Dark Kisses Pt. 03

He shook his head, wondering about the feelings that had begun to simmer... such heat. He had dated occasionally but he didn't miss it, the complications, the games, except when it peered at him with bright dark eyes and a face smelling likes roses. Then, he wondered.

**********

Morning came early but she was already up, preparing his Wednesday breakfast: two eggs, sunnyside up, two toasted English muffins and strawberry jam. She used to give him hash browns but noticed he was getting a little paunchy and took them away. It was her job, she told herself, making him healthy meals and watching out for him.

Carolyn started to whistle 'off to work we go'. Hi, ho, she smiled. Christy's canary sang with her, reaching notes she could only dream of.

"Good morning," he said, somehow entering the kitchen without her knowing. "Did you sleep well?"

She blushed. "Ummm, well... yes, I did, thank you. And, you?"

"Tip-top. That smells delicious. Can I have some milk? Never mind, I'll get it."

He seemed to brush against her closer than necessary and she liked it. "Mmmm" she moaned.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. I'm good. What would you like for dinner? We could have steaks, if you wish and there's..."

She was suddenly in his arms. She wanted him inside her, deeper than anyone had ever been. Her hand trailed across his chest and down to his waist. She felt him stirring beneath her touch, the hardening and the growing until she was certain he would feel the trembling of her palm against him. She stopped breathing. His hips moved slightly... restlessly. His body warmed and tensed against her and his heart began a forceful throbbing.

"Oh, my God," she whispered as she moved her hips with his. She felt his mouth on her dark curls, gently inhaling her fragrance, then kissing and caressing her neck. She licked her lips and cleared her throat, afraid he'd continue, praying he wouldn't.

Nothing made sense and nothing else mattered except his touch, his feel... nothing else mattered except his lips, moving against her full ones in small circles, luring her deeper into his kiss, making her aware that all the kisses she had ever had were nothing and that David was the only one who had the faintest idea how it should be done. She'd never been kissed so... thoroughly... or tenderly... or with such love.

"You're going to be late."

"I don't care." He held her tighter and she forgot where they were.

"David, you've got to go." Oh, my God, she thought, I just called him David... for the first time. What am I going to do, now? She looked past him, wondering if either teenager had seen them.

**********

Chapter 8: A Woman of a Certain Age

The steaks were grilling as David came into the kitchen and sat down, then stood up and started setting the table then stopped again. He went into the dining room and knelt down in front of the china closet, pulled out an Irish linen table cloth and threw it across the oak table. After straightening it, he started putting down his Eugenio Ricciarelli dinnerware he had purchased in Naples, the magnificent blue designs in distinction to the white of the plate and then the Yamazaki gold-accented flatware at each place.

"What?" Carolyn asked, standing in the kitchen doorway.

"It's... I mean... why not? I think it's about time, don't you?"

She wasn't sure what he was referring to... the change in dining or their new relationship but refused to ask. She turned and walked back outside, turning the steaks. Kendra started bringing out the food, trying hard to keep her surprise to herself. She looked at Christy, wondering at the silly grin on his face.

He went to the side-table and looked at the bottle of Cabernet he had picked up months earlier. Ninety-nine dollars... He opened the other side of the china cabinet and pulled out two wine glasses then thought better of it and put two more down. It was, after all, a celebration, wasn't it?

If Carolyn disapproved, she said nothing as the sizzling steaks were brought in on their metal platter and set on the insulated holder.

"With your permission?" he asked, nodding toward the wine. She could only nod in return, wondering if this was how life was going to be but willing to leave it in his hands, trusting him completely with her life and her children.

If Kendra or Michael was surprised about eating in the dining room, they made no comment about it. Kendra did notice, though, the fact that David had brought out his best dinnerware for she had helped her mother hand wash them, one time before carefully putting them back into the china closet.

She watched the man that they had lived with for two years... something had changed... he had changed... something had happened. He acted like he was in love and wondered which woman it could possibly be. One time, she did see him bring a blond haired woman home for a few minutes but she seemed so wrong, so... Kendra didn't know, she just knew the woman was wrong.

