I do not own Glee or its characters.
Monday September 7th (Labor Day)
Zack and I arrive at Mercy's a little later than I had wanted. I pull up to my usual spot at the curb and just as I am about to kill the engine, I see her bright smile as she emerges from the house and signals for me to pull into the driveway. She usually parks there, but today she has backed her car into the garage. I make the small turn into her normal spot and Zack jumps out the moment I shift into park. I turn off the car and then climb out just as she speaks to him.
"Hi Zack." She hugs him.
"Hey Cedes." They both turn toward me as he throws an arm around her shoulder. "We're late because dad kept changing his clothes." He snickers as I glare at him and then quickly down at my clothing. I finally settled on a pair of light wash jean shorts and a royal blue polo.
"Pay him no mind baby." I walk toward them, and then push Zack's arm off her. "You look beautiful by the way." I wrap my arms around her and then smirk at Zack. She is wearing a pair of khaki capri pants with a light peach colored ribbed tank top. Her hair is pulled up in a high bun that allows me to see the small gold hoop earrings adorning each of her earlobes. On her feet are a pair of jeweled light brown wedge sandals. Even with the additional inches from the sandals, I still tower over her.
"Thank you." She pulls away and looks at me with a soft smile. "You don't look half bad yourself." She grabs Zack's hand, turns and starts walking toward the house. Suddenly I feel just a wee-bit slighted and Zack senses it as he turns his head back and scrunches his nose at me.
I move to her other side and possessively take her other hand. "Where's Ally?"
She looks over and up at me. "She's out back, probably on the trampoline." Just before we reach the door, she releases both our hands to open it. We follow her inside and then into the kitchen.
"Need any help with anything Cedes?"
She looks over at him and smiles. "No, honey. I think we got it covered in here."
"OK, well, I'm going out back with Ally then." He leans over and kisses her on the cheek. It startles her and her smile widens as her eyes follow him out the back door.
She softly chuckles. "Babe. He has never done that before." It came out as a whisper. She turns her head and looks up at me with just a hint of tears in her eyes. Her hand is holding the exact spot on her cheek where he kissed her. "I think he is really starting to like me."
"Oh, I know he is." I just smile back at her. "But, not more than me. Now come here, woman." I grab her hand, tug her closer to me, connect our lips and then wrap my arms around her waist.
Too quickly, she begins pulling her lips from mine and tries to wiggle from my arms. "No, no, no. You've got to get started on all this meat. I've already seasoned the chicken and burgers. We have some sausages too. You can fire up the grill whenever you're ready."
"I'm not ready to do that yet. I want to touch you. Yesterday was so bittersweet. While we had an awesome time, I didn't get my Mercy fill. Can we sneak off for a few minutes?"
She stops trying to wiggle from my hold. "Babe, that is so tempting, but I don't think it's a good idea with Spence, Alistair and their friends due here any minute."
I study her for a few seconds. "Yeah, you're probably right but we will be sneaking off later." I sneak another lingering kiss as I move my hands down from her waist to gently squeeze her ass. "Now, my next question. Why aren't you wearing a skirt?"
"I didn't know I was supposed to be wearing a skirt."
"You should always wear a skirt for me baby. That way I can get to my cookie when I want to. You should go change."
"You're not serious." She chuckles as she shakes her head and tries to wiggle out of my arms again. I release her ass but keep my arms loosely around her.
"I am. As beautiful as you look now, you will look just as, if not more, beautiful in a skirt. Plus, there are added advantages to you wearing one." She narrows her eyes at me and puckers her lips. "Meaning, if you had a skirt on, I could have given you an orgasm by now." I smirk at her.
"You're a cocky little shit, aren't you?"
"I think we both know the answer to that question, don't we?"
She narrows her eyes again and crosses her arms. "Anyway, I'm not completely sold on your reasoning, and even less appealing to me, is the fact that the last time I wore a skirt for you, you took my panties. Panties that I actually like and that you still haven't returned by the way. So, I'll make you a deal. I'll wear a skirt again when you return my panties."
A wicked smile spreads across my face. "You know, something told me you were going to mention those today. It just so happens that I have them right here." I pull them out of my right front pocket and hold them in the air in front of her.
"Unbelievable." She shakes her head and chuckles as she snatches them from me.
"I know. Now you –" I snap my fingers and point toward the stairs. "A skirt."
