Until the End of Time

by Schuster, Melanie

  By the time Andrew emerged from the house, Renee was seated as far away from the house as possible. She was once again wearing her sunglasses, this time to cover up any evidence of raging hormones and she was sipping iced water in an effort to cool the unfamiliar fire that was still smoldering. She was finally able to breathe properly which was a huge relief. The tension that had threatened to explode just moments earlier was again at bay, but she couldn’t say how long it would stay tamped down. Anyone looking at her wouldn’t have any way of knowing that she’d just had her world turned upside down, at least she hoped they wouldn’t. My, my, my. Who would have thought that Andrew Cochran, her perennial tormenter and nemesis, was a bronzed African god under his clothes? She hastily downed more iced water. The last thing she wanted to do was get heated up again, but somehow, the mere thought of him was enough to get her going.

  Just then Andrew spotted her, sitting by herself at a small table with a large goblet in front of her. She looked luscious and composed in some kind of melon colored pants outfit; in fact, she looked wonderful. But Andrew wasn’t about to let that stop him from getting a few answers out of her. He strode purposefully over to her table. “Where were you a few minutes ago?” he demanded.

  “Here,” she said softly.

  “Here where?”

  “At your father’s house.”

  Andrew narrowed his eyes. This was going to get him nowhere. He sat down across from Renee and looked at her menacingly. “Were you inside or outside?”

  “Yes,” she answered in a suspiciously breathless voice.

  “Did you go upstairs?”

  “Mighta.”

  “Did you go in the bathroom?”

  “Coulda.”

  Andrew counted to ten, rapidly. Renee wasn’t going to be forthcoming about this, not in the least. He started interrogating her again, barely holding on to his temper. “I was upstairs getting dressed after a shower and I distinctly heard someone in the dressing room. And I think that someone was you. And you are not explaining your whereabouts to my satisfaction. So,” he said, reaching for her sunglasses, “where were you a few minutes ago?” He plucked the sunglasses from the bridge of her nose, hoping to reveal some inner truth in her expression. Instead, he got even more apprehensive.

  Renee’s beautiful golden eyes could look any number of ways. When she was angry, they were a dark, muddy bronze. When she was happy, they sparkled with bright green flecks. Now they looked totally different, they were warm and spangled with golden glints that he’d never seen before. They looked soft and sweet, too, but her words belied their appearance.

  “Andrew, if I’m to understand you, you’re suggesting that I hid in a dressing room and stared at your naked, dripping wet body and that I’m now evading that charge by lying. Now, what kind of person would see another person naked and not have the decency to avert their gaze? And what kind of person would not own up to the fact and apologize, rather than leave their unwitting victim in the limbo of not knowing whether they were being spied on?” Renee sat back to watch the results of her pronouncement and was thoroughly satisfied with the results.

  Poor Andrew let each word sink in on him like a heavy weight and was puce with embarrassment when she finished. Yes, he’d seen every inch of Renee’s lovely body, and he hadn’t given her a chance to run for cover by alerting her to his presence. And he’d lied about it for 17 years. So now the tables were turned. Or were they? Andrew leaned forward to look at her more closely; he prided himself on being able to ferret out a lie. But all he accomplished was to get a really good sniff of her elusive fragrance, the one that he had smelled upstairs. She had been upstairs! Now Andrew knew for sure he wasn’t crazy, but he was prevented from further action the arrival of his sister.

  Bennie sensed nothing wrong as she joined the two of them. She did notice a change in her brother’s attire. “Bunchy, weren’t you wearing something else a little while ago? And what happened to your date?” she asked.

  Andrew nodded in confirmation, still not taking his eyes off Renee. “Donnie brought those goofy dogs of his, the way he always does, and they jumped their muddy feet all over me. So I got my gym bag out of the car to change because I have to run by the hospital,” he glanced at his watch, “like now. And I took a quick shower, which may have been a mistake,” he said darkly. He stared at Renee as he rose to go. “And for your information, LaKeisha is not my date, we were just…talking.” He cast one more long look at Renee that said he wasn’t though with this discussion quite yet.

