Take This Man

Chapter Four



Elyse and Jason sat at a picnic table outside Daddy"s Bar-B-Q, eating lunch. The aromas of smoky barbecue and hot grease enveloped them.

“I didn"t expect you back so soon.” She squirted some ketchup on her French fries. “I figured you"d be occupied all day.” She allowed a bit of snark to creep into her tone. She still thought it was a bad idea for Jason to go back to his old boyfriend.

Jason lifted an eyebrow. “Be nice,” he purred.

He was dressed casually but impeccably, as always.

Today it was preppy chic—he might have stepped right out of an L.L. Bean catalog. It was a marvel how he managed to eat a sloppy pulled pork sandwich without getting even a speck of sauce on himself. Elyse, though she"d stuffed a wad of napkins in her neckline, still succeeded in getting mustard down her front.

“Coop"s meeting with his attorneys this afternoon, so he"ll be busy the rest of the day. He wants us to have dinner, though. I told him to call me, and I"ll let him know what my plans are.” He looked at Elyse, a question in his expression.

“I don"t need you to babysit me,” she informed him. “You go ahead and do whatever you like.”

“I dragged you along on this trip,” he said. “I don"t want you to feel I"m abandoning you.”

“I don"t feel abandoned. After all, you"re here eating lunch with me, after which I am going to whip your ass at miniature golf.” Daddy"s offered not only barbecue and soft-serve, but an impressive miniature golf course as well.


33

“In your dreams.”

Elyse chewed a bite of her hot dog, the spicy mustard tingling on her tongue. “So tell me,” she said once she swallowed, “how did your breakfast with Coop go?”

“Well, he didn"t choke to death on his English muffin, if that"s what you"re hoping to hear.” Jason"s tone was sardonic.

She

snapped

her

fingers

in

mock

disappointment. “Darn it.” Not that she actually wanted Coop dead. She only wished he"d decide to move to Tibet and become a monk. Or maybe get abducted by aliens, and become some three-eyed Martian"s pet.

Jason turned serious. “Actually, it went well.

Coop"s sorry about hurting Debra, but he realizes it was wrong to marry her in the first place. This divorce is best for both of them.”

“Uh-huh.” Elyse tried to keep the judgment out of her voice. Jason knew how she felt. Now he needed someone to listen.

“He"d like to keep things as civil as possible.

Mediation, if Debra agrees to it.” She nodded. “That sounds like the best option.” She waited. “Is he being honest about why he really wants the divorce?”

Jason stiffened and her heart sank like a cement block. “He doesn"t want to get me involved. Things might get messy.”

“He doesn"t have to involve you to admit he"s gay.” Elyse didn"t understand it. How could a man as intelligent as Jason, as worldly and aware, be so damn stupid when it came to Cooper Caddiman?

She pressed on. “Don"t you think he owes it to his wife to tell the truth? So she doesn"t think it"s something she did wrong?”

“He"s not blaming her,” Jason insisted. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, and pushed the remainder 34

of his sandwich aside. “I told you, he"s trying to keep things friendly.”

“It won"t stay friendly if she learns the truth from somebody else. If Coop can"t tell her he"s gay, does it mean he can"t even admit it to himself?” Jason gave a defeated sigh. “I didn"t say we"d worked everything out.”

“I know you don"t want to hear all this,” Elyse told him. “But remember, you asked me to come along to help you keep your head on straight.”

“I know.”

“I just don"t want him to think he can keep you on the side, his dirty little secret. You deserve better.”

“I know. But it"s not that easy—”

“You keep saying that. But you did it. Other people do it. It"s not like he has to worry about losing custody of his kids. There are no kids. This is his chance to be up front and honest, finally, and he"s—”

“I know. I know.” Jason held up his hand to forestall her from saying more.

“Sorry.” Shit. She"d told herself not to harangue him. But damn it, she was worried. She didn"t trust Coop.

“No, don"t be.” Jason smiled, but it was strained.

“You"re right. Which goes to show it"s a good thing you came along with me.” He frowned. “Coop and I have a lot to discuss over dinner tonight.”