"Do you honestly think we are going to be able to sneak away with guests in the house?"
"We won't have to sneak away." I grab her hand, move further into the kitchen and position her body in front of the sink facing the window above it. "See you could be right here looking out this window into the back yard while my fingers have their way with you. No one would have a clue." I begin to lower my mouth to her neck but stop when the doorbell rings. She turns her head and kisses the tip of my nose.
I take her hand and quickly tug her toward to staircase leading upstairs. "I'll get the door. You get into a skirt. Preferably one that isn't too form fitting. Something like the one you had on when we had dinner here last week." She turns slowly, still not totally sold on the idea and starts her journey upstairs. I swat her ass lightly to hurry her along and then walk to the front door.
I open it and smile. "Hey guys. Come on in. My co-host went upstairs for a moment. She'll be right back."
Everyone is smiling back at me. "Hey Sam. These are my friends from college. That's Victoria, that's Daphne and this is Joe. Guys this is Sam." I step back to allow them to enter the house but only Spencer and Alistair do as they are carrying the side dishes. They immediately walk into the kitchen. I turn back to see a bald guy, a red head, a blonde guy and a blonde just staring at me.
The bald guy speaks as he releases the red head's hand. "Hi Sam. It's nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind. One of our coworkers was going to be on his own today so we brought him along. This is Carter." He gestures to the blond guy.
"Hi Carter. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Come on in." I motion for all of them to come in and then close the door once they have.
The red head smiles at me. "Thank you." I nod at her and smile as I walk pass them.
"Hey Sam, where are the kids?" Alistair grabs my attention as he exits the kitchen.
"They're out back. I was just about to fire up the grill."
The blond woman moves toward me. "Can I help with something?"
I shake my head at her and smile. "No. It's nice of you to offer but you're our guest. Please make yourself at home." I look around at them. "Can I get anyone anything to drink?" Everyone shakes their heads. "OK, well there's horseshoes and cornhole set up out back if anyone wants to play. The kids are probably still on the trampoline."
Spencer appears next to Alistair. "Come on guys, I'll introduce you to Ally and Zack." The red head grabs the hand of the bald guy and follows Spencer and Alistair to the backyard.
The blonde guy steps toward me. "Sam, can I use your bathroom?"
"Sure, it's the second door there on the left." I point toward the room.
"Thanks." I watch as he turns and walks toward the bathroom. The blond still hasn't moved so I assume she is waiting for him. I turn and walk into the kitchen.
I move to turn on the faucet but stop when I hear a soft voice speak behind me. "I really don't mind helping." I turn my head back to see the blond smiling at me. "Besides, I like being in the kitchen, and if I get to be in here with you, then it's a win-win for me." She winks.
I turn and lean back against the sink. "Um, thanks but it's really not necessary. We've got everything covered here."
"You sure?" She takes a few steps into the kitchen but whatever else she was about to say is interrupted.
"Sure about what?" Mercy's eyes land on the blond as she offers her a warm smile. "Hi. I'm Mercedes and you are?"
"Hi. I'm Victoria."
"It's nice to meet you Victoria." Mercy smiles over at me. "Where's everybody else?"
"They're out back baby."
Her eyes dart quickly between me and Victoria and then back to me. "OK, you ready to fire up the grill?"
"Yes. I'll be out there in just a minute. I just need to wash my hands."
"OK." She clears her throat. "Victoria, can I get you something to drink?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks."
"Mercedes?" We both turn to look at the surprised expression on his face.
"Oh my god! Nicholas?! What are you doing here?" She walks over to him and gives him a quick friendly hug. When she releases him, her eyes dart quickly over to me and then back at him.
"I go by my middle name, Carter, now. I'm in town for a conference until Wednesday. I guess my coworkers are friends of Alistair's and invited me to tag along. I hope that's OK."
She gives me another quick glance and then nervously smiles at him. "Of course it's OK. It's good to see you again. Why don't you and Victoria head on out back? We'll be out in a few minutes." They both nod and walk out to the backyard with the others.
"So that's Nicholas?"
"Yes, that's Nicholas. And before you get all crazy, it's not a big deal. There is nothing between us and you know that." She walks over toward me and wraps her arms loosely around my neck.
"I know but I still feel a pang of jealousy."
"You shouldn't but I think I should." She arches an eyebrow at me. "What's the deal with that Victoria chick?"
