Sue and Tom (2 page)

Chapter 3

Tom

When Sue opened the door, she looked so damn sexy. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, high on her head. I loved the carefree look. She wore old blue jeans that had a hole in the thigh and were frayed at the bottom. I could see she wasn’t wearing a bra under her white cotton blouse. And she was baref
oot. Even her pink polished toes looked sexy. God, I had it bad for this girl. I wanted to throw her down on the floor right then.

The ends of Sue’s mouth curled up and her lips seemed plumper. “Hi, Tom. I’m so glad to see you.”

“Really?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

Sue shook her head. “Nothing now that you’re here.”

I handed Sue the wine and followed her into the kitchen. She got two wine glasses from the cupboard and filled the glasses.

“Remember that time in high school a bunch of us got Gina’s neighbor to buy us Boone’s Farm Wild Cherry wine and we went to the lake?”

I laughed. “That stuff was nasty.”

“Yeah, but it was the only thing we could afford. And it got us wasted. Fast.”

“And sick the next day,” I said.

“True. I remember throwing up all over my white shirt. The stains never did come out. I wonder if they still make that stuff.”

I took a sip of the zinfandel I had brought. “I have no intention of finding out.”

“Are you hungry?” Sue asked.

I shook my head. “I ate with Klondike.”

“How’s he doing
, anyway?”

“Great, except I think he’s sad I’m not spending as much time as I used to with him.”

“Well, bring him along with you when you come over,” Sue said.

“Really?”

“Sure. I don’t mind. I grew up with dogs. In fact, I got one right after Steve and I got married. Steve wasn’t happy about it. He’s more of a cat person. But I loved Sneakers. He passed away when Chloe was 10 and we were both devastated. Guess that’s why we never got another one. Too painful. “

“So that’s why Chloe was so anxious to take Klondike on a walk.”

“Yes, she loves dogs, but when Sneakers died, she had a really tough time.”

“Rachel hated Klondike,” I blurted out before I realized how uncool it was to bring up my ex.

“She sounds like a real piece of work,” said Sue, licking off the sweet wine that pickled her lips.

I rolled my eyes. “She was. And I realize that now more than ever. She was the most self-centered person I had ever dated. And it took me a long time to see that. What about you? You have any horror stories
—I mean, besides your marriage.”

***

Sue

I wasn’t sure how much to tell Tom. I wanted to tell him everything. About finding Steve in bed with Miss Fake Tits with the pierced nipple. About Steve fighting me for custody of Chloe. About the affairs I had learned about after we divorced—Miss Fake Tits was one of many. But I didn’t want to ruin the mood or spend the night talking about the past. I wanted to concentrate on the present, do what Gina told me to do. Relax and let go.

I put some cheese and crackers on a plate and Tom grabbed the wine. We went to my sunroom to sit and chat.

“So do you get embarrassed at your job?”

“Where did that come from?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Oh, I don’t know. I was just thinking about the time I had to buy vaginal cream at the pharmacy and there was a male cashier. I was sort of embarrassed.”

Tom smiled. “Believe me, we pharmacists don’t gossip about what customers buy. We really don’t care. So many people don’t ask questions because they’re too embarrassed. But I’d rather have them ask.
Like the other day. A woman asked which condoms were best.”

“A condom conundrum, eh?”

Tom laughed. “That’s one way to put it.”

I smiled. I couldn’t picture Tom explaining the pros and cons of particular condoms. But in the last few weeks, I had seen a side of him that I hadn’t before. Yes, he was the shy guy with brains from high school. But he had definitely loosened up and was more fun than I remembered him being back in the day. “So what did you tell her?”

Tom shrugged. “I told her it depends but recommended ones made out of Microsheer. They’re thinner. And they come with the normal bells and whistles if you want that.”

“Normal bells and whistles?” I was enjoying watching Tom’s face turn the color of my toenails.

“Yeah. You know. Ribbed ones. Colored ones. Even flavored ones.”

I scrunched my nose. “Sorry, but licking a cherry-flavored condom would be like licking a cherry Blow Pop. I’d rather have what’s inside without having to work so dang hard to get it.”

Tom laughed. “You’re crazy, you know that.”

“Oh, that reminds me of a story Gina told me, but she would kill me if I shared it.”

“Oh, no,” Tom said. “You’re not gonna do that.”

“What?” I teased.

“Leave me hanging about what Gina told you. That’s not playing fair.”

“O
kay, but you have to promise not to tell her I told you.”

Tom nodded.

