“You're really starting to make this hard for me to say no.”
“And just why would you want to say no, mister?”
Derrick replied, “Where do you want me to meet you?”
“Your turn to come to me,” she wrote. “There's a little plaza down the street from my house, and I'll meet you there in one hour.”
Stephanie gave Derrick the directions, and he simply replied, “On my way.”
An hour later, Derrick roared into the parking lot, unleashing a loud rumble with each flick of his wrist on the throttle. Stephanie watched him pulling in, wearing his tattered jeans, boots, and tight-fitting white T-shirt. His style, his attitude, and his tattooed arms all fit perfectly with his motorcycle, and Stephanie was loving every inch of him. She watched him park his bike, and as he was pulling his phone from his pocket to text her, she stepped out of her car and started walking to him.
Derrick was mid-way through his text when he looked up and saw Stephanie. She was wearing a very tight, form-fitting T-shirt, very short denim shorts, and cork wedge heels. Her adorable outfit and her beautifully tanned skin made Derrick utter, “Girl, I just want to eat you up,” as she approached.
“Play your cards right, and you just might,” she flirted back. “But just be careful, I'm not as innocent as I look.”
Derrick leaned forward, inviting Stephanie to climb onto the back of his bike, and he said, “Let's roll, bad girl.”
Stephanie climbed on, and she wrapped her arms around Derrick's waist as he started the engine and brought the thunderous exhaust to life.
“Oh my God, that's loud,” Stephanie yelled into Derrick's ear.
“You just hang on,” Derrick said before suddenly driving through the parking lot and to the main road.
Derrick drove to the highway where he immediately drifted to the left lane and rapidly accelerated the bike to well over ninety miles per hour. Stephanie let out a thrilled scream as they blew past the slower cars. Stephanie yelled, “Where are we going?” but Derrick only replied by revving the motor and driving even faster.
Derrick drove about forty-five minutes west of Boston, and he exited the highway to a secondary country road. The back road rolled through gentle hills and curves, and the forest on either side of the pavement had grown so tall, a canopy of trees completely covered them. Derrick slowed his speed down, as this wasn't a thrill ride, this was something different. This was an experience to be taken in slowly and not rushed.
Stephanie's arms wrapped tighter around Derrick's waist, and her hands rubbed against his abdomen and chest as she pressed the side of her face against his back. Stephanie closed her eyes as she felt the breeze blowing over her face, and the mixed smell of Derrick's natural odor and the fresh forest air was the most intoxicating aroma she had ever sensed.
As the afternoon was wearing on, the sky began to darken from the clouds rolling in. The air became heavy with the smell of rain as the first sprinkle appeared. Derrick pulled off to the side of the road as the rain grew steadier.
As Derrick turned off the engine, Stephanie asked, “Why are you stopping? It's raining.”
“The road's going to be slick. I'm cool with risking it by myself, but not with you.”
“But Derrick, we're in the middle of the woods, and it's pouring!”
Derrick got off the motorcycle, and he lifted Stephanie to help her down. “It's okay,” he replied. “Follow me.”
Derrick took Stephanie by the hand and he ran, pulling her behind him. He found a large tree which was filled with branches and leaves, and he led Stephanie under it.
“It's not the best, but it'll do. It won't rain long,” Derrick said.
“It won't be long?” Stephanie asked. “Then I don't want to waste it.”
Her long brown hair was dripping, with rain falling down her face to her lips. Derrick's hand grabbed the back of her neck, and pulled her in to kiss her deeply. Derrick stepped forward into Stephanie, causing her to step back until she was pressed against the tree. Derrick's drenched shirt was clinging to his body, and it stuck to him as Stephanie began pulling it off. Derrick pulled Stephanie in close as he was kissing her, and each press of his lips against hers felt like her very first kiss all over again.
