Craving Shannon (13 page)

Realizing that he was actually tired he decided to call it a night. He turned to her. “Ready to leave?” he asked.

“Okay,” she agreed

Chad held out the parka for her to slip her arms in. He picked up all the shopping bags then stood in front of Alex. “Call me tomorrow,” he suggested.

“Right,” Alex replied, nodding. He turned his attention to Shannon. “If you decide to take me up on my proposal, this idiot has my phone number.” He put his pinky to his mouth and his thumb at his ear, mimicking a telephone. “Call me,” he begged.

“Funny,” Chad said sarcastically. He nodded for Shannon to walk in front of him, but when one of the men playing pool looked over at her and smiled, Chad did something beyond peculiar. Acting on an odd compulsion, he moved all the bags to one hand, and then he slipped his free arm around Shannon’s shoulder as they walked toward the door.

The week before Thanksgiving, Donna called. She claimed that her main reason for calling was to inform Chad that she would be held up in Dubai an extra week and wouldn’t be returning until at least the Wednesday after the holiday. She asked him to apologize to his mother on her behalf. Chad chatted pleasantly to her, having no reason to be angry. What happened the night before she left, her behavior in the restaurant, was ancient history. He asked about her trip and expressed enthusiasm in her reply.

Unfortunately, it became evident that he had given her the impression things were back to normal between them.

“It’s so good to hear your voice, baby,” she cooed down the line. “I was so afraid you were still pissed at me.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” he replied.

“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” she responded. “I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks.”

“You, too,” he lied.

“I really am sorry for being in a bad mood the night before I left,” she continued. “What with the stress of the upcoming trip and all…”

“It’s really okay, Donna,” he reiterated.

After a few more moments of small talk, Donna explained that she had to run. “I love you,” she said before hanging up.

Oh, fuck!
“Bye, Donna,” he replied.

What Chad failed to mention was that he gave her very little, if any, thought while she was gone, that he had a young, beautiful girl in his bed every single night, a girl that drove him mad with unnatural lust, a girl he just couldn’t seem to get his fill of.

Every night, Shannon would go to his bed before him, slipping under the covers in one of her flimsy, see-through babydolls with matching frilly panties. Every evening when Chad climbed into bed, he would lean over and tell her all the sordid things he was going to do to her that night, and watch as her eyelids grew heavy with lust.

Chad concluded that there was a huge advantage to having an inexperienced lover. Beside the added bonus of having no one to be compared to, Shannon was like a blank slate, a clean canvas for him to impress upon as he wished. She was not set in her ways in a sexual manner. Everything was new and exciting to her. She was the ideal student, allowing him to teach her how to express her sensuality in ways that pleased him most.  And she was quite an adventurous lover; there was nothing off limits to her, nothing that seemed to rattle her. He acknowledged that he was probably living every man’s sexual fantasy. It was as though he was thrown into his own personal porno movie, but instead of this one being over in ninety minutes, it went on and on as the days bled into one another. No doubt, one day there would be a heavy price to pay for this break from reality, this period of carnal escape.

One evening at Mario’s, looking over at her, he suddenly felt his body heating up. “What color are your panties?” he asked unexpectedly, wishing he could pull up her short skirt and see for himself.

She blushed slightly. “Yellow with black polka dots,” she answered.

He remembered buying that pair. His eyelids grew heavy. “I want to see them,” he said in a voice dripping with lust. 

Shannon let out a shy giggle.

“I’m not playing, Shannon,” he said firmly. “I want to see them…now!”

“How?” she asked, looking around the crowded restaurant.

“Go into the ladies room and take them off,” he ordered.

“Seriously?”

“Do it!” he said as though he meant business.

“I—

He cut her off. “Don’t make me go over there and pull your dress up in front of everyone,” he said. “And don’t think I won’t.”

Shannon pushed away from the table without so much as another word. When she returned, she tugged at the helm of her plum mini dress uncomfortably then sat back down. She opened her bag, took out a small bundle of yellow polka-dot material and passed it across the table.

Chad took the little rolled up ball and brought it up to his nose. He took a sniff.  “You smell so good,” he murmured, leering at her.

Shannon lowered her eyes and looked over the menu, biting on her lip.

