by Cee Bowerman
“I like them all. It looks like you are surrounded by a good group of people. Your parents are adorable.”
“My parents are crazy and hilarious. My brothers and little sister too.”
“Oh, I bet I’ve got you beat on the crazy family, sweetheart.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it over dinner. How about steak and some grilled corn. Maybe a fruit salad?”
“Oh, that sounds delicious. I’ll do the fruit salad, you man the grill?”
“That works for me, if you don’t mind me putting you to work.”
“If this night goes the way I want it to, you’ll be putting in some work later, so I’m okay with it.”
Bird threw his head back and laughed. I smiled at him, enjoying how the smile changed his otherwise serious and intense expression.
“I like it when a woman knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to talk about it.”
“In that case, feed me a good dinner and then make me scream your name for the next seventy-two hours. After that, I’ll think fondly of you and if I see you around town, I’ll make sure and wave hello as I have nasty thoughts about what we did together.”
Bird tilted his head and stared at me as he moved closer. He put his hands on my hips and leaned down to kiss me. After a few minutes, he pulled his mouth a few inches from mine and opened his eyes to stare at me again.
“So, you’re saying that you are going to use me for sex and then drop me like a rock?”
“I don’t have time for relationships. But a weekend of fun sounds great to me. You okay with that?”
“Hell, woman. I think you’re speaking my language.” He turned with one arm around my shoulder and nudged me to walk in front of him. He slapped me on the ass and I jumped. “Let’s get this dinner out of the way so we can get to the dessert.”
Bird stopped at the television console and bent down in front of it. A few seconds later, I heard Bad Company come through speakers that were situated around the house. Robert Hart was singing the song ‘Where I Belong’ in that sexy voice of his, and the lyrics somehow seemed to fit this moment just right.
From now on, when I hear this song, I’ll think of this momen, I thought to myself. I watched Bird stand up from the stereo and walk toward me. This man in this moment right here, dreams were made of this.
I shook my head and smiled at him. This is a one-night stand, maybe a weekend fling. No room in my life for thoughts like that.
“You okay?” Bird asked me as he put his hands on my hips. I nodded up at him. “Let’s eat. I want to get those clothes off you. For swimming, of course.”
I turned and he walked beside me back into the kitchen. He went to the refrigerator as I washed my hands at the sink. By the time I turned around, he had a selection of fruit laid out on the butcher block island. I started to sort through his choices as he handed me a cutting board, then a bowl and knife.
“Trash is under the sink. I’ll go start the grill.” He ran his hand over my ass as he walked past me, and I smiled at his retreating back.
Bird was a touchy kind of guy. It was not something I was at all used to, but I liked it. My husband had been more serious, studious even. He wasn’t one to think about touching me as he walked past, his touches were usually only in the bedroom. On more than one occasion, he had jumped out of bed as soon as we were finished, having thought of some idea for work.
He told me more than once that I was his muse, good for his brain. I laughed it off at the time and took it as the compliment he meant it to be.
Oddly enough, I didn’t feel any guilt thinking about John while I was standing in another man’s kitchen. It had been almost three years since his sudden death, and I found that sometimes I would go days without thinking about him. With my busy schedule, the kids and work, it was normal to put the loss of him to the back of my mind. At least that’s what my therapist had told me during one of my last visits with her.
I looked up when Bird came back into the house. He smiled at me as he walked through the living room. I looked down at the strawberries in front of me. I cut the top off one and put it up for him to take as he walked by me. Rather than reach out with his hand, he leaned over and took the strawberry with his mouth, licking my finger in the process.
While he moved around behind me, I sliced peaches, pineapple, green apple and a banana. I tossed everything into a bowl. I started to ask bird for some plastic wrap, but as my head came up, I saw him walking out the back door. I turned to look for it myself, thinking to put the fruit in the fridge until dinner.
I moved to the beat of ‘Smooth’ by Santana and Rob Thomas as I pulled out a few drawers. I didn’t find what I was looking for, so I started with cabinets. When I opened the second cabinet, I was shocked to see a gun on the shelf in front of me. It was laying on a folded towel, but right there in the open to see as soon as I opened the cabinet door.
I shut the cabinet and had a momentary freak out. Why does this man have a gun right out here in the open? I was not against guns for home protection, not by any means. I owned a gun of my own and had for years. What shocked me was its location. Not too many people stored a handgun next to the canned corn. Unless they were going to kill you and bury you in the backyard, that little worried voice in my head screamed.
“Everything okay?” I heard Bird ask me from just a few feet away, and I jumped with a screech.
“Why do you have a gun in the cabinet?” I asked him as I put my hand on the chest.
“Do you not like guns? I have a license for it. I can move it if you want me to.”
“It’s not that, I own a handgun myself. It’s just an odd place to store a weapon.”
