touch my heart

by jordan, wayne

  The first time he’d noticed the change, his eyes had opened wide in awe. He’d said nothing else, just made sure he’d worked harder the next day.

  She’d continued to work him hard during their sessions and then again at night when their passions soared to the heavens and their screams of ecstasy filled the room.

  What she liked most were the times after their lovemaking when he’d hold her close as if he was scared to let her go. But in the back of her mind, she was still worried. Where was all this going to lead? Was this relationship just to last the length of her time there? Were they just friends with benefits?

  In the early hours of the morning, these were the thoughts that troubled her as she lay next to him while he slept.

  “Let’s have one session on the beach today. This time, we’re going into the water.”

  “Can’t we use the pool? I know I haven’t used it since I’ve been here, but it might be safer since you haven’t been in the water yet. I can get Desmond to fill it up.”

  “That’s fine, but the ocean is better. The movement of the waves is what we need.”

  He hesitated. “If you think that it’s better, then I’m all for it.”

  His expression didn’t reflect his response, but she chose to ignore it. She needed to get him into the water. He’d be amazed at its therapeutic effect.

  An hour later, they reached the bottom of the cobblestone steps.

  Aaliyah immediately took her shoes off, enjoying the feel of the sand underneath her feet. The golden sand was hard and firm. Closer to the water’s edge, walking would be more difficult, but getting him to walk on the soft sand would help strengthen his leg.

  Nugget barked, having arrived on the beach before they did. He’d raced ahead, his excitement eliciting laugher from both of them.

  “Come,” he said. “There’s an area just a hundred meters down which is better for swimming.”

  She nodded in acknowledgement and followed him, admiring his improving gait. He was really doing much better.

  When they reached the spot he’d indicated, she placed the bag that contained a few pieces of equipment and two towels on the sand. She removed the towels and spread them on the ground, then slipped out of her jeans and tube top to reveal a white bikini.

  Even though he’d seen her naked, he was amazed by his response to her. His gaze lingered on her breasts. They were just how he liked them. Just the perfect size to cup with his hand, and her nipples were so firm he was getting hard thinking about them.

  “I’m going into the water,” he said.

  “Not yet,” she shouted. “We’re going to walk on the sand for a bit to loosen the muscles, then into the water.”

  “But we walked down the hill.”

  “Yes, but that’s a different kind of exercise. We need to loosen your muscles in preparation for the swim. Your muscles are getting stronger, but there is a definite possibility of cramping if you don’t prepare yourself well.”

  “No problem,” he responded. “You’re the therapist. I bow to your wish.” He lowered his head.

  She laughed. “You’re in a jolly mood today,” she observed.

  “Indeed I am,” he replied coyly.

  She laughed. “I’ll get you for that later.”

  “I look forward to whatever punishment you have planned. I didn’t know you were so kinky.”

  She punched him in the chest and he fell to the ground.

  She lowered herself to the ground. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  His arm snaked from his side and pulled her head downward. The kiss was raw and firm, stirring up memories of their lovemaking.

  His lips suckled on her bottom lip, while his hand caressed the curvy lines along her spine.

  In the distance there was laughter, and he lifted his head. A group of boys were walking by.

  “Ignore us,” one boy shouted. “Ain’t no problem with having fun.”

  “You just want to watch, you pervert,” another one replied.

  The boys’ raucous laughter followed them down the beach, where they finally came to a stop, and leaped into the water with more fanfare than necessary.

  “Since we have company, I promise I will continue my seduction later.”

  “So that’s what it was? Seduction?”

  “Now you’re insulting me, honey.” He feigned hurt. “I am sure if those boys had not passed by at that time, I would have been inside you, making you beg for release.”

  She could not respond. The image in her mind only proved to be motivation.

  “I think we need to start those warm-ups and then off into the water.”

  He stood reluctantly, his mouth pouting.

  She laughed.

  “Let’s get this over with so I can have some fun.”

  “Good. I was hoping we could start soon. I have something to finish at home.”

  She had no doubt what he meant. Her face lit up with excitement.

  She rose from where she sat next to him.

  “Yes, let’s begin!”

  * * *

  Dominic strolled out of the water. He’d had enough. While he liked the water and had been an excellent swimmer, his arms were tired. Even still, he felt powerful and strong, almost invincible. He was healing. He could feel it in every fiber of his body, every sinew of muscle he had. For a long time the light at the end of the tunnel had seemed far away. In fact, there was a time when he’d felt that there was no light. But now he felt different. He stopped and lowered himself to the sand. He glanced to where Aaliyah still floated. Her body bobbed up and down, like the buoys that dotted the water.

  Just beyond where she was, the group of boys amused themselves with dives and flips. He’d laughed at their exuberance. Their youthful vibrancy took him back to a time when he’d been one of the boys and his friends from the village would come to this exact spot on the weekends. Back then, this was the one place where he could be absolutely carefree. The other boys would bring food, and it was his responsibility to bring coconuts. He’d known the boys had given him the choice because they’d realized he never had money.

