The Proposal

by R. R. Banks

  "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Gabriel. Miss Cherry."

  "Goodnight, Harlan," she replied warmly. We watched as he drove away and then she turned to me. "I love that your staff isn't afraid of you."

  I looked at her quizzically.

  "Why would they be?" I asked.

  She shrugged.

  "You're extremely wealthy and powerful. Around the office people talk about you in these hushed tones – even Blake almost hyperventilated after he spoke to you. Everyone is intimidated by you. But your staff seems to love you."

  "They're like my family," I said. "Edna worked in the office when my grandfather was a few years away from retiring and then was with my father all those years. Harlan was the driver for my parents and his wife, Emma, was my housekeeper growing up. She took care of me after school and was always there for me when my parents weren’t. Now Emma and her daughter run my house."

  "That's it? That's all the staff you have?"

  She seemed surprised that my house wasn't crawling with scores of servants.

  "It's all I need," I said.

  "If they worked for your parents, why do they work for you now? I mean, your father still works and I'm sure that he needs staff at his house. Why are they with you?"

  "You know when people are making their will and they have their children go around their house with sticky notes to point out what they want? Well, that's what I did."

  Cherry's face dropped.

  "You did what?"

  "Yep. Blue sticky note. Right in the middle of Harlan's forehead." I gestured like I was putting the note into place. "Fortunately for me, Dad decided that I could go ahead and bring them with me."

  She continued to stare at me and finally I laughed.

  "I'm joking," I said. "What do you think happened? When I took over my first office, Edna worked there with my father. Because she was already familiar with the work we did there, she stayed there with me while my father went to work in one of the new offices with new staff. Like I said, Emma has been with me my whole life, so when I came back into town and bought my house, I asked my father if it would be alright if I hired the pair of them to work with me. Of course, I would help him find a new staff for his house. Everyone agreed, and they came to work for me.”

  "So… you poached them."

  "It's better than labeling them with a sticky note, right?"

  "That's true."

  The moonlight was peeking through the clouds now and it illuminated Cherry's face. The kiss earlier hung in the air between us, but neither of us said anything about it. I gestured to the house.

  "Do you want to come inside?" I asked. "The contracts are ready and there's something I want to give you."

  She eyed the door.

  "Your real house," she said, sounding impressed. "Should I be honored to be invited here?"

  "I'm not sure about honored, but I don't usually bring people here."

  I reached into my pocket and grimaced at the cold, squishy feeling of the rain and mud accumulated in there. I withdrew my now filthy keys and let us in the house.

  "Let me get us some towels. I’ll be right back."

  I rushed to the laundry room and brought back an armful of towels from the large cabinet where Emma kept the linens. I knew she wasn't going to be happy when she found the soppy, dirty mess the next day. Hopefully Harlan would give her a bit of a heads-up tonight. When I came back to the foyer, Cherry was still standing exactly where I had left her, as if she was hesitant to head any further into the house. I offered her a few towels and we both tried to dry and wipe ourselves off as best we could.

  "I'm sorry about the whole rolling around in the mud thing," she said.

  I shook my head.

  "It was fun," I said. "Not as cleansing as the detergent bubbles the other day though. Maybe we should have coordinated those incidents in reverse order."

  We exchanged a smile and my body tightened, responding to her and to the memory of that brief kiss. She handed the towels back to me and I nodded toward the study, giving her directions to it and telling her that I would meet her there. I went and dropped the towels off in the laundry room and returned to find her perched on the edge of one of the leather chairs in the study.

  "I don't want to get anything messy," she said.

  "It's fine," I said. "When we're all through with this, if you want to take a fast shower and rinse off, you can wear some of my sweats."

  She nodded, looking grateful. I sat in my chair and pulled the manila envelope containing the contract out of the drawer. I slid one copy toward her and Cherry picked it up, starting to scan it. We spent a few minutes going over it, each initialing and signing, going through every detail carefully until we reached the end. Both of us exhaled.

  "So, I guess that's done," Cherry said.

  "Do you feel good about it?" I asked. "Is there anything that you want to revise or add?"

  She shook her head.

  "No," she said. "I think everything looks good."

  "Okay. Well, remember, there is a clause for renegotiations down the road. You will have the right to bring up issues that we might not have foreseen and have them put into the contract."

  Her expression darkened slightly.

  "I don't like to think about any issues that might come up that aren't already included in there," she said. "That was a pretty extensive extenuating circumstances section."

  "I know," I said. "The lawyers seemed to be very enthusiastic about that portion. I think it was some sort of game of make-believe for them." She still looked worried and I stood up. Now would be the perfect time to give her the baby gift. "I'll be right back."

  I got the bear from the living room and brought it, along with a small box, into the study. Cherry looked up at me when I came back, and a soft smile formed on her lips.

  "What's that?" she asked.

  "I got this for the baby," I said, offering the bear to her. "I thought that since I'm going to be gone for a while and we're going to get started on the entire process when I get back, having it would help get you ready."

  "That’s so sweet," she said.

  "I also brought you this."

  She settled the bear into the chair beside her and reached for the box I held out to her.

  "What is it?"

  "Open it."

