Cole

by Autumn Gunn

  “You never told me. How was your trip?”

  “It was…informative.”

  “Informative? Sounds like secret agent talk.”

  “Maybe it is. Maybe I was sent here to this forest to remove your kidney for Bulgarian mafia testing purposes.”

  “Oh no! Somebody save me.” Carissa started giggling right away. Then her face turned serious.

  “But is everything OK?”

  “Yeah, everything is OK.”

  “OK, that’s all I need to hear.”

  We walked and talked and joked for what seemed to be over two hours. We’d stop and sit on a bench for a minute to admire the stars, but mostly just walking. We eventually came to the other side of the trail.

  “Looks like we walked all the way though.”

  “It does look like it.”

  “Now we’ll have to call a cab to get back to your car.”

  “Or not.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “See that building right over there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s where I live.”

  “You walked me to your apartment. Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

  “Moi? Never. Ok, maybe a little. Ok, who am I kidding? Maybe a lot.”

  “I’ve been seduced.”

  “So the Italian food worked?”

  “The Italian food was a good start, but it’s the girl standing in front of me that put me over the edge.”

  We turned and faced each other. I put my left hand on her hip and my right on the side of her cheek. Her eyes were illuminated in the moonlight. They looked beautiful. Almost reflective. With my thumb on her cheek and my fingers on the side of her head I leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. Her hands immediately grasped at my lower-mid back and she pulled me in tight. We kissed and kissed and kissed some more. It felt amazing. I reached down and wrapped my hands under her thighs lifting her up into a sitting position at my torso level facing me. We continued to kiss as I walked us both across the street.

  “Do you have your key?”

  She didn’t even stop kissing me. She reached into her pocket and handed it to me. We continued kissing as I felt and wiggled the keys until finally one opened the front door. We made our way to the elevator and were inside. I pressed her against the elevator wall and she let out a moan. I reached back from behind and pulled on her hair lightly. Her neck went back and she breathed out hard. I could feel her fingers digging into my back.

  “Take me now.”

  “We can’t. There are surely cameras. And I want to be responsible. Use protection.”

  “You’re right. Seven.”

  I reached my hand back and tried to let my head follow. We were still deep in passionate kisses so turning my head away was swiftly met with her grabbing my face and positioning it back in line with hers. I raised my left hand to the numbers and felt my way up the buttons. I quickly turned and looked. I had got it. My finger was on seven. I pressed.

  The elevator jerked as it took off. The jolt pushed out bodies even closer together. I wanted her now. Here. She wanted it too, but we had to be smart. I didn’t want to wind up on some TMZ style video. Especially in this small town. And more importantly I didn’t want that for her. It would be devastating for her. Not only for her career, but personally.

  The elevator came to a stop at seven. I backed us out.

  “717”

  I walked us down the hall until we arrived at her front door. I still had her keys and could quickly see which one was for front doors. As soon as the door opened we couldn’t get inside quick enough. She reached behind me and raised my shirt up over my head.

  “Wow, you are really ripped. Big and ripped. And look at those abs. I’m going to move up my laundry day to tomorrow morning just so I can feel those dreamy washboard abs.”

  “And what will you need to wash tomorrow?”

  She took my hand and slid it in between her pants and panties. She was dripping wet and the feel of her made me breathe even faster.

  There was a table just inside the door. I set her down and lifted her shirt up over her head. She had on a white bra. Her breasts filling the bra, but not spilling out. She looked sexy, but still elegant at the same time.

  She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me in closer.

  “Those wrestling moves you taught me have made my legs stronger. See how it’s working against you now?” She smirked.

  “Who says it’s working against me? Maybe I want to be trapped in your leg lock and pinned down.”

  “Something tells me you’re more of a pinner and a pinee.”

  “That something is right. I’m the –or, not the –e.”

  “So you always have to be in charge?”

  “Not always. Depends on who I’m sharing responsibilities with. But yes, usually I like to be in charge. In command. In the lead.”

  “A man who takes charge is sexy. It’s even sexier when he can let a woman lead from time to time.”

  “Taking charge is my specialty. Just like this.”

  I picked her up carried her to the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. I could see the excitement in her eyes. I reached down to her ankles and easily spun her over onto her stomach. I jumped onto the bed on top of her and pulled her hair back with my right hand while I kissed her neck. Kissing down, then up. Then working my way to her ear for a soft bite and back to her neck again. Then down her upper spine. Full of sensitive nerve endings. She was writhing in pleasure.

