Taking the Plunge (6 page)

“Yeah. I just got checked out a few weeks ago. I’ll show you my papers.”

“No, your word is good enough.”

“I don’t mean to be a dick, but I have to ask. Are you clean?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I’m ready for that level whenever you are. No pressure.”

“I would like to try it,” she said as she pressed her face close to his.

“Now?”

She nodded.

“When I invited you over here, it wasn’t to have sex. I want to talk to you and do things with you. We can do it another time.”

Nancy leaned in and kissed him gently, parting his lips with her own. He moaned into her mouth, not expecting the intimate touch. His hand hooked around her waist and pulled her to his chest. She felt warm in his embrace. It was a moment she had been waiting forever for. She had never made love to someone before, giving herself to someone else completely.

Derek crawled on top of her and continued to kiss her, their bodies separated by an inch. She wrapped her legs around his waist, digging her fingers into his hair. She felt her heart slam in her chest, beating in tune with his. Derek would break their kiss and look into her eyes while he rubbed his hands over, enjoying the moment with her. The sight made her spine shiver. She felt loved by him, appreciated. He finally looked at her the way she always wanted. His mouth sealed over hers again as he positioned himself over her body.

Nancy grabbed his hips, anxious to feel him.

Derek licked his hand then wiped the head of his cock before he pointed it at her entrance. He slid inside with no resistance. Nancy gasped loudly, feeling his bare flesh touch her own. It felt so much better than the latex of a condom. He moved against her, making her shake.

Derek held himself over her, shaking as he moaned incoherently. “Shit, this feels good.”

“Yeah,” she said as she dug her nails into his skin.

He moved slowly, reaching all the way inside her before he pulled out, pushing the tip back in. The sound of
his cock sliding into her center was loud on her ears. She could hear just how wet she was. She ran her hands up his chest, feeling him move deep inside her.

Derek kept biting his lip as he looked at her, trying to control himself.

“I’m almost there,” she said, reading his mind. She gripped his shoulders and rocked her hips into him, increasing their pace as they made love on his bed. It felt so good, so different than any other experience she had, and she continued to sigh and moan.

Derek reached down and rubbed her clit in circles, trying to bring her to the edge that he now stood on. The combination of both gave her the final push she needed.

“Derek,” she said as she breathed into his mouth.

He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her while the orgasm rocked through her, the best she ever had. She moaned into his mouth, enjoying every second until it was finally over.

Derek pulled away and looked into her eyes. “Can I cum inside you?”

“God, yes.
Please.”

He moaned at her words
and increased his pace, grabbing her face as he looked into her eyes. “I’m there….I’m there.”

She gripped his back, holding onto him.

He grunted as the explosion hit him. “Oh…yeah.”

She ran her fingers through his hair while she kissed his neck, letting him finish.

When he was done, he pulled out of her then lay beside her, catching his breath. “That was fucking amazing.”

“It felt good, huh?”

“I had no idea pussy felt so incredible.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close.

She snuggled next to him, feeling safe in his arms. Th
e light from the streetlamp filtered through his blinds and made the room slightly illuminated. Even though his eyes were closed, he still ran his hand up and down her side.

“Derek?”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever had a girl stay over before?”

“No.”

“I’m the first?”

“Yeah. I don’t like sleeping with people.”

“Then why are you sleeping with me?”

“You’re different. You’re my girlfriend. And as long as you aren’t a blanket hog, we’ll be fine.”

She laughed. “Okay.”

He grabbed his phone and set the alarm. “Your dad okay with you staying over here?”

“He won’t even notice.”

He didn’t say anything to that. He pulled her closer to his chest. “The guys didn’t tell me to do this. They just told me you were dumping me. I just wanted you to know that.”

“It didn’t make a difference to me.”

“I still wanted you to know.”

“Well, now I do.”

He kissed her on the forehead, making her flinch, then snuggled beside her. “Good night, baby.”

“Good night.”

5

Nancy came home early the next morning, a smile on her face and a skip in her step. She walked into the kitchen, still wearing the same out
fit as the day before, and put two frozen waffles into the toaster.

