“You’re right, Mother,” Callie said, before turning to the photographer. “I am so sorry, but I’m here now so we can begin.”
The photographer, a young man with large glasses and slicked back hair smiled nervously and mumbled, “That’s quite alright miss. Now if I could please have all of you over here, there’s a chair for Mr. Scott to sit on.”
The next hour was filled with many uncomfortable moments as Callie forced a smile on her face and pretended that she was part of a happy family. It was shocking how easily her mother and father could act the part of loving parents in front of the camera, then instantly turn cold and critical after the shot was taken. Her mother constantly bombarded Callie with instructions on how to stand or where to place her hands, often speaking right over the photographer who was trying valiantly to give his direction as well. Again, this controlling side of her mother was nothing new, so Callie just did as she was told and hoped to get the entire shoot over with quickly enough so she could return home and squeeze in another nap before heading back to the hospital for her next shift.
When the photographer finally announced he was finished, Callie pulled on her coat with relief. She turned to say goodbye to her parents, then stopped, as she watched the two of them together. There was no connection between them; in fact, her father and her mother seemed oblivious to each other. She couldn’t help but compare their interaction to how Jake acted when he was with her. How caring and attentive he was towards her and how powerful the electricity was that constantly sparked between them. Her heart filled with sorrow at the thought that her parents each seemed so alone, even when they were together. Perhaps the reason why they never showed her any love and affection, was because they didn’t have any between themselves.
At that moment, Callie realized that she could never be truly happy if she didn’t love her partner in life. She was still torn with feeling obligated to meet her parent’s demands, but she vowed to herself that she would have a family filled with love some day.
Chapter 10
At the Lucky Strike later that night, Jake and Ryan were cleaning up after another busy evening. They wiped down tables and swept the floor in a tired but companionable silence.
Jake had been busy all day, but not too busy to keep Callie off his mind. His attraction to her was strong, of that there was no doubt. He found himself doing things that were so out of character for him, just to try and make her smile. Throughout the evening, when he knew she would be at work, Jake had sent her sexy text messages and random selfies of whatever he was doing. When Ryan caught him posing for a selfie holding a crate of liquor, he had doubled over with laughter and didn’t hold back with some good-natured ribbing.
“What the hell, dude, are you trying to be an Instagram model or something?”
Jake tried to act nonchalant, but embarrassment at being caught was evident in his voice when he replied, “Whatever. At least I have a woman who wants to see more than just a dick pic.”
Putting his hand to his chest with feigned insult, Ryan’s voice was indignant as he said, “I have never once sent a dick pic. If they want to see it, they can see it in person.”
With a parting shot of advice to Jake about getting his ‘good side’ in the photo, Ryan headed to the kitchen to make sure all was cleaned up for the night, leaving Jake with his phone in hand feeling like a sap. But when Callie responded to his most recent text with a heart-eyes emoji, he knew she was enjoying their connection just as much as he was.
The two friends walked together through the parking lot after locking up the pub. Leaning against his truck, Jake remembered to ask Ryan for a favor. “Hey, can you handle the lunch shift by yourself tomorrow? I have somewhere I need to be during the day.”
Ryan looked up at his best friend speculatively. “Would that somewhere look like a stunning blonde, with a name that starts with ‘Cal’ and ends with ‘lie’?”
Jake chuckled at his friend but couldn’t deny his accurate assumption. “Yeah, it’s Callie. We made some plans for tomorrow, but I should be back to the pub before the dinner crowd picks up.”
“Sure bro, I can handle it here. No worries. But no more chit-chat. I’m out of here, I’m meeting someone for a little nightcap.”
Ryan winked, and Jake knew his friend was heading out to hook up with someone.
“Yeah, go on playboy. Have a good night, I’ll catch you tomorrow.”
As Jake drove home, his mind drifted to what he had planned for tomorrow. He already had a basket of cat supplies for Callie, and he hoped that when they got to the shelter, she would find her perfect pet to bring home. Jake rolled his eyes at how cheesy his thoughts were and wondered what was happening to him. Gone were the days of thinking non-stop about beer, sports and the bar. Now here he was, excited about going to an animal shelter to help his girlfriend find a cat.
Jake startled as the word girlfriend went through his mind, but calling her that felt right. The question was, would Callie agree?
* * *
Callie yawned as she pulled into her parking spot at her apartment building. The night had been a long one in the Emergency Department. A multi-car pile up on the freeway with many serious injuries had kept all the physicians and nurses busy. Thankfully, it appeared they had been successful – for now. Callie grimaced and sent a small prayer up for the one patient who remained intubated and in critical condition. She hoped the team caring for him would be able to help him pull through. It was shifts like this that both drained and energized her as a doctor. The heartbreak was real every time they lost a patient. However, when they managed to save everyone involved in a bad accident, such as the one they had tonight, it was a testament to how well the ER team worked together and how talented and dedicated they all were.
Catching something out of the corner of her eye, Callie came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of her front steps. Blinking in surprise, not completely certain if her exhaustion was making her hallucinate, she saw Jake sitting on the steps in front of her, a wide grin on his handsome face and an excited spark in those beautiful brown eyes. In his hands he held a large basket, filled with what appeared to be cat toys.
“Hey, I hope you don’t mind me ambushing you like this, but I thought I could make you a quick breakfast before we go and find a furry friend for you to cuddle. Although my offer to provide not-so-furry cuddles whenever you feel lonely still stands…” Jake waggled his eyebrows suggestively, making Callie giggle despite how tired she was.
“Do I mind coming home to a sexy man on my doorstop offering to cuddle? Nope. That being said, it was a crazy night and I have got to get some sleep before we go to the shelter.”
Callie paused, then looked at him before placing her hand on his chest. “Now if you wanted to keep me company… I don’t think I would say no.”
Jake grinned, then turned and gently guided Callie up the steps where he took her keys from her hands and opened the front door. “Your wish is my command, sleep it is.”
Callie looked up into Jake’s eyes, a rush of seduction flowing through her. Wrapping her arms around his neck before she went up onto her toes, she pulled his head down to whisper in his ear, “Before I sleep, I always shower. Care to join me?”
She gave him a sassy smile before walking to the bathroom, kicking off her shoes and pulling her shirt over her head on the way, leaving Jake standing transfixed by the sight of her. She let her pants drop to the floor, and with her pert ass clad only in lacy panties, Callie glanced at him over her shoulder and beckoned him to follow. Jake quickly pulled off his own clothes and followed her to the bathroom.
Enveloped in steam, Callie and Jake came together under the hot water. He pulled her to the bench at one end and sat her down, gently pushing her to lean back as he dropped to his knees in front of her. Kissing his way down her wet body, he reached her core and with a wicked grin, surged into her with his tongue. One hand lifted her leg over his shoulder, the other held her in place with a firm grip on her breast. She was breathless from the feeling of being devoured, grabbed his hair and pulled him in even closer. As Callie spiraled closer and closer to ecstasy, Jake inserted two fingers and curled them around finding her G-spot and shooting Callie off the edge and cascading into an intense orgasm that left her boneless in its aftermath.
