Three of Spades

by W. Ferraro

  “Clothes that will make me not me anymore,” Natalie answered back sincerely, as she looked from one store to the next. Natalie was envious, Dylan always looked so calm and in control. Perhaps some of that confidence could and would be passed to her through their connected hands.

  “First of all, you shouldn’t want to not be you anymore. There is nothing wrong with you. Besides, I’m quite fond of you as you are. Second, if you are looking for enhancements to the already wonderful you, I would recommend CeCe’s over there.” Dylan hoped Natalie understood that he meant what he said. He didn’t like how she thought so little of herself. If anything, he hoped she would get a much needed ego boost from their time together.

  Still hand in hand, they walked over to the far end of the shops where CeCe’s was nestled. Dylan had known CeCe for a very long time. They met under extreme circumstances but out of those flames came a friendship that Dylan was sure would span the remainder of his life. As he opened the door to allow Natalie to enter first, he was happy to note that there weren’t any other customers currently in the store. Natalie looked at all the rich color fabrics hung neatly around the parameter of the store. Each side housed a different style of clothing, formal, business, and casual. As Natalie drifted over to a display of lovely soft cashmere, her attention was brought to the woman who called out to Dylan. Walking toward them was a woman with a smile that showed beautiful white teeth as well as full Jagger lips. Her olive skin was enhanced by hazel eyes and caramel colored hair that flowed down in waves reaching her mid back. The mystery woman wore thick black hoops in her ears and a black knit dress that cinched in at the waist with a broad patent leather belt and knee high boots. Natalie watched as the obviously acquainted twosome exchanged a light kiss and a long hug as well as familiar pleasantries. Natalie looked at the woman from head to toe, at her womanly curves and obvious poise. She watched as she laughed at every other sentence that left Dylan’s lips and kept touching him, here and there, as if she had a right to. Natalie decided she wasn’t a fan of this new person.

  “CeCe, this is Natalie. She’s looking for some new clothes and I brought her here to see you because she deserves the best,” Dylan said, as he pulled Natalie into his side.

  The best? Natalie deserves the best or Miss Thing here is the best?

  “Hello Natalie, I’m Cecille, but everyone calls me CeCe. I hope I can help you with what you’re looking for and that we can get to know each other as well,” CeCe smiled.

  “Pleasure to meet you, CeCe. As you can see, I need all the help I can get,” Natalie said coolly, as she indicated her current attire with her hand.

  “Nonsense! Clothes only can do so much. It is one’s physical beauty which does the rest. You, my dear, have already got that in spades,” CeCe said, as she already started envisioning which outfits she would give Natalie to try on. Admiring her slim little body, CeCe thought of some great pieces that many people would kill to pull off, as Natalie’s figure would naturally.

  Not wanting to react to CeCe’s over exaggeration, Natalie only smiled and walked back over to the cashmere display.

  “Beautiful pieces and so universal, that is a great place to start Natalie. Dylan will you be staying or going?” CeCe asked, as she looked at Dylan and confirmed without words that her job was to help Natalie see the obvious, specifically about her beauty.

  Dylan looked toward Natalie trying to get a read on whether she wanted him to stay or leave. Natalie would not look up from the same sweater she had gripped since CeCe asked her thoughts.

  “I have some things to do, I’ll leave you ladies to it and I’ll check back in a little bit. Natalie, babe, take your time, no rush.” And with that, Dylan turned around and headed out into the sunshine.

  Now that they were alone, CeCe thought she would have better luck with Natalie if she were upfront and honest. “You know Natalie, Dylan is like a big brother to me, nothing more. He helped me out at a very low point in my earlier screwed up life. So you don’t need to worry that I’m trying to get my hooks in him or that I had already had my hooks in him. Besides he never looked at me the way I saw him look at you, and he has never called me babe.” Now that CeCe thought of it, the few females that Dylan had introduced her to, she had never heard him refer to any with that intimate endearment.

