Anchor Line (12 page)

             
“I’ll trade you bed tables.” He looked over at her and smiled, trying to lift the mood.

             
“Nah. That’s okay.” She responded.

             
“I’m sorry Addie.” Conrad started softly. “Susan gets a little out of hand.”

             
Stopping what she was doing, she put her hands on her hips. “If you weren’t here.” She paused, “Would you have gone?” After a few seconds of nothing from Conrad, she put her hands up to stop his answer. “You know what. Forget it. I don’t want to know. I really don’t.”

             
“Actually, no.” He answered, closing the drawer.

             
“I’m sorry what?”

             
“No.” he answered again. “I wouldn’t go.”

             
“Maybe she’s trying to get two nights in a row out of you.” Addie said absentmindedly as she returned to her stocking drawer.

             
“What?”

             
She couldn’t look up at him. “Come on Conrad. She said it loud enough for me to hear that you are supposed to scene with her tomorrow night...Sir.” She tacked on as an afterthought to get at him.

             
Conrad grabbed the tape from the dresser and taped the top of his box closed. Then went over to the box Addie was folding the lid on and taped hers as well. Neither said anything. He grabbed the boxes and walked down the small hallway and stacked them on some that were already in the dining room. Then he went back and took the two that Addie had put together from the closet. Making his way back to the bedroom he heard her in the bathroom packing a few things in a small box in there. He leaned against the door jamb watching her pack her toiletries up. He noted that for a woman who always looked put together, she didn’t have a lot of cosmetics or sprays and mousse and gel. He liked that she was pretty natural.

             
“Can you get the shower curtain please? Leave up the liner, so I can take a shower tomorrow morning.”

             
Conrad didn’t say anything. He walked behind her to the shower and unhooked the dark purple and white shower curtain down. She handed him a baggie for the hooks. Once that was complete, he folded it and put it in the box with the other stuff. Then she held it out so he could tape it. Then they moved back to the kitchen.

             
Working with smaller boxes, they wrapped what was left in the wrapping paper that Addie’s mom had left on the counter and taped the boxes shut. Grabbing her mug, Addie swallowed the last of her coffee and rinsed her mug, but left it out on the counter with a spoon while Conrad had gone and poured the last of the coffee from the pot and made a cup. He rinsed the carafe and took the filter to the trash. Then put the coffee maker back together, unplugged it and put it in the box. Then he went to the laundry room.

             
“Do you have tools to disconnect these?” He asked.

             
“On the shelf above the washer is a little toolbox.” Addie said as she filled the sink with hot water and lemon Pine-Sol, grabbed a washcloth and started to wipe down the now empty cabinets, counter tops and the fridge.

             
Conrad didn’t say anything as he disconnected the dryer and the hose tubing for it and tossed it in the dryer. Then he turned around and started to disconnect the washer and drained the hoses in the  floor drain, then pushed tossed them over the side of the washer and put the lid down. Putting the tools away, he came out into the kitchen.

             
“What else do you have?” He asked.

             
“Nothing.” Addie answered, pulling the shelves out of the fridge and setting them on the counter next to the sink. “You can take off if you want. I appreciate it.” She didn’t look at him or anything.

Chapter Nine

              Not wanting to leave just yet, Conrad grabbed a cloth from the stack that was on the counter and dipped it in the water and commenced to washing the shelves on the counter and the fruit and vegetable bins. Then he dried them. Where the conversation flowed before, they were equally as quiet now. Each lost in their own thoughts of what to say about the pictures on Conrad’s cell. Addie thinking she couldn’t deal with Conrad and the Messo. Conrad thinking of how he could balance Addie and what the Messo did for him as a Dom. As Addie put the last shelf in the fridge, she closed it and rinsed out her cloth in the sink, then pulled the drain plug, then dried her hands on the towel that was tucked over the oven.

             
“Well, that just about does it. Thanks again Conrad for helping out.”

             
She was acting nonchalant about his coming over. He just leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her with the busy work of rinsing the sink out and hanging the two washcloths over the side of the sink to dry. Then she went into the laundry room and checked the washer and dryer connections, satisfied. She looked through the cabinets again, except for the ones that he stood in front of. Walking to the fridge she opened it and closed it, then the freezer. She pushed the chairs in to the little bistro set in the dining room area and walked over to her TV and unplugged the cables from the wall and wrapped them up and put them in a drawer in the sofa table. Then she pulled the box out for her MAC computer and repacked it.

             
The whole time, Conrad watched. He moved from the kitchen to the doorway in the dining room and watched Addie with busy work. He wanted her. Badly. And not just as a onetime thing.

             
“Do you have an outside storage room off your patio?” He asked.

             
“Um, no.” Addie answered as she wrestled with the computer cables.

             
He walked back to her bedroom and looked around the closet again making sure there wasn’t anything they’d missed. Then into the bathroom where just her hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste were on the counter. All of the drawers were empty so he made his way back down the hallway. He opened a door, only to be met with the hot water heater that had seen better days. The next door he opened was a tiny little guest bedroom. It was already packed up, the white iron bed frame resting against the mattress. A small chest of drawers and bedside table that matched were the only things in the room besides five or six boxes.

