Authors: Buffy Andrews
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Women's Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Contemporary Fiction
Sue and Tom
Sue and Tom
The yearbook series
By Buffy Andrews
Sue and Tom
Copyright © 2013 by Buffy Andrews. All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: November 2013
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1493756018
ISBN-10:
149375601X
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
~Dedication~
To Tania, Cindy and Dawn—
the best sisters in the world!
I love you bunches and bunches! B
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Sue
The day I came home and found my husband in bed with our neighbor was the day I swore off men.
I heard them before I found them screwing in the bed I thought I’d sleep in forever. Turned out, I threw Steve out—and the bed along with him.
I sort of, kind of expected he was having an affair. There were little signs. Like a scratch on his back that didn’t come from my nails and the faint smell of citrus-infused perfume on our silk sheets. I explained everything away. The scratch was from the dog, probably when they wrestled on the floor. And the citrus scent? That was from the fabric softener. Yeah, that’s it. The fabric softener. I had an excuse for everything until the day I came home and found his ass in the air and her underneath, digging her nails into his back and coming so hard it actually made me jealous. Pathetic, I know.
It was a Friday morning and nothing was going right. My two year old daughter, Chloe, was crying hysterically for her favorite bear. I found him eventually, but not before Sneakers had chewed off
the bear’s ear, which only made Chloe cry more. I was late dropping Chloe off at daycare and that made me late for work. My day went south faster than my paralegal paycheck. By the time lunch rolled around, I realized I hadn’t eaten breakfast and that I had left my sandwich on the kitchen counter. So I went home.
I was surprised to see Steve’s Lexus in the driveway. He was an attorney and worked in an office across town. He had told me he would be tied up in court all day. I figured he must be really sick because he never came home for lunch. Turned out, he was indulging in a five-star meal with a decadent dessert.
Somewhere between the bottom of the staircase and the top, I realized that Steve’s lunch was a midday fuck. I heard him talking dirty to Renee. I recognized her raspy voice. She lived next door with a 60-year-old who could have been her father. Steve was saying things like “bitch” and “baby” and she was screaming stuff like “fuck” and “faster.”
I thought back to all of the times when Steve wanted me to talk dirty and dress like a whore. I’d tried dressing like a whore. I bought the sexiest lingerie I could find. Black with red lace. But I couldn’t talk dirty. I just couldn’t. I tried. Once. But I sounded so stupid it made me laugh. I even tried practicing when Steve wasn’t around, but it just wasn’t for me.
It wasn’t long after the whore role playing that I got pregnant with Chloe and Steve stopped wanting me. He told me I was getting fat and that I’d better make sure after I had the baby that I got my body back to the size two he married. But it never happened. I tried, but the last ten pounds were happy hanging around and no amount of exercise or starvation seemed to chase them away. So I stayed a size eight and Steve stayed away. And, as much as Steve loved Chloe, he seemed to loathe me more and more.
So when I found him fucking Little Miss Fake Tits with the pierced nipple (yes, I saw more than I wanted to see!) I guess I wasn’t surprised.
My BFF Gina, who’s an attorney, hooked me up with a killer colleague, and before Steve knew it, his mid-day fuck had cost him a shitload of money.
That was twelve years ago, and I haven’t been in a serious relationship since. Sure, a few dates here and there, but nothing that I hoped would ever turn into something more.
Until now.
***
“Oh my God! Oh My God! Gina.” I hugged my best friend. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I don’t know what to say. I’m happy. Shocked. My God. I can’t believe you’re moving home. And that you’re going to have a baby. Mike’s baby!”
Gina sniffed. “I know. I’m shocked, too. I mean, things happened so fast between us. I didn’t plan… I never thought when I left I would be coming back so soon.”
I grabbed the box of tissues off the kitchen counter and we both took a fistful. “Guess that means no artificial insemination.”
Gina laughed. “Yeah. Who would have thought?”
Gina was right. Things had happened fast between her and Mike. They were high school sweethearts, and Gina had broken up with him after our senior year, right before college started. They reconnected at our 20
th
high school reunion.
