PeakExperience

by Rachel Kenley

  He wasn’t a morning person, or so he’d been told by previous roommates and bedmates. Before coffee and his run, he was probably barely human. Their relationship was too new for her to see him in that zombie state. He didn’t want to scare her.

  Not that she rattled easily, at least not since their first morning. There was so much passion behind her buttoned-up exterior. He loved feeling her come alive with desire. He was fairly certain she had no idea how erotic she was, but he was having a very good time showing her.

  On his second lap around the campgrounds he chose a different route, this time passing through the wooded area where the boys’ bunks were nestled. The summers he spent here were all great, but none like the one when Lena unexpectedly arrived. Photography became and stayed an important part of his life, and it was possible Lena would too. He increased the pace for the last part of his run, wanting to get back to the Grand House to see her. There was never someone waiting for him before.

  She wasn’t waiting for him. Her note said she’d see him at lunchtime. Her car was still in the drive, but he couldn’t find her. He considered checking for her at the art cabin, but decided maybe she needed time alone. Neither of them were too keen on the idea of forced company. Lunch would be soon enough. He jumped in the shower and put on comfortable clothes. Grabbing a notebook and sketch pad along with a fresh cup of coffee, he made himself comfortable at a table in the living room and started playing with images and ideas.

  He got so involved in his work he didn’t notice the time until he heard someone making noise in the kitchen. Pushing away from the table, he stretched his legs, stiff from sitting in one position for a long time, and headed toward the sounds.

  “Good morning,” Lena said as he walked in. “Or I suppose I should say good afternoon, since it’s nearly twelve thirty.”

  Daniel automatically looked at his watch. “So it is. Have you had a busy morning?”

  “I have, you?”

  “Yes, and hopefully productive.”

  “I suppose we should compare notes this afternoon,” she said.

  He watched her work, more relaxed than he expected. Still, he asked, “Do you really cut yourself off from civilization when you visit?”

  “No, not entirely. I have my cell phone, and there’s a library two towns over with internet access. I go over there every other day, check out a new DVD or a few CDs, have lunch at one of the cafés, and bring home Chinese takeout for dinner unless I have leftovers from Mrs. Pierce.”

  “Mrs. Pierce? Is that a restaurant?”

  Lena laughed. “Sort of. She and her husband are our neighbors across the road. I’ve known them my whole life. She’s like another grandmother to me, and she tends to check in and take care of me when I’m here. I assume we haven’t seen her yet because I’m here unexpectedly and she hasn’t noticed my car. Her cooking is amazing and there is always plenty of it.”

  “So,” he said, adding a pause for dramatic effect. “What have you been doing today?”

  She shrugged. “Just working. Going through stuff I left here to see if anything works for our campaign. Nothing big. Any new insights on your side?”

  Whatever she’d been doing Daniel was pretty sure “nothing” didn’t describe it, but he was equally certain she wasn’t going to give him details. He could be patient. Proximity made for opportunities, and he planned on taking advantage of every one of them.

  They spent the rest of the day looking at what they had and being ruthless about their ideas. If they didn’t both love it, it was tossed. Occasionally she was able to successfully defend an idea or he was, but for the most part, if they didn’t agree, the plan went into the junk folder. As artists they knew not to throw anything away that could be used in the future, but it was discarded for this pitch.

  “I’m cooked,” she said finally. Her head hurt from thinking and running her hands through her hair. “Everything we look at either makes me groan or makes me laugh.”

  “Or both.”

  “Which is not the response we’re looking to get from the client.”

  “Agreed,” he said.

  “If you don’t mind, I’m going upstairs to sleep.”

  “Not a problem. I’m going to channel surf for a bit to unwind.”

  “Lucky for you we have cable or you’d be surfing through about three channels. Good night.”

  As she crawled into bed, Lena thought about the man downstairs. Now that she’d started to relax, she enjoyed her time with him, in and out of bed. And that was saying something. Still, she told herself, it was a short-term thing, both his employment with Crane and Fulton and in her bed, which was how she wanted it.

  Somehow, she didn’t find that as reassuring as she thought she would.

  * * * * *

  The next day dawned cloudy and drizzling. As much as Daniel would have liked to join her when she went to sleep, he didn’t want to push. Keeping things from going too far too fast was challenging enough considering they started out in bed on the first night here and they needed to spend a lot of time together when they were awake.

  Once again, they worked this morning in their separate locations, however the late night and the rainy chill made him decide to rest in his room with a book after about an hour. He didn’t know how much time passed when a banging startled him. He opened his door to see Lena in the hall.

  “Did you hear something?” he asked.

  “Yes, sounded like it came from the kitchen.”

  “Must have been pretty loud since it woke me.” She gave him a quizzical look. “Late night, early morning. I started reading and fell asleep.” Another bang.

  “If the sound is making it all the way to us on the second floor the person down there is not trying to be quiet. That’s a good sign, right?” Lena asked.

  They waited and heard more banging. “I think so,” he said. “I hope so. I’ll go and check.”

