“Ok, your dime. You do realize that she knows I am watching her right?”
Mike frowned. “No, I never told her that I hired you. Why do you think she knows?”
“Well last night at around 11:15 I’m sitting there watching the place and here comes your mom around the corner. She came right up to my car and tapped on the window. I let the window down and she hands me a plate of baked cookies and told me I needed to dress warmer. Then she says, my son better not be paying you a fortune for this nonsense!”
Mike burst into laughter, “That’s her alright!”
After the call he hurried to the garage to get Kelly. She leaned against her car rocking from side to side wearing a smile. The dim outside light glowed against her skin shimmering across the blonde curls.
As he came into her view her eyes sparkled as if she had not seen him in weeks. She didn’t appear irked or even the least bothered by the wait and he loved that about her. I could really get use to this girl.
Mike bent over to look inside of her late model yellow Chevy Cobalt. The small car appeared well kept and a good fit for Kelly. A picture of Romeo and Juliet hung on the review mirror. Mike touched the picture and looked at Kelly.
“You really are a hopeless romantic aren’t ya? Is this some kind of Shakespeare air freshener or something?”
“No it’s not an air fresher! You bum, it’s just a picture.” she laughed.
“Oh I see, a big Shakespeare fan I take it.”
“The biggest. Now can we change subjects?”
“Come on now that’s nothing to be ashamed of, I’m a bit of a sap myself.”
“Really now? Give me an example”
“Hmmm, how about Lord Byron?”
“No way!”
Mike pressed the interior button to close the garage door. “Afraid so,” he said as they made their way into the house.
“Mike, I’m so surprised. This is not the typical bachelor pad. I expected cheap bud light signs, hooter girl wall posters, and of course the plastic football designed chip bowl on the coffee table.”
“Is that right? Aren’t we the stereotypical queen,” he said.
“That did sound bad huh? But I love your place everything is so tasteful and done just right.”
He felt flattered by her compliment. The thought of how others would see his home never came to mind when he put his ideas of decorating it together. He just tried to maintain it as best as he could while avoiding a lot of clutter. So to have Kelly give him a thumbs up was a bonus.
“Thank you Kelly, I’m glad that you like it.”
“I love it. This is so impressive Mike, very well done,” she said.
He realized that he did put a lot of work into his home over time. The color scheme Mike chose composed of a mixture of dark tans and browns accented with cream. He painted the interior living room taupe since he thought that it blended nicely with the dark woods of the couch and end tables.
Kelly ran her hand across the thick curtains. “You know at one time I thought about becoming an interior designer. And if I was to come to your place to give you some suggestions, I would not change one single thing. Well except one.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
While she looked around his home, Mike came up to her with that serious look that he knew she could never get use to seeing on him.
“Ok Kelly, I rarely invite anyone over to my home but when I do I have one strict rule.” He paused and waited to gain full eye contact. He needed to make sure that he had Kelly’s undivided attention.
“You will have to go anywhere in here you want to and never ask. You can not feel like this is some museum. So please just get whatever you want when ever you want. In other words, when I say make yourself at home I really mean it, deal?”
Kelly kissed Mike on the corner of his lips lightly.
“Deal, but I do have one serious question.” This time she paused so Mike’s gave her his full attention. “Where do you keep your liquor for now and your whipped cream, for later.” She gave him a cunning smile.
Laughter burst from inside of Mike so fast that it caused him to bend over. He held his stomach till he fell to the floor. It wasn’t till then that he realized just how much he needed that humor induced release.
Kelly joined in with his robust laughter. Mike wasn’t sure if she was laughing because it was just as funny to her or because it was just funny to watch him laugh. It didn’t matter; he loved the sound of her laughter. After the laughter subsided he pointed toward the standing dry bar.
“The liquor is inside the bar, and the whipped cream is in the kitchen cabinet.”
Kelly passed in front of Mike making her way to the bar. As she did Mike gave her a slap on the rear. She stopped and turned back to him. Her expression changed from jovial to serious. “Hold on there Michael! Aren‘t you overstepping your boundaries just a little bit? Really Mike? Seriously? After one kiss now all of a sudden I am some bimbo that you can slap on the butt?”
Mike began to smile then stopped when he saw the sober look on her face. You’re serious? At first he still took the scolding as a joke till her eyes tightened with anger. She not only seemed insulted but almost disrespected by the innocent jester. Mike felt like crawling under the coffee table. Unbelievable, I guess I did cross the line.
“Are you serious? But-”
“But what Michael, dumb blonde right? That’s all I am right, you see me just like all the rest-”
She turned her back to him. Mike had no idea what to say but was already mentally back in single mode. Wrong or not he wasn’t about to deal with Miss double personality, not tonight and damn sure not for an entire weekend. Her head lowered with sniffling sounds of what sounded like soft sobs. God, I need a way out of this and never again.
“Damn you Michael Andrews! Damn you to hell!!” Kelly’s voice projected with dramatic overacting.
“I’ve been punked, right?” Mike realized.
Kelly’s laughter echoed like a roar. While Mike felt duped she found tremendous pleasure in her prank.
