Sir and Babygirl: Bound by Love (2 page)

“
Oh
goodness! I am so sorry to hear that. We'll get someone over to you
as quick as we can. Hold please.” The canned music blared in his
ears. The Muzak version of At Last by Etta James, their song. “Ok,
Sir, someone can be there in 90 minutes.”

“
An hour
and a half?! Are you kidding me?!”

“
Sir, I'm
sorry, but the accident that's backed up traffic has slowed
everything down. Someone will be there as soon as they
can.”

Thanking her, Sir ended the call. Leaning against his
back bumper, he wondered what kind of picture he presented. His
clothes were still damp from the earlier splash. He could see oil
stains down the first of his shirt. His skin felt sticky from the
heat. Combing his fingers through his hair, he sighed again.

“
It burns, burns, burns. The ring of fire.
The ring of fire.
”

Sir nearly dropped the phone in surprise at the sound
of Johnny Cash's voice. “Hey Babygirl. I've got some news.”

He told her of the delay and apologized for not being
able to take her to dinner. Feeling sorrier and sorrier for
himself, he rattled off the injustices from the drive so far.

“
Sir, with
all due respect, stop it. Now.” Belatedly, she added,
“Please.”

“
Excuse
me?” Pulled out of his dejection by shock, he couldn't believe his
ears.

“
S
o nothing has
gone according to plan this evening. It's
okay
. You'll be here soon enough.
I'll order some Chinese delivery, and you'll take a hot shower.”
Sir could hear Babygirl take a deep breath before continuing. “All
that matters is that we're together. Right, Sir? I don't care about
fancy dinners or walks along the beach. All I care about is
you!”

Sir felt tears burn his eyes. He refused to let them
fall. “Thank you, Babygirl.”

“
Um,
you're welcome, Sir? For what?”

“
For
reminding your silly Sir what our time together is really all
about. I can't wait to hold you in my arms, to kiss you, hug
you...to spank the hell out of you.” Her happy coos melted his
heart.

“
You mean
so much to me, Babygirl. I want every moment we have together to be
special.” Sir took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Even the
moments where I'm stuck on the side of the road covered from head
to toe in crap.”

“
Sir?” He
could hear the confusion in her voice.

“
I've been
trying to make this into the perfect night for us, setting the
scene, creating just the right moment. And it's impossible to make
a moment. Sometimes you just have to take them.”

“
Yes, Sir.
I agree completely.” He could feel the warmth of her smile through
the phone. He felt his resolve strengthen.

“
Babygirl,” he started. Letting out another breath, he
continued. “I love you.”

Babygirl Needs to
Think

“
Babygirl,
I love you.”

The world stopped for a second and when it began
spinning again, she realized she'd forgotten to breathe. She gasped
for breath, tears threatening to fall.

“
Babygirl?
Are you okay?” She'd never heard Sir sound so vulnerable. Her heart
cracked open a bit wider. Maybe he really meant it.

“
Do you
want me to give you some space?” The whispered question brought her
back to herself. He'd made himself so vulnerable, her big, strong
Sir.

“
No!
Please, don't go, Sir!” Swallowing hard, she continued. “I'm just
afraid. Very afraid.”

“
I know
you are, Babygirl...Katie. I mean it, though. With every ounce of
my being. I love you more than I can describe.” Her heart
contracted at the use of her real name. She could feel her grip
tighten on the phone. “But I'll give you all the time you need. You
don't have to say it back.”

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding
– again – she blinked back tears. She needed some time to think.
Not knowing what to say or how to handle the situation was sending
her mind into a tail-spin. She desperately wanted to reassure him.
The calm strength in his voice hid strong emotions; she knew that
beyond a doubt. He was being strong for her, and the last thing she
wanted to do was break his heart.

“
I need to
think, Sir. I...I didn't expect this...I...” Her voice trailed
away. Without thinking, she brought her thumb to her mouth and
began to worry the corner of her nail.

“
Babygirl,
stop biting your nails. Right. Now.” There was her big, strong Sir
again. She smiled against her thumb and pulled it away, wiping the
wet digit on her pants leg. “Look, I've got at least an hour wait
before the tow truck gets here, and then another hour or so until I
get to you. How about I give you some space and let you think?
We'll talk when I get there, okay?”

A wave of comfort passed over her as he took charge
of the situation, voicing her own thoughts. “Yes, Sir. I think
that, um, yes, I think that's perfect.” She cleared her throat.
“I'll see you when you get here. Text me when you're on your
way?”

“
Of
course, Babygirl. I'll see you soon. I lo-.” Sir stopped himself,
coughing to cover up his words. “We'll talk more tonight. See you
soon, Babygirl.”

Babygirl held the phone to her ear
until the beeping of a disconnected call broke through her
thoughts. Setting the phone to the side, she felt a sense of loss
so profound, it was as if someone had died. She wanted to turn
around and call him again, wanted to hear the warm comfort of his
voice on the phone. He was stuck on the side of the road, all his
special plans for the evening ruined first by a flat tire, then by
bad traffic, and finally by some mechanical problem with his car
that she wasn't even close to understanding.
I can barely check my own oil. How would I understand what's
wrong with his car?
Babygirl shook herself,
knowing she was veering off topic to avoid thinking about the
situation at hand.

How do I feel?
She did a mental check of herself, as she'd done for years to
make sure she wasn't overreacting – or underreacting as sometimes
happened – and to make sure her emotions weren't overriding her own
common sense. After years in a failing marriage, she didn't always
trust her own reactions. So what did she feel?

