Chapter Ten

Gavin

 

 

If there was any more to Drinkwater’s tale, I didn’t catch it. He was still sitting in the chair beside my giant bed when I drifted off to sleep.

A throbbing headache woke me late into morning. For a moment, I had no idea where I was. Eventually, memories of the night before came roaring into consciousness. I opened my eyes a crack, then squeezed them shut against the showy sunlight streaming in through the window.

Rolling like a waterlogged three trunk in my high-class hotel bed, I rejected the sunshine’s cheery advances. Though I didn’t think it was physically possibly to pry my lids open, my will was apparently stronger than I gave it credit for. I really wanted to know if Drinkwater had stayed to watch over me.

No.

He’d left. The armchair he’d sat in to regale me with the story of Ondine now rested empty but for the binder he’d brought with him the night before. On top of the binder, I found my cheque alongside a note written on the hotel’s letterhead.

 

Dear Evelyn,

Telling you the story of Ondine reminded me how very much I always did care for my first wife. I’m beginning to think, after all these years, she deserves to know the truth about her young lover. Perhaps that way Imelda can finally stop dwelling on the past. My hope is that she and I can be amicable again, as we were when we were married.

Now, let’s get down to business: I came to visit you last night because I want to offer you this year’s Drinkwater Foundation artistic grant. I have a great affection for your paintings, but there is always room for improvement, particularly when an artist’s sole training took place in a community centre. The name Evelyn Fon will never ring through the halls of art history unless you receive proper tutelage.

I have high hopes for you, Evelyn. I like being able to say I discovered an artist. Perhaps Imelda will be so kind as to arrange a suitable mentor for you. I will be in contact with her.

Since you did not apply for the grant, I have included all relevant forms in the binder below. Please fill them out and return them to our offices at your earliest convenience.

Setting down the letter, I sorted through the extensive paperwork. My heart jumped with excitement at the opportunity to study with a master painter. I couldn’t believe Drinkwater had chosen me to receive such a prestigious award. After talking with Imelda, I was beginning to see the flaws in my style and I felt committed to improving.

As much I hate to intrude upon other people’s personal affairs, I want you to know that my son Gavin speaks of you often. He may be a high flyer in the business world, but he’s always been painfully shy when it comes to girls. Even when he was small, the boy would hide behind my legs rather than talk to one.

Last night, my publicist Coral was kind enough to act as Gavin’s escort after he couldn’t bring himself to ask you properly. I gather he made an attempt, then lost his nerve. At any rate, that’s how you ended up as dinner guest to decrepit old me. It was very kind of you to show such eager affection to this older gentleman. I truly enjoyed your company.

On that note, I’ll conclude by saying I hope to hear from you often regarding the progress of your artistic training. And please do forgive my daft son; he’s really not a bad sort. I wish you all the best, Evelyn.

Yours truly,

Gavin Drinkwater Sr

 

How else could I feel but delighted, amazed, charmed? Drinkwater had taken a personal interest in not only my artistic career, but my happiness. And what a relief to find out I wasn’t imagining things.

Gavin… what a goof! So he did intend to invite me to the party after all. He made kind of a mess out of it, but I can relate. He’s an emotional klutz and I’m a physical one. We were meant for each other.

And how adorable that he needed his handsome daddy’s help to ask out a nice girl like me. Maybe Evelyn Fon would get her happy ending after all…

Sunlight danced through the window, and my head pounded in the aftermath of last night’s overindulgence. I would have murdered for a few more minutes of shut-eye, but it was gone ten thirty and I really had to pee.

The girl in the mirror was not the me I was used to seeing. My parents would have disowned this version if they’d been there to see the dark circles under my eyes, my hair a tangled mess, my lips chapped from dehydration.

After attending to my morning toilette, I took a few painkillers from the gorgeous basket of bathroom necessities. Note to self: steal that stuff! While the ibuprofen worked its magic on my alcohol-riddled corpse, I decided a Jacuzzi bath was in order. I had no idea when I was supposed to check out of the Drinkwater Hotel, but I planned to take full advantage until my porter buddy came back to dump me out on the street.

As I turned on the tap, I could have sworn I heard a noise in the suite’s lounge space. Probably just the pipes rattling.

I didn’t want to take off the silky pyjamas Gavin had picked out for me, but they smelled pretty funky after being draped around my sweating body all night. I hung them over the glass shower door and stepped into the filling tub, begging the faucet to gush faster so I could turn on the jets.

