When It's Love

She let him know. He always needed just five more minutes, but I could hear him saving the game. He listened to Donovan.

We ate and Keith slowly became aware that Donovan was staying. When the realization fully dawned, he got a little uncomfortable and told us he was going down to the local gaming spot. "I'm going over to Abe's after," he said. "We'll probably play all night and I'll just crash over there."

He did have a few social skills, after all. Donovan and I chilled on the sofa, watching a cheesy horror movie before she stood, pulled me up and took me to the bedroom. I told her I was going to shower, and she said she wanted one, too. "You go first," she said.

I had shampoo in my hair when I heard the door open and felt a draft of cool air. I felt wet skin against my back as I rinsed the shampoo out. "That better not be Keith," I said.

I heard her giggle behind me. "Just little old me," she murmured in my ear.

I turned around and there she was. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. She was spectacular. I had no words. Donovan in her clothes had a stunning visual impact. Without them, she was something out of a dream. She moved into my arms and we kissed. It was eternal, leaving me breathless and her sagging against me. I nibbled on her ear, the side of her neck, across the top of her smooth shoulder and she shuddered. The warm water streamed over us and I reached around her to get the shower gel off the shelf, squeezing a blob into my other hand.

I used it to slide over her shoulders, grabbing a washcloth to run over that stunning body. I scrubbed her and the washcloth was abandoned. I had to have her in my bare hands. Her body was like nothing I'd ever felt, a little slick from the gel, silky smooth, a seeming layer of softness over steel. We worked out together all the time, and I knew she was very strong, but she had definition in her abs, her shoulders, her back, and I stroked and kissed every wet inch.

She washed me, and her journey of discovery was no less thorough than mine. She gasped when she got to my cock, standing out like a crowbar. "Jesus, Shaw. Is this for me? Damn, dude, you have a big dick!"

I laughed. It seemed pretty normal to me. "Yeah, right? Me and the porn stars."

She giggled, causing her breasts to do incredible things. "My own personal porn star," she said.

She lathered me up, rinsed and surprising me, knelt in the shower, her little hand holding my cock, the other braced on my thigh and took me into the volcanic heat of her mouth. She took the hand on my thigh and used it to move all that long wet hair over her back and out of her face. Her eyes locked on mine and with the water streaming over us both, she went to work on my cock.

She was as fantastic at sucking cock as she was at everything else, and most of the excitement was that she obviously loved doing it. She watched my face intently, absorbing every expression. The suction she used was intense, and her little tongue squirmed around like a serpent, tickling the underside of my head, moving over the top on that sensitive area just below.

It had been a while for me, and with this gorgeous woman, it didn't take long until I was groaning at the point of no return. "Babe, I'm... about to come," I warned her. I expected her to pull away, but she really intensified her movements, using her hand to gently massage my balls, tickling the sensitive spot just below and I came with a groaning, "Oh, my God!"

She gagged a little before recovering and working on me with an intensity that just had me nearly collapsing, the ecstasy quickly turning to over-sensitivity, and I pulled her up. She stuck her face into the spray, mouth open and filling with water, before swishing it around and spitting it out.

She attacked me, kissing all over my face. "Did you like me?" she murmured.

"I have no words," I said, barely able to speak. "God, Donovan, you... you..."

She laughed. "I'm glad."

"My turn," I said, attempting to sink to my knees.

"Noo." She took my face in her hands, pulling me back up. "Water getting colder. Bed."

We stepped out, I grabbed a towel and dried her off, kneeling in front of her to do her legs and cute little feet. While I was there, I grabbed her hips and pulled her toward me, giving her pussy a swipe with my tongue. She jolted in reaction, giggled and pulled me up. She dried me and I scooped her up, carrying her in and depositing her on my bed. My sheets were a burgundy silk, and she scooted up, placing her head on the pillows. I just had to stop and drink in the sight.

She was a goddess. I'd never seen a more beautiful, sexy, alluring woman. I'd seen actresses, Playboy centerfolds, sexy strippers and porn stars. Nothing like Donovan. She was younger, fitter, more wholesome, while just exuding sensuality. I had no idea I would ever have a chance to be with someone like her.

"What?" she asked.

"God, Donovan, I just... you're so beautiful, babe."

"Stop, you're embarrassing me," she said.