  She put the box on her lap, seeming to search for a few seconds to find a section of her pants that weren't muddy. She moved the tissue inside the box aside and her eyes lifted up to me.

  "Another bear?" she asked.

  She looked down again at the smaller, worn bear settled in the box.

  "It was mine when I was little," I said. "It went everywhere with me. I remember the first time that Brent came over to my house to spend the night and the bear was sitting on the bookshelf in my room. I had taken it off my bed but didn't want to take it all the way out of my room because I was still really attached to it. I felt really stupid about it and was worried that he was going to make fun of me for having it, and that he wasn't going to want to be my friend anymore."

  "What did he do?"

  "He picked the bear up and brought it over to where we were playing superheroes. He grabbed a bandana and wrapped it around its neck to make a cape and said that it was now Super Bear."

  Cherry laughed.

  "That's the best."

  "I packed it away when I got older but went looking for it when this all came up. I think that the baby should have it in their room."

  Cherry touched the top of the old bear's head and then set the box on the chair beside her. She stood up and stepped toward me, her eyes filled with emotion. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around me, tucking her head against my chest.

  "Thank you," she whispered.

  I held her close to me for a few moments and then she stepped back, her face tilting up to look at me. She looked so incredibly beautiful in that moment, so sweet and alluring. I couldn't resist her. I leaned down and touched my lips to hers again. She didn't pull back, but
melted into me, bringing her body even closer, deepening our kiss. I pressed my hands to the small of her back and pulled her closer, touching the tip of my tongue to her lips to gently coax them open. The touch seemed too much for her and Cherry stepped back, her cheeks red with color.

  "I think that I should go ahead and get that shower if it's still alright with you," she said.

  "Of course," I replied.

  I told her how to get to the guest bathroom, knowing there was fresh towels there, and told her I would bring a change of clothes. She nodded and walked out of the study, turning to glance back at me over her shoulder once more before disappearing down the hallway. I drew in a sharp breath. I heard her footsteps going up the stairs and I knew that it would only take her a few seconds to get to the bathroom. Images filled my mind of her closing the door and standing there uninhibited, letting each article of wet, muddy clothing drop from her fingertips onto the tiled floor before stepping into the water and allowing it to stream down her sexy body. I could picture each individual droplet touching her skin, gliding over each one of her curves. I imagined Cherry tilting her head back to wash her hair as streams of water poured over her generous breasts and down her belly to her thighs.

  I forced myself to go to my bedroom and grab a pair of sweats and socks. They wouldn't fit her, but at least they would warm, and cover, her up. Finally I followed the sound of the water to the guest bathroom. The feelings inside me were threatening to boil over and I knew that those kisses weren't enough for me. She may have ended the kiss in the study, but before she stepped back, I could feel her desire for me. I knew that she was feeling the same yearning that I was. I needed her. I had to possess her. I got to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

  “Yeah?” Cherry called out, her voice muffled by the water.

  "I have clothes for you," I said.

  My throat was tight with the desire that I felt for her and my voice came out low and mumbled.

  "I can't hear you, just come in," she called back.

  I reached for the glass doorknob and slowly opened the door. Steam had already filled the room and it enveloped me in warmth and the fresh smell of soap. I walked into the room and set the clothes down on the vanity. My eyes were locked on the frosted glass of the shower door. I could only see a hazy outline of her body as she bathed, and I was instantly grew hard knowing that she was naked only a few feet away from me. Even if I had the conviction to resist her before, I didn’t now. I didn't want to resist her. I wanted to take her into my arms and do what I should have so many years ago.

  "Gabriel? Are you there?" she asked.

  The shower door slid open a few inches as she peered out, keeping her body concealed behind the glass. It only intensified how sexy she was, as if she was waiting for me to find her, to discover the treasure waiting for me. Without bothering to respond, I crossed the bathroom and stepped up to the side of the shower. I tucked my finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to mine, capturing her mouth in another kiss. She didn't pull away this time. Instead, her lips parted softly, and I was able to sweep the tip of my tongue across the inside of her tender mouth. I kissed her for a few moments before stepping back. Not taking my eyes away from her, I grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled it off. It fell to the floor to join her pile of clothes and I heard Cherry draw in a breath. She didn't retreat into the shower, but I saw her fingers tighten around the side of the door as she continued to stare at me. I released the button at the front of my pants and lowered the zipper. Soon they too had been cast aside. I didn't want to move too fast. I didn't want to scare her or make her feel like I wasn't distinctly aware of what was about to happen. When she didn't move and didn't ask me to stop, I peeled away my underwear and kicked them out of the way. She kept her eyes focused on my chest and then stepped back into the water. It didn't seem like she was afraid or that she was trying to hide from me, so I approached the edge of the tub. I ran my fingertips along the glass, tracing the curve of her silhouette.

  A moment later her fingertip touched the glass and she repeated what I had done, tracing what she saw of me through the frosted door. Her hand flattened, her fingers stretching to spread across the glass, and I reciprocated. The size of my hand engulfed her tiny one. Finally, her hand left the glass and came around to the side of the door, taking hold of it so that she could push it slightly out of the way. I rested my hand on hers and pressed the door open enough so that I could step into the tub with her.

