When Love Calls (41 page)

Mike’s eyes set on me, looking slightly dejected. “I understand. I wasn’t trying to pressure you. I just needed to get all of that off my chest.” He stood to his feet and pulled me up from the bench.  “Now, let me show you the rest of the house.” I held his hand and followed him up the stairs. When we reached the top, Mike peeked into the partially open door of the room on the left then pulled me forward to take a look. Inside I saw Adrian laying on his bed fast asleep, holding on tightly to his Sully plush, stuffed animal. Monster’s Inc. blared from the television in the background. Mike pulled the door closed then returned his hand to mine as he guided me to the room across the hall. In it was a wall covered in vinyl albums, shelves of CDs, two keyboards, a microphone and several other electronics that I assumed all had to do with making music. “This is where I record all the songs I write for the band. Hopefully one day it will be where we record a song together.” He squeezed my hand and I smiled bashfully. I wasn’t used to him being so tender toward me. It was new and it made me nervous. Mike flashed me a smile before pulling me behind him out of the room and further down the hall. He passed the room on the left that was filled with boxes and opened the next door on our right. I glanced back briefly at the room but didn’t bother to ask about it.
Maybe he’s using it for storage.
I shrugged it off and turned around to find myself standing in the doorway of Mike’s bedroom.

 “Uh-oh! Is this where all the magic happens?” I joked, giving him the eye of suspicion.

“Only if you want it to.” Mike quipped. “I wanted to show you something.” He guided me over to the only window in the room. It was large and filled the room with plenty of light. It also had the perk of a distant view of the Chicago Skyline. In closer range were naked trees with the exception of the evergreens scattered between the barren maples.

“It’s really nice to look at when the sun goes down. If you have a few hours, you could see it for yourself.” Mike stepped up behind me. “Aside from liking the character of this older house, I picked it specifically because of this view. I love to be able to look out at the city. Sometimes I bring a keyboard in here and just look out there and wait for something to sing to me and a melody will just come. The view inspires me. Since I’ve been here, it’s been my main source of inspiration until recently.”

I gazed out the window. Even now the leafless trees and skyline looked like a picture. “I could see how someone could be inspired by this view.”
I’d love to paint it in all the seasons, but that would involve me taking over his space with all my art supplies. We’re not there yet.
Even still, the artist in me longed to capture the scenery while it seemed cold and dark, then again at the budding of spring and at the turning of autumn leaves to hues of red, gold and orange. Mike squeezed my shoulder gently, reminding me of his presence. I turned to face him. “So what inspires you now?” 

Without a word, he leaned down and kissed me sweetly. I closed my eyes to savor the feel of his lips against mine. This kiss was gentle and affectionate. It wasn’t hungry or ravaging. The palms of Mike’s strong hands pressed against my face as his thumbs lightly grazed the apples of my cheeks. Slowly his finger slid between the curls at the nape of my neck and massaged sweetly against my scalp. I curled my arms around his back and pressed into him. I tasted the sweetness of his tongue as it stroked rhythmically against mine as I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him deeper. It seemed like forever since I’d felt his touch. Mike pulled back and trailed a path from my mouth to my neck with his lips. The heat of his breath ignited a million tiny sparklers beneath my skin. I felt static electricity with every touch. My body quivered as Mike’s hands roved slowly across my shoulders, beneath my arms and down to the curve of my hips. He gripped them tightly and joined his body to mine. I gripped the back of his head, pulling him down to taste more of his sweetness with my tongue. Now I was the one who was ravenous and I was tired of fighting it.
To hell with balancing the scales, I’m about to tip that bitch over!
Panting, I pulled away from Mike and crossed the room to close his bedroom door. I turned and rested my back against it, watching as Mike made his way slowly toward me. “What are you doing,” he rasped with baited breath.

 “I’m trying to make sure your son won’t hear you scream,” I replied, matching his tone.

 “Is that right?” He growled. We were nose to nose and I could taste the coolness of his breath as his lips brushed against mine.