“Come to think of it,” he said a moment later, his face enlivening with mischief, “I"m not the only one who met with an old flame today, am I?” Elyse groaned. Jason had texted her this morning while she was having a weak moment. She confessed in her return message to running into Adam.

“It was awful,” she admitted. “We were horrible to each other, nearly had a public fight.” She let go a breath. “He thinks we"re a couple. You and me.” 35

Jason"s eyes widened. “Well, you told him the truth, didn"t you?”

“No.” Elyse got pissed off all over again, remembering Adam"s accusations. “He thinks I dumped him because you have more money. Like I"m some greedy bitch. The stupid ass. He thinks I"m the bad guy,” she said. “Can you believe that?” If she expected Jason to look outraged on her behalf, she was disappointed.

“And you think he is.”

She blinked in uncertainty. “Well, yeah.” Her friend let go a sigh. “Maybe there are no bad guys. Just a lot confused people.” But Elyse didn"t buy that, and said so.

“I was there, too, honey,” he reminded her. “But you don"t hate my guts.”

She lowered her eyes to her half-eaten hot dog.

“That"s different.” I wasn"t in love with you.

“You should have told him the truth about us, Leelee.”

“Come on,” she scoffed. “I"m not going to out you at a burger joint in the middle of town.”

“What do I care? Tell the whole world I"m a big ol" queer—it makes no difference to me.” And that was the difference between Jason and Coop. Jason lived in the truth, while Cooper huddled in the closet. Her friend had suffered for his honesty—his family had not dealt at all well with the news of his sexual orientation. In fact, they dealt with it by pretending they never heard it. Though not actually banishing their son… why, after all, cause an unpleasant scene? …they distanced themselves from him as much as possible. Which was fine with him.

Elyse felt humbled, thinking about the choices Jason had made to become his “authentic self.” Compared to him, she seemed backward, bogged down by memories of the past and fear of the future.

36

Too much thinking. Her head was starting to throb. She finished off her meal in a few quick bites while Jason stole her remaining french fries, and then said, “Let"s go play mini golf. It"s time for me to kick your ass.”



****

That evening Jason went off to have dinner with his precious Coop, and Elyse sat alone in her hotel room. She wasn"t really hungry, but decided to pop out to get a salad—something healthy, to make up for lunchtime"s barbeque bust-out.

Someone knocked at her door. It could only be Jason. Damn it, Coop must have flaked out on him, for him to be back already. Elyse hurried to open the door, ready to console her friend.

Adam stood in the threshold.

“What are you doing here?” Her heart slammed in her chest.

“I wanted to say I"m sorry.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “I shouldn"t have been such a prick before.”

“You didn"t have to come here for that. You already apologized.”

His shoulders twitched uneasily, and then straightened. He met her stare dead on. “I wanted to do it right this time.”

Elyse gazed at him. He no longer had on the work boots, jeans, and company-logo-emblazoned T-shirt he wore this morning. He had gone home, showered and shaved, and changed into black dress pants and a long-sleeved button-down shirt. Elyse caught the whiff of something woodsy, some kind of after-shave or cologne. His hair was still a bit damp.

“Are you on your way somewhere?” she asked.

He blinked at her. “No.”

So he"d done all that, just to come over to apologize. Elyse felt something soften inside her.

Even as part of her was screaming No, don"t do it!

37

she stepped back, out of the doorway. “Come on in.” Adam stepped inside and briefly glanced around the room, his discomfort as apparent here as in the hall. “I thought you and Devereaux would be sharing a room.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “What"s the matter, does he snore? Or do you hog the bed?”

“You tell me,” she snapped. She should have known she and Adam couldn"t occupy the same space and have a civil conversation. Not anymore. “It wasn"t that long ago we shared a bed. If I remember right, you were the one that took up most of the space. And snored.” She glared at him.


“Shit,” he muttered, his mouth twisting down, his hands curling into fists at his side. “I did it again. F*ck, I"m sorry. I should have never come. I should go.” He looked at her, his cheeks dark with embarrassment. “I am sorry. Really.”

