by Jessie Cooke
“That I did,” he smiled. He enveloped her in a tight squeeze, and when they parted, Bella held him at arms’ length to take in the new sight again.
“I knew you were handsome, but damn!” she winked at him.
“Like it, eh?” he replied.
Then they stood awkwardly, the weeks of surface conversation and dutiful questions about daily life swirled into a soupy silence around them, and Bella found herself unsure of what to do. More disconcerting than that, she was unsure of how to feel.
“Come in and let me show you around,” Luke said finally. “It’ll take two whole minutes.”
He ushered her into the studio apartment decorated in blues and grays with lots of steel and slate. Everything was exactly as it had been in Fort Worth only with more modern fixtures thanks to the newness of the apartment complex.
“It’s exactly what I imagined you to be living in,” Bella smiled.
“Well, it was a little more expensive than a few other places, but I really like the clubhouse and the exercise and weight room. I’ve met a lot of people, mostly guys my age, so that’s been great. I’m hoping that sooner or later something will come of all this networking.”
“I hope so, too,” Bella said, “though it seems you’re doing okay. Aren’t you?”
Luke smiled easily. “I am. Surprisingly enough, I am.”
“You are so relaxed and—I don’t know—easy. Perhaps moving to Dallas was just what you needed.”
“I do feel great here. Life seems to be going well in spite of the curve balls you have thrown me, little missy.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her to him. “But I like your curves,” he smiled and kissed her gently on the lips. Try as she might, however, she couldn’t feel the sizzle and spark that she had once felt with Luke, which left Bella feeling nothing but let down.
“Ready for some lunch?” Luke asked.
“I’m starving,” she said.
“Great! I know a good place we can eat outside. How does that sound?”
“Lead the way!”
They ended up at the City Park Café, a table in the warm sun with a view of passersby giving them plenty of opportunity to people-watch, which was good for Bella. She couldn’t shake this peculiar, unfamiliar feeling she was having with Luke. At least with so many people coming and going, she could make up something easy to talk about.
“Don’t you love to watch people and just guess their stories?” Bella asked as a pair of punk-rock teenagers with hair cemented into spikes tall enough to be considered lethal weapons walked by.
Luke nodded towards them, their dog collars gleaming in the sun in contrast to the black leather and black lipstick they both wore. “What’s his story?” Luke asked playing along.
“My guess is his dad’s a pastor of some church somewhere. What we see is the midst of his rebellion. He’s worked his way up to this, and it’s as full-blown as it’s going to get. He’s done his fair share of drinking and he’s been around the drug scene, but he’s smart enough not to let his rebellion take him down a pathway too destructive. Within a year, he’ll be wearing his Abercrombie and Fitch again, signing up to spend his summer in Costa Rica taking free dental supplies and bookbags to kids there. He’ll mend his relationship with his father, and most likely become a missionary because he’ll fall in love with the people in Costa Rica.”
Luke sat back, impressed. “Nice detail,” he said. “What about her?” He pointed to a small lady decked out in yoga pants, her mat slung across her back. She was walking at a clipped speed with an intent look on her face.
“She’s nothing but a barista in a coffee shop, but she sees herself as someone much more important than she is. She has no real friends because no one can stand her ego. She’s got a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a Master’s degree in Victorian Literature, and yet she feels she is smarter than she actually is. She does yoga because she finds so much stress at work.”
“Finds stress?”
“Yeah. Like, she creates problems for herself by believing the customers are out to get her, and though she doesn’t own the coffee shop, she asserts herself into meetings and conversations with the owner and manager as if she did own it. Anything that happens at the shop, she takes personally. She’s lonely. She’s little. And she’s going to have a heart attack while she’s in tree pose because she can’t stop herself from thinking about how everyone around her is doing it all wrong. Everyone but her.”
Luke laughed as the waiter set their food in front of them. “I can’t believe you do this. Why didn’t I know more about this?”
