Cristiana
Twelve hours later, and I still couldn’t believe how last night ended.
The talk Reuben and I had, followed by my accepting his proposal to try to develop a lasting relationship with him, was followed by the hottest kissing session of the night and my life.
When it grew to the point I was about to strip naked, he called a halt to it.
I was disappointed, but he told me that as much as he wanted me, he wasn’t ruining it before we got started.
We had to get to know each other and establish the boundaries of our D/s and personal relationships, including writing out and signing our contract.
Neither of us wished to leave anything to chance or to be ambiguous.
Soft and hard limits were just as critical as needs and wants. They needed to be defined.
I’d been weak and shaky as he not only escorted me outside but also to my car.
He insisted that we exchange numbers and that I text him to let him know I had arrived home safely.
A final, brief kiss sent me on my way. It was hard to concentrate on my driving rather than thinking about him, but I managed to do it.
I woke up this morning to a text message from Reuben.
He wished me a good morning and asked if I would be willing to go out with him for the day.
Knowing he worked on Saturday nights, I asked what time he wanted to do it.
When he answered back and said three o’clock, I knew that only gave us two hours at the most. I replied and asked him if it would be better to wait until he had his day off.
His answer surprised me. Reuben had asked for the night off, and Mikhail had granted it.
I was thrilled with his answer and eagerly accepted.
When I asked whether I needed to dress a particular way, he said to wear a warm jacket and gloves if I felt I needed them, otherwise to dress for comfort.
With those words in my head, I prepared myself.
I had my hair in a ponytail. A light layer of makeup was on my face, nothing like what I wore to the club the night before.
There were no leather pants, stilettos, and a sexy top today.
Instead, I had on a pair of ankle boots, a pair of distressed, comfortable jeans, and a cute sweater top.
It was a few minutes before three o’clock when my doorbell rang.
Rushing to answer it, I paused to see how I looked in the mirror along the way. I thought I looked okay.
Peeking out the peephole in the door, I saw Reuben standing there.
A thrill shot through me as I unlocked and then opened the door.
He was dressed casually. I drank in the sight of him in jeans, a leather jacket, and a Henley shirt.
As I checked him out, Reuben did the same to me.
Moments later, he was coming for me. He pulled me against him, backed me up, then twirled me.
I found my back pressed against the wall next to the open door.
I encircled his neck with my arms and pushed up on my toes.
He lowered his head, and his lips met mine.
I vaguely heard what sounded like the door shutting, but I never opened my eyes to check.
Our mouths were as starved as they were last night, and the kiss was drugging.
When he raised his head, I was dizzy and struggling for air.
“It’s so fucking good to see you, Cristiana. I’ve waited all day for this. If it had been a minute longer, I think I might’ve died,” he muttered.
“It’s good to see you, too. I’ve been counting the seconds until you got here,” I confessed breathlessly.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one. Are you ready? Do you need to do anything?” he asked.
“I’m ready except I need to put on my coat and get my handbag. They’re in the closet. Let me get them,” I told him.
I swore he was reluctant to let go of me, and it was confirmed when he only allowed me to move so far.
His hand stayed on my hip as I walked to the closet next to the front door.
He didn’t let go until I had my coat in hand, then he took it away and held it for me.
I slid my arms into it. Reuben turned me to face him, then buttoned it for me.
The feel of his fingers lightly caressing me through my shirt, before he fastened each button, made my body tingle.
When he was finished, he smiled and then handed me my handbag from the shelf in the closet.
I took out my keys to lock the door. When we were outside, he took my keyring so he could do it.
Out in the parking lot, he led me to a shiny, dark gunmetal gray car.
I noticed that, although the top wasn’t down, it was a convertible.
I’d always wanted to ride in one. The emblem on the front told me it was a Lexus.
Totally out of my price range, but that was alright.
I’d enjoy the ride. After opening my door and helping me inside, he rounded the hood and got into his side.
I was looking around. The interior was soft, black leather.
“I love your car. Too bad it’s not summer so that we could put the top down. I’ve always wanted to ride in a convertible,” I confessed to him.
