by MF Isaacs
He was seriously asking me to be the first one to drive his brand new $70,000 vehicle. “I can drive the Explorer. You drive the new car.”
“Hot stuff, you look way better in the new one. It’s only like two miles down the road, come on, please?” Before I could respond, he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek just like he had when he arrived. I was caught off guard again, which gave him enough time to climb behind the wheel of the Explorer. I reluctantly climbed into the new car and followed him. He could have been leading me anywhere and I don’t think I would have hesitated for a second to follow.
CURTIS
She was trying so hard to hide her excitement from getting her first sale. I was having a hard time hiding the excitement she caused in my pants. Seriously, I didn’t climb into any of the vehicles because it would have brought my lap closer to her line of sight. It was enough for me to know that she liked the one I got. As soon as she showed me the first car, I decided I would pick the first one she showed true interest in or the last one on the lot. I want her to like my car so if she showed interest, I figured that would mean she liked the car. If she didn’t show interest, I wanted to take as much time with her as possible thus picking the last car in the lot.
Once at the desk doing paperwork with Cal, I had to walk away before I reached out and touched her. It worked out fine because I needed to ask Sierra and Steve what they wanted to do with the Explorer anyway. Neither had an opinion one way or the other, which is why I was going to park it in the storage unit I’d already paid to rent.
After parking the explorer in the single car garage size storage unit, I was ready to climb into my new car for the first time. I still didn’t care to drive it, which is how we ended up having our first argument. She had a few choice words to call me, while I just smiled at her spitfire words. In the end, she realized she wasn’t going to win with me. I was willing to hang out at the storage unit all day, especially since she was there with me.
We are both new to the area, so while she drove I tried to use the fancy ass navigation system to find places we could shop for furniture. There was an industrial area that housed several major furniture stores, we headed that direction. On the way, she asked, “Any ideas what you are looking for? Oh, and do you know the dimensions of the rooms you are shopping for?”
“Fuck, I thought you were going to help me. You’re just making it harder and we haven’t even started yet. I’ll see if I can’t call the sales office to get the dimensions, if not we’ll have to go to the condo to measure.” Thankfully I had called the sales office from the bank the day before so I had the contact information. With one call, I had the measurements for the master bedroom, living room, and dining room.
At the first stop, we were ambushed as we walked into the store. I was instantly turned off and wanted to try a different place. The second place was fine for me, but I could feel the tension rolling off her. Once in the car heading to the next location, she asked me again if I knew what I was looking for. I was honest with her, “I have no fucking clue. I have no clue what kind of ‘decor style’ I like. I figured I would know what I like when I see it.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t we go get lunch, I’ll show you some samples on Pinterest? It is easier to pick what you like when you can see it. If I know what you like, it will be easier to shop.” I wasn’t about to turn her down.
“Good plan hot stuff. There are a handful of restaurants back toward the highway; I’m not picky, any of them will do.” I sat back and let her decide and drive.
I wasn’t shy about sliding in right next to Natalie when the hostess of the Mexican restaurant showed us to a booth in the back. She tried to scoot away from me, but I quickly reminded her “You’re going to show me samples on your phone, so quit scooting away from me.” I couldn’t help but reach out and hold her head still so I could kiss her temple. It was the first time she didn’t flinch at the gesture. I considered that a win.
With our drinks and lunch ordered, she pulled out her cell phone and opened Pinterest. After a few swipes, she handed me the device and told me to scroll through until I found stuff I liked. I followed her directions but I couldn’t ignore the red number at the bottom of the screen. I assumed they were her notifications and I was dying to click on them to see what I could find out about her. When the waitress arrived with our drinks, I took a chance and hit the button so I could see what her 12 notifications were. They were notices that people liked her pins, I followed the paths and hit the motherload. It must be her dream house, there were a handful of different living rooms, a couple bathrooms and different bedrooms. I don’t know if I liked them because I knew she did or if they were really my ‘decor style’. When she saw what I was looking at, I could see her instant embarrassment; I was having none of that. “I have never thought about what kind of décor I would pick. Honestly, I lived in my parent’s house where my bedroom consisted of sports posters. When I left there, my rooms while at Western State weren’t much better. This will be the first time that I have my very own place and I want it to be nice. I don’t want a bachelor pad, I want a home. I could spend hours going through this, but the reality is, I like these.” I held the screen out for her to see that I was choosing what she had already picked.
“You don’t have to pick everything I like Curtis. Just because you pick everything I like doesn’t mean I am going to like you more.” Her cheeks flushed pink as she used her shoulder to bump mine.
“You already like me don’t you hot stuff?” I couldn’t help it, she was so self-assured until it came to trying to flirt. “Don’t be shy. I will try to make it easy on you.” I winked and she shook her head at my over the top antics.
“So, um, your uh, financial situation is none of my business, but I have already done all the research for all this” she points back to the screen, “and it isn’t cheap. This living room is close to $25,000 and that is without any of the electronics. This bedroom is about half that, but could be more depending on what kind of mattress you choose.”
