Ellie | 25f | Writing fic for: Harry Potter ~ Hogwarts Legacy ~ Peaky Blinders ~ White Lotus | Open to requests! | Here to meet other writers in these fandoms
Tim gets a wake up call and realizes what is important. He also spends some time thinking about the night things changed between him and Callie
AO3 Link!
“You look incredible, darlin’.” I wrapped my arms around Callie and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. I wanted to do so much more, but we were still in public.
“And you look like you need a shower. With me.” The second the words came out of her mouth I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about them all day.
“Don’t I wish.” I took a step back from her, feeling like a sixteen year old boy who couldn’t handle his body. If she was pressed against me for one more second I’d have to try and hide a raging hard-on as I walked back to the villa.
“What did you want to talk about?” She asked and it drew me back to why I had texted her in the first place.
“We’re going to Phuket tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Her face lit up and that was the exact reaction I had hoped for.
“Everything’s ready. Why wait? I’m going to pretend to get the call this afternoon and we’ll leave in the morning. Have your bag packed and act surprised.” I told her and she looked like I felt inside — that even the next twenty-four hours were too long to wait.
“I have good news too. The deal is done.”
“The Bank of New York deal?”
“They signed late last night. We’ve closed them. I sent the contract to your inbox.” She was beaming. There were many words that I loved hearing out of Callie’s mouth, mostly my name, but these were some of the sweetest.
Because it meant I was done. We were done.
That forty-five million dollar deal was how I planned to end my career now that I had a new life and direction in mind. Saxon could build from here on out. It had been a grueling five months working on it, and my beautiful Callie had pushed it over the finish line.
“I’m so proud of you.” God how much I meant that. She was incredible. We were incredible together.
“It was mostly you. And a little bit of Saxon.”
I saw her face drop a bit, but I knew she understood that she was essential to all of this. It was something else, “Baby?”
“I’ve been focusing on that and it slipped my mind…but this guy keeps calling from the Wall Street Journal trying to interview you. I’ve talked to him twice now and he won’t give up. Something about this thing called Sho-Kel? Do you know what that is?” She looked up at me with her big eyes and my stomach dropped to my ankles.
Sho-Kel? What the fuck.
“Tim, what is it?”
“Did this guy say anything about it?” I tried to keep my breathing even to not worry her.
“Just that he wanted to talk to you. And this other guy has called a few times but hasn’t left voicemail. Kenneth Nguyen?”
Shit. Shit shit shit shit.
“Kenny. Yeah. Did business with him a few years back. Probably wants to work together again.” I told her, knowing that wasn’t true. I had done a massive favor to Kenny and made a few bucks out of it. He had promised me it was all above board, but this was too coincidental.
Something was up.
“Tim, what’s wrong?”
Everything. But maybe nothing. It needed to be nothing because I did not need a wrench in any of my plans. I was making an exit. In my business. In my marriage. And it all needed to be clean.
“Nothing at all, sugar. I’ll call Kenny and see what he wants and if that guy from the Journal calls back again, forward him to my cell.” It had to be nothing and I was desperate to change the subject, “Saxon said you wanted to go on this boat later?”
“I don’t. Unless you are there.”
“Of course I’ll be there. Now, don’t you have a massage to get to?”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked off back to the hotel, looking back at me with the biggest grin on her face. As soon as she was out of earshot, I dialed Kenny’s number.
~o0o~
“Oh! Mr. Ratliff!”
No, no, I did not have time to deal with Pam on top of everything else.
My morning had gone from incredible to an absolute nightmare. I managed to get Kenny on the phone and he said the goddamn Feds were on him because of the Sho-Kel account I helped him set up four fucking years ago. The motherfucker had used it to embezzle money from the government of Brunei and now my fingerprints were all over it. I had no idea Kenny was going to go and do something so stupid. We were classmates at Duke. Friends. And now he had fucked me over.
Kenny said he was working on a plea deal and that I should get my ducks in a row. As soon as we got off the phone, I logged into my work email for the first time all trip and saw nothing of note beyond the signed contract Callie had sent over. If this could just be isolated, I could get in front of it.
I called my lawyer and he told me he’d get more information and to hang tight. I decided not to talk to the guy from the Journal. If I didn’t say anything about it, I admitted no part in all of this.
My mind was buzzing with plans and excuses. It was a mistake — well, it was. I didn’t know — well, I didn’t know Kenny was going to be such a goddamn idiot. I’d pay any fine I had to. Brush it under the rug. This wasn’t going to derail my trip or my plans with Callie or my future. I would not let it.
“Mr. Ratliff!”
“I’m sorry, Pam, I’m in a hurry here.” I turned to the woman who was still following me through the hotel lobby and saw her recoil at my harsh tone.
“It’s about Callie.”
“Is she okay?” I stopped and realized there were dozens of people in the hotel lobby and Thai policemen everywhere.
“There’s been a robbery and Callie was in the store when it happened. She’s unhurt but she’s shaken up. I tried to call your villa but no one answered.” Pam went on and my entire body froze.
“Where is she?”
“She’s having her statement taken, if you’ll just…” Pam motioned for me to follow her and we walked towards one of the stores just off the lobby. The kind that sell a bunch of overpriced baubles and branded sweatshirts to saps like me with too much money. The second I saw her talking to one of the policemen, I wanted to run to her. To take her in my arms. I had to physically plant my feet to the floor to keep from doing so and causing a scene.
Pam hovered, probably hoping I wasn’t going to sue the hotel. I’d figure that out later. I waited for Callie to finish giving her statement, eyes following the damage in the store — the broken jewelry cases and the knocked over racks of merchandise.
“Tim, is it?” The doe-eyed brunette I had seen Callie with a few times since arriving popped into my peripheral vision and I turned to her, nodding.
“I’m glad someone found you. Callie was asking for you. They stole our phones and our bags. They didn’t hurt us.” She explained and anger coursed through me. I wasn’t there to protect her. “I’m Chelsea. We were shopping together.”
“You alright?” The girl was sweet. She obviously had a fondness for Callie — a friendship that was growing. I looked between her and Callie, who was still talking to the police.
“I…I can’t find Rick. My boyfriend. Um, maybe you’ve seen him? He has longer hair and is probably wearing a Hawaiian shirt…I don’t know as I didn’t see him this morning…”
I placed my hands on her upper arms, doing my best to calm the poor thing down, “I know who you are talking about. I’ll have someone find him, alright sweetheart?” I couldn’t believe that douche had managed to hang onto this little sweetheart.
“They had guns and…”
“Tim. Thank God.” Callie sighed as she approached us and I saw a knowing glance exchanged between the two girls before she stepped closer and hugged me. I didn’t care in that moment if anyone thought it was inappropriate. I loved her, but she was still someone who had gone through something unthinkably scary. A hug felt like the least I could offer.
“I’ll just…” Chelsea backed away and I looked around for Pam, calling her over.
