The Wrong Woman

There was nothing better than kicking back with a beer after a long day at work. Bonus points if you’re hanging out with your buddies. Maddie was snuggled under my arm as I threw back another beer.

“So when are you going to jam with me?” I called out to Niall, who looked at me and just shook his head with a smile. I threw my empty beer can at him, but he was too far away for me to make an impact.

“Don’t be mean.” Maddie said to me.

“I’m not!” I said. “He’s the mean one.”

“Baby.” Maddie shot back and I kissed her on the top of her head.

“You’re the baby around here.” I said and I could see Zayn shake his head at me too. “What? Is it “Hate on Harry” day today?”

“You got it.” Zayn said. “Here take this.”

He tossed a cigarette at me and I let go of Maddie to grab it only to hear her mumble.

“You’re not going to smoke are you?”

“Yeah why?”

“I hate it when you smoke.” Maddie replied uncomfortably. She glanced around to make sure nobody was listening, but Niall was busy strumming his guitar and Zayn was now grabbing another beer from the cooler.

“I’ve only had two today.” I told her. And it was true. I had bummed a couple of cigarettes from Macy at work. I had to stand around talking to her in the back lane of the loading dock, but it was a small price to pay for the relief it gave me.

“I thought you were trying to quit.” Maddie said. “and anyway, you can’t smoke at my house. Dad hates it.”

“What’s that got to do with me smoking?” I demanded.

“Well…” She looked up at me with innocent eyes. “I was going to invite you over for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah… I was talking to my Dad about it the other day and he said he wanted to meet you.”

“Really?” Not much scared me, but for some reason the thought of meeting her father made me nervous. From what I knew about her Dad, he was a real hard ass. I didn’t know what I was going to make of him, but worse of all, I didn’t know what he was going to make of me.

“You told him about us?” I asked.

“Yeah kind of.” She said somewhat nervously.

“Okay.” I replied. I lit the cigarette anyway and took a long drag. I could see her disappointment so I blew the smoke in the opposite direction and held the cigarette out of her sight. I wasn’t going to put it out though; I needed my hit of nicotine. I smoked in silence while we both listened to Niall playing the guitar. He was in his own world and didn’t even seem to notice us watching him. When I finally finished my cigarette I spoke in her ear.

“When do you want me to come over?”

I could see her smile happily at my words.

“Saturday night?” She said.

“Okay, Saturday night it is.” I said.

“Oh and Harry?” Maddie added. “Make sure you behave yourself.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I was nervous already.

X

“So what are you doing on the weekend?”

I tried not to look annoyed and I might have succeeded because she was looking back at me with undisguised admiration. Macy had offered me a cigarette during our shift together and we had snuck out to the back lane to smoke. She had been supplying me with my daily hit of nicotine but part of the deal was that she joined me and talked my ear off.

“Nothing much.” I said casually. “My girlfriend’s asked me over to her house for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Macy wrinkled her nose.“That sounds boring. I’m going to hit the clubs, wanna come?”

“You’re going to a club.” I said disbelievingly. “How old are you again?”

“Fifteen.”

“How the fuck are you getting into clubs?” I asked.

“Fake ID.” She said proudly.

“You’re just a kid.” I shook my head. “You should be home studying or shit like that.”

“So how old are you and your girlfriend then?” Macy shot back. “I thought only forty year olds went to dinner parties.”

“Ha ha very funny. I’m meeting her parents for the first time smarty pants.”

Macy stuck her tongue out at me.

“Sounds like lots of fun.” She said sarcastically before adding. “Soo… are you guys serious now?”

“Yeah I guess we are.” I said. She looked a little let down by my answer and as I stubbed out my cigarette we both automatically turned to return to work.

“I’d set you up with my mates.” I said and I could see her eyes light up. “Too bad you’re just fifteen though. You’re barely legal!”

Macy shoved me as we walked through the loading dock and I chuckled at her indignant face. We had just entered through the rear door of the supermarket when I saw a familiar figure approach us from the end of the aisle. I smiled as Maddie came into view but that soon turned into a scowl when I saw she was being followed by Liam. I didn’t acknowledge him as I gave her a hug.