“So she was with this guy one time and things were getting really hot and heavy and he pulls out this condom. Turned out it was a glow-in-the-dark condom. He thought it would be a fun surprise, but Gina couldn’t help but laugh and the moment was lost. When she finally got it back, she said she felt like she was screwing a kid’s glow stick.”

Tom laughed. “Either that or a light saber.”

I totally lost it. I couldn’t stop laughing. It was a good thing I didn’t have a swig of wine in my mouth because I would have spit it out all over Tom. “Actually, a glow stick is probably more accurate. Gina said he had a pencil dick.”

Tom laughed. “For the record, I don’t do glow in the dark.”

***

Tom

I watched Sue laugh so hard she had tears coming out of her eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever been with anyone who
’s more fun. She just says what’s on her mind and I love that about her. I think I’ve laughed more since we’ve started dating than I have my whole life. It probably wasn’t the right time to bring up her ex-husband, but I wondered what had happened.

I couldn’t imagine Sue not getting along with anyone. But I also knew she was fiercely aggressive when it came to protecting those she cared about. I remember in high school Mike had told me about an incident at a party. Gina wasn’t at the party and he got drunk, was horny
, and ended up naked with a girl who had come on to him. Sue barged into the bedroom and stopped the action. Mike was glad for the save, and said Sue never let him forget what an asshole he had been.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

Sue dabbed her tears and straightened up. “Sure. Is it going to make me laugh again?”

I shook my head. “What happened in your marriage?”

“Do you want the short version or the long version?”

“Whichever version you want to give me.”

Sue took a deep breath. “Then we’ll go with the medium. I loved Steve. I thought I would be married to him forever. But when I got pregnant with Chloe, he stopped wanting me. At first, I thought it had something to do with the baby. Like maybe he was afraid of hurting her or something. But after Chloe was born, it was more of the same. He said I was too fat, that I needed to lose weight. Never mind that he was the one who made me that way.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. That’s awful.”

“Yeah, well, it got worse. One day I came home to get the lunch I had left sitting on the kitchen counter. Turned out Steve was having lunch, too. Only he was having lunch in bed with the trophy wife of our 60 year old neighbor. So, I threw him out and swore off men.”

“Until now?” I asked.

Sue smirked. “Yeah. Until now. That was twelve years ago and the cut took a long time to heal. Normally, I’m a confident person. But Steve always made me feel like I never measured up, like I was never good enough. And I found myself always trying to please him.”

“Like me with Rachel.”

“Exactly. Like you with Rachel. Why is it that people like you and me end up with losers like them?”

“I wish I knew,” I said. “Bad luck, I guess.”

Sue continued. “After the divorce, I decided I would focus on my career and Chloe. So, that’s what I’ve done. I’ve had a few dates, but nothing serious. It’s hard for me to open up and trust people. I trusted Steve and look where it got me.” Sue shook her head. “Well, at least I got Chloe. She’s the best of both of us.”

“You’ve done a great job raising her,” I said.

“Thanks. She’s my world.”

“Did you ever think about having more children?” I asked.

“Sure. But when my marriage went to hell that pretty much was the end of that.”

“What about you?”

“Yeah, I wanted kids. But. Well. The chances were never good that I’d be able to father any. I have something to tell you. It’s not easy for me to talk about it.”

Sue sat up even straighter. “Tom, is everything
okay?”

“It is now.”

Sue sat down her glass of wine and I sat down mine. I turned toward her. I had planned to tell her before our relationship proceeded to sex, sort of figured I’d have to because she’d see that something was obviously missing.

Now it was my turn to take a big breath. “About ten years ago, I had testicular cancer.”

Sue’s hand flew to her heart. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

I held up my hand. “It’s
okay. I’m okay. It’s not something I went around telling people. And being shy and quiet worked to my advantage. But I had to have one of my testicles removed and underwent chemo. At the time, I was given the opportunity to preserve some of my sperm. But I didn’t think there was a point. I had no one special in my life, and the last thing on my mind was having a kid. But, yeah, I would have loved to have had a son or daughter.”

I could see Sue’s eyes turning glassy. She pursed her lips.
“You would have made a great dad. You could always adopt. Do you know Gina was adopted?”

“I had forgotten that,” Tom said. “And I did adopt. I adopted Klondike from the animal shelter. He’s my child.”

Sue smiled and inched toward me. I was relieved I had told her about the cancer. I’d been dreading it. It was so awkward to talk about something so personal, something that made me feel like I wasn’t completely whole. But when I felt Sue’s lips touch mine, I knew it would be all right and that the night was just beginning.

