Dr. Cole's Casefiles - Vanessa Pt. 05

I started giggling and she joined me. We had a good laugh for several moments. I said, "How can some men get to maturity and still be so damned stupid?"

She said, "Right? Oh Lord. Well, to go on, I was a little surprised. I know he'd said 'casual,' but he was dressed as casual as he could possibly get."

I asked, "How did you dress?"

She said, "Well, I had been in a sort of quandary. I didn't really know how literal men could be. So when he'd said 'casual,' I heard 'sort of casual,' you know?"

I smiled and nodded.

She continued, "So I wore a coral sundress with a floral print and halter top. The top was lined so my nipples didn't show, but my tits had, you know, freedom of movement shall we say?"

I nodded again.

She said, "Ever since I'd been with Judith and Karen, I hated to wear pantyhose, but I also couldn't stand to go bare-legged in any kind of dress. So I wore flesh-toned thigh highs. For shoes I chose cork-bottomed platform sandals. I carried a straw handbag and matching wide-brimmed hat. You've seen them."

I said, "Yes, I remember. I bet you looked amazing."

She smiled. "That's what Aaron said."

***

Back to observer mode.

***

Aaron stood there staring. After a few moments, he whistled. "You look amazing."

Vanessa smiled and said, "I'm glad you like my outfit, but is it okay for what you've got planned?"

He smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. You couldn't have chosen better. Not too dressy, not too casual. Perfectly balanced. You don't just LOOK amazing, you ARE amazing."

Vanessa's heart fluttered and she blushed. She stammered, "Eh, you want a drink or something before we go?"

He shook his head. "No, but I think you should get a light jacket and a scarf. It's apt to be windy. I have a spare jacket that might fit you, but you probably wouldn't be satisfied with the color. I know how picky girls are about matching clothing. And I don't keep scarfs lying about." He smiled as he said this.

She correctly interpreted his teasing tone. "You're right. Men are hopeless about such things. I'll be right back." She turned to walk back to her bedroom, swaying her bottom. She didn't see his eyes bulge as he watched her walk, but she knew what an effect her derriere had on many women and assumed it would even more devastating on men.

She wondered at her feelings for Aaron. How could she one day have no interest in men and the next be, essentially, swept off her feet?

She decided it must be the man, not her. Aaron was so different than the boys she'd known before. Considerate. Courtly, if that was still a word she could use. Confident. She didn't want to say 'mature' because that tended to be used synonymously with 'old.' Aaron wasn't old, just a lot older than her, but for some reason, that only added to his appeal. He was comfortable with himself, which meant he could exude confident without being brash. These thoughts added to his appeal, removing any vestige of hesitation within her. She grabbed a short coral jacket that matched the coral of her dress and a scarf of the same color and hurried back.

He nodded when he saw her. "Perfect. You'll need both where we're going." He held out his arm for her to take.

The apartment was on the ground floor. He walked up to the passenger side of a black two-seater sports car, obviously of European make, and opened the door. She stopped and stared wide-eyed at the sleek, sexy car. She said, "Oh my, dig the wheels."

He laughed. She noted, again, that he laughed a lot and wondered, briefly, how he could lead such a lonely life and still be so natively happy. He said, "If you continue to go out with me, I'll probably let you drive it sometime."

She had been entering the car as he said this. She stopped and gazed into his eyes with a serious expression. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips. "You don't need to offer any inducements but your smile and your gentleness." Before he could respond, she climbed inside. From the corner of her eye, she saw the pensive look on his face as he closed the door.

He got in and said, "Would you consider driving with the top down an unnecessary inducement?"

She turned to face him and saw his white teeth flashing at her. She smiled back and nodded. He said, "As milady wishes," and pushed a button on the dash.

The canvas roof slowly peeled back, allowing the winter sun, already near the horizon, to spread its feeble rays over them.

He said, "I suggest you put on the jacket and the scarf."

While she did so, she said, "You like to surprise me, don't you?" He nodded. When she was done, she leaned over and kissed him again. She whispered, "I like it, too," and stroked his cheek.