“Wait a minute.” The same part of her that warned not to invite him in now cried, Let him go, Elyse. Please, let him go.

But of course she ignored it. “Jason and I aren"t sharing a room because we"re not together. We"re not a couple. We"ve haven"t been since…” since that night.

Actually, they were never a couple. But Elyse wasn"t ready to explain that to Adam. Even if Jason had said he didn"t mind her letting Adam know that he was “a big ol" queer,” she still didn"t feel it was her secret to tell.

She"d already told Adam enough—more, even, than he deserved to know. But why? Did she want him to have a higher opinion of her? What for, when he already had her pegged as a gold digger?

“We"re friends now,” she told him. “Very close friends.”

Adam lifted his eyebrows. “Very close.”

“Yes.” Elyse gritted her teeth, ready to shove him out the door if he made one more smart-assed 38

comment. “As a matter of fact, Jason is my best friend.”

Adam curled and relaxed his fingers. He looked at her sideways. “I used to be your best friend.”

“I thought so once, yeah,” Elyse said. “But now I know we were never really friends.” He actually looked hurt. “I want to be,” he said, his voice soft. “I want to be your friend now.” She couldn"t have answered even if she"d known what to say. Her throat was as dry as straw.

“Have you eaten already?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Have dinner with me tonight.” He shifted nervously, as though afraid she might refuse.

She should refuse. They couldn"t be together for more than a few minutes without saying something horrible and cruel to each other. But as Elyse looked at Adam"s face now, so open and real, she realized she wanted to be his friend. Or at least not hate him anymore. Where had all the hate gotten her? Exactly nowhere.

Jason was right. She was stuck in the past.

Maybe if she took this step with Adam, she"d get unstuck.

“All right.” She gestured down at her clothing.

Though she"d changed her mustard-spattered shirt after lunch, her worn jeans and T-shirt were much too casual. “You look nice. Let me change into something else. Give me ten minutes.”

“You don"t have to, you"re fine,” Adam told her, his eyes skimming her.

“I"ll be right back. Have a seat.” She grabbed a few things from her suitcase, a flush blooming on her skin as she felt his gaze follow her.

Elyse hurried to the bathroom and emerged fifteen minutes later, made-up, and hair freed from its ever-present ponytail to sweep her shoulders. She wore a swingy black skirt and hose, and a form-39

fitting red top she hadn"t worn since the last time Jason had dragged her out on the town. Since Jason had approved of the outfit, she knew it was enough to impress Adam.

And why did she want to impress him? They weren"t going on a date, for God"s sake. They were only having dinner, sharing a meal in an attempt to be civil to each other. To put the past behind them.

Adam was seated in a narrow armchair that didn"t look sturdy enough to support a grown man.

He stood when she entered the room. Heat rose in her, moving from her belly to her chest, flowing to her breasts, filling out her nipples. It spread up her neck into her face, bringing roses to her cheeks and plumping her lips.

The heat moved downward as well. Her legs trembled as she approached him, her fingers and toes tingled. And her p-ssy grew meltingly soft, creamy, and slick. Her * engorged and rubbed teasingly, torturously against her panties as she walked.

No. No. And no. She shouldn"t be having this reaction to him. It was all wrong. She stopped halfway across the room, trembling, knowing exactly what would happen if she didn"t turn around right now and lock herself in the bathroom.

Adam watched her, licking his lips nervously, his own face flushed with arousal. “Elyse.” He moved to her, took her hands.

They stood there silently. Elyse"s gaze was turned away. She didn"t dare look at him.

“You look beautiful.” His voice was hoarse.

She turned her eyes to his. He grasped her shoulders and hauled her to him. Their mouths met and Adam groaned, crushing her even closer. She loved being held against the solid wall of his chest, loved the softness of his lips, the insistence of his probing tongue. His kisses were delicious, and Elyse 40

was greedy for them.

