by Jude Ouvrard
He brushed his fingers through my hair. “Like I need you.”
“But at the same time, I don’t want us to rush into things. I know you want me to move in with you, and part of me would love that – but the rational part of me is telling me, wow, calm down, you’ve only just met him.”
Calvin nodded. “I know and I understand. I can’t force you. Know that you can come and stay with me, whenever you want.”
“You too. My room is yours,” I offered extravagantly with a cheeky smile.
He laughed. “I can’t believe how small your place is.”
“It’s okay. It’s just me in there. And you, sometimes.”
He moved in closer, brushing his lips against my collarbone. “I think we should head back. I think I’ve done enough sin for today.”
“I think you’re right. I want to spend some time with my family.”
I giggled when we both stood up, stiff and completely naked in the middle of nowhere. We got dressed and got back in the saddles. I trotted for a little while and Calvin continued to walk his horse, but I stopped and waited for him to catch me. Polo had a racing past, he was a strong and powerful beast and my desire to make him gallop almost became too tempting. I promised myself I would take him out for a good run.
When we got back to the ranch, I spotted Dad outside and asked him to take care of Calvin’s horse for me. I wanted to take a spin around the track with Polo. “Hey, baby, meet me at the track, stay by the fence,” I told Calvin.
He nodded and blew me a kiss.
I breathed in the fresh air, the excitement of being with my horse overwhelming. I got onto the track and sped up smoothly, knowing that we both needed to warm up properly. Polo accelerated without me guiding him and I thought he wanted this as much as I did. The wind blew through my hair, and my smile reached my eyes. I loved this. After months away from my horse, he obviously still remembered the things we loved to do together, speeding on the track as if we were competing.
I spotted Calvin standing with my parents and Rose. His mouth was wide open as he watched us speed off and my parents were watching me with a smile that said how good it felt to have me at home. Meanwhile, Rose, ever the party girl, yelled, cheered and begged me to go even faster. I didn’t want to push my luck, but I knew Polo could take it to another level. My heels tucked in against the horse with my knees bent inward, and I gave Polo the signal to go for it. He sped up like a bomb while I held on to the reins with force. The adrenaline pumped swiftly through my veins.
The sound of Polo’s hooves hitting the ground was thunderous and my body absorbed every shock. It broke my heart to know I was only going to be here for another two days. I had to make the most of it
We slowed down to a steady canter, and then into a slow walk. “Good boy, Polo. You’re a good horse.” I patted his rear in praise. Out of breath, and with my legs shaking, I jumped down from the saddle into Calvin’s arms.
“That was... I don’t know. Impressive.”
“I know, right? I’m so cool.” I laughed.
My sister joined us and hugged me and Calvin. “I missed this. Seeing you here.”
We headed back inside and the house smelled marvellous. My mom's cooking ability could surpass any other chef out there. She loved it and was brave enough to always try new things.
“It smells incredible in here.” Calvin praised and Mom grinned with pride.
“So, tell us about the Big Apple,” my sister demanded excitedly, as if she was waiting for me to reveal some big secret.
“I haven't visited much yet. Times Square is the coolest place, but I spend all my free time in Central Park. It’s not too far from the place I live.”
“Have you made any friends?”
I nodded. “Mostly people from the dorm – like Krystal and Zach.” Calvin squeezed my fingers when I mentioned Zach’s name. “And I started working for Calvin last week.”
“Stop saying you work for me. You work with me.”
I rolled my eyes at the distinction. “Same thing.”
“No, it's not.” He sighed heavily. “When you graduate, you'll have your office, right next to mine.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. “What?”
“I want you to work with me, babe. I thought you knew that.”
“I do. But I guess I never really thought about it that way. What if I’m not up to your company level?”
“I’ll help you.”
“Be serious, Calvin. I need to gain work experiences.”
My parents laughed together. “She'll never change. Iris has always been under the misapprehension that she's not good enough.” My mother patted my shoulder.
“Mom,” I scolded, feeling embarrassed.
“She is smart, good company and beautiful, isn't she?” Rose said while I flushed crimson red.
“Thank you.” I murmured.
“Of course.” Calvin added.
“Are you kids hungry?” My mom’s voice filled the room. She loved that moment when we all sat at the table together for a family dinner. I knew how excited she was about having us here.
Calvin started laughing at my mother’s question. “I'm sorry, ma’am, I haven't been called ‘kid’ in a long time.” His smile made him look younger and sincere. Joy came out in his laughter.
“Well, you better get used to it. As long as you’re good to my daughter, you'll be part of us, one of my kids.”
Calvin nodded solemnly, appreciating the significance.
“I’m starving.” My stomach had been growling for at least the past hour.
“Do you like fish, Calvin?”
“Yes, I do. I'm really not with a picky eater. I can eat just about everything.”
“Calvin.” Dad called his name from the living room. “Come in here, son.”
Calvin stopped mid-track, and his back stiffened and his hands clenched into fists. I hurried to his side. “It’s okay, baby, it’s only my dad.”
He visibly exhaled and whispered. “Shit, what was that?”
“I think you’re nervous, Calvin. Relax, okay? They like you.”
