The Cougar and the Anaconda Ch. 03

"Candace, I'm really crazy about you."

"Me too."

"I mean, it feels like, this should be more."

"We just fucked on a train and in a playground. Have you done that with Britney?"

"Hell no, nothing close."

"OK. What we have is more, in its own way. Let's enjoy it."

Jeremy wasn't satisfied with my answer, but what was I supposed to say? Let's leave our spouses and run off into the sunset? The truth was, there wasn't much I wouldn't do for him, but he didn't need to know that.

We used our phones as flashlights to find our clothes and shoes strewn about the playground. Not surprisingly, I looked like a man with a very large dick had just fucked the hell out of me. Jeremy looked flawless, though he complained that he had wood chips embedded in his knees.

We made our way to the closest street and called a couple Ubers. When our cars arrived, Jeremy kissed me with an overwhelming passion.

"Thank you for tonight."

"Thank you for fulfilling one of my fantasies."

He grinned. "We need to get to work on the others. But maybe not the one with the other guy."

"I understand, stud."

"Good night, pretty lady."

"Good night."

DAY 11: AN INDECENT PROPOSAL

Jeremy texted me on a Thursday to tell me he had another last-minute firm event and would miss our date.

My favorite vibrator was on the fritz. It had been getting too much work lately. Every time I turned around, Jeremy was off to some firm function—a baseball game this day, a fancy lunch the next. Our time was confined to those precious minutes on the train each morning, unless one of us had an early deposition or hearing, in which case we might not see each other at all.

I was horny for my man, who happened to be another woman's man, but I was willing to overlook the details.

I threatened to take up the issue with the owner of his firm, and my former law school classmate, John Parker.

I texted Jeremy a devil emoji. "Parker's getting in the way of my sex life."

Jeremy agreed. "Me too."

"I might have to have a chat with him."

"Please do. Serious blue balls."

"Blue balls? My fuck toy has blue balls?"

"Fuck toy?"

"Yes. Does that offend you?"

"Well, I do feel a little...cheap."

"I could make you feel cheaper."

"I wish you would."

"I wish I could. You're so busy every day. And night."

"I know. The firm warned me that I might fall in love with a sexy, beautiful, experienced woman, but they didn't warn me I'd never get to see her."

Love? I was at a loss as to how to respond.

"U there?"

I decided deception was the better part of valor. "Yep. Just thinking about the 'experienced woman' thing. That sounds like code for 'older woman.'"

"Not at all. I say what I mean. And by the way, you skipped over the 'sexy, beautiful' part."

"Guess so."

"You also skipped over the 'fall in love' part."

I waited too long to respond.

"Candace?"

"I'm here."

"Seems like you're always dodging the issue when I bring it up."

"Sorry. It's not easy for me."

"Not easy for me either. Though it is easier on text. I just refuse to deny my feelings any more."

"I need time."

"No problem. I'll back off."

"I don't mean to piss you off."

"You're not pissing me off. I've told you how I feel. Now I'll try to give you space to work out whether you feel the same."

"Thanks."

Then he sent me a heart emoji. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm done now."

"It's OK. It was cute. Speak of the devil, Parker's calling me. More later. Miss you."

"You too."

***

Even though we got along, something about Jeremy's boss, Parker, creeped me out. Maybe it was the rumors of domestic violence against his wife. But they were rumors, and I was a "show me the evidence" kind of lawyer. Maybe it was his cozy relationship with his firm's managing partner, Monica, who definitely creeped me out. Again, on the basis of no evidence. I felt like I could be friendly with Parker, but had to watch my back.

Parker called me periodically, but typically to invite me to a fundraiser or similar event. That's what I was expecting when I picked up the phone.

"Hi Parker. Good to hear from you."

"Hi Candace. Thank you for coming to the fundraiser the other night. Without you and George, my table would not have been full, which would have been embarrassing."

"Our pleasure. Thanks for inviting us."

"I'd like to take you to dinner as a thank-you. Any chance you're free tonight?"

"I am, but George is out of town."

"Perfect. My wife's indisposed too, so we'll have a nice evening catching up on old times, just the two of us."

I wasn't thrilled with this idea, but I had already told him I was free. What's more, if I didn't accept, he'd keep pushing until we found another date. Might as well get it over with.

"Sounds great. Text me the place and time, and I'll see you then."

