Chapter 12
The sun seems to shine brighter today.
Last night, I shared a piece of my personal paradise. My secluded home is outside of town limits. Fewer people come around, but that’s the way I prefer it. We created our own little island. This house became our secret spot dedicated to me and him. I let completely go and lived a moment of euphoria. My heart said to live, and baby, did we ever.
Victor’s care and attentiveness were all-consuming. He was different. I could feel it. He wasn’t the cocky peacock that walked around, but a confident and sweet man. The way he holds me, I haven’t felt like this before. That voice in the back of my mind reminds me our time together is limited.
We are startled awake at the pounding of the door and a random voice screaming for a delivery.
“Who is that?” Victor’s deep voice rumbles while he rubs his eyes.
Our bodies are tangled in a mess of limbs and sheets. I try to roll out of the mess, with Victor laughing at my thrashing.
“It’s a delivery of heaven’s food that Massey promised. I’ll be right back.” I get up and throw on an old t-shirt and boy shorts. When I open the door, I see two boxes with Leo’s brand on it. Massey, that sneaky whore!
I quickly grab the boxes and head to the kitchen to make coffee. Victor walks out in his boxers, holding my chessboard, as I set the food on the counter.
“Question, did you make this?” He lifts the scrappy chessboard.
I smile and nod at the memory. It’s a solid block of wood that is poorly cut with a handsaw and painted with obnoxious colors.
“Lawson, Leland and I made it together when we were kids. My dad taught Leland before he up and left us. Then, Leland taught us on the nights my mom came home late from working two jobs. One night, Leland thought it would be a good idea for us to build this together. It was when the electric company turned the power off, and we had to spend the night in the dark until our mom could pay the bill the next morning.” My eyes water from the memory. “We sat outside and he made me and Lawson hold the light while he cut the sides. They let me pick the paint since I was afraid of the dark. It was an excellent distraction for me from the scary monsters. Here, grab the food and I’ll get us coffee.”
I try to ignore Victor’s warm smile and sad eyes as he puts the chessboard on top of the boxes and takes it all to the bed. The cheap coffeepot gurgles to life, and I stare at the dripping of the hot bean water, appreciating the generous aroma of caffeine.
When it beeps to completion, I fill two hearty cups and head toward my bedroom. I place the coffee mugs on the side table that doesn’t match any other furniture in my room. To be honest, nothing in my house blends together. Yard sales and trash dumps are where I found most of my stuff.
I open the French doors in my bedroom that face the ocean, letting in a soft breeze. Victor rearranges the blankets on the bed to make a small picnic area to lay out all the food. I crawl into bed and tuck my feet under my body.
“You can thank Massey for this food, heaven.” I snatch a biscuit from one of the containers and moan at the fluffy, buttery baked dough.
“I’m thanking her for a lot more than food.” He gives me a wink.
Unable to stop the blush from crawling up my cheeks, I sneak a piece of spam to shove in my face. His flirtatious comment leaves me flustered. “Shut up.”
“Tell me more about the board.” Victor quickly changes the subject, sensing some uneasiness at the moment.
Ungracefully swallowing a mouthful of food, I snag our piping hot coffees from the table and pass Victor his. Unsure of his preference, I just left it black. He takes a generous sip with a groan and I sigh into my cup. Relief washes over me.
“Well, Leland taught us. He made sure we knew how to play a game, recited this master speech that compared the game to life. Explained where pieces needed to go, and how to move them for the best outcomes. He would say, “Learn moves here and then apply it to life. Make yourself a king or queen and carefully calculate your moves. Protect your people.” From that moment on, I followed and watched Leland more carefully,” I explain. “I mean, the way he took care of us, sacrificing a lot to make sure we were ok. Even now, we still look out for each other.”
“No man left behind,” Victor realizes.
“Yup.”
His eyes search for more, but he nods gently and adverts his eyes, understanding a little more of why we are the way we are. He reaches for a fork and scoops up a pile of scrambled eggs. Matching my savage eating style, shoves the whole forkful in his mouth. His delicate lips closing over the silver utensil give me memories of what those lips can do.
“It’s good, right?” I whisper hopefully. I know this isn’t his style.
