by Bailey West
We pulled up to a parking lot near a pier. He turned off the engine and said, “We’re here.”
I looked around and didn’t see anything but boats and yachts. He got out of the truck, came around and opened my door. He helped me out and closed the door. I turned around thinking that maybe the restaurant was behind us, but it wasn’t. He instructed me to loop my arm in his, and he led me to one of the larger yachts docked right in front of us.
As we neared the ramp to walk onto the yacht a man dressed in all white appeared.
“Mr. Bluette, Doctor Callahan, welcome to the Falcon93. I am the Captain, Lewis Garcia. My staff and I are pleased to have you aboard.”
“Thank you,” we said in unison.
Captain Lewis moved to the side and motioned for us to enter the yacht. We walked in and were greeted with a receiving line of five people dressed similarly to the Captain with slight variations in their uniform. Each crew member introduced themselves, the chef, sous chef, two men were the servers and one maître d’.
The Maître d’ led us to the top deck where a small table for two was set up with linen table clothes, beautiful gold utensils and silver plates. There was a piano player and bass player situated in the corner of the deck playing soft music. Paxton pulled out my chair, and I sat. I looked around taking in the entire scene. No one had ever done anything like this for me. I made sure to examine every part of the deck because I never wanted to forget it. My eyes finally rested back on Paxton, and I smiled. He smiled too.
“Paxton, this is amazing.”
I wanted to think of a better word to describe the beauty that I was surrounded by, but ‘amazing’ was all I had.
The Captain came up and spoke, “Mr. Bluette we will get underway in five minutes.”
“Thank you,” Paxton nodded.
“Underway? We are leaving port? The boat is going to actually move?”
“Of course, I mean if that’s alright with you?”
“What? Yes, yes, it’s wonderful.”
“Good,” he smiled.
A few minutes later there was a slight jerk, and the pier began to disappear behind us. One of the servers came over and filled our glasses with water. The next server came with a bottle of wine. I was not familiar with the brand, but he poured me a glass, and it was the best wine I’d ever tasted.
“The Chef recommended the wine. Do you like it?” Paxton asked after I took a sip.
“It’s delicious,” I smiled and took another sip.
The sun was starting to set creating a beautiful mixture of pinks and purples in the sky. It was perfect.
“I see my sisters were over to your house before I arrived.”
“Yes, Zanetta was kind enough to help me find something to wear. Zora was moral support. She basically says things that Zanetta thinks but is too kind to say,” I laughed.
“Yeah, they are a pair. Add my mother to mix and the men in the family, to include BJ, just go to our corners and wait for instruction,” he laughed.
“I love how supportive your family is. It’s like everyone is genuinely invested in one another’s success.”
“We are. I love my family. We all fail together or succeed together. It’s how we were raised.”
“Good evening again.” The chef came to our table to describe our five-course meal from the gazpacho to the roast leg of lamb with rosemary and potatoes. “To finish the meal, I’ve created a vanilla bean and caramel ice cream that will be served with warm apple pie.”
My mouth watered as he described each dish like he was describing a work of art. He had an amazing talent for creating a visual with words. He walked away and immediately our gazpacho was placed in front of us.
The dinner was delicious just as the chef had described it and being with Paxton made it that much better. The music was mellow and set a romantic atmosphere.
I had just put my napkin down after finishing my lamb when Paxton asked, “Would you like to dance?”
“Yes, I would.”
He stood and helped me from my seat. He led me to a small area close to the musicians and then pulled me in close. I rested my face on his chest as we swayed to the beautiful music that the duo created. He rubbed my back gently as I held on tight to him. I thought back and couldn’t come up with a time where I was completely content, yet at this moment, with Paxton, I was.
We danced to several songs before Paxton led me back to the table to enjoy our dessert. After dessert, we moved from the table to a couch facing the water. The musicians were gone, the table was cleaned and moved out, and it was just us.
“How do your feet feel?” He asked while looking at my shoes.
“They hurt a little, but I’m okay.”
“Put your foot up here,” he patted his leg.
I moved my foot to his leg. He unbuckled my shoe and removed it. He used his gigantic hands to massage my foot causing me to hold in a moan I felt bubbling up. After he rubbed it for a few minutes, he put a fuzzy pink slipper on it.
I looked at it and smiled, “Where did this come from?”
“I brought them with me because I wanted you to be comfortable.”
He patted his leg, and I put my other foot on his lap. He repeated the process with my other foot. This time I didn’t hold back. I moaned and closed my eyes. After the wonderful massage, he put the slipper on my foot and helped me put my feet down. He produced a blanket that he wrapped around me. The blanket provided the perfect barrier to the night air.
“Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?” I smiled as I pulled the blanket closer.
Paxton
I chuckled and pulled her closer to me.
