Healing Inc.

by Tarbox, Deneice

  Feeling more confident, Tyler again placed his lips to hers, allowing them to linger longer. She responded, kissing him back, becoming more and more lost in him as the song played on. Giving in completely, they devoured one another. Their passion intensified as their tongues twisted and twirled, in out and of each other’s mouths. He sucked on her bottom lip, not able to get enough of her. She felt him pulling her closer into the hardness of his manhood, his body feeling fabulous against hers. The chiseled contours of his stomach, sculpted chest and arms engulfed her, causing the last ounce of fight to depart from her. Her hands came up behind his head pulling him in closer, intensifying the kiss. She heard herself whimper as his hands began a slow sensual perusal of her back and buttocks.

  Tyler started to gyrate, grinding his erection against her. Heat shot through her causing her nipples to harden and an odd sensation to stir between her thighs. She wanted to feel him, to taste him. Tyler wanted so badly to make love to her. He effortlessly lifted her onto his desk as he started a trail down her neck, kissing and licking, pausing occasionally to suck in places that heighted their desire. Evy couldn’t help but savor every kiss, every caress and touch from him. Without warning, those words from the past came flying at her. ‘Don’t fucking look at me bitch!’

  “Stop! Please stop!” she shouted.

  She frantically pushed at Tyler who had been completely wrapped up in his passion. He stepped back but didn’t take his hands off her waist for fear she might fall off the desk.

  “I’m, I’m so sorry,” she stammered jumping from the desk as though it were on fire. “I can’t, I can’t… I’m sorry.” Bowing her head, she put her hands over her face. She shook her head from side to side unable to face him. At that point, she was completely embarrassed by her outburst.

  Tyler noticed that she was starting to tremble while he still held onto her. “It’s okay Evy… It’s okay.”

  He slowly pulled her toward him and held her, unable to ignore the way her body stiffened from the act. After a few minutes, she began to relax against him. He held her until the quaking subsided. Looking down at her, he gently removed her hands from her face. He bent down to where his face was level with hers.

  “Better?” he asked warmly.

  “Better.” She reassured him with a slight smile. She still felt like a fool for her behavior.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized, righting his posture. “I let that go further than it should have. Please forgive me.”

  “It’s not your fault. I’m a grown woman… I should have known better.”

  “A woman you are indeed. However, that was not your doing.” His hands moved up to caress her arms. “Do you want to talk about it?” He sensed there was more to what had just happened than what she let on.

  “Let’s just say that’s part of my baggage.” She couldn’t suppress the tears that welled in her eyes. “I should probably go now.”

  Tyler stepped back, giving her room to walk around the desk and retrieve her things. Out of nowhere, instinct stepped in and told him to stop her. Following her route around the desk he came up behind her, placing his hands over hers, halting her activity. He observed that she had again visibly stiffed from his touch.

  “I can’t let you leave like this.” His voice was soft yet full of concern as he spoke close to her left ear. “Please talk to me about what just happened. I know we haven’t known each other long but I really do care for you, Evy, and I don’t want to see you like this. Please let me help… Let me in. I’m a strong man. Let me help you with your baggage.”

  Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her in his arms to face him. “I lied when I said I just wanted dinner, I want much more than that. I love what you do to me, Evy. I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m around you. I’m willing to take things as slowly as you need me to but please don’t push me away anymore. I promise you I can help you with this if you’ll allow me to.”

  Evy leaned against his desk as the words he had spoken impacted her. She knew she wasn’t ready to tell him everything about her past but she did trust him. “I have PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. Most of the time I’m fine but on occasion it will hit me out of nowhere.” She chanced a look up at Tyler who was listening attentively.

  Feeling secure with him, she continued, “It was really bad the first two years after I left Chicago, that’s where everything happened. I tried to drown it out with booze but Nita went on the war path every time I got sick from it. That helped squash that habit.” A slight smile crossed her lips from the memory of Nita hollering at her as she spewed her stomach contents into the toilet. “I took up running and martial arts to fill the void, which was a little more affective. Over the last twelve years it had virtually disappeared. Then my ex-boyfriend’s parents contacted me last March. They asked me to sing at a memorial service to honor him on the twelve year anniversary of his death. His dad had been overseas when he died and never really got to say goodbye.”

  “Apparently, they had been searching for me to do this for a long time since I had broken all ties with them once I moved here. A friend of mine back home felt sorry for them and set the whole thing up. I saw no harm in it…it had been so long and the nightmares and the panic attacks had subsided. He wasn’t the best boyfriend but I had found peace in knowing that the drugs, not him, were responsible for a lot of his foul behavior. Unfortunately, I underestimated the power of the past. That very night, after performing for the first time in years, the nightmares and other symptoms were back in full force. God I hate this!” She stood and moved across the room, crossing her arms in frustration as she gazed out the window.

