“What?” She looked up at him, hitched to his every word.
“I wanted to protect you. This little hearty daffodil that was in front of me needed shelter from the elements, and I was the shelter. Or so I hoped to be. The stone. The wood. The marble. You needed help, but you weren’t helpless. And I liked that. I thought to myself, this isn’t someone I just want to extract pleasure from and give pleasure to. It was bigger than that. I wanted to pluck you, don’t get me wrong, little daffodil, but see…” He tapped his fingers along the steering wheel as he tried to find the best words to express how he felt. “I wanted to hide you away from prying eyes.
“I’d water you and give you sun. But sometimes my water is acid rain.” He paused, drowning in her gaze. “You’re the first person in a long time that I stopped and thought: This might be someone I could… explore life with… I’m not for the faint of heart. I know that. But, I thought to myself, maybe she can hold onto me, like I want to hold onto her. You were my little flower. And mine alone.”
Her eyes were bright and shiny, full of promise and optimism. Kim had joy whirling inside of her. Dancing inside her. He wished to be inside her…
He cupped the back of her neck and brought her in for a kiss.
The leather of his seat sighed beneath him as he deepened the embrace, his lips growing warmer, temperature rising. So taken by her, he eased his needy tongue inside her mouth. He had her all to himself. Weeks of pent-up sexual frustration poured forth. Deft fingers ran through his hair as he wrapped his arm around her, drawing her impossibly closer. He squeezed her delicate neck, the little gold chain slipping across the pad of his thumb as he moaned, and his dick hardened with need. After a while, he released her.
“I need to take you home tonight. I want to wake up tomorrow morning to breakfast in bed, my tongue between your legs. So what’s it going to be?”
She leaned forward and laid her forehead on the dashboard. He sat back in his seat, the sounds of Doja Cat and Gwen Stefani’s, ‘You Right X Luxurious’ playing at a low volume. A minute passed. Then another.
“Okay. I’ve decided. I’ll go home with you tonight, but first, let’s go back to the party. She has a cake she wants me to see.” She gathered her trash from their meal and opened the truck door, but before she could jump out, he was outside, helping her down onto the ground.
When they re-entered the house, the music was even louder, and it seemed the crowd had swelled in numbers. It took a few minutes for Kim to find Martha, and the two began laughing and chatting again. He stood off to the side, feeling the same eyes on him once again. This time, he wasted no time in setting the record straight. He wasn’t in the mood for people lying. Giving false hope. Making up bullshit just to get a check.
Disrespectful punks.
He casually let his coat flap open, exposing his guns in their holster, one on each hip. His little audience turned away and walked fast, distancing themselves from him, but not before he offered a friendly wave goodbye…
Chapter Nine
Jack’s bedroom was full of unvarnished wood furniture, and the place smelled of turpentine, cherry cigars, and pine. Above a grand fireplace hung a large flatscreen television featuring a playlist on a music channel. He’d lit the fireplace upon their arrival, setting the mood. CLANK! She paused and looked around. The house made peculiar noises, almost as if it were alive. Breathing. When she’d asked about it a few moments ago, Jack had stated it was the pipes settling with the cold outside and heat inside. The house was welcoming, far too massive for one person, and yet, enigmatic and a little unnerving, too, despite being a fairly new structure.
As she waited for him to finish brushing his teeth, she grabbed the remote and switched channels, looking for some good tunes. Oh wait, what’s this? ’80s and ’90s music. This will work just fine.
Meanwhile, she tried not to think about why she was here and checked out her surroundings to calm her nerves. In one corner was an oval wooden table on which sat an assortment of knives, bottles which she presumed were varnishes, pieces of sandpaper, and carving tools. Wooden statues of various animals, Indian totems, and elaborate designs caught her eye as well.
Well, I’ll be damned. Jack, you’ve got an artistic side… I’d never have guessed that.
Kim secured her white towel around her body as she sat on the edge of his high four-post bed atop a thick gray and white duvet, her feet dangling. She’d placed her clothes on a nearby chair, and now felt a little exposed. The towel she’d asked Jack for at least ensured she didn’t have to sit there naked.