Page 2 of Wrapped in Winter
He growls and slides inside me, and I nearly come right there. He begins a punishing rhythm that has me quickly escalating to a level I’ve never reached before.
“Holy fuck, baby, this is so good.”
Baby. How cliché. Though I am fucking a stranger in the men’s bathroom. My life can’t get much more rockbottom than this. I bite his bottom lip and say, “Don’t talk.”
He laughs. “No? You don’t want me to tell you how perfect your tits are and how good they feel in my hands?”
His thrusts get deeper and his grip on my waist is tight, and I let out a whimper. “What about how tight your pussy is?” He pulls me flush against him and whispers in my ear, “Your cunt is strangling me, baby.”
There it is. Despite anotherbaby,his words and his thick cock combine to push me over the edge. Starting from my toes, I feel the sensation rush through me. My belly flutters and my body quivers. I grab his ass, pulling him in even deeper to me,and shamelessly ride out my orgasm, not caring about how my desperate pleas for more bounce off the bathroom walls.
His grunts follow as his body locks up and he spills into the condom. I continue to work my hips on him, not wanting to let this feeling go. But the minute I exhale and let my body relax, I’m instantly jolted back to real life.
The chime over the door snaps me from the scene I've been replaying in my head for the last six weeks.
“Good morning! Welcome to Dress Me Up!”
My voice sounds strangled, and I’m sure I’m flushed. Despite being four degrees outside, my body is hot just from thinking about that guy. The two women nod to me as they enter the store that was opened by my dad in the late 1980s and begin perusing the items. We are a specialized clothing store carrying everything from lingerie to wedding gowns, and that's what has always made this store special. When the town was an up-and-coming resort area over forty years ago, my dad had the idea to make it stand out. And as people traveled in and out of the town, they always stopped here for a one-of-a-kind item. A handmade scarf, a sequined coral prom dress, even men’s button-down shirts with embroidered initials were the hit of the area. Things were simpler then, with no big box stores or online shopping to deter the traffic into the store.
I go back to looking at the spreadsheet in front of me, trying to focus on the here and now, trying to make sense of where we’ve gone wrong with this place.
For the last six months, it's been a steady downhill progression. And if I didn’t know better, I'd think it was my own bad luck tainting this place. However, my brother, Lief, has assured me we’ve been in the red for much longer than that. As ifthat’ssupposed to make me feel better. At thirty years old, I never expected my siblings and I would be the owners of this boutique, and I never expected to have to drag it out of the hole.
“Can I help you find anything?” my sister Blossom’s voice comes from behind me, and I see her walking toward the women.
“We heard this isthestore to come to for lingerie, and my sister here needs something sexy for her weekend away with her boyfriend.” They giggle together.
“You’re in the right spot! Come with me, we have a bit of everything.” They head to the front left of the store and begin chatting quietly about what she’s looking for.
I watch them, taking in how excited she is about planning for her special night. My heart constricts as I remember feeling excited about nights like those too. But that was another life. It’s been over three years since I’ve had the desire to dress for anyone but myself. Over three years since I’ve felt excited about having a man in my life.In my daughter’s life.
It’s just one more loss I’ve had to push through.
I think back to that night six weeks ago with a random guy and remember the gorgeous matching set I had on. It was from the Love and Lace collection we sell here at the store, a deep pink lace bra with matching cheeky panties. The color is called Razz-Ma-Tazz Raspberry. I fell in love with the color as much as the name. It was the first time I felt sexy in a long time, and even though I left my house wearing it for me, I was glad someone else got to enjoy it too. Even if he’ll never see it again. Even if I never seehimagain.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
I jump at my brother’s voice as he comes and stands beside me. “Don’t sneak up on me!” I yell and slap at his arm.
“I literally walked through the front door. The bell rang as I entered. I called your name. Twice.” He watches me cautiously. “Where’s Lily?”
“Mom picked her up earlier.” My daughter couldn’t wait to spend time with her grandma, and it gave me a chance to tryand figure out what the heck we’re doing here. I go back to the spreadsheet. “This isn’t good, Lief.”
He narrows his eyes at the screen. “It’ll be over soon. We’re in the final stages of paperwork. Jack’s attorney is flying in at the end of the week.”
Jack is Lief’s best friend and has been since we were kids. He’s married to my best friend, Courtney. We all grew up together, but as adults, we grew apart so fast. Things between us all are getting better, and Jack is investing in Dress Me Up, bailing Lief and my entire family out of an impending bankruptcy.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea? I know he’s all about coming home and making amends, but can we trust that?”
“Are you asking for us, or for Courtney?”
Hearing him mention my best friend's name and remembering the bullshit she went through over the years with Jack, I look him dead in the eyes and say, “If he thinks about screwing over Courtney, I’ll have his balls.”
Lief scoffs. “Trust me, he’s not going anywhere.”
I shake my head as Blossom approaches the counter. “Have we gotten a new shipment of the Lace and Love? It seems to be doing well, and that’s what they’re looking for.” She tosses a thumb toward the women who are still searching for the perfect outfit.
“We’re supposed to get a few boxes this week, but the weather has things delayed,” Lief answers.