“Mmm hmm, so good,” he says with a mouthful. He leans back slightly against the pillows and softly moans with appreciation.
My lips pressed together, satisfied at seeing him so relaxed. He quickly wipes his hands on his bare chest and grabs the chessboard, placing it between us. He leans forward, reaching for the collar of my shirt to pull my face to his for a quick kiss.
“I love to play chess. So, I’m challenging you,” he arrogantly states.
“Warning, I’m really good.”
“I was on the chess team in high school,” he proudly puffs his chest out.
“Not sure that is something to brag about?” I tease.
Victor fakes a laugh and throws a piece of hash brown toward me. “Collins, you are talking a big game. Not sure if you really are as good as you say.”
“Ok, let’s do this.” I wipe my hands on the top of my thighs and then rub them together. “Remember, you asked for this.”
I’ve never met anyone so determined to win. Victor and I spend all day in bed playing this one game of chess. Some people may think it’s extreme, but chess is a game of patience and skill.
And I’ve never played like this. With a sexy, mostly naked man in my bed, all wrapped up in sheets. Flirting and playing chess. I am having the best time. I watch his face as he makes big decisions on where to move his pieces. Then it happens, just as I expected. Victor’s next move opens up his king, but he doesn’t see it.
Trying to hold my giddiness, I make my move. “Checkmate.”
His eyes look like they might pop out of his head. “What the fuck?” Victor glares at the board. His eyes dart back and forth at the pieces before him, and then he looks up at me. “You cheated! I never lose.”
“Well, I didn’t cheat, and you lost. I got your King.” I’m holding his chess piece in my hand, doing an unladylike dance.
“No,” he whispers, confused. His eyes continue to roam the board, and his finger retraces his movements. But it’s the talking to himself that makes me laugh.
I am hunched over to the side, holding his King in the air and admiring my work.
“Collins,” he says softly but sternly. I look over at his hooded eyes filled with desire. A half-smirk teases his lips. All I can think of is … run!
I let out a squeal that even I’m not sure where that noise came from and take off out the double doors toward my private beach. Victor is following closely behind me. Both of us laugh like fools.
“You cheat,” he accuses again. “You had to have cheated!”
“I never cheat!” I yell behind me.
I round a palm tree, with him hot on my heels. He doesn’t time the turn right and ends up sliding through the warm, grainy beach.
“I am just that good,” I say as I run past him. His long-defined arms reach out but miss.
Victor jumps up from the seated position he fell in and quickly catches up to me. My body shivers when his hands grasp my shoulder and hip, spinning me around before throwing me over his shoulder. I am laughing hard when I realize the position that I’m in. I swing my palm down hard on his butt.
“Fuck, Collins,” he screams.
I’m still laughing hard as he trudges into the water.
“No!” I beg between fits of laughter. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
“You cheated. That’s the only way.” He still can’t believe he lost.
He walks us deeper before submerging the both of us under the warm water. Coming up for air, I feel like a new person. It feels good to giggle. I couldn’t tell you the last time I laughed like this. Victor’s soft eyes have me swimming to him. I’m hypnotized by the warmth they hold when he looks at me. We reach out for one another with me wrapping my arms and legs around him. His hands settle under my thighs, pulling me close.
“Okay, I admit defeat at this,” he finally concedes.
“Good.” I can’t help but smirk. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you lost.”
“Good, my ego can only take so many hits. You seem to leave me weak.”
My teeth clamp down on my lower lip. I don’t miss the affectionate tone of his words. Being out of my comfort zone, an apology is all I can come up with.
“I’m sorry.” I mean, I am sorry, but also, I’m not even close to being sorry.
“Baby, don’t be. Come on, let’s order some dinner and watch a movie.”
Baby? My stomach might as well have a seizure at this swooning thing.
“Okay, but we have to shower first. I don’t want my house to have sand throughout.” I unwrap myself from him. We swim back to the shore and lazily walk, hand in hand, back to my house. I tug him along to the side of the house toward my outdoor shower. As we approach, I strip down and toss my soaked shirt and shorts on the deck. Turning back, I see Victor has stopped in his tracks. His eyes dart back and forth between me and the beach area to see if anyone is coming.