The warm water helped me feel a little less toxic as I eased my aching form into the rising steam and waited for the bath to reach my armpits. I turned off the tap, preparing myself for the joy of jets, when the unmistakeable sound of footsteps paced across the next room.

There was someone in my suite.

No sense panicking. I knew exactly who it was: Drinkwater wanting to discuss the Foundation grant. And, if not Drinkwater, my porter friend telling me it was time to check out. I convinced myself those were the only two options.

Pulling myself out of the bath, I slipped into the softer-than-soft robe hanging on the back of the door. With a deep breath, I peeked into the lounge and the young man pacing my suite jumped a foot in the air.

“Gavin!” I cried. Part of me wanted to run to him, wrap my arms around his wonderful body, and never let him go. Another more vengeful part of me wanted to launch a pumice stone at his head. “How did you get into my room?”

“Evelyn…” He looked at me like a stunned turtle. “Dad gave me the key. I hope you don’t mind. I just knew I couldn’t live with myself if I let you go without explaining.”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, though I was smiling on the inside. It was clear I had the upper hand in this conversation. “You really let me down, you know. I thought we had something special, but now…”

“We do!” he interrupted, taking one step closer, then two steps back, crashing into the reproduction sofa. “Things got so messed up. I tried to ask you here as my date that day I came by with the invitation, but after I left I just started second-guessing myself, thinking maybe I didn’t phrase it properly and maybe you thought…”

Gavin threw his head back, running his hands through his mess of blond curls as he leaned against the sofa.

“What?” I asked, letting my robe hang a little looser in the front. “What did you think I thought?”

He chuckled, shaking his head like he was laughing at all the ridiculous thoughts in there. “Girls always seem to like my dad better than me. I thought, because I mentioned my father so much, maybe you’d said yes to an evening with him. It wouldn’t have surprised me. It’s happened before.”

“I’m sorry,” I offered, getting close enough to press my hand to his heart. I’d never touched him like that before. His chest was so hard my legs turned to jelly and I wished I was back in the tub… with Gavin. “I wanted to spend the evening with you. You’re the only reason I came to this thing. I hate parties.”

“Me too.” He set his hand on mine. “They especially suck when you’re stuck with your dad’s skanky publicist and you can’t find the girl you really want to be with.”

“I ran away,” I admitted. “With a bottle of champagne.”

I thought back on the story Imelda and Drinkwater told me the night before, and asked myself, What would Ondine do? Sure, the girl was a total fraud, but she was obviously a heck of a seductress if she managed to get both of Gavin’s parents into bed.

My subtle methods of flirtation were utterly useless, if last night’s attempts had any say in the matter. Neither Drinkwater nor the cute porter picked up what I put down. I needed to take a page from Ondine’s instruction manual if I ever wanted to get Gavin into bed.

And I did want to. I wanted to very, very badly.

He released my hand as I moved away from him. I took baby steps backwards—praying I wouldn’t trip on anything—until I’d reached the bathroom. Standing in the doorway, I held Gavin’s inquiring gaze as I untied the belt around my fluffy white robe. I’d learned to like what was hiding underneath. When his eyes glazed over, I suspected he liked what he saw.

“I was just about to take a bath,” I said, beckoning him into the bathroom. The spirit of Ondine, wherever she was, spoke through me. “Would you like to watch?”

He nodded, walking toward the door like a man in a trance. I stepped into the warm bath and pressed the button, bringing the jets to life like eight purring kittens. The bubbles soothed my muscles, which were already feeling much better by way of Gavin’s presence.

“Sit down,” I instructed when he wandered cautiously through the door.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t want to intrude.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Guys like Gavin sure didn’t make it easy to be a seductress. Or maybe that wasn’t true; maybe a shy guy was the perfect meal for a budding temptress. His insecurity meant I had to take the reins. Perhaps Gavin was more perfect than I’d ever imagined.

As he watched my toes poke out of the effervescing bath, it occurred to me that having the jets on meant he couldn’t ogle my pretty little body. Well, good things come to those who wait. I would torture him for a couple more minutes.

When I gazed up into his incredulous eyes, a pang of guilt struck me in the stomach. My head throbbed, but rubbing my temples wouldn’t make the hurt go away. I had to come clean.

“That thing you were saying about girls liking your dad?” My tongue felt like cotton. “I’ll be honest with you: I tried to kiss him last night. I thought he was flirting with me, so I jumped into his lap, but it turned out he wasn’t so he threw me on the floor and nothing came of it, but I wanted you to know.”

