Nina looked as innocent as possible and meekly said, “Of course, John.”
Actually, the drive was much better than John could have anticipated, even though the route they were taking was a little odd. Nina swore she got it off Mapquest and John shrugged a acceded to the directions. Although he would have much preferred flying back with Adam and Alicia, there were a number of advantages to the long drive. The main advantage was the fact that he and Nina had a lot of time to talk and she was in a talkative mood. If he asked her a question, she answered it without evasion. She even volunteered information, for which he was truly grateful. It meant she really trusted him.
“I never went back to school. High school, I mean. I finally got a GED and when I made it to California, I found ways to go to college. There’re all kinds of grants out there for low-income people, or there used to be. And since I was basically no-income, I qualified for most of them. It took about six years but I managed to get a bachelor’s degree.”
John took a quick glance at Nina who looked completely at ease and happy. She was comfortably slouched in her seat, which was partially reclined. Her bare toes were resting on the dashboard and she was sorting through CDs, trying to find music they would both enjoy since John had a low tolerance for disco. Every time he looked at her she won his heart again. She’d been so buttoned-up and repressed when he first met her and now she was sensual and free. She actually looked younger as well as happier. And John couldn’t be happier that they were together.
“Listen, chica, how about we spend the night in Salt Lake City? We’ll get a good night’s sleep and head out early in the morning.” He reached over to take her hand as he spoke.
“That sounds wonderful. Do you realize you’ve been driving for almost eleven hours? You’re going to need a good rubdown when we get to the hotel,” Nina said, squeezing his hand.
Without realizing it, John sped up when he heard those words from Nina’s lips. She laughed out loud at his eagerness. “Now who has a heavy foot? Slow down, baby, we’ll be there in a little while.”
John mumbled something in Spanish as he slowed the car down. Nina was right. In less than a half-hour they were pulling up to a four star hotel. Leaving the car with the valet, John and Nina checked into a beautiful room with an imposing king-sized bed and a Jacuzzi.
Nina looked around the room and kicked off her shoes. She pulled her lightweight cotton sweater over her head and gave John a wicked grin. “Last one in the Jacuzzi gives the first massage,” she said as she dashed into the bathroom.
Even though Nina was technically the winner, she was merciful to John because of all the driving he’d done that day. She’d started running the tub and when it was ready they slid into the pleasantly warm bubbling water and sighed in bliss, especially John who had the benefit of Nina’s clever hands kneading his back and shoulders until the stress and tension of the long day dissolved in the bubbles of the giant tub. Nina worked until John was like putty in her hands. When he was almost asleep, she coaxed him out of the tub and helped him dry off, then turned down the covers on the bed and made John lay down on his stomach.
She drew a deep breath as she looked at John’s long muscular body. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen and he was all hers. The thought gave her a sweet shiver of anticipation and her body, always ready for John, began to blossom in expectation of fulfillment. She took out her tube of baby oil and rubbed some between her palms before applying it to his thigh. Kneeling beside him on the bed, Nina rubbed his legs from the soles of his feet up to the top of his thigh, caressing his buttocks every time she reached that area. She finally made him turn over on his back to complete the massage and smile when he moaned his satisfaction.
“No more, querida, or I’ll never be able to walk again. I feel so good right now, I feel like I’m floating. You’re too good to me, Nina,” he murmured. His eyes could barely stay open. “Come here, baby, I need to feel you,” he whispered.
Nina obliged him by removing her towel and lying down next to him, breathing deeply as he wound his arms around her and entwined their legs so they were as close as possible. “Your turn next,” he promised as his breathing deepened and he fell asleep in her arms.
“I’ll hold you to it, my love.” Nina yawned once and followed John into a deep and restful sleep.
***
The next day Nina couldn’t stop smiling. She was, in fact, giggling like a newlywed. Every time she looked at John, she’d blush uncontrollably and bite her lower lip. It was her turn to drive and it was just as well, it gave her something to think about other than the way John woke her up that morning. He’d more than made good on his promise to make up for falling asleep. He’d taken them to yet another level of fulfillment.
Nin had been sleeping soundly, dreaming about John, which happened a lot these days. It seemed like another nocturnal fantasy at first, a wonderfully erotic one with him touching her body, stroking her breasts and following the touch of his hands with the caress of his lips. His tongue cherished each nipple, making them swell and throb in response to the tender torture. His hot lips trailed down her torso, lighting a fire that only he could extinguish. When he reached the apex of her thighs he massaged her mound, coaxing her legs apart to allow him access to the heart of her femininity, the center of her womanhood.
Nina grew hot all over as she relived the exact moment she realized it wasn’t a dream. A sweet shock resonated through her body, followed by another, then another and another as John’s loving mouth worked its magic. Just when Nina thought she was going to lose all consciousness John gave her a final hot caress before working his way back up her body. He was already wearing a condom and he slid into her yearning warmth and proceeded to bring her even more exquisite sensations. Their hand clasped together over her head and she met his every demand, their bodies moving in an urgent dance born of their love and need for each other. When the moist heart from her body and her moans of delight told him it was almost time to finish he whispered to her, “Good morning, baby. I told you I’d make up for last night.” The sound of his deep voice, deeper from his passion for her, sent her spiraling off into a pulsing, explosive climax that went on and on until she moaned his name without stopping.