Derrick's hands began unbuttoning Stephanie's tiny shorts, and once undone, she couldn't get them off fast enough. As the rain fell on them, Derrick lifted Stephanie off of the ground. She wrapped her legs around him, and with her back pressed against the tree, he made passionate love to her. Stephanie was overcome with emotion since this was so different from her other experiences with Derrick. This was the kind of powerful, connecting, and loving sex Stephanie had always dreamed of having. I love this man, she thought to herself but didn't dare have the courage to say out loud.
As the passing rain began to let up, Derrick stopped making love to Stephanie. He kissed her gently and she asked, “You didn't cum. Do you want me to finish you another way?”
Derrick kissed Stephanie and replied, “You didn't either.”
“This time, it wasn't about cumming for me,” Stephanie replied.
Derrick softly said, “It wasn't for me either.”
Derrick and Stephanie dressed themselves and walked back to Derrick's motorcycle, holding hands and laughing. The ride home was bone-chilling as the cool night air rushed against their damp bodies. Stephanie pulled herself in close to Derrick to keep warm, but even the cold chill couldn't dampen her emotions. After spending years with Jacob, building a life with him, and thinking she knew what love was, Stephanie felt as though she had finally found what love was supposed to feel like.
Knowing Jacob was gone for the night, Stephanie had Derrick drive to her house. Stephanie invited Derrick in to dry his clothes, and he graciously accepted the offer.
“You're sure your husband isn't coming home?” Derrick asked.
“I'm sure.”
“One hundred percent sure?” He asked again.
“I promise. He's an airline pilot, and he's on an overnight flight, so it's not like he can just leave work early and come home.” explained Stephanie. “What's the matter, is my tough guy suddenly afraid?”
“Shut up, brat,” Derrick joked back.
“Besides,” continued Stephanie, “even if he did show up, I know you could easily kick his ass.”
“That's one lucky guy you have there,” Derrick said in jest.
Stephanie put Derrick's clothes in the drier, and he stood in her kitchen wearing only his underwear as Stephanie made coffee. “I feel like an idiot standing here in my underwear, you know!”
“Good, jerk! Now you know how I felt when you made me strip in your kitchen.” Stephanie wrapped her arms around Derrick and continued, “But you can punish me any time you want. You know I'll do anything for you, right?”
“I do. There is one thing, though, one thing I don't think you'll ever do.”
“Ask me. The worst I can say is no,” Stephanie said as she turned to finish making coffee.
“It's a little awkward to bring up,” said Derrick.
“If it's awkward for you, it's got to be bad – oh God, if you even tell me you want to piss on me, I'll kick your ass!” Stephanie said laughingly.
“I want you....” Derrick said without finishing. “I want you....”
“Come on, goofball, spit it out. You want me to what?”
“Nothing,” Derrick said. “There's nothing after it. I just want you.”
Stephanie nearly dropped the coffee mug from her hand. Without turning to look at Derrick, she asked, “What are you asking me, Derrick?”
“I want a relationship with you -- a real relationship, but it's never going to work like this. I'm telling you that I'm willing to make the jump, but only if you're in it with me.” There was a long pause with no response from Stephanie when Derrick said, “I want you to leave your husband.”
***
The following day at lunch, Karen shouted “What!?!” when Stephanie told her what Derrick said. “
Wait, wait, wait…back up. He asked you to leave Jacob?”
“He actually told me he was falling for me, and he is starting to think he's going to get hurt. Derrick said he's afraid of falling in love with me only to have me leave him and go back to Jacob.”
“What did you say? Did you tell him he was crazy?” Karen asked.
“Why would I tell him he's crazy?” Stephanie asked.
“Because, you're not really going to leave Jacob, are you?”
Stephanie said, “I think I am, Karen. I really think I belong with Derrick.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Karen asked, almost angry by the thought of Stephanie leaving her husband.
“What the hell is your problem?” Stephanie lashed out.
“I just don't see why he needs to rush you into leaving Jacob.”
“Derrick isn't rushing me into anything. He told me how he feels, and I feel the exact same way.”
Karen asked, “But why does he want you to leave your husband all of a sudden? You barely even know this guy, Stephanie! Have you lost your mind?”
“Because he said he's been hurt bad in the past, he's afraid, and no, I haven’t lost my mind,” explained Stephanie.
