August Exclusive - "Sparkly Objects " - Part 2

They get back home late afternoon. After sweating in the heat to clear up the things not sold in the yard sale and bagging them up for Goodwill, Nathan has a shower and Julia calls out for Mexican food.

Once Nathan is full of California burrito, Julia starts asking her questions. She always has things to ask after they spend the day together; as if she needs reassurance that Nathan sees events the same way, in case they’re on different pages of history. Julia hates miscommunications or misunderstands, which must be why she likes to talk things out in (if you asked Nathan) exhausting detail.

Tonight, mercifully, the questions are short.

“You were so sweet with Ollie today. That baby adores you.”

“It’s just a baby.” Sitting on the couch, poised with the TV remote, Nathan watches as Julia dips a last tortilla chip into a tub of queso. She likes to load her chips, and Nathan wrinkles his nose until the cheese makes its way into his girlfriend’s mouth. No drips, no stain to clean up.

“You knew just what he needed,” Julia mumbles around her food, and then she takes the containers through to the kitchen. So much plastic debris from one meal. And the takeout place keeps putting all those sauces into the bag! Such a waste, and it will just end up in landfill. It makes Nathan’s jaw harden, and he knows he needs to change the internal monologue before he gets a headache.

Julia must agree, the first thing she does on her return to the living room is to straddle Nathan’s lap, facing him.

“Such a good uncle,” she says sweetly. “You really do know everything, don’t you.” She pushes her shiny brown hair from her face and kisses Nathan hungrily on the lips. “Working, cleaning up yard sales, looking after babies…whatever would I do without you, taking care of everything?”

Nathan shrugs good-naturedly. His girlfriend’s kisses tastes of queso and guacamole, and that’s more than okay. He can already feel himself harden. What magic spell did he cast two years ago, to make this pretty girl want him? Put up with him?

Still, her words from before, from so many times, threaten to distract his good feelings.

You’re too stressed. You need to take a break. You’re going to burn out.

He kisses her back, kisses her hard and gets that moan he likes so much. Taking control, he pulls back and says, “Thought you didn’t like me doing so much. Worried about me burning out.”

Julia produces another moan. She pouts, as if she doesn’t like being contradicted, and then she fusses with her hair again, lifting it off the collar of her plain white blouse, and says, her voice higher-pitched and breathy, “I just wanna look after my wonderful boyfriend.”

Nathan gets harder. He loves it when Julia plays it a little dumb for him, when she lets herself be vulnerable. All Nathan wants is to be in charge. He puts his hands on her hips. “Don’t worry about me,” he replies,” smiling, eyes locked on hers. Even if he does still have that nagging headache, it’ll be gone soon enough. Even if his teeth do ache after each night of grinding them, it doesn’t matter. He has the prettiest of girlfriends, and one that once in every while, more or less every Saturday, lets Nathan do exactly what he wants with her.

“I got you something,” Julia whispers. She rests her tongue between her teeth, looks at him with a mixture of shyness and mischief. “Special treat.”

“Oh yeah?” replies Nathan. His voice grows husky, he’s ready to become a wolf, a wild dog. He kisses Julia’s neck, breathing in a the scent of bug spray and perspiration that just reminds him that his girl is a wild child, a toy for him to play with, as long as he takes care of her.

“Special present,” Julia says, and she giggles, pushing out her chest and jiggling.

Nathan chuckles, turns his line of sight lower. His girlfriend has great breasts, and he doesn’t need an invitation. He takes them with both hands, pressing through the cotton of Julia’s shirt and bra. He should tear her shirt off, he should rip it off right now.

Julia sighs as he fondles her. “Take my shirt off,” she says, and her tone is breathier still, and then it shift slightly as she says, “Careful with the buttons, honey.” She giggles. “One at a time.” She leans in and nibbles his ear, whispering, “Show me you can be in control. Tease me.”

Fine. No tearing, no ripping. He’ll do it slow, he’ll have Julia begging for more. And then he’ll have her.

