What the Heart Desires (Contemporary Erotic Romance)

She’d never been in love.  At twenty-five, Kimberly had dated some, but nothing serious.  It wasn’t that she was disinterested.  In fact, she wanted to find her perfect match more than anything.  As she watched her friends fall head over heels, she couldn’t help but wonder when it would finally be her turn. 

Kimberly wasn’t sure why she’d let her best friend Jane talk her into going clubbing.  It really wasn’t at all Kimberly’s style.  She was more the type to stay home, curled up with a good book and a glass of wine.  To some, that might be boring and predictable.  To Kimberly, it was comfortable.

Jane insisted Kimberly was doomed to become a crazy shut-in with a condo full of cats if she didn’t
change her ways.  Not wanting to be a slave to ten thousand cats, Kimberly had reluctantly accepted Jane’s invitation.

Although they’d been inseparable since they met in high school, in some ways Kimberly and Jane were unlikely friends.  Kimberly was quiet and subdued, perfectly content to stay on the sidelines.  Jane, on the other hand, was loud and boisterous, always up for a good time.  Maybe it was for the best, because Kimberly helped Jane keep her wild streak in check.  Jane, meanwhile, coaxed Kimberly into living a little.

On some level, Kimberly supposed going clubbing was a confidence booster.  She’d pinned her long, dark hair back with a fancy barrette.  Black mascara called attention to her dark, soulful eyes and pale pink lip gloss gave her full, sensual lips a subtle sheen.  She’d chosen a simple yet form-fitting black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places.  The attention she was attracting was undeniable.

Kimberly wasn’t one to let the lingering stares go to her head.  She wryly reminded herself that every guy in the club was ogling her through beer goggles. 
There was no telling whether they’d even cast a second glance in her direction if they were sober.  Even so, the attention was kind of nice.

“Isn’t this great?” Jane shouted as she swayed her
slender hips to the blaring music.  She always danced like no one was watching.  If she had an ounce of self-consciousness in her, it didn’t show.

Kimberly, meanwhile, couldn’t imagine dancing in a
room full of people.  She was more the type to hang out in a dark corner of the bar people-watching.

“Yeah,” Kimberly agreed, wondering if she sounded convincing.  She didn’t want to be rude but in all honesty, the loud music and bright lights were giving her a headache. 
She couldn’t wait to go home.

“That guy over there is
hot,” Jane announced, pointing to an athletic looking young man standing by the bar.  “You should go ask him to dance!”

Kimberly shrugged.  “I’m not really the dancing type,” she confessed
as Jane raised her arms above her head, let out a sexy yell and shimmied like a pro.  “You go ahead.”

Jane laughed drunkenly and readjusted her cleavage, which was very much on display. 
She eyed the guy hungrily, like a cougar stalking its prey.  Then she asked Kimberly, “How do you expect to get laid if you don’t put yourself out there?”

Taken aback, Kimberly paused and then replied,
“I…don’t?” 

“Oh, right,” Jane remembered.  “The virgin thing...I forgot.  You really should just get it over with,” she advised.  “You hold out for Mr. Right and for what? 
I bet you’ll be disappointed when you finally lose it…I think it’s pretty much a rule that the first few times are awkward and uncomfortable.  But it gets better after that – trust me!  Just find a cute guy and take him home already!” she giggled. 

Kimberly blushed and reminded herself to never confide in Jane about personal things ever again. 
She couldn’t believe Jane was talking about
that
in public.  Thankfully the music was so loud she was certain no one had overheard.  “I’m going to go out and get some air,” she told Jane.  “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Jane had already turned her attention back to her future one night stand.

Once she located an exit, Kimberly made a beeline for it, anxious to get out to the parking lot.  She was flustered thanks to Jane bringing up the virginity issue.  It was a sensitive subject for Kimberly and she hated when Jane made light of it.

Yes, Kimberly was a virgin. 
It wasn’t that she was saving herself for marriage or anything like that.  She simply wanted to lose it to someone she cared about, who cared about her.  Casual sex didn’t appeal to her in the least.  It seemed so impersonal and cheap…Kimberly wanted more than that. 

She stepped outside into the parking lot. 
When the cool night air hit her, Kimberly tilted her head back and inhaled greedily.  It felt so good to be out of that stuffy club that reeked of alcohol, cologne and perfume.  After listening to deafeningly loud music all night, the silence was more than welcome.

Kimberly
looked around.  There were a few people scattered around, mostly huddled in small groups smoking and laughing or couples off in seclusion, making out in the shadows.  For the most part, however, the parking lot was pretty deserted.