“Find this young woman’s partner, will you please?” I ordered and Pam scurried off before I turned my attention to Callie, “What the hell happened?”
“I met up with Chelsea after my massage and we decided to do shopping. We were looking at some bracelets when three guys in all black and ski masks came into the store. They were waving guns and told us they’d shoot us if we didn’t give them everything. They just kept yelling…”
I could tell she was trying to keep it together in front of the entire lobby full of nosy onlookers, but she had probably seen her life flash before her eyes.
“They took everything. My purse with my wallet and…” Her hand reached up to her neck where I saw a small red line, “They pulled my necklace off of me.”
I knew that necklace well. I had noticed she had been wearing it that morning. It was the thinnest gold chain with a small diamond starburst pendant. I had given it to her six months ago and told her she was my star. Brilliant. Beautiful. Someone I’d wished for. Callie wasn’t into anything ostentatious — the necklace was simple. It could be replaced. But that wasn’t the point.
She was devastated and there was nothing I could do. How fucking trivial did everything else seem when the day could have turned out so differently? What if she hadn’t been so lucky?
“I’m so sorry, Callie. It was my idea.” Chelsea interrupted, biting her lip in anguish. It was no one’s fault except for this damn hotel for not having enough security.
“I’ll take care of this, girls, alright?” I promised. The fucking CEO of the White Lotus was going to hear from me before the day was out.
~o0o~
God, I fucking hated boats. My father loved them, which was probably the reason I hated them so much. A man with new money bought a boat. It screamed “trying too hard”.
And I could tell our host had new money. This wasn’t just any boat. It was a mega-yacht that could easily hold two-hundred people. I was introduced to him an hour ago. Gary something. Seemed like a prick.
Victoria was, unsurprisingly, disgusted by the outing. I watched her watching all of these young, Thai girls cuddle up to older men with such judgement. The boat wasn’t my cup of tea, but the party was fine. The people were easy to make conversation with and I’d had enough drinks already to warm me up. Saxon and Lochy looked like they were having a good time getting all sorts of attention from Chelsea and Gary’s girlfriend and a bunch of other young women. Harmless all around.
Piper was talking to some boy and normally I would care but right now I didn’t. I reminded myself that we had just a few more days of this as a family. Anything my kids wanted, they could have right now.
And besides, I was only half a day away from being alone with Callie.
I had raised all hell after the robbery. It gave me something to put my anger towards. It momentarily abated my fear about whatever Kenny had done. I made them get Callie and Chelsea new phones, made this scrawny little security guard apologize for not being on watch.
Of course the only person in my family who gave a shit about what had happened to Callie was Saxon. And ever since we had stepped foot on the boat, he had followed her around like a puppy-dog, leaving me to ignore every single one of my soon-to-be ex-wife’s pointed stares about it.
But as the party dragged on, I felt like crawling out of my own skin, watching everyone else and feeling literally unmoored as we sailed around the bay. It was time.
Victoria and I were standing on the deck and I waited until we were approached by a couple — a man our age and his much younger girlfriend — before I pretended my phone was ringing. I stepped to the side apologetically, saying just enough into the non-existent phone call to feign surprise and annoyance.
“Was that work?” Victoria drawled plaintively when I was finished and I forced a grimace.
“It was Terry.” I lied. Victoria trusted him — he was a senior partner at the firm and she adored his wife Sonja, “There’s been a problem with one of our accounts. It’s urgent and it’s best if it’s smoothed over in person. He didn’t want to bother me, but since I’m here…”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the Kasikorn Bank account. Their headquarters is in Phuket and I need to meet with them. Terry’s booked us a flight tomorrow morning.”
“Tim! We’re on vacation!” She widened her eyes at me and scoffed at the inconvenience.
“I know, honey, but this is really serious. We’ll be gone barely a day and I’ll be back the rest of the week. Phone off. I promise.” I told her.
“We? Is Saxon going?”
“Callie and I.”
“Why would she go?”
“She’s been shadowing Terry on that account. She’s built a good relationship with them. I need to pull out all the stops with this one and it’s bad enough I have to go. No point in dragging Sax away from the fun.” I gestured over to where he was laughing at something the girls around him said.
“Well, at least some distance from her will do Saxon good.” Victoria sighed and I didn’t care that was what she was focused on so long as she wasn’t suspicious.
“I’m sorry, hun, but you know how it is.” I bent down to give her a kiss and seal in my fake remorse.
“Mhmm. I need to go get a little somethin’. Too many people.” She swanned off, no doubt to load up on Lorazepam for the evening. If she slept through the entirety of tomorrow, that was fine by me.
I headed back to the bar, impatient for another drink to make the time go by faster. It turned out to be a good vantage point. I could see the entire deck basked in the late afternoon sun and the clumps of people all looking like they were having much more fun than I was.
My eyes scanned for Callie and I saw her coming up the stairs towards the sundeck, arm in arm with Chelsea. They joined the group with my sons and I was glad to see that she was smiling again after the morning she had. She looked beautiful, her freckles starting to come out with her darkening tan.
This wasn’t so different from the night things started between us. Except we were at a party at some fancy hotel back home. I’d rented out the dining room there for the firm to celebrate closing a big account. Back then I was taking every chance I could to create moments where I could spend time with Callie that weren’t in the office. To try and impress her.
So that night I had listened to the interns and what they wanted. Karaoke. Taco bar. Margaritas. Not what I would normally set up, but Callie liked the idea. Saxon said it was the first event that wouldn’t be “beyond lame” in his words.
It was a hit. Everyone from the analysts to the portfolio managers and yeah, even the admittedly mediocre crop of unpaid Duke undergrad interns seemed to be having fun. Hell, I was having fun. When I wasn’t being absolutely tortured by Callie.
At that point, the last two years had been a special sort of punishment for me having her in the office every day. She excelled at everything and looked beautiful while doing so, which meant each day chipped a little further away at my resolve. At the threads desperately trying to hold my lackluster marriage together.
It would be one thing if she was just beautiful. I’ve worked with beautiful women and had never been tempted. But Callie was the smartest person in any room. Far smarter than me, and Terry, and Saxon, but she never once boasted about it. She carried herself humbly, always taking the time to teach the interns something or donate to whatever cause someone mentioned running a 5k for the weekend before. She listened and got to know people. She was friends with everyone in the firm, well-respected, and she wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with me.
There was one instance where she completely disagreed with my portfolio picks for one of our longtime clients. She set up a meeting with me, brought me a thirty slide deck with data showing evidence of exactly why I was wrong and which stocks she would choose instead and presented it so calmly that I was sure my jaw was on the table when she was finished.
And then she’d bring me my favorite coffee the next morning as if she hadn’t just smashed my ego into little bits.
I could hardly believe it took me so long to crack. But watching her dancing in her little black dress as the night went on captured my entire attention. I drank far too much. Enough to let Saxon convince me to do a duet with him to Queen’s “Under Pressure”.