“Yeah, that’s right.” I breathed.  “You may have run the show in Vegas, but it’s time the tables were turned.” All the confidence I never seemed to have around Mike made its way back to me and I felt empowered.
It’s time he knew exactly what he’s getting himself into.
I shot him a glare full of mischief and I could tell he was intrigued. 

“Well, in that case, lock the door.” Mike challenged as he reached behind me and clicked the lock.

His mouth was still touching mine, so I licked the top lip and sucked the bottom one into my mouth, skimming it lightly with my teeth as I released it slowly. I clutched the back of his head and pulled him down closer to me. I traced the pattern of his ear with my tongue and flicked the lobe before taking it into my mouth. He jerked and I smiled knowingly. Releasing it, I made my way down his neck making tiny circles and flicking my tongue back and forth against the prominent vein in Mike’s neck. I wrapped my lips around a small bit of his flesh, nipping and sucking it firmly. As I tugged at the bottom of Mike’s shirt he automatically raised his arms and I pulled it up over his head and tossed it aside. My fingers journeyed down across his chest and my mouth followed, licking every crease until I reached the crevice at his pelvis that peeked out from his loosely-fitted sweatpants.  My fingers gripped the waistband and with one strong tug I was inches away from his incredulous, rock-hard erection. As much as I wanted to feel the smoothness against my lips I resisted.
I want this to last.
It was my plan to torment and pleasure him, long and slow. “Take off your pants.” I commanded. Initially, he smirked, but when I didn’t crack a smile he quickly stepped out of the sweats and kicked them aside.

I forced Mike backward to his bed and pushed him down on top of it. I watched his eyes widen with surprise at my assertiveness. I was still fully clothed and there he lay, stark naked with the exception of his socks.
I love it.
I smirked. Seeing him there like that turned me on all the more and I kicked off my shoes, slid my pants and underwear off together and snatched my sweater up over my head. Now
most
of my clothes were added to the collection on the floor.
Easy Erin, this is your takeover so take your time.
 I paused for a minute and eyed Mike from head to toe before fixing my gaze on him as I climbed onto the bed and straddled him. I could feel his thickness resting against my ass, but I was determined not to give it the attention it beckoned until I was good and ready. “Unhook me.” I ordered. This time he complied right away. I could see the urgency on his face though he tried hard to control it. I was driving him to the brink without yet giving him a taste of my sweetness. That fact alone created a dampening between my legs and I clenched to control it. As Mike unhooked my bra, he slid his hand around toward my breast and I shoved his hand away. “I didn’t say you could touch me.” I scowled disapprovingly and his hands dropped to his sides.

“Yes ma’am. Whatever you say.” He conceded through a shallow breath. I leaned over and let my nipples brush against his lips. He parted them slightly and attempted to take one into his mouth, but I backed away.

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head.  Slowly I crawled up toward the headboard and placed one knee on each side of his head and pinned his shoulders beneath my ankles. My eyes met his as I stared down at him from above.  I wanted him so bad it hurt, but I wanted to play this game out to the end. My body was betraying me so I used it to my advantage. “Look what you did to me.” I flashed an accusing glance down toward my aching swell. Mike swallowed hard as he looked at the parted pink flesh. “Now what are you going to do about it?” I hissed.

“Whatever you want me to.” Mike growled.

His eyes were begging me to say the word and I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Fix it!” I demanded. I almost collapsed as I felt the heat of his tongue. I gripped the headboard tightly as Mike’s arms wrapped around my thighs, pulling me down onto him. I damned near bit a hole in my bottom lip as I rolled my hips back and forth, feeling the subtle abrasion of his stubble against my flesh. It was sensory overload and I could feel the knot entwining in the pit of my stomach, but I used my very last ounce of resolve to pull Mike’s hands loose from my thighs as I slid back down his body. His mouth was still damp as I kissed him. He was a mix of his sweet scent and mine. I lay against his chest as I tasted his lips again. This time he pulled my tongue into his mouth and I relented. Mike took my lack of resistance as an invitation and grabbed handfuls of my backside. He squeezed until it ached and I could feel his body writhing beneath me as he searched for my sex. I tilted my pelvis and pressed it down onto his hardness. A moan of relief eased from my lips. It was all I wanted; all I’d been working for in this entire escapade. I had stirred him into a frenzy and wanted to be the end to his chaos. I let my hips grind slowly as I rode up and down. My eyes were set on Mike’s face as he made sex faces and struggled to maintain control. It was exactly where I wanted him. I
needed
to know that his desire for me was uncontrollable and watching him nearly unraveled me.

