by Aoide, Arden
He showered and dressed hurriedly in a plain black tee, khakis, and sneakers. He grabbed his work bag, Dahlia’s gift, and only just managed not to slam his door. Miranda stayed up late with the club and he didn’t want to wake her.
He was out of the store within fifteen minutes, and made it to Annie’s with fifteen minutes to spare. He sat in his car and pulled out Dahlia’s gift and opened it. He reached into the grocery bag to get the chocolate bar. It wasn’t chocolate he’d tried before, but it was from a local chocolatier. It was fairly thick for a chocolate bar, but about as long as one. It was wrapped in wax paper and you could feel the crushed almonds and toffee along the bottom. He wrapped the scarf neatly around the chocolate and placed it back in the box.
He heard a sedan pull in and saw a teenage girl and a man get out. She was tall and blonde and greatly resembled the man who had been driving. He was about to finish up the package when he saw the passenger door open and a woman get out.
He stopped breathing. He was twenty feet from this woman, but he had no idea if it was Dahlia. He wanted it to be her, though. She was very pretty and while his eyes strayed automatically to her breasts, then her hips, he was really captivated by her hair. It was simply everywhere. Cute, short, voluptuous, and crazy hair. Isn't that what Miranda had said? It had to be her. He exhaled. He watched as the woman came up to the girl and put her arm around her waist and the girl wrapped her arms around the woman in return. He couldn’t see the woman’s face. He looked at the man as he and his daughter shared a fond look, but still, Alex was clueless.
“Jesus, Dahlia. She’ll be back in a couple weeks,” the man said, smiling.
Alex held his breath again.
He saw Dahlia raise her head and glare at the man. “Don’t pretend you’re not going to be moping by the evening and burning up her phone every hour.”
The man shook his head and smiled as they walked toward the entrance of the restaurant. Alex slid down his seat until they were inside. Well, then. That was Dahlia. Alex tried to get his breathing under control as he placed her gift in its box. He pulled out a pen and wrote her name on the card attached to the box. He put the box in his work bag and got out of his car.
He walked slowly up to the entrance and tried to see inside, but didn't have much luck. As he stepped inside, he spotted them instantly at a table to his left. He briefly looked around before requesting the table that was a few tables down from Dahlia and her family. As he walked by them, Alex was able to see her more clearly. Her hair was shoulder length with a mass of large brown curls. Alex was enchanted by them. She was wearing a short floral sundress with flip-flops and it looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed. Alex smirked as he sat down facing their table, realizing that was probably the truth.
He could only see her profile at this angle and she looked relaxed and happy. He watched them order and soon after he ordered pastries and a cappuccino himself. As he drank his coffee, he couldn’t stop staring. The more he looked at her, the more smitten he became. The conversation was mainly one-sided with both parents listening indulgently to their daughter, but Alex couldn’t tell what she was saying.
Alex was half done with his pastries when he got the idea. It took a moment of searching the Internet on his phone, but he found it. He sent it to her.
Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
When a problem comes along
You must whip it
Before the cream sets out too long
You must whip it
Alex nearly fell out of his chair, but he didn’t miss the looks Dahlia’s companions gave her. He also didn’t miss the blush that reddened her cheeks and her chest as she read what he wrote. Her beautiful mouth was curved slightly upward. He watched her begin to type and immediately turned the ringer down on his phone. She seemed to consider what to say.
Fucking Christ, Alex. You absolutely slay me.
Alex smiled. He didn’t want to set off her ring tone again, so he’d wait until later to text her. Besides, he had to get this box to her. He paid his bill and pulled out the box. He sat watching them, Dahlia still blushing, but shaking her head and smiling a lot. He knew she was trying to fend off questions, and he felt a little bad for putting her on the spot. But, only a little bad.
Just when he was going to leave and put it on top of their car, Dahlia got up and walked to the restroom. He looked over at the table and watched as Callie got up to move closer to her dad to show him something on her phone. Alex drained his coffee, slipped his bag on his shoulder, and stood. He walked quickly past the table, put the box on Dahlia’s chair, then pretended to pick up something he dropped. He all but ran to his car.
Once he was safely out of the parking lot and pulling into work, he was able to relax a little. He remembered that his ringer was off and checked his phone. Two messages.
Slayed. At your mercy.
Let me know when you can talk later.
Going in now. You don’t look like you could be the mother of a 15yo. I thought I was in Alabama for a second.
I barely had my face washed and didn’t even brush my hair.
Never brush your hair. It took all my strength not to molest it when I walked past you. I nearly fell out of my chair when your phone went off. I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry. ;-)
Callie and Nick are harassing me non-stop. I’d tell you to make it up to me, but you already did. More than. Almost to the airport. Talk to you later?
Of course. I gave you silk and chocolates. I have expectations now.
*sigh* We all have our price.
:-D Text me whenever you want. Can’t promise I’ll get back right away. Last job starts at 6. When I’m done, I’m all yours.
Alex stared at his phone for a minute and wondered how he was in this deep. It hadn’t even been two days. Going slow wasn’t an option he had the strength to consider anymore. He started typing again.
