I laughed again as he yanked my knees apart and pushed himself inside me. “Make love!” I insisted, giggling all the while. “You’d like to make love to me!”
“Call it what you will,” he panted. His golden-brown hair fell into his face as he bowed his head to mine, thrusting powerfully all the while. “I like to call it fucking.”
I stretched up on my elbows, biting playfully at his lips. “For a verb that strong, buddy, you’d better make it memorable.”
Just like that, his mischievous twinkle turned into a devilish grin. “I promise you’ll never forget this,” he said, eager to accept the challenge.
And in the end, he was certainly right about that.
* * *
Hours later, we were lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, with a tangle of damp sheets wra
pped around our waists and ankles.
Nick tapped an absentminded rhythm on my wrist. “Do you think I should tell my dad?” he asked suddenly.
“About us?” I asked, confused. “About this?” I said, wiggling my ring finger around.
“No. About Claudia?”
I glanced over, then leaned back with a little frown. “I’m sure he already knows how devious she is. The man’s not stupid, Nick, and from what you tell me, he’s no stranger to women like her. I’m not sure about the flash drive...”
He propped himself up on an elbow, twisting onto his side to face me. “I thought you said you broke it, smashed it at the hospital.”
“I did, but who’s to say that was the only copy? Those things are a dime a dozen at OfficeMax, right?” My lips pressed together as I considered the conundrum from every angle. “A woman like Claudia is sure to have another copy, a backup. In that regard, nothing’s really changed.”
We fell silent for a while, each of us lost in thought.
The city awakened slowly around us, its familiar sounds drifting in through the high window. The hotdog vendors were setting up their stands, and the first angry honks from cabs echoed all about. The flutter and squawks of an army of pigeons descending upon Central Park was yet another wakeup call.
Nick grabbed his phone and suddenly called Claudia.
“Nick! Stop!” I yelled.
He flat out asked her if she had any copies. And I could hear her reply.
“Yes, darling Nick,” she said. “Right before your dad took the flash drive to the hospital, I made a copy. I was wondering when I should tell you.”
“Why?” Nick shouted as his face reddened. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“For leverage, dear boy. To keep you in line. Don’t worry though. I feel as though my revenge has been obtained and I feel vindicated. When your dad hatched up that marriage plot, I couldn’t stop laughing. I loved seeing you squirm. It was the perfect revenge.”
“How wonderful.”
“I really got you back good, didn’t I?”
“Yes you did. So if you got me back so good, then why make another copy?”
“The flash drive is insurance that you’ll stay on my side during this marriage. And that you won’t say anything bad about me, and that you’ll support me loyally.”
“It just never ends.”
“No, son, it doesn’t.”
“I’m not your son.”
“Okay, then. Stepson. And feel free to call me, Mom. Now I need to know. Are you on my team?”