9781618858368ForbiddenDeceptionlLeveyNC (11 page)

“Shouldn’t
you be there with him?” She slipped on his shirt, climbed into bed and turned
on her side. While he talked, she got comfortable, resting her head on her
decadent pillow.

“I
can’t be, have to be here. Some of the guys from the other shift are staying
with him for now. He’ll be home by the time we get off shift later.”

“Oh.
I’m sorry he got hurt.” Ailyn scrunched her feet under the covers and adjusted
her phone.

“Hazard
of our job.”

“You
worried something else may show up overnight?” She could only imagine how
horrible a close friend, a teammate getting hurt felt.

“Yeah,
you never know if something internally is a bit shook up. I guess when you’re
the one in control you just feel…”

“Like
it’s your fault.
But you know you can’t control what
happens in every situation. Prepare but not take the blame for the unknown.”
Her heart broke for him. She was ready to sleep but not ready to leave him yet,
wanting to be supportive for him.

“Yeah.”

“There’s
so much we don’t know about each other. Why did you become a fireman when you
could’ve gone pro in sports?” Maybe taking his mind off his worries would help.

“That’s
a long story, you sure you got time?”

“Yes.”

“My
life changed after we split up. I got caught up being with the older crowd.
Some of the guys bet I couldn’t get into some of the bigger clubs. There were a
group of us who enjoyed breaking the rules a little too much.”

When
she was silent for too long he said, “I chased you away. I know you still have
feelings about our time together. I don’t have to continue.”

“I’m
here. Just processing how you were then verses now.
One side
of a double headed coin, but different.
Makes me wonder what you were up
to when we weren’t together back then.”

“Yeah.
Sorry,” he paused, “I don’t have an answer to that question. I went to school,
studied hard and excelled in sports. To blow off steam I guess you could say I
bent the law a few times. Until we all got caught.”

“Can’t
imagine that was fun.
What happened?” Ailyn slipped out
of bed and headed downstairs to get a glass of wine.

“Fire.
The club we chose had a band playing. Their pyrotechnics trick went
disastrously wrong. Pandemonium broke out. Thick smoke filled the air. You hear
about people being stepped on and trampled in the news. We had girls with us.
Two weren’t near us. I started helping people find the exit to get them out of danger.
When I didn’t see some of my friends I went back in.”

“You
went into the fray?”

“Yeah.
The sirens were close but too far and I couldn’t leave my friends, you know.
Going back was natural to me, as natural as breathing. Anyway, the firemen came
and watching them in action really clicked with me. Everyone got out fine, just
a few cuts or bruises injury-wise, but then the news happened to show up. The girl
I brought from my school lost it, thinking her parents would figure out where
she was.”

“I’m
sorry. That must’ve been traumatic for her.”

“Yeah,
we all got busted due to her freak out. Two of my friends and I were arrested
for underage drinking, a lot happened. That night changed the direction of my
life.”

“I’m
glad you were caught but not for the reasons you were. I’d hug you if you were
here.”

“So,
that’s what it takes?” He chuckled and the warm tenor of his voice sent her
girly parts dancing in jubilation.

“Nah,
I just realize the year we split up wasn’t as easy for you as I thought. I
guess, I thought I was one of many older girls you fooled into loving you.”
Ailyn wanted to slap herself. “That came out wrong. I’m sorry.”

“No
worries. In hindsight, I can see how off my judgment was. I have a sealed juvenile
record because of my underage delinquency. I chose to break the law repeatedly.
I was charged with my friends. The judge ordered four hundred hours of
community service. Our coach benched us all from state games as a warning to
others.”

“Ouch.
That must’ve hurt the team’s chances on a win, to have a large portion of the
first string all sitting out the championship games, and missing out on being
scouted.”

“Yeah,
having the town pissed off at you doesn’t feel good. Our coach was big on
responsibility for actions and code of conduct. We all signed the contract, so
there was no excuse to fall back on. I completed my community service at the
fire station close by our house and was hooked. The two colleges I wanted to
attend still scouted me. In the end, I went with the one with one of the top
sports teams. I also based my decision on their fire science and fire
engineering programs.”

