Park Avenue Player by Vi Keeland
Chapter 30
Hollis
Elodie covered her mouth when I got to the part of the story where I’d gotten down on one knee. Oddly enough, it was a lot like the face Anna had made that day.
“What did she say?”
It was still difficult to talk about the shit that went down, even after almost six years.
I cleared my throat. “She started to cry. I assumed it was happy tears. Until she began to shake her head and told me she’d met someone else.”
“What a fucking bitch.”
Her honest reaction made me crack a smile for the first time when I thought of anything to do with that day. “Long story short, we argued. I went to the bedroom to get my wallet and stormed out of the apartment. Anna followed me, and while she was gone, Huey flew out the open window in our bedroom because I’d left the door open. He still had the treat with the ring tied to it. He cruised around outside for a while and then found his way back in. But somewhere in his travels, he dropped the treat…along with the ring tied to it.”
“Jesus. That’s insane.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. You once said he cost you eighteen grand. That’s what you meant?”
I nodded. “The ring probably landed on the street near the building and someone picked it up. At least it was someone’s lucky day. Anna looked for it for days.”
“I hope it made her feel like shit.”
I chuckled. “Anyway. Damn bird cost me eighteen grand. Anna moved out a few days later, leaving him behind because her new place didn’t accept pets. The vet said Huey is probably about ten, and the breed can live as long as ninety years. So I only have another eighty years of him yelling Anna’s home to remind me of that shit every day.”
“How long were you and Anna together?”
I frowned. “We were friends since we were kids. Things changed to more when we were teenagers.”
“Wow. Okay. Well, thank you for sharing that. I can understand why you’re not a super fan of Huey a little better now.”
After that, we spent a few more hours talking. It was probably the longest time I’d ever spent talking to any woman since Anna and I split. While my past wasn’t a subject I wanted to rehash, it hadn’t killed me to talk about it like I’d always felt it would. And in the end, I was glad Elodie knew.
***
I woke with an aching hard-on.
This wasn’t unusual, of course. Waking with a woody a few times a week had been a regular occurrence since the age of ten. But this wasn’t your basic, run-of-the-mill morning glory. My cock was so stiff it felt like I could have hammered a nail with the damn thing. Though today’s wood had less to do with a natural bodily function and more to do with the woman whose ass was pressed up against my crotch.
Elodie and I had fallen asleep on the couch together last night. The sexual mood from earlier in the evening had been sufficiently dampened after I’d told her about Anna. But neither one of us had wanted to separate and go back to our respective rooms. I woke with my body wrapped around her, one leg draped over her hip, keeping her tucked close.
I didn’t have my watch on, and I had no idea where my cell phone was, but morning had started to break outside the living room windows. It had to be close to six o’clock. I attempted to untangle our bodies without waking Elodie, but one of my arms was underneath her, and she stirred when I gently lifted her to free myself.
Her eyes fluttered open.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I was trying not to wake you.”
She stretched her arms over her head and flashed a goofy smile. “Well, you did a pretty shitty job of that, didn’t you?”
I chuckled—a ball buster even at the crack of dawn. “I’m going to jump in the shower to get ready for work. Why don’t you go to the guest room and go back to sleep? Hailey won’t be up for hours, and it’s probably best she thinks you slept in there.”
Elodie nodded. “This couch is pretty uncomfortable, anyway. The metal frame was jabbing into my spine half the night.”
I gripped her hip and pressed my front against her back. “That’s no metal frame, sweetheart.”
“Oh!” She giggled. “Oh my. That must be uncomfortable.”
“You can say that again.”
It would have been so easy to free my cock from my pants, lift the flimsy T-shirt she had on, and slide between her legs. But it wasn’t the time or the place for that. Not to mention, the ball was in her court as to how fast we went with things. She needed to trust I wasn’t in this just for the sex, which meant I couldn’t push until she got there.
So I cleared my throat and extricated myself from behind her. Standing, I offered a hand to help her up.
Elodie was eye level with my crotch. She stared at the obvious bulge in my pants and licked her lips.
“Jesus Christ,” I grumbled. “Don’t do that.”
She looked up at me, wide-eyed. “What?”
“Look at me like you’re hungry for my cock.”
Elodie blushed and bit on her lower lip. “I was thinking… My condition was no sex. But we didn’t exactly define sex, did we? Maybe I could…”
I looked up at the ceiling and let out a string of muttered curses before crouching down to look into her eyes. “Your throat would be sore from how hard I want to ram my dick down it right now. Plus, unless you want Hailey walking out and finding me with two fistfuls of your hair and my ass pumping into your face like a wild animal, I think it’s best I go take that shower, and you take your ass to the guest room.”
