Eleven (5 page)

He lifted the glass of scotch to his
lips and took a big gulp, “Let’s get out of here.”

We didn’t say a word as we drove back
to my place. I looked at the clock on his dash and it read 11:11.
Inner smile.

He pulled up to the curb. This was it.
Oh, God. Just when I thought he was going to reach over to kiss me,
he reached behind the seat and grabbed our coats. He jumped out and
put his leather jacket on as he walked around the front of his
truck to my door. He handed my coat to me after opening my door. I
slipped into the coat, took his hand, and stepped out onto the
sidewalk.

His hand felt so very good wrapped
around mine. It was cold outside. Our breath quickly turned into
smoky fog as it escaped our mouths. I fumbled in my purse with my
free hand and was able to find my keys. Follow the rules. Follow
the rules. Follow the rules.

“Would you like to come in and have
another glass of wine?” I nervously asked.

“Ummm, sure,” he answered.

I turned toward the door and as I
placed the key in the lock, I felt him close behind me. His fingers
were pulling my long hair away from the side of my neck. I bent my
neck in response, exposing it to his touch. He traced the border of
my ear and then stroked the side of my neck with the back side of
his fingers as his other arm slipped around my waist from behind,
pulling me even closer.

He leaned in closer. I could feel the
heat of his breath as he whispered, “You look good and you smell
good. I have a feeling you’re gonna taste good.”

Thank God he was holding me. I felt my
knees almost give way. My heart was beating out of my chest and I
feared I might hyperventilate. I was thankful not to be facing him
because I am quite sure my eyes rolled back into my head—my head
that was spinning around and around.

I turned the key in the lock and opened
the door. He loosened his grip on me and we stepped inside. We
stood there face to face, with only the rays of the streetlight
softly shining in through the sheer curtains.

He leaned over and with one swift
movement, picked me up into his arms. It was the first time any man
had literally swept me off my feet. I placed one arm around his
neck and with my free hand I stroked the smooth skin on the side of
his face while looking into his eyes. He carried me over to the
couch and sat down with me on his lap. He reached up and tenderly
placed his hands on both sides of my face.

“My beautiful girl,” he sweetly said as
he tilted his head and moved closer.

Our lips touched and parted. The feel
of his mouth on mine was no less than divine. Our tongues danced
against one another. We took turns nibbling, sucking—delving into
each other.

I had never felt anything like this.
The attraction and magnetism was intoxicating. It left me
breathless and panting all at once.

Our lips separated for only a brief
moment as he said, “Good God, girl! We kiss the same.”

He was right. It was like a dance;
rhythmic and melodic, in perfect unison. We were hungry for each
other and our lips were like ripe fruit for the taking. It was as
if we had been starved and were reaping all the sustenance we could
take, while we could take it.

We explored the form and contour of
each other’s bodies with our hands. I moved my palms over the
rippling hardness of his rounded shoulders and biceps then slipped
a hand inside his button down shirt to caress his muscular chest
through the fabric of his white cotton undershirt.

He was bolder with his touch. Cradled
in his arms, his large hand moved over my body massaging me through
my satiny shirt and briefly stopping over my left breast which he
lightly caressed and teased.

He moved lower and parted my legs with
his right arm—reaching under, rubbing and kneading the left cheek
of my ass. His arm coaxed my knee to drape over his shoulder.
Involuntarily, I felt the primal urge to undulate against his
thick, brawny forearm in rhythm with his massaging hand.

We were lost completely in the throes
of passionate desire. At that moment, we were the only beings in
the universe. It was as if we had become a single entity and were
breathing through each other. Still fully clothed, we were moaning,
sighing, and rubbing against one another.

Then reality whispered in my ear, “the
rules, the rules, the rules!”

I broke contact. My head was spinning.
I attempted to catch my breath. I swung my leg around and slipped
off his lap.

Noticeably excited, he cleared his
throat. He reached for his jacket to drape over his lap and said,
“I guess that’s my cue that it’s time for me to go
home.”

“
Umm, yeah, I think that
would be best,” I agreed, while I stood and reached over to turn on
the floor lamp in the corner. I had to steady myself against the
wall to keep my balance.

He stood up, modestly draping the
jacket in front of him while he walked to the door.

“
I apologize if I went too
far. It’s been a long time since someone has made me feel this
way,” he explained. “I’m not usually like this. I’m really sorry if
I overstepped my boundaries.”

He looked at me with desire still
smoldering in his eyes.

I answered, “No, no, you don’t have to
apologize. It’s not like me to get so out of control,
either.”

We looked at each other and
laughed.

He leaned over and kissed me tenderly
and sweetly as he said, “I had a really nice time tonight. You
know, we got something pretty special happening here,
right?”

Looking up at him, I nodded my head. My
face was glowing from all of the emotion and adrenaline flooding my
system.

“
I’ll try to slow down. I
don’t want to do anything to mess this up. It’ll happen when it’s
supposed to happen. No need to rush things,” he
explained.

It seemed as though he was preaching to
himself out loud and not just talking to me. Both of us had been
surprised and flustered with the overwhelming power of our mutual
attraction.

“
Would you mind terribly if
I gave you a call tomorrow evening?” he asked.

“
I would like that—very
much. Be careful driving home.” I said.

“
Goodnight, sweet thang,” he
said in his seductive drawl as he planted one last kiss on my lips.
“I’ll look forward to seeing you again.”

After watching him walk to his truck
and drive away, I washed my face and slipped into my gown. Still
trembling on the inside, I reached over to turn off the lamp on my
nightstand and curled up under the warmth of my down
cover.

