All In

Cole laughed and said, "If I can manage not to get eliminated the first day, I'll be pretty happy. If I manage to cash, I'll be dancin' in the streets."

Kendra heard that and said, "Dad? No offense. But no one wants to see you dance in the streets or anywhere else, okay? Trust me on that."

Out of nowhere Erin said, "Cut your dad some slack. He's a really good dance partner."

Kendra spun around and said, "Seriously? Have you seen him dance?"

"Okay, good night you guys. Or maybe good morning," Cole said as he closed the passenger door. They all waved to him as Jared pulled out of the parking lot and Cole headed straight upstairs to take another shower and get some sleep.

Even though he was exhausted, he couldn't sleep. He went up to his room and instead of showering, changed into some workout clothes and went back down to the hotel gym where he spent an hour pushing around some iron and thinking back on the last 10-12 hours. As he did, it was immediately obvious to him that virtually every thought involved just one other person—Erin. He loved seeing his daughter and didn't mind she'd chosen something so far out of his own comfort zone as entertainment. He'd enjoyed meeting Jared and was happy to see Kendra involved with someone who had such good character and an easy-going disposition as that what exactly what she'd need were she ever to settle down.

But this shy, quiet girl was in his head and he couldn't get her out. Even on those rare occasions when he noticed other women—a beautiful actress on TV or whatever—he'd never so much as considered someone like Erin. She was the kind of girl who tended to be invisible to most men and as he thought about it he couldn't help but believe most of that was intentional. He had no idea why, but there was something going on there; something that kept her from opening up. In reality, he saw a kind of female Clark Kent behind those dark glasses. Underneath, was a beautiful young woman who was smart, kind, caring, and loving and Garr couldn't shake the image of her in his arms on the dance floor or the way she understood what that song did to him.

He finished his chest workout with five sets of pyramid push-ups then headed back up to his room where he was finally able to get some sleep.

This time when he woke up, he felt punchy. It was as though he hadn't slept at all. But it was 4pm Pacific Time and 7pm Michigan time so he forced himself to get up and took yet another very long, very hot shower to wake himself up. He felt a lot better as he toweled of and just as he was pulling on his shorts, his phone dinged letting him know he had a text.

"Hi, Dad. I think I overdid it a little last night/this morning. I feel like crap so is it okay if I beg off this one time? Sorry, sorry, sorry! Love you, K-Bird."

He smiled at the use of another of her pet names. He was hoping the booze on her breath that morning was a one-time thing. "No problem, K-Bug!" he texted back.

"Thank, Dad! We'll be taking shifts supporting you at the tournament. I'll meet you for breakfast tomorrow morning and be there for the start of it. Just let me know what time to stop by and thanks for understanding! LUB!" LUB stood for Love You Bain, something she'd called him for as long as he could remember.

"How about 7am, Bain-ette?" he texted back.

"Perfect! See you then! Oh, Jared wanted to swing by with Erin and make sure everything's okay. I told them you wouldn't mind and they should be there anytime."

Garr shook his head thinking, "That's the last thing I need," but texted back. "Sounds great, honey. Thanks for thinking about me. Bain."

He got a smiley face back then finished dressing. He'd just finished tying his shoes when he heard a knock on the door. "Mr. Garr? It's Jared, sir."

He opened the door and just as Kendra had promised, there was the unlikely pair from the Dynamic Trio. "Hey, sir. Just wanted to see if there's anything we could get you or maybe somewhere you needed to go."

"Oh, um...gee. Uh, come on in you guys," he said. He tried not to stare but he couldn't help it. Erin wasn't wearing her glasses and her hair was down. She'd also worn something that wasn't plain or even downright dowdy. The yellow knit top and short white pants were perfect for her skin tone and she looked like a completely different person.

"Hi there," he said to Erin. Before she could reply he said, "I'm Cole. What's your name?"

Erin laughed and immediately covered her mouth as she did so. Jared answered for her. "I asked her something similar when I picked her up. I said, 'Where's Erin and what have you done with her?'"

"It's no big deal," she said. "I've had a prescription for contacts for months. I just decided to go to one of those one-day places and have them made. I used my winnings to buy them so in a way, Cole, you bought these for me."

"I knew you could get glasses at LensCrafters the same day, but I had no idea you could do that for contacts."

