by K E Osborn
“Stop,” I say to myself. I decide to go and have a shower. I place my cell phone on my bed and take my robe and pajamas into the bathroom. I turn on the shower and start to get undressed, looking at myself in the full-length mirror. I can see on my chest where the coffee spilt this morning; it’s still slightly red. I shake my head at the memory. Easing into the shower, I relax under the warmth as I let the beads of water caress my body. I move my head under the running water to wet my hair, closing my eyes as the water cascades over my face. My loofa is lathered with sweet-smelling body wash as I wash my bad day away. My mind runs over the day’s events, from the crash to the coffee spilling. I rub my hands over my chest, remembering the burn. My mind wanders back to Aiden. His muscular body, that gorgeous brownish-black hair, and those eyes. Those mesmerizing bright blue eyes.
Suddenly the door of the shower swings open; it’s Aiden. He stands there with only a towel wrapped around his masculine waist, with that boyish grin on his face. I gasp with shock.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as I try to cover myself with my hands. “How do you know where I live?”
He smiles and takes off the towel to reveal his naked body. “I know everything, Jenifer.”
He pushes me against the shower wall as he steps in to join me. I stare at his face, too nervous to look anywhere else. His hand sweeps up to cup my cheek as he passionately and seductively kisses me, this time with tongue and lots of it. That energy surges between us, making me breathless. His body pushes up against mine, and he grabs my waist as I feel his erection growing against my hip. I kiss him back with as much passion as he has for me. With the tension getting hotter and hotter, I start to moan.
“Oh, Aiden.”
“Mmm, Jeni,” he replies, muffled by our mouths in motion as he caresses my cheek.
He pulls me in even closer and holds me to him. He starts to kiss my neck and works his way down to my collarbone and then to my burned red breasts. I’d forgotten what it was like to be intimate with someone; it’s been so long. There is something about him, so powerful, so passionate, and so erotic. His hand caresses my breast as he kisses my neck. His other hand grasps forcefully onto my ass, and the emotion overwhelms me as I lose myself.
“Take me,” I whisper to him.
He stares straight into me with those blue eyes like he’s staring into my soul, and with one swift motion he—
“Jeni ... Jen, are you okay?” Sarah sounds concerned.
I take a deep breath, and I realize it was another daydream, but my knees feel weak, and my breathing is erratic, as though he was actually here with me. How intense!
I clear my throat and try to compose myself.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You’ve been in there a long time.”
I don’t know how long I’ve been in the shower, but I manage to come up with a plausible excuse.
“Yeah, washing my hair and shaving, you know.” I wait for a response.
“Please make sure you leave enough hot water for us.”
Phew! I think I pulled it off. “Okay, getting out now.”
I turn the shower off and pull one towel from the rack. I wrap my hair up, flipping the excess over the back. I grab another towel and dry myself. I remember every touch, every feeling, every emotion that Aiden has brought out of me in the shower. Even though he wasn’t really there, it felt real enough, and I wanted more. I dress in my pajamas and robe and walk out of the bathroom toward my room. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Chris and Sarah making out in the kitchen. I giggle to myself. I’m glad; he seems different from all the others.
Closing the bedroom door, I take off my robe and place it neatly on the end of my bed. I slide into my warm, cozy sheets, and it feels great. I pull the covers up to my neck. Leaning over, I grab Mr. Snuggles, my teddy bear, which I’ve had since I was born. I’m twenty-six years old. I shouldn’t be sleeping with a teddy bear, but since Jason left me, I can’t sleep without him. Mr. Snuggles is a large teddy bear, dark brown in color with a big red bow around his neck. He has big brown plastic eyes and is so loveable. It’s a comfort thing. I lean over to the pillow on the other side of my queen-sized bed and grab my cell phone to put it on charge. I notice there’s a text from Aiden. I sit up in bed with excitement, cell in one hand and Mr. Snuggles in the other. I sit staring at the cell phone, trying to guess what the message will say until I finally get the nerve to open it.