“Hey babe.” I said. I saw her eyes curiously flit over to Macy who of course was not going to leave my side. “What are you doing here?”

“Just stocking up on stuff before Saturday night.” She said giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

“Have you been smoking?”

She glanced at Macy and I realised I had to act quickly.

“This is Macy, we work together.” I said, and the two smiled politely at each other. ”This is my girlfriend Maddie. Have you met Liam?”

I all but pushed Macy toward Liam and they awkwardly greeted each other, giving me a
chance to close the gap between myself and Maddie.

“Just had my first cigarette… promise it’ll be my last one.” I whispered placing my hands around her waist.

The expression on Maddie’s face softened and I smiled at her.

“So are you okay with cooking for us?” I asked. She had told me the day before that she had decided to cook a three course meal on Saturday night, but she had looked a little nervous.

“Yeah I am. It’s going to be fun- I hope.” She said.

“You’ll be fine.” I said giving her a reassuring smile. “Come to my house later?”

“Yeah okay.” She smiled at me, her eyes firmly focussed on my lips. I could tell she wanted to kiss me but she was then distracted by Liam. “I’d better let you get back to work.”

She and Liam walked away and Macy nudged me as we walked down the aisle.

“He was pretty cute.”

“You can have him if you want.” I said drily.

“Mmm thanks.” Macy replied and I found myself laughing with her.

X

Maddie buzzed me in and I found myself walking down the long driveway of her family home. I stared up at the imposing home, so different to my poky little apartment. I had worn jeans and a long sleeved button up shirt which I knew covered up my tats. I had tried taming my hair but had given up, it had grown longer and I hadn’t had it cut for ages.
Campbell James.

Exactly what did I know about Maddie’s Dad? Not much. I knew he owned a few businesses and I had once seen a photo of him in the local paper. He was successful and rich and extremely protective of his only daughter… that much I knew.

I rang the doorbell and nervously waited. I was glad to see Maddie answer the door. She wore a little frilly apron and her hair was pulled back although a few strands had escaped.

“Maddie!” I exclaimed, noticing a dab of tomato sauce on her nose. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah… I think.” She said pulling me into her arms and gave me a kiss. I couldn’t help but open my eyes during the kiss and check that nobody could see us. I didn’t want my first impression on her father to be the sight of me making out with his daughter. She led me through the house and I couldn’t help but glance around at the fancy furnishings. It’s only stuff, I thought to myself. I don’t know why I was being like this. I never cared about materialistic bullshit before. Things like that never even crossed my mind before. Well, not until I met Maddie.

She led me into the kitchen and I stared at it wide eyed before turning to her.

“What in the world has happened here?”

It was a complete and utter mess, with open packages, dirty dishes and sauce spilled on the counter. Maddie looked at me sheepishly.

“I thought I’d clean up at the end.” She said with a shrug.

“That’ll probably take you a week.” I muttered. “What are we having for dinner anyway?”

“Stuffed mushrooms for an entrée, lasagne for the main and chocolate mousse for dessert.” Maddie replied proudly.

“Wow… sounds good.”I said.

“I hope so… I don’t usually cook so…” She said and I kissed her on the tip of her nose only to see her face fall. “The only problem is my Dad’s going to be a bit late. He told me that we could start eating without him.”

“Okay.” I said feeling relieved. Thank God for that, I thought. At least some of the pressure was off. “Now what I can I do to help?”

I ended up watching her make a salad and once that was done she looked up at me with a glint in her eye.

“Do you want a tour of the house?” She asked.

“Okay.” I smiled and took her outstretched hand. She led me through the house pointing out two separate living areas and I got a quick peek of the pool at the back. But I think she was more interested in leading me to her bedroom and when we finally got there she closed the door behind me. I looked around curiously and couldn’t help but smile at the pale pink walls and white furniture. It looked like a typical teenage girl’s bedroom. I turned to walk out but she stopped me.

“Where are you going?” She asked lightly.

“Are you sure we should be in here?” I asked nervously. “What if your Dad gets back early?”

“He won’t… he never does. He’s always late to everything.” Maddie said flopping onto her bed.

