25
25
BIRTHDAY GIRL
S he was taking an inordinate amount of time to get ready. Even sneaking out in a towel and some fat rollers to grab a garment bag from the closet. I gave her an indulgent smile.
“We have reservations,” I reminded her, getting up as a gentle prompt forward.
“Wait, wait, wait! I’m not ready yet!”
“I could simply zip you up in that bag, and we could go . . . You’d still be the hottest babe there, times ten.”
She stopped and held up a hand. “Just wait,” she said with a huge smile. “Five more minutes, I swear.”
Ten minutes later, I exhaled, clicked off the baseball game I wasn’t watching, and turned off a couple of lamps. I was just tossing my keys in the air when she came strolling out. I almost didn’t catch my keys.
“Kate.” I let out a low whistle. “Wow!”
She busted out in a pleased grin, blushing a little. “You like?” She did a little twirl. “Sorry it took so long. I couldn’t get the zipper up, so had to rig it with a safety pin real quick.” She made a face. “I figure I should go ahead and wear this, at least once, before I won’t be able to. For a while.”
“This” was a short black skirt with a long V that showed off her killer legs, which were encased in some strappy black heels. A simple, sleeveless V-neck white blouse in some kind of silky material completed her outfit. She was made up, her quiet beauty flourishing into exquisite beauty. Her hair tumbled artfully around her face like girls in shampoo commercials. I wasn’t aware I was so quiet until her brow furrowed.
“Too much?”
I came over to kiss her cheek. “Yes, you are too much. But you look way too good not to show off—I feel like I’m going out with a supermodel tonight.”
“That’s how I feel all the time,” she drawled out with good humor.
I shook my head and gave her a swat, pulling her in for another kiss. Then, while she packed some lip junk into a mini bag, I went to the closet to change my shirt. She was both over and under-dressed for the outdoor patio I was planning on taking her to, so I mentally rearranged the night’s festivities. She looked expensive, so I would take her to the kind of place her outfit deserved. If I’m being honest, I didn’t love the fact she was wearing something—on our special celebration night—that her lunatic ex-husband bought for her. With blood money.
“Come on, girlfriend,” I coaxed with a nod. “Let’s go paint the town red.”
She beamed, and I escorted her out the door and into my mud-spattered vehicle. I took a moment to tap on my phone for some new options. “Yunno, I think I need to grab a jacket for where we’re going tonight.”
So I pulled around to the big house and Kate and I got out. Ruthie met us at the door with her reading glasses perched on her nose. After I explained what I needed to borrow, she beamed at us and turned around to yell for Bob. Ten minutes of ribbing and a couple of posed pictures later, and we finally climbed back into the Jeep with a navy jacket in tow. Double sigh. I was taking a sec to check out the directions on my phone, when Kate turned to me with another huge smile.
“I know where my birthday present’s hidin’!” She beat out a little rhythm on my glove box.
I slapped her hands off. “Uh-huh. Not yet.” Suddenly, a niggle of worry wormed itself into my chest that my birthday present wouldn’t live up to the expectation. I eyed her sparkly bag perched on her lap, her luscious lips glossed a wicked red, her child-like eyes painted up like a doll’s. She pouted and crossed her legs, and the metal on her strappy shoes caught my attention. I suspected they cost twice as much as my birthday present.
I jammed the key into the ignition and revved the engine before squealing out of the driveway and into the street. She looked sideways at me and ran a hand through my hair to the nape of my neck, fingering the scar she gave me.
“Yunno . . . we can go anywhere tonight, Pete. Or nowhere at all. I dressed up for you , not to go to some fancy restaurant.”
My heart stirred in my chest. “Now where would be the fun in that? Tonight’s a celebration.” I lifted her hand from my seat and kissed her palm. “And we have so much to celebrate.”
I eyed her meaningfully and watched as her happy eyes began to glisten in the dark. She became so quiet that at the next stoplight, I reached over and grabbed her chin to squish her pouty lips to mine. Then cranked on the radio to the birthday girl’s favorite hip-hop station.
