“Sir, sir, please! I haven’t done anything, don’t steal my car, don’t hurt us, please!” he pleaded with his eyes and his words. I stopped and looked the man over. This wasn’t my guy. There was soft crying coming from inside the car. I peered past the man to what must have been his wife, easily 70 as well. She was muttering, “Oh dear, oh dear,” and all I could do was stare. I let the man go and mumbled an apology, something about thinking he was someone else, and walked back to my car as if in a daze.
I was clearly losing it and about to take some old man and his poor wife with me. I piloted the Chevelle back to the inn and parked in my usual spot. I walked into the lobby and straight to my office. I wasn’t sure who was behind the desk, but Natalie was off, so I didn’t really care who it was. I slammed the door and went to the mini-bar to grab another bottle of Jack. It was barely noon and I was going to visit the good doctor.
No. Not today. Not this time. Instead, I picked up my cell phone and dialed Emily’s number.
“Sam? Is that you?” she cooed through the phone. I wasn’t entirely sure when we had become so familiar with one another, but it felt good, felt natural. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted it to be this way.
“Hey, Emily, just checking to see when you thought you’d be here. I’ve had kind of a rough couple of days, looking forward to some R&R if you know what I mean.”
I swear I could hear her smile and feel her comfort through the phone.
“I can definitely identify with that!” she sang. “And don’t you worry,
Sammy, after tonight, neither of us will remember how miserable the rest of the week has been.”
Sammy?
“So, when you think you’ll be here?”
“I’m on my way now. Should be there by 2 at the latest, and I am so looking forward to spending tonight with you.” Did we really hit it off that well? I mean, I know we clicked and were easy with each other when she was here, but isn’t she coming on a little strong? Oh hell, who was I to be questioning fate? If it was our destiny to go out, get all wet and naked and never talk again, then so be it. I was okay with that. I needed to be naked with someone, and her perky nipples were calling me through the phone. Still, there was something else here. More than just a physical attraction that I knew we both felt. Some sort of subtext or something I just didn’t understand yet. And I was sure I would find out what that was before she left on Sunday.
“Okay, great,” I finally responded. “I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, Sammy,” she sang to me.
Again with the Sammy. I’ve never been a Sammy. Not sure I can ever be a Sammy and I’m quite sure I don’t want to be a Sammy.
I grabbed my cell and dialed again.
“Hello?” Natalie answered on the first ring. “Sam, what’s going on?”
I keep forgetting about Caller ID.
“Nat, can you come over to my office? I need to talk to you about something.”
She hesitated and then spoke. “Sam, it’s my day off.”
“Nat, I know, but this is important. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there. Don’t move.” I could hear the concern in her voice as the phone went dead. I didn’t mean to worry her that much, but I did need her help.
Ten minutes later, I heard a soft knock on my door.
“Sam? Can I come in?” Natalie’s soft voice floated through the darkly stained solid oak door.
I walked over to the door and opened it. There stood Natalie in a yellow sundress that brought out the warmth of her chestnut brown eyes and magnified the brilliance of her dark brown hair. She looked like she had just stepped out of a shampoo commercial. The dress hung down just below the knees and made her calves look supple and toned with just the hint of a light tan.
“Sam?”
The dress made her hips seem just ever so slightly wider than her waist, which, in turn, made the hint of cleavage just above it alluring and inviting.
“Sam? Can I come in?” I was staring at her and not hearing her.
“Oh, of course, I’m sorry, Nat.” I moved out of the way and watched the dress float across her small, young ass. I couldn’t say why at that moment, but I was so attracted to her all she had to do was say yes. I shut the door and stopped, staring at the cold, dark wood for a long minute.
Stop, Sam. You need to drown yourself in something, and that something cannot be Natalie. She is your friend, not your plaything. That was a difficult thing to imagine at the moment. I closed my eyes tightly and turned back to Natalie. She had taken a seat on the couch in my office.
