Fallen

I laughed and smiled again. "Still, no thank you, sir."

He tilted his head at me, "You sure?"

I smiled at him, "I don't drink sir."

His face went deadpan, "Really?"

I laughed at him outright this time, this was going to hurt a bit to admit, "No sir. My mom's a pretty heavy alcoholic. That tends to run in families, no way I'm letting that demon ever crawl onto my back."

His face lit up in an amazing smile, "Smart man." He took a sip from his drink, wincing a bit at what I assumed was the burn, "Smarter than me at your age anyway."

It seemed as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, "You don't mind if I?" he raised his glass.

I nodded, "Not at all sir, I really don't have a problem with anyone that drinks around me responsibly. If it helps you enjoy your life, and you don't get violent because of it, do what makes you happy!"

He gave me a warm smile and moved to sit down. He started to speak and I interrupted him, rather rudely I guess...

"Sir, please let me apologize to you..." I took a deep breath and watched as surprise went across his face. "I haven't been with your daughter for very long, and it really isn't my place to intrude on your family holiday. I swear to you, I begged Karly to just let me stay at home, I told her it really wasn't a big deal. Had she not showed up at my place with your wife I would not be here..."

He smiled at me. "Karly made the right decision in bringing you here. She was right, you should not be alone for the holiday. You are always welcome here so long as you treat my daughter with respect and dignity, whether or not you're with her romantically. People need people that care about them in their lives. I've not known you for long now, but you strike me as a particular young man and I find you engaging. My wife is also completely taken with you, and in the more than 20 years I've been with her I've found her instincts about people to be infallible. In fact, you might be surprised but the reason you are here was because I insisted once I found out."

I found myself really liking this man. I liked the way he talked, the way he carried himself, the way that he seemed to measure each word...

I nodded and pressed on, "I also owe you another apology...the other night, I..." I paused, trying to collect my thoughts and find the best way to say this, I sighed, "I broke down. I lost control of myself and spiraled down pretty low," In truth, I had had a complete depressive breakdown. Karly had needed to stay at my house and keep an eye on me. She was expected home, and I had prevented that from happening...

I continued, "In fact, I should have come over here the next day and begged your apology then... I shouldn't have let that fall on Karly," I really was kicking myself in the ass for letting that one slide... it was a stupid move, a mistake I vowed to never let myself repeat. Making a mistake was forgivable, not asking for forgiveness when you made a mistake from those you'd wronged was not.

I took another deep breath, "I'm sorry for that. I can't fix that, but I give you my word it will never happen again. I also promise that I will do everything in my power going forward to ensure that I have your daughter home on time when you expect her. And I promise to maintain a sense of propriety in my actions with your daughter..."

He laughed at me... it stung a little.

He took a sip from his drink, "You are a very proper young man... I'll give you that."

I looked up and him and didn't even realize I had been looking at the floor. "Sorry, sir."

He shook his head, "There's nothing to be sorry about son. It's a compliment, take it as such."

I nodded, "Thank you, sir."

He continued, "Is that why you think I had you come in here, to demand apologies from you?"

I bit the inside of my lip, "I don't know why you brought me in here... but if you go for a shotgun I'm throwing something at your head and running..."

He laughed at my little joke. "Do I strike you as a stupid man Gabby?"

I immediately shook my head and sat up straight, "No sir."

He laughed again, "Sit back and relax son." I sat back and relaxed while he continued. "Do you know that when I leave town and let my daughter stay behind I always speak with my neighbor and ask him to keep an eye on the place, and Karly?"

Busted... I looked at the floor, "No sir."

He smiled at me like he was a hyena... "Neither does my daughter. I ask that you keep it that way. I don't do it because I don't trust her, I do it because I want to make sure my little girl stays safe."

I nodded to him. His interests and mine matched in this respect, "She won't hear about it from me, I swear it..."

He allowed me a small bow, "So imagine my surprise when he told me that she didn't come home all weekend..."

I grimaced. He continued, "I assume by the look on your face that means my daughter most likely spent the weekend with you...?"

I looked him in the eye, he deserved that at least, "Sir, I really don't want to lie to you... but I also don't want to answer that question..."

