Claiming Carter

by W. S. Greer

  “Hi,” he said in a seductively low tone. “What’s your name?”

  It took me about ten seconds to finally be able to force the words out of my mouth.

  “My … my name is Lily,” I said sheepishly. I still couldn’t believe he was actually standing there talking to me.

  “I saw you at Applebee’s yesterday, didn’t I?”

  “Umm, yes. Yeah, I think so. You were with a big group of guys,” I said, trying not to sound as shocked as I was on the inside.

  “Yeah, I guess I was,” he answered. “I’m glad I ran into you again, actually.”

  I accidentally gasped out loud and he tilted his head to the side.

  “You okay?” he asked just before he shifted his beautiful mouth into a full smile, showcasing a mouthful of perfectly straight, pearly white teeth. When he smiled at me, a tremendous tingling sensation erupted throughout my body and I felt a distracting warmth between my legs.

  “Umm, yes. I’m fine,” I lied. “You’re glad you ran into me?”

  “Yeah, I am, actually. When I was at the restaurant yesterday, I was there for a meeting with my uncle. It didn’t really go as well as I had hoped it would, and I was feeling pretty annoyed. But, when I saw you as I was leaving, there was something about the way you looked at me that made me feel better. You fixed my mood for rest of the night. I didn’t think that I would see you again, but, as fate would have it, here you are. Even more beautiful than you were yesterday.”

  At that moment, I was pretty sure my heart was going to explode. My head was spinning and I thought I was going to hyperventilate, so I took a deep breath before speaking again.

  “Wow. Umm. I don’t know what to say,” I said as an uncontrollable smile climbed onto my face.

  “You don’t have to say much right now. How about we have dinner tomorrow night? You could say more then,” he joked as he unleashed that seductive smile on me once again.

  “Oh my god,” I replied. “Okay, sure. Umm, I have to work tomorrow until about four-thirty or so …”

  “Great, I’ll pick you up around five,” he interrupted. “If you give me your number, I can call you and get your address from you tomorrow. I’m sort of in a rush tonight.”

  He pulled out his cell phone and I gave him my cell number. I inspected his hands as he punched in my number and I found myself thinking about what he could do to me with those strong fingers. His nails were impeccably trimmed—not an ounce of dirt under those fingernails. My mind started to wander as I fantasized about all of the perfectly filthy things I’d thought about in bed this morning and I found myself blushing even more.

  When he finished typing in my number, he placed his cell phone back into his pocket.

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow then,” he said as he began walking towards the door.

  “Wait,” I chimed in quickly. “I don’t even know your name.”

  He smiled at me once again and the warmth between my legs sprung back to life.

  “Kelvin. Kelvin Carter Jr.” he said as he turned around and walked out of the store.

  I hurriedly walked over to the end of the isle so that I could watch him leave. He pushed the door open easily and had a confident swagger about him as he strutted in the direction of the gas pumps. My eyes widened as I watched him walk over to the gray Bentley and climb into the backseat, closing the door behind him. The man who’d pumped the gas must have been his driver. I stared in astonishment as the luxurious car drove away.

  “He got all pissed off when I told him about how good looking this guy was, and he wouldn’t talk to me all day,” Lexy said as we sat in the empty teacher’s lounge, waiting for school to begin. “He kept talking to Amy, but he wouldn’t talk to me—trying to hurt my feelings and shit. So, when we finally got in the bed, I got in naked and pushed my ass up against his cock. He tried to act like he was going to ignore me then too, but eventually he gave in when I started fake snoring and he thought he’d lost his opportunity for sex.”

  I let out a light giggle before I took another sip of my coffee that I’d diluted with hazelnut creamer.

  “He loves it when I put his dick between my tits. Once I did that, it was game on. Hey, are you even listening to me?” Lexy said as she noticed that I was in a daze and barely paying attention to her.

  “Yeah,” I said with a smile, “I’m listening to you. Just got a lot on my mind today.”

