Cry to Me

“Good evening, Mrs. Elliot.This is Dr. Hammett from the animal hospital… I’m doing well, how are you?... I’m looking over the medical history that Dr. Mroz left while I was away last week and I wanted to discuss his findings with you.”

It was going to be a heartbreaking phone call.The Elliot’s were one of Dulci’s first clients out of veterinary school.They were an adorable elderly couple with an adorable small Yorkshire, Poodle mix to match.They were what Dulci imagined for herself and her future husband, a couple very much in love after years and years together.Their dog Daisy was her first sick patient with a large splenic mass in her abdomen.Daisy was Dulci’s first surgical procedure outside of the routine spays and neuters she did in school.The splenectomy went considerably well and the biopsy came back as a splenic hematoma, the best outcome as far as abdominal masses are concerned.This time, however, Daisy had a large mass in her mouth, hampering her ability to eat.Dr. Mroz had explained to the Elliot’s in detail what the options were, but oral masses were never good and usually very aggressive and malignant.

“Based on the location of the mass on Daisy’s gums, I would suspect it was one of three things: a melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or a fibrosarcoma.Unfortunately without doing a biopsy, we wouldn’t know for sure… Well, because of the location, I would need to sedate her to do a biopsy, but if she’s going under anesthesia, I would like to remove the mass all together.If it is one of the three masses I suspect, and it may not be, surgical removal is necessary because of the aggressiveness and malignancy of the tumors… Depending on the biopsy results, we can discuss the possibility of chemo and radiation at that time if applicable.”

Dulci was thankful that she was the only one in the office at the time as she swallowed to keep herself from tearing up at the sound of Mrs. Elliot crying quietly into the receiver, and she knew the inevitable quality of life question would arise for an older dog with a high likelihood of having cancer.

“Well, the anorexia does concern me, especially for a smaller, older dog.I suspect that if the mass is removed, it would greatly improve her ability to eat on her own, but we won’t know for sure until after the removal if you take that route.Otherwise, I’d like to take some radiographs and blood work to see what she’s looking like organically and systemically.If you think her quality of life if poor, than humane euthanasia would be in her best interest… Why don’t you bring her in for me to see tomorrow and we’ll discuss this in greater detail.You don’t have to make any decision yet,” Dulci smiled sympathetically into the phone in a soothing, supportive manner.

Hanging up the phone, she rubbed her right shoulder with applied pressure, realizing that she pushed herself too hard on her first day back to work with a broken arm.Even with the sling, she didn’t realize how physical her job was until she was limited on what she could do.Looking at her cellphone for the first time in six hours, she instantly frowned when she noticed the text message from Sidney that he wouldn’t be able to see her that evening.He had something to do with the team and wouldn’t be finished until very late in the evening.Sighing, Dulci threw her phone into her bag, reacting to the unwelcomed thought that Sidney was avoiding her.It had been a week since the goody box incident and he seemed to be evading all of Dulci’s attempts to spend time together.

“Dr. Hammett, you’re last appointment is here.”

“I’ll be right up,” Dulci responded without looking up.Writing the gist of her phone call with the Elliot’s down with almost illegible handwriting, she closed the medical chart and walked toward the exam rooms.

"Which one?" Dulci asked as she held up two different colored red lipsticks, both rolled out of the bullet.

"What's the occasion?" Carly asked as she scanned the perfume counter near by.

Dulci raised an eyebrow at her, insinuating that Carly knew exactly the occasion and why she was planning on wearing it.

"Oh, for your birthday?" She smiled conspiratorially.

"That and afterward," Dulci blushed as she swatched the two lip sticks against her skin, embarrassed to discuss the intimate details of her and Sidney's relationship with someone already intimately familiar with him.

"Is Sid taking you somewhere special?"

"He mentioned taking me to some French restaurant," Dulci smiled.

"What look are you going for exactly?" Carly asked as she gave Dulci her undivided attention.

"Umm. I was hoping for sultry, sexy, insatiable, irresistible. Something that shouts 'you have no choice but to have sex with me because you haven't in over a week' with a hint of 'it'll be worth your while' mixed in."

Carly gawked at Dulci, wide eyed and opened mouth, and for a moment, Dulci thought she may have over spoken.

“It’s been over a week?” Carly asked with the same astonished, appalled look.

“Yes.”

“Why?Is it your arm?”

Dulci shrugged.He’d repeatedly told her he wouldn’t touch her until she had the cast off, but given his change in behavior lately, she assumed it was something else, and the idea left a horrible taste in her mouth.She feared the he didn’t look at her the same.Maybe he found her slightly repulsive now and didn’t have the heart to tell her.She tried to banish the thoughts, but wasn’t successful until Carly interrupted her, and Dulci was thankful Carly didn’t pry further.

