It Only Took Twenty Years Pt. 04

Chapter 12: Friday, July 22, 2016 (Morning)

It was the sound of lawn equipment that awakened me. I glanced at the clock and couldn't believe the time. It was 7:30. Almost ten hours of sleep.

Dawn's warm body was nestled into mine. I stroked her hair and shoulder just softly enough to not awaken her. I imagined she was as sleep deprived as I must have been. I lifted the sheets to ponder her naked, sleeping body.

"Just awesome," I whispered to myself with a smile.

I carefully eased myself out of bed and went to the guest bathroom, bringing some casual clothes with me. I sat the clothing on the counter, and as quietly as I could, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and refreshed my hair with warm water. I towel dried it to erase the bedhead. Putting moccasins on my feet, I went to the kitchen and brewed a Starbucks Sunrise Blend with the Keurig into my insulated mug along with a dose of half-and-half. I brought my iPad and coffee to the balcony to read the news.

The cold front which had triggered the overnight storms had made for a pleasant summer morning. The air was dry and actually a bit cool for July. The landscaping crews were busy doing their thing. The grass was still wet and made their equipment messy, but I figured they knew what they were doing.

Reading the electronic version of The Dallas Morning News kept me grounded and attached to "home." It was how I first learned of the devastating EF4 tornado which ripped through the eastern suburbs the day after Christmas seven months earlier. It struck barely fifteen miles from my apartment, and damaged or destroyed several Extecha employees' homes. Thankfully, none of them or their family members sustained more than minor injuries.

I followed my normal prowl through the paper, reading local, international, national, business, saving the sports section for last. If I had lots of time on my hands, I'd work the puzzles. I could usually do a Monday crossword in less than eight minutes. The Sunday one, if I could manage it at all, might take me about an hour.

I brewed my third cup of coffee before starting the sports section. The Rangers were having a decent season. The 'Stros, on the other hand, were lagging.

"I hate Houston," I heard from behind me and felt a hand massage my shoulder. Devo was standing there in her comfy jammies with a cup of coffee in her hand, looking over my shoulder at the Astros box score on my iPad.

"Good morning," I said, bringing her hand to my mouth so I could kiss it.

"You bet it is."

She sat in the other sling-back chair, propped her feet up on the table, and smiled sweetly at me.

"What time is it?" she asked.

I looked at my watch. "Almost nine."

"You're kidding me. I don't remember the last time I slept this late. You wore me out."

"We wore each other out. I just woke up about an hour ago myself."

"It smells so good out here. I love the smell of freshly cut grass."

"That's gen-yoo-ine Kentucky Bluegrass. Almost impossible to grow back home."

Dawn sipped her coffee and watched the landscapers work their magic.

I closed my iPad case and sat it on the table. I sat, thinking about the events of the last two weeks, and picked it up. I texted Marcus Deats.

Do you think Ellena is up for visitors?

It took only a few minutes for him to reply.

She kept texting me about work things, so I decided to visit her myself. I'm here at the hospital now. She says she'd appreciate seeing you again since she won't be back in the office before you move back to Dallas.

Good. My friend I stopped tapping. I realized I had no clue which words to use to refer to Dawn.

I looked over at her. She caught my gaze.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"What do I call you?"

"Huh?" she asked, with a puzzled expression.

"What do you want me to call you when I'm speaking about you with our peers? My friend? Girlfriend? My former coworker?"

She laughed. "Your bitch."

"God, no! I'm serious, Dawn."

"That's a good question. I haven't thought about it."

I could see by how she was focusing her gaze in the distance that she was considering options in several moments of silence.

"Until everyone at work gets the news of my departure, like maybe for another week or so, let's just refer to each other by name or as a friend. In a few weeks, like after I'm at my new job, I'm definitely calling you my boyfriend." She winked.

"Gotcha," I said.

I tapped the backspace key a few times and texted Let her know that she can expect visitors around lunchtime. Tell her I'll bring her choice of takeout if she'd like. I decided to avoid the whole subject with Marcus.

"What was that all about?" Dawn asked.