“I don’t know. It was something my dad and I used to do sometimes when we were waiting on my mom at the mall or wherever we were. It passed the time. I’ve just kinda carried it with me.”
As her eyes swept across the passersby in the area, she honed in on a seemingly familiar form across the street. The form was jogging and pushing a jogging stroller with what Bella could only assume was a warmly bundled baby underneath all the blankets she could see.
“Is that Reece?” she asked mostly to herself.
“Where?” Luke asked, and she pointed to the running form. “I think it is,” he answered.
But she knew it was already by the way her heart fluttered at the sight. Before she realized what she was doing, she heard herself calling out his name. Somehow amidst the noise of crowd and traffic, Reece heard her, and she watched as he stopped running and tried to zero in on where the sound was originating. She waved her hands.
“Reece! Over here!”
Then he saw her, waved, and put up a finger. He changed his route and crossed the street, pushing the stroller up to the sidewalk where Luke and Bella sat.
“Hi,” he greeted them.
“Hey, Hayley,” Bella said, looking straight at the baby, unable to meet Reece’s eyes. Now that she’d called him over, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with him. “She’s grown,” Bella remarked.
“Like a weed,” Reece said. He nodded at Luke, but no friendly greetings were exchanged. “Come to the big city for a little romance?” Reece questioned.
Bella looked up suddenly, a questioning look on her face. Reece pointed to her and then to Luke in response to her confusion. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “Just got here, and we decided to lunch. Looks like you’ve been working out.”
Luke cleared his throat.
“Jogging, mountain biking, played a little tennis,” Reece began.
“Wow, and all with a new baby,” Luke inserted bitterly. “However do you do it?”
“Well, you’d be surprised,” Reece said flatly. “When you really want something, you’ll find a way to make it all happen.”
“Looks like you’re definitely doing that,” Bella agreed.
“How’s Nicky?” Luke asked suddenly.
“She’s fine as far as I know,” Reece shot back quickly. “You know, we aren’t ‘together’ anymore. Haven’t been for a while.” The sun hit his eyes making them look like sweet caramel, and Bella knew he was reminding her of his offer and the fact that time waited for no one.
Quickly, she lowered her gaze and smoothed the linen napkin in her lap. “Please tell her I said ‘hello’,” she said.
Then, as had become customary any time she was within the vicinity of Reece, his phone chirped. He checked it, texted something back, and then slid it back into the compartment of the stroller.
“Well, I’m off,” he said. “Good to see you.” But he was looking only at Bella when he said it.
“You too,” Bella answered watching Reece jog off with Hayley, his buttocks nicely defined in the running shorts he wore.
“You could take a picture,” Luke said after a bit.
“What?”
“You could take a picture. Then it’d last longer.”
Bella looked to see his hazel eyes clouded and his jaw clenched.
“I was just thinking, that’s all,” she lied.
Luke grunted. “Thinking. That’s what you cal
l it nowadays,” he said.
“Luke?” a voice came from behind Bella, and she turned to see a handsome dark-haired man in a purple striped dress shirt.
“Andrew! Hi. What are you doing here?” Luke said, his eyes wide. He stood to greet him, but they didn’t shake hands. Instead they grabbed each other by the elbows and leaned in for a European-style air-kiss towards each other’s cheeks.
Bella felt her own eyes widen.
“I was just in the neighborhood, dropping in for a bite to go back to the office,” Andrew answered. He turned, saw Bella, and stuck his hand out into her face. “Hi. I’m Andrew, and you are?”
Luke intervened. “This is Bella. Bella, this is a friend of mine, Andrew.”
Andrew shot Luke a glance. “Well, you’ve called me a lot worse,” he said to the side before shaking Bella’s hand and saying it was nice to meet her. She mumbled something along the same lines, but Andrew had already turned back to Luke. “I have to run, but I’m betting I’ll see you later on this week. What nights are you working?”