"No idea but she was starting to annoy me big time."
"Well I'll keep my eyes on you and you keep your eyes on me and that will be that. Besides, I'm wearing a skirt now and I'll let you in on a little secret." She takes me by the wrist and tucks my hand under the front side of her khaki skirt. "I'm panty-free just for you." She pulls my mouth down to hers and softly licks then kisses my lips.
Sweet Jesus. "I definitely have to wash my hands now or all the food will be covered in your sweet sauce." She giggles as I trail my fingers up the length of her slit. I plunge two fingers inside her and then pull them out.
"Crazy boy." I stuff my fingers in my mouth and suck off her juice. Then with a goofy grin plastered on my face, I wash my hands and dry them on a kitchen towel. "Come on." I pick up the pan with the meat as she grabs the utensils and a roll of paper towel.
When we get outside, we see Zack, Ally, Spencer and the bald guy on the trampoline, Victoria and Nicholas aka Carter are sitting in two of the patio chairs talking, and the red head and Alistair are playing horseshoes. Mercy and I walk over to the grill. "Kiss the cook."
She giggles and leans up on her tiptoes to give me a soft lingering kiss. "That was for their benefit, right?"
"Maybe, but I'll never miss an opportunity to kiss you baby." I swat her on the ass lightly when she turns to walk over to meet the red head and hug Alistair. Then she waves a hello to the bald guy and waits for Spencer to climb off of the trampoline for a hug before she joins Nicholas aka Carter and Victoria.
Once I get the grill going, I place the chicken breasts on it. I adjust the fire and watch it for a few minutes. I decide to grill a few sausages in case anyone wants one before the chicken and burgers get done. After placing a few of those on the grill, I close the lid and look around to find everyone appearing to enjoy themselves. Spencer is chasing Ally, Zack and Alistair are watching them and the red head and the bald guy, who I have now figured out to be Daphne and Joe, are by the cooler. I walk over to grab myself some water.
"Are you two having a nice time?" I reach down into the ice-filled cooler and grab two bottles.
Joe clears his throat. "Yes, thanks again for letting us crash." Daphne smiles and nods her head.
"Sure, and if you need anything, please let me know." I smile and nod at them as I walk over to where Zack and Alistair are now laughing at Spencer and Ally. He has captured her and has her flung over his shoulder while she tries to kick out of his hold.
"Daddy, put me down!" She struggles some more. "Let me go!" She is giggling so hard she is out of breath.
"Never!" He has an arm wrap tightly over his shoulder and around her waist as he reaches us. "Now, who is Harry?"
"OK, OK. I'll tell you. Just please put me down." He places her feet on the ground. "He is just a boy daddy. I met him yesterday while I was at Sarah's house." She smiles over at me and continues. "He's her brother Manny's friend."
Zack adds his unsolicited two cents as I feel Mercy's arms wrap around my waist. "I didn't like the looks of him and plus he's too old for her." I shake my head and grin as I hand her one of the bottles that I am holding then wrap an arm around her.
"Nobody asked you!" Ally throws a look at him and then clears her throat. "He's fifteen and he goes to Donaldson. That's all I know about him other than his name. I was sitting on the porch yesterday when I saw him walking. He saw me too and came up to me and asked for my phone number. I gave it to him and then Zack and Sam showed up. He was supposed to text me last night, but I think Zack scared him off with all his questions."
"You shouldn't be giving your phone number out to boys you don't know." Zack is really trying her patience. I feel like I need to speak up and reel him in, but I am stopped by Spencer's voice.
He wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Buggy, you're my heart. This is the first I am hearing of you talking to boys and it's hard for me." He pulls her tightly into his side. "If this boy got scared off by a few questions, maybe he wasn't someone who was worth your time anyway." She nods as her mouth drops in a small frown. "Besides, Zack here probably saved that boy's life." Her head quickly darts up to look at him. "Because if I had gotten my hands on him, I would have ended him for even looking at you."
She drops her head as she elbows him in the stomach. "That's not even funny daddy."
"Who's trying to be funny?" He shrugs his shoulders.
She looks over at Mercy. "Momma?"