“Touch yourself,” he said, after a long period of silence. Her head bolted up. She looked at him as though she’d misunderstood his statement. “I want to watch you pleasure yourself,” he explained with a deadly serious expression

“What if someone sees?” she questioned.

“They won’t, the table cloth will cover you,” he answered. “But even if they do, I can guarantee you that it will be the most erotic thing they’ve ever seen.” Shannon swallowed hard, causing Chad to snicker. “Chicken?” he asked.

Shannon brought her finger to her lip and bit on it seductively as she shook her head, turning the tables on him.

He felt his cock grow rock hard.

She brought her hand down between her legs, underneath the tablecloth, and he could tell by the motion of her arm that she was rubbing herself. She kept her eyes locked with his as her face flushed red, not from embarrassment this time, but from trying to stifle a moan. She grinded her teeth together, quickening the motion.

Chad was on the verge of becoming utterly undone. He gripped the table until his knuckles turned white, and fought the urge to dive across and fuck her on the floor of the crowded restaurant. He watched as her breasts seemed to swell and she threw her head back, arching her neck. He lifted his wine glass and drained it in one shot, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand while lifting his hips slightly to relieve the severe pain in his balls.

Shannon stared into his eyes, her face scrunched from the torturous pleasure.

“You’re un-fucking-believable,” he moaned.

He could tell that her hand was moving even faster as tiny moans escaped her lips. He leaned his head toward her so that she could hear him whisper. “You have no idea how hard I’m going to screw you tonight. I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for days.”

That seemed to do the trick.

She flung her head back and widened her eyes, her body jerking slightly.  She closed her eyes and seemed to relax, the ridged stance melting away. Chad knew that she had cum and shook his head, overwhelmed by her.

She looked into his eyes with a triumphant, cocky expression. “I’m not chicken,” she said. “Are you?”

Needless to say, they didn’t make it as far as the bedroom that night. As soon as Chad unlocked his apartment door, his pants were already around his ankles. He didn’t even close the front door before pushing her onto the floor and screwing her right on the welcome mat.

He hung up from Donna and sighed. The thought of her wore him out. He had every intention of breaking up with her as soon as she returned home, but felt like a lying bastard for acting as though nothing had changed in his life.

He tried to bury his guilt, seeing no point in it. It didn’t change anything.

He dialed his parent’s number and put the phone to his ear. His mother answered after three rings. “Hi, Mom,” he said down the line.

“Hi, Charles,” she answered. “What’s going on?”

“I wanted to let you know before I forget to mention it, and then get you all annoyed with me—”

“What?” she asked with worry in her voice.

“Donna just called to tell me she won’t be back for Thanksgiving, so she won’t be joining us next week,” he explained.

“Oh, what a shame,” his mother said. “I was looking forward to seeing her.” Chad would never understand his parent’s love for the woman.

“Well, she’s going to be held up in Dubai for another week,” he said.

“So we’ll be one less, then,” she mumbled as though she was talking to herself.

“Yeah,” he answered, rummaging through his mail to see if there was anything interesting. Something suddenly dawned on him and he shook his head. “Wait…would you mind if I brought someone else home for dinner?” he asked.

“Who?” his mother questioned.

“There’s a new receptionist here…she’s on her own. Both her parents died tragically and she has no other family. I just thought it would be a nice gesture.”

“How well do you know her?” his mother queried.

“Pretty well, we’ve become good friends,” he replied.

“I don’t see why not,” she agreed. “Will she be spending the night? Should I make up one of the guest rooms?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I’ll bring her there and back.” He hung up from his mother and paged Sarah. “Would you please send Shannon in?” he asked.

“Again?” Sarah said in an exasperated voice.

Chad was a little taken aback by her tone, not to mention, slightly annoyed.

“Again!’ he snapped and hung up. He walked to his door, opened it wide and stood leaning on the doorframe with his arms folded. He watched Shannon walk toward him. She had a thick braid over her left shoulder. Chad had never seen her wear her hair that way. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the braid then pulled her head close to his. “I like this,” he said seductively. “I could think of a couple of interesting things to do with this.”

“Is that why I’m here?” she asked with a smirk.

He shook his head. “No, but what the hell is wrong with Sarah? I detected a bit of an attitude from her just now.”

“Ah, yeah, that,” Shannon answered as though she was well aware of a problem.

“What?” Chad pushed.

