by TK Lawyer
Dexter’s was located in the middle of a busy tourist area in the heart of Orlando, and she couldn’t stand the bumper-to-bumper traffic. If it weren’t for Ruben she never would’ve made it here. However, here they were, and she was ecstatic.
“Ruben, I’ve wanted to come here forever. This is amazing, thank you.”
Ruben tossed his keys up into the air and caught them. “No problem.”
“It’s so great, I could kiss you.”
Ruben’s eyebrows shot up, and he opened his arms wide. “I’m right here. Go ahead, I’m waiting.”
“Whatever. You know I can’t, I have a boyfriend.”
“Excuses, excuses. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“Ruben…”
He laughed. “Come on, girl, I’ll race you in.”
He took off for the front door, opening it for her and several other guests right behind them. Tamara was overwhelmed and giddy with three floors of fun—two and a half of them filled with arcade games, virtual reality simulators, and other entertainment. She grabbed Ruben’s arm, shouted, “Air hockey,” and ran over to the nearest empty table.
Ruben beat Tamara at all five games, but she didn’t mind. She leaned over the table playfully and tried to cover up part of the goal with her upper body, but he expertly maneuvered the disc through her defenses.
After the fifth game, she conceded defeat and went to play ski ball and several arcade games while Ruben played a virtual reality combat simulator, wiping out aliens with blasts from a ray gun. She cheered him on to victory until she found a nearby map of the facility.
“Hey, there are pinball machines on the second floor,” she exclaimed. “I haven’t played an actual pinball machine in ages.”
Ruben shouted above the background noise. “I’ll be right there to join you. Let me play one more game.”
“Okay.” Tamara stepped to the side and waited patiently, watching Ruben shoot another round of aliens until the game ended with his demise.
He returned the gun, stepped off the platform, crooked his arm with a wink, and said, “Let’s go, Pretty Lady.”
Clanging metal paired with electronic music and whirling sounds surrounded them when they reached the pinball floor. Tamara fed three tokens into her machine, and sparkly lights and a single silver, metal ball appearing in front of the plunger greeted her. She pulled back and let the plunger rip, watching with excitement as the ball whacked through the middle, erratically hitting barriers and clanging, whirling objects along its path down toward the flippers below.
Tamara’s body gyrated and twisted against the machine throughout the game. She cried out several times as the second, and then the third metal ball continued its perilous descent through the thin gap at the very bottom.
She then cried out as the final ball fell through and ended the game. “Oh, well.”
Tamara turned to find Ruben playing on the pinball machine next to her. She marveled as he masterfully maneuvered his way to victory. “Wow, you’re doing great.”
He laughed, pressing the right flipper up to chase the metal ball away. “Hey, what can I say? When you’re good, you’re good.”
“Yeah, keep dreaming,” she shouted back.
He waved a hand up in the air. “Hey, don’t disturb the master.”
She laughed and did a comical, reverent bow behind him.
Ruben smacked the pinball machine. “Awww! You see what you did there? You made me lose my ball.”
Tamara’s eyebrows shot up with an amused grin. “Is that so?”
He grinned and swept a strand of her hair off her shoulder.
“If you didn’t have a boyfriend, Chica…” He shook his head, leaving his sentiment unfinished and lingering between them.
“Hey, are you hungry? My stomach’s rumbling.”
“Yeah, I am. Come on, let’s go get some food. They have a restaurant on the third floor.”
Ruben looped his arm around hers and led the way to the elevator.
***
It felt like old times. Ruben and Tamara fell easily into a comfortable, familiar conversation until Ruben asked about Josh.
Oh no. Tamara squirmed in her seat and hesitated, bearing in mind not to disclose everything to Ruben and not wanting to slip up. She was horrible at withholding information, but Josh’s true nature was their personal secret, and she’d never betray his trust.
After answering several of his questions, tiptoeing around subjects as much as she could without being overly obvious, she decided it was time to end Ruben’s curiosity altogether and called it a night.
“Well… guess it’s time to go home. I had a lot of fun, Ruben. Thank you. It was really nice.”
Crooking his arm, he escorted her out the door. “No problem, Princess.”
They laughed easily on the way home, remarking at the changes in the town and the changes in each other over the years. Ruben parked his car in her driveway and turned off the ignition.
“Are we going to see each other again?”
“I’d like that,” she agreed. “But for tonight I was going to invite you in and show you around the house.”
Ruben gave her a shiny, billion-dollar grin. “Lead the way.”
“I know it’s not much, but this is my humble abode. It’s home for me.”
He sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “Hey, come here. Sit next to me. I need to tell you something.”
She hesitated. “Okay. What is it? Is everything okay?”
He leaned forward and turned his head to the side to look into her eyes. “No, it’s fine, but I just want to explain something to you.” After a slight pause, he proceeded. “You remember how I stopped e-mailing you six months ago?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, there’s a reason for that.”
She prompted him to speak with a puzzled look.
“Tamara, I really like you.”
“I like you too, Ruben.”
“No, you’re not getting it. I mean, I really like you. I want us to be more than friends.”
Tamara couldn’t hide her shock. “Why are you telling me this? I’m with Josh.”