  “We’ll go and check.” They padded softly downstairs. “It’s definitely coming from the kitchen,” Lena said as they got to the dining area and another sound greeted them.

  “And it smells really good, so I’m pretty certain this is not a hostile invasion.”

  Lena visibly relaxed then smiled. “Come with me. There’s someone I want you to meet.” She led him into the kitchen. “Mrs. Pierce!” Lena opened her arms and a short, slender woman turned around with a huge smile on her face.

  “My sweet Thumbelina! It is wonderful to see you.” The woman wrapped Lena in a hug so tight Daniel thought Lena might not be able to breathe. “We expected you later in the spring. I was away until this morning with friends. When I saw your little red car I was thrilled. You should have come over to say hello and let us know you’d arrived, naughty girl.”

  If Mrs. Pierce could get away with calling Lena “Thumbelina” and “naughty girl” in the same conversation, she must be someone very special. He took in the other woman who looked old enough to be Lena’s grandmother. Her face was etched in wrinkles, which clearly came from smiling and laughing.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pierce. This was an unexpected visit. And it’s going to be short one since we’ve got to get back to the city as soon as possible.”

  “You’re working too hard again, aren’t you?”

  “No,” she said.

  “Yes,” Daniel said at the same time.

  “I’m inclined to believe the handsome man,” Mrs. Pierce said. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Daniel Royer.”

  “Daniel, this is our neighbor Rebecca Pierce. Mrs. Pierce, Daniel is an artist, and we’re working together on a project.”

  “A project? Is that what you people are calling it these days?”

  Daniel liked watching Lena blush to the roots of her hair.

  “We’ve got a big possible client and Daniel is working with me to create something magical.”

  “Everyone needs a little magic,” Mrs. Pierce said, clearly still not talking about Lena’s work.

  “Well, we need a miracle bec
ause what we’ve come up with so far hasn’t been right. We’ve been working some long hours.”

  “And have you been eating properly? That helps, you know.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Which is where I can help. I don’t know if you know this or not, Daniel, but our Lena isn’t much of a cook.”

  “She suggested as much to me when we arrived,” he said, proud of himself for keeping a straight face.

  “Well, it’s true. The first time she came here for vacation, her momma called and asked me to check on her. Mr. Pierce and I live right across the road, and we’ve been friends with the Crane family going all the way back to when her dad was a little one. Anyway, I came over with warm apple cobbler and what did I find?”

  “I can’t imagine,” Daniel said, knowing the question was rhetorical.

  “This one,” Mrs. Pierce gestured with her chin to Lena, “living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Chinese food.”

  “I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” Lena said defensively.

  “Of course, but that doesn’t make them a good, steady diet. I make a point of coming over a few times while she’s visiting to leave food in her refrigerator, and she has dinner with me and Martin at least once. In fact, since you’re not staying long, I’ll be expecting both of you tomorrow night.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Pierce, that isn’t necessary,” Lena said.

  “But we’d love to,” Daniel said, jumping in before Lena could protest. He was curious about this woman who knew Lena so well.

  “Good. There will be a roast with all the necessary sides and I expect you to bring your appetites.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Daniel said sincerely.

  Mrs. Pierce started out of the kitchen and patted Daniel on the cheek. “Such a polite boy. I’ve left soup heating on the stove and turkey sandwiches in the fridge. See you kids Friday.”

  She waved as she left and a moment later they heard the front door close.

  “Where is my head? I should have known she’d stop by.” Lena sat on a stool and placed her head in her hands.

  “She’s hard to forget. What a little whirlwind she is.”

  Lena looked at him. “I hope you don’t mind or feel bullied into having dinner over there.”

  “Are you kidding? The smell of that soup is making me insane. We’d be crazy to turn down an entire meal cooked by her.”

  “She’ll pry into every corner of your life before the night is over and you’ll answer her without realizing it.”

  “Well, my mom was especially good at that, so I can hold my own.”

  “I hope so. There’s not an answer Mrs. Pierce won’t get out of you if she wants it.”

  That was fine with Daniel. As long as he got a few more answers about how to get closer to Lena.

  Chapter Eight

  On the beginning of their third day, Lena pulled on socks to ward off the chill of the floors and padded down to the kitchen. She was getting used to Daniel making coffee for them in the morning. It was hard to believe how he had slid past all her defenses. She didn’t want to lie to herself. He mattered to her.

  Talking and working with him was as wonderful as making love. She blushed. Well, almost as wonderful. He was the most amazing lover she ever had. Receptive, responsive and inventive. With him she experienced the heady combination of desiring someone while being deeply desired. She couldn’t decide which excited her more—pleasing him or being pleased by him. Both had advantages and unique thrills. She was learning as much about herself in their time together as she was about him. This was new to her, although, she acknowledged, she probably wasn’t open to it in previous relationships.

  The word made her pause. A relationship. This was a relationship. She put her coffee mug down and let the truth sink in as her coffee cooled in its mug. This wasn’t a one-night stand. This wasn’t a fling. She cared for him and those feelings were growing rapidly.