“It is a pretty busy time in the season for them.That and he’s probably afraid he’ll hurt you more if you know what I mean,” Carly raised her eyebrow suggestively.“I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but there were runs where he didn’t touch me because of his god damned superstitions,” Carly rolled her eyes as she spritzed some high end perfume on her wrist.

“You’re probably right,” Dulci surrendered as she focused her attention back on her lipstick swatches.

“With your hair color and skin tone, I’d go with the blue undertone.It’ll work well with your blue eyes,” Carly took one of the testers and put it back onto the display while picking up the blue undertoned red lipstick.“This is a good brand, too,” Carly mused as she threw the small rectangular box into her shopping basket.“I’m buying.Happy birthday.”

“How long are you in town for,” Dulci asked absentmindedly as she looked at different skin care products lined up neatly and colorfully, catching her eye.

“Only a couple of days, then I’m flying back to England for a meeting about a new store opening,” Carly rambled as she gave her credit card to the sales associate.

Dulci frowned knowing Carly wouldn’t be available on her birthday.While they hadn’t seen one another for a couple of months, Dulci missed her friend and had a hunch that she’d need her soon if her hunch about Sidney was right.

“Where are we going?” Dulci asked as they walked toward a very expensive luxury lingerie store.

“You need something sexy and provocative to go with that lipstick,” Carly smiled.

One look at the $180.00 price tag for a garter belt and Dulci knew she was in the wrong place.The pieces were gorgeous, something she’d wish she could afford to wear for Sidney but it was too expensive and she couldn’t rationalize putting lingerie on a credit card, especially if she was only wearing it for a couple of minutes.

“Carly, I can’t afford any of this.Can’t we just go to Victoria’s Secret or something?” Dulci whispered as she looked around, hoping the sales associates weren’t listening.Carly gave her a disgusted look and shook her head, ending the possibility that they’d go anywhere else to shop for intimates.

“What do you like?”

“Umm… I kind of like this,” Dulci pointed to a black lacy piece.

“What’s your cup size?” Carly asked as she shuffled through the various hangers.

“36A to a 34B depending on the make.”

Without a second’s notice, Carly was dragging Dulci toward the fitting rooms, shoving her into a sensually lit room and closing the door behind her.Nervously, Dulci shed herself of all of her clothes and squeezed herself into the lingerie, chewing on her lip as she appraised herself in the mirror.Could she actually wear something like this and seduce him?Carly definitely could, and Dulci surmised that was the reason they were there.She probably paraded around him in something similar to this on many occasions, and the thought made her roll her eyes.

“Hope you’re decent because I’m coming in.”

Dulci froze in full-blown panic. Why the hell would Carly think she was decent when the only body parts covered at the moment were her nipples and vagina?Instinctively, she covered as much of her genitals a possible as the fitting room door opened.She turned herself toward the corner to hide.

“Carly!What are you doing?”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Dulci.Its just nipples and I have a set of my own.I want to see how it looks and give you my honest opinion.”

Slowly, she turned, closing her eyes so she didn’t have to look at Carly to see her reaction.The longer it took for Carly to speak, the more nervous she grew, fidgeting as she tried to recover her parts.

“Its nice, but its missing something,” Carly responded as she tapped her lip, looking Dulci up and down trying to figure the missing piece out.

“Wait.I know exactly what you need,” Carly smiled and quickly exited the fitting room, only to return after a moment later with something that looked frilly with too many straps.

“Seriously?” Dulci asked in mock horror.

“Try it on,” Carly huffed.

To Dulci’s surprise, she actually liked it.

“God damn it.I can’t see that appointment.”Dulci was finishing her chart, pushing through the pain of writing fast.Sidney would be at her house in less than an hour and a half and she still needed to get ready.

“Where’s Dr. King?” Alyssa asked.

“I’m not sure, but I have to go,” Dulci said apologetically.Scooping up her things, she headed to the bathroom, opening the door to find Megan King sitting on the closed toilet, staring at a pregnancy test.When she saw Dulci, she quickly put the stick in her pocket and wiped her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.. “ Dulci said as she closed the bathroom door, giving Megan the space she needed.

“Dulci?”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t tell anyone.I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet,” Megan said as she pointed toward her pocket.

“Your secret is safe,” Dulci smiled supportively, fully understanding the situation.“Are you going to tell your husband?”She wasn’t sure if Megan would answer.Instead, Megan started crying again, and as much as Dulci wanted to leave, she put down her bag and pulled Megan into a hug.Maybe the baby would be Dr. Harrison’s, and that’s why she was shaking with sobs as Dulci hugged her.

