Coffee and Conclusions

by Emma Sterner-Radley

  Exhilaration coursed through her veins. Biting her lip around a smile, Erin replied, “Deal.”

  Isabella sipped at her coffee and looked at the screen over the rim of the cup. Her soulful, brown eyes offered promises, and goose bumps erupted across Erin’s body. Suddenly, all her fears and worries seemed unimportant.

  Outside, the wind howled down New York’s streets, but Erin didn’t care. All she cared about were those warm eyes—the color so like the coffee that they both loved—gazing right into hers. Piercing through every defense.

  Chapter 15

  Visits

  Time passed the way books had told her time always passes in a long-distance relationship—slow and bittersweet.

  But Saturday finally arrived. Isabella’s whole body was tense and rushing with adrenaline. She was filled with the kind of anticipation she could only remember from childhood Christmases and birthdays. She kept changing her clothes, and worse, changing Alberto’s clothes. After Erin’s little joke about them matching at her parent’s house, Isabella wanted to make sure they didn’t look the same.

  Alberto was dressed in white, red, and blue, and she was in a plum-colored dress. Different enough, she decided. Especially as he was wearing dungarees with Cookie Monster peeking out of the cuff, and she was wearing a Ted Baker dress with a slit up her thigh.

  They’d eaten an early lunch and were just waiting for one o’ clock. At least she had Alberto to distract her. She’d be climbing up the walls otherwise.

  She kissed his head and was just wiping away the lipstick smudge when the doorbell chimed. Isabella jumped, and her shocked reaction made Alberto’s lower lip wobble. She smiled at him and nuzzled his neck to calm him, while she picked him up and went to open the door to Erin. She had to remind herself to breathe, as she walked the short corridor to the building entrance.

  There was Erin, with a rucksack slung over her shoulder and hoodie under her arm. Isabella had that strange feeling of the world slowing, its rushed spinning settling to something more peaceful, more comfortable, the moment she saw Erin’s smiling face. Her white tank top was criminally tight above a pair of gray, skinny jeans. Subtle makeup and carefully styled curls added to Erin’s beauty, but Isabella was dazzled by that huge smile.

  “Hey Martinez and Martinez Jr.” Erin reached out a hand and softly prodded Alberto’s tummy, right on Cookie Monster’s face.

  Alberto watched her finger intently. Erin retracted the finger as soon as she made contact, almost as if she were afraid he would explode.

  “Well, Miss Black? Are you going to prod my stomach too?”

  Erin looked down and smiled, before placing a finger just below Isabella’s solar plexus. Slowly, Erin let it slide down, stopping to gently prod just before her belly button. Isabella felt very happy with her choice of such a tight dress, which allowed Erin to see exactly where her finger was going. Had Erin’s finger gone any farther south, Isabella might not have been able to stop herself from pulling Erin by that tight tank top into her bed.

  She swallowed thickly. “Right. Now that we have your strange greeting ritual over and done with, would you like to come in?”

  “Well, yeah! I didn’t come all this way just to poke your bellies.”

  Only the fact that Isabella was standing outside on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, and holding her son, stopped Isabella from asking what body parts Erin had come for. Controlling her reawakened sexual appetite around Erin was becoming…difficult.

  She walked back into her apartment with Erin in tow. She put Alberto down in the safety of his baby gym and moved back to give Erin a hug. She hadn’t expected Erin to pull her in for a bear hug, but laughed happily at its sudden appearance.

  Erin smelled of something fresh and fruity, and Isabella breathed it in greedily. She could only hope that Erin might appreciate her own signature Guerlain as much. Did I put on too much this morning?

  It felt so right to have Erin in her arms, and Isabella made a point to enjoy it fully. She even snaked her hands into the space between Erin’s rucksack and the sculpted back underneath it. The tank top was thin, and she could feel the warmth of Erin’s body as if she were naked. With a smile, she realized that Erin had burrowed her face into her hair and was nuzzling her ear. It made her heart flutter and her body temperature rise. Time to end this delicious hug before it becomes something else.