I fumbled my way through it as my son hammed up the makeshift stage at one end of the dining room. My only consolation to embarrassing myself was that Callie’s eyes stayed on me the entire performance.
I considered calling it a night, ordering an Uber and going home and letting Saxon lead the party on after another hour of not being able to think straight. I had the app open when another song came on and I saw Callie take the stage for karaoke.
I should have left right then and there, but if I had, my life wouldn’t have changed so incredibly.
We’d never crossed any lines, her and I. I flirted with her at work, but not so much that anyone could call it anything other than my southern gentleman charm. Sometimes I’d catch her eyes on me from across the office. She was always quick to tell me I looked handsome in a new shirt. But that was it.
Until she looked straight at me from across that goddamn rented room and starting singing Britney fucking Spears.
Show me how you want it to be
For the time I’ve known her, she could hold her alcohol well, but clearly she’d had a few drinks. Her pretty face was flushed.
Tell me baby, ‘cause I need to know now, oh because
I was pretty sure Saxon lost his mind for her that night too. The interns were going absolutely nuts. Our office manager, Sandra, was practically hollering.
And all I could do was stare.
My loneliness is killin’ me and I
Must confess, I still believe
Her voice was shaking but she looked confident as all hell and then she pointed right at me.
When I’m not with you, I lose my mind
She wasn’t pointing at me. No. Was she?
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Was I reading too much into it? It was just karaoke. Just a song that any girl her age would sing.
Callie finished and the moment was gone and I was left reeling when the night continued on as if I hadn’t just realized I wanted that woman more than anything in the entire world.
I watched her dip out of the room and followed her as she headed outside.
“Callie.” I called after her and she turned, waiting for me to catch up. I pushed open the door to the veranda that overlooked the hotel pool and we both breathed in the cool night air.
“It was awful, I know.” She laughed.
“I’ve never witnessed you do anything awful.” I remember telling her. I couldn’t think of anything better to say. My mind was focused on trying to prevent me from doing something stupid.
I failed.
“Did you sing that for me?” I asked. Her eyes went wide.
“Was it that obvious?”
I swear to God my heart stopped.
“You want a sign, Callie? I’ll give you a few. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day you stepped foot in my backyard. You are who I think about when I go to bed at night. When you aren’t in the office I have the shittiest day. And there’s this…” I flicked my eyes downward and so did she. I was painfully, visibly hard.
“Mr. Ratliff I had no idea… I’ve been second guessing myself.”
I didn’t like that I had made her feel that way, that she was unsure of the chemistry I clearly felt. But it was in the open now and I couldn’t take it back.
“Please call me Tim. And it can mean nothing. Callie. We’re both a little drunk. I can rein it in. This won’t affect your standing in the company.” I tried to lead with my brain. Tried to be an adult about it.
“What if I don’t want it to mean nothing?” She looked up at me and I will never forget the warmth her look gave me. It gave me hope for something more. It felt like I had finally cracked open what I was doing on this Earth.
I kissed her and knew we’d figure out the rest later. I didn’t want to waste one more second not having her in my arms. The rest of the night was the best kind of blur. I remember getting us a room and us barely being able to make it inside before I fucked her against the wall.
She touched me like she cared about me deeply and then made me cum so hard I forgot who the fuck I was. I had never felt anything like being inside of her. The way she rode me one moment and then giggled the next. She was so real and I was half in love with her before the night was over.
“Dad?”
I gulped down the rest of my whiskey as I came back to reality and looked at my two boys standing in front of me.
“Yeah?” I coughed. I could feel the drink burning down my throat.
“Apparently there is a full moon party tonight and Chloe invited us to go.” Saxon looked at me, seeking my permission. Lochy was by his side, nearly bouncing on his heels he looked so excited about it.
“Uh, sure, but you don’t want to go back and have dinner?” I saw Callie walking towards us.
“The boat is going to dock back at the hotel soon and then we are going to take it over to the island,” Lochlan explained as Callie sidled up next to Saxon, “And Callie said she’d come.”
“You boys go have fun, but Callie can’t. We actually need to fly to Phuket bright and early tomorrow. Terry called — Kasikorn Bank isn’t happy with our current terms so we are going to take a quick trip to smooth things over. Since we are right here.” I broke the news and was impressed at Callie’s feigned annoyance.
“I can go, Dad.” Saxon said. I watched as he glanced over at Callie, clearly trying to impress her, to try and take what he thought was a burden off of her, but I brushed him off. Reminded him that when was he ever going to get to experience a full moon party again? That he should have some bonding time with his brother.
“Go find your sister and tell her. If she wants to go to the party too, she can.” I told the boys and they looked at me as if Piper going wasn’t ever an option. Callie followed them, turning around after a few steps and winking at me.
Tim takes steps to change his life with Callie in mind.
AO3 Link Here
Good God that woman was incredible.
I had to brace myself against the sink to keep my knees from buckling. I was a shaking mess, but Callie always did that to me. That picture of her in my old college shirt was a little slice of heaven.
I had been attempting to read when she had texted. Victoria was half-passed out on the couch in the living area of the villa and I had snuck away to the bathroom like a guilty teenager trying to have some time alone with his Playboy. The mirror was already fogged from me running the shower and I washed my hands and then savored her pictures again before I deleted them and the one I sent her.
Soon I wouldn’t have to be so careful.
“Timothy!”
Fuck. I waited a few seconds, turned off the shower, splashed some water onto my face and my hair and slipped on one of the White Lotus branded bathrobes before I followed my wife’s voice.
“Yeah, hun?” I looked from her, now awake and annoyed, to my eldest, who had just come back from his night out.
“Saxon says we are invited to some boat party tomorrow?”
“It’s on a yacht. This girl Chloe invited us and she’s really nice. They are planning on sailing it around the island for a few hours in the afternoon.” Saxon relayed, his words slurring together — no doubt from how much he had to drink. “Callie wants to go.”
“Does she now?” I couldn’t tell what Victoria was getting at with the tone of her voice, but of course Callie would be there. If I had to be there, I wanted her there.
“Yeah, son. Sure. We’ll go. Could be fun.” I promised him and ignored what I am sure was a very pointed look from my wife. I just wanted the kids to have fun. To make memories. All of us, together. Everything was going to look very different when we got back home.
“Sweet. Goodnight guys.” Saxon smiled and headed off to his room. It was late, but I was so wound up from Callie and the jet lag that sleep seemed a distant hope for me and I took a spot on the couch opposite Victoria, hoping to settle back into my book.
“Timothy, we need to nip this Callie thing in the bud.”
My whole body went cold as I looked across a mound of throw pillows to Victoria, who was resting her head on her elbow and staring at me. All I could think of was that somehow I had fucked things up right before I had planned to solve everything.
How could she know?
“What Callie thing?” I tried to play dumb. Maybe that would work.
“Saxon is obsessed with her! He won’t stop staring at her at dinner and wants to spend all this time with her. It needs to stop.”
