Perfume Ch. 06

Greer could never stay mad at Octavia no matter how hard he tried. He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I'm going to hold you to that."

"So, tell me about this plan to get back at Rob," Octavia said coyly.

"You know, I hate to say it, but I think it's actually great that Rob slept with Lena. It will make Ethan more inclined to help us, don't you think?" he asked.

"Maybe...depends on what you have in mind," Octavia said.

"Well, the first part of the plan will be difficult. You have to go back to the house and pretend like nothing is wrong," Greer began.

As he gave Octavia the run down, she grinned impishly. The plan was just bad enough that Rob wouldn't get killed. But he definitely would get what he had coming to him.

***

Wynston awoke to brilliant daylight streaming into Eric's bedroom. The clock on his nightstand read 6:20 a.m....she was surprised.

Eric had made love to her the entire night, so she had expected to sleep later. Instead, she had awakened at her customary time.

Her mind went immediately to Terrence. She wasn't able to squelch the pang in her heart over his absence.

Wynston sent up a prayer for him and her parents that they would remain safe. She also prayed that T.J. didn't think she had abandoned him.

Turning her attention to Eric's room, she decided that she liked his better than her own. Of course, her room was very nice, but there was something about a man's room...especially when it was neat.

Like Wynston's, Eric's was large with hardwood floors and an adjoining bathroom. His bed was larger though. Eric had said it was a California King; and the headboard was made of deep, rich wood and padded leather.

Where she had a chaise lounge, Eric had an oversized La-Z-Boy.

Everything in his room had been darker, too. The accent wall facing the bed had been painted a warm, chocolate brown. A large, 42" flat screen TV hung on the wall. Why did he get a TV? she wondered. Wynston made a mental note to ask him about that.

Each of the nightstands was the same, deep brown as the bed.

She turned to look at his closet. The bifold doors were made of wood. One was open, revealing some of Eric's clothes.

She thought it was incredibly sexy how he could dress to the nines in a suit and tie or dress comfortably in jeans and a t-shirt. Either way, he always made her breathless.

And his scent.

The room smelled of Eric everywhere. Sometimes he simply smelled of fresh Ivory soap. Other times when he wore his cologne, she wanted to bury her face in his neck. Wynston turned her head and sniffed her pillow...definitely Eric.

She could stay in his room forever.

She then turned to look at him as he slept. He was resting on his side, his muscled arm draped over her. Wynston thought how easy it would be to fall in love with him.

She had always dreamed of having a man like Eric in her life. But the truth was men like him didn't usually go for women like her. Every man had his own idea of what beauty was; and it very rarely included a chubby woman with short hair, thick thighs, a big butt and a paunch.

And it wasn't even the same for Wynston. She wasn't so struck by looks that she had to have a gorgeous man. She had just wanted someone good...which was so rare these days.

Now here Eric was in the flesh...the exception to the rule. Not only was he something wonderful, but he had liked her body type. Wynston struggled to not over think things. But she couldn't help wondering...what made him different from other, gorgeous men?

How was it that someone like him found someone like her attractive? She could feel her mind kicking into overdrive. Stop it girl, she thought. Do not ruin this!

As if the universe was throwing her a bone, Wynston suddenly recalled a boy who had made her life hell in grade school. Jonathan Butler had been the worst.

Wynston had been a chubby girl all her life; and Jonathan had pointed it out to her every chance he could. He would call her a whale and make "Mooing" sounds whenever she was near.

If that wasn't bad enough, whenever the teacher called her to the board in English class, Jonathan would make "BOOM-BOOM" noises as she walked. It was absolutely humiliating.

Fortunately for Wynston, she had gone to a different high school leaving Jonathan far behind. So she no longer had to deal with his teasing.

It wasn't until years later when she had gone to college that Jonathan resurfaced, so to speak. Her freshman year she had met another plus sized girl...Monica.

To Wynston's surprise, Monica was dating the very same Jonathan Butler. "But...you're a big girl," Wynston had said.

"Mm-hm...that's how my baby likes 'em. I seen pictures of his old girlfriends and they're all big. Girl, he knows how to put it on me, too. Whenever I go to his place, we fuck like rabbits!" Monica exclaimed.

Unreal.

