by Sasha Combs
“You don’t need to tell me about your past. I know the type of person that you are Precious. And for the record... I don’t go in for one night stands either.”
He leaned in close, giving her a kiss, then he said...
“This floor has to be uncomfortable to you.” He tilted his head, taking her view in from this angle. “Precious... Will you sleep with me tonight?”
She smiled and asked...
“Which bed... Your’s or mines.”
Hamilton stretched, then he rose lowering to offer his hand to help her up.
He said...
“Let’s try my room out tonight. Tomorrow, we can give your bed a try.”
“I like the sound of that.” She said in a whisper.
He lifted the blankets from the floor, draping one over her shoulder, then laying the other one along the back of the sofa. For himself; Hamilton chose to walk her to his bedroom in the raw. He didn’t need the covering.
When they crossed over the threshold to his room, neither knew where this night would take them. Then in the bigger scheme of things; in the moment, neither cared. The passion that they’d shared had been magnificent; too rich for words. In the morning, there would be time enough to sort out the details. But for now... In this moment, they only wanted the soothing balm felt by their tender touches.
***************
Precious woke with a start; immediately realizing that she was alone. She stretched like a cat, wiggling out the tangles of her body. She extended her arm, smoothing her hand over the spot where Hamilton had laid. Her lips parted in a smile; Precious loved the feel of expensive high thread count sheets. The warmth of Hamilton’s body was long gone but just being in his bed drudged up any number of deliciously naughty feelings. Last night, after she trailed beside him, finally landing in his bed. Hamilton lay beside her, reverencing her body. His hands swept down her back and in each sweep, she felt as if her skin would never be the same. Each series of touches or kisses was better than the last, and he varied the sequences. Hamilton kept her guessing; never knowing exactly what he would do next. When he pressed his lips on to hers, the taste of his tongue mixed in her mouth. A cascade of thoughts flooded her mind; telling her that this passion was reserved only for her. The way his pull drew every drop of energy from her; in his lovemaking, he demanded all she had to give. Precious had never met a man who enjoyed kissing as much as he did. But as she puzzled over this, it occurred to her; Hamilton Gantry knew his way around a woman’s body. His mouth was an instrument used for making love and he wielded it well. Last night, he’d licked, flicked, sucked and did all manner of naughty things with his tongue. After making love to her again, he’d pressed their bodies to lay in a spooning position. He was much taller than her but her body fit perfectly in the curve of him. Not long after they settled down, Precious felt her body slipping away from her. She gave in to the sleep. When her eyes opened this morning; she couldn’t recall a time when her body had rested so well. She sat up straight, peering around Hamilton’s bedroom. Unlike her room, there were several personal touches. On his walls there were pictures of the property. Some of the places, she recognized. In one of the frames, Precious saw Hamilton posed with a dog. She knew the breed; the dog was a black Labrador retriever. She frowned, then asked herself, “Does Hamilton Gantry own a dog?” The idea of this confounded her. The man was a total mystery to her. As this thought tripped through her mind, she lifted the covers; viewing her nakedness. Precious had slept with a man she knew so little about. Sure, she’d know him for the better part of a year but her information didn’t include any intimate details. Things like... How did Hamilton take his coffee? Then she recalled seeing a mug cradled in his hand. In spite of that, Precious have never actually watched him while he added his fixings. She didn’t know if he took his coffee black, with cream and sugar or maybe even honey. Then she considered this home, that sat secluded in the mountains. This place had seemed so peculiar to her, coupled with Hamilton. Precious had always assumed, in his free time; Hamilton would be doing other things. Not the outdoors activities he appeared so fond of. There was a part of him that enjoyed getting down and dirty. As she recalled seeing him with his ax, Precious ran a hand down the length of her inner thigh. And in that instant, she didn’t care about her carelessness or her lacking knowledge. Her body ached with a burn in a wonderful way. She still felt tingling remnants from the orgasms she’d experienced. It had been a long while, since she’d last had sex. Parts of her body had awoken from a cold weary slumber. In her past, sex had become a routine and at times, she loathed the tedious ritual. The two partners in her past had done little to excite her passion. Unlike those other men, Hamilton had infused a part of himself inside of her; giving her new meaning and showing her what lovemaking is really all about. She’d wanted this; not just the mind blowing sex. Precious had wanted Hamilton Gantry from the first moment she’d walked into the room to be interviewed for the show. While Artie flirted, hammering her with his questions. All the while, during her interview; Hamilton had watched in complete silence. In her peripheral vision, she’d noticed the way he studied and stared at her. At times, he would look away when their eyes would drift, then connect. There had always been a blazing attraction from the very beginning and somewhere in the well of her mind; Precious had concluded a thought. If their orbits continued to cross paths; with their attraction, a collision was inevitable. That’s what she’d told herself. That’s how she justified last night. She’d taken him, then she’d given him her body. Precious inhaled, knowing that she wouldn’t punish herself for acting on an inevitable probability. That would be foolish and she was anything but that.