“I know, he told me. In front of everyone, I might add.”
She sighed with regret. “Yeah, sorry about that. Josh can be…somewhat possessive.”
“Yeah, I noticed. It’s okay, I guess. I just didn’t realize you’d be dating. I stopped talking to you about six months ago because I figured out how much I liked you, and it was just too painful to keep pretending we were just friends.” He looked at her intently. “I planned to move back here for us to have a chance, and now I find you’re with another man. I guess I kind of figured you’d always be there for me because, you know, we have a special relationship. I must’ve been wrong. I mean, you’re the reason I never pursued a girlfriend. I wanted you.”
“Oh, Ruben, I’m sorry, but the timing is so off. Josh and I have been dating for nine months now.”
She considered coming clean with Ruben, telling him she could never be with him because she truly loved Josh, but she couldn’t crush his heart and add to his pain. Not now, when he was baring his soul to her.
Ruben looked at her with sad eyes. “So, there’s no chance for us?”
Tamara hesitated, while wondering what to say. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her friend with her blunt honesty. She lowered her eyes to the floor and tried to think of something clever to say when Ruben pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips.
“Ruben!”
He groaned and kissed her again. This time he ventured further and slipped his tongue past her stunned, parted lips. He lowered her back down onto the sofa and claimed her soft, supple mouth, while Tamara’s back went rigid and she froze.
She pictured Josh in her mind. What would he say if he found them in this compromising position? Oh, God.
Immediately, she began squirming away from Ruben.
Ruben whispered near her ear. “You’re gorgeous, Tamara. I�
�ve wanted you for so long.”
He tried to slip a hand under her blouse but she pulled away, saying, “Ruben, no! I can’t do this.” She shoved her arms against his chest. “Why are you being like this? We have a wonderful friendship, please don’t ruin it.”
He stood up and adjusted his shirt and pants before walking to the front door.
Tamara shouted, scampering after him. “Wait! Please don’t leave. Not like this.”
He stood back and grinned. “I don’t think we have anything else to talk about, do you?”
“But I don’t want to lose your friendship.”
His fingers tenderly stroked the side of her face. “It was good, wasn’t it?”
Her heart fell as she got his underlying message. Ruben was saying good-bye. She watched, sadly, as he backed his car out of her driveway and permanently out of her life. Tamara closed the door and leaned her back against it. A stray tear fell down her cheek. She missed Josh, a lot.
“I should’ve gone to Chicago with him,” she whispered before a flood of tears joined the one that slipped away.
***
Josh called the following night, and the next two nights after that but Tamara let all of his calls go straight to voicemail. She wanted to talk to Josh, but couldn’t.
His words reverberated in her mind—no secrets. He wanted none between them, and neither did she, but postponing talking to him was the only thing she could do right now. She couldn’t tell him about Ruben, and she needed time to come up with a plan. A good, viable plan that wouldn’t blow up in her face and leave him upset. It was going to be a challenge.
She hated not returning his phone calls. It broke her heart upon hearing his last voicemail, where he pleaded for her to call him back. Josh sounded distressed and desperate. He said he was lonely without her. She’d never been this miserable in her entire life.
The few days without him seemed to be spiraling into weeks. She sat back in her chair and considered what to do. She couldn’t continue ignoring his phone calls, but she couldn’t talk to him, either.
She decided to text her excuses instead. I got your phone calls Josh, but I was: in bed, busy, left my phone at home, didn’t hear the phone ring, out shopping, etc, etc.
Her last flimsy excuse to him he didn’t answer back, and she wondered why. She looked at her silent phone. She didn’t want to lose Josh over a meaningless kiss and a feel-up she didn’t initiate. She loved him too much to ever lose him.
Still, she was surprised when she found him at her house the next day, one night earlier than expected.
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE -
Josh opened Tamara’s car door for her after she parked in her garage.
“Josh. What are you doing here?”
He snickered. “Good to see you too, Tamara. I caught an early flight. I couldn’t wait any longer to come back to you. Come here, I’ve missed you.” He pulled her tightly to him and growled against her shoulder. “My God, you smell good. I’ve missed you so much, my love.”
He wrapped his hand behind her head and pulled her toward him, kissing her senseless. His hands roamed down past the small arch of her back onto her buttocks, where he squeezed and massaged them deeply, impressing upon her his burning, escalating need.
“Ooh! Josh, that feels sooo good. I’ve missed you too.”
He pulled back with a devilish grin. “You know what would feel even better?”
“You’re so naughty.” She shied away. “And I’ve missed that, too.”
He sighed heavily against her cheek. “Now, my darling.” He curled her into his strong arms. The tone of his voice shifted from sensual to serious. “Tell me why you didn’t return my calls.”
Her eyes flashed open. Oh no. Was he questioning her already? She didn’t even get a chance to bring her briefcase into the living room yet.
His eyes searched hers.
She bit her lower lip.
“What are you hiding from me?”
Tamara wriggled in his arms, trying to break free, but he tightened his grip and held her still.