Mercy moves out of our embrace. "OK, that's enough." She quickly eyes Zack and then Spencer. "Ally can help her beauty, she gets it from her momma." Mercy chuckles as Ally smiles. She pulls Ally out of Spencer's arm as she elbows him too. "Honey, your dad is kidding." She narrows her eyes at Spencer. "He just can't help himself sometimes." Spencer defiantly crosses his arms. "Besides, this is a conversation for another time." She wraps an arm around Ally's shoulder and walks away from us.
Spencer's eyes follow them. "I swear, those two there…." Spencer groans loudly and just throws his arms up. "I need a cigarette and I don't even smoke!" He looks over at me and smirks. "That's just a taste of what's to come for you. I haven't always been bald you know. I had a nice head of dark blond hair too, but dealing with those two? I was getting grayer and grayer every day, so I just shaved it off." I guess the look on my face was clearly one that warranted their reactions. Zack was on the ground laughing and both Spencer and Alistair were cackling so hard that they were holding each other up.
I am back over at the grill when I feel eyes on me and look up to see Mercy staring at me. She is seated at the patio table with Victoria and Nicholas aka Carter again. I raise my eyebrow at her and mouth 'What?'
She stands and saunters over to me. "I was just admiring your form. You're looking hella sexy right now babe."
Her statement goes straight to my cock. "You can't say things like that to me right now. It will make me forget we have guests." I lean down and kiss the side of her head. I need to change the subject or the situation quickly forming in my pants will be pretty visible to everyone. "What were you three talking about over there?"
"I wasn't talking to them. I was reliving our moment from yesterday."
Now why did she have to go and say that. "Woman, I will fuck you right here on the patio if you don't stop teasing me."
"Promises, promises."
"Wow, really?" I chuckle and shake my head as I roll the sausages. "What in the world has gotten into you Mercy?"
"I don't know. I think being out here around everyone sans panties is turning me on. We may need to make a trip to the bathroom soon."
"Really?" I grin down at her as I wrap my free arm around her waist. "Once these sausages are finished, I'll go. You wait one minute and come join me."
"Deal."
"Excuse me, can I use your bathroom?" Son of a bitch. This Victoria chick is in my face again.
"Sure, I'll show you where it is." Mercy leads her toward the door. Before she enters, she turns and throws a pleading look my way.
I watch as they both go into the house. I remove the sausages, check the chicken and then place the burgers on the grill. As hard as I am trying not to, the thought of Mercy being so turned on and walking around without panties is getting to me. I want to watch her cum. I want to feel her walls clenching around my tongue. I adjust the heat on the grill and then look over at Nicholas aka Carter. "Hey Carter, can you keep an eye on this for a few minutes for me?"
"Sure, no problem."
I go into the house and as I round the corner, I run right into Mercy. I grab her hand. "Come on."
"Victoria is in there."
"Then we will have to improvise." I pull her up the stairs and into her bedroom. "On the bed." I lock the door and watch her get on the bed. I go to her and hover over her for a few seconds. "You telling me that you were turned on really did a number on me. My cock is rock hard." I place her hand on the bulge in my shorts. She firmly rubs my erection and then places her hands on my hips. "I give zero fucks about anybody knowing what we are up to in here." I lower my hips and grind into her. Her eyes close as she moans. "You still have to be quiet Mercy." She nods. I position myself on the bed next to her and glide my fingers up and down her slit. "I know it's my doing because I want our first time to be special, but I'll tell you this. If I had a condom, I would fuck you hard and fast right now." I slip two fingers inside her and her breath hitches. "I'd do you against the wall." I continue thrusting my fingers into her. "I wouldn't even undress you. Have you ever been fucked fully dressed baby?" I look at her face as she bites down on her bottom lip. "Have you?" She shakes her head as I quicken the pumping of my fingers. "I would move the crotch of your boy shorts to the side, unzip my fly and slide my dick right in." She moans softly as I lower my head and use my teeth to inch up her top. "Ssssh." Once her shirt is up far enough, I attach my mouth to her bra-covered nipple and suck. I circle my fingers inside her and massage her clit with my thumb. "You ready to cum baby?" She moans again and I cover her mouth with mine as I feel her walls clench around my fingers. Her hips pitch up and I plunge my fingers deeper allowing her cum to coat them completely. After a few seconds she lowers her hips and we kiss until her breathing normalizes. "All better baby?"
"Much."
