Born Again Page 16

  I sighed with relief then sat down. “I thought you were back to hating me again.”

  She frowned. “I never hated you.” She stroked my face with the back of her hand. “I have to keep up appearances. I’m sorry.” She kissed a trail from my cheek to my mouth, then claimed my lips.

  “You’re breaking the deal,” I giggled.

  “Just this once.” She peppered my face with kisses again. “I can’t resist.”

  The touch of her lips made me lightheaded. Her aroma invaded my airways, sensual and inviting, arousing me. I closed my eyes and for a second could imagine we were back in bed, exploring each other’s bodies all over again. I could imagine that I’d removed her white blouse, liberated her pert breasts from their prison, and imprisoned them in my hands and mouth instead.

  She didn’t know what she was doing to me. If she slid just one finger into my panties it would have gotten drenched!

  “I think that’s a sufficient enough apology,” she said, her lips lingering, lightly brushing mine.

  I smiled, opened my eyes. “Nope, I need more.”

  She laughed. “Tomorrow evening? Are you still on?”

  It seemed so far away. I nodded. “I’ll be there.” I waited a beat before switching the topic to a less pleasant matter. “I know you ended it with Brit last night...”

  She nodded stiffly. “I had to do it sooner or later. No use stringing her along.”

  There was something unsettling about what she’d said, the words she’d used when breaking up with her. It put me on edge. “You said the relationship had run its course.”

  “She told you all of that?”

  I nodded. “She was really upset...” I cast my eyes down at my hands. “Was it easy for you to break it off?”

  She was quiet for a while, and when I looked up, she was watching me, curiously.

  “What are you really asking me?”

  I shrugged, worried this was going south.

  “Yes,” came her firm reply. “It was easy.”

  She regarded me penetratively, waiting for my reaction. My emotions were always painted on my face for the world to see. Disappointment, sadness. If it were that easy for her to discard someone, then why wouldn’t it happen to me?

  She must have read my mind. “But she’s not you. It was a fling that went on longer than it should have.”

  I’d had enough of those to know how they worked. And staring deep into those dark eyes, I believed her. I wasn’t yet sure how she truly felt about me, or how deep her feelings for me ran, but I was certain of one thing: I wasn’t a disposable fling.

  Colin didn’t sound surprised when I called him that evening and told him it was over. Not many things surprised him, he was just like that, making the break up a breeze.

  “Okay, well if that’s what you want,” he’d said. “And church?”

  I’d had to stifle a laugh. I’d just broken up with the dude and his first thought was God and the church!

  “I might come back. I’m still finding myself,” I explained.

  He didn’t need to know that I’d searched and found myself already, incidentally between the thighs of the sexiest woman alive. It was better to leave things on amicable terms.

  “Well I’m here for you if you need anything.” A gentleman till the end. Too bad he’d never stood a chance.

  Brit walked into my room moments later, unannounced, and threw herself on my bed. I prayed she hadn’t overheard my conversation with Colin; I fully planned to use him as my alibi when I went to see Naomi.

  She let out a loud sigh.

  “What’s up?”

  “Do you think I should call her?”

  Absolutely not! “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  She wasn’t listening. “How did she seem at work? Cut up, or normal?”

  When she didn’t have her tongue down my throat, you mean? “Normal, I guess. I really don’t know, Brit. I think you have to let this one go.”

  She groaned. “It’s not that simple. Daiquiri, this woman was a sorceress in bed! The things she did to my body... I’m not sure I can say goodbye to those orgasms.”

  My indignation was unwarranted, and I wasn’t entitled to it. That didn’t stop me from boiling with rage. Was that all Naomi was to her, the woman who gave the fiercest orgasms? And why did she have to keep rubbing it in that she’d experienced her that way? I hated thinking about it. In some ways it tainted what I had with Naomi.

  “There are plenty more fish in the sea,” I said levelly.

  “Not like her. I think I’m gonna text her.”

  She leaped up and left, and I could do nothing to stop her. Any protestation or attempt to dissuade her would have been met with suspicion.

  She didn’t mention it again that day, so I assumed her message went unanswered, to my relief.

  Naomi lived in a luxury condo in Queen Anne, with breathtaking views of the bay. At first, as I pulled up to the building and took in my surroundings, I thought I had the wrong address. The condos in this part of town were pricey, easily over half a million. She didn’t seem like the type to rent, so I surmised that she owned her place. I had no idea what the pay hike was when you reached senior level, but it must have been handsome for her to afford this place.

  When I rang the buzzer, I was expecting someone else to answer.

  “Hi there,” came Naomi’s voice through the intercom. Then I heard the door click. “Come on up. It’s the third floor.”

  She was already waiting at her door as I stepped off the elevator. Dressed down in a tight, low cut t-shirt, denim jeans with purposely frayed bottoms, barefoot. The smile I’d worn while riding up increased in size when I spotted her. It had only been a couple of hours since we’d seen each other at work, but I’d spent every minute missing her.

  She pulled me inside and into a kiss before I could open my mouth to say hi. The bottle of wine I’d bought on the way over nearly dropped out of my hand.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” she breathed.

