Lady Hideaway Ch. 02

“You know I’ve been going to Dr. Formike for years.” Conner said, not wanting the silence to take over for too long, “He never mentioned he had a daughter, or a stepdaughter for that matter. I didn’t even realize he was married.”

“He’s not.” Tessa replied, “My mother passed away about a year after she married him, I was only three, and I never new my real father so Dr. Formike adopted me.”

“I’m sorry, about your mother I mean.”

“I don’t really remember her.” Tessa shrugged.

“Does Dr. Formike visit you often?” Conner asked.

“Once a week. So how long have you been in the pool business?”

Tessa had changed the subject because she was growing uncomfortable being the center of attention, so Conner humored her and explained how he had started his business after high school, and about the men who worked for him. Tessa kept asking questions, making certain that the conversation didn’t turn its attention on her. But she did like talking to Conner, listening to him talk. He told her about his four-year marriage and his divorce, he talked about his parents and his brothers and even some of his more interesting customers.

Conner was not use to spending an entire night talking about himself. He would have loved to know more about Tessa, but he settled for her curious questions, and she made him feel like she was really interested in his life. Not many women wanted to talk about him when he took them out, and this was a rather nice switch.

They finished their ice cream and Conner decided to go before he wore out his welcome. He made a point to send the still working boys away first, deciding if they stayed it would only upset Tessa. He said goodbye to her as she waited away from the door. He didn’t want to leave just then, and he thought maybe he saw the same feeling in her face as he left. He thought maybe tomorrow, he would try to talk to her more.

……….

Conner looked over the master bedroom that happened to be an office. He had questioned the choice of red paint at the beginning, but now that it was finished and he was packing up his supplies he thought it looked really nice, and Tessa seemed to think so too as she looked over the room.

She had told him that she liked it, and Conner was pleased, but he was also somewhat disgruntled that he had finished so early. He was taking his time gathering his things, not ready to say goodbye. He was nearly ecstatic when Tessa offered him a drink, but he tried to hide some of his enthusiasm over it.

He followed her down to the kitchen where Tessa poured the lemonade and they talked for a while longer. He noticed she wasn’t making circles around him, keeping her distance, so he comfortably leaned on the opposite end of the counter from her as he drank.

“Dr. Formike won’t be back for a few more weeks.” Conner said, “Mondays I’m supposed to go to the market for you, where can I get the list?”

“I leave it on the inside of the door.” Tessa explained.

“Alright.” He nodded, knowing he should stop there, but he couldn’t. He might not see her again, so suddenly he was ready to be brave. “When was the last time you went to the market?”

He had expected Tessa to become tense upon his asking, so he waited in the thick silence for her to answer. Tessa knew that eventually he would ask her something like this, and she knew the longer she waited to answer the harder it would be to change the subject. She couldn’t change the subject now. Why did she have to ask him to stay for a drink? Because she didn’t want him to leave, that’s why. This was exactly why she didn’t talk to people, they asked questions. She could ask him to leave. She had a right to do that, but she really didn’t want to.

“It’s been a while.” She replied. “Look, if you want I have a sister who can…”

“I don’t mind.” Conner stated, “I was just curious, that’s all.”

“Oh.” She sighed, thinking it was over. She had answered his question, he would be satisfied now, but she knew that wasn’t true.

“Don’t your clients ever want to meet with you?” He asked.

“No, I think they like things the way they are.” She stated.

“Do you?”

Tessa looked up at him suddenly. Her gaze was sharp, but not angry. Even so, it caused him to straighten himself and turn his eyes from her.

“I’m sorry,” Conner offered, “I was just wondering.”

“It’s alright.” Tessa replied, surprised that she was saying anything at all, “I’m just not used to talking about it… it probably seems pretty strange to you. It seems that way to a lot of people, but, staying here like this, it’s my choice.”

Conner nodded, but he wasn’t so sure that it was her choice. Who would choose a life of seclusion? It bothered him. There were so many things outside of this house that he could see Tessa enjoying. She had opened up to him in the last few weeks, why couldn’t she open up to the rest of the world?

“How long has it been?” He asked, “You couldn’t have been here forever.”

“Six years.” Tessa stated, watching as he tried to hide his look of surprise.

