pretty. Matthew is going to be staring at you all night," she says before leaving to get ready herself.
Checking the time, I still have an hour, so I opt to take a nice, long bath. I want to make sure my legs are silky smooth, and Laura says my girly bits need paying attention to now Matthew is in the picture. Insisting I wax down there, she’s going to make us appointments at her spa next week. Blushing at the thought of anyone touching me there, I nearly cover my face in embarrassment with my wet hands. Stopping mid-air, I remember my make-up. I almost ruined it! After finishing my bath, I apply my favorite scented body lotion then count the steps to my bed. Feeling my toe touch the shoes that are waiting for me, I begin to dress.
Just as Laura promised, my clothes are lying neatly on the bed and I begin with a pair of lacy thong panties. I visualizing Matthew touching them. Wait. What if these are the ones Laura dropped on the sidewalk? It would be so like her to do that to me. I moan at the thought and quickly finish dressing. After slipping into my shoes, I make sure everything is in place before picking out my jewelry.
Matthew is due any minute, so I take Conrad out again and spend a little time with him. I don’t know who loves to play catch more, but he will play until he rolls over if I let him. When he places the wet ball into my hand, I immediately drop it. It’s so full of slobber and just too nasty to hold anymore. "Gross, Conrad." I cry. "Time to go in," I say and he takes his place at my side.
At four-thirty exactly, Matthew buzzes in downstairs, and once he’s at my door, Conrad is right there with me. He knows who it is because I can feel his tail swinging a mile a minute as it hits against my leg. I think he’s more excited to see Matthew than me.
"Hello, come in.” I’m feeling really nervous and pray it's not obvious. "Conrad, lay down," I command, and he happily does as he's told. "I think he's excited to see you."
"Wow, you look beautiful," he says, touching my arm, leaning in and placing a brief kiss on my cheek before greeting Conrad.
"Thank you, so do you," I reply, giggling. "Would you like something to drink or should we leave right away?"
"No, we have a few minutes. I brought a bottle of wine if you'd like a glass," he offers. I take advantage of him standing in front of me by taking a deep breath and inhaling his scent. I grin when he chuckles at me.
"Do you like the way I smell, Joy?" he asks, his voice deep and low, coming directly from above me.
"Yes," I say, shyly. "You wear it nearly every day, that’s how I recognize you when you walk in the café." I feel the heat rise in my cheeks at my blatant admission. Yep, I recognize this sensation now. Laura explained it very well.
"Where are your wine glasses?" he asks in the same sultry tone, still standing close to me.
"They're in the k … kitchen, in the cupboard to the left of the sink," I stutter. Rather than going to get the glasses, he takes my chin and lifts my face up to his.
"Joy?" he says my name close to my ear. "I’m going to kiss you now."
"Um …" I manage to say before my knees start to tremble.
All I can do is nod my head, and then my senses take over. I feel the warmth of his smooth cheek next to mine. I smell the minty sweetness of his breath and my head spins when warm lips touch mine. I cling to him for support as if I could faint at any moment. He must sense it too, because his arm quickly goes around my waist, pulling me close, holding me tightly against him. My body goes into sensory overload, and I could cry from the sheer pleasure of that one, single, extraordinary kiss. I push away from him to get my bearings. My head is spinning, my heart is racing, and I swear I could float to the ceiling.
"Oh, god," I whisper, taking a step back and touching my lips in quiet surprise. It feels as if they are on fire, swollen and wanting more. Laura could never have explained this to me.
"Joy?" he says my name,
Tessa Hadley
Marsha Qualey
Beverly Barton
Patrice Sarath
Mo Yan
Penny Junor
Shvonne Latrice
Skylar M. Cates
Ricardo Piglia
Strange Bedfellows