He turned me onto my back and sat up on one elbow. “Will you open up completely to me?”
“I’ll try,” I told him.
“Then I’ll show you.”
* * * * *
We got back to the condo Tuesday evening after dinner. Jyme helped me out of the truck, and we headed towards the door. Robert wished me a belated birthday, and he shook and patted Jyme’s hand.
Randy came from behind the counter and greeted us both. He handed me an envelope and wished me a belated birthday.
“I still have your spare key, and Sergio will be right around to pull it into the garage for you.” He shook Jyme’s hand and told him he was glad to see him.
We got on the elevator, and D’Artagnan stood inside with some pretty young thing (PYT) in the famous words of MJ.
We spoke to each other awkwardly, and then the silence around us killed me.
“I looked for you Sunday evening, but you had already left,” I told him.
“I was not feeling well.”
“Baby, you were fine Sunday night,” the PYT slurred.
“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better now, D’Artagnan.” I said.
“D’Artagnan, you told me your name was Jyme,” the PYT slurred.
My mouth dropped wide open, and Jyme burst out laughing, I elbowed him to shut up. The elevator dinged at the eighth floor. D’Artagnan snatched the PYT off the elevator, and she yelled at him. Her shoe came off, and D’Artagnan still pulled her even in her protest about her shoe. I picked up her shoe and chucked it down the hall. When the elevator door shut, I heard, “Ouch, bitch.”
At the tenth floor, I stormed off the elevator and bustled through the door. I slammed my bag and purse on the counter and went straight to the bathroom, not saying a word. I cut the shower on and stepped out of my clothes. I got in and let the tears fall silently. D’Artagnan used to be my friend; he was my best friend for a few months. Now, he had turned back into that thing. He is not Mr. Crain, and he is not D’Artagnan. I fixed my face and got out the shower. I slid the robe around me and yanked my clothes off the floor, chucking them in the hamper. I walked back into the front room a little more cool now.
I went straight to the counter to retrieve my clothes. Jyme had set my garment bags over the couch, but he was not in sight. I looked out on the patio, but he was not there either. I checked the spare bedroom and bath, but still couldn’t find him. I called out to him, but he didn’t answer. I went back to the front door, and it was locked. I opened it and poked my head out, but he was not there.
I pulled my phone out of my purse, and I had no missed calls or text messages. I shoved the chain lock on the door and shut off all the lights. I sat my phone down on the nightstand in its cradle. I hung all my clothes up in the closet and found something to wear to work for the next day. I put on a nightgown and got into bed. I tossed and turn until I finally settled. Beyoncé belted from my phone, and I turned away from her singing. Then the doorbell rang, and I shot straight up. I walked over to it and peeped out the peephole. I opened the door, and I just stood there in his way so he couldn’t get it. Jyme stood there holding a bag from Best Buy. “You went to the store?” I asked.
“You didn’t see my note on the counter,” he asked. I looked over on the counter, and there was not anything on it. Jyme slid his jacket and shoes off. I looked around on the floor, and there was a note in the kitchen doorway.
“Oh.”
He walked past me and went into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and pulled something out the bag. I sat on the bed looking at him; he was hiding what he had...I stood up on my knees, peeking over his shoulders.
“Dang, nosey,” he teased.
“What’s in the damn bag?”
He handed me a CD.
“Um, thanks,” I said, frowning. The CD had four men standing in a shop window on a deserted street.
“Put it in the CD player.” I went over to the CD player and slid it in.
“Number five.” he said.
The song started with someone playing a guitar. I turned to face him in protest, and he snatched me back around towards the CD player. Then he was at my ear.
“Listen” he whispered. “Remember?”
I nodded at him, and Then I picked up the case; the group was called Mumford and Sons.
“It came out today, and I wanted to get it for you but we never left the room. So I couldn’t.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed the side of my neck, stepping out of his clothes.
“What other songs are good on here?” I yelled over the shower.
