Grit and Grind

by Kat Addams

Klara noticed his smile had started to turn and realized she was about to ruin his night with her sarcastic mouth.

  “I think that’s the most damn romantic thing ever, Chris,” she said, rising up to meet his lips and put on the dress.

  Phew. Close one, he thought.

  Her spunk would be the death of him, but she was the life of him. Chris helped her unzip her dress and let it fall to the floor. He noticed she wore a matching red lace thong and bra set. He bit his lip and growled as she reached behind herself and grabbed his cock. He turned her around and kissed her hard. Their breathing both getting faster. His alarm blared rudely, interrupting their heat of the moment.

  “What is that? Do you have an alarm?” Klara stared at Chris, eyebrow cocked.

  “Only for tonight.” He laughed. “I have a fun night planned. That alarm means we have to get going! Let me help you with your dress and shoes. The driver should be here any minute.”

  Klara nodded, not wanting to mess his plans up. He’d obviously worked very hard at putting tonight together. She was thrilled, surprised, and feeling a little out of place. He was being really nice to her. Really thoughtful. Really romantic. She wasn’t used to this over-the-top treatment. She wasn’t saying she didn’t want it … but she was going to have to figure out how to accept it. She was already making a mental list of things she could do to dazzle Chris, too.

  Blow job, blow job, anal sex? Blow job. Threesome? Hell no. Too late for that, feelings involved and all! Nope!

  Chris had to remind himself to breathe when he looked at Klara in her dress. She sparkled with or without it, but with it, she looked like she could be someone’s bride. His bride. Though he would never tell her that. She would think he was nuts. Hell, he thought he was nuts when those thoughts crossed his mind. Knowing her a little over a week and already thinking of the rest of her life with this otherworldly magnificent goddess of a creature? Yeah, he was nuts. All this while he slipped her blue suede shoes on like a damn Cinderella scene. He shook his head and hoped that, tonight, he could be half as suave as Prince Charming.

  “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

  The limo parked out front left Klara even more speechless, which never happened unless she had seen sexy six-pack abs. But, now that she was having a taste of the luxurious lifestyle, she realized she liked that, too. The tuxedoed driver opened the door as Chris helped Klara inside. He loved the view from the back or the front or anywhere of her. She was the view.

  “Really? Champagne, too?” Klara squealed. “Ahem.” She calmed herself and lowered her voice. “I mean, this is cool. This is cool.” She nodded.

  Chris laughed, knowing it was a bit over the top but taking pleasure in her enjoying every minute of it.

  “Let’s toast to you, Klara. To being a spectacular woman; to being an amazing caregiver and a kind and loving friend; for being a community-driven individual helping those around you; for being a headstrong boss babe; a go-getter; a tough-as-nails, don’t fuck with me, or I’ll cut you yet bake you a casserole Southern belle. To being my muse, my laughter, my tour guide, and my lover. These have been the best two weeks I’ve ever had. Thank you, Klara. It’s all you. Cheers to you, Klara, the real queen of Memphis.”

  Well, fuck, Klara thought as she tried her best to hide her tears. Did he really just say all those things about little ole me?

  No matter how many positive-affirmation Post-it Notes cluttered her home, she couldn’t ever make herself feel like Chris was making her feel right now.

  “And cheers to you, Chris. You’ve kicked my ass into gear with my writing, shown me things I’ve never known I could do in the bedroom … and out.” She winked perfectly this time. “And these last two weeks have been the best I’ve ever experienced as well. So, thank you, Chris, for being just as amazing.”

  Chris steadied his breathing. Am I becoming an emotional sap? He caught himself biting his knuckles as Klara pulled his fist away, opening up his palm, kissing it, and holding it between hers.

  “So, tell me where you’re taking me,” she said, her voice full of excitement.

  “It’s a distillery turned restaurant.”

  “Oh my gosh, yes! I’ve always wanted to go there. The rooster place?”

  “Well, technically, I think it’s called—”

  “The place with the rooster on top?”