Wynston had stood there in a daze. Jonathan Butler liked heavy women...he had made her life hell because...he had liked her??

After that, she wasn't sure about anything; it seemed that everybody she met while in college made her re-evaluate her philosophy.

Which made her think of another guy she'd met in school. This guy's name was Bryce.

He had been handsome and was a football player. Wynston had caught him looking at her a few times, but she blew it off thinking that had been impossible.

Bryce was ripped; he ate, slept and breathed football and worked out religiously. In her mind, there was no way he could be attracted to her curvy self.

Lo and behold, Bryce began dating one of the girls who lived in Wynston's dorm. Erin Meetze had been bigger than Wynston; and Bryce had practically worshiped the ground that girl walked on.

They had even gotten married after college.

So, Wynston had ultimately concluded that beauty was 100% in the eye of the beholder. But life hadn't been done teaching her lessons. Later on, she had learned that there were two kinds of men.

There were the Jonathans of the world. They were followers, and dated women they thought people would approve of. Then there were the men who were leaders and didn't give a damn what others thought.

When Eric stirred, she turned to look at him.

Somebody had taught him to be himself. Or maybe it was an inherent part of his personality that he didn't give a rat's ass what other people thought.

Wynston knew without a doubt that no one would tell Eric Torres who he could or couldn't like.

She contemplated his sleeping face. His eyebrows were dark and thick; his lashes long, and sooo curly. The stubble on his face was incredibly sexy.

She even loved the way the gold chain with the tiny cross looked against his caramel skin.

With his eyes closed, Eric looked completely harmless...pretty even. She almost snorted.

There was nothing pretty about Eric...beautiful maybe. Pretty implied that he was feminine in some way. Not so.

This man dominated everything. The room sizzled with energy when he walked into it. Her heart never failed to beat harder, faster whenever he was near. And he was hers...all hers.

One point for the big girl, she thought smugly.

Wynston's gaze roamed down to Eric's full, sensual lips. Those lips...they had wreaked havoc on her last night. Memories from the night before made her bite down on her own bottom lip.

She was itching to kiss him.

Why shouldn't you kiss him? She thought. He'd had her spread eagle all over the house. And she was shy about a kiss??

Girl please, Wynston thought as she scooted closer to Eric. She lightly placed her hand on his solid chest and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

She then moved downward, doing the same to each of his eyelids. Wynston pulled back to see if she had awakened him.

He was still asleep.

Giddy from her mischief, she continued her exploration.

Wynston kissed the tip of his nose, and moved lower so that she placed a slow, sensual kiss on Eric's chin.

She loved the way his facial hair scratched her lips.

When Wynston looked up, it was to find that Eric's eyes were open; and his eyes had those tell-tale flecks of green in them.

"You missed a spot," he said huskily.

Wynston's nipples immediately puckered into tight, little buds.

She slipped her hand from his chest and cupped his face. Moving closer, she closed her eyes and softly placed her lips on Eric's.

She pulled back briefly, only to repeat the motion. She was expecting Eric to attack her at any moment, but surprisingly, he just lay there, allowing her control.

She loved it.

Feeling bold, Wynston climbed out of the covers and pushed Eric onto his back. She watched as he put his hands behind his head. Straddling him, she leaned forward, and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. She nibbled on it.

Wynston wanted more.

"Open for me," she whispered against his lips.

Eric obeyed, allowing Wynston to slip her tongue into his mouth. She began to grind her pussy on his stomach, deriving exquisite pleasure from the friction.

When she sat up, she reached behind her in search of Eric's dick. To her delight, it wasn't hard to find...there was a very large tent in the sheets.

Freeing his cock from the covers, Wynston wrapped her hand around his thickness and pumped her fist up and down. After a few moments, she lifted herself and eased back down onto Eric's erection.

They both moaned.

Wynston rolled her hips in a circular motion, taking all of him inside of her. She moved slowly, agonizingly.

Eric tried to get her to move faster, but she insisted on moving slowly. He had had enough. He needed to take over.

Rolling Wynston onto her back, Eric furiously made love to Wynston until they both exploded with their climax.

Sated, the two dozed in each other's arms.

***

When Wynston awoke again, it was after 9 a.m. She decided to get up and have breakfast waiting for Eric.