If he was going to announce something like that, wouldn't the woman be here? And then, Kendra saw her mother bring the food to the table and saw her face and saw her eyes and saw the faint smile there that she had never seen before and suddenly she KNEW... Oh, God, she knew who the woman was and she was surprised and not surprised and pleased and fearful.

Oh, God...

**********

The pharmacist handed Carolyn the small white bag. She wondered what the man thought, a woman of a certain age getting the pill. Probably saw it all the time, she realized. Walking down the aisle, she stopped at the sunglasses display and looked at her face in the mirror there. She had never worried before, how her eyes looked. She looked up and down the aisle, watching if anyone was seeing her act like a teenager, worrying like a silly girl about how she looked.

She lifted a pair and tried them on, turning her head left to right. 'Aviator glasses', David had called them. She took the Ray-Bans off, surprised at her face reflected back at her from their dark surface.

He called. He called her 'Carolyn'. They both recognized they had crossed a line in their relationship. What did SHE want was the question. If it went badly, she would have to leave. He had been generous to a fault with her... with her family... and they could move back with her mother while she looked for something else.

"Yes?" she answered. She was afraid to call him 'David', as if acknowledging her feelings for him would make them disappear like the morning mist.

"I just wanted to hear your voice. Oh, there's a Knights of Columbus Easter Monday Ball next week. Would you like to go with me?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked."

"No... I mean, yes. Yes, I'd love to go."

She was caught off-guard; he expected she'd politely decline and keep things as they were. "Uh, great. Look, go out and get a new dress... actually, a gown; it's formal and please see to my tux. I've got to go. Bye."

Carolyn looked at her cell, not really believing what had just happened. 'Get a gown!' he said.

"And, this one, I think would set off your skin tones quite nicely." Carolyn looked at the gown, its shimmering gold reflecting the store's lights back to her eyes.

"I'll try it."

**********

Dinner was quiet. David didn't know what to say to her; there was a fear he would say the wrong thing and look foolish.

She had given her children sandwiches and told them to go study in their rooms. Come home late from shopping, she had stopped at Kentucky Fried, breaking her own rule about healthy food.

When he sat down, he gave her a quizzical look. Carolyn just shrugged her shoulders and sat down. He took a breast, laughing at the irony, some coleslaw and a biscuit. She picked at her thigh, eating very little.

They both started talking at once. She laughed. He smiled. "How was your day?" she asked.

"I had a meeting with a couple of engineers about a new weather satellite." A white lie, so to speak, but he couldn't tell her it was the CIA.

"Oh?"

"It'll go up at the end of the year." From Vandenberg, he knew, into a synchronous orbit high above North Korea. "Where you able to find something to your liking? For the ball, I mean."

"Yes. Would you like to see it?"

"Surprise me."

"All right... like a date." It was a statement, not a question.

He looked at her, intensely, feeling himself sink into her dark eyes. "Yes, a date."

David started to clear the table. "That's my job," she said, taking the expensive dinner plate from his hand. "Why don't you go listen to your music or something?" She stopped. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said something like that..." but, he was already gone.

"Kendra, you made a mistake, here. See, the wavelength is rounded off too soon." David pointed at her error with his pencil.

"I see; I don't know what I was thinking," she said. "Are you dating my mom?"

Direct and to the point, he thought. "I'm not sure. That's kind of between

your mother and me."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Michael has... Michael has issues with Mom dating."

"With me? I've always treated your mother with respect."

**********

David looked in the mirror and straightened his bowtie once again.

"Here, let me." Carolyn touched his tie, giving it just a little tilt. "There."

He stepped back and looked at her. Her golden gown shimmered ever more brightly against her dark skin and he wanted to say how beautiful she was but somehow, the word seemed inadequate.

The gown clung to her figure. Her breasts, always hidden by her daily wear, were cushioned and lifted by the bodice and seemed more inviting that he had ever imagined. She had new high heels and a clutch to match. But, with all that, his eyes quickly returned to her face and hair. She had spent the morning at the salon and looked radiant as her naturally curly hair had been gently permed out like a chocolate Shirley Temple.