  “Yes, yes, that’s the one.” He couldn’t help but smile at Klara’s excitement. Her pleasure was his.

  Her eyes danced like a kid in a candy store. The neon signs reflected in them each time they passed another bar, another restaurant. Flickering stars was what it reminded him of. She had stars in her eyes.

  “You know they have the best vodka ever? It’s the artesian wells in Memphis. Our magic water.”

  “Is that what it is? Something in the water here? That’s where all this magic comes from?”

  “It must be. Liquid gold. Let’s test this theory out tonight with some of their drinks. I hear their craft cocktails are amazeballs!”

  “Amazeballs, eh? Count me in. Anything that makes you say amazeballs, I’m game.”

  “I’ll remember that. You just cursed yourself there. Lots of chick flicks, mud wrestling, spa days, shopping sprees. All amazeballs.”

  “I agree, all amazeballs … with you,” he said, finishing his glass of champagne just as they pulled up to the restaurant.

  The hostess, obviously a fangirl, greeted Chris with the warmest of welcomes. Her hand shook his a few seconds too long, her eyes lingering to his left hand, checking for a ring. Klara knew. She had done it, too. She let the ladies look, drool, giggle. He was hers tonight, and he let everyone know the same.

  He stepped aside to let Klara follow the hostess to their table, gently guiding her with his hand on her lower back. He couldn’t help but touch her. She was the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on, and she was all his. Their table was tucked in the most private spot, as per his request. Dark, candlelit, intimate. Flowers on the table, the server attentive and waiting already to greet them.

  “This is so damn amazeballs, Chris. Wow. I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie.”

  “I’ve been feeling that way since we met at the park. Hey, whatever happened to Farmer John? Do you still see him running?”

  “Farmer who?” Klara teased.

  “That’s what I thought,” Chris growled, running his hand up her thigh and along her panties under the table.

  Klara liked it when Chris was growly and rough but only because she knew he was the biggest sweetie pie outside of the bedroom. If he pulled any controlling bullshit on her in their relationship, they both knew, he probably wouldn’t want to set foot anywhere near Memphis again. She had met her fair share of those so-called alpha males. No, thanks. Chris was a dream, and he didn’t need to be a cocky asshole to prove it.

  “Ooh, jealous, are we? You do know, Farmer John doesn’t have shit on you. Not my Chris.” Klara knew as soon as she said it that it was probably a dumb remark. My Chris. As if.

  “Your Chris?”

  Klara looked down into her cocktail, stirring it and shrugging her shoulders. “If you want—”

  “I like it when you talk like that. I’m yours for the taking.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is.”

  “All mine?”

  “All yours.”

  Klara was ready for the check and to head back into the bedroom. This man was making her melt, and he had barely touched her. But he didn’t even need to. Just being near him set the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up. She could feel the electricity between them both. And, by the way he was watching her, he could feel it, too.

  “Tell me what your plans are when you leave,” she said, taking a long drink from her cocktail and feeling brave. Is this liquid gold or liquid courage?

  “I plan on going wherever my calendar tells me I have to be and stopping here for you every which way possible. Would you like to come with me sometime? Whe
never your schedule permits? I would love to experience new sights with you.”

  “I’ll see, but I’m pretty tied up with work and this last semester. It would be nice to get out more though. I just don’t see it being possible much for me right now.”

  “I understand. We’ll figure it out.” He winked.

  The conversation drifted back to their novels, writing, favorite authors, favorite movies. They got to know each other little by little, silly story after silly story, sad times after sad times, stress after stress, achievements after achievements. Klara learned Chris had wanted to grow up to be an ice cream truck driver. Chris learned Klara had held a job as the mouse mascot for a local kids entertainment place. The suit she described as smelling of peed-on nachos and sweaty ball sack. Chris said he’d had a teacher that smelled like that once and mused that maybe he worked evening hours for the same children’s place.