***

Dallas was known for having some of the best, most innovative restaurants in the country. Of all the spectacular restaurants in Dallas, Parker chose the Dragonfly Kitchen at Hotel ZaZa. I spent much of the meal pushing the food around on my plate, wishing it was Jeremy sitting next to me.

There was a reason Parker ran his firm—the rumor was that his wealthy wife actually owned the firm, but that didn't detract from the fact that he was suave and a great conversationalist. This enabled me to sit back and let him direct the evening while I pined after a 24-year-old who had agreed to be Parker's full-time associate next year. Most of the evening swept by in a chatty blur until Parker put his hand on mine.

"Candace, you're a beautiful woman. I never understood why we didn't give something a shot."

How was I so naïve not to see this coming? I eased my hand out from his and pretended to reach for my wine glass. "I guess some things pass us by."

Parker drew his hand down my neck and rested it on my shoulder. "It doesn't have to be that way."

I was growing uncomfortable and struggling to be polite. "I'm not sure George would see it like that."

"Maybe what George doesn't know won't hurt him."

"I don't think it's that simple."

"How long have you been married?"

"Just over 23 years."

"Are you telling me that for 23 years, there's only been one man for you? Just good ol' George?"

Parker cut too close to the quick. "Isn't that how marriage works?"

"You didn't answer my question." Like me, Parker was a lawyer. And a dog with a bone. He wasn't going to let me wiggle out of this.

"Marriage is about commitment."

"That doesn't answer the question."

I needed him to back off. "Is this a deposition?"

"Sorry. I just hate to see two people like you and me unhappy in love."

"Who said anything about being unhappy?"

"That was my observation at the gala."

"Maybe you read things wrong."

"You're being defensive, so you can see how I would assume..."

Argh, he was twisting my words. "No, not really."

"Let's face it, Candace, you're in your prime. You're beautiful and you probably have the sex drive to match. At the gala, George looked 20 years older than you, worn out and tired. I can't imagine you're getting what you need at home."

"You're making a lot of assumptions. And you're overlooking the fact that I love him."

"Have you ever thought that you can enjoy someone else's body while still staying committed—that is, in love?"

"That doesn't make sense to me."

"What I mean is, don't you think you can sleep with someone in friendship while staying married to someone else in love? That's not cheating on your vow to love, is it?"

"Parker, I didn't come here thinking about these things. I thought we were just having dinner."

"We've known each other 25 years. Maybe it's time we think about these things."

"I'm uncomfortable with this conversation."

Parker leaned in to me and stroked my arm. "If you ever change your mind, the offer is open. We could have fun, you and me."

My stomach clenched at the idea of sleeping with Parker. And it turned over at the fact that I had used George as an excuse not to sleep with one man while I was already sleeping with another.

This evening had nothing to do with Jeremy, but things seemed more complicated since he had come into my life. And more vibrant. And fun.

I ended the evening with Parker as quickly and politely as I could. I tried to ignore my crawling skin when he gave me a lingering hug and an inappropriate kiss on the lips. The train couldn't get me home fast enough so I could scrub the ick and the stifling guilt off my skin.

DAY 12: BREACH OF CONTRACT

I hadn't seen Jeremy for nearly a week after our play date on the playground. I finally got to see him one Friday morning. He looked edible in a tan summer suit and emerald green tie. The tie was the perfect color for him and should have brought out his gorgeous eyes, but there was none of his typical merriment.

He kissed me perfunctorily.

"Hi pretty lady."

"Hi yourself. How are you?"

"Doing OK."

"Doesn't look that way. What's up?"

"I don't want to burden you with it."

"Please do. We're friends."

"You warned me about this, so I feel foolish."

I racked my brain to recall any warning I had given him. Was it about Parker? Monica? Something having to do with his wife? I would never go there—that was none of my business. I was at a loss.

"Just tell me."

"It's Monica."

"Oh god."

"Yeah."

"Is she hitting on you?"

"Worse than that."

"Am I going to have to drag it out of you? Because you're kind of big for me..."

"I feel foolish. I should have listened to you."

"All I told you is that she creeps me out, but on the basis of nothing. What's going on?"

"Ever since I accepted the firm's offer, she's been touchy-feely. That was no big deal, I can handle that. Then she started getting explicit about what we should do together—I mean, gross explicit. Almost as filthy as you talk."

I elbowed him. "Thanks for that."

