Taking Him Home

TINA

After a long day at the hospital, we all needed to get some rest.

“Honey, are you going back to your place tonight?” Mom asked.

I could tell she meant that she’d really like me to stay at my childhood home. It wasn’t far, and I knew she was used to having my father’s company. Being alone was never something she was good at.

I looked at Alejandro. I was expecting he would go back home to his family and back to work. I knew he had a lot going on at work.

“Let’s go. I’ll drive us. I’m assuming you would have come here in the ambulance?” He looked to my mother.

I was impressed by him, not just for his generosity, but for how he had thought through what her experience must have been.

My mom hesitated.

“Don’t be shy, now,” Alejandro said. “Like you said, we’re family friends now. If you’d be comfortable with me staying, I would appreciate the chance to keep you both company.”

My mother looked at me, and I could see a flash in her eyes of understanding. She saw who Alejandro was and how genuine he was.

“Of course you’re welcome to stay.”

The drive to my family home was a blur. I kept thinking about everything that had happened today. Had I really woken up next to Alejandro and come into work late after magnificent sex? That part of my life was so special, but it was new, and I didn’t know if something might change. I worried that meeting my family and seeing our real-world problems might dampen his interest in me somehow.

As if he felt what I was thinking, he reached for my hand and held it while he drove. The silence in the car felt easy. Nothing needed to be said, or rather, everything that needed to be said for now had already been said.

We picked up burgers from my favorite chain on the way home and ate them at the kitchen table where I had lots of memories of drawing and cooking and doing homework.

“Shall I give you a tour?” I said after we finished dinner.

“I think I’ll say goodnight,” Mom said. She gave us both hugs before she went. “Thanks for everything,” she said to Alejandro.

The kitchen felt a bit larger without my mother’s steady presence once she’d left the room.

My family home was nice, or at least I’d always thought it was nice. But I wondered what a billionaire would think. I felt a little shy. I’d offered him a tour, but he’d basically already seen most of the house.

“Will you show me your room?”

I offered him my hand, and he accepted.

“You don’t think my home is too suburban, too boring?” I asked.

“It’s lovely. It’s where you are from. It’s what made you. You grew up here?”

I nodded. I led him to my childhood bedroom, which embarrassingly I’d never really gotten around to updating since I left home. A net of stuffed animals was hung in one corner. The carpet was purple—a light lavender that I had insisted upon when they did the carpets when I was a teenager. My bed was at least a full-size bed, so it would be big enough for two.

He grinned at the leftover odds and ends from my childhood. “Care bears?”

“Of course,” I said. “My family may not have tons of money, but I had the good stuff growing up.”

He let the conversation drop then, and he placed his hands on my cheeks.

I could almost feel him thinking something, like he wanted to say something sweet, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Instead, he kissed me.

I wrapped my arms around his waist. This time, neither of us was in a rush. I unbuttoned the buttons on his white dress shirt that smelled of cologne, and I took the time to undo the buttons on his wrists.

He ran his fingers through my hair, then cupped my ass in his hands.

We kissed for a sinfully long time. I knew we’d do more, so it felt nice to just linger with his mouth on mine. I pulled him to the bed because I wanted to feel his weight on me. We kissed until the stress of the day had evaporated and the only thing I knew was his body on me and his heart next to mine.

“Are you sure you want to go any further?” he asked. “I’m happy with just this.”

I kissed his forehead, and then I took his hand and put it where I wanted it—on the top of my panties. We’d managed to get everything off by now except our underwear.

“Touch me, Alejandro,” I said. “I need to feel your touch.”

He slipped a finger inside me, around my panties. “Like this?”

I moaned and moved against him. I wanted his cock, for sure, but I knew we could take our time getting there. The feel of his finger in me was amazing.

And I wanted more. “Let me suck your cock,” I said.

He blushed then. He took off his underwear, and I took his beautiful cock in my hand.

His hands cupped my breasts, and I leaned down and kissed the tip of his cock. With other guys, I had done oral because it was what you did, but with him, I found I really liked it.

He pinched my nipples as I took him in my mouth. I took my time with him. I liked the feel of his penis and the taste of it. I liked feeling so connected with him.

And the way he touched my breasts only made it all that much hotter.

“Don’t take me all the way,” he gasped after only a few minutes. “I want to be in you when I come.”

I looked up at him. The naughty part of me wanted to bring him to orgasm however I wanted to, but more than that, I wanted to make him happy.

I slowly withdrew my mouth from him. “How do you want it?” I asked.

He kissed me hard then. His hands moved from my breasts to my ass. Then he rolled me over so I was face down on the bed.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

I spread my legs and wiggled my ass at him. “Put it in me, Alejandro. I need you there.”

He slid his length inside me—slowly at first—and then he started pumping with vigor. We were both sweaty by now, and it felt so good to have him inside me. I never thought I’d like this position, but it felt so good with him.

He reached around me to put one hand on my clit. I felt so good, with him inside me and touching me there. I was close already.

I felt myself starting to go over the waterfall as I felt his seed spill in me.

“Keep fucking me,” I said. “I’m coming.”

He kept pumping and kept moving his fingers against my clit. I bit my pillow to keep from screaming.

“Yes!” I moaned into the pillow.

After my climax was done, we stayed like that for a moment. He kissed my neck and brushed my hair away from my face.

“Thank you,” he said. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”

“So are you, Alejandro,” I said.

***

We stayed there a week, with Alejandro going back and forth between the hospital and the office. On the second day, my father woke up. He was responding well to the medications. My mother was relieved.