“Ok, ok you got me, pay back is hell,” he smiled. “Your actually pretty good. I can admit it, you had me.”
“Oh come on now, be a sport. You know the good book says not to be vengeful.”
“It that right? Now the demon is quoting the bible to get out of trouble. Well I’m not buying that.”
Kelly poked out her bottom lip but couldn’t hold it as the laughter started again. When he took one step toward her she took off running. The chase circled around the living room at full speed.
Even with her continued laughter he could not catch her. Her tiny frame swiftly darted through the house. If he could have actually caught her, he wouldn’t have, he enjoyed the chase.
After tiring himself out he called a truce then collapsed on the couch. With Mike fully exhausted, Kelly once again made her way to the bar. It appeared to Mike that she had not lost a breath. Where she got all the energy he had no idea. He smiled and realized that he had not had this much fun in a very long time.
“I love this bar Mike!” she said.
“I picked it up from a second store,” he said. “I thought that it fit in pretty well in here.”
“Good eye. It fits perfect in here. I love the design.” He watched her open the small doors in front of the bar. “Goodness! You have just about anything that a bar could carry inside of here.”
She bent over at the waist looking the line bottles. “I can’t even decide what to drink.”
Mike stood as he looked over at Kelly, “Hey Kelly I’m going to the bedroom and log on to the computer. I need to check on the reservations for San Antonio.”
“Ok I’ll make you a drink. Any request?” she said not looking away from the row of bottles.
“No, surprise me,” he said.
“Mike!?” she said, still not looking away from the bottles.
“Yeah?”
“Are you looking at my butt?”
Mike hurri
ed away to the bedroom. In the distance he could hear her laughter again. He could also feel his face transform to a deep shade of crimson. He had to admit that Kelly kept him on his toes; he didn’t know how she did it but somehow Kelly slipped inside his private world. The fit was like a missing puzzle piece.
Every rule that he accumulated through the years had been broken. The first one he set did not allow any relationship to evolve into his private life. The second one broke the cardinal rule of never dating an employee. He also topped that with a third one that he deemed as sacred. He vowed not to allow his personal life to intertwine with his private life. The weekend getaway with Danny and Kelly dismantled that decree.
At fist he thought that the rules were one in the same but realized that they were not. In fact, in his life, they were as opposing as night and day. He crossed that line the second that he allowed his son Danny to meet Kelly. His out of character actions remained a mystery even to him.
* * *
Kelly searched through the liquor bottles but nothing stood out. Forget it, I’ll just close my eyes and pick one. Before doing so, one particular brand caught her attention. It wasn’t anything to do with the contents; the label produced some suppressed memories.
The fifth of Nusta Pisco along with its odd label tunneled into the depths of her memories. Then like a bad after taste the memory pulled back into the present. His words floated into her head.
“A bottle of Nusta Pisco for me and something for the little lady-”
The voice from an earlier time in her life echoed through her psyche then slammed the contrite memory back as if it just happened. The accented voice and recollection regrettably revived to become as new as the unopened bottle of dark brandy.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Mike took only a few minutes to reserve the rooms for the San Antonio trip. In less then ten minutes Mike booked two adjoining rooms at Danny’s favorite hotel located in the downtown area of San Antonio. Every since he and Danny did a father-son trip there three years before, he promised him that they would return to the very same hotel. After one final click on the computer’s keyboard the reservations were set.
Kelly appeared in the doorway holding the bags she brought with her to Mike’s home. Her face drooped with sadness. She didn’t have to speak; Mike sensed that something was wrong. He waited for her to reveal it then his suspensions were answered quickly as soon as Kelly spoke.
“Mike would you be a sweetheart and make the drinks for us? With all of the choices I couldn’t decide.”
He heard it in her voice, something was wrong. Her best smile made an effort to disguise the tension. She tried to hide it but something had stolen her joy.
“Hey no problem I’ll handle it, I’m already done with the reservations. Just set your bags anywhere you want and the bathroom is right at the end on the hall.”
“Good I’m going to jump in the shower,” she said.
Kelly made her way down the hall moving with far less energy. He seen her move with more vigor at the end of a double shift. She dragged along as if she was placed in a dark zone. Something was definitely wrong.
He wanted to ask her but could see that she obviously was trying to cover it up. Just let her bring it up Mike, don’t kill the evening. He thought back about the last few things they said to one another to pinpoint what may have triggered it. Nothing stood out as far as he could remember. I wonder what’s stirring in that blonde head of yours Kelly?
With Kelly in the shower Mike had time to get a few things in order. It had been some time since he had been able to display his romantic side so now was as good of a time as any. He went straight to the bottle of Cirroc vodka. The vodka gave him a wide variety of exotic drinks that he could make with the light liquor. After he lit a few candles he put on some soft music then rushed into the other bathroom to take a quick shower.
* * *
In the bathroom down the hall, Kelly stood before the well lit mirror. She slowly brushed her long curls as she marveled at the ability to get a clear picture of her appearance. The lighting made a big difference.
She concentrated on her hair, outfit, and the mirror but avoided her own eye contact. A deep look into her reflection would ignite another onslaught of suppressed memories. She avoided those memories not wanting them to resurface, not tonight anyway. More then likely, she may not ever be ready to relive that memory.
