by Shelby Clark
She sighed. No, it can’t be him. Besides it wasn’t me that saw the bulge. It was Dee. “And what the hell is a DTD moment?”
Dee answered, “What? Oh, DTD means ‘Drop The Draws,’ panties or underwear or whatever you are wearing moment.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it,” TC acknowledged.
“Well, you know El is a professional, responsible, and intelligent woman. And she is also very much in love with herself, flirtatious, and promiscuous. She’s not looking for a serious relationship right now. She is all about her career. Maybe one day she may slow down, but she’s happy with herself. How she chooses to live does not make her a bad person. It’s her preference, and it’s her life. We love her, and she loves us.
“Girl, you know she got this. She will be back before you know it. Stop acting brand new. You know what your problem is, don’t you?” Dee implied. “I agree with El on this one, TC. You really do need to release some of that tension you have built up inside from school. You are doing very well and you work really hard. But all work and no play is not good for anyone. I hope you meet someone while you’re in Rio and play a little. If he is special and treat you good, let him hold you a bit, girl!”
“Shut up with that,” TC growled.
* * * *
I’m so glad we have finally arrived at the hotel. I’m so tired.
“Ok, ladies, let’s get to our room, shower, and go over our itinerary. I am tired and feeling a little jet-lagged from the plane,” TC said.
“Yes, sir!” Dee and El answered.
“Well since you’re taking care of all the plans you will be the last one in line for the shower,” Dee retorted while laughing.
“Well, I think I rather take a foamy bubble bath with some lavender sea salt to exfoliate my skin,” El added. “I want to be nice and soft when I meet up with Rafael. Girl, he gave me something to think about on that plane. He said he would be my personal heart doctor. He was wonderful. It was amazing all he did in five minutes. Imagine if time wasn’t an issue and we had all night for him to examine me. Lord have mercy on me! Girl, it’s enough to make you weak in the knees!”
“El, are you saying we’re not spending time together?” TC complained. “Why did we come together? I thought we were going to have fun together as sisters. What are you doing? You just met pops on the plane. How can you just meet up with him?”
Dee and El grabbed TC’s hand as they led her to the balcony. Dee began to massage TC’s shoulders as El talked to her. “TC, chill. Look out there. Step onto the balcony and close your eyes for a minute. Clear your mind.”
As TC closed her eyes while El was talking, all she could think of was Professor Seth Howard. First, anger filled her mind and body as she remembered the woman at the complex and the comments the students walking by made, but then she thought about the kiss she and Professor Howard shared, his blue eyes, his coal black curls, the huge bulge in his pants pressing against her, and the hardness of her own nipples. Oh Seth, I want you so bad…
“Feel the nice soft breeze blowing against your body. Now take a deep breath and let it out slowly. This time smell the air. Listen to all the sounds around you, the ocean, and the palm trees swaying back and forth, the birds tweeting. Open your eyes slowly and take in the scenery. We have seven days to experience this beautiful island. Yes, we will have activities together and some apart. How are we to meet men if we are always together? And suppose you meet someone and you decide to get your groove on. Do you want Dee and me there watching your every move, especially every stroke he makes? You know me, I’m not watching anything. I’m about participation. I’m going to have my man present too.”
“Ah, no thank you! Plus, can I tell you something?” TC to collect her thoughts.
“Yeah girl, what is it?” El replied.
“It’s been a very long, long, long, time.” TC admitted.
Dee chuckled. “Oh, we know! That’s why you are off the hook. Plus, you keep moaning somebody’s name in your sleep. You got the hots, or your subconscious mind wants somebody.”
“What? I do not. Stop saying that. And I don’t like anyone. Men get on my nerves. They are so sneaky, pretending, and cheating. All they want to do is use women and lead them on. Well, not this sister. You can pull the wool over somebody else eyes. My eyes are wide open, and I see his every move. Yeah, think I don’t know. Watch this,” TC shouted as she headed to the door to leave the hotel room.
