by Tiana Laveen
She quickly came out of her deliberations as his shadow loomed above her, startling her for she hadn’t seen him rise from his chair. Helping her to her feet, he possessively wrapped his arm around her waist and trailed his other hand down her arm.
“I had a great time tonight, Emerald,” he whispered in her ear, ensuring she could hear him over the chatter and music from the speakers as people made their way to the two exits.
“So did I.” Hand in hand, they navigated the thick crowd to the doors. It felt good to stand in the slightly cool air. It had gotten a bit hot and stuffy in the Comedy Castle—maybe the large crowd all pressed together, or yet another hormonal heat flash. No matter the reason, she welcomed the reprieve. “I’m parked right over there… looks like it’s cleared out a bit.” She pointed across the way. “But, uh,” she said, looking around, “I wish we’d been able to talk more.” She hated that she sounded a bit sad, but his eyes seemed to light up at her words.
“You want to go out somewhere else?” His enthusiasm was more than apparent as his face split in a wide grin. “We can head off somewhere, like some 24 hour breakfast place and just have coffee and talk.”
“I’d love that but unfortunately I have some work to do, a project I’m working on, and the deadline is very soon.”
His smile slowly vanished, but he nodded. “Oh, okay. I understand.”
They simply stood there, looking at one another as people walked past them, the crowd becoming thinner and thinner, and the parking lot fading away into the distance.
“Sloan, may I ask you something?”
“Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah.” He stood a bit straighter and placed his hand on his hip as if bracing himself for the worst. This response tickled her, but she kept her amusement to herself.
“How long have you been divorced?”
“A little over a year, but it was over long before that. How ’bout you?”
“It’s been a very long time.” She smiled. “But was over before it was over, so I know what you mean.” His Adam’s apple bobbed about when he swallowed, and the tension, the intensity, grew between them as he moved closer to her. “Have you been dating regularly since the divorce?”
“Ahhh.” He winced as if an invisible sun beamed in his eyes. “Off ’nd on.” He scratched the side of his neck, visibly anxious. The man had never come across as uneasy before, and yet, the topic of his ex-wife still caused him some discomfort. This caused a bit of unease on her part, as well. “I keep pretty busy, but a part of me just wasn’t ready, I guess. It was a bunch of different reasons.” He shrugged.
“Yeah.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I can understand that.”
He sucked on his lower lip and scooted even closer; so close, it looked as if he were trying to melt into her very soul.
“Emerald, I’m not gonna lie to you, okay? It was a difficult split. I’m a one-woman type of guy. Once I commit to someone, that’s it.” He threw up his hands. “So it’s hard for me to see myself as a solo act, even if I’ve been doing all the work alone for so long,” He chuckled sadly. She nodded, a smile on her face, silently encouraging him to continue. “I’ve been out, seen some women, but I never actually took the initiative until… well, until I saw you.”
“Really?” Her smile widened. She clutched her silver beaded necklace.
“Yeah. It’s funny, because earlier that week I was telling myself it was time, you know? Time to really get back on the horse and ride again. Dating is a little strange to me. It’s different than it used to be. I feel like some clown trapped in a maze. I look funny standin’ there, and the shit is hella confusing.”
“Who are you telling? My last date took me to a strip club!”
At this, they both burst out laughing.
He shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe it. “No way!”
“I’m serious, it’s true.” Her laughter died out, but her heart still sang. “We’re not children, Sloan. Things have definitely changed.”
The man blocked her in with one leg out, resting his foot against the wall behind her.
“I would never take you to a strip club, especially not on a first date.” They both lightly chuckled. “Who would want to take you to a strip club when you’re so beautiful, huh?” His voice grew lower, huskier. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder, then leaned in to rub his nose against hers. She slowly closed her eyes as her breathing accelerated. “I wouldn’t need no damn strip club… That’s like ordering a pop tart at a lavish, upscale French bakery.”
“One that doesn’t even have the frosting, huh?” Grinning, she slowly opened her eyes, only to find his gaze lined up perfectly with her own. Slowly, the towering man brought his lips to hers…
So soft…
So sweet…
So gentle…
So needy…
So wanting…
So possessive, yet free…
The kiss ended way too soon, which disappointed her so. Standing back to his full height, he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“I like you, Emerald. I had to kiss you, make sure I wasn’t dreaming.” He smiled tenderly. “Thanks for such a good time.”
“I like you too, Sloan. Thank you for your honesty and for a fun night out. I appreciate you being open and upfront when I asked about your divorce.”
“Hey, no sense in me lying. The truth is sometimes worse than any cockamamie story the likes of me could dream up,” he teased. “Let me walk you over to your car.” They arrived at her cranberry colored Mazda and she suddenly hated that vehicle.
Why did it have to be parked so close? Why did it have to be full of gas and ready to whisk her away with no interruptions? Why had she played the safe route and met him there instead of allowing him to pick her up and drive her home? They’d talked several times after all, even text-messaged each other. There was a level of comfort they’d reached, but she didn’t dare deviate from her original plans, and now her decision was biting her in the ass. Before she could curse out the inanimate thing, she felt warm, wide fingertips along her jawbone. He turned her towards him, made her face him, head on. Without asking or waiting for a chance at resistance, he pulled her to him and kissed her again.
