The Sassy Belles

by Beth Albright

  “I don’t think you can see Blake tonight,” Vivi announced. “I don’t think she wants to see you! Blake?” she yelled down the hall to me. “Wanna see Harry?”

  “Hell, no!” I yelled from behind the bathroom door.

  “See?” she said back to Harry. “Now go home and think about what you did, you sorry bastard.”

  He answered his phone as he made his way to the front door. Dan the man was calling again. He would be earning his money big-time for next little while, working to keep this “dinnertime spread” out of the media.

  * * *

  Later that night, I was still at Meridee’s. Vivi and I had decided to spend the night in the bedroom that had two twin beds. We had grown up together in that room. Meridee and Kitty were in the other two bedrooms. It felt like it used to when I was growing up, everybody under one roof as if it were Christmas. Even though Harry was a jerk and I hated him tonight, something about being here with all of us girls together felt nice. And there had finally been a break in the elephant in the room that had become my marriage. Now that I had settled down, I realized that this episode might be a blessing in disguise.

  Around ten forty-five my cell phone rang. I promised myself that if it was Harry, I wouldn’t answer. But it was Sonny.

  “Blake, I need to see you and Harry. Bonita got some information on that spotting of Lewis in Birmingham. Can I swing by?”

  I wasn’t sure I was up to it but it would sure be nice to see him tonight. “Sonny, hey. Sure you can, but I’m not home. I’m at Mother’s tonight.”

  “I’ll be there in ten.”

  I hung up and got out of bed, and then went to wash my face. Vivi followed me into the bathroom. Here it comes. I knew it.

  “Sweetie, be careful. You’re very vulnerable tonight. Don’t be vengeful. You don’t want to wake up tomorrow full of regret.”

  I grabbed my makeup bag and looked in the mirror, pretending I hadn’t heard her.

  “Blake Elizabeth, you listen to me.” She had obviously put her “Mother” hat on. “I know how you are with Sonny. Your guard is down tonight. You want to hurt Harry and I understand that. Believe you me, I wanna hurt him, too. But you really don’t want the regrets, sweetie. Really. Stop a minute and think.”

  But when I did think, I got excited. Okay, maybe it was wrong. Maybe I’d been waiting for an excuse to take things to the next level with Sonny for a while now. What I knew for sure was that these feelings were genuine. And the urge was stronger than anything I had felt in years. He would be at Meridee’s in just a few minutes. I brushed my hair and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash and decided I would think about this later. Right now, all I knew is how much I wanted to see him.

  18

  Sonny arrived around eleven and the house was totally dark. When he knocked at the door, Vivi gave me the “You’ll be sorry” look and hugged me and closed her door. I opened the front door and slipped out onto the screened front porch.

  The moonlight draped us in heavy shadows. Sonny’s face was lit from the side.

  “What is it?” Sonny asked, whispering.

  “Everyone’s asleep, I don’t want to wake them,” I said. He had no idea about me and Harry, but he knew something was up. We sat down on the glider.

  “Bonita has found over twenty calls from different people, all saying that Lewis was seen at a Birmingham bank within two hours of Vivi reporting him missing.”

  “It only takes about an hour to get to Birmingham,” I said.

  “Exactly. And with twenty different reports confirming the same sighting, she decided to subpoena the bank records and they came in tonight.”

  “What did they say?” I asked. I was anxious already but this was sending me over the top.

  “They showed it was him. And that he took out a large sum of cash.”

  “Oh, my God,” I said.

  “They even sent us the video and we know he was alive and at that bank in Birmingham after he was with Vivi. It’s the biggest break we’ve had so far.”

  “Oh, Sonny, that’s wonderful.”

  “It is wonderful. Except… Well, he’s still missing. We don’t know why he disappeared, whether it was his own doing or whether he was forced to leave. We don’t know where he went or who he gave the money to, but we do know he was alive at the time and that’s huge. I expect we will have more news tomorrow on this.” He stopped and looked at me to gauge my reaction.

  “That is such good news! Thank you!” I said, trying to hold my smile. I was so happy about this turn of events, but so much more played through my mind that night.

  “I called Harry and couldn’t get him,” Sonny added. “Come to think of it, why are you here? It’s so late. Shouldn’t you be home?”

  I hugged him. “Thanks for coming here and letting me know.” I started to tear up before I knew it.

  Sonny was holding me in his arms and I had my head on his broad chest. “Blake, baby, what’s wrong?”

  “Sonny, it’s too much right now. I don’t think I can talk about it. Just hold me.” And he did.

  The glider swing swayed back and forth, rocking us gently in the shadows. The moon was full and so bright that night. Sonny stroked my hair and kissed my forehead.

  “Is this something about you and Harry?” he asked softly. “C’mon, Blake, you can talk to me.”