He moves his fingers to the top of Julia’s blouse and then he pauses. Still as a statue. Until he elicits one of Julia’s moans.

“Come on, honey!”

“You ready?”

“Yes!” She squirms on his knees. “I’m all ready for you to see your special present.”

Nathan laughs. “So you’re the present?”

Julia nods. She whispers, her own hands moving to her boyfriend’s crotch. “I want you to open me up and see what’s inside.”

Nathan grunts. He takes care of the top button.

And immediately, Nathan is aware of something new. Something surprising. He stares down at a sparkling gold chain, which must be the beginning of a necklace or pendant.

“You got something,” Nathan says. “You don’t like necklaces, you said.”

Julia smiles. “I like this one.” She presses between Nathan’s legs. “Come on, keep going. I want you to see your special gift."

Nathan snorts. “Jewlery is more a gift for Julia than for him.” He can feel the ache in his jaw. Did she use the credit card? He’s tempted to check right now with the app on his phone. Because this may be a surprise, but it’s not a sexy one.

“Stop,” he says, pushing Julia’s fingers away from his crotch. “I’m in charge. That’s what you like.”

“Of course,” replies Julia. “But please, honey…” She gives him the most submissive, most docile of looks. “One more button.” She flutters her eyelashes. “I really think you’re gonna like your present.”

“You know we’re saving for a deposit,” Nathan says. A dull tension makes its presence know in his temples. A headache like this, once it’s settled, won’t dissipate for hours, and he doubts that even Julia’s tits will help.

He takes care of the second button with an impatient flip of his fingers, and then he has reason to stare again.

The necklace catches his eyes. The necklaces changes color in the light.

The necklace is suddenly, abruptly, everything.

“See?” Julia whispers. “Isn’t it pretty?” A smile creeps into her voice. “Isn’t it clever?”

Nathan manages the barest of nods.

“So smart, so knowing,” Julia continues. “Best you just keep staring, honey, so you can understand. Because right now, you’re all confused, sweet boy. Right now, you’re thoughts are all jumbled up.”

Her hands return to the hardness between Nathan’s legs, pressing against it, and it’s Nathan’s turn to moan. He doesn’t need to un-do any more buttons, he doesn’t need to worry about Julia’s bra. All he needs to worry about is the necklace.

Because his girlfriend is right. Nathan is all confused. Nathan doesn’t know what to think. As soon as Julia had said those words, Nathan took them as Gospel.

“Keep looking,” says Julia softly, as if Nathan was going to do anything but stare at the necklace. “It’s such a clever little thing. A combination of resin and digital art.” She giggles. “Not that you know about such things.” She strokes his thighs. “My sweet, silly boy. But it’s okay, I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to take care of everything.” She pats his knees. “It’s my turn.”

Her tone is emphatic, it is friendly but resolutely in charge. And Nathan is sure that she’s talking nonsense, even as he believes every words.

He should look at Julia. He should look away from the special present so he can see her face. Because she doesn’t sound like before, she isn’t using her teasing, pleading, bimbo tone. It’s something different, something from years and years ago.

“You’re going to do what you’re told, and it’s all going to be just fine. You won’t have to worry about a thing. No more nasty headaches, no more stress.”

Nathan swallows. Of course. The tone is patronizing, condescending, but somehow so appropriate, and so attractive.

Julia sounds just like Nathan’s teacher from kindergarten.

He manages, an act of supreme willpower, to drag his eyes up and away from the necklace, and look his girlfriend in the face.

“What…what are you doing…this is…”

Julia smiles at him and it makes Nathan feel dizzy. His pretty girlfriend, this woman who will pretend to play dumb. She doesn’t look dumb now. She seems all-powerful. She might just be a god.

But she’s not. It’s something quite different, or something even bigger. Julia explains, as she orders Nathan to look back at the sparkling, swirling necklace and he helplessly complies. “I know just what to do, honey. I feed the baby, I burp the baby, I change I put the baby down for his nap.” She giggles. “See? I know exactly what to do.”

To be completed...