She leads me to the loveseat and gently pushes me onto it—I let myself fall backward into it with a heavy plop. Straddling me, she brushes her fingers through my hair, touching my stubble with gentle fingertips.
That’s what I like about Lydia—she makes seduction seem natural, gentle, and easy. With me, at least. I wouldn’t know about anything else.
She brushes her robe off, clad now in nothing but a lacy white thong. Kisses my neck. Peels my shirt off. Descends slowly to kneeling between my thighs, kissing down my chest.
Reaches for my buckle.
I’m ready for her, knowing what those hands and that mouth can do, and eager for it. Needing it.
She’s got me in her hands, using that soft, gentle touch.
My phone rings—it’s a dumb phone, and only a handful of people have the number—my brothers, Inez, and…my mother.
It’s not my brothers, and I just saw Inez while closing up the club.
Which leaves only one person who could be calling me.
I freeze solid. My heart hammers in my chest, and Lydia stops her strokes, looking up at me. “Silas? What is it?”
I swallow hard. “I gotta take that.”
“Now?” She sounds disappointed.
Fuck me, but I wish that was real, instead of her just being damn good at her job.
“Yeah. Sorry.” I stand up, a little too abruptly, and she rises with me, frowning at me in confusion as I buckle my pants around my raging hard-on. “Wish I didn’t.”
The phone stops ringing. A beat of silence.
“Are you okay?” Her voice is quiet.
The phone rings again, and I fish it out of my front pocket—Momsays the caller ID on the front screen of the clamshell device.
“Shit,” I growl. “I gotta go, Lydia.”
She unlocks the door for me. “I’ll wait around a bit longer, if you want to…resume.”
I shrug. “Just go home, Lyd. Another night.”
She nods, donning her robe. “Okay, Silas.”
I open the phone as I step into the hallway. “Hello? Ma?”
Silence greets me, and then I hear a sniffle. A rough, shaky breath. “Si, baby?”
“Mom. What’s wrong?”
“He…” a sob. “I couldn’t take it anymore, Si.”
“Mom—whathappened?” I snap the words, harsh, angry.
“I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ve taken it for twenty-five years. I can’t take anymore. I didn’t want to do it, Si.” Her voice is faint. Trembling. “I killed him.”
“Who? Dad?”
“Yes.” It’s a whisper.
I’m stunned speechless, shocked into unbreathing silence. “You…what?”