I don’t know what she was expecting in terms of a response or reaction. I wasn’t ready to talk specifically about my financial situation but I wasn’t afraid to let her know I could afford it. “So, you know where I can get this stuff? Not that I don’t want to spend the day shopping with you, but honestly, I thought furniture shopping would be more fun. Other than the company, buying the car was more fun,I guess the company was the same. Oh hell, you know what I mean.”
She blinked a couple of times, I am sure trying to gauge if I was joking or not. “Yeah I know where all this is from. It’s a one stop shop, let me see if we, I mean you can just order from here.” I handed her the phone back and she had everything in an online shopping cart within minutes. “They do free delivery, do you know what day you get possession? We” she shook her head again at the slip, “I mean you can choose your delivery date anytime within the next 30 days.”
It is supposed to be 10 days from yesterday. “Let’s pick 10 days from today just to be safe.” I watched until she got to the payment page. Without thinking twice, I handed her my debit card. I realized at the last second that I needed to contact my credit union to have them up my spending limit, so I pulled my own phone out to call them. “Hi Kelly, this is Curtis Morrison. I need to get my debit card limit upped.”
NATALIE
Seriously he just wrote a damn check for a $70K to buy the car and now he’s upping his debit card so he can spend $32,878 on furniture. He’s still going to need to get a mattress and bedding, probably another $2,000-$3,000. I got lost in day dreaming about that kind of money. It wasn’t until he nudged me did I come back to reality. “What?”
“Hot stuff, I just need to know what the total is so they can fix my limit?” He waited for me to find the total.
“This total is $32,878.” I held the phone out for him to see.
“But we aren’t done yet, are we? That didn’t include a mattress, right?” I just shook my head to confirm. “Sorry Kelly. Can you up
the limit to $36,000 just for today. My normal limit resets tomorrow, right?” He listened to her before confirming his information, “Hey thank you Kelly. Have a good day.” As soon as he finished the conversation he gave me the go ahead, “Hit the button hot stuff.”
A half hour later, we finished lunch and made our way out to the car. This time, I refused to drive his car, it is seriously the nicest car I have ever driven. I don’t normally mind driving my older Honda Civic, Maisie as I’ve named her, but after today, it was going to be a little harder. For the first time, he finally climbed in behind the wheel of his brand-new car. It was actually nice being the passenger, it gave me the freedom to look at him without being concerned for the road. Damn, he was hot. I mean, I already knew he was good looking, but being able to really just look, I could catalog everything that was hot about him. His baby smooth skin just begged to be petted like an animal. His perfect five o’clock shadow also begged to be petted. His piercing blue eyes sparkled with mischief that I was desperate to uncover. His hair was short on the sides and longer on top, I wanted to run my hands over the short sides and grip the longer locks. I could see the muscle definition through his expensive sweater. It was clear without having to study him, that he has an athletic body. I was hooked even though I knew very little about him.
I thought he would take me back to the dealership, but he turned in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until we were pulling into a development with new construction going on that I realized where we were going. When he flashed me his panty dropping smile, I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out. “I figured now that we got the bedroom and the living room done, I’d show you the place. I still need help furnishing the rest of the space.”
He pulled into the sales office and told me to sit tight while he ran inside to get the keys. A few minutes later as he came out, I could see a tall dark haired woman watching him through the window. I couldn’t help but narrow my gaze. If she had been looking at me, she’d have felt the daggers I was putting out, but she wasn’t, her gaze was fully locked on Curtis. I could feel the heat rising within me, my fuse ready to blow; I have wondered more than once how it is possible that I don’t have red hair. The second he climbed back into the driver’s seat, he knew I was on the verge of something. To his benefit, he cupped his huge hand on the back of my neck and pulled me halfway across the center console where he proceeded to kiss my lips for the first time. Open-mouth without tongue was the most erotic kiss I had ever had. He didn’t release his hand even after he pulled back from the kiss. He held me there and pressed his forehead to mine all while looking me directly in the eye. I forgot all about the woman in the window along with everything else I ever knew. This man made my world stop and my heart race.
When he finally released his hold on me, he only did so long enough to shift out of park. As soon as he had it in drive, he reached over and held my hand. I have never, not once in my whole life, felt the buzz from holding hands until this moment. I couldn’t contain the smile that overtook my face.
He parked in front of a beautiful brand new condo. He squeezed my hand before telling me to wait for him to get my door. I took the 10 seconds alone to collect myself. He opened my door and held out his hand to help me climb down. He didn’t release my hand once I was standing alongside him.
We slowly made our way to the front door, where he unlocked it but didn’t open it. I glanced at him to see what he was waiting for. For the first time, I could see a small glimpse of insecurity shining through. I watched as he turned to me, then quickly turned away before turning back to fully face me. He grabbed my free hand and held on until we were facing each other like a bride and groom. “I’m sorry, I am having these overwhelming feelings and no matter how this plays out, you’re going to think I am fucking crazy. I can’t help it, if I don’t do this I am afraid I will regret it for the rest of my life. Please bear with me.”
