I woke to the scent of fresh linen and floral perfume, feeling light as a feather like always. I loved my life. I had all I ever wanted: A hardworking husband, a perfect son, and the incredible opportunity to run my own bakery which had been thriving since I’d opened three years ago. There were always plenty of fresh faces sprinkled into my regular customers.

He walked in at noon, the little bell above the door tinkling. At least six feet tall in dark jeans and a coat, he couldn’t have been a day over eighteen. He found me arranging cupcakes in a display case, and when a killer smile spread across his face, I realized I hadn’t looked away since he came in. I remedied that quickly, wiping my hands on my apron and smiling ignorantly when he approached.

“Hello,” I greeted him. “Can I help you?”

“I hope so. Do you serve lunch?”

“We do.”

“Sorry, I’ve never been here before,” he confessed, glancing at the cupcakes between us. “But everything looks great.” His eyes stopped on me. Deftly plucking a gold frosted cake from the case, I offered it to him as a sample.

"Thank you. I’m James."

“Samantha,” I introduced myself. “Are you new in town?” I knew all the kids who came in for lunch.

“I am. Just moved here with my dad.”

“So you go to the high school?” My thumb pointed over my shoulder, gesturing Belmont High up the street. The same school my son attended.

“Yes. My final year.”

“It’s a bit late to change schools,” I commented.

“My dad got a better job which happens to be closer to the college I got accepted to next year. All worked out pretty well, actually. I like it here.”

“That’s great.” 

He nodded a reply. 

“… Would you like a sandwich to go with that?” I offered when it felt like he was staring.

“Whatever you recommend.” He grinned, seeming amused. I didn’t know how to feel about it.

After preparing his food and bagging it up, he paid and dropped a ten in the tip jar.

“Thanks again.” He raised the cupcake toward me.

“Thanks for coming.”

As I smiled from behind the counter, James lifted the treat to his mouth and licked suggestively at the frosting with a wide tongue, smirking at my shock. 

“See you around, Samantha.”

Holding his white paper bag with Samantha’s Sweets on the front, he disappeared the way he came. I couldn’t believe it. Receiving attention from a male student had been nothing new, but nothing I couldn’t handle. My assumption was their hormones focusing on the fact that I took care of myself physically and dressed nicely. I’d never had one be so glaringly obvious with his thoughts.

___

Eric walked through the front door, breaking my reverie.

“You’re home.” Was it five o’clock already?

“Hey love, sorry, flight got delayed.” Delayed? How long had I been thinking about… never mind.

I was quickly on my feet, my arms around his neck as he dropped his bag and pulled me close. Eric kissed me back, but I could tell I missed him more.

“Take me to the bedroom?” I asked.

He smiled, “Sure,” and followed as I led the way.

Ridding him of his business attire, he stripped off my shorts and shirt, and we fell onto the bed. As he kissed my neck, I urged him down. Once on my breasts, I urged him even lower. When his tongue finally touched my pussy, I gasped. He licked carefully, grazing the sensitive curve of my inner lips, and I writhed, praying he was working up to my clit. On my back, holding my husband’s head between my legs, I moaned as he finally pressed me apart and licked me where I wanted most.

“Yes! Ohh,” I voiced my approval, forcing his head deeper into the apex of my thighs.

He didn’t stay long.

“You’re eager tonight,” he noted, moving up my body.

Before I could examine why, he was pushing into me. I moaned aloud once more, glad our large house was empty save the two of us. Eric pumped into me, his face in my neck, holding a breast. I clawed at his back, reciprocating his rhythm.

“Yes, fuck me baby, please don’t stop!”

My begging must have put him over the edge.

“Samantha–fuck,” Eric choked as he began filling me with his long awaited climax. Oh, how long I had waited. And didn’t get to join him…

“That was amazing,” he breathed, pecking my lips before rolling over.

I stared at the ceiling as he caught his breath, his warm cum running out of me. Were my expectations too much? I was afraid James was poisoning my perceptions.

I refused to believe getting the boy out of my head would be this difficult.

___

It was more difficult than I considered when, the following morning, the dampness between my thighs woke me. Alone in bed, I pulled back the covers and spread my legs, finding myself glistening in the faint light. I knew why, but didn’t let myself think of the young, attractive reason. Parting my inner lips and teasing my erect little clit, I rubbed myself into a frenzy at the thought of a certain tongue, unaware of the cusp my life was on as I reached an entirely separate climax. 