"Well, now you do," she said cheerfully.

"You know, I don't really need anything Jared, and the casino is like a little self-contained city so I don't need to go anywhere, either. I am hungry though. Do you guys want to join me for dinner?"

"I can't," Jared said. "I already ate but I need to get back and make sure Kendra's okay."

Cole didn't want to ask but felt he needed to so he said, "Does she have a problem, Jared?"

"Oh, no! No way. This was a one-time thing," he told Garr. "In fact, that's why she got sick. She never drinks like that. She was just so happy to have you in town she had several shots before you left then when you, you know..."

"Got emotional?" he said filling in the blanks.

"Well, yeah. She felt terrible and had several more, and by the time we got in the car this morning I thought she might not make it home."

"She's okay, though?" he asked.

"Oh, yes sir. She's fine. She just needed to get some sleep and replenish her fluids and electrolytes. I left some G2 and water by the bed before I left."

Jared saw the look Cole gave him and realized he wasn't aware his daughter was living with this guy. The look was short-lived as Cole really did like him. He liked him enough to say, "I'm glad she has someone like you, Jared. You're good people."

"Well, thank you, sir, but I really care about your daughter so I'm happy to look after her."

Cole smiled and thanked him again. He looked at Erin again and tried to keep his eyes from wandering as he found himself saying, "How about you, whatever your name is? Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Erin giggled nervously and said, "Yes I would. Unlike Jared, I'm starving so that sounds very nice."

"Okay, then," Jared said. "Just give me a call when you need me to come pick you up, okay, Erin?"

"I can take a taxi. You just stay with Kendra and make sure she's okay."

"Fair enough," he said. "But if you change your mind, give me a holler."

They said goodbye to one another and Jared closed the door.

Cole realized he was staring and said, "I'm so sorry, Erin. But I can't believe the difference. You look...amazing!"

"Thank you, but you're the one who inspired me. I believe it was you who told me just a few hours ago what a difference contact lenses and letting my hair down would make so... Do you really like it?"

Cole smiled widely and said, "Are you kidding? You look beautiful. Well, you were already beautiful. Now you're beautiful—er. Gee, I guess I was right, huh? Hey, you should listen to me more often."

Erin did that silly giggle thing again then said, "So are you ready?"

"Just let me throw on my watch and grab my wallet and cell phone and we can head downstairs." In less than a minute he was ready to go and said, "Okay. After you...beautiful."

Erin smiled over her shoulder at him as he held the door open for her. He also let her get in and out of the elevator first and helped her with her chair at the table.

"You're such a gentleman, Cole. It's a really nice change from all the guys I hang out with who treat me like one of the boys." She giggled again and quickly added, "Maybe there's a reason for that, huh?"

Cole laughed, too, and asked her if she'd like anything to drink. All of his food and drinks were included in his on-line tournament win and he was happy to pay for anything Erin wanted. "I can pay for mine," she told him. "After all, someone helped me win $300 this morning." She looked over at him and said, "Then again, I spent all that on the new contact lenses but...it seems to have been worth it."

"And then some," Cole told her. "Those same guys aren't going to treat you like one of the boys once they see the beautiful woman I'm seeing. And since I'm too old to be a threat it's gotta be nice to have a safe person to test the new look out on, right?"

A young woman set their drinks down and Cole thanked her. "I don't think you're too old," Erin said.

"Too old?" he asked.

"You said you were too old to be a threat. I disagree. Respectfully, of course." She smiled at him and when she did, Cole was more than a little surprised at his body's reaction. It was a very unexpected, very pleasant surprise followed just as quickly by the realization nothing would or even could come of it. There was no chance in hell he'd risk ruining the friendship he had with her only to have to explain why he couldn't ever be intimate with her. "Intimate with her?" he thought to himself. "You're not only getting old, you're getting weird. Give it a rest here already."

As they waited for their food, neither of them spoke. Each time either of them looked at the other, the other person smiled and quickly looked away. At a loss for words, Cole finally blurted out, "That color looks nice on you."