Adam groaned again. “Jesus, it"s been so damn long.” The words were garbled, eaten by their mouths, which refused to part after such a long and arid separation.

He scooped his arm under her thighs, and carried her toward the bed. Elyse panicked, pulling her lips from his to cry, “No, no!” She"d never be able to resist him if he placed her on that bed.

Adam veered away, kissing her again, depositing her instead in the armchair he"d just vacated. He slid to the carpet, kneeling between her legs. Gently, he placed his big hands on her knees and slid them up her thighs, his eyebrows quirking when he discovered the lacy tops of her thigh-high stockings.

His fingers danced across the lace, and teased the soft skin above them. “Open,” he murmured, and Elyse widened her legs to give him what he wanted.

What she wanted.

Sliding the skirt higher up her thighs, Adam lowered his head to the juncture between them and breathed deeply, inhaling her fragrance. “Mmm…” he sighed, his warm breath misting her as he exhaled. Nuzzling his nose against the satin panel of her panties, he tickled her swollen *. Then he gently sucked it.

“Ahh!” Elyse"s head fell back as her body jerked.

Adam pulled her hips closer to the edge of the chair, and settled her legs over his shoulders. Elyse grabbed the arms of the chair as she slid forward, her lower back on the seat. The awkwardness of the position hardly registered. Her head buzzed as Adam played with her. Using his tongue to tickle her distended *, he kept her in an agony of wanting.

Perspiration filmed her skin and fire streaked to her p-ssy. She was so close to coming her * tingled, but he kept her dancing on the edge.

41

Her foggy brain recalled his earlier words. Been so long. Ah, God, yes, it had been too long. Too long since anyone made her feel this good.

Then Elyse"s brain shut down altogether. Adam softly nipped her * and sparks shot through her synapses. “Oh God! Ahh! Yes!” Her back arched, her fingers squeezed the armrests, and her p-ssy rippled in orgasm. He sucked at her tenderly as she came, making the contractions last and last.

Moments later, her head sagging on her neck, her body utterly boneless, she blinked at Adam.

“Wow.” She closed her gaping mouth—she only hoped she hadn"t drooled.

Adam"s gaze was soft upon her. His eyes reflected pride in satisfying her, and pleasure in watching her come. But the flush on his cheeks and the tension around his mouth told her he had needs, too, that were unmet.

She suddenly felt bashful with him. “Thank you.” Her voice was quiet and a blush warmed her face. How silly to be shy now. She laughed and shook her head. “I was so quick, I"m embarrassed. I didn"t even get my panties off.”

Adam smiled then, a real smile. “No such thing as too quick. Well, not for a woman, anyway.” He got to his feet, wiping his palms on his slacks and glancing around the room. “Well, uh, we should get going…”


Elyse"s mouth fell open in surprise. “You want to go? But I thought—I mean, you haven"t—” Her eyes flicked down his body to the sizeable erection bulging in his slacks.

His jaw tightened. “It"ll go away by itself in a few minutes. That wasn"t the plan, Elyse. I didn"t come here tonight to f*ck you.” A moment ticked by, then Elyse said it. “Even if I want you to?”

“Jesus, what are you trying to do to me?” He 42

went down on his knees again and hauled her to him, pulling her out of the chair and down to the carpet with him. They mashed their lips together desperately, almost angrily, to punish each other for the sins of the past.

They both knelt on the floor. Elyse stroked him through his pants, loving the hard feel of him. His cock moved into her hand, seeking her touch. She fumbled to unzip him one-handed, her other hand gripping his shoulder, her lips glued to his.

It wasn"t enough. She broke free, gasping, and he was already pulling up the hem of her shirt. “Off,” he murmured. She raised her arms high, enabling him to tug the shirt over her head and fling it to the floor. Elyse pushed at his shoulder, letting him know she wanted him to lie on his back.

She attacked his fly, stroked him briefly through his boxers, then reached in to find his heavy cock, warm and alive. “Ahh,” she sighed.

She held him gently in her hand as she bent to kiss away the gift of pre-cum he offered. But Elyse grew impatient as his boxers limited her ability to touch him. “Up,” she told him and Adam obeyed, lifting his ass so she could tug down his pants and shorts.

