collar and his glasses slipping down his nose.
She turned and glanced down at the same time he did each of them fixing a look of a barrel chested man embracing a barely clad woman in his huge arms. She turned pink and said, “Oh, hi, Billy.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t called. . I got sent out of town to stage a few more carnivals for the company.”
“I had no idea the Zombie business was so demanding.”
She hadn’t meant to sound so bitchy, but it was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Fortunately he thought it was funny.
“So, do you have any plans tonight?”
“Not really.”
“I don’t want to keep you from your reading.”
She chose to find this funny.
“Did you have something better in mind, or are you just taking a poll?”
He laughed.
“Well, we could go have dinner or catch a movie or just go somewhere and talk.”
They actually wound up doing all three. They walked around the store talking about what they liked to eat. It turned out that they liked the same take-out pizza place; his apartment was closer, so that’s where they wound up.
They sat and ate pizza and laughed at a stupid comedy that they both found funny for the same reasons (improbable situations faced by unlikely duo who wind up falling in love with each other’s hot sister.)
They wound up sharing a kiss instead of splitting the last slice of pizza. This kiss was just as impressive as the first one. Cynthia was swept away by the softness of his lips and the way he used just the tip of his tongue to investigate the edges of her mouth as if waiting for her to permit him to explore further. She melted into his arms and tasted the sweet wine they shared and the tartness of the pizza sauce. Kissing this man was as warm and welcome as pajamas on a Saturday night.
He stroked her hair as the kiss deepened. He made her feel dainty and special, both welcome feelings after all of this time alone. His arm slipped down and he gently rubbed the back of her neck with his thumb. She moaned against his mouth. He kept kissing her, bringing his other hand to her neck and massaged her as he kissed her. He broke the kiss, took her hand and led her into the bedroom.
“Don’t worry. I just want to make you comfortable while I work on your back.”
Those were the most beautiful words Cynthia had ever heard. At his instruction she lay face down and he tucked a pillow under her knees. She sighed contentedly as he massaged the back of her neck. She enjoyed the feeling of his hands working their way down her back. His touch was firm and strong, but not painful. She focused on the feelings that were coursing through her. The muscles in her back were loosening and the muscles between her thighs were tightening. He began to knead her lower back.
“You’re tense down here.”
“You have no idea.”
She rolled over and smiled up at him. He leaned over her and she slid her arms around his neck. He leaned in and kissed her neck. She arched up at him as he lightly nibbled his way towards her ear. He gently licked her earlobe and she moaned. His hand slipped down and stroked her rib cage. He nibbled alongside her jawbone back to her mouth and kissed her deeply. She wrapped one arm around him and used the other hand to unbutton his shirt.
He sat up and pulled it and his t-shirt off in one movement. He tugged at the bottom of her blouse and she pulled it off. He lay on top of her, his skin warm against hers. He kissed her again. Cynthia thought that she could kiss him forever. His hand slipped up her stomach. His thumb stroked her gently and anything else she could think of just disappeared in a flurry of sensation. His fingers danced along her stomach and ribs then magically walked around to her back.
As she arched up to meet him he reached around and unhooked her bra. She helped him pull it off and then her hard nipples were pressing against him as fingers continued to explore her. She could feel his hardness against her hip bone as he kissed her. She gently raked her nails against his back and she felt him shiver.
She did it again and he moaned against her mouth as his kiss lingered. It seemed only a matter of seconds and his pants and her jeans were tossed to the floor and he nestled against her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Their underwear soon followed. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry as he kissed, nuzzled and licked her all over. His fingers and tongue soon stroked her to climax.
As she shuddered in his arms, he whispered into her ear, “May I?” She kissed him and reached for him. He leaned over and took a condom from the night stand. He slipped into her and they both sighed. He took his time as if gauging her responses to work out his rhythms. He wrapped her legs around his hips and he stroked her thigh as he moved in and out. It was nothing short of amazing.
The next thing she remembered was drifting off to sleep in his arms. Now here she was in his bed remembering and it wasn’t at all bad. For several long minutes, Cynthia didn’t worry about messing things up or thinking about what could possibly go wrong, she just enjoyed the warmth of this sweet man lying next to her.
She was so relaxed she almost fell asleep. She was startled by the sound of the apartment door opening. At first she thought that it was the apartment next door, but then she heard the jingle of keys then the following thunk as they were tossed on the coffee table.
She heard a slightly husky but unmistakably female voice call out.
“Billy, are you home?”
Cynthia bolted upright, moving so quickly she almost knocked Billy off of the bed. He clearly hadn’t heard the woman. She called out again.
“Big Bill, are you around?”
Billy heard her that time. He looked over at Cynthia sheepishly. There was the sharp sound of a knock on the door. Billy smiled at her.
“Just a sec. . “
The woman didn’t want to wait a sec, the door knob creaked and a very pretty face with red curling hair peered around the door.
“Oh, Billy, you are home.”
Cynthia scrambled around with the sheets trying to cover herself up.
“Oh hi, I’m Billy’s roommate. You must be Cara.” Cynthia was too embarrassed to say anything. Billy was pulling on some clothes as the roommate continued.
“I can’t believe we haven’t met before. Billy just goes on and on about you.”
By this time, Billy was dressed and almost to the door. Cynthia stood up and scooped up her clothes. Keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her she went to the bathroom and said in as dignified a voice she could muster she said, “I don’t know why you haven’t met Cara. I’m Cynthia.” Billy pushed the roommate out of the room. Cynthia heard murmurs of varying tones and volume.
She dressed as quickly as possible and left the bathroom. She walked purposefully through the apartment and got her purse. She walked out the door without saying a word to either of them. She heard Billy’s footsteps behind her and she closed the door between them.
She didn’t even bother talking to her friends who knew Billy. What would be the use of knowing the back- story? It was pointless and more than a little embarrassing. She was disappointed but she wanted to keep it to herself. The best way to forget about something like that was to find a new project that wasn’t remotely related to carnivals or zombies or men in general.
With that in mind, she volunteered to help Emily with her Girl Scout project. It seemed safe enough, lots of pre-adolescent girls working on camping skills or merit badges or something. She was unlikely to run into anyone who had dating potential, or even worse, Billy.
Of course, that’s exactly who she ran into. She didn’t think shopping for marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers would be dangerous, but it was. She was trying to reach the crackers when a familiar hand reached over her head and effortlessly plucked them from the shelf and handed them to her. She remembered why she knew that hand so well and blushed trying to shove the memory of that hand dancing across her body.
“Cynthia, I. . ”
