Authors: Ella Celestine
Janessa was half tempted to call Tasha and tell her how well it was going, but she didn’t want to jinx herself. Clyde was great. He was funny, smart, spontaneous, everything that she liked in a guy.
“Here you go,” he said, pulling her out of her daydream.
“Thank you!”
Janessa bit into her corn dog and sighed. “I missed this,” she said after she’d swallowed her bite.
“Me too. I hardly go out at all, but I saw this place, and I thought it’d be a nice change of pace.”
“Do you do things like this a lot as a kid?” She asked.
“Oh yeah,” Clyde said as he popped a fry in his mouth. “My mom was big on family fun time. She’d pack me, my brother, and sister into the car and we’d get to hear my dad grumble the whole way there and back.”
“He didn’t like going?”
“Oh, he loved it. He just liked having something to complain about. What about you?”
Janessa shrugged. “It was just my dad and I growing up. He tried to be a fun guy, but he was quiet too. Mostly, he helped me get a good education, encouraged me to be anything I wanted to be. We did use to take hunting trips, though, that was always fun.”
“So, you know how to handle a gun?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, prove it,” he said, wiping his hands off on a napkin. “After we’re done eating let’s see how you do at the shooting range,” he said pointing to a booth not far away.
Janessa grinned. “You’re on.”
Stuffed full of fair food, they headed over to the booth. Clyde played for three games each. She wondered if he’d ever held a gun in his life or if he was just being macho.
“Whoever knocks down the most targets wins. Fair?”
“Fair. Do it already or I’m going to think you’re stalling,” she said.
“Trash talking. Okay,” he said with a laugh.
Clyde lifted his rifle when the game started. The rows shifted and spun. He missed a few shots, but Janessa was impressed with how well he did. By the time he was done, he was smirking.
“Your turn.”
Janessa didn’t say a word. She stepped up, took the rifle and took a long, slow breath. BB’s pinged off of metal in succession as she hit almost every target that she aimed at. When she handed the rifle back over, Clyde’s mouth was hanging open.
“You owe me cotton candy,” she said, patting his chest.
“After shooting like that, I owe you whatever you want.”
“Don’t forget your prize,” the guy beside the stand said.
“Oh, yeah.” Janessa gazed up at the animals until she pulled down a plump bulldog stuffed animal. “For you,” she said laughing as she gave it to Clyde.
“She’s a keeper!” Clyde called loudly.
She shushed him before they headed over to the cotton candy stand. He brought each of them big tufts of blue and pink sugary candy on white cones before they sat down together on a bench. Janessa was glad, her feet were starting to throb.
“Hey, you never told me,” she said, sticking a wisp of spun sugar in her mouth, “what do you do for a living?”
“I work in law enforcement,” he said.
Janessa paused. “So, you’re a cop.”
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
She shrugged. “Not really.”
Inside, her mind was racing. A cop. All of things she had to date a cop. If Tony’s gang ever found out, she’d be the one in hot water.
Guess they better not find out then.
The rest of the date went smoothly when Janessa pushed the worry out of her mind. Before Janessa knew it, the sun had dipped below the clouds, and their date was over. Clyde walked her to her car.
“Did you have fun?” He asked.
“I did,” she said with a smile. “Thank you. It felt good to be a kid again for a day.”
Clyde pushed a curl that had escaped from its pin once more from her forehead. He tucked it behind her ear softly. Janessa wanted nothing more than to kiss him at that moment. In her mind, she chanted it over and over again like a prayer.
Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me.
“Can I take you out again?” Clyde asked as he shifted closer to her.
Janessa nodded. “I would love to.”
Clyde leaned forward as his hand traveled down to the side of her neck. His lips brushed against hers, whether testing or teasing Janessa wasn’t sure, but she leaned into it. His mouth became hungry, devouring hers as his thumb brushed against her jawline and cheek.
She was in heaven.
The kiss ended too quickly, even if by the time they came up for air, she was gasping. At that moment, there was nothing more she wanted to do than take him back to her room, but she couldn’t. All because of Tony.
Tony. She wondered if he was still watching her place. He probably was. Janessa could just imagine him parked out front, waiting for her to come back so he could convince her to talk, to forgive him.
“I should get going,” she mumbled quietly.
“Or, you could come back to my place.”
“You got some confidence, don’t you?”
“It’s a personal flaw,” he breathed onto her lips as he kissed her once more.
“I really should go,” she said, finally pulling away.
“You’re right,” he agreed with reluctance in his voice. He opened her door for her. “Will you shoot me a text when you make it home? Just making sure you get there safely.”
She smiled. “I will definitely text you.”