It must be difficult for him to understand, she thought. She knew she looked as young as she was. The last time she had willingly gone outside she was eighteen years old.

“Why?” He asked suddenly, “I mean, I don’t mean to pry, I don’t expect you to tell me, but… don’t you get lonely?”

“No.” Tessa stated, becoming somewhat defensive. He could here the change of tone in her voice and knew it was time to back off.

“I’m sorry.” He insisted, “I didn’t mean to… sorry.”

Tessa took a moment and then nodded.

“It really isn’t so bad, Mr. Desway, I am quite happy here.”

Uh-oh. She had called him Mr. Desway again. His welcome was officially worn out. He wished she wasn’t so reserved, he had really started to like her, and his attraction to her had only been growing every time he saw her. But now he told himself that any notion of attraction was ridiculous, he was chasing after something that was impossible for him to have. Hell, if she had any idea how he had been thinking of her she probably would have thrown him out long before.

“I should go.” He sighed, placing his glass on the shelf, “You have my card if anything comes up… I guess I’ll be back on Monday.”

Tessa nodded, but kept her eyes lowered. She was upset. She didn’t want him to leave, but she wanted him to leave at the same time. She knew this was her fault. She had let her guard down and then put it back up just as quickly to push him away. Why did she have to push a man like Conner away? Because she wasn’t normal, that’s why.

Tessa followed him to the door as if her feet were pulling her and she had no free will in it herself. She watched as he collected his things, along with half a bucket of left over paint from the stand near the door where the flowers he had brought her were still in the vase. She watched as he turned and the bucket of paint accidentally bumped against the vase and it began to tip over.

Tessa quickly reached for the vase but Conner reached it first, and all Tessa caught was his hand. She shyly gasped and immediately pulled away but Conner had decided just then to make his move, and he caught her fleeing hand just as fast as he had caught the vase.

Tessa’s gaze lifted only to be trapped in his, and she stood frozen as his hand gently held the tips of her small fingers. He wasn’t sure what had provoked him exactly. He stared down at her small fingers in his hand as his paint-smudged thumb ran over her knuckles, feeling her soft skin against his calluses. He couldn’t look up now, fearing her reaction, but he slowly released his grip on her hand until the tips of her fingers rested atop his. And she didn’t pull away. She didn’t pull away!

The only thought Conner had was that he couldn’t let this moment pass, not now. He could be risking scaring her to death but he was not going to let the moment pass, and before he knew it he had slowly closed the distance between them, only touching the small part of her hand, and with only the bucket of paint between them he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze as she looked up at him.

Tessa’s bright blue eyes were wide; she was trapped in place, smelling the mixture of paint and the pleasant masculine scent she noticed on him before. His eyes were intent on her, but soft and kind, and then she felt the soft swell of his lips as he leaned forward and his mouth brushed against hers.

Conner carefully explored her soft lips, not daring to touch anything other than her hand in the process. No sudden movements, he thought, she’s letting me do this. He applied more pressure with his mouth and gave her a soft but firm kiss, she still wasn’t reacting, but she wasn’t moving away either.

Conner released his tongue against her lips and as a small gasp escaped her he flickered just a sample of his tongue against hers, and then brushed against her lips again experimentally, and when her mouth remained parted he intruded with his tongue again, tasting the same sweet lemonade he tasted in his own mouth. He began to slowly close his hand around hers again, continuing to lean towards her, making the kiss deeper and his tongue more aggressive. He felt her tongue press up against his own and watched as she closed her eyes and sank into the kiss.

Conner had kissed his share of women, maybe more. But this was soft and gentle, and probably the best kiss he had ever had. He took in the scent of her soap through his nostrils. She smelled sweet, she tasted sweet, and his grip on her finger’s stiffened. He wanted to drop what he was carrying and pull her body against him, but the idea of her pulling away kept him from it. He must have been pulling at her hand because she was leaning forward, against the bucket between them until her free hand pressed against his chest without pushing him away.

He could feel her small fingers gripping at his shirt, digging at his hard chest as her nails slid gently against him, sending a chill down his body and he cooed softly against her mouth.

