by Lenise Lee
To: Adam Aggeliki ([email protected])
FROM: Denise Right ([email protected])
Subject: (No Subject)
Hi Adam. It’s me, Denise. Sorry about the other day. I really would like to be friends with you. If you still need some help with that class, please let me know. You can call me at the number below anytime
A tickle of hope ran through his chest as he searched his bag for his phone, making a mental note to send a text to his brother later, and then punched in the number displayed in the message on the screen.
One ring, two, three…
As the fourth one was about to start, Adam pulled the phone away from his ear and started to hit the end button when a heavenly voice came on the line.
“Hello?”
Adam closed his eyes and took in the sweetness of her voice.
“Hello? Is this Adam?”
“Yeah, sorry. Hi, Denise. It’s me. Can I come see you?”
Chapter 8
The minute she heard the knock on the room door, her heart jumped. Denise took one last look in the hall mirror before deciding to take her hair out of the band to let the brown hair fall free around her shoulders. She also decided to put away the workout wear for one night and instead now wore a cream colored sweater that fit her slim upper body and hung just off the left shoulder, a pair of black jeans that fit her curved hips perfectly, and accented the outfit with a pair of black sling back high heels with peep toes. Denise smiled at her reflection. It was an image she had not seen on herself in some time and she loved every inch of it. She hoped Adam would also.
Inhaling a calming breath, she opened the door and immediately wanted to throw herself against his tall and solid body. Her senses screamed that she wanted to be completed engulfed by the presence of this man and his muscular build. The telling smile on his handsome face was stretched from ear to ear and validated a similar thought crossed his mind. She could almost see the green in his eyes casting a blaze.
“You look stunning,” he breathed out and she took his hand and led him into the moderate sized suite.
After she offered him a seat on the couch, Denise moved to the kitchen to catch her breath. Her body seemed to come alive as soon as he was near. He was the definition of delicious in his light blue jeans and a white polo shirt that set off his wonderful complexion. The shortness of his hair and its spiky roughness had definitely grown on her and she loved how it gave him an appearance of raw manliness she wanted a piece of.
“Did you want something to drink?” she called to him as she stood in front of the refrigerator and enjoyed its coolness.
“No, I only want you,” he whispered in her ear as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her body closer into his.
Shivers went down her spine. Without thought or hesitation, Denise happily sank back into his warmth and wanted to stay in his comforting embrace for as long as possible.
“Denise, I missed you. I know that does not sound logical given that we haven’t known one another long, but I can’t seem to help this feeling that you give me.”
She turned to face him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She also saw the sadness, the hints of emptiness she had seen reflected many times in the mirror as she watched herself.
She placed a hand delicately to his cheek, only slightly rough from a day’s worth of short dark stubble. He turned his lips to offer her palm a soft kiss. Denise felt her folds moisten. Reason told her to pull back but her heart told her this was a good feeling, something she wanted – no, something she needed to experience.
“I know what it is,” she bowed her head, almost afraid to finish her thought allowed.
He placed a large finger under her chin and lifted her face until their eyes once more melded into one another’s.
“Tell me.”
“You bring me to life. I have been so alone and shut down for so long. With you – your touch, your smile, they awaken a joy in me that I allowed to slip away.”
She stopped and he cupped her face into his hands. His olive skin accented her light brown tone perfectly.
“Denise, I feel the same way.”
Ever so gently he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She responded softly at first then inhaled his scent of spice and pine and went deeper into the kiss. He eagerly returned the passion that stirred between them. They clung to one another, enjoying the taste of a love in bloom. It was only when Denise felt the cold from the open refrigerator slide across her shoulders she broke the kiss and laughed. It was a laugh of freedom, of a heavy weight being lifted from her mind and her soul. Finally, she believed that there was a chance of her reclaiming peace and happiness in her life.
Chapter 9
Seated on the couch, Denise sat atop Adam’s lap as he held her in his arms. Everything about the moment was so right, so familiar to them both. He held his face to her hair and used his free hand to stroke his fingers through her long tresses. She, in turn, allowed her hands to roam freely across his wide chest. She could feel the hardness of his muscles through the thin cotton of the shirt. She could also feel a delightful bulge growing through his jeans, but had chosen not to comment on that fact as of yet.
Denise snuggled down closer to him and exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” he whispered as he caressed her back.
“Everything. Where are you from?”
“Reading, Pennsylvania.”
She giggled with delight.
“I’m from Chestnut Hill!”
He nuzzled her nose and said, “What are the chances?”