He was tongue-tied.

"You don't like it, do you?" she asked.

David shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "You're magnificent." He turned back to his dresser. "This was my grandmother's. I'd like you to have it." He opened the long jewelry box, offering the necklace to her. "When you said your dress was gold..."

"It's beautiful. Oh, David, you shouldn't have. Isn't there..."

"No one but you I'd rather have it. Let's see how it looks." Before she could protest again, he had taken the heavy gold chain and standing behind her, fastened it around her neck.

Carolyn looked in the dresser mirror and for a moment imagined herself as a Nubian queen and he, her royal consort as her hand went to touch the weighty links shining against her neck. She smiled. "Thank you."

David's fingers touched her and her breath caught in a gasp as a throbbing heat spread where her thighs joined. Strong hands caught her waist and then she was pressed against him, sinking in the feel of his firm skin pressed to her cheek. Fingers touched her curls, lifted her face and their mouths joined together. She was filled with a magnificent yearning as his face brushed hers with fire; her arms twined about his neck while she felt his own like steel across her back.

"David..."

"Mmmm"

"We're going to have to..."

"I know," he said and released her body but not her heart.

When they went into the living room, Kendra gushed over her mother, asking to borrow the gown for prom. David saw Michael standing silently in the corner, glaring at him. Her son had become increasingly distant following that night out at the Charthouse, erecting a cold barrier between them.

Kendra had told him of the boy's moodiness when it came to his mother's dating but he never expected this. He wondered what had happened before he met her.

He took his frustration out on the gas pedal and the Challenger rocketed down the street, causing Carolyn to stare at him in amazement.

**********

David self-parked the car in the valet lot and opened her door, reaching for her hand. For the first time, he saw the long slit running down her long, mocha leg and felt himself aroused. "Have I said how beautiful you are?"

"David... I'm a middle-aged woman with two teenage children... two older teenage children... but, I appreciate the compliment, anyway. Thank you."

With her hanging on his arm, they walked into the Marriott and downstairs to the ballrooms. She wasn't surprised when she became the center of attraction as they walked in. Whether it was because she was black in a sea of white faces or she was with him, younger than his friends or a combination of the two, she was determined to enjoy the evening.

And then, an elderly woman, dripping diamonds, walked to her, put out her hands and said, "David, you must introduce me to this incredibly beautiful woman."

"Mrs. Cabrera, may I introduce Carolyn Smith? She is... my best friend."

"You must be an amazing young woman, Miss Smith. We never thought David would find a lady friend. Come, you must sit with us." She took Carolyn by the hand and led her over to a table near the dance floor. David looked at the lady's husband and followed.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. When you walked in, I thought everyone had died, it was so quiet. How did you meet her?"

"Just lucky, I guess."

"Dance with me..." the man said, as if it was his right to any have any woman in the room.

Carolyn noticed he had ignored David, completely. "No, thank you," she said. "I'm with David and will only dance with him."

He reached out to touch her arm.

"Go away, George. She said 'no', stop being such a boring person."

Carolyn looked at Mrs. Cabrera in thanks, not noticing that David had stood up and was only inches from George's face. "Neeland," he said, "go home. You're drunk. Where's your wife?"

Neeland looked at David. "Forget it. Shouldn't have wasted my time, anyway." He walked away.

"Why they haven't thrown him out is beyond me. Carolyn, I'm sorry that happened." David's Irish good looks were marred by his flush of anger.

"Dance with me," Carolyn said, getting to her feet.

"I must warn you, I've got two left feet."

"I don't believe that. C'mon, I'll show you." Carolyn walked over to the ten piece group and spoke quietly while they went through their sheet music. With a smile, they started a waltz. "Just follow me and you'll be fine."

David stopped watching his feet and concentrated on her smiling face. He lied, he knew. His mother had insisted he take dancing lessons during the afternoon in high school and he felt the smoothness she had when she realized he was quite good. They went around the floor, never knowing that everyone else had returned to their tables and just watched... and watched... and watched.

