Manhattan Muse: A Contemporary Romance (8 page)

Two weeks had passed since that night with
Nate. I hadn’t talked much to him, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t trying to talk to me. Every day, I would receive a text revealing another one of his sweet thoughts.

I plan on taking care of you, so please don’t worry in my absence.

He was worried about me, so much so that he was counting the days until it was safe to put me on a plane. After being away from each other for so long, I was beginning to side towards secretly risking it.

The only thing I worry about is you finding someone else to love who is
still, in every way, a woman.

It didn’t take long before itinerary found its way into my email inbox. I was to fly to LA in a little over two days.

That is impossible after everything I have told you.

“Nothing is impossible,” I said to myself as I turned off my music.
“Except buying a new wardrobe. That is near impossible.”

I sat in silence while pondering the stores I could afford to get bargains at until my phone lit up once again. However, this message wasn’t from someone I wanted to talk to.

Sax Fifth, you and me. Please? I want to apologize.

I looked at my phone in disgust, first because of the name illuminated on the screen and second because of the location. I hated Sax Fifth, almost more than I hated the thought of having to endure it with Adam. He always did this when he screwed up. It was as if money
had some magical powers to heal the worst of situations. However, this opportunity couldn’t have come knocking at a better time. He was, for once, convenient for me.

Meet you in an hour.

Sax Fifth could make a rich person feel poor. So, you can only imagine how the poor feel when they enter its double doors. It was beautiful, with lighting that gave every inch of its iconic confinements a magnificent glow, but it made me feel more uncomfortable than worthy.

I waited in the warmth of my apartment until I saw Adam’s driver show up. Popping a bottle of champagne, we rode in silence slowly sipping our bubbly across the avenues. To my surprise, Adam was for once speechless. I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t unbearably awkward.

When we walked in, Adam placed his hand on the small of my back, making me cringe. I felt the anger rise within me as I thought of all of the places that hand had been on the other woman. I looked at him in disgust and watched his shoulders slouch in defeat.

“Anything you want,” Adam recited the way he had a million times.
“On me.”

However, unlike the million times before that had gone like this, I wasn’t conservative with what I wanted.
I grabbed everything I would possibly need for my trip to Cali. I piled things in his arms until I couldn’t see his face – Chanel handbag complete with a full makeup bag and cosmetic essentials; Chanel sunglasses; Gucci heels; Choo heels; three evening dresses; sexy lounge wear; elegant dinner attire; one stunning swimsuit; wonder bras; delectable panties. By the time lingerie was being swiped, Adam became uncomfortable.

“What do you need these for?” Adam said vulnerably.

“You never asked me what I needed,” I shot back, eyeing him with intent. “You asked me what I wanted.”

He complied shortly after and we walked out the front door with every salesmen waving at us in appreciation. We rode across town in silence before curbing in front of my front door.

Adam carried my bags with me to the front door in an effort to get inside. However, when I turned around and took them from his hands, he was shocked. He didn’t know what to say, so he used his notorious fallback line.

“
I love you, Moo-Moo,” Adam said.

“Well then start showing it,” I said before turning in for the night.

I slammed my front door shut and dropped the weight of the world on my kitchen floor. I had never felt so aroused by my own doing and, in an effort to remember exactly what had just gone down, I documented it in my phone.

You better be ready,
Nate, because when I get to you, I’m not holding back.

The plane ride from New York City to Los Angeles was excruciatingly long. Six hours felt like days. With all of my new garments packed away with my usual leggings and boy shorts, I couldn’t wait to release all of the tension that had built up inside of me for the past two days.

With Adam texting me his apologies every hour and my thoughts drifting to
Nate every thirty minutes, it was hard not to feel empowered. Here I was finally in control with someone who I had spent years battling for attention, and across the country I was humbled by someone who I had only spent a few weeks with. This mix of emotions was bound to produce a passion I had never explored before. I was excited and could barely contain my fantasies without moaning at the very thought of them.

As I looked out the window and saw palm trees and manicured lawns, I felt my region yearn in his proximity. I had buttered my skin with hydrating lotion, spritzed my best perfume across my neck where his head was always cradled, and slipped into my softest clothes.

When I stepped out of the airport and into the warm, California sun, I saw his build rise out of his car. He made his way to me before planting a welcoming kiss on my lips.

“California really likes your red hair,”
Nate said, combing a fly away piece back in its rightful position. “The sun dances in it.”

