“You’re probably right. Well, at least let me drive you home. I feel terrible about knocking you to the ground. And you’re such a tiny little thing.”
“No, you don’t have anything at all to apologize for. I shouldn’t have been running in the hallway. If I hadn’t been in such a rush I would have seen you and would not have collided into you like a bat out of hell.”
They have reached his car and he stands next to the passenger side door and says, “I’ll need you to dig the keys out of my back pocket, so I don’t have to put you down.”
Venus feels a warm blush start at her chest and spread clear up to the roots of her chocolate colored hair. She has never touched a man so boldly in her life, and here is Mark Watson, of all the men in the world, inviting her to dig into his pants pocket.
“Come on Venus, I won’t bite.”
So, she does as he bade. As quickly as possible, she tugs the keys from his back pocket. Although she accomplishes the task quickly, she can’t but notice having felt what had to be the tightest buns on all the campus.
But she isn’t allowed time to reflect before Mark cuts into her thoughts by saying, “Just push the unlock button on the remote twice.”
After doing as he says, he swiftly gets the car door open, and Venus is gently deposited in the passenger seat. She has been so engrossed in being carried in his arms that she hasn’t even noticed what type of car she has been put into.
As he rounds the hood of the car to get in on the driver’s side, she sees the glove box in front of her and reads Lexus. At least now, she has some clue as to what she is riding in, not that it matters much. She is just thankful that she won’t have to struggle with getting home by means of public transportation with a sore ankle.
Mark again cut into her thoughts by saying, “Which way?”
Venus gives him the address to the apartment she shares with her two roommates and asks if he is familiar with the area. Surprisingly, he is. She never would have thought that he would be familiar with areas that aren’t as rich as the neighborhood in which he lives.
“So, what year are you Venus?”
“I’m a sophomore.”
“Have you gone to USC both years?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you before now. Especially considering we have a class in the same building.”
Venus hardly finds it surprising in the least. And she says as much, “Not surprising at all. We don’t actually frequent the same surroundings.”
“We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
Confused by this statement, Venus thinks it better just not to comment on it at all. Instead, she changes the subject to sports. “Are you planning on signing with the Crows when you’re done with school?”
“Yeah. I enjoy football so much I couldn’t imagine giving it up cold turkey.”
“And you’re so good at it. I couldn’t imagine it either.”
Mark glances quickly at Venus’ profile to find her intently staring out the window as if the passing scenery holds her entire interest. “Are you a sports fan?”
“Not really. But you don’t honestly have to be a sports fan to follow your athletic achievements.”
Mark doesn’t like that he is never far from people’s wagging tongues. He enjoys sports and recognition for his accomplishments, but he wants it to stop there. However, he resigns himself to the fact that if this is the path he has chosen, then he must take the good with the bad. “How come you aren’t a sports fan?”
“Probably because I was never athletically gifted. I tried a few sports as a kid, team sports, but I was never able to get the hang of any of them, so I just kind of lost interest all together.”
Mark slowly brought the car to a halt at the curb and parked. “What are we doing here?”
“I thought I should at least feed you lunch before I take you home, given the fact that you won’t be able to fend for yourself for a while.”
“That’s really sweet of you but entirely unnecessary. It was my fault anyway. I shouldn’t have been running in the hall.”
Mark just gives her a heart-jolting smile and exits from his side of the vehicle. Before he shuts the door, he turns to Venus and asks, “Do you like Chinese food?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll be right back.”
True to his word, in less than ten minutes he is back in the car and pulling away from the curb. It is a short drive to Venus’s house.
“Are you on the ground floor or do I need to carry you up the steps?”
“I’m on the ground floor.”
When Mark opens her car door, he leans down close to her to say, “Why don’t we eat first, then I’ll come back and get your back pack.”
“OK.” With Venus’ agreement, he scoops her into her arms and heads for her apartment building.
Once inside her apartment, he set her down on a dining room chair and asks, “Where do you keep your plates?”
For the third time since meeting this gorgeous hunk of a man, Venus again finds herself unable to utter a single word, so she points to the cabinet that holds the plates.
Mark steps up to the kitchen sink and washes his hands before placing two plates on the table, retrieving cutlery from the silverware drawer and glasses from the cabinet. Within minutes, the table has been formally dressed, and he is removing many cartons from a plastic bag and placing them in the center of the table.
Venus counts five medium sized containers and one large container. She wonders just how many people he thinks he is going to be feeding for lunch. Her thoughts must be prevalent on her face for without a word from her he says, “I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I chose five of my favorite in hopes that something would suit. But if you don’t like any of it, I will order something else to be delivered.”
“Oh, I’m sure this will be just fine. I’m not really all that fussy. Just about anything will do.”
Mark looks into her hazel eyes with his dark blue ones and says, “No. ‘Just about anything’ will not do for you.” He can hardly believe his own intensity. Here he is having lunch with a woman a few hours ago, he hadn’t even known existed but whom he is now feeling an overwhelming urge to please.
Mark has never been the type to care what a woman thought. She either liked him or didn’t. But having women like him had never been a problem. He always had women coming on to him left and right. What he had found to be a problem, was deciphering the fake and phony from the sincere and honest.
He can already tell that Venus is not the fake and phony type. Heck, she doesn’t even watch football. How much further from trying to impress him could one woman get?
She will be his. His? What is he thinking? He has a whole life and career in front of him, and he’s only twenty- two years old. His?
Yes. His. Mine. As in belonging to me and not to anyone else. His mind is made and set. Once Mark makes up his mind, there is no changing it. Venus doesn’t know it yet, but she is about to be swept off her feet.
Wife of Mine– Coming Winter 2013
About the Author
Valcine Brown lives in Southern California with her three beautiful children. She is a bundle of energy and doesn’t like being still unless she is eating, reading a book, or watching a movie.
She is an active member in her church and has often been heard to say, “If there’s food and fellowship, I’m there.” If you’re ever in the Coachella Valley, keep your eyes open, and you just might run into Valcine.
She loves to hear from her fans, so feel free to look her up on the internet at www.valcine.com where you can send her email or find out what’s in store for the future.
Additional Books by Valcine
Love After Rain– Available on Amazon, in paperback and for Kindle, and wherever paperbacks are sold. Wife of Mine– Coming Winter 2013
LaChrisAnd Productions
What kind of name is LaChrisAnd? That’s easy enough to explain. The owner named her publish
ing company after her three children: Laurice, Christopher, and Andre, the lights of her world and her reasons to be the best person she can. LaChrisAnd Productions is a publishing company based in Coachella Valley, CA. It is open to fiction, Christian fiction, poetry, and non-fiction writers who want to pursue their passion of writing and see their book(s) on the market for others to enjoy.
If you have a manuscript that you feel is appropriate for this company, please feel free to visit LaChrisAnd Productions at their website:
www.lachrisandproductions.com for submission guidelines.
We look forward to supplying you with exciting books for your reading pleasure.
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Proverbs 16:3 NIV
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