Oh.
I should have just nodded and smiled and said I’d deal with it and gone along with my night. But I pressed her. Because I knew there was something deeper.
“Is that so bad? She’s a nice girl. They’re about the same age. She’s smart.” I focused on keeping my voice even and a bit disinterested. I prayed it was convincing.
Callie was all of those things. But she was also the woman I was in love with. Who I was pretty sure I fell in love with the moment she walked into our goddamn backyard on that hotter than hell fourth of July and turned my entire world upside down.
“She’s….Tim…” Victoria threw her hands up dramatically, “She’s not right for him.”
No. She was not, that was true. She was not right for Saxon.
“Her family…she’s just not very polished.” I could tell Victoria was trying her best to not outright say what she really meant. Which was that Callie wasn’t from the societal echelons we were from. She didn’t come from old or new money and wouldn’t be the carbon copy of herself she imagined on Saxon’s arm. It was twisted but I knew it to be true. That was what she wanted for him.
To feel better about herself. To feel superior in front of all of our friends at the Club.
“You like Tallulah.” I continued.
“She’s sweet and I’m glad her and Piper are friends, but he deserves better. And I think you need to steer him away from her. Remind him that she isn’t anyone special.” Victoria nodded, “He looks up to you so much.”
I respected Victoria for birthing our three beautiful children and raising them while I worked. I appreciated the decorum with which she effortlessly navigated every social situation when we were younger, making me look good by default. I was thankful that she was able to get along with and manage my parents in ways I was never able to, and cared more for them near their passings than I ever did.
But it had been a long time since I loved the women sitting next to me. Hell, since I’d even liked her. And her words were a very strong confirmation as to why I was making the decisions I was. Because I was fucking pissed off.
If things didn’t fit into Victoria’s neat little box of what she deemed decent and appropriate, she would never be on board. She was rigid and spoiled and a snob.
And a lot of that was my fault. When we were just starting out I was obsessed with maintaining the life she had grown used to. In surpassing that. Victoria’s family was old North Carolina money and mine were upstarts. Not poor by any means, but my father’s political career had just culminated in him being elected the governor of the state and part of me now knows that without that tie, that tether to influence, she likely would have never looked my way.
She was beautiful then, still was, but early on I had been swept up in the weight of everyone’s expectations of me. To be a provider to my new wife, to grow my career, to live up to my father’s name. The harder I worked to propel us forward, the more Victoria lost her drive and her dreams, instead placing them all on our three children. She now was a woman who simply swanned through life, from one fancy lunch with her girlfriends to the next — and always just shy of drunk.
And I had enabled it.
But being with Callie had made me realize it didn’t have to be this way. That, even though I had done a disservice to Victoria in making it easy for her to live a life in which she never had to confront one painful thing, she was still responsible for her own complacency. For her haughtiness and biases.
Many times, they had rubbed off on me. But now they made me livid, sparking a fire in my stomach every time she insinuated that Callie was anything less than. She was so much more than Victoria would ever be.
“I’ll talk to him.” I finally replied and this seemed to placate her. Oh, I’d talk to him. About keeping his goddamn hands off my girl.
When the time was right.
“I think I’m going to go to bed. Especially if we have to go on this boat tomorrow.” Victoria sighed and got up from the couch, asking if I was going to join her. I waved her off, hoping she would be crashed out before long.
As soon as I heard her footsteps reach the end of the hallway, I grabbed my laptop. I was so close to finally having my happiness. On my terms.
Jenny had assured me over the phone that everything was set for Phuket. Except she thought it was Victoria who was joining me. It didn’t matter what my travel agent thought, so long as every detail was perfect. While Jenny didn’t have a ton of discretion, she was a wiz with all the little details.
But Frank did have discretion and that’s why I trusted that man with my life. He was a mentor to me coming up in the finance world. A man I looked up to when I couldn’t find the man I wanted to be in my father. Frank handled our money and had never once steered me wrong. If anyone knew how much Callie meant to me, it was him.
Of course I hadn’t told him explicitly, but surely he could figure it out with everything I was having him work on.
I logged into my account dashboard and smiled when I saw the final few things I had asked Frank to do tonight were already done. My plans to divorce Victoria had been six months in the making. But I wasn’t so cruel as to leave her helpless.
I had signed a hefty prenup when we married. She’d have her family money when I’m out of the picture, but I also didn’t want to give her an excuse to fight for more.
So she’d have plenty. As an apology but not a regret for my next step in life. Twenty million. Our family home. The vacation homes in Napa and Martha’s Vineyard. A healthy portion of my invested assets.
And the kids would be taken care of too. They each already had a trust in their names. And now they all had an investment property apiece and a monthly fund until they each turned thirty. Saxon would get the family business as well. They’d be comfortable for life.
Callie was the complicated piece, but Frank had assured me the plan for her was sound. We had set her up with a mix of assets. Some property, some bonds, and even some gold bars to diversify her portfolio. Five million dollars worth. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to keep her job at the firm, I wanted her set and protected.
Even if she chose not to be with me.
It would all be a clean break, Frank assured. Everyone would be happy. Nothing could be contested and no one would even know about Callie’s share. The rest of my assets were tied up in the firm and some discretionary cash and easy to liquidate stocks. We were golden.
I had come to this conclusion a while ago about what I really needed to do with my life. And whether or not my family ever spoke to me again afterwards, their financial security was something I could provide. And it would help me sleep a little better.
~o0o~
“Dad, you okay?”
Saxon’s voice drew me out of my half sleep and I blinked a few times. My son was behind the kitchen island, pouring protein powder into the blender Pam had brought over for him yesterday. I knew I had about ten seconds until my ears were going to be assaulted with noise and I was too goddamn tired for that.
“Yeah. Fine.” I pushed myself up from the crevice of the sofa I had sunken into when I had fallen asleep there last night. My laptop, now dead, was sitting on the other couch cushion. “What time is it?”
“Just after seven. Want one?” Sax pointed to the blender and I shook my head. Today was the start of the rest of my life as I knew it and I needed to keep my head right. I needed a run.
I hid a groan as I stood up. I hadn’t planned on falling asleep there, but now Victoria would need an excuse and my back was killing me. “Any plans today, Sax?”
“Yeah, we’re going to the boat party, remember? We board at one.”
Fuck. There was probably no getting out of that. “Alright. You remind your mother too. I’m going for a run.”
I felt better after I changed and slipped out of the villa with Victoria still asleep. The air wasn’t as muggy in the morning and it felt good to move. To be out of the gilded cage I was starting to hate.
I sent a text to Callie, hoping I could see her for a few minutes before our days pulled us in different directions. My mind stayed on her throughout my run up the beach.
My cards were on the table. I told her I loved her. Twice now. But I’ve felt it for far longer than this trip. Everything that was now set in motion was because I loved her. For her. For us.
She had suggested she felt the same. But she hadn’t said it. Hadn’t replied to my text last night.
