Puppy Love Ch. 04

Dear Readers,

I love David and Emma too much to finish this story in 4 chapters as I had originally planned. However the next installment might take a couple weeks to finish because I decided it would be fun to enter the Halloween story contest. So please be patient, and check out my story for the contest while you're waiting. Vote for me!

As always, I love hearing feedback so tell me what you think :) Hope you like chapter 4.

honey28

***********

I was even more nervous than I had been on the day of our first date. I had agonized over what to wear before settling on black dress pants and a turquoise turtleneck. My hair was pulled back in a clip to show off the earrings that David had given me for my birthday. I had told him they were too much, but he wouldn't take them back. They were 3/4 inch white gold hoops, shaped like two bands intertwined, with small diamonds set in one of the bands. My feet were already getting sore in my new silver open-toed sling backs.

David was driving us to his parents' house. As if I wouldn't already be nervous at the prospect of meeting them, he had informed me that his mother always gave his girlfriends a hard time the first time she met them, so I shouldn't take it personally. But I had a habit of taking everything personally.

Lizzie could be brutally honest, but she was never malicious. I was expecting the worst: a mean version of my big-mouthed sister.

I couldn't keep my mouth from gaping as we pulled up the semi-circular driveway in front of a large, beautiful home. The front entrance was framed by two wide columns, and the chestnut colored door was flanked by beautiful stained glass. There were small, well-groomed evergreens in front of the large windows on either side of the door. I slowly exited the car, taking it all in.

His parents were both doctors, and apparently had done well for themselves. He had told me that his father still practiced, but his mother was a retired cardiologist.

David came around to my side of the Charger, closed my door, and took my hand. The front door opened, and I swallowed thickly.

He squeezed my hand. "You'll be fine. Remember what I said, just let it all roll off. It's like a rite of passage. After she sees you a couple of times she'll be sweet as pie."

I put on a smile and we ascended the steps. His mother had been the one to open the door for us, and she reached out to grab David's shoulders as she kissed him on the cheek. "It's so good to see you, dear." She stepped back and I felt the heat of her appraisal.

"Hello, I'm Emma," I offered my hand. "I'm so glad to meet you." Couldn't be farther from the truth.

She nodded with a tight-lipped smile and gingerly accepted my hand. "I'm May. Why don't you two come inside, the chill is coming in." His mother was small and slender, with chin-length hair the color of David's, yet straight and with some gray streaking through it.

I felt like we were entering the lion's den. I prayed that his father was more receptive.

The entryway had wallpaper with wide, vertical stripes and a small antique desk. The floors were hardwood. I could see that the front room had more contemporary furniture, and looked like a page out of a freaking magazine.

"Is Dad in the kitchen?"

"Yes, dinner is almost done."

We followed her down the hall to the dining room, and through a doorway I could see a large man pulling a baking sheet out of the oven. He was about David's height, with a few extra pounds around the middle. His dark hair had a lot of gray in it. I watched in amusement as he tossed the still-hot biscuits into a basket, cursing at his burning fingers yet continuing to fill the basket instead of letting the bread cool.

"Do you need help with anything?" I offered. His mother declined and went into the kitchen to assist David's father.

"This house is too perfect," I whispered, turning to David. "I'm afraid I'll bump into something and your mother will scowl at me."

"Just relax, hon."

I stepped over to the wall across from the doorway, where there were half a dozen framed photographs on the wall. The largest, in the center, was a family portrait that must have been from about twenty years ago. Smiling parents, two young boys, and a Jack Russell Terrier at their feet.

"You grew up with a dog like Reggie," I smiled.

"Yeah. I wasn't looking for a dog when I got him. I was at the mall with Maggie, and as we walked past the pet store we saw a few puppies in the window. She thought I was crazy but as soon as I saw him I remembered the day my dad brought Peanut home. He was a great little dog. I couldn't leave Reggie there in that horrible place, so I brought him home."

I turned as I heard his parents come in carrying dinner. After setting down a platter of what looked like chicken in a light-colored sauce, his father looked up at me and smiled warmly.

"You must be Emma. I'm Henry. It's nice to finally meet you."