“I assume this is more of a social visit, so I made myself at home on the couch a little bit,” Natalie began as she crossed her legs in a motion that most of the time wouldn’t even have been noticeable. But as her leg slowly swung up, the sundress rode up her thigh, and I got a good look at her upper thigh that was also toned and just a little tanned. I was lost again.
“So, Sam, what did you want to see me so quickly for? The way you called, the sound of your voice. I have to tell you upfront that I am a little concerned.” Her face was earnest and caring. She brushed some hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear while her brown eyes penetrated me.
“Natalie,” I began, “I need your help. I’m not going to beat around the bush here with fancy words about what I’ve been going through and where my mind has been.” I was definitely going to leave out where my mind had been in the last five minutes. “You know—you’ve seen it. Hell, everyone around here has seen it and had to go through much of it with me.”
I sat down on the couch next to her.
“I need to stop drinking.”
Her eyes brightened, and she reached out and gave me an excited hug.
“Oh, Sam!” She was practically bouncing. “I can’t believe you’re finally coming around! I knew it yesterday; I could tell. You’re ready.” She smiled so big and bright, her teeth shone between her soft pink lips. I reached into my pocket and pulled my keys out. She watched me, still smiling, but curious now. I fumbled with the keys, searching for the right one.
“I can’t have this key anymore—I don’t trust myself with it.” I found and removed the key to the liquor cabinet in the pub. I handed it to Natalie.
“Nat, you are now in charge of all the alcohol in the building. Work with
Curtis; make sure the inventory stays stocked. And whatever you do, don’t let me have any.” I smiled slightly.
She looked at me, holding the key in her hand. Her smile had softened, and I didn’t know what to make of the expression on her face.
“Oh,” I continued, “and you have full access to my office. You can come in any time to search it for alcohol.” Was I going too far with that? Did I really want Natalie coming into my office any time she felt like it? Her face started to crumple a little bit; was she going to cry?
She reached over and hugged me again, this time softly and with warmth.
She held me and didn’t let go, so I wrapped my arms around her small waist. I could feel her breathing with what seemed like soft sobs. I began to rub her back gently to soothe her.
“Sam?” her muffled voice came through my shoulder.
“Yes, Nat? It’s really not this big of a thing.”
“Yes it is. You are healing, and you trust me to help you. And that means the world to me. I’ll be here for you.” She lifted her tear-stained face from my shoulder, her face only inches from mine. I could feel her hot, wet breath on my cheek. “I always knew the friendship, the relationship we had before, was too strong to let the alcohol destroy it. I prayed for you every night.” She continued to breathe huskily into my ear while the words oozed from her lips. “Every night, Sam. I knew God would help you and let me be there for you.”
I could feel her firm breasts push up against my chest as she leaned in and gave me the softest kiss on the side of my lips. My arms tightened slightly around her back as I moved my face to return the kiss. Our lips met in a soft exchange of so many things tha
t were never said between us.
Then she pushed me away and stood, her sundress still hiked around mid-thigh.
“Oh, Sam, I am so sorry.” She tried to straighten her dress. “I—I—I have to go,” she stammered and began to stumble toward the door. “Don’t worry,
Sam, you can count on me. I will help you through this.” I stood up.
“Natalie…” But she was out the door. I wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened here. But I knew that it wasn’t over. That was a real kiss, and the warmth in my chest told me I was just as ready for it as she was. I thought about calling her to make sure we were still okay, but I knew we were. I just didn’t know exactly where “okay” was right now.
I had showered, put on some jeans, and was just finishing buttoning up a black cotton shirt when my cell rang. It was Emily. She must be here. I checked the time on my phone before I answered—it was almost 3. She was late.
“Hey, Emily, glad you could make it.” I said, with layered sarcasm.
“Oh, Sammy, stop it,” she blurted out. Sammy again? “Traffic on 195 is
hell and you know it! Come and get me. I’m waiting for you.” I found it intriguing how I could feel that sly, sexy smile coming through the phone. She had a way about her, and I didn’t know how to deal with it just yet.
