Her Dad's Friend(4)

He caresses my shins beneath the water where no one can see, raising  goosebumps and sending chills through me. I touch his ear lobes,  massaging them between my fingertips, and there's so much sexual tension  between us I'm sure others in the pool can feel the charge in the air.

When the game starts, I'm having more fun just sitting on his shoulders  than I have in a long time, and it's nice to forget about school and  bills and all the other grown-up stuff that bogs me down on a regular  basis.

We make a great team. Emily and her future one-night stand are the only  ones who come even close to knocking me off Paul's shoulders. Paul and I  kill it at chicken fighting and are the victors every time. When we're  done and everyone else starts to leave the pool, he ducks back under the  water, no longer between my legs and I miss him there.         

     



 

I make my way to the cave to get out of the sun. It's quiet and dark,  away from the prying eyes of everyone else. Paul ducks beneath the  water, and when he comes back up for air, he's in the cave with me. He  lifts me up into his arms, cradling me. "Remember playing Superman when  you were a kid?" he asks.

"Don't do it!" I say, laughing, but I'm already being tossed in the air  before I'm finished protesting, making a huge splash when I land. Coming  out of the water, my top slips. Not all the way off, but enough for the  pinks of my areolas to show. I'm mortified, cupping my breasts.

Paul comes up to me and removes my hands. The suit is literally hanging  on by my nipples. He adjusts the triangles of fabric to cover me,  fingers grazing my collar bone as he moves them up to tie the strings  tighter.

"Oops," he says with a wraith of a smile.

"They keep trying to escape," I say about my breasts.

"Maybe you should let them off the leash once in a while." His smile  stirs the beast between my legs. It wants out. It wants to devour Paul.

"Maybe I will." I act like I'm about to take off my top. He watches intently to see how far I will actually go.

When I drop my hands without taking off my top, he says, "Tease," and splashes me.

We take turns dunking each other under the water, which for me-and  probably him too-is just another excuse for us to touch. He's flirting  in a way he never has before, a hand brushing slyly against my breasts,  my ass. I do the same to him, too. He lifts me, this time grabbing  between my legs, fingers digging into the fabric. It's so startling that  I don't scream or make a noise when he tosses me. When I come out of  the water I wipe my eyes and we both just stare at each other, his gaze  bright and wanting.

I'm finally feeling bold enough to go up to him and tell him how much I  want him, but then my mom calls out, "Everyone out of the pool. Time to  cut the cake."

The little water world Paul and I had been in, where only the two of us  existed, starts to break up and scatter. The noise of the party and the  fact that my parents are here slips into my reality and kills the mood.

Disappointed by the intrusion, I start to get out. I'm halfway up the  ladder when I notice Paul isn't following. "Aren't you getting out?" I  ask.

"No, I'm not. Thanks to you and that bikini."

I feel myself blush and I have to admit, I do look pretty good in this  bathing suit after all those kickboxing classes I've been taking. "What,  this old thing?" I say and pull the fabric of the bottoms into my crack  so that it looks like a thong.

Paul reaches out and slaps my bare ass cheeks with a loud thwack. I let  out a sound of surprise, something between a yelp and a moan at the  sudden sting and pleasure of it. The pain soon warps into wonderful  warmth and a throbbing sensation. Suddenly I'm picturing myself naked  and draped over his knee while he spanks my butt until there are pink  handprints left behind.

Our eyes meet and his are hooded, watching me with obvious lust. If I  wasn't surrounded by my family, I'd fuck him right here and now.

"I  …  um," I stammer. "I'll go get you a towel."

I grab a towel off one of the lounge chairs and he's out of the water.  As I walk toward him, the shape of his erection beneath his board shorts  is right there in front of me, straining against his waistband. He  gives me ample opportunity to take it all in before reaching for the  towel in my hands. And believe me, there's a lot of it to take in. Maybe  more than I can handle in one sitting. He's definitely bigger than  anyone I've ever been with before. I'd like to find out just how much my  body can stretch.