He closed his eyes and held her hand against his face for a moment, then fired up the vehicle. The engine roared to life as he fed it gas, then settled down to a purr, like one of the big predator cats. He turned to face backwards and got them out of the slot. He turned the car in the direction of I-10, easing through the gears smoothly. Getting there, he took the westbound entrance ramp, heading away from the city.

Once they entered the light traffic on the freeway, she said, "I don't know Mobile that well, but I thought all the night spots were in the city."

He never took his eyes from the road. He remained constantly alert, checking both side mirrors, the rearview, and then back ahead, almost like a machine. She wondered if he approached every task in the same way. She hadn't noticed it when they danced, but perhaps that was because no machinery was involved.

Without looking at her, he said, "Are you always so indirect?"

She said, "What do you mean."

He said, "Why not just ask me where we're going?"

She snorted. "I have but you like your surprises. So, using my feminine wiles, I tried to get the information obliquely."

He laughed. "God, I love the way you talk. You know, that's an inducement to NOT tell you, just so you'll keep asking."

She laughed in turn, then grew serious. "I've never met a man like you. Are there many? Like you, I mean."

It was his turn to snort. "If there were, you think I'd tell you? Hell no, I wouldn't. I don't want the competition."

She put her hand on top of his. "It may be foolish of me to say, but as far as I'm concerned, you have nothing to worry about."

That did draw his eyes to her, briefly. He snapped them back to the road. "You know, I feel the same way about you. I've never met another woman like you. You have a quality of emotional innocence. It inspires trust. I think you could convince me that it's August instead of January if you tried hard enough."

Her eyes softened as her heart pounded. She left her hand on his and hoped he wouldn't feel it tremble. She thought, "Oh my God, this is going too fast. I can't appear to be a lovesick kid." She decided to partially deflect. She smiled and said, "So, it's not just my looks?"

He grinned and decided to answer her humor with his own. "You know how good you look and you don't need to fish for compliments. The men at the party last night slavered like a pack of dogs around you. But you chose me. That alone shows that you've got excellent taste."

He achieved his goal. She play-slapped his arm and said, "See? You're one of a kind. So damn confident but not obnoxious. I saw how the women clustered around you like hens in the barnyard pecking a rooster. But you chose ME. Talk about an eye for quality."

They both laughed.

He said, "You win. We're going to Beauchamp."

She stopped breathing for a moment. She thought, "Good God! Judith knows that's my home town and probably figures that's where I went. What if she's down there right now, sniffing around for me? What if she finds me? Christ! That would be a disaster."

He sensed her disquiet from her sudden silence. He asked, "What are you worried about? Afraid we'll see an old boyfriend? Don't worry, we'll be completely alone, I promise. Nobody will see us."

She breathed deeply to calm her nerves. "Are you taking me to your house?"

He said, "In a way. I'm taking you to where I live when I'm home."

She said, "Back to being mysterious, eh?"

He nodded as he drove. They were already going past Pascagoula. "Don't worry. I won't let anything spoil this night. I have everything under control."

She put her hand back on his. "Okay, then, I won't worry."

He sensed her returning peace. "See what I mean. You get what you give."

She frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

He said, "You give trust to me and I give you the same. It's a kind of bond."

She closed her eyes and leaned back into the headrest. She murmured, "Like no other," meaning, of course, she thought him unique.

He obviously understood what she meant and said, "Ditto."

Just outside of Pascagoula I-10 ended. There was an environmental dispute that had held up construction for several years. He turned left and took a road that led to Highway 90. They had to go slower and put up with traffic lights, but they soon reached Ocean Springs. Once over the bridge that crossed the mouth of the bay, the beach that ran along the southern boundary of the next two counties began.

The sun had set, but she knew that on the north side of the road stood several antebellum mansions, mostly summer homes built in the last century for plantation owners. Coastal millionaires occupied them now. Ancient oak trees festooned with Spanish moss filled the vast front yards. Vanessa had always imagined the moss were the beards of gnomes sitting on the branches. She smiled in a dreamy fashion and sighed with contentment.

Aaron said, "Good to be home, isn't it?"

She said, "Yes." She pointed to the right and said, "I haven't traveled much, but I've never seen such beautiful trees anywhere else."