He grinned back at me. "Sorry. Had to lighten the mood. Anyway, she finally came right out and asked me to go to her house. When I told her I didn't think that was a good idea, she lost it. She said as the managing partner, she controls the purse strings. She's going to renege on their agreement to pay my student debt and reduce their salary agreement if I don't sleep with her. If I try to sue them for breach of contract, she's going to blackball me in the legal community."

"Fucking bitch."

He smiled again. "There's the mouth I love."

"I would use worse words, but there are children on this train."

"I thought about sleeping with her so she'd back down, but I can't imagine an end in sight. If I sleep with her once, then any time she wanted to get laid, she would just threaten me, and I'd have to satisfy her again."

"True."

"And frankly, it felt like I'd be cheating on you. I don't want to be with anyone other than you, and I'm pissed that she put me in this position."

I didn't know how to respond to that comment and chose to ignore it.

"Have you thought about your options?"

"Yes. I could probably still get a position at a good firm in New York. But Britney has made it clear that she's not going back to New York. And no way am I leaving the baby here with her. I'm not going to be that dad."

I didn't want to tell him how relieved I was that New York was out.

"I could try to get a job at another firm in Dallas before Monica has a chance to blackball me. Maybe one of the junior partners would give me a recommendation. I thought about asking Parker, but I don't know what, if anything, he knows about this."

"Yeesh, that's hard to say. They're rumored to be lovers, but I don't think she'd want him to know about this."

"I can't imagine a scenario where he would take my side over hers."

"I think you're probably right."

"The last option I see is seeking out something in the public sector. Monica wouldn't have as much pull there. But my student debts are enormous; it would be hard for me to support my family if I wasn't in a big firm."

None of his options were great, much less a sure thing. I had a hunch of a possible solution, though it turned my stomach.

"Jeremy, can you play along with Monica for a few days? Don't lead her on, but don't do anything?"

"Yes, I can put up with anything for a few days, even a crazy bitch."

"One other question. Would you be willing to work at my firm if we made you an offer? We can't offer you what Parker did, and we can't beat New York rates, but we're one of the top firms in Dallas."

"Yes, I would love to work with you."

"You know it wouldn't be all fun and games, fucking on the furniture all the time?"

"Would there be at least some of that, maybe bend you over your desk now and then?"

A delicious image formed in my head. "Maybe once in a while."

Jeremy got his saucy grin back. "I'll take it."

We spent the rest of the ride chatting about random stuff, mostly having to do with what positions we needed to try the next time we could sneak away and what he was going to do to me the next time the train broke down. But in the back of my head, and the pit of my stomach, I was planning how to help Jeremy out of his predicament.

***

I has hopeful that I could reach a gentleman's agreement with Parker to let Jeremy out of his contract with the firm. But given Parker's proposition at dinner, and my long-time intuition about his lack of integrity, I wasn't optimistic. I needed to prepare myself for the worst. If I had to serve myself on a platter to shake Jeremy out of Monica's talons, I would be prepared to do so.

That evening, I made excuses to George about needing to run errands and headed out to Agent Provocateur. Browsing through their gorgeous lingerie, I felt sick to my stomach. I should be buying this for Jeremy, not some man who made my skin crawl. I reminded myself, in a way, this was for Jeremy. There were a lot of things I would do for him, and debasing myself wasn't the least of them.

I tried on half their undergarments. White and cream were too innocent, and the greens, purples, and pinks felt too whimsical. Red was the color of love, which was not something I wanted to project. I left with a deep blue plunge bra, a matching garter belt, and black seamed stockings. This would look beautiful under my black silk suit, and black would match my mood.

I texted Parker from my car.

"Hey Parker. Any chance I can meet with you?"

"Sure. Does this have anything to do with our dinner?"

"Sort of."

"That's cryptic."

"Sorry. It's best to discuss in person."

"Fair enough. It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Thank you."

"I have some time Tuesday afternoon."

"How's 5:30?"

I would have picked an earlier time, but I wanted to leave with my dignity intact after his employees had already left the office.

"Looking forward to it."

I wished I could say the same.

DAY 12: BURLESQUE

I felt sick about what I was going to offer Parker, and I needed affirmation from Jeremy that I was making the right decision. It was last minute, but I had to see him, and not just for a quick fuck. We almost never got together on Friday nights, and had never stayed overnight. He could sense the urgency in my text message.

"Can you see me tonight? I mean all night, until sunrise."

"Are you OK?"

