Ask Me If I'm Ready

This is my first attempt at writing erotica. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Constructive feedback is welcomed. This is a work of fiction. The people, places and events only happen in my imagination. As always, all characters engaging in sexual acts are over the age of 18.

*****

Darby Steele had recently graduated from college. Now she was back at home, interviewing for jobs, but so far having little luck. She probably had a job waiting for her at her dad's company where she could use her shiny new accounting degree and work in H.R. or Accounts Services. Her dad's status at the company meant she'd almost certainly be hired. But truth be told, she had no desire to work in a cubicle or an office analyzing spreadsheets. She was good with numbers and records, but she really didn't want a nine-to-five. But it might be nice to work at the same company as her father.

Jake Steele, her father, traveled occasionally, but he almost never went into his office. His office was in his home, or more usually in his new SUV. Darby wanted a job like her Dad's where her time was largely her own. He'd explained to her that sales jobs like that had be earned, and he'd paid his dues to be able to work the way he did. He was good at what he did, and he made a lot of money for the company and earned a great living for his family. He'd certainly come a long way from that poor little town in the deep south where rednecks still referred to successful black men like him as 'boy.' Jake hadn't been back there in over 20 years. If he never saw it again, that would be fine, too. He certainly had no plans to show up there with his white wife and biracial daughter. But now, while Darby wasn't yet working anywhere, he enjoyed spending time with her. They both figured that, at 21, she had time to figure out what she wanted to do.

Her mom, Meredith Steele, was a store manager at a big-box retail store called Top Value. The pay was above-average, the employee discounts were great, but the hours were a pain. Darby didn't even consider going that route. As a store manager, she thought her mom might be around more since now she could hand those pesky night- and weekend-hours off to her assistant managers. But somehow, Meredith seemed to work even more. Lately, she worked almost every Friday and Saturday night, and at least a couple of nights through the week. It seemed like forever since the three of them had even eaten dinner together. Mostly, it was just Darby and her dad. But Darby was a bona-fide daddy's girl, and if one parent had to be away all the time, she was glad it was her mom.

Friday night, she was going over to Lake Point with Nora Rochester, her BFF, also 21 years old. She and Nora had been friends since middle school and were closer than sisters. They had been roommates in college. Nora's parents had divorced a last year, but she still mainly lived with her dad, Nate. He and Darby's dad were good friends, and often played tennis or hoops together at the Y. The Rochesters were the only other black family in the exclusive neighborhood, and with her mother, Janie, out of the picture, there were only three black people in the area. Well, three and a half, if you count Darby. Nora had also recently finished her bachelor's degree but was planning on staying at home as she went for her MBA.

Darby and Nora were both very attractive young women. Despite being one of the taller girls in high school, and seemingly athletically built, Nora had no interest in sports. Indeed, she was quiet and much more reserved than Darby. Her smooth, dark skin, statuesque build, elegant curves, and quiet demeanor made her appear regal and aloof. High school boys had been afraid to approach her, and college boys fared no better.

Darby was shorter, at just over five feet, although she would insist that she was five feet five, much to Nora's amusement. Darby's biracial heritage gave her skin a rich cinnamon hue, and her hair natural brown and blonde highlights. When it was long, her thick hair was hard to manage. So when she started college, she cut it short into a pixie-ish cut that complemented her sunny, outgoing personality. She was on the petite side, and struggled to fill up an A-cup. Darby often complained about her 'mosquito bite' tits, but she felt that they were made up for with her great ass. She really had a spectacular ass, and she knew it. While high school and college boys both found her approachable and they flocked to her, for some reason Darby was chronically single.

Friday afternoon, Nora beeped the horn at Darby's house, and Darby kissed her dad on the cheek. "That's Nora, and we're out, dad. Are you doing anything tonight?" she said as she grabbed her purse and her phone, getting ready to leave.

"Nah, just goofing around on a project out in the garage. If Nate comes over, we might go grab a beer. Nothing big. Have fun and stay safe!" Darby was 21 now, and Jake didn't worry about her much. She'd always been a good girl, maybe a little mischievous, but overall very well-behaved. He was really glad they were so close. His wife had been a little distant lately, but he barely noticed it as he spent more and more time with Darby. As Darby ran out to the car, he waved at Nora, and closed the door behind her.