She quietly got out of bed, and made it to her room. She showered and headed downstairs.

On her way to the kitchen, Wynston stopped to open the blinds, loving the natural light that flooded into the house.

Once in the kitchen, she surveyed their stock and came to the conclusion that they were severely lacking. She and Eric would definitely have to go grocery shopping soon.

With the limited ingredients she had, Wynston decided on veggie omelets with homemade salsa and some of the fresh fruit that was left over from the barbecue.

As she looked for a skillet and utensils, Wynston realized that the house was entirely too quiet.

"Music," she said.

Going into the living room, she lifted her heavy book of CDs that Eric had thoughtfully placed near the stereo system.

Flipping through the pages, her gaze fell on one of her favorite albums. Wynston knew exactly what she was in the mood for.

Loading the disc into the changer, she sashayed back into the kitchen, smiling as the music began.

***

Eric awoke to the smell of food cooking and the sound of Jill Scott crooning her song, "The Way."

He smiled his very self-assured smile. "Yes it is," Eric said when the singer asked, "Is it the way you love me, baby?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out what kind of mood Wynston was in; and he had been responsible. He hurriedly got out of bed and threw on some sweatpants.

When Eric got downstairs, the scene that greeted him made him stop and lean against the wall, crossing his arms.

Wynston had her back to him and had been pouring eggs into a skillet. She then picked up a wooden spoon and began singing along with the song.

Eric remembered asking her if she sang, but she had brushed it off as if it wasn't a big deal. It was now obvious that she was being humble.

Her voice was beautiful.

He continued to watch as Wynston chopped fruits and vegetables, and provocatively swayed her hips to the music...she wasn't wearing anything but a t-shirt and panties, either.

Apparently that was her favorite mode of dress.

Everything about what he was seeing made him want to be around this woman all the time.

As the song faded, Wynston turned to grab the stereo's remote control and jumped a mile, screaming.

"Eric!!!!" she wailed, throwing a potholder at him. "How long have you been standing there?!"

Leaning away from the wall, Eric caught the potholder easily and walked into the kitchen.

"Long enough to know you're a singer; and apparently you can cook...at least eggs, anyway," he teased.

Wynston just smiled mischievously. She could cook a whole lot more than eggs. She gave Eric a month...he would have a potbelly very soon.

Unaware of her plans, he walked up to Wynston and gave her a long, soft kiss. When the two broke apart, they were both breathless.

"Sit down! Breakfast is ready," Wynston said quickly before Eric had the chance to drag her upstairs. At this rate, they would never do anything but stay in his bedroom!

"I hope you like veggie omelets...it's all I could come up with considering what we have. We need to go grocery shopping," she said.

"Yes, I'll put anything you have to offer in my mouth," Eric said hotly as he sat at the island.

Wynston blushed. After all the lovemaking they'd done, she was still blushing.

Eric shook his head.

"And yes, we can go shopping. I wanted to take you out today anyway...show you around," Eric informed her.

"Ooh...that sounds like fun. Where we going?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could go to the Old Marketplace. It has all these old timey, country shops. There's a bookstore, record store. You name it, it's out there. And after we look around, maybe we can stop for lunch and then tackle grocery shopping."

Wynston nodded. "Sounds good...I'm actually kinda excited." She sat next to Eric.

"Good. It's a date, then," Eric said, pulling her chair closer to his.

As he took a bite of his omelet, he was impressed. None of the women he'd ever dealt with could so much as boil an egg let along make an omelet.

Leaning over, he kissed Wynston on the cheek. "This is good, sweetheart."

"Why thank you." Wynston blushed shyly.

As they ate, they talked and joked with each other; the scene was just as intimate as if they had been making love.

Eric asked Wynston about her singing and learned that she had been doing it since she had been a child. At church and in school she had always been on the choir or in chorus.

Wynston in turn asked Eric some of the burning questions she had wanted to know about him. For instance, she was dying to know how he felt about testifying against his brothers.

Eric had shared that he wasn't too keen on it, and had still been grappling with it. Nobody wanted to be the rat...and if there was one thing he wasn't, it was a snitch.