Ailyn
swore she could see him smile through the phone as he recalled his court
ordered discipline, leading him to this place in his life. Suddenly, she craved
more than conversation and wondered if he did too. With only one way to find
out, she took a deep breath. “I’m wearing your shirt. The cotton material feels
good against my naked skin.” She inhaled the scent of his cologne trapped in
the fabric covering her.

“
You tryin’
to turn me on, darlin’?”

“Maybe,”
she flirted. “What are you wearing?”

“Cargo
pants and my EMT shirt.
What I really want to know is the
color of your panties.”

“I
don’t have any on.”

“Fuck,
darlin’ I forgot you never wear panties to bed. Mmm, glad that hasn’t changed
about you. Now I’m hard as steel.”

“Having
you hard is so good. Pull it out and stroke it for me.” She prayed he wouldn’t
laugh at her and tell her goodnight. The clattering of the phone hitting the
floor hurt her eardrum. Once the ringing cleared, he returned. The telltale
sound of zipper teeth parting teased her.

 
“Part
those pussy
lips and spear your finger inside your slit for me, darlin’. I need to hear how
wet you are for me.” Ailyn spread her legs and fingered herself. An audible
moan slipped from her mouth.

“Sexy.
I won’t last long with sounds like that coming from you. I can feel the heat of
your hot cunt over the phone. Play with the juices, rub them over that perfect pink
button for me.”

“Seth,”
Ailyn moaned, following his directions. On the other end, she heard a bottle
being popped open. Her fingers felt so good against her clit. She missed the
fullness of his cock stuffing her pussy and ached with want. “I am so—empty.”

“Trust
me, darlin’, I wish like hell I was there with you. Let’s turn this up a notch.
Turn on your laptop and video chat with me. I want to see you while I’m
stroking off.”

She
reluctantly withdrew her fingers from her pussy, a tad irritated that she’d
have to start over when she was so close to climax.

“Don’t
huff, darlin’, this won’t take long.”

“I’m
not—” She blushed at how he knew her so well, wiped her fingers off on the
comforter, then padded over to her desk to grab her laptop and returned to her
spot on the bed.

“Logging
in.
Now.
What’s your name?” He
told her his email address and to hang up the phone.

She
disconnected and tossed her phone down next to her, and waited for him to
connect. As soon as his face greeted her she waved and gave him a flash of her
wet pussy.

“Damn,
Ailyn.” He faced her slicked up dick in hand, a bottle of lube on the narrow
bed next to him.

“Make
it good, you got me all cooled down.”

“Touch
yourself
again,” he ordered from his side of the
screen. His hand rested at the base of his thick erection.

“I
can do that.”
 
Reclining back, she slid
her fingers in her pussy and slowly fucked herself, using her other hand to
palm her breast. Just having him watching her touch herself brought her close
to the edge. Soft moans reverberated deep within her and came out in throaty
sounds. From her perch on her pillow, she watched him drizzle a trail of lube
along his thick cock, then close his hand around the base and stroke up. He
canted his hips forward, the blunt head of his dick turning ruddy. The sound of
him slapping off made her mouth salivate. She watched him watching her
obsession with his dick, an aroused smirk gracing his face. Her pussy clenched
as she dragged the tip of her manicured nail over her clit. Seth looked so
beautiful to her, she stopped mid-stroke entranced by him. “Fuck, darlin’,
don’t stop.” A drop of precum shot onto his belly.

“Excited
are we? Stroke your slit. I wish I was there with your cock shoved down my
throat.” She slipped her wet fingers from her sex into her mouth showing him
how delicious she tasted, finger by finger. A guttural growl tore from his
throat, making her pussy clench in need. She reached in to her drawer and
pulled out her vibrator. Dragging the vibrating silicone toy along her folds, she
then slid it in to her pussy and began fucking herself.

“That’s
a girl. Stuff my pussy full.” He added more lube to his hand. The sight of his
slicked cock aroused her to new heights. In tandem they stroked off, now and
then he’d reach to cup his testicles. She knew he played at staving off his
orgasm, as she wasn’t prepared to finish just yet herself.

“This
is so much better than phone sex.” She moaned while working the toy.