  Lexy titled her head as she stared at me, seemingly inspecting every crevice of my face. “What’s the matter with you? You’re acting funny.”

  My smile doubled in size. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. What’s with the big ass smile so early in the morning?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s just really good coffee, is all,” I replied. My smile was uncontrollable now.

  “Coffee my ass! You’re holding out on me. What’s going on, Lil? What happened that you’re not telling me?”

  I put my Chicago Blackhawks coffee mug on the table in front of me and leaned forward in my chair. “I kind of met someone last night,” I said as I struggled to wipe the childish smile off my face.

  Lexy gasped and leaned in close to me. “Oh shit! Tell me everything. First, what does he look like? Oh my god, is he hot? Please tell me he’s hot!”

  “If there is one thing that he is, it’s hot!”

  Lexy smiled and smacked the table loudly. “Yes! I knew it. I bet he makes Tim Bulger look like Oscar the Grouch, doesn’t he? Okay, give me more. Is he white, black, or what?

  I grinned again as the image of Kelvin Carter Jr.’s face flashed inside my mind. “He’s black.”

  “Holy stinking shit!” Lexy exclaimed. “You go, girl! Is he one of those sexy, dark, bald, black men? Ooh, or is he light skinned like that beautiful man from Applebee’s that got me in trouble at home yesterday?”

  “Well, actually,” I said, pausing for effect, “he is the beautiful man from Applebee’s.”

  Lexy stared at me without saying anything for about ten seconds. She scrunched her forehead and twisted her mouth as she thought.

  “Are you being serious right now?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “I met him last night. His name is Kelvin.”

  Lexy sat back in her seat and continued staring at me in disbelief. “You met the guy from Applebee’s last night?”

  “Yes, Lex. I’m not kidding.”

  “And when did this happen?”

  “Right after I texted you. I was at the gas station filling up my car, and I went inside to get some snacks before I went to bed. As I was looking at the chips, he walked right up to me, and asked me for my phone number.”

  Lexy gave me a look like she didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Seriously? You guys were at the same gas station? That’s an awfully big coincidence, don’t you think?”

  “Sure, it is. But, why would I lie about that? It doesn’t benefit me to say I met a guy when I really didn’t. I really met him, Lex. He asked me to dinner. We’re going out tonight,” I said.

  “Oh my fucking gosh! You’re not kidding. That’s unbelievable,” Lexy said as she covered her mouth with her hand, careful not to smear her pink lipstick. “What was he like, and how did you not faint from just looking at him?”

  “I have no idea. He is so unbelievably gorgeous, Lex. When he smiled at me, I could have just died. I’ve never seen a man that perfect before. And he had the sexiest voice ever. It was like I was in a dream.”

  “Damn. That is so wild,” Lexy replied. “You’re so fucking lucky. So, when and where are you guys going tonight?”

  “Well, I gave him my number and he said he would call me today and get my address so he could pick me up around five, but I’m not sure where we’re going though.”

  “Oh my gosh, you have to let me be there when he picks you up. Mike may hate me for it, but I have to see this man again,” Lexy said as the school bell rang, signaling the start of the day.

  “You can’t be th
ere. It’s our first date!” I said. “What if he doesn’t even call? A man who looks like that probably has girls showing up at his house naked all day. What would he want with me? I bet he doesn’t even call.”

  “Don’t start that pity party shit with me. You know you are sexy as hell. Why would he ask you for your number if he wasn’t going to call?” Lexy reassured me as we both stood up and walked out of the lounge. “Text me when he calls. You have to keep me fully informed and up to date about this. You may have just nabbed the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, and I want to know all the details throughout the whole thing.”

  “Okay, I will. Have a good day. I’ll talk to you soon,” I said as Lexy and I headed in different directions towards our respective classes.

  When I walked into my classroom, the children were just getting to their desks and they were full of energy. There was already a fight about to break out in the back of the class between two little girls, and my favorite student, Derrick Fisher, was already crying at his desk. I knew it would be a long day in class, but all I could think about was if and when Kelvin would call. The thought was distracting, but I knew I would have to pull it together and be the teacher that my students needed me to be. So, I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, and told the class to take their seats so that class could begin.

