Rick’s birthday was on Monday, and Maddie wanted to make it special. She had Monday off from work, so while Rick was at work, she decided to do some shopping then make him a special dinner at his house. She drove back to her apartment on Monday morning after Rick left for work and did some chores around the apartment. Her houseplants looked neglected. She hadn’t been there in a week, and they needed watering. She also needed to check her phone messages because she had left her cell phone at the apartment while she was gone. Her computer was left untouched even longer. While her computer warmed up, she listened to her voicemail messages.
There was one from Lisa asking how the weekend went. Three were recorded messages from telemarketers. Her credit was fine, and she didn’t need a new mortgage. Thank you very much for asking. Stop calling her cell phone. The last two messages bothered her, and she didn’t listen to them before she deleted them. They were from Tom, and she didn’t want to call him back.
That got tiring. It was fine at first when he would call after their breakup. A part of her had wanted to keep that connection alive. They broke up two years earlier when he decided to move out east to go to law school. That would have been fine if he had wanted to take her with him. After four years of dating in college, it wasn’t too much to expect him to want to do just that or to propose.
At first, she had been sad about the breakup, but she quickly rebounded and got on with her life. A part of her was relieved that he was gone. Of course, Lisa would have said that Maddie still wasn’t over Tom because she didn’t really date. Just when she thought that she was ready to start dating again, Tom would call her. Every few months, he would call her. He just wanted to talk about school, life, and what he was doing. Each time he called, she would get sucked in again with a small hope for a future with him. Looking back, she could see that she was a fool. She never told Lisa about Tom calling. She knew what Lisa would say.
It was her brother, Mark, who finally told her to cut the ties. When Mark was home last Christmas, Tom called Maddie at her parents’ house. Once again Tom talked about himself and kept going on about his classes and his plans for when he graduated. He never asked her about how she was doing. Mark walked into the kitchen while she was on the phone, realized to whom she was speaking, and disconnected the call. Mark told her that Tom was just stringing her along. When she tried to defend Tom’s actions, Mark took her over to her mother’s computer and pulled up Tom’s Facebook page. Maddie had “Unfriended” him after the breakup, so she didn’t follow what he did. It was just one of the ways that she tried to move on.
There were several photos of Tom with a pretty blonde haired woman. They were at parties in most of the photos and at the beach in one. The newest photo was uploaded that very morning. It was a Christmas photo with Tom and the woman standing in front of a Christmas tree. The woman was wearing a large engagement ring, and the caption said, “She said yes.”
After Maddie saw the photo, every last bit of remaining hope died. It was an amazing feeling. It was as if a weight was suddenly lifted off her shoulders. She could finally move on with her life. Tom tried calling back later that night when she was home. He tried to suck her into his life again and wanted her to start video messaging with him. After she told him “no,” she told him not to call her anymore. He didn’t call her back, and she thought that was the end of it. Now he was calling her again for some reason that she wasn’t interested in discovering.
She wouldn’t be calling him back. If he called again, she would tell him to leave her alone once again. After checking her emails, she turned everything off, packed up her suitcase and headed back out to her car. She had some shopping to do and some stops to make before Rick’s special birthday supper.
* * * * *
Rick managed to get off of work a few minutes early and make it home to get cleaned up and shaved. Maddie had promised him a special dinner and a surprise birthday gift. He could imagine what the gift was, and he was looking forward to a night of hot, loud sex. The night before, they had been too tired for more than a quick kiss before they were both out cold. But tonight, well tonight was another story. The kiss that she gave him that morning kept him half aroused all day.
When he got home, she wasn’t home yet. She wasn’t home yet! She had spent so much time at his house that it began to feel like it was her home, too. Usually, he didn’t like it when a woman was around so much that it felt like she was moving in. It gave the woman ideas that he would rather she not have. But with Maddie, it was different.
There was one time that she packed up some of her clothes after he had been a little short with her. He thought that she was leaving him, and he felt a moment of panic. He was hot; it was a long day; and he had a headache. That was why he was short. When she told him that she was just bringing clothes home to wash and picking up other clothes, he told her to bring more of her clothing and personal items out to the house. Now, half of his closet was full of her clothes, and she had things on the dresser and in the bathroom. He liked it even if living with a woman was an eye-opening experience.
She was a lot messier than he thought she would be. Not slovenly messy, but definitely not worried about clutter. He walked into the bedroom and saw several articles of her clothing thrown haphazardly over the bed like she had been trying things on. After shaking his head in disbelief, he walked into the bathroom, stripped down and took a shower. Once he was dressed again, he went out to the deck. Harvey wanted to play a game of fetch. He tossed a disc a few times into the water for Harvey before the phone rang. He went back inside to answer it. It was probably Maddie.