The next Monday afternoon was Memorial Day, and Darby and her dad were relaxing around the pool, sipping iced tea. The sun was shining brilliantly, and while summer was definitely on its way, you could still feel the last whispers of the mild spring air. "Dad, we need to talk," Darby suddenly said, out of nowhere.

"Well, this can't be good," remarked Jake. "Nothing good has ever followed the words, 'We need to talk!' What did I do wrong, sweetie?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Dad. But yeah, this is kinda bad. I've been dreading telling you this all week. But now, I need to tell you something," said Darby.

Jake scoffed, "You know, it's never, 'We need to talk... I finally bought a lottery ticket and I won millions!' No, it's always something bad, and something I like is about to end, or something I won't like is about to start. Okay, baby, so what is it?"

Darby took a deep breath and let it out. She seemed to be steeling herself for a very difficult conversation. Jake, feeling this was going to be a very serious conversation, sat forward in his chair and waited silently for her to speak. She looked him square in the eye and said, "So I'll just say it. Dad, I'm pretty sure Mom is cheating on you."

Jake didn't answer immediately. After about five seconds, he asked softly, "Are you sure? I mean, that's a pretty serious bomb to drop."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Pretty sure."

Jake paused again, and then, "Well you certainly have my attention. Go ahead... lay it out for me."

"Okay. You remember last Friday she said she had to work late? Well, Nora wanted to go to one of those goofy shabby-chic shops that she likes so much, and she heard there's a new one over in that outdoor mall in Lake Point. You know, the one with that awesome movie theater we like?

"Well we went there, and when we came out, Nora noticed a really pretty electric car in the parking lot of this hotel in the same parking lot. You know she's been begging her dad to buy her one. So she drove by to see the car a little closer, and I noticed a Range in that parking lot that looks just like yours. Same dark blue, same wheels, everything. Then I saw your nerdy bumper sticker, and I started thinking that this might be your car. So I took out my key, and clicked it, and it unlocked! So I'm like, 'What the hell is my dad doing at a hotel while Mom's at work!?'"

Jake interrupted her with, "Wait, is that why you video called me that night, all accusing me of, I don't know, something?"

"Yes! I video called because I wanted to see if you were at home. And when I saw you were at home, that's why I asked you where your car was, and you told me mom took it because some big manager from corporate was coming and she needed to drive him around," Darby explained. She went on, "So here we are... an hour out of town, at a hotel, and your car parked there. Even if Mom had to drive this guy around, why was she parked there? So I asked Nora to wait with me. It didn't look good, and I wanted to know for sure. We parked over away from your car and waited to see who Mom came out of that hotel with. While we were waiting, I even called the store and asked if I could speak with her. The guy just said, 'Uhh, she's at lunch,' so I just hung up and kept waiting. She came out after about 30 minutes, all wrapped up with this guy and, well, I guess it's better if I just show you." And with that, Darby took out her phone. She already had the video queued up.

In it, Meredith was walking from the hotel, holding hands with some blonde younger guy wearing blue jeans and a polo shirt. Meredith was wearing some very short red shorts (that were Jake's favorite!) and a thin loose blouse that highlighted her full breasts. Her blonde hair, normally up and tied back, was flowing around her shoulders. The two looked very happy together, and the way she kept touching him and leaning into him possessively, it was clear that she was very much into him. As they walked, sharing a laugh, he casually moved his hand to her butt and pulled her closer, Meredith offering no resistance. As they got to Jake's car, they stopped at the driver's door and kissed several times. Meredith unlocked the car and started to get in, but Blonde Guy touched her arm and said something to her. Meredith laughed, and handed Blonde Guy her key fob, and walked around to the passenger side and got into the car. Blonde Guy got in the driver's seat and started the car, and they drove off. The video ended.

She looked at her dad, still sitting there, looking off into space.