“Afraid? I think he's full of shit,” Karen said without reason.
“Karen, what the fuck? This is why I hate talking to you about this -- you're so wishy-washy. One day you think he's bad for me, then you think he's good, then I need to run from him, then you want me to go back to him, and now he's a liar? You don't even know him.”
“I know him better than you think,” Karen said.
“And what's that supposed to mean?” Stephanie asked.
“I know his kind. I'm telling you Stephanie, this guy's trouble!” said Karen as she got up, walked away from the table and stormed out of the restaurant.
Stephanie, completely confused and irritated by the conversation, had no idea what had just happened. It was at the same exact table where Karen had recently told Stephanie to go back to Derrick and see where this could lead. It was there that Karen suggested perhaps Derrick was the right person for her. Now, however, Karen had completely changed, and Stephanie was at a total loss for any understanding of why.
***
Stephanie arrived home, and Jacob was already there. She walked through the house without even acknowledging him, and Jacob returned in kind. Stephanie saw an empty pizza box on the counter, and since she was hungry, she asked, “Did you save me any?”
Jacob coldly answered, “Why would I?” without even turning from the television.
“Whatever, asshole.”
“Yeah, Stephanie, I'm the asshole.”
Stephanie said, “Don't even talk to me.” A moment later she continued, “When's your next overnight?”
Jacob replied, “Why so you can go fuck your boyfriend again?” without even thinking of his conversation with Mark. As soon as the words rolled from his tongue, Jacob cringed with regret.
“No, so I can have Karen over for a girls' night,” Stephanie said. “You disgust me.”
Jacob struggled not to argue back. He knew Stephanie was lying, and he wanted to challenge her on her lie, but he knew his friend was right. Jacob knew he didn't have the ammunition to win this war, and accordingly, he backed down.
“I'm sorry,” Jacob said with enormous restraint. “That was wrong of me to accuse you of something like that. You've never done anything to come even close to deserving this.” Jacob forced himself to continue, “I'll be gone on Tuesday night next week.”
Stephanie retrieved a frozen dinner from the freezer and counted down the minutes on the microwave until her meal was ready. She couldn't even stand to be in the same room as Jacob anymore, but she couldn't understand why. Stephanie knew she was the one who was betraying her husband, she knew she was the one who was violating her marriage, and she knew Jacob had never done anything even close to the sort; however, she couldn't get beyond her feeling that she couldn't stomach to be around him. The simple fact was every minute Stephanie was around Jacob, she wasn't with Derrick, and she blamed Jacob for standing in her way. As Stephanie's resentment towards Jacob grew, his own confusion of the situation multiplied, and Jacob had no idea what he had done wrong.
Stephanie finished her dinner, and she got ready for bed. Jacob was still on the living room couch when he heard Stephanie close the door to the spare bedroom. Stephanie had moved most of her things to the spare room, and she had stopped sleeping with Jacob. Their relationship had eroded from a marriage to being mere roommates. Stephanie was the love of Jacob's life, and as he watched what was happening, his heart crushed. For the first time in Jacob's adult life, he cried. Jacob had no clue where to turn next, and he decided to begin taking steps to protect himself. Jacob was ready to follow Mark's advice.
***
When the following Tuesday morning finally arrived, Jacob stayed in bed while he listened to Stephanie leaving for work. Once he was certain she was gone, he got out of bed and prepared his day. He drove his car towards a local shopping center as he dialed his cell phone.
“Hello, this is Jacob Bradford. I'm scheduled to fly flight 513, scheduled for a four o'clock departure, this afternoon.” There was a short pause, as the person on the other end spoke, before Jacob continued, “I'm feeling terrible today, and it won't be safe for me to fly tonight. I'm going to need to stay home sick.”
Jacob arrived at the store and began walking aisle to aisle, and he placed a list of items into his shopping cart. Jacob selected binoculars, a baseball cap, sunglasses, a digital voice recorder, a note pad, paper towels and glass cleaner. Jacob then went to the electronics department and began browsing video camcorders.