Erin was clearly taken by surprise and fumbled with her glass. Knowing she had to say something in response she told him, "I was hoping you'd like it." She'd been up all night and all day and had spent several hours shopping while she waited for her contacts to be ready. She'd tried on outfit after outfit looking for something she hoped he'd think looked nice on her and this was her favorite. Realizing what she'd said, Erin couldn't amend her statement fast enough. "I mean, I was hoping to find something that would let you know I took your advice seriously. Not that I was hoping you'd think I was pretty." That only made things worse. "No. Not that you'd think I was pretty, but that the outfit I wore for you...no, that I bought to show you..."

"I do think you look pretty, Erin. You look great, in fact. So for whatever reason you bought it, it's perfect on you."

"I don't usually wear this kind of thing," she said unable to stop talking. "I don't mean just the colors. I...I don't normally wear things that, you know, highlight how my body looks...or maybe...doesn't look or..." She finally looked over at him and said, "Sorry. I also don't usually ramble on like this, either."

Cole reached out and took her hand that was still playing with her glass. "I don't mind if you ramble, Erin. I'm just glad you're here. I like spending time with you."

"You do?" she said unsure she'd heard him correctly.

"Of course I do? Why wouldn't I? I mean, any woman wise enough to listen to my sage advice has to be pretty amazing, right?"

Erin laughed this time without the silly giggle. She felt the war begin to rage inside her again, but this time she fought back. She gently squeezed his hand and told him, "I like spending time with you too, Cole." She even managed to look at him as she said it in spite of an nearly overwhelming urge to look away.

"If only I were ten years younger," he said with a kind of forlorn look in his eyes as he squeezed her hand back.

"Why would you want to be any younger?" she asked him sincerely.

Now it was Cole who looked away. "What?" she said to him. "Tell me what you're thinking, okay?"

"Don't say it!" he told himself. "Just change the subject and eat your food and let her go home."

"Cole?" She was running her thumb over his fingers as he fought his own internal battle.

"Were I ten years younger, I'd...I'd ask you out. That's all. But because I'm not I..."

"I'd say 'yes' to you at that or...any age," she heard herself say scarcely able to believe she'd said it.

"You would?" he asked also not sure he'd heard her right.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"I noticed a place called "The Piano Bar" this morning."

"Me, too."

"Well, I was thinking or wondering if maybe that might be a little quieter than last night and if well...I was wondering if we could, you know..."

"Yes," was all she said.

"Yes?" he said, his eyebrows raised high.

"Yes," she said smiling at him. "That sounds really nice."

An hour later, they were sitting inside the glass-enclosed lounge sipping a glass of white wine and listening to some soft piano music.

"This is really nice," she told him. "And more my speed."

"Mine too," he told her honestly. "I've never liked loud places—or loud music. And hip hop just isn't my thing. Neither is acid rock or punk or..."

Erin laughed. "You're so sweet," she told him. "And funny. You always make me laugh."

"I'm glad," he said smiling at her. "I love to see you laugh." He was sitting right next to her as he leaned closer and added, "And smile. You have such a beautiful smile, Erin."

He saw her eyes moving rapidly between his and he felt his heart pounding and for the briefest of moments, he didn't care about...that. Something from deep inside himself pushed him to keep leaning until his lips met hers.

Erin's lips were soft and full and he could taste strawberries and he was suddenly aware of her perfume and for the briefest of moments, she was his Sharon. Even those his eyes were closed as he kissed Erin, he heard Sharon's voice as clearly as if she were the one he was kissing her. "It's okay, sweetheart. You need to be happy. I want you to be happy. I want you to love again. I'll always love you, but there's room in your heart for her, too. So go ahead. You have my blessing, honey. Live...and love."

He opened his eyes as the kiss ended and was almost shocked to see it wasn't Sharon. He blinked twice before he realized it hadn't been her, but the voice—her voice—it had been so real.

"I love your smile, too," she said in a near-whisper as he slowly pulled away. It took him a second to remember he'd just told her how beautiful hers was.

There was some soft applause as the guy playing the piano smiled and thanked everyone. He transitioned directly into the next song and Cole said, "I was wondering if you might like to dance with me—again."

"More than anything," Erin said sweetly still looking into his eyes.

He took her hand and led her out next to the piano and instead of offering her his hand, he put both arms around her as she slid hers around his neck. There weren't many people there yet and they were the only couple dancing but it wouldn't have mattered to them if a thousand other people were out there with them as they were lost in one another the way only new lovers can be.