His breaths bathed her face with warmth. He slid his hand dangerously close to her ass as he pressed her into him, but he stopped short of going there. With apparent reluctance, he let go and leaned against her car, real relaxed and leisure like. Running his finger along his lower lip, he threw a glance around the parking lot, then looked back into her eyes.
“So, let’s get to the most important question of the night. When can I see you again?”
Tonight in my bedroom, under the sheets, you big, sexy son of a bitch!
“Hmmm, how about next weekend?” She put on her professional business smile, the last tool in her arsenal to not appear lovestruck and silly.
“Mmmm.” He grimaced. “That’s an entire week away… I was hoping for somethin’ in the next couple of days or so.” He didn’t smile, didn’t blink; he simply waited for her to grant his wish and comply…
“Okay, well, let me see.” She reached into her purse and fiddled about for her cell phone, then scrolled through her calendar to ensure she didn’t have to stick around for anything at work. “All right, today is Saturday so I could probably get together with you on Tuesday. There are no orders due right now.”
“Orders?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “That’s what I was talking about when I said I couldn’t get together tonight.”
“You mentioned some projects you had to work on.”
“Right. I have a couple of dining room chairs to finish. I restore old furniture and sell it.”
“And why am I just now hearing about this? Wow! That’s cool!” He appeared genuinely impressed.
“Yeah, I really enjoy it. It started out as a hobby but then I got good at it and now,” she said with a shrug, “people pay me to do it. So hey, it works out, right?”
“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” He leaned in close again, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Why’s that a surprise?”
“Because you look delicate, and fixing furniture, restoring it and all that entails takes some elbow grease.”
“You think I’m a weakling?” She bent her arm in a muscleman pose, causing him to chuckle.
“No, you know what I mean. You’re just real feminine, ladylike, and I guess I’m being kinda sexist right now.”
“You are but I’ll give you a one-time pass,” she quipped.
“I’ll have to watch that… it wasn’t my intent. But I love that you do that, you know? Fixing furniture, restoring the broken and splintered, making it look like it used to, or maybe even better. This is just another layer of you I want to explore.” At that, she gulped, but placed her hand quickly over her neck to cover the evidence. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I happen to love antiques. Now, furniture isn’t really my thing, but I do collect old radios.”
“Oh my God.” She gasped with schoolgirl-like excitement that she refused to dial down. “Sloan, if that’s the case then you are going to go bananas when you see the Turkey Neck shop.”
“Turkey Neck shop?” He laughed.
“Yeah, crazy name but it’s an old warehouse turned into a huge outlet mall specifically for vintage items. I get a lot of my finds from there, actually. There is a guy named Henry who only deals with outmoded electronics. You ought to see some of these funky and cool radios he has. Most people only go to him for parts, but he has some real gems. You know what?” She rummaged in her purse again. “I bet I have his card in here. He is such a sweet man… ah ha! Here it is!”
She handed it to him. Sloan flipped it around between his fingers as if about to do a magic trick, then read it.
“Cool. I’ll have to check him out, thanks. I need you to take me on a tour around this place, you know that? Maxim is so new to me. I’ve driven around, walked around, too, but I’m sure I’ve missed a whole hell of a lot. I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon so I want to see what the locals do, what you all are up to, get my heels in a bit deeper.”
“The offer is always open. I’d be more than happy to.” She zipped her purse closed.
“Hey, I don’t want you to go.” There was no prelude, no warning, no appetizer of words before the scalding entrée, not a damn thing! He’d simply said it, and he looked just as surprised as she was that it had come out of his own mouth. Her heart flipped on his behalf. “Emerald, what I mean is… I had a real good time and hate that it has to end. I’m usually not like this…”
“You don’t have to explain.”
“I’m not, well, yeah, I am, but this feels good, you know? It doesn’t feel forced. It just—”
“Feels right.” She smiled.
“Yeah, it just feels right. You’re real good company, you know that? Real good.”
She rested her hand against his shoulder. He turned and looked at it, then delicately picked it up, held it in his palm, and gave her fingers a gentle kiss.
“I haven’t been on a good date in a long time, Sloan. This is definitely A+ in my book. You were a treat! You are considerate and very funny!” she said, meaning every word. “You really make for a great companion as well. Thank you…” They locked gazes.
“I’m glad you had a good night with me, Emerald. From what we discussed earlier, I know you work hard and sometimes people just need a rest, to have some fun.”
“It was more than fun. It was an adventure.” She lowered her hand and took his into her grasp. “Sloan, you are such a sweetie, you know that?” The big, brawny man with the intense facial expressions seemed to be fighting himself right before her eyes. It was as if there were things he wanted to say, but didn’t, and things he didn’t want to say, but did… just like when he’d told her he didn’t want her to leave…
“I don’t really look at myself as a sweetie.” They both chuckled at his declaration. “But thanks all the same. Look…” He ran his thumb against the side of his nose curing an itch. “Call me when you get home so I can make sure you got in okay. All right?”
