Chapter 15
Gina and Merry exchange knowing looks before wiggling their eyebrows at me when my phone chimes for the umpteenth time in ten minutes.
I ignore their pointed looks and reach for my phone.
I already know who is texting me. Cole. I skim through his flirtatious text, feeling hot and bothered all over.
He’s doing this on purpose. He’s been in St. Louis since yesterday, and not spending another night together is driving both of us crazy.
Since the night that changed the course of our relationship a week ago, I've spent every night in Cole’s house, in his arms, in his bed, being ravished in every position known to mankind.
I've been sleep-deprived, but now I'm sex-starved, and Cole’s naughty texts weren’t helping!
He knows I'm with the girls, trying to enjoy our monthly movie night, but he just wants to torture me.
My phone buzzes because I've put it on silent after the last text. The girls act like they don't notice as I check my phone. I almost moan at the erotic words on my screen .
Can't wait to feast on you when I get back.
Let me tell you what I'll do to that sweet pussy of yours. I'm going to lay you naked on the island, spread your legs gently, and then, I’m going to lick and suck your pussy while you’re screaming my name with pleasure, but I won't stop until you squirt and collapse from your orgasm.
Merry clears her throat. “Must be nice to have a lover who keeps your phone and your body hot…”
“And buzzing!” Gina adds with a laugh. I cover my face with my hands. I fall flat on the couch as both girls jump on me, tickling my sides as I laugh so hard I almost pee.
“Stoooooop!” I yell in between fits of laughter. Gina and Merry finally tire of tormenting me and let me go.
“Come to think of it, you and Cole are having what we writers call a whirlwind romance, ” Gina announces with a smile.
I frown, deep in thought. “And is that bad or good?”
Merry cuts in abruptly in a melodious voice. “Good! You're having sex! You're alive!”
I chuckle but wait for the answer from Gina. She notices I'm still staring at her and says, “It is whatever you make it, girl! Don't overthink it.”
Without glancing at them, I know Merry is giving Gina a threatening look over my head, and I swallow a chuckle.
Am I scared about where this affair is headed?
Yes! Am I frightened out of my mind that Cole can just call it quits out of the blue?
Absolutely, yes! But I'm also having the time of my life.
Nothing prepared me for how pleasurable sex is, especially when the man you're falling in love with is involved. I wince as the truth hits me again. Yes, I'm falling madly in love with Cole, and it is not just about the sex. He is kind, compassionate, appreciative, and so protective of me .
On Monday, Delores came to my office puffy-eyed, apologizing for her ill-treatment of me.
After that, I saw her escorted to the second floor.
News through the grapevine was she'd been demoted. The sweet way he takes care of me whenever we’re alone is the best. He notices my every move and mood. How can a sane woman not fall for him?
Every day this week, I've woken up to a flower bouquet on the pillows in his bedroom.
Attached to the bouquet is usually a lovely short note where he scribbles the random things he finds attractive about me.
Then, after some hot, languid shower and another bout of sex, he drops me off at home to get changed before I catch a cab to the office.
That has been our routine for the last five days.
Keeping our distance in the office is easy because we work on different floors.
But there had been a time or two on Tuesday afternoon when he’d called me into his office for a brief meeting.
I’d thought something bad had happened because of the set lines on his face as he barked at Sally to hold his calls.
However, I received a shocker when he bent me over his desk.
Shivers of excitement coursed through my veins as he slid off my tights and panties.
The next thing I heard was his zipper before he slid into me in one swift thrust. He’d made sweet love to me, his hand clamped over my lips to keep me from screaming out.
We hadn't used protection, nor did he pull out.
But it was fine because I'm on the pill. That was one of the many times he’d been unable to pull out during our sexcapades.
Has it really been one week? It feels like a year!
This whole affair with Cole is exciting, and I know reality will soon set in when I have to tell Dean about it.
But until then, as Gina advised, I won't overthink it.
Aching with arousal from just reminiscing on our affairs, I quickly send a text to Cole asking when he's returning. As I lay in bed, trying to calm my burning body, Cole’s reply chimes on my phone.
I snatch it up to read his reply. He's coming in late tomorrow night when I'd probably be fast asleep. I grin at his parting words. ‘But I can't wait to eat you for breakfast’. I shiver at the picture his words evoke and decide it’s time for some exercises, after which I’ll have a long, hot soak in the tub.
