Island Love

by Curtis Bennett

  I nodded in agreement. The moment she closed the car door I answered it.

  “Hello my dear,” Tina’s soothing voice cooed on the other end. “You miss me Marcus?”

  “I do Tina,” I said, wondering for the umpteenth time how I allowed myself to get in such a situation.

  “Whatcha doing?”

  “Umm, just some shopping,” I said, measuring my words and tone.

  “How is the property thing coming along?”

  “Pretty good. I really think we’re close to signing off on this deal,” I replied.

  “You’re still coming back tomorrow night, right?”

  “Probably not. Though it looks promising, I may need a little more time to close this deal out,” I said hoping that my voice had not betrayed my lie.

  “Oh baby, please don’t stay there too long,” she purred.

  “Honestly, I can’t wait until you come back so that I can rub you down with massage oil and kiss you all over and just hold you in my arms.”

  “I’d like that very much,” I replied trying desperately to disguise the nervousness in my voice which had been brought on by rattled nerves.

  “You’re working today?” I asked.

  “I’m going in later.”

  “Are you closing?”

  “Probably.”

  “You know how much I worry about you when you get off at midnight.”

  “I know but I’m careful.”

  “You better be.”

  “I always have one of the guys walk me to my car.”

  “That’s good, that’s very good.”

  “I like it better when you are here to pick me up.”

  “I like that too.”

  “Hey, you forgot to ask me what I’m wearing.”

  “Okay, what are you wearing?”

  “Well, I just got out of the shower and dried off and now I am wearing a towel.”

  “And what’s under the towel?” I asked, pressing for specifics.

  “Guess,” she teased.

  Turning, I caught a glimpse of Leïla heading back towards the car. Needless to say, I hit the panic button for the third time in less than fifteen minutes.

  Tina was still asking me to guess what she was wearing under the towel, which wasn’t anything she finally told me, when I interrupted her. “Listen, Tina,” I said in an apologetic tone, “I have a business call coming in –“

  “It’s your uncle, right?”

  “Yes,” I lied for the second or third time in about as many minutes.

  “Okay, but tell me that you love and miss me, first.”

  Leïla was less than two arm lengths away from the car when Tina made this request of me.

  “I’m waiting dear,” she almost sang. By now Leïla had opened the car door and was sliding her shapely form inside next to me, her perfumed fragrance preceding her.

  “Love you much,” I quipped then disconnected the call while she was still talking.

  “The ladies room was closed for maintenance reasons so we’ll have to find another store or restaurant and soon,” she said. “Who was that on the phone?”

  “My aunt,” I lied again.

  “I hope I get to meet your aunt and uncle someday,” she said, setting her purse to the side.

  “You will,” I said with a half-hearted smile.

  We drove less than a block away and stopped off at a credit union where she used the ladies room. During that time I silenced my phone. I was as nerved-wrecked as anyone in my situation could be. When she returned, we resumed her shopping spree. That evening we headed over to Outback Steakhouse for dinner.

  After we dined, she was adamant about me coming over to her place to spend the night. At any other time I would have jumped at the chance to stay over with a woman as beautiful and sexy as Leïla. Like Tina, Leïla was not a woman a man could easily ignore. In addition to that both of them were as sweet and as down to earth and as genuine as women come. Inside I was terribly conflicted about the whole scene. Few people could ever appreciate or understand the conundrum I found myself in. I knew that if I went over there I was going down for the count. At that point I would be cheating on Tina. I struggled to think of a way out of this dilemma but could not.

  We arrived at her luxury apartment shortly after I insisted on taking her to see a movie at the Regal Butler Plaza Cinemas off of 35th Street. It was a romance called Obla. Any possible way that I could, I had delayed going over to her place until the very last minute. My plan was to get her tired and to the point she’d want to fall asleep after we arrived there. Once inside of her place I carried my bag into the kitchen where I opened the bottle of wine we had picked up at the ABC Liquor store before we attended the movie. I also opened a snack pack consisting of cheese cubes and crackers I had purchased at the liquor store as well. It had been a long day for both of us and I was counting on the wine to hasten her entry into dreamland.