  I spent the next couple of hours being distracted by the thoughts of Kelvin. I couldn’t get over how perfect his smile was. It was nothing like Tim Bulger’s smile. Kelvin had a flawless set of white teeth in his mouth and his lips were so thick and juicy, I couldn’t help but fantasize about lightly biting them as he kissed me. I wondered if he would be picking me up in his fancy Bentley, and if his driver would escort us around the city? Where would he want to go for dinner? Would he want to go come inside after bringing me back to my house? Would I be willing to sleep with him on the first date? All the questions swirled around in my head throughout the morning and all the way up to lunch.

  It wasn’t until the bell rang after recess that I started to worry that Kelvin might not call. I knew that he was gorgeous, and he probably had multiple women chasing after him, and I found it difficult to figure out why he would want to be with me anyway. It was true that I didn’t have a problem getting attention from men—my look was pretty unique—but I had never gotten the attention of a man who looked like Kelvin. He was obviously somebody wealthy and important and I’d never even been around anyone like that, let alone gone on a date. Men who were wealthy and important usually were busy as well, so he probably wouldn’t have time to call me, anyway. I didn’t know what it was that Kelvin Carter Jr. wanted from me, but as the hours passed and the school day crept closer to a close, I began to doubt that it was anything serious.

  At three o’clock—twenty minutes before school let out—as I sat at my desk scrolling through Facebook, my cell phone began to vibrate on my desk. I picked up the phone and stared at the incoming number on the screen and smiled brightly when I realized that I didn’t recognize it. I swiveled my chair around so that my back was to the class before I nervously answered the phone.

  “Hello?” I said anxiously.

  “Hi, is this Lily?” a sexy, baritone voice rumbled in my ear, sending a wave of butterflies fluttering to my heart.

  “Umm, yes. This is Lily. Who is this?” I asked, even though I already knew.

  “Hi, Lily. This is Kelvin. Do you remember me from the gas station last night?”

  How the hell could I possibly forget him?

  “Umm, yes, I remember you. How are you?” I lowered my voice. I didn’t want my class listening in on my conversation.

  “I’m good. Just wondering how you’re doing. How has your day been today?” Kelvin asked. His voice was pure seduction.

  I was shocked that he’d asked me how my day had gone. I couldn’t remember if Tim Bulger had done that at all during our entire six months together.

  “My day has been good, so far. Thank you for asking,” I answered. It took everything in me to avoid saying “It’s even better now that you’ve called.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad.” Kelvin said. “So, I was wondering if you were still available for dinner tonight. Is five o’clock still okay with you?”

  “Sure, five is great,” I said with a gigantic smile and an accelerated heartbeat.

  “Okay. So, what’s your address?”

  “I’m at 1226 Duncan Street. Up by West Ridge,” I said.

  “Okay, great. I can put it into my GPS. I’ll be there at five, sharp,” Kelvin said confidently.

  “Okay, awesome. I’ll see you then.”

  “Okay. Oh, and Lily,” Kelvin interrupted just as I was about to hang up, “wear something nice. Nice, but sexy. Like you what you wore at Applebee’s. I’m going to make all the boys jealous tonight.”

  The blush flashed up my chest to my hairline, and had trouble coming up with a response. What was this man doing to me? He was entirely too gorgeous to be flirting with me, but I grinned from ear to ear when I realized that that was exactly what he was doing. “Applebee’s? You thought that was sexy?” I whispered quietly.

  “Sexy enough to get my attention, that’s for sure. And I assure you, that’s hard to do. Look, you don’t have to try to do anything over the top. Just do what you always do and that will definitely be enough. I have to get going, but I’ll see you soon,” Kelvin said, just before I heard the line go dead.

