Learning to Trust

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  Before I could respond, his hand came back behind my neck and held me in place as his lips descended upon mine with newfound urgency. His teeth tugged at my bottom lip and when my breath caught, his tongue plunged deeply into my mouth again, searching and exploring it. I soon found my own tongue responding to his caresses, feeling the fire igniting deep in my belly.

  His kisses made me forget all my fears. I lost track of time and before long we were parked outside my dorm room. It took Thompson clearing his throat and announcing our destination for me to realize the car had stopped moving.

  Garrett was the first to break our kiss. “Would you mind if I walked you to your door, Laurel? I could carry your laptop for you.” His eyes looked hopeful.

  I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of spending a little more time with him. “That’s rather gentlemanly of you, but you don’t need to ask my permission to do that.”

  He moved me off of his lap and began to open the door, then offered his hand to help me out of the car. “Wait here a second,” his voice commanded.

  I watched as he walked around to the other side of the vehicle and procured the laptop and cell phone. He paused by the driver’s side window. “Remain here, Thompson. I shouldn’t be too long.” He walked back to me, gesturing his arm towards the dorm. “Shall we?”

  I walked in the direction of my dorm and wasn’t surprised when his arm snaked around my waist and pulled my body into his. He only removed his hand long enough to hold the main door open as we walked through.

  When we reached my room, I thought he would just hand me the electronic items and be on his way. To my surprise, he leaned forward, rubbing his nose slowly down the slope of mine.

  “May I come in for a moment?” he asked.

  I knew there was a puzzled look on my face, wondering why he wanted to come in. I had a hard time processing my words when he was so close to me, but somehow managed to ask, “Why?”

  Garrett laughed softly. “First, I’d like to see what your room looks like, to know where you’ve been when I’ve been talking with you on the phone. Second, I’d like to see how many items I need to arrange to be moved to Orlando.” He moved closer to my ear, his words dropping to a whisper. “Lastly, my lips crave the feel of yours. While I don’t mind kissing you out in this hallway, I’d prefer a little more privacy.”

  I never knew I had a sensual weakness, but when he nibbled on my ear and whispered softly into it, I was putty in his hands; he could do as he pleased. “Okay,” was all I could manage coherently as I fumbled for the keys and opened the door.

  I was blissfully thankful that Hannah hadn’t made it home yet; she was spending the evening with friends. She had thoughtfully left our bedside lamps on to illuminate the room; she knew I didn’t like coming home to a dark room.

  I was a little embarrassed for Garrett to see how meager my belongings were, after seeing how fancy his lifestyle was. But then I thought he probably had to live like this at one point in time in school and felt a little more relieved.

  He followed me inside and I began, nervously, pointing to different parts of the room. “This side is my half,” I said, pointing to the left side, “and the other side is my roommate, Hannah’s. Sorry the room is a bit messy, but, as you can see, we’re in the midst of packing. We have an en suite bathroom to ourselves and the refrigerator belongs to my roommate, though we share it.”

  He nodded, as if in approval of the décor, which mainly consisted of some posters of places I dreamed of visiting.

  Feeling like a discourteous hostess, I finally had enough foresight to offer him a drink. “Would you care for something to drink? We have water, orange juice and I think a soda.” I watched nervously as he looked around the room.

  “Thanks, but I’m fine Laurel.” His eyes finally came back to rest on mine. “When are you due out of the dorm?”

  “Hannah’s moving out Thursday morning, before graduation, and I’m moving out on Friday. Why?” I wondered.

  He walked over to my bed and placed the laptop and cell phone on top of my comforter, then turned. “What if we went ahead and got you out of here on Thursday, as well, before the ceremony? We could set you up in a hotel room that day, so you’d be ready to go Friday morning.”

  “I guess that would be fine, but I wouldn’t want to cost the company any unnecessary expense. I could easily stay here one more night.”

  He waved his hand in the air, dismissing the idea. “The company will graciously approve of the hotel stay.” He looked back at my bed and up at the posters hanging beside it. “I love the color scheme you have going here. May I ask if there is any significance to the picture choices?”

  I blushed a little at his question. “I’ve always loved deep, rich colors. Burgundy and gold have a calming effect on me. As for the pictures, I love the Tuscan countryside and felt they would compliment my color scheme.”

  “Have you ever been to Tuscany?” The question surprised me, but then again, everything about Garrett surprised me tonight.

  “No, but I’ve seen a lot of pictures from Hannah and some of her friends, who have spent time there. It’s always been one of my dreams to go on a food and wine tour through Italy.”

  He turned and walked towards me, his smile laced with seduction, until we were standing mere inches away. “Your pictures are nice, but they don’t do the Tuscan countryside justice; it’s even more amazing in person. Maybe one day I’ll take you there.”

  Before I could utter words of protest, his lips were on mine, silencing me.

  After a few moments, we came up for air.

  “Where are all your boxes? I thought you said you’ve been packing,” he questioned.

  “I have them stored in my closet. I only have my posters, lamp and a few knick knacks left to pack here in the room. Do I need to bring my bedding set for the apartment? You said it was furnished, right?” I didn’t want to pack it unless I was going to have a twin-sized bed again.

