Alicia's Misfortune (50 page)

“I’ll lock up,” said Richie.
 
“But I think I may be up for a while.
 
Let me know if the TV bothers you.”

He collected the drinks and set them in the sink.
 
Danielle padded into the master bedroom.
 
The big, sprawling bed that she and Jerry
slept was tightly made.
 
So neat.
 
Danielle could not quite bring herself to
sleep on the bed.
 
It was a such a
comfortable bed and yet as she approached it, it was as though there were an
invisible force field between her and the bed.
 
She couldn’t do it.
 

She lit candles in the room, stripped down naked and drew
herself a bath.
 
She was exhausted but
knew it now, she would not be sleeping well that night.
 
She laid down in the bath tub and let the
warm water cradle her.

She had carried a candle into the bathroom and focused on
its flickering flame.
 
At some point she
did manage to fall asleep.
 
She awoke the
second time that evening.
 
Richie was
blowing out the candle.
  
It had burned
down to just the wick and the last bit of wax.

“Hey,” he said, not apparently reacting to the fact she was
buck naked, “time to go bed.”

He went into the bedroom.
 
She heard him pull back the bedcovers.
 
He reappeared and released the tub water. He helped to her feet and
wrapped her with the towel.
 
He lifted
her and carried her into the bedroom.

She didn’t let him know of her aversion to the bed.
 
She let him tuck her in.
 
He sweetly drew the covers up around
her.
 
He rubbed her back as she played
possum, trying to drift off.
 
The trick
worked.
 
She managed to string together a
couple of hours of solid sleep and in the master bed even.
 

He had removed the towel once he placed her in the bed, so
she slept nude against the soft sheets. It was so luxurious.
 
She stretched and rolled and knocked up
against him.
 
A jolt of surprise threw
open her eyes. Richie had fallen asleep next to her.
 
He slept on top of the comforter but pulled
the edge of the blanket on his side, up and over him.
 

Danielle spied the towel draped over the chair adjacent to
the bed.
 
She snagged it to wrap herself
up in and stole over to her dresser for some real clothes.
 
Richie stirred.

“Morning,” he murmured lazily.

Danielle spied at him over her shoulder.
 
He had rich tousled curls that framed his
face like Adonis. He stretched his magnificent body like a contented cat.
 
Well at least he wasn’t too uncomfortable
sleeping the way he did.
 
But it was
definitely awkward waking up to him the way she did.
 
She snuck into the bathroom and dressed.

The only thing she could grab in a hurry were a pair of jean
shorts and a tank top.
 
They worked.
  
She knotted her shirt up at her rib cage to
compensate for the fact that she was not wearing a bra.
  
She did not have large breasts; but she
thought they were perfect all the same.
 
She tiptoed into the kitchen to start the coffee.
 
Entering the kitchen, the aroma of fresh
brewed coffee rolled up to her.
 
Richie
had set up the coffee to automatically brew for her.
  
She poured herself a cup.
 

Richie was right behind her.
 
He rose up behind her like a welcomed shadow.
 
She wondered if he could see her smile.
 
He was clad only in a pair of shorts.
 
His sweet, young chiseled chest was bare for
her to secretly enjoy.
 
He reached for a
mug.
 
Danielle chuckled.
 

“And since when did you start drinking coffee, mister?” she
playfully scolded.

“Uh, since Lacrosse,” he answered in kind. “Getting up at
ungodly hours to get her done takes a little help.”

“So like when?” she asked.

Danielle was completely unaware about this fact about her
stepson.

“Like tenth grade? Dad made it for me,” he replied.

“I guess that answers my next question,” she shook her head.

The fact that Jerry had made Richie coffee secretly made her
love them more.
 
Richie knew she was not
annoyed.

Richie towered over her.
 
He mussed her head like she was one of his pals and then, as she had
been loitering by the coffee pot, he simply encased her with his body as he
fixed his coffee.
 
If Danielle turned
around he would basically be embracing her.
  
She really liked the feel of his body.

She ducked under his arm and waded out to the sun room.
 
It was such a lovely room, nothing but
windows from chair-level up.
  
It was
just the right coolness in the summer and just the right warmth in winter.
 
The slight chill of the slate floors were
soothing to Danielle’s bare feet.
 
She
curled up on the wicker furniture and despite the summer time, drew an afghan
over her ankles.
 
She sipped her
coffee.
 
She had added milk and
sugar.
 
It was delicious and perfect.

Richie brought his coffee out. Danielle spied to see what he
would drink. If he would drink it black or if he would doctor it with sugar
like she did.
 
He looked adorable with
his scruffy hair.
 
She had the strongest
urge to run her fingers through it.
  
He
sat in his chair sideways, draping it with his legs over the arms.
 
He held his mug like he was holding a cup of
soup.

“You probably should go back to bed,” said Danielle.
 
“You were up awfully late last night.”

“I know right?
 
Coffee
is probably the last thing we should be drinking.
 
But it sure is good,” he said.

“It is.
 
Thanks for
fixing it,” she said.
 
“So I was thinking
we should move forward with getting you to school.
 
Let’s work on a punch list of all the things
we need to put in order to get you ready to go.”

