The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (22 page)

“Strip.” Cal stood up from the bed, undid her shorts and let them drop. Her long tee shirt covered her underwear. She grabbed the coin. Pausing to look at his bare chest that was right before her, she asked, “Were you the one who laid the flowers on my bed.”

“Strip.” He stood up and dropped his shorts. “Did you enjoy kissing Carlos?”

Cal reached for her shirt and paused. “No. I thought of someone else the whole time.” She saw the side of the coin her flip produced. “You’re in your boxers, Jake, answer this question or lose. Were you the one who put the flowers on my bed?”

“Yes. And don’t ask me why. It was a really mushy thing to do . . . my question. Who did you think about when you were kissing Carlos?”

“You.” Cal placed her face closer to his. “Why haven’t you hit on me yet?”

Jake’s jaw twitched. He never lost eye contact with her. “You haven’t asked me to. I figured if you asked.” He moved even closer softening his voice, “. . . you couldn’t complain if it was bad.”

Cal lowered her head almost embarrassed.

“Why haven’t you . . .” he leaned further in, slanting her downward on the bed, “. . . asked me yet?”

“I didn’t think you wanted me to. Do you want me to?” She began to breathe heavier in anticipation.

“Oh, yes.” He slowly, almost as if he were afraid, slid his hand up her thigh, barely touching her skin. His fingertips searched for the bottom of her shirt to creep up, his heart pounded in his throat. The tip of his nose brushed against hers as he parted his lips. “I’m sorry.” Jake froze and stared at Cal for a moment and then backed up. “I’m sorry.”

“Jake . . . what is it?” Cal straightened up. She was spinning from his sudden withdraw from her.

“Cal, don’t get me wrong. I want to.” He got up from the bed. “I really, really want to. But . . . it’s getting late. We may be rushing things. Let’s just call it a night.”

“Let’s not,” Cal said and reached her hand up to his. “Jake, what are you afraid of?” She stood up. “Why do you keep backing up?”

Jake placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “It’s just that . . . it’s just my heart is kind of involved in this one.”

“I have news for you, Major Graison, so is mine.”

Jake looked up at her.

“So, before you drive me completely insane, before you consume my every thought with visions of us having sex in my bed, your bed, on the floor, or in the shower,” she paused, watched him smile brightly and then continued, “will you
please
hit on me? Please. I’m standing here half naked. Now is your opportunity, Major Graison. Take your best shot.” She didn’t see him budge. “Or aren’t you up to the challenge?”

Jake took a step toward her, reached out and cupped her face in his hands. Without hesitation he pressed his lips hard to hers and kissed Cal with everything he was. The fingers on his large hands spread, feeling the contour of her face as he kissed her, trying not smile as he did. He pulled slightly away, moaned soft, caught his breath, and then began to kiss her again.

Cal could feel him moving her, pushing her backwards as he felt her. It was almost borderline frightening to her how intense he was being. She felt her back bump into the wall and she moved her head away. “Jake.”

Jake opened his eyes. “Do you want to stop?”

Cal looked into his eyes and then shifted downward to his body. “No.” She pulled him back into her.

“Good.” He placed his one hand above her head, flush on the wall as he pressed his body inward against her, hunching down to meet, waist to waist. Sliding his lips from her mouth to her neck, he brought down his hands. Grazing them across her back to her thighs, Jake lifted her up, pulling her legs around his waist and pinning her between the wall and him.

The rush of the moment, the movement, the intensity, Cal could feel him getting more and more into it, burying himself deeper and harder against her, getting ready for the inevitable moment. Then she felt him stop again. “Jake? What is it?”

He lifted his head from her neck, carrying with him a bashful-type smile. “Cal . . .” he laid his forehead against hers and kissed her softly. “It’s been a long time for me.” He tilted his head almost embarrassed. “Bear with me?”

“And this is coming from the self-proclaimed selfish lover?”

“Not with you.” He kissed her again. “But if you don’t want to because of what I said . . .”

She quickly covered his mouth with her hand. “
Shh
, Jake . . . make love to me.”

Her words went through him, sending chills surging into him. His hands gripped her tighter, digging into her hips as he grasped the top of her underwear.

“Jake.” Cal whispered and when he pulled back she motioned her eyes to the smoke alarm. “Maybe we should consider the bathroom instead of the bed?”

“Nah.” Jake shook his head, pressed his lips hard once again to hers and kept moving against her as if they weren’t even being watched.

