Chapter 1
Delilah
Aiden unlocks the front door then steps to the side so I can enter. I slowly walk in, my cane in hand and my bag on my shoulder. When I’m in the hall, I kick my shoes off before advancing to the dining room where I can get a place to sit. Aiden joins me, his attention on his phone.
“Want some water?” he asks. I nod, but when I realise he didn’t see me, I give him a verbal answer. This makes him leave me alone to go to the kitchen.
When he’s back, his phone isn’t in his hand.
“So, wanna watch a movie?” he asks.
“I’d love to, but we agreed that you’d help me learn Korean, remember?” I respond. Aiden is of mixed lineage with an American mother and an Asian father. This means he grew up bilingual.
Right now, due to health reasons, I can’t finish school which makes finding a job all that much harder. I figured it’d be good to pick up some skills while the doctors sit around with their fingers up their asses: some means of even the smallest income to start with. I’m not in any way financially struggling, but it does get overwhelming being at home all day. What could it hurt to find a way to pass time? I thought why not learn Korean since my boyfriend’s half Korean?
He agreed to teach me, but I’m not sure he’s the best teacher. Of course I’ve paired him with multiple other outlets for maximum efficiency, but I was relying on him to carry the brunt of the work. Conversing with someone who knows the language is better than any workbook or textbook– at least so I read.
“Right. Where do we start?” Aiden responds. He folds his arms over his chest and lean forward on the table. I watch his attractive features: soft blue eyes, blonde hair, porcelain skin and a sculpted body. He looks like an Angel— if the Angel works out twenty times a week.
“Uhh. I dunno. What words and phrases do you use most?” I ask.
“Honestly, my dad only really speaks to me in Korean, so it’s mostly about chores and stuff.”
I’ve met Aiden’s father maybe once or twice in passing. From what I can see, he looks just like his mother. Of course, his mother isn’t a part of the big, family picture. As a matter of fact, she hasn’t been a part of the picture for a while now. She still takes care of her child; she calls and sends him money and checks in and talks casually to him, but as a couple, his parents just didn’t click, it seems.
“Let’s start with greetings,” Aiden says before he begins to ramble off in another language. He’s moving too fast for me to catch up or write, so I just stare at him. “You’re not writing.”
“I don’t know what I’m writing. What words are you calling? How do I spell them?” Aiden pauses.
“I never thought about that. Firstly, you’ll need to learn the alphabet. It’s called Hangul.” I nod. His phone goes off and it summons his attention a great deal.
Just then, the front door opens and in walks a burly looking Asian man in a dark suit, long-ish hair and facial hair. There’s a cigarette hanging from his lips.
Aiden greets his father as he walks past us, and his father greets back, but they’re not speaking English. I wrinkle my eyebrows. While Aiden is still busy on his phone, I find myself staring at his father.
He shrugs his trenchcoat off and disposes of his cigarette before scouring the kitchen for what seems like food to eat. I can’t help that he’s in the perfect position for me to watch even without craning my neck. When he’s unsatisfied with what he’s seeing, he releases a sigh, then calls out to Aiden. His voice is deep and husky: scary sounding. Aiden gives a short response and nods his head. I’m silent as the conversation happens. His father speaks again, but this time, he gets no response. He blows off before joining us and coming eye to eye with me.
“Hello,” he says. “I apologise for my son’s lack of manners. I seem to have rubbed off on him.” Humble.
“Good day,” I respond softly. Now that he’s so close, my eyes are glued to his facial hair and dark eyes. He’s attractive. So attractive that I catch my mind wandering before I reign it back in. This man is old enough to be your father!
“I asked Aiden if you would like pizza and got no response. I’m ordering dinner. Is pizza okay with you? Or would you like something else?” His deep voice rasps in a way that makes me squeeze my thighs together. His eyes linger for a minute, and I let myself believe that he’s checking me out simply because I enjoy the thrill.
“Pizza is fine, Sir,” I respond. He nods and pulls back. When he disappears back to the kitchen, my eyes finally find Aiden again.
Until the pizza gets here, I sit in silence as Aiden scrolls on his phone. His father disappeared a while ago, and until he comes back downstairs with changed clothes, I have no idea where he went. The doorbell summons him and he answers before returning with two boxes of pizza.
He places one down before me and then another before Aiden before he opens it. Aiden reaches for the box before me and his father clouts him in the back of his head. Aiden looks back. He says something in Korean before his father hits him again.
“Manners. She doesn’t speak Korean, then you shouldn’t be having conversations before her in Korean alone,” his father reminds him. “And that box is hers. She’s a guest.”
“Why does she get a whole box to herself? Isn’t she big enough?” The room falls silent. His father’s eyes dance over to me to where I avert my own gaze. His father says something to him in Korean, and I wrinkle my eyebrows. What happened to it being bad manners?
Aiden grabs a slice of pizza and the night continues like nothing happened. After dinner is finished, Aiden just disappears. I wait and wait for him to return, but he doesn’t.
“What are you still doing here? Are you spending the night?” Aiden’s father, Mister Ha, says. I look over my shoulder and he’s descending the stairs. I avert my eyes.
