Dog Days of Summer (22 page)

Jeremiah nodded. At least he wouldn
’t have that hurdle to overcome. But he was going to talk to Gunnar again when the younger man hadn’t been drinking.

Jackie
’s voice came through the speaker system. “This is our last song. Hope you like it.”

There were boos from the announcement but they all just smiled. The music to
Lady Marmalade
started and the crowd went crazy. Jackie sang Mya’s part. Sandi sang Lil’ Kim’s part, and Joci sang Pink and Christina Aguilera’s parts. It seemed fitting after Debra butchered Christina’s song earlier that Joci would get to do it justice.

They had put their instruments down and were dancing around the stage just like they were on a video. Wiggling their butts and belting out the song. They felt on fire. The crowd was crazy for them. They laughed with each other and enjoyed the reaction they were getting. The three young women ended the song with Joci standing in the middle, straight up with the microphone to her mouth and one arm raised high in the air. Jackie was on Joci
’s left, pushing her butt to Joci’s hip and Sandi was on the other side in the same pose.

The applause was deafening. The three
Golden Girls hugged each other and walked to the edge of the stage. Jeremiah was right there and plucked Joci off the small stage like she was a feather. She was laughing and wrapped her arms around his neck. He spun her around a few times, while Joci hung on, laughing with delight. Jon and David had plucked their girls off the stage as well.

“
Jesus, Joci. I had no idea how amazing you are. Now I see what the fuss is all about.”

Joci smiled at him. She kissed him on the lips. She meant it to be a peck, but he deepened the kiss instantly. More cheers were heard as the kiss entered the one-minute mark. Finally, Jeremiah set Joci on her feet, and Sandi grabbed her arm and leaned into her.

“Someone else is going to light a fire in the sheets tonight.”

Joci laughed.
“No different than any other night.”

Sandi
’s eyes got big, and she started laughing as they all walked back to their tables. The girls happily accepted their accolades from their friends and family. Another round of shots was ordered, and a toast was made to the Golden Girls.

Joci was not going to be able to do another shot. The adrenaline pumping into her system helped her metabolize the other shots, but this was it for her. She knew her limits.

The group sat and drank and enjoyed each other’s company. The stage was quiet after that. No one wanted to go up after the Golden Girls’ performance. Even the DJ told them he had never heard such great amateur voices. People from the bar stopped over every once in a while and told the girls how great they were. They always thanked them. Connor stood up and walked around the table to where Joci and Jeremiah were sitting. He squatted down so he was between them.

“
Joci, great job as always. I love hearing you girls sing. I need to talk to you. Can I come by tomorrow? It’s important. Actually, Gunnar should be there, too.”

Joci furrowed her brow,
“Is everything okay, Connor?”

Jeremiah leaned in.
“We don’t have plans tomorrow. Why don’t you come by the house at ten?”

Jeremiah looked at Joci. She knew he didn
’t want Connor at the house. She understood. She wouldn’t want LuAnn there, or Debra for that matter. But he was offering it up, maybe to show her it was okay. Joci nodded.

“
I’ll make sure Gunnar can be there. Is that okay with you, Connor? You didn’t answer my question, though. Are you okay?”

Connor nodded.
“I’m fine, Joci. I just have something to speak with you about.” He stood up to leave. “See you tomorrow. You were fantastic again tonight.”

With that, he waved goodbye to everyone. He shook Gunnar
’s hand and walked out.

Joci looked at Jeremiah with her eyebrows raised. She shrugged that she didn
’t know what that was all about, and they both continued talking to the others.

Later, when they walked into the house, Jeremiah grabbed Joci around the waist and pulled her gently into the living room. Carefully, he bent her over the arm of the sofa and leaned above her.

He whispered in her ear, “I have never been harder in my life. You are a little witch, Joci. You’ve woven a spell over me that makes me wild for you. Every time we make love, I think it couldn’t get better. But within minutes, I’m hard as a rock and ready for you again and it’s better than the last. Right now, I’m going to fuck you senseless. Do you understand me, Joci? You’ll get no sleep tonight. I have a pain in my dick that I’ve never had and only you can ease it. Starting now.”