Damn. Why did he have to make any sounds at all? Tessa’s eyes snapped open and she quickly pulled away, touching her mouth where he had just been and staring at him wide eyed.

“Tessa.” He started, but she was already backing away.

“I have to go.” She stated, looking more confused than ever, more with herself than with him. But it wasn’t the confusion that bothered him; it was the hint of anger in her expression.

Conner frowned as he watched her flee up the stairs; he wanted to go after her but knew better. It was too late. He had ruined it, but at least he hadn’t walked away without trying. Had he simply walked away, he likely wouldn’t have seen her again anyways. But now he knew, he knew exactly how it felt to have his mouth over hers in the simple kiss he could not have fathomed on his own.

………

Saturday night was like a blur for Conner. He had entirely forgotten about the date he had made earlier in the week with Misty Smith, the day manager at the local market. She had called him while he was still sulking at home, telling him that he was late to pick her up.

Conner had not cancelled, he felt being late was bad enough, and he had no reason to feel guilty, even if it had only been hours since he was so close to Tessa, kissing her and frightening her away for good. Why did he have to do that? He shook it out of his mind. Shit, he was on a date; it was time he started acting like it.

Misty was an attractive woman, Conner’s age and they had shared a mutual flirtation for months now. He had finally decided to ask her out and now he felt like a schmuck, he wasn’t exactly showing her the best time of her life, and Misty seemed to be trying hard.

Conner had taken her to a stake house and the whole time his date tried to get him to talk, but all he could do was keep up with her questions, watching blankly as she leaned over the table, purposely giving him a peek at her full milky breasts pushed together in a red bra that was visible under the low neckline of her black dress. Her finger’s kept toying with blonde curls hanging around her face. He had once been attracted to the way she liked to toy with her hair, but now he felt numb inside. He hardly even moved when he felt her foot come against his pants.

“Did you have a hard day honey?” Misty smiled.

It took Conner a moment before he realized she had asked him another question, and he forced himself to smile. Damn, there was a gorgeous woman coming on to him and it was about time he stopped thinking about Tessa. This was driving him crazy.

“Just long.” He replied.

“Well maybe we should get out of here.” Misty winked.

Conner smiled and paid the bill, and soon they were driving through the neighborhoods. He hadn’t fixed the air conditioning in his truck yet so he was grateful it was a cooler night. It even looked like it might rain, so his date wasn’t too uncomfortable with the windows down. She wasn’t too cold either, but that didn’t stop her from scooting across the seat and snuggling up against Conner’s side.

He put his arm around her as she slid her hand over his thigh. There was no reason to feel guilty over this, he decided. But why the hell did he have to be thinking about Tessa? Maybe it was because they were driving through her neighborhood.

“You know we could go back to you’re place.” Misty smiled, her hand still working at his thigh.

“I have relatives staying over.” Conner lied. He had a strict policy when it came to bringing anyone to his house, he needed to have more than one date with them first, and they had to be special. So far there had been no one since his divorce, of course, that didn’t stop him from going to their place.

“Well why don’t you come over to my place for a while.” Misty suggested, “It’s still early.”

“Sure.” Conner agreed. Maybe spending a night with Misty would help him forget about Tessa.

Misty’s apartment was small but cozy. She had three cats that had covered Conner in hair just ten minutes after he sat down. Misty had offered to make coffee, but if she was taking longer than usual Conner didn’t notice. He was staring blankly at the small television that wasn’t turned on. When Misty returned he immediately noticed she had relieved herself of the red bra, and she didn’t have the coffee with her. Conner understood what would happen next so he gently lifted one of the cats from his lap as Misty came forward, her hands on his thighs again as she brought her mouth over his and sloppily kissed him, smearing her red lipstick over his lips.

Conner kissed her back as he pulled her into his lap. She was incredibly aggressive so he had no problem with resting his hand over one of her breasts; noticing it was firm, too firm… fake maybe? Oh well, it wasn’t what he usually liked, but he could work with it.

Conner leaned back into the over fluffed sofa and closed his eyes. He felt the tingle in his thighs as his organ became erect and groaned as his date unbuttoned his pants and slipped her hand down against his body until it came against his hardness. He groaned against her as she began to stroke him, allowing himself to get lost in the feeling. It was Misty’s voice that brought him back to reality.