  Bennie looked from her brother’s retreating figure to Renee’s smiling face, trying to figure out what was going on, as there was obviously something afoot. She said as much to Renee who continued to smirk like the Cheshire Cat.

  “Well, Bennie, I think Andrew and I are finally even,” was all she would say.

  ***

  What Andrew thought of the situation was another kettle of fish entirely. He had tried over the years to divorce himself from the momentous first meeting with Renee. He knew without being told that to do otherwise was to court disaster. Epic, cataclysmic disaster was all that could come of thinking about the sight of Renee’s beautiful, strong body completely devoid of clothing. To think of that day was to think of how utterly desirable and beautiful she was and that was something Andrew tried never to do, ever. Giving in to those thoughts would be akin to bungee jumping into an active volcano. Assuming that it could be done, the chances of escaping without permanent bodily harm were extremely slim. The same could be said of a relationship with Renee.

  For one thing, she couldn’t stand him. And for another thing, he knew too well the effect that she had on men. He had seen too many of them over the years reduced to slack-jawed, drooling incompetents after what he referred to as The Curse of the Spider Woman treatment. Renee liked to have a man under her heel. Well, if not under her stilettos, then certainly at her beck and call. She definitely liked having them leap to satisfy her every whim and her army of admirers seemed to enjoy that kind of behavior. And that was an utter impossibility for Andrew.

  When he was involved with a woman it had to be 50-50 or there was no point to the relationship. Andrew had a great respect for and admiration of women; he would never try to dominate or otherwise mistreat one. He just wanted to get as good as he gave, that was all. He knew from years of observation that wouldn’t be the case with Renee. What he didn’t know was why his thoughts kept turning to these matters anyway. He hadn’t been able to get Renee out of his mind for a moment since the day that she saw him naked. May have seen him, he corrected himself. Maybe he was exaggerating the whole thing. The memory if the incident still made him hot all over. It wasn’t that he was unduly embarrassed by the situation; on the contrary he got a perverse satisfaction out of the idea that Renee had beheld him in all his glory. He had nothing to be ashamed of as far as his physique went. In a peculiar way, the idea that she had seen him as nature made him was sexy, kind of erotic. But it was confusing nonetheless. Why in the world was he having these thoughts about Renee, of all women? These were dangerous thoughts, very dangerous. No good could come of them at all. Which is why Andrew was rather surprised to find himself pulling into the parking lot of Urban Oasis. There were other places to get his hair cut; Bennie would do it for him gladly. Yet, here he was, about to walk into the lair of the beast.

  Andrew had to laugh at the irony of the situation. He’d been avoiding Renee like the plague for days and without thinking he rolled right up on her turf. “Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup,” he muttered to himself as he parked his Bentley. It was with great relief that he noted the absence of Renee’s Mercedes. Good, she’s not here. I get to live. His relief vanished like the last rib at a family reunion when he entered the reception area to find her standing behind the desk with a cell phone in her hand.

  She didn’t notice him right away as she was checking the appointment book for a customer. After marking off the appropriate time for th
e right stylist, she raised her long lashes to greet the new arrival. Without missing a beat she purred, “Andrew. How nice to see you. Have you an appointment today?”

  Andrew swallowed hard. Was it his imagination or had she put an odd inflection on the ‘nice to see you’? “No, I don’t have an appointment. I was hoping someone could work me in,” he admitted sheepishly.

  Renee’s smile got even more feline and feminine. “Well, why don’t you come over here and let me take care of you? I’ve never had the pleasure of styling you,” she said sweetly. And she strolled around the counter to take his arm and show him to the area she customarily used for styling her very few, very exclusive clients. It was hard to say if Andrew was the more astounded or if that honor went to Renee’s staff. Under normal circumstances Renee didn’t take walk-ins. And under no circumstances would she have volunteered to cut Andrew’s hair; his throat, maybe, but not his hair. The normal hum of conversation died to near silence as Renee hung up Andrew’s suit coat and had him sit in her adjustable chair. Luckily for all concerned, Renee noticed nothing amiss in the salon and the staff quickly gathered their wits and kept working.