"I was telling Marcus Deats, the head of security here, that I want to pay Ellena a visit at the hospital. Since he's technically her supervisor, I figure he'd know, so I asked him if she'd be okay with a visit instead of putting her on the spot by asking her or showing up unannounced. I figure she'd tell him she wasn't interested before she'd say it to me. I told him to tell her I'd bring her lunch."

"You're like the best guy ever," Dawn said and stroked my leg.

"I'd like it if you come with me."

"Yeah. Um … okay, sure," she said after a delay.

"Your words don't match your tone of voice."

"Will, I don't know her. I wouldn't want it to be awkward."

My mind immediately waxed to the insidious. "She knows you better than you think, Dawn."

"How's that?" she asked, sipping from her mug.

"She didn't report to Marcus what went on with you and me in my office last week. Hell. I didn't even know myself that there are security cameras in there. They're in the ceiling lights, by the way, but obviously she did. She promised she would keep your photo session on the downlow."

Devo's tawny complexion blanched.

I continued. "She said that, as long as no one else has reason to review the recordings, they'll be overwritten in two weeks, so, I guess, later next week they should be gone forever."

"Shit, Will! Your office just got demolished! Tons of people have probably reviewed the recordings!"

"Oh. Yeah, that's probably true," I said, trying to hold myself together.

"I bet there's video on the internet already!" she gasped.

I waited a moment. "Payback is a …"

Dawn's face went from near panic to deadpan after parsing my words. "Bitch?"

I smiled and was relieved she returned it.

"Holy crap, Will! That was harsh!"

"I couldn't pass up the chance to get you back, and you teed that opportunity right up."

My iPad chimed.

Ellena says she'd love any kind of pasta from Little Italy. She says she's being discharged this afternoon. Her husband is here too.

Tell them I'll be there around noon. I'll bring lunch for both of them.

I related the info to Dawn.

"I'm going to go nuts if I don't get cell service. I'll come with you if we can go get me a new SIM card first. If I try to reactivate online, they'll send it to my address in Allen. I don't want to wait that long."

"That works. You want some breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit peckish."

As the sun had risen higher, it was getting warmer and more humid, so I followed her when she rose to go inside. She cored and sliced a tart apple. I chose a banana. I scooped some peanut butter into two spoons. I sat with her in the living room and handed her one.

"William, please explain what you've done to me," she said as she brushed some peanut butter on a slice of fruit.

"Hopefully nothing you haven't enjoyed."

"Heck no. But that's what I mean. Has this experience been as incredibly releasing for you as it has been for me?"

"If you're asking if, after secretly fawning over you for almost twenty years, that, even though we've spent barely thirty-six hours in each other's presence since the wall came down, you've completely rocked my world, then absolutely."

I studied her as I spoke to see if my words were answering her question.

"I've had like eleventy orgasms since Wednesday night. You've made me want you to do things that would have shortened any other man's life if he tried."

"Yeah, same with you, but perhaps without thoughts of homicide."

She laughed at my choice of words.

"I am trying to figure out what possessed me when I did what I did with you in the pool. And why I liked it when you did, too. And why I let you watch in there," she said, pointing toward the bathroom. "Did that actually turn you on?" she asked, not sounding at all judgmental.

"Yeah."

"Me too! How is that even remotely possible? Doing something like that never crossed my mind."

She took a bite and paused in thought.

"Will, what I am about to say may come as a surprise to you. Last night was the first time in my life I've ever made love."

Her words were a bit muddled by peanut butter in her mouth. They hung there. I was confused by what she said.

"What? You told me last week … pizza?"

"Huh? What are⁠—oh! Yeah. But no. What I experienced last night was lovemaking. Compared to that, everything before was just … sex. It was just pizza."

"Yeah … yeah." I thought for a long moment in reflection. Her compliment made me smile all the more because I'd never experienced such strong emotional connection with any of the few women I'd been intimate with in the past.

She continued. "I've let you do things to me and I've done things with you that I never thought I would want to share with anyone. I don't know where my boundaries are anymore, and I don't care."

"Devo, you're reading my mind. I'll admit what we did in the shower yesterday, the … prep? I was a bit scared there for a minute because of what you might⁠—"

"It was worth a little soap and water."

"I want to be frank with you. There's something about you that makes me feel so … it's hard to explain, but you make me feel like you trust me so much. If I ever make you uncomfortable, please tell me. I don't want to hurt, offend, embarrass, or … well, you know, right?"