“I haven’t heard anything but like three songs on there, but what I’ve heard is good.”
I listened to the whole CD, and my absolute favorite was the one Jyme sang in my ear that night, but I loved a song called, “The Cave” and “Little Lion Man.” They said fuck in that song a lot, and I loved it.
I woke up the next morning to Jyme’s kisses. I smiled at him.
“There she is,” he crooned.
“You need to stop spoiling me like this. I can get greedy and start demanding these morning kisses daily.”
“You don’t have to demand,” he breathed.
I looked at him. There was heaviness in his eyes.
“What is it?”
“It can be a reality if you want.”
I watched him. He was so serious now.
“I know what you’re thinking, but if we’re a mistake, I want you to be my best mistake.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to upset him anymore than he already was. “Hey, what are you doing today?”
“Nothing really.”
“I think your fedora hat is here.”
He said nothing; just let the wheels runaround in my head. I told Jyme my game plan, and he was all for it. If we were meant to be, we would see.
I had to follow up on my favorite shop this morning. I walked in and, of course, everything was perfect. I was greeted within first thirty seconds of me walking into the shop. Everything was white glove clean, and all of the condiments were full to the rim. The smiley faced girl was there again; I caught her name now: Raven.
“Hi there, and welcome back,” she smiled. It had been about three months since I had last been here, and she still remembered me. She was great.
“We still have some of our Valentine red velvet cookies with the cream cheese frosting,” she teased, bouncing her eyebrows up and down while she nodded her head.
I took the bait again; this girl was good. I ordered a latte and two of the specialty cookies. I heard the door chime twice while I was making my order, but when the third chime hit the door, the look on Raven’s and the other female employees faces behind the counter was priceless. I knew it was show time.
I thanked her, went, and found a two-seater in the crowded shop. I pulled out my computer and began writing on my new laptop with the privacy screen up so wandering eyes couldn’t see what I was doing. I laid my Blackberry on the table next to my laptop. About a minute after that, I heard someone clearing his throat, and I looked up from my laptop.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” the mud god asked. Jyme had these certain looks that would transform me back to the very first day we met. It was a smile here or there or even a clearing of his throat. I’m sure he was unaware of these small little things, but I always noticed. And just thinking about that day so long ago now, made my insides warm up.
“No,” I assured him. I looked back down at the laptop and began typing again. I heard a couple of women two tables over say, “Is she blind?” I coughed back a laugh, and I grinned at my screen.
“Something over there must be pretty amusing,” he said. I looked up at him.
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, I bet I can tell you something that’s way more interesting than what you’re reading.”
“Alright.” I agreed. I closed my laptop and gave him my full attention. He rolled up both of his shirtsleeves all the way up to his
elbows. Then, he went into a show of all the scars he had collected throughout the years. Some were funny, and some were sad. By the end of his journey, I noticed we had an audience sitting at the tables surrounding us and standing in line. A few employees were even captured by him. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by and it felt like five minutes.
He walked me to my car, and I told him, “I would have given you my number this time, but we have more light in the day, so we will see.”
“Girl, I’m going to get your number every single time.” he grinned. And that he did.
We met up at two more of my assignments that morning, and then had lunch at Pike Place. We then went to three more of my assignments that afternoon, and played out the same scene; he won my attention, and I would have given him my number every single time. I had so much fun with Jyme that day; I saw another side of him. He showed me his more vulnerable side and I melted like chocolate when he gave me those killer grins. He seemed so light and animated; his dark and bruiting side had slipped away somehow. I saw how people flocked to him no matter what; he was sharing his soul, and people like to be around that.
Jyme told me he needed to make a few runs before we went to dinner. We decided to meet up at the condo at 7:30. I desperately needed to go to the store for household products. I made it to the front of the condo at 7:15. I had six bags to haul in, so I went through the front. Robert held the door, and Randy met me at the counter with a floral arrangement that was obviously from Jyme. There was also two other packages for me. Randy helped me upstairs with the packages and he set them on the counter.