"Yes. Just want to see you."

"I'll figure something out. Let me get back to you."

It took him nearly an hour.

"I'm free. I felt guilty for telling Britney I have an overnight firm event until she told me not to rush home. She couldn't give a shit where I am or what I'm doing."

"I'm sorry. Do you want to skip tonight and go home?"

"No. I think she's heading to her parents'. I'm not exaggerating when I say she couldn't care less about me, about our marriage. I don't want to think about that tonight."

"OK. I called ZaZa, and they're booked."

"I called around. There's a game and a concert in town. I couldn't find a room anywhere except a dive in Deep Ellum. They have a burlesque show next door tonight, so I'm not sure how much sleep we'll get."

"This is our first night together. I wasn't planning to sleep anyway. Let's do it."

***

I met Jeremy at the motel. He wasn't exaggerating when he said it was a dive. But it had been too long; we could have fucked on a bed of nails.

We tumbled onto the bed, which promptly sagged under Jeremy's weight. Jeremy scooped me up and pushed me against the wall, my feet dangling in the air. My skirt rode up as I wrapped my legs around him. He held me by my ass and mumbled into my mouth.

"I'll be romantic later. Right now I have to fuck you."

"Please."

I fumbled for his fly while he pulled my panties aside. His finger inside me was satisfying, but I couldn't wait for his cock to fill me up.

The second I had his dick out, he positioned himself at my entrance. I was wet and ready, eager for him to take me. When he pushed himself into me, I bit his shoulder to muffle my scream. I was worried someone would hear me through the paper-thin walls. Jeremy did not share my concern, as he grunted with each thrust, unable to plow himself deep enough. He pushed into the back of my channel, which caused me to catch my breath with each penetration.

I winced as my backbone slammed into the wall, each plunge coming harder and faster. The pain mingled with the pleasure, sending me over the edge. He grabbed my jaw and dragged my eyes to his.

"Look at me. Look at me, baby."

"I'm here."

I came deep, grabbing at Jeremy's ass to pull him further inside me. The world stopped spinning and my muscles went lax as I lost myself in his being. His eyes bore into me, demanding more of my orgasm.

"Come hard for me."

"Oh god."

"Fuck, I'm coming."

With a final thrust up, he came deep inside me, filling me with his warmth. I felt his legs give beneath us, and we sank to the floor, him still inside me.

"Candace, I would do anything for you."

I looked away, sick to my stomach. I couldn't tell him that I was about to do, quite literally, anything for him.

He sensed something was wrong. Sliding his face down to mine, he caught me with his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Sometimes my orgasms overwhelm me."

"You've never reacted that way before."

How could he read me so well? "I think I'm a little emotional, too. It means a lot to me that we can be together tonight."

He smiled at me, but I don't think he bought my excuse. "I'm happy to be here. Happy you asked."

I needed to hide from his penetrating gaze before he started asking more questions. "How about dinner? I'm starving."

"Sounds great. How about we put some clothes on first?"

"If you insist. But I kind of like you the way you are."

"Likewise, pretty lady."

***

We grabbed some street tacos and decided to take in the burlesque show. I was anxious about Parker and eager for a distraction.

The show was like nothing I'd ever seen before and endlessly entertaining. The first act was a woman in a flapper dress with a boa constrictor draped around her neck. She strutted around the stage wearing the snake like a garment, grabbing her crotch or breasts in feigned ecstasy when the snake slithered around her skin. I cringed for her and hoped she was being paid well.

Young women came out draped in gowns, gloves, and feather boas, and dripping in rhinestones. They performed tantalizing dances that entertained women and men alike. There were asses on show, barely-clad breasts, and enviable taut tummies. My favorite was a pretty blonde dressed like Marilyn Monroe who sang the famous Happy Birthday rendition directed at President Kennedy. The crowd was engaged, hooting and hollering as women flaunted their wares, and generally making the event fun.

A beautiful young woman singled Jeremy out for an erotic striptease. She rode him like a bull and jiggled her breasts in his face, all while stripping down to heart-shaped pasties and a red thong. Facing him, she ground her barely-there G-string into his crotch. She then flipped around, touched her toes, and leaned back so her ass cheeks separated by her barely-covered pussy were dangling in his face. Her sexy antics stirred up an obvious erection on Jeremy, and undoubtedly many of the other men in the house. Jeremy kept cutting his eyes at me while smiling and enjoying the show.