She
perched gingerly on the edge of a large decorative cement planter and pulled out her phone.  It wasn’t that she intended to call or text anyone; it was just that she felt a bit awkward sitting out there all alone and didn’t know what else to do with her hands.  She wasn’t proud of it, but like so many people of her generation, Kimberly used her phone as a crutch on occasion.

Then a commotion a few y
ards away caused her to look up from the glowing blue screen.

“What the hell, man?” some guy
standing a few yards away drunkenly slurred.  He sounded angry.  “Who are you to tell me not to drive?  I don’t even know you so piss off!”

“I’m not letting you get behind the wheel,” another, much more sober sounding male voice
calmly replied.  “You’re drunk.  Let me call you a cab.”

“I can’t leave my truck he
re!” the wasted guy protested, half-whining and half-shouting.

Curious, Kimberly stood up and
timidly peered past the vehicles that were partially obscuring her view. 

The
drunk was a big, muscular blonde guy.  If Kimberly had to guess, she’d say he was a college football player.  The letterman jacket he wore and his muscular physique were what tipped her off.  He was clearly inebriated; he could barely hold himself up never mind walk in a straight line. 

The guy who was refusing to let him drive was a bit older – likely Kimberly’
s age.  He was tall, slim, clean cut and wearing glasses.  He looked uncomfortable to be in the midst of a confrontation and Kimberly couldn’t blame him; the big drunken brute could probably take him out with one well-placed right hook.  The bespectacled guy nonetheless stood his ground.

“Move!” the drunk suddenly bellowed with such force that it made Kimberly jump.

“I’m sorry,” the other guy said with determination, “but I can’t let you drive and put other people’s lives in jeopardy.”  Kimberly was impressed that he was so dedicated to keeping an obviously inebriated guy off the road.

“Either you get out of my way or I’ll knock your teeth out!” the drunk mumbled, his words barely comprehensible. 

Alarmed by the intoxicated young athlete’s threat, Kimberly hastily turned and began hurrying back toward the club.  Her intention was to find a bouncer to diffuse the situation before the Good Samaritan ended up getting hurt. 

Just then, a group of rowdy frat boys approached. 
They were noisy and rowdy, laughing and joking and clearly in good spirits.

“Hey dude!” one of them said to the drunk,
clapping him on the back, “there you are!  C’mon buddy, we’re going across the street for cheeseburgers.” 

And j
ust like that, the tense situation was over.

As the college guys boisterously made their way across the street, Kimberly
hesitated briefly.  Then after a moment of contemplation, she approached the young man in the glasses. 

“Hi,” she said, suddenly feeling
shy.  Being the introvert she was, she wasn’t usually one to talk to strangers.  Despite that, she felt like she wanted to commend the guy for what she’d just witnessed.  “I just wanted to say I heard what was going on.  It was pretty awesome of you to put your foot down like that and not let him drive.” 

The guy shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.  “It was the right thing to do,” he replied
, pushing his glasses up as he spoke.

“It was,” Kimberly agreed, “but a lot of people probably would have just looked the other way.  They wouldn’t have wanted to get involved, you know?  Anyway, I should get back inside – enjoy the rest of your night.”

“I won’t,” the guy replied good-naturedly.

Kimberly raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?”

He shrugged.  “This whole…club thing isn’t really for me.  I’m just out tonight for a friend’s bachelor party,” he explained.  “Maybe admitting this will just be a testament to how nerdy I am, but I’d sort of rather be at home playing video games.”

Kimberly smiled.  “Same here,” she confided.  “Well, except for the video games part, that is. 
This is more my friend’s idea of fun than my own…she just dragged me along.  I’m Kimberly, by the way.”

He smiled back.  “I’m Felix.”

Kimberly’s night at the club
hadn’t been a total write off.  By the end of the night, she’d made a new friend.  She and Felix exchanged numbers and over the next few weeks, they began to text each other regularly. 

It was nice to have a new friend.  Kimberly’s circle of friends was admittedly small.  She’d always been the type to have a few close girlfriends rather than a large group of acquaintances.  Jane had been preoccupied lately – as it turned out, her one night stand had become a twice-a-week
hookup.  Kimberly wasn’t jealous, but she did miss hanging out with Jane.  Felix helped fill that void.

As it turned out, Kimberly and Felix had a lot in common.  Both of them were avid readers, loved foreign films and had been
science majors at university.  Kimberly found herself texting Felix more than she had ever texted anyone in her life…and it made her fingers hurt!  Finally, she suggested they meet up in person. 

The second time Kimberly and Felix met up was a Tuesday afternoon. 
Felix came to the tiny coffee shop around the corner from the hospital where Kimberly worked.  Still clad in her scrubs, she made sure she was punctual – being kept waiting, after all, was one of her pet peeves.  Even though she got there on time, Felix was already there waiting.  Apparently he, too, was a stickler for punctuality.