Even now she could feel the aftermath of their loving. Tiny sensual seismic-like shocks echoed through her body as a reminder of just how good it was. She dared to take a peek at John and frowned when she saw the way he was looking at her. “Stop it,” she said crossly. “Do you want me to drive into a ditch or something? You’d better leave me alone if you want to get to Denver in one piece.”
John laughed gently and reached over to squeeze her thigh. “Take the next exit, baby. I’ll drive the rest of the way. You seem a little distracted, chica.”
Nina stuck her tongue out in his direction and changed the CD to punish him. Gloria Gaynor’s voice came booming out of the speakers and Nina joined in. “I Am What I Am” was loud and joyous and sure to drive John crazy, or at least she hoped it would. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. She took the next exit and pulled into a gas station to fill up the car. While John was pumping the gas, she used the facilities, bought a couple of bottles of icy cold water, and cleaned the already immaculate interior of the car. Nina had already forgotten her little musical tantrum, but John hadn’t. As soon as they were buckled into their seats and back on the expressway, John asked the question she’d been dreading.
“So why aren’t you singing professionally, Nina?”
In the past that question would have put her into a sullen silence, but she was surprised to realize she didn’t mind answering it this time. “There are a lot of reasons, John. First of all, I never thought my voice was all that great, to be honest. And even if I did, singing professionally was the last thing on earth I’d have pursued. I saw what it was like for my mother and that was enough for me. I didn’t want any part of it.
“She was away from home a lot. She never got to spend as much time with us as she wanted to. And
it wasn’t a question of her just not going on tour or not going to the studio, she had to make money; she had to keep a roof over our heads. Like I said, she was our only parent. I really don’t know what happened to my father. And there were the other members of the group to worry about, too; it wasn’t like my mother could just do what she wanted to just because she was the lead singer,” Nina said thoughtfully.
“It was a hard life, at least it was for her. We loved it when she was home. We would hug her and kiss her and we’d all pile in the bed to sleep with her that first night. We missed her so much when she was gone, my brothers and I,” Nina said looking out the window of the car until the lump in her throat subsided.
She looked at John with the first real sadness he’d seen in a few days. “I never wanted to have that life, John. It wasn’t glamorous and exciting to me, it was torture because it took my mommy away from my brothers and me. It was never anything I wanted.”
She turned back to him with a wry smile. “Of course, considering some of the jobs I did have, working was a singer would have been a nice change of pace.”
John couldn’t stop the next question, although he feared the answer. “What kind of things did you do, Nina?”
“I washed a lot of dishes, mainly because they weren’t fussy about identification, they’d usually pay cash and you got to eat for free. One thing I figured out early on was the dirtier the job, the less questions people asked. I was tall and skinny and I looked older than I was, so everybody took me at my word. I worked a lot of car washes, because the pay is crap and everybody hated doing it, so there’s always a job open. I picked crops, I worked in a meat-packing plant for a while, I did farm work, I did a little bit of everything, including petty theft and shoplifting.”
She reached for her bottle of water in the built-in holder and took a long swallow of the now tepid contents. “It was a rough life, John. I’m not even going to front. It was hard,” she said quietly.
“Baby, didn’t you ever try to find your family? Your brothers, didn’t you ever try to track them down?”
“Yes, I did for a while, when I was kind of settled and I had time to do that kind of thing. When you’re living on the streets you’re pretty much concerned with the everyday stuff. Keeping clean enough to get a job, keeping away from the police, trying not to get raped, not get robbed, not get ringworm or lice or crabs. It’s a pretty full agenda. It doesn’t allow you a lot of time for research,” she said dryly.
John was appalled. He couldn’t stand the thought of his Nina having to live like that. She should have had a life of comfort and security with a family who loved her and treasured her. That she’d survived at all was a miracle, and in his opinion she’d done more than just survive. She was an intelligent, elegant and lovely woman who could hold her own with anyone in the world and it was all her own doing because she essentially raised herself. Hearing her story was humbling, to say the very least. He wanted to say this to Nina, but knew without being told she would hate hearing the words. She’d think they were just drippy sympathy. He made a vow then and there that every day of the rest of Nina’s life would be wonderful. She was more deserving of happiness than anyone he knew and he was going to see to it she had everything she’d ever missed out on.
***
After spending the night in Denver, Nina and John got on the road extra early. They drove straight through to Missouri, which would be their last stop before heading to Michigan. When they stopped for dinner, John looked around the restaurant Nina had selected with interest. It was near downtown St. Louis, and the neon sign boasted the best BBQ in the state. It wasn’t a fancy place; it was more of a diner. It was immaculately clean, with black and white tile flooring and black vinyl in the booths that lined the long front window and on the stools along the front counter. The part of town it was in was commercial, more industrial than anything else. The restaurant, which was named Big Al’s, occupied one corner. Directly across the street was a strip club and there was a carwash on the other corner, along with a convenience store. Not the worst area in the world, but hardly genteel. Their waitress came over and while John was looking at the menu, Nina placed an order.