"You, too." I felt such relief that his father was friendly. "Dinner smells amazing. Are you sure I can't help you carry something?" I started to move toward the kitchen, but I was again dismissed. David pulled out a chair for me before taking the seat next to mine.

"Don't worry about it, they never let me help before dinner. I get the honor of dealing with the dishes, if you'd like to help with that later."

I turned to look at the wall of photos again. There were several of him and his brother as children, a wedding photo of his parents, and David's high school graduation picture. There were no photos of his brother older than about 13 or 14. I assumed that was probably because there weren't any, if he had been as full of angst and anger as David let on.

As we began our meal, I wracked my brain for something to say that wouldn't sound silly and forced.

"We're so glad you two kids could join us for dinner tonight. We don't get to see enough of David," his father remarked.

"I could be here every night and you'd still say that."

"David tells me that he's followed in your footsteps?" I thought it was probably safer to to try to use his father to get the conversation going because his mother didn't seem very forthcoming.

"Yes, he did," his father beamed. "That reminds me. I wanted to tell you that I've decided to retire next year."

"Good for you, Dad. What are you going to do to keep yourself busy?"

"Oh, I'll probably lecture from time to time, that sort of thing. Do some traveling. I know your mother has been itching to go back to Italy."

I looked to his mother, assuming she would enter the conversation. I could see how she kept her slim figure. She had a handful of salad, a couple ounces of chicken, and a few green beans on her plate. But she had a nice, big, glass of wine... I thought that perhaps under the rough exterior she may be as apprehensive as me. This thought didn't last very long.

"Yes, that would be nice, dear. Emma, those are lovely earrings."

One hand instinctively raised to an ear. "Thank you, May. They were a gift." I smiled at David, who was shoveling a second helping of chicken onto his plate.

She arched her eyebrow. "Oh? That's a very nice gift for a... one month?... anniversary..."

My face flushed with heat. Her small, polite smile belied her sarcastic tone. Apparently she assumed I was with him for money.

"Yes, they are lovely, and that's why I gave them to her for her birthday. Actually, we've been together for a couple months now. She helped fix Reggie over the summer," he smiled, squeezing my hand.

"That's right, you work with a veterinarian. That must be a very rewarding job." The encouraging words were from his father.

"It is, I love my job."

His mother cut in before I could continue. "Why did you chose not to become a veterinarian?"

The way she asked the question infuriated me, but I left the smile pasted on my face. I very much doubted that human nurses were constantly asked if they were in school to become a doctor. It was one thing when a client asked this question out of curiosity, but her tone implied that perhaps I settled for my career choice because I was lazy.

Who did she think I was? Some unmotivated loser who cleaned dirty cages all day and thought I'd hit the jackpot with her doctor son? My smile was trying to creep off my face.

Worst of all, her implications that I wasn't good enough for her son were crawling into that terrible corner of my brain where the insecure teenage Emma cringed, always waiting for the worst. All that shimmers is sure to fade, right? What had I done to deserve someone like David? How long could this last?

If I wasn't so hot-headed, I would have let my lamer half take over. But this woman was offensive. So, I treated her like an annoying client at work - nice, deep breath, a fake smile, and a polite tone to hide my seething temper.

"Well, I don't have to give people the bad news when we diagnose cancer or other fatal diseases. And if I'm dealing with a particularly difficult client, I can always smile at them and say, 'Let me get the doctor.' Then it doesn't have to ruin my day." I was really trying not to let her ruin my day, but it was so hard to keep her from getting under my skin.

I could understand why his younger brother had felt so resentful. I could almost hear her criticizing him, comparing his failings to all of David's successes, making him feel two inches tall. There must be another side to this woman, because I couldn't figure out why Henry, who seemed like such a nice person, would want to be with her. She was certainly rubbing me the wrong way.

A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. Perhaps she understood the undertones of my last words. She would certainly be one of those pain in the ass clients who, when she left us a voicemail, would get a reluctant call back from Brad instead of one of us technicians.

"I suppose that makes some sense, then, doesn't it," she murmured. "What is it that you do, exactly?"