“Uh, no, Sir. I was just waiting for Aiden to take me home.” Mister Ha checks his watch.
“It’s midnight. The bastard is probably already sleeping.” You call your own child a bastard?
I rise from the chair slowly.
“Okay. Then I’ll call an uber. Thank you for having me.”
“Absolutely not. It’s midnight and you’re a young, disabled, black woman. That’s spelling trouble.”
“Really, I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take you home.” My lips thin and I feel heat rise to my face. He doesn’t wait for a response; he just walks off.
I stand by the door until he comes back with his keys in hand. He opens the door for me and guides me out with my leftover pizza and bag in hand. He walks slowly until I get to the car, then he helps me inside before walking around and getting in himself. The drive is silent, but not awkward to my apartment.
Mister Ha parks before my door, waiting for me to give him confirmation that this is indeed the place. I open the door of his– very expensive– car and step out. I’m caught off guard when he also leaves his car. I look over my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Mister Ha. I can take it from here.”
“Are you allergic to assistance?” His voice is gruff and his tone is not as friendly as his intentions. My face heats. I didn’t mean to annoy him.
“No, Sir. I’m sorry.” I’m quiet as he clears my hands and guides me to the entrance of my apartment. Once I’m inside, I look over my shoulder at him who’s entering the house with my things. My four-foot-tall dog comes running toward me.
Mister Ha watches the dog before walking past him. When he clears his hand, he looks back at me who’s stood with my hands clasped before me in shame. I don’t frequently have people over at my apartment. It feels strange having my boyfriend’s father here helping me because my boyfriend abandoned me.
“Is that a service dog?” Mister Ha asks once he sees Meg bringing me my at-home cane. I leave the outdoor one by the door as I unfold this one.
“Yes,” I nod. “His name is Megumi. I call him Meg.”
“If you have a service dog, then why were you outside of the house without him?” I walk to the kitchen and Mister Ha follows me. I pour him a glass of water.
“Well, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I brought a dog around my boyfriend with allergies?” I scoff. Mister Ha is silent, so I look up at him. He doesn’t say anything, so I hand him the glass, hoping to make things less awkward.
“Thank you.” He’s silent for a beat.
When he’s finished with his glass, he hands it back to me. I place the cup beside the sink before walking Mister Ha back to the front door.
“Thank you for your generosity. I’m very grateful to you.” I bow to him. Instead of responding, he just puts his hand on my head. I look back up at him and he’s already leaving the house. I stand up and watch him drive off before Meg and I retire to bed.
“Can you stop yelling, please?” I ask, water in my eyes. “I’m just asking you to stop making those insensitive comments. They hurt.”
“Why do you always start fights then play the disabled card?” Aiden spits.
“I didn’t play any cards,” I huff. “I asked you to stop mentioning my weight in everything. I’m not that big and I can’t workout even if I wanted to, so it’s a pointless comment that’s just meant to be insensitive.”
“Fuck it. I’m done with this shit,” Aiden curses. He stands and I stand with him, putting my hand out to hold onto his.
“I’m sorry. Can we please just calm down and talk to each other? I don’t want to fight.” Aiden watches me for a few seconds and his face softens.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sorry,” he says. “You said you don’t like me making those comments, then I’ll stop making them. It’s not your fault you’re gaining weight.”
The jab makes my chest hurt. I don’t say a word.
“We can work on diets and safer exercises together so you don’t have to be insecure.” His reassuring hand on mine, along with his gentle tone, actually convince me that he’s right and that he cares. Maybe I’m so touch-starved that I welcome this kind of abuse.
I nod slowly, blinking back tears.
“Can we work on our Korean studies now? I practiced my alphabet and phonics, so I should be able to pick up some simple words,” I say, changing the subject. Aiden nods, taking a seat before me. I sit as well, pulling my book and ipad from my handbag.
We’re sitting with each other and talking about simple greetings for about an hour. He’s not as bad at this as he let on. It seems like a simple enough concept, though remembering the words is a whole other task. Just as we’ve settled into a comfortable conversation, I catch myself staring at his lips as he speaks.
His rosy lips— that he bites on ever so often— make me lose focus. For a second, I can’t even hear what he’s saying to me. I take a deep breath. I’m getting horny. When was the last time we had sex? I pull my bottom lip in between my teeth. My eyes drop to his biceps where they poke from beneath his t-shirt. Aiden is an athlete, a football player, with a promising career, and he has the body to prove it. He practically lives in the gym.
I put my hand on his arm without thinking. His eyes dance down to my hand then up to my lips. He grabs my hand and holds it.
“Someone’s not concentrating,” he says.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
“I mean, if you wanna take this upstairs,” he smiles. I frown. Stairs are a task, especially in a house this big.
“I can’t go up the stairs, Aiden,” I respond.
“Fine. We can just use my Dad’s study,” he says. He stands and begins leading me off before I can get a word out.