  They discussed philosophies, music, favorite travel destinations, and dream vacations. Phobias: Chris apparently freaked out over balloons, and Klara was the normal one for once and just hated spiders. Goals: they both wanted families and to settle down as writers. Pet peeves: Klara had had enough of people not using their turn signals, and Chris didn’t like hearing people chew.

  As they lost track of the time, Chris and Klara discussed anything and everything, exploring each other’s lives. The conversations were amazing, the company was amazing, the food was amazing, the drinks were amazing. Everything was perfect for the both of them, especially Klara. She was on cloud eighty-two this time.

  “I’ve got more surprises up my sleeve,” Chris said as his phone alarm buzzed. “Up for some more fun?”

  Chris motioned for the check. The waiter had already cleared their table a long, long time ago. They had finished their food and had been sipping cocktails and talking for the last two hours. The lively crowd around them was drowned out by their complete focus on each other.

  “The answer is always. With you, always.”

  “Come with me,” he said, pulling her chair out and offering her his hand.

  Chivalry isn’t dead, I guess, Klara thought as she grabbed his hand and followed him back to the limo. She wondered what more he could have possibly thought about as the driver took them through the city streets and toward the water front. The limo slowed to a stop by the riverbanks. Right in front of the iconic Hernando De Soto Bridge, lit up in a brilliant light show.

  “You see that twenty-fourth top cable from the right? Count them.”

  “Okay. Yeah, I think so.”

  “Okay, now, count down four lights.”

  “Okay.”

  “That’s yours.”

  “What do you mean, it’s mine?”

  “I dedicated it to you. It’s the Klara Woods light. Check it out.”

  Chris pulled out his phone and showed Klara a picture of the dedication.

  “To Klara. You are my light. My true Memphis queen,” Klara read aloud, weakly handing his phone back to him. “I don’t know what to say, Chris. Thank you. That doesn’t even seem to be enough. You are … this is … it’s a dream.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know how I feel about you,” Chris said, pulling her toward him and kissing her lips. He pulled back, searching her eyes, hoping she knew the words he wasn’t brave enough to say.

  “I know,” she whispered back. Gazing straight back into his eyes.

  They stayed until the show ended and then headed back to the hotel room. Both of them starting to feel frisky. Teasing and caressing each other in the back of the limo.

  They barely made it to the room when Chris remembered what was waiting.

  The concierge! He crossed his fingers that, when he opened that door, things would be exactly as he’d asked the staff to help him make it.

  And it was. He was blown away just as much as she was.

  Candles and roses filled the room. They lay on top of the desk, the tables, the armoire, the nightstands. Champagne was chilling next to the bed, and soft music drifted from the radio. This was definitely a Hallmark movie.

  “Wow! How did you do all this?”

  “I had lots of help.”

  “I bet you did,” she said, awestruck. “This has been the most romantic night of my life, Chris. Really, you outdid yourself.”

  “Come here. The night isn’t over yet,” he said, wrapping her up into his arms and slowly unzipping her dress. He took every piece of clothing off of her and admired the masterpiece before him. “You are a work of art, Klara,” he whispered into her ear, setting her on the bed.

  She watched in a daze as he slowly undressed himself. Their eyes locked on one another. He could hear the catch in her breath when he finished undressing and stood naked. His cock pulsing. He needed her, and she needed him.

  His hands caressed every inch of her body as he kissed her from her forehead down to her ankles. His tongue explored as he sucked and licked and moaned between her thighs. The taste of her, the scent of her, the feel of her. He could feel his whole body go warm as he made his way back up to her mouth and kissed her deeply.

  Klara closed her eyes. Her breaths in sync with his. His breaths in sync with hers. They tangled themselves together. He was in oh-so deep, and she held on oh-so tight. Their hands intertwined as they squeezed, their knuckles turning white. They found their rhythm in slow, deep thrusts.

  Klara knew, if bodies could become one, theirs had. She had never had sex like this before. She had never made love. She felt Chris deep. Under the layers of her anxiety. Under the layers of her guilt. Under the layers of her weaknesses, her quirks, her losses. That was where he nestled. His body, his soul, his pulse, fluttering into her and filling her with a euphoria she’d never experienced before.

