Property of Pops

11

Coco

As usual, after making love with Walt, I wake up in a fog. Vaguely, I recall him placing me gently in the passenger seat of his car and buckling the belt around me. After that, there was the hum of the engine in my ears and his big, strong hand resting on my thigh. He must have carried me into the lobby and up to his room, which is where I am now.

His room.

His, period.

I roll over and inhale his scent off the pillow, my sex immediately turning wet and pliant. Where is he? I want him to be back inside of me, possessing me in a way no one has before. My protector, caretaker and lover all rolled into one perfect man.

After a few seconds of obsessing about his body, his touch, my effervescent tingles give way to dread. I need to go find Walt and figure out what we’re going to do about his family. I don’t want to be the reason they grow estranged. I definitely don’t want to lose my best friend who I’ve grown to love. But I’m not willing to give up Walt. And I don’t think he’s willing to give me up, either.

No, I know he isn’t. I know.

Anxious to get the problem resolved, I climb out of bed and fix my clothes, my hair. I search my room and the bathroom for Walt, but he’s nowhere to be found. Didn’t leave a note.

With a small frown on my face, I step into the hallway and let the door close behind me. I take the elevator down to the lobby…and right away, I spot Wanda. She’s facing away from me, talking to a woman I don’t recognize, although there is a tug of recognition. When the woman and Wanda turn around, I know why.

It’s our sociology professor, Mrs. Linden.

Wanda told me she was going to set our professor up with Walt and…

And she actually did it. She brought her all the way to the Hamptons.

My heart labors to beat in my ears, cold sweat breaking out on my skin. Where is Walt? Does he know what’s going on? I don’t think so. Wouldn’t he have warned me?

I lock eyes with Wanda and attempt an apologetic smile. A wave. She’s my best friend and I yearn to share with her that I’m in love, but I can’t. I can’t, because I’m in love with her grandfather. Eventually, Wanda taps Mrs. Linden on the shoulder and indicates the restaurant located just off the lobby. Mrs. Linden smiles blithely and glides toward the hostess station, her no-nonsense heels tapping on the marble floor.

Wanda saunters toward me slowly, arms crossed.

“Well, well, well. Back so soon from screwing my grandfather?”

My stomach sinks. Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my best friend this upset. Her color is high, eyes bright with betrayal. “Wanda, please…just let me explain.”

“The way you explained you were seeing my grandfather behind my back?” She flashes her teeth at me. “Because I found out in front of my whole family when he tossed you over his shoulder and slapped your ass.”

An involuntary tremble runs through me at the memory, but I manage to hide the sudden blast of arousal and focus on my hurt best friend. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like it. I…can’t explain the reaction I had to Walt. It’s like I’d been waiting for him all my life. I would never hurt you on purpose. I just…I just couldn’t be logical when he makes me feel so illogical and…and…”

For a moment, she seems almost stunned over what I’m telling her. Dreamy almost. Like she wants to be happy for me. But in seconds, she snaps herself out of it. “Gross,” she sniffs. “Anyway, I set him up on a dinner date with Mrs. Linden and even if they don’t hit it off, he’ll realize he shouldn’t be dating someone young enough to be his granddaughter. He needs an intervention and Mrs. Linden was more than happy to drive to the Hamptons to go on a date with a four-star general.”

Her words turn garbled in my ears. I feel ill.

A dinner date?

She set them up on a date when he referred to me as his future wife earlier?

Of course, Wanda couldn’t know that. She doesn’t know that Walt wouldn’t hurt me like that. By going on a date with another woman. I start to tell her, but then I watch with my heart twisting as Walt strides across the lobby and enters the restaurant behind Mrs. Linden.

He walks past about fifty yards away without looking at me, leaving me in physical pain.

Agony.

Just like my parents. Just like my father.

Abandoning me.

Leaving me behind for something better. A happier future.