The Sin, The Sun, & The Shame

by Leigh Mcknight

  Still laughing, Sophia said, “Diamond lives for that stuff. She is on so many social media sites that it is a sheer miracle that she gets anything significant done. You’ll never believe though that she is a straight A student. Imagine that. She is having great fun and she is sharing her experiences with the world. The three of us here… Man, we give Myrtle Beach a whole new attitude. My girls are like my sisters from other misters.”

  Mitch threw his head back, laughing.

  CHAPTER 3

  Sophia and Mitch continued to talk and laugh easily together.

  “Apparently she knows what she wants, stays focused, and gets the job done. Sounds like a remarkable young woman,” he said.

  “She is that.” Sophia glanced over at Mitch. “She and I will compare notes when we get back to the city because I am having one heck of a great time myself,” Sophia chuckled. “Afrika and Diamond are just the best. I don’t know what I would do without my girls. We are all in school and can’t wait to be finished so that we can get on with our lives and make some things happen, make our mark.” Sophia’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Whenever possible, we go out, turn up and we make it rain in the clubs, man.”

  “You all make it rain in the clubs, huh?” Mitch laughed some more.

  “That’s right. Every chance we get,” she giggled.

  “Isn’t that such a vast waste of money? How often do you ladies do that?”

  “Of course it’s not a waste. It’s fun. Besides, it’s not my money. My daddy still supports me so it’s really his money. But anyway he has a boat load of it and we just have fun with it.”

  “Are Diamond and Afrika still on their daddy’s payrolls also?” Mitch said, finding humor in the fact that all three young ladies were still in school, came from wealthy parents and their parents were still supporting them.

  “I would imagine that at some point they will have to cut the umbilical cord, don’t you think?” Mitch said laughing.

  “You’d think so, but for some reason, most fathers don’t want to see their little girls grow up. If fathers could keep us as babies all of our lives, we would never leave the crib.”

  That caused Mitch to chuckle and Sophia joined in.

  After a moment, Mitch said, “I’m under the impression you’re a little gangsta yourself.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I’m of the opinion that you can set a town on fire all by yourself, so if your friends are like minded, well… look out.”

  Sophia laughed aloud. “I don’t know how you know that but it is true. We party hard. Don’t get me wrong, we study hard and do what we need to do in school, but we play equally as hard.

  “As long as you balance everything, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. All in good honest fun, right?”

  “Let me correct that,” Sophia said laughing again. “I think we party a little harder than we played, but as you said it was all good honest fun.” Then she looked unsmilingly at Mitch and asked, “How long have you been married?”

  “Right at twenty years.”

  “Where is your wife tonight?”

  “She’s out. At least she was when I left the hotel.”

  Sophia’s ears perked up. “You two are on vacation and she’s somewhere else without you?”

  “Yeah,” was Mitch’s one word reply.

  “Why is that, may I ask?” she inquired out of compassion. “That just seems odd to me.”

  “It was her decision.”

  “You didn’t want to accompany her?”

  If Sophia only knew, Mitch thought, but he had no intentions of getting into that.

  She continued. “It wouldn’t have been your choice to go out separately from her, would it?”

  “Honestly, no.”

  “Is that why you looked so miserable earlier tonight?” She asked with concern.

  Mitch looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

  “I looked miserable?”

  “When you came into the club tonight, I thought you looked miserable, really sad.”

  Mitch worried that his personal feelings showed to a point that others could see it.

  “I don’t know why you would say that.”

  “Because it shows all over your body,” she said using her hand to gesture. “Are you saying you’re not?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Liar!”

  “You’re calling me a liar again. You know that’s the second time tonight that you’ve called me a liar. Why do you insist that I am lying to you?”

  “Because you are lying,” she answered. Then she shrugged her shoulders. “If you say you weren’t miserable earlier, then have it your way. That’s fine with me.”