  “Your place will have a king-sized bed,” he answered. “You’ll love it.”

  My ears couldn’t believe what they were hearing. I’d never slept in anything bigger than a double bed in my life.

  He walked over to my closet and proceeded to open the door. “Your closet is huge,” he said with some surprise. He walked in and I followed.

  “Kind of a waste of space on me,” I replied. I pointed to the five boxes, mostly filled with books, sitting in a stack up against the side wall. “That’s what I have packed so far. I estimate maybe another two to three boxes and a couple of suitcases.”

  His eyes looked in disbelief at things. “I thought you’d have more to move than this. Do you already have most of your clothes packed?”

  I was a little embarrassed. “I haven’t packed my clothes yet. This is all I have. My parents are planning to give me a little money that the relatives have pulled together as a graduation present in order to buy some clothes for work.”

  “But what about this lovely suit you wore the other day for the interview?” he said, pointing to it.

  I didn’t appreciate the line of questioning and was beginning to feel my temper flare. Does it matter that I don’t come from money? “The suit and the shoes were thanks to my roommate. She was done interviewing and didn’t like the suit, so, since my clothing options and funds were limited, she offered it to me instead.” I paused for a moment before continuing. “Where are you going with all this, Mr. Andrews?” I made sure to use his last name so he’d know I was upset.

  Garrett held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m not going anywhere, Miss Hart. I don’t think I appreciate the attitude you’re developing, either. I’m just a little surprised; I guess I’d counted on you being similar to most of our college hires, having to pay a moving company to drive everything cross country.”

  I relaxed a little with his words. “My apologies for any crossness, I felt a little defensive of my need to explain why I don’t have a lot. Remember, I’m here on scholarship.”

 
He pulled his phone from his pants pocket, typed some words rather quickly, and then returned it to his pocket.

  “What are you doing?” I wondered aloud. I sincerely hoped that wasn’t about me.

  “Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just had a thought that I’d like to run by someone and wanted to jot it down before I lost it.”

  ”Just so you know, I don’t like it when people are secretive around me. It makes me nervous and I tend to push people away.” I don’t know why I was being so upfront with him, but, this phone messaging had me on edge. I can’t stand secrets.

  He walked towards me with a wry smile and backed me slowly against the wall. He leaned into me, tracing his nose up my neck, and I heard the closet door close. “I like that you’re feisty, Laurel, makes life more interesting.” His hands came to rest on the wall along each side of my head, caging me in, as he continued to trace his nose up to my face, across my chin, and down the other side of my neck. His tone in his voice became sultry. “Do you still trust me?”

  The electricity between us hung heavy in the air. It was so palpable you could taste it. My skin was on fire from his touch. Every synapse of every nerve ending was firing off rapidly and my breathing continued to accelerate. Something felt dark and dangerous about Garrett, but at the same time, I’d never desired anyone more. No one had ever managed to elicit the kind of reactions he was driving from my body.

  He leaned in closer, his body molding up against mine. “Are you going to answer me?” he whispered in my ear, his voice becoming a little more commanding.

  My eyes closed, trying to make sense of what I was feeling. Just his voice and soft touch made my head spin; I was thankful that I had the wall to lean into for support. I finally found the strength to answer. “Yes,” I murmured.

  His lips began to nibble on my left earlobe. “Yes, you’ll answer, or yes, you trust me?”

  “Yes, I trust you.”

  His hand began to caress my face as his lips continued their assault on my earlobe and neck. “Do you have any idea how breathtakingly beautiful you are tonight? You’re driving me crazy.”

  My head began to spin as his lips moved up across the side of my cheek to my chin at an achingly slow pace. At the same time, his right hand started to travel down my neck, where his fingers traced the low neckline of my dress.

  My heart raced as the palm of his hand brushed gently across one of my breasts. I was surprised by how heavy my breasts felt. I could feel my nipples harden, straining against the fabric of my bra. Soon his lips were pressed hard on my mouth, tugging at my bottom lip. “Ahh,” I moaned as his tongue plunged deeply into my mouth, sending my mind scattering to the heated overload of sensation my body was feeling. Our mouths began to move in perfect unison with one another.

  My conscience screamed at me. Tell him to slow down. You know this is moving too quickly. What are you thinking?!

  I tried to move away, ever so slightly put some distance between our bodies, but his hips pressed harder, grinding into mine. His erection felt huge, bulging out hard from his slacks and pressing up against my belly. I couldn’t believe how much this man wanted me and was surprised that my body was responding with unheeded desire for him.

  Garrett finally pulled back long enough for us to take in deprived lungs full of air. After a few more breaths, I asked, in a rather shaky and exhaustive tone, “Can we please slow things down a bit?”

  Both of his hands rose up the wall to rest on either side of my head. He took a few more deep breaths and kissed me chastely on the lips before resting his forehead against mine.

  “My apologies, Laurel, I don’t know what came over me. There’s something about you that makes my body respond so intensely. I’m like an alcoholic drawn to your intoxicating beauty and scent; I just can’t seem to get enough. I’ve never had this kind of reaction to anyone before.” He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath to clear his mind. “I agree, though, we need to take things slower.”