“I think she may suspect that there’s…y’know…something… going on between us,” she admitted. “That, and she has a big soft spot for you, so I think she’s starting to resent the research I do sometimes.” Shannon made the quotes sign when she said
‘research’
.

“She has a soft spot for me?” Chad asked, amused by that tidbit of information.

“If you want to date her, I would be happy to play matchmaker,” Shannon said with a scowl.

“She probably wouldn’t want to share me,” he said smugly. “And I still haven’t had my fill of you yet, so no thanks.”

“So what did you want?” she questioned with feigned boredom, picking at her nails. “If you just called me in here to find out what was wrong with the future Mrs. Clarkson, I’ll be going then.”

“Funny girl,” he responded sarcastically. “I just got off the phone with my mom…annnnnddddd… I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me home for Thanksgiving.”

“Really?” she asked skeptically. “Why?”

“You would be alone on a holiday otherwise,” he said as though his answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I’m kind of dreading it,” Shannon replied. A deep sadness flashed in her eyes suddenly. “I think I’d be better off away from people.”

“No,” Chad said firmly, shaking his head. “It’s even more reason for you to come with me. Being alone would be the worst thing for you. Staying behind, dwelling on those horrible memories would be an awful idea.”

“I don’t know…” she trailed off, looking confused.

“I’m taking that as a ‘yes’,” he replied decisively, “and I don’t want any more talk about it. Now you had better get back to reception before Sarah collapses in a fit of jealousy.” He winked at her playfully.

“Egomaniac,” she said, under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear. She turned on her heels and walked down the hall. He watched her walk, laughing at the lively banter, feeling his chest swell for unknown reasons.

Chad paced the floor of his living room, growing more impatient by the moment.

He walked to the door of the spare bedroom and knocked again. “My dad’s limo is already here, waiting for us.” Much to Chad’s dismay, his father insisted on sending his ostentatious, over-sized vehicle, along with driver, to pick them up, no doubt to impress his son’s new friend. Chad hoped that the car wasn’t setting a trend for the day. Thanksgiving could be annoying in its own right, but add in Charles Clarkson the second on a pretentious crusade to lord his wealth and connections over anyone who may be awe-struck, and the day could turn out to be almost unbearable.

“Two more minutes,” Shannon called from inside.

When she finally opened the door and walked out, Chad didn’t recognize her at first. She wore a pair of black slacks with a gray turtleneck and two-inched black pumps that looked like they belonged to a lawyer. Her hair was pushed back with a thick, tortoiseshell headband, and she had tiny gold studs in her ears.

“Where’s Shannon?” Chad questioned, looking over both her shoulder’s into the room.

“Funny,” she replied sarcastically. “You don’t like this look?”

“It’s okay for a snobby, Connecticut Wasp,” he commented.

“Yes, exactly!” she blurted out. “That’s the look I was going for. Y’know, when in Rome…”

Chad laughed. “Touché, Ms. Walsh,” he said playfully.  “You look lovely. It’s just that I prefer the way you usually dress, but my mom will appreciate it.”

He got a kick out of the way Shannon’s eyes bulged when she saw the size of the limo.

“How many people does this seat?” she questioned, running her hand along the side.

“It’s a twelve seater, I think,” he replied. “Maybe sixteen…I’m not really sure.”

“It’s just the two of us, right?” she questioned.

“Yes, but, y’know, there’s a really big floor. I can think of a few things we could do on the way up.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Not a chance,” she replied. “It took me a long time to get this makeup right.”

Roughly an hour later, the limo was driving up the black and tan pavingstone driveway toward the large oak doors.

“This is where you grew up?” Shannon questioned, gazing out the window.

“Most of the time,” Chad answered. “We used to spend the entire summer on Nantucket. Plus there’s the apartment on the Upper West Side.”

“It’s really big, isn’t it?” she commented.

“I guess so,” Chad replied.

One of the double oak doors opened. A small, rounded woman stood in the doorframe, smiling warmly. “It’s good to see you, Charles,” she said with obvious sincerity.

“Hi, Rosa,” Chad answered. He bent forward and kissed the woman on top of her head. “This is my friend, Shannon,” he added.

Rosa looked Shannon up and down with a confused expression. “Hello,” she said. She gazed at her face for a long second then smiled.

“Hi,” Shannon responded shyly.

“Rosa is practically family,” Chad explained. “She started working here when I was only five.”