“What about your Mother?” I asked.

“My Mother?” Maddie said with a frown. “She definitely won’t be coming… my parents divorced ages ago.”

“Divorced?” I asked puzzled. Unless I hadn’t been paying attention, I don’t think I ever remember her mentioning that.

“Yeah, when I was a baby. I barely remember them ever being together.” She said. “Wanna come and sit with me?”

I paused for a moment before lying on the bed next to her. I could feel my heart beating faster. It was hard to believe I had gone from never being invited to her house to suddenly lying with her in bed.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Maddie whispered, wrapping her arms around me. I looked into her bright blue eyes before she leaned forward to kiss me on the lips. It felt nice, but I have to admit I was on high alert in case her Dad did come home early. I couldn’t help but kiss her back, of course, and soon we were a tangle of arms and legs until Maddie climbed on top of me. She pinned my arms above my head and kissed me deeply. As she moaned into the kiss I found myself getting harder as I imagined what it would be like to fuck her right here on her bed.

“Maddie what are you doing to me?” I groaned when I felt her grinding against me.

“I’m trying to make you feel good. “ She said.

“Yeah but here… now?” I asked.

“Why not…?” She said before stopping suddenly her eyes growing wide. “The mushrooms!”

“Huh?” I asked dazed as she climbed off me and made a dash out the door. I adjusted my jeans as I followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“I left the mushrooms under the grill!” She cried as the first plumes of smoke started to escape the oven. Maddie opened it up to see the mushrooms were crisp and brown but thankfully still edible. She sighed loudly with relief as I laughed at her.

It wasn’t long before we were seated at the dining table eating the now crispy cheese stuffed mushrooms and then a large serving of lasagne and salad.

“I hope you like it.” She said shyly.

“I love it.” I said with my mouth full. It was a tiny bit dry but not too bad at all. I ate it quickly and didn’t say no to more. We talked a lot as we ate as I half wondered when her Dad was going to walk through the door. During the meal Maddie checked her phone to read a message.

“He’ll be here in time for dessert.” She told me. “Probably will bring along his girlfriend too.”

“Girlfriend huh?” I said. “Do you get along with her?”

“Yeah I do.” Maddie said but she was distracted for a moment when she opened the fridge.

“Oh noooo.”

“What?” I asked.

“The chocolate mousse is still runny.” She moaned, fumbling for the recipe on the counter. “It says here it takes four hours to set.”

“When did you put it in the fridge?” I stood up to go and inspect the ramekins of chocolate mousse.

“Hmm about two hours ago?” Maddie said and made a face when she realised her mistake.

“What am I going to do?”

“Ummm… put it into the freezer?” I suggested. We were so busy staring at the chocolate mousse that we didn’t hear footsteps enter the kitchen.

“Madeline?” A booming voice sounded and our heads snapped toward the door to see her Father standing there.

“Hi Daddy.” Maddie’s face broke into a smile as she rushed over to hug him. He looked exactly as he had in the newspaper. He must have been in his early fifties with greying hair and a tan. The only difference was that he was now dressed casually. Oh and he wasn’t smiling. I caught him eyeing me with interest and I found myself stepping forward.

“Dad this is Harry.” Maddie formally introduced us. “Dad, this is my friend Harry.”

“Nice to meet you sir.” I said politely.

“Call me Campbell.” He said and I nodded. “Madeline’s told me a lot about you.”

“Yeah?” I said and smiled at Maddie. I don’t know if I was my imagination but his eyes seemed to be locked on me. I kept on my game face on though; I wasn’t going to let him crack me. But I have to admit though that when his attention suddenly shifted to Maddie, I felt myself let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

“You kid have had dinner then?” He asked and Maddie nodded. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier. We got caught up.”

“That’s okay… I wish you’d come a little later.” Maddie said. “Dessert needs a little more time to set.”

Maddie had busied herself at the kitchen counter leaving me to stand there awkwardly.

I heard her voice before I saw her.

“Sorry guys, I just had to take a phone call.”

I froze in my tracks at the sight of Felicity and her reaction seemed to mirror mine, her mouth falling open as we stared at each other in shock.

Notes

:)