Melanie Schuster - Poetry Man

Alexis swam vigorously for a while, enjoying the feeling of the water against her body. After doing about twenty laps, she turned over and floated on her back. She’d been swimming since she was about three years old and her enjoyment of it never flagged. Her love of the water was one of the reasons she kept her hair cut so short. And the fact that it suited her face so well. Glancing at the big clock on the wall, she decided she could stay in five more minutes. She had taken the day off because she was having her two BFFs over for lunch today and she wanted to make sure everything was ready. Not just the food, she wanted to get herself emotionally ready, too, because she knew that her friend Emily was going to interrogate her about her social life, rather her lack thereof.

After her dear friend Emily had surprised everyone by getting married out of the blue, Alexis had done an abrupt about-face and decided that she was going to find her own Mr. Right. She’d had enough of being alone and if Emily could find a tall, handsome doctor and start a new life, so could she. After her firm declaration of her intention to meet her perfect mate, Emily was going to want to know about her progress and the fact was there wasn’t any. It was both embarrassing and frustrating for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was that she was tired of being celibate.

There were times that her body drove her crazy with longing for a lover. Alexis had to admit there were times she wanted Mr. Right Now; she couldn’t have cared less about Mr. Right. Alexis was a perfectly normal woman with perfectly normal desires. She couldn’t sublimate her desires in her work forever; all the spa business in the world couldn’t prevent her from wanting all the things that any woman wanted. Things like an understanding man, a good lover and plenty of really good sex. If she didn’t get some soon her sheets might burst into flames from all the hot dreams she’d been having.

She stopped her lazy floating and turned over and started stroking again, swimming ten more laps before getting out of the pool. She was still alone because most people didn’t start coming into the gym until later in the morning. Especially on a morning like this one, with pouring rain and the occasional clap of thunder. Thunderstorms were typical in Columbia, South Carolina, especially in the summer, but they didn’t bother her at all. Alexis had always been fond of rain; she was a true water baby. She was patting off her face with her towel as she walked to the women’s locker rooms. She’d almost reached the door when a really loud crackling arose, followed by a clap of thunder that sounded like an explosion. The room went black and Alexis had to stifle a scream as she collided with a wet man who was coming out of the adjacent men’s locker rooms.

He was very tall, as her nose reached the middle of his chest. His arms went around her and hers went around him in an automatic response. His skin was damp from the shower all members had to take before getting in the pool, but he didn’t feel clammy. Instead, he felt wonderfully warm and he smelled terrific.

“Are you okay?”

Alexis had to clear her throat before answering, because his deep voice did something to her, something really nice.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Thanks for asking.”

The lights flickered and it looked as if they were coming back on. Alexis seized the moment to back out of the tempting arms of the stranger and scoot into the locker room. She fumbled the handle on the women’s side just as the lights began working again. She toweled off most of the water and got dressed in record time without stopping for a shower. She was normally cool and in control, but the feel of the tall man’s body on hers had lit a fire in her. She wouldn’t have been able to recognize him if she met him on the street because she hadn’t gotten a look at him, thanks to her running off like a scared rabbit. But the brief encounter reminded her of just why she’d decided to get back in the dating game. She couldn’t ignore her needs, wants and desires anymore. Maybe it was time she got back in the dating game and play until she won. Just once. If she played it right, one time was all she’d need.

Chapter 1

“So exactly when are you going to start dating, Alexis? I thought you had a big change of heart when I got married.” Emily Wainwright, recently wed and soon to be a mother, accompanied her words with a sweet, teasing smile that Alexis would tolerate only from an old friend. Emily had been Alexis’s bestie since elementary school, along with their other BFF, Sherri Stratton. The three of them were sitting around the table in Alexis’s cute kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was beautifully decorated; Alexis had really good taste. They were enjoying the lunch that Alexis had prepared when Emily had brought up what was once a sensitive subject. Sherri braced herself for a dose of Alexis’s wrath, but it didn’t come. Instead, Alexis laughed.

“I admit that I’ve been known to sidestep the dating scene, but I’ve actually been trying to do a little more socializing,” she admitted. “And it’s not the easiest thing in the world. Girl, dating is hard,” she said emphatically. “Have some more salad?”

Emily was easily distracted by Alexis’s offer of more crab salad and homemade rolls. Alexis heaped another helping of the delicious salad onto Emily’s plate, while Sherri gave her another roll and refilled her lemonade. They loved spoiling Emily anytime, but especially now during her pregnancy. Since she’d eloped over Thanksgiving weekend and then moved to Chicago, they didn’t have too many chances to dote on their girl.

“I’m probably eating too much, but this tastes so wonderful,” Emily said happily.

“You can have anything you want, now that you’re eating for two,” Sherri assured her. Sherri was a doctor and spoke with authority on the subject. “You should gain about thirty-five pounds before delivery and you’re nowhere near that yet. You’ve been taking very good care of yourself.”

“I’m eating well and I’m still exercising and Todd keeps a close eye on me, whether I want him to or not.” Emily sighed. Her new husband was a doctor, too, and his only desire in life was to keep her safe and happy. “And I’m actually eating for three,” Emily said with a smile. “We just found out that we’re having twins!”

After the exclamations of joy and excitement, Emily went right back to her initial topic of discussion. She was a biochemist by profession and nothing could deter her once she had marked out a path of inquiry on any subject. “Alexis, you vowed on New Year’s Day that you were going to have a love life this year. You wanted the spare keys to the house on Hilton Head because you were going to meet the man of your dreams, kidnap him and spend next New Year’s Eve having a passion-filled tryst. It’s June. Halfway there. So what happened to those plans, Lex?”

Alexis curled her dainty upper lip in a gesture that was more snarl than smile. “Is it nice to rub people’s noses in their fantasies? No, it’s not. It’s very mean, as a matter of fact.” She rose gracefully from her chair and went to the refrigerator to refill the glass pitcher of lemonade. She always made the old-fashioned kind from scratch with fresh lemons and spring water. Hopefully being a good hostess would make her friend drop the subject. But her maneuver didn’t work.

Emily patted the corners of her mouth with her linen napkin and held out her glass for more when Alexis came back to the table. “It didn’t sound like a fantasy to me, Lex. It sounded like a declaration, a statement of intent. Your primary goal was to meet a suitable mate and develop a relationship.”

Alexis didn’t have a chance to refute Emily’s remark before Sherri chimed in. “Not just a relationship, a marriage. I was there and I heard every word. And trust me, she’s not doing anything that could possibly plant her feet on a trip down the aisle.”