Just when I’d come to terms with the idea that Gavin was about to walk out of the bathroom and out of my life, he took one step closer to the bath.

“I’m sorry,” I pleaded.

Seating himself on the tub ledge, he said, “I know. My dad told me. But it’s okay, I deserved it.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” I assured him. “I just felt lousy and I wanted to feel better about myself.”

With a dimpled half-smile, he said, “I know,” and reached across the tub to turn off the jets.

As the water ceased gushing over my body, its nudity became amply visible. I knew he was looking at me, observing my small breasts and the dark triangle of hair between my thighs. For a brief moment, that vile old shame came over me, but a spark of light reminded me how free I’d felt as I encouraged my porter to help me with my gown. I’d felt so pretty, showing off my new undies to the stranger. I had no shame then.

I wasn’t drunk anymore, but I could still feel proud. Gavin liked my body; I could see it in his glazed-over eyes. And, more than that, I liked my body.

Reaching out of the water, I took Gavin’s hand in mine. “I kissed a porter, too.”

A curious smirk surfaced on his lips. “Wow, you must have been really peeved with me. That’s more than I did with Coral. When I couldn’t find you, I went to my room and she left for the next party of the evening.”

“I know,” I replied, brimming with confidence. “You’re only interested in me.”

As I set my hand across my heart, Gavin reached over to trace the outline of my faux-bruise. “Hey, what happened here?”

“Oh, that’s just paint,” I said. “It won’t go away.”

Sitting forward in the tub until my upper body surfaced, I moved his hand from my arm to my breast and forced him to squeeze. He was in awe of my advance; I could see it in his eyes. I rolled up his shirtsleeves as he caught my hard nipples between his fingers. That way his clothes wouldn’t get wet when I grabbed his hand and plunged it underwater.

“What the…?” Gavin seemed stunned until he realized where I’d placed his fingers and what I had them stroking. “Oh my God!”

“Now you know how I feel,” I giggled, guiding his strong fingers into my slit.

My whole body was wet, of course, but the moisture on my skin couldn’t compare with the juice hiding between the folds of my lower lips. I nearly slipped beneath the surface as Gavin slid his fingers over my clit. It looked like his shirt was getting all wet and splashed, so I reached up to unbutton it and, as I did, he leaned down to kiss me.

My whole body melted into an oil slick on the water’s surface as his tongue moved in my mouth. Tearing the shirt from his back, I circled my hands against his hard chest until he kneeled on the floor beside the tub. He picked up my robe and tapped the lid of the toilet. With some urgency, he said, “Get out of the tub. Come sit up here.”

Without question, I pried my wet body from the warm water and slipped into my cuddly robe. The second I sat down, he buried his head between my thighs and nuzzled my dark hair. Every muscle in my body seized as Gavin’s warm velvet tongue lapped my clit. I cried out for more, more, more! “Oh my God, Gavin, you are incredible. I love you, I love you!”

I hadn’t meant to say it like that, hadn’t even thought about saying it, but there it was, out in the open. When he looked up from between my legs, I was relieved to see a smile on his face. “I love you too, Evelyn.”

Every nerve ending sang with warmth and goodness. Who’d have guessed a simple slip of the tongue would yield this result? I love yous were hard to come by, or so I’d heard. Maybe there really were no accidents.

“What can I do for you, Evelyn?”

Without missing a beat, I said, “Take me to bed.”

He rose to his feet, unzipping his trousers and letting them fall to the floor. Reaching into the basket on the counter, he pulled out a condom and asked, “Would it be presumptuous of me to bring this along?”

I stole it out of his hand as he bent down to pick me up. “I would bring more than one if I were you!”

Laughing, he carried me into the next room and threw me on the tussled bed. I hoped it didn’t smell too much of my drunken night sweats, but that probably wouldn’t stop him now. I threw off my robe as he tore out of his tightie-whities. When his cock surged forward, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to feel it inside me.

But Gavin, that big tease, made me wait for it. Diving head-first between my thighs, he picked up where he’d left off, sucking my full, fleshy clit between his lips. He folded my legs behind his back, bringing me so much pleasure I kicked him with the pads of my feet, shrieking all the while.

“I guess you’ve had enough of that,” he teased, leaning away from me.