All yours.
And he waited. He felt like he was going to throw up. What the fuck was he doing? Hadn’t he learned anything? It was one thing to flirt about sex, but this wasn’t flirting. This was pulling your heart out of your chest and giving it to someone who might not like blood all over their floor. He’d already put himself out there with the note and now he wasn’t even pretending to be subtle. Physical sadist and emotional masochist.
Puddle. All over the floor. God, I hope I can please you.
Alex felt dizzy with relief.
I’m so pleased right now that I’m going to have to go in the men’s lest I embarrass myself.
Got video on your phone?
*chokes* So very pleased. Now I have a face and body to fantasize about. Last night wasn’t nearly as satisfying.
Last night, you...?
Last night and the night before. Maybe I can send you video later, but not of a bathroom. In my bed.
Jesus Alex, I’m not going to get anything done today.
You on your knees in front of me, my hands getting lost in your hair...
At the airport! I'm at the airport!
;-) Later, darling.
Alex didn’t want to jerk off in the men’s restroom, but his erection wasn’t going away as he walked inside the building. His bag was bumping against his cock uncomfortably as he showed his badge to the security guard.
“Bathroom?” He asked.
The guard jerked his head back toward the hall behind him. “End of that hallway,” he said without making eye contact.
He made it to the bathroom as quickly as possible. The building seemed deserted down here and he hadn’t encountered anyone. The bathroom was empty. He locked himself in the last stall, hung his bag up, and unbuttoned his khakis as fast as he could. He pulled his cock out and pulled on it quickly, imagining Dahlia’s face looking up at him, mouth open–and that was it. He cupped his hand over the head to catch his come. He leaned back on the door, hands a mess,
and breathing hard. He just wanted to get through the day with the least amount of hard-ons possible. He looked down at his hands, shook his head, and sighed. Christ.
He did his best to clean himself up with toilet paper. He tidied himself up and went to wash his hands. He grabbed his bag and took one last look at himself in the mirror.
“You’re pathetic,” his reflection mouthed.
Dahlia was hoping that her day would go by very slowly. Not because she wanted to do accounts all day, but because she was a little embarrassed by her brazenness. She couldn’t believe she asked Alex to video himself while he masturbated. She certainly wasn’t innocent–her imagination wouldn’t allow that–and she wasn’t a prude, but she’d never seen a man do that. At that moment she’d wanted to, though.
Alex was driving her insane. Since that morning with the Solomon text, she’d had to spill a bit to her family, and she wasn’t quite ready for that. Brushing the text off was one thing, but explaining a very nicely, wrapped in silk chocolate was different. She could blame the blush on lighting, but she couldn’t ignore the gift. So, she told as much of the truth as she could. She told them that a friend’s brother had asked her out, and was being very sweet about it. If they only knew, she thought.
She also knew that she could not deny Alex anything at this point. She was already completely taken by him. But that was the point, wasn’t it? To not deny him? To be at his mercy? To gift him with her submission? She just didn’t think she’d feel inclined so soon. Just when she was at an age where she thought she knew herself, she had this man, without much effort on his part, totally launch her libido into places she hadn’t even known existed.
He might break her heart, but she needed this–needed him–and she didn’t care if that made her a fool. She’d been a practical girl for so long, and Alex made her feel desired.
She put in a full day and was already curled on the sofa watching television when her phone went off. She chuckled wondering if she should change his ring tone, but decided she enjoyed hearing it when he texted.
Starting my last job now.
How is your day going?
Excruciating. Some people shouldn’t breed.
Ouch. You should be done soon, though.
Probably will be in an hour or so. Tomorrow won’t be as busy. The weekend can’t come soon enough, though I’m thinking of taking Friday off if you’ll stay with me Thursday. Not for the whole night, if you don’t want, but I’d like to lock you in the dungeon with me for a while. ;-)
I can take Friday off. I’d hate for you to spank me, then ask me to leave. I’ll stay as long as you want.
Don’t say that. I might not be inclined to let you out of my bed.
I’m worried that I won’t want to leave.
When would you need to?
I don’t know. I’d have to work on Monday.
Then stay the weekend.
I think I should probably talk to Nick.
To ask permission? Seriously?
No! Because we’re getting pretty serious. I’d want him to know that I planned on staying the weekend.
Sorry. If it’s too big a deal, we can wait.
Alex didn’t wait for a text back. He turned the ringer off and went back to work. He was supremely irritated. And sick to his stomach. He wasn’t quite convinced that Nick would be okay with his ex-wife dating. Alex couldn’t imagine a man who could let her go, especially since she'd been in his bed every night. He couldn't wrap his brain around it.
After about an hour, as he was walking to his car to leave, he turned his phone on. One message.
I think we’re a BFD. I can tell Nick I’m driving up to see my sister or something if you’d rather. If you still want me to stay, that is.
Alex felt all the anger leave his body and it was replaced by deep remorse. He thought maybe he should have left his phone on. Dahlia was probably hurt and angry right now. He figured there would only be one way to resolve it.
