Losing Her Virginity

James on the other hand, frustrates me to no end! She's daddy's little girl and I'm sure that if it was up to him she'd be a virgin spinster until he died. Now, his attitude had led him to an emotional outburst that put him in jail. Lucky for him, the man he assaulted was on his side. Regardless, I'm giving him a piece of my mind.

As I drive to the police station I'm shaking with rage, and once inside I have to grip my hands tightly together to quell the shaking. After a few minutes, I'm escorted back to see him. It's a small town jail so there's none of this fancy glass between us and talking over a phone, we're put in the same small room with only a table between us.

"James Robert Charles," I started. Using his full name signaled to him that I was angry. "What have you done? Are you out of your mind? You struck the one man in this town who cares nearly as much about your daughter as you do."

"He needs to stay away from my daughter!"

"It's too late for that nonsense, she thinks she's in love. Whether she is or isn't is a decision for her to make, not me, and certainly not you. You've proven that you don't have the emotional maturity to even have an opinion on the matter. Striking another man, pfft, you're a childish thug. You're going to apologize to Colt as soon as you get out of here."

"I will not apologize! He's twelve years older than her! He's only using her."

"He's ten years younger than you but he has more maturity in his pinky than you'll ever have!"

I leaned over the table and gave him a squinty stare.

"I'm going to say this slowly so your pea brain can understand. The man you assaulted is speaking with the prosecutor on your behalf! Let me repeat that, ON. YOUR. BEHALF! I dare say you'd never make that call if roles were reversed. Sarah would be lucky to have a man like that, and I don't care about the age difference!"

Just then there was a light tapping on the door and it opened. A tall blonde woman swept into the room. Her hair lay flat against her head and was pulled back in a tight ponytail, giving her a very severe look.

"Mr. and Mrs. Charles? I'm Amy Raglan, the prosecutor. It seems that you, Mr. Charles, have assaulted one of our fellow citizens."

She wasn't even pausing for introductions, James and I just sat there.

"It's all on video and we have an eyewitness. Fortunately for you, the victim has begged me to go easy on you. Do you comprehend what I just said?"

"Yes," James responded. He sat there, head in his hands, "But he needs to stay away from my daughter."

"Your daughter is eighteen, correct?" She didn't wait for a response. "As far as the legal system is concerned she can associate with whoever she wants. On the other hand, the legal system is very concerned about people who assault others without provocation. That's you, Mr. Charles."

She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and let the tension drain from her body. Speaking more softly she began again.

"Mr. Charles, I'm going to see that you are released, and I'm deferring charges, this time. The police report and the evidence will stay on file, as well as my decision to defer. But if you attack Colt again, I will file every charge against you that I possibly can, including from today. With the evidence I already have compounded with any future charges, you will spend time in jail. It will no doubt affect your relationship with your wife and daughter and probably affect your business. Is that what you want?"

"No."

"I didn't think so." She turned to leave but paused in the doorway and looked back at us.

"Speaking personally, I've known Colt Branson almost half my life, he's a good man. I can't say I have the same opinion about you. You owe him an apology and a big helping of gratitude. Just keep your hands to yourself."

And with that, she drew the door shut behind her.

"See? Even she thinks you're an idiot. You got damn lucky today, James Robert Charles."

Once the police processed him, we headed to Branson Industrial to get his car. Colt was just leaving for the day.

"There he is, are you going to man up and apologize?"

James sighed deeply, letting the tension drain from his body. "Go ask if I can speak with him."

I stepped out of the car and walked toward Colt. He noticed me and smiled, then looked over my shoulder and saw James in the car and frowned. There was a large, dark bruise on the right side of his jaw and he held an ice pack in his hand.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll be okay. I see that Amy had James released, I'm glad."

"He wants to talk to you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"He's been berated by two women this afternoon, and Amy laid it out for him. If he touches you again she'll throw the book at him."

Colt sighed and pressed the ice pack to his face. "Call him over."

I waved to James and the strode slowly across the parking lot to join us.