  He lifted one of my hands towards his lips and kissed it gently before placing it atop his shoulder. He repeated the same thing with my other hand, indicating he wanted me encircling his shoulders. Then he cupped my face with his own hands and leaned in for a gentle kiss.

  The tenderness of this new kiss made me feel more secure in his arms. We continued this way for what seemed like an eternity, until I heard the door open and Hannah walk in calling, “Laurel? Are you here?”

  We both pulled away from the wall. He had a quizzical look on his face, as if he’d forgotten we were in the closet in my dorm room. “Roommate?” he whispered.

  I nodded in response. What are we supposed to do now? Wait her out?

  We waited to hear what she was doing. As soon as we thought the coast was clear, we tried leaving the closet, only to find her standing there with her arms crossed and smiling up a storm, knowing she’d caught us.

  She didn’t wait for an introduction, but stuck out her hand to Garrett. “Hi, Handsome, I’m Hannah, Laurel’s roommate. And you are?”

  He looked calm and collected as he took her proffered hand and shook it gently. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Hannah. I’m Garrett Andrews, Laurel’s new boyfriend.”

  Her eyes widened in response to Garrett’s bold declaration of our status. She turned her face towards me and lifted an eyebrow, indicating I was in for a long night of explaining.

  Feeling a little embarrassed by everything, and knowing my skin had to be nearly the color of my bedding set by now, I quickly rushed out an explanation about him carrying in my new computer and how he needed to get an idea of how much I needed to have moved down to Orlando.

  She shook her head in disbelief, but seemed to accept the statement for now. “It’s nice to meet you, Garrett. Please forgive me, but I’ve had a long day and am ready to settle down for the evening,” Hannah said rather matter-of-factly, as if cuing us that we should end our night.

  As I walked him out the door, I turned and mouthed “thank you.” Roommate to the rescue!

  I walked with Garrett until we were at the front door to the dormitory. “The evening was lovely. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity and the amazing dinner.”

  He stopped just outside the door. “No thanks is needed, Laurel. You don’t know how excited our company is about having you working for us.” He was silent for a moment, contemplating something. “Do you have plans tomorrow?” he finally asked.

  “I have graduation practice first thing in the morning. Otherwise, my day is pretty open. Why? What did you have in mind?” I hoped he wanted to spend more time with me.

  His hand came up to my face, caressing it gently, letting his thumb glide across my lower lip. “I’d like to bring over the employee paperwork so you can go ahead and get started on it. Of course, it’s entirely up to you. I’m just trying to save you a couple of boring days in the office filling out everything.”

  My heart felt shattered that he had no interest in coming over for personal reasons, only work related. I was staring down at the pavement, trying to figure out the right response, when his fingers lifted my chin.

  “Plus, I’d really like to see you again,” he admitted. “As it is, I’m having a hard time telling you goodnight.” He planted a firm kiss on my lips.

  A surge of warmth filled my body as his lips continued to kiss me passionately; more passionately than I’d ever been kissed. I felt comfortable and cherished. His hands came up and held both sides of my head, holding me in place as his tongue pushed deep into my mouth. I found myself responding to his probing and decided to see what his mouth tasted like, thrusting my tongue into his mouth and mimicking his movements. A low growl escaped his throat and one hand fell down towards my backside, pulling me close to him as my hands dove into his hair, pulling at it to hold him even closer.

  I was caught up in the spell that was Garrett, surrendering to his talented lips and tongue. He was the one to finally break the connection, only for us to catch our breath. “I don’t know wha
t it is about you, Laurel, but I lose myself in your lips.”

  We gazed into one another’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity as we tried to calm our breathing. He started to lean in for what I thought would be another kiss, only to kiss me lightly on the forehead. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow and we can go over the paperwork. Goodnight.”

  And just like that, he turned on his heels and walked towards his waiting Town Car.

  I dreaded walking back into the dorm room, knowing Hannah would plague me with ten thousand questions, most of which I was still searching for answers to.

  She was like a bloodhound, waiting anxiously for me on the end of her bed ready to sniff out the story. “So what was all of that about, Laurel? One minute he’s interviewing you and offering you a job and the next, I catch you making out in your closet? What the hell is going on?” She looked exasperated. “And the closet?! Are you twelve?”

  “I’m not really sure how to answer,” I admitted. “Everything’s happening so fast that I haven’t even had a chance to process anything.” I knew my mind would be working overtime tonight.

  I grabbed a pair of sleep shorts and a camisole and started changing out of my dress. She looked on, waiting for an explanation.

  “The job offer was too good to be true. I’ve decided to accept it,” I said rather bluntly.

  “So what kind of deal did you get? Will they pay for moving expenses?” she demanded, her curiosity about the job briefly trumping her curiosity about Garrett.

  I continued changing as I explained. “Yes. I accepted the offer at dinner and he drove me home. They want me to start Monday, so he came in to see how much stuff I needed to move down. He’s planning to arrange something by this Thursday so I can move out of the dorm before the graduation ceremony. They’ll put me up in a hotel suite for the night and then fly me down to Orlando on Friday.”