  As I attended to business in the kitchen she walked over and put on a CD of soulful romantic tunes. Of all tunes to listen to, the first to play was Never Keeping Secrets by Babyface. Before I could finish pouring our drinks she came over and took me by the hand and led me into the living room where we began to dance slowly, the sadness inside of me growing with every beat of my heart. That song nearly brought tears to my eyes. Once it was over I returned to the kitchen to retrieve our snacks and our drinks.

  We started out sitting across from one another but after a while she stood up and came up behind where I was sitting, leaned over and embraced me. She was kissing me on my neck and on my temples. Of the many places I did not want her to be, for fear of arousal, she eased her soft round bottom onto my lap, her arms draped loosely around my neck. Her movements were not easy to ignore. But I did everything I could to focus on other things.

  With her seated comfortably on my lap, we toasted our wine glasses and sipped from them occasionally while we talked at the dining room table. After we ate the remainder of the cheese and crackers and downed what was left of the wine in our glasses, we retreated to the leather sofa in the living room area. Just as gracefully as she’d walk down any modeling ramp, she lowered herself downward then across the full-length of the sofa facing me, her upper body resting on my lap. By now another poignant tune began to play in the background. It was Jill Scott’s Comes To The Light. As the lyrics declared, everything comes to the light. With a heavy heart, I knew that it was only a matter of time before the lie I was living would.

  After I tucked a soft pillow under her upper torso, her lovely face locked its gaze on me, her smile as warm and inviting as I remembered it being. Her eyes looked tired and glossy. Though she never uttered a word, we kissed. Not wanting to arouse her I kept my kisses to a minimum. Shortly afterwards I began massaging the soft cradle of her back, arms, and shoulders. I watched solemnly as her eyes began to close and open slowly and close again until they remained fully shut. Within seconds she was fast asleep.

  Leaning over my sleeping beauty, I kissed her softly on the cheek. Out of curiosity, I brushed aside her hair and looked at the scar just behind her right ear, complements of the bullet that grazed her when we were stranded on our private island. At that moment I was reminded of the birthmark behind Tina’s ear and in the exact same spot. Talk about coincidence. Leïla’s wound was barely noticeable, though. And I was thankful for that. That was the one dreadful day I could have lost her and for all time.

  With my arm resting across her upper torso, I closed my eyes and fell asleep too. From what I could remember, my last thoughts were of Tina. It had not escaped me that she had probably called me several times during her two breaks. I’d just have to tell her that I turned in early. More lies. More shame. More guilt.

  The following morning Leïla insisted on taking a shower with me. What I had put off the night before I could no longer delay. Seeing her shapely form in clothing was tempting enough. Being in a shower with her, her body all soaped up with suds, was divine torture. Once her soapy breasts and frontal area presse
d up against me, I lost all restraints. I surrendered the flag without much of a fight. For the next ten to twelve minutes we kissed, titillated, stroked, and explored one another’s bodies with probing hands. Minutes after that I returned to a place I thought I’d never return to. Once I found myself deep inside of her we made love like there was no tomorrow. Not surprisingly, it did not last long. Our longing, intense desire, and anticipation were so great that there was no way this was ever going to go more than four or five minutes. Leïla exploded first and rather loudly. When I heard her cry of ecstasy and watched her eyes roll back into her head, I erupted and big time.

  Arching my back and gritting my teeth, I strained and contracted every muscle in my body as I flooded her fiery orifice with love cream. When we were spent, we collapsed against the wet ceramic-tiled wall as water from the shower head cascaded downward from where it struck the wall just above our shoulders.

  “I love you Marcus,” she said before she left the shower to go dry off.

  Turning I told her that I loved her as well but I wasn’t sure if she heard me.