  It must be pointed out that Renee’s surprise viewing of Andrew in the buff had a residual effect on her that was unexpected yet rather enjoyable. Besides the obvious smug feeling of having something on him for once, she seemed to have a surfeit of joie de vivre. An air of happy mischief hovered about her, which caused more than one person to look at her askance. She was so high-spirited at work that gossip was rampant that the boss had a new beau. And the fact that she was in such a good mood made them believe that he wasn’t one of her usual AARP denizens, either. Naturally Andrew’s presence just confirmed everyone’s suspicions; this must be the mystery man that had their boss purring all day long. He had to be the one because they certainly looked like they belonged together.

  For his part, Andrew was trying to relax and enjoy the process of getting his hair cut, but the level of apprehension that Renee aroused in him made it impossible. It wasn’t that she was being hostile or unpleasant; on the contrary, she was being sweet which was infinitely more unnerving. She acted as though they were the best of friends as she undid the top buttons on his shirt, removed his tie and turned his collar in. Chatting all the while, she put a neck wrap around his throat and draped him with a long cape to protect his clothing from hair. She had at least one hand on him at all times, almost but not quite caressing his neck, or clasping his shoulder.

  The apprehension at last went away, only to be replaced by something much worse, desire. Andrew was profoundly glad that the cape covered him to his knees because the proximity of Renee’s body and the soft fragrance that emanated from her warmth was driving him mad. When she put both hands into his thick, wavy hair and lightly massaged his scalp, he was ready to leap out of the hydraulic chair. He forced himself to sit still and submit to her ministrations.

  “Andrew, you have beautiful hair,” Renee murmured. “All you Cochrans, do, darn it. If you all weren’t so nice, I’d be jealous. All this beautiful hair on a man just isn’t fair. There is no justice,” she went on, oblivious to Andrew’s growing discomfort. Finally done with her massage, she turned him to face the mirror. Looking at their reflection in the mirror she asked him how he wanted it cut.

  “Short. Very short,” he emphasized. Renee raised an eyebrow as if to ask why and he hastened to explain. “I’m going to Haiti in a few days for my annual stint with Medic International. I don’t want to have to think about grooming matters at all. I’ll probably come back with a beard, too,” he said carelessly.

  Renee was surprised at his words. She knew that Andrew went overseas for every vacation to do medical missionary work, but she had not realized that it was that time of year already and she said as much.

  “Well, you know Dad’s big retirement celebration is in August and I wanted to go and come back well before then so I can help Bennie get it arranged. So this was the best time,” he explained.

  Renee quickly and expertly cut his hair close to his scalp as requested. As she was giving him a precision finish to the cut she asked when he was leaving and was stunned at the feeling of disquiet she got when told that he was leaving on Sunday.

  “Sunday? But this is Thursday,” she said reproachfully. “Why would you wait until now to tell me you’re leaving?” A hot blush surged up her neck as she realized what she was saying. Luckily, Andrew was so entranced with the feel of her hands on his body that he didn’t notice the urgency in her voice.

  “I’m sorry. I guess I forgot to mention it,” he said ruefully.

  To cover her embarrassment, Renee asked him if he would like a shampoo, something to which he agreed immediately. Renee expertly removed the cutting cape and replaced it with a shampoo cape, brushing all the tiny hairs away as she did so. She led him to the shampoo bowls and proceeded to give him the most heavenly scalp massage he had ever received. The feel of her fingers coupled with the smell of the fragrant shampoo was wonderful. When he opened his eyes and saw Renee’s luscious bosom suspended over his face while she reached for some conditioner it was almost his undoing. He was holding on to his self-control with the grip of death; one more delightful surprise like that and he couldn’t be responsible for what might happen next. Finally she finished the treatment and the torture was over.