He smiled. "At least you're discreet." He paused and took another sip from his drink, wincing at the burn. I could tell he drank, but not often. My respect for him grew....

"In any case. My daughter is 18 years old. Had she been born a week or two earlier she would most likely be off at college and her choices would be completely out of my hands at this point." He gave me an appraising look, "I also know my daughter is a sexual creature..." his eyes narrowed, "Are you sleeping with my daughter...?"

My eyes hardened. This was not his business, father or not... "Sir." I took a deep breath to steady myself.

Hey, look on the bright side, at least you won't be sticking around for the holiday...

I continued, "I won't answer that question. Not to you. Not to anyone. Ever. What happens between your daughter and me is our business and not anyone else's. That is something sacred and I will not give it away to anybody that thinks they have a right to it. Am I clear...?"

His eyes narrowed and I could tell his respect for me actually ratcheted up a notch. He took a deep breath and shook his head... "Son. You are either the best young man I could ever hope for my daughter to have brought home, or a hell of a conman..." his eyes hardened, "I hope very much it is the former..."

I smiled at him, "For your daughter, I will always try to be!"

He appraised me a moment longer and finally wrinkled his chin at me, "Fair enough. The answer to that question really doesn't matter. I trust my daughter's judgment, and I will continue to do so right up until she proves herself unworthy of that trust." He took another sip of his drink, "I won't lie, I'm not impressed with how fast your relationship turned physical, but I also know my daughter has had her eye on you for quite some time, and if she's anything like her mother... she can be... convincing about getting what she wants..."

I shared a knowing smile with him.

He took another deep breath. "What I'm trying to say, son, is if you are sleeping with my daughter, sticking you in separate rooms is not going to stop the two of you from having sex. And since I have no intention of babysitting the two of you while you're here, I might as well let my daughter enjoy her life, and keep the emphasis on reducing the temptation for anyone to turn dishonest. I value honesty far more than I value propriety."

I really got the sense I was getting an enormous break here... and way too much opportunity to screw up.

I nodded my head, "Thank you, sir."

He raised his glass at me, "So please, stop pretending that you don't like my daughter. Please stop pretending that that you are not head over heels for her. If I have a problem with anything you're doing, I'm a man, I can speak up, and take you aside privately and explain my expectations. Fair?"

I nodded enthusiastically, ready for this conversation to be over, "Very much so, sir."

He took another drink from his scotch, "And could you drop the sir shit...?"

I smiled, "That is going to be very hard, sir..."

HAHA, already fucked that one up, stupid! "So, no, sir, no Mister?"

He gave me a look, "Why don't we try to compromise. My friends call me Josh. You can maintain your semblance of formality and call me Joshua?"

I smiled at him, "I'll try."

"That's all we can all do, son." He smiled at me, "Now, we both have beautiful young ladies waiting for us in the other room, what say we go enjoy our time with them?"

Chapter 3

We walked together to the kitchen. Karly's mom was doing food prep and Karly was sitting at the kitchen island watching her. Mrs. Kay looked up from a pot of water she was filling. "You two get things sorted out?"

Joshua clapped his hand on my back, "Yep, I think so!"

I smiled, Karly looked at me, worried about me obviously, "You okay?" She asked me.

I walked up and kissed her lightly, then turned and looked at Joshua. He just looked at me, smiled and then laid a kiss on his wife that put the one I put on Karly to shame. When he came up for air he gave me a shit eating look, daring me to beat him...

"So, I assume this means you're sleeping in my room with no further complaints?" She asked me.

"Yes dear." I said humbly.

Her mother looked at her, "Smart and trainable, I like it!"

Karly preened, "You just need to keep them on a short leash!"

I wasn't interested in getting into that competition. I moved behind Karly and rubbed her shoulders. She stretched and reached back grabbing me and pulling me closer. I stopped rubbing her shoulders and wrapped my arms around her, breathing in her vanilla scent.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed her. Then a thought occurred to me. "Can I help you, Mrs. Kay?"

Mrs. Kay looked at her husband, he looked at her and said, "Good luck getting him to stop... if you can you're smarter than me."

She gave me a harsh look. "Do you intend to stay in my good graces young man?"

I stood up straight and looked her in the eye. "Yes, ma'am."