             
Addie was coming down the hallway when Conrad was backing out of the room and she stopped in time to avoid a collision this time. Conrad looked down at her. He read her like a book.She was trying to avoid him. She was hurt and she was trying to cover it up.

             
He lifted his chin toward the front door, “Make sure the door is locked and turn off the living room light.”

             
She opened her mouth to say something, but just as she did, Conrad turned around and walked to her bedroom, turning on the ceiling fan and turning off the dome light. He walked to the night table closest to the window and turned the light on. Then walked into the bathroom and turned the light off and the one in the closet. He took the sleeping bag and unzipped it all the way and spread it over the mattress. Then he walked over and got the goose down comforter that was folded on the dresser and laid it over the sleeping bag.

             
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Addie said as she walked into her room with his sneakers. “You aren’t staying.” She held out his sneakers.

             
“Look out your window sugar.” He pointed from across the bed. “There are three police cars and an ambulance and fire truck out there with guys cuffed and all kinds of shit. It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to get out any time soon anyway.” He smiled brightly now, “Besides, you said I could spend the night.”

             
Addie dropped his shoes and ran to the window looking out at all of the blue and red lights flashing.

             
“And if I’m correct.” He started again, “You’ll want to start early. So get your ass in bed and turn off the light.”

             
She dropped the mini blinds and turned around to face the bed. He was already under the covers, laying on his side, his head propped up by his hand. His top half naked, his t-shirt was draped over the footboard. She didn’t see the bottom half, so she assumed that he still had his jeans on. She could only watch as he flipped part of the comforter down for her to crawl under. Making quick work of her bra under her shirt, she pulled out of the straps and pulled the bra out of her sleeve. Then she slipped her socks off, turned off the light and slid under the covers.

             
“Not taking your jeans off sugar?” He teased as she lay on her back, covers pulled up under her armpits and eyes on the ceiling.

             
“No.” She whispered.

             
“You’ll be more comfortable.”

             
“I can’t.”

             
“Why not?”

             
She was silent for a few moments, the sounds of the people outside was the only noise.

             
“I just can’t.” She said quietly.

             
She heard Conrad shift around under the comforter and his jeans were tossed over the footboard. Addie’s eyes got huge.

             
“Well, if you weren’t going to, then I was.” Conrad teased. “Much better now. Air can get to my boys.”

             
“You’re what?” Addie shrieked.

             
“My boys.” He chuckled.

             
Ohmygod! Addie was saying over and over in her head. She squeezed her eyes closed.

             
“Night sugar.” He whispered and rolled over onto his stomach.

             
She knew exactly when Conrad was asleep, when his breathing became even. She almost didn’t think he was asleep at first. She’d looked at her phone several times while trying to fall asleep, playing Candy Crush or flipping through Facebook. It was now just after two, and she was frustrated that he’d even invited himself to sleep in her bed. With her in it, no less. She was almost mad that he hadn’t kissed her again or anything else. Looking over one more time, Conrad hadn’t moved. So she slid her jeans off and pushed them to the floor with her foot.

             
Ah, that was so much better. She didn’t have the entanglement of her jeans. Maybe now she’d be able to sleep. She rolled over on her side facing the behemoth of a man in her bed. Even though he was asleep, the muscles in his arms were noticeable as he had them up for his head to rest on. His hair on top was unruly and long, but within regulation. The comforter had slid down his back to rest at his tapered waist. It was a shame to not be able to see his ass and legs. These were her thoughts as she drifted to sleep.

             
BOOM!

             
Addie jolted awake just in time for the lights to go out. Holy shit, what in the hell was going on tonight?

             
“It’s okay sugar. Just a storm.” Conrad said sleepily, sliding his arm back across her and pulling her back to him.

             
Addie tensed a minute. She was naked except for her t-shirt. Her next realization was that she was laying on her side, slam up against Conrad on his side of the bed. And the kicker...he was completely naked. She could feel...everything. Addie lay back down where she realized now that they were sharing the pillow. She felt a tightening in her abdomen. She wasn’t going to lie and say she hadn’t fantasized about Conrad.

             
Another boom sounded outside and rain started lashing against the windows, the lightening flashing.

             
Conrad squeezed Addie up against him sensing her nervousness about the storm. He realized in his sleep induced brain that secondary to the storm she might be worried about his nakedness. But, somewhere in the hours that they had been asleep, their bodies found each other and were about a foot away, which made it easy for him to reach out and pull her to him.

             
Another thunderous roar from the rain filled skies and that lasted almost half a minute had Addie turning into Conrad’s embrace. Her face in the crook of his neck, her right leg straight with his left one and her other leg slid over his hip. She had tucked her arms in-between them, her palms against his hard pecs. Her breathing was erratic. And at this point, she gave a damn that she was aroused and scared at the same time.

             
He brought his arm that was under the pillow around her and practically rolled on top of her to comfort her. His arms tightened and his legs entwined with hers. Trying to concentrate on going back to sleep with a scared woman that has half naked in bed with him was one thing. Trying to control his erection...something entirely different. The more she squirmed, the more he was awake.