  Leïla offered to cook breakfast for me but I declined saying that I had to get back to my hotel and change clothes. As we stood at the door in an embrace, her arms around my neck, she rose up on her toes and kissed me. I reciprocated with a fiery kiss of my own.

  “Did you sleep well last night?” she asked, stroking the side of my face tenderly.

  “Yeah, I imagine so,” I answered gazing down into her eyes with a tired smile. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied thoughtfully.

  “Did you sleep well?” I asked.

  “Pretty much,” she said in reply.

  “Well, is everything all right with you?” I asked, still cradling her waist and back with my arms.

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you Marcus,” she said probing my eyes.

  “Why?”

  “You seem somewhat thoughtful, perhaps even preoccupied, at times I’ve noticed.”

  “I’m just tired Leïla, that’s all,” I told her. “The negotiations, the research and all. And I must say that running into you here in Gainesville was an unexpected event as well. Very emotional I must say. I imagine I am still trying to cope with the notion that your father found a way to come between us.”

  “I will deal with my father as I promised I would,” she said holding me close. “I just want to know if you are happy to see me again.”

  Kissing her softly on the forehead, I looked down into her eyes and said, “Yes, I am happy to see you. Matter of fact, very happy. There’s’ no way I couldn’t be.” And I meant that with all of my heart. Whatever desperate situation I found myself in it was not of her making. All she was guilty of was falling in love.

  After returning to my hotel room I freshened up and changed into a suit I had purchased two days earlier. Then I called Tina and quickly smoothed things out with her for hanging up abruptly on her the day before. Grabbing my laptop and attaché case I headed down to my rental. In minutes I was seated in a conference room across from Rosalyn and her partner. We signed off on all of the paperwork and then I signed a letter of intent, which meant that we had reached an agreement and my intent was to purchase the property. I would express mail the documents to my folks in Tampa later in the day. After we shook hands, I left their office and met Leïla for lunch.

  As we sat eating, she suddenly turned to me and said, “Hey, how would you like going over to St Augustine and spend the night there with me. I hear it’s a really romantic place to visit; that is, according to my friends who had been there before.”

  Familiar with St Augustine from my college years, I replied, “You know, that’s a great idea. We can stop at your place first and pick up a few items and then I’ll pick up a few things from my place.” Though I tried my best to conceal the sadness and trepidation I felt inside I wanted Leïla to enjoy her time with me.

  After all she had been through she deserved whatever happiness came her way, even if the source of that happiness was less than honest and less than pure.

  Within an hour we were on our way, heading east along Highway 20. It was a long drive and a long stretch of road, with periods where all we saw were trees racing by. Once in a while we’d pass through small towns with names such as Interlachen and Palatka. Once we entered East Palatka we turned left onto SR 100 and continued our eastward trek. Along the way we passed through Hastings, Florida, a town boasting one traffic light, and then onto St Augustine some eighteen miles away.

  We checked into the Casa Monica around four that afternoon under a scorching hot sun. This was an elegant five-star hotel that came with a five-star price tag. It was located right in the heart of historic downtown St Augustine. Slowly, I pulled into a narrow driveway which ended a short distant later at the foot of a wide Cinderella-like staircase. It was the type you’d find in elegant ballrooms and on five-star cruise ships. Two bellhops greeted us as a young valet took the keys to the car. After our luggage was removed and placed on the luggage carriage we followed one of the bellhops into the main lobby to check in.

  After settling in we dressed in loose fitting clothing and floppy hats and headed out to begin our promenade along St George Street, the main artery for out of town tourist to traverse. Less than two blocks later we came upon a quaint ice cream parlor that had a wall-mounted train set positioned near the ceiling. The tracks ran the full-length of the interior walls and in a rectangular-like layout. The air-conditioning system must have been set for artic cold but was still a refreshing relief from the blazing hot sun outside. As we stood in line, Leïla’s perfumed body positioned in front of mine, I leaned forward and nestled my head against hers and kissed her warm rosy cheek. Leïla leaned back into me and smiled. When we left the parlor she had a single dip of walnut and rum raisin ice cream in hand and I had a double dip of butter pecan ice cream. It proved to be quite a challenge and race of sorts, devouring my ice cream before the sun’s rays completely melted it.