  Mitch inhaled deeply. At that moment, Mitch’s phone vibrated in his pants pocket, breaking into his reflections. He wondered whether Kanile was back at the hotel and wanted to know where he was or had she gotten herself into a situation again and needed his help. It’d happened before. Kanile was a beautiful woman and there were times when she would flirt and attract the wrong kind of attention. When she couldn’t handle the situation, she would call Mitch to remove the threat.

  “Excuse me a second. I need to take this,” he said, getting up and walking away from the table. Mitch lifted his phone from his pocket and checked to see who the caller was. Relieved it wasn’t Kanile, he answered it.

  “Hey man, what’s up?” Mitch asked and listened.

  “I hope I’m not calling too late and I especially hate calling you while you’re on vacation but you did say I could call anytime if I had a problem,” Jameson, a co-worker of Mitch’s, stated.

  “Sure, Jameson. What’s going on?”

  “Something happened with my computer. The damn thing crashed and I lost all of my listings.”

  Jameson was a new employee on probation and was reluctant to ask anyone other than Mitch for help. Mitch could hear the uneasiness in his voice. “You need a copy of the listing?” Mitch asked.

  “Yeah, man if you don’t mind.”

  “I have that listing. I will shoot Gizelle a text tonight and have her get a copy to you. Oh and Jameson, I have lots of notes on another piece of property. You know the piece over on Gouvener Street.”

  “I thought you were interested in working that property.”

  “I’ve got more than enough to keep me busy. I will get all that to you first thing in the morning.”

  “Thanks Mitch. You’re the best.”

  “Everything else is okay?”

  “Just more of the same.”

  “Don’t get caught up in the office politics, man. You never know when something will come back and bite you.” Mitch thought it was only fair to advise Jameson because real estate was one of those cutthroat businesses where someone was always trying to get ahead by any means necessary, even when it meant lying on someone or throwing them under the bus. Their office wasn’t any different.

  “I am in your debt, Mitch.”

  “No problem.”

  Mitch ended the call, lifted a finger to Sophia, and said, “Just give me one more minute please.”

  Sophia waited patiently, eating the delicious dessert, while Mitch sent a text to his assistant before returning his phone to his pocket.

  Mitch put his phone back into his pocket and returned to the table. “Now, I’m all yours,” he teased as he picked his spoon back up.

  “I like the sound of that,” Sophia said and they chuckled

  As they resumed their treat, Mitch’s phone vibrated again. He again lifted his phone from his pocket and after answering a question for his assistant, Mitch put away his phone again.

  “Sorry about that,” he apologized.

  “Can’t get away from work, can you?” Sophia glanced up at him. Then, giggling, she thrust her spoon into the mountain of sweet. But wanting to keep Mitch’s undivided attention, Sophia said, “Please let me have your phone.”

  “Why? What are you going to do with it?” Mitch questioned, drop
ping his spoon. Then he went on to explain. “I’m a bit of a workaholic myself, but this kind of thing happens all the time. It’s kind of hard to not be involved when you’re part of a large firm and so much is going on all the time. We get numerous listings and we’re fortunate to still be afloat when so many companies are closing.” He picked up his spoon to resume eating.

  “It’s cool that you’re a nice guy and extend yourself that way,” Sophia began, “but so often, nice guys get taken advantage of. You know what they say, nice guys finish last.”

  Sophia listened to Mitch as they continued to eat. “Jameson got the job one of our older brokers wanted so it appears that the old guy may be trying to sabotage Jameson’s work. He’s one of our youngest agents who came to us three months ago. He’s smart, hard-working and he’s a super nice guy.”

  “Umm.”

  Mitch glanced up at the ceiling. “So where were we?” he asked rhetorically but Sophia responded.

  “We can be anywhere you want to be,” she said, clearly flirting but unsmiling and looking directly into Mitch’s eyes.

  A surprised Mitch looked at Sophia. Understanding her bold look, he broke into a wide grin and shaking his head.

  “You are a very funny lady.”

