Page 25 of Forcing Her Hand

“Bruce, no!”

Patrice grabbed at her husband’s hand, looking up at him entreatingly, but he shook her off. That one action turned Allison’s heartbreak to iciness. For a moment, she had been ready to apologize, to back down a little bit, but seeing her father’s dismissal of her mother drove home the entire point she’d been making. There was no love in her parent’s marriage, no companionship, warmth, or partnership. Her father didn’t even consider her mother’s feelings when he made a big decision. He made all the big decisions, usually without consulting her mother. Even now, her mother just gave her a bereft look, then burst into noisy sobs before pushing back her chair and running out of the room. Her father actually had the nerve to glare at Allison as if it was her fault.

“I’m your daughter, not your doll. I’m sorry for upsetting you and Mom, but I will never be sorry for insisting I make the choices for my own life. You can make all of Mom’s decisions because she’ll let you, but I’m not her.”

The words seemed to rock her father back on his heels, but he said nothing as Allison stood and walked quickly from the room, remaining as calm and graceful as she could. They were willing to throw her out for no better reason than she wanted to make her own decisions. For her, it wasn’t about Todd so much as about the fact she wanted them to value her for herself, not for whatever assets she could bring to the family. Not because she did what they told her to, but for who she was as a person.

Their rejection hurt more than she’d been willing to admit in front of them. Deep down, she’d always believed, when push came to shove, her parents would love her, regardless of what she did. Part of her had known who and what they were, so she’d always played the perfect daughter, but in her heart of hearts, she really thought they’d come around.

Well, she’d lost that gamble.

Diana was incensed when Allison told her, going on a cursing diatribe that rivaled theBoondock Saintsmovie while Allison sniffled on the couch. She was so incredibly lucky to have a friend like Diana and so lucky they’d been able to move in together. The thought that, right now, she could still be trapped at her parents’ was horrifying.

There were so many reasons to be thankful for Todd’s intrusion in her life. Without him, she might have never realized how caged her existence had become and certainly wouldn’t have had the courage to escape. Along with all the incredible sexual experiences, he’d also brought her a lot of revelations about herself and her lifestyle prior to meeting him.

Of course, she loved him for that. Now, she’d stood up to her parents, doing it for herself, not for him, even though he had been what the argument was about. It had been a long time coming, but Allison was starting to feel like a complete person. Even though she wished her parents hadn’t reacted so badly, tonight wasn’t all bad.

Happy birthday to me, she thought to herself, sitting on the couch and leaning on Diana’s shoulder.I’m a real person.

* * *

Waiting a week to see Todd was pure torture. He didn’t call again, and the email situation was just as short and uninformative as before. Allison was on pins and needles.

Her parents didn’t call, either. For a few days, she’d hoped they would, but there was no way her mother would call without her father’s approval, and apparently, that wouldn’t be forthcoming any time soon. Sometimes, Allison thought about calling and apologizing. It wouldn’t be that hard to make up with them, then just keep doing her own thing, but that wasn’t a good solution. She shouldn’t have to hide her life or herself from her own parents. They needed to accept she could make her own choices about her life or not. This time, she wasn’t going to be the good girl and give in. Just like moving out of their house, this was something she needed to do for herself.

Finally, it was Saturday. She spent most of the morning a nervous wreck. Todd wasn’t picking her up until six p.m., and she alternated between wanting to get ready for him immediately, which would mean sitting around and waiting for the time when he was actually going to show up or finding things to busy herself and risk not having enough time to make herself look absolutely perfect. Eventually, Diana got sick of it and sat them both down to watchThe Lord of the Rings. It was a punishment for driving Diana up the wall, yet a good distraction with lots of hot men and a good plot, and it took up a lot of time.

After the movie was over, Diana released Allison to take a shower, where she shaved every last patch of body hair. After the shower, she rubbed herself down with lotion, so her skin would be satiny soft to the touch and smell faintly of lavender.

With her hair dried and fluffy, brown curls tumbling around her shoulders and framing her face, she pinned some back, so her hazel eyes showed clearly. She deftly applied makeup, giving herself a more natural look but emphasizing the sparkle in her eyes, her long lashes, and the plump roundness of her pouty lips. She didn’t need any blush, her cheeks were naturally flushed with excitement.

Putting on the dress, she looked in the mirror, enjoying the way her cleavage looked, snugly encased in the fabric. The skirt flirted with her legs as she moved, and the silvery shoes with small rhinestones emphasized the shapely form of her calves and thighs. They also made her legs look incredibly long, which made the skirt look shorter than it really was. Allison smiled smugly. The dress was pure class, but any man looking at her would feel lust.

The doorbell rang—it was six. How had the time flown? Now that the moment was here, she found herself anxious and her heart beating triple time. What if she saw him and realized her feelings had changed? What if he saw her and the spark wasn’t there anymore? What if he was just here for an easy lay, not because he had the same feelings? With one last deep breath and a look in the mirror to reassure herself she looked great, she went to the door.

* * *

Dark brown eyes widened as he looked her over, softly praising her before he said a word. The slow smile that spread across his face held a promise of heat and lust. Well, the spark was definitely still there, if nothing else.

“You look fantastic,” He smiled and lifted a finger to caress her cheek. Smiling, she turned her head and nibbled on the tip.

“So do you.” It was true, although she was shocked to see he was dressed impeccably in what she recognized as a Gucci suit, one of this year’s, in fact. It fit him like a glove, and he looked extremely handsome and masculine. The price of the suit was what surprised her. The last time she saw him, he would have never been able to afford something like this.

“I have something for you. Happy Birthday.” He pulled a Swarovski box out of his pocket, and she opened it to find a glittering necklace and earrings.

“Oh, Todd, they’re beautiful!” She divested herself of the jewelry she was wearing, simple single drops, so she could put on the sparkling strands he’d gotten her. Todd’s face held pleasure as he watched her perform the switch.

“Here, let me,” he said, offering his help as she put the necklace around the back of her neck. He took either side of the length, waiting as she turned and lifted her hair, so he could see what he was doing. The hot breath on the back of her neck sent a shiver of lust straight through her. When he dropped the clasp of the necklace against her skin, he followed it with a soft kiss just above it, and Allison felt the response all the way down in her core.

She turned to look up at him again. “Thank you so much, they’re beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful,” he said, pulling her into his arms and bending her back as she tilted her head up to accept his kiss. His arms were rough around her, holding her close. Their tongues melded as she moaned and tried to press even closer, her hands clutching at his jacket. For a moment, she felt him press against her, hard, hot, and throbbing, but he pulled away and looked down at her sternly.

“Stop that. We have reservations, and if you start, you won’t get to wear your new dress out.”

“That’d be okay with me.” She grinned wickedly and tried to press back up against him, where she could see the bulge in his pants. The blatant wantonness was so unlike her, but Todd brought it out in her.

“Nice try, Princess,” he said but was smiling as he held her at arms-length, pushing her out the door. Although he did spank her ass as she flirtatiously smiled at him while walking past.

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