Happiness, pure unadulterated happiness. Her heart
swelled at the idea that a man like Sir might actually love her.
Fear slammed into her. If he loved her, he could leave her, and it
would destroy her. Babygirl began to tremble. She wrapped her arms
around herself to stop the shaking. If the idea of his leaving
scared her so much, then...No! She wouldn't let herself think the
thought simmering under the surface.

Collapsing on to the couch, she
pressed her face into the cushion. Closing her eyes, she pictured
him on the side of the road, standing next to his car. He would
probably pace, a man who couldn't sit still with nothing to occupy
his hands.
What if another driver loses
control? What if they veer onto the shoulder of the road and hit
him? Oh my God, what if something happens to him?
She couldn't stop the horrific images from
playing over and over in her mind.

“
What
would I do without him?” Babygirl's plaintive wail sounded small
and sad even to her own ears.

She shook her head to rid herself
of the morbid thoughts. She couldn't think like that, or she'd make
herself crazy.
Think good thoughts.
She looked over at a picture on her bookcase.
Three smiling faces looked out at her. One of the only pictures she
had with Sir and Olivia, she remembered the day it was taken.
Olivia hadn't wanted to go on the dolphin cruise until Sir promised
her she'd see magic dolphins. She was pretty sure none of them had
been magic, but they'd seen enough dolphins to make Olivia very
happy. They splurged on the souvenir photo at the end, and it was
one of Babygirl's favorite possessions.

I can't wait to tell him about
Olivia's latest word.
At the age where
mispronunciations were still common, Olivia had referred to
rotisserie chicken they'd had for dinner the other night as “rosary
chicken.” Babygirl had swallowed her giggles the night it happened
but couldn't suppress a smile at the memory. She knew Sir would
find it adorable and look for reasons to get Olivia to say it as
often as possible.

She sighed. She loved that she
could share the little details of her life with him. He always
wanted to know what was going on with her, and he seemed genuinely
interested in everything she had to say. He was the first one she
told everything to these days, before her mother or her best
friend. She told him the most mundane details.
Oh God, what if I'm boring the hell out of him?
Babygirl shook her head. What the hell was wrong
with her? The man just told her he loved her, and she was
convincing herself she bored him.

“
Ok, get
your shit together, woman! Think about this rationally!” She stood
up and began to pace around the living room. “How do I feel? And
what do I want to do about it?”

They'd only been together for a
short time, but she couldn't imagine not being in his life or
having him in hers. He was the first person she thought of in the
morning, and the last voice she heard before falling asleep every
night. Two hours and more than a hundred miles might separate them,
but he was as much a part of her life as if he lived with
her.
If he lived with me...

Babygirl's thoughts trailed off as she pictured Sir
living with her. Waking up together. Going to bed together. She
squeezed her thighs together at the image of him in her bed. She
imagined him waking up in the middle of the night, reaching out for
her, stroking her body. Closing her eyes, she felt her body respond
to the phantom touch of his finger's pressing into her labia, the
satisfied growl he would make finding her wet for him. She breathed
harder as the scene played in her mind. Stroking her clit, he would
open her legs wide, pinning one down. She'd writhe and gasp,
desperate with need.

“
Come for
me, Babygirl.” His gruff voice always melted her
insides.

Babygirl shook her head, pushing
away the dream.
But that's sex. What about
everything else?
Drawn back into her head,
she imagined fixing breakfast for him, standing at the stove,
cooking his favorite, scrambled eggs with cheese. Serving his
coffee just the way he liked. He'd come up behind her, wrap her in
his arms, and kiss her neck. She arched her neck, imagining his
breath on her sensitive skin. She felt the goosebumps rise on her
arms and legs.

“
Why do I
keep going back to sex?” Babygirl glowered in consternation. “Is
that all we are?”

Her thoughts flew back a week to Olivia's dance
recital. She still couldn't believe a child of hers had enough
grace and balance to dance. Picturing Olivia on stage, she
remembered wishing Sir had been with her. She took pictures and
video and had them ready to share with him tonight. She knew deep
down that he would have been as proud of Olivia as she was. Smiling
to herself, she had no doubt Olivia would have been ecstatic for
“Mith-ter John” to see her dance.

In that instant, Babygirl knew. She knew exactly how
she felt.

“
I love
him. Oh God, I love him so much.” She broke down in hysterical
sobs. Clutching her stomach, gasping sobs wracked her body. “What
if I lose him? I can't...I couldn't...I don't want to ever lose
him!”

She stumbled back to the couch and curled up on one
side. Staring into space, her tears flowed into the couch,
drenching the fabric. She sniffled until her nose was so stopped up
she couldn't breathe. Sitting up, the tears continued to fall.

“
What do I
do? What do I do?” Babygirl rocked herself as she chanted the words
over and over again.

BEEP-BEEP. Her phone.

The tow truck is here. On my way, Babygirl.

Excitement and trepidation filled her. Grabbing a
tissue, she blew her nose and took a deep, calming breath.

“
Jesus
Christ, Katie. Pull yourself to-fucking-gether!” When had she
become a weepy little girl?

Pacing around the room, she knew time was running
out. She needed to know her own mind before he arrived.

“
Ok, so, I
love him. I love him. I looooooooooove him.” The words sounded like
heaven and filled her with happiness. “Let's attempt to be rational
here, shall we?”

She decided not to think too hard about the fact that
she was having a conversation with herself – out loud.

“
He loves
me. He's my Sir. He loves Olivia. She loves him – I have no doubt
about that. I love him – with all my heart.” Babygirl stopped
pacing and stared into the foyer mirror, smiling. Catching herself,
she began pacing again. “Ok, well, if my goofy grin isn't proof, I
don't know what is. What's the worst thing that could happen? He
might get tired of me. Hell, maybe I'll get tired of him – yeah
right. And what's the best that could happen? A happily ever after?
Marriage? Collaring?”