Shannon reached out her hand toward the woman.

“No, no, no,” Rosa said, shaking her head. She spread her arms wide. “Any friend of Charles’ is a friend of mine.” She flung her arms around the girl and squeezed tight. She pulled away and faced Chad. “The family is all in the living room. Everyone is here already.”

Chad was an only child, but he did have enough cousins to make it feel as though he actually had a large family. He loved his cousins, even though he didn’t spend nearly enough time with them. Most of his family was cut from the same cloth—workaholics with a burning love for success. It didn’t make for quality time together.

Chad led Shannon into a room with a least twenty people lolling around in little groups of twos and threes, sipping cocktails and chatting happily.

His mother jumped up and rushed over to him. “Charles,” she breathed, throwing her arms around him. She broke away and turned to Shannon. She looked Shannon up and down then grabbed her hand. “My gosh, you are so very pretty,” she exclaimed. She leaned in and kissed the younger woman on both cheeks.

Charles the second gave his son a one armed hug and gave Shannon a wide smile. “Young lady, welcome to our home,” he said kindly.

“Thank you,” Shannon replied, addressing both of them at once. “Your home is lovely. Oh…and your limo.”

Charles the elder laughed aloud. “I’m glad you like it,” he replied, obviously pleased with her comment.

Chad’s mother, Elizabeth, put her arm around Shannon’s waist and led her toward the small crowd. “Come meet everyone,” she suggested.

“Cute girl,” Charles mumbled into his son’s ear.

Chad nodded. “She is,” he agreed.

He made the rounds, greeting his aunts, uncles and cousins, spending a couple of minutes with each, giving them the abridged version of what he had been up to since they had seen him last.

Understanding that Shannon may be a little overwhelmed, he turned to look for her and was pleasantly surprised to see how well she was holding her own, talking to his cousin Pipa and her husband, Jim like they were old friends.  

His cousin Richard made his way over. “Are you still seeing Donna?” he asked.

“Yes,” Chad replied. He didn’t feel like getting into all that drama at the moment. Besides, technically he still was.

“So what’s the deal with Shannon?” Richard asked, staring at the girl appreciatively.

“She’s a friend,” Chad answered. “Her mother just died recently and she has no other family.”

“So I wouldn’t be over-stepping any boundaries if I asked her out on a date?” Richard probed.

Chad felt a knot twist in his stomach. “Like I said, her mother just died a few weeks ago. She’s till in mourning and it’s her first holiday without family, so I’m not sure that would be appropriate.” He was impressed with his own fast thinking.

“Ah, yeah, right,” Richard agreed, but only half-heartedly.

“Is your friend old enough for a cocktail?” Chad’s mother asked, suddenly appearing beside him.

“Yes,” he lied. “I’ll ask her what she’d like.” He walked over to where Shannon and Pipa were talking and put his hand on the small of her back. “Mom wants to know what kind of cocktail you would like.”

She shrugged. “Is a glass of wine okay?” she asked shyly.

“Of course,” Chad answered. “I’ll get it for you. Pipa?’” he added, eyeing his cousin’s empty glass.

“Chardonnay, Darling,” Pipa responded.

It took Chad a while to get back to the two women, having been waylaid by his uncle, Hank, his dad’s youngest sibling, who shared his brother’s propensity for being a bit of a blow-bag, but was a great guy nonetheless.

When he finally returned to Shannon, she was having a conversation with his mother. Elizabeth was grilling her on where she was from and what her family was like. He recognized the uncomfortable look on Shannon’s face and figured she may need rescuing.  He handed her the glass of wine and addressed his mother. “I was going to show Shannon around the property, if that’s okay?” he asked.

“Of course,” Elizabeth replied. “And be sure to show her to her room for the evening—second guest room on the left side.”

Chad nodded and took Shannon’s elbow, leading her out of the living room. When they were safely out of earshot, he turned her to face him. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “Your family is really nice. I’m having a good time.”

“I just thought…y’know…just losing your mother…”

“I’m just trying really hard not to think about it,” she answered. “Plus, you have to realize, she wasn’t really there for me the last few Thanksgivings anyway. I’ve already grieved all the happy family Thanksgivings a long time ago.”