  “Yes,” I admitted. “It was a really bad fight.” I didn’t want to tell him about Dallas. I certainly didn’t want him to think that my being here with him was just to get even with Harry. No matter how it looked on the outside, in my heart I knew that wasn’t the reason. But I’ll admit it was a damn good excuse to explore things. Harry and I had been headed down the road to this mess for ages. And this moment with Sonny had been brewing ever since we kissed in the kitchen that night.

  I snuggled into his neck and he squeezed me tighter into him.

  “It will be okay, Blake,” he assured me. “It will all get fixed up in the morning.”

  “No, Sonny. It won’t. It was worse than you can imagine.”

  He smelled so good and I felt protected. I pressed my face into his neck and breathed on his skin. He pulled away. He looked down at me and studied my gaze. The next thing I remember was his mouth so gently resting on mine. His lips were so warm.

  “Oh, Blake, I don’t want to make things worse. I’m sorry,” he said. But he spoke in a whisper. He wasn’t that sorry. I looked up into his sweet brown eyes.

  “Harry and I have been having problems for a while. I need to put some space between us. It’s okay, Sonny.”

  I placed my fingertips on his face and pulled him into me. I kissed him softly and he opened his mouth. He kissed me back much more deeply, rolling his tongue over mine and pulling me into his body. His lips trailed all around my mouth and down my neck. He was starving for closeness.

  A heat had crept over my entire body, and it flared as I felt his lips glide down to my breasts. He looked up at me playfully, full of mischief. “Cleavage and cavity search, ma’am. All part of the job.”

  He winked at me and I laughed—amazed by the man who could incite passion and protectiveness and warmth and humor in one moment, never missing a beat. He began unbuttoning my shirt and smiled as he got to my pale pink, lacy camisole hanging loosely over my breasts. Gazing at me, he slowly began kissing my chest, dropping down below the lace and dragging his tongue over the tender flesh that was aching for his attention.

  He stopped suddenly. “Bl
ake. Are you sure about this?”

  I looked at him and lay back on the glider, closing my eyes and giving him the unspoken permission he needed. Without another word Sonny moved on top of me.

  I felt his body relax over me, picking up where he left off, opening my blouse slowly, one button, one kiss, another button, another kiss, slipping my spaghetti straps over until I felt them fall off my shoulders.

  I was mesmerized by him and his slow attention to detail. He pulled off his shirt, and the sight of his gorgeous, big shoulders stirred something deep inside me. I felt his mouth at the top of my pants. I felt the button open and the zipper slip down. He continued teasing me as he slipped my pants off. His mouth and tongue moved south over my pelvis and to my pink lace panties, and soon I felt those, too, being removed, sliding down my bare legs, slipping off and dropping to the floor of the front porch.

  There was nothing now between Sonny and me. He had removed his pants and all had fallen to a heap on the concrete. He was a gentle and careful lover. Slow and deliberate, devouring me for hours, just like I needed. Sonny looked at me and smiled as we discovered each other again. It had been a long time since high school. And we never took our clothes off back then.

  It was such a comfortable place, beneath him. We had managed to slip off the day’s armor and melt into each other, flesh into flesh, under cotton blankets that had draped the back of the glider. I had always been the good girl. My experience with a lover was limited to Harry. I had never been devoured and connected to someone like this. To be physical and emotional and understood all at the same time was new to me and I loved every second. It was as if we moved as one, writhing in the passion we had held back for so many years, our bodies fell into a comfortable pulse.

  I felt his hand slide under my back, lifting me up to him, pressing my thighs and pelvis into his. I wrapped myself around him. His fingers were soft and tender, and I loved feeling them wander down my backside, slipping over my hips and down my thighs. His mouth wandered over my breasts, tasting me, touching me. He seemed to have a map to me. Understanding every inch of my skin, every strand of hair, he knew just what I needed, and he breathed me into him. He caressed my hair, pushing it away from my face.

  Brushing his fingertips across my face, he whispered, “You are so beautiful.” He was looking right into my eyes, dropping his mouth under my cheek and rolling his tongue around my neck, gently kissing the top of my shoulder and sliding his lips and tongue softly down the side of my breast. I had never been taken like this. His fingertips slipped inside my thighs and he gently touched me. His muscular body was hard but so tender and I slipped my hand down his inner thigh, caressing him softly. I ran my fingers up his back and dragged them across his perfect broad shoulders.

  I was sure I had never been this free with Harry. The pressure for perfection shut me down in some ways. But Sonny just made me feel like I was the only woman in the world. His woman. And that feeling set me free in ways I had never felt before. I would never be the same. I couldn’t go back now. I had become connected to someone on all levels and it was the most amazing thing I had ever felt. I smiled at him, looking into those brown eyes I had first fallen in love with so many years ago. It felt good to see my past in his eyes, the boy I knew, now a man. And to have him as a woman. Finally.

  “I can’t believe we never did this in high school,” Sonny said when we were both sated and exhausted.

  “I know,” I said. “You should have definitely been my first.” I was looking up at him still lying over me. I liked feeling his weight on me.