Feeling exposed, I put my cover-up back on and walk to the table where my mom is lighting candles on my cake.

Everyone sings the birthday song. My dad sings the loudest. He's  definitely drunk. He's not the singing type. I pass him another drink.  As soon as he's drunk enough, my mom will insist on taking him upstairs  and putting him to bed to stave off any kind of embarrassment.

After cake a group of us play rummy while Paul and my parents catch up. I  feel him watching me. Every time I look up, his eyes are right there  and he offers me a smile.

The wind starts to pick up and the temperature drops. Those still  standing after the unlimited supply of alcohol make their way indoors.  It's only a handful; Emily and her admirers, my parents, and Paul. Most  of my friends leave early since there are tests tomorrow morning. We all  drink more and talk. Paul huddles with my dad in their man corner,  laughing and talking about old times. I steal glances at Paul and marvel  at the way he commands a room with his quiet confidence. How everyone  leans forward to hear what he has to say. There's just something about  him that demands attention without saying a word. And yet there's not a  single arrogant bone in his body. He's truly beautiful.         

     



 

Around midnight Emily goes home with a cute guy who sits in the front of  several of my classes. It's nearly one in the morning when my mom  declares it's time to take my dad upstairs.

"I should probably get home," I say.

"Why don't you just stay the night here?" my mom suggests.

Staying with Paul under the same roof while I'm amped up? That's  probably not a good idea. I don't think I'd be able to control myself.  With all the security cameras in the house-most of which I know the  locations, but some of them I don't-it would be too risky.

"I can't," I say. "I told my neighbor I'd feed her cat while she was out of town."

"Let me put your father to bed then I'll drive you home," my mom says.

"It's fine, Mom. I can take a cab."

Paul's deep voice next to me: "I'll take her. I haven't been drinking. It'll be safer that way."

I pull in a breath and hold it until my lungs feel like they might explode.

Safer for me maybe, but who will save Paul from me when I get him alone?

"Are you sure?" my mom asks. "You just got into town. I can't ask you to  do that." Her words lack any sincerity. She doesn't want to go  anywhere, but I know she will if she has to.

Yes, he's goddamn sure! Go to sleep already. I bite the inside of my cheek to hold back my words.

"I insist," Paul says. He looks at me with an intensity that weakens my joints.

After saying goodnight to my parents, Paul and I leave. His truck is  blocked in, so we take my mom's Mercedes. The entire ride to my  apartment is filled with casual conversation and minor flirting. I start  to wonder if that's all this is for him; harmless fun. But then I think  about the way he slapped my ass in the pool, and how he touched me  …   Even if it is harmless for now, I have a feeling he'll change his mind  in the right setting.

We get to my apartment. I'm afraid he's going to drop me off and leave,  but he turns the car off and says, "Let's see this place of yours."

We walk up the stairs and I open the door. I have to kick my shoes out of the way to clear a path for us to walk. It's a mess.

"Sorry," I say. "I haven't had the chance to clean lately. Whenever I'm not at school I'm at work."

He smiles. "Don't worry about it. I was a student once, too."

"I have to run next door and feed the cat. I'll be right back. There's beer and soda in the fridge if you're thirsty."

I run next door, fumbling with the key. I don't know my neighbors all  that well, so it was a bit of a surprise when she asked me to go inside  her place and feed her cat while she was gone, but whatever. The bowl is  still half full, the cat lazing on the couch, not even acknowledging my  existence. I hurry and fill the bowl with food and the other with water  and head back to my apartment.

When I come back, Paul is in the kitchen, filling the sink with soapy water.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Helping you out. It's your birthday; take a load off."

I'm not going to argue. There's something kind of sexy about watching a man clean.

"That was some party," he says over the clank and clatter of dishes  being washed. The sound is so jarring and real, and for the first time  as an adult, I have him all to myself. I can have him. I know I can. I  just have to be brave enough to take what I want.