“Hell
yeah this is, now fuck that toy like you’d ride my dick, darlin’.” He pinched
his nipple and stilled his hand. His dick jerked when he let go, bouncing
against his lower abdomen to stand straight up,
a
pearl of liquid pooling in the slit.

“Seth.”

“I
want you to come for me, Ailyn.” Seth shifted and stroked his dick.
“Now.”

Ailyn
pulled the toy out and flicked the vibrating tip over her clit while he jacked-off.
Her legs trembled. “I’m coming.” She bit back a loud scream and let out a
series of hitched moans, gripped the bedding as her pussy convulsed.

“Shit,
I’m there with you.” Jets of semen shot out his tip, splattering his chest and
bedding.
 
What a perfectly good waste of semen. I’d love to have swallowed.

The
trajectory of his load surprised her. She set down her toy while he palmed his
cock. In silence they came down together from an orgasmic high.

“Ailyn,
darlin’, you can video chat me anytime. Thank you.” A boyish smile carved
across his face.

“You’re
welcome. Was I too loud?” She covered her nudity and smiled at him.

“Nah,
I had the volume down low enough. ‘Sides, no one’s in here bunking with me now.
Fuck, if they were I’d have kicked them out for an hour.” He winked at her.

“Good,
I’ve never done that before and wouldn’t want everyone seeing us,” she
confessed, and couldn’t wait to repeat their impromptu self-pleasuring
together.

“Nice
to be your first in this too.”
He stood and she
watched him shove himself back into his pants.

“Stay
connected until I fall asleep?” She tucked her blanket around her body.

“All
right.
I’ll see you tomorrow night?”

“
Mhm
. Goodnight, Seth.”

“Goodnight,
darlin’, sweet dreams.”

Chapter Seven

“Welcome
to The Historic Fire Museum here in Kansas City. My name is Mrs. Spencer.
Today, one of our own will be showing you around this old place. Please stick
with your teacher and assigned chaperone. Follow their instructions, and
remember safety first.”

“Mom,
isn’t this cool? I didn’t know there was a museum here.” Eva danced around her
with her friend Josephina.

“Morning,
Ms. Dominguez.” Her daughter’s friend smiled shyly. The class lined up to begin
the tour. Ailyn smiled politely, her mind wandering to the previous night. She
couldn’t wait to see him again. The boy she knew grew up, giving her the urge
to find out if they had a future. But first, he needed to know about their
daughter, she only hoped after she came clean he’d still want to move forward.
 
“Mom.”

She
glanced down to her daughter and back up to the man who walked into the room.
Her pulse rate skyrocketed. Seth stood with his arms crossed, talking to the
curator, dressed in a snug fire station T-shirt, black cargo pants and boots. Eva
continued to chatter, though all she heard was a big fat nothing, due to the
blood pounding in her ears.

And
then shit got real. His eyes connected with hers, a smile hinted at the corners
of his mouth. She watched as he excused himself and headed her way. An ignored
Eva turned to talk to her friend while waiting to get the day started.

“What
a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t aware you’d be here today.”

“Hi.”
Ailyn froze, barely getting the word out. “I’m here today with the school on a
field trip.” She searched for a fast escape as the words tumbled out.

“He’s
like a giant or something.” Josephina interrupted the awkward moment and latched
onto Ailyn’s hand.

“I’m
afraid I’m just a fireman. Hi, Lt. Mahone and you are?” Seth crouched down to
child’s level.

“I’m
Josephine, and this is my friend, Eva. Do you save a lot of people every day?”
Josephine started what Ailyn figured to be an unending list of questions.

“I
do sometimes, along with other people on my team.” Seth locked eyes with her, the
pleasure of seeing her written all over his chiseled face. “Are these your
students?”

“No,
I teach junior high, I’m chaperoning Eva’s class today.” Ailyn melted a little
at the smile stretched across his firm lips and the banked desire in his
gorgeous flint-green eyes.

“How
cool.
You have the same last name as me,” Eva piped up.

Seth’s
eyes lingered on Eva, studying her.

“Mom,
isn’t that awesome? I think we’re supposed to move now, Mom. Are you listening?
I think my teacher is motioning for us to move. Mom, come on.”

Ailyn
cut her gaze to her impatient daughter. Eva exaggerated the word mom, knowing
the annoyance grated like nails on a chalkboard.
 