“This isn’t my place to say, and I have no idea what’s going on in your life, but just remember that you have options.”Dulci pulled Megan away and looked at her, assessing her face for any sort of clue.

“You saw us in New York,” Megan whispered numbly.Dulci nodded a response.

“I can’t tell my husband because I’m not sure who it belongs to, although I have an idea.”

Searching her mind for something to say and coming up empty, Dulci shrugged because she didn’t know what to say.She looked at her watch to see she’d spent more time than she wanted in the bathroom.

“I’m sorry, Dulci.I’m sure you wanted to leave a while ago.”

“I need to get home.If you need someone to talk to, you can call me anytime.”Smiling supportively, Dulci hoped Megan would pick up on the silver lining of her words, and with a nod, Dulci knew that she did.

“I have to go.”

Pulling the lip liner across her lips, she prayed that she didn’t go outside of her lip line with her left, less dominant hand, especially because she couldn’t stop herself from singing along to the quiet music playing from her phone.Taking the lip brush Carly let her borrow, she pulled it across the bullet and onto her lips to fill in the empty spots, going just as slowly not to destroy what she’d already done to her face.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a loud thud in her bedroom, thinking Meatball knocked something over, but when she looked into her room from the mirror to check, she locked eyes with Sidney, who stood planted in the middle of her room, gear bag slumped over next to him, looking a little stunned.She hadn’t realized it initially, but she was slightly bent over the bathroom vanity, undoubtedly accentuating her butt and showing off her breasts.

Putting the lip brush down, she turned around to face him, effectively putting herself on display as he slowly walked into the bathroom.

She couldn’t read his face or reaction.He looked so impassive, and at first she thought the lingerie was a mistake.Maybe her inkling about Carly parading around his humongous house in next to nothing was right, and maybe it turned him off.Maybe the French maid outfit would’ve been better option.She couldn’t fret for long as he abruptly pulled her to him, kissing her hard, hands snaking into her hair and around her waste to her bare ass.For a moment, Dulci wanted to pull away because the lipstick would’ve been all over his face and hers with the intensity of the kiss, but the idea made her melt from the inside out.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Sidney asked, voice husky and breathy.

“I’m just trying to get your attention.”

When Dulci opened her eyes, her thought was confirmed.She was faced with a half grin covered in red lipstick that rimmed the perimeter of his mouth.

“Well, you’ve got my attention,” he murmured against her lips as he kissed her again, cradling her head in his hand as his other hand traveled the entirety of her torso, touching everything.It had been so long since they shared any kind of intimate moment that it became a battle, hands and lips everywhere, both trying to be the first to pleasure the other.Dulci hardly noticed that they had moved out of the bathroom, only when her back hit the dresser outside of the door as he pressed her against it, kissing her lips, chin, neck, and clavicle, trying to claw his way into her expensive bra.

Dropping to her knees to kneel in front of him, she quickly unbuttoned his pants, yanking the hem of his pants and his boxers to his ankles.

“Fuck,” he whispered as he watched her, taking hold of the tall dresser for support as she slowly and sensually jerked him off, watching herself work, licking the tip of his penis every so often.Throwing his head back, he let himself get lost in the sensation, listening to her breathing and soft moans as she pleasured him with her hands and tongue.Feeling an entirely different sensation, he looked down to find her gripping the base of his penis and testicles in one hand.She took his entire length into her mouth, licking his testicles simultaneously.It felt like nothing he’d felt before and it made his knees weak.Letting go, Dulci reached behind her back to unsnap her bra, and hitting him like a train, the unpleasant thought of the photo album struck, specifically the picture of Dulci doing down on Henry with her hands bound behind her.He could feel himself losing his erection in her mouth, and her efforts to bring it back were futile.

“I can’t do this,” he muttered, stepping away from her to pull up his boxers. “I keep seeing that fucking book.”Dulci watched in horror as he separated himself from her, sitting on her bed a small distance away, but it felt like a mile.

“Please don’t over think it,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself.Standing, she walked over to the bathroom to grab something to cover up.She’d never felt so naked, so vulnerable and unattractive in her life.“I don’t want him.I haven’t wanted him for months.Please stop comparing yourself to him or what we have to what I had with him.Its not the same!” she shouted.“Why are you doing this?” she choked, covering her mouth as if it would stop the impending cry.

“Dulci,” he reached for her.

“No!Not until you tell me what is wrong.”

Running his hands through his hair, he blurted it out faster than he had time to think about it.