He started pulling at her clothes and his. Joci reached down and unbuttoned her
beautiful gray blouse and shimmied her jeans down her legs. Jeremiah had his clothes off. He couldn’t wait for her to remove her panties. He reached over and ripped them off. He pushed her back down over the arm of the sofa and plunged into her.

Joci cried out as he entered her. God, he felt so wonderful. She was amazed every time they made love that he fit in her. He wrapped his arms around her, and he started thrusting into her. It was hard, hot, feral fucking. It felt so damn good. Joci loved it when he lost control with her. She knew he would never hurt her. But, she was so amazed that she could drive him to this point. He reached around and found her clit and started rubbing her sensitive little bundle of nerves.

“Show me how hard you can push into me, Jeremiah.”

She could feel it coming fast and furious. No slow build. This was like a raging fire. She cried out his name as she came. Jeremiah continued to thrust into her until her orgasm started to subside. He pulled out of her and spun her around. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He immediately shoved himself into her again. His hands on her butt cheeks, he pulled them open.

Jeremiah walked over to the wall and pushed Joci against it to help support him. He dipped his finger into her wet pussy after he pulled out and then pushed himself back in at the same time, pushing his finger into her ass.

Joci hissed out a breath as his finger entered her. Breathing past the pain, she felt like she needed more. Jeremiah established a rhythm with his cock and his finger. In and out, over and over. He ground his hips against her clit when he entered her and she shoved her hands into his hair and fisted it tight.

“You like that, don’t you, baby?”

“
Oh, God, yes. I love what you do to me.”

Jeremiah ground against her clit a few more times, keeping rhythm with his finger in her ass. He heard her panting and mewling and knew she was close. He shoved into her a few more times as she exploded. Her legs were shaking. She pulled his hair harder as she fisted it against his skull. He carried her to the bedroom and set her down next to the bed.

“Turn around and bend over the bed.”

Joci did as she was told. She needed a minute to get her bearings. She heard a drawer open and then close. She heard something squirt. Then, Jeremiah was standing so close to her that his legs pinned hers to the side of the bed. She felt his hand on her ass and then circle her anal opening. He gently slid a finger in and she heard him hiss out a breath.

“You are so fucking hot, Joci. Do you want me in here?”

He played with her anal opening as he said it. God, yes she wanted him there. She wanted him everywhere.

“Yes. I want you there.”

“
Perfect answer.”

He slid his finger in, opening her and allowing her body to become accustomed to his invasion. He pulled his finger out and slid two fingers in. He slid them in and out a few times, opening her up. He was pretty big for her. He sure as hell didn
’t want to hurt her. When she relaxed, he slid three fingers in her. She stiffened at the invasion and he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“
Breathe through it, baby, and try and relax. If it’s too much, I’ll stop. Do you understand me?”

“
Yes.” It was all she could say.

He hoped he could honor his last statement. He knew she was going to feel like heaven. He had to be careful not to lose his mind.

Very slowly, he slid his fingers out of her and put more lube on his fingers and his cock. He guided his cock to her opening and leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“
When I push in, Joci, you need to push out. Do you hear me?”

Joci licked her lips.
“Yes.”

Jeremiah kissed her on the temple and stood up so he could push into her. He grabbed her hips in his hands and pushed in. God, she was so tight. He continued to push in slowly, watching Joci as he did. He heard her hiss out a breath and she fisted the sheets in her hands. Jeremiah stopped pushing in.

“Okay?”

“
Yes.”

“
Tell me how you feel, Joci.”

Jeremiah began rubbing her back. He wanted to be in her all the way, but not if it hurt her.

“I feel good. At first, it hurt, but now, it feels…erotic. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

Jeremiah leaned down and kissed her shoulder blades. He slid his hands down to her hips and pushed in a little further. He hoped he could hold off until he got all the way into her, but she felt so damn good, he wasn
’t sure he would be able to make it. He felt like he was floating in a dream. She was hot and holding his cock so tight it was almost uncomfortable. He was sweating, trying to hold back.

Joci sensed his hesitation. She wanted him to have her in every way. She pushed herself back into him and felt him slide in further. Jeremiah hissed out a breath. Joci started moving under him. She was pinned to the bed by him, but she could move a little. She pushed back into him again, and he groaned.