“What are they saying?” Lyle asked as they watched Jake and Cal. “Turn it up.”

“It’s as loud as it goes. Man, for two people about to do it, they are talking quite a bit.”

“You’re recording all this, aren’t you? Aldo says one thousand dollars to each observer who’s on duty and captures it.”

“It’s a video moment.” Stan held the remote. “Let’s just zoom slightly . . . there. Wait . . . is it action time?”

“I think it is?”

“Yep.” Stan smiled as he watched Jake set Cal’s feet to the floor. His hands still lifted her shirt to her waist while he gripped at her.

Lyle pointed to the screen. “Is he?”

“I think he is.” They saw Jake step back and bring himself down to his knees, pulling off Cal’s underwear as he did. “Our man’s going down.”

“Shit. What’s he? . . .” Jake, holding Cal’s underwear in his hand, reached for the desk chair sliding it. “He’s not?”

“He is.”

“No.”

“No!” They both screamed at the same time.

“Shit.” Stan stood up. “Shit. I know what he’s up too. This was going to be good, too.”

Jake moved the chair closer to the alarm. They watched him stand on it, open the cover to the smoke alarm, smile brightly, wiggle his fingers, shove Cal’s underwear in and shut the cap. Monitor two went black.

The thunderous rolls and cracks of lightening jolted Cal from her deep sleep. Flashes of silver light were seen coming through her small window. The beating of the pouring rain smacked against the pane of glass. It was the first time since that had been there that it had rained. It was frightening how severe the storm was that brewed outside. Still half asleep, Cal lifted her head slightly from the pillow to listen to the high pitched sound of the wind that howled outside. Her heart raced from the sudden awakening, or at least half awakening. As she started to lay her head back down on the pillow, another deafening crack brought a bright flash of light into her room, illuminating a shadowy figure standing at the foot of her bed. “Jake?”

“Hmm.” His voice, deep and raspy came from behind her ear.

Cal rubbed her eyes, the figure was gone. She must have been dreaming. Resting her hand on the arm that draped over her, Cal lay back down and closed her eyes.

^^^^

Was it still raining? Cal didn’t want to open her eyes but she knew it was morning. She could still hear the thunder and the rain pouring down on the metal roof of the building.

She didn’t want to get up and kept her eyes were tightly closed. She felt drained. As she tried to lift her shoulder, she realized that she could barely do that, not due to sore muscles, but because she seemed to be neatly and tightly tucked beneath the sheet and blankets.
Jake.
Through her grogginess the reality of what happened the night before hit her. Her stomach twitched warmly when she thought of it. She extended her leg to feel for him and there was only emptiness. “Jake?” Opening her eyes and fighting the tightness of her covers Cal sat up. Jake wasn’t there. “Where the hell . . .” As her eyes glanced around the room looking for him, she saw it. Placed on her pillow was a single wild flower. Smiling with an ‘ah’ Cal picked it up. Wondering where he went, she scratched her head as she swung her legs over the side. He had fallen asleep with her. She remembered that.

Standing up from bed she noticed the time. It was a little after seven. “I guess we’re not working out today.” Cal shivered, gathered her clothes and headed in to take a shower. She laid her clothes down on the sink, knocked on Jake’s door before opening it. “Jake?” She poked her head through. His room was empty. “God I hope I didn’t scare him last night.”

Kicking off his shoes as he walked in his room, Jake heard the water running. “Shit, she beat me to the punch.” He wanted to shower
 
first and then wake her nicely. Then again Jake was a little apprehensive about facing her. Cal could wake up full of regrets. Then he’d end up for six months, sleeping in the next room, remembering their one great night together. But what if it wasn’t great? It was time to face the music.

Running his fingers through his soaking wet hair that was getting just long enough to start to look curly, Jake tapped on the closed bathroom door, and then opened it just a little. “Cal, you’re up.”

“Obviously. No work out today?”

“Have you seen that weather? It’s bad.”

“Can you shut that door? You’re letting a draft in.”

“Thanks.” Jake stepped in and closed the door. As soon as he saw her figure through the shower door, he smiled.
 
Visions of the night before flashed in his mind.

“Where were you?” Cal asked.

“Running.”

Cal slid the shower door open a crack peeking out, wiping the water off her face with her hand. “You’re soaked. You’re going to get sick.” She shut the door. “Thank you for the flower. You did put that flower on my pillow, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” Jake rubbed the corner of his eye.

“You’re actually going to own up to it?” Cal was shocked.