They never knew they were alone on the floor until the last note had sounded and looking into her eyes, he kissed her for the first time. He turned her in his arms. The kiss started gently, then was full of heat and hunger and she wasn't stopping him as he covered her mouth with his again and then the world went away, lost in his kiss.

There was a sound in the background and at first she couldn't understand it, her blood was rushing through her heart so fast and then it grew louder and louder until finally she grasped there were people and they were applauding and whistling and beating on their tables... and she finally felt... accepted.

Her breath was rapid and her head was against his and she couldn't move from his arms. He kissed her again, searching for her soul. This time, when they finished, he took her hand and pulled her gently back to their table. "Carolyn, are you all right with this?" he asked. His eyes were kind and warm and waiting for her answer.

"More than all right," she said.

The waiter brought out their desserts. "I kept them for you," he said, setting down the two chocolate-silk cheesecakes. "You were wonderful, out there. We all watched."

"Thank you," she said, still breathing hard from David's kiss.

They never left the hotel, waiting until everyone else had left the party and went to the lobby to find a room.

He had looked at her and she had melted. She had touched him and he had trembled with longing. It made no difference she had not actually slept with him, she had fantasized about it often enough since that dinner at the ocean.

She slammed the door behind her, stood in the middle of the room and dropped her four-hundred dollar gown to the floor. She stared in the room's mirror, her breasts rising and falling in her reflection. Her lips were swollen from the fierceness of his passionate kissing in the elevator and she could feel the wetness slipping between her legs. David made her feel the way no decent woman should want to feel... so much that she wanted to get on her knees and beg for it... whatever it was.

Carolyn unclasped her demi-bra and it parted with a whisper over her breasts, freeing them to his sight, then it, too, fell to the floor. She pulled down her bikini panty and they slid down like soft white around her ankles.

David stood in the room, silhouetted against the small table lamp by the door. He moved toward her with a caution that was maddening and she began to shake, not from cold but from desire. It seemed an eternity before he stopped before her, when in reality it was mere fleeting moments. She knew his eyes were upon her but she could not bring her eyes up to meet his, suddenly shy. Instead, she stared at her feet, aware her skin was burning and her blood was like fire in her veins.

"Look at me," he said with a necessary urgency. When she hesitated, he caught her chin in his fingers and tipped her face to his. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he told her.

He cupped her face with his hands, stroked her cheeks lightly with her thumbs. "You're perfect. God, you don't know how badly I've wanted you since that first moment we met."

"But, that was..."

"Yes, two years ago." He brushed one corner of her mouth with his. His breath caught and slightly tilting her face to his, she opened her lips in invitation. The breath that had caressed her so softly before became harsher, burning her lips.

His warm fingers trailed downward over the smooth, delicate turn of her jaw to the arch of her throat. He opened his mouth slightly and drew his tongue over the pulse that throbbed there. She closed her eyes, suspended between heaven and hell, wanting to absorb his touch so badly she could not prevent herself from raising her arms up over her shoulders, but afraid to. She was terrified this would all vanish all be a dream, another fantasy that would leave her horribly empty.

David buried his fingers in her dark curls and his fingers rubbed her scalp, now damp with desire. "I want you," he whispered again and again. "I want you."

He kissed her with a passion that had been held in check for two years and finally released. She swayed against him, returning the burning embracewith as much fire as hunger until he groaned like a man inflicted with a madness... an uncontrollable madness. His hands moved over her slowly, fingers trailing a tingling path down her throat, down, down to the rising and falling swell of her breasts, brushing his finger over and over against her nipple until she abandoned herself to him and pressed against him.

This is what she wanted... this.

How did? where did his clothes go? How did she get to the bed?

Slowly his body slid down hers until his hot breath touched the valley between her breasts and she waited, panting in anticipation for him to take them into his mouth, feeling the tension in his shoulders as he balanced there, half crouching in front of her. She could feel the power of his body as he held her gently, his hands playing over the narrow, delicate expanse of her back, rubbing. Then hungrily he pulled her to him, covered one brown nipple with his mouth completely, circled it again and again with his tongue, taking her beyond her limits before capturing it once more with the heated passion of his mouth.