After a quick fifteen, we pulled up to the valet at an aging white stucco structure with wrought-iron trim. Mercedes sedans, like black ghosts from my past, lined the parking lot. It was a classic steak house that catered to the Palo Alto palate by offering up dry-aged, grass-fed beef and truffled French fries. I figured the way she went after my burger the other day, she was either anemic or craving red meat.
The valet guy eyed the old Jeep and came to the door with a condescending smile, until he pulled it open and Kate poured out. He actually looked stunned for a moment before helping her out. I reached into the glove box and slipped her present into the inside pocket of my borrowed jacket. This ill-fitting monkey suit actually served a purpose tonight. The valet came at me with a quick once over, looking dispirited immediately. I gave him a winner’s smile, grabbed my ticket and my hot girlfriend, and we sallied through the doors like we owned the place.
Dark paneling, dim lighting, muted murmuring, and tinkling silverware greeted us along with a duo of blonde classic beauties in black. After a little schmoozing and slipping a C-note into one of their hands, we were led to a quiet booth against the wall in the middle of the room. The hostess slipped the reserved sign off the table, and Kate and I slipped into a cushy booth the color of love. We both grinned at each other over our giant menus.
This was fun. Why didn’t we do this more often? Oh. Because I’d gone bust, and we were trying to live on the down low. But tonight was a night to celebrate, so even though I hated the stuff, and even though we needed to save money, I ordered up a couple of glasses of bubbly. Kate raised eyebrows at this.
“Don’t worry,” I said, “yours is for cheering, mine’s for drinking.”
She smiled. “Since when do you like champs?”
“Since I have so much to celebrate.”
Her smile strained to stay put. She drew in a deep breath. “Yunno what’s funny?”
I shook my head. “I would love to know.”
“Champagne used to be my favorite thing in the world, but now—just the thought of it—ugh!” And then she stopped there at a couple of reminders she didn’t want to be reminded of.
A quiet enveloped us as I watched the candles light her face and wondered how much she missed her champagne life, and if it was something I would ever be able to give her. Staying off Academy radar meant keeping a low profile—forever. Just then our waiter came by with our glasses of bubbly and took our order. I lifted my glass.
“To your last night as a teen . . . May it be a night to remember.”
This elicited some more eye glistening from the doe-eyed girl, and then she drew in another deep breath and chinked her glass to mine. After we each took our requisite sip, we came back with matching grimaces that made us laugh. Our waiter returned with our appetizer, and I asked for a house cab instead. Then I cut the hunk of lettuce doused in chunks of blue cheese and offered half to her. She waved it away.
“I don’t think I’m supposed to have that, come to think of it.” She gave me a rueful smile.
Oh. “Do you want to order something different?”
“S’okay,” she said, reaching for the bread and butter. “I ate a bunch of chips and salsa this afternoon. Maybe we should add some spinach to our order though . . . yunno, for the folic acid.”
No, I didn’t know. And I didn’t know what to expect when your girlfriend was expecting. This wasn’t something they really covered at The Academy. More like how to cover it, so that your girlfriend wouldn’t be expecting. No wonder Kate was so freaked out—we weren’t prepared. And really had been pretty careless after those pills ran out. But at least I wouldn’t have to worry about pulling out anymore, at least for the next nine months. I eyed her cute tits winking at me behind the fancy blouse; I couldn’t wait to get them out of there. I had to admit: I was hoping they wouldn’t change much.
“Hey.” She waved her fork at me. “Are you staring at my boobs?”
“Guilty as charged.”
She shook her head at me. I shook my head at her.
“I can’t help it if you forgot to put on a bra tonight.”
She laugh-gasped and threw her burgundy napkin across the table at me. I caught it right as the waiter came back with our food. “Buen probecho,” I said, tossing her napkin back.
“Buen probecho,” she replied. We silently forked buttery-tasting beef into our mouths and chewed with relish while staring at each other. I knew she didn’t want to talk about our future, but I wanted to let her know just one thing that would hopefully make her feel better.
“You know, Kate. I never mentioned it before, because it never came up. And I didn’t want you to want me for my money,” I joked.
She halted me right there. “Make no mistake—I only want you for your body.”
I gave her the laugh that she wanted. “Seriously.”
She grinned at me. “I’m serious.”