“I had some trouble with intruders last year. My family and I were taken by surprise. Since then, I’ve hidden guns in some odd places so I would have access if I needed one.”
I nodded my head. That made sense. Good to know he wasn’t going to kill me, at least.
“It’s not a problem. You don’t have any kids running around who could get a hold of it.” I shrugged.
“Oh, yeah. A couple of my friends’ kids come over occasionally, but they’re little. Brighten is the oldest and she’s just one. She started walking last month.” Bird looked at the cabinet where the gun was. “You know, she’s mobile now, so I need to rethink my hiding places. She’s going to start climbing things soon and she’s a curious one.”
“The world is her jungle gym since she’s walking. Good idea to put things like that in a locked box or something.” I was glad to see that he was thinking of her safety, even if she wasn’t his kiddo. “I have a gun box that’s battery operated. I put my hand on it and it recognizes my fingerprint and pops open. It’s not even an ugly box, looks like a little wooden thing, but it keeps out curious little humans. It’s on my bedside table right there if I need it, but it’s safe from other’s getting to it.”
“Hmmm. I’ve never seen anything like that. I’ll get the info from you later, if you don’t mind. I’ll tell the guys about it. We’ll all need to get one or two. Or twelve.” Bird reached into the bowl and plucked out a bite of pineapple and put it to my mouth. I took it from him and as I was chewing, he got a piece for himself. “What were you looking for?”
“Cling wrap.” Bird moved around me and opened another cabinet door to hand me the box of plastic wrap.
“Food is almost ready. It’s getting cooler outside, so I started the fire pit. Want to eat out there?”
“That sounds good.” I covered the bowl and then went back to the drawer I had seen utensils in. I pulled out a spoon for the fruit, along with a couple of forks and steak knives. I opened the cabinet next to the one holding the gun and got two plates out. Once I had it all stacked together, I picked it up to take it outside. “I’ll go ahead and go outside. Will you bring my drink when you come out?”
“Here, let’s do this instead and you take the drink.” Bird took the plates and bowl from my hand and turned to the refrigerator to grab the butter. Once he was all s
et, he walked to the back door as I followed with my soda can.
The back patio went all the way across the back of the house and surrounded the pool. There were lounge chairs scattered around the edge and a table to the right of the door in front of a large grill. When I looked to my left, I saw the fire pit situated by corner-sectional area.
I followed Bird over to the right and sat my drink down on the table. He pulled a chair out for me and I sat down. I was impressed with his manners, to be honest. He looked like the original bad boy, with his long hair, beard and tattoos. I was pleasantly surprised that he was so thoughtful.
Dinner was excellent, the steak cooked to perfection.
“This is so good! I’ll have to make sure and let everyone know that ‘The Bird House’ has the best steaks in town!”
“It’s not open to the public. So, what to talk about? What’s your favorite movie?”
“The Three Musketeers. Hands down.” I looked up and saw that he was confused. “Please tell me you’ve seen that movie.”
Bird shook his head slowly.
“Ugh. I love that movie. I’ve watched it a million times. It’s romantic, funny, has Keifer Sutherland. It’s even got a great soundtrack. What’s not to love?”
“I’m not into Keifer.” Bird smiled. “I’m going to have to go with Die Hard. The first one. Not a fan of part two.”
“Okay. Bruce Willis is good. I can work with that. You should really watch The Three Musketeers though.”
“Maybe someday I’ll get around to it. I remember when it came out. Brenda and Kari were all about it. I think they even roped my brothers to take them to see it a few times. What kind of music do you like?” Bird asked me.
“The kind you’ve got on the speakers now is really what I listen to. I do like some gangster rap though. You can’t go wrong with NWA, or Eminem.”
“Oh yeah. You’re so gangster. One of the first things I noticed about you, actually.” Bird chuckled and I joined in. “I can listen to Eminem. I’m more of a rock kind of guy though. Some new stuff is okay, but I like older bands.”
We made small talk about our jobs over dinner and then he told me to get comfortable by the fire while he took the dishes inside. I went to the lounge area and made myself comfortable, glad that I was wearing stretchy pants after that delicious meal.
Bird came outside with a fresh soda for me and another beer for himself. He sat down a few feet from me on the couch and patted his leg.
“Put your feet up here.” I turned and put my feet up, my heels resting just over his thigh. “Those are some sexy fucking stilts there, sweetheart.”
He pulled my shoes off, sat them to the side, and started to rub one of my feet. I moaned and my head fell back. Sweet Jesus, where had this man come from? Mars? He kissed so good it made me instantly wet, he cooked, lived in a clean house, smelled so good I wanted to nibble on him and now he was going to rub my feet.
I should just move in.
“What did you say?” I looked up at him as he spoke, his hands still on my foot. “Did you just say you want to move in?”
“Oh, shit. That was out loud? You can’t use anything I say during a foot rub against me. It’s against the rules.”
