43
L
auren’s heart skipped several beats before banging into her breastbone. “What do you mean?”
Patrick maneuvered her away from him slightly and clasped her hands. He turned to several men who were standing and holding up cell phones. “Start filming now.” He looked back at Lauren. “Lauren, I practiced all the things I would say to you when I finally saw you face-to-face, and now I’ve completely forgotten what to say because of your beauty.”
Lauren heard a collective “ahh” from the crowd.
Well, it was sweet,
she thought.
But he must still be blinded from those pictures. I am looking anything but beautiful.
“Did you forget
everything
you were going to say?” Lauren asked.
“Not everything,” Patrick said. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but we’re both getting old.”
Lauren laughed. “Speak for yourself.”
The crowd laughed.
Hey,
Lauren thought.
We’re the floor show.
“We’re both getting
older,
” Patrick said. “Is that better?”
“Yes,” Lauren said. “Proceed.”
Patrick’s eyes softened. “We’re both at a time in our lives when we know what we want and we’re too stubborn to settle for anything less. I believe in my heart that I have waited twenty years for you.”
Oh, my heart.
“But I’ve only waited seven years for you.” The crowd laughed again.
“Well, I have,” Lauren said.
“I also believe something happened twenty years ago that made this moment possible,” Patrick said. “I didn’t get the
wrong
girl back then so I could get the
right
girl now. You understand?”
“I do,” Lauren said.
And here come some tears. Wow. Right on cue.
“Lauren, there’s something I want to tell you,” Patrick said. “I didn’t want to e-mail it to you, or instant message it to you, or say it to you over the phone, or Skype it, or text it to you. I wanted to hold you in my eyes when I said it so I could see your eyes. I know you love me.” He pulled her close. “Lauren Short, I love you.”
She rested her head on his chest. “And I love you.”
Now, kiss me to end this scene perfectly!
She closed her eyes and pursed her lips.
No kiss arrived.
She felt both of his hands leave hers.
She opened her eyes.
Where’s my man?
She looked down and focused on Patrick kneeling, a ring box in his hand.
Oh, Lord! It’s a ring!
“Lauren, I want you to wear this ring.” He opened the box, removed a small ring, and slid it onto her left ring finger.
It fits! How did he know my size? Oh, it’s so beautiful!
“It’s a promise ring, Lauren,” Patrick said, “and this is my promise to you. I don’t have much, and I may never have much, and I may have to get another job so we can have something, but whatever I have is yours, and yours alone, for as long as you will have me.”
“I’ll have you forever, Patrick.”
He said he wasn’t romantic, and he has me crying.
He stood and lifted her chin. “And I also promise that I will never hurt you in any way or betray you in any way or leave you lonely in any way. Ever. That is my promise to you.”
Lauren stood on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “Are you asking me to marry you?” she whispered.
Patrick moved his head away from their audience, his lips hot on her ear. “I can’t afford to marry you yet.”
Lauren shook her head. “Patrick, you’re the richest man I have ever met. Ask me.”
Patrick dropped again to one knee, and Lauren distinctly heard someone crying. She looked into the crowd but saw only a sea of smiles.
A tear slid off her nose.
It’s me. I’m the one who’s crying.
“Lauren Short, will you marry me?” Patrick asked.
“Yes, Patrick,” she said as more tears streamed down her face. “I will. But I can’t possibly survive another long engagement, okay? I am through with long engagements.”
Several diners laughed.
Lauren turned to the nearest table. “Three years is entirely too long, don’t you think?”
Patrick stood and lifted Lauren high into the air. “We’ll have a short engagement. I promise.”
Lauren’s lips found his, and for the next minute, her tongue counted all his teeth.
Tony’s had never seen so many flashes.
Lauren pulled back to catch her breath. “I can’t believe that you’re real.”
“So you know exactly how I feel about you,” Patrick said. Lauren looked down at the floor. “You’re still holding me in the air.”
“I know,” Patrick said. “I don’t want to put you down.”
“Then don’t.”
I feel weightless in this man’s arms!
“Are you really hungry?” Patrick whispered.
Lauren shook her head.
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” Patrick asked.
Lauren nodded rapidly.
I want this entire man inside me now, and I want to get loud.
Patrick gently returned Lauren to the floor. “Did you order anything?”
“No. I’ve only had water.”