Jake was heartbroken. He'd always thought Meredith was his soul-mate... his one-and-only. They'd met while Jake was in college at Collins State, a small HBCU in Mississippi, and Meredith went across town to Jestersen College, an even smaller private school that was almost exclusively white. Back in the early 90's, an interracial couple wasn't entirely unheard-of, but it was still rare enough that a lot of folks on both campuses knew them. They seemed to be the ideal couple, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, they got married less than a month after they both graduated. They had Darby a year and a half later. Complications with her very difficult delivery meant there would be no sisters or brothers for little Darby, so her father made sure to spoil the heck out of the only little princess he'd ever have. Meredith was not a bad mom, but she was a lot less interested in Darby's day-to-day, and as a result, Darby grew up a devoted little daddy's girl. Jake said the first thing that came to his mind: "So he tapped my wife, and then he drove my car? Man, that's cold. That's harsh, Mer."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"Show her the vid, ask her what's up, and send her on her way."

"Just like that, Dad?"

"Darby, one thing you should know about me is that, well, I'm a one-woman man. I love being married, sharing my life with that one special woman. I thought it was her. Hell, for the last twenty years, it was her. I loved that it was me and your mom against the world. Back when we first got together, we had all the problems young couples face, plus knowing a lot of folks didn't like seeing us together just because of our skin. We got through all of that together, and together, we were a force. Look at this life we've built. We're not rich, but we're pretty damn comfortable. She has everything she's ever wanted, and now she's tossing it away for this asshole?! No, the trust is gone, and so is she!"

Darby came over to her father and sat next to him on the lounger. She hugged him tightly and said softly, "Dad, just know that whatever happens, however this goes down, I'm there for you. I'll always be there for you."

"I know, Darb. I know." He sat there holding his daughter.

As Meredith Steele drove home that evening, she breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally Friday evening, and she didn't have to work the whole weekend. Well, her husband Jake didn't know that. She'd told him that she had to work open-to-close both weekend days. It wasn't out of the ordinary for a big-box retail manager to work bell-to-bell, but she rarely did. One nice thing about being a store manager at Top Value Electronics is that she could create any schedule she wanted, and no one would know the wiser. She was really looking forward to this Saturday she'd be spending with her latest toy, Tate. Tate Sloane was young, barely three years older than her own 21-year-old daughter, and brash and cocky. But what he lacked in experience and technique, he more than made up for with youthful enthusiasm. And that ten-inch cock was nothing to sneeze at. He was definitely bigger than her husband.

Her husband. That thought made her feel a little guilty. A little. Jake was a great husband. In bed, he was okay. His oral skills were out of this world. He made really good money, and he provided for a great life for her and Darby. And she knew that he'd never cheat on her. So why? Why risk it all?

She didn't even know herself. Maybe it was because she'd missed all that in college. She'd met Jake in her Junior year, and they'd been together exclusively ever since. They'd been married over twenty years. She'd been promoted to Store Manager a year ago. That's when it had all started. She just needed some variety. She'd sucked and ridden the same cock for 20 years. So she'd started venturing out. Just a quick fuck here or there, to take the edge off. None of them were worth a damn. They were all just random, faceless, but delicious cocks, the bigger the better. She was impressed with herself that, at her age of 43, she could still turn the heads of these young studs. She guessed that the MILF-drive ran deep with these boys. Whatever the case, she was living her best life right now. She had all the pussy and half the money, and no one else had a clue.

And for right now, she had Tate. None of them meant anything, but Tate was kind of special. Maybe it was because he told her she looked a lot like his own mother, and that made this whole thing even more illicit. Dirtier. Once, right after he finished stretching out her pussy for the 4th time in 2 hours (!) they were lying there trying to catch their breath and his phone rang, and it was his mother. The picture on the caller ID looked like it could have been Meredith's slightly older sister. It should have freaked her out. It didn't. She thought it was hot as hell, and after that, she started referring to herself as, 'Mama,' and man, was Tate ever into that! And this weekend, Mama was gonna make her big boy scream! Yeah, life is pretty good...

When she walked in, Jake was seated on the sofa, with a still image on the television that looked somehow familiar. "I'm home, Babe! Whatcha watching?" she asked.

"Just some dumb video. I'm gonna watch it again. You should watch it with me. It's only a couple of minutes long."