Chad gave her a sympathetic smile.  “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said. “Do you still want to see the house?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

The tour of the house lasted less than thirty minutes. Shannon seemed eager to have a good look around, to explore every nook and cranny, to admire every piece of artwork, but Chad lacked interest in any of it. They were just the stuff that he’d grown up with, the dust collectors that he had passed by for years without giving a second thought to. He never listened to his parents explanations of where certain knick-knacks came from or what art gallery certain paintings were found in. That aspect of his upbringing never engaged him in the slightest. He was much more interested in showing Shannon the property surrounding the house. He loved the sprawling lawns, the forest to the left and the view of the Long Island Sound to the right. Unfortunately, the temperature had dropped quite a bit and Shannon began to shiver the moment they stepped outside.

He reached over and ran his hands up and down her arms to ward off the cold, then pulled her into a tight hug.

“What was that for?” she asked shyly.

“I don’t know,” he replied because it was the truth.

By the time they returned to the living room, everyone was beginning to make their way into the dining room for dinner.

The massively long table was set with golds, ambers and greens. A roaring fire blazed in the fireplace, and at least two hundred candles flickered throughout the room. Charles sat at the head of the table, his wife to his right and his only son to his left. Shannon sat next to Chad and across from Charles’ brother Hank, his son, Richard, sat on her other side, causing Chad a flutter of annoyance.

Thanksgiving—and Christmas—dinner in the Clarkson home was known to last at least three hours. There were usually five courses served, each with its own wine, sherry or port. Between servings, people got up and walked around, to visit the makeshift bar in the living room, to wander outside to smoke a ridiculously overpriced cigar, to make phone calls or just to chat with someone seated at the other end of the table. In between, the staff would clear off the plates, including wine classes, and reset the table completely with the appropriate dinnerware and cutlery.

After an endive and goat cheese salad, Chad gestured for Shannon to join him back in the living room. “When do we have turkey?” she asked, taking a glass of merlot from his hand.

“In a little while, we’ll be called in for soup or something like that, then, a while after that, we’ll have some sort of fancy appetizers, so the Turkey won’t come out for at least an hour, if not longer.”

“It’s so elegant,” Shannon said with a look of wonderment.

“It’s so pretentious,” Chad contradicted quietly.

Shannon gave him a quizzical look.

“It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but just once I would love to see my parents order Dominos or something.”

“Chad, even the most middle-class families don’t do that on Thanksgiving,” Shannon scolded. “It’s important to celebrate this way, don’t you think?”

“I suppose. It’s just a little over the top.”

“Well, when I have children, I’m going to make the holidays a big deal,” she announced. “I’m going to have a formal dining room with pretty linens that only get used once a year.” A wistful look crossed her features suddenly. “If I ever marry someone normal,” she added sadly.

“I’m sure you’ll meet someone great, someday,” he said encouragingly. “I have a feeling you will make one lucky man very happy.”

Shannon blinked her eyes rapidly a couple of times and Chad had a sneaking suspicion that his comment hadn’t actually made her feel better.

By the time the last dessert plate had been cleared away, Chad was ready to take a big, fat nap. He knew that was impossible though. Etiquette dictated that, as a member of the host household, Chad would have to stay put to bid farewell to the rest of the family.

By eight o’clock in the evening, the last of the guests departed.

Shannon announced that she wished to lie down for a while.

“It’s eight o’clock,” Chad responded. “If you nap now, how will you sleep later?”

“I’m not sure I’ll get up again,” she admitted. She kissed Charles and Elizabeth on the cheek and thanked them profusely for their hospitality. She refused Chad’s offer to walk her upstairs and left the room.

Chad flicked on the TV and sprawled out on one of the couches. He, along with his father and mother, watched the last hour of ‘Holiday Inn’. When it was over, he made his way over to the bar and poured a large glass of wine. “Either of you want a drink?” he called out.

“I’ll join you,” Charles answered, pulling out the stool next to him.

Chad poured his father a scotch and handed it to him. They clinked glasses and toasted.

Charles took a sip of his scotch then eyed Chad over the rim of his glass. “So tell me, Son, how long have you been sleeping with Shannon?”

“What?” Chad questioned, feeling mild shock course through him. It was not a question he would have expected his father to ask, and one he didn’t wish to answer. “What do you mean?”

His father smirked knowingly. “She’s a lovely little thing,” he remarked. “It’s not that I can really blame you, but do you think it’s appropriate?”