  Chris felt it, too. She was an extension of him. Where his cock stopped, he really just kept on going, melting into her. His brain buzzed, the hair on the back of his neck rose, his cock throbbed, his spirit sang. Klara slowly gyrated her hips to match the gentle bobbing motion that Chris danced inside her. Their pulses matching, their motions matching, their heartbeats matching.

  With their whole selves in perfect tune together, the world disappeared around them, drowned out by Klara’s blissful sighs. She could feel her legs begin to tremble. Her whole body quivered as she wrapped herself around Chris tighter. Her fingertips leaving marks on his back as she gripped him hard.

  “Come with me,” she whispered, breathless and high. The fantasy-like night had awakened all of her senses at once, and she needed to let herself go. She could feel the buildup in her body, her mind, her breaths, and her heart.

  Chris nodded, unable to talk and unsure of what was happening to him. His whole body trembled, too. His mind was in a state of ecstasy, where all he could hear were her whispers, all he could see were her fluttering eyes, all he could taste were her delicious lips, all he could feel was his Klara.

  They held each other tighter as he gave the last few thrusts he could manage before they cried out with a feeling that was new to them both. The heat rising from where they were joined and spreading throughout their entire bodies.

  The world slowly came back into view as they lay, silent, and overcome with emotion. Neither speaking, afraid to break the spell.

  ten

  The last two days had been a blur. Klara and Chris had been spending every waking moment together since date night. Something changed in them both. They’d either lost themselves or found themselves that night. Klara, of course, had found herself. She knew, without a doubt, that Chris was the man for her. And she also knew, without a doubt, that she was the woman for him.

  But does he know I'm the woman for him? How can he not?

  That night had shaken them to the core. The depths of their souls. The air had turned to glitter, they’d breathed it in, and both of them couldn’t stop sparkling. At least, that was how she felt about it.

  See what this is doing to me?

  She was hot, she was cold, she was hot, she
was cold. She was hot, hot, and hotter, and she melted. She gave up being rational. Wasn’t she supposed to let herself go this week? Didn’t he want to reward her for being such a good girl on her promise to live in the moment and quit being such a spaz? If he did, he made no mention of it. By the looks of him, Klara could tell, he was struggling with his own thoughts, too. He’d talked about limerence roughly five hundred seventy times in between date night and today—the day he was leaving.

  “Remember the plan. Okay?” he said, holding her hands and staring into her eyes.

  “I know; I know. Communication is key.”

  “Definitely. I’ll only be gone three weeks, and then I’ll have three days here. Off again for a few more weeks and back. Maybe you can fit in a beach trip when I fly back home somewhere in there. Even if I’m not there and you need to get away, go for it. You’re always welcome in my home.”

  Klara sat quietly as he started to pack his bags. Slowly folding his clothes. Taking his time. She contemplated sitting on his luggage and crossing her arms like a brat, but he would just pick her up and throw her on the bed and … hmm. She contemplated it again.

  “You okay?” He noticed her eyes were glazed over, staring into the distance.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “What are ya thinking about?”

  “The other night.”

  “Ah! That was … something.”

  Something, she thought. Just something.

  “It was,” she whispered. “Actually, Chris, it was more than something to me. I’ve never felt that before.”

  Chris sat back down on the bed, sighing loudly. “Me either. I don’t know what it was or what it meant, but I know exactly how you feel.”

  “Do you?”

  “Of course I do. I feel the same way. You know I’m completely infatuated with you. The limerence effect.”

  “Oh damn, enough with the limerence!” Klara rolled her eyes.

  Chris’s body stiffened. He should have listened to Marcy. She was right. He’d thought he was being logical. Romantic and logical. A smart woman like Klara would appreciate logic, right? It was not like she wanted to give up her career and run away either. He hadn’t exactly been leading her on. He’d told her that he wanted to keep this up and see where it goes.