I squinted into sun the as I reached the end of the stretch of private beach and doubled back. Doubt started to creep into my thoughts.
Doubt that she would meet me under the tree near the other end of the beach as I hoped she would.
And doubt that she’d want to blow it all up alongside me when I told her what was really going on. What I had planned all of this for.
I remembered the day I met her. She had looked so out of place in my backyard. She wasn’t enjoying herself. Looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Ten minutes into talking to her, she had me wrapped around her finger. She was smart, and her dry humor worked easily with mine, so opposite of how Victoria and I always clashed in that department. She was equal parts impressive and unsure of herself.
And I was too impulsive. I offered her a job I didn’t have to give, that I would create for her without her knowing, all because she had said she was headed back to New York and I didn’t want to lose her. And I didn’t even have her.
Ten minutes. That was all it took.
Her smile to me at the end of the afternoon was worth hosting that party in the first place. I don’t remember a damn other thing that happened after she left.
Somehow I had managed to keep myself in check for two whole fucking years after that. Buried down deep what started to spring up inside me that summer.
Callie played a lot of things close to her chest, but I guess I did too.
I should have told her sooner how I felt. A lot sooner. I shouldn’t have left it all to this trip.
Maybe I was delusional thinking a woman like her could be content for so long with what I was giving her, which was, what, some texts? Hotel sex? A fat salary I was hoping would somehow buy her affection? Taking her on this trip where I could barely speak to her?
I’d make it all up to her in Phuket. All of it.
I was even more determined when I came closer to the hotel, to the shaded grove near where we gathered after getting off of the boat when we arrived to Koh Samui, and saw her.
She was leaning against the widest tree, wearing tiny shorts, with her hair pulled pack in a ponytail and I thought my heart was going to burst and it had nothing to do with the run.
An awkward dinner. Too many drinks. Unexpected dessert.
“Hi, this is Callie.” I slipped into my “customer service” voice without evening thinking as I picked up my phone. Somehow, I had managed to muster up the energy after Tim had left to work on the Bank of New York deck and had just sent it off to their team, cc’ing Tim and Saxon. I was elated at how perfect the presentation and report had turned out.
The way Tim had talked about it, as if that account was the key to everything, made me desperate to get that project over and done with. We were so close to closing the deal.
“This is Bart Nixon at The Wall Street Journal. I’ve been trying to reach Timothy Ratliff.”
Oh, this guy.
“Yeah, sorry, he’s on vacation.” I pushed my laptop to the side and flopped back on the plush pillows on my bed.
“I was told this was his direct number.”
I grimaced. Tim was having all of his calls routed through my cell for the duration of the trip. It hadn’t been a bother until now.
“I’m his assistant and he’s on vacation with his family.” I repeated. And me. “I’ll have him get back to you next week.”
“It’s important. Really.”
There was something about the man’s voice — the hint of desperation in trying to make sure I didn’t hang up on him — that intrigued me.
“Can I take a message, then?”
“He needs to call me if he wants a say in anything. We’re running the story in two days.”
“What story?” As far as I knew Tim hadn’t done any interviews recently. It wasn’t abnormal for Duke to call and want to do an alumni profile, or he’d give some finance sound bites to investing podcasts. But nothing at this level of journalism.
“The Kenny Nguyen story. Sho-Kel.” Bart sounded frustrated with me, as if had any idea what the hell he was talking about, “If he wants to comment he has forty-eight hours to call me back.”
“I’ll pass it on.” I offered and hung up before scrolling back through my missed calls from earlier. There were two from the guy Bart had mentioned. I had never heard of Kenneth Nguyen before and he hadn’t left a voicemail.
My stomach started to churn uncomfortably. The way Bart had spoken hadn’t exactly filled me with confidence that what he was writing was in any way celebratory of this Kenny guy.
But Tim was well-liked and besides the fact that he was cheating on his wife with me, totally unproblematic. At least, as far as I knew.
It was likely nothing at all. If it was so important, Kenny would have left a message.
I tried to push the weird call out of my mind and wrapped up a few more emails. Our office manager, Christine, needed some invoices approved. Done. I sent a reassuring email to one of our personal finance clients that their Roth account was only barely impacted by the weird market dip a few days ago. I flew through my to-do list with the energy and confidence of a woman who now knew the man she loved also loved her.
I was not just Tim’s assistant or Tim’s lover or Tim’s dirty secret. No, I was who he wanted to be with. Who he was going to be with.
You are coming to dinner and I won’t accept no for an answer.
I glanced down at my phone as his text lit up the screen. I had told him before he left that there was no way I was going to suffer through another family dinner. I had plans for a swim, room service, and HBO.
I hovered my fingers over the screen, deciding on what to text back to him when he beat me to it.
Please.
I also booked you a massage tomorrow morning at 9. You deserve it.
Expecting calls from Frank and Jenny. Send them through to me.
I tossed my phone to the other side of the large bed and closed my eyes. God he was so annoying. And perfect.
And he could also live with a little suspense.
~o0o~
“Dad didn’t think you were gonna come.” Saxon turned to greet me as I walked up to the host stand at the White Lotus’ restaurant where all of the Ratliffs had converged waiting to be seated. The sprawling patio was already busy. Easy conversations hummed around us and suntanned faces smiled against the backdrop of dozens of tiki torches.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” I deadpanned as I surveyed my company for the evening. Loch was focused on his phone, Piper had her arms crossed and was impatiently looking around, and Victoria was leaning against Tim’s chest and looking up at him like he hung all of the stars in the sky for her.
Ugh. I should have stayed in bed.
“Callie. Good of you to join us.” Tim finally greeted me, one arm around his wife, with a tightness to his smile that let me know he likely did not appreciate me ignoring his texts all afternoon.
It was his fault that he had made me come so hard I needed to nap.
As we were led to our table, I tried to make it seem like chance that I ended up in the seat next to Tim once again.
“That’s a nice dress, Callie, Very appropriate.” Victoria said in a way that made me feel as if nothing I had ever worn previously in her presence had been appropriate and this now only barely made the cut.
“It looks good on you.” Saxon chimed in from where he sat across from me.
“Yeah. Where’d you get it. Old Navy?” Piper asked with the perfectly veiled bitchiness both she and my sister had perfected. I could swear they taught a class on it at Chapel Hill.
“It’s Hill House.” I replied in defense, realizing that this two-hundred dollar sundress that I had debated buying for weeks even though I could afford it was the equivalent of them shopping the clearance section at Kohl’s.
“It’s charming, right Piper? I’ve seen a lot of girls in downtown Durham wearing them. Very trendy.” Victoria nodded. It was the closest I was going to get to a compliment from her. She seemed in a good mood and certainly seemed loved up on Tim as she hadn’t let go of his hand since we sat down.
“How was the temple?” Tim changed the direction of the conversation, which I was appreciative of.
“Good.”
“Did you set up the interview?”
“Yes, Dad. For Thursday.”
