Born to Make You Smile

TWENTY-THREE

The following morning, I was in the break room making coffee. Gavin came up behind me and kissed my neck.

“You smell like peaches and vanilla,” he murmured against my skin. “Like heaven.”

The warmth of his mouth made me shiver. “It’s the body butter you got me for my birthday last year in that gift basket. I became addicted and can’t stop buying it.”

“That makes it even better. I have good taste.” He hummed with pleasure as he reached to grab my breasts over my scrub top.

“No,” I said with a smirk. “We have to be professional.”

“What about yesterday? That wasn't very professional.” His lips grazed my ear.

Visions of all the delights that happened the day before danced through my mind. A distinct heaviness weighed on my sex.

“That was after hours in your office. And that was your fault.”

“My fault you looked so delectable?” He hummed. “So irresistible. So spankable .”

He playfully slapped my ass, and I jumped a bit with a giggle.

“ Stop, ” I said unconvincingly, cocking my head back to him. He was staring at me with lust, his green eyes roaming over my body. “We have to be able to work together and not get distracted.”

“We can. I just need to get my fill before I have to keep my hands off you for the next nine hours.”

He trailed kisses behind my ear and gently thrust into me from behind. I could sense him starting to get hard on my back. My clit throbbed mercilessly while a rush of arousal made me lightheaded.

“Dr. Brinley,” I said firmly. “We have to be careful. Tina will be here any—”

“Good morning,” Tina called from the front.

Gavin jumped away and turned to quickly adjust himself.

Holy shit. That was close.

I busied myself making coffee as Tina walked into the break room.

“Hey, there you two are, hiding back here,” she said playfully. I knew she didn’t mean it like that, but a part of me became tense and worried she’d somehow caught on.

“Yes. Coffee is top priority.” I flashed her a beaming smile.

“Absolutely,” she agreed.

Tina continued to chat about her son’s hockey game while Gavin and I shot glances at one another, knowing we were a hair away from being caught.

***

I met Dorina at the Eaton Centre Friday after work to do some Christmas shopping. To be fair, it was mostly her doing the shopping. I thought I’d have some flexibility for gifts this year, but with the added costs from the ceiling insulation replacement, I was struggling once again. I wished I could catch up. That I could finally get off this unstable merry-go-round of finances. For a minute, I imagined what it would be like to be rich, not to have to think before spending. Not to worry that my credit card was maxed out when I swiped. When the only concern was what to buy people for Christmas, not how I was going to pay for it. I knew people were so much worse off than myself, so I shook the negativity away. I had a warm home and a roof over my head. I had two jobs. I was privileged and had absolutely no reason to complain.

A few weeks ago, I told Dorina everything that had happened with Gavin and me in Ottawa. Our situationship . While she was refreshingly supportive, and pleased for us, she definitely voiced her concerns. What would potentially happen if we decided not to see each other anymore. The consequences. While I assured Dorina that Gavin and I would be fine, I knew deep down that this was a huge, scary risk capable of complete implosion.

“So we have to get something for my dad. And then after, we have to go to my cousin Marcelo’s store to pick up my mom’s earrings,” Dorina said. Her long legs were walking so fast I had a hard time keeping up. “What do you have to get? Gavin? The girls?”

Bricks of dread hit my stomach when I thought about what I was going to get them this year.

“I’m going to hold off on the gifts for now and wait until closer to Christmas,” I said as we entered Harry Rosen.

Dorina picked a Tom Ford dress shirt for her father, and my jaw about dropped when I spotted the four-digit price tag. We continued to walk around the store, and a patterned navy-blue silk tie caught my eye. I knew the tie would look fantastic with Gavin’s new wardrobe. It was around $150. Reasonable but still pricey.

“Get it,” Dorina said, nudging me. “He’ll love it.”

We were almost done when we passed by a small dress boutique. The mannequin in the window was draped in a beautiful, long black gown. It had a V-neck, banded waist, and a thigh-high slit. The mannequin was about my size too, curvy with a larger bust and hips. God. I would look like a knockout in that. But my stomach sank. It likely cost a fortune.

Of course, Dorina had me try it on.

“You need to get it for the wedding.” She stroked the chiffon skirt of the dress with a smile. “It’s the last one in your size.”

The gown was somewhat reasonable, on sale for $300. But I knew after spending $150 on the tie, I couldn’t afford more.

“I already have a dress,” I stated with a forced smile.

“Listen. You know I love your little black dress, but you need something new. You need this!” she cheered, then leaned in and lowered her voice. “Your tits are edible.”

I chuckled, thinking about Gavin’s reaction. God, he’d go crazy for me in this. Then reality hit again. “I can’t. If it wasn’t Christmastime. But things are bad right now.”

“How bad? Even working at the club?”

I turned my head to find my reflection, realizing how incredible my back looked. The longer I wore this damn dress, the more I fell in love.

“The house is in bad shape. It’s like every time I walk into it, something goes wrong, and it’s another grand down the hole.” I frowned. The house was everything to my mom. She’d told me my father tried to get it during the divorce, but she fought tooth and nail to keep it. “I can’t lose the house, Dor.”

“No, no.” She touched my arm. “You won’t. I can help. Let me help.”

I shook my head, heading back into the changing room to get out of this tempting dress that was starting to become a part of me. “Thanks, Dor. If it comes to the point where I need you, really need you, I’ll let you know.”

Our final stop was her cousin’s jewelry store on Bay Street. A large sign on the window read GOLD AND DIAMOND BUYER. If only I had something to sell. I highly doubt he’d want my cubic zirconia studs from Walmart.

Dorina introduced me to her cousin Marcelo, an older burly man with black hair. He wore a shiny blue dress shirt and so many rings I could hardly see his fingers.

