Because the Night

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

~Chapter Seven~

I spent the next twenty-four hours thinking of Marc’s words and Genevieve’s revelations. It was tough stuff to ruminate. I’d grown complacent, not having to chew my thoughts before swallowing. For two days, I’d masticated cogitations until they were a nice, creamy sludge, able to be slurped through a wide straw. It was still a little work to shove it down my throat, but it was much easier to digest.

I stared at the reflection in the mirror as I held the hair dryer aloft. It struck me interesting that I would take the requisite time to use a hair dryer when I fully intended to tie all three and a half feet up into a tight bun. The weather forecast called for possibly strong winds. The last thing I needed would be to get my hair caught in the door of a cab, or limo if he decided to spoil me again. I would end up needing a hair cut, and I’d worked much too long to keep this mop to lose it for poor planning.

I giggled at myself. I could really be a pessimist at times. It was pathetic. I stood preparing for what promised to be an extremely steamy date with a very delicious partner, and my brain muttered crap about having to cut my hair. I clicked the dryer off and stuffed it away. If the mop was going in a bun, there wasn’t much point in continuing.

My hand settled on the cosmetics case. I worried the inside of my lips, trying to decide if I wanted to take the time. My gut told me it didn’t matter to Lisimba whether I looked decked to the nines or plain Jane. My gut actually spent a lot of time churning over whether it really was a good idea to pursue this date. It was wishy-washy regarding the intention.

Of course, that could simply be a giant gas bubble from lunch. The twins made enough food to have me eating left-over lunches for most of the week. So, I flipped an imaginary coin and tossed the cosmetics bag aside.

A tiny bottle fell from the top shelf and landed in the sink. I picked it up and read the label. ‘Basic Instincts: Pheromone enhancing perfume.’

“Yeah, definitely don’t need help in that department.” I shoved the bottle back on the shelf, took one last glance in the mirror, and sighed. It would just have to do.

I’d gone with basic black. The dress was form-fitting and simple. It had a wonderful built-in bustier that accentuated my cleavage to peak display without fear of falling out. It hugged to around mid-hip where it loosened just enough to allow movement. The material stopped just above my knees. I wore black thigh-high hosiery with black strappy heels, around two inches tall. A very plain choker accented with an inch-wide crystal heart drew additional attention to my chest. If I had taken time to curl my hair and add all the requisite layers of cosmetics, I could hide within any crowd, completely anonymous.

The doorbell chimed. I rushed to answer it, hoping that I didn’t sound like I was rushing to answer it. “You’re like a damned school girl, Cici. Grow up.” I drew a deep breath and opened the partition wide.

My breath caught in my throat. My mouth somehow managed to dry up one second then salivate heavily the next.

I thought he looked good in the seductive clothing at the club. He was positively sinful in a pair of jeans and a button-down at lunch. Still, when he decided to go fancy, he pulled out all the stops. The midnight black suit hugged his muscular frame perfectly. The crisp white shirt drew one’s eyes toward his face. The deep tan offset his sparkling smile and glittering eyes. The effect was deadly.

Lack of oxygen triggered my lungs to work once again. As the first rush of air flowed in, the musk of pure masculinity entered my lungs. It was an extremely intoxicating scent.

I cleared my throat and stood to the side. I suddenly felt extremely under dressed. “Welcome to my home, Lisimba. Please, come in. I just need to add a few finishing touches.”

He stepped past me. The heat radiated from his body. Either that, or I was still so worked up from the provocative lunch that I threw enough heat to melt the polar ice caps. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was likely the latter. I only needed to think about his presence, and my body temperature rose at least ten degrees.

“You needn’t change a thing, ma chère. The vision you present is perfect.”

His smile melted my resolve. I feared he would turn that smile to me with a sexual request. I’d have no strength to battle the draw, no matter how much I might want to deny him. Oh, goodie, I mentally groaned. Yet another revelation to review later.

“Are you certain, Lisimba. I can go change. I feel very…” I sighed. There was just no way around saying it. “I feel very plain next to you.”

He raised his eyebrows at me. “I wear nothing but a simple suit.”

I grinned. “On any other man, that would be a simple suit, Lisimba. On you, it is positively dangerous. You exude such sexuality, I’m amazed you can walk anywhere without being accosted.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud.” My face burned.

He stepped next to me, pulling my hand away from my face. “Never apologize for honesty, Cecilia.” He drew my fingers toward his lips and planted a very gentle kiss on the back of my hand.

A snake of electricity slithered up the length of my arm and shivered its way down my spine. Dinner would definitely be an interesting affair if I didn’t find some way to control this hypertensive reaction to a simple kiss.

***

The concierge led us to a small, private dining chamber. Lisimba held my seat for me, his fingers daring to brush against my bare arms only briefly before moving to his own chair. I felt completely breathless from the sparing contact.

“I have allowed for dinner to be a little less…intimate than our picnic lunch. I hop you do not mind, but I previously arranged our selection.” He nodded toward the door.

A waiter appeared instantly with a deep red Merlot. He poured, propped the bottle in ice and rushed out.

I took a moment to inhale the robust aroma before I sipped. “Very nice. Very rich.”

Lisimba nodded again. “I am glad you approve. It is—“

I held up my hand to stop him. “I would neither know, nor understand the subtle differences in wines. Save your breath.”

He grinned. There should be laws against such devastating beauty. “I appreciate your honesty. Perhaps I can later persuade you to learn those subtle differences. It can be quite enjoyable. Exhilarating even.”