I slide my fingers out of her and shove them into my mouth. "Mm mm mm." She giggles and I roll over to lay on top of her. I grind my cock against her again and rest my forehead against hers. "Mark my words baby. The next time I come over here, I will have condoms. At this point, I will take a quickie if that's all I can get." I kiss the tip of her nose and then lift my body off her. I pull her up from the bed and grab her ass. "And I'm going to pay some attention to this masterpiece." I kiss her loudly on the neck. "Now, you go freshen up, I'm going to head back downstairs." She kisses me once more, turns and then goes into her bathroom. I unlock her door and hurry down the stairs. I go into the downstairs bathroom and lower my shorts. I start to jerk myself off and after only a few strokes with the scent of her still on my fingers, I get my release. I use some toilet paper to quickly clean myself up and then I exit the bathroom. As I am passing the kitchen, I realize that I forgot to wash my hands, so I go over to the kitchen sink. Just as I turn off the faucet, I hear the back door open. I turn my head to see Victoria gawking at me.
"Is there anything stronger to drink?"
"No, sorry. You're free to go get something stronger if you'd like."
"Is there a store nearby?"
"Yes, O'Hares is just around the corner. Maybe Spencer or Alistair can go with you."
"I was hoping you would. I mean I'd like to spend some time alone with you so that we can get to know each other better."
I still and stare at her for a second. Is she serious? I know she is aware Mercy and I are together. I let out a dry chuckle as I shake my head. The gall of this chick. I dry my hands and then throw the towel over my shoulder. I face her, cross my arms and tilt my head. "Well, Victoria there are actually a few reasons why that won't be happening. First and foremost, my lady may not be too keen on me jumping into the car and going off with someone who is so obviously disrespecting her, her house and our relationship. Second, I know I just met you literally like an hour ago, but I really don't like you. I'm not sure what you are thinking but I'm most definitely taken. Next, I am not interested. Not even a tiny little bit. And finally, even if I was available, you're not my type. I wouldn't give you a second look. Now, I suggest you have Spencer or Alistair go with you if you don't feel like you can go on your own." I slide the towel off my shoulder and toss it on the island as I pass her and walk out the back door onto the patio.
"I think it's just about done Sam." I turn my head in his direction and walk over toward the grill to join Nicholas aka Carter.
He hands me the tongs. "I think you're right." I stick the thermometer in the chicken and then the burgers. "The burgers are done but the chicken still needs to cook a bit longer. Thanks for keeping an eye on it for me."
"Sure, no problem." He stands nearby and watches as I remove the burgers from the grill and begin to put sauce on the chicken. I hear the soft hiss of the back door and turn my head to see Victoria stepping out of the house. That chick is crazy. I focus back on the grill and place the rest of the sausages on it. "So, you and Cedes, huh?"
I nod my head. "Yeah. That's my girl."
"She's a great girl."
"I know. Best thing that has ever happened to me." I smile as I glance over at him.
He nods and keeps his eyes on the grill. "She was for me too. We were just so young. I hated the way we ended but she was right. We needed time to grow and mature. It didn't make sense for us to hold on to each other. I just wish she would have given it a chance though, you know. I have no doubt that had she, well we would still be together probably married with a few kids." He looks over at me with feigned concern. "Oh, I'm sorry, she told you about me, didn't she? I mean you know that we dated in high school, right? I was her first."
"Yes, I am aware and no offense but I'm happy that she didn't give it a chance. I mean it worked out for me, right?" I chuckle nervously as I watch the expression on his face fall. I mean what did he expect me to say? She's mine so back the fuck up dude. You and little Ms. Crazy need to recognize that Mercy and I are together. I hear the back door again and see Mercy step out wearing a satisfied smile and carrying a portable speaker. I internally beam with pride because I know that I am responsible for that smile. She looks over at me and winks and then walks over to watch Alistair and Daphne throw horseshoes. I smile as I watch her ass waving to me but my smile fades when I notice Nicholas' aka Carter's predatory stare following her as well. What the fuck? Someone has to be fucking with me. First Ms. Crazy and now him.
"Well, you know what they say, everything old is new again." He takes a drink from his bottle of water and smirks at me as he walks over to stand next to her. This motherfucker is trying me for real! Music starts playing from the speaker and she starts bouncing to the beat. Yeah, that's not going to work for me with Nicholas' aka Carter's words replaying in my head.