He put my luggage in the trunk before wrapping around the car to fold into the front seat. Latching his seatbelt in place, he gazed over at me before succumbing to kissing me. Honks filled the air with yells behind us, but
Nate didn’t seem to care. He seemed lost in the moment as his hand lifted to meet my cheek.

“We should move the car,” I said in between light kisses.

“They can wait,” Nate said. He roamed my mouth a few more times before putting the car in drive and heading to the highway. “I hope you are hungry, because it’s dinnertime here.”

“You are your food,” I said, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Actually, I was hoping you would cook for me,” Nate said. “After all, it’s kind of my birthday.”

My eyes widened as I took in his words.

“What?” I yelled while turning in my seat. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Relax,”
Nate said. “You are the best present I had received all day. Whoever dressed you in that outfit has superb wrapping skills.”

He chuck
led while he watched me fidget with my casual dress.

“You really like the red wig?” I said in disbelief. When there were no hints towards white lies, I surrendered to his truth. “I brought the brown one just in case you want to play a prank on the paparazzi or, better yet, wish to have your cake and eat it to on your special day.”

His fingers soon laced with mine before bringing them to his mouth.

“I wished for nothing more than your company,”
Nate said, kissing the back of my hand before driving off into the sunset.

Two hours later, after meeting the cutest bulldog in the entire world and settling in to an apartment I could never in my life afford, I cooked on a range fit for a five-star restaurant. With every ingredient imaginable
lining the shelves, I curated the best masterpiece I could in the amount of time I had.

Shaking complimentary mojitos, we settled into a night of feisty guacamole dip, fresh salsa, and lime-infused chicken burritos. I had added a couple nontraditional secret ingredients to the mix which threw
Nate’s taste buds for a loop.

“What is this?”
Nate said, licking his fingers in pleasure.

“It’s a secret,” I said. “Kind of like the one you didn’t tell me until two hours ago. You know how much I hate surprises.”

“Life is not about comfort, my love,” Nate said. “Although, I aim to make it as comfortable as possible for you.”

“Smooth,” I said. He smiled before taking another bite.

“So, are you going to kill me if I tell you something?” Nate said.

“Depends,” I said.

“I snooped around in your suitcase a little while you were downstairs,” Nate said. “And I have to say, I really like some of the things in there.”

“Yeah?”
I said innocently, playing along with his game. “You have no idea what it was like getting those past security.”

Nate
chuckled as he realized I was referring to my medication.

“I was talking about your new clothes,”
Nate said. “In particular, the ones that come off as soon as they are put on. Someone isn’t second guessing the take-it-slow rule, are they?”

“
Mmm,” I said in thought as I took a sip of my mojito. The fresh mint splashed against my palate. “I spy with my little eye someone who is prying.”

“Ah, no, that would make it too easy for you,”
Nate said.

“Such a shame,” I said, forking another bite before popping it in my mouth. “They would have been hugging my body at the first sign of a green light.”

Nate laughed at my flirtatious suggestions, and I couldn’t help but laugh with him. There was no sense in hiding the obvious sexual tension. Perhaps this type of play was what I needed to get me back in the game.

“Seriously though,”
Nate said, finishing his plate. “I hope you didn’t break the bank buying those.”

“No,” I said, pushing mine to the side as well.
“Just Adam’s. I figured I’d make him pay for what he did,
literally
.”

Maybe it was the alcohol in me or the fact that I had become too comfortable with
Nate too fast, but as soon as those words exited my mouth I regretted saying them. I watched a dark shadow cast across Nate’s face as he got up to clear the table. An overwhelming awkward silence filled the kitchen and I was left to stand in its wake.

“
Nate,” I said. When he didn’t answer, I called to him again. “Hey…”

He didn’t turn around. He didn’t answer. He just kept cleaning up in silence.

I walked to his side and dangerously hooked my fingers in his belt loops. Pulling at his waist, I placed my hand inside of his side pocket as he turned to face me.

“What did I do wrong?” I said, looking up into his eyes. “I was just trying to make you laugh.”

“I know,” Nate said. I felt him press against my hand before cupping his hands around my face. “I just don’t want to have to share you. I don’t know if you have noticed, but I get jealous too.”

“Well,” I said, swallowing my pride. “There is no need for you to get worked up over that. I bought everything with you in mind, whether we use them or not.”