“I’ll be out in one minute.” I snapped my phone shut and bolted out of the cottage. I went through the lobby and found Emily sitting on the trunk of her red BMW 3 series convertible. The top was down, and she looked as sexy as ever.
Her feet hit the ground as she hopped off the trunk, and her blonde hair came undone from where it had been perched on top of her head. It fell over her bare shoulders and in her face. She brushed it out of the way and revealed golden skin on her slim and curvy neck. Her green strapless top covered just enough of her breasts to keep her from getting arrested. I could see her nipples protruding through the thin fabric, which I had no problem with at all. It was a beautiful warm day out, but maybe it was a little colder than I realized. She sported a white pair of shorts that hugged and caressed her near-perfect ass and accentuated her shapely tan legs down to her white sandals and red painted toes. She was a picture, alright, and I couldn’t wait to develop it.
She ran over to me, her sandals click-clacking the whole way as she jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Again, I was left wondering when we became this familiar. Was it while we were drunk in her room, and I just can’t remember?
“Sam! Come on, let’s go!” And she was off to the passenger side of her car. “You drive!” And before I could even respond, her tanned butt was firmly in the white leather seat, so I followed and got in the car. I revved the engine, shifted the BMW into first gear, gunned the engine and tore out of the inn’s driveway towards the boardwalk.
We drove down route 35 towards Seaside Heights with the wind whipping through the car and tossing Emily’s gorgeous blonde hair all over the place. We roared past the Lake of the Lilies and through Bay Head and still hadn’t said anything more to each other. Emily had her head back and her eyes closed throughout the drive. Not until we slowed down around Normandy Beach did
Emily turned her face to me and speak again.
“Miss me?”
I looked at her to see if she was serious—how could I miss her? I barely knew her.
“Of course I missed you.” What would you have said?
“No, you didn’t, but that’s okay. Because you will miss me the next time I go; I’ll make sure of that!” she said with a sly smile and slid her hand over my leg to my inner thigh.
“So,” I tried to change the subject, “I know you love seafood, so we are going to have the best lobster on the Jersey Shore at the Lobster Shack. It’s over on Harbor Island.”
She sat up and looked at me.
“Harbor Island? Is that the place you can only get to by boat?”
“That very same one.”
“How did you get us a reservation there on such short notice?”
“I didn’t, but I know the owner, Jim; he’s a great guy. He was a big fan of mine when I was driving.”
Emily’s eyes widened.
“Driving?” she said in a questioning tone, but I could see her putting it together in her head.
“Driving?” she repeated. “Sam Shepard. You’re that Sam Shepard?” Her face lit up like the Fourth of July. I just flashed a small smile and nodded my head without taking my eyes off the road. I swung off of West Central Boulevard onto Bay Boulevard so we could get a view of the bay as we approached the parking area for the restaurant. That felt good. It had been a long time since someone recognized me as a driver. I know—I had to tell her, but still it felt good.
“So here you are, the famous Sam Shepard, and I’m out on a date with you.” Emily smiled satisfactorily to herself. I pulled into the parking lot overlooking Barnegat Bay and killed the engine. I looked over at Emily as she unbuckled her seatbelt and watched her breasts bounce as the strap released its support.
“Emily?”
“Sam?” She looked at me expectantly.
“What’s going on here? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I think you are beautiful and sexy and I’d love to be naked with you, but…” I trailed off.
“But what,” she smiled, “am I coming on too strong?” She took my chin in her hand and looked into my eyes.
“Sam, I like you, that’s all. You are one hell of a good-looking, single, lonely, successful man, and I am a very lonely woman. We both have demons we need to work through and dreams to explore. Let’s do it together, Sam.