She met my stare evenly, "Then you will not call me Mrs. Kay, and you will not call me ma'am."

I made sure that I did not slip this time, "Yes, Marsha, you have my word."

Marsha looked at her husband, "See. You just have to be direct."

He looked wounded, "No fair!" He protested, "He would have shit himself and ran it I'd have tried that!"

She laughed and swatted his chest, another habit Karly had that she seemed to have inherited from her mother.

I moved around the kitchen island, "What are we making here?"

Marsha looked at me, "Mashed potatoes and garlic bread, to go with the steaks Joshua is making."

I noticed Marsha called her husband Joshua too... a good point to observe.

I looked at Marsha, "Go grab some time with your husband, I can do mashed potatoes and garlic bread!"

Marsha looked at Karly, Karly's face lit up beautifully, "He can cook really well mom, you should let him."

Marsha looked at me, "I don't really like the idea of a guest in my home cooking me dinner..."

I smiled at her to disarm her, "And I don't like the idea of freeloading." I looked down at the island, "Please let me help."

Joshua pulled his wife's arm. "Come on dear, I want to smoke a cigar, you can come outside and join me while I watch the steaks!"

I looked at Joshua, "How much time do I have before the steaks are done?"

He looked at his watch, "About two hours."

Shit! Steaks took that long to cook on the grill? What's the point? I wondered.

"And how many am I cooking for?" I asked them.

Karly counted in her head, "Well, us four, plus Sam, her boyfriend, and three grandparents."

I looked at them in shock. "So, nine all together?" That was a big family!

Karly looked at me and said, "Yep!"

Marsha came around the island and gave me a big hug. "Thank you for helping out... you're a good boy. Call me from outside if you need help." With that she let me go and started to follow her husband outside.

Karly yelled, "No, mom! It's okay, I'm not going to stay and help! I don't need a hug!"

Marsha turned around and laughed, "See if you can teach her to cook, will you? A big boy like you needs food and in her current state she's going to starve you to death!"

Karly leaned over the island to better see her mom, "I'm a fabulous cook!"

I laughed and added, "She does an amazing scrambled egg!"

Marsha rolled her eyes at me as I realized I had put my foot in my mouth again...

She looked me in the eye and told me, "Gabby, you're still a terrible liar! Keep it up!" And like that she was out the door.

Karly threw a towel at my head, "Way to go snitch!"

I caught the towel, "Don't sweat it, they knew you stayed with me this weekend."

She laughed, "I know they have our neighbor Frank spy on me, they think I don't know."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Thanks for telling me that earlier!"

Karly's eyebrows shot up and she peeked to make sure her mom was gone, "Wanna bend me over the counter... we could to it quick..."

I gave her a warning look...

She laughed and I started pulling things together for the meal, peeling potatoes and putting them in a pot, prepping bread. Karly watched over my shoulder and I explained what I was doing. She took it all in and eventually started helping, and taking quick, stolen kisses from me. I had a ton of fun cooking with her, and was really enjoying the space and convenience from the modern kitchen.

Guests started to show about an hour and a half later. I mostly stayed shyly in the kitchen, but made sure to introduce myself to each member of her family. Truth be told I was a little overwhelmed with the number of people running around. Joshua seemed to understand and share my reluctance. His mother was here and I noticed that things seemed a little strained between the two of them...

Steaks came off the grill and into the kitchen just as I was finishing up with my portion of dinner. I noticed Joshua stayed nearby. We talked about guns and he informed me of a ton of stuff I didn't know. He asked me what my interest in them was and I told him I always found weapons fascinating. It was always something that just seemed to click in my mind. I found out he owned a local gun shop in town and did work as a gunsmith there. It very much interested me to find out that you could make amazing money doing something like working with firearms... something I put into the back of my mind to explore later...

Just as we were ready to serve dinner he pulled me aside, "I get it son. Crowds are a little overwhelming. Just give me a look and step outside if things start getting too overwhelming for you." His eyes met mine, "Got it?"

I smiled appreciatively, "I appreciate it."

He looked deep into my eyes, "I know a little of what you've been through. I've been there too... you can handle this, and if things start to get too intense with anyone, just let me know and I'll step in. Control your breathing and if anyone asks you something that's too personal, or starts to cut you too deep, just tell them you're shy, and I'll step in, okay?"