"I assist with exams, read slides, draw blood, monitor anesthesia for procedures, spend a lot of time returning client calls. The technicians field most of the calls, actually. It can get a bit crazy, but I love it."

David interjected. "When my vet had seen Reggie, he just told me that the breed was predisposed to allergies and I should try Benadryl. Emma took one look at him and knew exactly what to do."

"And the rest is history," his father laughed. The conversation became more comfortable as his father took the reins.

After the meal, I helped David clear the table and loaded the dishwasher while he scrubbed the larger pots and platters by hand. I was grateful to be out from under his mother's glare.

I wondered if she had liked David's ex. And if she was comparing me to her. I had seen a picture of her in a group photo at David's house. Pretty and petite with a bright smile, and I knew how career-driven she had apparently been. His mother had probably been thrilled because he had married someone like her.

She probably thought he could do so much better than me.

Over the sound of the running water, I could hear his parents speaking quietly in the other room. I asked David to point me in the direction of the coffee and started a pot.

"You're doing fine," he whispered after he rinsed the last platter. He dried his hands, but they were still damp when he held my face and kissed me. "I told you it would be fine."

I returned his smile, hoping that I was hiding the fact that I couldn't wait to get out of there.

"I owe you a proper apology for dealing with my mom's B. S." He kissed me again, this time letting his hands wander down to grab my butt. "I'll make it up to you later," he promised.

"Yes, you will. I hope you didn't just leave damp hand prints on my ass, babe," I laughed.

The rest of the evening passed without any more judgmental comments from his mother, and soon we were on our way back to my house. I rented the second floor, and David kept trying to pinch my ass as we ascended the stairs.

I plopped on the couch with a sigh. "George, you need to wait a minute. Mommy's feet are about to fall off."

"I'll take him out. Come on, fathead."

I laughed at the nickname, as well as the fact that George responded to it. I had to admit, his head did look humongous because he was in dire need of a trim.

I put my feet up on the cushions and laid my head back on the arm of the couch, closing my eyes. I had been feeling the beginnings of a headache for hours, probably from the stress. I must have dozed for a few minutes, because the next thing I knew I felt David kiss my forehead and bring me back to reality. He lifted my legs into his lap as he sat near me, gently pulling off my shoes. He started to rub my feet, but I'm very ticklish, so he had to abort the mission or else get kicked in the face.

"It was a very nice thought, Dave," I sighed. I sang, "But belle, je ne comprends pas 'foot rub,' so you'll have to speak to me some other way."

He laughed. "Jack Johnson would cringe if he heard you butcher his song like that."

I kicked him and feigned offense. "Are you criticizing my singing voice?"

"Baby, you have a lovely voice. I was referring to you changing the lyrics. So how else could I possibly show my appreciation of how tolerant you were of my judgmental mother?"

"Jewelry is out because you obviously spent too much on me already," I replied dryly.

He moved onto his hands and knees to hover over me. "I told you not to take her seriously. My mom can be a bitch until she gets to know you." His hot breath tickled against my neck. He nipped at my ear lobe.

"I want you out of these clothes. Now. So I can apologize the shit out of you," he growled.

"Oh, baby, you know all the right things to say," I laughed.

He unceremoniously ground himself into my pelvis as he yanked my shirt up to my neck.

"You're going to stretch it out!" I protested as he reached under me and started tugging at the clasp of my bra. "Oh, God," I wailed after he pulled my bra out of the way and sucked hard at my left nipple.

I pushed at his unyielding chest. "Sit up, you bastard," I teased. He complied. I sat up and straddled him, freeing my hair from its clip, then pulled my top off over my head and removed the bra that was hanging from my arms. He immediately brought his mouth back to my nipple and I had to push his head away with both hands so I could reach down to unbutton his pants and yank his shirt up out of them. He undid the buttons at his collar and I pulled the shirt over his head.

"That's better," I smiled, running my hands over his muscular arms and shoulders before grabbing his head and pressing his face back to my breast. I scraped at his scalp and shoulders with my nails as he teased first one nipple, then the other, with the tip of his tongue. One of his hands rubbed me through my pants. I tore myself away from him long enough to finish stripping, and he did the same.