Patrick put a ten on the table and took Lauren’s hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, before we leave—and we’re leaving right now—I want to make sure you know exactly what has happened. I am engaged to be married to the . . .” He smiled at Lauren. “To the only woman I’ve ever truly loved.”
“And he’s the first and last man I will ever truly love,” Lauren said.
Patrick picked up his duffel bag. “Let’s go.”
Lauren let Patrick drag her through the tables until they reached the center of the dining room. She tugged on his hand, and he stopped. “I think we’ve earned a little applause, don’t you?”
Patrick nodded.
“Come on now,” Lauren said. “Put your hands together.”
This might be my last public performance, so I have to milk it for all it’s worth.
On a snowy night in early December at Tony’s on Market Street in downtown St. Louis, the diners, servers, and even Vincent gave Lauren Short and Patrick Esposito a standing ovation.
44
L
auren and Patrick raced through heavy snow toward the hotel, laughing and smiling, not a soul on the street staring at them, nothing flashing but red traffic signals overhead. They were finally alone, and Patrick didn’t want to leave this solitude. He let Lauren pull him along, and for a moment he felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
He held the door for her, and she burst inside the Millennium, clumps of snow in her hair, her jeans soaked up to her knees, her face dotted with water, and he decided at that moment that she was the most beautiful woman who had ever lived.
“Is this him?” a woman cried from the reception desk.
Lauren approached her. “Yes, Penny, this is him. Penny, meet Patrick. Patrick, meet Penny.”
Patrick pulled out his roll of bills. “How much do I owe you?”
Penny clicked through a series of screens. “One hundred ten ninety-seven.”
Taxes must be ridiculous in Missouri,
Patrick thought. He handed her one hundred and twenty dollars and received his change.
“Could you get my suitcases, Penny?” Lauren asked. “Not that I’ll need any clothes,” she whispered to Patrick.
I like how she thinks,
Patrick thought.
I just wish she wouldn’t think these things so quickly! I haven’t been with a woman in twenty years!
Penny disappeared into the office and returned with one of Lauren’s suitcases, an older man carrying the other two.
“Hello, Miss Short,” he said. “Welcome to the Millennium. I am Tony Gill, and I am the manager. I do hope you’ll enjoy your stay. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay more memorable, just give me a call.”
Patrick collected Lauren’s luggage.
Penny handed Lauren two key cards. “You’re in twenty-five-oh-seven,” she said. “Enjoy your stay.”
In the elevator Patrick set down her luggage and his duffel bag and enveloped her in his arms. “I hope you don’t mind lots of hugs.”
Lauren slid her hands into his back pockets. “I hope you don’t mind me doing this.”
Patrick didn’t mind. He kissed her tenderly. “I just want you to know that I’m really nervous.”
“Good,” Lauren said.
The elevator opened on the twenty-fifth floor. Patrick collected Lauren’s suitcases and his duffel bag. “What’s good about it?”
“It means you’ll be a gentle lover,” Lauren said. “At first.”
Patrick followed her to their room, smiling at Lauren’s beautiful booty. “And if I get over my nervousness?”
She slid in the key card and opened the door. “Then you are going to tear my booty up.”
Patrick entered the room then slid her luggage into the closet.
Lauren put out the
DO NOT DISTURB
sign and closed the door, locking it behind her. “You’re all mine now,” she said.
Patrick looked at the king-size bed, which took up most of the room beside floor-to-ceiling windows that gave him an excellent view of the Gateway Arch and the river.
“I didn’t reserve a room like this,” Patrick said. “I shouldn’t have a view.” He looked out the window at the snow blowing in waves through an amber glow.
Lauren came up behind him, her hands busily working on his belt buckle. “They must have upgraded you because of me.”
No wonder it cost so much downstairs.
Patrick turned as she pulled out the belt and tossed it onto the bed. “You asked them to?”
“No,” Lauren said, bending down and taking off her boots. “Penny said they had some cancellations because of the weather, and they sometimes upgrade me without me asking. It’s one of the perks of being me.” She slid off her socks. “These are soaked.” She tossed them toward the television. “I’ll pay the difference.”
Patrick pulled her to him. “I can afford it. We didn’t eat.”
And that saved me about two hundred bucks.
“You have to be hungry. Do you want some room service?”
Lauren’s hands again found Patrick’s back pockets. “I’m not that kind of hungry, man.”
Patrick rubbed Lauren’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to pass out.”
Lauren smiled. “Are you going to try to make me pass out?”