“For one second, I thought I heard my own dad.”
“I know.” I kissed his shoulder. “I think it’s because he called you son. Do you want me to ask him to stop?”
“No... No, it's okay now.” He shook his head, closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled a couple of times and walked through to the living room. I knew what awaited him probably wasn’t anything too serious. Probably some football talk.
In the meantime, I got the table ready with Rose. We hugged again and she kept telling me Calvin was a keeper. I knew that already. I would never let him go, I would miss him too much. Mom brought white candles in to give some ambiance to the table and she added background music which made me smile. Calvin always liked to play background music in the bedroom. Heat rushed into my face, and I had to create a diversion or they would notice.
“I’m going to check on Calvin.”
I hurried out of the kitchen and followed the sound of my father and Calvin talking together.
“We can throw the ball tomorrow morning if you want, Peter. I would love that.”
“Oh really? You would? That would be great.”
I chuckled. Calvin had a new member in his fan club.
“I want to thank you for letting me stay here with Iris.”
“Not a problem, son.” I saw Dad squeeze Calvin’s forearm. “The last couple of months have been rough for her. She got hit pretty badly with what happened with her ex and her friend. You make her smile, the look in her eyes, I’ve never seen her happy like this. I should be the one thanking you.”
“She’s given me everything that was missing in my life. She’s beautiful and smart... We are still getting to know each other but I think it will only get better.”
“Are you asking me for her hand?”
I stopped breathing. What the hell was going on? Engagement? Oh dear god, not now.
“No, no. It’s too early yet,
but I will ask her someday. She is my better half.”
I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was being incredibly truthful. I could hear it in his voice. He made my heart melt; he made my eyes tear up. I hated that I had eavesdropped, but I could fix that. My breathing unsteady, I tried to relax. “Hey guys, Dinner’s ready.”
Calvin pulled me into his arms as my dad passed us.
“I like you a lot, Calvin.” I whispered.
“I like you more.”
I shook my head in denial. “No, Calvin. This isn’t a game you can ever win.”
His lips found mine; we kissed softly and met up with the rest of the family for dinner.
Chapter TWELVE
THROUGHOUT DINNER, I DREW SMALL circles on Calvin's thigh with my fingers. He seemed genuinely happy, something had changed in him. A little light was illuminating his beautiful eyes and I couldn't wait to ask him about it. Every once in a while he would kiss my cheek, my temple – anywhere he could reach. We weren't used to holding back when kissing, but here, he was managing to control himself better than I was. Calvin wanted my parents' respect and he was doing everything he could to get it. I, on the other hand, was having a difficult time toning down the vixen inside me.
“Hey, Iris, I've been thinking. Maybe we could all go downtown later tonight to the Sunset Bar for the countdown. It's supposed to be fun,” Rose suggested.
I glanced at Calvin uncertainly. What about leaving Mom and Dad alone, it didn’t seem fair? Even worse, what if we ran into Damien and Carolina – we lived in a small town, and there weren’t that many places to go to celebrate New Year? I didn't know how to respond.
“Sounds good to me, if your parents don't mind,” Calvin said.
Mom spoke up, with a warm smile. “You kids go out and have fun. We have to be up early in the morning, we have the extended family visiting and the horses to take care of.”
“Okay, thanks, Mom.” I grinned and mentally ran through the clothes I had brought. I couldn’t think of anything suitable to wear.
“This is going to be fun, like the old days,” Rose said “My sister can be quite the party girl sometimes.”
Calvin laughed. He had never really seen me in party mode, but he had watched me dance with Krystal. I blushed heavily as I remembered how dirty I was dancing with Krys that first night I met him.
“I have the perfect dress for you,” Rose announced. She had apparently thought of everything.
“Yeah, it’s probably a dress which is so short; it will look like a tank top. No thanks.”
“No, really, it will be great! Mine is silver and yours is gold.” I rolled my eyes at the prospect. “Come on!” she begged.
“We aren’t five years old anymore.” I loved her, but I hated it when she came up with plans like these. I knew she’d missed me and was delighted to be reunited, and I was certain the idea of matching dresses was her way to emphasizing our ‘twinship’. Rose had been lonely for months and I understood that.
“Let’s talk about the outfit later, okay?” Calvin squeezed my hand tenderly. “Whatever you’ll wear, I’m sure you’ll look beautiful.” I liked that he wanted to make me feel better, but he had no idea how annoying my sister could be.
“Wait until you see the dress. My sister has a tendency of wearing close to nothing.”
I’d had two glasses of wine, and I was aware of it in my muscles. Being tired didn’t help. Calvin had been watching me for the past five minutes; I think he was trying to understand what I was feeling. A night out did sound good, but I knew everything would be different than what it was before.
Everybody knew about what had happened with Damien, and I was worried they would all act awkwardly and I hated the thought. I would rather go to a party in New York, where I didn’t know anyone. Despite my concerns, I had to be strong and go have some fun with my sister. The worst thing that could happen would be to run into my ex and Carolina, and then what? As long as they stayed far away from me everybody would be safe. I had been hiding for long enough, I needed to do this for me.