"I'm just thinking, you have it all going on. You could be with anyone. I mean anyone. You can earn millions, just on your looks alone."

She giggled. "Thanks, but I'm not interested in 'anyone,' and I have no intention of ever capitalizing on the way I look. I want to be loved for me, not how I look." She held out her arms to me. "I just want you, Shaw."

I sank down beside her. "I know what you mean. I just want you, too. I do love you for you, believe me. You're scary smart, funny, caring, warm, but you're also the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I love every part of you."

She rolled up on top of me. "Show me," she said, and I drowned in her eyes, her juicy lips against mine, that succulent body rubbing against mine, immersing me in the total experience that was Donovan.

*****

We were seldom apart. She didn't exactly live with me; she still kept things at her dad's place and spent time there, but most of her clothes and personal items now occupied space in my closet, drawers and bathroom counter. She liked Keith as much as I did, but I did feel like we were cramping his style and he sort of felt the same.

I talked to Dad and told him I wanted another place. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I am," I said. "Donovan is living with me, for all intents and purposes, and we embarrass Keith."

He had met Donovan and loved her. "Can you wait a week?" he asked.

"What's happening in a week?"

"Well, you know that rental I own out on Placita Meseta Dorada?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, the couple who were leasing it is moving to Seattle. It will be vacant next week. Let's make an appointment and we can take Donovan over to see if she likes it."

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" I asked.

He laughed. "Listen, bud, we both know it's the women who matter. You'd live in a tent with her, sleep out in the rain if she asked you to."

I had to laugh. "When did you get so smart? Five years ago, you were dumb as fuck."

He chuckled. "I'm still dumb as fuck. Ask your mother. I do know a couple of things."

"Dad, how much is the rent on that place?" I asked. "You have to be making a killing there. Is that going to run you short?"

"None of your business," he said. "Seriously, Shaw, I'm fine. You're going to inherit a chunk when I kick the bucket. You and your sister are going to make out like bandits. I told you I want you focused on your education. When you get your degrees and get a job, get your feet under you, you can start paying your way. That's my job, getting you a start in life. I'm your father."

"Don't think I'm not grateful," I told him. "I am. I just..."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't be having me whacked so you can inherit."

I laughed. "I don't know any hit men, yet."

I talked to Donovan and told her I was thinking about moving.

"Where?" she asked.

I told her. "I don't think I know where that is," she said.

I got a time when she could go, texted Dad and he set it up with the people who leased the house for us to go look.

As we drove, I saw her looking around. "Jesus, Shaw, these are some hella nice places!"

"Well, I hope you like it," I said. "It will definitely be a change from my apartment. No Keith, for one thing."

She giggled. "Poor Keith. He's losing both his gaming buddies AND his roommate."

"He'll be relieved," I said. "He can sit around in his boxers and have three-day-old pizza boxes with two pieces of pizza in them to snack on."

We pulled up and her eyes got big. Dad was already there, and he came and opened her door.

"Hi, sweetheart. They aren't here, so we can just go in and look around."

"Jesus, Oliver, this is the place?" She was a little incredulous.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I bought this property about 20 years ago and got it for a song. Five years later I was sitting on a gold mine, I sold off lots and used the money to build this place. I thought I would live here, but I got a chance to buy my place, and I've been leasing this out ever since."

We went to the door and Dad used his key to open it, standing aside so we could go in. It was spectacular, and I heard Donovan's intake of breath as she took it in.

"Oliver, are you... are you kidding me?"

He chuckled. "No. Of course, this furniture belongs to them, so you'll have to get your own."

"How... how will we afford it?" she wondered.

"Shaw's mother has that covered," Dad informed her. "She does furniture import/export. She's been planning him getting married for years. I happen to know there are pieces she has in storage, things she's acquired, she was always planning for him and his sister to have."

"But... we aren't getting married..." Her voice trailed off.

"I know, but are you going to be living together, or not?"

She looked helplessly at me. "Not exactly, Oliver. I still kinda live with my father. I mean, yeah, we sorta live together, but I'm a hell of a long way from getting married or that kind of commitment, and I think Shaw is, too."

"I have an idea," I said.

"What?" It came from both of them.

