Making Moves

Elsa shifted uneasily in her seat. She didn't know why she was feeling restless. She'd seen this movie a half dozen times. But now this scene was unnerving her. It was shot so silently, only the sounds of the material, a ribbon being pulled, buttons softly popping open, could be heard. The man seated beside her was so focused on the scene. She'd seen the intense side of Calvin before, when they were playing softball with friends, or when he talked about his work or school. But this was different. The scene they were watching was sexual and sensuous. Calvin's intensity was derived from that eroticism. She could sense the difference. Whether it was curiosity, wariness, or arousal she wasn't sure but she was drawn to it. The scene unfolding on the screen and the concentration of the man seated beside her were vying for her attention.

The man takes a deep breath. His blue eyes scan the woman's body. He says in his raspy calm voice, "Let down your hair." The woman lets the slip drop to the floor, exposing her undergarment as she reaches up to undo the bun behind her head. There's the slightest hint of a lurid smile on the man's face as she does this. Her long brown hair drops seductively down her shoulders, across the side of her face. "Shake your head," he continues to instruct her. The woman's mouth is pursed now, the humiliation beginning to set in, but she does as she's ordered to anyway, tossing her hair with quick shakes of the head. Her hair covering her face, in shadow, the glistening in her pupils spitting defiant fire, she stands waiting for his next order. The man clears his throat, raises his brow and nods his gun at her. She should already know what he's expecting next.

Elsa swallowed. She suddenly was aware that the only sound she heard in the apartment was her own quickening breath. The man beside her was unmoving. Clearing her throat slightly, she shifted in her seat. Without looking at her, Calvin placed a hand on her lap. He did so gently, but there was a firm pressure behind his warm touch. Elsa froze. His action stopped her squirming but it didn't do anything to put her at ease.

The woman cocks the hammer. Now there is fear in the eyes of the woman. Her cheeks flushed red, she looks down. The camera zooms in close on her finger as she undoes the bows of ribbon at the collar of her undergarment. Then it follows them as they undo the buttons one by one down past her belly. With the last button released, she drops her hands to her sides, the garment parting down the middle, shadows highlighting the curve of her breasts and flat of her tummy . The man takes his time linger over her. There's a gratuitous short of the gaping part in her garment, the material that clings to her is shaking as her body trembles. Finally satisfied, the man puts away his gun and walks over to the woman. Her face is blank, her lips quivering as he stands before her. He slides his hands through the part in her undergarment, along her waist. "You know what I wish?" The woman growls at him, "That once you would get here on time!" Then they embrace with a kiss before the scene fades.

Calvin stopped the DVD player.

Elsa stared at the blank screen. After a long moment, she blinked and said softly, "The 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' scene is next."

It sounded silly as she said it. But any sound at the moment was a good one to her. His heavy hand was still on her lap as he turned to her. Elsa hesitated before looking at him, unsure of how she would react if she saw that intense look on his face. She saw a wide grin, white teeth twinkling behind his dark skin.

"Now wasn't that the best?" he snickered.

Elsa blinked and cocked her head. Her mouth dropped open and then, feeling relief course through her, she smiled and chided him, "Oh come on! We've seen worse stuff in porn movies at our parties!"

"You can't compare this to porn!" he said, shaking his head, "You cannot call porn sexy! This scene was sexy! It was raw and natural."

Rolling her eyes, she waved her hands at the TV and said "We didn't even see anything! They didn't show anything! There wasn't even a sex scene!"

"You poor girl!" he mocked her. He settled down and gave her a knowing look and said, "Use your imagination."

"My imagination..." she sighed.

"Trust me," he said rather seriously, "I can fill in the blanks about what happens next." Elsa could too. She had done so the numerous times she'd watched the movie. She would never admit it, but that particular scene in the film was always vivid in her mind as well, and she could just as clearly fantasize how it could have unfolded had they continued with an actual sex scene. Now she was thinking what it would have been like watching such a scene beside Calvin. He was already so intense and determined during just the undressing sequence. Immediately she shook that thought of her head.

There was a long pause between them again. It amazed her how quickly the tension was building so quickly this night whenever there was silence. Elsa rubbed her forehead, exasperated, and scoffed, "You had me so worked up there..."

