21. A Busy Lady

21

A BUSY LADY

“ Y ou’ll be back tomorrow?” Janelle asked him on Friday around noon. He was checking in with her now that Penelope was down for her nap. He’d put her down himself and said that he’d be back on Saturday morning.

Penelope was so used to him coming and going for his job that she never thought to ask or question anything.

Unlike Janelle.

“I will be,” he said.

“How is everything coming on the business plan?” Janelle asked.

“It’s good. I know construction will be done in a few weeks. Maybe a month. They’ve got job ads posted to get staff in to set up with production and then will get more done after that. It’s moving faster than I thought.”

“So this isn’t a business trip?” Janelle asked.

He didn’t know why he wasn’t sharing this and should.

The more time he spent with Laken, the more he wanted to bring Penelope into it. He’d need Janelle to help him out with that when the time came.

“No,” he said. “Do you have a minute?”

“You pay me to have a lot of minutes,” Janelle said, grinning. “Tea?”

He looked at his watch. “I’ve got time for tea.”

He wasn’t going to leave until close to two. It’d get him to Laken’s before three, but he wanted to plan on traffic too. She’d be home by then. She’d promised him she was leaving the minute her meeting ended around one thirty, but he also knew that she might get held up.

Janelle moved around the kitchen getting the water hot in the kettle on the stove and putting tea bags in cups.

When they both had a cup in front of them, she sat at the island with him.

“Go ahead and tell me you’re seeing someone.”

Guess there wasn’t much he could keep from her. “I am,” he said.

“I’m glad. I’m not sure why it’s such a secret from me. You know if there is anyone you can trust it’s the person guarding your daughter’s identity from the world.”

“I know that,” he said. “And you never judge.”

“No,” Janelle said. “How could I judge a man as generous and caring as you?”

“Don’t put me on a pedestal or make me to be a saint.”

“We know you aren’t either of those things,” Janelle said, laughing.

“Not in my parents’ eyes for sure.”

“Don’t bring that into your house. You need to stop trying to be someone you’re never going to be. I’m not sure your parents even know what they want you to be.”

“Not who I am,” he said, laughing. But it did remind him of what was said the other day in the meeting with West. That Nelson was trying to be someone he wasn’t. That his siblings were trying to prove themselves to someone when they didn’t need to do it.

West was right. If he knew the outcome with his parents, then why did he keep trying so hard?

Because didn’t every child want their parents’ approval?

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Janelle said. “You’re a great son and a wonderful father. If they can’t see that, it’s on them.”

He’d heard this before.

“I know,” he said.

“Are you going to tell me who you’re dating or doesn’t it really matter?”

“It’s Laken Carlisle. You met her.”

Janelle smiled. “I gathered as much.”

“How?” he asked, frowning.

“You allowed her to come to your house. You knew we weren’t here, but that means nothing. You know as well as I do there are a lot of times we come home early. You had to return with Laken. I’d seen her car here when we got back and tried to keep Penelope back, but she heard the door and was off running before I could stop her.”

“It’s fine,” he said. Nothing warmed him more than to bend down and hold his arms out for his little girl.

“That’s right,” Janelle said. “It is fine. You’re entitled to find someone. The same with bringing someone into Penelope’s life.”

“I’m not sure how close I am to that yet,” he said.

“Closer than you think, but you tend to take your time when you’re unsure.”

There was no reason to dispute that.

“I don’t see her much. She’s on the road more than me. She’s a busy lady.”

“You need someone smart like that in your life. Someone that doesn’t spend all their time figuring out how to get your attention.”

“She definitely doesn’t do that.”

“I haven’t heard any whispers about this,” Janelle said. “You know I keep my eye out for pictures of you.”

He didn’t pay attention to things anymore. He didn’t want to know what was written about him half the time.

“We aren’t seen out in public often,” he said. “Not enough to raise eyebrows.”

“You’re just going to her place?” Janelle asked.

“Usually.”

“Not very romantic. Not healthy either.”

“I’m not so sure about either of those things,” he said.

“Why not take some time away?” Janelle asked.

“She can barely get three hours off to get out of work early,” he said, laughing.

“I guess that is something you’re going to have to work out. But the longer you keep it from your daughter the harder it’s going to continue to be. Once Penelope knows, then you can spend time here with both of them.”

“We’ll see,” he said.

He knew Laken was great with Penelope that one time they met. And Laken always asked about his daughter too.

But this was uncharted territory for him.

“You always say that,” Janelle said. “Finish your tea and I’ll stop questioning you. I know how much you hated that from your parents.”

He laughed. “I don’t mind it from you and you know it.”

But he did finish his tea, put his cup in the dishwasher and left.

It took him about an hour to get to Laken’s. He was dealing with lunch-hour traffic moving just a few miles to get to her place but was happy to park and make his way to her condo.