“I hope not,” Patrick said. “But I might make you pass out if I don’t shower off thirty hours of bus.”
“I like that idea,” Lauren said. “Then I can see what I’m getting.”
Patrick kissed her forehead. “But first I need to dry out my clothes, or I’ll have nothing to wear tomorrow.”
“Oh, don’t,” Lauren said. “I don’t want you to wear clothes tomorrow . . . or the next day . . . or the next.”
I can’t tell her that I have to get back on a bus tomorrow morning,
Patrick thought.
Not now. I am not going to spoil this.
“It won’t take long,” Patrick said. “I didn’t bring much.”
Lauren slid her hands around his waist and grabbed the front of his pockets. “I suppose I can unpack the clothes that I
won’t
be wearing.”
While Lauren unpacked, Patrick emptied his duffel bag and hung up the sopping wet pants, T-shirt, shirt, underwear, and socks he would wear tomorrow. He glanced at her as she took out pants, shirts, socks, underwear, and some sexy lingerie and placed them neatly in the drawers of a dresser.
She’s expecting to stay here for days,
he thought.
I have to make this night last as long as I can.
Patrick stepped into the bathroom, turned on all the lights, and started running hot water into the tub. In moments, the room filled with steam.
Lauren came into the bathroom wearing only blue panties and a thin green T-shirt. “Do I look familiar to you?” She turned slightly and posed, lifting the bottom of her shirt to expose soft brown skin.
“I was seriously underdressed at Tony’s,” Patrick said, “but I am seriously overdressed now.”
“I can fix that,” Lauren whispered. “You just stand there being sexy.”
Patrick watched as Lauren unbuttoned his jeans, unzipped his fly, and pulled his pants to the floor.
She hung his pants on a hook and unbuttoned his shirt. “Feel free to narrate.”
“Narrate?” Patrick said.
“Tell me what is going on in this scene,” Lauren said.
“I’m standing here, nervously hoping I remember what to do,” Patrick said.
“You’ll remember,” Lauren said. “Keep narrating. Like a voice-over.”
Patrick smiled. “I can do that. As Lauren took off his clothes, Patrick began to get very nervous.”
Lauren smiled.
“And hard,” Patrick added.
Lauren laughed. “I can see that.”
“His penis was about to shred his underwear into a million pieces,” Patrick said.
Lauren drifted one hand to the front of his underwear. “You need bigger underwear.” She removed his shirt and threw it behind her. “Is that T-shirt important to you?”
“The T-shirt he wore wasn’t important,” Patrick said.
“Patrick was extremely grateful that Lauren had removed it.”
“You’re a good narrator,” Lauren said.
“He thanked her and wanted to rip her T-shirt off,” Patrick said.
Lauren raised her arms. “Rip away.” She closed her eyes.
Patrick began ripping her T-shirt in front until two delicious breasts spilled out, their nipples ripe and hard. He tore off the T-shirt and tossed what was left of it into the sink. “He wanted to rip off her panties, too.”
Lauren moaned.
That was the sexiest groan I have ever heard.
He knelt in front of her and made a small tear in the fabric with his fingers. “He decided to use his teeth.”
“He had better,” Lauren whispered.
He bit down on the sheer fabric and pulled it to the side until it tore past smooth, brown, hairless skin to her clitoris, her panties dropping to the floor. He took off his underwear and stood, his penis erect against her stomach.
“Patrick was about to come already,” he whispered.
Lauren opened her eyes. “So am I.” She pushed his penis down, rubbing it rapidly against her clitoris. “Oh, man,” she panted. “Kiss me.”
While Lauren sucked on his tongue as she came, Patrick tried to hold back.
“Lauren, I—”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I want you to come.”
Patrick could hold back no longer, ejaculating onto Lauren’s thighs, legs, and stomach as he tried to retrieve his tongue from Lauren’s mouth.
They looked wide-eyed at each other for several long moments as their spasms decreased.
“We have to take a quick shower,” Lauren said.
“Patrick agreed that it was a good idea to take a quick shower,” Patrick said.
“You can stop narrating now,” she said.
“Patrick didn’t want to stop narrating,” he said. “He felt he could say things as a narrator that he wouldn’t normally say.”
“Keep narrating, then,” Lauren said. “I want to hear what you wouldn’t normally say.”
Lauren turned a lever, and the shower came on. As she stepped in, Patrick cupped her booty and stepped in behind her, pressing his penis against her back. While she stood under the spray, he massaged her shoulders.