“Impressive.” She giggled, holding his erection in her hand.

Conner’s eyes opened. Usually he would have been happy about the compliment, probably even turned on by it. But something was bothering him. Tessa. He had been thinking about her just then, with his eyes closed. He was beginning to grow angry with himself. There was nothing between him and Tessa. He needed to let it go. He heard a crack of thunder outside as he closed his eyes again and began to suckle at Misty’s long neck. There was more thunder, echoing the soft moans his date released.

“It sounds like we’re in for a storm.” Misty breathed, “I couldn’t possibly let you drive home in it.”

Conner knew what that meant. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend the night, but right now he wanted to get Tessa Aarons out of his mind. He pulled Misty’s dress off her shoulders revealing her circular large breasts and tiny nipples. Definitely fake. He brought both breasts into his hands and kissed at her collarbone. He suddenly lifted her and she squealed as he dragged her under him on the sofa. Her hands were working his shirt and pants at the same time as he began to ravage her breasts with his mouth. Her legs wrapped around him and he reached up her dress, feeling the thin material of her thong. He began to tug at the thong when another crack of thunder came, this time causing him to jump. His eyes snapped open and he pulled away from Misty as she protested.

“Tessa.” He must have said it out loud because Misty was sitting up, fixing her dress and glaring at him with a sharp eye.

“I’m Misty!” She hissed.

Conner wasn’t really thinking of anything but the thunder. He had a bad feeling, wondering what kind of effect the storm would have on Tessa. Had he closed all the windows? Had she? Would the thunder be frightening her the same way the noises of the boys throwing eggs had? Would she be terrified and alone now? He had to find out. But first, he had to make amends with his date. It wasn’t her fault he was acting like such an ass.

“Misty, I know.” he assured her, “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Conner!” Misty shouted, standing as she watched him button up his pants, “Who is Tessa?”

“A customer.” Conner replied, not knowing how else to explain it, “I was doing some work over there today and I might have left a window open.”

“So?”

“She has some problems.” Conner frowned, “I should make sure she’s alright with the storm coming in.”

“Oh.” Misty’s look softened, assuming Tessa must be one of Conner’s more elderly customers, every one knew Conner took care of them. “Well I can go with you, we can make sure she’s alright, and then we can finish what we started.”

Conner opened his mouth to protest, but couldn’t when Misty’s tongue slipped into his mouth, and then she was already on her way to his truck. Conner didn’t feel like arguing. His bad feeling was increasing as he went out into the storm.

This town rarely got a good shower, but sometimes at this time of year the storms could be quite bad. The wind had picked up and as it poured and the water began running down the streets along with a mixture of debris and fallen branches. Conner didn’t even notice he was speeding until Misty pointed it out to him. He didn’t care. Ten minutes later he was parked in front of Tessa’s house, letting the rain soak through his cloths, immediately noticing that a tree from the neighboring house had broken in the storm, and one of the branches had broken one of Tessa’s windows.

Normally this wouldn’t have been so alarming, but when it came to Tessa, Conner had no idea how he should be reacting. He ran to the door and pounded his fist against it. He tried his key but the deadbolts stopped him from entering.

“Tessa!” He shouted, “It’s Conner, Tessa!”

“Conner!” Misty shouted.

Conner glanced back and saw Misty getting out of the truck, he immediately warned her to stay inside as he ran to the broken window and moved the heavy branch so he could see inside. It was the window closest to the stairs and he immediately saw Tessa inside, but it was not a sight he had wanted to see.

Tessa was huddled at the bottom of the stairs with her back to him. He could see her trembling, and worse, part of the banister leading down the stairs was broken. She must have fallen, and he saw a bit of blood against the splintered, broken railings. It was difficult in the dark, but he made out the dark substance of her blood running down her arm as she covered her head, trailing down and soaking into her white night shirt.

“Tessa.” He called, as gently as possible, “Tessa it’s Conner, you need to let me in.”

His voice only caused her to flinch. There was no way he could get to her the way she was. If he broke the already broken window enough to get in he might hit her with the glass. He tried to reach for the window lock but managed to cut his hand in the process.