“Come on. Pay up. You know how much rent costs in this place. You owe me three months’ rent. I want it now.”
She knows I don’t have any money. She knows I’m still looking for work.
“Marsha…”
“How much?” A man’s voice interrupts us and we both look at the door. Marsha has left it open and now Irwin is standing there.
I want to cry out with joy when I see him. So tall and handsome. Rugged and muscular. A man nobody will ever mess with, not even a catty bitch like Marsha. I can’t believe he’s here. He found me!
“What is going on?” Marsha snaps.
“How much is three months’ rent?” Irwin is pulling his wallet out now. One by one he starts counting bills. When Marsha doesn’t reply, he holds out a thick wad of it.
“Cleo and I are going to walk away now and you will never contact her again. Do you understand?” He is speaking calmly. Firmly. His voice isn’t even raised, but Marsha knows just as I do that he must be obeyed.
She nods her head lightly. Irwin is holding his hand out to me and I rush to him. He weaves his fingers with mine and we walk out of the apartment together.
“How did you find me?” I ask breathlessly. I didn’t think I would ever see him again. He turns to me with lust in his eyes.
“I will always find you,” he replies.
Irwin
Cleo and I are sitting on a park bench together. She has her packed bag at her feet. Her golden hair is blowing in the breeze and she’s still in that black dress from last night. It’s crumpled now, but she still looks incredible.
She shakes her head as I explain how I found her.
“I should have known you’d know somebody who has slept with Marsha,” she says. “She gets around a little.”
I’m watching her face closely. This is the woman I want to be with. I knew it from the first moment I saw her. I can talk to her like I’ve known her a lifetime.
“I figured that my best chance of seeing you again was by going to her apartment.”
“Can you read minds?” she asks with a grin.
“Only yours,” I reply and she’s blushing.
“I do feel like you can. Even last night, you knew exactly when to whisk me away, when to rescue me. You knew that if you invited me back to your place, I would go.”
I reach for her and cup her cheek. She closes her eyes for a moment like she wants to savor the moment.
“I know it’s all happening very fast,” I say.
Her eyes fly open again. She licks her lips nervously.
“I don’t have my life in order, Irwin. I need to find a job. I need a source of income. I need to move on from all the losses I’ve experienced.”
“And you can’t do any of that unless you have somewhere secure. Someone in your life you can trust and rely on.”
“We only just met,” she argues.
I let my fingers drag down to her lips. I touch the soft skin of her neck. She swallows like she’s pushing a lump down her throat.
“Does it matter how long we’ve known each other? When the feelings are this strong?”
Her nostrils flare. She thinks about it, and then she shakes her head.
“I’ve known Marsha all my life, since we were kids. Look how that worked out. I guess time doesn’t mean all that much.”
“I want you to be with me,” I growl in a low voice. There’s a tightness in my chest I can’t control. I’m desperate for her. This feeling is new to me. I know I’ve never experienced it before.
Cleo leans in to kiss me. It comes as a surprise, but a welcome one.
She kisses me sweetly, gently exploring my lips. I use my tongue to part her mouth open wide. My cock moves in my pants. I want to be inside her again. I put my hands on her hips and yank her to me. She is half in my lap. Our kiss is getting hotter. In a few seconds we won’t be able to stop ourselves from going where we want to go.
I stop, holding her away from me so that I can look her in the eyes. She smiles.
“Take me home,” she says.
And who am I to say no?
Cleo
Three years later
Everybody’s singing the Happy Birthday song and clapping wildly. Shane even got a cute little party hat for Irwin to wear and he has it on. I can’t stop taking pictures. Today is his thirtieth birthday and I still can’t believe how far we have come.
Everybody else is here too. The whole Alpha Mavericks Brigade, Irwin’s mom and dad, and even his sister flew down from college for this.
“That is a beautiful cake, Cleo. Probably your best,” Mrs Byrne says, leaning in to give me a quick peck on my cheek. From the moment Irwin introduced me to his parents three years ago, there was an instant connection between us. They have been some of the biggest supporters of my bakery business and they always believed I could make it, even when I didn’t believe it myself.
Mr and Mrs Byrne credit me for bringing Irwin closer to the family. He never used to be interested in family events. He rarely even went home for Christmas and now I make sure to include his family in every major event and decision that takes place in our lives.
I don’t want Irwin to lose his family. I want him to know and acknowledge how important family is and how lucky he is to still have them.
When the Birthday song is over we all clap and he reaches for me across the table so we can kiss. His tongue slides into my mouth like it’s his second-home. I can hear cameras clicking and flashing all around us. I hope