“You feel inadequate?” she said incredulously, gawking at him as if he made absolutely no sense.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No,” he said in embarrassment.“Please stop laughing.”

She didn’t realize she was laughing until he asked her to stop.But it was unbelievable.He did things to her and made her feel things than were foreign with all of her other partners.

“Well you like toys and I don’t use them.”

“You don’t need to use toys, Sid.You’re more than well equipped with what you have and what you can do.He used toys because he occasionally had difficulty getting me there.Have you ever had trouble?If I remember correctly, I’ve never been left wanting or needing from you…” Dulci watched as he stood from her bed and slowly walked toward her.“You’re the only person that has ever given me multiple orgasms,” she said before he kissed her, hearing the validation he needed.

“Keep going,” he murmured against her chin as he kissed her.At first she didn’t understand, but then she realized he wanted her to keep talking about his sexual prowess.

“You’re lips make me tremble all over, and your fingers do heavenly things to me,” she moaned as he nipped at the junction between her neck and shoulder, making her grasp him tighter, and she could feel him grin against her skin.

“What do my fingers and mouth do to you?” he asked as he brushed his fingertips over her breasts, catching her nipples in the caress.

“They make me breathless and…” she took a large breath as his fingers pulled on one of her nipples.

“Speechless?” he finished as he knelt down to trail his mouth to her other breast, pulling the fabric of the bra down.She made a sound that resembled both a sign and moan, confirming his question.Picking her up, he carried her to her bed, trailing kisses and nips down her stomach.Simultaneously, he pushed her legs apart to the point where her knees were touching the mattress.Through the very see through underwear, he first licked, then rubbed her very engorged clitoris with his nose, groaning quietly when he could feel her legs start to tremble underneath his hands.While he teased her, he put her legs back together and ever so slowly peeled her barely-there underwear down her legs, thankful that the underwear was over the garter belt and thigh highs.Standing up in front of her, he quickly removed his shirt, ripping it over his head while he watched Dulci’s hands replace the area where his mouth had previously been.Lazily, she rubbed circles around her clitoris while her other, recently broken, hand played with her nipple.It was so erotic to see her touch herself, and he stopped breathing every time she dipped her pointer and middle fingers into her vagina.His eye stayed locked on her fingers as he lowered his pants, and before he even realized it, he had his penis in his hand, stroking slowly to match Dulci’s rhythm.He realized that this particular moment would’ve been foreign to Henry, to see Dulci pleasuring herself in his presence, waiting for him, wanting him, silently begging him.All of the photos contained some sort of restraint or bondage, a way for Dulci to have little to no function with her hands.She also had pink stain all over her face from the red lipstick she was delicately applying when he came in.But most of all, the look of love, longing, compassion, and affection were completely absent on the photos.They were in the throes of true intimacy.This was Dulci, his intelligent, bright, strong, exuberant, beautiful girlfriend, not Dulci, Henry’s sex toy.The thought alone was enough to make him come everywhere.

Moving back in front of the bed, he resumed his position, opening her legs as he continued to watch her pleasure herself.

“Spread it open,” he commanded in a sensual tone.Initially he thought maybe it was too much given the alarmed look on Dulci’s face, but after a beat, she took her pointer and middle fingers and opened herself completely to him.

“Watch.”He didn’t give her much time to respond before he used his tongue to consume her, switching back and forth between licks, flicks, and hard sucks, moving his head in a particular pattern just the way she liked it.When he looked up to see her, she had her eyes closed, vocalizing a string of garbled words and sounds that were indistinguishable apart from his name.

“Open,” he murmured against her clitoris before taking it in his mouth to suck hard.

A long, breathy moan escaped her lips as she threw her head back, the vibration in his voice adding to the sensation.When she snaked her hand into his hair, raising her pelvis into his lips, he knew she was on the brink of orgasm.Inserting two fingers, he almost came apart at how swollen her g-spot felt, and with a couple of caresses, she was detonating against his mouth.

He trailer his mouth up her body as she continued to tremor after climax, her right arm limp by her side while her left clung to his shoulder, digging her nails in as he took one of her nipples between his teeth.

"Please fuck me," she breathed as he continued to her other nipple, rotating between sucking and biting. Her wish was his command, and kissing her hard, he slowly lowered himself into her as far as he could go. As she planted her head into the mattress, he took the opportunity to explore all the skin visible on her body with his mouth and free hand, her neck, shoulders, clavicle, décolletage. He wanted to show her how much he loved and cherished her, how much she meant to him. Taking hold of her left hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed each and every knuckle, still slowly rocking in and out of her. He eventually found purchase on her mouth, kissing her softly and sensuously, sweeping his tongue into her mouth in tempo with his hips, trying his hardest not to explode as her soft moans mingled with his groans. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead against hers, putting all if his energy into not coming. All of the tell tale signs were present, pressing her thighs tightly around his waist, tightening her grip on his hand, the erratic breathing, the flush the crept all over her body in splotches, the tightening below, and the face of ecstasy.