"Hey Mercy." I call out to her and she looks back at me. "Can I see you for a minute baby?" She nods and begins to walk toward me. I turn my attention back to the grill.
"What's up babe?"
I roll the sausages and lower my voice. "Baby, I am trying to keep my temper in check but in the span of five minutes that Victoria chick came on to me and your Nicholas just gave me a thinly veiled threat, and now you are about to start dancing and bouncing and twisting and thrusting. It's just too much."
"What are you talking about? Calm down. What did he say?"
I sit the tongs down and turn my attention to her. "He was talking about how you were the best thing that ever happened to him, and how he wished that you would have given the two of you a chance when you were younger. He said some shit about if you had then you two would be married with kids. Then he said everything old is new again."
Her eyes scan mine. "You're not serious."
"Yeah, I am."
She laces the fingers of one of her hands with mine. "What did Victoria do?"
"She asked me to go with her to the store so that we could spend some time alone together and get to know each other better."
She stares at me with her mouth gaped. "Are they both crazy?"
"They have to be. Now, I put Victoria in check, and I will do the same with your Nicholas, but I just wanted to tell you first."
"Stop calling him my Nicholas. He is not my Nicholas. He is just Nicholas." She squeezes my hand and narrows her eyes at me.
"Ok then just Nicholas needs to be informed that you are mine and I don't share." I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her next to me. "I'll take care of it." I kiss the top of her head and then lean down to kiss her. My eyes dart over to see him watching us. I let my hand move lower and cup her ass as my mouth devours hers. Drawing away from her mouth, my eyes dart back over to him and I see that he is now talking to Ms. Crazy herself, but they are watching me and Mercy. Good, I'm killing two birds with one stone.
Suddenly, Ally rushes up to us, grabs Mercy's hand and begins to pull her. "Mom come on, it's our song."
"Um." I nod to let her know it's fine. "OK, come on."
My eyes follow them as they move toward an open space in the yard. I've heard the song that is currently playing before but I can't name it. I tune into the lyrics. My eyes are trained on her just as I hear the woman say, 'looking so crazy in love' and then it happens. She turns towards Ally and they both begin to bounce as 'uh oh uh oh uh oh no no no' rings out of the speaker. My mouth flies open and my eyes try to leave their sockets. They both jump to face away from one another and do the move again. Spencer, Alistair, Daphne and Joe egg them on as I see Nicholas aka Carter cock his head to the side and fucking bite down on his lip. It is taking everything in me to contain myself. I see Zack watching on with his arms crossed. Neither of us are amused. He quickly glances over at me and our eyes lock as we both shake our heads. The ending of this song cannot come soon enough for me. When it finally does, cheers ring out as Mercy and Ally giggle and embrace. When they part, Mercy timidly looks over at me as she moves to walk back over to where I am by the grill. In the process, Nicholas aka Carter tries to stop her, but she waves him off.
She reaches me just as I remove the last piece of chicken from the grill. I turn my head in Spencer's direction. "Meat is done everybody. Help yourself. Mercy and I will bring out the sides." I take her hand and lead her into the house.
Once we get inside and into the kitchen, I trap her against the refrigerator and attack her mouth. She moans against my assault and wraps her arms low around my waist. A few moments later, we are both breathless. Through heavy pants, I grin down at her, kiss the tip of her nose and then slowly pull her away from the refrigerator.
She turns and I quickly swat her on the ass. She throws a flirty look back at me and then turns back as she opens the refrigerator door. She takes out the bowls of pasta salad and potato salad, stacking them on the adjacent counter. She then removes the taco dip and closes the door using her hip. I hear the back door open and look over to see Ally and Zack enter the kitchen.
"Can we help?"
"Sure. Zack, grab the chips off the island and take them and this taco dip out for me please." She hands the dip over to him. "Ally, you can take these." She hands her the two bowls. "I'll grab a few serving spoons." They both head back out the door as I move to grab two potholders and take the baked beans out of the oven. "I'll try to refrain from dancing anymore babe. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable."
I frown and shake my head at her. "I don't want that. I want you to have a good time. Besides, I like watching you dance, and I am still waiting on that private one. But just be warned, if I snatch you into the house, you'll know exactly why." I lean down and give her a quick deep kiss.
She smiles as we part. "Duly noted. Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."
