Jon Merz - Vicarious

She might say no, thought Curran.

“She won’t say no.”

Curran almost smiled. “Reading minds now?”

“It’s not too hard with you, pal.”

“What if we’re a little late getting over to you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” said Kwon. “I can handle things over here on the Satan worshipper front. Guy’s not going anywhere right now, anyway. Not with all this traffic outside his place. He’d be a damned fool to do anything like that.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. Get going. Just take a shower first.”

Curran smiled. “See you in a few hours.”

“Tell Lauren I said hello.”

“I will.”

Curran hung up the phone and smiled. Maybe Kwon was right. He stood and looked at himself in the mirror.

Only one way to find out, he decided.

Curran reached the house in Brighton forty minutes after he got off the phone with Kwon. Showered and shaved, he stepped from his car, looking up at the brick and wood building. Shadows from the closest trees hung over the gables like angry vultures.

He hadn’t felt this nervous since his first date back in junior high school.

It’s not too late, part of him thought. We could turn around, go home, and get a few more hours of sack time. A little extra sleep would certainly be good for him.

He took a breath of cold pre-dawn air and shuddered. No more running away from it, he decided.

He took the steps two at a time and rang the buzzer outside the door.

It clicked two minutes later. Her voice didn’t sound sleepy. “Yes?”

“Lauren. It’s Steve.”

“Steve?”

“Yeah.”

“But I thought — what do you want?”

“I need to see you. Can I come in?”

She paused. “Hold on.”

Curran stood waiting and a minute later the door buzzed open.

Kwon sat in his car tapping in time to the beat on the radio. His cell phone was glued to his ear. The phone on the other end rang and rang and rang.

And finally picked up.

Kwon sat up straighter. “Yeah, hi. Can I put a request in? Thanks. How about some Def Leppard? Send it out to Kwon. Working the graveyard shift in Chestnut Hill. Thanks."

He disconnected the phone and leaned back. Outside his car and above him, the sky seemed suddenly darker, as if all the black of night had been drawn over this particular section of the city. Kwon had difficulty determining where the sky ended and the shadowy groves of trees that lined the street began.

Always darkest just before the light, he thought with a grin.

I wonder who coined that term?

He started to think about it but then his request came up and he soon lost himself in the steady drumbeat of his favorite song.

Oblivious to the outside world.

And one of the shadows that started moving.

Curran stood outside of the interior door.

It opened.

Lauren stood there, hair dripping wet. Beads of water coated her exposed shoulders and neck. She was wrapped in a big terrycloth towel that ended just above her knees. Curran thought she looked amazing.

She smiled. “Good morning.”

“Hi.”

She stepped back. “Come in.”

Curran entered and saw how immaculate the house was. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find in a priest’s home. A tall thin hall table contained mail in a neat pile. Keys lay next to it. A small lamp with a rice paper shade was on, casting a soft glow over the entranceway. Curran saw wet footsteps drying on the hardwood floors.

He nodded toward the interior. “You were in the shower. I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep after I spoke to you.”

Curran nodded. He shifted from foot to foot. “Where’s Father Jim?”

“He had to go out of town tonight. Unexpectedly. I’m here alone.”

“You should have called me. You shouldn’t be alone. Not with that guy Darius doing what he’s doing.”

She leaned against the doorway, seemingly oblivious to the cool air. “Well, you’re here now.”

“Yeah.”

Lauren frowned. “Steve, are you all right?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. I’m okay. Why?”

“Because you’re here about four hours too soon.”

“Yeah.” Curran nodded. “I am. I had to see you.”

She smiled. “You’ve seen me.”

Curran grinned. “You look great.”

“I’m in a towel, Steve. I’m dripping wet.”

“The look suits you.”

She shifted now. “Steve, I really need to get dried off — “

But the words stopped coming from her mouth because Curran had suddenly grabbed her and planted his mouth on her, kissing her for the first time.

Kwon shivered. A gust of wind rocked his car a little. It swayed from side to side and then settled back down again.

He thought about turning the engine over and getting a little heat. He didn’t want to do that too soon and risk waking up the cops further down the street.

I can’t sit here and freeze, though, he thought.

A cold breeze wafted in through his vents as another gust rocked the car. Kwon felt the cold air crawl over him, tickling the hairs on his arms. The breeze wafted up his back, teasing his hair.

Kwon’s teeth chattered.

“Damn, it’s cold in here.”

If it kept getting colder, he’d have to take a leak soon.

Another breeze caught the car in its grasp.

Kwon slapped his arms against his upper body and finally frowned. “Freak it.” He reached and turned the keys in the ignition. The Nissan turned over and instantly, a surge of hot air billowed out of the vents.

Kwon smiled.

Let the cold try to get him now, he thought.

“Steve,” said Lauren when he finally broke the seal.

“Don’t say anything,” he said. “I’ve wanted that for too long.”

She stared at him.

Curran took her face in his hands, cupping the back of her head and kissing her again. She moved into his arms, pressing herself into his body.

Curran tasted the fresh scent of shower on her. He traced his mouth down her neck, kissing and lapping up the water beading on her skin.

She sighed.

Moaned.

He moved up toward her lips again. Kissing and nuzzling.

She lapped at his mouth with her tongue. Tentative at first, then stronger as she relaxed.

Curran felt her almost drop into him. Her lips moved back toward his ear, whispering kissing and softly licking his skin.

Curran let his fingers dance down the back of her neck, rubbing her shoulders through the towel. She moaned again, pressing her leg in between his, feeling the pulsing hardness of his excitement.

She licked his neck again.

Curran kissed her neck, pulled her back away from him, looked into her eyes.

“I love you,” he said, his voice a thick velvet whisper in the predawn dark.

Even though the hot air had stilled the urgings of his bladder, Kwon knew it was time to pay heed to nature’s demands. He zipped up his coat and made sure his interior light wouldn’t turn on when he exited the car.

He unlocked the door.

His hand grasped the door release and he slid out into the cold night air. It enveloped him.

Absolutely.

As he walked away from his car, the shadows drew back and then encircled him, almost like a giant mouth about to enjoy an early breakfast.

The towel slid off as if it hadn’t even been there.

They walked, tripped, stumbled back toward the bedroom, Curran almost landing on top of Lauren as they hit the sheets.

Curran could smell the sweat she must have woken up in.

She kissed him hard, her tongue invading his mouth, searching for his own and then entwining itself around it as their juices swirled.

Her hands fumbled further south, searching his belt buckle and then struggling to get it undone. Curran kept kissing her.