Chapter 4

Sue

I could tell by the crackle in Tom’s voice and his slight hesitation that talking about the cancer was difficult. And I wondered who knew because anytime anything happened to someone in our class, news about it spread faster than a computer virus.

And I was beginning to realize that I was going to have to make the first move if our relationship was going to progress beyond kissing. I knew that Tom wanted it as much as I did, but I also knew that he would wait for me to make the first move. He wouldn’t want to take the chance he’d scare me away. So, I took Gina’s advice and relaxed. The wine helped, too, and the fact that he looked so damn sexy. By the size of his biceps, he must lift weights a lot. They bulged beneath his T-shirt.

As I inched closer, my body tingled. It had been a long time since I had been with anyone and, to be honest, I was nervous. I didn’t want to disappoint Tom. What if I didn’t turn him on? What if I didn’t measure up to others he had been with? I never thought about these things before my marriage to Steve imploded. But when that happened, I couldn’t help but blame myself. I figured that if I had been sexier, better in bed, that maybe Steve wouldn’t have looked elsewhere. I know it sounds stupid, but that’s what I thought. Steve really did a number on my self-esteem.

I stared into Tom’s eyes the closer I got to him, and as I leaned in to touch his lips
, I felt his arms circle around me. The kisses went from playful to probing, our tongues danced fast and furious. It was as if all of the longing we had for each other burst in seconds. I felt him nibble my ear and his lips trail down my neck. God, he made me feel so damn sexy and I wanted him.

“Want to pick this up someplace more comfortable?” I asked. “Wouldn’t want to put on a show for the neighbors.”

Just then Tom scooped me up. Being petite does have its advantages. “Tell me where you want to go,” he whispered.

“Up the stairs and to the left.”

I kissed Tom’s neck as he carried me to my bedroom. When he laid me down on my bed, I pulled him toward me, kissing him long and hard. I reached down and felt his hardness. I started to unzip his jeans.

“I’ll get it,” he said.

As he took off his jeans, I pulled off my blouse and tossed it aside. Our chests touched and Tom’s mouth found my nipple. I moaned. God, it had been so long. I reached under his boxers and ran my hand over his hardness. He eased off my underwear and then his own. I felt his hardness against my leg.

“God, I want you,” he whispered.

He was kissing me and touching me in places I never knew could bring me such pleasure.

“Please,” I whispered. “Quit teasing me. I…”

Tom penetrated and it was like nothing I had ever felt before. I had never had a lover like him and I had never lost control the way I knew I was losing it. But I couldn’t help myself. I could feel his passion and it matched my own. I tried to hold on, but I couldn’t, and we came together.
Wow!
I thought. So this is what it’s really supposed to be like.

The rest of the night was a blur of kissing and sex more times than I
’d ever had in one night. Tom was an amazing lover, and I was sad in a way that it took me so many years to realize what I had been missing.

***

Tom

I loved feeling Sue quiver and let go. I’m not going to lie. I had thought about making love to her a lot over these past couple of weeks. But I didn’t want to push her. And when she told me about Steve cheating on her, I really wanted everything to be perfect the first time we made love. I know it was for me, and by the way she moaned and grabbed my back, I’m pretty sure it was for her, too.

God, she made me feel
young again. I haven’t performed like that since I was a teen! Well, technically I was a sophomore in college when I lost my virginity. The girl was a senior and very experienced. It was a hook-up. We were as drunk as could be and found ourselves alone when everyone else took off to make out. I was clumsy and came too fast. I could tell the girl was very disappointed. So, after that, I sort of took it upon myself to get schooled. Not that I had sex with girls, but I read a lot about what girls liked and didn’t like. That sort of thing.

I woke up before Sue and watched her sleep. She was so beautiful and I wanted her in my arms again. She looked like a doll next to my six-four frame. Her blond
e hair fanned out across her shoulder. She began to stir and, as if suddenly remembering where she was and with whom, her eyelids jumped open.

“For a minute there, I thought last night was a dream,” she said sleepily.

I brushed her hair off her face. “I hope it wasn’t because it was an incredible night.”

A sexy smile slid
onto her face. “Want to make it an incredible morning?”

I took her in my arms once again and it was almost noon when we jumped in the shower
—together.

***

Sue

I watched Tom pull away from the house. He had called a neighbor to take Klondike out and had planned to spend the rest of the day with him. We were going to meet Gina and Mike for a late dinner. Tomorrow was Sunday and Gina was heading back to Florida to work on the move. Chloe called and told me her dad had bought her a couple of new outfits at this expensive store in the mall that I refuse to take her to. It’s way more than I can afford.