She stretched again, raising her arms to the ceiling. Her faced grimaced when she felt a sting along her right inner arm. Then she recalled the reason for the pain. This was the area where Hamilton had gripped her, to keep Precious from bolting. Her last orgasm had been a challenge; rocking her central core. Her body had shook with such intensity; even Hamilton worried for her. For several long minutes, his soothing words brushed over her flesh like soft feathers. He talked her down, then pressed her body close to lie with him.
Precious sighed heavily. Just thinking about that, gave her the chills and the memory helped her reach certain conclusions. She recalled his words with perfect clarity. Hamilton told her that their time together wasn’t just about sex. He didn’t do one night stands, and he didn’t subscribe to quickies. He set her worries at ease, using his sexy voice. He spoke to her while his touches caressed her body; Hamilton told Precious, when their bodies joined, they would be making love. Sex was sex. A physical action with ending results. But love... Well, that was something entirely different. Last night, each time their bodies connected; their linking was an expression of love. She liked the feel of that word. So much so, that Precious didn’t want any other man expressing this feeling with her. She didn’t want to give her body to anyone else. She’d mentally pledged herself to Hamilton. Completely, totally, absolutely, wholly.
She hummed her favorite song while climbing out of his enormous bed. She heard a trill of music. A familiar scale of notes rang in her head. Precious looked around the room, then she realized where the chime was coming from. The selection was Hamilton’s phone. Each of his callers had been given a tone. In this way, he knew who the caller was without having to look at his phone. But Precious had never heard this ringtone. She’d only heard Audrey’s bizarre hip-hop beat. This tune was a melody that she knew. A love song. She wondered which of his employees had requested him to assign this song to their name. As she considered this, she also realized that if this person was calling, then they were trying to contact Hamilton but he wasn’t in the room to take the call. Precious searched around the room, looking for her robe.
“Dammit.” She cursed. “Not again.”
She was having problems keeping up with her clothes. She couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her face because forgetting her robe had been the reason Hamilton got his first look-see at her breast
. But she couldn’t think about that now. She needed to cover up, then go in search of Hamilton.
The phone had stopped singing but she continued her search, looking for something to put on. Precious opened his closet, finding one of his long sleeved flannel shirts. She eased it on, and the fit covered the essential parts of her body. She held the phone in her hand; confident that the callers number would be easy to recover. If he wanted to, Hamilton could return the call now or later if he wished.
Precious padded down the hall, with a bounce in her step. When she entered the front room, she could hear the sound of chopping. The room still held a chill, and she suspected that he’d listened to the most recent forecast. Maybe they were in for another cold night. She thrilled over the idea of cuddling up close, using his body as her personal warmer.
She was a few steps from the door, when his phone rang out again. This time, she wanted to be quick because she didn’t want him to miss his call. Precious thought that it might be best if she answered it, then she could take the phone out to him, or maybe she could deliver the message. Whatever she did, she would have to act fast. If she didn’t, the call would disconnect; kicking the caller over to his voicemail again.
She looked at the caller ID, seeing the name printed out in bold letters. Sammy. She’d heard Hamilton say this name more than once. Precious stood near the door, answering the call...
“Hello, this is Hamilton Gantry’s phone.”
The line was quiet, but she was certain the call had connected. Precious could hear the sound of traffic in the background. Then she heard the sound of a voice. A person that was young but she couldn’t determine the sex.
“Hello...” She said hesitantly.
“I’m trying to contact Hamilton.”
The person was a female. She puzzled over this because the name on the read out had said Sammy. Then she considered something. This was Hamilton’s phone, and she’d answered it. Perhaps this female caller was using Sam’s phone. That would explain the anomaly. Precious said...
“Yes,... This is Hamilton’s phone. I’m just answering it for him. Hamilton is busy right now. Can I deliver your message to him?”
Again, the phone went silent. She heard muffled voices, then the sound of crying. The caller said.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to take my message, if that’s the only way I can get in contact with him.” The woman sounded angry. She spoke to the child who was crying in the background. She was soothing her; attempting to smooth over the troubled patches.
The woman said briskly...
“Tell Hamilton that he’s an ass and if he didn’t want to take Sammy for the summer, all he had to do was tell me. Sammy doesn’t deserve this. If he has issues with me... Then he should deal with me. Taking his frustrations out on Sammy is uncalled for and it’s childish behavior on his part.”
Precious practically had to lift her lower jaw, because it was hanging wide open.
“Did you get that...? Or do you want me to repeat it. I can you know. But... I’m going through the canyon and this signal might drop. You tell him what I said. I have to go. But you tell him to call Sammy. Hey...” She said as an after thought.
“Also tell him, that his assistant... Tell him that I said, she’s a bitch and he’s a coward using her as his barrier to keep me away from him. You give him that message.”
This entire conversation was bizarre and she needed to be clear on a few things.
Precious said...
“I will deliver your message. Should I say that Sammy is the caller?”
Precious was certain that this woman wasn’t Sammy. She’d already referenced the name twice, and not once had she linked the name to herself.
The woman clucked her tongue, then she said...
“You must be another one of Hamilton’s ditzy blonds. No honey. Sammy isn’t the caller. I’m calling for Sammy.” She clarified, using a superior sounding voice. “My name is Bobby... Hamilton’s wife. You be sure to tell him that I called. You hear...?”