Neither of us should be lonely.” She closed her eyes and sealed that with a soft, lingering kiss. “And the way things are going, you’ll get to see my breasts bounce a lot more later tonight.” She pulled away with a seductive smile. I supposed I shouldn’t look a gift horse—or hottie—in the mouth.
She got out of the car, and I led her down to the dock. The dock master met us as soon as we set foot on the wood planks.
“Good evening, do you have a reservation?”
“No,” I replied, “I’m a personal friend of Mr. Farnsworth. Sam Shepard.
Mr. Farnsworth will have a table for us.”
“Very good, Mr. and Mrs. Shepard.” Emily giggled and blushed at that.
“Please step onto the boat, and I’ll radio in that you are on your way.”
We stepped over to the water to see a line up of gondolas, each with a gondolier stationed at the stern, pole in hand.
We boarded the closest one, and I looked at the young man.
“Those poles really reach the bottom of the bay out there?” I pointed toward Harbor Island. He laughed at me.
“No, sir. The poles are really just navigation. We have small engines just below where I’m standing. They don’t move us very fast, but we get there.”
The gondolas were outfitted to take two people across the water to the island the restaurant was on. Emily took the first seat, and I sat in the other. We both had waterside seats, and she leaned into me as the sun began to dip in the sky. The gondolier handed us both glasses of red wine from behind.
“A merlot, compliments of Mr. Farnsworth. He says welcome and looks forward to serving you tonight. He has also asked me to give you the bay tour. It takes about a half an hour and allows some fantastic views of the bay, and we go past the area where you can see directly across the island to the Atlantic.”
Emily smiled and looked at me. “That sounds wonderful.”
She grabbed my arm, rested her head on my shoulder, and we were off.
We started drinking wine and sailing the Barnegat Bay in a gondola. The wine was sweet and fruity, the views were spectacular, and the company was fantastic. We exchanged some small talk while we enjoyed our trip. I learned that her family was government family all the way through. Her father and brother were in the FBI, and her mother was an assistant on Capitol Hill. Her father was very disappointed that she went into law instead of active FBI service. I
filled her in a little about my driving career, the accident, and that I still take painkillers for my back. We arrived at Harbor Island dock at about five and disembarked from our gondola. I helped Emily off the dock to the entrance of the restaurant.
We walked through the door and she stopped, reading the sign.
“Sam.” I stopped, too. “This sign says Lobster Shack Dinner and Breakfast.”
“Yes,” I said peering down my nose at the sign, “so it does.” I smiled. “Any interest in trying the breakfast?” My smile broadened, and her face flushed. She walked away, shaking her head at me. The hostess, a lovely young brunette in what you might call a “little black dress,” showed us to our table overlooking the bay. The restaurant was round and every table had a bayside view. The kitchen was on the floor below, so there were no obstructed views. You could see from one side of the dining room to the other and get a complete 360-degree view of the bay. The sun was just beginning its departure from the sky and was offering up a brilliant orange light show out the west side of the restaurant. It illuminated the entire room and lit up Emily’s silky blonde hair like it was on fire. We ordered the house seafood feast, which included lobster, shrimp, scallops, and oysters. We added a bottle of the house merlot we had sampled on the trip over, and we were well on our way to a delicious evening.
We talked, told stories, and laughed for hours. It seemed like it was dark before we knew it, and we were staring at dessert menus after our third bottle of wine. Emily tried to pick up her dessert menu, but her elegant fingers fumbled with it before dropping it back on the table, and she began laughing.
“Methinks the lady is very, very drunk,” I offered with a laugh.
Emily continued to laugh, now throwing her head back to an almost cackling sound.
“Would you like me to read the menu to you?” I continued to smile and laugh. Emily stopped laughing and attempted a serious face.
“No,” she began with an air of seriousness, “I can do this.” Her speech was beginning to slur, and I couldn’t keep a straight face but fought the urge to laugh as she fumbled with the menu yet again. This attempt ended in a similar manner to the first: The menu was falling and she was laughing. I finally picked
Sands of Time Page 8