As much as I loathed Steve, he had always treated Chloe like a princess. Sometimes I worried that he spoiled her too much, but she never seemed to act like she was entitled. And she understood that I couldn’t give her the things her dad could.

Lately, I noticed she was spending hours in the bathroom. I think that had to do with Rob moving in down the street. His family moved from Texas to Pennsylvania when his dad got transferred. Rob seemed nice enough, but Chloe was only 14. He was a couple of years older, and I wasn’t happy about the age difference. So far, they’d just spent time talking, mostly at our house out of my hearing range. But I had a feeling Rob was going to ask her out one of these days, and that scared me. Steve didn’t want Chloe to date until she was 16. Having dated when I was Chloe’s age, I thought that was a little strict. I knew it was only a matter of time before Steve and I had to come to some kind of resolution, and we’d never been good at that—especially where Chloe is concerned.

I heard the back door open and Gina yell.

“I’m in the kitchen!” I yelled back. I filled the tea kettle and turned it on.

Gina walked in carrying a big smile. “So, tell me about Tom
and don’t leave anything out. I want every detail, even the details you think I don’t want to know I want to know.”

I arched my eyebrows. “Everything?”

“Absolutely.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s the most caring man I’ve ever been with
—unlike Steve, who only cared about his own needs, Tom cares about mine.”

“Makes a difference, doesn’t it?” Gina asked.

“Big difference. With Steve, I was always worried that I was doing everything right, pleasing him in all of the ways he wanted me to. It was all about him—his needs and wants. Never about me and what I wanted. But with Tom, it’s different.” I smiled, remembering last night.

“I know that look,” Gina said. “Come on. Tell me.”

“I’m half afraid to. I don’t want to jinx it. I want to feel that way again.”

“Are you serious?” Gina asked. “It was that good?”

“It’s was better than good. It was amazing. If I could live on orgasms like I had last night, I’d spend my entire life having sex!”

We laughed.

“I’ve never felt that way before. I didn’t know I could feel that way. My body just trembled. It was like I was having my own personal earthquake. God, I had no idea what I’d been missing all of these years. Steve really was a lousy lay!”

Gina smiled. “I’m so happy for you. And for Tom, too. I still can’t believe the two of you got together. And now that you are, it seems like you were always meant to be. Does that make sense?”

I nodded. “Completely.”

“Are we still on for dinner later?”

“Yep.”

“So another hot night?” Gina asked.

I smiled. “I swear I feel like I’m 17 again. I’m actually a little sore.”

Gina laughed. “But at least it’s a good sore, if there is such a thing.”

The tea kettle whistled and I filled Gina’s mug. “So what did you, Mike, and Jack do last night?”

“After the pizza, we watched a movie.”

“Which one?”

“An oldie but goodie.
Jaws
.”

I sipped my coffee. “God, I haven’t seen that in years.”

“Me, neither,” Gina said. “Turned out Mike had it and Jack had never seen it, so we watched it together. I actually fell asleep. I’ve been so tired lately.”

“I remember being tired with Chloe. It got better in the second trimester, but I was whipped for the first three months. Did you tell Jack about the baby?”

Gina laughed. “Yes. He made us promise not to put the baby in the room next to him. Said he had to put up with his sister crying at his Mom’s.”

I laughed. “Gotta love that kid.”

“Yeah. He’s pretty neat. He also put in a request for a boy. He wants a brother. Said girls are too fussy and cry all the time. He figured boys aren’t like that.”

I laughed. “Did you tell him that’s already been decided?”

Gina shook her head. “I figured that’s a conversation for Mike to have.”

“What do you want?” I asked.

Gina waved her hand. “When I was going to have a child on my own through insemination, I wanted a girl. I thought it would be easier. But now that I got pregnant the old-fashioned way and the dad is in the picture, the baby’s sex doesn’t matter to me. Just as long as it’s healthy.”

“So are you going to find out the sex?”

Gina sipped her tea. “I haven’t decided yet. I kind of want to know but Mike doesn’t. He said it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or a boy and finding out at the end gives us something to look forward to. I, on the other hand, am a planner. I’d like to know what I’m having so I can plan the nursery accordingly. So, I guess we’ll have to come to some sort of compromise.”

I laughed. “Something tells me you’ll find out.”

“What? Don’t think I’m a great compromiser?”

“Well, you usually win your cases.”