Her dad walked down the hallway a moment later, fixing the tie around his neck. “Got a long day today,” h
e said as he opened his briefcase and moved his files around.

Disappointment flooded her body when she realized her father didn’t notice she was gone all night. She wearing the same clothes, her hair was a mess, and her face was makeup free. It was an advertisement for the walk of shame and he didn’t give a damn.

Her dad poured himself a mug of coffee and downed it.

“At least the weekend is here,” Nancy said, squirting syrup onto her plate.

“Thank goodness,” he said. “I’ll be doing some business, so I’m staying at the other house because it’s closer.”

Nancy thought he was a horrible liar.
“Whatever.”

“I’ll be g
one all weekend.”

She wanted to grab the toaster and throw it at his head. He didn’t listen to anything
she said. “I had sex last night with my boyfriend.”

He was bent over his briefcase, looking for something when
he spilled a drop of coffee on his tie. “Damn. I just got this one.” He went back to his room, leaving his coffee and briefcase on the counter.

“Fucking asshole,” she mumbled under her breath. Her waffles popped up and she threw them on her plate. She stood at the counter and ate, waiting for him to come back. When he emerged, he was wearing a yellow tie. He grabbed his suitcase then headed for the door.

“Bye, kiddo.”

She didn’t say bye because he wouldn’t hear her anyway. As soon as the door closed, she felt the silence in the room, her loneliness echoing around her. Even the wonderful evening she had with Derek couldn’t make her forget about the pain in her heart. She pushed it to the back of her mind and forgot about it.

When she finished her morning classes, she went to the cafeteria and saw her friends already sitting there.

Nancy sat down, a smile on her face.

“You’re in a good mood today,” Henry said.

“Because I got laid.”

Sydney smiled. “You aren’t breaking up after all?”

Nancy looked at Coen. “Thank you for talking to him.”

“What did he do?” Coen asked.

Nancy told them about the moving gesture.

Both Ren and Sydney awed.

“I’m so glad you worked it out,” Sydney said.

“Yeah,” Nancy said. “I was waiting for him to change but I never thought it would happen. I’m glad I was wrong. I even spent the night over there.”

“Sounds serious,” Henry said.

“About time,” Nancy said. “We’ve been dating for months.”

“I wonder where he is,” Sydney said. “He’s usually the first on here.”

Derek appeared and placed a turkey sandwich in front of Nancy. “Is this okay?”

She smiled at him, her eyes clouded with emotion. “It’s the tastiest sandwich I’ve ever seen.”

He smiled then sat beside her, his own sandwich on his plate. Derek leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek. “How are you?”

“Good.
You?”

“I’m better now.”

Coen winked at him and Henry gave him a thumbs up.

Derek took a bite of his sandwich then looked at Nancy. “
You coming to my competition on Saturday?”

“It’s this Saturday?”

“Yeah. Can you make it?”

“Of course
, I’ll be there,” Nancy said. “I just didn’t realize it was so soon.”

“Yep.
And I’m going to win,” Derek said.

She rubbed his back. “I’m sure you will.”

“We’ll all be there,” Coen said.

“Cool,” Derek said. “I appreciate it.”

Nancy ate her sandwich with a smile on her face, feeling happier than ever. This was exactly what she wanted. It took a long time to arrive, but it finally did. She spent the rest of her lunch with her friends, Derek whispering in her ear every few minutes. He kept telling her how much he loved not using a condom. She rolled her eyes and hushed him.

After lunch, she went to her microbiology class and waited for Dr. Drake to pass back the exams. When he came to her, he put it face down on the desk.

“You look better today,” he whispered.

“I’m a lot better.”

“I’m glad you solved your problem.” He left and handed the exams back to the other students. When she flipped her paper over, she saw that she got a B. Relief washed through her. She was so certain that she failed it.

She went to her art class afterward and talked to her friends about the art exhibit.

“They are accepting candidates today. Only today,” Shelly said.

“Only today?”
Nancy said. “Good thing you told me.”

“So you’re going to do it?” Tiffany asked.

“I guess….”

Shelly patted her on the arm. “Come on. Don’t be scared. Art is about expressing
yourself. There is no good or bad. There are only pieces that speak to people. You have nothing to lose.”