El yelled with puzzlement in her tone, “Wait, what the hell are talking about? Where are you going?”
“To the spa,” TC responded as she opened the door. “I think I need some alone time for a moment. I am going to go to the spa and shower there and maybe catch a little boat tour around the island.”
Later, when she’d finished her shower, the cabana assistant waited for her. “Ma’am. If you would like a drink, the Tikke Bar is here for your pleasure. We have alcohol and fruit beverages. There are also some snacks available for you as well. Did you enjoy your shower? Are you ready for your massage?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you. I am also ready for my massage,” TC replied. She sipped on a glass of wine to relax and ate a couple pieces of fruit before she lay down on the table. TC closed her eyes and relaxed.
“Ok, I’m going to remove your robe and cover you with this light sheet, instructed the assistant. “I will put some soft classical music on and turn the lights down low. Your masseuse will be in shortly.”
TC dosed off to a light sleep.
“May I be your masseuse? I volunteer here a lot during my spare time.”
“Yes, yes that feels very good. I like when you touch me like that. That turns me on. Your hands feel so strong. Hold me tight. You’re caressing me in all the right places. It’s been so long. I want you now, Seth,” TC muttered.
“I want you too, Casey. I’ve wanted you for a long time now.”
TC turned over and looked up. “Seth, am I dreaming? TC responded softly welcoming his passionate kiss. She embraced his hand, squeezing her thighs as Seth massaged between her legs as she received the heavy flow of moisture from within. “This feels so good. I mean no, no. I would rather you leave.”
“You said I could be your masseuse. You want me just as much as I want you. Why are you fighting the connection?”
“I’m not fighting anything. I just need to be alone now that’s all.”
“Ok, Ms. Shaw, I am leaving now. She jumped at the sound of the door closing and sat up.
The assistant entered the room. “Ok, ma’am. Did you enjoy your massage?” the assistant asked. “I must say you do look better than you did before when you first came in. You look as if a lot of tension has been released.”
TC answered, “Ah, yes. I do feel a lot better. But I also feel horny. Damn, I didn’t want to stop, but I can’t let him know I’m falling for him. I hate feeling like that, and I’ve been feeling it a lot lately. “Thank you. I’ll never forget that massage.”
“That’s when you know your massage was very effective,” the assistant answered, laughing.
Something that feels that good shouldn’t be so wrong, and I never felt so relaxed. I will go with that. Hell, I might come back and let it happen again. Maybe Dee and El are right. Maybe I do need to get laid. If that was close to it, I want more of it.
TC heard the professor’s voice nearby, eliciting chills all over her body, then a feeling of embarrassment. Oh my god, I just realized, I was naked under those sheets.
“Ahh, yes, I left my watch in room two,” the professor stated.
TC’s gaze was drawn directly to the number two carved into her door and then to the watch that lay on the stand beside her massage table.
“OMG,” TC whispered while standing frozen to the spot in fear that she might get her wish after all. She was nervous that she and the professor might end up finishing what was about to get started during her massage. The door swung open, and the tall professor walked in and paused while picking up his watch.
“Hmmm.”
He turned and walked out the room, closing it behind him.
“Ok, the bonus questions for five million dollars are—Why is he here? And was he my masseuse? We almost had sex. He touched me in all the right places, but man I don’t know how to do that. I still don’t trust him. I can’t allow that to happen again. I am here to have a good time, and he’s not going to stop me. I’m not even going to mention it to El or Dee because I don’t want to hear all the cynical jokes. So I’ll just find my tour guide for now.”
Chapter Seven
Surprised at Sunset
“Ok, I think I’m lost now. You would think someone with a huge map of the world on their wall would know how to read an island map. I’m about to receive a dual Bachelor’s degree, and I feel so stupid right now.” TC dropped her map in the water and wasn’t able to retrieve it. “Why did I opt to be my own guide of this stupid island where I’ve never been before? No, instead of staying on the boat trail Ms. Know-It-All Shaw had to take a detour.” She decided to calm down and take in the scenery. “This place is so beautiful. I just want to see everything. This place seems like an island within the island. I could live here forever. Then again, I might be here forever if no one comes to find me. Heck! It’s starting to rain, and very hard.” TC yelled as she ran toward a cave. “I’ll just stay inside this beautiful cave.”