“Baby, I’m trying to hang on until I get all the way inside of you. If you keep wiggling around under me, I won’t make it. You feel so fucking good, Joci. I have no words.”

Joci smiled at his praise. He felt good inside of her. This was new and different, erotic and forbidden. But it felt so good. Joci wanted the full experience.

“Jeremiah…please.”

That did it. He grabbed her hips again and pushed in all the way. They both moaned at the feeling. Jeremiah pulled out and pushed back in. He was shaking hard now, trying to control himself. He wanted her to come again. He wanted her to enjoy this because dammit, he sure did.

“Make yourself come, baby. Do it quick.”

Joci slid her hand between herself and the mattress and began putting pressure on her clit. It wouldn
’t take much, even with all the orgasms she had just had. This just felt so good. Jeremiah started moving in her, and every time he pushed into her, it pushed her hand against her clit and into the mattress, creating perfect pressure. Joci was panting; she was going to explode.

“
Jeremiah…I’m coming.”

Jeremiah pushed into her hard a few times, and they both fell over that wall together. He pushed into her, holding himself inside of her while he released himself. He could feel her pulsing. He could feel himself pulsing as his seed was released. He fell forward onto her back, holding himself with his elbows. He kissed her temples, her cheeks, her jaw, her hair.

“This spell you’ve spun over me has totally consumed me. I love you. I love you crazy.”

Joci smiled a lazy smile.
“I love you too, Jeremiah. I love you crazy. I would rather die than not have you in my life.”

Sunday morning, Joci woke to Jeremiah kissing her head. Her eyes came slowly open, and she looked around. Jeremiah was on his back with his right arm wrapped around her. She was on her side, with her right leg thrown over his legs, her right arm thrown over his waist, and her head cradled on his shoulder. Bliss. That was the only way to describe it. After they made love the first time last night, they showered and went to sleep. True to his word, Jeremiah woke Joci up again to make love to her.

Joci stretched and lifted her head to look at the clock. Holy crap, it was nine o
’clock. She started to get up, but Jeremiah pulled her back down.

“
Let’s snuggle some more. I love it.”

Joci smiled.
“Nothing in the world sounds better, but Gunnar and Connor will be here in an hour. I think we have clothing discarded all around the house.”

Jeremiah smiled at the thought.
“Yes, I believe we do. So what?”

Joci kissed his mouth and pushed herself up.
“So what is I don’t want my son walking in and looking at my underthings lying around the room.”

Jeremiah laughed at her.
“He knows how much I love you. He knows how beautiful you are. He would assume, correctly, that I couldn’t wait to make love to you.”

“
You are a naughty man, Jeremiah.”

Joci kissed him again and slid out of bed. She pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and walked out to the kitchen to get them a cup of coffee. She was pouring coffee into their mugs when Jeremiah walked up behind her, naked and pushed himself into her behind.

“You felt so damn good last night, Joci. I can’t stop thinking about it. Look, I’m already hard again.”

Joci pushed her backside into Jeremiah and wiggled a little.

“That thing has a mind of its own. I don’t know how it keeps standing after last night.”

Jeremiah laughed and spun her around to face him.
“It stands because you’re parading around in a flimsy little t-shirt with no bra on and I can see your perky little nipples. Everything about you makes it stand. Can’t help it. Don’t want to change it.”

He kissed her again. His tongue delved into her mouth, mating with her tongue.

Joci kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. When they needed air, Joci pushed him away with a gentle shove.

“
You take away my resolve. I need to shower before Gunnar and Connor get here.” Joci smiled up at him.

She kissed him again. Then she began to pick up her discarded clothing. She took her coffee cup and walked back to the bedroom to jump in the shower. She had just enough time to shower and throw some clothes on before Gunnar and Connor got here.

Joci walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen and heard Gunnar and Jeremiah talking. Her hair was still wet from the shower, and she quickly ran a comb through it. They were sitting at the dining table talking.

“
Hi, honey. Did you just get here?” She hugged Gunnar and winked at Jeremiah. He winked back at her.

“
Just a minute or two ago. I called to see if I could bring something over and Jeremiah asked me to stop at the bakery and pick up a cream cheese coffee cake. He said you guys slept in this morning and hadn’t eaten yet.”