  “And I’ve been wanting you to do that all day.” A delicious aroma hung in the air. I sniffed. “Something smells amazing. Something besides you, I mean.”

  She laughed, took my jacket and the bag with the wine from me. “It’s just a little something I whipped up. Give me a minute and I’ll show you around.”

  She disappeared with my things, then returned, took my hand and did a quick tour of her apartment.

  “This place is incredible,” I said, taking in the stunning views as the lights of the city sparkled below us. The decor was simple yet elegant; the furniture mostly white. A couple of abstract paintings hung from her living room walls. Everything was color-coordinated, right down to the books on her shelves. So orderly.

  The rest of the apartment was similarly ordered, not a thing out of place. Even her bedroom didn’t look as though anyone slept in it. Perfect, like her.

  Two bathrooms, one en-suite to the master bedroom.

  “You ready to eat?” she said once the tour was over.

  My eyes landed on the one door she hadn’t opened, the one room I hadn’t seen. I waited for her to show me, but she didn’t. I didn’t dare ask, but wondered what could have been inside.

  She chuckled as she watched me shovel down the meal she’d prepared for us. Every bite attacked my taste buds in a different way, like there were a million different flavors, each one as delicious as the last. There were vegetables and spices in it that I’d never heard of.

  “I know I’m probably not making a good case for myself,” I said, once I’d cleaned the plate, “but I can only make one dish.”

  She sipped her wine sexily, easing back in the chair, one knee up to her chin, intrigued. “What would that be?”

  “Toast.”

  She chuckled hysterically. I joined in, my eyes never leaving her. She was even more beautiful when she laughed. The crows began their flight once more, attacking me in my abdomen. How had I been lucky enough to even get this close to
someone so perfect? Lady Luck and I had always been at odds, but she’d come through for me this time. Maybe this was recompense for the crappy start I’d had.

  “Do I lose points?” I asked, once our laughter died down.

  “Oh yeah,” she teased. “But you make them back by being so sexy.”

  It was impossible to imagine that I was sexy to her. I wasn’t bad to look at, and I kept myself in shape, but she could have had anyone.

  “Aww, I made you blush,” she cooed.

  I covered my face with my hands, laughed, embarrassed. “No one’s ever called me sexy before.”

  “Really?” She reached across the table, took my hands away. “You don’t take compliments well, do you? Well get used to them.”

  When you’re in love, the kind of love that only ever comes around once in a lifetime, you start thinking irrationally. You lose sense of time and space, and reality. And in that moment, reality fully vacated. I saw my future unfold before my eyes.

  I’m gonna ask her to marry me. I’m just gonna do it, and deal with the consequences. I want her to know that I’m all in.

  I opened my mouth to seal my fate. “Will you...”

  Her eyebrows perked up expectantly, waiting for me to finish my question. She probably had no idea how insane it would be.

  “Will you... will you kiss me?” Luckily sanity returned, rescuing me from what would have been a disaster. I would have pushed her far away, scared her into distancing herself from me forever. Only the clinically insane proposed on a first date.

  She smiled, then slowly deposited a kiss on my lips.

  Her body was sticky with sweat, mine and hers, as we lay naked in her king-sized bed, her on top, our fingers intertwined on either side. We were both spent from our love-making.

  She routinely lowered her lips to meet mine, planting the kisses that gave me life. I would never tire of kissing her. I tasted like her, and she tasted like me.

  “Stay with me tonight,” she breathed against my mouth. She knew I couldn’t, though I would have moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen if I could have.

  “Brit will ask questions, and I’m a terrible liar.”

  She kissed me one last time then climbed down. She collapsed on her back. We lay side by side, staring up at her spotless white ceiling.

  “She tried calling me last night. This afternoon, too,” she said.

  I didn’t know about the second attempt. I sat up on my elbow, stroked her super flat stomach, which was damp with sweat.

  “She’ll never forgive me if she finds out about us.”

  She looked disconcerted. “You’d really fall out over this?” She shook her head. “I never should have—”

  I broke her off with a kiss. “None of that matters now.” It did, but I wanted to enjoy her in peace, without all the exterior stresses. There was just the here and now, everything else was abstract nothingness.

  “And your boyfriend?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” I said simply.

  She smiled incredulously. “What, just like that?”

  I nodded. “Just like that.”

  Now she sat up on her elbow. “So, no more boyfriend?”

  “No more boyfriend.” I grinned. “I might have a girlfriend though...”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

  “Yeah. I think she’s still deciding.”

  Before I knew what was happening, she’d rolled on top of me again and had me pinned down once more. She kissed me. “She’s not still deciding. She knows exactly what she wants.”

  That made two of us.

  SIXTEEN

  Six of the most powerful men and women in the Constanza Group watched with eagle eyes as my PowerPoint presentation changed to the next, and final, slide.

  The boardroom blinds were closed and the lights had been dimmed, darkening the room in order to see the large projector screen with clarity.

  Naomi sat among them, making no contributions. This was mine to win or lose.