"Why don't we not sweat this? I'm not going to stress over if we 'live together,' and I'm not asking for any commitment. Mom won't care. This won't be any different than what we do now, except no Keith, and it's way bigger."

Donovan shot me one of those blinding smiles. "I like the way you think. Imma look around. Give us the tour, Oliver."

He did. I sort of knew the layout: I had been there when Dad was building the place, but Donovan couldn't get over the house.

"I can't believe it, Shaw," she said on the way home. "Dad's place would fit twice on the first floor!"

"Right?" I said. "Does it intimidate you?"

"Sorta, yeah. I mean, it's dope that Oliver would even think about it, but damn."

We drove over and talked to Mom, and she took us to her warehouse. It was unbelievable. There was a bunch of stuff under covers, and as she began to pull off the covers, Donovan was over the moon.

"Jesus, Lydia, where did you get all this stuff?"

Mom laughed. "Mostly South America," she said. "Some from Africa and Asia, and a little from Eastern Europe. It isn't as expensive as you think. I've been going to shows for years, and if I see something I think is unique and special, I've been picking it up and squirreling it away. This isn't all yours. Some of it is Tobin's."

"Well, I love it," Donovan said.

Mom hugged me. "Shaw, would you trust me to decorate the place?"

She did that sort of thing, professionally, so yeah, I did. "You know more about that than I do, or Donovan," I said.

She had a triumphant smile on her face. "Good, it's settled then."

The tenants were out the following week, and Mom went to work. A week later, she told me it was ready. We met her and Dad for dinner, and they took us to scope out what they'd done.

Mom and Dad weren't exactly hostile to each other. They were friends, in fact, and I'd always thought they loved each other, just had separate lives. It was good to see them together, and Tobin showed up after a bit with champagne.

"Hey, Sis," I went to hug her. She and Donovan were pals and hung out together a good bit.

"Hey, Bub." That's what she'd called me since she was a tiny little thing. "I thought we should celebrate and have a house warming!"

Mom came up with champagne flutes, and we had a toast. The place looked great. The furniture was a little sparse, but I figured we'd fill it in as we found time and money. It was functional, for sure.

Donovan's dad showed up, and he had an absolutely hideous epergne for our dining room table. I pretended to admire it, but damn. The thought of eating with a crouching tiger looking like it was getting ready to spring on me was too much. I appreciated the gesture.

He unbent enough for Donovan to take him on a tour, and I think he was impressed, in spite of himself. Keith had borrowed his dad's truck and trailer, and he pulled up with our boxes of stuff. Even Dr. Mace got his hands dirty, helping us carry in boxes to the appropriately labeled rooms.

We got everything in the approximate place it was supposed to be, and everyone left, leaving Donovan and me in a little bit of awkwardness, all by ourselves in a new place. That didn't last long. "Take a shower with me?" she asked.

I was always gonna be up for that.

*****

Our arrangement didn't change. Six out of seven nights, Donovan would be with me, every day when classes were over, we were together. About once a week she'd spend the night at her dad's place.

We'd both applied to and been accepted into the graduate program, and we were both in our last semester. I was going into the aerospace program, and she was going into the bioengineering department.

We were both a little restless, thinking money and jobs. Dad and Mom both put money in my account, and Donovan earned some from her university hosting stuff, but neither of us were really satisfied with what we were doing.

I was looking into internships and she started stepping up the number of events she did. One of the IT guys was working in our office, and happened to mention attending a university fund-raiser. I was half listening. "I'll tell you, there was the hottest girl there I've ever seen," he was telling me. That got my attention.

"Oh yeah?" I encouraged him.

"Yeah, she was like part of the university, or something, but I'd never seen her before. You wouldn't believe it," he said. "The alumni were like lining up to get a dance with her. I just wish I could have got a dance and God, to take her home. I'd die a happy man."

"Did someone take her home?" I asked.

"I don't know. There were plenty trying, I can tell you that."

That got my antenna up. I decided to ask Donovan what was going on without really seeming like I was concerned. She was working an event that night.

"Hey, babes, I've never really asked you this before, but what exactly do you do at these things?"

"Well, it depends on the 'things,'" she said. "Sometimes it's like a dinner party and we just eat and network. I'm really just there to make sure everything runs smoothly, the caterers are doing their job, I walk around with Dad and schmooze donors, alumni, introduce people, that sort of thing."