“Oh. Is that right?” His fingers were moving on my other foot now and I held back a moan. “What else is running through that head?”
“You should kiss me and then turn around so I can get naked and jump in the pool.” The sun had gone down and the sky was getting darker. In less than an hour it would be pitch black outside, only the fire for light. I really wanted to see him naked, with enough light around us to be able to appreciate every inch of him.
“If I turn around while you take your clothes off, then I won’t get to see all that beautiful skin I’ve been waiting so patiently for.”
“I’m shy.” And I have stretch marks, my boobs sag after breastfeeding three tiny humans, and I have hail damage on my thighs. I didn’t say all that, but it was what I was thinking. “You can see me later.”
“Hmmm. Okay. I'll just explore you with my tongue. See you with my other senses.” My breath hitched at his words and I watched a slow smile come over his face. “I’ll turn around and you let me know when I can jump in, alright?”
“We’re really skinny dipping?”
“Well, unless you have a two piece on under that outfit, yeah.” Bird moved my feet off his legs and stood up. He put his hand out to help me up. “I want to taste every inch of you, and I can’t do that if you’re wearing a suit.”
He tilted his head down to kiss me, putting his hand in the hair at the back of my head and tugging my head back. He moved down my neck with his lips and then stood up and pulled me close to him. I could feel his erection through his jeans as he put his lips back on mine.
“Get naked and jump in.” He growled at me as he pulled my hand to lead me past him. “You have about ten seconds before I turn around.”
I squealed and ripped my shirt off as I hurried to the pool. I heard his booted feet walking over the concrete and then heard the back door open and close as I kicked my pants and underwear to the side and started working to unhook my bra.
I could get under the water and it would camouflage me, I thought to myself as I stepped into the pool, surprised that the water wasn’t too cold. I left the steps and started walking through the water to the deeper end. I wanted to make sure I was almost up to my neck by the time he came back, that way he couldn’t see my nakedness.
Right before the patio door opened, the pool lit up from below and I glanced down to realize the lights were so bright I could see my red tipped toes at the bottom of the pool.
“Well shit.” So much for the disguise of darkness.
3.
“If you’re going to do it, do it until she screams you name and her legs are shaking, keep on going with your tongue until her soul leaves her body. Then, take her to get food.
Bird’s advice on women
BIRD
I walked into the house, giving my guest time to get naked and into the pool. I really wanted to see her body, and like I had told her before, lick every single inch of it until she was screaming my name.
I stood there for a second and listened to the song that was playing, ‘Until I Fall Away’ by the Gin Blossoms. I smiled to myself as I flipped on the pool lights, right before I walked back outside.
Not hiding from me today sweetheart.
I stood there next to the lounge chair where she had thrown her clothes and I toed off my boots. I reached down to take my socks off and then stood up to unbuckle my belt. I kept my eyes on her as I undressed, my gaze going below the water line to appreciate her curvy body.
I tossed my shirt and then my pants over to the chair, leaving me only in my boxer briefs. I stood there for a second, watching her watch me. She inspected all my tattoos from a distance, and then her eyes went down further to my crotch. She stuck her tongue out and licked her bottom lip before she pulled it in under her top teeth.
I put my hands at my waist and pushed my boxers down, feeling my hard cock slap back up to my belly once it was free from its confines in my shorts.
Without thinking about it, my hand went down and stroked my length as I walked into the pool. Summer watched my hand until the water came up to cover me and then her eyes came up to mine. I could see that her breathing was faster, and even from this distance I could tell that her pupils were large and dark with arousal.
I moved to her and put my hands around her waist as I moved even farther into the deep end of the pool. My lips met hers as I walked, her arms coming up around my neck, and I felt her buoyancy as her feet left the bottom. I reached under the water to pull her leg up around my waist, wrapping her completely around me.
I pulled back from our long kiss and smiled at her, my hands on her ass in the water.
“Well hello there, Ms. Naked Summer.”
She blushed and smiled, her hand running through my hair as it floated around my shoulders. I hitched h
er up farther, so that her chest rose above the water, and I pulled one of her nipples into my mouth. She gasped and I felt her nails bite into my shoulders. After licking and tugging on that nipple, I gave the same treatment to its twin.
“Your tits are fantastic, baby.” I murmured as I moved my mouth up her neck. “I could play with them for days.”
“Okay.” She replied on a breath as her head fell back to give me access to her neck. “Go for it.”
I lowered her back down into the water, feeling her stomach brush against my hard on. She moved herself up and down, rubbing me as she did. I groaned and started walking us to the edge of the pool. Once her back hit the side, I moved her arms from my shoulders up to the concrete on either side of her shoulders. Her arms were spread out, but her legs were still wrapped around my waist. I reached back and put my hands on her knees and slowly moved them up her thighs and back around to her ass a few times as I watched her breasts float at the surface of the water.