"We're on video," Colt said, pointing to the cameras on the light poles in the lot.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hit you again. I just want to apologize, and thank you for speaking to the prosecutor. She made it clear that your words are the only reason I'm not in front of a judge. So, thank you."

"Apology accepted."

James extended his hand.

"Yeah, I'm not ready for that."

"Well, again, thank you." James turned to leave.

"James, this is the last thing I wanted to happen. I told Sarah that I didn't want to mess things up with her family, you remind me a lot of my own."

James stopped and turned back toward Colt and me.

"And yet, you still pursued her. Stay away, Colt." He turned and walked toward our car.

"I've messed things up," Colt said to me, "I'm sorry."

"She thinks she loves you."

He shuddered, sucking in a ragged breath.

"Thinking is not enough. I need to end it with her, Joetta. I was stupid to think I could avoid messing things up."

"Well, if you care what I think, you shouldn't let family stand in the way of love. I've looked her in the eyes when she talks about you. She's infatuated for sure, but is it love? I don't know. I do know if you stop seeing her then you'll never find out. I think ending it right now is a bad idea."

"But he thinks it's the right thing to do," he said, nodding toward James, who was now sitting in his car, "and I have to respect that."

"He's an idiot when it comes to his daughter, and I think you're right about being stupid, just not for the reason you believe." I shook my head as I walked to my car.

James and I pulled out of the lot and headed home. When we arrived, Hurricane Sarah was at full strength and James took another round of verbal abuse. With me, he'd known better than to fight back. He was not meek with Sarah and the war of words raged out of control. Her stance was that she was an adult and could date who she wanted, his stance was that she was living under his roof and therefore he did have a say in what she did, as well as the age difference between her and Colt. The yelling continued until they were both so angry they could no longer speak. It was obvious they were at a stalemate and both were so pig-headed that they were not going to give in. It only ended when Sarah declared, "I hate you," and slammed her bedroom door.

So began the Cold War in the Charles' house. Sarah and James barely spoke to each other, and she did her best to avoid being in his presence any more than necessary. Meals were miserable. The only time Sarah seemed happy was when she was heading out to school or volleyball. Colt had broke things off with her and that didn't help. Whenever she was home she stayed in her room except for meals, and her enjoyment of volleyball waned. As the State Championship neared she rarely spoke of it, and that attitude seemed to carry over to the court. It got to a point where her coach called me to ask if everything was okay at home. Without going into details I explained that we were going through a rough patch and that volleyball was the one thing that had always given Sarah joy.

Weeks went by. The Lady Patriots won the Championship, but Sarah didn't care, all her joy was gone. Without volleyball to take her away, she just stayed in her room. No amount of coaxing by me could get her out for anything other than meals, and even that interaction became rare. Thanksgiving came and she refused to attend the family dinner at her grandparents' home.

James wasn't in much better shape, he'd grown quiet and detached, going to work then coming home and sitting in front of the television. The joy had been sucked out of our home and I decided that the only way to get it back was to bring Colt back into our lives, but I knew the only person capable of doing that was James. Colt was old-school and considered James the master of the house. If James didn't welcome him back then we'd never see him again. After Sarah had left the table one night after a tense dinner, I broached the subject with him.

"James, we need to talk."

"Oh, great. Starting like that always means I'm in trouble," the accompanying eye roll told me his guard was already up.

"Fine," I huffed and crossed my arms, "I'm going to be blunt."

"When are you not?"

"You've lost your daughter, and you're about to lose your wife."

"What nonsense are you spewing? I know right where my daughter is, and as for you, you're right here."

"Listen to me, James. When was the last time you had a conversation with your daughter?"

"I don't know, a few weeks."

"Guess again, it was the day you punched Colt, and I'm being generous calling what happened between the two of you a conversation. It's been almost as long since we had a pleasant meal as a family."

He just sat there with a blank look on his face, a look I wanted to knock off his stupid face.

"She will be graduating before you know it, and she'll be gone. Why would she come back here, to the source of all of her misery?"

"Oh, it's not that bad."