Turned out all of those nights spent online looking at sperm donor profiles with Gina, who planned to be a single mom, were a total waste of time. A few hot nights with the love of her life were all it took.
I was so happy for her. She was leaving her job as a prosecutor in Florida and moving back to Pennsylvania to live in the house she grew up in. Mike, and his son Jack, would move in with her. She planned to leave her job and open her own practice here. And she wanted me to help run the office.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked. “You’re giving up a lot.”
Gina bit her lip. “No, I’m gaining a lot. You. Chloe. Mike. The people I love most in the world are here. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is for living. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about Mike. Even after all these years he still makes my body quiver just thinking about him. And now I’m going to have his baby.”
Gina placed the palm of her hand over her stomach and the tears flooded her eyes again. “Mike’s baby,” Gina said. “I’m going to have Mike’s baby.”
“And I’m almost certain that getting pregnant the old-fashioned way definitely felt better than having a catheter stuck up you vagina—and cheaper, too.”
Gina laughed. “I love you, Sues.”
“I love you, too.”
Gina took a sip of tea. “So how’s Tom?”
I smiled. I had been doing that a lot lately. “He’s pretty incredible. I’m not used to being treated so well. He’s kind, thoughtful. We’ve been on a dozen dates and he hasn’t tried to get me in bed.”
Gina’s eyes widened. “Really?”
I nodded. “And I’ve been so damn horny it’s driving me crazy. I’m beginning to think something’s wrong with me. Maybe I’m not sexy enough. God knows I was never sexy enough for Steve, even when I dressed like the whore he wanted me to be.”
“Oh, God, Sues,” Gina said. “Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re a woman. You have needs. Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move. He always was a little shy.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yeah, I do. I mean, he’s liked you forever. He finally gets a shot and he doesn’t want to blow it.”
“So what should I do?”
Gina pointed her finger at me. “You take the lead. Seduce him.”
“I’m not sure I remember how. It’s been forever since I came on to a guy. After being rejected by Steve, I never wanted to take the chance.”
Gina waved her hand. “Oh God, girl. Just watch some pay-per-view. That’ll get you in the mood, and once you’re in the mood, just relax and let go. Besides, I have a feeling that once you come on to him it won’t take long before you’re rolling between the sheets. I bet you a hundred bucks he’s waiting for you to make the first move. So make it. Shave and get ready for some wild sex.”
I bit my lip. “It is tempting. He’s coming over later, and Chloe’s going to her dad’s.”
“Which means you’ll have the entire house to yourself. And you can be as loud as you want.”
We both laughed. It was so good to have Gina standing in my kitchen. I had forgotten how easy it is to talk to her about my sex life—or lack thereof. We were soul sisters, and I was so glad she was moving home and would be closer. And I knew Chloe would be, too.
The back door opened. “Hi, Mom,” Chloe said.
“Look who’s here!”
“Aunt Gina.” Chloe ran over to hug her godmother.
Gina wrapped her arms around Chloe. “Hi, sweetie.”
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story,” Gina said. “We’ll talk later.”
“Is everything okay?” Chloe asked.
“Everything’s perfect,” Gina said. “Just perfect.”
Chloe turned to me. “Did Dad call?”
I nodded. “He said to tell you he’d pick you up after work. And he’s taking you to that Italian restaurant you love.”
“Great,” Chloe said. “I’m starved.”
Chloe went to change clothes and I walked Gina to her car. “So when do you think you’ll be able to move?”
“A month. Maybe two. Not soon enough, that’s for sure.”
I hugged Gina. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Gina said. “And just be yourself with Tom. He cares about you a lot. And I have a feeling that you’re falling for him. So maybe, just maybe, this might be your second chance. And if it is, I don’t want you blowing it.”
“Sounds like something I told you not too long ago.’
Gina smiled. “It was. And it was good advice.”
I watched Gina pull away and I couldn’t stop smiling. My best friend was coming home. And the guy I was falling for was coming over. And I was going to have sex!
Chapter 2
Tom
“I’m sorry, boy.” I scratched Klondike’s head. My 12 year old lab wanted to play some more but I had to shower. I told Sue that I’d be over by 7. I felt bad that I wasn’t spending as much time with him. But man, was I happy where I was spending my time.