I nodded, in truth, I felt deep relief knowing the older man was looking out for me. "Also, keep close to Karly, she'll take care of you."

I bit my lip and nodded. "Thank you."

Dinner went really well. I was a little surprised to see us all seated at an enormous dinner table that sat all of us comfortably. Karly sat right beside me and held my hand. The steaks were delicious, and I complimented Joshua on them. Apparently, slowly cooking steaks on the grill made them a hell of a lot better, well, either that or there was just a huge difference between the quality of steak I could afford and what we were eating here...

Everyone loved my potatoes. Karly's mom was particularly impressed, complimenting me at every turn. I had added garlic and pepper to them to spice them up a bit and figured it would be an excellent complement to my well toasted bread.

Karly finally spoke up, "If you love his potatoes, you should try his pancakes!"

Samantha gave her sister a dirty look, "You little slut! I saw your first date pic! You slept with him already!"

Karly flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Fuck you! I'm a lady!"

Grandma Kay gave a disapproving look, "Such language from what are supposed to be ladies..."

Joshua gave her a dangerous look, "Stow that shit mom... if you want to stay that is..."

His mom shut right the fuck up. He pressed her, "My daughters are both ladies, and this is their home. You will not insult them. Also, they don't need your judgments."

Grandma Kay spent the rest of the meal with her eyes on her plate. There was some real tension there... I started to piece together why Joshua might know a thing or two about me...

Chapter 4

Dinner ended and I found myself in Karly's room. Everything was purple, and soft. I realized that Karly was going to absolutely love the quilt I had gotten her.

She was wearing a pair of plaid pajamas; like the ones I had bought her... I was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. She walked up to me and licked her lips at me...

God, she looks so fucking good, absolutely delicious.

I wrapped my hands in her pajama top and gave her a questioning look. They looked just like the ones I had bought her earlier in the week for when she stayed over at my place. I gave her a questioning look.

She smiled, "I missed the ones you got me..." She tilted her chest out to me seductively... "I like the way the fabric feels on my nipples..."

I pulled her into me and kissed her as deep as I possibly could, my tongue meeting hers for the first time in hours... it felt like it had been a lifetime. When she finally broke, she turned and walked away from me seductively... her hips bouncing.

I licked my lips and stayed pressed against the door, just watching her walk away from me...

She picked up the teddy bear on her bed and turned to face me. It was the teddy bear I had bought her. She threw the teddy bear casually into the corner, "Get lost bucko... my real boyfriend is here tonight..." She whispered...

God, I wanted her!

She turned the lamp beside the bed on, and I turned the main light off. The room was bathed in romantic, dim light. I pulled my shirt off and walked towards her, letting her look at my chest. I flexed my core muscles a bit for her, just to see the lust in her eyes...

She started to unbutton her shirt. I stepped up the pace a bit and stopped her hands, taking the sting out by kissing her. When our kiss broke, she looked at me questioningly. "I thought you talked to my dad?"

I kissed her again, "I did baby girl... he said I could stay with you, not that I could fuck you in his house..."

She grabbed me and dropped back on the bed, pulling me on top of her. She kissed me back. "But I say you can! I say put your fucking cock in me right now!"

She pulled me in tight and started to kiss me hard, her tongue forcing its way into my mouth aggressively.

With every ounce of strength, I managed to pull away from her. I would not do this. I would not fuck her under this roof, at least not tonight...

I looked at her in desperation... "Please don't do this baby girl... this isn't about your dad, or your mom... this is about me. What's important to me. To my values."

She looked at me, her face bouncing back and forth between rage and lust...

Her jaw jutted out... "So, you just want to go to sleep...?"

I nodded at her weakly. "Yes."

She pushed me back, obviously pissed at me. She started unbuttoning her top... I gave her a look.

She looked back and me aggressively. "So, go to sleep. I'll take care of myself..."

My eyes went wide in panic. Oh fuck! I thought in horror. I'm done, no way I can handle that...

Her top was off now and her breasts were fantastic... flushed from the heat of her anger, swelling and falling as she breathed fast due to her frustration at me...