Past Imperfect
by
Alison G. Bailey
Copyright 2013 Alison G. Bailey
(unedited and subject to change prior to publication)
Chapter 1
The
Present
Brad
I
can’t keep my leg from bopping up and down while I sit here and wait. Every
part of my body that has a gland is sweating. I’ve never been this nervous in my entire life. Standing, I
start to pace, alternating between checking my watch and the entrance. She’ll
be here any minute. I have everything planned out to perfection tonight.
I’ve
rented the private patio at our favorite restaurant in downtown Charleston, the
Peninsula Grill. I had them remove all the tables except for the one we will be
sitting at. The area is secluded and away from the noisy activity of the
restaurant and street. Small white lights snake up and around each palmetto
tree that surrounds the area. In the center a table for two is dressed with
white linen, crystal champagne flutes, and pristine silverware. In the middle
of the table there’s a crystal vase with a dozen orange tiger lilies and some
sort of purple flowers. Being a graduate of Clemson University, her favorite
colors are orange and purple. Tiger lilies are her favorite flower. I just told
the florist orange tiger lilies, purple, and make it look perfect.
Checking my watch for the five
hundredth time in the past ten minutes, I steal another glance towards the
entrance. I can feel my breathing speed up and my palms feel as if I have dunked
them in water. If she doesn’t get here in the next few seconds, I’m going to be
a hyperventilating-sweaty-impeccably dressed mess. Just as I let out a deep
breath I hear her soft voice float through the air.
“Brad,” she says breathlessly with
just a hint of surprise in her tone.
God, I love the way my name sounds coming
out of her mouth. Her incredibly talented mouth that’s surrounded by her full
pale pink lips. The bottom lip is slightly more plump than the upper one. When she’s
concentrating hard on something, her teeth graze across that bottom lip as it’s
sucked into her mouth. There is no better sight in this world than Mabry
Darnell concentrating. Whenever she is thinking
hard, I get hard. I can’t help it. It’s as if her mouth and my dick have this
synchronicity. In fact, everything about us feels in synch.
From the moment she walked into my
dad’s law firm, she grabbed my attention. We are both first year lawyers which
means we are low on the food chain in the firm. Even though it’s my father’s
law firm, dear dad doesn’t believe in playing favorites, especially where I’m
concerned. Mabry and I have spent a lot of late nights together preparing for
cases. We flirted, got to know each other, and I asked her out. She kept
refusing until she could no longer resist the charming masculinity that is Brad
Johnson. We’ve kept things casual, but I knew from the second I laid eyes on
her, my reaction was different. It was more than lust at first sight. I’ve fallen
for this girl and need her in my life.
I’ve been with a lot of pretty
girls, but Mabry is the first beautiful woman for me. When I say beautiful, I
don’t just mean on the outside, although, the outside is mouthwatering.
Everything about her holds my attention.
She stands about five feet six inches on shapely toned legs that lead up
to her perfectly round ass, small waist, and one of the all-time best racks the
good Lord has ever created. I’ve seen a lot of racks, so I consider myself an
expert. Her shoulder length chestnut
brown hair frames a well-defined, but soft square jawline and when she smiles,
smirks, or grins her straight little nose crinkles up in the most adorable way
causing my heart to skip a beat every time. Her azure blue eyes pop against the
backdrop of her creamy pale skin, and are captivating. The outside is
effortlessly beautiful and sexy, but what drew me in and has held me is what’s behind
those eyes.
The times she’s dealing with a
colleague or client those eyes match the tone of the meeting, warm and kind, or
strong and serious. But, it’s in the quiet times, when she thinks no one is
looking that those eyes hold the most truth. There is something intriguing and
sad behind them during those unguarded moments.
“Hey Sweetness,” I say.
I walk over to her and pull her into
my chest. I close my eyes as the smell of vanilla hits me. I pull back slightly
and place a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth, letting the tip of my tongue
skim across the crease quickly. I have to watch myself. Things with Mabry can
go from zero to a hundred-eighty in less than five seconds. Pulling back I stare into her beautiful eyes.
I can’t believe I found her. She’s perfect for me. We have been ‘together’ for three months and tonight
is the night. I’m going to tell her how much I love her. I don’t know at what
point during the night I’m going to say it, I just know I’m ready to say it. I’ve
never said those words to anyone before, so I want everything to be special tonight.
We walk over to the table and I pull
the chair out for her. “What’s all this for?” she asks.
“I just thought it would be nice to
do something different, is all.” I sit
down across from her, taking her hand and lacing our fingers together.