“I’d like a grilled chicken breast without the skin and a green salad with no dressing. And some low-fat cottage cheese. Can you do that for me, dear?” Nina spoke in a perfectly pleasant tone of voice, but the woman expressed doubt.
“I don’t think we have that, miss.”
“Could you check for me, please?” Nina asked sweetly.
The woman glanced at the kitchen and took a deep breath before going in that direction. She was back in what seemed like seconds. “We don’t have any of that,” she reported grimly. “Only what’s on the menu. Care to order, sir?”
John obligingly ordered a cheeseburger with the works, but Nina seemed determined to get her way because she placed another order, this time for a duck salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Their waitress now looked really put out and told Nina again that only menu items were available.
“Well, perhaps the chef would like to tell me that himself,” she said silkily. The waitress raised her eyebrows and put her pencil behind her ear. “Okay, ma’am, I’ll send him right out,” she huffed, and stomped away mumbling.
“Nina, what are you doing? This doesn’t look like the kind of place that can supply that kind of food and what it does supply looks pretty good,” John said, totally puzzled by her behavior. The place had an appetizing aroma rolling through it and there were plenty of people eating who seemed to be enjoying every bite, so John didn’t understand why she was doing this.
Just then a large, angry black man wearing white pants and a white T-shirt with a chef’s apron on came barreling over to their table with a look of death on his face. “Look, y’all ain’t got to eat here, but when you are here, you got to eat what I cook. If you don’t like it, hit the road damn it,” he roared.
Nina looked up at him with a smile. “I see someone’s disposition hasn’t improved,” she said calmly. “It’s nice to see some things don’t change.”
The man’s face went from enraged to enraptured as he recognized Nina. “Birdie, is that you? Get out of that seat, girl, and let me look at you!”
His words weren’t necessary, as Nina had already scrambled out of the booth and wrapped her arms around the big man’s waist. He hugged her so hard that John feared he’d break her in half. When things calmed down, Nina returned to her seat and the man, Big Al, who was the owner of the place, sat down next to her.
Nina introduced John as her fiancé, blushing happily as she realized this was the first time she’d said the words to anyone. “John, Big Al took me in when I was sixteen and if it wasn’t for him I’d probably be dead now,” she said matter-of-factly . “He gave me a job and a place to live and made sure I got my GED. I owe a lot to him that I could never repay.” She was beaming at Big Al and rubbing his arm when he spoke. The big man looked pleased by her words, but terribly embarrassed.
“Just seeing you all grown up and about to be married is thanks enough. You turned out real nice, Birdie, real nice. I knew you had it in you,” he told her, the pride in his voice unmistakable.
“How did you two meet?” John asked. “And how did she get the name Birdie? It’s very cute, Nina, but you never told me you had a nickname.”
Nina made a sound of disgust and opened her mouth but before she could say a word, Big Al was happy to tell John where the moniker originated. “I called her Birdie because of those little bird legs of hers. Skinniest child I ever saw in my life,” he added. “And we met when she brought them little bird legs into the gentleman’s ballet there,” he nodded at the strip club, “thinking she could be a dancer.”
He looked at Nina and they both burst out laughing. “If that G-string had stayed on, I might have made it,” Nina laughed. “I was a good dancer.”
“Yeah, but not a pole dancer, Birdie. Those men don’t care how good you dance, they just wanna see…well, you didn�
�t have what they wanted to see.”
Nina took pity on John who was looking from one to the other with a stupefied expression on his face. “I was working in that car wash over there, which is a miserable place to be in the dead of winter. I’d heard how much money the dancers made at the club so I decided to give it a try. Let’s just say it was the worst audition in the history of exotic dancing and leave it at that. Big Al owns that place, too, by the way. Anyway, he took one look at me, standing there looking like an idiot and he threw a coat over me, picked me up under one arm and brought me over here. He gave me a job, taught me how to cook and let me stay with him in his daughter’s bedroom. She was away at college at the time.” Nina turned to Al and asked how she was doing.
“Real good. She has her master’s degree in electrical engineering and she works for Lockheed Martin in Atlanta. She and her husband will be here for Christmas.”
They stayed and talked to Big Al for a long time while eating his superbly prepared burgers and fries. Nina hated to leave, but she and John had a schedule to keep. They were going to spend the night in St. Louis and be driving to Ann Arbor the next day. “Yes, I will definitely invite you to the wedding, whenever it is. And I promise to stay in touch. I’ve missed you over the years,” she told the older man.
“And I missed you too, Birdie.” Turning to John, he said, “I don’t think I have to tell you to take care of her. She’s a very special woman and she deserves the best.”
“I plan to give it to her, sir.”
“You better or you’ll have me to answer to.” The look on his face gave John no doubt but that the man meant every word. Big Al had no way of knowing it, but John meant every word, too.
John teased Nina as they drove away, calling her his little Birdie. “How long were you with Big Al, Nina? He obviously cared a great deal about you. Why did you leave him?
A Fool for You (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 7) Page 20