  “No, I am brutally honest,” she replied, giving him her sexiest look.

  Mitch chuckled. “You are something else.”

  “I can be that too,” Sophia said with great ease.

  Mitch looked at her and they shared a laugh.

  “You are a nice man, Mitch Harding. Very sweet, caring.” She placed a soft hand on his arm.

  “And, how do you know that? Is that your woman’s intuition kicking in again,” Mitch said, laughing it off.

  “I don’t know what it is but I am right with most things.”

  “Ms. Clairvoyant,” Mitch teased and added, “Better keep that quiet otherwise people will have you hanging a sign and starting your own business.”

  When they stopped laughing, Sophia said, “I like you, Mitch. I like you a lot.”

  “I like you too, Sophia.”

  “So, what are we gonna do about it?” she asked, spiritedly.

  Sophia’s energy was so infectious it was easy to get caught up in it.

  “I’m gonna walk with you back to where your friends are at the club and then I’m going to my hotel,” Mitch said looking at his watch.

  Angelo chose that moment to interrupt to tell them that he really needed to close up so he could get home to his wife. They each ate the last bit of ice cream and Mitch picked up one of the cherries by its stem and held it close to Sophia’s lips. She rubbed her lips over the cherry before parting them to suck the glistening fruit in to slowly chew it. Her eyes never left Mitch’s face. Mitch couldn’t pull his gaze away and his breath caught in his throat between a groan and a sigh. He shook his head to clear his wayward thoughts before pushing away from the table. She didn’t wait for him to come around to help her out of her seat, bounced up, and walked to him. They thanked Angelo for his hospitality, Mitch left him a generous tip, and they walked out onto the sidewalk.

  Once outside, Sophia wrapped her arms around Mitch and squealed.

  “Oh no, Mitch. Please,” she pleaded, squeezing him to her. “I don’t want to go back to that stuffy old club where all those old men were groping me with their eyes.”

  “I thought you didn’t notice,” Mitch chuckled and Sophia joined in.

  “Ahh, you got me,” she smiled. “Seriously though, Mitch. I don’t want the evening to end. Please, let’s just stay out here a while longer. Let’s take a walk on the beach.”

  Sophia looked so happy. Mitch didn’t want to deny her that small request and there was something about her that made him want to learn more about her.

  “Okay, but just a little while longer.”

  “Come on.” Sophia clapped her hands before impatiently grabbing Mitch’s hand to lead him towards the beach.

  Mitch hesitated briefly. He didn’t want to walk on a beach with someone else other than his wife but he wasn’t sure his wife was at the suite waiting for him. As he thought about it, Mitch knew if he went back to his hotel, he’d be in their suite alone because Kanile would be out partying and probably wouldn’t return until daybreak as usual.

  “Do you always get what you want?”

  “Always.”

  Mitch grinned as he shook his head. “Okay, come on. But just for a little while.”

  Sophia appeared satisfied with that. She released him, they continued their walk, and engaged in stimulating conversation. Mitch kicked at something in the sand before he bent down to pick up a seashell. He examined it in the moonlight before he brushed it on his pants to remove the remaining sand from it. He looked at the seashell again. “Perfect. This one is gorgeous. Take a look,” he said and handed it to Sophia.

  She took the seashell from Mitch’s hand and exclaimed happily.

  “Oooooh, this is beautiful.” Sophia carefully examined their find and it was perfect, not a crack or chip in it, and she turned her excited dancing eyes to Mitch, “This is mine, right. May I have it, please? I simply cannot give this back. I love it. Please, please, may I keep it?”

  “You certainly may. You will probably get rid of it before you leave Myrtle Beach,” Mitch said, smiling down at her.

  “I am going to keep it forever,” she replied, holding the item in her hand and putting it up to her heart.

  “So, if you and I happen to run into each other… say fifty years from now, you will still have the shell, right?”

  “Absolutely. I will treasure it for the rest of my life.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Mitch said, going along with what she’d said whether he believed her or not.