After Dorina picked up the gold and diamond earrings for her mom, Marcelo turned to me.

“Can I interest you in anything, Grace?” he asked with a thick accent. “Family discount. For you.”

“He has the best diamonds in the city,” Dorina said.

I waved my hand and smiled politely. “No thanks, Marcelo. I’m good.”

***

By December, Toronto burst with Christmas cheer. A light dusting of snow had fallen, and festive lights and decor were up all over the city. Gavin and I were with the girls one Sunday at the St. Lawrence Market. The building was jam-packed with people—walking, buying, eating. Despite the chaos, I actually enjoyed the hustle and bustle of people. Not surprisingly, my favorite part was sampling the goods from the vendors—the smorgasbord of cheeses, breads, and desserts. I was in heaven.

The girls were delighted that I’d been spending more time with them the past month, being there each Friday for pizza and game night. I wasn’t sure if they were catching on, but Gavin and I were sure not to give any hint of affection around them. It was extremely difficult not to hold his hand or give him a small kiss. My body craved his touch, and I worried I’d forget and reach out for him accidentally.

“Let’s stop and get some fish and chips,” Gavin stated, pointing at the sign up ahead. “You know, just for the hal-i-but .”

I gave his terrible joke a sympathy giggle.

He leaned in close. His scent caused a flutter in me. “You liked that one, didn’t you?”

I shook my head with a smirk. “Top ten for sure.”

Sometimes it was strange to reconcile this corny dad Gavin with the uninhibited and dominating Gavin in the bedroom. Although I loved being able to observe and experience both sides of him.

“I want fish and chips. But I don’t want the sauce. I hate sauce,” said Mackenzie. “Why do people put creamy sauce on everything? Gross.”

I chuckled. Mackenzie despised any white mayo-like sauces on her food for as long as I could remember.

“Not to worry, darling. We’ll get yours without,” Gavin assured.

“Ooh. I think I want a lobster roll,” Charlotte said as she studied the menu. That sounded delicious.

“Me too,” I said, then brushed my arm against hers. “We’re such twinsies today.” The two of us wore similar off-white parkas with faux fur hoods although I’d imagine hers was filled with real down. Mine was synthetic and definitely a knock-off version.

After we ordered and sat down to eat, I overheard Mackenzie and Charlotte discussing holiday plans.

“Grace, are you coming for Christmas this year?” Mackenzie asked with wide eyes. “We’re going to our uncle Jared’s house.”

I tilted my head, unsure, then glanced at Gavin, who appeared uncomfortable, shifting and touching his hair. “Oh, um, I usually spend Christmas Day with my friend Dorina’s family, but I could come by after.”

“Yeah! Come, come!” Mackenzie cheered.

“We don’t eat until like, eight,” Charlotte added. “My auntie Teresa makes roast beef, and it takes all day to cook. It’s so good, though.”

Gavin ran a hand over his chin with a pinched expression. “Um, girls, you know, we shouldn’t be extending invitations to other people’s houses without their permission. Besides, it sounds like Grace has plans. But she is certainly welcome to come over to our place on Christmas Eve. How does that sound?”

Gavin nodded to the girls, then glanced at me with a smile.

While Charlotte and Mackenzie were busy talking and giggling to one another, Gavin leaned in close to whisper in my ear, “Look. I think it best if we do our own thing this year. You know, not be around family and raise questions.”

“Agreed.” I nodded, hiding any traces of my disappointment. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Gavin to suddenly decide to throw caution to the wind, to come out and make our relationship public. Shout it from the rooftops. It was a silly fantasy that I quickly brushed away.

We were just about finished eating when a lanky middle-aged man with auburn hair came up to Gavin.

“Brinley. Is that you?” he said excitedly, almost shouting. “It’s been years!”

The two men had a chat, and from what I gathered, they had gone to dental school at UofT together. At one point, after a brief discussion of the man’s divorce and Judy’s passing, the man looked over at me and the girls with a smile. “You have three daughters. Wow, amazing.”

My body shriveled with embarrassment. Charlotte and I, with our matching jackets, definitely didn’t help the situation.

“Actually, these two are my daughters, Charlotte and Mackenzie,” Gavin corrected, motioning to the girls. “This is my dental assistant, Grace. Grace, this is Dr. Peter Fanning. We went to dental school together.”

“Hello.” I forced a polite smile, willing the man to continue on his way. Instead, he sat down with us.

“Nice to meet ya. Wow, Gavin, you got one hell of an assistant, working on weekends!” He let out a cartoonish cackle.

Oh God …I wanted to hide and climb under the table. Maybe I could scramble away within the crowd and disappear.

“Well…” Gavin tilted his head, then scratched his temple. “She also helps out with the girls.”

“Oh, she’s a nanny too? Nice. Very nice. I don’t even want to know what you’re paying her.”

He nudged Gavin, who remained stiff, smiling politely.

My body burned so hot I thought it would combust. I’d never felt so low, so mortified in my entire life. I wondered, would Gavin ever be proud of dating me? Or would he hide me away and refer to me as his assistant who helped with his girls for the rest of our lives? In any case, it was probably best that Pete didn’t know the depths of our relationship. I could only imagine what inappropriate mutterings he’d have in store.

“All right, Pete, it was very nice to see you again,” Gavin said, his voice strained in an attempt to get Pete to leave. Thankfully, the man took the hint and got up. “For sure. Here’s my card. Stay in touch, Brinley.”

Pete handed me his business card. He was an endodontist with a practice north of the city in Markham.

Before he left, I overheard Pete speaking to Gavin, his loud whisper audible. “Take care of that assistant. Otherwise, someone might swoop in and steal her away.”