Joci
’s face turned flame red. Jeremiah was watching her. She was so adorable when she blushed. She walked to the coffee pot to warm up her coffee and brought the pot over to pour each of them another cup. Just as she put the pot back into the coffee maker, they heard a knock on the door. Joci looked at Jeremiah and Gunnar and sighed. “I guess we’ll soon find out what this is all about.”

Joci opened the front door and invited Connor in. She walked him into the kitchen and got him situated with coffee while Jeremiah and Gunnar greeted him. Joci sat at the table with Jeremiah on one side and Gunnar on the other. It was a square table, so they were all able to see each other. Connor sat directly across from Joci. Gunnar started cutting the coffeecake while pleasantries were exchanged. Jeremiah looked over at Joci.

“Would you like me to go in the other room?”

“
No,” both Joci and Gunnar said at the same time. This was Jeremiah’s house first, and second, there was nothing that he couldn’t hear. She would just have to repeat it to him anyway.

Jeremiah smiled at both of them. He was relieved as hell to hear that. His stomach was rolling now that Connor was sitting here.

Connor finally cleared his throat. “I know this is going to be difficult to hear, but I wanted to let you know that Keith is back in town. He and Dianna and the boys moved back last week. They’re living at Keith’s parents’ house.”

Joci looked at Gunnar to see how he was taking this.
Her son’s jaw was tight, and she could see him grinding his teeth together. Gunnar looked at Joci and then back at Connor.

Connor continued,
“He wants to see you. Both of you.”

Gunnar slapped his hand on the top of the table, hard, making Joci jump. He stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair.
“Tell him to go and fuck himself. I sure as fuck don’t want to see him.”

Joci looked at Gunnar and, even though she felt the same way, she was surprised that he didn
’t want to see Keith. Joci looked at Jeremiah to see his reaction. His jaw was tight. His lips were pressed together in a narrow line and his hands were balled into fists on the table.

Connor took a deep breath and looked at Joci.
“How do you feel about it, Joci?”

Joci snapped her head to look at Gunnar again and then at Connor.
“I don’t have anything to say to him. He left us twenty-five years ago with no word, no contact in any way, shape, or form. No forwarding address, no way to contact him if Gunnar needed him. I can’t possibly imagine why he would think either of us would want to see him now.”

Connor nodded. He understood, but he was hoping they would agree to see Keith. He looked at Gunnar again.
“He’s your father, Gunnar. Don’t you want to meet him?”

Gunnar exploded.
“He isn’t my father. He’s a fucking sperm donor. He has a lot of fucking nerve asking to see me after all this time. Up until now, my fathers were you and Uncle David. Now I have Dog. He’s the only father I want.”

Joci was stunned. She knew
Gunnar really liked Jeremiah. She had no idea he felt like Jeremiah was a father to him. She was so happy at that news, a tear slid out of her eye. She looked at Jeremiah, who was tearing up as well. He got up out of his chair and walked over and hugged Gunnar. Gunnar hugged him back, hard. They held on to each other for a long time.

Joci couldn
’t take her eyes off them. She felt like she had a complete family for the first time in her life. Her heart was so full of love right now she was having a hard time breathing. The tears slid down her cheeks, fast and furious.

When Jeremiah and Gunnar pulled away from each other, they both had tears streaming down their faces
as well. Jeremiah held Gunnar’s head in both of his hands and kissed the top of Gunnar’s head. With a voice full of emotion, Jeremiah said, “I love you, Gunnar.”

Gunnar threw his arms around Jeremiah again and said,
“I love you, too.”

Wow, what a surreal moment. Once they were able to compose themselves, they sat down again. Jeremiah reached over and grabbed Joci
’s hand. She squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes. Everyone was quiet for a few moments, collecting their thoughts.

Connor looked at Joci. He reached over and laid a hand on top of the hand she had on the table. Jeremiah leaned forward like he was going to object, but Connor spoke up.

“Joci, I love you and Gunnar. I always have. I wanted to be there for you both when Keith left. I know this is hard for you. Both of you.”

He looked over at Gunnar, and then back at Joci.
“Keith is dying, Joci. He has stage four lung cancer. He realizes what he did was wrong. He wants to apologize for his behavior.”

Joci slowly pulled her hand away from Connor. Now she was mad.