“He sure does know how to pick an arrangement that grabs your attention,” Randy admired.
“He sure does.”
This particular arrangement was remarkable; it had a wild forest feel to it. There was so much going on, that you could barely keep up. There was a knock at the door, and Randy opened it. Jyme greeted us both and walked in. He saw what we were gawking at and grinned.
“You need to write this stuff down for the rest of us poor smucks, Mr. Samson.”
“I’ll get right on that, Randy.”
Randy left, and we showered and dressed for dinner. While Jyme was finishing his shower in the guest bedroom, I decided to organize the mail, which was now piling up into a mountain. Most of it was junk mail, and then I remembered I had two packages from downstairs. I brought the packages and my letter opener over to the couch. There was no return address on the first letter-sized manila envelope. I slid the contents out, and there were two hand drawn pictures from Ayashe’s twins and two birthday cards from Chelle’s boys. They were so fucking sweet, I loved those kids dearly. Jyme passed through in a towel and came to see why I was gushing. He grinned at the pictures and read the birthday cards.
I opened the other package with the letter opener and slid the contents onto my lap. Three bloody human fingers and a gold ring fell out, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Chapter 11
Cricket
Jyme had his arms hooked around me like a backpack. My arms and legs were free from him, but he still secured me like a turtle shell.
“Shh. I know, Babe, I know,” he soothed in my ear.
I cried and cried, but I didn’t feel trapped by him. I still felt free enough to breathe, and I didn’t feel an attack rising. Dr. Barnes, the good doctor, had me practicing some breathing techniques, and I took a little white pill every day. I hadn’t had an attack in months, but I hadn’t been around Jyme for months either.
I calmed down, and Jyme released his grip on me. He turned me to face him. “I want you go into the bedroom and play that new CD until I come and get you, okay?” he said sternly. I nodded and went into the bedroom. He shut the French doors.
I looked at the clock. It was 7:50. Jyme came into the room at 8:58. The CD had started over all by itself. He came over to the bed and laid behind me. I snuggled up to him, and he held me.
“We’re going to dinner, and we’re not staying here tonight.”
I nodded, and he kissed my forehead. Jyme asked me to get only the bare necessities. He had the clothes, underwear, and shoes under control. I got a big purse and put everything I needed in it. I grabbed my laptop bag, and we were off.
We said nothing to each other in the truck, just held hands. We pulled up at a restaurant called, Buenos Aires. Jyme ordered me a glass of wine right off the bat. Then, he ordered a porterhouse, and I ordered a Caesar salad. Jyme stopped that order immediately. He ordered me filet mignon with mashed potatoes and sweet potato fries.
“Jyme? Two starches? Really?”
He and the waiter chuckled. Then he scratched the sweet potatoes and ordered grilled vegetables. I had two more glasses of wine during dinner.
We got back to the docks and boarded the loaner boat from before. I held onto Jyme the entire ride. We made it back to the dark safe house, and Jyme lit up every room with the soft lights. We went upstairs, and he pulled four garment bags from one of the spare bedrooms. He took them into the master bedroom and hung them in the big closet.
“You have sleepwear in there,” were the first words he had spoken directly to me since the condo.
I nodded and waited for him to exit the closet. I unzipped one of the bags, and it was filled with dresses. I unzipped the next one, and it was filled with blouses. I unzipped the next one, and it was filled with jeans and pants. I guess the fourth one would be the charm. I unzipped it, and there were nightgowns and sleep separates.
Jyme came back with two bags and three boxes of shoes. He set the bags on the floor and left the closet again. I changed into a sleep separate set and dug into the bags filled with underwear, leggings, tights, stockings, and bras. He had thought of absolutely everything. I unpacked everything and put it up into the closet drawers and cabinets. I put the three pairs of shoes in the shoe closet, and Jyme watched me from the bed.