Look at the reflections of the light, water, and shells on the walls. Not paying attention to the bed of shells in the sand, TC twisted her ankle as she stepped onto a large seashell. “Ouch! Damn. What the hell! This shit hurts!” She tried to stand but to no avail.
Beginning to really get scared, she started to cry with anger and frustration until she heard a voice. Someone called her name. “I’m here! I’m here! I’m in the cave,” TC answered.
Is that Professor Howard I hear? “No, say it’s not so. Please don’t let it be. Before she could finish her thought, Professor Howard appeared at the entrance of the cave.
“Casey, are you alright? There’s a search party out for you. Your friends are looking for you. The tour guide said you were last seen on the self-tour-trail. What happened? How did you get off track? Did you lose your map? I saw your canoe drifting down stream, then this beautiful lagoon, and I just assumed you would venture out to admire it. Even in the rain it’s beautiful here.
“Nonetheless, the river is too high and rough to leave now. We may be stuck here until the rain stops, and that doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon. Plus, it’s sunset now.”
“No, I don’t want to stay here over night!” TC looked out from the cave entrance at the rain coming down harder.
“Wait! Why are you looking for me?” TC asked, knowing the answer already.
“You already know the answer to that question. You know I care very much about you,” Professor Howard answered as he moved closer. “Are you alright?”
“Do I look alright?” TC answered sarcastically. “What the hell are you doing here? Why are here the same time I am? Why of all the people on this island did you show up and find me? The way you take advantage of women is unheard of. So are you going to hurt me too? I won’t say a word about what you did to that woman in the complex. My mouth is shut. I am here just trying to relax before I graduate. Your business is your own. I want nothing to do with you.”
Professor Howard interrupted, “That’s enough, Casey! I think you said a mouth full. How can something so beautiful be so bitter?”
TC covered her mouth with her hand. “Bitter? I’m not bitter,” TC answered. “I just don’t take no stuff off pretenders, or people that are perpetrating the fraud.”
Oh my god he looks good. I can’t stop thinking about kissing him, and my foot hurts so badly. I wish he would massage it or hold it, better yet hold me.
“Look, Casey, can we talk like too adults here. After all we’re both stranded here on this lagoon together. We might as well clarify the misconceptions we’re apparently experiencing, and clearly you’re in a lot of pain. Is it your foot? I brought a backpack with me. I have an emergency kit and some survival tools. We will be alright. I’m a nature man at heart and a certified first respondent. I’m qualified and equipped for the situation at hand.”
He knelt down in front of her and held out his hand. TC looked at it as he reached toward her foot. Just the touch of his big, strong hands make me melt on the inside. Oh my god. I want him to touch me all over. I can’t stop fantasizing about it. Yes, lord it’s been a long time. I want to give in so bad. I don’t know how much I can control myself. Oh Seth, I need you so bad. Please have your way with me.
TC hesitated. “Huh, it’s ok. I just twisted it. I think I stepped on a shell or a rock or something. I wasn’t watching where I was walking.” Seth caressed her ankle. “Ow! Got-dag-it!”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be a little gentler. I know you’re in pain. You’re trying to act tough, but it’s not necessary. I am a nice guy and I’m going to prove it to you. We are also going to talk about why you’re so hostile toward me. You’re so beautiful. I will handle you like a delicate flower. I’ve seen a lot of women in and out my classroom, and none of them exemplify the character you have. I love your feistiness. You remind me of the women in my family. You’re determined and strong-willed.”
TC listened with her mouth hanging open. “Ok, what’s going on here? What are you trying to pull?”
Seth’s eyebrows rose. “It’s obvious you don’t trust anyone, especially men, because you would not be so defensive with me.”