  Adrian had been the one to have his back. He’d not thought of his childhood friend for ages. He’d been determined to place his past where it belonged...in the past, and Adrian was a reminder of that past.

  Suddenly, a familiar scream jolted him from his thoughts.

  He jumped up from the ground, buckling over in pain. He quickly straightened up, ignoring the throbbing at his side. He searched the sea frantically, trying to find Aaliyah, but he could not find the white of her swimsuit.

  Instead, all he saw was a large wave heading toward the beach.

  In the distance he heard the shouts of a boy. “She’s over there.”

  His gaze followed the boy’s pointed hand, immediately seeing Aaliyah, her hands flaying in the air. He hobbled across the sand, the stab of pain racing along his leg, but he continued.

  By the time he reached the water’s edge, three of the boys were holding Aaliyah and hauling her to shore.

  Two of the boys raced over to where he stood.

  “You okay, mister?”

  “I’m okay,” he replied.

  “We’re glad we were here. We’ve seen you around and know your legs don’t work too well.”

  “Thanks, I’m glad you were here, too.”

  “No problem, big man. Glad we could help.”

  By this time, the other boys had helped Aaliyah to her feet.

  “We’ll go with you to the house,” one of the boys said. Dominic glanced at him. The boy wore brown shorts and looked vaguely familiar. He wondered if the boy was related to someone in his village.

  “No need to look at us like that. We ain’t going to rob you,” the boy said.

  “No, that didn’t even cross my mind. I’d really appreciate the help.”

  He turned to Aaliyah, who with the help of the boys, lowered herself on a shirt one of the boys had placed on the sand.

  “
I’ll be all right,” she said, followed by a fit of coughing.

  “Maybe I should take you to the hospital?” he suggested.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “Then I’ll call the doctor.”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  “Either you let the doctor come or I’m taking you to the hospital. You got a bad battering. Humor me. I want to be on the safe side.”

  She stared back at him, her eyes flashing with defiance, but when she spoke her voice was calm and controlled.

  “Okay, but only because you insisted.”

  He smiled. “Good, I didn’t expect to win that battle so easily.”

  “Okay, boys, I need you to help me take her up to the house.”

  “No problem.” The boy with brown shorts complied.

  “We’ll get a chance to see the house,” the tallest of the boys said.

  “Oh, so you want to see the house?” Dominic asked.

  “Yes, I’m going to own a house like that one day,” the boy replied. The others nodded.

  “It’s always good to have dreams.” The boy’s words echoed so many of his at that same age. “I need one of you to go get my cane and the clothes over there. I’m going to let Aaliyah sit here for a while before we go back to the house.”

  Before he could finish, one of the boys raced over and returned with the clothes.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “We’ll go back into the water. When you’re ready to go, just give us a shout.”

  “Thanks,” Dominic replied. “That’s fine. You go enjoy yourselves.”

  With that, he took the beach towel the boy had retrieved and placed it on the ground.

  Aaliyah shifted onto the towel, holding the boy’s shirt in her hand and asked, “I’m not sure whose shirt this is, but I’d prefer to wash it before I return it.”

  “It is fine, miss,” the tall boy said. “Brandon has a washing machine at home. But I know he is not going to want to part with that shirt.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “His dad passed away a few years ago and it belonged to him.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Dominic said.

  “That’s fine, sir. He’s fine. It’s been a long time. He just loved that shirt.”

  At the same time, Brandon returned with his cane.

  “You’re from the village?” Dominic asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I was born there, too.”

  “I know.” The boy’s words surprised him.

  “You do?”

  “Yes, my dad told me about you. I recognized you the first time I saw you walking on the cliffs.”

  “Your dad?”

  “Yeah, my dad was Adrian Keith-Roy Johnson.”

  Dominic didn’t know what to say.

  “He talked about you a lot. Took me to see all of your movies and boasted that he was your best friend when you lived in the village. Of course, I thought he was kidding me, until he showed me photos of you and him.”

  Again, he was at a loss for words.

  “He always told me you’d come back to Barbados someday. But I’m sure he would have never thought you’d come to live here. I’m sorry you didn’t come before he died.”

  Dominic could feel the sting of tears, but he fought them back. Instead, he felt anger at himself. Anger that he’d never see his best friend again. When he’d made it big he could have returned home. Maybe with all the money he had he could have helped his friend.

  “Your mother?” he asked.

  “She died when I was born.”

  “So who’s taking care of you?”

  “There’s only Mama, but she takes good care of me. She’s getting old, but she still thinks she can do all the things she did before. I do most of the stuff and make her think she’s doing it.”

  At the same time, the other boys came running up. “We’re hungry, so we’ll go.”

  “Thanks, boys, but I’m feeling much better.”

  “That’s fine,” Brandon said. “We promised we’ll walk you home to make sure you’re both okay. We’re ready when you are.”

  They walked slowly up the pathway and across the field to the house. The boys kept up a lively exchange of jokes and ribbing.