At last she saw it in all its glory. His beautiful cock. How she had missed it. Elyse admired the rosy tip, the thick shaft, the dark hair covering his balls.

She bent to kiss it again, hold it against her cheek, inhale its rich musky fragrance.

Adam groaned, watching her, but he stopped her after a few moments. Sitting up, he pulled her skirt and panties down and helped her wriggle out of them. They ended up like the shirt, tossed aside somewhere in the room. He toyed with Elyse"s breasts, teasing and lightly pinching her nipples through her lacy white bra. He pulled the cups down to reveal her pink-tipped breasts, but as he moved to 43

play with them, Elyse frowned and pushed his hands aside. This was her show now.

On her knees, with him again stretched out on the floor, Elyse lowered her head to take him in her mouth. She took him as deeply as she could. He was large, but not too large—not freakishly so, like some porn star. She alternated sucking him slowly with leisurely licks up his shaft, swirling her tongue around the ridge of the cockhead, dipping it into the well at the tip.

“Ahh, God, yeah, like that,” he murmured, watching her. Elyse pulled back a moment, holding him, her lips wet. When she looked at him, his eyes were dark, glittering with lust and something more.

Something she wasn"t ready to acknowledge.

She bent to continue her task, and as she did, Adam urged her to maneuver the lower half of her body toward his upper half. Soon Elyse"s knees were on either side of Adam"s head. His hands gripped her upper thighs and ass, and then he lowered her to his mouth and began to eat her succulent sweetness.

“Yes,” she hissed, as his tongue bathed her swollen labia, and dipped into her already wet p-ssy. Though she"d already had one orgasm, she was riding the edge of another. Adam"s clever supple tongue saw to that, as it played figure eights around her * and the mouth of her p-ssy.

But she wanted to make him come, too. God, it had always been good between them. Though she"d had a few boyfriends before first meeting Adam, they"d been just that—boys. Guys she"d had fun with, experimented with, fumbling and giggling.

Guys who forgot her as easily as she forgot them.

She"d learned from her mother, then from her grandmother, not to hold anything or anyone too closely.

With Adam it was different, right from the start.

He was seven years older than her and far more 44

experienced. With him she had the kind of orgasms she thought only existed in erotic novels. She"d done things she hadn"t done with anyone else, things she never imagined doing.

Don"t go there!

No. She wouldn"t go there. She didn"t want to remember the past, didn"t want to worry about the future. Didn"t want to think at all. She wanted to feel. Elyse used every trick she knew with her lips and tongue and even her teeth, to bring him off. She alternated long slow licks with brief sucks and teasing twirls. He was her ice-cream cone, her lollipop, her candy cane. She tried not to get distracted by the gentle flicks of his tongue on her *, by the pressure and movements of his hands on her ass.

Adam"s hands squeezed tight, and he gave one more sweet suck on her *. Her body convulsed, toppling into orgasm as the contractions sent sparks shooting through her, Elyse pumped his cock hard, and he came too, splattering her breasts with his thick white fluid. As the delicious spasms subsided and she sank onto the carpet. They lay side by side, Adam"s hand gently caressing her thigh.

Yes, she had missed him. Not just for the incredible sex, but for times like this when he touched her so gently, told her how beautiful she was. It wasn"t easy for Adam to let go and show his softer side. But after sex, he seemed to give himself permission to relax and let himself be cared for.

Snap out of it, the warning voice inside her clanged. You"re getting in trouble. Elyse sat up, got to her feet and went into the bathroom. She cleaned herself up and removed her bra.

What are you doing? she asked the utterly dissolute woman in the mirror. The one with the swollen mouth, the red face, the tangled hair.

45

The woman didn"t answer. She turned away from Elyse, who now stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of black hose.

Adam was standing, more or less back to rights, but sleepy-eyed and mussed. Those sleepy eyes sparked with hunger when he saw her posed in the doorway with one hip cocked.

