July
“Show me those lil’ dimples,” Chrisette cajoles, poking me in the cheek.
“Don't mess with the driver,” I say shortly. It's hard to stay mad at her when she's being cute, though.
She leans over the console to put her head on my shoulder. “My mom told me to invite them,” she reminds me. “Todd doesn’t have any family close by.”
At all, if he had told me the truth. I clasp her hand. “I'm still trying to get your parents to like me,” I explain. “You know he rubs me the wrong way.”
Chrisette sits up, pouting. “I think you're the only person in the world who doesn't like him.”
“That can't be true,” I mutter.
“So maybe the problem is you,” she finishes.
There is so much wrong with that idea that I can't speak for a couple minutes. How could I be the only one who’d ever seen the dark side of Todd? That dude is Voldemort.
The Shens are a big family full of high achievers. Like, the black sheep of the family is the cousin who went into marketing instead of being an engineer or a doctor or a lawyer. He owns his firm, though. If I worked for him I’d make twice what I do now, but like the other Shens he immediately decided I was garbage. Was it the basketball shorts? I fucked up, is all I know, and I can’t seem to stop fucking up.
Shens don't care much for me, but they fell all over fucking Todd. Oh, a partner in an engineering firm already, wow! Oh, so handsome! How tall are you? Sasha is such a lucky girlfriend! He’s a gentleman, too? Does he have any single brothers? He already calls Mrs. Shen “Mama,” which…okay, I guess he’s known them longer than I have, but they all act like he’s brand new and still in the box.
I admit to sulking when I went up to the guest bedroom to sit in a wooden chair by the window. The kids are setting off the fireworks I brought on the lawn, and though I can only see the colorful explosions from this side of the house it’s nice to hear all oohs and ahs. Kids are easier than adults. I should go offer to help, but I’m, I dunno, overstimulated. Every time I hear footsteps on the stairs I worry that someone’s gonna see me and give me shit for wanting some alone time. I can always pretend I’m responding to a work email, I guess.
Todd finds me.
Of course it's Todd. Who else would it be in this big house full of people, most of whom I would be very happy to see walk through the door? Not my future in-laws. Not my fiancée. Not one of her cousins or nieces or nephews or her siblings. Fucking Todd.
“Go away,” I say immediately, not looking up from my phone.
“Mrs. Shen asked me to get you,” he explains, then chuckles a bit. “She called you ‘Grumpy Dimple Boy.’”
“I'm getting a major headache,” I lie.
Todd swigs his beer. “Don't be such a pussy. Just go downstairs and make nice.”
I had been nice. “There are just…” I struggle to find the right words to make him leave me alone. “A lot of people down there.”
“If you actually care about making a good impression, you'll get over it,” Todd replies shortly.
That makes me snort. “A good impression? I’ve met her family a dozen times. I’m respectful, I bring gifts, and I offer to help in the kitchen. They think what they think.” And they think I’m a dogshit loser who they tolerate at best. “You're not helping.”
“I'm not here to help.”
Of course he isn't. Todd has never helped a damn thing in his life, the self-serving bastard. I go back to my phone, conscious of him watching me.
“You could ask Chrissy to vouch for you a little more,” Todd offers, closing the door. “She sets boundaries.”
I frown up at him. “Why would you assume I never asked?” Also, why is the door shut?
Todd gives me an are-you-dumb look. “Because they talk shit about you to your face and you just…take it, and then you mope in a corner. Papa Shen told me today that he thinks you don’t make enough money, and that you’re not ambitious enough to take care of Chrissy. Like, that’s not what I should be hearing from your girlfriend’s dad.”
“Fiancée,” I correct him. That would sting if Mr. Shen hadn’t said the exact same thing to me after Chrisette and I got engaged. He said he was giving me advice. Chrisette told me her dad would warm up to me.
“I don’t care if Chrisette makes more than I do,” I say tiredly. “And she chose me. That’s all we need.”
“Hey, I tried to be on your side, man. I even showed him that game with all your designs in it, the little app. That being said, it’s tough to support you when you’re being a brat.”
I can feel my blood pressure rising in sync with my voice. “I’m not a fucking—” then I shut my trap because why even let him get to me? He’s just trying to break up my engagement so he can have Chrisette for himself.
I close my eyes. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six–There are hands on my belt. My eyes fly open to see Todd kneeling between my legs. He’s quick; he already fished my cock out of my boxers and is bending toward it when I grab his head.
“The fuck are you doing?” I hiss.
Todd just knocks my hand away and puts my whole soft dick in his mouth. The whole goddam thing. Fuck. Oh shit. Oh, fuck. The wet heat of his tongue teases the underside of the shaft, flicking over the ridge there.
Move, Jesse. Do something. My brain is paralyzed; my feet won't move; my hands are frozen. Time has stopped but for Todd’s head in my lap. My cock swells so fast that it doesn't all fit and Todd has to use his hands on the shaft. He doesn't pause or look at me or make any smart remarks. He's intent, focused, and fucking good. Already there's a familiar pressure building in my groin, beating my common sense into submission in time with Todd’s mouth bobbing on my dick. Oh no. This is bad.
“You—can’t fuck me here,” I manage to gasp, and hate myself when Todd gives me a smug look.
He pulls off my throbbing cock. “Afraid you’ll come too loud?” Todd pulls his glasses off and hands them to me. “Don’t smudge them.”
I put them on a side table, and Todd immediately gets back to blowing me. I’m trying not to fuck his face but it’s taking all my concentration. My fingers are wrapped so tightly around the side of the chair that it squeaks. Todd grabs one of my hands, never pausing the movement of his lips, and places it firmly on the back of his head. That’s the only go ahead I need to stand and grab the side of his head with both hands.
When Chrisette blows me she has me lie on my back and holds me still by my thighs. Todd holds my wrists and keeps his eyes on my face. My cock makes obscene noises in his throat as my balls smack his chin. It’s fucking gross how goddam horny it makes me. I skull fuck him like I’m trying to poke a hole through the back of his head, watching his eyes water and spill over. Todd works his tongue like he’s trying to swallow me whole.
“I’m gonna come,” I grit out to warn him. Todd just huffs and presses on my pelvis with both hands, sucking so hard that his cheeks hollow, and fuck, oh fuck, fuck. I grip his hair as I shoot, feeling stars burst in sync with the fireworks outside, holding Todd’s head as my pelvis jerks.
Then I’m done. My crotch is wet, there’s drool and probably snot on the floor. “Damn it.”
Todd sits back and picks his beer up off the floor to take a swig, watching me the whole time. That is surprisingly satisfying; Chrisette doesn't swallow. His whole face is red from how goddam hard my crotch was slamming into it.
He puts his glasses back on. “Get your ass downstairs, Dimples,” Todd orders, and leaves the room.
The Shen family isn’t any nicer to me when I go down. Am I acting weird? I duck out to supervise the fireworks, and on the way home Chrisette tells me that her nephews liked me.