  Neither of us said anything. We didn't need to. No words could define this, and we certainly needed no introduction. I stepped into the water and finally let my eyes take her in. All of her. Seeing her naked in front of me allowed me to fully appreciate every sweet curve and arch of her delicious body. It was sexier now than I could have ever imagined and knowing that no one else had touched her, no one had appreciated that body the way it was meant to be, made my fingertips tingle and my cock twitch. She deserved to be worshipped.

  I combed my fingers through her wet hair and let them trail along the curve of her neck and onto her shoulder. She let out a breath as my fingertips brushed against her collarbone and then up the front of her throat and onto her lips. I felt Cherry kiss my fingertips, briefly opening her lips just enough that I could feel the warmth of her breath on them. I stepped closer and rested my other hand on the swell of her hip. I filled the space in front of her, silently begging her to touch me.

  Finally, she lifted her hand and ran it down my chest before resting both palms on it. Her hands trailed lightly down my chest and past my stomach, her fingertips tracing the ridges of the muscles as if she was attempting to memorize them. The touch of her skin against mine sent a shock through me and I bit my bottom lip, closing my eyes for a moment to bring myself back under control. This wasn't the time to rush. I had no reason to hurry. As much as I wanted her, I refused to waste even a second now that I had her in my arms. I had thought about this so many times and I was going to explore her in every way possible.

  I craved the touch of her skin. I wanted to taste her. I wanted to coax new sounds out of her. I wanted to discover what drove her wild. I wanted to lose myself in her. With any other woman it would have been easy to just act on my primitive urges and then be done. Not with her. Not with Cherry. She was finally standing in front of me, vulnerable and exposed, and I wasn't going to miss anything.

  I traced the curve of her jaw and then across her closed eyes, feeling the fluttering of her eyelashes on the pad of my thumb. She opened them and gazed at me, welcoming my touch, silently offering herself to me like she had all those years ago. I bent down and closed the drain, so the tub would fill with the water still streaming from the dual shower-heads positioned on opposite walls. It was like we were standing in the rain again as I brushed my lips across hers. They were slightly swollen from our earlier kissing and it made them even more intoxicating. Cherry tilted her head to press her mouth further into mine, seeking more of my touch. I happily obliged, crushing my mouth against hers while her lips parted beneath mine, finally letting me taste her mouth with my tongue.

  We stepped closer to one another, shattering the thin barrier that had existed been between us. Neither of us was questioning this anymore. We weren't thinking. We were acting on pure instinct. I loved what I was experiencing and knew that I needed more. Cherry arched her back slightly and I felt her body brush against mine, her breasts pressing into my chest and the apex of her thighs resting against my leg. I was already hard when I stepped into the shower with her, but I was aching with need now, my erection straining toward her. I took another step closer and felt my hard length nestle against her skin, pressing into her belly. Cherry gasped in surprise, and I met the sound with a deeper kiss. I tightened my hips to nudge harder against her, willing her into the euphoria that I was beginning to feel, urging her to give herself fully to me.

  Cherry's mouth opened slightly, and I plunged in my tongue to tangle with hers. She ran her hands back up my stomach and onto my shoulders before wra
pping them tightly around my neck. The weight of her body pulled on me and I swept one arm around her waist to hold her, stabilizing her, letting her know that she was safe.

  Cherry stepped away from me and I saw her reach for a bottle of body wash sitting on the ledge. She filled her palm with the translucent gel and rubbed her palms together to coax it into a thick lather before bringing her hands to my chest again. She ran them along my body, tenderly washing me while exploring. I felt like she was nurturing me, showing me in her own way that I was safe and cherished. When she finished, I rinsed away the suds and kissed her again.

  I lowered myself down into the water that had begun to collect in the tub, guiding her down with me with the pressure of my kiss and the touch of my hands on hers. I sat down and turned her just as she was sitting down into the water. Positioning her sitting between my legs, I guided Cherry back to lie on my chest. The position allowed the water from both of the showerheads to continue to stream down on us while keeping our heads out of it. She rested her head back against my shoulder and I kissed her cheek, then her cheekbone, then her temple. Her hands came to my thighs on either side of her and she ran them down to my knees and then back up toward my hips. Part of me was surprised by her forwardness and her apparent desire for more than just feeling my skin. But I reminded myself that these feelings were not new for her. She had been thinking of me just as I had been thinking of her. I ran my hands up her back before gripping her shoulders. Cherry arched her back, allowing my hands to slip slightly further so that they just brushed the swells of her breasts. I wanted more. My palms cupped over both breasts and kneaded into her soft flesh. I could feel her tight, hard nipples pressing into the center of each hand and I groaned at the way her body responded to me.

  Cherry rose up slightly and turned her head so that she could kiss me on the side of my neck. I felt the tip of her tongue split between her lips and run across my skin experimentally. There was an openness to everything that she was doing, but also a sense of shyness. I knew that she was unsure of what she was doing, and I wanted to carry her through it, be her guide and reassure her. I wanted her to follow her instincts and allow her body to take over, so we could follow through on what we both had been waiting so long to do.