“You have too many clothes on,” Elyse told him.

She smirked as she glanced at the unrumpled bed, remembering how she"d been afraid of what might happen if Adam placed her there. Apparently, the chairs and floor weren"t any less dangerous. No matter the place, no matter the time, it was Adam who was dangerous.

Mr. Danger frowned. “I was serious when I said I didn"t come here to f*ck you,” he told her. “I don"t have any rubbers with me.”

Elyse shrugged. “We"ll make do.” His eyes narrowed. “Are you on birth control?”

“No. Had no reason to be.” Shit. Elyse wanted to take back the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Shit, shit, shit. Now he knew she hadn"t been with anyone for a while. She"d tried dating for a time, but between work, school, and her general lack of interest, things hadn"t panned out.

If Adam was pleased to know she"d been celibate lately, he had the grace not to show it.

“What about you?” she asked. If he had the right to ask questions, then so did she.

“Am I on birth control?” he deadpanned, his eyebrows lifting.

“You know what I mean.”

“There"s been one person since…” his voice trailed off. “But we"re not together anymore.” One person. Elyse was torn between jealousy and surprise. Only one? Was the relationship serious enough to exclude others? Or did it mean Adam had as much trouble getting over her as she had in 46

getting over him?

She thrust the question aside. “I think we can manage without condoms—there"s plenty else we can do. We"ve already proven that, haven"t we?”


“What about dinner?” Adam asked.

She smiled as she strolled over to him and began unbuttoning his shirt. “Haven"t you ever heard of room service?”



****

They never did get around to ordering room service.

Elyse felt the bedclothes move and heard the rustle of clothing. She opened her eyes. It was still dark.

A pair of lips found her temple. “I have to go,” Adam whispered. “Got a full day of work ahead of me.” “Uhh,” Elyse groaned. She moved her head to find his lips and they kissed hungrily.

Adam broke the kiss. His fingers traced her collarbone. “Elyse. What happens now?” What indeed? She had no idea. “Isn"t that supposed to be my line?” she joked.

He sat on the edge of the bed, scooping his arms under her and lifting her close. “I want more.” So did she, even knowing how disastrous it would be. She was too muddleheaded, though, to voice her desires or her doubts.

“Have dinner with me tonight.” He smiled against her forehead. “This time we really will eat, I swear. I can pick you up at seven.”

“Seven?” she murmured, stalling for time while her brain scrambled for the correct response.

“We have things we need to talk about.” Talk? Since when did Adam ever want to talk about anything?

When they were a couple, Elyse had worked hard to get him to share his feelings, to no avail. He 47

always complained that touchy-feely stuff was for pussies and wimps.

“Not a good time?” he asked, misunderstanding her reluctance. “What"s good for you, then?”

“Let"s meet someplace,” Elyse suggested. “It"s safer. If you show up here, we might get distracted again…” She smoothed the bedclothes to indicate what she meant.

“You don"t trust me?” There was a definite edge to his voice.

“Maybe I"m the one who can"t be trusted,” she said, not sure if she was joking or dead serious.

Adam appeared to take it as a joke. He smiled again. “How about Romeo"s? Seven o"clock?”

“Not Romeo"s,” she answered quickly. Romeo"s Italian Restaurant used to be one of “their” places.

Too many memories, too much meaning.

The smile vanished from his face. “All right.

There"s a new place on Second Street that"s decent.

Hanover"s.”

“Hanover"s,” she repeated. “Seven o"clock. All right.”

“Will you be there, Elyse?” She heard the tension in his voice.

Anger sparked, rousing her from sleepiness. She squirmed away from him. “Keep pushing me, and I won"t be.”

A sigh left him as he let her slip out of his arms.

“When we"re in bed we"re fine, but we can"t even talk without pissing each other off, can we?”

“I guess not.” Elyse"s throat constricted. “Maybe tonight"s not a good idea.”

“I"ll be there,” he told her, determination in his voice. The bed shifted as he stood up. “I hope you will, too.”

She watched as he quietly slipped out of the room.

48