  I slide my right index and middle fingers into her bra unhooking it in one motion. I rubbed my hand where her bra used to be. Applying just enough pressure to feel like a massage, but this was anything but a massage. I could feel the passion in my hands pushing me harder as I slid my hand up her back. She arched her back in unison with my hands movement. Then she quickly rolled over onto her back.

  Her bra had fallen to the side and in the moonlight through the window I could see her amazing body. Her breasts were full. They matched her body perfectly. I was a big guy so I needed a girl with a little meat on her bones. If Carissa had been too thin I would have been worried about hurting her. Distracted. Carissa was just right. Even when I pressed a bit hard here and pulled a bit harder there she loved it. Her moans and screams told me so. I knew this night was going to be fun. I knew it was going to be special. I knew it was going to be the start of something that was going to last a long, long time. If I was lucky…forever.

  Chapter 19

  I rolled over and looked at the clock. 10:10. We had been up all night. Exploring each others bodies. Joking, and just generally enjoying each other’s company. It was so perfect. So complete. We connected on so many levels. Nothing was forced and it never felt like either of us was trying. We fit together naturally. Effortlessly.

  “How did you sleep?”

  “Like a log, which is rare for me.”

  “Glad to hear my bed too you prisoner.”

  “In more ways than one.”

  We smiled. Carissa leaned over and tapped my nose with her index finger.

  “Well, now that we’re awake I can think of some things that we can try.”

  “Hmmm. And what might those things be?”

  “Well…for starters…the farmer’s market.”

  I gave a confused look and she just laughed. She jumped on top of me and we picked up where we had left off.

  Just before noon I walked into the kitchen to get us two glasses of water. I returned and found her pretending to sleep. Fake snoring.

  “Very funny.”

  “You’re taking all my energy!”

  “I know the feeling. Wanted to ask you. Do you actually have a farmer’s market here?”

  “We do. They stay open until about three. Feel like giving it a look?”

  “I do, but if they’re open until three that means we still have a little more time.”

  “Oh my gosh. Time for more?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “You’re like
the Energizer rabbit. Do you ever get tired?”

  “Not when I’m with you.” I set our waters on the nightstand and literally jumped back into bed. I tickled her sides and we resumed our adventures.

  Eventually we took showers and made our way to the farmer’s market. It was amazing. It was a real farmer’s market. People had packed up their cars and brought in items from the countryside. I had already burnt off all the Italian food so was more than happy to indulge at the market. Carissa even knew a number of the vendors and introduced me.

  After the farmer’s market we spent the rest of the day walking around the various parts of the outskirts of the city. Just walking aimlessly. No particular place to be at no particular time. I could feel the stress melt away. Carissa was really perfect for me in so many ways. One of which was her ability to relax me. It felt so comfortable and good to be around her. I hadn’t even woken up with any nightmares this morning. She really had a calming effect on me.

  Before we knew it the sun had set.

  “I wish we could spend more time together, but I have to grade papers tonight and prepare my lesson plan for tomorrow.”

  “I know what you mean. I am going to introduce some new techniques at tomorrow evening’s class and I need to go over them first. A quick refresher for myself before I go and teach them.”

  “We can walk back to the car and then I can drop you off at home.”

  “The car. I almost forgot.”

  “Funny, huh? We’ve just been walking everywhere. We’ve actually walked a lot, but the conversation was so good we’re not even noticing the distance.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t even think about it. We’ve probably walked 10 miles.”

  “Actually more, I think. Can you believe it?”

  “I can’t. But I can. It seems unreal, but we’re having so much fun so it makes sense when you stop and think about it.”

  “Who said we’re having fun?”

  “You’re not?” I looked at her confused.

  She tried to be serious then let out a laugh and poked me in the side.

  “Nope, I’m not having fun. I’m having the time of my life! Beyond fun. These last 24 hours have been incredible. Thank you for such a great time.”

  “No need to thank me, but you’re welcome. We’re both having a great time. Just being goofballs. It’s perfect.”

  “Yes it is perfect.”

  Carissa took my hand and leaned against my arm as we walked. I could definitely get used to this.

  Chapter 20

  I arrived at the gym early as I always do. Normally on Monday mornings the turn out is either really big, if everyone is feeling guilty about overeating and such on the weekend, or really small, if they really overdid it and can’t get out of bed. This morning it was packed. As much as I wanted to spend more time with Carissa the night before it was good that we didn’t. She got her work done and I got rested up for what was about to be a big class.

