Southern Gentleman: A Single Mom BWWM Romance Read online

  Ask those ladies who've had my dick in their holes. They have said that I always get them to climax, hard, long, and repeatedly. They always leave wanting more. When I come to think of it, every girl I've slept with has said, "More, Alan! Oh, God, MORE!"

  My name's synonymous with God in some women.

  Now is probably not the best moment to be traveling back on memory lane towards those times. This is a family-friendly place, people. Plus, I really like the company.

  When before, it's usually so I could orgasm with a girl, spend boring conversations with rich heiresses, today is different. Shit, I do not even want to think about those days. My animal… days.

  I don't know how she does it, but Sophia has raised Nina very well. The tiny, adorable kid is inquisitive, intelligent and spritely. She's a keen observer of everything around her.

  "Oh my gosh, it's a panda!" she exclaims as we near the furry creatures' cage. "It's. So. Fluffy!"

  I'm brought back to scenes from the movie Despicable Me, whether Agatha, the littlest child, exclaims something similar after seeing a plush unicorn stuffed toy. Nina says it almost exactly the same way!

  So adorable! I can't help but feel overwhelmed by her cuteness.

  The three of us stroll along the paved walkways, little Nina, Sophia, and me. We pass by cuddly-looking mammals, wonderfully colored birds, amphibians, and reptiles, and sea creatures. I had a fascination with animals when I was a kid.

  I don't remember the last time I visited a zoo. I don't have a memory of the last time I went to a public place such as this. A place where I could simply walk around, talk with the people I'm with. That's it. Period. I don't remember having moments like this as of recent, if at all.

  "Let's go get some corndogs," Sophia tells me. I reply that we should and walk towards the nearest food booth within the park. Nina takes the lead and tells the vendor to put both ketchup and mustard on all three.

  We wait for the corndogs as they're re-fried. It's not the healthiest thing but what can I say, they're delicious. My mind wanders to how my life revolved only around the business.

  I'd often be preoccupied with work. I let myself be preoccupied with work because I felt like I needed to be busy to be happy. Something like that. I don't mean to sound so dramatic, but yeah, I can't explain it any other way.

  I wrapped myself around work because I thought that was the way to be happy. Having a sense of achievement. I forgot to give room to the little things, little joys that are simply… fun. Holy fuck, I'm turning into a lame-ass cliché movie!

  You know those movies about a rich, cold guy who realizes life isn't about money and fucking around. It's suddenly not so Disney with cuss words. I laugh softly as I imagine being the protagonist in such a film.

  I remember how my days and nights off were basically spent in bars with girls I didn't really want to spend time with. I wanted to fuck, have a good time, nothing more. Now here I am with the most amazing girl I know and her adorable little girl.

  "You seem chipper," Sophia notices. She smiles at me with that warm, radiant smile of hers. I didn't notice it before, but I do now. She has that smile that can quickly stop me in my tracks, smile back at her, and look on.

  Of course, I don't want to appear a creep and don't want to give the impression that I'm disrespectful. That, and I also don't want her to think I'm breaking anything in our faux marriage arrangement. Whoah. So many, "I don'ts."

  "Yeah," I respond. "I'm having such a great time, and we're just… walking around, gazing at animals, eating corndogs."

  Both of us laugh together. It's so comforting. I'm comfortable when around Sophia.

  Without thinking, without doing it purposefully, my hand reaches out to Sophia's, on instinct. Like it has a mind of its own. Though that is what I've been dying to do.

  Oh shit. Oh shit. My mind races as I feel the warmth of her palm. Then, she interlocks her fingers with mine.

  I keep my gaze away from her. My face is probably red, like a tomato. I tighten the way I'm holding her hand. It's so soft and warm.

  "Nina, look over there!" I say, so as to mask my sudden shyness. "It's a sloth!"

  The three of us rush over the super cute, slow-moving mammal, and watch it hang on a branch with its prehensile tail, a tail that can act as a third limb.

