Fear: The Aphrodisiac

I thought about what had happened in the elevator while I drove home; the rain had caused an accident and traffic wasn’t going anywhere. I pulled a pack of cigarettes out of the glove box and opened it. I pulled one out and lit it, cracking the window open slightly. Did what happened really happen? I swear it seemed like something you would read about in those stroke books you picked up in adult stores. To be sure, I put my hands in my lap and I could still feel the throbbing in my loins. Maybe, I was just overanalyzing what happened. Who knew…this could lead to something more interesting. Traffic started to move and I continued on home.

When I got there, I walked straight to the answering machine. The first message was trying to sell me satellite service, so I fast-forwarded the machine to the next. The second message was from Col, telling me that we could meet at Korean ruranurant near the school at seven. I glanced down at my watch: four o’clock. Looked like I had some time to kill. I walked over to the desk and turned on the cter.ter. I quickly typed out the paper I had due the following day and updated my journal entries for another class that would meet later on that week. After that was done, I checked my emails and shut the system down. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I spun off the top and swallowed about artearter of the bottle. I sighed, set the bottle on the counter and stretched my arms over my head. I tilted my head from side to side until I felt my neck pop. I picked up my beer and headed to the couch; I turned on the TV to check out the news.

I turned the TV off at six to get ready. I showered and put on a clean shirt and my snuggest fitting jeans. I never wore much make-up and my hair was just pulled up and held in place by a clip. I figured since he saw me at school and liked what he saw, why worry. I walked back out to the car and proceeded to drive to the restaurant. It was a popular hangout for the students, being so close to campus. It also helped that they served a decent array of sushi and Korean bar-b-que. I found a good parking place and went inside. Col was sitting at the bar, waiting for me to walk in. He smiled and waved at me. We were escorted to a table and we placed our drink order. “Are you doing okay?” he asked as I took a sip of cold Asian beer. I nodded as I swallowed and said, “Yeah…I’m sorry if you got freaked out.”

“You surprised me. I had no idea how passionate you really were. Do you have an extra cigarette?” I slid my pack across the table with my Zippo. He picked it up, lit his smoke and stared at it. “When were you ever in the Marine Corps?”

“I wasn’t…duost ost it in a bar fight to me.”

“Really? Do tell,” he said as I reached for a cigarette of my own.

“Well, there’s not much to tell. I was in a bar drinking when a gang of Marines asked if I wanted to join their little game. I had nothing else to do, so I joined them. They had a bet to see who could do the most shots without passing out. After twelve shots, it was just me, the guy who invited me, and seven hundred bucks on the t. W. We slammed two more shots apiece before he slid under the table, out cold. I reached out to grab my money when another Marine grabbed my wrist and said I had to go get a tattoo before I could take the money. I didn’t appreciate him touching me and one thing lead to another.”

Col stared, “Then what? There has to be more than that. How many were there?”

I sipped my beer again, “Seven or eight, not counting the one who passed out. I don’t drink tequila anymore because of that nig I’m I’m a vicious, mean drunk when cornered.”

“So…what happened? You’re killing me, you know that, right?”

“Well, I broke two fingers on the guy who grabbed me. A couple of them got black eyes and split lips. Blah, blah, blah…one guy managed to stop me before I really got started. He laughed, apologized for his friend, and gave my his Zippo with my money.”

The waiter came up and took our order. Col looked at me and smiled.

“You are an unusual woman. You are passionate, aggressive but soft when the moment calls for it. You’re just the woman I’ve been looking for,” he stated mysteriously. I gave him an arched look at that last comment but couldn’t reply as our dinner had arrived. He watched in amazement as I started to eat. “I don’t think I’ve ever dated a woman who let a man see them eat on the first date. It’s usually a salad and glass of water, or nothing.”

“You’re about to discover that I’m not like any other woman.”

After we ate and paid the tab, I followed Col to his house. It was a single story, tastefully set back away from the road. There was a stone privacy fence that surrounded the property. We parked and walked to the door. I noticed the motorcycle parked close to the garage…very nice. He unlocked the door and held it open for me. Cold air washed ove and and cooled my overheated skin. “If it gets too cold, let me know,” he said as he led me to the living room. “I like to keep it low as I usually run a little hot.” He turned on a couple of lamps and the room appeared to be cozy. On the coffee table, I noticed, a deck of cards had been dealt out four ways. So, we were going to work on my Spades game after all. He walked over to the fireplace mantle and lit a couple of pillar candles. I sniffed the air appreciatively: sandalwood and vanilla-nice touch.

He pulled a leather footstool closer to the coffee table and I leaned in from my place on the couch. He picked up each pile of cards, one by one, fanned them out and laid them back on the table. “The first thing we need to work on is how you bid the hand. You have the general idea but you tend to under-bid which could eventually lead to sandbags.” I picked up the stack in front of me. I put them in order by suit and started to count the books. I did that with each pile of cards and he pointed out my mistakes. He distracted me with the way he looked: dark blue denim button-down shirt and buttery soft black leather pants. My mind flashed back to the elevator: his shirt unbuttoned while his body strained on top of mine. I reached out to caress his cheek but he stopped me.

“Focus…you’re good but you can be so much better,” he said softly. “Tell me what you would bid on each hand.” I looked at the table again. He had shuffled the cards and dealt a new set of hands when I wasn’t paying attention. I sighed and reorganized the cards to re-bid the books. This went on for an hour or so before he picked the cards up to put away. “You did well…just have a little more confidence in you bidding ability,” he said as he moved to sit next to me on the couch. I scooted closer to him and we sat quietly, savoring the warmth we shared. He gently moved his lips across my ear, moving down towards my neck. “Stay here, with me, tonight,” he mumbled against my skin. “I want to explore every inch of you…but not on a hard floor.”

I sat back and stared at Col. “Are you sure? “ I stammered. “Sex on the floor of the elevator was one thing but spending the night? Where would that lead us?”

He stood and held out one han“It “It will lead us to where ever you want to go.”

I placed my hand in his and he pulled me to my feet. He lead me to his bedroom…