  “That’s enough of that. There’s a young gentleman present.”

  “True. How are you doing, lil’ man? I like your…um…soft cage thingy, there.”

  “It’s a baby gym,” Isabella explained.

  Erin took her rucksack off and put it on the small dining room table next to her. “Oh, cool. Let’s have a look.”

  Seeming hesitant, Erin crouched down next to Alberto. The two of them looked at each other for a while, before Erin said, “I, um, I like gyms too, kid. Mine tend to be smellier and less soft, though. I like yours.”

  Alberto waved his arms and legs quickly. Then he cooed and reached for the yellow and red butterfly above him, ignoring the bee, the bird, and the dragonfly.

  “I think that butterfly is his favorite. He’s been trying to grab for it for ages now.”

  Erin nodded intently, as if she was making a mental note. She seemed tense.

  Isabella looked over at the discarded rucksack. There had to be a way to relax Erin. “What’s in that?” she asked. “Let me guess, protein bars?”

  “Yep. Well just one, I ate the other one. There’s also some comics and a water bottle, and this.” Erin reached into the rucksack and held up something colorful for Isabella to inspect. It turned out to be a rattle in the shape of an octopus. “I thought your octopus inspector might want a new test subject.” Her head ducked slightly. “I hope it’s okay. The woman in the store said it was safe for his age and stuff.”

  Isabella rewarded Erin’s uncertain expression with a beaming smile. “It’s adorable. I’m sure he’ll love it. Do you want to give it to him now?”

  She looked down at Alberto and then back up at Isabella. “Nah, you give it to him when it’s the right time.”

  “Oh, I see. Perhaps when he needs a distraction because his stomach hurts, but his mother doesn’t have time to walk around with him for ages, since she’s busy flirting with her sexy date?”

  Erin blushed a little, as she put her hands into her tight back pockets. “Well, you’ll know better than me when he needs a new toy.”

  “I’m sure he’d want it right now, preciosa. Patience isn’t his strong suit, and I think he might have spotted it already.”

  Bending down carefully in her tight dress, Isabella gave Alberto the rattle. She wanted Erin to see, right away, how much he would like it. In truth, he wouldn’t care that it was an octopus, but he’d love how chewable it was and the noise he could make with it.

  Alberto grabbed the toy and immediately stuck it in his mouth. As it moved, he noticed it rattling and took it out, then moved it again, mesmerized by the sound. He put it back into his mouth and gummed a tentacle until it rattled once more. When he took it out again, he managed to hit himself square in the face with it. He looked up at the two adults, incrimination in his little eyes. Then the bawling began.

  Isabella wasn’t surprised by any of it. He did this a lot and would be all right in a second, when he forget all about it. What did surprise her was Erin’s look of abject horror.

  “Shit! I’m so sorry.”

  “Why? He hits himself quite a bit like that. It happens when you have undeveloped hand-eye coordination and can’t understand consequences of your actions yet. It has nothing to do with the toy or you. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Um, okay.” Nevertheless, Erin had gone quite ashen faced.

  Isabella lifted Alberto up, grabbed a pacifier off the table, and put it in his mouth. She rocked him until he forgot the pain on the bridge of his nose where t
he rattle had landed. When he was calm, Isabella put him back down in the gym, took back the pacifier, and handed him the rattle again. He started gumming it as if nothing had ever happened.

  “There you go. He’s fine, and he loves his new octopus.” Isabella squeezed Erin’s arm and gave her a reassuring smile.

  Despite her nod and smile back, Erin looked unconvinced.

  Isabella rubbed her upper arm and spoke in soft tones, “Come on, let’s go sit down so you can relax after your journey. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

  “No, I’m fine. Sitting down sounds nice, though.”

  They went to the sofa, and Isabella and chose the seat where she could best see Alberto, who was still investigating the new toy with his mouth. She looked over at Erin, who was leaning back in the navy blue couch.

  “So, how was your trip?”

  Sliding across the sofa in one suave move until she was right next to Isabella, Erin replied, “Worth it.”