  The colorful design mockup for a new line of fabric softener appeared on the screen. A palette of reds, greens and yellows; a composite of what I imagined the Amazonian jungle would smell like. The name — Ecuador Rain — had been the company’s doing, and they’d asked me to pitch a design that fit. Now, after weeks of research — into demographics, into the Amazon rainforest — this was what I’d come up with.

  “Ecuador Rain, wrap yourself in nature.” I delivered the tagline with feigned confidence, praying that they loved it as much as I did. “Thank you.”

  There were no claps. Most clients didn’t clap after a proposal. But they did exchange impressed looks.

  “That’s an interesting color scheme,” the one woman among their group said. “What made you go with that?”

  Uh-oh. Whenever the word “interesting” was used, that often spelled trouble. “Interesting” was usually a polite way of saying “crap”.

  “I looked into your customer demographics data from the last five years, and found that the vast majority of your customers were young mothers with children under ten,” I said, ready to defend my choice. I’d spent more time on this than any other project, and I knew my stuff. “Parents, especially those under thirty-five, are so used to purchasing toys, things that look fun, that it starts to influence their purchasing decisions on everyday products. Put simply, it’s all down to psychology.”

  More impressed looks.

  While they conferred amongst themselves, I risked a glance at Naomi, who had a far away look in her eyes.

  Moments later, the bosses rose to their feet, prompting us to do the same.

  “Thank you for coming in,” the big boss said. “We’ll take it to our focus groups, then let you know what we decide. You should expect to hear from us within a week.”

  He shook both mine and Naomi’s hands, then had his assistant walk us out.

  I breathed a huge sigh once we were in the car. “Wow, that was intense.”

  Naomi was quiet, like she wasn’t listening to me. Not in her old way, when she would actively ignore me, but as though she were distracted. We’d been dating for five weeks, so we were past all the other nonsense.

  I touched her forearm. “Hey.” I didn’t let my hand linger in case the driver’s curious eyes caught me. We’d thus far been very careful around the office and our coworkers.

  She looked at me, jumping out of her reverie. “Sorry, what?”

  “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Her brow wrinkled, and she turned away in frustration. “I’m fine.”

  Or maybe we weren’t past the nonsense. Didn’t she know that it was now my job to worry about her, to care whenever she seemed upset? That was the role of a girlfriend, a role I gladly played for her.

  We didn’t speak for five minutes, and I didn’t push her. I knew when to step back.

  Finally, she said, “You did great in there.”

  “You really think so?”

  She nodded, smiled. “We have a good chance of getting this account. I knew you could do it.”

  I wanted desperately to take her hand in mine, to just hold it, squeeze it. I held her hand every chance we got, just to remind myself that she was real, and that she was mine. But I didn’t risk it. This driver was nosey.

  I smiled back at her. That would have to suffice until later that evening, the start of the weekend, when I could have her all to myself, and not hold back.

  Brit watched me load a fresh pair of clothes into my backpack. I’d picked one up on sale a week prior in preparation for such an occasion.

  “The whole weekend? Are you finally going to sample some Colin cock?” She let out a lecherous cackle.

  “Ugh, don’t be so vulgar. He’ll be sleeping on the couch, I’m taking the bed.” It was a necessary lie. A huge one, but necessary all the same. She’d never felt the need to ask why she hadn’t seen Colin in weeks. In her mind it was better that way, seeing as she couldn’t stand him. But my staying two ni
ghts with him was a first, something that had raised her suspicions.

  “He’s definitely got plans to bone you, Daiquiri, don’t be fooled. He’s a man before he’s a Christian. They all think the same.”

  Someone had plans to “bone” me, but it wasn’t him...

  I zipped up my backpack, slung it on my back, then followed her out of my room. “What are you doing tonight?”

  She shrugged. “I might call one of my old pals for some much needed fornication.”

  She’d been promising to do that for weeks, but had yet to bring someone new to the house. No one had been here since Naomi. Remarkably, she still wasn’t over her.

  “Okay, well have fun. Try not to get into too much trouble.”

  Girl, Interrupted played behind me with the volume low. I hadn’t been paying much attention, I was too busy straddling my girlfriend on the couch, my back to the screen.

  She currently had one of my breasts in her mouth, a place that had become their second home, and two of her fingers up my skirt, buried in my sex, while her thumb toggled my nub.

  I rode her hand like I was on a bicycle, whimpered and howled like a wounded wolf. The couch creaked, the actors’ voices were drowned out.

  “Can I come yet?” I whined, afraid I would implode and explode at the same time.

  She released my breast only to deliver the line “no”, then recaptured it to suck the life out of me. She always said no when I asked, though she knew I wouldn’t last. It was a little game we played every now and then. Her refusal to give me permission made me come harder.

  She was laughing as I expired, nearly breaking her fingers in the process. My body flopped over her, depleted of energy, but throbbing and buzzing from the orgasm.

  Five minutes later, I lay with my head in her lap, while we watched the rest of the movie indifferently. She would bend down and kiss me often. I’d never been happier.

  “I forgot how depressing this movie was,” I said after a while. “I’ve seen enough crazy in my life to last a lifetime.”

  “You wanna watch something else?” I sat up as she reached for the remote on the coffee table.