Trust Ch. 02

"You can go to work and come back. Benji will be fine for a few hours. I'll wait until you're finished so we can talk more."

Storm watched as she went from table to table, shared a funny text messages with her co-workers but didn't take any calls. She didn't return to his table until after the last patron left.

"I'm sorry for the wait but it's going to be at least another hour before I'm finished." Just then her stomach growled and Sally looked away embarrassed.

"Have you had dinner?" Storm asked.

"I'll get something when I leave."

"Is the kitchen closed?"

"Yes. We can discuss this another time."

Storm smiled. "How about we have dinner and discuss the arrangements?"

"No, thank you."

"Sally, I would like to get this finalized and I wouldn't mind eating also."

"I'm sorry, you didn't have to wait on me. You can go get something to eat, I'll be here for a while still," but her stomach growled again.

"Sally come on...what do you like? Italian,

Chinese, Greek, Spanish...how about Italian?"

Sally thought about it and finally

relented. "Okay."

"Do you like seafood? Shrimp, scallops, calamari?"

"Yes...anything's fine."

"Do you like liver?"

Sally made a face, "No."

"Then don't say anything. What do you want?"

"Seafood is fine, garlic herb sauce please. And just let me know how much."

Storm laughed, "I'll be right back."

"You know somewhere that's open right now?"

"Yes, I know a very good restaurant that is open right now. Finish up here and I'll be back in about an hour."

~!~

Sally dove under the water and her mind when to a state of blissfulness.'Everyday should feel like this,' she thought as she pushed herself to remain under a little longer. She couldn't resist the pull of the ocean especially when she had not been swimming in such a long time. Her tensed body had practically begged for the release.

Surfacing, she floated on top of the water as the waves crashed gently against the shore. The peacefulness could make the most habitual isonomic want to sleep. Sighing, she turned and swam back to shore. By her estimates, she had a short time to get dressed before Storm returned with their food.

As she dried her hair, she couldn't help looking out on the ocean, wishing she was someplace else; another time, another place...home. Getting dressed, she pulled on a dry t-shirt and a pair of light sweatpants. Grabbing her bag, she wrapped her wet hair in a bun as she made her way back to the restaurant. Crossing the street, she noticed the lone body leaning against a car holding a bag. Unexpectedly, the aroma of the food hit her nostrils and her mouth watered instantly. She wanted to know the restaurant where it was purchased.

"Your hair would probably dry faster if you let it out," Storm said when she was close.

"I don't ride with it out."

Storm stored the comment in the back of his mind remembering the first time he saw her riding. "You're not riding now."

"It'll dry."

"Where do you want to sit?"

"Upstairs if that's okay with you."

"Jack won't mind?"

"No. He's not like that."

"Lead the way."

They sat and Storm opened the containers. Calamari, steamed clams, seafood scampi and linguini for them both and garlic rolls. In her opinion, he had gotten a feast for them both.

"I can't eat all this. How much do I owe you?"

"Let's put the price thing to rest shall we. You will never pay for food when you're with me. I offered, I purchase, you eat. It's done, let's eat." When she didn't pick up her fork, "There are no onions in your pasta and I will ask for one thing. I didn't know what you like to drink, so what are you having?"

"Water."

"Good...same here. Do you mind? I didn't get any."

"Yeah...no problem. Excuse me." Sally turned back, "Any particular brand?"

"Whatever you're having."

"I like...okay."

~!~

Sally stared at her bedroom ceiling in the darkness, trying to wrap her mind around what she was feeling. Every time she saw Storm she felt as if the air was suddenly stripped from her lungs. Her palms got sweaty and it became extremely difficult to keep her focus. She felt like a silly high school girl and was afraid to say anything that could may him think she was complete nit-wit. Being in his vicinity made her feel self-conscious about how she looked even what she wore. Several times she caught herself wondering if the dark blue anything she wore matched the color of his eyes. Lately it's been the dampness between her legs whenever she thought about him, especially at nights. But tonight was far worse. This was the first time they had spent any significant time together and if it wasn't for her hunger, she probably wouldn't have eaten a bite of the food. She was so nervous that she thought he could hear her heart beats and kept making quick glances at him throughout the night.

He was beautiful if one could call a man that, simply beautiful. He had the darkest black hair that if it wasn't for its high gloss, could have been missed easily in the dead of the night. For a man, his skin was flawless and smooth, tanned which showed up his olive complexion and gave him a soft glow. She wondered how it felt to the touch. His lips were full and made her think about kissing. But it was his eyes that scared her because they looked so trusting. A deep blue bordered by long thick lashes that would make any woman including herself want to do a lash transplant. They protected perfectly set eyes that were framed by thick beautifully, perfectly aligned arched eyebrows that made her want to ask him if he got them waxed. His arms and legs were strong, his body lean and toned, and displayed their excellence in his simple movements. There wasn't a single part of him that she didn't admire. And it was because of the opportunity to sit with him this night that she knew it truly was a fantasy. She would complete the job not because she needed the money, but because if she was going to be honest with herself, she would get to indulge in the fantasy a few moments longer.

~!~

Storm could have called or text Mike and or Kevin with Sally's number but instead, he held on to it like prized trophy he wanted to keep to himself. She was beautiful, extremely so with skin that glowed in the moon light. Thinking about what he knew about her so far, Storm smiled as he drove home. She rode a motorcycle and was an ardent student who was greatly admired by her professors. She loves calamari, seafood pasta and drinks lots of water. She was a loyal friend, loves swimming and was fearless. Fearless, yes that's what he would call a woman who went swimming in the middle of the night. His smile got bigger as he remembered her coming out of the sea like Venus coming out of her shell. It had been a battle of wills between his mind and body to either stay put and watch or go and kiss her. His mind wanted to watch and record how she moved while his hands wanted to touch the body in motion. He wished she had let her hair down and while nothing could distract from her beauty, his more imaginative images of her hair spread across his pillow would have taken on more detailed specifications.

She had agreed to the job...one hundred and forty dollars a day for the next three days. And it didn't matter if he came home early, she would receive the agreed upon amount in cash. He laughed at the hard bargain she thought she drove. Little did she know he would have gladly paid her asking amount of a hundred and sixty dollars. He couldn't wait for this weekend.

~!~