While observing her outfit she contemplated if she should have worn something different. After four changes she settled on a tight fitting t-shirt and boy-shorts. Her intentions were to capture a sexy but not sleazy look. With any luck the outfit would become unnecessary.
She leaned in closer to the mirror carefully placing on some – also hopefully soon removed - cherries in the snow lipstick. She shifted her head to the side then sniffed. Hmmmmm-
The scent of vanilla and jasmine floated under the bathroom door. The fragrance migrated from somewhere in the home taking her away from her current thoughts. If it had not been for her curiosity to find out where the scent originated, she may have stayed in the bathroom forever tugging and primping.
When she opened the door the familiar sound of smooth saxophones slid across the Caribbean styled jazzy drums. Unmistakably the music was that of the songstress Sade. Nice, very nice, she thought.
She made her way down the hall with the fragrance and soft music pulling her toward the bedroom. The opened door allowed her to see light flickering from inside. Candles, she guessed. Her imagination soared as she guessed what Mike would be wearing and just how much of a romantic night awaited them.
Kelly appeared in the door entrance but stopped short of entering the room. The room looked like a different place. The large candle lit the interior with a magic like feel. She felt like she had been transported into another time and space with Mike being the only common factor.
He walked over to her with two drinks in his hands. His opened black silk robe allowed her to see a set of matching silk boxers. Tiny white polo symbols spread all across both pieces.
She accepted the drink. “You’re as classy as you are romantic Mike,” she said.
The lit candle projected hidden shadows inside of the dark room. The small flame danced in motions beautifully synced with the soft playing music. The interior walls served as a canvas, projecting animated motions of the room’s stationary objects. The walls slowly vanished as the moon’s glow strained between the beige curtains in an attempt to peek inside.
The room contained the ambiance of a dream. A feather like sensation gripped her feet as she stepped out of the entry and onto the thick cream carpet of the bedroom. Her bare feet sunk to a seemingly endless depth till they floated on the thick softness beneath them. The bed, adorned with its thick bronzed comforter, appeared to float on clouds as it rested in its heavenly position.
The high vaulted ceilings added an element of enchantment to the room. Shades of soft light mixed with shadows to give an unintentional but beautiful illusion. The entire setting could not have portrayed a more perfect stage for temptation’s temple.
“You look beautiful Kelly,” Mike said.
His eyes scanned over her but made her feel more desired then just an object. She knew that she had managed to get accepted into his private sanctuary, and the invitation wasn’t taken lightly. His private place to unwind and block out the rest of the world opened up to her. Now, she was a small part of it.
“You know what Kelly?” he said. “Till seeing you stand in front of me, I thought that nothing was missing from my home.”
Any other time, the words would have made her melt and they did, but also sadden her. She attempted to hide it and couldn’t find the words to follow his. She wanted to say thank you but couldn’t since she felt that the words were too good for her and she didn’t deserve them.
The sweet words had the opposite intended effect. She wished that she had never come there.
CHAPTER FORTY
Mike not only marveled at how stunning Kelly looked but also marveled at his new perspective. He never knew how lonely he was till then. The thought never even entered his mind. Combined emotions of sadness in realizing his denial was over run with the desire to have Kelly around as much as possible. From that very day he knew that he would not place any constraints on their relationship.
Kelly became much more then a possibility, she was an angel, his angel. Her virtuous flight landed in his arms during a time when he didn’t know he needed a positive force in it. Their relationship took a colossal leap beyond his control.
Her large eyes sparked the reflection of light that bounced off the candle. The pink fitted t-shirt and body hugging matching shorts aroused Mike at first sight. Her blonde curls fell down her back resting against the angelic wings that only he could see.
Kelly took a sip of the drink then gave him an appreciative smile.
“You said that you rarely have anyone over here but you’re a natural at making a guest feel at home,” she said.
“It may have more to do with the company then any hospitality on my part,” he admitted.
He held her gaze till she broke the eye contact with a nervous giggle.
“Don’t tell me that you are playing the shy role now?” he smiled.
Kelly tilted her head to think about the statement. “Shy? No, I wouldn’t say shy. I guess that it’s just something about the way you look at me. Sometimes I can handle it but sometimes I guess I can’t.”
He understood exactly what she was saying because he felt the very same way about her. He could not help but notice how she would stare at him the way a secret love watches from a distance. It never got old and made him fell like the most important person in the world.
She approached Mike while seductively still sipping on her drink. Her hips swayed smoothly orchestrating the background music to the timing of desire. Anticipation rose along with the elevated jazz sounds escaping from the stereo speakers.
Her locked gaze remained in place this time. As she got closer, Mike felt the rapid increase of his breathing. A clearer focus of Kelly emerged from the dim lighting as her eyes bore into his soul.
While stepping into his arms the magnetic chemistry ignited his body. He felt a surge of electricity that ran through him. He wasn’t sure about her, but it was a feeling he had never truly experienced. The raw indescribable but distinctive arrival of passion and perfectly matched souls hit him without warning.