  He found her staring at a blank page when he came downstairs from his post-run shower. “That doesn’t look very promising.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “I knew that what I was missing was someone stating the obvious. Any bright ideas this morning?”

  “There is nothing bright around here. I’m feeling soggy and it’s only the second day of rain.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. “Let’s head to the living room.”

  They sat on opposite sides of the long sofa, each with a sketch pad. The coffee table was covered in charcoals and pastels. She drew erotic pictures of lipsticks, mouths begging for kisses, but nothing that would make someone see it and think—that’s what I have to buy. Looking up, she saw Daniel focused on his pad. Without thinking, she picked up a charcoal and starting sketching him. After a few minutes she found herself liking how the picture was turning out, but it wasn’t getting her any closer to an idea about makeup.

  “I need a distraction,” she said.

  “Any ideas?”

  She looked around the room and noticed the game cabinet. “How about a game of strip Connect Four?”

  Daniel did an actual double take and Lena laughed. “I don’t remember that being part of the usual camp course listings. Was it offered one of the years when I wasn’t here?”

  “Well, we bring it out on special occasions and for certain campers.” She paused. “And truthfully I can’t bear to think about makeup for a little while. There’s just no inspiration for me today in eye shadows and mascara.”

  “Understood, but Connect Four?”

  “It’s faster than strip Monopoly. If you get a fire started I’ll make coffee and hunt up some cookies or something.”

  “Agreed.”

  As she dumped cookies on a plate thoughts of Daniel filled her head. She was becoming more and more comfortable with him and thinking less about the differences in their ages. When had that happened? After their last intense but unproductive brainstorming session? Or was it during their last night in bed? She knew it probably didn’t matter when the change happened. He was no longer the artist who seduced her at his gallery opening or Danny, the camper who had a crush on her and tracked her down.

  He was Daniel, a man she was passionately and powerfully drawn to, who made her laugh, listened when she spoke, and want to share her interests and ideas with. It didn’t matter how they met or what their backgrounds were. They were together and with every day, she wanted more.

  The coffeepot gave its last gasp, breaking her out of her reverie with a smile. A few minutes alone and she was having epiphanies and insights on a relationship she couldn’t have imagined a week ago.

  And she had a game of strip Connect Four to look forward to.

  When she arrived back in the living room, Daniel had a roaring fire going and the game set with two large pillows on either side for them to sit on. She nodded at the fire and said, “I know you weren’t a Boy Scout, so did you sign up for camp craft when you were here?”

  “Actually,” he said, “I did.”

  “And here I thought you spent all of your free time in the art cabin with me.”

  He smiled. “Most of it, but occasionally I did try other things. I sat at the beach on the first night and watched the counselors build the opening bonfire. I thought it was really cool how you could start with a small amount of kindling and build it to something so enormous it could blaze for hours and be seen for miles away. I asked them to teach me and by the end of the first session I was pretty good at it. They let me help with most of the fires at the beach. I loved it. Didn’t you come to any of the all-camp gatherings?”

  “Not after the first night. I wasn’t very sociable that summer.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  She knew after all he shared with her this could be a good time to tell him about her only art show and the disaster it was, but he said, “Ladies first,” as he gestured to the game and the moment passed.

  “I’ll be red,” she said.

  “That can be arranged.” When she blushed he said, “See, told
you.”

  She laughed and dropped her piece into the game board. The first two games ended in a draw, but she won the third and was rewarded with a view of his chest when he removed his sweatshirt. “No t-shirt?”

  “Didn’t think I was going to need layers today. Do you have anything under your sweater?”

  She pulled back the collar and looked inside. “Nothing exciting. Just a white lace bra.”

  “Maybe not exciting to you, but you’ve given me incentive to win the next game, and a few more after.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh as he dropped in a black piece, and the game was on. It took three more rounds, but it was finally time to sacrifice her sweater. It was harder to strip then she thought and when she hesitated he said, “You do realize I’ve seen you with a lot less on.”

  “Not useful,” she said with a smile. “And I know, but we were in bed then, not sitting across from each other. I feel more exposed this way.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Help?”

  “Help you take it off.”

  She laughed. “I think I can manage.” She tossed the sweater on top of his sweatshirt and was grateful the fire would keep her warm.

  “Yes, definitely distracting,” he said, “but also inspiring.” He leaned over and kissed her as she dropped in a piece to start the next game. The kiss lingered before he made his move and she didn’t notice how distracted she was until she lost a second game in a row.

  “Pants,” he said.

  “Thanks for the recommendation.” Deciding he needed a dose of his own medicine, Lena stood, unbuttoned her jeans and very slowly inched them down over her hips, giving a suggestive wiggle as she did. She continued to make a production out of it, sliding the pants down her legs, and then stepping out of each leg gracefully. When she met his eyes, the hunger she saw there was worth every slow movement. She walked around the game board, bent over and dropped the jeans in the clothes pile then made her way back to her seat.

  “Your turn,” she said with a smile. He didn’t say anything. Or do anything. “Daniel?”

  “Right, the game. Sorry. My mind was on other things.”