"After you beautiful." I follow her back out the door. She clears a place for me to put down the baked beans and then we stand back while everyone fixes a plate. Soon enough, everyone is seated, and we take a look around. Joe, Alistair, Spencer and Daphne are seated at one patio table and Zack, Ally, Nicholas aka Carter and Victoria are seated at the other. Each table only seats five at a time. The tables aren't very big so pulling a chair from one to the other may not be the best idea. I look over at her. "What do you want to do?"
"I would say we could sit at separate tables, but I really don't want to sit with Nicholas, and I don't want you sitting with Victoria."
"I'm glad you said that because I don't want to sit with Victoria or Nicholas aka Carter, and I definitely don't want you sitting anywhere near him."
"Let's just wait until somebody gets done then." She looks up at me. "Horseshoes while we wait?"
I nod. "OK."
Halfway to where the game is set up, Spencer's voice stops us. We both look back at him. "Hey Merce, come on over and eat with us." Spencer pulls the chair out next to him and motions for Mercy to sit.
She shakes her head. "Thanks Spence but Sam and I are going to wait and eat together. We are going to play horseshoes in the meantime." She grabs my hand.
"Oh, stop it. You eat with Sam all the time. He can stand to be without you for a meal, can't you Sam?"
"Actually, no Spencer I can't. I want to enjoy the barbecue with my baby." I make sure to say it loud enough for everyone to hear me. I glance over and see the annoyed expression on Nicholas' aka Carter's face and smile as I bring her hand to my lips. Good, serves that asshole right.
About twenty minutes later Joe waves us over to the table. "You two can have our seats. Sam, best damn barbecue chicken I've had in a while!" Joe playfully rubs his belly as he and Daphne stand and remove their plates.
"Thanks man. Glad you liked it." I nod at him as I grab Mercy's hand and we go fix ourselves plates and then return to the table with Spencer and Alistair.
"I'm ready for seconds. Joe is right, that chicken is delicious Sam." Alistair stands and walks over to get some more food. I use the hand sanitizer on the table, but Mercy gets up to go wash her hands and grab some more napkins. I look over at Spencer and damn if he isn't giving me another one of those looks. I begin to ask him about it, but he speaks up instead.
"So, Friday night. Do you even remember it?" He folds his arms in front of him on the table and studies me.
I clear my throat. "What do you mean?"
"I mean do you remember anything about Friday night because I definitely do." He chuckles softly.
And then it clicks. "You saw me at O'Hare's?" By this time, Alistair has returned.
"Yeah. Oh yeah. You were quite the sight to see!" He looks over at Alistair and then both of them stare at me.
"Are you responsible for getting me home?"
"Guilty." He smiles but then turns serious. "What in the world was going on with you?"
"Wow. I don't even know where to start." I chuckle nervously and shake my head as I tell him about my alcohol fueled actions. When my memory gets fuzzy, he is able to fill in most of the gaps.
"Me and Al were stopping in to get some wine on our way home from a get-together. When we got there, I noticed what I thought was your car parked across two parking spaces." Mercy returns and he stops. I nod for him to continue, so he does. "The driver door was open, and you were laying in the backseat with your bare foot hanging out of the window. The headlights were on, but the car wasn't. I looked in and saw you with your head resting on a bag with something in it. You were completely out of it, man. I pounded on your foot a few times, but you just weren't waking up. So, I drove you home while Alistair followed. We both carried you in and then dumped you in the bed. Alistair put the ice cream in the freezer."
I am completely embarrassed and ashamed. "How did you even know where I lived?"
Alistair provides that piece of information. "The parking permit on your windshield. It had the name of the complex and your unit number." We all sit in silence for several long moments.
She looks over at them. "Thank you both for getting him home safe." She grabs Alistair's hand as she kisses Spencer on the cheek. She then looks over and gives me a concerned look. "I'm so grateful you weren't hurt, babe and that you didn't hurt anyone else." I grab her other hand and squeeze it.
"I'm grateful for that as well." I nod at her and then turn my attention to both Spencer and Alistair. "I don't know what to say other than thank you. Thank you for looking out for me and thank you for getting me home safe."
"I don't think 'anytime' is an appropriate response because we truly hope it isn't a normal thing, but you're welcome Sam. You are part of our little clan now, so it comes with the territory." Alistair nods his head seemingly agreeing with Spencer and I nod in response.
The weight of that moment soon passes as we continue to eat and make small talk.