  The light of the moon embraced the ocean and caressed Mitch and Sophia, and the silky sand squish between their toes as they strolled barefoot along the beach. Mitch stared down at their joined hands, and then he looked out across the water. When he looked back at Sophia, he wasn’t thinking about his harpy wife or his voluminous bills. He was thinking about this woman who was so vibrant, so alluring, so drop dead gorgeous. Sophia was so damn hot. Mitch didn’t know what had gotten into him. He had a good marriage, for the most part, and he was very much in love with his wife. There was no doubting that. There were even times when Mitch believed Kanile was in love with him. With that in mind, he had to wonder why he was walking on the beach, holding hands with this gorgeous stranger, and feeling so comfortable. What the hell was that about? He was behaving like some horny schoolboy or worse, a damn lunatic going through a mid-life crisis. This was the best he’d felt all week. In fact, this was the best he had felt in quite a while.

  “Heavenly,” she said, echoing his thoughts. He gave her a questioning look. Digging her feet in the moist sand and looking up at the moon lit sky, she pushed back hair from her face and said, “It’s a beautiful night.”

  “Yes it is,” he agreed, but his agreement was more about her beauty than the night.

  At this time of night the beach was practically deserted, only an occasional couple wandered by. Sophia abruptly turned to Mitch, moving closely to him, pressing her body against his. She felt his breath as it kissed her face. Excitement seeped into her, heat was winding through the pit of her stomach.

  Her nearness was playing tricks on Mitch’s senses. He could have moved, he should have moved, but he didn’t. Why didn’t he move away from her? The thought was running around inside Mitch’s head when suddenly and boldly Sophia reached down and took his member into her hand.

  Mitch didn’t know how much Sophia had to drink before they met tonight or whether it was the alcohol that was causing her to behave this way, but he was taken aback by what she had done and it took a moment for him to respond. He quickly jerked his member out of her reach and caught her hand restricting it but not quickly enough to prevent his penis from leaping with awareness to her touch. His member had already come alive and grew harder and larger by the second.

&nbs
p; “What are you doing young lady?” he asked, almost as shocked by her actions as he was about the response of his own body.

  “I’m enjoying myself,” she replied, smiling and looking unashamedly into his eyes.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you are a bad girl? A very bad girl.” He gave her the kind of look an adult would give to a child who was misbehaving.

  “No, actually I have never been called a bad girl, but there’s something to be said about that.”

  Mitch was confused.

  “About being called a bad girl?” he asked.

  “A very bad girl,” she corrected, giggling. Then suddenly she became serious. “Don’t get it twisted, Mitch. I have never approached anyone the way I have you.”

  “Are you sure about that?” he asked, thinking that as forward as this young woman was, she probably had plenty experience with other men.

  “Why would I lie to you?” Her question was almost nonchalant. “There is something about you that caused me to act that way. Being with you causes me to lose my head.”

  Shaking his head in disbelief, Mitch resumed walking. “You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”

  Sophia didn’t care whether Mitch believed her or not, she just wanted to touch his thick, heavy member again. She had already decided to do it and that’s all there was to it. She just had to. She wanted to feel his manhood in her hand, hold him in her hand, stroke him, and enjoy the way he responded to her touch. And the look she gave him told him as much. With him, she felt so liberated, like some untamed beast, grabbing and taking what she wanted without consent or apology, and it felt good.

  “I don’t care what you think. I happen to know that it’s true. I don’t normally behave this way with anyone but as I said, there is something about you that causes me to behave this way. You are different, Mitch. You are a gorgeous man. You’ve got a hot body and that appeal to everything in me.”

  “Oh, really?” Mitch felt an alarm bell go off inside his head that went all the way down his spine and ending in a jolt at his feet. He was a flesh and blood man with as much of a sexual drive as any man. How much of this could he take? How much could he be expected to take? Though he was flattered by all the attention, at the same time, he knew this situation was heading into dangerous waters.