I had always liked Sue, ever since junior high when we were lab partners in earth science and had to dissect a worm. For the record, I did most of the dissecting. Sue mostly held her nose and fake barfed so I had to do all the incisions and pin the flaps to the black wax in the aluminum dissecting tray.
Anyway, in high school I wanted to ask Sue out, but she always had a boyfriend. Truth is
, I’m kind of shy. I didn’t date much back then. In fact, I’m sure I was one of the few virgins in my freshmen dorm in college. I had a few relationships that had potential, one especially. Even got engaged. Thank God I called it off before I said “I do.” Rachel was more high maintenance than my ’58 MG I had completely restored. So, I called it quits a little over a year ago. Boy, was she pissed. When I went over to her apartment to pick up my things, I found them littered on the lawn. She had thrown everything out of her third-floor window.
Sue is so different from anyone I
’ve ever been with. Especially Rachel. Rachel always made me feel like I never measured up, that things were never good enough. Like when we went on vacation. I’d choose a moderately priced hotel, not because I was cheap but because I didn’t see the need to shell out the extra money for amenities that I could do without. But Rachel wanted the most expensive, not because she necessarily cared about the fluffy bathrobe the hotel provided, but for the bragging rights.
I remember one blow up in particular where she refused to go inside the hotel when we arrived because she said it was only a four-star and not a five. I was so embarrassed that I finally went inside, canceled our reservation
, and went to the five-star down the beach. She was a spoiled bitch, the only child of a doctor I served with on the YMCA board.
The Great Hotel Standoff, as it became known, was the beginning of the end. That’s when I really started to question if Rachel was worth it. Turned out, she wasn’t. For me, the standoff was a wake-up call, like having a bucket of ice water thrown on you unexpectedly on a hot day. After the surprise makes you jump
, you realize that it feels damn good.
Despite living in the same town, I hadn’t run into Sue much over the years. She wasn’t one of the regulars at the pharmacy where I worked. But when I saw her at our class reunion, all my old feelings came rushing back. Maybe I would have felt differently if she had changed, but she was the same fun-loving Sue. Gorgeous smile. Long blonde hair that looks great even when it’s messy. And a petite body that’s more gymnast than ballerina but still as sexy as hell.
We’d been on about a dozen dates so far, but I haven’t made the big move yet. It’s not that I don’t want to take her to bed. I do. More than anything. But I want to make sure I don’t pressure her. I want her to want it as much as I do. I sense that she does, but I want to be absolutely sure. This is one relationship I definitely don’t want to mess up. I’m looking for more than sex here—and I’m sort of hoping Sue is, too.
I gurgled and spit out the minty mouthwash as Klondike watched from his spot near the sunken tub. I leaned in close to the mirror to examine my face. No nose hairs sticking out; good. I rubbed my palm over my face. “Think I should shave, boy?”
Klondike cocked his big, soft head and whimpered. I know he didn’t like coming in second. I reached down and scratched his head. “I know I have it bad, boy. But this girl’s special. Not like any of the others.”
Klondike seemed to like Sue. He didn’t growl at her like he
’d constantly growled at Rachel. In fact, when Sue and Chloe came to dinner last week, Klondike cozied up to her. The only time he left Sue’s side was when Chloe took him for a walk.
I played tug with Klondike a little more before leaving him lying on the sofa.
On my way over to Sue’s, I stopped to buy a bottle of her favorite wine. Figured that might help to set the mood. I knew Chloe was spending the night at her dad’s, and I was sort of hoping that tonight might be the night.
***
Sue
“Dad’s here,” Chloe yelled from the front door.
I ran into the living room to kiss Chloe goodbye.
Steve nodded. “Hi, Sue.”
I hated how his dark eyes scanned my body from head to toe.
“You look well.”
I smiled. “Thanks.
I feel great.”
Chloe grabbed her backpack off the couch. “Mom’s dating someone.”
I rolled my eyes. I could always count on Chloe to spill the beans to her dad. “Chloe, it’s no big deal. It’s just an old friend.”