  On the walk up, he noticed Aaliyah was quieter than usual. Since they’d fished her out of the sea, he’d been worried. The expression on her face reminded him of the little girl he’d saved. While he’d saved her, he knew it had taken her several months before she could sleep a whole night without waking up to the nightmare of flames around her.

  He felt the unexpected desire to bring Aaliyah into his arms and comfort her.

  When they reached the back gate of the house, he thanked the boys as they walked away.

  “Brandon?” he called.

  The boy looked back. “Just a minute. I want to ask you something.”

  The boy came back, curiosity in his eyes.

  “I just wanted to let you know you can drop by here any time you want.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’d like that.”

  He gave the boy his number, hoping Brandon would remember, and waved him off.

  “He seems like a good boy. It’s hard losing both your mother and father at such a young age.”

  “I’m sure,” he replied. He turned to face her. “You’re sure you’re feeling better?”

  “I am, but I do have a slight headache.”

  “I’m calling the doctor as soon as I get in the house.”

  * * *

  When the doctor arrived an hour later, the consensus was that Aaliyah would be fine. Dr. Brown had given her some pills to help with the slight pounding in her head and made her promise to retire for the day. Aaliyah had immediately headed to her room, leaving Dominic all by himself and...lonely.

  It was still quite early, but for the first time since he’d moved to the island, he felt alive. He headed for his bedroom and went straight to the bathroom, deciding to take a long soak in the tub. It was strange how people built bathrooms with showers and tubs and rarely took the time to enjoy them. He stripped his clothes off and turned the faucet on, and decided to shave before he took the bath.

  He got his shaving set from the cabinet beyond the mirror at the sink and proceeded to shave.

  The task took him a bit longer than normal, but when he was done he glanced at his face in the mirror. While his face was not a replica of what the public saw in magazines and on the big screen, what he saw looked better than the image he’d seen for the past few months. It was not only the outer facade that looked different. His eyes no longer seemed dull and uninterested. What he saw now was a glimmer of the hope he hadn’t dared to embrace.

  He placed the shaver down and stepped into the tub, slowly lowering himself into the warm water.

  He reached for the plastic bottle of soap and squeezed the floral-scented liquid into the tub. He was feeling happy. Meeting Brandon had been the highlight of his day. He’d cared about Adrian, and for a moment, a wave of sadness washed over him. One of the highlights of his days as a teenager had been his days with Brandon’s father. His best friend had had the same sense of adventure as Dominic. Since he’d returned he’d tried to keep thoughts of his childhood friend at bay. He’d thought briefly about going to the village and asking around, but he’d not wanted anyone to see him as he was. He wanted their image of him to be the celebrity, not the poor boy who had made it out of the village. He definitely didn’t want them to see his current pale reflection of himself.

  He would go and check in on Aaliyah before he went to bed. He still had to go down for dinner, but the throbbing on his side reminded him of the day he’d had. He was hungry. The exercise and the day had taken a toll on his body. While Aaliyah had come out of the ordeal unscathed, his part, or lack thereof, in the whole event had left him feeling useless. What would have happened if those boys had not been there?

  He didn’t even want to think of it. While he could do supervised exercises in the water, his ability to
swim for an extended period of time was definitely questionable.

  He wanted to see her, needed to see her. He rose from the water, unplugging the drain so the tub could empty.

  When that was done, he dried and donned a pair of shorts and a polo shirt.

  He exited his room and walked along the hallway to Aaliyah’s room, his cane tapping on the floor. When he stood by the door, he raised his hand and knocked.

  There was no response. He knocked a second time.

  “Come in.” Good, she was not asleep.

  He pushed the door open and entered.

  She was sitting up, her head resting on a large pillow.

  She smiled briefly, grimacing with the effort.

  “Do you still have the headache?”

  “I was fine when I took the first pill, but I suspect it’s time to take another.”

  Dominic glanced around the room, his gaze landing on the pitcher and glass on a tray on the dresser.

  “Which of these tablets are you to take?” he asked.

  “I have to take one of each just before I go to bed.”

  “I’ll bring the cup of water to you.” He walked over to the dresser, poured the water and picked up the tablets and handed them to her. “Did Mrs. Clarke bring your dinner?”

  “I told her I wasn’t hungry, but she insisted I eat some vegetable soup. I was glad she insisted. The soup definitely made me feel better.”

  “She cooks better than some chefs in many of the restaurants I’ve been to.”

  “Yes, she’s a gem. I love her food. Especially the dishes from the island she makes. But she can cook those just as well as she can do everything else. I love the crab chowder she made the other night.”

  “That’s one of my favorite dishes. She does it at least once every week. But I just came to find out how you were doing. I’ll be heading back to my room.”

  She didn’t respond immediately and he wondered why.

  “You can stay if you want,” she finally said.

  His heart soared. He wanted to stay with her.

  “I was hoping you’d ask, but I knew you may be tired and want to sleep alone.”

  “I don’t like to sleep alone. I want you to stay.”