She looked at Connor and said as softly as she could, “How long are you going to do his dirty work? When he left, you stepped in and picked up some of the brunt. You were doing what he should have done. Now that he’s dying and wants to absolve himself of his wrongdoing, he sends you here to once again do his dirty work. How dare he want to see us when he is dying? He isn’t thinking of us. He isn’t thinking of Gunnar; he’s worried that he won’t get into heaven without asking for forgiveness. It has nothing to do with us!”

Joci stood up.
“You go tell him that, Connor. He has no right to ask this of us. He has no right to try and use his final days to disturb our lives to ease his guilt.”

Joci started to walk outside when she heard Connor say,
“You’ll regret this, Joci. I know you. You’re the one always saying to step up and be the better person. If you let him die without seeing you, you’ll always wonder if you should have given him the chance to apologize.”

Joci spun around to yell at Connor, but Gunnar punched him in the face first. Connor flew back and fell off his chair. Gunnar went to lunge at him again when Jeremiah stepped in and grabbed Gunnar.

“Son, it isn’t Connor’s fault that Keith is a coward. If you hurt him, you’ll feel bad about it. Let’s just let it go. Please.”

Gunnar looked at Jeremiah for a few beats and then nodded his head. He walked out past Joci and into the backyard. Joci followed him out. She didn
’t want him riding his bike when he was pissed. She caught up to him and asked him to sit with her on the swing.

Joci had brought this swing from her house when she moved here. She used to swing with Gunnar on it in the evening while they read books. Later, when Gunnar was older, they would sit in the swing most evenings and talk about what had happened during the day. Gunnar would tell Joci about school and Joci would tell Gunnar about her latest project at work.

Joci started to move the swing back and forth, slowly, to help calm them both down. Neither said anything for a long time. They just swung back and forth.

Finally, Gunnar took in a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I don’t want to see him. Are you mad at me?”

Joci pulled Gunnar to her for a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, like he used to as a kid, and she rubbed his back.

“I’m not mad at you, baby. I don’t want to see him either. I can’t even process what’s going on.” After a short silence, Joci said, “I had no idea you loved Jeremiah like a father. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”

Gunnar
smiled a little. “Didn’t you wonder why I always tried to get you to go out with him? There was something about him right away. I was drawn to him in a way I couldn’t explain. He’s been so patient and kind to me. Always teaching me things, just like his boys. Never yells, just corrects and explains, and we move on. Just like I always dreamed my father would be.

“
Mom, when you finally started dating him, I was so fucking happy. I thought I would finally get my family. I don’t mean to make you feel bad, but I always wanted a dad. You’re a great mom, and Uncle David has been great over the years. But, I wanted a dad. My dad and not Keith. A dad who loves me.”

Joci had no idea. Tears slid down her face and into Gunnar
’s hair. She didn’t care; she let them flow. Something changed just then. Joci felt, for the first time in her life, that she had a bright future. Jeremiah was the one. Her son felt it, too. Things were going to work out. They were going to be a family.

They sat like that for a long time. Joci lost track of time.

“May I join you?”

Joci and Gunnar both looked up into Jeremiah
’s beautiful face. They both smiled at him and scooted over to make room for Jeremiah on the swing with them. Jeremiah sat next to Joci and put his arm around her shoulders and rested his hand on Gunnar’s shoulder.

“
I take it Connor left,” Joci said.

“
Yes, quite a while ago. I cleaned up the table and wanted to give you two some time to talk. But, I was spying on you. I sat at the table and watched you two sit and swing out here for a long time. I got jealous and decided to come and join you.”

He was smiling, and Joci looked up at him and kissed him.
“You’re always welcome to join us. You should never feel like you can’t.”

Gunnar nodded.
“Agreed.”

They sat that way for a while, each processing his or her thoughts separately.

“Did I hurt Connor?” Gunnar asked.

“
Well, he has a sore jaw, but nothing’s broken. He feels bad. He said you had a point, Joci, about his doing Keith’s dirty work. He had never looked at it that way. He wanted me to tell you both he’s sorry he came here to ask you to see Keith.”

They were quiet for a while.

“My mom called and wanted to know if we would like to go to Pamperin Park for a barbeque this afternoon. How do you guys feel about that?”