Clyde leaned into the car window and left a kiss on her cheek once she’d started up her car. She waved and he waved back with the stuffed animal that she’d given him. Janessa wore a huge grin the entire drive back home.
Chapter Three
“Sounds like you had a great time,” Tasha said on the phone.
Janessa rolled over in bed, stretched and sighed. “It was amazing. I wanted to go home with him so bad.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“It was too early and I don’t know, I got to thinking about Tony,”
“Ugh,” Tasha groaned.
“Shut it. I got to thinking about Tony because I found out that Clyde’s a police officer.”
“Oh, that’s messed up.”
“I know,” she said as she climbed out of bed. “I just know he’s going to flip out if he finds out. I don’t want to put Clyde in any kind of danger. You know?”
“I’m sure he’s a big boy who can handle himself.”
“I would normally say the same thing, but Tony and his crew can be dangerous. I’ve seen some of their handiwork. It’s not pretty.”
“What if you just warn Clyde?”
“Yeah, let me get right on telling my cop crush that my ex is in the mafia. I don’t see that going badly at all.”
“Okay, okay,” Tasha said. “No need to be passive aggressive. I’m sure you’ll think of something. You always do.”
“True enough. I’m going to get ready for the day. Call me later?”
“You know it.”
A knock on her door made her jump as she hung up with Tasha. She climbed out of bed, grabbed her dark blue robe and wrapped it around her body before tying the sash. She pressed her eye to the peephole.
Tony. He was dressed up in a button-down shirt, black slacks and held a bouquet of flowers in his hands. She sighed, resting her head on the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.
“Can I come in?”
Janessa crossed her arms over her chest. “Why?”
“I’m trying to apologize to you.”
“I don’t want to hear your sorry’s, Tony. I just want to be left alone.” She turned around and walked back into her room.
Tony stepped in after her. He closed the door, laid the flowers on the table and followed her over to the closet where she pulled out her clothes for the day.
Janessa was seeing Clyde again. She had to work the night shift, so they decided to meet up for brunch and a surprise he’d told her. Pushing through her hangers, she bit her lip deciding where to go.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Out,” Janessa said shortly.
Tony grabbed her hand. He turned her towards him before he brushed a finger down her cheek. Janessa wanted to pull away, but another part of her didn’t. As much as she liked Clyde, how was she supposed to suppress her feelings for Clyde? They’d been together for such a long time; they knew everything about each other. She wasn’t so sure if she could just throw that all away.
“I want to make this up to you. Can I take you out somewhere?”
Janessa shook her head before pulling her hand back. “I already made plans with Tasha.”
The disappointment on Tony’s face made her feel guilty for lying. Slowly, he nodded.
“I get it. Tomorrow then, how about we go to a movie?”
Janessa sighed. “I’m still pissed off at you.”
“I know you are.”
“You cheated on me
again
.”
“I’m an asshole,” Tony said with sad eyes. “I know I am, but I’m trying to change for you, I swear. Here,” he wrote down an address before giving it to here, “meet me here tomorrow at eleven. Okay?”
Janessa nodded. “Fine. I’ll meet up with you, but that doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
“Of course not,” he said with a grin, “I’ll see you there.”
When he was gone, she plopped down in a chair. Why had she just done that? She should be trying to move, but that was easier said than done. Staying away from Tony was harder than she’d expected it to be, throwing Clyde into the mix only seemed to make things more complicated.
Janessa pushed herself up and headed to the shower. She had to meet Clyde and she was determined not to show up late this time. Once she’d dried off, she slipped into a pair of jeans, white flats, and a cream blouse that hung off of her shoulders.
Just the thought of seeing Clyde again was making her giddy like a child. She blasted her music the whole way there, singing to the top of her lungs. Other drivers looked at her with raised eyebrows and laughter, but nothing could bother Janessa at the moment.
~
Janessa began to spend more and more time with Clyde. He’d take her to plays, the opera and whatever adventures he spawned off the top of his head. She found herself falling for him more and more.
Of course, Tony complicated things. She’d tried to let him fix his mistakes, but twice he’d stood her up. The one time they did go out, he’d stared at the waitress until she left, pissed off and hungry.
Three weeks later, she’d stopped responding to Tony’s numerous calls and texts. Instead, she spent her time with Clyde. For the first time, she took vacation time off of work. Clyde said he had something special planned. He gave her a list of things to bring, but that was it.
“He’s so amazing,” Tasha sighed. “A new adventure every date? I think I’m in love with him.”
Janessa laughed. “That makes two of us.”
“So soon?”
She nodded. “I know, it’s weird, but I really like him. I can’t say if it’s love for sure, but it feels as if that’s where it’s heading.”
Tasha laughed. “You two are so cute. Have fun and take lots of pictures!”