“Is there anything I can help you with, sir?” a young sales associate asked.
“Are you familiar with the video recorders?” Jacob asked in reply.
“I know them pretty well. What are you looking for?”
Jacob said, “I need one that has a very powerful zoom. I need to be able to see really excellent detail from a pretty good distance.”
“I know exactly what you're looking for. It's right over here,” the salesman said while pointing to the cameras on the other side of the display. “This one right here has the best zoom, and the video quality, even at full zoom, is pretty awesome.”
“This is over a thousand dollars!”
“If you want the best one we have, it's not going to be cheap. We have other digital camcorders for under a few hundred, but the quality isn't going to be there.”
“No, this is the one I need. If I get this, can you ring up everything here?”
“I sure can,” said the salesman.
Jacob left the store, and he made a beeline for the airport where he was originally scheduled to depart that afternoon. He followed the signs for long-term parking, and he drove through the parking garage until he found a spot. Jacob left his car and walked nearly a mile, along the busy airport roadway, to the car rental section of the airport. Jacob rented a very plain, run-of-the-mill sedan that would easily blend in with other cars.
Jacob sat in the rental car before leaving the lot, and he used his phone to look for a car shop that did window tinting. Jacob went to the shop and got the cheapest tint available. The window tint technician tried, without success, to get Jacob to upgrade to a higher quality tint.
“You know, the cheapest tint isn't going to last very long. The edges are going to peel, and the tinting will actually fade over time,” the technician explained.
Jacob asked, “Will it last until tomorrow?”
Confused, the employee answered, “Yeah, it will last until tomorrow.”
“Then that's all I need,” Jacob answered. “I just need it for tonight, then I'm peeling it off.”
The employee asked, “Is this your car?” as he glanced at Jacob's rental.
“If I wanted someone to give me a hard time, I'd just go call my wife. So, how about you just put the tint on the car like I'm paying you to do.”
Jacob drove to the parking garage in Boston where he knew Stephanie parked every day. He drove through the garage until he found her car. Knowing for certain her car was in the garage, Jacob exited the garage and found street parking where he could see the exit from the garage, and he just waited. At four o'clock, Jacob sent Stephanie a text message,
“I know we're fighting, but we're getting ready to take off, and I do love you.”
As Jacob finished the text and hit send, he looked up and saw Stephanie walk directly past his rental. Between the tinted windows and the unfamiliar vehicle, Stephanie didn't notice a thing. Stephanie pulled her phone from her purse and glanced at it, but she quickly returned the phone without sending a reply. Jacob knew she just saw his text and couldn't even be bothered to say anything back to him. With that single act, Jacob's hurt was beginning to turn to anger.
Stephanie walked into the pedestrian entrance to the garage, and a few minutes later, her car pulled out of the exit. Jacob followed her while being cautious to not get too close. He stayed behind her until she parked along the north side of Boston Common, Boston's largest public park. Jacob continued to drive until he found another open parking spot, but by the time he had, he lost Stephanie.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Jacob yelled while desperately swiveling his head trying to find where Stephanie went.
Jacob was parked with Boston Common to his left and a coffee shop directly to his right. He continued to look around, starting to think he blew it, when he suddenly saw Stephanie walking by his car again, and she entered the coffee shop directly next to him. Here we go, Jacob thought.
Jacob prepared the video recorder, and began recording the door to the coffee shop. He had no idea how long Stephanie would be in the shop, but he didn't want to risk missing the chance to record her with whoever she was there to meet. Jacob didn't need to wait long, and within a few moments, Stephanie emerged, hand-and-hand with Derrick. Jacob fought every urge in his body to confront the two, and he knew he needed to be fully prepared before he ended his marriage. This was only the first step, and Jacob continued to record Stephanie and Derrick as they walked to Derrick's apartment building and through the front door. Jacob saw Stephanie was carrying her purse as well as an overnight bag, and he prepared himself for the thought that Stephanie may be spending the night with this man.
The Suicide Princess Page 11