When I was finished, Tucker smiled. “That’s beautiful, man.”
“Might be stronger, actually…” I’d wanted to be with her regardless of how the sex was. If she wasn’t a good lay, I wouldn’t have cared. I would have taught her how to be better. And if it never got better, that would have been okay too. Because our relationship fulfilled me so much that I didn’t want to be with anyone else. Even if the sex wasn’t exactly to my liking., it wouldn’t matter. But that wasn’t a problem for us. She loved to be on top of me, loved to rock her hips and grind in the sexiest ways. She loved to grab my ass and pull me deep inside, like she could never get enough of my dick, no matter how much I gave it to her. And when she was on her hands and knees, she arched her back so deep and bounced her ass back at me, shaking her cheeks in the sexiest way I’d ever seen.
She was the best lay I’d ever had. But I didn’t tell him that, of course.
He nodded. “That’s great. And Derek already loves her…it’s perfect.”
I’d never given it much thought before, because I didn’t intend to bring a woman into my life again. Cleo got to know Derek as my friend, and it was a happy coincidence. But she did have such a connection with my son that it was obvious she cared for him on her own, that it had nothing to do with her feelings for me. They spent a lot of time together on those long flights, coloring, talking. They just clicked. “It is perfect.”
“Mom is gonna be happy,” he said with a chuckle.
She would start planning the wedding now.
“How does Valerie feel about it?”
I wanted to picture a future where she wasn’t mentioned, where she was so far in the past that we simply forgot about her. But the truth was, as long as Derek was under eighteen, I would always have to deal with her. She would never go away. “About what?”
“You and Cleo.”
I released a heavy sigh.
“That doesn’t sound good…”
“Valerie is a bitch. I’ll just leave it at that.”
“Well, you can’t just leave it at that.”
“I guess Derek talks about Cleo a lot, and that pissed off Valerie and made her ask questions.”
“She’s worried Cleo might replace her as Derek’s mother.”
“No, she’s worried Cleo will replace her.” But yes, that would probably become a problem too. “She started asking me if I was sleeping with her…”
“Wow.”
“I said no and hung up.”
“You lied?” he asked in surprise.
“It was the truth at the time.”
“Ah…” He nodded slightly.
“She continues to control my life. She continues to keep her leash around my neck. Cleo is going to talk her into coming for a visit, to show how nice it would be to live close…and I have to lie about Cleo.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“At first, I said no. I’m not going to pretend that I’m not with the woman I’m crazy about. But Cleo…convinced me otherwise.”
“I mean, it makes sense. Bringing Valerie out here to see how hard up you are for another woman while her son thinks she’s a queen is not the best way to get her to upend her life and move all the way across the country. You already won the breakup, and you’d basically be rubbing it in her face.”
I stared at him blankly, not understanding the phrase.
Tucker picked up on the look. “You moved on quicker than she did. Not only did you move on, but you hit the jackpot with Cleo. It’s just going to make Valerie feel like shit. Most of the time, that feels good, posting pictures on social media to show how happy you are in the hope she’ll see it. But since you share Derek…you can’t really do that.”
No, she was too spiteful. “I’m not looking forward to it.”
“So, if you get her to move out here, that’ll continue to be your plan?” he asked incredulously.
“No. Fuck that. Once she’s settled, we won’t hide it anymore.”
“A move across the country is pretty far. She probably won’t leave again.”
“Hopefully.”
“She’ll like it here. It’s a big change, but Manhattan is a great place to settle. Everything’s always open, you meet interesting people constantly, the women are hot…”
“I don’t think that’ll appeal to her.”
“Well, there’s a ton of rich billionaires too.”
“Now that’s exactly what she’s looking for.” But I couldn’t imagine why she’d need any more money…after taking half of my bank account.
“Maybe Cleo could set her up with one of her clients. You’d be off the hook.”
I shook my head.
“Why not?”
“Because Valerie’s a bitch, and it would be a disservice to them to introduce them to her.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“She’ll have to find someone on her own, and I’m sure she will.”