He said, "I've traveled a lot, and you're right, at least about the view from the road. There are trees like that in other places, but you have to go further inland to see them." He pointed to the left and continued, "And you won't see better beaches anywhere. Florida has lots of them. They're a lot longer, but not better."

She said, "I never really went to the beach, but it is lovely."

They stopped at a red light and he pointed westward toward the small craft harbor. Aaron said, "That's where we're headed."

She said, "I didn't know there was a restaurant there. I thought you said we were going to your house."

He said, "No, I said we were going to where I live, my HOME."

Then it hit her. "You live on a boat?"

He snorted, "I call it a yacht. But because it isn't more than a hundred feet long and doesn't carry cargo, you can call it a boat. Anyway, it's definitely not a ship. And for God's sake, do NOT call me 'Captain Aaron.'"

Her excitement showed in her voice. "A yacht? Oh, that's so romantic." She pecked his cheek just as the light turned green.

Vanessa judged that "Selene" was fifty feet long. There was no mast and the boat was wide in proportion with its length. Even without much knowledge of water craft, the lovely blonde deduced that "Selene" was motor-powered. Aaron helped her aboard and guided her around, giving her what he called the "nickel" tour.

The boat had a white fiber glass hull. The gunwales rose waist high from the deck. They were topped by dark wood and had bright metal rails attached to their whole length. The bridge sat in the middle. A tall antenna whipped gently in the breeze. The bridge contained a panel with a great many dials. Aaron sat at the helm, inserted a key into the panel and pressed a button. The big diesel motors roared into life and then purred as they idled. He flipped several switches and lights all over the boat came on.

Aaron said, "We'll let her idle for a few minutes while we unmoor her. Wanna help?"

Vanessa's excitement showed in her voice. "We're going for a ride?"

Aaron chuckled. "Us sea-dogs call it 'sailing,' even on a motor boat, and say we're going on a 'voyage.' Come on."

Vanessa followed him back out onto the deck. He said, "You catch the lines." He leapt onto the pier and untied the ropes, tossing the loose ends back to Vanessa. He returned to the deck and neatly coiled them. He said, "When we get back, I'll hop out and you'll throw me the lines so I can secure her."

Vanessa, being a Star Trek fan, answered, "Aye, aye, Captain."

With a playfully exacerbated tone, he said, "I thought I told you not to call me that."

She stuck out her tongue and then giggled. He smiled.

They returned to the bridge and she said, "Take her out," and giggled again.

He looked stern and said, "Am I gonna have to pinch you?"

She stuck out her bottom, he pinched her, and slapped the luscious derriere. She threw her arms around his neck and put her open mouth on his. Their tongues entwined for several moments while she ran her fingers through his hair. He refrained from squeezing her butt only because he needed to attend to the boat.

He broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes. "You're as much fun as you are beautiful."

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and said, "So are you. Tell me what to do."

"You can stand here by me while I man the helm, or you can go out on deck and enjoy the breeze. You can swim, right? Despite the fact that you've never been to the beach?"

She nodded and said, "I learned in a P.E. course at college. I'll stay here with you."

He mounted the seat behind the wheel and said. "Okay, then, let's go. Sorry you have to stand."

"That's okay. There's no place I'd rather be." She pecked his cheek. She thought to herself, "I hope I'm not being too forward, but I can't seem to help myself. My instincts have gotten me this far and he seems to like it, so I'll just go on being me."

He seemed reluctant to look anywhere but at her. However, his native competence in the presence of machinery took over and he became all business. Concentrating on his task, he pushed the throttle, and steered them out of the harbor. She correctly interpreted his manner and stood by quiet. The way he operated the controls with the competence of a master excited her.

With the harbor now behind them and the open sea ahead, she waited for him to speak. Without taking his eyes from the horizon before them, he said, "So, what do you think?"

She said, "It's glorious."

He said, "I can tell you majored in English. I'm glad you sound so sophisticated. It's very attractive."

From the lights in the bridge, he could see her blush. He thought to himself, "SHE'S glorious," but, not wanting to push too hard, he didn't say it. Instead, he asked, "'Glorious is a great word, but a little vague. What's glorious?"

She put one arm around his neck, gazed into his eyes, and said, "Everything. You, this boat, this trip. Everything." Then she kissed him on the lips.