“Hello.”
“Hello,” a man said on the other end. Rick remembered hearing his voice before but couldn’t place him. “Is Maddie Sullivan available?”
“No, she isn’t. Can I take a message?”
“Who is this?” the man urged all of the sudden. Rick didn’t like the sound or the tone of the other man’s voice. It had been smooth when he first talked, but now the man’s voice had become grating and demanding.
“This is Rick Davidson. Who are you?”
“So it’s true!” the man hissed viciously at Rick. Rick was ready to order him to identify himself when the man began spewing venom. “I know about you. I know that you’re nothing but a good-for-nothing drunk and a nut job. You’re nothing but a murderer. But then what do you expect with a blue-collar upbringing? Blood will tell, man. It always does. You were born to be a loser, and you’ll stay one. Stay away from Maddie Sullivan, you hear? She doesn’t need to be infected with your poison. She doesn’t need to be with someone like you. Leave her alone. She has better options.”
The man hung up before Rick could hang up on him. Loser? Murderer? It was probably one of those mean-spirited people who thought that they could say anything they wanted to under the protection of the First Amendment. It wasn’t the first time that someone yelled out anti-military rhetoric at him and other service members, and it wouldn’t be the last. It usually didn’t bother him much. He let it roll off of him like water off of a duck.
But this time it was different. This time the person called his home. The person knew things about him and knew Maddie. Other than the murderer part, the man didn’t tell him anything that he hadn’t already told himself on several occasions. Maddie would be better off without him, but he wouldn’t be better off without Maddie. Happy birthday, Rick, ole boy!
He heard the sound of Maddie pulling in at the front of the house and her car door slam through the window. He waited for her to walk around to the back, not sure about how he should act. If she saw that he was upset, then she would want to know what happened. He couldn’t tell her. She would get upset, and his birthday dinner would be ruined. To hell with the man on the phone! It was his birthday, and he was going to enjoy it with the woman he loved. She loved him, too, dammit! She loved him, too. He made sure that he had a smile on his face when she walked in.
“You beat me home,” she said as she kissed him quickly. She carried in three grocery bags and set them on the island counter. “Shoot. I had hoped to get supper started before you got here.”
“What did you pick up?” he asked curiously before he began pulling food out of one of the grocery bags. “Ooh, surf and turf. You’ll never see me turn down lobster and steak.”
“I know,” she laughed as she began to pull items out of another bag. “I also picked up sweet potatoes, green beans with slivered almonds, and ingredients for a salad.”
“Chocolate cake with fudge frosting?” Rick asked with a hopeful expression when she pulled the third bag over to her.
“As if I would forget. You can thank my mom for the cake. I had her make up one of her special cakes for you.” She reached inside the last grocery bag and pulled out a plastic round layer cake container. After she set it on the counter, she began cleaning the sweet potatoes and started up the oven.
“Ooh, Caroline Sullivan’s cake. I used to dream about your mother’s cake. No one in my family could cook unless it was on the grill or it was fried fish. If we wanted dessert, it came from the store. You realize, don’t you, that if your mother hadn’t already been married, I would have asked her to marry me a long time ago. What do you want me to do to help with supper?”
“Well, I had wanted to do it all myself. But since you’re home and willing to work, you can cook the lobster and steaks on the grill. But wait a few minutes first so that the potatoes and beans can cook. In the meantime, I have your presents still in the car. I’m going to get them then get cleaned up. You stay away from that cake while I’m gone. Go outside, and I’ll call you when you can start up the grill.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her before he gave one last hungry look at the cake. “I’ll be outside with Harvey. Call me when you’re ready for the grill.” She laughed and swatted his backside before she pushed him toward the deck door. She knew him well if she ordered him away from the cake. He wasn’t opposed to eating dessert first.
Once he was outside and playing with Harvey, he remembered the phone call. It bothered him that he still couldn’t remember where he had heard the man’s voice. It nagged at him. It would come. Once he let his mind clear, it would come. When it did, he would be prepared for the next time. Something told Rick that there would be a next time.
Maddie called him in a few minutes later to take the lobster and steak outside. He could see that she had set the table with a tablecloth and candles. A birthday gift bag sat on the table where Maddie usually sat. She shooed him out and told him that she was going to their bedroom to change. With another smile, he walked outside and started up the grill.