  My entire body was warm all over as I sat in my chair in utter shock. Kelvin Carter Jr. was some sort of successful business man—or something like that—and he was absolutely beautiful, and somehow he seemed genuinely interested in me. I smiled at the thought of him calling me sexy and wondered if it was possible that compliments like that one would continue. Tim used to call me sexy too. After about a month, however, the romantic gestures and loving terms of endearment came to a screeching halt. Deep down inside, I hoped that Kelvin wouldn’t be anything like Tim. So far, Kelvin was already light years ahead of him.

  School let out at its usual time and I found myself too excited to sit at my desk grading the day’s papers. Instead, I rushed out the door, down the white and blue hallway, out into the staff parking lot, and into my car. When I ran passed Lexy’s door, I heard her calling out after me, but I was in too much of a hurry to stop. Kelvin wasn’t giving me much time to get ready, and with Chicago rush hour traffic about to hit, I desperately needed to get on the road so that I would have time to change.

  The drive home was surprisingly light. The traffic jams weren’t as hectic as they usually were for me this time, but I could see in my rearview mirror that I had left just in time as the line of cars behind me was beginning to pile up. When I finally made it home, I had already burned twenty-five minutes and was down to an hour and fifteen minutes before Kelvin would be showing up—if he was on time, course.

  I rushed out of my car and ran up my driveway and into the house. When I came running through the door, my brown and white Singapura cat, Meghan, stared at me like I was an idiot as she lay on my dining room table. I ignored her, dropped my purse on the couch in the living room and began kicking off my heels as I ran towards the bathroom to take a shower. Tonight had the potential to be special, and I didn’t want to ruin it by smelling like I had been wrestling with twenty screaming, sweating, crying, nose-picking seven and eight-year-olds all day.

  Ten minutes later I was out of the shower and standing in my closet trying to figure out what the hell I was going to wear that was nice, but sexy. Kelvin had told me not to do anything that was over the top, but just by asking me to wear something “nice, but sexy,” he’d unintentionally put me under a tremendous amount of pressure. I felt obligated to show him something better than what he’d seen at Applebee’s only two days earlier, but every outfit in my closet seemed to want to do the opposite.

  I stood inside of my tiny walk-in closet, staring at the row of clothes hung up in front of me. On the left side were all of my pants: sweats, jeans, leggings, and capris. I immediately i
gnored that side of the closet and all of the t-shirts next to it, and moved to the center where I kept all of my skirts. The first skirt I grabbed was black with tiny red squares all over it that came up to about mid-thigh. I took it off the rack, gave it a quick glance over, and slammed it back into its place. I grabbed the skirt that was directly next to it—blue with a silver trim running up the right leg—and quickly put it back as well. I didn’t really know the definition of “nice, but sexy,” but I knew that what I was looking at wasn’t it.

  After another five minutes of frustration, I finally looked to the far right side of my closet and spotted a dress that I hadn’t worn since the staff Christmas party I’d attended during my first year as a substitute at North Park Elementary. The dress brought back memories of the myriad of stares that I’d received that night from husbands of the staff members I was working with. I had gotten plenty of dirty looks that night from a lot of the women that I now called my associates and co-workers. I figured if the dress had gotten that much attention a couple of years ago, maybe it would bring me some good luck tonight.

  I pulled the dress out of the closet and gave it a once over: a white, knee-length bandage dress, with black and white straps that looped around the chest and over the shoulder. The dress was two years old, but I figured it would still fit, since I hadn’t grown too much since then. It took me five minutes to get the dress on, but once I did, I knew I had chosen the perfect combination of nice and sexy. At five-foot-six, one hundred-twenty-three pounds, the garment fit perfectly to my body, and even put a little emphasis on my ass, which was always a plus.

  I had removed the headband that I’d worn to class during the day, and let my hair fall naturally into the bob haircut that everyone raved about when I’d decided to cut it eight months ago. I side-swept my bangs and inserted two tiny diamond earrings into each ear lobe, and one even tinier diamond stud into my nose. To top off my ensemble, I chose a pair of white and black Stiletto heels that only made it out of the box on special occasions.