  He was sitting in the styling chair with his hair freshly cut, shampooed and toweled dry, finished with a nimble stroking of Renee’s fingers with a light touch of some kind of silk infusion that smelled amazing and felt even better. She had brushed him off, dusted his neck lightly with imported talcum powder and rearranged his shirt collar. She even retied his tie for him.

  “There. You’re all done and you look very handsome if I do say so myself,” Renee said approvingly.

  “I don’t know about the handsome part, but I do like my haircut,” he said. “How much is my tab?” To his surprise, Renee refused any payment.

  “It’s my treat,” she said. Andrew took the opportunity to turn the tables on her. “Well then, please allow me to take you to dinner. It’s the least I can do for such professional work,” he said.

  Renee agreed at once. Somehow an impromptu dinner with Andrew sounded like just the thing to her. “You’ll have to take me home first, though. I walked here.”

  Andrew looked concerned. “Is your car in the shop?” he asked.

  It wasn’t anything dire like that, Renee simply liked walking the three miles from Indian Village to the salon on Jefferson to get exercise. She did it all spring and summer and most of the fall. Light dawned for Andrew.

  “So that’s why…” he stopped, aware that he was about to reveal the fact that he thought she wasn’t there when he arrived. At Renee’s look of puzzlement he finished with a partial lie, a very tiny one. “That’s why you have such great legs.”

  Renee raised her eyebrow as if to say, “I know you’re bluffing, but I’m going to let you slide” but remained silent. Bidding her still astounded staff good evening, she and Andrew left to have their very first dinner together.

  ***

  After a brief stop at the house in Indian Village so that Renee could freshen up and change clothes, Andrew had taken her to a nice restaurant that featured delicious food and equally tasty jazz. If he’d been thinking more clearly, he might have imagined the evening would be uncomfortable, with awkward silences and pauses. On the contrary, it was a lovely evening, with full of pleasant surprises. Renee and Andrew were both relaxed and equally determined to be charming good company for the other. If Andrew hadn’t known better, he’d have sworn that Renee was actually flirting with him at certain times. He’d look up to find her looking at him with an expression that he would have called fond if it had been anyone but Renee, but he knew her too well for that.

  For her part, Renee was totally surprised at how at ease she felt with Andrew. It was the first time in all their years of acquaintance that she wasn’t tensed in wait for one of his barbed remarks or outrag
eous jokes at her expense. And even if he had try to pull one of his pranks on her, she knew she would ultimately have the upper hand. There was just something about seeing someone in the altogether that made them seem so much more human and accessible. Nudity was a great equalizer, she thought. She no longer felt like Andrew had some dirty little secret to hold over her head because she had the same one on him. Not that it was a dirty secret; it was actually rather sweet.

  She’d seen Andrew in his most natural, most vulnerable state and the memory of it wasn’t a cause for ridicule, not at all. In point of fact, it was incredibly sexy and Renee would have been lying if she hadn’t admitted to herself that she’d happily do it again. Yes, she certainly would. If given the opportunity to gaze on this handsome man in all his naked glory again she’d do it and devil take the hindmost. So there. Renee hadn’t quite analyzed what the logistics of that kind of thinking meant. All she knew was that she felt freer than she had in years and years and she was enjoying it. It was ironic that Andrew was the unwitting cause of her liberation, but that’s life for you. You never knew where you were going to find inspiration, liberation or desire; they just showed up. Renee was unaware that she was glowing like a thousand fireflies or she might have attempted to tone it down a bit. It didn’t really matter, though, because Andrew was also being his most charming.

  “Renee this is the nicest evening I have had in a long time. Why haven’t we ever done this before?” Renee opened her mouth to speak but Andrew answered his own question. “Oh, I forgot. You can’t stand me, that’s why.” He tried to look hurt, but the smile in his eyes gave him away. Renee wasn’t going to let him get away with that, though.

  “Oh, no you don’t. You’re the one that can’t stand me! You’ve never missed an opportunity to pick on me, not once in all the years you’ve known me. So don’t even go there, Andrew Bernard Cochran, Jr. Don’t even try it,” Renee said quickly, but she, too, was smiling.