I whispered a prayer of thanks, “Thank
you, God, thank you so much for letting us find each
other.”

I knew my life would never be the
same.

Chapter 11

Two Lips and
Tulips

I woke up happy; reminiscing of the
previous night’s events. I lazily rolled over and picked up my
phone. The remainder of the morning was spent calling the girls to
let them know in spite of tremendous temptation, I had indeed kept
my britches on!

The rest of my day was spent running
errands and taking care of the chores that I rarely had time or
energy for during the work week. I was glad to have something to
keep me busy, yet thoughts of him never strayed very far from my
mind.

Oh, that kiss! I had never felt
anything like it before. I couldn’t wait to kiss him again. The
chemistry and synchronicity between us had been more electrifying
than I could have imagined. I found myself smiling all day—in the
produce section, at the gas pump, driving down the street.
Everything made my thoughts return to him—and that kiss.

I loved the way he made me feel so
beautiful and womanly. His touch had brought my body back to life.
I couldn’t wait to hear his voice again on the other end of the
line. But I knew that mellow, deep sound would only make me ache
for him more.

Just as I was finishing the task of
putting my groceries away, the phone rang. Ahhh—there was his voice
again, caressing my ear.

There was a familiarity between us that
surpassed knowing someone for only 24 hours. Maybe it was because
of our similar backgrounds, where we had come from, or perhaps the
fact that I had known who he was since childhood. There was an
inexplicable depth of comfort just knowing he had come into my
life.

We enjoyed a little over an hour of
chatting and small talk before we made plans to see each other
again.

At the end of his call, he said, “I
have a busy week ahead of me. I have to go to up North to take care
of some business. I should be back Friday night, but I’ll be tired.
Can I pick you up on Saturday morning, say about 10:00? I’d like to
take you out to my ranch. How does that sound?”

“
That sounds great!” I
replied.

A wave of excitement surged through me
when he casually added, “Pack for an overnight stay. Don’t worry.
I’ve got plenty of room. I’ll have the master bedroom ready for you
and I’ll stay in the guest room.”

He truly was a gentleman and I
appreciated his thoughtfulness.

In jest I replied, “That’s very sweet
of you, Mister. By the way, do you have a lock on your master
bedroom door?”

He laughed, “Yes, ma’am, I do!” He
cleared his throat and continued, “Last night, you kinda surprised
me. Uh, I mean—well, you know; I was surprised with how well we get
along. I’ve been thinking about you all day. I promise, I’m going
to do my best to control myself with you, but that’s gonna be a
pretty tall order, you know.”

I knew! However, I couldn’t resist the
urge to tease him. I so enjoyed flirting with him and making him a
bit uncomfortable.

I purred in a low, seductive tone, “You
know, I might make this a little easier for you and help you
relieve some tension. What are you wearing?”

I heard his low “Mmmmm” on the other
end of the line and he quickly replied, “Don’t do that to me,
Sister. I’ll hop in my truck and knock your door down in about ten
minute’s time.”

We both laughed and I replied, “Okay,
Mister. Have a good week and I’ll look forward to the
weekend.”

“
I’ll be looking forward to
it, too. I’ll give you call in the middle of the week,” he paused,
then continued in a teasing, but serious manner, “On second
thought, I better not do that. I might have to resort to asking you
what you’re wearing. I don’t think we need to go there. Not
yet.”

We said goodnight.

He did give in to the temptation of
calling me, but he didn’t wait until the middle of the week. We
talked through every lunch hour and every night.

Although we were miles apart, we spent
each evening together on the telephone. We would go about our
routine chores and tasks while holding the phone to our ear. It
wasn’t unusual for five or six hours to go by while we conversed.
Many nights, we would end our day saying goodnight to each other in
bed; over the phone.

We learned so much about each other
that week. Being apart had given us the opportunity just to talk
without having to worry about keeping our hands off each other. By
the end of the week, I felt as if I had known him my entire life
and that somehow, he had always been a part of me. In a way, it set
him apart from anyone else I had ever been involved with. Something
about him was different; in a very good way.

The week went by excruciatingly slow.
At the end of the week, I met my friends for happy hour to receive
my necessary weekly reinforcement to stick to the rules.

I tried not to talk about him too much.
I didn’t want to rub it into any of my unattached friends’ faces. I
understood what it felt like to not have anyone special in my life
when everyone else around me was happily involved. Besides, I found
it difficult to adequately put into words what I was experiencing.
I gave them just enough information for them to be assured that I
liked him; I really liked him—a lot!

One of my friends exclaimed, “Oh, girl!
You’re in trouble!”

Another friend who had known me longer
corrected her by saying, “She’s not the one in trouble—he is! I’ve
seen that look in her eyes before!”

Then one of my more comical friends
added, “Anybody got some duct tape? I think she’s gonna need a
chastity belt!”

God, I loved my girlfriends. They knew
me so well and loved me in spite of it!

When I got home, he had left a message
on my answering machine. He sounded tired, but happy to be
home.

My whole being warmed when I heard his
words flowing from the speaker, “Hey, pretty lady. It’s me. I just
got home. It’s about 10:30. I’m gonna hit the shower then go to
bed. I’ve missed you, Sister—missed everything about you. I’ll see
you about 10:00 tomorrow morning.” He chuckled as he said, “Do me a
favor. Wear something boring.”

I complied with his request. I wore a
simple, fitted white t-shirt tucked into my most well-worn pair of
Cruel Girl jeans. They were cinched with a brown Fossil belt that
had a blingy rhinestone and silver buckle, and of course, my brown
Corral boots. I pulled my long brown curls back into a high
ponytail and put on my silver concho earrings.