I took his kiss as a compromise and asked with my body to be carried away. Looking to the clock that read 10pm, I saw that we had just spent four hours swooning each other. They had gone by so swiftly until one sentence broke the chain of events. That one sentence had brought Nate to his knees and I hadn’t wanted him to feel like that.

Setting us down on the couch, I sat up on his
lap to face him.

“I feel like I’m a bad person,”
I said.

“You did nothing wrong,”
Nate said, enveloping my lips with his. “I’m just being sensitive.”

Before I could speak, I felt a buzz from his pocket against my leg.
Nate let out a sigh before retrieving it.

“That would be
my friends attempting for the fifth time tonight to meet you,” Nate said. “They are at our local bar.”

“I would be honored,” I said, kissing him softly.

“Like I said before, I don’t want to share you,” Nate said. “I’m content with mojitos and cuddling. There are a lot of good movies that you have missed over the past few months.”

“They will be there tomorrow,” I said. Those words calmed
Nate in my arms.

“But it’s my birthday,”
Nate said childishly.

“How about this,” I said, walking my fingers
up the length of his chest. “I will meet your friends, we will have a few drinks, and then when we get home I will give you a birthday dance.”

A smile stretched across
Nate’s lips. “What if I want my dance now?”

“I don’t think you are hearing me correctly,” I said, looking at him as if he was stupid. “You have the chance to make me f
eel bad all night long and work for an apology, but you choose to let it all go now and save yourself some fun.”

“I don’t play games,”
Nate said, shyly.

“It’s not a game,” I said, brushing his hair away from his forehead. “It’s a way of ensuring you are appreciated.”

We sat for a few more moments before venturing into a nightlife I had never witnessed before.

“I know I am appreciated,”
Nate said, placing his hand on my knee outside of the bar. “You show me every day whether you realize it or not.”

Hand in hand, we waved goodbye to his friends who had been the most hospitable bunch I had ever met. We laughed, we shared stories, and we even got competitive over darts. Opening my car door, Nate waited for me to step inside before being shoved in the backseat himself by Jeremy.

“E
asy, tiger,” Jeremy said as he cranked the engine of Nate’s car into a steady purr. “I’m taking you two home tonight.”

Through the rearview mirror, I could see that
Nate was a little more than drunk. He had spilled his heart tonight, and I had learned some things I had never known about him such as where he came from, what his parents did, why he bought a bulldog, and what we wanted to be before he became an actor. I also learned some of his friends’ inside jokes and a few of his most embarrassing moments.

They all came back to me as the passing street lights flooded my vision in a blur.

“East is basically my girlfriend,” Nate had said at the table as his eyes wandered around my neckline. “He was jealous when Molly walked in, I could sense it.”

“Of course, he hasn’t seen competition in years,” Nikki
had said, flashing me a gleam.

I was brought back to reality by Jeremy shifting the car into park. I got out of the car and took
Nate’s hand to lead him up the walkway.

“Come on, bab
e,” I said, fishing in his pocket for the keys to the apartment as he leaned on the doorframe. The sensations of my fingers begged his lungs to suck in air. “Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.”

I helped him the best I could
to the bedroom but there was no denying that he was about four times my size. Even in his stupor, he was able to turn on his heels and gave me what could best be described as a sexy stare.

“Don’t think I have forgotten about my birthday dance,”
Nate slurred. “It’s all I have been looking forward to all evening.”

I smiled before pushing him down on the bed.

“Be a gentleman,” I said, pointing my finger at him with a sly look.

“I’m always a gentleman,”
Nate said, drawing my thin frame into his as he breathed down my neck. “Just because I slip this once doesn’t mean I am a pig.”

“I never said you were,” I cooed, brushing his face towards mine. “Look at you, putting words in my mouth.”

By the look of his raised eyebrow and his gaze to my dresses bust, I knew how he wanted to twist my words. However, when he refrained, I noticed another quality in him that I admired deeply – fair play. Even after too many drinks, he showed restraint.

Climbing
softly onto his lap, I positioned my face so that only a sliver of air was keeping our noses from touching.

“I can’t dance without music,” I said. Without skipping a beat,
Nate’s finger pressed play and music emanated out of his stereo system.

I felt the futurist vibes cascade over my body and
slowly synched it with the beat. My hips rocked with the bass above Nate’s like a gypsy, grazing a growing bulge underneath his protruding zipper. I swirled my hands through the air to the music as my head tipped back. I sensed my mind being lost in the lyrics and let my body take over its rein.