Again he said, "Ditto."

She laughed and kissed him again. "Where are we voyaging to, O Master of the Helm?"

He thought, "To heaven, and we're already half-way there." Aloud he said, "To the west end of Horn Island."

As any native coast dweller knew, Horn was one of the barrier islands that separated the Mississippi coast from the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They kept the waters between the islands and the coast, called the Mississippi Sound, brackish. The lower salinity kept to large predators out and allowed the Sound to teem with shrimp and smaller fish. The result was a thriving seafood industry that had begun late in the prior century. The tides and currents of the Gulf caused all of the barrier islands to erode from east to west, making the eastern ends grassy and tree-filled all the way to the shore and the western ends sandy beaches. A lack of mosquitoes and other flying insects made the western ends much more enjoyable for recreation.

She said, "I've always wanted to go to the islands but I never knew anybody with a boat." She kissed him again, this time fully and with plenty of tongue action. She broke the kiss and said, "Thank you."

Once again, her sincerity moved him. He said, "You may just be the perfect woman."

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. No words were necessary.

He said, "It's only an eighteen mile trip but we have to go more slowly at night. We won't arrive for another hour or so. Tell me about yourself. And not just about school. We talked about your studies last night. I want to know everything."

She couldn't help going stiff. He asked, "What's the matter? You didn't do a stretch in prison, did you?"

She forced out a laugh. "No, nothing like that. It's just, well, my family life was, well, maybe you could call it unhappy. It's not a pretty story."

He shrugged. "Neither is mine. Everybody has challenges. You can share yours. I don't judge. Well, I won't judge you. I do judge my employees and competitors, but that's business. This is personal." He gazed into her eyes for emphasis, and put his arm around her waist, and pulled her in closer. "Very personal." He kissed her lips.

She melted. She told him everything about her parents and her father's death. She couldn't hold back the tears.

A crying woman makes most men uncomfortable. But Aaron seemed completely sympathetic. He kissed her head and said, "I'm sorry all those things happened to you. It's a miracle you came through that and turned out to be such an amazing woman. You're even more of a catch than I thought. To be so capable of expressing happiness, so grateful of the good things that come your way in life." He hugged her as tight as he could with one arm and kissed her lips. "Thanks for telling me."

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the moment, trying to forget her anxiety and fear of letting her relationships with Karen and Judith slip out, praying that he'd let it stop there.

He said, "I know a little about women. Enough to know that Sharon already told you lot about my past. Undoubtedly after the party last night. Did y'all get any sleep?"

She sighed with relief. His sense of humor seemed as if it would save her. "Yes, she told me about your ex-wife. It's a miracle you can form any kind of attachment after that experience." She immediately regretted her words. She thought, "I can't assume that we're attached already. I can't lose him because I've become clingy.

But his following words rested her mind. "It's taken a long time. Concentrating on my work helped, but it isn't really enough. It's as if there was a hole in me waiting to be filled."

She couldn't stop herself. She kissed him, deeply, full of emotion, trying desperately to bond them together. He returned the kiss and her heart soared. She thought, "Judith was so wrong. There IS a thing called love. THIS is love."

She broke the kiss and said, "I know what you mean. I've felt the same way. Do you think we were meant to find each other?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe. But I'd rather think that we both had the courage to act on an opportunity. Whether it was fate or just plain old emotional fatigue that drove us together, I don't care. Do we have each other now?"

Tears filled her eyes. She said, "Yes, please. I hope. I just don't want you to think I'm getting clingy and drive you off."

He grinned. She knew now that his sense of humor would take over. "I don't think you could drive me off with a herd of wild horses. But another lady requires my attention."

She opened her mouth in shock. Then, she understood his joke and slapped his arm. "Of course you're talking about 'Selene.' You're such a damn tease." They both laughed.

They arrived at the island about seven. Aaron dropped anchors fore and aft. Vanessa asked, "Why two anchors?"

He said, "The tide's always either flooding or ebbing, and there's the current, too. I don't want us to drift and maybe run aground. We'd be stuck for at least six hours waiting for the incoming tide to lift us again."

She said, "I could think of worse fates than being stuck on a boat alone with you."