Page 31 of Pretty Please Me
I clear my throat. “I see you’ve been exploring in here. Care to share what you’ve been up to, or would you rather me guess?”
“It’s not like that!” She parts her fingers just enough to peek at me, and I actually chuckle watching her squirm. “I wasn’t using it or anything! I don’t even know what it’s for!”
“Uh huh, that still doesn’t explain how it escaped from its box in the cabinet…” I pull her hands away from her face and nudge her chin, so she’s looking at me.
“I was looking for the hair dryer the other day, and I found yourstufftucked under the sink. I pulled it out, not knowing what it was. I was mortified when I realized what was in the box, and I may have accidentally thrown it into the air… I guess I must’ve missed that particular item when I was cleaning up the mess, and then when I came in here, I slipped on it.” She crosses her arms over her chest and blows her hair out of her face. “There, are you happy?”
The blood’s dripping faster now, soaking through the white hand towel, pulling me back to the moment.
I shake my head. “As much as I’d like to hear the rest of this story, we’ll have to save it for another time. We need to stop this bleeding.” I grab her hands and position them on the towel pressed firmly to her nose. “Here, hold the towel just like this. I’m going to grab my first aid kit. I’ll be right back.”
I squeeze her free hand, then turn on my heel and race to my bedroom, where I grab the first aid kit from my closet. Before returning, I throw on some gray sweatpants, so I don’t scare her off completely.
I smile as I make my way back to the bathroom to apply the liquid stitches.
Though it’s not how I intended our night to unfold, I’m not exactly mad about the progress we’ve made today, and I can’t help but wonder if Maggie’s got any more surprises up her sleeve…
* * *
Maggie sits on the sofa with her feet curled to the side while I prepare our dinner. After I cleaned up her head, I offered her a fluffy oversized robe to wear over her lingerie. I keep the apartment pretty chilly, and I don’t think I can stand watching her shiver all night, no matter how much it’d thrill me to get a better look at those perfect nipples. Truly, I haven’t even seen her tits completely, and my mouth is already watering with anticipation. I don’t think I’ve had blue balls this bad since I was fourteen—and maybe still not even then.
I’m still wearing my sweatpants, though I did grab a t-shirt to cover my bare chest. When I told Maggie she’d wear the lingerie tonight, I originally meant after I’d taken her to dinner, but considering the unexpected excitement of the evening, I figured we’d do better with another night in.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” I ask for the tenth time, glancing through the doorway. “Do you need Tylenol or Advil? I think I’ve got Ibuprofen in the bathroom... ”
“I’m fine, Sam.” She lets out a nervous laugh, and I can’t help but find it endearing.
“Kombucha?” I call as I place our food onto two plates. After I got the murder scene cleaned up in the bathroom—I ordered Maggie to rest against her rigorous protests—I ordered takeout from the bar and grill downstairs.
“Kombucha would be wonderful,” she replies, then bites her lip, probably stopping herself from reminding me for the millionth time that she’s capable of making her own plate.
I glower at her, an unspoken reminder that I’m in charge, as I bring her a wine glass of kombucha, a bottle of water, and her plate. She accepts my offering, forcing a smile through clenched teeth.
“Good girl,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. Then I turn back to grab my drink and plate from the kitchen.
The worn leather sofa sinks comfortably underneath me as I sit across from her, careful not to mess up the throw blanket spread over her legs. We eat in silence for a moment until Maggie finally blurts. “So, are we just going to pretend like I didn’t bust in on you...pleasuring yourselfearlier?”
I pound my fist on my chest as my laugh causes me to choke on my chicken. “Well, that’s one way of opening the door to conversation.” Tears prickle behind my eyes from the straining, and I continue laughing as I wipe them away with the back of my forearm.
“That’s not an answer!” She pounds her small fist on the couch, which only causes me to laugh harder. “What’s so funny!?”
“You are utterly adorable; you know that?”
“Adorable?” Her voice shrieks a few octaves higher than normal as she unties the robe belt, giving me a brief glimpse underneath. “Why would you make me wear this ridiculous outfit if you think it’s adorable, huh, Sam?” She cinches the tie back and falls back on the couch, covering her face with her arm.
“I’m so embarrassed and confused… and I saw your penis, and it’s really freaking me out to think about something thatsubstantialcoming anywhere near me… and I don’t want you to hate me for making you do something you don’t want to do.” She sits up in a panic and pulls at the roots of her hair. “Sam, do you feel like I’m trying to take advantage of you?” She lets out a little gasp. “Because if you don’t feel safe with me here–”
“Magnolia—” I place my hand firmly on her arm, commanding her to look at me. “Trust me when I say there’s nothing about you that makes me uncomfortable.” I continue to stare into her eyes. She blinks at me several times, and I can’t read what she’s thinking, so I continue, “I’m quite enjoying the idea of these lessons, I assure you.” I hold up my kombucha in a toast, and she quickly grabs her glass to mirror my motion. “So, why don’t we eat our dinner, and we’ll worry about what happens after that later, okay?”
She nods, then chugs the remainder of the kombucha, wincing as she finishes the tart liquid.
After eating, I clean up our plates and turn down the lights to set the ambiance. Then I turn up the heat, so she isn’t uncomfortable without her robe, and make my way back to the couch.
I sit closer to her this time and turn her to face me. Taking her chin in my hand, I study her gorgeous features for a moment before finally speaking. “I was thinking tonight we could practice making out. Are you comfortable with that?”
I see confusion wash over her face as her eyebrows pull together. “I… uh… Sam… I know I asked you for lessons, but maybe I should be clearer.” She clears her throat. “I was hoping you’d show me how to be good atsex.” She opens the robe and gestures to her lingerie, “I thought that’s what all this was for…”
She tries to close the robe, but I grab the front of it and pull it off her before she can, tossing it on the floor behind the couch.