  “Well, I sure tried to be,” he said. “No, I think I may have begged. But you were the good girl. I always respected that.”

  “What about now?” I asked.

  “I really respect you now.” We both laughed.

  “I don’t regret this,” I said. And I really didn’t.

  “I sure as hell don’t,” he said. “I feel bad for Harry, though. I mean, I’ve been working with him for weeks, but I can’t help it if something is wrong with him and he can’t realize what he’s got here and take better care of it.”

  Sonny was so right. It felt good to be physical with someone that I had such an emotional and mental bond with. I knew he understood me and I understood him. We get each other in a way that was different than what I had ever experienced with anyone. I was finally in his arms, one with him, after all these years of waiting. I breathed in deeply, just living in this moment, quiet and still. Sonny continued to kiss me.

  I was filled with conflicting emotions. I wanted this, yet I was sad, too. Elated and sad. I wanted to lie in Sonny’s arms a little longer, he made me so happy. And I knew my marriage with Harry was ending, which still hurt to accept.

  The Southern night air grew damp and we played until dew-drops began to shimmer on the rose petals. I could see them outside the screened porch over his naked, big shoulders.

  “Want some coffee?” I said, looking at the watch still on Sonny’s wrist. It was 5:00 a.m.

  “Won’t Harry be looking for you?”

  “He knows better than to come here, Sonny.” I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about Dallas, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  “Sonny,” I said.

  “What, beautiful?”

  “I caught Harry with Dallas.” There it was. I’d said it. It was out there, ruining the moment. “They were half-naked on my backyard patio and I sorta stumbled onto them.”

  “What?” He sat up. The blanket fell off his body and draped over his lap. “What was he thinking? Why? Why her?”

  “I don’t know, Sonny. But really, it’s been a mess lately. It’s been ending for a while, actually.”

  “Just the thought of them…”

  “I know. But I’m dealing with it.”

  Then he looked up at me with hurt feelings in his sweet brown eyes. “Was this revenge sex?” He suddenly looked like a young boy again.

  “Aw, no, baby.” I kissed him softly. “No way. This has been coming since I was fourteen. The timing was just never on our side until now. I feel so good with you.” Sonny pulled me into him.

  “I have never been like this with any woman, Blake. You were worth the wait,” he said, placing his hands on either side of my face, his fingertips sliding over my cheeks. “No other woman I have ever known has ever made me feel the way you do, Blake. No woman can glance at me from across a room and get my heart pumping. You still do that to me. And you see the best in me, too. That makes a man feel real good. My marriage never stood a chance. That poor girl could never even live up to the memory of you.” Sonny leaned in and kissed my eyelids softly and then my nose and then each cheek, finally resting on my mouth.

  As he talked, I was lost in his words, and then lost in his kisses. I needed to hear this. The good girl inside kept taunting me, though. Oh, my, Blake O’Hara Heart, you ought to be ashamed, you unfaithful heifer. You’re just as bad as Harry. But then the stronger, braver Blake would think, Harry, my big ass! That sorry pig! He just went for a Dumpster dive with your ex-stepsister and number one enemy on this planet!

  “Sonny,” I said, half laughing, “being a good girl is so overrated.”

  He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Blake, I will never regret this. I hope you won’t.”

  “Never, Sonny. You were the first boy that stole my heart. There’s always been an easiness about us.”

  “There’s something about your softness,” he added. “I can rest my head against you and the world goes away. A man n
eeds that. And God knows, no body excites this body like you do…always did.” He exhaled and I felt his breath on my shoulder. “Blake, I’m okay with whatever you want now. You just need to tell me what that is.”

  “I know, Sonny. I’ve just got so much on my mind. So much to decipher. Let’s just sit with this awhile.”

  “That’s okay, beautiful. I will never, ever be done with you. I’ll sit as long as you want.”

  He kissed me on the nose, then pressed his lips on mine and got up from the glider. I watched him get dressed in the light of the sunrise.

  19

  I ran the hot water till it steamed the bathroom into a fog. It was early in the morning now, the sun was rising and Sonny had just left. Wanda Jo would take all the calls today. I had called the office and left her a message that I was going to work from home. I needed some time to think and try to get my head around the evening’s adventures and not have to run into Harry at the office. I wiped the bathroom mirror off just enough to catch my reflection. I stared at myself as flashes of what I had just done popped in and out of my head. I could still feel his weight on me, smell his cologne, taste his mouth on mine. Was I the skank now? I knew who would tell me whether I asked her or not.

  “Oh, Miss Blaaaakeeee… Is that my new skanky friend comin’ out of the shower?” Vivi teased from the kitchen as I was drying off. I smiled at myself in the mirror. What’s done is done. No regrets. Yes, I had feelings for Sonny. They’d never gone away. They never would. I had no idea what I would do from here, so I decided not to worry about it.

  “I’m coming,” I said as I wrapped myself in a towel.

  “Yes, I bet.” She laughed at herself. Her red frizz preceded her as she popped her head into the bathroom door.