  We stopped in a store to use the restrooms to wash our sticky hands, thanks to the dripping ice cream we had consumed. While there Leïla came upon a matching his and hers T-shirt set. Both had a picture of the famous St Augustine Lighthouse and the name St Augustine printed on the front of the shirts and the year 2012 Adventure Tour Inside Of America’s Oldest City printed on the back. She insisted on purchasing them and did. We also bought a pair of matching slacks.

  After we walked the full-length of St George Street we decided to take a tour of the city on an open tram. With a gentle breeze blowing through our hair, we enjoyed a romantic tour of the nation’s oldest city, our driver serving in the dual role of driver and tour guide. Forty-five minutes later we decided to dine at an Italian restaurant named Columbia. There was a walled-in garden at the entrance and a large fountain. We entered and were greeted by a young and cheerful hostess. Once we were seated on the upper level we took time to soak in our surroundings. Its interior and subdued lighting was reminiscent of an authentic Italian restaurant, Mediterranean architect and all.

  Somehow I managed to get away long enough to call Tina and talk briefly with her. I assured her that I would be back in Ft Lauderdale that evening. She said she would be there and promptly to pick me up. After I’d sign off with her I’d return to Leïla’s side who was none the wiser.

  Later we returned to our luxury suite at the Casa Monica Hotel for some needed relaxation after tackling the heat and the sun. We enjoyed a bubble bath and then the soothing massages we gave each other. Afterwards, there was a lot of hugging and kissing. Needless to say, I raised the surrender flag for the second night in a row.

  The following morning we headed over to the beach, just a little after sunrise, so that I could practice my martial arts as the morning tide came in. In the process I showed Leïla a few defensive moves. Returning to our suite, we splashed about in a bathtub of hot water and with suds up to our necks. For the second time in less than seven hours we capped off our playful frolicking
with a session of wild passionate lovemaking. After drying one another off, I slipped into my briefs and she her panties and bra. Donning our matching T-shirts and slacks, we took a moment to pose in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom.

  Grabbing my camera, we took pictures of one another and then one together with her sitting on my lap as I held the camera out in front of us, my index finger clicking away. We were all fun and laughs as we enjoyed one another’s company to the fullest. Whatever joy we missed out on during the months we were apart, we made up for over the past few days and completely. Her love for me was so mesmerizing and so complete, that there were moments I actually forgot about my dilemma. But those welcomed moments were short-lived.

  Loading up the rental we returned to the lobby to check out of the hotel. Stealing away to the lobby restroom, I called Tina one final time to say that I had confirmed my arrival time. After that, I rejoined Leïla in the lobby. I had already decided I’d do the honorable thing and tell her about Tina once we returned to her place. That one thought set the solemn tone for the drive back to Gainesville. With St Augustine now behind us we drove on as we listened to a romantic collection of songs Leïla had purchased at the hotel, stopping only once to eat breakfast in Palatka, Florida. One of the songs was a favorite of mine. It was entitled I Just Wanna Stop For Your Love by Canadian crooner Gino Vanelli.

  We arrived in Gainesville just minutes before noon. A mile from her apartment I reached over and woke her, something I was hesitant to do because she was sleeping so soundly and peacefully. But I had to speed up things. My departing flight was scheduled to leave at 5:00 that afternoon. After we unloaded her belongings I took a seat at the dining room table. I watched as she walked over to the refrigerator and took out two cold bottles of Turkey Hill Diet Green Tea. Taking my hand she led me into the living room where we parked ourselves on the long sofa. With my hands loosely clasped, I faced her and said, “Leïla, there’s something I want to say…”