“You’re quite protective, aren’t you?” Amused, she pushed her key fob. “First the grocery store, now this.”
“Yeah, I am, and I’m proud of that, actually.”
Her chest tightened as her heart swelled. Damn, did he truly possess the beautiful soul he exhibited? Only time would tell.
“Well.” He sighed. “I guess I’ll let you go and we can figure out what we’re going to do on Tuesday. I have to get back home, too, even though I didn’t want to and was planning to play hooky with you. I’m behind on everything, it seems.” He ran his hand smoothly through his dark tresses.
“I bet. Speaking of home, we never really discussed what part of town you’re in. Where do you stay?”
“Over on Glen Falls.”
She tapped her finger against her lower lip, mulling over the answer. “Glen Falls? Hmmm, okay, you’re in one of the main historic districts. There’s like only five or six houses over there, mostly woods, the stream… big, nice houses, too. The land is private so no one is allowed to hunt or fish over there.”
“Right.” He nodded in agreement.
“Wow! I’ve always liked it over there.”
“Yeah, it’s nice. I’d like you to come over sometime. Maybe I could cook us some dinner, give you a wine lesson… possibly we could even take a nice walk around the lake then watch a movie.”
“Yeah? That sounds pretty nice.” She winked at him as she opened her car door, hating that she had to get inside. They’d both been stalling to death, delaying the inevitable. Before she could complete the pass, he grabbed the handle from her and ushered the door farther open, helping her along.
“See? Such a gentleman.” She smiled at him before taking her seat. After getting settled, she looked into his eyes, his face so close to hers, she could see all the intricate details of his skin now under the overhead parking lot lights. A few light freckles dotted his cheeks, a deep smile line on the right side of his mouth, a prominent widow’s peak that was a bit longer down one side than the other… What a beautiful man he truly was. “I promise to call you, Sloan. I’d be a fool not to.” She winked at him again, feeling flirty.
“That’s what I want to hear. All right, catch you later.” He winked back and turned to walk away.
“Wait.” She opened the door wider and curled her finger in a beckoning gesture. He looked at her from over his shoulder. “Come back for a second. You forgot something.”
He walked back up to her, his hands in his pockets, and leaned down towards her.
“Yeah? What’d I forget?” Gently wrapping her hands around his face, she drew him in and landed a kiss against his soft mouth. Her heart chimed as he slid his hand possessively around her neck, drawing her impossibly closer, and returned the favor with much vigor.
Warm puffs of air bathed her mouth as he uttered, “Open your mouth wide and let me in…”
She did as ordered and closed her eyes hard when she felt him slide his thick, long tongue inside, moving it slowly along her own, kissing her with the passion of a million men. When he finally released her, she was dizzy. He stood straight, gave a lazy wave, and simply walked away like not a damn thing had happened. She watched his perfect ass as he swaggered away, his steps confident as always.
His shoulders broad and his back straight, he kept on moving until he was nothing more than a shadow against the kiss of the night. Starting her car, she pulled up a few feet, catching him getting into a classic, shiny black Eldorado, then roll the top down. Music poured out of his vehicle—the smooth sounds of, ‘Let’s Stay Together’ by Al Green. He began to back out of his parking space, and she made haste to get out of there, too, to stop this lustful staring-fest she’d began the moment she’d seen him walking towards her for their date.
After she’d gotten home, kicked off those ‘break your neck
in a thousand pieces’ shoes, and wobbled on sore, swollen and red feet into her bedroom, she dropped onto her bed like a sack of potatoes, then burst out laughing. She had no idea why, but she found herself in a giddy mood, seasoned with wine. She put their damn good conversation on mental rewind, over and over.
Later, much later, she gained her composure and took the necessary steps to put a stop sign on thoughts of the date, regardless of the fact she was still flying high. After shimmying out of her dress, she removed her earrings and necklace and set them on her dresser. Her fingers itched to get a hold of her phone, and as soon as she was settled, she gave the man a call.
On the third ring, a deep, soothing voice picked up. “You’re safe and sound, right?” The Floaters crooned ‘Float On’ in the background at his home.
“Right.” She smiled, gently rubbing up and down her ankle as she sat naked on the foot of her bed. He’s got excellent taste in music… “Thanks again for tonight. The food was good, the wine was great, the show was amazing, and talking to you was so refreshing.” She began to massage the balls of her feet, working out a cramp that made promises of not going away anytime soon.
“I already said it a million times, but you know I feel the same way and I can’t wait to see you Tuesday night. I know I suggested cooking and you coming over, but it’s your call. We can do that another time. You have an idea of what you might want to get into?”
“You know, I was thinking about that on my drive home. I think you need me to take you on that tour of Maxim we mentioned. We could get something to eat at one of my favorite restaurants right afterward, make a late afternoon and evening of it right after I get off work. Just give me a little time to go home, freshen up and change, then I’m all yours.”