"You're right, it's worse. When she leaves, I'm leaving. The man you have become is not one I care for. Without my baby girl here there's no reason for me to stay."

"Don't be so absurd, Joetta."

"So now my feelings at absurd? Fuck you straight to hell, James. When you punched Colt you took away her joy, and you've destroyed this family."

"So what are you saying? You want a divorce?"

"It's not that I want a divorce, I don't see any other way to reclaim joy for Sarah and me. Either you find a way to get him back for her, or we're through."

I stood there, arms still crossed, staring at him. He couldn't look me in the eyes.

"He has no --."

"He has every right, they have every right. They are both adults and she loves him. You've driven her to him with your pig-headedness. As soon as she moves to school she'll run into his arms, and you will never see her again. Of that I'm certain. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not, don't be silly."

"Now I'm being silly? How many times do you plan to insult me during this conversation, you old ass?"

"That's not --, don't --, I'm sorry."

"Then get him back into her life before you lose us both."

I turned and walked into our bedroom, slamming the door in the process. Hopefully, my bluff was effective. At least I think it was a bluff. I'm not sure what I would do if Sarah left and planned on never returning because of him.

Colt

In the weeks since James assaulted me, and I'd broken things off with Sarah, I had been miserable. I rarely went out, cooking became a chore, and my house only received the slightest of cleanings. I was a transformed man, my heart was broken. I'd known that I wanted to make Sarah mine, but that had been a physical craving for her presence. Our weekend of sex was something I would never, could never forget. Virgin Sarah was the most outstanding lover I've had, so receptive, yet aggressive when she wanted to be, and she would cum with the slightest provocation. I had lost track of the number of orgasms she'd experienced. But now? Now my heart was broken as I realized I couldn't have the woman I loved, at least for now. I knew she would eventually move out of her father's home, and then I'd be free to pursue her again. I would wait, but I wondered if she would, and I couldn't dare contact her, she did not take our breakup well.

On a Wednesday, in mid-December, I received another call requesting a meeting with James. This time he requested a lunch meeting at a popular local buffet restaurant, I knew it would be busy for lunch so I agreed. I figured with a room full of diners at witnesses, he wouldn't dare get violent. Helen said she was not given a subject, only that it was regarding his behavior. I thought we'd been through that already, and he had apologized. I had not seen him since that day and truly had no idea what he wanted to discuss.

I was the first to arrive at the restaurant and while in line I saw him enter. We each nodded, acknowledging the other. I paid and then went through the buffet line, seeking out his eyes when I found us a table. He nodded in acknowledgment and a few minutes later he joined me. He extended his hand and I was immediately drawn back to that day in my office when he took my hand in greeting and then laid me out with the other. I looked around nervously, then at him. I decided that with the table between us, he couldn't get leverage for more than a glancing blow. As I extended my hand he extended both hands, grasping mine between them, a signal he meant no harm.

We made small talk for a few minutes as we began eating, but he soon cut to the chase.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you here," he began.

"I have no clue why we're here, James. I took this meeting out of respect for you, so what is it you want?"

He hesitated, then laid down his silverware and placed his hands on his lap. Clearing his throat he raised his head and looked me directly in the eyes.

"I want --, no I need you to come back, back into our lives, into Sarah's life."

"Well, this is quite the turn of events. Why is it you need me to come back?"

"I'm losing Sarah."

My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean you're losing Sarah, is she okay?"

"She's fine, physically at least. Mentally she's depressed, but she knows one thing for sure, she hates her father. She made that explicitly clear that night after Joetta and I got home. Things have not been the same between us since, and they're getting worse. It's to the point that Joetta is threatening to leave me when Sarah goes away to college, she says I've become the kind of man she doesn't care for. Things are miserable at home, all because I was stupid, I ripped my daughter's heart out. I don't know if I can fix the damage but I can at least give it back to her. She needs to see you, Colt."

I sat there in a bit of shock, the look in his eyes told me he was suffering. I suppose no man relishes the thought of one of their children hating them.