Their supper was delicious, but Rick had a difficult time concentrating on his food. He kept looking over at Maddie, waiting, and fantasizing. When he came back inside with the food, she came out of the bedroom in Lisa’s red dress. It didn’t fit her wonderfully. The straps weren’t staying up, and each time one fell, he was granted a teasing view of her breast. She would pull the strap back into place and give him a seductive glance while she dished up their plates. Her long legs were revealed under the shockingly short skirt, which gave him a tantalizing glimpse of her bottom when she bent over. She was teasing him, and it was working. He knew that she wasn’t wearing anything under that dress.
While they ate, she talked about her day. He wasn’t really listening to her talk. It was impossible to do so when he was distracted by that dress. His mouth went dry when a strap fell down her shoulder along with the entire triangle of fabric that should have covered her breast. It dipped and caught on her nipple. Keep going, his mind prompted. She smiled at him and left the strap alone. The fabric fell the rest of the way, and Rick stopped eating altogether. She pushed her plate aside.
“Would you like to have your present first or have dessert?” The question made him jump, and he gave her a glance that had her laughing softly. “Dessert first, I think,” she answered for him. She stood back up and walked over to the island to dish up cake. Her bare breast swayed a little while she worked. The other strap started to fall when she carried a slice of cake over to him. The triangle of fabric caught on her other breast. “Would you like me to feed you?” she whispered seductively in his ear. The fabric fell when she leaned forward.
“Yes,” he croaked. “Yes!” That was better. His voice sounded a lot stronger the second time. She scooped up a forkful and held it to his mouth. He took a bite. “Homemade frosting, too.”
“You like homemade frosting, do you?” She reached over with her finger and trailed it through the frosting. When she had enough on her finger, she traced her finger around her nipple until she was covered. He took her finger and sucked the frosting off. He wanted her. Forget about cake. He wanted her. He didn’t know what turned her into the little temptress that night, and he didn’t care. He would have a birthday everyday if she played the seductress. “There’s more frosting to remove.”
“I know there’s more,” he said before he pulled her forward and pulled her nipple into his mouth. She mewed in pleasure and gripped his shoulders while he sucked the frosting off. “Delicious. You’re driving me crazy, woman, and well you know it. What do you say to us taking our cake into the bedroom? I can think of a number of places that I would like to suck frosting off of you. I think that we will start with you first then you can enjoy your piece of cake.”
She kissed him passionately before she stood up straight again. With a quick pull of a string at her back, the dress fell to the floor. “I’m yours to do with whatever you want. I can think of a few places that I would like to suck frosting off of you, too.” With a grin, she picked up their plates and walked towards the bedroom. “You coming?” she asked as her voice trailed down the hall.
He stood up slowly and looked at the cake container on the island. They were definitely going to need more cake. He grabbed the container and followed her.
* * * * *
Rick dropped onto his back on his side of the bed, his body and soul both satisfied in what he found with Maddie. The night had been better than he had dreamed it would be. They had both been adventurous in their desire to arouse and satisfy the needs of the other. He discovered several more places on Maddie’s body that were extremely sensitive to touch, and he enjoyed having her squirm then cry out with desire when his lips and tongue removed the frosting. He would have to remember the spot behind her ears, the small of her back, and behind her knees for times in the future.
Not to be outdone, Maddie soon had her way with him, too, and discovered places that he never knew were especially sensitive. Her lips and tongue on the nape of his neck, on the spot right above his hipbone, and on his inner thighs aroused him so much that he almost flipped her over and took her. But first he had to be tortured with her teasing licks at his groin before she took him into her mouth. He withstood the warm heat and the pull of her mouth as long as he could before he finally rolled her over and drove himself into her. Her body squeezing him in her climax finished the job, and they both cried out with their pleasure.
They would have to try fudge frosting again. No doubt about it.
He closed his eyes for a few minutes while he caught his breath. Before he could pull Maddie close against his side like he usually liked to do, she got out of bed. At first, he thought that she was getting up to use the bathroom or was going for a glass of water in the kitchen. He watched her walk. She was beautiful. But she didn’t walk to the bathroom or to the bedroom door. She went to the closet, instead. Her actions suddenly started to become choppy and robotic. What was going on with her?
“What are you doing?” he asked her with growing alarm when she pulled her suitcase out from the inside of the closet. She didn’t answer him or look his way as she carried the suitcase to the end of the bed. “Maddie, what are you doing?”
“I’m leaving,” she told him after she pulled the zipper and began to collect her clothing from the closet. Her voice was distant and void of all emotion and tone. “I must go now, Rick. I’ve been here longer than I planned on staying.” He hopped out of bed and tried to grab her arm to stop her from picking up her items from the dresser. His hand passed through her arm as if she was only air.
