I was almost surprised by the ease that Billy moved through the country club dining room, almost but I recalled that he'd bribed one of the waiters before the auction so he'd clearly been inside the building before. The confidence radiating off of him, even as the maitre d' gave him a look of disgust at his lack of coat and tie, well he had A coat, just not what the regular diners would have worn, Billy's smile held. He shook his head when offered one of the 'just in case' options that the snooty host suggested.
"Veronica's parents have seen me before, just like this, I'd rather not play pretend," a curt nod, and the man sniffed at the rebuke. "If it makes your panties unbunch," he leaned closer, forcing the other man to lean back, "we probably ain't gonna be here for long. Prior engagement, and whatnot." I was biting my lip, the maitre d' looked like he was praying for the likelihood of us turning around and leaving NOW, but seeing Billy unmoving, he shut his eyes to ask for strength instead. And then he opened them, straightened his back further and stalked to the table my parents sat waiting for us at.
As we followed, I whispered that I was confused. When Billy looked down at me, our progress not pausing, I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes and said he said he wasn't interested in playacting, which made him shrug. "I guess I'm confused because you promised me a fling with 'bad cop' and now you're saying you don't want to," biting my pouting lip, I was rewarded with the flare of his nostrils and the heat of his hand on my lower back as he leaned closer to me.
"Not gonna put on a fucking act for the parents, Veronica, but when we get to the house?" His voice, just as quiet as mine was a rough growl. "All bets are off."
Shit. Maybe teasing him backfired. I expected him to be as undone by the idea of dessert as I was, and yet he looked as unruffled as ever, and I was twitching with need. Fuck.
My dad stood when we got to the table, my mom stayed seated as her lips thinned at the sight of Billy's outfit. Too bad, I thought he was gorgeous in his flamboyant shirt, the longer than necessary coat, those damn jeans of his, and his half tied boots. If she really had issues with it, we could always leave. Now. And I'd make sure that he was out of the clearly offensive clothing as soon as my door shut behind us. I considered making that offer as Billy held my chair for me, and when his fingers brushed my bare neck and REALLY wanted to suggest it.
Once Dad and Billy sat, after the host walked away to leave us with our menus, silence reigned. Billy's hand touched my knee that was bared as my skirt rode up during my sitting down, and I licked my lip to steady the urge to toss the menu and straddle him. Jesus.
"Well?" I broke the silence. Mostly I wanted whatever was coming to come and go. And then Billy and I could go and cum, if you know what I mean? My mom was still eyeing Billy like she was trying to figure out what I could possibly see in him, and I came close to going into incredibly graphic detail of ALL of Billy's most impressive attributes. Most of them didn't even involve parts of his body. Dad was looking at his menu with carefully trained indifference.
"The duck sounds delicious," he offered, and I rolled my eyes. Yes, of course, Dad. Let's focus on eating Daffy and NOT on the ridiculous reason Mom insisted on dinner. "I think I'll have that with the-" he literally sat and went over his entire order. All four courses. Including dessert. Shit.
"While that's riveting," I deadpanned, I shot a look at my mom. "I'm fairly certain this lovely dinner wasn't demanded just so we could hear how succulent the duck sounds." If I thought my mom's lips were thin when we arrived, I was almost impressed by just how fucking thin they could get. "Well?" Again, this time fully directed at the woman who theoretically pushed me out of her nether regions.
"Honestly, Veronica." I had to hold back another eye roll, and Billy was helping by applying not so subtle pressure to my knee. "First we'll order dinner, and then-"
"I'd much rather get whatever issues that caused you to infiltrate Billy's cell phone number to get out and over with, maybe then I'll have an appetite for Donald." Pretty sure I even managed a smile at the end. Maybe I looked pleasant, but I had doubts by the way my mom was clutching the stem of her glass.