“Doctor Callahan, why did you choose to pursue your advanced degree? Do you really enjoy school that much?” I looked down at her and stopped her before she spoke, “Wait, give me the real answer. I can see you started to formulate the correct answer in your head. Tell me the real deal.”
She smiled, “Don’t act like you know me, Sir.”
“I’m learning you,” I replied.
“Well, the real reason why I pursued my doctorate was to spend my ex’s money. I was miserable with him, but he never flinched when I wrote those multiple thousand-dollar checks for my tuition. So, I did it. Why pass up a free education?” She shrugged her shoulder. “He was busy doing other things and other people, so he never cared. He may not even realize that he paid for my Master’s and Doctorate. Does that change your opinion of me?”
“No. It verifies what I assumed.”
“Which is?”
“That he thought he was getting over on you, but he wasn’t. You had more control than you let on. Basically, like you do now. People have a perception of you based on what you show them, but you don’t really show them who you are.”
“I blame my mother. She had good intentions, but she felt like you had to carry yourself a certain way to fit into high society so she always told me what proper girls should and shouldn’t do. Some of that stuff stuck. Some didn’t, but I can’t say that it will not pop into my head when I feel like breaking out and just being myself. On the other hand, it has helped me professionally. You are the same way though. I know that you let people see a little of Paxton. People think you are quiet, but you’re not quiet. You’re observant.”
“I wouldn’t use quiet to describe myself. I talk a lot. You’re right, most people don't have access to me to ever know that.”
“Who do you blame?”
“No one. It’s just who I am. Some of it comes from the Army. I couldn’t talk about a lot of the things that happened, so I’ve just learned to be more introspective.”
“Yeah, I can understand that. Why did you pursue accounting after you got out of the military?”
“I took care of me and my brother’s money since we had a little grass cutting business when I was ten. Cutting multiple yards was harder than we thought, so it didn’t last long, but I put us a little budget together, and we made that money stretch for about two weeks. Roman star
ted making music and hired an accountant that almost had him in bankruptcy due to mismanagement. I stepped in, and I’ve been taking care of his finances ever since. When I was in the military, I would set Roman up on budgets, and he stuck to them. Ezekiel is the same way. He is really good about sticking to his budget but he tends to splurge a little more than Roman does. When I got out, I decided to get the credentials so that I could help others. I’m not a human calculator like you are, but I like what I do.”
“Would you consider yourself frugal?”
“Cheap? No, I enjoy doing things and having nice things but I'm patient, so I can plan and save for them.”
“That's smart. I’m the same way. I don’t have to have anything right away. I can plan and save. To me, that makes it more enjoyable.”
I have a lot more in common with her than I realized.
“Paxton, this has been the most perfect evening of my life. Thank you.”
“You know you deserve this and much more, right?”
“Deserve is a strong word.”
“Deserve is the perfect word. You are a Queen and should be treated as such. Anyone that doesn’t treat you like the gem that you are should not be allowed to breathe the same air as you. I know that you experienced a lot in your last relationship, but I would like the chance to show you something different if you will give me the opportunity.”
“I would like that,” she smiled then her expression turned somber. “I…I would love that actually but long term, I don’t think I can make you happy.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I saw you with BJ. I know you love kids and I can’t have them. I got my tubes tied when I was married so that we would not create any more children. I did it behind his back. He never knew I had the procedure. It really didn’t matter because after I had the miscarriage, he didn't really touch me again.”
“He was able to keep his hands off you? I mean sexually?”
“Yep.”
Wow. He must have a tremendous amount of control.
“You still haven’t told me why you couldn’t make me happy. I never said I wanted children. I work hard at being a good uncle. That’s enough for me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’m cool on kids. Is that it? Did that take away your but?”
“Yes, I’m ready to see something different,” she smiled.
I leaned in and captured her lips. There were still faint traces of the apple pie and vanilla ice cream on her lips. Her little moans and active participation in this kiss had my head spinning. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted more, but I remembered where we were. I pulled her closer, and we sat in a satisfied silence as the pier started to come into view.
Olivia’s and my first date was a success. I enjoyed myself so much that I felt a little sad when the yacht docked and it was time for us to leave. She was the perfect company. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a date as much as I enjoyed being with her. I drove her home and kissed her on her porch before she went into her house and locked the door. I felt good. I wanted to jump up and click my heels after walking back to my truck. As soon as I settled in to drive away, I started thinking about the next date and what I would do to up my game from the yacht. She jokingly asked if I was trying to make her fall in love with me. I laughed, but my answer was yes. Yes, I am going to make her fall in love with me. I fell asleep knowing for sure why I was finally able to sleep.
Olivia
It was my first time at Paxton’s house. He lived on the top floor of a building that he and his brothers had renovated. His condo, which my house could easily fit into four times, was very masculine and modern. He had a black and white color palette with huge paintings and furniture to fill the rooms. The kitchen was a cook’s dream with all the modern amenities like two sinks, double ovens, a pot filler above the stove and a computerized refrigerator that you could see inside of without opening the door.