Her jaw hung open.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Better close that sexy mouth before I’m not such a gentleman.”
***
I opened the door to the guest room, trying to be as quiet as possible in case she’d fallen asleep.
“Feel better?” Elodie smiled. She was lying in the middle of the bed, her blond hair splayed out across the pillow.
I had taken care of myself in the shower—the quickest jerk off session in the history of jerk off sessions—but no, I didn’t actually feel better. I felt like I could explode at any minute.
“Not really.”
She leaned up on her elbows. “The offer is still good if you want a little help getting some relief.”
I dragged a hand through my wet hair. “You’re the devil. You know that?”
She giggled. “At least you can relieve yourself. I need a little toy for that.”
Any relief I’d gotten from finishing myself off in the shower was long gone as I pictured Elodie using a vibrator to get herself off. I felt my cock swelling in my slacks.
“Were you serious when you said not all sex was off the table?”
“I was. I’d be happy to help you take the edge off before you go to work.”
Without breaking our gaze, I reached behind me and grabbed the doorknob. The clank of the lock bolting shut echoed through the room. “Slide down to the edge of the bed.” My voice was thick and gruff.
Elodie pulled back the sheet covering her and shimmied down the bed. Her eyes were hooded as she waited, assuming I was accepting her offer. But the only thing that could possibly come close to satisfying my appetite was a taste of her.
“Lie back and open your legs.”
Her eyes widened, but she did as I asked.
I walked to the bed, tugging at my tie to loosen it, and knelt before her. “Spread wider for me, Elodie.”
I reached up and gently rubbed two fingers over the soft fabric of the panties I’d bought her.
So soft.
So fucking in the way. With a quick flick of my wrist, I tore them from her body.
Elodie gasped, and I wasted no time diving in. My face burrowed into her pussy. I couldn’t control myself enough to start slow and let it build. There was no teasing, fluttering of the tip of my tongue over her sensitive skin. Instead, I licked from one end to the other, and my tongue tunneled inside of her. Her pussy tasted so sweet, and she was so fucking wet and tight. I needed more. Pushing on her knees, I stretched her legs wider. Elodie began to writhe beneath me and dug her nails into my scalp. If I’d had any concern that she might not enjoy the roughness of my actions, that was thoroughly put to bed when she yanked at my hair and pressed me farther into her.
“Oh God.” Her back arched off the bed.
I lifted one hand and pressed it against her flat stomach, holding her down. I completely devoured her, licking and sucking, delving my tongue deep inside of her until she began to say my name over and over.
“Hollis. Oh. God. Yes. Hollis. Like that.”
She grabbed hold of my ears, and I knew she was on the brink. Her juices covered my entire face, and if I could have drowned in them, I would have died the happiest man on the fucking planet. I licked my way up to her clit and sucked hard. She moaned. So I slipped two fingers inside of her and pumped in and out. Her tight muscles clenched down, and she started to come. And come…long, hard, and loud. It was the first time since I was a boy that I thought I might cream my pants without any friction.
After, Elodie lay on the bed with one arm slung across her face, and the back of her hand covering her eyes. She panted. “Holy shit. That was…”
Feeling like a king—hell, I felt like the pride of the whole damn jungle—I smiled and rose from my knees to hover over her on the bed. “Feel better?”
She peeked one eye open. “I’m on birth control.”
Not exactly what I’d expected her to say. But fuck me. I wanted to come inside her more than I could remember ever wanting anything.
“Well, then it’s too bad actual sex isn’t on the table.”
“I’d like to amend my rules.”
I arched a brow. For a second, it almost felt like I was the one in control here. “And what if I’m not amenable to your rule changes?”
Elodie hooked a hand around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. I fucking loved that she didn’t give a shit that I’d just eaten her out and had the taste of her on my tongue.
“If you’re not amenable, I’m sure I can find someone else,” she said. “Benito is probably available.”
My eyes darkened. The thought of any man coming anywhere near her made me crazy. She saw my face and smiled knowingly.
“You’re going to pay for that comment, smartass.”
“I hope so. When?”
I dropped my head and chuckled. “You sound as desperate as I feel.”
“It’s been two years, Hollis. We need a whole night.”
I couldn’t agree more. Although something in the pit of my stomach told me a whole night wouldn’t scratch the surface with this woman. A whole year might not be enough to get my fill of her.
“Let me see what I can do. Hailey asked if the girl who had the pool party could sleep over. Maybe I’ll call her mother and suggest they do one night here and then one there.”
Elodie squinted. “I’ll call the mother. I didn’t like the way she looked at you when you came to pick us up the day of the party. That woman wants to see you naked. DILF, remember?”