Hi, Jeni, hope you’re not still angry with me. Have a good sleep. See you soon, Aiden.
I exhale and frown. So not what I was hoping for, but at least he answered. My mind is now running a million miles an hour, wondering about whether the Friday date is on or off.
“Urgh, men are so frustrating.” I look at the clock; it’s now ten thirty. I better try and get some sleep. I switch off my side lamp and lie back down in my warm, cozy bed. I hold on tight to Mr. Snuggles in one arm and hold my cell phone to my chest with the other. I plug my cell phone into the charger and put it on silent as I always do at night. It’s a habit from when I was with Jason. He would go out partying till all hours of the morning and would drunk dial me with abusive tirades. To counteract it, I’d put my cell phone on silent. I wouldn’t even know he had rung until the morning when there would be a million drunk messages saying how much of a bitch and a bad girlfriend I was. Then the next message would be how much he loved me. The cycle never ended with him. It was one vicious thing after the other.
I lay awake most of the night nodding in and out of consciousness, thinking about what I should text to him in the morning. I look at the clock - twelve thirty. Thinking about my daydream in the shower - two a.m. Thinking about Sarah and Chris - four fifteen a.m. All these thoughts are running through my mind, depriving me of sleep. I finally fall asleep around five a.m. with a total of two hours solid sleep before my alarm sounds.
* * *
As the taxi pulls up in front of work, I say thank you to the turban wearing Indian driver.
“Keep the change,” I say with a smile.
He snatches the money out of my hand like I’ve insulted him.
“Jeez,” I say under my breath as I make my way through the large sliding gates. I’m nearly at the front door of the office building when I see Mel pull up to her usual parking space.
Mel is a great boss. She’s older than me, probably in her late fifties, but she never tells anyone exactly how old she is. She’s a very pretty, slim, tall redhead who always wears designer glasses and her hair in a bun. She looks every bit the PA to the owner of ADF Automotive Repairs, who happens to be her husband, John. They are a lovely couple and have worked hard for what they have. They have four children, CJ, Amy, Jade, and Skye, who Mel says are, “all grown up these days,” but the youngest three still live at home. She has a picture of her four children on her desk, taken with Santa when they were all quite young.
I greet Mel as she gets out of her car. “Good morning, Mel.”
She smiles and waves. She has coffee in one hand, her handbag and keys in the other, and envelopes in her mouth. I start to laugh as I walk over to help her.
“Need a hand?”
I can hear her laugh as I grab her keys and handbag, freeing her hand to take the pink square envelopes from her mouth.
We walk together inside. Mel proceeds to her office as I turn on my computer, load up my emails, turn the answering machine off, and get ready for another day of work.
A delivery truck pulls up outside the reception office, and a man dressed in a green uniform walks in with a massive bunch of flowers, gerberas, oriental lilies, and other little filler flowers in a lovely vase wrapped with ribbon and pink mesh. They are so amazing. I assume they are for Mel.
“A delivery for a Miss Jenifer Taylor.”
“Are you sure they are not for Melinda Starke?”
He looks at the information in his file. “No, definitely for Miss Jenifer Taylor.”
I sign for the delivery, and the driver leaves.
>
Chapter 5
I open the card, which is very neatly handwritten.
Miss Taylor,
Please accompany me to dinner Friday night at five thirty. I’d like to pick you up and take you out as promised to apologize for my “moronic” behavior yesterday. Please feel free to text me your address or, alternatively, somewhere you would feel comfortable being picked up from.
I look forward to seeing you.
Aiden
I stare at the note in disbelief as I smile uncontrollably.
I place the flowers at the side of my desk and check the water level. “Oh. My. God,” I say out loud, but luckily no one is around to hear me. The butterflies in my stomach start to flutter. I sit down in my chair and read the note over and realize it doesn’t tell me what sort of attire I should wear.