“I will.” There was a knock on her room door. “There he is now. I have to go.”
They said their goodbyes as Janessa looked out of the peephole. She’d finally agreed to let Clyde pick her up. Looking up and down the hallway, she saw no one else. Relief flooded her body. She’d timed it for the day after Tony hung out with his friends, usually he was hungover and bitter by now.
Janessa opened the door. “You’re early.”
Clyde laughed. “I can’t help it. I get over excited. Let me get your bags.”
“Where are we going?” She asked once they were settled into his dark blue pickup truck.
“It’s a surprise.”
“What if I don’t want to wait??” She asked with a grin.
“I’d say you’re out of luck.”
Janessa rolled her eyes. “So rude.”
“You like it,” he teased.
The night before had been one of the busiest shifts for Janessa in a while. She tried to stay up to chat with Clyde, but she could feel her eyelids growing heavier by the minute. They’d already been driving for well over an hour before she began to yawn.
“Why don’t you rest?” Clyde asked. “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
“Are you sure? I wanted to keep you company,” she said sleepily.
“Nonsense. Get some sleep.”
Janessa didn’t bother protesting. She nodded, kicked off her shoes and curled up in the passenger seat. Before she knew it, the motion of the truck had swayed her to sleep.
Three hours later, she woke up, stretched and looked around. She paused. Where were they? Janessa looked at the clock, surprised that so much time had gone by.
She turned to Clyde, but his seat was empty. Janessa looked around. There was a small, white house in front of her. Behind her, there were several other houses on a quaint little street. As she turned back to the house, Clyde walked out.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” He leaned into her window and gave her a kiss. “Surprise.”
“Where are we?” She asked, still in awe of the beauty that surrounded them.
“Empire.”
“Michigan?”
Clyde laughed. “Yes, we’re still in Michigan.”
“I’ve never even heard of Empire.”
Clyde opened her door and extended a hand to her. She took it and he helped her out of the truck before leading her inside. Janessa instantly fell in love with it.
Light colored wood was everywhere from the floor to the furniture. Light blue seemed to be the dominant color inside, everything from the couch to the towels were that shade. Clyde showed her the house before they stepped onto the back porch.
“Oh my god,” she said quietly.
There was a little patio outside that housed a glass table, a grill, and a small hot tub. Beyond the patio, however, was what really caught Janessa’s attention. The ocean was rolling in further down the beach, waves crashing onto the sand. She recognized the familiar smell of salt and water.
“Want to go swimming?”
Janessa nodded quickly. “Yes!”
They raced back into the house, laughing. Janessa turned the corner, sliding into the bedroom where she pushed through the bags for her suit. As soon as she found the black and white polka dot bikini, she started to strip out of her clothing.
After a moment, she paused and turned. Clyde was standing in the doorway, eyes wide as he took in her body. She’s forgotten that he hadn’t seen her naked yet. It was almost sweet the way he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“I-I’ll um grab my suit and just…” He stammered once he realized that he was staring.
Janessa laughed. “Come on, get ready.”
She walked over to him, gripped the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. Reaching down, she unzipped his jeans before she pushed them down. Clyde stepped out of them and pushed his boxers down along with them.
Woah was what instantly sprang to mind. It was quickly followed by the question of what they were supposed to be doing? It had been a month since Janessa had last slept with anyone and Clyde’s body was tempting her to devour him.
Clyde had a crooked grin on his lips. “I thought you wanted to go swimming.”
“Oh, screw it,” Janessa said as she pushed him back on the bed.
He laughed as she landed on top of him. His mouth found hers, his tongue slipping between her lips to play with her eager tongue. Clyde’s hands traveled down her body, exploring every inch of her warm, brown skin.
There was a hunger in him as he lifted her up and moved her to her back on the bed. He leaned over her as he ran his fingers over her body. Janessa shivered. Every moment of him touching her made her more and more wet.
Clyde kissed her neck, bit her tender flesh lightly until she was practically purring. Bit by bit he made his way down her body leaving a trail of kisses and nips until he reached her inner thighs. His tongue brushed over her sensitive thighs making a moan leave her lips.
Janessa’s hands gripped the blankets as his tongue traveled over her slit. She began to pant as he ran his tongue over her clit, flicking it, nibbling it. Her legs wrapped around his neck, her hands gripping his hair as an orgasm crashed over her.
As she tried to recover, Clyde reached into the nightstand and pulled out a condom. He got it out of the wrapper, slipped it on and guided himself inside of Janessa slowly. Her back arched, breath hitched as he filled her up.
“Oh my god,” she moaned.
Clyde grinned as he laid on top of her. He kissed her neck, her mouth as he began to slowly rock back and forth. The sound of him moaning in her ear turned her on even more.