by Roxie Odell
Thomas pulled back and touched his head to hers. His breath came through his nose hard while he tried to practice some self-control. His tongue resisted that notion and insisted on tasting her in slow, labored licks. The restraint was incredibly erotic, to the point where Cheri felt like she was going to faint.
“Like this movie, huh?” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes,” she answered with a lisp, her speech garbled with arousal.
“What do you like about it?” he asked, without sounding the least bit critical.
While he was interviewing her, his hands swam over her body. They both pushed their exploration of one another to the limit, until they knew they would have to quit or break their rule.
“I like that they fall in love at the end. They aren’t perfect people, but they’re perfect for each other,” she muttered, realizing it sounded quite like a synopsis of their own relationship, their struggle to get through the obstacles and circumstances so they could ultimately be together without any reservations.
“Hmm. I like that kind of happy ending,” he said sensually, before his warm, moist lips trailed the soft underside of her jaw, to the sensitive spot at the base of her neck.
At that point Cheri could not help but cry out, so loudly that she was sure her neighbors heard it.
“Goodness,” Thomas remarked, laughing against her skin, which tickled her and had the same effect as the kisses.
“Wickedness is more like it,” she replied after a moan.
“Yeah,” he said, looking deeply in her eyes, his own eyes glazed over with such desire that he looked as if he was high. “I think we’d better get back to the movie, babe,” he said, kissing her between each word.
“You’re right,” she said, “because I’m about to start trying to talk you into a sex scene.”
“We’re worth the wait,” he murmured.
“We are,” she agreed in a breathy whisper, running her fingers affectionately through his hair, feeling the strength of his admirable convictions. “We sure are, but how long do you think we have to wait?” she asked, not pushing.
“I think we’ll know.”
It was a good enough answer for her, and she somehow found the courage to roll over on her back. Thomas rested his head on her as if she was a pillow, and it was very comfortable for them both. She loved to stroke him, his muscular arms, his scalp, and his stubble. He fell asleep well before the movie was over, but Cheri was so grateful that she was of sound mind and body this time, so she didn’t miss that precious moment.
She carefully extricated herself from the snuggle, knowing there was no way she was going to be able to sleep. He didn’t even stir, and it tugged at her heartstrings to know he was such a hard worker, so exhausted after doing such a good job at his worksite and then offering up his evening to look after her. She gave her gorgeous friend one more glance, smiled, and tiptoed up the stairs to sleep without him, save the role he would play in her dreams.
Chapter 9
The next morning, Cheri padded down the stairs and found Thomas still sprawled on her couch in an uncomfortable, unnatural-looking contortion. She felt bad he’d slept there, as he was far too tall to fit entirely on the furniture. She was sure he’d be suffering a variety of aches and pains for the rest of the day. Despite that, she smiled, warmed by the sight of him still in her house. She sneaked past to start the coffee. She was almost tempted to wake him up with a proper good morning, but remembered their deal and decided if he was willing to hold to it she should, too.
Once the coffee was done, she walked back into the living room, filled with gratitude and almost feeling giddy. All was serene, and there was no drama. No one had hurt feelings, and neither of them were suffering from a hangover, except Thomas’s leg hanging over the arm of the sofa. Sure, she was jobless and quickly running out of money, and she had just admitted to herself that she was an alcoholic, but she had truly never felt happier and more at ease. When Thomas stirred, she almost burst with the pure love she felt for him, even though she dared not say so.
“Here you go,” Cheri said, handing him a steaming mug.
He checked his surroundings and flinched when he realized he was still there. He tried to cover up his reaction, but there was no mistaking it. “Thanks,” he murmured, then reached out and stroked her thigh affectionately.
Cheri was glad he reached out to touch her, but she wondered if he treated his one-night stands the same way. Stop it! she scolded, willing herself not to ruin this moment with toxic thoughts.
He sat up and sipped his coffee. “Nice,” he said with a smile. “I don’t believe you’ve ever made me coffee before.”
“I don’t think so,” she replied, pleased despite the silliness of it.
He patted the sofa, signaling her to join him.
She accepted the invitation readily and curled up in the crook of his arm.
“What are the plans for the day?” he asked.
She felt his rich, barreling voice rumble in his chest as he asked her the question. “I have the meeting with the job-finder, aka the head-hunter in my opinion.” She laughed. “I think I’m going to temp for now, until I figure out what I really want to do,” she said, basically quoting his advice verbatim.
He looked down at her. “What a good idea,” he teased, a gentle I-told-you-so.
She socked him softly. “I can be such a dumbass, huh?”
“You and me both, baby.” He squeezed her gently. “We’re only human, Cheri. Humans all fuck up now and then, or so I’ve heard.”
“That’s the rumor I’ve been told as well.” She glanced at her watch. “Can I scramble you some eggs?”
“Baby doll, I’d love nothing better than to watch you scramble anything,” he teased, “but…”
“But what?” she said, lifting her eyebrows. “I promise not to over-salt them. I do much better with chickens in a shell.”
He laughed. “An offer I hate to refuse, but I really have to go. I need to stop by the house and change, then get to the daily grind. How are you fixed for pocket money?”
