m here now, and the turkey is in the oven. And he won’t be home until tomorrow.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her brazen tone. “He was fine with it. He wished he could have been here to meet everyone.”

  “Humph,” was her normal noise of disbelief. “How is the wedding planning coming along?”

  “It’s coming along okay. It helps to have the planner from the Rusty Pelican.”

  “Well, let me know if you need anything, dear. I have a few days off next month that I can help if needed.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  “How is Jeff helping you with all his traveling?”

  “He’s doing what he can. I want him to get his guest list together. He says he’s working on it.”

  “You don’t worry or wonder what he does in his free time while he’s out of town? A handsome man like him; that would drive me crazy.”

  “No, Mom. I trust him. I have to.”

  “You don’t have to, dear; men who travel are known to have other women stashed.”

  “I know what you told me about him.” She was making me crazy.

  She took a sip of her coffee. “I wish I could remember that woman’s name that he was having the affair with when he dated Gretchen…”

  “It doesn’t matter; that was her, and that was the past.” I was already suspicious of him not coming home until tomorrow, but for a different reason. Now this seed was being planted. No, I couldn’t let her infiltrate my mind with this shit. “Maybe we should go get everything else started. When are Jim and his kids coming over?”

  “They should be here around noon.”

  We went back into the kitchen and divided up tasks and kept cooking. I drew the short straw and got stuck with peeling and making mashed potatoes. With Mom, everything is made from scratch, no boxed just-add-water dishes for her.

  About two hours into our meal preparation, the turkey smell was wrapped tight around my head; the scent was grasping my neck like in the cartoons, choking me and causing my stomach to roil.

  “Are you okay, sweetie? You look a little green around the gills.”

  “I’m fine.” I really wasn’t fine. “I think it may be lack of food or something.”

  “Get some juice; that may help.”

  As I poured a small glass of juice, I couldn’t help think that throwing that wretched turkey out of the house would help. The smell was giving me the old one-two punch in the nose and gut. The juice did nothing to ease my misery. I had to get out of the kitchen and away from the foul fowl. “I’m going to run upstairs and grab my phone. I’ll be right back.”

  I took off up the stairs like a track star. The bedroom was the perfect sanctuary – no turkey, no smell, no more nausea. I picked up my phone and sent a text telling Jeff I wanted to Skype with him real quick. I grabbed my laptop and ducked into the bathroom.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, babe.” I had a cinnamon swirl candle burning nearby to remove the remnants of that gross ass turkey smell from my nostrils.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, my beautiful baby doll. Did all of your family make it over?”

  “Not all of them. Just Mom’s here right now; we’ve been cooking since five forty-five. Can you believe it? What are you going to eat today?”

  “The hotel restaurant is open, and I’ll be forced to eat there for today.”

  “Well, I’m sure it’ll be good. After all, it’s Thanksgiving, so they’ll probably have a feast planned for the guests.”

  “My feast will be tomorrow.”

  “Really? Are we eating out?”

  “Not we sugarplum, me. I will be eating you out.” My sex spasmed, and my stomach clenched, in a good way.

  “I c
an’t wait to see you.”

  “Me either, so why don’t you give me a sneak peek and slip your pants down.”

  His voice, his request, caused the wetness to saturate my panties. I stood and turned the laptop so he could watch me. I locked the door, then stepped back into view, pulled his shirt just high enough, and slid my fingers under the edge of my yoga pants. Tugging slightly, I slid them down about three or four inches, just to the top of my mound.

  “Come on, baby, take them off.”

  I wriggled them and my panties down over my hips and slid them to my ankles.

  “All the way, sweetness.”

  I did as he requested, then let the shirt fall back down to cover me like a mini dress. I pulled at the ribbing around the neck of the shirt. “Should I take this off?”

  “That would be splendid.”

  The shirt was pulled over my head, leaving me standing in front of my laptop in just my bra.

  “Take the bra off too; I want to see your beautiful body completely naked.”

  The bra came off quick. I could feel my wetness on my upper thighs. The anticipation of what he might command me to do next sent a fiery heat coursing through me.

  “You are magnificent.” He licked his lips. “If I were there, the things I’d do to you are too many to list. Just know tomorrow and for the next five days, I plan to make sure you know how thankful I am.”

  “Maybe when I go out shopping, I’ll get Gary and Carla some earplugs.”

  “That’s a damn good idea. You’re going to have to beg me, in between gasping for air, to stop pounding that tight pussy.”

  The wetness that was collecting at my upper thighs spilled down my thigh. “Can you see this?” I pointed at my leg where the drop of dew stopped its descent.

  “Wipe that off and lick your fingers for me.” I did as instructed, licking and sucking my finger, moaning, as if my finger were his cock. “Sit on the tub surround and turn the laptop to face you; then spread your legs so I can see your beautiful wet lips.”

  “Okay, but we need to hurry. My mom is going to wonder what happened to me.”

  “Don’t talk about her right now -- this is just you and me. This will only take as long as it takes you to cum.”