“I’m glad you like it. And don’t worry, when the weather cooperates, we’ll go for plenty of drives where you can have the top down. If you’re open to it, I have a motorcycle. I’d love it if you’d ride with me.”
“You ride?” I repeated. Reuben nodded as he started the car.
“Wow, I’ve never been on a bike before either. The idea is scary but exciting. I’ll have to see about that one. But this baby with the top down, absolutely,” I told him.
His grin made my heart pound as he put the car in gear and we pulled out of the parking spot, then the lot.
As he effortlessly drove, he kept one hand on the wheel and held onto my hand with the other.
He took it as soon as we were moving. Traffic was pretty crowded.
Saturdays might not have the work week traffic, but a lot of people were out and about.
As we weaved and stopped our way through traffic, I watched to see if I could figure out where he was taking us. When we headed out of Germantown and then beyond, I had to ask.
“Where are we going?”
“I thought we should be able to relax while getting to know each other and having dinner. I hope you don’t mind, but I want to take you to my place. If that’s not alright, we can change it up. I should’ve asked first.”
“No, no need to change. I’d like to be somewhere where we don’t feel rushed or have to watch what we say in case someone hears us. So, where exactly do you live?” I rushed to assure him.
“It’s an area called 12 South. Have you heard of it?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, but I’ve only lived here five months. There are still a bunch of Nashville and the surrounding towns that I haven’t had a chance to explore. Tell me about it.”
“Well, it’s called 12 South due to its location on 12th Avenue.
It’s tiny, no more than half a mile, but it has a lot to offer.
And it isn’t a terrible commute to Lustz.
It lies south of Downtown Nashville, with Hillsboro to the west and Melrose to the east. There are many locally owned businesses, which attracted me to it.
I still get to experience Nashville without enduring the craziness of Broadway and all the tourists.
The insanity of that isn’t my thing. Sure, I’ve done it once or twice to experience it, and then never went back. Have you gone down Broadway?”
“No, not yet. I thought I would sometime, to be able to say I did it.”
“Well, when you’re ready, let me take you. I don’t want you there by yourself. It is crowded and can be dangerous. A woman as beautiful as you is sure to attract a great deal of attention. You need to have your personal attack dog with you.” He winked.
I giggle. “You’re crazy, but since you’re good for my self-esteem, I’ll overlook it,” I teased.
“I’m not crazy, just stating the facts,” Reuben assured me.
“What do you like most about 12 South?” I asked.
“It’s a trendy place with a lively vibe to it. Like I said, there’s a lot packed into that small area. And it works for me as a single guy. The same applies if someone is part of a couple. If we had kids, it isn’t where I would choose to raise our family.”
The tone in which he said those words made me blink in surprise.
Hearing him say the words “we” and “our” made my heart skip a beat.
When I glanced over at him, he shifted his eyes to me for a few seconds.
I saw he hadn’t said it without thinking.
Oh my God, Reuben couldn’t be thinking about us with a family. We were technically on our first date!
“I’m not trying to scare you off, carino.
I swear I’m not. But I’ve always thought if I were lucky enough to find that special woman and we had kids, I knew I wouldn’t want to live there, no matter how much I like it.
I think they should be raised in an area that is more welcoming and conducive to children.
And since I already told you, no woman has made me want what you make me want, it’s natural to say our family,” he explained.
“You haven’t scared me off, but you did make my heart jump. Since we’re on this topic, I hear you saying you wouldn’t mind kids. And if you thought that you didn’t want to raise them in 12 South, I bet you have thought of where you would want to. Tell me that.”
“There are a few areas of Nashville, if we stayed here, that I could see living in. Green Hills and Sylvan Park are two of those. Or if we went further out, we have several more options. And if we wanted to be out in the country like Mikhail and Taj are, I wouldn’t say no to Culleoka.
Some of the places are pretty pricey if you want several acres, but you can still find decently priced property. ”
“I heard Tajah mention they lived there. Where do Hoss and Cady live? There too?” I asked.