  Natalie’s brown eyes gazed at the blue soft fabric, but she did not see it. She was too embarrassed that she was guilty of what CeCe had said. Natalie was jealous. And yet, she believed this woman, not because she wanted to, but because she felt her words were genuinely pure and honest, right down to her bones.

  “That obvious?” Natalie turned toward her and hoped she would not die from mortification of having a jealous snit.

  CeCe winked at Natalie and started showing her some ideas and pieces. Before Natalie knew it, CeCe was carrying a huge stack of clothing toward a back fitting area. Behind the plum colored velour curtain was a large room that housed a small vanity area as well as an oversized wing chair in the same purple fabric as the curtain. There was an antique changing screen with opaque silk that reminded Natalie of what a 1920’s or 1930’s Hollywood dressing room would look like. CeCe asked Natalie to strip down and told her to put on the silk robe that was located behind the screen. Once Natalie was bared and had the lavender color robe covering her and tied at the waist, she stepped out to find CeCe holding the most beautiful bra and panties sets that Natalie had ever seen. The colors and embroidery were so gorgeous that Natalie almost thought it was a shame to cover them with clothes. One in particular caught Natalie’s eye, it was a chocolate and caramel set that reminded Natalie of Dylan’s coloring. The caramel color mesh push up was deeper than her skin tone but still gave the impression that the wearer was nude. The edging was wrapped in a thin chocolate ribbon that just begged to have a fingertip follow its path. The small embroidered chocolate brown strategically placed rose buds gave the finishing touch to the luxurious lingerie. Putting the pieces on to wear as she tried on the new fashions, Natalie observed how the matching bikini bottoms laid against her body. As she looked at her reflection in the antique floor mirror, she was amazed at how different she felt in just this and she wondered what Dylan would think of them.

  While Natalie was changing, CeCe had told her she had hung some outfits on the rack and wanted Natalie to try them out. She had tried on more outfits than she could count and Natalie had to admit, CeCe knew what she was talking about. Everything fit her perfectly and Natalie decided she was just going to take everything, regardless of what her credit card bill would be. She decided to leave the beautiful bra and panty ensemble on. She stood there looking, once again, at the reflection of her transforming body, thanks to the new wardrobe. She was lost in thought. Deciding to check over the growing pile of to be purchased clothes, Natalie walked out from behind the screen in just the bra and panties and came to a sudden halt. Dylan was sitting in the wing chair. Their eyes locked and Natalie froze, not out of embarrassment but because of Dylan’s wide-eyed stare and noticeable bob of his Adam’s apple.

  Seeing Natalie dressed in just the seductive bra and panties, which only enhanced an already delectable almost naked body, made Dylan want to pull her down right there and find out the exact color of those responsive nipples. Was she light or dark behind the scant material of the bikinis?

  Dylan gripped the arms of the chair to ensure he didn’t leave his seat and do exactly what his mind and cock were telling him to do.

  “What are you doing in here?” Natalie asked in a whisper.

  “I thought I would see how you were doing and I see that you are doing just fine.” Dylan’s eyes roamed all over her body. Her now high breasts showed just the right amount of cleavage and issued the perfect invitation for his tongue; her nether region was barely covered. “I like your choice, but I have to say, I’m not big on the idea of you leaving this curtained area without anything covering that beautiful body of yours. I�
��m not known for my willingness to share Natalie. Any man that saw you like that would find the closest horizontal surface and try to get you down on it.” The thought of any other man seeing Natalie like that filled Dylan with a burning rage so concentrated he wanted to punch something to get rid of some of the intensity. She looked like something out of old Hollywood with the backdrop of the dressing room, but her tousled hair from changing clothes gave her a very current seductive appearance. Standing in the room with her, he could smell her scent and his nostrils flared. Her scent was becoming more and more the most enhanced aphrodisiac Dylan could have ever imagined. He was starting to doubt his plan of the day, filled with seduction and build up, coming to fruition. He felt like a caveman just wanting to swing a club, grunt, throw her over his shoulder and take her to his cave.