As the bass hit with the intro of the chorus, I threw
Nate back against the bed and let every inch of my body make love to his without touching it.

I
swayed atop of him until he couldn’t take it anymore. Lifting all of my weight with my arms, I raised myself into a split above Nate ever so slowly. I let his eyes take in every inch of the view before falling into a controlled split on top of him, my toes caressing his ears.

When our bodies made contact, I felt
Nate’s react underneath my delicate frame. Shivers ran down the length of his spine as he grew beneath my swollen mound. As I began to oscillate onto of him, my hands trailed the edges of his clothing starting at the collar, moving down to the edges of his shirt tail, and braving the inside of his waistline.

With each sweep of my finger, I felt
Nate quiver beneath me. He let out a soft moan and I could tell by the way he was responding to each of my movements that this type of attention was new to him. That only excited me more.

As the music came to a close, I let my lips glide across the freckles populating his neck that I had noticed the first day. They marked the area that made
Nate surrender to anyone daring enough to venture there. I couldn’t help but wonder how many other women had taken advantage of this button.

Sitting up, I ran my fingers across his face.

“Happy Birthday, Papa,” I said. After seeing his eyes dance with his new nickname, I settled in to his embrace to weather the night. I, for once, felt safe.

I woke up the next morning to a tongue lapping at my face. As I sat up, I saw East in Nate’s place with a note on the bedside table. It read
Work. Sigh
.

“You know what that means,” I said to East, rubbing the morning out of my eyes. “You must surrender to my cuddles until he gets back.”

East wagged his tail at the sound of my proposal and spent the rest of my morning primping, cleaning, and walking the block with East in tow. I recalled the long night we had endured with Nate’s close friends, making our way to the bar and later to the beach. We strolled down the sandy dunes before each coupling split off in our own romantic pairs. The last thing I remembering Nate asking me was why I chose New York City. When I told him it was the only place I knew I could make it big dancing, he smiled. The moonlight played with his cheeks before he responded.

“I was found in New York City,”
Nate said. “I loved theater. I still do. I remember wanting to be an artist, and then I remember being told to move to Los Angeles if I ever wanted to make it big. At the time, it was surreal, and didn’t seem like too much of a commitment. But now, I wonder if I ever wanted to, would I be able to stop? LA is nice and all with its free spirit, but I will always love the east coast, hence the reason why my dog has such an odd name.”

I smiled at the memory of him talking before I warped back to the present. He was right.
LA was completely different than New York. There were rolling hills with more than a square foot of nature. Everything was spread out and colorful. I could see farther than one hundred feet in front of me without something obstructing my view. The vibe wasn’t hussle and bustle. Instead, it was overwhelming serene.

As East dragged me towards the next new incredible thing he wanted me to experience, I only saw one thing that I hated about this city. It was the air.

Even though New York was more condensed and populated, the air in LA felt dirtier. Above me hung a gray overcast that didn’t seem to want to leave any time soon. It smelled as if I was trapped in a glass bubble full of exhaust.

“Hey!” I heard, breaking my exploration of the sky. I didn’t look until I heard the next word. “Molly?”

Looking to the passing car, I saw the one person I didn’t want to see. As his face, full of overgrown stubble and temptation, came into my view, I cringed.

“What are you doing here?” Adam said, confused and pissed off. “Do you know how many times I’ve called yo
u? I had no idea where you were. I thought something had happened to you!”

“I’m fine,” I said, turning to continue walking. That didn’t stop him though. He followed me at a snail’s pace in his car. “I decided to take a vacation.”

“Without telling anyone?” Adam said. “You know how worried your friends are at the dance studio? And why here? Every time I’ve invited you, you never wanted to go. You gave me some excuse of a flying phobia.”

“Things change when you have a near death experience, Adam,” I said, growing annoyed. I picked up the pace with East.

“Whose dog is that?” Adam said. “It better not be whose I think it is.”

“Or else what?”
I said, turning on my heel. “What are you going to do?”

Adam looked appalled as he hit the brakes.

“You are a completely different person, Moo-Moo,” Adam said, finishing off by letting his emotional temperament as a lead singer take over. “I think they dug too deep during surgery and took out a piece of your heart.”

“I think you are wrong,” I said before running with East, hoping that he would lead us home in the right direction.