I climbed back into his lap and rubbed the smooth head of his cock against my clit. I was so wet, and he felt so amazing. After several strokes, he grabbed my hips and moved me slightly so the next stroke impaled me. I grunted as he hit my cervix. I let him slowly guide me up and down for a while, then I picked up the pace as I felt my orgasm building. I grabbed onto the back of the couch for leverage.

As I reached my climax, I let him fill me completely and stopped riding him while the tremors wracked my body in ecstasy.

"Don't stop fucking me, Emma," he panted. My thighs were burning, but I resumed my bucking ride, smiling at the grunts and groans of pleasure coming from David. Moments later, he grabbed my hips and thrust up into me , throwing his head back as he came. I squeezed myself around him and leaned forward to kiss his neck.

When I felt the twitching of his cock subside, I climbed off of him and knelt on the floor to gently lick him clean. I could feel our fluids seeping down the insides of my thighs. I was going to need to shower. I stood up so I could lean over and give him a kiss.

"I wish you didn't have to go."

"I do, too, but Reggie is probably crossing his legs."

"You're probably right."

"I'll pick you up at 7 for dinner tomorrow?" I nodded. "Wear something nice," he smiled.

***

He took me to a nice Italian restaurant that wasn't far from my house, though I'd never been there before. The room was dimly lit, with candles on every table. One wall had a huge mural of a vineyard. The waitstaff probably made more money than I did. Not the type of place we normally frequented, but David said that a friend told him the food was amazing.

I was glad I had worn my new "little black dress" and black pumps, because it was one of those places that was so expensive, the menu didn't have any English. They probably would have refused to seat us if I had worn jeans... I had to ask David to order for me because my best attempts at decoding the menu failed.

I had a glass of wine while we waited for our meal, and excused myself to use the ladies' room before the food arrived. When I walked back out into the crowded dining room, the din of dozens of conversations was drowned out by a whooshing sound in my ears as my eyes focused on our table.

There was a pretty, young waitress sitting in my chair, scribbling on a napkin. She pushed it towards him and he flashed her a smile and said something. I felt a pang in my chest.

He was beautiful, sweet, charming... He could have anyone. So why I had I expected he would be satisfied with me?

I could feel tremors in my arms, across my chest, and up my neck, and I knew if I tried to speak, my words would come out in a stammer. I quickly made my way through the maze of tables and out into the night, praying he wouldn't see me. I didn't want to cause a scene. It had started raining, but the cold drizzle actually felt good on my hot skin. And it served to hide my tears.

Why did this keep happening to me? What was I doing wrong?

The restaurant was only a little over a mile from my house, so I started walking. I was soaked through by the time I reached home. As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard a pounding on the door.

My heart thudded in my chest as I realized it must be David. Enough time had passed for him to realize I was gone and come find me. Although I wasn't sure why he would bother. I pulled my shoes off of my sore feet and padded back down to the shared entrance. The pounding came again, louder. I opened the door and saw David standing in the pouring rain, his face a blank mask.

"Are you going to let me in out of this mess?"

I stepped back to allow him to come out of the weather.

"What the hell, Emma?"

I felt my hurt turning into anger, and balled my trembling hands into fists. "'What the hell, Emma?' What the hell yourself! I saw you," I sneered.

"Saw what?" he snapped, droplets of rain spraying from his hair.

"I saw you getting that waitress's number," I hissed.

"Is that what this is about? What you think you saw? Is that all you think of me?" He dug furiously in his pockets and pulled out the napkin, thrusting it at my nose.

It had a phone number and the name "Tom" written above it in round, female handwriting. "She's the kid sister of an old friend who I fell out of touch with. I can't fucking believe you, Emma."

I stared at him, gaping. I didn't know what to say.

"I fucking love you, Emma," he said, his voice faltering. I reached out to touch his arm, then cringed as he brushed my hand away. "But you won't let that be enough, will you?"

"I'm sorry, David," I croaked. I couldn't believe how pathetic I sounded.

His voice was cold. "I don't think I can be with someone who doesn't trust me."

I choked on a sob as he turned and walked back out into the rain before I could try to stop him. I couldn't believe that his first "I love you" may have been the last.