May I call you?
Alex started the car and drove home. Miranda was at yoga, so she’d bring home food after. He was glad that even with the congestion of cars, he was close to home. If he hadn’t had to work at different sites, he would have walked.
Sure.
As soon as Alex was home, he called her. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hi,” Dahlia answered nervously. She had been pacing the floor when she got the text and she was a nervous wreck. She hadn’t thought she would hear from him again. She hadn’t been able to stop the tears when he hadn’t texted back. She thought she had blown it, just from a poorly worded reply. She always knew that any man she dated would have a problem with Nick and she understood why. She really didn’t know how to reassure him, but she would try.
“I’m sorry,” tumbled out of his mouth. He’d planned on a greeting at first, but as soon as he heard her voice, he lost control of his mouth.
Dahlia had to hold back tears. He sounded so contrite. He sounded beautiful. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I should have worded the text differently. I knew that I'd have to explain my relationship with Nick. It's just you're the first person I've ever had to do that with.”
Alex was going to be honest. He rubbed his hand furiously over his face and exhaled. “It’s not that. I just...panicked, I guess.”
“I don't want him to be an obstacle for us.” Dahlia considered what he’d said. “Why did you...what can I do to convince you? What can I do?”
Alex didn’t say anything for a few seconds, thinking how not to increase his pathetic status, but didn’t see a way. “I’m worried that he’ll want you back when he knows you want someone else. I can’t for the life of me figure out how he let you go in the first place. I think he’s going to realize that.”
It was Dahlia’s turn for silence. That wasn’t something she’d considered before. She didn’t think that would happen. He didn’t act any different today than any other day even though he knew she was being pursued. She knew that wouldn’t reassure him, though. “I don’t want him. He could actually buy me a proper ring, get a visible boner, and declare his undying love. It wouldn’t matter. I’ve felt more for you these last couple of days than I’ve felt for him our entire relationship.”
Alex held his hand over his mouth. He wanted to apologize again for his insecurity.
Dahlia continued on, “He knows that there’s a man that likes me because of your gift. He knows that I was very pleased this morning. I think if he really cared about what’s going on with me, I’d have certainly heard about it today. As it was, we talked about Callie and what to do for her birthday when she gets back. I think the worst that could happen is that he might realize he’s lonely. He’s frustratingly low maintenance, but I do provide companionship to him.”
“I thought low maintenance was good.” Alex was a little relieved, but still felt a bit on edge.
“Usually it is.” Dahlia considered her next words. “But, I want someone who needs me and makes a big deal about it. I know a lot of women would find it stifling or intrusive or even unhealthy, but I’ve been without for so long. I can’t be with someone who–” She broke off because she realized that she was making this all about her. She had wanted to reassure Alex.
“You can’t be with someone who what?” Alex asked, insanely curious. He wanted to know, so that he could try to avoid misunderstandings in the future.
Dahlia sighed. “Well, it’s entirely your fault. I didn’t know what I was missing. I wouldn’t have known any better had you been less passionate and attentive and I would have been happy enough, or at least content.” She paused for a moment, long enough for Alex to ask again.
“You can’t be with someone who what?” He asked again, patiently.
“I can’t be with someone who isn’t you,” Dahlia snapped. She hadn't known she was going to say that. There was no way to take it back. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. She should probably apologize, though. “I'm–”
Alex interrupted. “I need to see you.
Tonight.” There was no way he could be without her tonight. Not after that admission.
Dahlia let out a breath. “Okay. Where? Do you want–?”
Alex smiled. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought past needing to see you.” His smile grew wider. He remembered their conversation from the previous night. He knew what she needed. “I’ll come to yours,” he said, lowering his tone. “After dark. I’ll let you know when I get there. You unlock your door, then wait for me in your bed. With just your panties. I want you on your stomach.”
“Okay,” Dahlia breathed. “Do you want me to wear the scarf?”
Alex thought. Tonight he wanted to dominate a little, but more verbally, rather than physically. He just needed to be with her. “No. Is it dark in your room?” He knew that it would be easier for her to be naked in the dark, at least at first.
“Yes, it’s dark. I think this is supposed to be a little bit different since I’m not wearing the scarf. Right?”
“Right.” Alex was glad Dahlia figured that last bit out. He just wanted to see her. Sex would happen because that’s what he’d want to do when he saw her. He really hadn’t thought past needing to be with her physically, however that came about. He wasn’t particular tonight, but if she was nervous and needed something, he would try to provide it. He thought easing into their respective roles would be smarter for them. “Where do you live?” He grabbed a pen and paper.
Dahlia was relieved, excited, and nervous. “I live in the Warwick Jones Financial Building. Off Fifth. There’s a gated alleyway there. The code is 5559. Park behind one of the two cars. The private entrance is right there. You’ll see two buttons–N and T. Press the T and I can buzz you in. You can take the elevator up to the fourth floor. There are only three doors on the fourth floor. A store room on the right, Nick’s on the left, and mine is the farthest from where you step out. On the right.”