Making sure to keep their noses touching, she thought of another question.
“Okay, tell me about your family, your parents.”
He stiffened immediately when she said the words. He knew she did not realize the reason why and could see the worry growing across her face as she sat up due to his reaction.
“Adam, what is it? Did I say something wrong?”
He looked into her doe eyes and touched her face with the back of his hands as he tried to calm her fear.
“No, it wasn’t you. It was my fault. My family is a sensitive topic for me, is all.”
His hand remained on her face but his eyes sank low.
“Mine too,” she offered and placed a kiss on his cheek.
“I will tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to bring up any painful memories or hurt you any more than you already maybe.”
He smiled at the thought of her concern.
“No, it’s fine. I want you to know. Actually, it would be better to tell you now and try to avoid any confusion later.”
He sat up and she scooted off his lap to the place right next to him. He wrapped an arm around her to make sure she did not go far from his side.
“Denise,” he started slow then continued in a hurry as though the words could not be stopped from pouring from his mouth, like a bad taste he needed to get out, “my parents are dead.”
She held her hands to her mouth and then clasped her arms around his neck.
“I am so sorry, Adam. I promise, I did not know or I wouldn’t have asked.”
He pulled her in even closer to him and took in the comfort she tenderly offered.
“Thank you. Of course you didn’t know and that’s why I avoided you after our lunch last week.”
She sat back and looked up at him.
“I don’t think I understand.”
A sad smile crossed his lips and he leaned his elbows on his outstretched legs, placing his head in his hands before recovering a moment later.
“Let me explain. My parents made good money when they were still living, but they didn’t have any savings or life insurance. I guess it was something they intended to do and never got around to it,” he hunched his shoulders at the thought.
“I use to play football in high school. We played on Friday nig
hts in the fall and they always liked to be there. It was the last game of the season in my junior year and my father had a really important business dinner that he had to attend in Philadelphia. He and my mom went to the dinner and I took my little brother, Charles, with me. At the end of the game, they were still a no-show. My brother and I reached our house and there were police waiting inside and so was our grandmother, our father’s mother. I don’t remember much of what was said that night other than the police concluded it was a drunk driver who must have stolen someone’s car. The other vehicle hit my parents’ car head-on on I-95 and they were gone instantly. The other driver must have made it, but they never found him or her.”
Denise gasped at the reality that had come crashing down on her. Here she was complaining about how her parents had left her life in emotional upheaval and Adam’s parents were no longer on the earth. She felt hot tears sting her eyes and wiped them away with the back of her hand. She noticed Adam was no longer speaking and had buried his face in his hands while low sobs came out. Denise immediately wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace. No words were needed. The couple held one another until Adam pulled away to lift his head and continue.
“So, after that, we went to stay with my grandmother. She only had her pension and my grandfather’s pension to live off of. We sold what we could and used the proceeds from the sale of the house for my parents’ funeral and burial and there was not much left over after that. I worked part-time through the rest of high school to get my brother and I the basics we needed when my grandmother did not have the extra money to do so. We did not have the best and sometimes my brother would get teased and even the people that I thought were my friends kind of pushed me to the side when I could not afford to buy the same stuff or party the way I use to. I was lucky enough to get an athletic scholarship to undergrad school, but I knew I had to work hard in college if I wanted to make it any further than that. And now here I am. I need to keep a cumulative 3.0 in all courses to maintain the scholarship I earned as an undergraduate.”
“So, that’s why you were asking for my help.”
Denise’s stomach turned over when she realized how inconsiderate she had been when he came up to her after class. She put her hand to her head to keep the room from spinning.
Adam moved her hand away from her face and kissed her softly, almost shyly.
“I told you, that was one of the reasons. I really wanted to get to know you and that was my ‘in’ to start a conversation. I was the one who did not handle that well.”
“Why me?”
“I saw you walk, actually stumble, into class one day.”
Denise swatted his arm and laughed with him.
“I already know my coordination is not the best. Besides, I have a lot on my mind and it detracts from my depth perception.” She offered him a sly smile.
“That’s exactly what I mean. I could see your beauty. This lovely skin of yours,” he stroked her face as he recounted the memory, “I could even see there was a fabulous body hiding under all those layers of sweat clothes.”
She blushed and poked at this chest this time.
“You have a lot of jokes, mister.”
He laughed again and then straightened his features.
“Mostly, I also saw you were distressed. There was something about you that seemed lost. You always seem to have a faraway look in your eyes. I immediately recognized it because it was the same feeling and look I had. Believe it or not, you called to me from across the room and I had to know how to make you happy. For some reason, I knew if I could bring a smile to those sad eyes, I would bring one to mine.”
