I cuddled next to him then Koku
returned to his lap. We sat together and watched the movie. I started to fall asleep from my post orgasm exhaustion. At some point, I fell unconscious in his arms.
I felt my body
being lifted from the couch then placed on the soft sheets of my bed. The blankets were pulled over me and Koku lied by my feet. I felt a warm kiss press against my forehead. I vaguely heard the sound of keys jingle in the door, but I was so tired that I didn’t wake up.
5
Ethan was at my door, ready to take me out for a drink. His eyes widened when I opened the door. “You look nice.”
I was wearing a black dress that reached my knees. It was tight and curvy, but it covered all the essentials. I knew I could sit down without giving everyone an X-rated show. I tucked my hair behind my ear, averting my gaze.
Ethan stared at me, waiting for me to accept the compliment. When I didn’t, he stepped into the apartment. Koku ran to him, his tail wagging excitedly. Ethan pulled a bone out of his pocket and handed it to the dog, who took off running with it clamped in his jaws. I knew I would find the bone in an odd place, underneath my pillows or in one of my shoes.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes.” I grabbed my clutch from the counter. When I looked at him, I saw the tightness of his slacks. They were loose in the right places, but constricted in the better regions. I kept imagining his naked body and it made me hot. His collared shirt exemplified the muscles of his chest. “You look handsome.”
He stepped toward me then rubbed his nose against mine. “Sounds like we are
a matching set.” His hand glided down my back, stopping just above my ass. Just the gentle touch was enough to set my skin on fire. He kissed the corner of my mouth, letting his lips linger for a few seconds. He kissed the other corner then parted my lips with his, caressing my mouth. When he pulled away, I felt cold. I wanted to keep kissing him. I never felt so alive in my life.
He turned to the door and opened it. “Let’s go.”
I stood still for a moment before I followed him out the door. He closed it behind him then locked it with my key. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, guiding me to the elevator. When the doors closed, he turned to me and stared at me. Nothing was said but his thoughts were as obvious as the weather.
He placed his thumb on my bottom lip. “I could kiss your lips all day.” He rubbed his nose against mine, holding me close. The beeping of the elevator went off but neither one of us noticed the sound. His eyes took me in, absorbing every part of me. I felt like
a well that he continued to drink from him, always parched and never satisfied. Only a day had passed and I felt the change between us, the strong connection that seemed to form out of iron and steel. His obsession for me was growing. I still couldn’t believe that someone so beautiful thought I was worthy of his time. He wouldn’t have sex with me because he wanted to prove his interest in me without it. I never thought holding out would get a guy so interested.
His hands slid down my arms, making my skin prickle. I felt like a muse from a painting, the star of the picture. Every touch felt like he was worshipping me. We weren’t having sex or even kissing, but I felt like we were making love in a way, just touching each other, staring at each other. If Ethan ever le
ft me, I wouldn’t be able to go on. My obsession was him was becoming paramount. Without him, I didn’t even have myself.
The doors opened but neither one of us moved. His blue eyes were still glued to mine. He leaned into me, kissing me gently as a couple wa
lked inside the elevator. When he was finished kissing my lips, he pulled away and guided me from the elevator. The couple in the elevator was clearly uncomfortable by the intense affection, but Ethan and I didn’t care for their opinion.
When we reached the street, he hooked his arm around me. “What’s your favorite book?”
“That’s a horrible question.”
“I told you mine.”
“I don’t have one.”
“How is that possible?”
“I love them all.”
“Let me rephrase my question. What is one of your favorite novels?”
“That’s better.”
He kissed me then pulled away, not breaking his stride. “Tell me.”
“Why?”
“I want to know everything about you.”
She smiled, feeling the redness tint her cheeks. “The Hobbit.”
“What?” he asked, surprised.
“It’s a perfect children’s book. It has great action and adventure. My dad used to read it to me before bedtime.”
“I never expected that.”
“Why?”
“It just seems like a masculine book. I wouldn’t expect a beautiful young girl to be interested in that.”
“Well, there was a dragon at the end, a hoarder of treasure. That was my favorite part.”
He smiled at her. “You are so adorable.”
“Thanks.”
“You are sexy, shy, and adorable. It’s a killer combination.”
I wasn’t sure about the first one. I had never been sexy in her life. When I tried, I just looked horrible. When I took a zumba class in college, trying to dance sexy, I just made an idiot out of myself. “Why do you love the Odyssey?”
He sighed. “That’s a tough question. I
guess I like the loyalty in it, that his wife still waited for him even though she wasn’t sure if he would ever return. Everyone said he was dead but she chose to wait. Love like that doesn’t exist anymore.”
“I think it does.”
“You do?”
She nodded.
“Let’s bring it back together.”
“Okay,” I
said with a smile.
They walked a few blocks bef
ore they reached the bar. I didn’t care for alcohol much, but Ethan suggested the place. As long as I was with him I didn’t care what we did. Ethan led me to a table.
“What would you like?”
“I’ll have a chardonnay.”
“Okay.” He kissed me
on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.” He turned around and walked to the bar. I eyed his ass for a long time, seeing it hug his slacks. I wanted to bite it because it looked so tasty.
“Sadie?”
She turned around. “Billy?”
“Hey,” he said, hugging her. “How are you?”
“Good. I heard you were working for Esquire.”