  “Smooth, Miss Black.”

  Erin bowed. “Why, thank you. The trip was fine. It went by pretty quick, despite it raining like hell almost all the way. It magically stopped when I got to Philly, though. Clearly, the sun likes you.”

  Isabella crossed her legs slowly and enjoyed Erin staring at them. “Yes. I brought it with me from Florida.”

  “I’m impressed you got the whole damn sun into your bags. Remind me to come to you for packing advice.”

  Just like that, they were back to their normal, relaxed banter, and time seemed to speed up. With only one break to pick Alberto up and one for Erin using the bathroom, they kept talking and flirting nonstop. Right up until the point where Isabella heard herself say, “So, as this is our second date, I guess we are now officially dating?”

  Erin’s expression changed into something she couldn’t interpret. But it didn’t look good.

  Isabella felt icy fear in the pit of her stomach. Damn. Why did I say that?

  Chapter 16

  Officially Dating

  At first, Erin wasn’t sure if she had misheard. She just sat there, disbelieving and confused. Had Isabella really said that they were officially dating? Erin decided she had, and before she could stop herself, celebrated by leaning forward and pulling Isabella into a hug. She heard Isabella sigh in what sounded like relief.

  Speaking into Isabella’s thick, soft hair, she murmured, “So I’m kinda guaranteed a good-bye kiss tonight, then?”

  Isabella moved away and smirked. “You’re guaranteed this.”

  She moved toward Erin and, with her senses all muddled, Erin realized that Isabella was pressing soft lips against hers. The kiss was so unexpected and felt so good that Erin actually heard herself groan with pleasure.

  Isabella laughed enough that she had to break away from the kiss.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Erin muttered and leaned in to resume the kiss.

  Isabella didn’t fight her. Instead, she grasped Erin’s face with both her hands and slid her tongue slowly between Erin’s lips. Nothing else existed for Erin—not the past, not the future, not even anything else in that moment. Everything was just the sensation of her mouth melding with Isabella’s, how their lips and tongues moved against each other. The softness shifted and turned more forceful, as the kisses became more fevered. Still, everything was warm, velvety, and thrilling. It was bliss—pure bliss.

  Isabella’s hands began to wander. Erin was impressed at how confident they seemed, considering they had never mapped another woman’s body before. When she felt one hand slide along her shoulder and under the tank top and bra strap, Erin moved away as if she had been burned.

  “No. God, no. If you put your hands under my clothes, I won’t be able to control myself. Alberto’s in the room, and we’re supposed to be taking it slow.” She held up her hands as a barrier between them. “This is your last and final warning, Isabella. Any further, and I might just explode.”

  Isabella smiled wolfishly and blinked her eyes slowly. She looked like lust personified. Her dulcet tones were even lower than usual and quite breathy as she said, “Fine. But at least try to be less tempting. You feel…incredible. God, your mouth, I’ll be wanting more of that—much more—very soon.”

  At the mention of mouths, Erin stared at Isabella’s. Her lips were kiss bruised and had lost all their lipstick. The scar seemed to stand out a little more, as if the light bruising of her lips had made it seem more severe. Erin swore to herself that she would spend a long time mapping that scar with her tongue. Just as soon as the timing was better.

  Isabella turned to look at Alberto. He’d rolled over onto his tummy and was holding on to one of the bars of the baby gym. He seemed completely uninterested in them, but Erin still felt guilty. She’d almost pounced on his mother right there in the same room with him.

  Isabella, who was smiling at the pudgy boy and calling his name to get his attention. Erin felt sure that Isabella would’ve stopped the kissing before it got too far. No matter what else Isabella Martinez might be, she was Alberto’s mom first and foremost. Erin watched her happily wave at Alberto when she had gotten his attention. I can live with that. In fact, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  Isabella sat forward on the sofa. “Right. Well, to keep from starting all that up again, I suggest we keep busy. As Alberto seems entertained and pain free at the moment, why don’t we watch a movie or perhaps take him for a walk?”