“I hope I can live up to your expectations. I’m not good at relationships. The one I have with my own parent’s is a mess and I have not had many serious relationships with men.”
“Okay, now it’s your turn. Spill it.”
He sat back and waited while she pondered how to begin.
“Let me start off by saying, again, I am so sorry for your loss. Whatever I have to say cannot ever compare to what you went through.”
He nodded and waited for her to continue.
“My mom and dad were so happy once,” she chewed on her finger as she lamented the loss of her loving family times, “now they are like complete strangers. When I was little, my father would bring her roses and take her to all his events. He is a head surgeon for the health care system he works for but he always made time to take her out to dinner every Friday night. My mother spent hours getting her hair and make-up done and picking out the right outfit. I was right there giving my little thumps up or down.”
She and Adam smiled at the sentiment.
“Then, one day, he just stopped – everything. He would go away on business for days at a time, he would not come home for dinner, he would barely make it to any dance recitals I had or plays I was involved in. After awhile, I stopped participating in the activities altogether. It was not the same without his big smile prompting me to do my best. First, my mother became a sad recluse, crying herself to sleep every night. Then she became a nightmare, almost tyrannical in trying to get me to go out with boys from rich, prestigious families. Trying to make me dress a certain way and act so out of my character I practically ran away after my high school graduation. I have not been home much since then. She calls me every week to beg me to come home, which I try to avoid like the plague because I know there will be some lawyer’s kids or some guy in pre-med waiting for me as soon as I step foot in the house. I can’t even tell you the last time I spoke to my father. He’s never there when I get home and he calls me only whenever it’s convenient for him. I know how the other students talk about how much money we have and how much my father donates to this school. But it means nothing when the people you trust to love and to care for you are the ones who are killing your spirit.”
Denise dropped her head and closed her eyes tightly to avoid the shedding of any more tears tonight. Adam returned the sentiment she gave him earlier. He said nothing, only held her before finally speaking.
“It’s okay, Denise. I’m here now, for as long as you want. I hope you feel the same for me.”
“I do. I promise I do.”
He settled back onto the couch and she lay on top of him. The emotional cleansing of the evening proved to be more than either was ready for. Denise nestled into his strong and loving arms, and Adam welcomed her tender embrace and the two succumbed to the sleep calling to them.
Chapter 10
One week later and the pair were on a Saturday morning train headed toward Philadelphia Suburban Station. They had spent the last week barely five feet away from one another. Denise helped Adam to get a firm grasp on the topics she was sure would be covered on the midterm and Adam was the pillow of support that Denise needed in her life.
“Are you sure your Mom won’t mind me showing up unannounced like this?”
Denise rested her head on his strong shoulder while they rode in the cab toward her home on the outskirts of Chestnut Hill. No matter how many times she ran her petite hands along the length of his wide arms, she always broke out into a moist sweat as she marveled at how powerful they felt. He could easily lift her with one arm, and had already done so on several occasions to her delight.
“She may, but I want you there with me.”
“It would have been nice if you would have told me this before I came,” he smiled into her hair. The silkiness of her waves turned him on beyond belief and he pulled her into a fiery kiss before the cab driver announced they had arrived at their destination.
Denise paid the fair and tipped the man and Adam kept solemnly quiet during the exchange. He had not yet overcome the embarrassment that beset him when she paid for food or services but he said nothing to Denise.
Denise slid out of the back of the car and her rose pink sun dress lifted in the slight April breeze. Not noticing his slight change in mood, Denise grabbed his hand and pulled him from the back seat and Adam was immediately taken aback b
y the size of the Right estate. While he went to the back of the vehicle to pull the luggage from the trunk, he noted that there were no less than four floors, not including what appeared to be the attic at the very pinnacle of the house, and at least twenty arched windows in the front of the bricked mansion. As the taxi pulled away, Adam noted the property also included a wraparound drive way that encircled the width of the house and most of the front lawn before disappearing behind the home.
Denise sensed his apprehension and smiled up at him. This calmed his heart from stammering. He had made sure to wear his best pair of Dockers and a crisp polo shirt and had even combed his spiky locks back somewhat so that his hair lay neatly upon the crown of his head. He had no idea what awaited him on the other side of this door and wanted to be prepared.
The moment the massive oak door slid back he knew he would be in for some major issues before the day was done. Denise and her mother immediately took combatant stances at once another.