“This is a little more than just ‘different’. It’s not my birthday,” she
says as her lips form into a straight line at the same time her head cocks to
one side. Then her eyes widen and her mouth goes slack. “Oh god, it’s not your
birthday, is it?”
“Sweetness, if it was my birthday
eating dinner with you would be the last thing I’d be doing.”
Looking up at me through her long
dark lashes, she asks in a sultry voice, “What would you be doing?”
I lean in close so that we are
nose-to-nose. “I’d have you spread across my bed tasting you.” I hold her gaze
for a moment before I look down and see the huge lump she is swallowing slide
down her slender neck.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I smirk.
“Say stuff like that to me in
public. You know what it does to me,” she says shifting in her chair.
I
lean back, happy with myself. I love to tease her and make her squirm. “Then
you need to relax and enjoy. Don’t question it.” My voice now sounds slightly annoyed.
Mabry is very guarded. She’s less so
with me now, but still questions every nice thing I do for her. I hate it and
at this point don’t understand why she’s still like that with me. She’s
suspicious that ulterior motives are attached. It strikes a nerve with me
because I’m not like that anymore. I’m upfront and honest with people. I’ve
learned my lesson the hard way.
“Fine. I’m sorry. I appreciate all
the trouble you went to. You know you don’t have to do this type of thing for
me.”
“I want to do this type of thing for
you.” We hold each other’s gaze for a few seconds before hearing her name from
across the patio.
He’s tall, dark, and has douchebag
written all over him. As he walks up to our table, Mabry gives me a tight smile
and squeezes my hand before pulling hers away.
“Hey
Ten,” she greets Sir Douche.
“Hey, I thought it was you sitting
out here,” he says.
“I’m surprised you saw me out here
especially with the restaurant being so crowded.”
“I’d always be able to spot you no
matter how many people were in the room,” he replies, staring at her a little
too long.
Who
the hell is this guy?
I
clear my throat startling my date.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Ten this is Brad
Johnson, a colleague.” I cringe slightly at the reference. “Brad
this is Ten McGuire,” Mabry introduces.
We shake hands. “Tin? Like Rin Tin
Tin, the dog?” I ask.
He gives me a smug look, the motherfucker, and answers, “Short
for Tennyson. It’s a family name.”
“Does your family hate you?”
Mabry gently kicks me under the
table causing my gaze to snap in her direction. “Brad!”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, Ten. Brad has a weird
sense of humor.”
Is
she actually apologizing for me?
“That’s
okay. I get that a lot.” Sir Douche throws another smug look my way before
focusing back on Mabry. “You were amazing in court today.” Every muscle in my
body starts to tighten.
I notice a slight blush creep over
Mabry’s cheeks. “Thank you, but I didn’t do anything, besides sit there.”
“The research you did for the case
was extremely well done and detailed. Maybe we can get together sometime and
discuss your future.”
Well,
fuck me. Fuck you.
“Maybe,” she says, with a slight
nervous laugh, glancing over at me.
An awkward pause takes over as his
eyes roam down, landing on her chest, before shooting back up to meet her eyes.
My fists and jaw clench tighter.
“I should let you two get back to
your business. Brad, it was nice to meet you,” he says, never taking his eyes
off of her. “Mabry, it’s always great to see you.”
He takes a step back and Mabry gives
him a slight smile just before he exits.
Turning back to me she looks over
with concern written across her face. “I’m sorry about that.” I don’t respond.
I’m trying to get my temper under control so I don’t blow the entire place
up. I feel her hand wrap around mine.
“Are you okay?”
“That’s incredible.”
“What?” she asks.
“The way Sir Douche can kiss your
ass so thoroughly while you’re sitting on it. What was that, Mabry?” I look
over at her.
“A colleague coming over to say hi.”
“Is that all it is?” My voice is low
as I stare into her eyes.
“To me it is. Are you jealous?” There’s
surprise in her voice when she asks the question.
“Should I be?” My words sound colder
than I meant them to.
“No. I’m not like that.”
I look deep into her eyes, making
sure what she’s saying is true. It is. We’ve never discussed being exclusive, I
just assume we are. Of course, we’ve never discussed what this is between us. The
leg of my pants rises as her foot travels up and down it. My dick starts to
twitch and all thoughts of Sir Douche vanish.
****
I
fumble with my keys, trying to unlock the door to my condo, as I pin Mabry
against it. Our tongues take turns darting in and out of each other’s mouths
while she’s undoing my belt. I finally get the door open and we stumble into
the room, our lips never disconnecting.