“Maddie, what are you talking about? What’s happening?” She looked at him blankly then walked into the bathroom to collect her makeup bag and brush. “Talk to me, Maddie. Where are you going?” His voice was rising in panic. He could feel sweat form on his body, yet he felt cold.
“I already told you. I’m leaving. I got what I wanted from you.” She laughed suddenly and the sound was like fingernails on a chalkboard. “What, did you think that I wanted more than just sex from you? All you’re good for is sex. Oh, you poor thing. You wanted more from me, didn’t you? Poor Rick. Did you honestly believe that I would want more from you? You’re nothing but a drunk, a nut job, and a murderer. You’re good for nothing more than satisfying a woman in bed. Does that hurt your feelings?”
Her voice continued to remain void of any emotion. Her blank eyes were nothing more than cold blue glass in her doll-like face. “You must look at it from my point of view. You’re not good for me. We both know that. Our families are different. Mine’s white-collar. We have a position in this city. You have a college degree, but you were raised blue-collar. You’re not like us. You could never be like us. You could never give me more than just sex. That was all I wanted from you, all I ever wanted from you. Now that you’ve given me that, I can go get a real man, a man who can give me everything that you can’t.”
Each word was a stab wound to his heart. How could he have been so wrong? She would never want someone like him. She would never love someone like him. He watched in silence as she finished packing and left. After she was gone, he called out her name over and over again in agony.
“Rick! Wake up, Rick! Wake up!”
It was Maddie. She was still with him. Harvey was barking in the hall and scratching at the door. He opened up his eyes and looked around him. The room was dark. He could feel the trail of his tears, and he wiped them away. He could feel Maddie’s body heat and knew that she was next to him.
“Rick? It was just a bad dream. Everything is ok.” He could hear the concern in her voice. She touched him when he sat up, and her heat warmed his cold, wet skin. The sheets would need to be changed. “Tell me about your dream. I was in it. You kept saying my name.” He could only make out her outline in the dark, but he knew that she was sitting next to him in bed. He could tell by her voice that she would have a worried expression on her face.
“We need to change the sheets again,” he said inanely. What a stupid thing to say. He leaned over and grabbed the prosthetic leg and liner. Once the liner was on, he slipped his leg into the socket until it was in tight, pulled up the suction wrap, and bleed the air out. His shoe was still on the foot, but he didn’t care. He walked with one leg higher than the other into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and walked into the kitchen. He could hear Maddie behind him as he let Harvey outside.
There wasn’t any point in going back to bed because he would need to be up in an hour anyway, so he made a pot of coffee.
“Are you going to talk to me?” Maddie asked softly from behind him.
“Maddie, why are you here?” He turned around and looked at her. She was wrapped in a thin blush-colored robe that ended at her knees. Her hair was loose around her shoulders. He could see the table behind her. The dirty dishes were still there. They never got around to cleaning up. The red dress was still on the floor where she left it. A birthday present still sat on the table. Green paper peeked out from the bag opening, and a picture of a man holding up a large mouth bass was on its side.
“What do you mean, Rick?”
“Forget it,” he said before he wiped a hand over his jaw. The smell of coffee brewing began to fill the air, but he didn’t notice. “I know why you’re here?” She came forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her in closer and held her.
“I’m here because this is where I want to be. I’m not going anywhere, Rick.” She looked up at him and smiled. When she did, he could see that she understood and that she was telling him the truth. She wanted to be here. He could feel his heart heal a little bit more with the realization. Every day with her healed him a little more. “Are you going to be ok?”
“Yeah. I’m ok,” he told her before he pulled her against him again.
“Good.” After a minute, she pulled away and told him to go get cleaned up. She would take care of the mess in the kitchen then make him some breakfast. He went back to their bedroom feeling a lot better than he did when he left it. After changing the sheets, starting a load of laundry, and getting cleaned up, he walked back into the kitchen to the smell of bacon and cheese omelets and toast. Everything was cleaned up and the dishwasher was running. He took his place at the table, and Maddie brought him over a cup of coffee and a plate of food. As they ate and talked, he calmed down and enjoyed the normalcy of their morning. This was the kind of morning that he liked. Sitting across from Maddie, eating breakfast, and talking about their plans for the day. When they finished eating, she brought over the gift bag.
“I forgot to give you this yesterday,” she said with a grin. “I wanted to give you something other than me.” He reached in and pulled out a new fishing reel. It was the new model that he wanted. How did she know? “I overheard you and the guys talking around the campfire. You mentioned that you wanted this one. I hope you like it.”
“It’s perfect, Maddie. My entire birthday was perfect.” And it was thanks to Maddie. She had a way of making everything perfect.