Luke’s eyes slid to Bella before he put his arm on Andrew’s back and began steering him towards the counter. He must have said something amusing because she heard Andrew’s laugh boom across the restaurant. Obviously, there was something about this little encounter that had made Luke uncomfortable, and he had wanted Andrew and Bella on opposite ends of the establishment as quickly as possible.
Bella was feeling her appetite dissolving when he returned and took his place across from her without any explanation.
“Andrew. Is that the guy that was texting you about a potential job?” she asked, recalling a morning in Fort Worth when an Andrew had been sending Luke copious text messages.
“Andrew? Job?” Luke looked confused as he tried to recall. “I, um, I don’t think so. He’s in IT. Don’t think I’m savvy enough with computers for his line of work. Don’t think he knows many people in design either. Nah. Must have been someone else.”
“How do you know him?” she asked.
“We went to high school together. Go way back,” he answered.
Bella’s stomach dropped to her feet, and she sat staring queasily at the salad that taunted her from the table. Luke was lying. Luke was hiding something. But what? And why?
The doors to the tri-level house on Fountain Way in South Padre Island opened to the sound of laughter, and the entire house sighed with the new signs of life and love that entered. Nicky ran through the house oohing and ahhing at every detail, unwilling to indicate the fact that she was already familiar with the place. As soon as they’d pulled into the circular drive, she recognized this as the house that Bella was decorating for some unknown client that had hired her firm. No one needed to know that Nicky had accompanied Bella secretly on that trip. Sometimes, secrets could come in handy later on in life.
Nicky felt strong arms wrap around her from behind, and she didn’t know if it was the smell of the salt air or the fact that they were finally here and alone that had induced the bulge she felt against her back, but she had every intention of taking every advantage of the situation.
She turned and offered her lips in a kiss. “I know I’ve been preoccupied lately with Hayley Jo and all. I haven’t given you the attention you need,” she leaned in, unzipped his pants, and ran her hand down the length of him, determined to waste no time. “But now you have my undivided attention,” she said.
She tugged on him gently and began walking towards the bedroom. Shrugging off her cardigan, she put her hands on his rock hard chest and shoved him onto the bed, his erection tenting the unzipped pants.
“Get those pants off,” she pointed as she slipped her shoes off her heels and stepped out of her skirt. She lunged herself onto the bed beside him, unbuttoned his shirt, and bent to lick him from belly button to midchest. His hands were under her shirt, sweeping the fabric that held her engorged breasts captive, and he reached around and freed them, rubbing his thumbs across her nipples. She stopped long enough to remove the shirt, and then she tossed herself onto her back. Immediately, he moved towards her to suckle her nipple, and she felt it grow hard and tense in his mouth. His tongue curved against it, and she pulled her fingers through his hair and up towards her.
“Kiss me,” she commanded, and she felt him slide up her body, his hard length tantalizing and sizzling the skin of her hip where it touched.
His mouth covered hers, hot and wet. She opened her lips in invitation and was granted the pleasure of his tongue. She sucked it deep in response and spread her legs below him, hoping to recreate the kiss somewhere better. She ran her hands down to cradle him, and she heard his breath catch with her touch. Encouraged, she reached low with one hand while she gently stroked the top with the other.
“It has been way too long,” she growled. “We’ve been so patient,” she said.
“I can’t be patient much longer,” he responded, and she felt him throb against her hand. Removing her lower hand, she entwined her fingers into dark hair and pulled his mouth down to hers again, thrusting her tongue in with needful hunger beginning a rhythm of kisses that she wanted him to match stroke for stroke.
He received her message and used his tongue to stroke circles inside her mouth. She tilted towards him so they lay on one side, and she cocked her leg up and guided him inside of her, one leg propped up on his hip as she moved in circular motion. His hands moved all over: to her hip, to her hair, to her breast to her buttock until finally every part of her had been touched except for the part he truly wanted. He pulled her underneath him and aligned their hips. His tongue brushed her erect nipples once more as he found his rhythm again and slid himself in and out, probing every inch of her that was parched and thirsting for him.
