Closing Time (4 page)

“We’re better now but she has her moments.”

“That’s good.” I reached the resort then sat in a lawn chair. A few couples walked on the trails together, but other than that, I was totally alone.

“So, why are you calling me?” he asked bluntly.

I sighed into the phone, embarrassed to talk about this out loud. “Trouble in paradise…”

“What did you do now?” he asked in an irritated voice.

“Why do you always assume it’s me?” I snapped.

“Are you telling me it’s Scarlet?”

“Well…no.”

“Point proven.”

This was a stupid idea
. “Nevermind. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Whoa…hold on. Come on, Sean. Talk to me.”

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly.

“Just tell me.”

My brother and I had reconnected in the last two years, but even then, I didn’t tell him anything too personal. I never had sexual problems before, and suddenly, I was inept. It was hard to talk about.

“Sean, come on. I’m your brother.”

“It’s…embarrassing.”

“Your dick is small? I knew it.”

“No,” I snapped.

“You can’t get it up for her because she’s pregnant?”

“Definitely not,” I said with a laugh.

‘Then just tell me so we can stop playing this game.”

“I…when she and I are…you know. I…”

“Just spit it out.”

“I come too quickly.” There. I said it. It sounded even worse out loud. “I can barely last a full minute then it’s over.” I covered my face even though Mike couldn’t see me.

I thought Mike would laugh but he didn’t. He didn’t tease me either. “Did it happen just one time?”

“No. Twice.”

“Stuff like that happens to all guys.”

“Even you?”

“Well, no. My cock and I have a good relationship.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s our anniversary and I’m ruining it by being a horny teenager. When she’s pregnant…it’s hard.”

“I know what you mean,” Mike said. “Too well, actually.”

“I can’t even look at her right now. I know how disappointed she is.”

“Scarlet? I doubt it.”

“She’s super horny right now because of her hormones, and I’m not satisfying her at all.”

“You can do other things…”

“I do. I don’t leave her hanging, but it’s not the same thing. What the hell is wrong with me?”

“Nothing. Most guys go through this and then it passes. Don’t stress about it.”

“What if it never passes?” I asked in a panicked voice.

“Dude, it will.”

“What do I do until then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Should I avoid having sex with her?”

“No,” he said. “Jerk off like an hour before. That should help.”

“We’re in a hotel room. It’s not exactly easy for me to sneak off and rub one out.”

“Then be a soldier and try again.”

I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. Other guys had problems, not me. Since I hit puberty girls were all over me because I was good-looking, rich, and all the women who hit my sheets wanted more. Now I was…lame. I couldn’t even please my wife the way she deserved. I wasn’t a man.

“Seriously, you’re overreacting,” Mike said. “And I’m sure Scarlet isn’t disappointed.”

“You don’t know her the way I do…”

“But she’s understanding and forgiving. Just tell her what’s going on.”

“I think she knows what’s going on,” I snapped.

“I really don’t think she’s upset about it. Just talk to her.”

“God, no. I never want to talk about it.”

“I don’t think she cares.”

“I’d be worried if she didn’t.”

Mike sighed into the phone. “Dude, it’ll pass. Just power through.”

“Do any of your friends have this problem?”

“You think they would tell me if they did?” he said with a laugh.

Good point.
“I should go.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks for…not making fun of me.”

“Oh, I will. I’m just waiting until your problem is over,” he teased. “Then I’ll make fun of
you night and day.”

“Well, at least you’re giving me some time,” I said sarcastically.

“Peace.” He hung up.

I stayed in the chair for a few minutes before I finally headed back up to the room I shared with my wife. I knew she would question me the moment I walked inside. I hovered outside the door before I finally entered.

She was sitting at the kitchen table with a cart from room service. She ordered a entire buffet of pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast. The smell immediately moved to my nose, making me hungry.

“Sorry,” she said when she noticed me. “I was so hungry and I couldn’t wait.” Her plate was overflowing with food.

I smiled at her, unable to hold back my fondness. “It’s okay. You should eat when you’re hungry.”

“Starving, actually. It always happens in the morning.”

I sat across from her then shoveled the food onto my plate. I was hungry after my run.

She ate a piece of bacon while she watched me. “How was your run?”

She wasn’t going to discuss my pathetic bedroom performance? “It was good. It’s beautiful out here.”

“Are the trails okay for me to walk on?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty flat. You wanna go?”

“I’d like to get some fresh air.”

“Okay. I’ll take you.”

We shared breakfast quietly. I waited for Scarlet to say something to me but she never did. Finally, I went into the shower and rinsed off. After I dried off and ruffled my hair with my fingers, I put on jeans and a t-shirt then waited for Scarlet to pick out something to wear. She wore jean shorts, a loose top, and her running shoes. She wore a baseball cap to keep the sun out of her face.

She looked adorable
.

My cock sprung to life just from looking at her. Even when she made no effort to look nice, she was gorgeous. I’d never known a woman like that. Penelope had to sit in front of the mirror for a half an hour perfecting her make up. When she took it off at night, she looked like a completely different person.

We left the resort then hit the trails. I walked slowly for her so she wouldn’t feel pressured to keep up with my normal pace. I was over a foot taller than her, so our paces were completely different.