"I had you worked up?" Calvin quickly slid in.

Just as her heart suddenly started to do so, her mouth fluttered open without saying anything. In her haste to fill the silence with conversation, she had just spat that comment out. She cleared her throat then said, "I mean it was weird watching this with you."

"As opposed to porn films?" he asked.

"That was always with other people," she remarked, "And those films were so stupid."

He continued to watch her, allowing her to work through her thoughts.

"And you were so absorbed in it," Elsa continued, "Were you actually aroused by that?"

She was hoping for a coy, reactionary reply. Instead the man said, "Yeah. I was." He shrugged and added, "Weren't you?"

She felt tingles trickle through her skin like tiny pin pricks. Her dark brown eyes looked away from him. She could feel the blood blush her cheeks, telling him her answer without speaking. She tried to bide time to come up with a convincing reply but she could feel the man waiting on her. Instead she finally nodded and smiled nervously, sighing, "Okay! Fine! It was a good scene."

Again, not exactly a direct response, but she hoped it was sufficient. Seconds of silence ticked by. Finally, Calvin chuckled deeply. His familiar laughter immediately brought her back down a bit.

"Male fantasies," she grumbled quietly.

"Can sometimes become a female's fantasies, as well," he added to her thought.

"Shut up!" she snapped jestingly, "You're such a perv!"

He laughed as she beat him with a throw cushion.

Elsa groaned as she flopped back against the couch, "I am soooo tired! Maybe I'll go to bed soon."

"Well, I should go then," Calvin said. He leaned forward to stand up, but paused. "Oh yeah," he said, "your neck rub."

Elsa smiled, "That's okay. You must be tired too."

"Nah, it's cool," he said. He pulled her up by her wrists, "Come on. Let Dr.Webb work his magic."

She sighed and turned to her side. She brushed her hair hanging down her back over one shoulder across her front. Calvin slowly rubbed his hands together, warming them.

Elsa stared out across to the boxes on the floor. Even before he touched her, she could feel the heat emanating from his hands. When he finally did place his hands on the back of her neck, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. He started by pressing gently but firmly with his finger tips against the skin exposed just above the collar of her shirt. When he wrapped his hands around the back of her neck, he worked his thumbs into her trapezius muscles. The warmth in his hands coursed through Elsa. Her head lowered forward.

The feeling was familiar to her. Calvin had offered her his neck rub services several times before, usually after playing some sports in the parks with the others. He always managed to find the right spot that was nagging her and to work out all the knots along her neck.

She couldn't see the concentration in his face but his hands spoke volumes. He would massage a particularly strained spot and she would coo a long, breathy sigh. A satisfied smile shaped onto her red lips.

"Mmm. Feels good," she whispered, "I'll consider this my housewarming gift."

Calvin said nothing. He continued to rub and massage with more firm presses of his fingers and rolls of his palm. The heat from his hands was beginning to make Elsa feel warm under her collar despite the air-conditioning. He pressed harder, her body gently rocking back and forth as he kneaded her muscles. The smile faded from her lips, and her brows slowly began to knit over her closed eyes. This particular massage felt different from the others.

He was leaning close to her. She could smell the sweet aroma of the soap he had washed with mingling with his body's own natural scent. His hand worked with a continuous resolve, the heat and pressure intensifying. Elsa's breathing swelled. He was touching her on the surface, but his efforts were going deep into her muscles. Her mouth slipped open. Despite herself, she loosed a soft moan.

In the silence of the apartment, Calvin continued to massage her. He could tell how soft and smooth her skin was even through her t-shirt. She licked her drying lips before chewing softly on the bottom lip. This was definitely different from the other neck rubs he had given her. His hands went lower, below her neck to her back. It felt so good but deep in her gut, she was beginning to tremble. She tried to open her eyes, but somehow, her smooth lids lifted only slightly before dreamily and heavily falling shut again. Her body swayed more noticeably now as he massaged her more deeply.

"Ca-Cal..." she gasped the sound out.

He didn't hear her. His brow was angled downward over his narrowed brown eyes. His fingers probed along her back, feeling for sensitive and tight spots.