I close the door by shoving her up against it. My hips grind into her as
my hands move to the back of her neck, my fingers tangling in her hair. Her
hands move underneath my jacket and push it over my shoulders, tossing it to
the side. She undoes my tie and quickly unbuttons my shirt using the same
movement as she did with my jacket. When her hand lightly grazes one of my
nipples a bolt of electricity runs through me and I almost come right then.
Next, she works the button and zipper of my pants. Her hand moves inside and she grabs my dick
releasing it from my boxers. I feel my knees buckle slightly.
I pull away in order to take a
breath. Staring into her eyes I see desire mixed with the sadness that is
always prevalent. I almost tell her I love her, but the words seem to stick in
my throat. Grabbing the hem of her
dress, I slide it up as my hands run over her smooth hips and torso. She lifts
her arms allowing me to peel the dress off her completely and then it finds a
spot on top of my shirt and jacket. My
eyes roam down her body. She’s wearing a black lace push up bra, a pair of black
four inch stilettos, and that’s it.
Fuck me,
I love this girl.
I
plunge my tongue back into its rightful place inside Mabry’s mouth. My hands glide over her ass as hers move up
and down my dick. The only sounds in the room are the moans coming from us and
the occasional thud as I push her against the door.
“Talk to me,” she whispers on my
lips. Her tits push against my chest with each heavy breath she takes. Mabry likes dirty talk and it just so happens
that I like to talk dirty. It’s a
win-win.
I kiss along her jaw until I reach
just below her ear. “I’m going to fuck
you, baby. You want to know how?” I
whisper in a raspy voice.
“Yes,” she moans.
“I’m going to take my tongue and
lick down your body, only stopping to suck on your beautiful tits.” I bring my
hand up and pinch one of her hard nipples through the lace causing her back to
arch. “I dream about your tits, Mabry,” I continue. “I’m going to lick all the
way down to between your legs. Then I’m going to suck you hard just before I
fuck you with my tongue.”
“Inside. Now!” she yells out.
I slip off my shoes as she slips her
hand into my pocket to grab the condom. Holding the foil packet between her
teeth, she slides down the door until she’s squatting in front of me, taking my
pants and boxers with her. I place my palms flat on the doorframe to brace
myself as I step out of my clothes.
Looking down I see Mabry tear the packet, slip the condom out, and on to
me, all the while looking up at me through her long dark lashes. She seems to
enjoy doing this and who am I to deprive her of any joy.
She starts slowly sucking and
licking her way up my abs and over my chest until she reaches my mouth. Our
tongues make another once around in each other’s mouths before my hands shift
behind her thighs, lifting her while pressing her against the door at the same
time. I can feel the heel of her stilettos pierce my skin as her legs wrap
around my waist. The slight jolt of pain turns me on even more than I already am.
Her hands find their way into my hair and she holds on tight. Two hard thrusts
and I’m buried deep inside her. Everything begins to speed up and intensify,
our breathing, my thrusts, and her moans.
She tightens around me in every way and we come together. We both shiver and cling onto each other like
our lives depend on it.
Still inside her, I carry her to my
bedroom and lay her back on the bed. I
begin placing soft kisses across her lips, down her jaw, and to the top of her tits.
“How is it possible?” I mutter as I
continue kissing everywhere my lips can reach.
“What are you talking about?” she
asks as her fingers run through my hair playing with the chunky style.
Looking up at her I say, “How is it
possible that it gets better every time? It was pretty awesome the first time.”
Tugging on my hair, she pulls me up
so we are face-to-face. “I’m trying to up my game. I think you just like my
choice of undergarments more and more.”
“You do have excellent taste in that
department. I like what’s under those garments too, and what comes out of your
mouth, and what’s behind those eyes.”
Now is the time to tell Mabry how
much I love her. I haven’t looked at, thought about, or wanted to be with another
girl since we met. Clearing my throat, I look deep into her eyes and say, “Mabry,
the past few months with you have been fantastic. Spending time with you is my
favorite part of the day. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. All that matters
is I can look up and see you by my side.”
“Brad…”
“Mabry, I’ve fallen in…”
“I need to get up,” she interrupts
as she shoves on my chest.
“What? Is anything wrong?” I ask
pushing off and out of her.
Sitting up, she moves away from me
and off the bed quickly. “I need to go to the bathroom,” she says as she walks
across the room, never looking back at me.
I watch as the door closes. I get up
and remove the condom, tossing it in the trashcan. I grab a pair of pajama
pants and slip them on. The door to the bathroom suddenly swings open and Mabry
comes rushing out wrapped in a towel.