  Hell yeah. I still know my grade school sciences!

  So I tell Nina precisely that. About the sloth's tail. And she looks at me like I'm this genius dude who knows everything. I turn to Sophia, who's looking immensely amused at the situation.

  More laughter, bottles of water, and some cheesy fries end the day. The sky is beginning to glow with orange and pink and violet and is transitioning to a dark blue. It's time to go home.

  I drive them back to their place and head to mine soon after.

  "What a day," I tell myself as I plop my body on the bed. "What a perfect day."

  Before I know it, I'm dozing off, my thoughts on what it would be like to touch Sophia's lips with mine.

  Ten

  Sophia

  That wasn't so bad. I think this to myself as I walk through the glass doors of the office and head to the Data Analysis Department. As always, I reach my desk earlier than our actual log in time. But today is… quite different.

  There's a spring to my steps, almost like I bounce a little every time my foot hits the floor. I think I'm on an I-don't-know-what-feeling-this-is-but-I-love-it kind of high. I'm all giddy and cheerful and excited.

  My colleagues notice it, too. I inch towards my desk and greet everyone, good morning.

  "Someone's in a good mood," one says teasingly.

  "Oh. Oh, oh, oh! You had good sex last night, didn't you?!" another of them voiced out.

  "Just because someone's in a good mood doesn't mean he or she had good sex the night before," I respond with a wink.

  "You didn't answer the question, Sophia. Spill!"

  "No. I did NOT have sex last night," I reply with a curt laugh. "So let's all please stop this nonsense and start working."

  I hear more teasing, saying that I'm glowing and that my cheeks are flushed. I hear comments about how I apparently look more vibrant today than ever. I tell them that it's probably because of the foundation I applied on my face this morning.

  Of course, I already know that's a farce. I did apply foundation this morning, but that certainly isn't the reason why I feel the way I feel and thus look, however, the way I look right now. Yup, I'm pretty sure my ready-for-work makeup isn't the reason.

  I sit myself down on my ergonomic swivel chair and… wait. What's that? I pause for a moment and turn towards the shiny object glimmering from the corner of my eye. For some reason, my heart's pounding. Wild, hot pounding.

  There, a few inches from me and perched on the far upper left corner of my desk, is a bouquet of roses next to a box of chocolates. The box, strewn with metallic stripes of gold and red, is marked with a brand I never thought I'd get to taste in my life.

  I double-take behind me and to my left and right. No one seems to have noticed these gifts. I say this because no one has teased me about them yet. I'd like to keep it that way, so I act casually and S.O.P on a workday like today.

  I gracefully but very quickly hide the bouquet and the chocolates under the table and close to my feet. I pretend I'm scratching my ankle to cover up the fact that I'm reaching to take the note attached to the bouquet.

  "Got it," I whisper.

  With much poker face acting, I resume checking my work email while subtly opening the note. It contains only two words.

  "Love, Alan."

  I try to control myself from exploding, or shrieking, or jumping up and down. My eyes go over and over those two words as if I were reading a lengthy full-page report, scanning it from top to bottom. I even check the back if there's anything else written on it. Nope, nothing there.

  My mind is racing, and my heart is pounding fast and strong once again; it almost feels like I'm running in a marathon. The only difference is
that I don't feel tired, and I'm not sweating all over. There is a kind of cold-sweat feeling I'm getting.

  I'm resisting from squealing like a giddy teenager. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! That's all my thoughts can articulate right now.

  Finally, I take a deep breath and urge myself to calm the hell down. After all, this isn't the only highlight of the morning. Alan asked me last night before we parted ways if we could have lunch together today.

  Well, the morning zips by, and I'm unaware that it does. Out of the blue, and silently, I feel a person standing behind me. Even before I turn around, I already know who it is.

  "Ready for lunch?" Alan asks.

  I turn to face him, and I again urge myself to calm down. His chiseled figure, his handsome face, and that grin I've become accustomed to… my panties are no longer dry.