This time I tossed my napkin at her, and she caught it and tossed it back. “What I’m trying to say is . . . I actually have a rich old granny and granddad in Manchester. My mother’s parents,” I supplied. She swallowed her bite of steak and stared at me. “As far as I can tell, I’m their only grandchild and heir, so . . .”
“Why are you tellin’ me this?”
“So you won’t worry so much.”
She unnecessarily dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Can we not talk about it tonight?”
“Sure.”
She smiled and excused herself to the ladies’ room. I watched her walk through the crowded restaurant as men ogled her and women compared themselves to her. I was a lucky guy. I’d met thousands of beautiful babes—all colors and creeds—and not one of them was like Kate.
Upon her return, a chocolate dessert with a lit candle was waiting for her in lieu of her dinner plate. “Hey! How’dja do that?” she asked, seemingly as mesmerized as a child by the sparkling candle.
I flickered my fingers at her before withdrawing the box from my jacket with a flourish. “Magic,” I said, presenting her with her present. “Here’s your little something-something.”
She laughed and picked up the little black box. Cleared her throat dramatically. I immediately wished it were a ring, but I couldn’t afford a ring just yet. She lifted her eyes to mine. I bit my lip through the tension. She hesitated with a smile, until I gave her the head nod. Face glowing, she creaked open the box, peering in expectantly. She immediately caught her breath and fingered the two half pieces of a whole heart inside. She met my gaze with shimmering eyes.
“A little something-something,” she said, getting the joke now.
I laughed and removed one of the necklaces from the box. I examined it; it was the one with Kate’s name on it. “See—this one is mine, because it has your name and your birthstone on it,” I explained, pointing to the lime-green stone. It’s a Peridot, and I don’t know if you know this or not, but it’s supposed to instill power and influence and is thought to have magical powers.” I flickered my fingers at her face again. “Just like you.”
She choked out a laugh at that one, and pulled out her half of the heart, the one with my name and birthstone on it.
“If you flip it over, it also says something on the back,” I said. I had this added when we got back from our vacation.
“Forever,” she read. A lot of emotions flooded her face. The glistening in her eyes transformed into actual tear drops. “I love it,” she whispered breathily. “I absolutely love it!”
“Really?” I immediately felt like someone just pumped helium into my chest.
She nodded and looked at me with so much love I felt my chest expand even further. “Really. I can’t believe you remembered!”
I exhaled and leaned forward for a kiss. She lassoed me around the back of my neck to smash our lips together. I didn’t mind.
“I love it, Pete!” she gushed. “It’s the best present I ever got!”
“Me too . . . and it’s not even my birthday.” I grinned.
“Will you put it on me?”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” I replied.
She choked out a laugh and a little snot came out. She laughed some more and wiped it off with the back of her hand and used her napkin to dab at the tears. Then she tossed it aside and slid over and turned around for me.
“I already knew your birthstone is Topaz.” She threw a watery grin over her shoulder while I fiddled with the clasp. “I looked it up.”
“Come here, you crazy bitch,” I said, throwing the necklace around her neck. She pulled her dark curtain aside, so I could fasten it on. I slipped a kiss on the scar I gave her. After which, she turned around for me to inspect.
“How’s it look?” She straightened the jagged heart so that it nestled between her breasts.
“The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I declared.
“You’re starin’ at my boobs again.”
“Can I help it if they’ve been flirting with me all night?”
She shook her head and bapped me with her soiled napkin.
“Come on, girlfriend, let’s get back to our love nest, so we can get it on.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” she replied. “But first, lemme get your necklace on you.” She threw the silver chain around my neck and fastened it. Then kissed the scar she gave me. I turned around for inspection.
“How’s it look?”
She took a long moment to stare. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Then, with matching grins, we slid out of the booth and held hands before sallying back out of there. A lot of envious stares followed us out the gilded door.
Sex with Kate was always a full sensory experience. That night, it was an out of body experience. Afterward, I stared at my name nestled between her breasts. The reflection from the moonlight transformed the half-heart into a sliver of broken glass. I picked it up and ran my finger over the inscription on the back.
“Forever,” I whispered.
But she didn’t whisper it back; I guess she was already asleep.