“It’s a private beach. No one is around. Take off your shorts, Victor.”
He gives me a mischievous look. His fingers dip into the waistband of his boxers, and without breaking eye contact, he slowly inches them down. I can’t look away, not for a second. Then he stalks toward me, and I know I’m grinning like a fool. I’ve never had this much fun with someone. I quickly turn and rush to the shower, throwing the handle on and waiting for it to heat. Victor rushes behind me, driving us under the water. I grab the soap to lather my hands and Victor snakes his hand between mine, stealing the lavender-scented soap. My hands touch every part of his body, and he caresses mine. He swipes my shampoo and conditioner combination, squirting a hefty amount into the palm of his hand. I can’t help the obnoxious groan that escapes when his fingers dance along my scalp. His giggles are so infectious that I can’t resist joining in. I’ve realized that I have completely let him into my life, and for once, I’m not afraid.
We dry off and get semi-dressed as best we can. I watch Victor bring pillows and blankets into the living room. Sliding the small coffee table to the side, he continues to make a mini bed on the floor. I call in an order for Chinese food. It’s one of the few places I know will deliver.
“It’s weird you don’t have a TV in your room,” he says.
“Why? I barely watch it.” I shrug.
“That’s baffling.” He shakes his head.
“Why? How many do you have at your place?”
Victor sits back, and I can see his mind counting. “Four, no wait for five. The fifth is in my home office.”
“Does anyone live with you?” A minor panic settles under my skin.
“Hell no. I have news, court TV, and ESPN playing on different TVs in different parts of my apartment. That way, I won’t miss anything.”
“Why?” I look at him, baffled.
“I don’t know.” He huffs. “I just kept them on those channels, and it’s on almost all the time. One TV is in my bathroom, so I can watch while I get ready.”
I know my mouth has dropped because that is mad. “What?”
“That’s just a lot.”
“Why don’t you have one in your bedroom at least?” he questions.
An innocent enough question. “Better things to do in the bedroom, baby.”
“Oh yeah? Like?” He smirks, encouraging me to keep talking.
“Sleep! Sleep, you fool!” I giggle. “But in all seriousness, we didn’t have a TV growing up, so I got used to not having it. I don’t think I’m missing much. I just have Netflix and basic cable.”
“Wow, so…”
“Amazing? incredible?”
“Crazy. I keep forgetting how different our lives are.” The way he responds has me second-guessing everything.
“Yeah, we are.” I know he didn’t mean it negatively, but it’s a slight slap in the face to be reminded how much our lives clash with one another. But that’s normal for most couples, right? Whoa, I’m getting ahead of myself.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t meant to be taken like that. I mean, it’s true, just I …”
Holding his hand, I feel a mutual understanding at this moment. “I get it.”
A knock at the door draws our attention. “I’ll get it. It’s probably the food.”
I snag my wallet from my bag as I pull the door open. I offer the delivery guy a nod and tell him to keep the change. My mouth salivates with the smell of orange chicken, fried rice, and pork lo mein. I hand the food to Victor, who has found a place on the blankets. He grasps my hands and pulls me down between his legs. I shuffle around to get more comfortable, resting my back against his chest. His arms wrap around me, his head dips down and his lips rest next to my ear.
“I like the fact that you’re not a part of my world. You are a rare diamond and it could have ruined you.”
He likes me for me. I’m struggling to navigate this area.
“I can appreciate that.” Biting my lip, I know I shouldn’t ask this next question, but, “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“No.” He takes the remote and searches Netflix. “What’s the plan?”
“There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Can I have a hint?” He eyes me curiously.
“Nope.” I give him a warning eye.
“Okay, baby.” I sigh with relief that he’s not pushing. “Now, what’s on TV?”
“Oh, The Office. It’s my favorite.” I insist.
“I’ve never seen it.” He presses play and drops the remote.
We each take up a container of food and chopsticks, and promptly stuff our faces like we did at breakfast. Victor chuckles at the slapstick comedy. He wishes the office environment was more like that, but acknowledges that it’s not realistic.
It’s nice to be here at this moment. I am glad he didn’t push further about tomorrow because it will be a test of patience.