Wynston nodded her head, understanding fully. "So what will you do?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Even though they're assholes, they're still my brothers; and I just can't see myself going on the stand and testifying against them," Eric said.

Wynston sighed. "I honestly don't know what to tell you. That's a difficult one. Maybe the authorities can just rely on my testimony," she offered.

Eric shook his head. "There's no way in hell I'll allow you to put yourself in danger that way while I just sit by and watch. Everything will work out in its own time," he said confidently.

Afterward, Eric did the dishes while Wynston wrote a grocery list. Then he took her back upstairs and made love to her once more before they showered and dressed.

Eric was the first to make it back downstairs.

While he waited for Wynston, he flipped through her music collection and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was very eclectic.

Everything from Beethoven's 5th to The Mars Volta to Sade to Tony Bennett was in there. She even had Folk music from Scotland.

He didn't see any Spanish music or Raggaeton in there...he would have to remember to introduce her to Boricua music.

Just then, the object of his musings descended the stairs. She was wearing a short, denim skirt and a sexy, turquoise, off-the-shoulder top. Her flip flops and earrings matched her clothing...she looked delectable.

Eric was already figuring how long it would take him to get her upstairs for a quickie.

"Don't even think about it," Wynston said, correctly reading his thoughts.

"At this rate, we'll never get outta here," she laughed. With that, she practically ran out the door ahead of Eric.

She had to fight the urge to stay herself. Eric looked absolutely fine in his jeans, white t-shirt, and white sneakers.

Seeing him in a blue and white NY Yankees baseball cap was her undoing. There was just something about a gorgeous man wearing a baseball cap that did it for Wynston.

She quickly chased away her thoughts before she was the one who dragged Eric back into the house.

"Where's the car we came here in?" Wynston asked as she stared at the huge Ford F-150 that was parked in the driveway.

Eric opened the passenger door for her. "It's just something the government loaned us while we're here. It's more practical, and we should blend right in."

Turns out he was right.

There were more pickup trucks than Wynston could count. As they traveled along the quiet neighborhood, she took in the sights which were so different from Baltimore.

Back at home, there was never really a quiet moment. There was a lot of bustling, noise and crowds at all times.

There weren't too many people traveling by foot; there was maybe one city bus, but as far as public transportation went, there was none. For the most part, it looked as if the majority of people owned cars.

And even the traffic was different. Eric was actually able to drive and only stopped a couple times for red lights or stop signs. Other than that, they sailed smoothly down the southern streets.

Even the air was different.

It was fresher and cleaner than back home. There were trees and flowers everywhere, and as they drove, Wynston saw that people actually had real gardens.

She smiled, relishing in the difference. If she wasn't careful, she could get used to living here.

They pulled up to a shopping plaza that stretched as far as the eyes could see. "Where do you want to go first?" Eric asked.

"Hmm," Wynston said. She looked around her at all the options. "Let's start here," she said, pointing at the shop they had parked in front of.

As Eric had said, it looked like an old, country store but she was unsure of exactly what it was they sold.

"I think you're gonna get a kick out of that one," he said mysteriously.

Wynston was intrigued.

"Before I forget..." Eric pulled a thick envelope from the back pocket of his jeans and handed it over to her.

"Another "gift" from the government," he said.

Wynston opened the envelope to find that it was stuffed with cash. She remembered during their briefing with the agents that she and Eric were to only make cash purchases.

"Eric, really? I can't walk around with this much cash on me!" she exclaimed.

There had to have been at least $5,000 in the envelope.

"I tell you what...give me a few dollars to put in my wallet. You take some of it and put it in your purse. The rest can go in the glove box until we get back home. Okay?" he asked.

"That's better...sheesh!" she said, making him chuckle.

After the money was tucked safely away, they got out of the truck and walked into the store.

To Wynston's surprise, it was a candy store. She thought of how Terrence would lose his mind over a place like this.

The store was completely charming. It even had floorboards that reminded her of those old Western movies. And the best part wasn't just that they sold candy.

They sold the stuff she grew up eating that supermarkets didn't really carry any more...and everything was in its original wrapper.

There were Sugar Daddies, Mary Janes, Bit-O-Honey, Chick-O-Stick, Original Jolly Ranchers, Charleston Chews, Clark Bars, and even Nestle Chunky Bars.