I could tell Piper was being cagey about something with the way she looked at everything but Tim, but that wasn’t my problem. As long as her thoughts about me stayed to whatever inferior dress I was wearing and nothing deeper, I couldn’t care less.
Tim turned his attention to Lochlan and his abysmal posture and some stretching class he had signed him up for and I tuned out, ordering a vodka soda and some spring rolls from the waitress as she came around to my side of the table.
Cashing in the raincheck. Drinks after dinner?
I had my iPhone in my lap on vibrate waiting for those calls Tim had asked me to flag and the text from Saxon caught me by surprise. I looked down at it and then across the table at him, where he had his eyebrows raised in anticipation of my answer.
Bzzzzzzz
Jenny. The Ratliff’s travel agent. She had set up this entire vacation — but why was Tim expecting a call from her? I pressed the button to forward her through to Tim’s cell and then watched as he fished his own phone out of the pocket of his khakis.
“Dad!” Piper whined, gesturing at his phone as he answered the call and excused himself from the table, walking off towards the darkness at the edges of the lively patio. It was tempting to follow him with my eyes, to try and discern his body language.
But I kept my eyes instead on Victoria, who, as soon as she was handed her glass of wine, popped a pill in her mouth and washed it down.
“Mom, do you really need that? We are literally at a wellness hotel in the most relaxing place possible.” Piper chided. I heard Lochlan hold back a strangled sort of laugh.
“Yes, I do! They take the edge off when there are so many other…people…around. We are usually on our own private beach in the Caribbean when we vacation. Not at a hotel.”
I had a sinking feeling I was part of the people problem she had.
“Ahem…Callie. Don’t you have a very important text to answer?” Saxon prompted me and I wanted to flick some peanut sauce at him. I didn’t want to get a drink with him but I didn’t have a good excuse not to. He saw that I sent off the client deck so I couldn’t beg off because of work.
I decided on the most lukewarm of replies, a thumbs-up emoji, and then set my phone down next to my plate just as Tim came back to the table.
“Everything okay, Dad?” Saxon asked, his eyes searching for any tension in Tim in an eerily similar manner to how I’m sure mine were.
“Yeah. Just Jenny checking in on the trip. I told her everything is perfect.” Tim’s smile seemed genuine and I relaxed as everyone settled back into conversation and I read over the entree menu with more dedicated attention.
Until I felt Tim’s energy shift besides me and realized my phone screen was lighting up with more texts from Saxon. And they were well-within Tim’s sightline.
Great.
Can’t wait.
We’re gonna get fucked up.
“Well it is perfect. Isn’t it? All of us here.” Victoria let out a dreamy sigh and gulped down more of her wine. I could feel Tim’s eyes on me.
And there was nothing I could say. No excuse or apology or reason because Saxon had me backed into a corner and I needed to act normal. And it would be completely normal for the two of us to hit up the bar after dinner.
But I still didn’t want Tim to think it was my idea. I was his and that wasn’t going to change.
I made the mistake of looking at him after I ordered my meal and handed the menu to our waitress.
He had said he was pissed about Saxon earlier, but now he looked it. He wasn’t even attempting to hide his frown and the jealousy that was darkening his eyes.
“Something wrong, Callie? You’ve barely touched your food.” His voice was low as he jerked his chin just slightly in the direction of my half-eaten spring rolls. “Saving room for dessert already?”
There was the smallest, almost imperceptible wobble in his voice that made me realize he was doing his best to understand what was going on when there was no possible way we were going to be able to talk about it at this table.
I looked around. Saxon and Piper were sniping at one another and making enough noise that I felt confident enough to reply.
“I’m not interested in dessert.” I’m not and never will be interested in Saxon
And then my fucking phone buzzed again.
“The work stuff is getting really annoying.” Piper broke off her argument with Saxon to look directly at me as I grabbed my phone from off the table. It was the other call Tim wanted to take and I gave him a pointed look as Piper kept on it. “We said we were going to try and be present.”
“Uh, sorry Piper, I really do need to take this one too.” He was up from his seat again in a flash as I forwarded the call his way and tried to feign a semi-apologetic look.
It wasn’t work though. It was his wealth manager, Frank, who was a really nice guy but Tim rarely needed to talk to him. The last time I had set up a call for them was when Lochlan had turned 18 and Tim needed to add to his trust. It all just seemed weird.
I became more and more anxious the longer Tim was gone. Our bougie plates of fish studded with edible orchids came and went and Victoria finally gave up on waiting and she, Lochlan and Piper went back to their villa, leaving me alone with Saxon.
“The bar is calling our name.” He winked at me and I took one last glance towards the path Tim had gone down when he left. It was the path down to the beach. And then I let Saxon lead me over to the bar at the edge of the restaurant. It was already filling up with the post-dinner crowd and I slipped onto a barstool and his knees hit mine as he sat down. He was too damn tall.
“Just one drink.” I told him and he rolled his eyes.
“It’s, what, eight-thirty? What else do you have to do, Cal. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.”
I knew Saxon could and did party. I had seen enough of his bar tabs and paid them with company funds to see just how seriously he took the sport of imbibing alcohol.
“Maybe two.” I relented, asking the bartender to make me whatever he felt like. My eyes scanned the crowd of vacationers once again in search of Tim. He probably was already back in his room.
“Nice job on the deck. The deal is in the bag.” Saxon complimented before he took a sip of the beer the bartender slid over to him. I knew he was trying to be genuine, but I just did not want to be doing this.
“You really want to talk about work?”
“Why not?” Saxon shrugged.
“Because you are on vacation. I’m the only one working and I’m not working right now.” A bright pink drink in a martini glass was placed in front of me and it looked like a bad idea. “Is that how you pick up on girls at bars? Complimenting their PowerPoints?”
I needed to cool my attitude with him, but it was too easy to want to get under his skin when he had harassed me for so long. His cheeks flushed.
“I don’t really do a lot outside of work.”
“I know.” It took every ounce of self control I had to remove the pity from my voice.
“It’s not, like, weird, Callie. I bet you don’t have any hobbies outside of work.” He fired back at me and I took a drink to give me some time to think about it. Did I?
I mean, fucking his Dad was one of them.
Beyond that, though, I had kind of stopped hanging out with most of my friends. I just couldn’t be open with them about the biggest thing in my life, and I prioritized spending any time I could get with Tim. “Okay. Touché.”
I looked down at my phone to check the time and saw a text from Tim. I angled my phone away from Saxon.
You are in big trouble.
Fuck.
Come to the bar I texted him back.
No. Just remember who you belong to Callie.
I shoved my phone into my clutch and downed the rest of my drink. Saxon signaled the bartender for another round for us.
“Cal, this is awkward but…”
“Callie! Oh my God! You look so pretty!”
I could have kissed Chelsea for her timing as she ran towards us and flung her arms around me. As I parted from her embrace, I noticed she wasn’t alone.