Elsa's body was tingling, it felt like her skin was burning at his touch. But it was tender, passionate, and undeniably arousing. Gasping. she finally strained her eyes open and she craned her neck around to look at the man seated behind her. She barely caught a glimpse of his stoic, focused demeanour just as Calvin pressed his palm hard and deep against her back.

A surging wave shot through her, like a fire burning from her very core. Her eyes widened and looked up at the ceiling. Her back arched into a bow as her mouth gaped open as she gasped in shock, "Ahhh-UHHH!"

The electricity bolted through her, right to her finger tips. A sudden quick pulse of pain immediately became a wave of soothing relief. Every fibre in her was tingling. The release she felt was amazing. Just as quickly it flowed out of her. Blinking and gasping quick breaths, her body completely relaxed and she slumped backwards, lying across the man. Her hair dropped and splayed over his lap.

She looked up at him glassy-eyed, a quivering smile on her lips. He met her gaze with dark seductive eyes. She didn't move as he gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek. They were still so warm.

"Calvin," her voice was soft but strained as she spoke his name. Even as he lowered his dark handsome face towards her, she wasn't able to assimilate what she was feeling at the moment. The emotions were intense and confusing and her body was still recovering from the deep massage.

"Shh," Calvin hushed. His wide pinkish-brown lips came closer. They parted slightly as he pressed them against the young woman's mouth.

His hand held fast at her cheek, but she hadn't thought of turning her head anyway. The immediate smell of the beer on his breath was quickly dispelled as his lips touched hers. It was an impossibly tender kiss, his lips enveloping hers. Calvin had been waiting for a long time for this moment, he felt no urge to rush it. Elsa seemed to have no urge to stop it.

Like his hands moments before, his strong, warm lips massaged hers, working them apart, wide enough to slip his long slick tongue into her moist mouth. It was silent in the room, silent enough to hear the long drawn out breaths from their noses, their quiet gasps, and the wet kisses of their lips and entwining tongues.

"Calvin," Elsa groaned softly as their mouths parted momentarily. He quickly plunged his nimble tongue back down into her gaping mouth silencing her words.

Her hand held onto his tight bicep as he moved his arm. His hand slid down from her face, caressed her soft neck and then went down further and cupped her breast through her shirt and bra. He gave her a firm squeeze. Elsa moaned into his mouth. His adept hand continued to linger at her breast for a few moments longer before continuing their downward exploration of her body. He could feel her belly tremble at his touch from beneath her shirt. He lifted her shirt above her stomach and ran his thumb along the rim of her belly button as his hand slid back and forth across the so soft flesh. Still his hand moved down. It worked at the button of her shorts.

By now, Elsa had wrapped arms around the back of Calvin's neck. She swallowed the saliva that had built up from their dancing tongues. But now she was also fully aware of what his hand was doing. Images raced through her head, all very vivid pictures of where this was going.

When she heard the soft pop of the button on her shorts, she was snapped back rudely to the reality of the moment.

"Cal," she gasped. She felt his hand quickly pulling at her zipper fly. She frowned and spoke more clearly, "Calvin!"

"Shh," he repeated trying to soothe her, kissing her neck.

"Calvin...wait. Stop," her voice was pained but firm.

His fingers had just pulled down her fly when he heard her. He lifted his head and looked at her.

"Please, stop," she said softly.

He gazed at her, looking at her earnest expression. Elsa managed to pull herself up from his lap. She stared at the floor as she adjusted her shirt and did up her shorts. Her hair fell across the side of her face, blinding her to the man seated beside her. She wasn't sure if she could face him.

"I-I'm sorry, Calvin," she said, her cheeks flushed red. She rubbed her fingertips across her mouth, the sensation of his lips on her still burning in her mind.

She felt him pull the hair away from the side of her face. Finally she looked at him apologetically. She didn't see any frustration or anger in the dark features of his face. It was just as gently handsome as it ever was.

He smiled, shook his head and said in a low, deep voice, "No sweat, Elsa. Sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you."

Feeling slightly relieved, she managed a crooked smile and spoke a bit more clearly with a sigh, "It's been a long day, I think."