It was an awkward question and something of an invasion of her privacy, but she was sure he was just trying to be a good friend. “I’m okay for now.” She wasn’t going to tell him she had barely anything left. A job would help sort that, not a friend.
He moved his face close to hers, kissing-close. “Well, you let me know if that’s ever not the case,” he said softly.
The chemistry between them was like a strong drug, and it threw her into an instant sweet haze as she offered an entranced, simple, “Okay.”
“Okay,” he echoed, then patted her again. “Have a wonderful day.”
Cheri knew the rules, and they seemed to be working. She liked being on an even keel, but she wanted to kiss him so badly. They were doing everything but crossing that line, and she sure one more could not possibly hurt; it would be an unsatisfied agony if she didn’t. She pressed her lips softly to his, and they lingered there for a moment. She kind of liked being the initiator for a change, and she raked her fingers through his glorious hair and savored the taste of him. Her tongue mated with his, in a passionate dance, twirling while she drew on his mouth. It was so satisfying, yet it seemed to spark a deeper hunger, a craving she wasn’t sure she could ignore.
Thomas pulled away, sipped the last of his coffee, and kissed her again with a short, sweet peck before leaving.
With all he had done to assure her that he was committed to her, that they were more than the sum of their private parts, their sexual combustion, Cheri’s mind always went to that place of insecurity. She was a prisoner to her anxiety and doubts, and she couldn’t seem to stop revisiting his sketchy past, one full of bad deeds and other women. She didn’t completely kick herself for being a little paranoid, because it was with good reason. Still, she had to decide to trust him if it was going to work between them.
It wasn’t easy, but Cheri turned her focus onto her interview with the recruiter, and that quickly put he
r mind on the right track. She actually felt pretty good as she headed out to her car. The air was warm, the sky clear and sunny, but it was definitely autumn, evidenced by the hues in the light, an incredibly gorgeous mix of grays and oranges and browns.
She dumped her purse and laptop into the passenger seat and pulled out of her driveway slowly. Immediately, she knew something was wrong, for it felt like the car was leaning or driving on logs. “Damn it!” she raged, smacking the steering wheel as she realized she had a flat.
She told herself to remain calm, not to ruin the moment by flying off the handle, but it wasn’t easy to avoid kicking something. She threw the car into park and got out to examine it. Unlike the day before, the tire was now completely flat, and she had no choice but to call someone for a change or a tow. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to be the least bit late to her appointment. Gone were the days of horrible impressions. She considered calling a cab, but it wasn’t likely to arrive on time, nor did she have the funds. “Now what the hell do I do?” she muttered.
“Having some trouble?” asked a woman from behind her, parked in front of the next house over and poking her head out of her window. “Sorry for being nosy,” she said. “Looks like you’ve got a flat.”
Cheri didn’t recognize her, and was hesitant to be friendly back, but she forced a smile. “Yeah, looks that way,” she said.
The woman got out of her car and walked back to her trunk to retrieve a little contraption that looked something like a handheld vacuum. “It’s a compressor,” she explained. “My boyfriend bought it for me so I won’t ever get stuck. Might give you enough air to get to a repair shop at least.”
Cheri hesitated. Strangers didn’t usually offer to help, let alone offer their time to help someone they didn’t know.
The woman seemed to read her reluctance. “I didn’t mean to startle you or anything,” she said. “I just wanted to help you out.”
Cheri relaxed, and realized it was a sad statement about her mindset and about society in general that kindness had become something suspect. “Sure. I really appreciate it. Thanks.” Cheri then stood back and watched as the woman hooked the gizmo to her tire, and her car magically lifted as the tire inflated.
“All set,” said the woman.
“Can I give you something for your trouble?” Cheri asked.
“That’s not necessary,” said the woman with a smile.
“I insist,” Cheri argued.
“Well, if I ever need a cup of sugar or something, I’ll just knock on your door. I know where you live. It’s what neighbors are for, right?” she said with a wink and a smile. “See ya around,” she said, without even introducing herself by name before she got into her car and drove off.
She rushed to the job interview, deciding on fixing the car after she finished. I’m gonna have to get one of those compressors, Cheri thought as she headed into the office building to listen to the head-hunter’s offers. There was hope she’d find a job and she selected several possibilities to send her résumé out to.
On her way home from her appointment, she stopped at the repair shop to buy a new tire. That would dwindle her account down further but she had no other option.
The man in the baggy, greasy overalls laughed as she asked about the tire. “You don’t need a new one, lady. This one’s got a leak, but it’s not so bad. If we patch it, you can keep using it fine. Or if you’re worried, you can put this one in your trunk as a spare. It’s got good tread on it, and it’d be a shame to waste it.”
“Sounds good,” Cheri said, happy he was dealing squarely with her. “Let’s patch it.”
“Sure thing. It’s a lot less expensive for the patch, so we’ll get ya all fixed up.”
After about fifteen minutes of sitting in the waiting area, thumbing through a severely outdated edition of People, so old that Brad and Angelina were still married, the mechanic approached her with a look of confusion on his face. “Is something wrong?” Cheri asked him.