“Hey, I owned up to doing a sappy thing like filling your bed with flowers, I figure one bud is not going to kill my reputation with you anymore. So . . .” Jake leaned against the door. “The storm woke you up last night? You called my name.” Jake pulled at his drying tee shirt to stop it from sticking to his skin.

“Get this. I hear the storm right? I open my eyes and I could have sworn I saw someone in the room. I thought it was you but you were lying . . .”

“You saw someone in your room while we were in bed?” Jake sounded shocked.

“Jake, it was a dream. But . . . I’ll let you know next time. Are you OK? You seem weird.”

“I’ll feel better after I take a shower.”

Cal slid open the door. “Want to conserve?” She nodded her head in.

“You want me to take a shower with you?”

“Sure. You are awfully messy.” She raised her eyebrows running her hand though her hair. “You don’t want to.” Cal pulled her head back in and shut the shower door. She rolled her eyes at herself.

“No Cal. I’d love to take a shower with you. But . . .”

“But it’s not on the Jake agenda?”

“No!” Jake snapped. “I would never put sex on my agenda. That would be presumptuous of me.”

“Then what is it then?” She heard his silence. “Never mind and forget I asked. I obviously read our situation wrong. I’m sorry.”

“What?” Jake opened the sliding door. “No. I was just afraid that you . . .” He got lost in his thoughts when he really took notice of her naked body. “I was afraid you were having regrets or were disappointed in last night.”

Cal was surprised. “No. Are you?”

Jake fluttered his lips staring at her from the neck down. “Are you kidding, I loved last night.”

“So did I.” Reaching out to him, she grabbed his tee shirt and pulled him in the stall with her, shutting the door.

“Cal, I’m still dressed.”

“So what?” She brushed her lips against his.

“Damp clothes are impossible to get off not to mention. . .”

“Jake.” Cal lifted his wet shirt off as the water beat upon him. She grazed her mouth sensuously across his neck as she tossed his shirt over the stall. Its wetness smacked hard on the bathroom floor as it landed.

“Oh, now that’ll leave mess.”

“Jake, shut up.” She kissed him as her soapy hands moved across his chest, down to his waist, lowering his shorts.

“Oh, God.” He tilted back his head, allowing more space for her to move her lips up and down and across his neck. He felt her naked body.
 
“Pinch me. I’m dreaming . . .
Ow
. . . not there.”

^^^^

On his floor, Fr. Dan sat. He leaned against the bathroom door, his head pressed against it as he held tightly to his folded up knees. “Rickie, I am sorry. I know you can hear me. I was wrong, son. Wrong.”

Rickie stared into the mirror, trying to avoid listening to Fr. Dan. The pleading sound was hard to ignore.

“Rickie, I know you’re in there. You have to understand, I just lost it for a moment. Hasn’t that ever happened to you? Haven’t you ever gone nuts for no reason except for stress?”

“Yeah.” Rickie hated to admit it. But the one incident when he worked at ice cream store shot to the forefront of his mind. The one time when the three hundred pound woman couldn’t decide what flavor she wanted and Rickie shoved her cone in her face. “Yeah, I guess I have.” He walked to Fr. Dan’s side and sat on the floor next to the door. “But what can I do?”

“You can let me out.”

“Oh, no, padre, they told me to stay away from you. They said you’ve lost it.”

“Do I sound like I’ve lost it, Rickie? If they keep me in here I sure will lose it.”

“Maybe I can talk to everyone, you know, like tell them you’re all better.” Rickie suggested.

“Could you? That would be so great.” Fr. Dan stared at his trembling hands. “But I need to get out of this room. You could let me out through your side.”

“I can’t, padre.” Rickie shook his head.

Frustration and anger filled Fr. Dan and he was grateful that Rickie couldn’t see him. “Rickie, no one has to know. You can let me out at night while everyone is sleeping. Just so I can walk around. Besides, how could you get in any trouble if they find out?”

“That’s true. However they may hate me.”

“I wouldn’t. And Rickie, I pray for you. I pray for you every night. That’s all you need is God. At least if you let me out. You’ll know God is on your side.”

“Whoa.” Rickie nodded his head. “That’s a tough force to have.”

“So will you? Please?”

Rickie swished his lips from side to side. “If I do this for you at night, you can’t tell anyone when they do unlock your door.”

“I won’t, Rickie.” With a sigh of relief, Fr. Dan’s body relaxed. “I won’t. God bless you.”

“Thanks.” Rickie smiled at the bonus benediction, and he didn’t even sneeze.