Yesterday, I couldn’t believe James’ audacity. Today, I couldn’t believe my own. I had a son his age, for crying out loud. George had just turned eighteen and was ready to start his own life; I was proud of him and I knew his father was, too.

Eric’s side of the bed, empty as usual and smelling only of my perfume, made me jump up and get ready for the day.

A ball of tension remained in my stomach until George came home that afternoon, walking through the door at the same time as usual.

“Hey,” I smiled, arranging various baked goods on a tray in the kitchen. “You hungry?”

“I’m not,” George answered. “But he might be.”

I heard two sets of footsteps and exchanged mumbled humor, but the young man who appeared had never been in my house before. He had, however, been in my store.

James' killer smile crossed his face.

“Mom, you okay?” George asked, opening the fridge.

“Yeah,” I immediately replied, voice too high. “Who’s your friend?” I have no idea why I lied, but James didn’t correct our introduction to the day before either, a cocky smile playing on his lips. 

“This is James, he just moved here. James, this is my mom, Samantha.”

I offered him my hand, sealing my fraud. “Nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure.” My grasp was lost in his, skin tingling from the contact. With his gaze anchored into mine, I didn’t know what to say next. James glanced down between us. “George says you’re an amazing cook. May I?”

When I abruptly dropped his hand, he laughed a little, picking up a chocolate chip cookie. He bit into it with his neat white teeth, humming approval as he tasted what I’d made. The memory of him licking my cupcake made me take a step back.

“Wow.”

“She runs the bakery on Charleston,” George took the moment to gloat, deciding on a bottle of water and shutting the fridge. Was I the only one who could hear my heart pounding?

“Damn, I’ll have to come by sometime,” James omitted flawlessly, a devious glint in his eyes. “They don’t have anything this good in Wisconsin.” 

“Is that where you’re from?” I tried an honest question.

He nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“Well, I hope George has been welcoming,” I said pointedly toward my son.

“He’s a real stand-up citizen,” James assured in jest.

“Come on, I’ll show you the court,” George suggested, and they made for the backyard. James gave me one last mischievous grin before disappearing through the glass door to shoot hoops with my son.

Pressing both palms to the counter, I pondered the odds and implications of what just happened. The one person I’d have done anything to avoid just sauntered into my kitchen and ate my cookie with a smirk.

The ball of tension in my stomach turned to lead.

___

It was Saturday, and boy, was I relieved. After yesterday, I wanted a break from every responsibility I could think of, and a few I’m sure I was overlooking. I didn’t want to admit the break was really from James, but it was getting harder to deny while in close proximity to him. Like when I came home after my run and found him in my kitchen, for example.

I rounded the corner, pulling a wireless bud from my ear, James smirking when I jumped.

“What are you doing here? Where’s George?”

“In the bathroom.” James nudged with his head. “He's taking me to practice this morning.”

“… You’re going to be on George’s basketball team?” I confirmed.

“Is that bad?” He took note of my shock, eyes already burning a hole through me. 

“Not at all.” I corrected my surprise. “It’d be great if you were to fill that spot. When George’s friend Alex moved away over the summer, the coach wasn’t sure when he’d find a replacement.” I pursed my lips to stop prattling.

“I played a little back home, thought I’d get back into it.” As I nodded, he glanced at my figure-hugging athletic clothes. “I didn’t know you ran. I’ll have to join you sometime.”

“James,” I sighed, then continued slowly; “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

“About what?”

“It just seems like…” Putting the obvious tension between us into words was difficult. Even now, James’ distinctly predatory gaze made me feel like prey. I told myself I could handle this and squared my shoulders. “What are you looking at?”

“You,” he replied without skipping a beat. Or blinking. “Waiting for you to finish what you were saying.”

I gave him a disapproving look, realizing he was toying with me.

“James, you know it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to be alone like that.”

“We’re alone right now,” he pointed out.

“You’re right.”

What happened next occurred quickly, but each second felt like its own chapter. 

In the time it took me to turn on my heel, he was across the kitchen with a hand around my wrist to stop me. The effect of his touch zipped its way through every nerve in my body. I turned and slapped James across the face. He had me pinned between him and the wall before my palm started burning from my strike.

When he looked down at me, I felt small. He wasn’t angry. On the contrary, he seemed… excited.

We stayed that way for a very long second before the sound of the bathroom door opening brought me back to my senses. I shoved James away and fled upstairs before George could see me. Cursing whatever gravity that kept pulling James and I together.