  Everything's going by at light speed. Alan and I are at the bistro a few blocks away from the office building. I'm looking at my plate, and my white sauce chicken pasta in Alfredo sauce is almost gone. The same goes for my orange juice, with only a couple of sips left.

  I guess that's how it is when you're with someone you really… like. Stop right there. Feelings? I ask myself as I pierce my fork through a couple more penne pasta and shove them in my mouth.

  "Wow, we were hungry, weren't we?" Alan asks as he apparently observes me. Both of us scarfed down our lunch as though we were starved the day before. He asks me if there's anything else I wanted from the menu. I tell him that it's time to go back to work, so he gets the bill.

  It feels so natural with him, I feel my most natural self with him. I can talk about anything, and I don't feel awkward at all, which is saying something because I know I'm my own brand of weird, sometimes.

  I still can't believe that this is my boss. The stuck up, spoiled brat playboy. At least, that's how I stereotyped him. Now that I'm getting to know Alan better, he seems like a different man altogether.

  We step out of the restaurant and decide to speed walk back to our building. But before we do, Alan cups my cheeks in his hands, looks at me intently and leans forward.

  This is… is it what I think it is?

  Without a second to spare, he closes his eyes and parts his lips, as my own lips inch toward his. We kiss deeply and passionately, my insides are burning with a fire, a desire for more. As though we're talking telepathically, we stop ourselves short, both out of breath.

  "Work," I say with a sigh. "Can't be late."

  Alan and I grin at each other and dash back. Before heading to each other's desks, he asks if he can have dinner with me, to which I reply.

  "I'd love that."

  Bringing myself back to the work zone, I contemplate those words again.

  "Love, Alan."

  What did he mean? I will tell myself not to overthink and to think about the sexy number I'll be putting on for tonight's dinner.

  Eleven

  Alan

  Today's the day, or the night rather. After a long while, I'm going to set foot again inside Sophia and Nina's house.

  I've never been invited in again after the first time that we discussed our setup, so like those cheesy vampire novels, I dare not cross my boundaries.

  It must have been the kiss.

  There's something different about that kiss, you can call it magical if you want. I've already kissed probably a hundred girls, but I've never felt passion like that my entire life. I know that Sophia felt it too.

  Shit! I'm feeling nervous as hell, it's like there are a thousand spiders currently crawling inside my stomach. And I hate spiders.

  I still have a meeting until seven pm today, so Sophia went home ahead of me. Once my meeting's done, I quickly shut down my laptop and go outside the office.

  I stop by a liquor shop to pick up a wine to bring to dinner. I browse through the different selections, but since I don't know what Sophia will be serving, I just choose a rosé hoping that it'll be fine with the food.

  I drive towards their house while singing with U2 playing on my car's stereo. I'm so giddy, it's as if I'm going to go on my very first date. Finally, I reach Sophia's home.

  I park the car and check on my reflection in the rearview mirror.

  "You've got this, don't worry!" I say to myself.

  I grab the bottle from the passenger seat, and then I go up the steps to the front door. I press on the doorbell. A soft chime sounds inside the house, and I hear the click of the lock.

  Sophia opens the door, and for a while, I'm stunned by her. She's wearing a simple but sexy dress that shows off her curves. Her hair's put up in a low bun with some tendrils escaping. She smiles at me, and I forget who I am for a while.

  Once I get my bearings back, I greet her with a sweet kiss on the cheek and hand over the wine that I brought.

  "You're lovelier than the evening," I tell Sophia.

  "Oh, stop it," she answers as she blushes a little. "Please, come inside."

  I smell something delicious wafting from the kitchen. I look around, and Sophia's parents are nowhere in sight.

  "Is there anything I can do to help you prepare dinner?" I offer.

  "Don't bother, I've already got this," she answers. "You can go to the living room, Nina's been waiting for you. I think she's going to introduce you to somebody."

  I raise my eyebrows in curiosity.

  "Alright then," I answer.