She rolled her eyes at him and tried inching away to put space between them. “Don’t try to analyze me. Oh, don’t tell me, you have a background in psychology too, right? Yeah, yeah, whatever, man.”
He sighed with impatience and held up his hands as if in surrender. “Ok, ok, stop. Let’s both take a deep breath, and then you can ask me any questions you may have, and I will answer them honestly.”
“Ok, that sounds great to me because I have a handful of questions for you too,” TC exclaimed.
She heaved a sigh and started. “First, question. Why are you so persistent?”
“Well, when I see what I want, I pursue it at all costs. I’m just about done. That’s why I have your leg across mine in front of me. I also thought it would help calm you down, so you wouldn’t focus on the pain,” Seth replied.
TC responded under her breath. “Yeah, it’s doing more than calming me down. It’s making me feel aroused.”
“What did you mumble?” he asked.
“Oh nothing. Anyway where were we? Oh yes, so why do you feel you have to have me?”
“When our eyes met, I felt something, and I wanted to know what it was, and the more I ran into you, the more I wanted to know you. The small encounters we had didn’t help either. So from this point on you can call me Seth. No more Professor Howard while we’re here. Is it ok that I call you Casey?”
“Hold on, I’m asking the questions now. You will soon find out. And no, you cannot call me Casey. You can call me TC. No more Ms. Shaw. Who was the woman you were arguing with in the next building in my complex where I live?”
“The woman is my brother’s ex-girlfriend. She and my younger brother had a bad breakup. My brother and I own the complexes that are across from your condo. We rent them out to some of the students and faculty at the University. However, he’s a player, and apparently he got involved with this woman. The woman is a bit on the wild side if you ask me. She didn’t want the relationship to end.” Seth ended his sentence and got quiet.
“Ok, keep it coming. What else? Don’t stop there. Tell it all,” TC demanded.
“What-else-what? What else do you want to know?”
“You know—why were you there, and what was going on during both incidents!”
“Well, my brother asked me if I could try to talk to her. So I went there. When I got there I knocked on the door and rang the bell a couple of times. She took a long time coming to the door. I could hear her inside. When she opened the door I saw that she was half d
ressed. I said to myself this is not a good situation.
“I just said to her, look Cherie, Heath is no longer interested in you and you know this. You two have been apart for months now. Just let it go and move on. Stop harassing him. Let it go. Then she started coming on to me. She grabbed my arm, and my reflexes made me pull away as I was walking away from her. When I looked from my peripheral vision, I saw that she made herself fall to the ground.
“She was out there in a see through robe. People were looking from their balconies and windows. I heard a lady yell for me to get out of there and she saw the whole thing. I knew I did nothing wrong, and I left.”
“Well did you look?” TC asked.
“Look at what?”
“Don’t play with me, her ass, her body? You noticed the see through robe. What else did you notice? I know how you men are. You all are raunchy.”
“No, what I did notice is some loud mouth woman on a balcony waving her fist at me. So again, I drove off.”
“And… I said keep it coming, sir,” TC commanded.
“You are a bossy little thing. I would never have imagined. You don’t take any stuff off of anybody do you?” Seth said laughingly.
TC responded sharply, “Oh you think I’m funny? I’m not here to amuse you. Just continue with your story.”
“Well, when I went back she was supposed to have been gone by then. When I arrived she was taking out the last of her things. My brother Heath and Cherie both were staying there together. When he left he told her she could stay until she found something else. I told him that was not wise. Sure enough she liked the community and dragged her feet about moving.
“We had to go to court and get an eviction notice served for her to move out. She was supposed to have been gone by 5pm. That’s why I came by at nine, because I figure she would be gone. When I walked up she was coming out with a vase. When she saw me, she dropped it. She started swearing and blaming me. She said I was going to pay for it. I simply told her that I am not paying for anything. I then left again. So that was that. I told my brother he needs to take it easy with these women. The college women are his weakness.”