“Your Dad’s study? Aiden, that doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
“Okay, okay. If you wanna do it right here. I won’t complain.” He begins to undo the buttons in his pants. I bite on my lip. It’s a Saturday, and we’re home alone.
“Here? Your father isn’t coming home?” I ask him.
“Him? Nah. He won’t be home for another hour or so. I think that’s plenty of time.” He pulls his shirt off his body, revealing his muscles beneath. I take in a shaky breath. I don’t know how to say no to this, so I nod slowly.
“Good. Suck on it. Make it hard,” he murmurs, pushing his lips to mine. We make out for a labored minute before he begins to push me to my knees. I go down and grab his length with my hand. I look up at him and he already has his phone in hand. He loves to record me; he says it’s because I’m so beautiful.
I take him into my mouth and begin to bob my head back and forth. He hardens in my mouth after about a minute. I keep going even when he reaches down and pulls my hoodie off to reveal my grey, lace bra. I keep sucking him, and I can tell he’s close when he puts his hand on my head.
A deep voice swears in another language, making my blood run cold. I pause– or at least I try, but Aiden doesn’t let me.
“Are you two fucking crazy? You have your own bedroom. Why would you do this in the bloody dining room?” Mister Ha curses. I flinch in fear. Aiden won’t let me move, so I’m sure his father is watching me suck him off.
I groan around Aiden, but he still doesn’t let me move. He begins to thrust his hips into my mouth. He says something to his father in Korean, something I don’t understand. Then, bitter fluid rinses my tongue. Finally, he releases me and I pull my head back, coughing and choking. I spit up my boyfriend’s cum into my palms. Aiden fixes his clothes before pulling away and tossing me a tissue. I look up at him, wiping my hands and mouth. I quickly glance back at his father who can see me naked. He doesn’t look happy. I bite on my bottom lip, wrapping my hands around myself. Aiden is focused on dressing himself. I look around for my hoodie. When I finally grab it, I grab my cane as well and begin to pack up silently.
“Where are you going?” Aiden asks.
“Home,” I murmur.
“You said you were staying the night.” I glance back at his father who’s now walking away from us and going toward the stairs.
“That was before you face fucked me in front of your father. You expect me to look him dead in the face now?” I spit.
“Why do you care if he saw you?” Aiden wrinkles his eyebrows.
“Because I do not want to be caught sucking someone’s dick, Aiden.”
“I’m not someone, though.” He seems to be getting upset. With his father home, the last thing I want is to piss him off. I take a deep breath, afraid of what may happen if I don’t give him what he wants.
“Okay. I’ll stay til later, but I’m not staying the night. I didn’t bring clothes and I’m not able to go up the stairs today.” I look at him, expecting him to start a fight, but he doesn’t.
“Thank you, baby.” He closes it and kisses me on the forehead. I smile at him. “Let me make you something to eat. I didn’t mean to do that to you. It just felt so good that I lost my head for a second.” I nod happily.
Later that night, I sit at the table with Aiden and Mister Ha drowned by tension as firm as steel. It’s silent. I can’t help but wonder if this is what it’s usually like or if it has something to do with our earlier incident. The food, unlike the atmosphere, is amazing though. I was surprised to see just how well a single father with loads of money could cook. I expected they’d have a chef or something.
“Mister Ha,” I say, breaking the silence. The older man looks up at me. Aiden’s face is buried in his phone. “I apologise for earlier. You weren’t supposed to see that. I don’t know what came over me to do something so inappropriate. Thank you for having me for dinner though. The food is amazing.” He only grunts in response. I guess I really pissed him off.
“Dad,” Aiden finally says to his father. His father doesn’t look up this time. He just grunts again, shoveling more food into his mouth. “Delilah wants to learn Korean. She was wondering if you would teach her since you taught me.”
My eyebrows wrinkled. I had never discussed this with Aiden before, and had he asked I would’ve told him no. I had my first conversation with this man a week ago, and today he caught me with his son’s dick in my mouth. I don’t think I want to sit in a room for hours at a time with him. He already looks like he wants to kill me. But I can’t say anything because then it’d look bad, so I just silently wait for the rejection.
“When are you free?” Mister Ha’s eyes are back on me. My face feels hot.
“I– um,” I stammer.
“Answer.”
“I’m free everyday really. I have a flexible schedule except for… high pain or fatigue days and I could always let you know when I’m unavailable.”
“I already told you to stop inconveniencing others with your issues,” Aiden says to me. He then looks at his father. “She’s free every day and she’s always sleeping so she has a lot of free time.” I don’t say anything. I don’t want Mister Ha to back out of teaching me because he thinks I’m a slacker who makes excuses.
“I will give you my phone number and you can let me know when you are unavailable for whatever reason. I will send you a schedule. If I think you are wasting my time, I won’t help anymore.”
“How much do I have to pay?” I ask.
“None. You will be quitting on your own a week or two from now,” he says coldly before leaving the table. He’s exactly the sweet, but cranky guy that had taken me home a week ago. I’m beginning to understand why him and Aiden’s mom fell out in the first place.
“Thank you anyways, Mister Ha,” I respond loudly enough for him to hear me.