"Sounds awful," I said.

She laughed. "It isn't fun, I promise. It's work, Shaw. It's not supposed to be fun. Most of the people are like Dad's age, but I have to look like and act like the person I'm talking to is the most interesting person on the planet."

"My God, I had no idea. Are they all like that?"

"Umm... no. Sometimes there's like bands, orchestras and there's dinner, then dancing."

"What's this one going to be?" I asked.

She turned from the mirror where she was putting on her eye makeup. "What's up, Shaw? You giving me the third degree here?"

I laughed. "No, I was just curious. I have no idea why; I was just asking."

She turned back to the mirror. "It's just work," she said. "Boring shit. You would hate it."

I wandered off and was scrolling through TikTok when she came and gave me a kiss. She went into the kitchen and came out with a bottle of water. "See you in a couple of hours." She kissed me again and she was gone.

I turned on the TV and watched a little boxing. I couldn't get the conversation with the IT guy out of my mind. I got up to get me a beer. When I got into the kitchen, I noticed Donovan's phone on the bar. Evidently, she'd set it down to get her bottle of water and forgotten it. I wondered if she'd want it. I got to thinking that she might, that I wanted her to have it in case she needed something, her car broke down or some shit, and I decided to take it to her. That would also give me a pretext to be there, albeit a flimsy one.

They were having the event at Lodge on the Desert, and I kind of knew the place. I'd been there once or twice. When I went inside, it looked like the event pretty much had the whole place booked, at least the event rooms. I looked in a couple, but didn't see any sign of Donovan.

There was music coming from the Palm room, so I poked my head in for a quick look. They had a little ensemble playing jazz, and there were probably 50 couples dancing and twice that many watching or out on the lawn. It was a big party.

One of the staff came up with a tray of champagne glasses and offered me one. "No, thanks," I said. "Say, do you know any of the guests?"

"Some," he said. "The university uses the event rooms to host occasions quite a bit."

"Do you know who Donovan Mace is?" I asked.

"Yes, Dr. Mace's daughter," he said.

"You happen to have seen her around?"

"I have," he said, pointing across to the other side of the room. "Isn't that her?"

I moved so I could see where he was pointing. It was. She was dancing over by the wall with someone I recognized. He'd been a Heisman Trophy candidate a few years back, a quarterback, and he'd had a brief career in the NFL. Another alumnus.

"Thanks, dude," I said, and started around the room, circling to stay out of the way of the dancers.

As I got closer, I became more perturbed at every step. That dancing they were doing was something I'd expect her to do with me, but not anyone else. He was holding her much too closely to suit me, his hands were too low, his leg was between hers, pulling her forward onto it and he was grinding into her. I stopped, stunned, and watched for maybe a minute.

I was pissed, hurt beyond belief and in shock, all at the same time. This was what she did at these "functions?" Well, fuck that. I shook off my frozen status and walked up to them. Her eyes were closed when I approached, and her partner, seeing me, and maybe noticing the look on my face, turned her half away from me.

"It's cool, dude," I said. "I'm just here to deliver her phone."

Her eyes shot open as she heard my voice, her mouth came open in what would have been a cute little Cheerio shape under other circumstances and I pushed her phone into her hand. I heard it hit the floor as I walked away, and she called out after me, "Shaw!"

I kept walking, out the door and to my car, started it up and drove away. I saw her at the entrance, looking for me, and she spotted me as I pulled onto the street. She took a step forward and I saw her mouth move, then I turned the corner.

I just drove, almost unaware of where I was. My brain seemed incapable of thought, and I was just a robot. I stopped at a traffic light, and suddenly I was mad, a red explosion of rage, and I screamed "Fuck!" and pounded my fist on the steering wheel.

I was vaguely aware of something trying to reach my consciousness, and realized it was my phone vibrating on the passenger seat. I looked at it and it was her. "The Dark Enchantress," my screen said. I would have to change that. I wasn't feeling at all enchanted. I tossed it back in the seat.

Now I had to figure out where I was going. I didn't want to go home. She'd come there, and I was in no mood for her. I pulled into a Circle K, went inside and got me a big Dr. Pepper in a Styrofoam cup. I sat and absently took a drink. Suddenly I knew.