“Urgh.” Stupid men always making things difficult, and what’s with the picking-me-up thing? What if I don’t want to be picked up? Do I even get a choice in the matter? Stubborn men. I should text him and tell him I’m not coming. Who am I kidding? I know I’m going. I have to email Sarah.
To: Sarah Carlisle
From: Jenifer Taylor
Subject: Special delivery!
Hey Sez,
Looks like I have to say thanks to Chris. His “play it cool” card worked. I received a special delivery of flowers in a gorgeous vase this morning from Aiden. It had a hand-written card attached to it. Very neatly written, it says exactly:
“Miss Taylor, please accompany me to dinner Friday night at five thirty. I’d like to pick you up and take you out as promised to apologize for my ‘moronic’ behavior yesterday. Please feel free to text me your address or, alternatively, somewhere you would feel comfortable being picked up from.
I look forward to seeing you. Aiden”
First thought is wow, amazing, awesome etc. Then, what an ass! Why should he pick me up? Why can’t I meet him somewhere? I mean what if he’s a stalker or something? I don’t want him to know where I live if he’s a serial-killing, axe-murdering rapist! And the other thing... What do I wear? Is this a casual jeans event or an elegant dress affair? I don’t know because he didn’t tell me!
Rant over.
Luv me xoxo
I huff as I send the email. Why does this guy get me so worked up? I greet the guys as they walk through the doors—Tim, Mark, Adam, Lorenzo, Doug, Jamie, Paul, and Scott, followed by Bob, who has been here since seven thirty doing paperwork.
“High five,” Tim yells like Borat as he walks past. I laugh and put my hand up in a high-five motion. I shake my head, and the other guys laugh and carry on like normal co-workers do. Once they leave and my reception area is quiet once more, I stare at the flowers and notice their beauty. He must have spent a fortune on them. My mood toward Aiden shifts into something much softer, pleasurable even, that he had gone out of his way to buy me something so beautiful.
Time flies as I get on with my daily routine. Suddenly I realize I haven’t sent a thank-you to Aiden. I quickly pull my cell phone out from my handbag and open up a message. Hmm, now what to write back?
Thank you for the flowers. They are lovely, and you can pick me up from work.
No, I don’t want to come all dressed up to work. I delete it.
Thank you for the flowers. They are so beautiful. I’ll see you Friday night, but may I suggest we meet somewhere rather than you picking me up? I’d feel more comfortable with this arrangement. If you let me know the place and time, I’ll be there. Jeni
Yep, that should do it. Send. I take in a deep breath and put my cell phone back in my bag, trying not to get overly excited to hear back from him. I hear the twelve-thirty alarm ring for lunch. I get up and walk briskly to the kitchen before the guys get there and take all the food. I open the fridge.
“Hmm, what shall I have today?” Chicken, avocado, semi-dried tomato and cheese baguette looks good. I take the baguette and a Sunkist out of the fridge. I turn to walk off, and the guys come in with their dirty hands. I try to walk away as fast as I can, but Tim runs up behind me, goes to slap me on the ass, as it is tradition, but he hesitates. I turn and look at him, confused.
“No slap today, Timmy?”
“First of all, don’t call me Timmy, and secondly, you snapped at me yesterday. Just wanted to know if the old gorgeous Jeni is back or if the new grumpy Jeni is still here.”
Poor Tim. I lean my ass toward him. “It’s the old Jeni, Timmy.”
A smile lights his face, and he slaps me on the ass. Whack.
I jump from the smack. “Ouch.”
I see a slight glimmer in Tim’s eyes that I haven’t noticed before. I ignore it and go to walk out of the room.
“Bye, Jeni” they say in unison.
I laugh and take my lunch back to my desk. I eat in peace and quiet. For once the phone doesn’t ring, and no customers come in to pay their accounts. My mind starts to wander to Aiden and his gorgeous face. I pick up my bag to get out my cell phone, and as I do, it beeps, telling me I have a message.
