“You’re staring.” Her gaze
shifted away from his to the view out the plate glass window. The ocean was
calm with the waves rolling gently onto the shore before being pulled back out
again.
“You’re beautiful” was his
simple answer.
“You keep saying that and my
head won’t fit through the door on the way out” she joked. She had never been
comfortable accepting compliments. More, she still found it difficult to
believe that this man could find her attractive after all the beautiful women
he had been associated with over the years.
He squeezed her fingers,
trying to gain her attention. She had averted her gaze and didn’t seem to want
to look at him. “Hey.”
She finally pulled her gaze
away from the window and met his. She picked up her glass again and sipped the
Pellegrino that harbored just a hint of the lime that was floating in it. “Hmm,
what?”
“I meant it.” He picked up
his own glass, taking a deep draught of the fizzy water. “And I’ll tell you as
often as you need me to so you start to believe it.” At her skeptical look he
continued. “The first time I saw you in that restaurant at The Grove, I knew
you were different. You were as far removed from Hollywood as a body could get
and that was one of the things about you that pulled at me. You have a fresh
pretty face that hasn’t been tainted by the madness out here that drives women,
and more than a few men, to try to preserve themselves with injections,
surgeries, what have you.”
Their waiter approached,
interrupting him. “Here is your calamari. Can I bring you anything else? Can I
bring either of you another drink?”
“No” they replied almost in
unison.
When the waiter was gone
again, Stephanie picked at the light, crispy fried mollusk while wondering if
Richie was going to say anything more or if he was going to move on from the
subject of her.
He watched her, considering.
He needed to lighten the mood. Tonight wasn’t for all this seriousness. Richie
popped a piece of the calamari into his mouth before speaking. “You should know
something about me, sweetheart.”
One slim, well-groomed
eyebrow rose in question. “Oh, what’s that?”
“I never say anything I don’t
mean. So, when I tell you I think you’re beautiful, you can rest assured that
I’m not just blowing smoke up that very fine ass of yours.”
She chuckled at his
pronouncement. “Thanks for that, I think.” God she was going to miss him in the
coming weeks.
They finished their appetizer
and the waiter brought their dinners. The sun set while they were eating, leaving
them bathed in the warm glow of candlelight. Her tuna was done to a perfect
medium rare, not that she noticed. Eating was the last thing on her mind as
they sat in their little corner. She would miss seeing him every day, sharing
meals, taking long walks on the beach, going for drives, sharing the couch to
watch a movie. Just having an inane conversation about absolutely nothing.
The six weeks was starting to
feel like six years.
Setting his fork down, Richie
reached across the table, squeezing her fingers. “Hey, where’d you go?” He had
been talking and she hadn’t said a word. From the look on her face, he’d guess
she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
She set her fork down and
picked up the napkin that lay in her lap. She blotted her mouth and took a sip
from her glass. “Would you excuse me for a minute?” She set her napkin on the
table and stood, grabbing her purse. “I’ll be right back.” She didn’t wait for
a response, she just stepped away and headed across the restaurant toward the
ladies room. She’d be damned if she was going to cry in front of him, and
definitely not in the middle of the freaking restaurant.
Pushing the heavy wooden door
she was relieved to find the room empty. Closing herself in one of the stalls
she rested her forehead against the cool metal door. She refused to sit on the
public porcelain. She really didn’t have to go anyway. She just needed a minute
to get herself together. She took a deep breath in for three, held it for three
seconds and blew it out for three. The yoga breathing helped settle her. It was
only six weeks, not forever. She had managed for the 30 days he had been gone
for rehab, 42 shouldn't be so hard, right?
After another series of
breaths, she unlocked the door and stepped toward the mirror. Her eyes were
bright with the tears she refused to shed. Blinking rapidly, she forced them
away and with another set of breaths she opened her purse and refreshed her
lipstick. Her man was waiting for her.
Stepping out of the restroom
she was surprised to find Richie literally waiting for her. He was standing in
the middle of the little hallway, her wrap in one hand, their dessert in a to
go container in the other. “Rich?”
The look on her face when she
had walked away from the table had him signaling for the check. He needed to
get her away from here. “I thought we’d take a walk on the beach before heading
back and having our dessert.”
She took her wrap from him.
“Okay, that sounds nice, actually.” The ride to what she considered their
beach would give her a little extra time to get a grip on her emotions.
She concentrated on her
breathing and making small talk with Richie while he drove and found a parking
spot. Opening her door she started to step out when his hand on her arm stopped
her. She turned to look over her shoulder at him, “what?”
A long finger stroked lightly
over the soft skin of her forearm and those full lips of his curled into an
intimate smile. “Are you going to take your shoes off?”