“I picked those out for you a while ago,” he said.
I said nothing; I just put the shoes away. I walked back to the bedroom, searching for something to do.
“I need to stay busy.”
“Okay.” He watched me and started to get up off the bed.
“We could have sex all-night long, or I could clean all-night long. How many condoms do we have?”
Jyme’s faced dropped and then his head fell back.
“FUCK,” he yelled.
I knew then that I would be cleaning all fucking night.
“I need socks.”
“Babe, I could pull out like in the tub that morning.”
“SOCKS,” I shouted.
I had to hurry up and get away from him. He was my kryptonite, and if he got anywhere near my ear, I would be pregnant by the morning. He jumped up and got some socks out of his closet. Jyme stood awkwardly while I slid on the two long and too big socks.
“Shit my overnight bag.”
I knew exactly what he was thinking. He had condoms in his overnight bag in his truck at the docks, and there were also some at the condo. Jyme couldn’t just go to the quickest corner store to get a box. He had to order his special from Durex online. He twitched and then stopped, I glared at him.
“YOU ARE NOT LEAVING ME HERE BY MYSELF TO GO AND GET SOME FUCKING CONDOMS!”
“BABE,” he growled, tugging at his anaconda.
“NO,” I growled back.
I headed for downstairs to start my night of excessive cleaning. Jyme didn’t follow me, and I seriously didn’t want to know what he was up there doing to himself. He showed up after I placed everything back into the now pristine fridge. This was one of those big refrigerators with the freezer at the bottom.
I looked at him, and his face was all flushed.
“You are so disgusting.”
“So,” he snapped back.
“You could have at least let me watch.”
“Oh, there will be a round two, I promise you.”
I started laughing hysterically, and then he slid behind me and went straight for my ear. I didn’
t have a chance in hell. I woke the next morning sore and sticky. Jyme had nutted everywhere but inside of me; we fucked until we couldn’t fuck anymore.
The view outside was breathtaking – the water and the boats and then more water and then more boats. I untwisted out from under Jyme and pulled one of the sheets with me. I went towards the window and stood there. The sun was peeking over the water, and it was so beautiful.
“Come back to bed,” he called out sleepily.
“No, you nympho.” I laughed.
He rubbed his eyes and stretched.
“This is beautiful.” I pointed outside.
“I knew you’d like it,” he said. “I’m starving.”
“I’ll make us some breakfast.”
“REALLY BABE?”
“My God, I can hear your heart beating all the way over here,” I told him.
“I just have this MAJOR fantasy of you cooking me breakfast in nothing but a white, long-sleeve, collar shirt.”
“Well, I can do breakfast, but I can’t get the twins in any of your shirts.
“I GOT ONE ALREADY. I ORDERED IT A LONG TIME AGO,” he said a little too loud and too fast.
“Okay, okay…calm down. Let me get a shower, and we will live out your breakfast fantasy.”
“I’ll go and get the shirt and leave it in the bathroom for you.”
I sent D’Artagnan and O a quick text that I would be working from home today. I went to get into the shower, and I heard Jyme when he came in.
“Babe?”
“Yeah?”
“No socks, okay?”
“Okay.” I laughed.
I fried a couple of pork chops, eggs, and potatoes with onions. I toasted some bread and cut up some fruit. Jyme walked in wearing nothing but a bare chest and very well stretched out boxers. He had really gotten himself excited with this breakfast fantasy.
I soon found out that Jyme’s so-called fantasy was not a fantasy at all. Jyme wanted a wife to wake up to and cook him breakfast every morning. He wanted to set up house and have babies to fill the rooms upstairs. Jyme wanted a son to take fishing, and he wanted his business of Samson and Son to be for him and his son. The one thing Jyme longed, dreamed, and ached for was something I didn’t have a clue about giving him.
Heels of Love (G Street Chronicles Presents From Love to Loathe Series) Page 17