“Chloe.” The woman introduced herself simply to Saxon and I. She was tall and beautiful and aloof looking and one glance over at Saxon let me know he no longer minded the interruption.
“We just finished dinner and I saw you! I met Chloe earlier today by the pool and she’s amazing.” Chelsea gushed and I had no doubt at the ease of which she could make new friends. I adored her and I had only known her for a day.
“My boyfriend Gary and I live here.” Chloe explained and Saxon made space for the two of them to join us at the bar. She motioned over to a table not far off where I recognized Rick, Chelsea’s beau, sitting with a a bald guy who looked a bit older. They were not talking to one another and drinking double shots of whiskey. It looked a little miserable.
“You guys want a drink?” Saxon jumped in and while Chloe gave him a little bit of attention, Chelsea turned towards me.
“Why are you hanging out with the twat and not…” She asked, leaving the rest unsaid.
“It’s kind of against my will.” I half-whispered and she nodded, her wide eyes understanding.
“Well now you have me. Chloe will have him half in love with her in a few minutes and we can just get drunk because my boyfriend is a fucking killjoy right now.” Chelsea laughed, “Let’s hang out tomorrow? Go shopping?”
“I have a massage in the morning, but yeah sounds fun.” I smiled. A round of tequila shots were placed on the bar in front of us and Saxon picked the first one up.
“Let’s rage ladies!”
I swallowed mine back, wishing I was in Tim’s arms instead.
~o0o~
It was a little past eleven when I finally left the bar. Saxon and Chloe were still there, but Chelsea had disappeared with Rick an hour earlier.
I had tried my best to not get too drunk knowing that I actually did want to enjoy my massage in the morning. But I was buzzed enough to make bad decisions.
Are you awake?
I typed it out on my phone, stared at the words for a moment, then hit send. It wasn’t too late and we were all still adjusting from the jet lag. I set my phone down and went over to my suitcase for a sleep shirt.
Against my better judgement I double texted him when he didn’t reply.
Are you mad at me?
Never was. Just jealous. You still with Sax?
Left him at the bar with some girl. I’m back in my room. I knew it would be stupid to ask if he could come over. Was he already in bed next to her? We shouldn’t even be texting right now. This was all too risky.
But I wasn’t thinking straight.
I stripped off my dress and grabbed my favorite thing to sleep in — one of Tim’s Duke t-shirts that I had stolen and refused to give back. It was that perfect level of well-worn soft and skimmed the top of my thighs. I laid back on my bed and snapped a picture of myself with my hand dipping between my thighs just under where the shirt fell.
I had absolutely no business sexting him while he was right up the path in a villa with his entire family, but my tequila-soaked brain told me to send it anyway.
And I swear the next ten minutes felt like the longest of my entire life until my phone buzzed again.
Glad you remember who you belong to baby girl. Want to fuck you.
God I really needed my vibrator. But it’d still be a poor substitute for him. I dipped two fingers into my panties as my phone lit up again.
I can’t think of anything else but you.
I felt that so deeply. He was consuming me too.
I need you inside of me. I texted him back. It was all I could manage with one hand. My head was swimming in pleasure from his words and my fingers.
There was another long stretch of nothing as I edged myself closer to orgasm, thinking of how he had fucked me earlier. Of him telling me he loved me.
I swiped to unlock my phone when I saw another text from him had come through and the screen of my iPhone filled with Tim’s cock — fully hard in his hand. With the words: Look what you do to me Callie
I slid my two fingers deeper inside of myself and flicked my clit with my thumb almost painfully hard and came right then and there.
Never in my life had I come to a guy’s dick pic and I’d seen my fair share of them. But Tim — God, Tim’s cock was perfect. And the thought of him hiding out in the bathroom trying to take a picture of himself as he sexted me made me absolutely lose my mind.
I hiked up the shirt around my waist and took a picture of my pussy, glistening from my orgasm, and sent it. It was shitty lighting but I wanted him to know exactly what he did to me.
When my phone buzzed one last time two minutes later, I smiled with the knowledge that he had probably come just as hard as I did.
New chapter up on AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/64109005/chapters/166093558
We have a little jealous!Tim, some awkward situations, and a confession...
“Tim, get in the bathroom.” I scream-whispered to him, panicked when Saxon kept knocking. Tim was fumbling to pull up his shorts and I was trying to get him out of the chair.
“He’ll go away. Just ignore him.” Tim said and I was beyond irritated that he didn’t lower his voice. That he wasn’t fucking moving.
“Have you met your son?”
“Callie, I can hear you in there. Just talk to me for one second.” Saxon’s voice was muffled from outside, but still too close for comfort. I stared at Tim, daring him to continue believing that this problem would just disappear.
He raised his hands in defeat and walked across the suite, closing the bathroom door behind him. And then I realized in absolute horror that I was still naked.
“One sec!” I called out, grabbing my bikini and Tim’s sunglasses and shoving them into the desk drawer before pulling on my cover up. It was just long enough to cover my ass and it would have do.
“You okay?” Saxon asked as I opened the door and squinted at the brightness of the sun backlighting him. I stood on the threshold, trying my best to use my body to block the view of the inside of my room all while making sure all of the parts of me that I had no interest in Saxon ever seeing were kept hidden.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“What’s on your face?” His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at my cheek and my stomach almost dropped out of my body. He was looking at his Dad’s cum. Jesus Christ.
“Oh. I was just working and…uh, that Pam lady gave me a face mask sample from the spa and I must have not washed it all off.” I wiped my hand across my cheek, trying to remove the worst of it. I could only imagine what I looked like. Probably like I had just been on my knees sucking his Dad off.
“Sure, cool. Look, I was a bit harsh at the pool. You never slack.” Saxon shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Was he nervous? “And I wanted to see if you wanted to get a drink or walk down to the beach or something?”
We both heard a loud bang coming from the inside of my room.
“I think my curling iron fell off the sink.” I lied before he could even think to ask and took a step closer to him, closing the door to the villa slightly behind me, “Are you telling me that you couldn’t find any hot, dumb girls by the pool to hang out with?”
When he smiled, I saw a hint of Tim in him. His smirk was the same. He was cute. All of my friends thought he was hot. I knew I should be with a guy like Saxon, or at least with someone his age. Our age.
But he did absolutely nothing for me. In fact, he mildly repulsed me.
“I’d rather hang out with you. Hot and not dumb. Much better combo.”
Another crash and I started to sweat. Tim was going to fuck it all up.
“What is going on in there?”
“Monkeys?” I was desperate to end the conversation and not let everything unravel. Saxon could be naive, and an ass, but he was far from stupid, “Raincheck on the drink? I have to finish a report for the Bank of New York project and send it off by this afternoon.”
“Alright. Don’t work too hard, Cal.” He said with what I sensed was a bit of disappointment. He jerked his chin up as a goodbye and I plastered on a calm, completely fake smile while I watched him walk back up the path towards his villa.