Take deep
breaths. Take deep breaths. What do I say now, how do I proceed with the
proverbial cat out of the bag?
Her brow and palms sweated, vocal cords
froze.

“Eva,
it was nice meeting you. I hope you, Josephine, and your classmates are you
ready to have a fun filled day?” Seth stood. “You two can be my helpers.”

Ailyn
struggled to breathe. Dots swam in her vision as the
mother
of all panic attacks consumed her. Seth’s smile tightened
into a grim line. The flash of fury burning in his eyes banked when innocent
eyes stared at him in adoration. Ailyn broke eye contact, and turned to usher
the girls into place.

“You
have some explaining to do,” he murmured in her ear, barely contained rage
suffused his clipped words as he brushed past with the two girls in tow, to
lead the class on their tour. Ailyn tripped over herself to catch up.

The
class of eighteen ten year olds behaved remarkably well. As they moved on from
learning about the first firehouse being built in 1868 to the very first cart
and hose in 1872. “This is also the same year Kansas City received two new
steam fire engine trucks, and when the fire station numbering system originated.”
Seth led them around a room full of memorabilia and placards with detailed
information.

“Sir,
when were fire hydrants built here?”

Seth
stopped and read the students name tag. “Mike, you ask a great question. The
first hydrants were built in 1875 until then the fire department relied heavily
on cisterns and ponds.” Aiyln listened to him talk with pride about the history
of his profession.

As
they shuffled to the next area, he kept recounting facts. She listened to him
tell how disaster struck in 1877 when the department cut costs and shut down
the engines, projecting the hydrants would be sufficient for the community’s
needs.

Now
and then he’d catch her gaze on him. He gave no insight at all, leaving her
continually off balance. She enjoyed watching him answer numerous questions
from each student, including random questions having nothing to do with
firefighting. Those made her laugh. He took them all in stride, not discounting
a single student’s need for expanding their knowledge. That was sexy.

 
She hadn’t realized they came to the end of
the tour, until an aide came out with a box of goodies and handed it to him.
She watched as Josephina and Eva helped him hand out bags with plastic firemen
hats, stickers, pamphlets, and each student received a new carbon monoxide and
smoke detector. Mrs. Warren motioned for her, as she headed her way.

“We
break for lunch in a few minutes, once the kids are fed and settled we can head
back to the school. Will Eva be joining us for the rest of the day or are you
taking her with you? Most parents choose to take their kids with them.”

“Oh.
I hadn’t thought about that. Eva can ride back to school on the bus with the
rest of the students, there’s no reason for her to miss half a day of school.”

“Educator-to-educator,
I figured you might say that. By the way, great job this morning. I know
watching over the entire kid’s classroom can be nerve-wracking when you’re used
to overseeing secondary students. No one’s missing, and no one has a body part
stuck in an object. All is right in the world.”

Ailyn
laughed. “Don’t speak too
soon,
you’re not back at the
school yet.”

“This
is true. Well, let’s get these kids sat down to eat. I want to drool over the
speaker. If I wasn’t married, I’d go after him.”

Ailyn
brushed the distasteful image from her thoughts. She refused to be plagued with
the older woman lusting after Seth permanently affixed in her mind for the
remainder of her day. As if he knew, Seth’s unwavering gaze met hers. Forcing
one foot in front of the other, she single filed the kids into the cafeteria.
Their chatter increased to a deafening buzz, giving her a reprieve from her
thoughts. Eva and Josephine walked bagged lunches over to the tables and handed
them out to their classmates. Watching Eva interact with her peers filled her
with a surge of pride.
 
What a social
busy little bee she was.
 
Ailyn edged her
way toward her daughter.

“Hey
Mom, I saved a spot for you by me, Josephine, and Mr. Mahone.”

“Thanks.”
Ailyn threaded her fingers between her daughter’s, letting
herself
be led to the table. “Are you having fun?”

“
Umhm
.”

They
sat at the small table, Seth directly across from her. A strained silence
filled the air between them. The girls, however, filled the awkwardness with
chatter.

“Mom,
can I come home when we leave?”

“Nope.
You can return to school with your peers, peanut.” Ailyn picked at her food. Cowering,
she stared at the table instead of meeting the head on pissed gaze of her ex—her
current—she didn’t have a label for what they were.