"I do trust you. More than anyone I ever have. I'll tell you if you cross a line I don't want crossed, and I expect the same from you."

"Please don't knee me in the nuts like you did that other guy," I said rapidly after I'd taken a bite of peanut butter which made her laugh hard at my choice and awkward pronunciation of the words.

"I promise. But there is one line, right now, while we're on the subject."

"Tell me."

"I was totally okay with letting you watch me tinkle. But don't even think about asking me to let you watch me⁠—"

I waved her off vigorously. "Nope. No. Oh, hell no. Not gonna go there."

"Okay, good to know we're clear," she said with laugh-stuttered breath.

"Time might get away from us if we're not careful," I said after I looked at my watch.

"Yeah, you're right. Do you mind if I use the other bathroom?" she asked, pointing toward the guest bath.

"Of course not. Mi casa es su casa ."

I cleaned up the light breakfast then went to the bedroom and made the bed. For funsies, I put all the decorative pillows on the side where Dawn had slept. I chose some business-casual clothes and sat them on the bed before hitting the shower.

After a quick, hot wash of my face, I washed my hair then lathered up for a shave. I saw Dawn's reflection in the articulating mirror as she stepped in behind me.

"I thought you were going to use the other bathroom," I said.

"Oh, I did," she replied matter-of-factly, but with a casual smile which made me laugh.

I continued massaging the shaving gel into my face. Dawn watched for a few moments, then asked, "You want to groom my kitty?" with a feline, mew-like voice.

I turned around and watched her soap and rinse between her legs.

"Oh, yeah. The thunder-boomers last night interrupted us, huh? Is that something you'd really trust me to do? Sharp blades on your pretty bits?"

"Why not? Worst thing that could happen is you maim me, right?"

She took my razor from my hand. "Sit down on the bench and give me some room between your knees."

I cautiously followed her requests. She stepped between my parted legs, and brought the razor to my face, just in front of my left ear, and slowly drew it downward against my skin. I kept myself still in her hands, steadying myself by lightly holding her hips. Watching the intense focus in Devo's eyes as they moved ahead of every stroke, concentration evident on her face, was bizarrely soothing.

I helped her by flexing and contorting my face as men do instinctively when certain difficult areas are encountered. She never once nicked me. She covered my face and neck first with downward strokes, then upward.

She studied my face intently for a few moments and from different angles, moving my razor in a few balked approaches. "I don't know how to get that little bit right under your nose," she whispered, handing me my razor.

"Like this." I quickly addressed the divot under my nose and then evaluated her work by testing several areas with my fingertips.

"Impressive. A chef and a barber," I praised.

She held a moist washcloth in front of the steam generator and wiped the remaining foam from my face with the piping hot cloth, then held it, unfolded, in a comforting warm face-cradle. She then evaluated her own work by rubbing her cheeks against my face before planting a lovely kiss on my lips.

"See? If I can do that around your carotid, you can do it around my femoral," she said. She always had a way to draw perfect comparisons.

"Yes, I would love to lady-scape you, but, as much as I might later regret saying this, it'll have to wait. Let's finish up and go get you connected, then get lunch, go to the hospital, then come back here and do whatever we want."

"Whatever?"

"Whatever comes to mind," I said, softly stroking her nipple.

"Ugh. Not enough time in the day. We'll definitely need to stop by your drugstore before we come back here. There's only one condom left in that three-pack. I think we'll need five or ten more boxes."

I laughed because if she was intending to break me, I was certainly willing to allow it. We quickly finished up the basics of our morning cleanup. I used the other bathroom while Dawn styled her hair.

Dawn grabbed the last big bottle of water out of the fridge and restocked it with more from the pantry. We were out the door at 10:30.

The visit to the wireless store took about forty-five minutes, and a very relieved woman was restored to the world of 4G LTE.

Our next stop, of course, was Little Italy where I placed a to-go order for fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken, spaghetti carbonara, and two side salads with vinaigrette. While the order was being prepared, Dawn and I enjoyed a slice each of their famous wood-fired pizza.