"Sure! Go ahead and press play," said Meredith as she sat next to Jake on the sofa. She watched the picture come to life. She watched herself walking with Tate, and, in a rising panic, glanced at her husband watching her with Tate. They both stared at the video, Jake positively stock-still, Meredith in a rising panic. She saw herself kissing Jake deeply. She watched herself open the car door. 'Nonononononono!' she thought silently... 'Don't let the video show...' And she watched herself hand the keys to Tate, and she watched the SUV drive away. Meredith felt light-headed. She thought she might pass out. Who?! How?! She was always so cautious. That hotel was almost an hour out of town. NOBODY knew her there. HOW?!!

"Baby, it's not what it looks like!" Meredith exclaimed quickly.

Jake looked at her with contempt, and simply said, "Well that's good, because it looks like you just walked out of a hotel after fucking some guy, and then let him drive my car. I'm glad it wasn't that, 'cause that would be really disrespectful. So, what was it?"

Meredith sat down on the sofa, put her face into her hands and tearfully said, "Baby, I'm so sorry. That was the first and only time. Can you forgive me?"

Jake didn't say another word. He simply turned and walked away. He walked out the door, got into his Range and drove away. After a few minutes, Meredith walked into the kitchen and poured herself a big glass of wine, dropped onto the soft leather sofa and, almost too shocked to even breathe, just sat there holding her glass, wondering how her world had just been shattered, and by whom.

*****

"Come on, Darb, you need to tell me something you want for Christmas! I'm flying blind here. I have no idea what a 22-year-old woman wants for Christmas. Maybe a giant stuffed animal?" Darby scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Last year I bought you that necklace, and you loved it. But I can't do the same thing again... That's just lazy."

"Dad, jewelry is never lazy!" laughed Darby from the passenger side of her dad's X. On the night of 'The Video', Jake had left the house, went straight to a dealership and traded in his precious SUV for a X-Model electric SUV. He still like the Range more, but that venerable brand was forever tainted in his mind. Darby loved the X, and refused to drive her own car, sneaking out in her dad's X whenever she could get away with it. As for Nora, her dad had finally relented and bought her a 3 of her own.

"This is so frustrating! I've always been able to pick out great presents, and I refuse to let my streak end!" He flashed his best smile at her.

"Well I'm sure you'll figure something out, Daddy." She poured about a pound of honey on the word, 'Daddy'.

Jake blushed as her heard how his daughter said 'Daddy.'

"Well, Thank you, sweetheart. But don't change the subject," said Jake, trying again to focus on his little girl, and not the gorgeous young woman she'd grown into. "Christmas is only two weeks away and I have absolutely no idea what you might want," he complained.

"I told you. On Christmas Eve, after everyone leaves, I'll tell you what I want. Not a minute before."

"But Dar, it'll be late. Everything will be closed. How'll I be able to go get it if you don't tell me until after 10 on Christmas eve?"

"You'll figure something out. Make sure your car's all charged up just in case you need to make a quick run!"

Jake just shook his head. Darby was certainly acting cagey. What was this mysterious 'thing' she wanted, but kept secret? But it wasn't just about Christmas. She'd been acting a little differently for months now. It was nothing bad. Quite the opposite. She was friendlier, a lot more touchy-feely, almost... well, flirty, even. At home, she always wore skirts and dresses, and they showed more skin than she used to. And what skin! Smooth, flawless, and perpetually golden. All her friends were so jealous of her flawless light-mocha tone that she came by naturally. He'd heard her tease them, pretending she'd never heard of the word, 'tanning'. 'Why do you need to waste time laying out in the sun like that?' she'd joke. Lately, her favorite Friday night activity meant staying in with him and watching a movie, or insisting he take her out to dinner. He would ask her, "Sweetie, why don't you spend your nights out with your friends? You're young, incredibly hot, and great to be around. You should be out there breaking hearts. You don't want to hang out with a tired old man like me!"

"Aww, Daddy! You think I'm hot?! That's so sweet! But, trust me, my father, I am exactly where I most want to be. Right here beside my Daddy," she would always reply. She was lavishing attention on him, and he was shamelessly enjoying every minute of it.