After we have all finished, we decide to play a game of volleyball with the losers having to clean up. After the game, the losers – Zack, Alistair, Daphne, Nicholas aka Carter and Joe have to clean while me, Mercy, Spencer, Ally and Victoria get to sit back and relax. I glance over and notice Mercy and Spencer on the swing whispering in each other's ears. She chuckles at something he said and then waves me over. Spencer stands and pats me on the back before going to join Ally on the trampoline.
"What's up beautiful?"
"Spencer was just telling me that Alistair needs to get some new friends."
"He doesn't care for them?"
"He said Joe is alright, but Daphne is clingy and whines about everything and Victoria is – and I quote – 'a real bitch' and he cannot wait until they go back to wherever they came from."
I chuckle. "He didn't say anything about Nicholas aka Carter?"
"No, they don't know him." She glances at her phone. "Wow, I cannot believe it's seven already. The kids need to be winding down and getting to bed soon for their first day of school tomorrow."
"Summer is officially over." I sit down next to her and wrap my arm around her shoulder. "Today was a great day baby. Despite the Nicholas aka Carter and Victoria stuff, I had a great time." She nestles into my chest causing my hand to move lower to rest on her ass.
"I did too, babe. Thanks for grilling. Everything was delicious."
"Any and everything for you Mercy." I kiss the top of her head and wrap my other arm around her to hold her. We sit there and enjoy our quiet time for several minutes. Her fingers lightly trail up and down my arm. All too soon, our quiet moment is interrupted. We stand as the others begin to approach us.
"Cedes, Sam, we are going to head out. Thanks for putting this together. I had a great time. Sam, you are a grill master and will be our go-to griller for any future cookouts!" Alistair shakes my hand and then hugs Mercy. Spencer does the same.
"Thanks for letting us crash. We had a good time." Joe shakes Mercy's hand first and then mine.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Mercy waves at Daphne and Victoria.
"Mercedes, it was great to see you again. I'll be in town until Wednesday if you want to grab lunch or something."
"Nicholas, I mean Carter, I don't think that would be a good idea, but it was good to see you again. Take care." She waves at him and I just turn my head away. Did he really think that she was going to agree to have a lunch date with him?
I turn and see Zack and Ally running into the house. "Zack! Don't get too comfortable. We will need to leave in about a half hour or so. School tomorrow."
"I know dad. We are just going to play Call of Duty until it's time to go."
"Alright." Mercy and I follow them into the house. She locks the back door and then we go into the living room. She plops down on the couch and looks up at me.
"I know it was just a barbeque but I'm exhausted. How can that be?"
"I know what you mean baby. I'm drained too. Entertaining is not as easy as one would think." I sit down next to her and wrap her up in my arms again. "I just want to sit here and hold you until it's time for us to go."
"I'd like that."
I wake up at the sound of Zack's voice. "Don't they look cute?" Ally giggles.
I open my eyes. "I guess we nodded off. What time is it?"
"Nine." I stretch and rub Mercy's arm to wake her. Her eyes pop open and she darts up.
"Oh my gosh. We fell asleep. What time is it?" We all laugh at her.
"Nine." I stand and stretch again. "I guess we were a bit more tired than we thought.
She nods and stretches. "Did you two have a good time today?"
"Yes, it was fun."
"Yeah, Spencer is like the coolest guy ever, I always have a good time when he is around." I clear my throat. "Coolest next to you dad of course." He chuckles.
"Of course." I chuckle back at him. "You ready to head out Zack attack?"
"Yep. See you Ally-Oop, text me tomorrow."
"I will. Night Sam. I'm tired so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."
"Night sweetie. I hope you have a good day tomorrow." She gives me a quick hug.
"Thanks." Ally heads up the stairs and Mercy walks us to the door. She gives Zack a hug, kisses him on the cheek and then he starts his walk to the car.
"Night baby. I'll talk to you tomorrow." I pull her to me and kiss her lips softly. "Do you realize it's been several hours since I last kissed you. And I also just realized we never got to round two again."
She giggles. "No, we didn't."
"It's OK. We will have to make up for that on Thursday." I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
"Looking forward to it. Drive safe babe."
"I will, beautiful. Good night."
"Night." She gives me another quick kiss and then I turn and sprint to the car. I wave at her before I climb in and then wait for her to close the door before backing out of the driveway.