  It was quite late in the afternoon, but not late enough to be as dark as it was. “I think that rain I saw on the way over has reached Philly. It looks really dark out there,” Erin concluded.

  Isabella sat still and seemed to be listening to the outside weather conditions. “Yes, I think you’re right. Want to watch a movie, then? Or perhaps we should start up a serious conversation that will keep us from getting…entangled.”

  Erin did her best to suppress a grin. “Sure, let’s talk, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll watch a movie. Do you have a serious conversation in mind?”

  “I do. But I think you might want some coffee before we begin, right?”

  “Well, yeah. But I don’t want to tempt you.” Erin shrugged. “I’m guessing you don’t want to have your little evening cup until later?”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll make you coffee. Just stay here, and let me know if the little prince does something dangerous.”

  “Okay,” Erin mumbled and trained her eyes on Alberto.

  She wondered what exactly he could do. She sat down on the floor to be able to see Alberto better. He was still on his stomach, and she wondered if that was by choice or if he only knew how to roll one way.

  He was chewing on the handle of the octopus rattle she’d given him. The handle was one of the tentacles, longer than the others, and he sucked on the end of that. After a while, he got it too far into his mouth and made a retching sound.

  Erin was right next to him in a second, ready to pull the octopus out and shout for Isabella. But he spat the rattle out himself and then busied himself trying to get his pudgy, tiny fingers around one of the smaller tentacles. Erin realized she’d been holding her breath and started breathing again.

  “Careful there, kid. You scared me half to death,” she muttered at him.

  He looked up at her with slightly unfocused blue-green eyes and yawned.

  “Well, I’m glad one of us is relaxed,” she grumbled.

  “What are you two talking about?” Isabella asked, as she returned with a mug of coffee for Erin.

  “Global warming,” Erin said, relieved that Isabella was back.

  “I see. I’m sorry that he seems to be yawning. He is usually more interested in discussions about global emergencies and the effect we humans have had on Mother Nature.”

  “That’s all right. It was a long chat with lots to think about. I get why he’s tired.”

  They both smiled at each
other until a sound broke their moonstruck looks. The sound came from Alberto.

  “Cariño, please tell me that was just air and not substance.” Isabella got up and walked over to him, undid his dungarees and lifted his T-shirt to check his diaper. She looked up at Erin with an apologetic grimace.

  “Sorry. I’ll be right back. Drink your coffee, then we can discuss the subject I had in mind.”

  Erin nodded, grateful that she was not the one changing Alberto. As the two of them left the room, Erin sipped her drink. It was just the right strength, and Erin congratulated herself on finding a woman who made such good coffee. Another plus in Isabella’s column.

  When Isabella returned, Alberto was almost asleep in her arms, and she placed him into his little baby bouncer. His eyes closed the second he was in.

  Isabella walked quietly and gracefully back to her, and Erin couldn’t help but stare, wishing she could make a movie of Isabella’s smooth movements to play in her head when she needed distraction. Isabella sat down next to her and brushed her fingers across Erin’s cheek.

  “The subject I had in mind was your insomnia.”

  “Oh brother,” Erin said with theatrical exasperation.

  With a look of concern, Isabella reached out and ran her fingers through Erin’s hair. “Don’t be like that. I think it’s important.”

  “Look, it’s just a part of me, like being an introvert. I enjoy working out, and I’m into women. That’s just me.”

  “Preciosa, we both know it’s not that simple. Those other things are not hurting you. Your lack of sleep is. If you had always suffered from insomnia and there was no obvious cause, I could believe it was a personality trait. But we know that’s not true. Your feelings of abandonment and fear of being unwanted cause it. That’s not a personality trait, that’s an issue which needs to be addressed.”

  Erin sighed but couldn’t argue. “Fine. How do we address it?”

  “You need to talk about it. Obviously, I volunteer for that but if I’m honest, I would suggest a professional too. I know you’re wary of therapists and what they might uncover in that pretty head of yours. However, I firmly believe they can help you more efficiently than just talking to me can.”