A faint autumn breeze filtered through the partly open drapes in Luke Holloway’s apartment, causing goose bumps to spread across Meghan’s bare skin. She had just stepped out of the shower and paraded through the bedroom to her overnight bag for a clean pair of panties. Rummaging through her bag, she withdrew a pair of pink lacy boy shorts and quickly slipped them on. Next, she picked out a clean skirt and top before returning to the bathroom.
“You know, you don’t have to get dressed on my account,” Luke said.
Meghan smiled as she leaned her head back into the bedroom. “But if I walk out in public naked, people will point and laugh.”
“The fact that people will point is a given. However, they will not be laughing. They’ll be admiring your sheer sexual appeal,” Luke said, tossing the bedsheets to the side.
Meghan giggled girlishly before ducking back into the bathroom to finish dressing.
Luke moved to the window and closed it to within an inch of the bottom. He parted the drapes fully and peered out. Both sides of the street were lined with townhomes similar to his own. The sun shone brightly, causing him to squint momentarily. He reclosed the drapes, then pulled on a pair of gym shorts before joining Meghan in the bathroom.
“You know, it’s still pretty early. Are you sure you have to go?”
Meghan was standing at the mirror, applying mascara to her already long lashes. “I know, babe. I wish I could. But we’ve had a wonderful three days together, and Dana is expecting me back around lunchtime.”
Luke stepped up behind Meghan, wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed the nape of her neck.
“Luke?” Meghan pleaded.
“What? I was just . . . hoping to convince you to stay.”
Meghan lunged her elbow backward sharply, forcing Luke to retreat.
“Oww,” he gasped.
“Oh, stop, you big baby. We’ll see each other again soon enough,” Meghan said, then returned to the mirror to finish her makeup.
Luke rubbed his ribs soothingly as he moved into the living room. He sat on the sofa and thumbed through an irrelevant magazine while he patiently waited for Meghan to finish getting herself ready. Fifteen minutes later she walked out, dressed and looking vibrant. She looked around the living room, picking up the remnants of last night’s undressing, tossing them into her bag as she went. Luke sat quietly, watching her every move. As she made a second pass, Luke began to smile widely. Finally, Meghan noticed.
“What are you smiling at, you goof?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing. Just formulating a bribe is all,” Luke said.
“Oh yeah? What kind of bribe are we talking about?”
“You know. It’s one of those ‘makes one take notice of the situation’ kind of enticements. Hard to resist.”
“Okay. I’m intrigued.”
Luke sprang from the couch and met Meghan in the middle of the living room. He kissed her lips, gently. She returned his affection but held her position.
“First, Meg, my dear, you have to close your eyes.”
Meghan did so as a smile crept across her mouth. A moment later Luke slipped his hand into hers and led her through his apartment.
As they neared the bedroom door, Meghan said, “If your bribe is sex, you’re out of luck. I’ve already tasted that morsel and—”
“Hush now,” Luke said, guiding her through the door and up to the bureau next to the bed. “Okay, you can open them.”
Meghan opened her eyes, and her confusion showed plainly on her face. “Oh, sweetie. How’d you know I wanted . . . furniture?” she said playfully.
“Okay, you. Now, open the top drawer,” Luke said.
Meghan nodded and followed his instruction. The only thing inside was a set of black silk bra and panties. Matching, of course.
“Um, thank you?” Meghan said as she lifted the elegant lingerie from the drawer. “Oh look, and you even got my size right.”
“Well, those are really for me . . . but, the drawer? It’s all yours.”
“Luke Holloway, you devil,” Meghan said as she flung her arms around him, kissing him passionately. “I love it, I absolutely love it.”
“Well, I figured that we’ve been spending more time together, and there’s no reason for you to pack a bag every time you stay over,” Luke began. “And . . . you can come by anytime you want.”
“This is perfect! It’s been a long time since someone has given me something so heartfelt.”