Scarlet looked at the scenery while she carried a bottle of water. I watched her closely and made sure there wasn’t any holes or rocks in her path to make her trip and fall. I was a bit controlling when it came to her safety.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said. “Thanks for taking me.”

“Sure. It’s nice to get away once in a while.”

She held up her binoculars then looked through them. “A sparrow is on that lower branch. Wow, he’s beautiful.” She handed them to me and I looked through them.

“Cool.”

She took them back and put the strap around her neck.

I snatched it away, along with her bottle of water, and carried it for her.

“I got it.”

“Don’t worry about it, baby.”

She didn’t argue with me and kept walking.

When we reached a stream, Scarlet was breathing hard.

“Let’s take a break,” I said. I guided her to a large rock and helped her sit down. Then I opened the bottle of water and handed it to her. “You doing okay?”

She sipped the water then put the cap back on. “Yeah. It’s nice to do something fun.”

“Because I can carry you back if you’re too tired.”

“I’m not tired,” she said simply.

“Does anything hurt?”

“No.” She laughed slightly. “Sean, I’m okay. Really.”

I sat beside her and stared at the stream. It was nice not to hear the sound of traffic or the cacophony of New York City. Our place was isolated from the other houses, but it wasn’t the same as being in the middle of nowhere. Maybe when Scarlet and I retire and our kids grow up, we’ll settle somewhere in the country, just us and nature.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

My thoughts were shattered. “Us growing old together.”

“That’s an adventure I look forward to.”

“I thought we could get a house up here when our kids are older and on their own.”

“That would be nice,” she said. “But I do love our house.”

I smiled. “I’m glad. You hated it when you first saw it.”

“I didn’t hate it.” She hit my arm playfully. “I just thought it was a bit extravagant.”

“If you had it your way, we’d live in a goat hut somewhere in the middle of Ireland, making our own milk and churning our own land, not a penny to our name.”

She smiled. “That does sound lovely.”

I laughed. “You’re such a weirdo.”

“You
’re one to talk,” she jabbed.

“I am pretty weird. But I think that’s why you and I fit together so well.”

“Me too.” She leaned her head on my shoulder and hooked her arm through mine. We stared at the stream, in quiet contentment.

Then she sighed. “You’re going to hate me…”

“What?” I asked.

“I’m hungry.”

I smirked. “We ate a few hours ago.”

“I know. But I’m always starving.”

I looked at my watch. “By the time we get back, it’ll be dinner. So you have perfect timing.”

“I want a huge steak, potatoes, greens, and bread. Lots of bread.”

My fondness for her increased with every day we spent together. “Then that’s what we’ll have.”

“Yum.”

I helped her off the rock, and hand in hand, we walked back to the hotel. She breathed hard but she didn’t struggle in any other way. The doctor said it was good for her to exercise so I wasn’t stressed about it. And she was six months along, so I was pretty certain our baby was going to make it.

When we got back to the room, she took her cap off. “You want to shower with me?”

Uh…how do I get out of this?
If I showered with her, I would get hard. And if I was hard, she’d want me to have sex with her. I didn’t mind making love to my wife, but it was pretty damn embarrassing when it only lasted a minute. “I’ll just wait. I need to make a phone call.”

“I thought you wouldn’t be working on our trip?”

“It’ll only take a second. Just get in and I’ll join you.”

She eyed me suspiciously before she disappeared into the shower.

I didn’t call anyone. I sat on the couch and waited for her to finish. It was pathetic that I was avoiding intercourse with her, but I didn’t want to feel pathetic twice in one day. She finally got out of the shower twenty minutes later then turned on the blow dryer. That’s when I made my move.

“I hope there’s some hot water left,” I said with a laugh.

“There would have been if you joined me.” She styled her hair and ran her fingers through it.

I ignored her jab then got inside. But I got hard thinking about her being in her
e naked. Damn. I would have to calm down before I stepped out and she spotted my arousal. After I finished, I stepped out and got ready for dinner.

Scarlet wore a black dress that was loose around her stomach. But there was no denying her baby bump. I didn’t want her to hide it anyway. I liked going out as a family, showing the world it wasn’t just two of us anymore.

“You look beautiful,” I said.

She blushed slightly. “Thank you.” The bracelet was on her wrist. I’m glad she wore it. I expected her to throw a hissy fit and say I shouldn’t spend money on her, and I was surprised when she didn’t. Perhaps she was getting used to being pampered. That was my goal all along.

“Ready to go?” I asked.

She grabbed the front of my shirt then pulled my lips to hers, giving me an
unexpected kiss. It was with a closed mouth, but it still made my heart flutter slightly. No one could blow me away like that besides my wife. Perhaps it was the years of friendship we shared that made the connection so deep and powerful. Or maybe it was just because she was my soul mate. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that she was the only one for me—ever.

She pulled away and headed toward the door.

“What was that for?”

She shrugged. “Because I love you.”

“Good answer.” I took her hand and guided her out of the room.

We took the elevator to the lobby then headed to the classy restaurant. The entire resort was overpriced and fancy, but my wife only got the best, especially when she was giving me such a wonderful gift.

After we were led to our table, I pulled out the chair for her and helped her scoot in. I kept my hand on her stomach so it wouldn’t hit the table. Then I sat across from her then looked at the menu.

“Everything looks good,” she said. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and kept staring at the selections.