Her heartbeat kicked up several notches and galloped like a racehorse dashing for the finish line. Josh seemed to tower over her, his stance dominant and unyielding. She never noticed before how tall and strong he was. Suddenly, the comfort level and the amount of air available in the room seemed to change, and her breaths became shorter.
“You’re scared. I can feel it. Why? Talk to me.”
She ducked reflexively, but still couldn’t bring herself to speak. She was afraid to.
Taking hold of her elbow, Josh pulled her into the house, slamming the garage door behind them. He walked her over to the couch and pushed her onto it.
Her bottom smacked the seat cushion. “What are you doing?”
“Getting the truth out of you.” He paused and tilted his head to the side. “By the way, it’s nice to hear your voice again. Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on? Was it Ruben?”
Tamara couldn’t help it; she cringed when Josh said Ruben’s name.
She tilted her chin up in defiance, attempting, again, to change the subject. Maybe an argument would take his mind off her lack of contact. “Oh. Are you ordering me around now?”
He glared and pointed at the couch. “You’re not leaving until you tell me what happened while I was gone. What’s so important that you couldn’t return my calls?”
“I texted you!”
“Oh, come on, Tamara! I told you about our bond and the pain we’d experience while apart. Why did you make it worse by not speaking to me?”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize I caused you extra pain. It was really hard being away from you.”
He sat down next to her and held her arm in his tight grip. “So…Now comes the part where you’re going to tell me what happened. I want to know.”
She stared down at her hands. He tilted her chin up and kept her from looking away. Unable to move, she weakened with each second that ticked by. She squirmed and murmured, but he wouldn’t let her go. Her lips parted, and she spilled out random words. “Ruben kissed me. Oh God--we were on the couch and it just happened, but I pushed him away immediately. Oh God, don’t look at me that way.”
Josh exploded off the couch. His hands balled into fists as he took off for the door. “I’ll kill him! Where does he live?”
Tamara rushed past him and pushed her hands against his solid chest. “Josh, no!”
“No one touches you but me!”
“It’s okay, I stopped it. It didn’t mean anything.” Her hands trembled against his chest. “Josh, please, you’re scaring me. Sit down and let me explain, please.”
He placed one hand over the top of hers and drew in a long, deep breath before he spoke. “I’m sorry, Tamara. Fear, from me, is the last thing I want you to feel.” He kissed the back of her hands. “I’m sorry that happened. I’ll sit down and listen to your explanation before I make any more judgments.”
She fell away from him, light-headed and slightly nauseous. Josh scooped her up with one arm and placed her gently onto the couch.
“Oh my God,” she slurred, a bit woozy. “You really are strong. I’m not a little thing, you know.”
He knelt beside her and kissed her cheek. “I’m really sorry, Tamara. I just don’t want anyone taking advantage of you in any way. Tell me everything that happened, I’m listening.”
Josh kissed her again and continued kissing her, planting a sensuous, burning trail down her neck and onto the sensitive sloping juncture between her neck and her shoulder.
Tamara moaned and kissed Josh on the lips. “Josh, I was scared to tell you. That’s why I didn’t call you. I wanted so badly to talk to you and to hear your voice, but I didn’t know how to explain what happened with Ruben.”
He snarled.
“I just want you to know that I put an end to it immediately—and it was nothing more than a kiss. Honey, that’s all that happened. I feel awful though, because apparently he’s been in love with me for quite a wh
ile. I kept telling him that I’m with you, but that didn’t seem to matter. He didn’t do anything else, I promise. Nothing else, or I would tell you.”
“You didn’t ask him to kiss you or…” He closed his eyes, unable to finish his sentence.
“No, of course not. Never.” She cupped the back of his head and looked straight into his eyes. “Honey, I love you and only you.”
Relieved, he closed his eyes and exhaled. “One of my former pack member’s mates, cheated on him, and it nearly destroyed him. I know you didn’t cheat on me. I know you have no intention of it, but if it ever happened I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I will always be loyal to you and I expect the same.”
“You must know how I feel about you. I don’t believe in going behind people’s backs to do anything. I’m very upfront, and I feel the same as you. If things ever got so bad, I would hope we’d both try to do everything we could to save our relationship before either of us considered straying.”
He sighed heavily and nodded. “Well, this just goes to prove that we can’t be apart from each other. Next time I’m taking you with me.” His fingers lightly caressed her cheek before they splayed out into her silky hair. “I must keep you by my side always.”
Tamara lifted up from the couch and threw her arms around his neck. He kissed her before she changed her mind.
“Nothing like that will ever happen again. If it’s any consolation, Ruben’s gone—for real this time—and I don’t think he’s coming back. I guess our friendship wasn’t worth anything to him.”
“He wasn’t a good friend to you anyway, not if he could put you in a compromising position without taking your feelings into consideration.”
Tamara ran her fingers through his dark hair. “You’re right, as usual. I love you.”
He pulled her down onto the floor and pushed her gently back against the soft carpet, surrounding her within his strong arms. He teased her, molding his firm body to hers. She called out his name.
“Right answer.” His lips brushed behind her earlobe. “I missed you, Tamara. I missed you so damn much, and I’m ready to make up for lost time.”