Nicky felt the wave building, and she sunk her fingers into the flesh on his shoulders. Her breaths had noise now, and they sounded in sync with the pushes and thrusts that finally brought her into the wave as it crashed inside her body, the tides rippling out from deep within. Two pulses later, he had joined her, and he lay still upon her shores as the tides licked at each of them.
Nicky realized she had drifted off to sleep when she heard the phone ringing softly within her bag. She righted herself and reached for it as quickly as she could.
“Let it go to voicemail.”
“It could be about Hayley,” she answered. Finally finding the phone, she hit the central button and lifted it to her ear. “Hello? Oh, hi Reece,” she answered as she threw her head back onto the pillow.
At the mention of one name, the bed shifted, and Nicky turned to see the naked form of her lover walking out of the room.
55
“Rita Turner is on line one, Ms. Ryan,” the voice came through the phone speaker on Bella’s desk.
Bella Ryan always felt herself panic slightly at the mention of Rita Turner’s name; it had simply become habit from working for such a dominating force at Dreamscapes Interior Design. Bella had come up quickly under the tutelage and guidance of Rita Turner, owner and chief designer of the firm, and Rita had thought enough of Bella to place her here in the Fort Worth office of Dreamscapes to run the smaller branch of their larger Dallas office.
Bella cleared her throat just before picking up the receiver and punching the button with the flashing icon indicating the held call.
“Ms. Turner! It’s good hear from you,” Bella greeted.
“How many times do I have to remind you to call me ‘Rita’?” came the response. “This ‘Ms. Turner’ shit makes me feel old, Bella, and I don’t like feeling old.”
“Habits die hard,” Bella responded, carefully avoiding the word ‘old’ in the common adage. “But anyway, it is nice to speak with you, Rita. How is everything in Dallas?”
“Finally a bit less chaotic,” she replied. “Which is why I’m calling.”
“What’s wrong? Bored and ready to steal some of our clients to satisfy your need to work at break-neck speeds?” Bella joked.
“Hardly. I’m ready for a holiday, a litt
le vacation, and I think that Fort Worth can more easily operate without you than Dallas, in the meantime. I’m hoping you can come oversee a few projects here while I’m gone.”
Bella’s eyes widened though Rita couldn’t see them. She found herself flattered and faltering at the offer. “I, uh, well, but of course,” she finally stammered. “I’m honored that you would ask.”
“Don’t flatter yourself too much,” Rita responded. “It’s not as glamorous a gig as it sounds. I’ll be telling the clients I’m working with, that you’ll be available in my stead. They expect you to be at their beck and call twenty-four-seven, Bella, so you may want to think about staying in Dallas for the duration.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I’m only taking a week. That’s the only time I’ll afford myself. No real rest for the truly wicked, you know.”
“I don’t think I could handle your shoes for much longer than that anyway,” Bella laughed.
“I’ll have Stacey email all my present clients and copy you. I’ll also have her email you the dates and my travel arrangements to keep you in the loop. You know I’ll want to hear from you at least twice while I’m gone.”
“Sure,” Bella agreed.
“Get ready, girl. I don’t know what size your feet are, but my shoes are big, and I only wear stilettos.”
Bella laughed. “I’ll do my best,” she promised.
“I know you will,” Rita remarked just before she disconnected.
Later that night, Christo Drake squealed with excitement over the phone when he heard that his best friend would be back in the Dallas area for a week.
“We can do all the things we used to do together,” he suggested. “Back before you moved to Fort Worth to be a big shot and I got married and became a housewife.”
Bella laughed. “All those things. Let’s see, that would include watching chick flicks, drinking a lot of wine, eating ice cream, oh and reading the latest best sellers. Yeah, we lived some wild and crazy times together.”