"That can't be easy to say," I told him, trying to ease his apparent pain by some small portion, "Do you think Sarah wants to see me? She was angry when I broke up with her."

"Joetta says that Sarah is in love with you, and I'll admit she seems heartbroken without you. I suppose I can tolerate you long enough for her to figure out you're just using her."

"Using her for what, James? What do I stand to gain from this? Do you think I just want to toy with her? That I get off on playing with her emotions?"

"She's an attractive girl, I assume you want to have sex with her," he snarled.

Little did he know, and I was not going to disavow him of his ignorance. He did not need to know that I'd already had sex with her, what I want now is her heart and mind.

"James, if I come back into her life I don't intend to leave any time soon. I've also been miserable without her. I've never felt this way about any woman. I guess what I'm saying is, I think I love her."

His face grew red.

"One good thing about me, James, is that family is everything to me. I would never take her away from you. I'm also an anchor, my business is here and I love this community. The career she wants to pursue is highly portable, making it easy for her to move away. She's told me that she wants to explore the world. I can help her satisfy her wanderlust while keeping her home base close to you."

The red face subsided.

"Listen, I'm not saying that Sarah and I will be forever, but I at least want to explore that possibility. You've raised an amazing young woman, James, you should be proud of that. But if I'm confused about this, and I'm only infatuated by the thought of her, then the only way to reveal my true feelings is to spend time with her. I can do that now, or we can continue the way we began, stealing moments together, and we'll wait until she moves out."

He released a huge sigh and sat there shaking his head. "My baby is growing up, and I'm having a hard time with it."

"I can't imagine what that feels like, but trust me, James, I don't want to hurt her, and I don't want to cause problems with you or your wife. That's why I've kept my distance. If you believe that allowing us to see each other is what's right, then you need to tell her. Let her decide whether it's truly what she wants. I'll stay out of it unless she reaches out to me."

"I'll do that," he nodded, '"If she wants to see you then I won't stand in her way."

I rose from the table, ready to leave. "Thank you, James. Believe me when I say that it's not my intention to steal your girl away from you."

I left the restaurant without looking back, my heart full of emotion. I said a silent prayer that I would hear from Sarah.

Sarah

I burst out crying and fell into my dad's chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, petting my head like I was a child. Admitting that I was growing up and needed to start making my own decisions couldn't have been easy for him, and true to his form, he told me he'd always be there for me. Whether as a shoulder to cry on or as a sounding board, he'd always be my dad.

"I'm sorry that I said I hate you," I sobbed.

"I know you didn't mean it," he said softly.

"So, I'm truly free to see him in public? You won't be angry? What about bringing him here?"

"Yes, no, and he's welcome in our home as long as you want him here."

"And if I go to his house?"

"I guess I have to trust your judgment, but if he hurts you..." he let the sentence trail off.

"I don't believe he would ever hurt me."

"You know what I mean."

I straightened up and looked him in the eyes. Was this the time to tell him his little girl was not a virgin? I searched his eyes for an answer and decided it was not. There was still too much hurt and fear there. He knew he was giving up control of me, and handing it over to a man he didn't trust had the best of intentions. I decided to not respond to his comment, I just hugged him again. Better to leave the implications alone.

"I'm going to text him and arrange to see him soon. Thank you, Daddy, I love you," I said as I kissed his cheek and floated toward my room.

I closed my door and settled onto my bed.

Me: I miss you horribly can I see you?

C: You talked with your dad?

Me: Yes he said it's ok

C: When and where?

Me: Jiffy Treat after school, 4 pm

C: I'll be there I miss you too

Me: Can't wait!

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. Thoughts of Colt filled my head, thoughts of what we could have. I missed everything about him. I needed to melt into his arms, to have him lift my chin and kiss me, to feel the warmth of his breath on my neck as he kissed that spot behind my ear.

I arrived at The Jiffy Treat before him, I got a milkshake and took a window booth. He wasn't far behind me and saw me sitting in the window as he walked in. He ordered a sundae and joined me.

"You're beautiful as ever, my angel," he smiled.