“Guilty,” he said with a smile.
“That’s so great, “I said as I patted his shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. I was just the mail guy forever until they finally let me move up.”
“I had no idea writing was so competitive until I started looking for jobs.”
“Neither did I. My wife was bringing home the bacon for the longest time.”
“You got married?”
“Yeah.”
I hugged him again. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said as he returned her embrace. “So, are you seeing anyone?”
I pulled away and saw Ethan walk toward us. He looked angry but I couldn’t imagine why he would be. He placed the drinks on the table then stepped up to Billy, his anger flashing in his eyes.
“This one is mine. Get your own.”
My mouth dropped when I listened to him. Did he just say that?
“Now go,” Ethan threatened.
Billy glanced at me, confusion on his face.
“Ethan, this is my friend, Billy. We went to school together.”
Ethan glared at him but said nothing.
“He’s married,” I added. That seemed to release the tension from his shoulders.
Billy looked at me. “Well, it was nice seeing you, Sadie. Good luck with everything.” He turned and walked away.
I covered my face, mortified by Ethan’s behavior. “What the hell was that?”
He sat across from me. “Sorry. I thought he was hitting on you.”
“And what if he was?” she snapped. “You can’t just talk to people like that.”
“Yes I can.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Not if you want to be with me.”
He looked at her. “I don’t like it when you talk to guys at bars. I know what they are thinking. They are here just to pick up some stupid bimbo then get their dicks wet.”
“He’s married.”
“So? How was I supposed to know that?”
“If you didn’t threaten him right away you would have figured it out. Or if you just looked at his ring finger. That’s always a good indicator.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“I just don’t want you talking to guys when you are at a bar dressed like that.”
“Dressed like what?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I really don’t.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “You don’t know how guys think. I just don’t want anyone to bother you.”
“I can take care of myself, Ethan. When you tried to sleep with me, I said no, didn’t I?”
“You are lucky that I was a gentleman.”
“A sexist gentleman.”
“I just don’t like it when people look at what belongs to me.”
“I don’t belong to you,” I snapped. I had enough of this bullshit from him. Ethan was a living paradox. He was such a sweet
and sexy man, but he could be totally psychotic just a single instant later. I picked up my clutch then walked away from him.
“Where the hell are you going?”
“This is over.”
His eyes widened in panic. “Wait.”
“No.”
He grabbed my arm. “Please don’t go. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“For what exactly?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never been in a relationship before. I admit that I’m pretty ignorant to how it works. I really like you, Sadie—a lot. I just—don’t want anyone to take you from me.”
“And the best way to do that is to threaten every man with a penis?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just care about you so much. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You will if you keep acting this way.”
“I’ll stop,” he said quickly.
“I won’t be with someone who tells me what to do or dictates who I talk to. If you want to be with someone that you can control, then I’m not your girl.” I hoped that wasn’t the route we had to take. I really liked Ethan—loved him. I definitely didn’t want to lose him. But if I was going to be bossed around all the time then it wasn’t worth it.
“It won’t happen again.”
I looked at Billy across the room. “Go apologize to him.”
The annoyance in his eyes told me everything that he was feeling. He was never going to do that. “Ethan?”
He sighed then walked away, heading over to Billy. I was shocked that he actually did it. They spoke for a few moments. When the conversation ended, they shook hands. Ethan came back over with his hands in his pockets. “I did as you asked.”
“Okay.”
“Can we continue with our date?”
“Yes.”
He guided me back to the table. We were quiet for a long time, neither one of us saying anything. It was still awkward from the fight we just had. Ethan looked genuinely apologetic about his behavior.
“So, what’s the line for you?”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “What?”
“The line that I can’t cross. I can be very protective of the people that I care about. What am I not allowed to do?”
“You can’t tell me what to do, where to go, or approve who I can and can’t talk to you.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
He was quiet for a long time. “No.”
“Good.”
“Would you like another?” he asked, eyeing my glass.
“No.”
“Would you like to leave?”
“Yes.”
He grabbed my hand and led me outside. His arm hooked around my waist and held me close to him. Even thoug
h that bar smelled like booze, he still smelled fresh and clean, like he just took a shower.
“Is this our last date?” he asked sadly.
I looked at him. “No, of course not.”
“I didn’t ruin this?”
I stopped and stepped in front of him, wrapping my arm around his neck. My breasts were pressed against his chest. He hands grabbed my waist, squeezing me. “No, Ethan. I still want to see you.”
He rubbed his nose against mine. “Thank you for putting up with me.”
“You’re lucky you are so sexy. That ass saved your skin.”
He smiled, a quiet laugh escaping. “Th
at thing always comes in handy.”
“As long as you understand what kind of girl I am, we shouldn’t have any problems.”
“I do know what of girl you are.”
“Then everything will be okay.”
He rubbed his nose against mine then kissed me. “Thank you.”
I pulled away. “Let’s go back to my apartment. I have to feed Koku.”
“We should stop by and get him more treats.”
“No,” I said quickly. “He’s already getting chunky.”
“You’re a horrible mother, talking about your son like that.”
I laughed. “I love that little dog.”
“I love him too.”
We arrived back to the apartment building and made it back to my place. I unclasped the gold bracelet around my wrist then set it on the counter.
“You look good in gold,” he said.