  I turn around and go straight to the living room where I spot Nina playing. She turns around and spots me, and instantly there's a huge grin on her face.

  "Alan! You're here!" she squeals in delight. "Come, I'll introduce you to my friends."

  "Friends?" I ask her.

  "Yes," she answers as she pulls on my hand.

  "These are my friends – Trixie, Violet, and Cuddles," she says as she points to her bunny, unicorn, and bear stuffed toys, respectively.

  "Girls, this is Alan. He's mommy's friend," she states.

  "Hello, everyone, nice to meet you all," I greet them.

  "Would you like to join us for tea while we're waiting for dinner?" Nina asks me.

  Who am I to say no to this adorable young girl?

  "Of course," I agree.

  Nina hands me a very dainty teacup and saucer and asks me to sit down with her. She also offers me pretend cakes and biscuits to which I happily obliged. While having our tea, we talk about what they did for today.

  I catch myself enjoying what I'm doing, even if it may seem silly to others.

  A few minutes later, Sophia calls out to us.

  "Everyone, dinner is ready. Come here so that we can eat while it's still warm," she says.

  I help Nina put away her toys, and then we wash hands together before heading to the dining table.

  Nina insists that I sit beside her, so I do.

  On the table, we have roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and buttered vegetables. Sophia says the grace, and then she serves us the food.

  "Alan," Nina quips up. "Could you please help me in slicing my chicken?"

  "Nina," Sophia starts to call her out.

  "No problem with that, little girl," I tell her as I cut her chicken into pieces.

  We talk about a lot of things as we partake of the meal. Sophia and I briefly talk about work, while Nina tells us stories about her class at school.

  "You know, Nina's usually very shy around other people. But it seems as though you've already captured her heart," Sophia comments.

  I look at her and answer, "Now, I wonder if I can do the same with her mother's heart."

  Sophia averts her eyes from mine as she looks down and smiles, but she doesn't answer. I wonder what that means. Quickly, she steers the conversation into another direction.

  "Anyone wants dessert?" she asks.

  "Yey! Dessert!" Nina exclaims. "You know Alan, you should always come over so that we'll always have dessert after dinner."

  "Well, I hope I get invited again soon," I answer as I wink at her.

  Sophia lets out a small chuckle. She stand
s up from the table and gets the chocolate brownies from the oven. She then gets vanilla ice cream from the freezer and serves it to us a la mode.

  After we finish eating, Sophia excuses herself and Nina as she prepares her for bed. Nina gives me a big hug, and they both go upstairs while I go back to the living room to wait.

  I look at the pictures displayed on the shelf. Most of it is of Nina – her milestones while she's growing up. There's one picture of Sophia, which I assume was taken on her graduation day. I stare at it for a while and find myself drawn all the more to her.

  Suddenly, Sophia clears her throat behind me, and I jump a little in surprise.

  "Nightcap?" she asks as she offers me a glass of the wine that I bought.

  I accept the glass and sit beside her on the couch. Her hair is now down, and she looks even more beautiful now that she's relaxed. I can't help but stare at her as we talk.

  "Where're your parents?" I ask her, curious.

  "Out," Sophia says. "We have another home. They mostly stay here to take care of Nina."

  A few more sips of the wine and I feel the buzz of the alcohol making me bolder. I take the glass from Sophia's hand and put both of our glasses on the table in front of us.

  My hands reach out to her face, and I bring her closer to me as my lips find hers. She tastes very sweet – a mixture of chocolate and wine.

  Our kiss starts out sweet and tender until it turns more, exploring and hungry. Our feelings can no longer be hidden as we find ourselves locked in a passionate embrace as we continue to kiss.

  I wonder where this will lead to.

  Twelve

  Sophia

  Our lips touch. God, it feels so right.

  Fire burns within me, our lips and tongues interlock in a ferocious passion. A carnal lust that no one can possibly extinguish. It has been so long… and I’m hungering for Alan. The hunger eats me from the inside, and it slowly spreads throughout my body.