  Natalie wanted to cover up but seeing Dylan look at her with such hunger made her feel womanly in a way she never thought she would. She could see he liked what he saw and that made her want to look sexy and alluring for him. She wished he would get out of the chair but he seemed to be holding on with amazing might to the arms, given his white knuckles. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked toward him and when a mere foot away, stopped and cocked out her hip and placed her hand on the same jutted hip. She knew it wasn’t the most seductive of poses but she was just impressed she wasn’t heading for the hills. Not knowing what else to do, she looked at him through her glasses and arched a slim brow as she had seen him do on many occasions.

  Dylan’s racing arousal went up ten notches as she walked toward him. He could see her nerves but his Natalie stood there with her rod straight back. He gave mercy to her and stood up. Hell, who was he kidding, he had mercy on himself. With his change in position, he was, once again, aware of their substantial size difference. It reminded Dylan of how fragile she was, and God, he wanted to make this special for her. No, he needed to make this special for her. He leaned his dark head down and did what he had wanted to do since he felt them brush against his chest while dancing; he kissed the soft flesh of her exposed breasts. As he inhaled her this closely, Dylan was sure he smelled heaven. Her creamy skin was marked with dark freckles that gave Dylan the idea to play connect the dots later. His lips lingered from one fleshy mound to the other, followed by his tongue. He dipped once, then twice down her cleavage and was rewarded when Natalie tipped her head back, sighed and knotted her hands in his hair. Going on pure instinct, Dylan reached down and lifted her at the waist and she willingly wrapped those gorgeous legs around his waist. She was the most delicious entrée his palate had ever tasted. The more he licked and nibbled, the more he wanted to uncover. He finally succumbed and delved his hands into the back of the barely there panties to knead the soft bare flesh. God, how her ass fit perfectly in his hands, like one was created for the other. He flexed his fingers and squeezed, he stretched his fingers and felt her soft lips and their wetness. A moan radiated from Natalie, reminding Dylan where they were.

  “Babe you, once again, made me lose control and I never lose control,” Dylan said against her neck where her pulse raced. Reluctant to let her go, Dylan placed a final kiss on her ever so soft mouth and moaned when she quickly stuck out that small pink tongue as if savoring his taste. He gave her bottom a final pat and tried to fix his extremely snug fitting jeans.

  Loving how they could go from zero to sixty just like one of his cars, Natalie felt empowered. She quickly dressed and answered Dylan when he asked which clothes she would be taking. He was happy when she said all of them, but as he went to pick up the other lingerie pieces, Natalie quickly snatched them from him and insisted on carrying them herself. Natalie blushed when they walked out and she met CeCe’s gaze. When the total amount was given, her hand shook as she handed over her credit card and watched as the transaction went through. After CeCe had everything packaged and boxed up to go, she asked Dylan to take the things out to the car.

  When the door closed behind Dylan’s back, CeCe turned to Natalie and said, “It was very nice meeting you Natalie and I hope we can be friends. You seem to be very important to Dylan.”

  Natalie so badly hoped those words were true, but keeping their arrangement private she merely said, “Dylan is extremely kind and I’m enjoying the short time we have together.”

  Confused at the implied known timeframe, CeCe asked what Natalie meant.

  “I’m quite aware Dylan’s attention is brief and temporary. So I’m just going to enjoy every moment I have with him until the clock strikes midnight and I go back to my rotted pumpkin and my uninteresting mice.”

  Before CeCe could ask Natalie to explain further, Dylan returned. CeCe watched as her honorary brother walked toward a woman as if being pulled by an invisible rope and just glowed with genuine happiness. Like it was the most natural thing to do, she watched as Dylan stood behind Natalie, wrapped his hands around her and placed them proprietarily on her slim waist. He leaned down and whispered something in Natalie’s ear. CeCe watched as Natalie blushed and smiled sharing their intimate moment. CeCe didn’t know what was going on between these two, but she was sure going to find out. Not because she was nosy, but CeCe wanted Dylan to be happy. Seeing him with Natalie made her female intuition scream that it was the end of Dylan’s availability era. If this was all Natalie’s doing, then CeCe was jumping on the bandwagon and going completely Team Natalie.