“Are you kiddin’ me?” Tim barged out of the bathroom as soon as I closed the door, red faced, one of his hands clenched in a fist at his side.
“What the fuck?” I gestured at him. I had told him to hide in the bathroom and thought it was obvious that meant to not make a bunch of noise while he was at it.
“He was pissin’ me off! Does he think you are into him?” Tim asked and then I saw insecurity flash over his eyes. If I wasn’t so scared at almost being caught I could have reveled a bit in his jealousy, “Are you into him, Callie?”
“No! I’ve been telling you for six months he’s been acting like this and I guess it took seeing it first hand for you to believe it,” I crossed my arms. Were we really doing this? “What am I supposed to do about it?”
“Tell him you have a boyfriend!” Tim threw out his arms like it was the simplest solution in the world.
“And do I have a boyfriend?”
“Yes!”
“Who?”
“Me.”
God, hearing that from him was heaven. His tone was so final. So sure. So possessive.
But it was also so completely fucking delusional.
“So I’m supposed to stop your son from hitting on me by telling him you are my boyfriend? That his Dad is my boyfriend? Do you see a problem with that?”
“Yeah, fuck. Okay Callie, it’s just…I just didn’t know.” He lowered his voice and I could tell he was trying to wrestle with his words.
“It’s fine. Just believe me when I tell you he’s been trying to get in my pants and also believe me when I say I have no interest.” I promised. I hadn’t so much as thought about anyone else since Tim came into my life.
“I raised him to have good taste at least.” He broke into a grin, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I’m also going to make sure he keeps his hands to himself.”
“You do that.” I shook my head as if I didn’t believe him.
“I’m dead serious Callie. You are mine.”
“Uh huh.”
“I know you think this is funny, but I’m pissed, baby.” He said as bent and hooked an elbow behind my knees to pick me up and toss me on the freshly made bed. He moved to lay next to me, propped up on his forearm to look at me, “I haven’t been doing a good job making it clear that you are off-limits.”
“Off-limits?” I rolled my body to face his, “Bit of a double-standard.”
“Well, fuck. Maybe I don’t want it to be.”
My stomach knotted. We were dancing close to what felt like brand new territory for us. For over a year there have been no labels, no explanations. It was a mutually beneficial affair. And a friendship. And for me, love.
Love.
“Tim, you said you loved me.” My brain circled back to before we were interrupted and it almost physically hurt to push the words out of my mouth. I watched his face for any signs of embarrassment or regret that he had said something false in the heat of the moment. I found nothing but openness in his blue eyes.
“Yeah. I did.”
I took a deep breath, desperate to portray the same calmness he radiated. It was almost impossible after hearing him confirm everything I had wanted to hear.
Because it made me want to jump on him and also yell at him for making me constantly question everything. I had been starting to think I had given up my entire life, had built so much on a sordid secret, all for him. That it would never be anything more than sex.
But there he was, inches away from me and looking at me as if it was the most indisputable thing in the entire world.
“Can we talk about that?” This time I failed at giving much of a voice at all to the words and they came out barely above a whisper.
“I thought you knew, Callie. How could you not know?”
I sat up, wanting the higher ground in the conversation when he had the audacity to look at me as if I was completely clueless.
I can’t know when you’ve literally never said! I can’t know when you won’t leave your wife! I wanted to scream at him. Fucking men. I took another deep breath.
“Tim….you’ve…”
“If you don’t feel the same way, I understand.” He jumped in before I could even put a coherent thought together, looking up at me while reaching for my hand and I let him have it. I’d let him have anything he wanted.
I wanted to laugh at the two of us — educated, successful — and terrible communicators.
I threw my right leg over his waist and moved so I was straddling him, gently pressing my hands on his abdomen to keep him flat against the bed, “I think it’s pretty obvious how I feel about you. How could you not know?” I parroted his words back to him as his hands encircled my waist.
He was getting hard again and I recklessly rubbed myself against his crotch. I could feel the shape of him perfectly through the thin linen of his shorts, and didn’t care if I left a wet spot on the fabric. He deserved it for all of the emotional whiplash he gave me.
“When is it going to be real between us, Tim?” I asked, pausing the roll of my hips to try and coax an answer from him.
“Soon, honey. We’re gonna talk about it when we go to Phuket. I have a plan for everything. We just need to close this deal with the New York account and then things are changing.” He gripped my waist a little tighter and then moved his hands down to my ass, “You can hold on a little bit longer for me, can’t you baby girl?”
Something about his voice seemed so sincere, so definitive. I allowed myself a little more hope. He had kept his promises to me about everything else.
“Callie, I need to hear you say it.”
“I can wait.” I nodded, “A few more days.”
I’d have to seriously re-evaluate my life and my choices if I left Thailand in the same situation I came there in. That would be my line in the sand.
“Good girl.”
He was going to kill me. His words had disarmed me enough for him to maneuver me on my back and push my coverup over my hips. He brushed a knuckle against my clit and I nearly lost it right there.
“Now I need to get back to reminding you who you belong to.” Tim said as he got off the bed and tugged on both of my legs until my ass was at the edge of it. He held me there, leaned over me and capturing my mouth in a kiss I felt in an entirely different way.
He was still kissing me just as deliciously as he always had, but I had only seen the surface of it before — the want, the chemistry. Now I felt his need. His care for me.
And then I felt his palm cup me right before he pushed a finger into me, the coldness of his wedding ring jarring against the warmth of him. Then another finger. Then a third.
“Fuck!” I moaned, letting my body have its own mind as I moved against his touch. His thumb rubbed circles against my clit just slowly enough to keep the growing pleasure in my belly from breaking open.
“I’ll get you there, baby, but you need to tell me who you belong to.” It was a near growl against my neck as he kissed down to my collarbone.
“You.” I breathed, desperate for a bit more pressure from his touch. He was holding back on purpose.
His other hand moved down my body as he pulled away until his only connection with me was his fingers still stretching me, making me mindless.
“Callie, I can’t hear you.”
Only part of me was aware that he had knelt down at the side of the bed, moving my calves so they rested on his shoulders. My entire body was tense, focused on the frustration of being so close to orgasm.
I almost shattered when I felt him pull out his fingers. I opened my eyes to see his blue eyes looking at me from between my thighs, his mouth so close to where I needed it.
“Baby…”
“Tim it’s you! It’s you.” It was easier than I imagined to rip that out from my heart, because I meant it. We both knew it, but it didn’t make my reward for it any less sweet when I finally felt his tongue against my clit.
He delivered on his promise to me quickly after that. And I made damn sure he would taste me on his lips for the rest of the day.
nzjzjdjsjdJXISNDKD TUMBLR ATE MY REBLOG SO I'M TRYING AGAINNNN
I don't remember what I said but KCJSNSJSNSKSKS and I'm trying desperately not to spoil anything so here's some GIFs! Tumblr don't ffing screw me again I stg
stormborns
andulkaphoto
blakekathryn
gummygunk
pixelskylines