Drawing her eyes from his she
turned and looked down, looking back at him with a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I
guess I should.” She shook her head at herself as she unbuckled the thin straps
and left the sexy shoes on the floor of the car. When she looked up again,
Richie was standing in front of her, holding out his hand.
“Come on Sweetheart, let’s
walk off some of that dinner so we have room for dessert.” And I think we
need to have a chat.
She took his hand and
followed him through the opening in the concrete barrier. The sand was soft and
cool under her feet as they walked. The moon hadn’t quite made its full ascent
into the sky and the stars winked brightly at them. It was a beautiful night
for a sandy stroll.
Richie slid his arm around
her shoulders and slowed her to a stop, turning her to face him. The storm of
emotions she was harboring swirled in the brown and green of her eyes. “Talk to
me Sweetheart. What’s going on with you? You weren’t yourself at the
restaurant.” He was sure he knew what the problem was, but leaving was part of
his job. He had spent his life leaving those he loved behind for weeks, months
at a time. It wasn’t the favorite aspect of his job, but it couldn’t be helped
and it was the sacrifice he made to go and do what he loved most. The reward
was more than worth the sacrifice.
He watched her struggle against
those emotions, fighting them with everything she had. Where she found that
strength he didn’t know but there had to be a deep, bottomless well of it
within her that she tapped into time and again. When her eyes met his he could
see the wetness there, but not a tear spilled down her cheeks. “Sweetheart?”
She took a deep breath in for
three, held it for three and blew it out for three. “I’m going to miss you and
I don’t know why this is hitting me so hard. You were gone for nearly as long
when you went to rehab a few months ago and I was fine.” She paced away from
him and back again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.”
He did. She was going to be alone. Sure, he was leaving and going to be away
from her, but he would be surrounded by his friends for the better part of
every day. She really didn’t have anyone
in California. Her family was all out on
the other side of the country. She’d be
by herself. “Do you have anything
planned for while I’m gone? Other than
your Habitat work?”
She thought for a
moment. “No, I guess I don’t. I thought about maybe going to a ball game,
but other than that, I haven’t planned anything.” The wheels started turning in her head. She could call Darcy and see if she wanted to
have dinner, maybe see if Ava would join her on a day trip to the San Diego Zoo
or Disneyland or the Santa Monica Pier or somewhere fun. She took another breath and felt infinitely
calmer than she had just a little while ago.
Why hadn’t she thought of these things before she had a near meltdown at the restaurant?
Stephanie looked up at him
with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry I
freaked out and ruined our dinner.”
Taking her hands, he hauled
her in, held her close. “You didn’t ruin
anything. Are you okay now?” Her eyes looked significantly less stormy
than they had just a few minutes before.
She nodded, “I am. I just need to figure out how to fill up the
time. But I think I have a few ideas to
get me going.” She leaned up and pressed
lips to his. “Do you think Ava would
want to hang out with an old lady like myself?”
He smiled gently down at
her. “If you’re old, Sweetheart, what
does that make me?” Before she could
open her mouth he cut her off. “Forget I
asked, I’m not sure I want to know.” At
her laugh he continued. “I’m sure Ava
would like to spend some time with you.
I’m glad you two get along.” He
couldn’t be happier that his two favorite girls were getting along, becoming
friends.
Standing in the pool of
moonlight, he stared down at her. Her
skin fairly sparkled in the silvery light.
Her eyes were storm free and soft, looking at him as though she could
see right into the heart of him.
Suddenly the six weeks seemed to stretch before him in a bottomless well
of empty, lonely hotel rooms and bad room service. He pulled her closer, bringing them hip to
hip and heart to heart. He didn’t want
to talk about his daughter anymore. He
didn’t want talk about his impending departure.
His lips sought out hers, a gentle brush of his over hers. He did it again, and once more before resting
his forehead against hers. He breathed
her in for just a moment.
“Let’s go back to your place,
Sweetheart.”
She took his hand and
followed him to the car.
~
Instead of heading up the
stairs when they walked through the front door, Richie led her down the hall
and into the kitchen. She set her things
on the table and watched him search for something in the drawers. “What are you looking for?”
“A fork.”
“Top drawer, left of the
stove.”
Finding what he was looking
for he came back to her and took her hand again, leading her out the French
doors to the deck and the lounge chair she had there. Settling himself back against it, he patted
the cushion between his thighs, “have a seat.”
She stood, dumbfounded for
just a moment. He had been serious about
dessert. Settling against him, she found
her hands full of a Styrofoam to go container.
“You really want to eat this now?”
No, but he wanted to spend
every minute he could with her, so they would start here and go wherever the
minutes, hours took them. He wasn’t in a
hurry. Yet. “Do you want to at least see what it is?”