I was so happy to see my father doing better. I visited him every day. I told Alejandro I could come into work at least part-time, but he said that wasn’t necessary. Kelly could cover for me.

And when Alejandro met my father, and they shook hands and talked, it was wonderful. I’d gotten my love of wrestling from my dad, and the two of them discovered they had a lot in common in terms of their taste in wrestlers and their appreciation of the sport.

It was wonderful to see Alejandro get close to my family. Everything was going great again. My father was discharged from the hospital, and I left my family home and went back to work. I needed to catch up on my new marketing initiatives, even though I trusted Kelly to move things forward.

***

Then tragedy struck.

I was getting ready for work with the news on when I saw something awful.

ARMANDO GONZALEZ PASSES AWAY AT THE AGE OF 69.

I stared at the television, not believing my eyes. This had to be a dream. This was not possible. Sure, he’d been a little frail, but he was still young.

My mind immediately went to one place. I picked up my phone and dialed his number. He didn’t pick up.

“Shit,” I cursed and tried again. After a few more attempts—maybe too many—I gave up and tossed the phone aside. I slumped down to the seat. I couldn’t believe this. How did this happen? My father’s health scare had

The phone rang, and I grabbed it with renewed hope. But it was just Kelly.

“Hey, Kelly,” I said.

“Did you hear the news?”

“I did. I’ve been trying to reach him. He’s not picking up his line.”

“I think for good reason.” Kelly’s voice was low. “I think he doesn’t want to speak with anyone at the moment.”

I felt so devastated. I know it sounded selfish, but I needed his attention. I needed to know what he was going through. I needed to comfort him.

But it looked like all there was for me to do was just go to work.

Thirty minutes later, I had arrived at the office. Kelly was at her desk.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey.”

There was a long silence between us. The usual quips from her were absent. It was like an air of sorrow filled the office.

I glanced around. Everyone was soldiering on, doing the bare minimum. Even Tim, the young and vibrant intern, was moving slowly.

I really tried to pick up my work, but it was awful. I could barely read my emails. “This is not going to work.” I shut down my system.

“What are you doing?” Kelly raised an eyebrow at my actions.

“I can’t concentrate,” I replied. “I’m not going to deceive myself, Kelly. I need to see him.”

“He may not want to see anyone.”

“I don’t care!” I stood up, startling her. “If he wants to be a jerk to me when I go up there, then fine, but I’m not going to sit here and let him brood away. If he’s going to be sad, I’m going to be sad with him.”

I walked toward the elevator and pressed the button. Before it closed, I saw the encouraging smile Kelly gave me from afar.

I knocked at his door moments later. There was no reply. I knocked harder. I felt like he was in there.

“Come in.” His voice was muffled.

Alejandro stood by the window, not at his desk where he normally was. His shoulders sagged a bit as he stared outside. I could feel the body language, and it displayed a depth of grief and sorrow.

“I knew you would come.” His voice was hoarse. He didn’t turn around.

“You got that right.” I walked toward him. “I’m that stubborn. You should have known that by now.”

“Of course I should.” He made an attempt to chuckle, but it only came out as a cough. When I stood beside him, I finally got a look. A pang hit my heart. His hair was ruffled, and his normally green and steely eyes were dull and gloomy. There were also dark circles under them.

“He was fighting,” he said, his eyes still out of the window. “Since she left him, he was fighting. It was his heart that took him, in the end. She broke his heart. He never could remarry. He didn’t chase after more women. He still loved her. Even when he knew in his heart that she would never come back, he still held on to that hope.”

I didn’t know what to say. It hurt me to see him like this. What hurt me even more was the fact that he was able to save my father but couldn’t save his. I felt my eyes brim with hot tears.

“Tina,” Alejandro faced me. “I didn’t know what to do. I feel like I don’t have any direction anymore. Padre was one of the driving forces in my life. Now he’s gone, and I—”

He paused and shut his eyes.

“I feel myself going back to that dark place. I feel the darkness grasping my heart again. It’s all I can do not to shut down entirely.”

“Don’t you dare!” I lunged at him and held him tightly. He jolted in my grip. “Alejandro, you have come all this way to be a better man, and I don’t want you to go back. I don’t want to lose you to that darkness.”

I pulled away and looked into his eyes, the tears now slipping out of mine.

“Because I love you.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could catch myself. This wasn’t the time to say it, but I couldn’t hold the words back any longer.

My eyes widened, and so did his. For a moment, the lingering effect of my confession hung in the air.

“Tina.” Alejandro cupped my face. “Do you mean that? Is this coming from your heart?”

I stared deep into his eyes and thought of how we’d come this far. In the beginning, he’d been a total asshole. Eventually, he acknowledged my competence, then he saved me from embarrassment and humiliation. He saved Kelly and me from getting assaulted, bailing Kelly out of jail, and then saving my father. With each passing action, I knew he was changing. It was a metamorphosis. And as he changed, my feelings grew. When I saw him bond with my family, I couldn’t deny it anymore. It was at that moment I knew what he meant to me.

“Yes,” I answered. “Yes, Alejandro, I love you. I absolutely do.”

With my face still in his hands, Alejandro swooped in and mashed his lips against mine. I returned his kiss with fervor and wrapped my hands around his back. This time, I didn’t feel the familiar need and lust in his lips. I felt something new.

Love. I knew then that I had thought I’d loved Mike, and the guy before him, but it was a kind of puppy, kid love. This was the real thing. And it was mutual. I could feel it radiating from him. I could feel the love pouring from his heart.

He pulled away and leaned his head on mine, shutting his eyes.

“I love you too,” he whispered.