I’m glad you liked the flowers. I chose them myself ;-p I’d prefer to pick you up, as I have a surprise for you. A chauffeured vehicle will pick you up (from anywhere you choose) at five thirty on Friday evening. Please forward me an address. I look forward to seeing you, Aiden.
“Fine,” I say out loud, frustrated as I re-read the message. I notice one small detail that seems different from any other message I have received from him before.
;-p
He’s sticking his tongue out at me.
“That’s a bit audacious,” I mutter under my breath, but I can’t help grinning.
“Two can play at that game.”
My mind starts to think about where he should pick me up. Work? No, not the right place. The park across the street from our house? No, any weirdo could be there.
Maybe he should pick me up from my house. Would that be so bad? Sarah has these guys at our house all the time, and we don’t know them. Aiden seems nice. I start to message back.
Don’t stick your tongue out at me, smart-ass. Okay, five thirty. You can pick me up from 13 Chaucer St, Mornington Vale, in a Cadillac. Don’t be late ;-p Jeni.
I hit Send. I put my cell phone away and eat my lunch. I start to head to the ladies room when I hear my cell phone go off. I hope that it’s him. I turn back and retrieve my cell phone from my bag. The anticipation to see his response is growing rapidly. I unlock the cell phone to see a message from ... a printer cartridge supplier.
Do you need refills of your printer cartridges? Then come see us, Printerworld, 14 Belview Place, Mornington Vale. Quality ink, cheap prices.
I exhale as the disappointment flows through me. I put my cell phone away and continue to the ladies room, feeling slightly saddened that the message wasn’t a reply from Aiden, but I’m sure he’ll get back to me soon enough.
I continue on with my day until I look up at the clock. Four thirty, time to pack up and go home. I call the taxi service, and we go through the usual dialogue.
I walk down to the repair shop to see how my car is going. “Hey, Bob.”
“Hey, sweetness, getting ready to head home?”
“Yes, waiting for the taxi. How’s my car coming along?”
He leads me over and shows me the panel work.
“Looks great, thanks so much.”
He puts his arm around my shoulders. “We still have to paint her tomorrow. You should have her back by Thursday after work.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Thanks, I appreciate you working on my car so quickly.”
“Anything for you, sweetness.”
“I’m off. See you tomorrow. You okay to lock up?”
“Of course, I have more quotes to do. I’ll be here for a couple more hours.”
I look at him sympathetically. “Have fun with that. Night.” I give him a quick peck on the cheek.
By the time I walk to the front reception area, the taxi is waiting for me.
Before I know it, I’m
home. I pay the taxi driver, exit, and head to the front door. As I walk down the hallway, I hear music playing loudly in the living room. I walk into the kitchen area, where Sarah is cooking macaroni and cheese.
“We’re having mac and cheese for dinner?”
“Yup,” she says matter-of-factly.
I continue to my room, once I’ve collected my cell. I put my cell phone on the bed and get changed into my casual clothes. My cell phone beeps. I breathe in deeply and swallow as a lump forms in my throat.
I’m never late, especially when it’s to pick you up! Looking forward to seeing you on Friday, and I hope you like the color pink. Don’t be late. From Mr. Smart-ass. ;-p
My heart skips a beat when I read the message; he’s looking forward to seeing me? I can’t believe it. I hit Reply.
Dear Mr. Smart-ass, my favorite color is pink. How did you know? I’m also never late, excluding, of course, times when some moron drives into the back of my car. ;-p I look forward to seeing you also. Jeni
I hit Send as I lay back on my bed with a broad smile on my face. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all? Could he be different from the guys I’ve known? My cell phone beeps again, and I read the message.
I know everything, Jenifer! A moron, huh? I thought I was a smart-ass. You can’t have it both ways, Jeni.
I laugh to myself, remembering my fantasy in the shower when he said exactly the same thing. “I know everything.” Curiosity overcomes me, and suddenly I feel like a giddy schoolgirl. I hit Reply.
Typical male, thinks he knows everything. And I will have it both ways, Moronic Smart-ass Man! Lol
