Jewel Ann - Idle Bloom

Vivian giggles. “Your words, not mine but close enough.” She feeds me the last bite. “We should grab a couple of cookies before we go back to bed.”

“I don’t have any cookies.”

“I’m talking about the sugar cookies Alex made.” She grabs my hand and pulls me off the counter.

“She’s probably asleep.”

“There’s a key under the planter.”

“I’m in my underwear and you’re not wearing anything but my T-shirt.”

“Come on, Oli. Don’t be such a spoilsport. It’s just across the street and who’s going to see us at this hour?” She opens the door.

“So responsible people are considered spoilsports?” I follow her out the door.

“There’s responsible and then there’s stuffy and boring. Live a little, Oli.” We look in both directions then streak across the street. “Her car is gone anyway. She must have gone to Sean’s after dinner.”

I keep a lookout for cars while she lifts the planter. “Hmm … it’s not here. Man! I bet cowboy Sean forgot to put it back the last time he used it. Idiot!” She tries the door but it’s locked.

“We’ll do cookies tomorrow, my love. Come on … it’s a little breezy out here in nothing but my skivvies.”

“Fine!” She pouts as I pull her back across the street.

“Maybe we should go upstairs and do a doughnut intervention, but call it a cookie intervention tonight.” I look back at her and smirk while grabbing for the doorknob.

“I suppose.” She continues to pout. Those must be some amazing cookies over there. For the first time since we’ve been together she’s treating sex like a subpar consolation prize.

“What the hell?” I jiggle and tug at the knob.

“Did you lock the door?”

She shakes her head. “You were the one who shut it.”

“Dammit!” I bang my fist against the door.

“Just use your spare key.”

“I gave my spare key to you .” I try to keep my voice calm but it’s a challenge.

“Well, why’d you lock the door then?”

“I didn’t! Chance must have turned the lock when he left and I didn’t check the lock before we decided to live a little .”

“Oh, so now this is my fault?” She plants her hands on her hips.

I shake my head. “No, it’s just … it doesn’t matter. We need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

“Well, it’s after midnight so we can’t take the T.”

I mimic her stance and bend toward her so we’re eye level. “Really? You think the reason we can’t take the T is because it’s closed? Not possibly, hmm let’s see … because we’re practically naked ?”

She looks down at her shirt or my shirt. “It’s no shorter than some of my dresses.”

“You’re not wearing underwear.”

She gives me the wide-eyed and-your-point-is look. I stare up at the sky and shake my head some more then look back at her.

“It’s white and your nipples are not and … it doesn’t matter anyway! You may gallivant around town in short dresses and no underwear, but I don’t go anywhere in just briefs.”

“I still don’t see how this is my fault.”

I grab her and lead her down the steps. “It’s not worth arguing over. It doesn’t change anything.”

“Where are we going?”

“Chance’s. Unless you know someone closer.”

“That’s like a thirty minute walk.”

“Forty, if we avoid the busy streets and guess what? We’re going to avoid the busy streets.”

“My second skin patches on my feet will never hold up walking barefoot on concrete and cobblestone.”

“Tell me about it. Mine won’t either … oh that’s right, only one of us has cushy little padding on our cuts.”

“Babe, I detect a hint of sarcasm in your voice.”

“No, really?”

She pulls her hand out of my grasp and stops, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m not taking another step until you apologize for your grumpiness.”

One thing is for sure: This woman brings out every emotion humanly possible.

I hold my arms out to the side. “Look at us? We’re passing-one-cop-car away from getting arrested for indecent exposure and you want me to apologize for my grumpiness?”

She nods.

I rub my hands over my face and groan. “Fine! I’m sorry for not being happy about our situation. I will try to enjoy this leisurely walk to my brother’s place in my underwear a little more. Happy?”

She takes my hand and we continue to walk. “You could stand to work on your apologies.”

I think I taste blood, I’m biting my tongue so hard.

“I wish we had some money on us. Do you think any of the Dunks around here are open all night?”

Laughter vibrates through my chest. I can’t hold it in. “I don’t have any reason to know if one is open at this hour. Although I’d be surprised if there isn’t one of their gazillion locations open all night. Why the hell do we need so many anyway? There are two at the train station within like twenty yards of each other. I just don’t get it.”

“A lot of Dunkin’ Donuts are franchises and by contract if you open one you have to open another within a year. But the reason they can do that and keep so many open is the concept of business cluster. A geographically concentrated group or cluster of businesses that share similar markets. It’s like seeing a McDonald’s and Burger King next to each other. It’s not so much about giving the consumers a choice, it’s about the demand for burgers and fries—enough to keep both businesses in business. So with a huge coffee demand why wouldn’t Dunks be on every corner? More concentrated locations means convenience, shorter lines, and happier customers. If they’re going to share customers with the coffee place up the block or across the street, why not keep it in the family and let it be with another Dunkin’ Donuts? It’s called transfer of sales.”

Yep. She’s a one-track mind business geek. Just when I think she’s losing it tonight, she goes off on business clustering 101.

“I’m impressed and surprisingly a little turned on. Like the day I came back from rowing and you were reading the business section of the newspaper with your black-framed glasses. I like it when you get the fuck-me schoolgirl or naughty teacher thing going on.”

“Lovely, Oli. I hope my economics professor gets as aroused as you by my contractionary monetary policy paper. It should guarantee me an A.”

“Fuck! Stop, Vivian.” I adjust myself.

“Oh my gosh! That actually turns you on?”

I shrug. “Intelligence is sexy.”

“Wanna do it in the alley?” She gestures with her head toward a dark alleyway off to our right.

“No, I don’t want to do it in the alley.”

She tugs on my hand making me stop. “Are you sure about that?” She grins looking at the bulge in my briefs.

My cock is trying to break free. “It’s just because we’re talking about it.”

Grabbing my hand she presses it between her legs. “So you don’t want to put that in here ?”

I swallow. My heart pounds in my chest. Of course I want to bury myself inside of her. I hate it when my dick doesn’t understand bad and inappropriate timing.

I pull my hand back. “We’re not doing this.”

“Okay, lead the way with your iron rod … stud.”

“You’re trying to bait me and it’s not going to work.” I continue ahead, trying to will my dick to just … take a nap or play dead. I see headlights coming toward us. “Crap! Hide!” I pull her back and into the alley.

“Well … since we’re here now.”

“No.” I peek around the corner, keeping Vivian behind me, and look for any other cars.

She slips her finger under my waist band and tugs me back. “Just a quickie.”