“Fudgecicles.”

Seth
chuckled.

Ailyn
snapped her gaze up at him and narrowed her eyes into slits.

“Eat
your food, Eveleen Izabelle.” Ailyn set her food down and fought the urge to
wipe the amused expression from Seth’s face. Really, he hadn’t said a flipping
word to her, but had the audacity to chuckle at their daughter’s smart aleck
retort. Having the silent treatment aimed at her was more than she could
handle. Feeling uneasy never settled well with her. He knew that, they needed
to discuss her inability to function in situations.

“Eve,
Josephine, I’ll be right back. I’d like a minute to talk with your mom.” Seth
stood from his seat and clasped his arms behind his back.

“Okay.”
The girls resumed their conversation.

Ailyn
rose from the table. She couldn’t leave the room, but allowed Seth to steer her
away from nosey ears.

“You’re
being harsh on Eva. Kids are
smart,
do you want
everyone in this room knowing we have personal business to settle? You made
this mess between
us,
do not take your attitude out on
her because you’re in a pissy mood.” He leaned into her ear to whisper, the
coarse scruff of his skin scraping her cheek. “I’m bent as hell over finding
out ten years later, I have a kid.
A pretty fabulous kid.”
He stepped back, putting distance between them.

Ailyn
smoothed her outfit and composed herself. Seth crooked a finger at her.
Clearly, he wasn’t done speaking. “Yes.” She closed the distance but kept a foot
of space between them.

“Since
you’re sending her back to school, that leaves plenty of time for me to come
over.
Text me your address.”

Heat
flushed her face. Seth’s clipped tone and attitude flipped her bitch switch. She
opened her mouth to speak and shut it. Going up against a six-foot-three giant
with masked anger radiating off him didn’t seem like a smart move. Not that
he’d hurt her, but she didn’t want to cause a scene or be one of those
embarrassing mothers. By his expression, she wasn’t leaving without a fight or without
giving into what he wanted.
 
Resigned,
she whipped out her cell phone and rapidly texted him her address.
“We good?”

“Darlin’,
not by a long shot.”
He turned and left her watching
him leave. As he settled back down in his seat, Eva whispered something that
made him laugh, but when he cocked his head in her direction all semblances of
humor and easy banter vanished. He dismissed her just as quickly as he’d
glanced her way.

I need to come to grips, take
everything step by step, sit down and finish lunch with my daughter. I can do
this. I am strong. I am woman. I can handle him. I can handle the anger. I can
handle the hurt. I think.

Ailyn
took a deep breath and rejoined those at her table with a smile on her face.
Conversation resumed as if never interrupted. Seth explained the way the engine
truck worked to a group of ten-year-old boys. Her daughter and Josephine excused
themselves to throw their trash away. Then she watched Eva stop to show her
friend how to do a pirouette in the middle of the floor.

“Eva,
this is not the dance studio.” She reminded her daughter who began twirling and
leaping, clearly an attention hog. “Eva.”

“Mom,
I’m done, okay. I just needed to dance for a minute,” grumbled her daughter as
she traipsed back over and plunked into her seat with a flushed face. An
exasperated sigh left her lips every few seconds.

Ailyn
bent down. “Keep it up and I’ll blister your backside in front of your friends.
That’s the second time I’ve had to ask you to cut something out. Cut the sass
too. Understand?” she whispered in her daughter’s ear.

“Yes,
ma’am.”

“Good.”
She returned to the table and gathered up her unfinished lunch. “Kids, I’m
going to go talk to your teacher. Please throw your trash away in the proper
receptacles and begin forming a line.”

“Yes,
Ms. Dominguez.” She turned her back on Seth and walked over to the other two
tables instructing them to do the same. Taking a spot by Mrs. Warren, she stood
by in stony silence waiting for escape from the hellacious morning.

“Students,
please thank Lieutenant Mahone for his time on the way out.” The class stood
and shuffled out. Ailyn took up the rear while Mrs. Warren led from the front.

The
closer she came to stand before Seth, the more her stomach rolled. “Thank you,”
she murmured, shaking his hand as did Mrs. Warren.

“See
you soon.”