Still brushing her silky hair with his fingers, he added, "Not thinking straight, huh?"

"Definitely," she said with an accentuated nod.. They didn't address directly what had just happened between them.

"I'll get going then," he said after a moment.

"Oh. Yeah well," she said as she watched him stand up, "Thanks. Thanks again so much for your help today. I couldn't have done this without you."

He nodded and shuffled over to the foyer to put on his shoes. He said, "Let me know when the first party is."

"For sure. We'll blow the top off of this place, and all the apartments above me!" She spoke cheerfully but her voice was laced with touches of weariness and unease.

She held the door open as he stepped into the hallway. He turned around and said, "Have a good first sleep in your new digs."

Elsa smiled, "Probably will."

Calvin motioned to leave. He saw her brow arch upwards as he hesitated then said, "Elsa, don't sweat what happened just now. It's not gonna be a thing between us, right?"

Her smile softened a touch but she shook her head quickly, "It's not a problem, Cal. Good night."

He waved then turned and walked away, disappearing around the hallway corner.

Elsa closed the door and shuffled aimlessly back into the living room. She stood amongst the maze of boxes but didn't really pay much attention to them. She saw the ghost images of the two people who had been on the sofa a few minutes ago. Their intensifying passion had been abruptly cut off. The young woman wondered how the moment would have played out if she hadn't stopped it. Before that indelible image of the two of them was imprinted on her mind though, she sighed and shook her head clear of it.

It was late but she felt that she needed to take a shower. **********

Calvin stared blankly at the changing floor numbers as the elevator descended from the 18th floor to the underground parking. He was mulling over in his head how calmly things had ended tonight. Usually when the brakes were hit on something moving so fast, there was usually some damage, some fall out. He definitely didn't try too hard to make things happen, stopping because Elsa simply asked him to. Usually he would at least try to convince the woman to continue.

But then again, the way it ended was kind of strange. It wasn't like Elsa stopped him in a fit of protest. It was more like a request. Almost as if she were letting him ultimately decide if he wanted to stop or not.

He continued to think hard about this as he reached into his pocket for his car keys. Instead of his car keys though, he pulled out a single door key. He remembered that Elsa had given him a duplicate key for the day as they moved in and out of the apartment.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open to the parking lot. Calvin stared intently at the key. After a second he reached out and pushed the button for floor 18.

**********

Elsa's shower was quick. She preferred to do her thinking as she blow dried her long black hair in the bathroom mirror. As the drier blew hot air through her hair and brush and across her face she thought about the tall black man who had left her apartment about 20 minutes ago.

For almost 6 years she had known Calvin. Even with their friendly flirting and teasing throughout the years they never got themselves in a situation like that one on her sofa. It was remarkably intense and she wondered where that kind of passion had actually come from.

Elsa frowned. Was it actually a mystery? Calvin was kind and funny. She said so often enough to her friends. His focus and determination when it came to various things was attractive. At the clubs, he always drew somebody's attention. He was a handsome man, with his clean shaven head, his wide but soft brown eyes, his full lips and defined cheek bones. And he had the toned body of a track and field athlete.

But there was always something there between them, she thought. A friendship so strong that things like hooking up or sleeping with each other would seem to belittle it.

The frown on Elsa's face didn't fade. She switched off her hair drier. She thought intently about their friendship being bigger than having sex. Now she wasn't sure about that.

Just why did they never get together?

Left with this question, Elsa buttoned up her oversized silken blue night shirt. Then she opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

The moment she turned off the bathroom light, she knew something was strange. It was pitch dark in her condo. She thought she had left the bedroom light on. There was also a noticeable change in the air. It was warmer and thicker. The air-conditioning was off. A soft "whooshing" sound filled the apartment. A window had been opened.

Before she reached back towards the bathroom light switch though, a bright light came on from the living room. Manoeuvring carefully through the boxes on the floor. As she entered the room, she squinted. At the other end of the room, a lamp had been switched on but the shade had been removed, a bright white light flooding towards her.

Her heart raced as she glimpsed a silhouette of a man seated on a folded chair in front of the light. His back to the sliding door to her balcony, his smooth shaven head glistened before the bright light.