She popped open the container
in answer. The oversize cream puff oozed
pastry cream and strawberries between its flaky layers. “Well, maybe we can taste just a
little.” She stuck her finger in the
dollop of fresh whipped cream that topped the luscious dessert and sucked the
cream off. “Mmmmmm” she purred. She dipped her finger in the cream again and
held it up for him. “Want some?”
He hardened behind her and
grabbed her fingers, swirling his tongue around the tip, relishing the purr
that he drew from her nearly as much as creamy sweetness itself. “You’re right, Sweetheart, it is good.”
He picked up the fork and
reached over her shoulder to cut off a small piece of the flaky pastry. “Open
up” he held the fork up in front of her mouth.
She did as he asked and when she felt the tip of the fork against her
tongue, she closed her mouth and slowly pulled her head back, sliding her lips
over the tines of the fork, groaning in appreciation.
“That is so good” she sighed
and took the fork from his fingers.
Carefully, she turned so she was resting on her hip against him. Setting the fork on the little table next to
the chair, she dipped her fingers into the pastry cream and held them up to his
mouth. “Open up.”
He sucked her fingers into
his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tips until he had her purring
again. His dick twitched in his pants. God he loved that sound she made. Abandoning her fingers, his mouth sought
hers.
She managed to set the styrofoam
box on the little table as his mouth came down on hers. His lips were soft and insistent, demanding
that she reciprocate. Her hands slid up
his chest, his neck, cupping his face as the kiss grew hungrier.
His hands tightened on her
waist, urging her closer. Long fingers
inched the hem of her dress up her thighs so she could straddle his lap. They curled around her hips pulling her against
him before traveling up, across the bare expanse of her back to her nape,
tugging at the ties.
She felt the ties loosen and slip. She inched back, his eyes were dark and
needy. She tore her gaze from his and
glanced around. She hoped no one would
see them. “Here?”
He let the ties fall from his
fingers and the top of her dress slipped down.
Her nipples hardened further in the night air and he cupped one full
breast. “Here, sweetheart. Right here.”
He barely got the words out before he leaned in and took one rosy tip in
his mouth.
Her head dropped back, the pull
of his mouth on her breast echoed in the pull she felt in womb. She rocked against him growing needier with
every lap of his tongue on her aching breasts.
Her hands fisted in her hair, pulling it up and letting it fall as she rolled
her hips against him.
His thumbs replaced his
mouth, lightly scraping back and forth as he watched her writhe on his
lap. As far as lap dances went, she was
doing a hell of a job. When she rocked
against him, he pressed his hips up, seeking that connection with her. He needed it, needed her.
He eased her back, laying her
down on the lounger. Her dress bunched around
her waist and her feet rested flat on the floor, her knees splayed wide. Reaching out, he traced her center over her
panties. “You’re so wet for me” he
murmured. He pressed harder, finding the
nub of her clit and working it in a slow, lazy circle.
She arched her back and her
impassioned plea rent the air.
“You’re nearly there” he
continued to play her. “Come like this
for me.” He wanted to watch her. Wanted to imprint this moment on his brain so
he wouldn’t forget it while he was away from her. He pressed her further, urged her higher
until she broke apart under his touch. “That’s
it darlin’” he encouraged. “That’s the
way, just let it go.” He gentled his
touch, rising from the chair as she started to settle. He dug in his pocket before dropping his
pants and shirt to the floor. Climbing back
on the chair he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her up to his
lap.
Still logy with release, she
lazily stroked his chest, toying with first one, then the other coppery nipple. Leaning in she tasted one. He hissed his appreciation when she sucked
hard enough to leave a mark. Shifting, she
pulled at her dress, un-bunching it from around her waist and dropping it
behind her. She leaned back in, wanting
to feel his skin against hers.
He had another idea. Once again he laid her back on the chaise, working
her panties down and off. With her feet
planted on the floor, he pushed her knees wide and thrust inside her, burying
himself to the root in her wet, welcoming heat.
“Better and better every time” he whispered. She always felt so damn good around him.
The moon shone down on them
and the stars twinkled as they moved together on that chair. He brought her to the edge of ecstasy again and
again, not letting her finish, holding back his own impending eruption until he
could ignore it no longer. “Sweetheart…”
Her knees hugged his hips,
her fingertips dug into his shoulders, “Richie…God…I can’t…” She threw her head back, arching her neck,
crying out as every muscle tightened and she shuddered all around him.
He followed right behind her,
pulsing out his release, panting out her name.
Finding the breath and strength
to move, Richie sat back on the chair, pulling her with him, cradling her
against him. Reaching down he found his
shirt and draped it over her quickly cooling skin. Wrapping his arms around her he held her
close, not wanting this night to end.
Six weeks away never seemed
so long before.