By Sunday evening, I'm giddy with excitement at seeing Cole again. Not just because of the sex, but because I genuinely enjoy spending time with him. He knows how to tell a good joke, he listens when I talk, and he treats me like a prized possession. I’d come up with an idea during my long soak in the tub – I would surprise him by making dinner!
The plan is simple. I'll get to the house by six p.m., cook dinner, and then catch a quick wink before he arrives by eleven or twelve o'clock.
That way I don't have to wait till Monday morning to see him at work.
I pitch my idea to Gina and Merry and they give their full go-ahead.
At a few minutes to five, I dash out of the house with an overnight bag and head to the mall.
Once I'm done grocery shopping, I take a cab to his house, hoping the security guard remembers me. When I arrive at the gate and he asks for the password, I quickly repeat the words I've been hearing Cole use, “Rumplestiltskin.”
The gate buzzes open a few seconds later and my cab drives in. The security guard waves at me from the gate and I return his greeting with a wave of my own.
The driver helps me set the brown paper bags on the pavement in no time before driving off.
I breathe in the cool evening breeze and exhale in anticipation.
I walk up to the door and extract the spare key from the bottom of the large flower pot.
Humming with joy, I carefully crack the door open and step in.
That's where it hits me. There's an aroma of baked fish and fried vegetables in the air.
I frown in confusion, setting the bags down by the door so as not to alarm whoever is in the kitchen.
Gingerly, I check the kitchen, half afraid of who I might find there.
If it’s Cole’s Mamma, then I'm in big trouble.
I'll be married to Cole by daybreak. But if it's not…
Rather than conclude, I crawl towards the kitchen, my ears straining to make out the voices.
I halt by the doorway, half hidden in the shadows.
A cold shiver races down my spine at the sight of Cole in another woman’s arms. A sense of Deja Vu hits me.
No! This can't be happening again. I peer at the woman’s face and swallow a gasp.
Renee! Cole’s long-time standing significant other.
They've been off and on for a couple of years.
What is she doing here? Worse still, why is Cole in her arms?
Renee is wearing a jersey dress bunched around her midriff, with Cole standing in between her slender bare thighs. My heart plummets to my stomach, and I decide I've seen enough, that is, until Renee’s words stop me.
“And you're sure it’s just a fling? It feels like it is more than that,” comes her shocking question, to which Cole laughs. “I already told you it was. I just had an itch that needed scratching.”
Cole’s words hit me like a bucket of ice water in my face.
But he's not done yet. “Besides, you've seen her body, and it is the opposite of everything I find attractive in a woman.
I like slim women with just a hint of curves.
A perfectly small ass that I can grab, and perky breasts that won't suffocate me when I'm sucking them.”
Those words send me reeling, breaking my heart into a million pieces. I stumble out of his apartment, leaving no trace of my presence behind. I walk down the long driveway to the gate and reassure the security guard that all is well because he looks at me with concern.
“Could I please wait here for my ride?” I ask in a voice so quiet and calm.
How I'm able to keep the quiver from my voice, I don't know.
The security guard nods and offers me a chair.
I fold myself into the chair, extracting my phone with shaky hands from my bag. I dial the first number I can think of.
“Hey, G, could you please come pick me up?” I try to sound casual, but Gina somehow sees through my easy tone.
“Something has happened,” she concludes, she doesn't ask. “I’m on my way,” she adds, hanging up before I can say anything else.
I share my live location with her and await her arrival at the security post. My mind goes blank as the warmth of the evening air surrounds me, chasing away the chill from my bones.
I begin to grow numb as I sit there, staring into the darkening skies.
Focusing on the stars, not what I’d seen or heard.
Suddenly, Gina’s car speeds up to the gate, a cloud of smoke bracketing her tires. I wonder how she'd gotten here so fast as I dash to my feet, intending to head to the car. I don't want her to come down and make a scene.
“You can have this,” I say to the security guard, pointing at the grocery bag. His face breaks into a smile of gratitude. I wave his thanks away, sprinting to the car just as Gina throws her door open.
“Are you okay?” Her question renders me speechless.
I can't respond. I quietly slip into the car as shudders wrack through me.
I want to be far away from here as soon as possible.
Gina follows my lead and sits back down in the car.
I chance one last look at the gate and the house beyond in the rearview mirror as we zoomed off.
Never again, I silently swear to myself.