“Well, we can’t find a leak or anything wrong with your old tire,” he said. “Much as I’d love to replace it, I think it’s sound.”
“Can’t be,” she said. “It was losing air yesterday, and this morning, in my driveway, it was completely flat.”
“Strange. I’m just saying I can’t fix a leak if I can’t find one, and I don’t feel right selling you a new tire you don’t need. That tire’s fine, in my professional opinion. Hell, I’d put the thing on my wife’s car, and I still like the woman!” he joked, wiping his hands with a filthy rag.
There had to be a leak. Somehow the guy wasn’t seeing it. “How about we just put a new tire on it, to be sure. We’ll put the other in the trunk like you suggested.”
“You sure you wanna buy a tire?”
“Positive,” she said.
The mechanic shrugged. “Have it your way,” he said. “I’ll throw the old one in your trunk as a spare.” He then scurried off to do the work and returned a few minutes later to ring her up at the cash register. “That’ll be $79.98, with the government’s cut.”
“Thanks,” Cheri said and reluctantly handed him her bank card, which connected to her quickly dwindling account.
“No problem. C’mon back if you need or, uh, don’t need anything else,” he said with a wink.
She nodded, walked out, and drove away. She was sure the mechanic was mistaken somehow, because she’d seen and felt the flat tire herself.
After sorting her résumé and cover letters, she emailed them off and then intended to relax for the afternoon. She thought of all the time she took off before, the time she’d wasted in the bottom of a shot glass or a bottle, and she cringed. Now, she appreciated every free moment until she had to clock in somewhere again, and she intended to get the most out of her impromptu unpaid vacation.
Despite their dinner idea to salvage the super-salty chicken, Thomas called her late in the afternoon to let her know he wasn’t going to make it that night after all. He also asked about her interview, and that took some of the sting out of his last-minute cancellation.
“The whole day was an adventure,” she said with a laugh, then told him about the flat.
“Flat?” he asked, alarmed. “You didn’t have a flat. I checked your car as I was leaving, and all four tires were fine.”
“You and that mechanic,” she said, shaking her head. “Believe it or not, we little women do know a thing or two about cars,” she scolded. “I know a flat tire when I see one, Thomas, and mine was flatter than a pancake.”
“What’d the mechanic say?” he asked, sounding quite confused.
“Same thing as you, that there was nothing wrong with the tire. I had him change it anyway. I never wouldn’t have made it to the repair shop without my new neighbor’s help.”
“New neighbor?” he asked.
“Yeah. She had an air compressor of some sort, something her boyfriend gave her. It was pure luck. I wouldn’t have even made it to my interview on time without her.”
“A woman, huh?” he asked tensely.
“Yes,” Cheri replied. “It was perfect timing. She was talking on the phone in her car and saw me pulling out and—”
“What does this woman look like?” he asked sternly, cutting her off.
“Thomas, what’s the problem? Are you upset I didn’t call you for help?” she asked. She almost hoped that was his problem, because she shuddered to think she had anything else to fear.
“Answer my question,” he said, even more firmly. “What does she look like?”
“Kind of attractive, with reddish-brown hair and—”
“Dammit! It was her!” he said, cutting her off roughly.
“Her who?” demanded Cheri.
He sighed heavily. “The woman I brought home that night,”
Cheri hesitated. That night? As in that night? She shook her head. No way. That was incredibly too coincidental. “No offense, Thomas, but that woman’s been swimming around in my head for a long time. I’d know her if I saw her. B
esides, you brought home a blonde, and this lady is…completely different. She joked about being a neighbor, or maybe she just knows somebody in the neighborhood. She also said she has a boyfriend. It wasn’t her.”
“It was. I need to come over,” he said.
“I’m actually kind of tired.” She didn’t want to argue with him tonight. Things were good. Why ruin it?
“No, stay put and stay awake. I need to talk to you in person.”
“Why the secrecy? What’s so important that one moment you can’t come for dinner and the next you can drop over to chat?”
He sighed again. “It’s about her, Cheri,” he said. “Just let me come over, and I’ll explain—”
“Explain now, Thomas,” Cheri said, utterly pissed and unable to keep her voice from trembling. “You’re freaking me out and not making sense.”
“No, not over the phone,” he said. “I’ll be right over.”
“Just tell me this,” she ordered, furious with him. “The couple of mornings when you’ve been so upset, was she on your mind? You told me you haven’t seen her since that night, so why the hell are you so worried about this woman all of a sudden?”
“I was not upset that I was at your place, if that’s what you think. I love being with you,” he said.
“You know what I’m talking about,” she argued. “You rushed out of here like the house was on fire. It was because of her, right?”
There was silence on the other end.
Cheri inhaled sharply. It made sense and, at the same time, it didn’t make any sense at all.
“… Yes,” he admitted finally.
“Well, you’ve had plenty of chances to talk to me about this in person, like last night when you had your tongue in my mouth, or the night before, or…” She sighed. “I think it’s better we just give ourselves a break,” she said, then hung up on him.