“So you’re not freaked out?”
“Not at all. I really do like this, you, everything. This is absolutely perfect,” she said.
“Wow, that’s a relief. I was worried that it was too soon.”
Meghan weaved her hands through Luke’s arms and hugged him warmly. With her lips brushing up against his ear, she whispered, “You did good. Consider the bribe a success.”
A moment later, their lips met in an impassioned kiss. Then, Meghan pushed Luke away and held up the new lingerie.
“Now, seeing as this was for you,” she said, smirking, “let’s see how you look in it.”
Chapter 2
The aroma of freshly pressed panini sandwiches wafted through the gourmet kitchen. Luke expertly worked the sandwich press while Meghan finished redressing.
“Soup’s on,” Luke said as he plated up two turkey and Swiss on herb-crusted focaccia sandwiches and set them on the kitchen table.
Moments later, Meghan walked in, having freshened up after just being ravaged. She dropped her overnight bag next to the door and joined Luke at the kitchen table.
“This smells wonderful,” Meghan said as she sat across from Luke.
“What, this? It’s nothing, really. It’s just a product of my latest kitchen gadget, the Presto Sandwich Maker 2000,” Luke said proudly.
Meghan smiled as she took a bite of her sandwich and glanced at her watch distractedly.
“Hey, I want to apologize if I’ve made you late,” Luke said, noticing the action. “I didn’t think my coercion would be so successful.” He winked.
“Don’t apologize,” Meghan said, wiping her lips. “I’m the one that made you actually model my new underwear. If I hadn’t taken the time to rip them off you and jump your bones, you’d just look silly walking around in them all day long,” she joked.
Luke smiled, blushing at the embarrassment of actually wearing women’s lingerie. “Well, I really am sorry, and to make it up to you, here’s a small token as a peace offering.” He slid a shiny brass key across the table.
“Oh. My. God,” Meghan gasped. “I don’t know what to say. Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah. I was going to give it to you inside your new dresser drawer, but the sexy black skivvies won out.”
Meghan slid her plate to the side and continued to stare at the key. She reached out for it, but paused before touching it.
“Go ahead. It won’t bite,” Luke said. “I want you to have it, and I’d like to remind you that you’re more than welcome to use it anytime you want.”
Meghan picked up the key and closed her hands around it. “Thank you, Luke. I . . . really am speechless.” Meghan looked at her watch, and frown lines spread across her forehead. “I only wish that you’d have given this to me sooner so that I might have been able to thank you properly.”
Luke blushed again. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m man enough to handle you three times in a row, all before lunch,” he joked.
Meghan moved around the table and dropped herself into Luke’s lap. “Oh, I think you’d do fine. I would’ve done most of the work anyway,” she said before kissing him deeply.
After several minutes of the passionate embrace, Luke pulled away and said, “Well, I guess I’m willing to give it a try if you are.”
Meghan pecked the tip of his nose before standing up. She looked at him, her smile waning. “But there’s no time. I’ve already called for a cab, and the driver will probably be here any minute.”
“That’s okay. Just call and ca
ncel. I’ll have my driver take you anywhere you need to go,” Luke offered.
Meghan began to clear the table and said, “I don’t know. I feel weird imposing on a US Congressman’s son like that.”
“There’s no imposition about it. He’s my personal driver, and he’ll do whatever I ask of him,” Luke said, rising up to distract Meghan.
Before Meghan could consider his offer, the sound of a honking horn echoed up and through the open window. Meghan peeked through the drapes and saw a yellow cab double-parked in the street, right in front of the townhome.
“Well, it’s too late now. You’ll just have to wait for your reward until the next time we get together.” Meghan walked around the kitchen island and stopped in front of Luke. She leaned in for a final kiss good-bye. Their embrace would have lasted longer if the cabbie hadn’t honked again. Finally, she pulled herself away and headed for the door. She lifted her overnight bag and paused before stepping outside, then turned toward Luke and smiled. “Thank you again for the drawer. I left you a little surprise inside, until next time.”