The war still raged inside her but the intensity was lower. Much lower. So much lower she knew she'd be willing to risk being with him should he feel the same way. Yes, she was very afraid of what it might feel like were she to be violated in that way again with something so big. But for the first time in her life, fear lost the battle and hope won out.

For Cole, the erection that had been growing died on the vine the moment he thought about Erin seeing him and yet the thought of not being with her was more painful than the hurt of being mocked. He was sure she'd never agree to go that far but he resolved that should she let him, he would reveal his deepest secret and trust her not to hurt him.

For now, they just held one another doing their best to keep the demons at bay. When the song ended, Erin lifted her head off of his shoulder and for the first time, kissed him. "Thank you for the dance," she said after the short kiss.

"My pleasure," he told her smiling back at her. "Erin?" he said just before she lowered her arms.

"I was wondering if maybe you might like to um...well maybe go somewhere a bit more...private?"

"I would," she said softly as she felt her body tremble and her mind grapple with dueling feelings of fear and excitement.

They rode the elevator in silence and no one said a word until they were in his room sitting on the edge of his bed. Cole brushed her hair back and Erin didn't respond. "Is everything okay?" he asked her.

"I'm just a little afraid," she said.

"Me, too," he confessed but didn't say why.

"Cole?" she began without looking at him. "I know we're both adults but, well, would it be okay if we didn't you know, go all the way this first time?"

Cole was immediately saddened and relieved at the same time. "Of course," he told her still stroking her hair. "How about this? I give you my word I won't take my pants off. Does that help?"

"You'd do that for me?" she asked shyly.

"Yes. No problem. I don't ever want you to feel uncomfortable, Erin. I care about you—very much."

She reached over and took his hand and said, "I care about you too, Cole. And...would it be okay if my top stayed on?" Erin was sure he knew the reason why but she'd always been deeply embarrassed of the fact she didn't have breasts. She wore a double-A cup, but the truth was she didn't need a bra at all except to possibly cover up her large nipples in cold weather and then only if she was wearing something form-fitting.

She looked over at him and said, "I hope this isn't too strange for you. I know you have all this experience and I know you have...needs. I'm just not very good at this kind of thing."

"We can wait. Not just to have sex but do anything more than kissing," he told her knowing he didn't want to wait another minute.

"No, I don't want to wait. As long as I know we have limits, I...I'd love to be more intimate with you." She put her hand on his face and told him, "I think you're the most handsome man I've ever met." He wasn't, of course, but he was the best-looking man she'd ever been 'this far' with before by far.

Cole took her hand in his and kissed her again. Softly and slowly and to his surprise, Erin offered him her tongue just seconds later. "Mmmm," he moaned. "You're a very good kisser."

Erin smiled and said, "So are you," as she pushed him back on the bed and kissed him again. She further surprised him when she began unbuttoning his shirt as their tongues swirled and their lips met and parted. Moments later, she was pulling off his tee-shirt and running her hands across his chest.

Cole was beyond surprised when Erin straddled his body and began grinding against his chest. He reached up and unbuttoned her pants and she maneuvered around until they got them off. She straddled him again and Cole slid his hand between her legs. Her panties were already wet and Erin gasped when he pressed against her clit through the lacy material. "Mmmm. That feels really nice," she told him.

"Let's get these off of you, okay?" he suggested.

Erin immediately rolled off him and Cole quickly pulled them down around her ankles. Erin gave them a quick kick then giggled as they landed on a lampshade. Cole then surprised her by moving down between her legs and putting his arms underneath them.

"Someone definitely knows what he's doing," Erin moaned softly as Cole kissed the soft lips of her pussy for the first time. She cried out in pleasure as his tongue entered her and glided over her engorged nub. "Oooo!" she purred as he gently flicked his tongue in and out then lapping her clit all the way up the length of his tongue.

Erin reached down and grabbed his head and pulled him closer. "That feels SO good," she moaned as he slowly pleasured her. He pinched the lips together and softly squeezed putting wonderful pressure on her button and Erin's hands let go as her body went stiff. "Oh, God...I'm coming!" she said. As she shook, she wildly flailed her arms trying to push his head closer while her muscles contracted. As the spasms subsided, her hand found the back of his head and once again pulled him where she wanted him.