Fondest Wish Ch. 01

Kara McLean sighed heavily as she climbed the stairs of her apartment building and took a deep breath when she reached the landing. Tears pricked her eyes and her lip quivered as she fought to hold them at bay. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Her birthday. But it hadn't happened that way.

First, there was the blow-up at work. She hadn't meant to cuss but the f word had slipped out of her mouth the instant she found out that she shared a birth date with Lyndsey Cross and that Lyndsey had already commandeered the ceremonies. Everyone in the office knew that Kara did all the decorating, especially when it came to her own soirée. The unfortunate slip didn't go unnoticed; her boss, Brad was standing right behind her. For the first time in her entire life, she'd received a written reprimand and had to sign a paper that would go into her permanent personnel file. Now, she was a ripe piece of fruit with a spot of disease.

The problems with the car hadn't helped, either. An angry radiator put an end to her long ride home and two hours waiting in the hot sun for the towing company had threatened to melt her into the asphalt. The only thing that had made things somewhat bearable was the Rastafarian cab driver and his girlfriend who had taken a liking to her and had promised to stop by later on. She didn't know what it was about them that made her feel so comfortable but with the way her day was going, she didn't stop to ask.

Sheldon's call was the last straw. His mother had flown in for a surprise visit from Omaha and he wasn't going to be able to take her out for her birthday dinner. So here she was, alone, exhausted and much in need of a drink. She hauled her purse up on her shoulder and crested the last set of stairs, pleasantly surprised to find the cabbie and his sexy girlfriend sitting on the top step.

"I hope you don't think that we're too strange." His girlfriend said with a lilting West Indian accent. "But we couldn't wait. We thought you needed the company right away."

He reached out his hand to Kara and took her elbow, letting her use his strength to finish the climb. "My name is Donovan and this is Amalie." Kara nodded in acknowledgment and trudged over to her door, allowing Amalie to take the keys from her hand.

The inside of the apartment was dark and cool and Kara kicked off her shoes, dropped her purse on the couch and headed straight for the refrigerator. "Want a beer?"

"Sure."

Amalie stood to help her and the threesome sat in the living room, each wiping some of the day's heat away with the beer. Kara had finished half of hers before she noticed that Donovan and Amalie were staring at her.

"What's wrong?"

"You." Amalie answered, taking another swallow of beer. "You are what's wrong, Kara."

"Why do you say that?"

"When you first got into my cab, I could feel that something was wrong. Something deeper than your car problems." Donovan set his bottle on the table and stared into her eyes. "You may think that I'm crazy but I was born with the ability to see into people's hearts."

Kara sat back on the couch, at once wondering if it had been a bad idea to invite two perfect strangers into her home. "And you can see into my heart?"

"Yes." He answered matter-of-factly and he gave a slight nod to Amalie. His girlfriend reached into her own purse and extracted a plump spliff, lighting it and passing it to him.

It was obvious that Donovan wasn't going to answer right away. "And what do you see in my heart?" He shook his head, handing the joint to her and gesturing for her to take a puff. She took a reluctant puff, then handed it back. "Well?"

"Loneliness." Amalie answered, sitting closer to Kara and pushing wisps of hair from her face. The black woman gave her an easy smile, her fingertips warm on Kara's cheek. "He sees great loneliness."

"And I suppose you can help me?"

The skepticism in Kara's voice did not surprise Donovan. He had heard it before and knew that people who were not spiritual needed a tactile result, something they could touch or feel. He watched as she smoked more of the reefer, her dark brown eyes growing dreamy and her body responding to Amalie's gentle touch. "Oh, yes. I can help you." Amalie leaned close, her juicy lips just inches from Kara's. "But I need to ask you a question first."

Kara wasn't interested in any question he had to offer. She wasn't sure if it was the pot or the sensuality she felt from Amalie that was making her excited but her pussy had awakened and she had to squeeze her legs together to keep the juices from reaching her panties. She closed her eyes and saw her white body entwined with her and Donovan's and gasped when Amalie's fingers grazed her hardening nipples.

"Answer his question."

Amalie's soft whisper brought Kara back to reality and she turned to him. "Your question?"

"Close your eyes and tell me, what is your fondest wish?"

Closing her eyes was the length of time it took for Kara to think about what her wish would be. "To be loved."

Donovan blew his last bit of smoke across her face, giving Amalie a lazy smile. "Your wish is our command."