With a full stomach, dressing up in a skin tight dress wasn’t an ideal plan and I attempted to talk Rose out of the idea again while Calvin took a shower. I was having a hard time concentrating; I wanted to join him, spend some time with him, skin to skin. Being at my parents’ house was turning out to be much harder than I thought. I had to control myself.
“Come on. Try it on,” Rose begged completely overriding my arguments.
With a frustrate huff, I stepped into the dress and Rose helped me adjust it.
“It’s very short, Rose.” I was ready to back out of her plan. “I won’t even be able to dance in this.”
“Chill out. You can keep your underwear on. Calvin will take care of making sure nobody can see your underwear. He watches you constantly, he’ll have a raging hard on all freaking night.
“Rose!” I couldn’t believe my ears. “I like the dress, but it’s much shorter than I would normally go for.”
“It’s only for one night. It’s fucking New Year’s Eve. It’s the biggest party of the year.”
She sat me down on a chair and brushed my hair. She left it loose like hers and then applied a few layers of make up to my face. I was almost afraid to smile, what if it cracked? She put glitter on my eyelids that matched my dress. Wonderful. I looked like a Barbie doll. So not like me.
After spending an awful amount of time getting ready, we got into Calvin’s rental car and rode with the music playing loud. When we arrived at the Sunset Bar, the parking lot was already filled with cars. People were lined up at the door, trying to get in. I had never seen anything like this before in our little country town.
“It's crowded,” I commented. I was silently praying that Damien and Carolina wouldn’t be here.
“I wonder how the night is going at the lounge,” Calvin mused. “Hopefully we’ll get a huge crowd for the countdown. I hired DJ's from Europe especially for what I hope will be one of the best nights so far.”
It hadn’t even occurred to me that Calvin should probably be in New York, dealing with his own bar. “What are you... What are we doing here if you should be in New York supervising The Whiskey Bar?”
He squeezed my fingers. “It’s okay. I have people there I trust; they’re taking care of everything.”
“I feel bad now,” I admitted. “We could have come here any time.”
“I wanted you to spend New Year’s with your loved ones.” His voice was soft and low, and it calmed me, but I hated that he had needed to change his plans to make me happy.
“Say thank you, and shut up about it. He's here because he loves you. End of story,” Rose blurted out.
A small smile formed at the corner of Calvin’s lips. “She's right,” he agreed mildly.
I smiled happily. “Thank you, baby.”
“Come on, it's time,” Rose announced excitedly as we reached the entrance.
The Sunset Bar had absolutely nothing in common with Calvin’s lounge. The Lounge screamed class and wealth. You could tell the interior had been designed by professionals. At the Sunset Bar, the paint on the walls had faded, everything screamed of age and being outdated, but the beers were cheap and that’s all that mattered to people my age.
“I hope you’re ready for the biggest disappointment of your life,” I laughingly warned Calvin as we entered the bar. The second we stepped foot inside, my eyes automatically drifted across the crowd to see if Damien and Carolina were here. I really didn’t want to see them.
“They aren't here...” Rose confirmed my obviously unsubtle observations. “They probably won’t turn up. The baby is taking up all of their time, I heard,” she proclaimed nonchalantly.
I shut my eyes and tried to push back the bad memories. Calvin's hand rested again the small of my back while he sang the lyrics of a song in a low voice. I had never listened to it before, but I knew then, that I would listen to it repeatedly from now on. His soothing voice filled my eardrums and his warm breath whispe
red across my skin. This man certainly knew how to distract me.
“Do you want to dance, lover boy?” I questioned coquettishly.
Calvin grinned, displaying his sexy and provocative charm. “Can you even dance in that tank top?” He laughed, grabbing my behind.
“You're going to have to make sure it covers every part of my body, you don't want to share.”
“In that case, we need to change you into a winter snow suit then.” He kissed my mouth and forced his tongue inside.
He started caressing my back, my waist and before long, a small hip movement started between us. Our bodies were in sync, and he had me dancing in a very sensual manner. At least to me, it seemed. We were leaning against each other, following the beat of the music. I didn’t care who was dancing around us or who was watching, I was only focused on him. The air grew thick and heated as time went by, my back was covered in perspiration and so was Calvin. His hair looked the way it had the first time I saw him working out at the gym, all wet and disheveled. Totally sexy and he was all mine.
“Babe, can we go outside? Get some fresh air and maybe grab something to drink?” he spoke loud enough for me to hear him over the pounding music.
I nodded in agreement and he led the way outside. The air had cooled down since our arrival and it was refreshing after the heat inside. I twisted my hair into a bun and let the breeze dry the perspiration on my neck. Calvin leaned back against the wall of the bar. He seemed tired.
“Are you okay, baby?” I questioned worriedly.
“Yeah, I’m a bit hot, that’s all.” He brushed the sleeve of his shirt across his forehead.
“You definitely are.” I kissed him and rested my head against his chest. He pressed a couple of kisses to the top of my head, which made me smile. “Are you having fun? I still feel bad about being here, when you had such a big event happening at home.”
He grinned. “I’m having the best time of my life. If we’d stayed home, I would’ve been working; this is like a mini vacation.”