“I don’t want to worry about that now.
 
I can take a semester off.
 
It won’t matter,” he said.

Something in his voice told her something had changed with
school for him.

“I am not worried, Rich.
 
I really want to help you get it together.
 
I know I am no substitute for your dad --”
she said.

“It’s not that.
 
I am
not going,” he announced.

“Oh no,” Danielle sat up straight.
 
“I really think it’s important for you to not
stop your classes.
 
Unless emotionally
you think it’s too much?”

“No that’s not it.
 
I
want to make sure you’re okay,” he said.

“Richie Malone I am a grown woman.
 
What’s happen sucks but I am fine.
 
In fact, I think taking the road trip and
getting you back to school would be good therapy,” she said.
 

“Are you sure?” he asked.
 
“Because that’s what I was talking to Al about.
 
I was telling him he might have to find
another ride,” he said.

“Well you tell Al the ride is on,” said Danielle.
 
“Let’s do it.”

Richie fixed on her.
 
She realized he was staring at her.
 
He looked as though he wanted to snatch her up.
 
And do something with her.
 
She looked down to see what he could possibly
checking out on her and she realized the shirt she had was very sheer.
 
Heat rose up through her neck and face.

“I’ll think about it,” said Richie. “About going back to
school I mean.
 
But for now I have
already made arrangements.
 
For now it’s
a done deal.”
 

“Wait?” she demanded. “What are you saying?
 
Are you out of your mind?
 
You already told Al to go on without you?”

Danielle could see the serious look in Richie’s face, like
the conversation was moot.
 
He wasn’t
asking her opinion.
 
He was letting her
know how it was.
 
Like had already made
some decisions without discussing it with her first.

“I thought it was best,” he said with grown up finality.

“Are you serious? We need to focus on one thing at a
time.
 
We just suffered a tremendous loss
but that doesn’t mean we start turning everything upside down.
 
Now, we’ll just talk to the school and we’ll
–“ said Danielle.

She was really worked up.
 
Some of her response had to be an emotional outlet for the weeks and
weeks of suffering she had witnessed her late husband go through.
 
But Richie pressed his fingers to her
lips.
 

“It’s done,” he said.
 
“I’ve decided.
 
I am getting a job
and I am going to stay here and make sure everything is taken care of.”

She knew he was mature and responsible but where did this
man come from? What made him think that she needed taken care of?
 
She was the adult.
 

“Richie why would you think you need to stay home and take
care of me?” she asked with confusion.

His lips curled as he looked down on her.
 
Oh yeah; without a doubt, she thought he was
going to pounce on her.

“Something in you brings that out in me,” he said. “I think
that going back to school at this time with the emotional upheaval of losing my
dad and my best friend, would be too stressful. I want the break and I want to
stay here with you.”

Out of nowhere, Danielle found herself yelling.
 
The emotional brew had now become an
outburst.
 
She needed to have some kind
of control over something.
 
With the
sudden illness and death of her husband, and now that Richie was leaving
school, she felt like she had not control over anything.

“No!” she shouted.
 
“You are not throwing away a brilliant scholastic career over me. I
forbid it!”

He was unmoved.
 
There
was a touch of disappointment in his eyes but he still had that trace of
amusement. Danielle completely forgot that she was not the only person in the
house who had been through an enormous amount of stress.
 
Even if her behavior was somehow justifiable,
they were inconsiderate.
 
She could see
it in him.
 
His face was still gorgeous
and pleasant.
 
He was patient and calm
and he waited for her to get whatever it was out of her.
 
He started breathing slowly, deeply, to coach
her.
 
Danielle gave him a soft sock to
the arm.

“I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way
around,” she said and crumbled into tears.

Danielle was a bunch of emotions all knotted into one.
 
She was tired.
 
She was grieving.
 
She was embarrassed and she was horny.
 
She rested her head on her stepson’s chest
and enjoyed his warmth for a moment.

He gave her that moment but finally spoke up.

“I have going to get going,” he said softly.
  
“Some of the guys are working on Al’s car
this morning.
 
Getting it in shape.
 
We can talk about this later.”

It was a good thing that Richie left.
 
Danielle was completely excited by him.
 
It was actually lovely medicine to be moved
this way.
 
It was a great diversion.
 
She sipped her coffee and let it perk her up.
  
She went for a brisk walk to work off the
arousal that Richie excited
 
in her.

The walking backfired on her. The stimulation of the
workout, the way it made her blood pump only served to stimulate her more. The
movement of her legs made it worse.
 
The
friction and pressure of her thighs teased her.
 
Still she managed to knock off a couple of miles.
 
The sky was clear and the day was
extraordinary.
 
And as beautiful as the
day was, Danielle’s mind raced with fantasies of Richie.
  
She tried to deny them but she couldn’t.

Danielle had never thought of her stepson in a sexual way
but really now recent events changed all of that.
 
In her mind now she was no longer his
stepmother.
 
She was just a very
attractive, hot young widow.
 
The very
real images of her sexy stepson played through her mind, drawing her in were
like dope and she was completely addicted.
  
She didn’t want to turn away.
 
She
wanted to see where her imagination would take her.