My heart skipped a beat at his mention of ‘later’. My smile must have faltered.

“Something bothers you, Cecilia. Please, if I have erred, allow me to right the wrong. I wish not to upset you.”

I sighed and was saved from speech momentarily by the waiter returning with salads. Once we were alone again, I swallowed hard. I prepared myself for the date to end abruptly. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been left with the bill. “Lisimba, I am very nervous. I have not dated much at all since I received my diagnosis just over a year ago. Those few dates I’ve allowed ended badly.”

I picked at my cuticles.

“It is encouraging that you already know about the Parkinson’s. However, I did not tell you exactly how aggressive the disease is.”

He sat backwards, relaxing into his seat. “I have no concern for such trivial issues, beautiful one.”

I started drumming a staccato on the table top. “You say that now, but what happens a few years from now when I am a complete invalid, lucky to stand on my own? What happens when you are sick of taking care of a crippled woman who can’t feed herself because the fork won’t make the trip to her mouth with the food still on it? What happens when you decide you want a child, and I can’t give it to you? How am I supposed to openly accept you in my life when I am terrified of what will happen?”

By the time I finished speaking, I was trembling horribly. I’d let my adrenaline build up. In turn, it decided my body needed some sort of action. Since I wasn’t moving, it started me shaking horribly.

Lisimba moved so quickly that I nearly missed the motion. In the span of a blink, he turned my chair and knelt before me. He held both of my hands in just one of his. The other stroked from my temple, down behind my ear to rest at the nape of my neck.

“Cecilia, look me in the eye.”

I did. His voice was so compelling, as if I could not disobey him if I tried. It was disconcerting. As soon as my gaze locked to his deep chocolate orbs, my breath caught. If I thought his beauty was devastating before, I had no idea what devastating truly meant. His eyes held me captivated as he closed the distance between us. As I breathed in his exhaled air, heat spread from my lungs throughout my torso. I thought I might combust before his lips ever reached mine.

The explosion of senses rocked me to the core. The blood thundered in my veins so loudly that I could scarcely hear anything else. My eyes drifted shut and rolled backwards. Every breath I drew was another he’d recently released. I wrenched my hands free from his loose grip and wrapped them around him, pulling him as close as our clothing would allow.

The hand I’d freed quickly found its way to my waist. When his fingers grazed the small of my back, I gasped. His tongue shot inside my mouth, warring for space with my own as I fought my way into his.

I have no idea how long we kissed. It was an insane game of give and take, tug of war with our tongues.

His lips left mine, trailing fire down my jaw to my neck, finally stopping when he reached my shoulder. His fingers dug into my hips as he struggled to regain control of himself.

“Mi amore, we must stop. Elsewise our dinner will be very cold before we consume it.” He raised his head very gently to my chin and held my gaze. “My love, do not doubt my devotion to you. I will find a way to keep you from suffering, if you will only allow me the chance.”

A lump formed instantly in my throat, keeping me from speaking. Instead, I mimicked his favorite action and nodded.

***

Before I even realized it, dinner was done. My mind kept going over all of my doubts and fears and then how quickly he’d dispelled the anxiety with a simple kiss. I couldn’t even remember what was served. I allowed Lisimba to carry the conversation.

When my mind finally returned to active duty, we were in the elevator at my complex. Of all the things I could have thought, I asked, “Do you have an account at that restaurant?”

He laughed. “My joyful, delightful Cecilia. Did I truly stun you that much? Is it possible that I truly kissed you senseless and only now are those senses returning?”

“What?”

That damned grin again. “There are any number of benefits to owning an eatery.”

I know my jaw dropped. Again. I wondered when his revelations would stop shocking me. “I suppose you told me all about it at dinner?”

He didn’t respond.

I blushed. “Then I guess you did kiss me senseless.” The doors opened on the fourth floor. “You don’t need to come out. I should be able to make it to my front door with incident.”

“Nonsense,” he huffed. “A gentleman always walks a lady to the door, at least. It is my pleasure to stay in your company as long as possible.”

I licked my lips. If he kissed me senseless as a good night kiss, I knew I would find him in my bed by morning. I still wasn’t too sure I was ready for that step yet.

We stopped in front of my apartment. I turned toward him. “Dinner was amazing, Lisimba. I—“

The door across the hall opened.

“Is that you, Cici? How was the—“ Marc stopped mid-sentence. “Apparently the date went well.” He thrust his beefy hand out. “I’m Marc, Cici’s very protective neighbor.”

Lisimba bristled the moment the door opened. As the two shook hands, I felt his muscles relax. “I am pleased to meet you, Marc.” As he introduced himself, Mike joined us in the hall. “It is encouraging to know that Cecilia is safely guarded here.”

He returned his attention to me. “I must be off, my delicate flower. Would you do me the honor of dinner Tuesday? My friend, Melinda, will be in town. I want you to meet her. I want you to see for yourself that she is only a friend.”

“But I never—“

He chuckled. “There was no need to vocalize the doubt. I could read it in your eyes when I mentioned her name.”

He raised my hand to his lips and dropped a single, sensual kiss upon my knuckles. Then he turned to the twins and gave a curt bow. “Gentlemen.”

My eyes stayed glued to his parting form.

Marc spoke. “Alright, girl, spill.”

“Not yet.” I watched as the elevator doors closed around him. I groaned. :Good lord, that man cuts a path.”

The span of three heart beats lay silent and still, and then all three of us erupted into laughter. The boys followed me to my living room.

Mike spoke first. “So, who is this Melinda character?”

***