“He truly enjoyed the view of Lauren’s booty, so shapely and sexy,” he said, “but he realized they had no soap.”
Lauren turned to him, the water soaking her hair. “I don’t ever use the hotel soap. I brought some of my own. It’s in the smallest suitcase.”
“He didn’t want to leave her, especially since her hairless, um . . .”
“Come on, Narrator,” Lauren said.
“Her hairless
ness
excited him very much,” Patrick said.
“Go get us some soap,” Lauren said.
Patrick left the bathroom, found a container of Dove Go Fresh Body Wash, and returned to the tub. He turned off the water, and Lauren held her arms in front of her breasts.
“It’s cold, man,” she said.
“Patrick wanted to see Lauren’s nipples pop,” Patrick whispered. “He also wanted to soap her from head to toe.”
“Lauren agreed to be soaped,” Lauren whispered.
After putting far too much soap onto two washcloths, Patrick started at her neck and worked his way down, working the front with one hand and the back with another. He crouched and soaped her hips, thighs, booty, and legs until Lauren shivered.
“Patrick saw that Lauren was turning into an icicle, so he turned on the water.”
Lauren smiled. “I’m more of a Fudgsicle.”
Patrick turned on the shower. “Patrick liked to lick Fudgsicles, so he did.”
Lauren spread her legs slightly. “Lauren liked to be licked like a Fudgsicle.”
Patrick put the tip of his tongue on Lauren’s clitoris, which was already engorged. He licked her in slow, lazy circles.
“Lauren is about to come again,” she whispered. “Hold it right . . . oh, damn,
geez!
”
Patrick stood. “Patrick was wondering if Lauren cursed whenever she had an orgasm.”
She threw her arms around him and ground her hips into his. “It’s the only time I curse, and I only say ‘Damn.’ ”
“Patrick hoped to make Lauren curse often,” Patrick said.
Lauren nodded. “Would you like me to soap you now?”
“Patrick agreed that having Lauren Short soap him was about the best way a man could get clean,” he said. “Patrick was really dirty after riding over thirty hours on a bus.”
Lauren squirted gobs of soap onto one washcloth. “Then I will have to be thorough.”
Patrick watched as Lauren soaped his face, neck, and chest. “Patrick closed his eyes because it felt so good.”
Lauren scrubbed his back, his stomach, his arms, his shoulders, and his ass.
“Patrick’s penis became erect again,” Patrick whispered.
Lauren stroked his penis with the washcloth. “Lauren wondered how Patrick’s penis could get so large so quickly.”
Patrick opened his eyes and looked down. “Patrick knew that she was the reason.”
That and twenty years of nonuse.
“Close your eyes,” Lauren said. “Tell me what I’m doing.”
In moments Patrick felt Lauren’s lips on him, felt her tongue running up and down the length of his shaft, felt her fingers massaging his balls.
“Ahem,” Lauren said. “Where’s the narration?”
“The narrator is trying not to come,” Patrick said.
“Tell me what you’re feeling,” Lauren whispered. “I want to know.”
“Patrick felt her tongue sliding mercilessly around the tip of his penis while her soft fingers stroked him,” he whispered. “Now she’s trying to swallow his penis whole.”
Patrick tried to pull away, but Lauren held on, stroking and sucking until he finished.
That was a first. Oh, that was unbelievable.
She stood up and nibbled on his nipples. “Keep narrating,” she whispered.
“Patrick was amazed that Lauren, um, swallowed,” he whispered.
“Did it feel good?” she asked.
Patrick opened his eyes and looked into hers. “Yes, but I was afraid I would hurt you.”
“You didn’t,” Lauren said. She moved him into the spray. “Was that a first for you?”
Patrick nodded. “Am I allowed to say that I liked it very much?”
Lauren laughed. “Yes.”
“I liked it very much,” Patrick said.
Lauren rested her head on his chest. “Are you nervous anymore?”
“No,” Patrick said. “I’m intimidated.”
Lauren turned off the water. “By me?”
Patrick nodded. “We haven’t even done it yet.”
“I know,” Lauren said. “But we’re about to, right?”
Patrick stepped out of the tub, took her hand, and led her to the bed. He threw back the bedspread until it spilled onto the floor. He ripped off the sheet until it, too, ended up on the floor. He propped up the pillows against the headboard and pointed.
“Is this a silent movie?” Lauren asked as she slid onto the bed and rested her head on the pillows.