A moment later, she was gone. Luke stood in the middle of the entryway, looking like a lost puppy.
“I give you an E for effort, my friend,” I said, standing next to Luke. “But to me, it felt like that cat couldn’t leave fast enough.”
Oblivious to my presence, Luke rushed in to the bedroom and opened the top drawer. Inside sat the very same silky lingerie that he’d worn not more than an hour earlier. He smiled fondly.
“Well, sorry chap, but I have to go. If it hadn’t taken me more than a week to track you down, I’d have more time to sit here and get to know your life better. But I have to follow your girlfriend and see what she’s all about first,” I said, standing next to Luke.
A moment later I vanished from his townhome.
Chapter 3
I popped back into reality in the backseat of the cab, right next to Meghan. The taxi driver was waiting patiently for a destination.
“It’s 155 West 84th Street,” Meghan said.
Without another word, the taxi sped off down the street. Visualizing the map of the city in my mind, I anticipated no less than a fifteen-minute drive. Seeing as it was the middle of a Sunday, traffic might be a bit lighter. But then again, this was New York. There was no such thing as light traffic.
Refocusing my attention on Meghan, I studied her persona. She wasn’t much older than me, possibly in her mid-thirties. Having just recently seen her completely naked, it was quite apparent that she was a fan of exercise. And from the brief time that I’d been around her, she flaunted it proudly.
As the driver merged into traffic on the next street, Meghan pulled her smart phone from her purse. A quick finger swipe and her screen was unlocked. Seconds later she’d brought up her messaging app. As her fingers danced across the screen, I leaned in close to see who she was texting.
There were no recent text conversations to continue from, so she began tapping a few letters until her contact list populated. She typed D-A-N, and the first contact up was Dana. She picked the name and tapped out the message, On my way. Got delayed, then hit send.
She rested the phone in her lap and looked out the side window of the cab, blankly. A few minutes later, her phone came to life.
Ding.
Great. I’m starved. Waited for lunch till you got home. Chinese?
She smiled briefly, then tapped in a reply: Yes, please. Sriracha Beef for me. You know I like it hot.
Seconds later, Dana replied: Ordering now.
Meghan once again rested the phone in her lap as a look of deep concentration passed over her face.
After a few moments, she lit up her phone again and tapped in a new contact, J-E-N-N. When Jennifer appeared, she selected the contact and tapped out a message, grinning from ear to ear as she went. OMG! Luke gave me a key!
As Meghan waited for Jennifer’s response, she beamed continuously, like a giddy school girl. Ah, young love.
Ding.
R U 4 REAL?
I snorted out loud at reading the abbreviated text acronyms. Before she could reply, her phone dinged again.
I miss you already, read the text. There was no personal name associated with the message, just the word OFFICE along the top.
As a heart attack! She tapped to Jennifer. And aww! He’s so sweet. He just txtd that he misses me.
After a few more girl talk messages back and forth, Meghan replied to Luke that she missed him too. I assumed that OFFICE was her nickname for him. I wondered if it had anything to do with him being the Congressman’s son.
As the texting conversation began to slow, I started to recognize our surroundings and knew we were moments away from our destination. Eager to find out more about Meghan’s life and clear up some of the confusion I was having from reading her texts, I fidgeted in my seat like an impatient child on a long road trip.
When the driver turned onto 84th Street, I noticed Meghan quickly clear her texting history. Her motions were well rehearsed, and witnessing the deceptive task deepened my confusion.
Once the cab stopped, I vanished from the backseat, popped onto the front step of Meghan’s apartment, and waited. She paid the driver and climbed out of the backseat, her overnight bag trailing behind. Within moments she stood next to me at the front door of her apartment. Interestingly, she rang the doorbell instead of simply walking in. A moment later though, she twisted the door handle and stepped across the threshold.