Scanning the room she asks, “Where
are my clothes?”
“Excuse me?” I stand in shock with
my hands resting on my hips.
“I need my clothes. I didn’t pay
attention to where they ended up.”
“Why do you need your clothes?”
“Because, the authorities don’t look
kindly on public nudity.” She gives me a slight smirk that disappears in a
nanosecond.
“You’re leaving?” My shock is
starting to wear off and I’m getting angry.
“I have an early day tomorrow.
Besides, you know the rules. No overnighters.”
“What the fuck just happened here?”
“We had a delicious dinner, an
amazing fuck, as usual, and now I have to go,” she says walking out of the
bedroom in search of her clothes.
I find her in the living room
shimmying into her dress. I can feel my entire body tense up as I stand there
with my arms crossed over my chest staring at her. “I want to tell you something.”
She runs her fingers through her
hair. “Yeah, well, can’t it wait until morning?”
“It’s not business related.”
She stops the nervous gathering of
her things. Looking me in the eye she says, “Don’t get all hearts and flowers
on me, Brad. You knew what this was when we started.”
“Yeah, I knew what it was when we
started, but somewhere along the way things changed. I love you, Mabry.”
Azure blue eyes begin to fill with
water, fear, and anger as she steps back. “Fuck you.” Grabbing her purse, she
turns on her heels, and is out the door.
****
Mabry
I
keep moving. I don’t think or breathe until I’m safe and secure in my car. I
take several slow deep breaths trying to get control of my anxiety before it
swallows me up. I still feel on the verge of hyperventilating. Thank god Brad
didn't follow me. I fight to keep the picture out of my head of him standing
there looking vulnerable and sad. My throat starts to sting and my eyes burn as
I try to hold back my tears. I can’t lose it, not here. I start the car and
head home.
Things were going so well with us.
Why did he have to ruin it? The main reason I finally agreed to go out with him
was because I knew he had a reputation for being a player and he wouldn’t be
looking for anything serious or permanent, which was exactly what I wanted and
needed. I couldn’t have anything serious, not with Brad or anyone. He was supposed to be safe and uncomplicated.
What was he thinking telling me that?
Walking into my condo I’m a bundle
of nerves. I was able to calm myself somewhat on the drive home because I had
to focus on the road, but now it was too easy for the thoughts to creep in. I
have to do something to get my mind off Brad and what he said to me. Passing
through the bedroom I kick my shoes off, toss my purse on the bed, and then
make my way to the bathroom. I turn the shower on full blast letting the hot
water steam up the place while I undress. I focus on every little movement I
make, trying to keep my mind occupied. I can’t let the thoughts in. Once they
were in I wouldn’t be able to control myself. It would be too hard to make them
disappear without taking drastic measures and I’m trying not to do that.
I step into the shower and
immediately flinch when the scalding hot water begins to pelt my skin, but I
don’t move away from it. I focus on how the hot beads prick my flesh. It hurts
for only a few seconds before my skin gets use to the temperature. I scrub my
skin a little more forcefully than usual and do the same with my hair. The roughness
helps keep my mind focused. I step out of the shower, dry myself and my hair,
and put on a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, before crawling into bed. I decide
to watch some TV to help distract. I need to stay focused on physical things to
keep from disappearing back into my thoughts. I’m reaching for the remote when
my phone chirps with a text.
I try to ignore it, pretend I didn’t
hear it, but then it chirps again. I know it’s him. I turn the TV on and try to
put the text out of my head. I flip through channel after channel desperately
trying to find something to take my mind off the damn text that I know is waiting
on my phone. I play this game for at least fifteen minutes before I cave. I
grab my phone with shaky hands and swipe the screen.
Brad:
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. Please let me know that you’re home
safe.
I stare at the words for a few
minutes. Pictures of his sad eyes flood my mind. I toss the phone as if it was on
fire onto the bedside table. I try to forget the text. I try to forget the
words he said. I try to forget his hurt. I try so hard, but I can’t keep the
images and feelings away. I have to do something to stop them from consuming
me. I run both hands through my still damp hair. I hesitate. I didn’t want to
do this, but I know it’s the only thing that will help me right now. I wasn’t
prepared for what he said to me tonight. Hesitantly, I scoot down until the
back of my head is in line with the edge of the headboard. My body
automatically goes into the ritual of preparing itself for the impact-eyes
close, fists clench, heels dig in, all muscles tense. I perform three rapid
slams to the back of my head. Relief immediately washes over my body, my mind
becomes clear, and my feelings numb.
******************
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