I liked that we were on the same page. Normally, a jealous woman would be a complete turn off to me, but for some reason, I loved Elodie jealous. I wanted her possessive, because I felt the same way about her.
“It doesn’t matter who wants to see me naked. Because there’s only one woman I have any interest in getting naked for.”
***
“It’s about time.” Addison plopped down in the guest chair on the other side of my desk. Staring out the window, I hadn’t even noticed her walk into my office.
“What?”
She smiled. “You’re banging the nanny. It took you long enough.”
My brows drew together. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Addison sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’ve been softening for weeks. I was in the hall when you walked in this morning. The new receptionist was texting on her cell phone. Again.”
“And…”
“You smiled at her and said good morning instead of firing her.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
Addison arched a brow. “So you didn’t get laid last night.”
Technically, I hadn’t. I lifted a stack of papers on my desk that didn’t need straightening and straightened them. Looking away, I said, “I didn’t sleep with Elodie. Not that it’s any of your damn business.”
Addison’s face changed to surprised. Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands together. “Oh my God. You’re falling for her, and you didn’t even sleep with her yet.”
“Don’t you have any work to do? I looked at the new client roster. Your team isn’t exactly pulling in big numbers this quarter. Maybe you should spend some time riding them and get off my ass.”
Her answer was a giant, ear-to-ear smile. “I’m so happy for you, Hollis.”
I shook my head. “Be happy somewhere else. I have actual work to do.”
“It’s been a long time since Anna. You deserve some good in your life.”
Normally, any mention of my ex left a sour taste in my mouth. But this morning, I was too busy savoring the taste of Elodie to let anything else seep in. If I closed my eyes and breathed deep, I could still smell her on my face. I inwardly laughed at what Addison would’ve said if I’d suddenly done that—closed my eyes, took a deep whiff, and flaunted a satiated smile.
I looked over at my business partner. She wasn’t going to get the hell out of my office unless I gave her something. So I tossed the pen in my hand on the desk and gave in a little.
“It’s not going to end well.”
Her brows drew down. “Why do you say that?”
“Hailey is already pretty attached to her. When things go south, she’s going to suffer.”
Addison’s eyes roamed my face, and then she shook her head. “There’s just so much wrong with that last statement that I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Stop psychoanalyzing everything. Not everything someone says has a deeper meaning. I have a legitimate concern when it comes to Hailey. She’s a kid, and someone has to protect her. God knows her fuckwad of a father left her swinging in the wind.”
“Hollis, it’s not your concern about Hailey getting hurt that’s odd. What did you just say to me? Think about it.”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I’m guessing you’re about to enlighten me.”
“You said, when things go south, Hailey’s going to suffer.”
“So?”
“What does when things go south look like to you?”
Did she really need it spelled out for her? I thought it was pretty damn clear. “Hailey’s not attached to many people. When Elodie leaves, she’s going to be hurt. What part of this is so hard for you to understand?”
Addison frowned. “The part that you’re so certain she’s leaving. Not every woman is going to abandon you. But if you go into this relationship with the ending to the story already written, everything you do will be leading you in that direction.”
***
I knew she was staying because I hadn’t left yet. That was typical Addison. Normally, it would be a business issue I was struggling with—a client asking me to do something I wasn’t sure about, or something going on with an employee that didn’t sit right with me. We’d air things out in the morning, generally disagree, and then hours later, on my way out for the night, I’d stop at her office and together we’d find a middle ground on how to handle things.
Only today it wasn’t about business.
I took the seat across from her, on the other side of her desk, and leaned back into the chair. “So how do I change it?”
Addison slipped her glasses from her face and tossed them on top of a stack of papers. “You allow yourself to give things a real chance.”
“And how the hell do I do that?”
“Well, you have to start by changing your outlook. It’s not going to happen overnight. But you need to believe that happiness is a possibility for you. Start small. Think of something you’re thankful for and express it in some way. It doesn’t have to be grandiose. Just accept things you’re thankful for and acknowledge them as positive instead of waiting for them to turn negative.”
“Okay.”
“Also, use positive words. Instead of saying this is a disaster, say we’ll work it out. And make plans in your personal life that are more than a few days in the future—maybe a trip next month with Elodie, or even tickets to a play in the fall with Hailey. It’ll show them you’re thinking long term.”
I sighed. “Okay. I can do that.”
“It’s going to take time, Hollis. Just take small steps and try not to worry about the ending. Instead, enjoy the journey.”
I arched a brow. “When did you become the freaking Dalai Lama?”
Addison smiled. “Right after my second divorce, when I decided it was time for me to actually be happy.”