“Yes, I heard you and as I said... I will deliver your message to Hamilton.”
After that, the call ended and Precious was relieved but a cloud quickly consumed her. She didn’t feel the disconnect between her brain and her hand. She didn’t even hear the phone when it slipped, clattering across the floor in pieces. She was being drawn into an imaginary dark tunnel. Her brain was a mishmash of truth, lies and omissions. This was primarily the reason she never allowed her relationships to develop into heart heavy romances. She just couldn’t risk it but last night she had. What was real? Who had she slept with? She couldn’t bring herself to fathom what she’d done and she didn’t want to think about the person she’d done it all with. She recalled their night outside in front of the fire pit. Hamilton had told her that he believed in marriage. No wonder, she thought to herself. The fucker was married. Of course he believed in marriage. But fidelity, trust, and love.... She didn’t even what to think about that. Not now... Later, when Hamilton returned; that’s when she would demand clarity. She would insist that he explain why he’d neglected to tell her about his marriage and his wife.
********************
Chapter 7
Dogs get mad
Women get even
Hamilton stood on the porch, stumping his feet before entering the house. He’d chopped enough wood to hold them over for at least a week. When he walked inside, from the front room he could see Precious standing in the kitchen. The water was running in the sink and she was busy washing something. As he approached, he got a better look at her outfit. She was wearing one of his flannel shirts, and dammit if she didn’t look good in it. He stood at the threshold of the kitchen. His eyes darted down the hall to the bathroom. He was sweaty after chopping the would and he really needed a warm cleansing shower. But when his eyes traveled back to her standing in front of the sink. He couldn’t resist. Hamilton walked up behind her. He lower to her height, then he wrapped his arms around her.
Precious had heard him stomping and making all kinds of unnecessary noises. When he entered the house, she’d already made up her mind to ignore him. After she’d gathered herself; collecting her thoughts and corralling her stormy emotions....there had been tears. Then humiliation. Now, she was ready to deal with her anger.
When his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her in close to him. Her elbow snapped out like a whip; jabbing him in his side. The boney prominence struck with a vengeance; its intent was to hurt, injure or harm.
Due to the difference in their height, as well as his muscular build; her jujitsu move did little in the way of injuring him. He guarded his side with his hand while saying....
“Ouch... No fair. You shouldn’t look so damn sexy in that shirt.”
He stepped back from her. When she turned around, she willed her face to show little emotion. Her eyes were flat but her stare was level and unwavering.
His lip turned up in a playful smile when he said...
“All right, all right...” Hamilton backed off, holding his hands up as if he were under arrest. Man... She wished that she had a pair of handcuffs for his trifling ass. She was so pissed, if she did have a pair, Precious would cuff him to the thickest prickliest branch she could find.
Hamilton said...
“I know I smell and I shouldn’t have put my sweat on you. I’ll take a quick shower. Maybe then I’ll be clean enough to steal a snuggle.”
He was backing out of the kitchen when she said...
“I didn’t elbow you because you stink. I did it because of this.”
Precious was pointing at his cell phone; or, the parts that had once been his cell phone. Hamilton frowned and in his confusion, he wondered how his phone had broken. He tried to recall where he’d last left it, then he remembered that he’d returned to the front room to retrieve it. Then he placed the phone on the dresser in his room, like he normally did at night. But the dresser had always been a safe place and he still didn’t understand how his phone had been dimini
shed to pieces. He cursed saying...
“Fuck... Precious... I’m so sorry. I don’t know what or how I did this. But, don’t worry babe. This is a quick fix. I can go into town today. The general store sells pay as you go mobile phones. Their providers aren’t as good as mines and I’m sure the signal quality strength isn’t the greatest either. So, if the phone doesn’t work, I know the owner of the store. He’s a good friend. If I need him to take my calls, he’ll be sure to get the message to me.”
Precious disregarded everything he’d just said. She pointed to the broken phone on the kitchen table, while saying...
“I did that. I broke your phone.”
Again, he was confused because he still felt in some way he had to share some of the blame but before he could say anything, Precious cleared up the mystery.
“I broke the phone after I took a message for you.”
“Audrey called while I was out?” Out of concern, Hamilton closed the distance between them. He didn’t care that his body smelled of sweat and mud. If precious had broken his phone, then Audrey’s latest news had to be worse than her last report.
Hamilton was standing not more than a foot from her and his closeness was crowding her. For a brief moment, Precious closed her eyes. Even now, with him standing so close; his manly scent aroused her in ways that she hated to admit. The sudden surge of wanton desire flooded her veins, fueling her anger even more. She hated that still; she was so damn attracted to him. She spat words without even thinking.
“No, Audrey did not call. But I wish she had. If she did, maybe I wouldn’t have learned about your ugly secret.”
“Secret? What secret? Precious, now I am worried. You broke my phone because of something you heard?”
“God... I cannot believe you. Even now, you’re playing the innocent. When in truth; we both know that you’re a liar.”
Hamilton had both hands on her shoulders before he knew what he’d done. He was talking loud, but not out of anger. Precious was upset and he wanted to know who had troubled her.