  “It never really goes away; you just learn to live with it. Once you figure out what the triggers are it becomes easy if you avoid them.” He took up the place she had vacated against his desk. Evy slowly turned back to face him. He had his hands in his pockets and a troubled look on his face. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

  “One of the reasons my mother started leaving me with the Wilsons was because my uncle persuaded her to. She, my mother that is, use to shack up with any low life willing to take us in, all to sustain her destructive lifestyle. By the time I turned seven I had changed schools four times. When I was eight she happened to meet one that was a little too interested in me. He even offered to keep me while she went out partying. She didn’t stay sober enough to notice that he had an affinity for little boys.”

  Evy’s eyes grew wide at what she was hearing. He gave her a quick look then continued, his eyes cast down. “Whenever we were alone he would do things to me, touch me in places. When he was finished he would warn me not to tell anyone or he would kill my mom. She wasn’t much of a mom but she was all I had. I did love her. I was terrified. I started wetting the bed and having nightmares.”

  “To avoid being alone with him I started staying out all night. That’s how I met the Wilsons. Mr. Wilson worked evenings at the bottling company in town. He was taken aback to find me sleeping under his porch after arriving home from work one night. I’ll never forget the look on his face. He looked as though he’d seen a ghost.” Tyler couldn’t help smiling at the memory of that night.

  “After much coaxing, he was able to get me to come from under the porch. He took me in the house to meet his wife who made me eat and bathe because I was so skinny and dirty. I stayed in their spare room that night and for the first time in a long time I felt safe. It was wonderful! I snuck out the next morning before they woke up, easiest way to avoid interrogation. The next night I found myself right back on their doorstep. Mrs. Wilson let me in, no questions asked. She figured I’d talk when I was ready to.”

  “One day my mother’s boyfriend tried to do his deed during the day. My mother walked in and caught him, damn near killed him she beat on him so bad. Without thinking ahead as to where we would go, she grabbed me and we left his home. I ended up taking her to meet the Wilsons who took us both in until mom was willing to contact her family for help. Apparently,
my mom cared more than I thought. She finally told my uncle, the mob king, what had been happening. A few days later the demented boyfriend came up missing.” He remained on the edge of his desk, his hands now in the praying position in front of his face.

  Evy quietly stepped over to him, pulling his head to her breast. She held him, comforting him with the beat of her heart as the tears rimmed and spilled from her eyes. Tyler reciprocated, putting his arms around her waist, grateful for the soft spot she provided for him. Though he still had occasional nightmares about what happened, he had resolved long ago never to shed another tear over it.

  They held on to each other for some time. Eventually, Tyler pulled back and took Evy’s face in both of his hands. “Call me when you feel it coming on. I don’t care if it’s a nightmare in the middle of the night or a vision in the middle of the day, call me.” He used his thumbs to wipe away the tracks from her tears. “I mean it Evy. Say you’ll do that.” He removed his hands from her cheeks, taking hers into his.

  “I will,” she nodded.

  “You promise?”

  “I promise.”

  He continued to study her for a moment, assessing the sincerity of her reply. “I should get you home.”

  “I drove here, remember? My car is in the garage,” she protested, still sniffling.

  “I’ll drive your car. My driver can pick me up from your place.”

  Evy relented. His plan sounded reasonable, and for the moment she was emotionally drained. The only talking during the trip to her apartment was her giving him directions. Tyler wouldn’t let her open the car door herself nor would he allow her to walk to her door alone. Once he had delivered her to the safety of her dwelling, he removed his phone from his coat pocket to call his driver. Evy surprised him by putting her hand over his, stopping him from making the call.

  “Couldn’t you just stay here tonight?” She suddenly couldn’t bear the thought of being away from him. Tyler stared at her, speechless. “I’m not ready to give myself to you in that way but…please stay.”

  Without a word, they removed their coats and placed them on the first chair they came to. Seeing nothing but Evy, Tyler allowed himself to be guided to her bedroom. They both stripped down to their undergarments, he in boxer briefs and she in matching bra and panties. They climbed into bed. Although the hour was relatively early, sleep came over them quickly as they held each other soothing one another with their warmth and intimacy.

  ***

  The Morning After…

  Tyler woke to the sound of running water. It took him a minute to remember where he was and to recognize what he was hearing. Evy must be in the shower. He swore he could hear her singing but the door and water made him uncertain. As he lay in the contemporary four-poster mahogany bed he took in his surroundings, noticing that the room looked larger in the daylight. Lifting his watch from one of the matching nightstands, he noted the time. He was surprised to see that it was barely seven in the morning.

  Placing the watch back on the table, he became aware of two urges bidding for his attention. The thought of Evy naked in the next room was making his manhood stir. He had left the bed a couple of times during the night because she had brushed up against him just the right way. Not wanting to wake her and knowing he needed to honor her decision not to make love that night, he had sat on the contemporary square leather chair watching her sleep until he got his craving under control.