  The class went great. After the last trainees left I headed to the back to wash my face. I heard a knock on the front door. Three strong knocks.

  “Come on in,” I yelled from the back and made my way back to the door.

  Two men in suits entered. I could see something was up. They looked serious and official.

  “Good morning, we’re looking for a Mr. Cole Callahan.”

  “That’s me. What can I do for you?”

  “Mr. Callahan, we’ve heard a lot of great things about what you’re doing here and we have to admit, we’re fans. As much as we support what you’re trying to do here, there are regulations. Regulations which are designed to protect the citizens. We checked with the public records department and unfortunately it doesn’t appear you’re currently operating within those guidelines.”

  I was shocked. Who in the heck were these guys? Who tipped them off? Why were they bothering me?

  “Um, ok. Well, please tell me what I can do to be properly regulated. I’m happy to comply.”

  “Mr. Callahan, are you licensed to teach martial arts?”

  “Not officially or anything like that.”

  “Are you currently carrying insurance for the people who train here?”

  “No, but I’m not putting them in advanced positions where they could become injured. I’m definitely putting safety first.”

  “We understand, but the laws aren’t so easy going. They’re more black and white.”

  The other gentleman then spoke. “Mr. Callahan, as we said we really appreciate what you’re doing here. We really do, but in order to continue you must be licensed, carry insurance, submit to a fire inspection, and a whole host of other regulations in order to run your business.”

  “Gentleman, I’m not one who understands a lot of red tape. I look to get things done. I’m happy to bring the fire chief out and am sure I could figure out the insurance, but this licensed instructor thing. I know nothing about that.”

  “There are courses you can take. A combination of practical and written.”

  “Is there somewhere I can go to do that this afternoon?”

  “It’s not quite that easy. You have to demonstrate proficiency over a period of time. The shortest one we know of takes 12 weeks.”

  “12 weeks? That would destroy my business.”

  They looked at me blankly.

  “Guys, I just finished multiple tours as a Navy SEAL. I don’t mean to sound tacky and bring that up in this moment, but come on. Not only was I trained in some of the best hand-to-hand combat maneuvers, but I actually had to execute them in real life. I probably shouldn’t be talking about this, but let’s just say I’ve trained with the best and I know what I’m doing here.”

  “We understand Mr. Callahan, but unfortunately our hands our tied.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “We’re not really authorized to make suggestions. We’re just here to tell you that we have to close you down until you’re in regulation.”

  “Close me down! We’re getting traction. We’ve got a lot of kids here that have seen improvement. Not just here, but it’s carried over to other parts of their life. School, personal relationships, even anger management. We can’t stop now.”

  Again, they stared blankly.

  “Come on, guys.”

  “We’re sorry, Mr. Callahan. Laws are laws. I’m sorry, but we must also tell you that if you do decide to continue operating your gym you can be subject to fines and also criminal punishment.”

  “There’s really no end to this nonsense, is there?”

  “It’s for the people’s protection.”

  “And teaching them to protect themselves both physically and mentally isn’t for their own protection, huh?”

  More blank stares.

  “We’re sorry, Mr. Callahan. Once you are licensed we welcome you to apply for the proper business permits and continue your training.”

  I looked sideways and to the right. I bit my tongue.

  “We’re sorry, but we must be going. First we must ask you to sign this stating we spoke with you today about these matters.”

  “Just go. I’m not signing anything.”

  “As you wish. We’ll note you were notified, but declined to acknowledge via signature.”

  “Seriously. Get off my property. I don’t need two government robots in my business. Beat it, now.”

  They turned and walked to their car. It reminded me of a motor pool rental. The shut their doors and drove off. My stomach dropped. Yesterday had been so perfect and now everything felt like it was crashing down. I had no idea what to do, but knew I couldn’t lose momentum with the kids. Closing down would also hurt the trust I had built. I was in a world of pain and needed a solution. Fast.

  Chapter 21

  “Good to hear from you. How’s your day?”

  I usually didn’t call Carissa when I knew she was at school. She insisted it was always nice to hear my voice, no matter the time, but I didn’t want to interrupt her at work.

  “I’m o
k, but I can’t say the same about the gym at the moment.”

  “Oh my gosh. What happened? Don’t tell me a fire.”

  “No. Nothing like that. Some inspector regulator types came by today. Said I need a permit to operate. They’re shutting me down until I’m licensed.”