Anyone who saw Gavin naked would think him a stunning specimen of male beauty; it wasn’t just because I loved him that I thought so. His arms and legs had more muscle than I’d anticipated, and since he always seemed to slouch I never imagined his abs were so toned. I wondered if he was just born that way, or if he’d worked at looking so good.

“I could never get enough of you.” Tearing open the condom packet, I traced my toe along his big cock.

He stole it away from me, then pulled the clear latex down his shaft. “I guess we can stop using these things once we’re married.”

I’m sure my smile dropped off the face of the earth for a second or two, but it came back when I realized he might be serious. I laughed in case he wasn’t. “You’re crazy.”

“Am I?” He drew nearer. “Seems like it’ll be difficult to fill the yard with kids if we keep using them.”

I believed him. I believed it all: that he wanted to marry me and raise a family together. More than that, I had faith it would happen. I gasped as he crawled across my skin. He planted his face between my breasts and pressed his smooth-shaven cheeks against my flesh. Kissing my chest, then my neck, he worked his way up to my lips.

“You’re crazy, crazy, crazy,” I repeated, surrendering to his hot kisses.

His naked flesh moved against mine as he cradled my shoulder in his arm. I’d never felt so safe and protected in all my life. As he thrust his hips, his sheathed cock rubbed against my clit.

“Get inside,” I begged. “Get in me, Gavin. Oh God, I love saying your name.”

Tears of joy welled in my eyes as he slid his cock into me. “Evelyn…”

“Gavin!”

“Evelyn,” he moaned, thrusting in the wetness my body had created just for him. “I love your name too, Evelyn.”

The affection I felt for him grew so huge it reached outside my heart and took over my lungs. My breath hopped as I inhaled his masculine scent of soap and wood. I wanted him to live in me forever, ploughing through my body with his firm cock until time stopped and we soared naked together through space, his skin on my skin. We would die in each other’s embrace.

When I wrapped my arms and legs around his body, he pumped harder, his breath hot on my neck. “Evelyn,” he said once more before flipping me to my side.

Gavin grabbed my breast to steady my body. From behind, he took me again, penetrating my wetness with a glowing sort of confidence I’d never seen in him before. The deeper he plunged in me, the more I gasped and shrieked. “Gavin! Oh God, Gavin…”

“Are you ready to come?” he asked, kneading my tits with his big hands. “Because I’m ready to come.”

“I am so ready,” I howled, knocking my butt back against his thrusting hips. The tension in my muscles reached maximum capacity for pleasure, and if I didn’t release I would explode. “God, Gavin, God I love you so much.”

“Evelyn…” He held my body so tight in his arms I could hardly breathe. He stopped thrusting, stopped moving. All I could feel was the throbbing of his cock inside me and the panting of his warm breath on my neck.

When his hands dropped away from my breasts, I rolled over to look at his adorable face.

“You look like you just saw God,” I chuckled, tracing my finger around his jaw line.

“I did,” he replied, breathless. “And her name is Evelyn.”

With a smile on my lips and a heart full of love, I cuddled in next to him. “You weren’t serious, were you?”

“About what?” he asked, drawing his fingertips across the borders of my flesh, around my butt and back up my thigh.

After each breath, I instructed myself to speak, but it was too hard to get the words out. What if he’d been joking? What if he was just saying things for the heck of it? “All that stuff about getting married and kids and everything. Did you mean all that?”

He stared up at the ceiling for a while before asking, “Did you want me to mean it?”

How could one roll in the hay make me forget what a shy guy Gavin was? I smiled, bending forward to kiss his beautiful pink lips. “Yes,” I replied. “I want all that, and I want it with you. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so sweet.”

Sitting up, he grabbed a couple pillows to lean against. “But you have to understand that I make mistakes sometimes. Like last night. Sometimes I do stupid things because I get nervous and second-guess myself.”

“You do stupid things?” I laughed, kissing his shoulder. “I tried to seduce your father last night. Going out with a slutty publicist pales in comparison.” Setting my head down on his chest, I asked, “Was it your idea to award me the foundation grant?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I hope you don’t feel like I was trying to buy your affection.”

“You couldn’t,” I interrupted, covering his mouth with my hand. “You’ve had my affection from the first time you came to hang out in my garage. Nobody had ever wanted to watch me paint before. No one had encouraged me to follow my muse. You’re one of a kind, Gavin.”

He closed his eyes as he kissed my fingers. Curling in close beside my future husband, I shut mine too and escaped into pleasant dreams of life as a not-so-starving artist.

The End