  The other urge was the result of the running water… He needed to pee. Seeing how he couldn’t satisfy the former, he decided to search for another bathroom. He left the bedroom wearing only his boxer briefs and easily located the guest bathroom on the opposite side of the apartment.

  After relieving himself, Tyler decided to explore the modest sized dwelling. It was a large rectangle, at least two thousand square feet, with large picture windows on the external walls flooding every room with sunlight. The twelve foot high walls were painted a very light green giving it a cozy spa like feel. Two guest bedrooms were at one end of the rectangle with a small partition wall containing pocket doors on each side adding privacy to that area. Two circular tunnel skylights provided ample light into the small hallway between the wall and the three rooms. A massive flat screen hung on the living room side of the partition.

  The master suite was on the opposite end of the home. A small hallway, similar to the one outside the guestrooms, separated the spacious kitchen from the master. It too could be closed off with a pocket door for extra privacy.

  The kitchen was high end with black granite counter tops and a range top island with bar. The cabinets were natural birch, contrasting just right with the counter tops. The kitchen was open to the large living room/dining room combination housing two sofas, one facing the television the other facing the foyer and two swivel chairs similar to the one in the bedroom sat on the side closest to the television. A large glass dining room table with enough seating for twelve was positioned under the large picture windows opposite the foyer. The foyer was semi private with two coat closets flanking the front door and a large opening allowing entry into the main area.

  The entire apartment was decorated in contemporary décor with white leather furniture Contemporary art and large colorful vases tied it all together. The flooring was dark mahogany wood with the exception of the bedrooms and baths which had white carpet and travertine tiled floors.

  The guest bath was sandwiched between the two modest sized guest rooms. The one to the left of it was set up as a gym, with a treadmill, a mat, a large punching bag and a variety of other workout equipment. The other was an office with a glass top desk, four chairs and a row of low filing cabinets. A laptop sitting in the middle of the glass desk was the only evidence that the room was ever used.

  He was happy to see that her taste in décor matched his. But, unlike him, Evy put everything away when she finished with it. He also contemplated how someone working odd jobs and taking occasional classes at the university could afford such a place. Although it was nowhere near the size of his home, it looked pretty expensive.

  I hope she’s willing to accept that I’m not as tidy as she is. At that moment it dawned on him that he was picturing the two of them sharing a household. During the night, as he had sat watching her sleep, he had begun to reflect on their time together, how she drew his admiration during class, the way she made him laugh and the way her laughter sent him over the moon. She occupied every thought of his every waking moment as well as invaded his dreams. He felt strange when he was away from her.

  Last night at his office their relationship had climbed to a whole new level with them sharing each other’s lust and one another’s pain. Tyler had never shared his child abuse story with anyone, not even his first wife. Tying it all together was her beauty. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When the full moon had lit her sleeping face he had felt a jolt that made him hold his breath and his heart had felt as though it would burst from his chest with the joy of her presence. He had that same feeling now as he stood looking at one of the many pictures that hung on a wall in the office. In it were Evy, Nita and a large group of men that he assumed were Nita’s brothers. Although he had never felt this feeling before, he knew what it was. Tyler Moriatti was in love with one Evelyn Stone.

  Thinking Evy must be out of the shower by now, he headed back toward the master suite. Right as he stepped in front of the foyer the door opened giving whoever was entering full view of him. Instinctively he froze.

  “Evy! Mama let’s get a…Whoa!” Nita’s loud summoning of Evy trailed off and her eyes grew huge at the sight of the large white man standing before her wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.

  Unfortunately for Tyler, she wasn’t alone. Sensing potential danger, Miguel and Enrique pushed past her into the foyer stopping short at the sight of him. All three stood silently staring at him, the lack of comprehending what they were seeing very apparent on their faces.

  Tyler wasn’t sure why they were staring at him in that ma
nner. He was more concerned with who was coming up in his girlfriend’s apartment. As he remained there, in a defensive stance it occurred to him that while they all wore blue jeans and blue Healing Inc. t-shirts he was still only dressed in his underpants. His face started to redden but he could not bring himself to move, determined to stand his ground.

  In response to Nita’s voice, Evy came out of the bedroom to find Tyler standing in his underwear staring toward the foyer. She rushed over to the chair where his coat rested and handed it to him. At the same time she stepped in front of him, using her body to shield him from the eyes of her visitors. The sight of Nita’s brothers made her burst with excitement.

  “Miguel! Enrique!” she shrieked before throwing herself into Miguel’s arms. He lifted her effortlessly and twirled her around, giving her a bear hug. Tyler felt a surge of jealousy but managed to keep it in check. As soon as Miguel released her she affectionately embraced Enrique. “I didn’t know you two were going to be here. This is great!” she gushed looking back and forth between the two men all of them wearing huge smiles on their faces. She then turned her attention back to a now covered Tyler. “Hey guys. This is Tyler…my boyfriend. Tyler this is Miguel and Enrique, Nita and my brothers.”