Nancy took a deep breath. “I guess you’re right.”

After her class was over, she went home and dug the painting out of the closet. When she looked at it, she saw the world she created, even if her dad didn’t see a single thing. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. She was going to do this. If they picked her painting, great. If not…well, she would worry about that when it happened.

She drove to J and K Showcase and parked outside. It wasn’t what she expected it to be. It was a Victorian style house with a large yard full of trees and flowers. The bottom part of the house looked like the art exhibit and the top floor seemed to be the residential area. She walked to the front door and knocked.

A woman answered and greeted her. “Let me guess. You’re here for the competition?”

“Yeah,” Nancy said as she held her painting.

“Come in and we’ll fill out the paperwork.”

The room was covered in hardwood floor with white walls. The lights in the center of the room pointed at the walls, highlighting them. The woman walked to the large desk and sat down.

“Can I have your name?”

“Nancy Erikson.”

“Is that the name you would like to use or do you have an alter ego?”

“No,” Nancy said. “My name is fine.”

“Okay,” the woman said as he wrote it down. “We’ll notify you if your painting is chosen. If not, you can come pick it up.”

“Thank you.” She placed the painting against the wall. “Does Thatcher Adams live here?”

“I can’t divulge his personal information.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. Could you just tell him I’m a big fan?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you,” Nancy said as she left the house.

“And good luck, Ms. Erikson.”

Na
ncy came back to the car then drove home. It was late afternoon when she came back into the house. She decided to call Derek since she didn’t have any plans. She missed him and wanted to invite him to her place tonight. She knew her father wouldn’t be home all weekend.

“Baby?”

“Hey,” she said, a smile in her voice.

“What’s up?”

“Can I see you tonight?”

“Oh. Actually, I’m surfing tonight since the competition is tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay.” She didn’t even think of that.

“But…I’m probably ready for it. I want to see you too.”

The words moved her heart. “No, it’s okay, Derek. I know this is important to you.”

“You’re important to me too.”

“Can I come and watch you?”

“Sure,” he said excitedly. “I’m leaving now.”

“I’ll meet you there.” She hung up then left the house, driving down the road until she reached the right spot. She was sitting on the sand when he approached her, wearing his swim trunks.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey,” she said as she stood up.

He kissed her then pulled away. “You’ll save me if a shark comes?”

“No. You’re on your own,” she said with a laugh.

He rubbed his nose against hers. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to get eaten anyway.”

“Do you always surf alone?”

“No. Some buddies are coming. They just aren’t here yet.”

“Oh okay. You scared me for a second.”

“I’m not stupid, despite what Coen and Henry may tell you.”

“And me,” she teased.

He kissed her again. “I’ll see you later.”

She sat down on the sand and watched him paddle out to sea. He rode the waves for a while until he found one he wanted. He swam into it then jumped up, riding the waves and shredding the water as he glided, making the sea obey his every command.

Nancy was mesmerized by the sight. She always thought surfing was cool, but the sport didn’t catch her attention. Now the look on Derek’s face caught her notice. He was focused and determined, almost in a trance as he worked the board. She had never seen him look so tense and serious. It was how she looked when she painted. Perhaps they had more in common than she thought.

A few other guys arrived at the beach and joined Derek in the water. He was out there for hours, never tiring or growing fatigued. If the sun didn’t set and brought the world into darkness, he would still be out there. When the sun was almost gone, Derek finally came back to shore.

“You’re going to win,” she said to him.

He pulled his wet hair out of his face and smiled at her. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

He kissed her then pulled away. “That means a lot to me.”

“I’m not just saying it.”

“I know.”

“So, you want to do something?”

He looked sad. “Baby, I should probably get to bed. I—”

“
It’s okay, Derek. I understand. I know tomorrow is a big day for you.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t want to make you mad.”

“Don’t worry about it. Get some rest.”

“Okay. You’ll be here tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll be cheering you on.”

Derek took her hand and walked her to the car. He threw his board in the back of his truck then kissed her hard on the mouth. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

“Can you text me when you get home?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just want to know when you’re home.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

He got into his car then waited for her to leave first. She waved before she drove away, leaving her heart behind.