 I rested my head against his chest and continued my motion against his hips. The knot within me tightened again and it was more than I could stand. I clenched the flesh of Mike’s shoulder between my teeth and bit down hard as I descended. He let out a yell of pain and pleasure as his strokes quickened and he pulled me down hard against him. 

I was still panting against Mike’s chest and listening to his racing heartbeat when there was a soft rap on the door.
I forgot he was still here!
I hopped up in a panic, grabbed my clothes and bolted into the bathroom as Mike slowly rolled from the bed and grabbed his sweats. “Just a minute.” He called to Adrian. I peeked out at him through the crack in the bathroom door. He was so calm. He strolled over to the door, slid on his shirt and stepped out into the hallway.
I guess I’d better get used to these kinds of interruptions.
I assumed that kind of calm came with parenthood and refused to think about how many other times this could possibly have happened with someone other than me. I knew for certain it had happened with his wife, if no one else.

When Mike returned, I was dressed and perched at the end of the bed. “You can come out now, unless you wanted to stay in here.” He said waggling his brows.

“No, I think I’ll take you up on that view of the sunset some other time.” I slid past him, trailed down the stairs and out the door. I had barely made it to the first traffic light when the text came through my phone:

You win this round Ms. Erin, but trust me when I say this battle isn’t over. When it’s all said and done I’m determined not only to have your body, but also your heart. Talk to you soon.

Love,

Mike

I didn’t care what the rest of the text said. I focused on the last two words. “Love, Mike,” and I beamed all the way home.

Chapter Twenty-Four

It was June now and six months had passed since I had revealed my growing secret that was now a tell-all. I was a full eight months and had developed a
very
full belly that, despite my resistance, caused me to waddle. It seemed like forever since I had begun working on my showcase, but a trial performance let me know I needed a bit more experience to overcome my stage fright. In the months that had passed, I had become a regular in the open-mikes that Feliz’s friend hosted at his club. I had even started painting alongside some of the other poets as they presented. The deal was, if I painted the pictures, the club owner would display them in his venue and post purchase prices. He made percent of every piece I sold. I thought it was a fair price to pay for the onstage experience.

I kept up with my art classes and—with the help of the instructors from Both Sides—I had actually become a pretty good painter and was able to complete my projects in less time. They had also helped me in the area of pricing my work. I was selling pieces for anywhere between $200-$500 each. Every dime I made was set aside in my “Bun Fund.” I had managed to tuck away several thousand dollars for my sweet baby so far.

I had so many paintings in my guestroom now that I had sorted them into collections. So far I had
Florida Vacation, My Point of View
and
Sketch Me If You Can.
I’d used my imagination to paint the autumn view from Mike’s window since I hadn’t actually seen it yet for the
My Point of View
pieces and the
Sketch Me If You Can
paintings were all based on drawings from my sketch book that included the blue jay.

I worked hard to somehow balance the time I spent between Josh and Mike, but I inevitably ended up spending most of my time with Mike. Josh and I were tremendous friends. He wanted more, but he never pressed me about it.

The more time I spent with Mike, the harder it was to be away from him. I had even introduced him to Feliz and her husband Mario. Mario and Mike became fast friends and eventually, business partners. It helped to offset the maintenance costs for both of them and they were able to double the business with all the contacts Mike had made through AAA.  The four of us even got together a couple of times a month to double date.

As much as my affection grew for Mike, it had tripled for his son Adrian. I was absolutely in love with him. We spent countless hours together and I often volunteered to watch him on my days off from work if Mike had late night gigs.