Without further warning, he flung the door open and quickly scooped me up like a bride and carried me inside the condo. On instinct, I wrapped my arms around his neck and shoulder. In a crazy move, he maneuvered me around until he had me suspended off the ground with both his arms wrapped around my waist. In this position, I was forced to look down and he had to look up. Without preamble, I started cracking up, it’s how I deal with stress. Laugh or cry, it’s just what I do.
Thankfully, Curtis laughed with me. To further the crazy shit that was taking place, he spun around in circles. We ended up in a heap on the floor. When our laughter died, he rolled onto his side so he could face me while I lay there on my back. “Thank you for spending the day with me. I want to show you the condo. I want to share this with you.” I am sure he saw the freak out on my face and it caused him to backtrack. “That didn’t come out the way I intended. Although I have already proved I’m crazy, so I may as well be honest and tell you I do want you here with me. It’s too soon to tell you all this, shit. Okay wait.” he sucked in a lung full of air before he continued to speak. “Never mind that I said that. What I really am trying to say is, I want to show you the condo. I want you to see it because I still need your help getting the rest of the stuff I need.” Before I could respond, he was standing over me, reaching a hand out to help me up.
He once again kept hold of my hand as he showed me the condo. It was beautiful, it still smelled of construction and fresh paint. I asked about what he had planned for the extra bedrooms and he simply responded by shrugging his shoulders. As we stepped into the master bedroom, he released my hand to answer his ringing phone. He stepped into the hallway to take the call in private. Walking into the master bathroom, I couldn’t stop that little tiny seed of hope from growing because I fucking loved this bathroom.
I was so lost in my fantasy of living in this bathroom that I didn’t see or hear Curtis when he walked in. As soon as I saw him, I could see that something was different. His previously flirtatiousness was gone, he was withdrawn and lost in his own thoughts. I observed him for a few minutes as we made our way out of the master bedroom. The phone call was obviously messing with him but I didn’t know how to help him. Instead of asking a bunch of questions, I just let him be lost in his thoughts and guided him out the front door. I locked up and lead him back to the passenger seat of the car. I drove back to the sales office, where I was the lucky one to return the keys to the dark-haired bitch that wants Curtis.
As I pulled out of the parking lot, I steered the car back to where we started, the dealership. I honestly didn’t know what he needed and since I’d only known him a day, I was pretty sure I wasn’t the person he wanted to talk to about the phone call. I was surprised when he asked me if he could stay by me, he spoke clearly but his eyes were glossed over. When he reached out and touched my forearm before begging, “Please. I don’t want to see the McMann’s right now and Sierra and Steve have their own stuff.” I realized the phone call was personal. I could relate to needing someone but not having anyone willing to be there, so I couldn’t tell him no.
We drove in silence until I pulled into my apartment complex. Knowing the man spent just over $100K in one day, I was suddenly self-conscious about my small studio apartment. With his hand resting on my lower back, he didn’t even bat an eye as we made our way inside. Without prompting, he kicked off his shoes and flopped back onto my bed. The only furniture I have, well other than the small card table and two chairs I borrowed from my parent’s basement.
Seeing him in my bed was almost enough for me to ignore the fact that he was dealing with something that knocked him off balance. I’m not a prude, I’ve had plenty of sexual partners but he was way hotter than anyone from my past. Not to mention it’s been awhile for me, but I couldn’t ignore the shift in his personality after receiving that phone call. So, I went with the safest route, “Would you like a beer? I don’t have much here but I do have leftover beer that I bought for my dad when he helped me move. He had one and left the rest behind. If you’re hungry I can order pizza, I still haven’t gone grocery shopping.”
“Sure, I’ll take a beer but I’m not hungry yet.” he slowly sat up against the headboard as I moved around the cramped space to get us each a beer. I felt his eyes on me as I made my way over to the bed. When I handed him his beer, he patted the bed beside him indicating he wanted me to sit. “I kind of ruined the day, didn’t I?”
“Not at all.” He quirked his eyebrow at me, like he didn’t believe a word I said. “Okay, fine. It was a pretty quick 180 after you received that phone call. You want to talk about it?” I didn’t want to force him to spill it but I wanted him to know I would listen if he wanted or needed me to.
“I’m not sure I am ready to talk about it. A piece of my past popping up when I least expected. I’m sorry.” I watched him struggle with whether he wanted to talk or not. “It’s hard because, today has honestly been one of the best days, if not the best day, I’ve ever had.” He smiled at me, but it wasn’t the same one I’d seen earlier.
“It’s been a great day for me too.” I smiled back and continued, “You don’t have to tell me anything, there are plenty of things I wouldn’t tell you at this point.” He chuckled, which is what I was hoping for. “Just so you know, I moved here for a fresh start. Calvin was the only person I knew before I packed up and moved. Well I’d met Kyler too, but even with that I don’t really know either of them. I guess what I am saying is you are my first friend here. I know what good friends are like and I know what shitty friends are like, I can be a good friend for you.”