He knocked once and the door was opened, her hands came out to grab his shirtfront and yank him in.

His mouth landed on hers and she was all but pushing him backwards to her room.

“Nice to see you too,” he said.

“Quiet. I know you’re staying the night, but I want to take advantage of this now since I just walked in the door.”

He finally could lean back and look at what she was wearing. One of her sexy skirts and a button-down shirt. There were pumps on her feet and her hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck.

“All you need are glasses to get the sexy executive vibe going.”

“I love how you said sexy executive and not sexy librarian.”

He laughed. “You are the sexy executive.”

He knew her title. It had a VP in front of it.

“That is me,” she said. “What are you going to do about it?”

“What would you do if I wasn’t here right now? Let’s say you were all worked up over a guy in a suit.”

“You mean when I watch you on Sundays?” She was fanning her hand in front of her face.

“Do you like me in a suit?”

“Hell yeah,” she said. “I like you in just about anything or nothing at all.”

“Good to know,” he said. “Tell me what you’d do. Or better yet show me.”

“Why would I do that or show you when I’ve got you here to do it for me?” she asked.

“Maybe I need this in my mind when I’m alone on the road. We could talk on the phone and I could picture you doing it.”

“Phone sex?” she asked. “I won’t do video sex.”

“Neither would I,” he said.

He just didn’t trust anything even if it was live streaming.

She kicked her shoes off which was a bummer, but he’d told her what to do and wasn’t going to stop her.

Next thing, her shirt came out of her skirt and she started to unbutton it. It was as if he wasn’t in the room with her.

He wouldn’t be offended over that either.

Once her shirt was open, she turned and he noticed the white lace bra she’d had under her pink silk shirt.

She didn’t remove her black skirt. Just lifted it up and over her hips, then removed her stockings, leaving her in matching white silk panties. Barely there, but they were covering enough.

“Do you always match?” he asked, moving closer to her. He sat on the bed.

“I do try to match,” she said. “Most days. I planned this day more than most.”

His dick was already throbbing and straining at the zipper of his jeans.

She turned her back on him and opened a drawer next to her bed. He looked in and saw a few different toys and grinned.

She pulled a blue one out that had a little itty-bitty curved hole on the tip. He wasn’t sure what the heck the thing was, but it wasn’t big and would fit in the palm of her hand.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“You don’t know what this sex toy is?” she asked.

“Toys don’t normally come out when I’m around,” he said. Plus most of the women he’d been with had said they’d rather have him and didn’t need a toy. He was sure it was them sucking up, but he liked that Laken didn’t mind.

“I can see why,” she said. “I use these enough when I’m alone, but I like the way you’re thinking.” She hit a button and he heard a vibrating sound, then she put the tip of her finger over the small protruding hole and it sucked her skin to it. “Do you get it now?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Hand it over.”

She did without question and wiggled out of her panties, leaned against her pillows and bent her knees on her bed opening up for him.

His finger came out and touched the dew gathering, then he put the tip of the toy on her swollen bud and could hear it sticking like a suction cup while it vibrated.

Laken let out a loud moan and arched up.

His eyes lifted and he could see the ecstasy on her face. “It’s intense,” she said. “I use this when I’m in a hurry.”

She was squirming and lifting her hips up and down, her legs almost quivering, her nails digging into her thighs.

She was coming. He knew it. He could see it even if he didn’t hear it.

What surprised him was how long she was coming and he was afraid to move it. She wasn’t stopping and he was going to explode at the sight alone.

“Are you done?” he asked. She was slowing down but not yet finished.

“I told you it’s intense. I could last minutes if you kept it there. I could go again, I know it.”

“Take over,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Keep going,” he said, undressing as quickly as possible, then covering his dick.

He’d been watching her while he got ready and her eyes were all but crossing as she was getting worked up again.

He tossed the toy on the side of the bed, gathered her into his arms and sank inside fast.

She screamed out in pleasure and was bucking up against him so fast he had no choice but to follow. She was coming around his dick hard and pulsing around him and he joined her, the two of them going on and on.

When she finally stopped moving and lay there spent, he said, “You’re right. That was intense.”

“My God. I’m going to have to use two toys now that I know what it’s like to put something in me after the first orgasm.”

He burst out laughing. “Or you can wait for me.”

“I can do that too,” she said. “But you know, a lady has needs. Though after this night I could be satisfied for a week or so until I can see you again.”

“Then I’ll make tonight and tomorrow morning completely worth it for you and wear you out good.”

“Please do,” she said quietly, her eyes drifting shut.

He got up to take care of the condom and when he came back she was out cold napping.

He found a blanket at the end of the bed and covered them both and lay down to pull her into his arms. Maybe they could both use a nap after that.