“Someone she went to high school with,” Chloe said.
Steve eyebrows jumped. “Anyone I know?”
I shook my head. “We reconnected at my high school reunion. We’re just friends.”
“And Aunt Gina’s moving home,” Chloe blurted out again.
“Really?” Steve asked. He looked at me. “Gina’s leaving Florida?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s coming home and starting over.”
“Wow. I didn’t see that coming,” Steve said.
“I don’t think any of us did. But we’re super glad about it.”
“Well, good for her,” Steve said. “And good for you and Chloe. I know how much you both love her.”
Steve looked at Chloe. “Ready to go, Princess?”
I hugged Chloe and kissed her cheek. “Bye, sweetie. See you tomorrow after school.”
As I watched Steve and Chloe walk to his car, I was reminded of how much they look alike. Chloe had Steve’s chocolate eyes and his chestnut hair. And she was already a good six inches taller than me. I was a hair over five feet. Even got back to a size 2 after the divorce and managed to stay that size just to spite Steve. But I always envied the girls with willowy limbs.
I grabbed my shaver off the vanity and jumped in the shower. Tom would be here in a half hour and I had to get my sexiness on.
“Damn razor!” I pulled off another square of toilet paper and stuck it on my bleeding leg, right below my knee. Of all days to cut myself. Ugh!
My knees were battle worn as it was. I was a gymnast and cheerleader in high school and by the time my senior year had ended, I had torn the medial meniscus in both knees. Besides those scars, I had ones from a bad spill I took while running on asphalt as a kid. I chewed up my knee so badly that the doctor used small metal clips that looked like staples to close the gaping holes. I still had a few pieces of asphalt embedded in my knee. So, yeah, my knees aren’t pretty.
“Shit
.” Just when I got the blood stopped in my knee, I found a white hair growing out of my chin. This called for some reinforcements. I grabbed my cellphone and called Gina.
“You what?” Gina asked. “I can barely hear you. We took Jack out for pizza and it’s noisy in here.”
I shouted into my cellphone. “I said, there’s a white hair coming out of my chin! A freakin’ wiry white hair about an inch long.”
I could hear Gina laugh.
“It’s not funny. Oh God. First I cut my leg shaving and now I find a white hair sticking out of my chin.”
“Just pull it,” Sue said.
“I did. That’s not the point. The point is, how long do you think it’s been there? What if Tom saw the white hair and just didn’t say anything? God, I’m so embarrassed. I feel like that old woman in
Snow White
.”
“She had a wart on her nose, not a hair on her chin,” Gina said.
“Same difference. It wasn’t supposed to be there. Wart. Stray facial hair. It’s all the same. What if there are other things on me that aren’t supposed to be there? Like a hairy mole on my ass.”
Gina laughed. “So you’re planning on showing him your ass?”
“At this point, I’m afraid to show him any part of my naked self.”
I could hear Gina tell Mike she was going to the bathroom. I chewed my lip, waiting for her to return.
“Are you there?” asked Gina a few minutes later.
“Of course I’m here. I need help. A white hair growing out of my chin is no small matter.”
“Listen,” Gina said. “Don’t panic. You’re nervous about tonight. You plucked it
, so it’s gone. I didn’t see a white hair coming out of your chin when I saw you earlier. And believe me, I would have noticed it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Don’t I notice everything?”
“True. You do. But do they grow that fast?”
Gina cleared her throat. “Yes, they’re like weeds. They spring up when you’re not looking. So quit freakin’ out. It could be worse. Remember Cookie’s inverted nipple?”
I had forgotten about Cookie’s inverted nipple and how she used sex toys and suction cups and clamps to try to coax it out. She eventually had to have surgery.
“Okay. Point taken. White hair and shaver cut don’t come close to Cookie’s inverted nipple. Thanks for putting things in perspective. Now, go back and enjoy your pizza. And don’t you dare tell Mike why I called.”
Gina laughed. “I won’t. And I’ll call tomorrow to find out how the sex was. In the meantime, relax and enjoy it. You deserve to have one hell of an orgasm.”