  ~EIGHT~

  Dylan and Natalie arrived back at Dylan’s house a short while after leaving CeCe’s. This was a first; not only was Dylan inviting a woman into his home, he actually could not wait to know what Natalie thought of it. They climbed the long upward driveway and Dylan pulled the Challenger into the garage. As the door closed behind them, Natalie looked at Dylan as if asking permission to exit the car.

  “Well, come on, we can’t do what I have in mind in the car. Well, not at first anyway.” With a quick wink and the devilish grin that Natalie was beginning to yearn for, they exited the vehicle together. Dylan joined her on her side, quicker than Natalie could climb out and close her door. The vast space was quite bright from all of the overhead industrial lighting. It looked just like a full automotive business rather than someone’s private garage. Dylan pulled Natalie along in his wake toward the far corner. There, a shell of an older car stood but its beauty was drawing Natalie closer.

  “Do you like cars?” Dylan asked, hating that he didn’t know that much about her hobbies or interests.

  As Natalie leaned in and took inventory of the interior, she gently shook her head. “Unfortunately, other than you sticking a key in the ignition, my knowledge is limited.” Realizing she was being rude just touching and staring, she stood up and looked back toward Dylan. Dylan was disappointed as she stood, when she was leaning into the car he was enjoying the view her bent over body gave. Eager to show her around he simply said, “I’ll give you a car lesson later, after our much more important and critical lesson is finished.” Just because he could, he took the few steps toward her and caged her in against the Cuda. Images of Natalie bare, spread out on the hood of the beautiful beast flooded Dylan’s brain and he just needed to feel her against him. He leaned in intending for just a quick kiss, but soon it turned into the ferocious contest it always did when he kissed Natalie. Dylan loved how she curved her small body into him as if their bodies became one. When he leaned, she did the same creating a fluid movement each and every time. Pulling away when he would much rather pull her down onto the floor, Dylan brushed his thumb across her soft bottom lip and watched as her eyes focused once again from behind her glasses.

  “Come on, I want to show you the house.”

  Natalie thought of the brief view of the magnificent structure as they drove up the secluded drive. The log home looked like it belonged naturally with its rustic surroundings, as if it was carved right from the mountains that gave it the most beautiful of backdrops. The impression of being alone in the world would be quite easy in this environment. They clim
bed the few steps from the garage into what Natalie would describe as pure architectural amazement. The warm wood tone from the logs gave all surfaces a rustic, yet, masculine and elegant look. The large room boasted a sunken sitting area with a clean solid black granite fireplace. The sheer size and magnitude of the fireplace made you think it was part of the actual mountain and the house was built around it. The log mantel jut out of the granite giving the impression of what a war between the Gods would leave behind. To the right was an open staircase leading to the upper level that could be seen from the main area. With just the view Natalie had, she guessed there to be at least four rooms upstairs given the number of doors she could see from the open walkway. To the left were a few steps up to the main entrance way as well as the huge kitchen. Finally, she saw the huge custom bar built into the far wall. It had a western saloon feel with its fancy bottles behind glass and glasses of all sizes hanging from a suspended rack.

  Not able to resist another moment, Natalie stepped down the few wide steps and touched the cool granite. The surface was so pure her reflection was thrown back at her as if she were looking in a mirror. She touched the mantel and let her fingers trace over an old knot that represented a deformity in the tree, yet rather than impair, it gave the piece character and depth.

  “It’s beautiful Dylan. Truly,” Natalie said, as she sweetly folded her hands together in front of her to ensure she didn’t keep touching every surface she could.

  As Natalie used those words to describe his home, Dylan’s only thought was those words could be used to describe her. As she stood there in his private domain, in her comfortable clothes right down to her sneakers, Dylan had never wanted a woman the way he wanted Natalie. Her personality and simplicity were just alluring perks. Her small sexy body called to him as none others had. To know she was untouched filled him with the desire to mark his territory. And that is exactly how he was starting to feel toward Natalie, territorial, she was his.