We took the hot pasta and chilled salads to Saint Mark's where we found Ellena and her husband packing her belongings. They were expecting her discharge papers within an hour or two. Ellena's arm sported a temporary cast supported by a sling.

"Will, thank you so much for stopping by. Have you met my husband, Jacob?" Ellena asked.

"I have not." I extended my hand to a man who actually made me afraid he'd shake it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jacob. I'm Will Richards. I would have come to check on her yesterday, but I was worried it'd be a bit soon."

Jacob was a beast of a man shaped like the slices of pizza Dawn and I had eaten. He was broad at the shoulders and tapered to a point at his feet. Thankfully, he chose not to dismember me but only shook my hand with confident firmness.

"It was probably for the best. She was so out of it yesterday that she wouldn't remember if you had. Ell has told me you've been a great person to work with. Thank you for that, and also for checking in on her."

"As many times as your wife has arranged my lunches, bringing one to her is nothing. You two can argue over who gets which entree," I joked as I unpacked the items from the take-out bag.

After re-introducing herself to Ellena and newly to Jacob, Dawn exchanged pleasantries with both then excused herself to wait in the visitors' lounge.

Ell subtly grinned and wagged her eyebrows in curiosity as Dawn left the room, but I left it alone. Ell, Jacob, and I conversed for about twenty minutes while they enjoyed the food we'd brought. I learned more details of the event with Mr. Ames, and I related to her the results of her work-over of the man from what little I knew.

Ell and I said our professional goodbyes, which ended with the obligatory, "In this small world, I'm sure we will run into each other in the future," farewell.

On the way out, Dawn and I went to a neighboring drugstore. She didn't buy ten boxes of condoms, she only bought three. They were a non-lubricated type she wanted me to try since the ones I had bought made me taste "yucky." The young guy at the cash register fidgeted uncomfortably when my gorgeous twenty-year-old-looking girlfriend handed him the condoms and a variety pack of sample-sized flavored lubes with me standing right next to her.

When we returned to the car, Dawn said, "Hang on a second," as she tapped on her newly reactivated iPhone. Mine bleeped a few moments later when I received an iMessage containing a "pin."

"What's this?" I asked.

"Wanna play?" she asked as she stroked the inside of my thigh.

"Why, yes. Yes, I do."

"Then we need to go to a store."

I drove the plotted route. The storefront was discreetly done. Nothing was visible through the windows to indicate what sort of business it was. Its vague name, "Discretion," as well as the notice on the door which read, "No one under the age of 18 permitted. No exceptions ." might have been clues to the observant.

Dawn went straight to the checkout counter and spoke to a young lady who withdrew a package from underneath a shelf. Dawn paid the surprisingly large tab with her Apple watch and collected the bag. We explored the various merchandise, sometimes giggling like kids at the things we saw. One item which confounded us both was a rubber phallus as big around as my leg.

"Don't get any ideas," Devo murmured under her breath while testing its heft with her hand.

"Never. It's three hundred dollars," I said, chuckling softly.

"You two have fun!" the clerk said and held the door open for us as we departed.

I started the car and drove us out of the parking lot. We sat in silence as the air conditioning caught up.

"You okay? You're being quiet," I asked after ten minutes on the road.

"I'm so effing horny right now I think I might pass out."

"Really?" I asked, a bit surprised. I was still a touch unnerved by the shopping experience. After all, it was the first adult toy store I'd ever entered, brick-and-mortar or otherwise.

"Give me your hand."

She grasped it and pressed my palm squarely and firmly into her crotch. If it hadn't been for the anti-collision system in my Lexus, I would've probably rear-ended the truck in front of me when I smelled her on my fingers.

Chapter 13: July 22, 2016 (Afternoon)

We returned to the condo barely twenty minutes later.

No sooner than I'd closed the door, my love shed all of her clothes before she started removing mine. I could smell her scent in the air she churned with her movements.

"God, Will. Do me. Right now, please. I'm begging you. Please !" she yelled as she climbed up and bent forward over the back of the couch, presenting her pussy at the perfect height.

I needed no further encouragement. I was so hard I thought my dick would split apart. I ran so fast to the bathroom to fetch the last condom from the box I'd bought that I almost slid to the floor. I was still unrolling one on me as I penetrated her.