Michelle Monkou - Here and Now

In college, and after college, their relationship had moved beyond chaste, stolen moments. Chase could make her melt into an incoherent puddle when she was locked in his arms for a steamy kiss after a rousing night of passionate lovemaking.

“Have dinner with me.”

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Laura couldn’t believe his tenacity.

“Yes. And if you have dinner with me, I’ll clear up all the questions.”

She could demand that he cleared them up now. Who was he to give her conditions after all he’d made her go through?

“It’s cold and I’m freezing my buns out here,” he complained.

His buns weren’t bad either. Sprinter buns.

“Fine.” She pursed her lips, detecting an amused twitch to his mouth. “Don’t think you’ve landed some big coup. I’m on to you, Chase Westfield.”

“Good, then you’ll know that I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you.” He leaned in and covered her mouth with his. He didn’t touch her, didn’t pin her face between his hands, did nothing to force her to be kissed. Yet, like a magnet, she couldn’t pull away drawn by an intangible force that ignited when they were together.

His attention was gentle, loving, coaxing for which she obliged his attentive tongue. Her entire body tingled, aroused out of a deep slumber, yearning for fulfillment.

He pulled away first. Laura opened her eyes, unable to speak. Only her chest rose and fell with an uneven breath.

“Let’s get you home, shall we?” Chase jingled his keys and turned to head to his car.

“That son of a—” Laura called out.

“Girl, shut your mouth. He lit you up like a Christmas tree,” Kasey uttered and promptly fell asleep with a small snore escaping.

By the time Laura drove to Kasey’s apartment, there was no way she would be able to drag her drunken, sleepy form out of the SUV, down the path to the building and then up the stairs to the top floor. She shook her friend’s shoulder in a futile last attempt.

Chase tapped at Kasey’s window, motioning for her to unlock the door. Laura complied, not having much choice. She’d need his muscle to heft her coworker’s tall frame.

Together they made slow progress. Sometimes Kasey did revive long enough to actually walk before teetering over. They escorted her to the bedroom and gently laid her down. Chase excused himself so Laura could tend to Kasey’s clothing. When she was done undressing her, she pulled the floral printed comforter over her body. Then she turned out the light and left the bedroom door partially open.

“Chase, I really don’t feel comfortable leaving her in this condition.” Laura turned to look at the door. “What if she gets sick and can’t get up?”

“I’m inclined to agree with you.”

“You go ahead, I can call a cab in the morning,” she said.

“Or I can stay here with you.”

Laura shook her head. Chase may think he was in control, playing games with her by seducing her, but she still had the good sense to say no.

To show him that she did have strength, she walked past him and opened the apartment door. “I’ve got this under control.”

He looked as if he was about to object, then reconsidered. “Okay.” He looked at her, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. As he walked past her, he paused without turning around.

“Yes?” She wished that her voice didn’t sound so needy.

“I can expect you for dinner tomorrow, right?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“Good.” He pulled the door closed behind him.

Laura stood there staring at the door, wondering how her life could have taken such a sudden shift. Not that she had ever stopped thinking about Chase, but she certainly didn’t entertain any ideas that they would be talking, much less having dinner.

Well, so much for the late night at the club. Guess she was in for the night. Seems like no matter what she did, she was always in for the night. This time she didn’t mind so much. She flopped on the couch, reached for the remote and slid into a comfortable position.

“Who’s the latest dish waiting to be served?”

Chase looked up from stirring the Alfredo sauce. “Deon, you need to be out of here in five minutes.”

“Only came to return your toolkit. Not planning to cramp your style.” His friend inhaled, patting his stomach for emphasis. “A brother could do with a little bite before facing the cold.”

“You’re not staying.” Chased moved the pot off the stove. He’d hate to burn the sauce after every other part of the four-course meal met with his level of perfection. “Besides, I’m sure Chantal, Sarita, Bonnie or whoever the latest is wants you in the sex cave next door.”

“They are all has-beens, like I’ve been preaching to you, man. You’ve got to change the girls as often as you change your shoes.” His old teammate Deon was known for donating his running shoes after each meet.

“Well, now that I’m an old man, injuries and all, got to make do with whatever I can.” Chase walked over to Deon, grabbed him by the elbow and escorted him toward the door.

“Usually I get to meet them,” Deon complained.

“Only the ones that you insist on introducing to me. And frankly, they are never my type.”

“You don’t have a type. I’ve brought tall, short, fat, skinny, dark skinned and even light-bright. Nothing. I was thinking that I’d have to get a girlie magazine for you to see if you got it going on.”

Chase laughed at Deon’s silliness. He’d seen the women at the clubs with whom Deon strutted, and knew his friend belonged in the dog pound. None of his so-called women made it in his company in daylight hours because they weren’t the sort you’d take home to mother.

The few times that he’d given into Deon’s blind dating tactics, he’d regretted the waste of his time. Aggressive women didn’t necessarily turn him off, but he did want the feelings to be mutual. He wanted to at least feel some kind of snap, crackle or pop when he was in their presence. Instead, he found himself thinking of mundane tasks like taking out the recyclables for the next day’s pick-up.

Deon finally gave up and left.

With Deon out of the way, Chase returned to cooking. He still had time to set the table and add the finishing touches to the room. He couldn’t control the mood in the workplace, but his house was a different story. Having Laura over for dinner hadn’t been planned. The invite had popped into his head when he stood mere inches from her that night at the bar. Now that his initial fear of a scene at their first meeting was over, he could relax.

From her fine features and slender neck to the dark sweep of her hair, he wanted to be near her. In a sweeping bit of nostalgia, he wanted to feel her lips against his. Her earlier response couldn’t have been a figment of his imagination.

As he lit the thick vanilla scented candles, he thought about the flame in his heart that would never go out for Laura. Not many people got a chance to have a do-over in life. He could only hope that Laura would give him that chance.

Half an hour later, with a soft smell of the sweet spice filling the air, Chase surveyed the dining table with its setting for two. Then he turned his attention to the living room where the candles of various heights dotted the room. On the center piece table was a bowl of assorted roses with stems cut short, making the arrangement look thick and colorful. He’d ordered the vibrant array of colors off the Internet to cut the monotonous brown shade of his couch and furniture. It paid to watch a few of the popular interior designing shows.

His phone rang. His spirit dropped, thinking that it had to be Laura canceling. His disappointment waited in limbo as he picked up the receiver. “Yes?”