“Chinese delivery,” she announced in a playful tone.
I stepped through the door after her and moved to the side of the entryway. I scanned the foyer and saw that it led toward the back, most likely to a kitchen and family room. To the left was a dining room, and to the right appeared to be a study. There was a narrow stairway ascending to the upper levels of the residence.
Meghan dropped her bag and purse at the base of the stairs and walked into the study.
“You’re not the Chinese delivery person,” a man said as he sat at a desk covered in paperwork.
Meghan smiled and walked up to him, then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. “No, but we can only hope that it gets here soon. I’m famished.”
“I’d imagine so. How was the flight in?” he asked.
What the hell is going on here, I wondered.
“Oh, the usual. Getting a cab at JFK is continuing to prove more of a challenge than you might imagine,” Meghan said as she began to retreat from the study.
“Hey, missy. Not so fast,” he said latching on to her arm and pulling her into his lap. “I’ve missed you, baby.”
“But the conference was only three days long—”
The man interrupted her pleas with another kiss on her mouth. “You taste salty, with a hint of basil?” he said
Meghan smiled nervously. “Oh, it must have been from the seasoning on the trail mix they had on the flight,” she lied.
“Whatever it is, I like it,” he said.
“You do, huh? Well, there’s plenty more where that came from for you later.”
“What’s this about later?” he said. “You really have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he said, inching his hand beneath Meghan’s skirt.
“Hey now, mister. Just because you’re my husband doesn’t mean you can have your way with me any time you like,” Meghan teased. “Besides, isn’t the Chinese food going to get here at any moment?”
“Husband? You two-timing cow!” I blurted.
Dana smiled coyly. “Your assumption would be correct if I’d actually ordered when we talked. I only got off the phone with them moments before you walked in.”
“You sly dog. Were you planning this all along?” she asked.
Suddenly and without warning, Dana hoisted Meghan onto his desk and stood in front of her. “Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. You’ll never get the truth from me,” Dana said dramatically, his hands continuing to caress the exposed skin of Meghan’s legs.
“But if we do it right here, won’t your pa
perwork get all messy?” she asked.
“Not to worry. I can print fresh ones,” he said. Dana lowered himself back into his chair, with Meghan’s legs straddling him. Slowly yet methodically, Dana slid his hands beneath Meghan’s skirt before he tugged the pink lacy boy shorts from beneath. He dropped the panties to the floor and began kissing Meghan’s knees, slowly inching forward.
Overcome with passion, Meghan moaned softly and lay back across the desk. A moment later, Dana’s head disappeared beneath her skirt.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I blurted. “Hauser! Where the hell are you? Did you know this about my new souls?”
Meghan’s moaning stopped suddenly, and she pulled herself upright. A look of confusion spread across her face.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Dana asked.
“I don’t know. Did you hear something?”
Dana retracted his smiling face from between Meghan’s legs and looked about the room. “I don’t know, like what?”
“Voices maybe? I could’ve sworn that I heard . . . someone call out a name.”
“The only name I would be calling out is yours, baby,” Dana said with a cheesy wink. “But my tongue has been . . . preoccupied.”
“No, I’m serious. I think the name was . . . oh, never mind. Now, where were we?”
Dana stood and quickly dropped his trousers. “Let me introduce you to my little friend,” he said as he leaned into Meghan.
I stood next to them, blown away by the deception. My first thought about the sudden, not to mention completely revolting, revelation was that Hauser may have been incorrect. Maybe my training wasn’t over, and this current collection, so closely linked to my own past, was yet another lesson to be learned.
Thoroughly disgusted by the duplicity of the situation, I vanished from the study.
Chapter 4
When I’d felt enough time had passed so that I didn’t have to witness Meghan’s deceit in its full, carnal extent, I returned to them just as Dana had finished the last few morsels of his moo shu pork and began to eye Meghan’s untouched egg roll.
The Borrowed Souls: A Novel Page 22