He had ordered some pizza and wings, and we planned on hanging out in his media room watching old movies. We both chose a movie that we liked that the other one hadn’t seen. I chose the Sound of Music, and he chose Silverado.
We watched my movie first even though he didn’t seem to be very interested in it.
“Why do you like this again? There isn’t one Black person in this entire movie,” he asked as the movie played on his huge screen.
“It’s set in Austria, so of course there aren’t any Black people, but it’s a great movie. The songs are iconic. You love music; I thought you would like it.”
“You thought I would enjoy watching a movie about a Nun teaching some privileged white kids how to sing?”
“Paxton,” I whined, “you’re not even giving it a chance.”
“Okay, fine.” He turned his attention to the screen. “Now who is this other lady?”
“She is the Baron’s girlfriend.”
“But wasn’t he just trying to get with the Nun?”
“Yes, but…”
“He’s going to try to make the Nun go back on her vows?”
“No, it’s not about…”
“He’s going to hell.”
“Okay, that’s it. Put your movie in. You obviously have no respect for my movie choices.” I grabbed the remote to stop the movie.
He stopped me before I got to the remote.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” He pulled me close to him and kissed me. “I’ll watch your boring movie,” he tried to kiss me again, and I turned my head.
“How you gone say sorry in one breath and then call my movie boring in the other? That’s not an apology,” I pouted.
He kissed my pouted lips. I wanted to continue to pout and make him put in more work to apologize, but his kisses work so well.
“You forgive me?” He asked as started peppering kisses down my neck.
Even if ‘no’ was the word that formed in my head, “yes,” is what came out of my mouth.
“I’m going to watch it, okay?”
“Okay,” I breathed as he worked his way back to my lips and kissed me again.
I rested my head on his shoulder and tried to watch the movie, but after that kiss, my mind was racing.
“Paxton, can I tell you something without being judged?”
“What? You think this movie is garbage just like I do?”
“No,” I hit his arm. “I’m serious!”
“I’ve never judged you before. Why would I do it now?”
“Okay, but just for discussion sake, is there anything that I could say that may make you judge me?”
“No, just spill it.”
I reached for the glass of wine I had sitting on the table and took a gulp.
“I’ve never had an orgasm.”
He choked on the water that he’d just put in his mouth. Then he coughed… a lot. I hit his back to help him get over his coughing spell.
“Thanks, Paxton. Now I really feel stupid.”
“No, no, no,” he reached for me, but I swatted his hand away. “Olivia, you just caught me off guard that’s all. I’m never surprised, but you got me. Why? I mean you are not a virgin so…”
“I don’t know why! I mean I’ve only been with one person. He was a selfish lover. I didn’t even fake like I had one, not really. Well, maybe I did, a time or two just so that he would hurry up and get off me.”
“You’ve never pleasured yourself?”
“No, my mother told me it was nasty and proper women didn’t masturbate, so I didn’t…don’t…never have. I tried. It didn’t work so I’ve never tried again. That’s stupid, right?”
“No, it’s not stupid but how can you teach someone else how to touch you if you don’t know what brings you pleasure? I mean a man can figure it out, but it may take a lot of trial and error.”
“When you’ve slept with women, they’ve all had orgasms? I mean is it a normal thing for both parties to be satisfied?”
“She comes first, always. Real men know the importance of making sure at least her first orgasm
is achieved before he has one.”
“At least her first? What do you mean?”
“You can and should have more than one. If I said, tell me what you like or what do you want me to do to you. Could you answer those questions?”
“Ummm, I mean, I think?”
“Put your shoes on.”
“What? Where are we going?”
“On a field trip.”
“Are you trying to get out of watching my movie?”
“No, I’m going to watch this movie from beginning to end just for you, but right now, we are leaving.”
I slid into my shoes, grabbed my purse and followed him out the door.
“Paxton, what is this place?” I asked as we pulled into the parking lot of a store with a neon sign that read, “The Couple’s Lounge.”
“It’s an adult store.”
“Adult store? As in peep shows, strippers, and stuff? Paxton, I am not going in there!”
“First of all, I don’t think they have peep shows anymore. Secondly, strippers are at clubs, not stores. Now, if you want to go and see some strippers…”
I looked over at him as a sly smile spread across his face.
“No! I don’t!”
“You sure cause I’m down if you are,” he laughed.
“Paxton!”
“Okay, no, look we are going to go in here and find you something to help you experience an orgasm.”
“What, like a dildo?”
“Yeah, you trust me, right?”
I nodded.
Paxton
I got out of the car and opened her door. We walked into the store together. It was a lot larger than I’d anticipated. I had never been in here before, but I had driven past it a lot. Olivia kept close as we walked down the aisle looking for the vibrators.