"Sid, I'm coming," she whispered before rearing her head back, groaning loudly into the room.

"Fuck," he grunted as he came, dropping his head onto her shoulder, scooping her body to his as much as possible while he treasured the moment.

They stayed in the position, collecting themselves before trying to move. Sidney could've stayed in that position for the rest of the night, repeatedly expressing his love for her, but Dulci's dinner reservation was in less than an hour.

Raising his head, supporting himself on one arm, he looked at dulci, who had a sated, yet amused look on her face.

"What?" He asked as he leaned down to kiss her.

"You have lipstick all over your face," she smiled as she tried to wipe it off with her thumb.

"So do you."

Walking into the restaurant, Dulci looked around in bewilderment. It was 8:30 pm on a Saturday night, but the restaurant was completely empty apart from a couple of what looked to be waitresses. Something wasn’t right.The parking lot was packed and they had a difficult time finding a parking spot.While she’d never been to this particular restaurant, the tables were set up to line the perimeter of the large dining area as if they were booths.

"This is odd," she pointed to the room before looking at Sid.Giving her a small smile and a hand squeeze, he looked forward, waiting anxiously as he subtly chewed on his bottom lip.

“Is everything ok?” Dulci asked, feeding off of his anxiety.

Before he could answer, a woman entered through the doorway of the large dining area to the hostess podium.

“Good evening.”

“Hi.We have an 8:30 reservation under Crosby.”

“Yes, Mr. Crosby.Please follow me,” the hostess smiled as she ushered the two into the dining room.

Dulci was puzzled.The hostess didn’t bring menus, and from her quick glance into the room earlier, there weren’t menus at the table, either.Taking another look at Sid, she noticed his quiet, long exhale, and she couldn’t figure out why he was so nervous.

All at once, dozens of people came from every direction, out of hallways, under tables, from behind the large partition that separated the waiting area from the dining area.The sound was deafening as people shouted, “Surprise!” and “Happy Birthday!” simultaneously to the point where Dulci almost jumped out of her skin.She gripped onto Sidney out of instinct, and he pulled her into a suffocating hug, kissing her cheek while whispering, “Happy birthday,” as all of the guests surrounded them.

Dulci couldn’t believe the amount of people that had been invited.Her immediate family, her English relatives, her coworkers, a select few friends from college were present.Sidney’s family was there, including a few of his extended family.His teammates were there with their significant others.Lastly, Carly appeared in the crowd, slowly making her to her best friend.

“Happy birthday!” Carly gushed as she pulled Dulci into an equally suffocating hug.

“Did you do this?” Dulci pointed around the room, which was now dimmed with faint music playing in the background as waitresses carried trays of champagne.

“I wasn’t the only one,” she smiled and glanced at Sid, who gave Dulci a shy smile.

“You knew about this and hid it from me?” Dulci beamed as Sidney shrugged.

“I couldn’t tell you that he’d been distant because we’ve been planning this for the past couple of days that haven’t conflicted with his schedule.Some things never change,” Carly said sarcastically as she took three glasses of champagne from a passing waitress, handing one to Dulci and Sid respectively, excusing herself to mingle.

“I can’t believe this,” Dulci smiled, looking back at Sidney.

Her smile was one of admiration and graditude, and he couldn’t help but kiss her sweetly and passionately.

“I love you,” he murmured against her lips as Dulci’s parents bombarded their quiet sentiment.

Time had flown by as the party got going.People were dancing, singing, drinking, laughing.It was everything he’d envisioned for Dulci when Carly originally called with the idea.He watched as Dulci and Vero talked animatedly across the room, and he hoped it wasn’t about his admission a week before.He was so enamored at Dulci’s sight that he hadn’t realized someone was standing next to him.

“What happened to her arm?” the man asked with a barely detectable Irish accent.

“She broke her humerous ice skating two weeks ago.The cast came off this morning,” Sidney responded as he mentally wondered who he was talking to.

“She’s pretty clumsy.She broke her nose a couple of months ago when she tripped over her own feet,” the man chuckled, and it made all of the hairs on Sidney’s neck stand at attention.“I thought maybe she injured herself doing other recreational things,” he looked Sidney straight in the eye, as if to challenge him with a snarky smile.

“Who are you?” Sidney inquired.

“I’m Henry.”

Notes