Pursing her lips, which made them marginally wider than they had been, my mom studied me. "I had thought that we spent ample time raising you properly, Veronica, but perhaps I was incorrect." Sweet, disappointment and we'd only sat down moments ago. "The 'issues' that forced me to-" she looked like she was sucking a pickle with how distasteful she found having to find out Billy's contact information. "Returning a phone call or a text message," how did she manage to make texting sound like signing a pact with Satan? "Shouldn't be beyond you."
"Oh, it isn't beyond me." I felt oddly relaxed, of course that could have been due to Billy's fingers sliding up and down my inner thigh. "In fact, today I returned several missed calls and I even managed to text three people. Hell," Mom's eyes narrowed as I leaned forward as though sharing a deep dark secret. "I EVEN managed to send a couple emails." Take that, Mommy Dearest.
"Veronica," it was my dad, and a glance told me that he was in the running for the most narrow eyes in the family challenge. "You know very well what your mother is saying."
"I do," I agreed. Taking a beat to lick my lip again, since Billy's finger was getting dangerously close to the top of my stockings. "I have to wonder, however, if the two of you understand that not only am I an adult, but I also have complete autonomy. I am actually, by the grace of the country we live in, given full rights to decide who I answer and who I ignore. And that includes the two of you." I shifted in my chair, letting my legs fall a tiny bit further apart. Even if he was being strangely silent, Billy was giving his own type of support and damned if it wasn't helping.
The waiter came then, and Dad was firmly locked and loaded with his order. Mom gave hers begrudgingly, then Billy who I was shocked knew what he wanted since I thought he'd been diverted by diverting me. When it was my turn, I flipped open my menu and ordered my own meal being as clear and fast as my three dining companions.
Once the waiter was out of earshot, my mom's focus returned to me. "And this autonomy that you're so proud of, you are aware that it comes with a high price." Ah, my inheritance. I smirked, because once I'd learned this disaster of a face off was coming, I'd done what I was more than capable of doing. I researched. "Are you willing to pay such a heavy fee?" She looked so smug, so sure of her hold over me, that I almost felt sorry for her.
Instead of answering her, I turned to Billy. Leaning closer to him, but letting my voice carry in a stage whisper across the table, I smiled as he played along and tilted his own head closer. "My mom thinks she owns me, all because of the dangling promise of my future inheritance." Billy's fingers were still toying with me, but his eyes were locked on mine. "Which is hilarious, since I actually came into the bulk of my money when I turned eighteen, five years after my LAST grandparent died. She forgets that I used part of it to pay for college, a VERY small part of it." I could see him fighting a laugh. "Not only that," I leaned closer, wanting so badly to just kiss the living fuck out of him instead of dealing with this nonsense. "But Dad took over my granddad's company, and he hasn't added a SINGLE client to it since. I have a feeling," a glance at my parents showed me they were RIVETED and appalled at the information I'd gathered in preparation for what they assumed would be their heavy handed negotiations. "I'm in better financial state than they are, but they STILL insist on paying for my membership to this fucking hellhole." I kissed him then, too happy to hold back, because I knew with that parting shot I'd done it. I won.
Billy Butcher didn't disappoint. Once my lips brushed his, he took over, moving his errant hand to join the other cupping my face and taking the kiss we BOTH wanted, audience be damned. And as our tongues touched, I vaguely heard a throat clearing, but couldn't have stopped tasting the man I loved if I wanted to, and I truly didn't want to.
Our dinner didn't last much longer. We did ask for our meals to be wrapped up so we could take them with us, after all, I hated the club, but their food was amazing. It took no time to get the beautiful, heavy bag of food, and I didn't glance at my very angry parents as we walked away. I didn't blush when Billy's hand went farther south as we weaved through the tables filled with the snooty assholes that my parents claimed as friends. I didn't pay attention to the whispers, or the looks, because all I could focus on was getting Billy home and having dessert. Hours and hours of dessert, and then once that craving was satisfied, maybe we'd have dinner.