The next morning when I stumbled into my bathroom, I found a message scrawled in a beautiful, light pink lipstick on my mirror. It says "Say 'Hi!' to a cute guy today."
The words were followed by a huge, winking smiley face with long eyelashes.
Oh, Kim, I thought, I just came to the conclusion that I don't need a man. I left the message on my mirror, though, as a reminder to have fun and not take things so seriously.
Since it was weekend, with no special plans, I decided to go for a workout. After a quick shower, I donned my capri yoga pants and a sports tank, then I coated my exposed skin with sunscreen. I knew my mother was smiling down on me for that. She had always insisted on moisturizing and protecting. I pulled my thick, black hair back into a simple ponytail, skipped makeup (other than cherry Chapstick, of course), and tied my bright purple tennis shoes.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I decided that I was a solid six with my glossy, chestnut hair and big gray eyes. I wasn't going to win any beauty contests, but with makeup and a sexy dress, I could pass for a six and a half, maybe a seven. At least I wouldn't scare anyone off. "Ready as I'll ever be," I said to no one in particular, since Kim likely wouldn't roll out of bed until it was time for the lunch shift at Biggie's.
Bubble, one of Kim's stray cats that she was constantly taking in, shifted his head along the floor to watch me go. I told myself that it would be a much better workout without him, but the spotted basset hound had such sweet, sad eyes that I couldn't resist him.
"Do you want to go?" 'Go' must have been the magic word because he thumped his tail twice and started to maneuver his legs in an attempt to gain enough traction to stand up on the hardwood floor. It was such an operation that I was tempted to go help him, but instead I grabbed the leash and waited for him to join me at the door. Looking at his little body, I decided that a lack of food was definitely not a problem in Bubble's life before Kim rescued him.
Bubble and I made our way out at Bubble's pace. I found that I liked being forced to slow down a little. It felt like I was always rushing somewhere, even though I didn't know why I was hurrying. Habit, I guess.
Almost everyone we passed smiled at Bubble. I could see why Kim had fallen for him so quickly and taken him in. He was cute in a droopy kind of way. Unlike that awful yellow cat - Tobi, who skittered off or had a hissing fit any time I came near. I think Kim believed, at first, that I was mean to Tobi behind her back. Now that we had become so close, Kim knew that I would never intentionally harm an animal. That cat just didn't like me for some reason. She probably just wanted Kim all to herself.
As Bubble and I walked by the lakeside, I lifted my face to the sun and enjoyed the light breeze off the water. It was a truly glorious day, before a huge cute dog attacked bubble. Trying to fight him off, a voice came from behind, I heard him before I saw him. "Buddy, stop it! come here!!" he yelled.
Just then, the dog ran towards him. I mean the guy was cute with his broad shoulders, great ass and well built physique.
When Buddy got to him, he bent down to lovingly ruffle its ears. He immediately tendered an apology saying it's unlike his dog to attack strangers. He looked up to me and I was met with one of the most gorgeous men I had ever laid eyes on. His dark hair was just a smidge too long, and he used an elegant hand to swoop it back off his forehead. And those eyes, they were the most amazing green eyes I'd ever seen. They looked exactly like the eyes from my naughty dream, they were fantastic and draped by long, dark lashes that most women couldn't dream of having, even with the help of mascara. He took my breath away.
I felt completely tongue tied, and we were too close for me to just walk away like he wasn't talking to me.
"Ummm," I stalled. Jeez! What is wrong with me? My breath was coming fast and I could feel my face flushing. I had to do something. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got the word out.
"It's fine," I mumbled, crossing my arms awkwardly and intending to make a quick exit.
"I'm Devin, Devin Booker!" he responded and flashed me with a grin that just about bowled me over.
"Kylie, my name is Kylie Wintour, nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand gently. Nice to meet you?? My thoughts screamed at me, how clever. He was way out of my league, and I just wanted to get away from him. I tried to push the negative self talk out of my mind, but it seemed to be just as stubborn as Bubble. Of course he chose that moment to plop his butt on the ground and sit for a spell. I coaxed him with a "Come on Bubble, let's go get a treat!" I whistled and tugged at him, but the damn cat refused to budge. He Was hissing and lolling on the ground as if he intended to stay there indefinitely. "Come on Bubble. We need to go," I tried again.
Handsome man and his happy, energetic dog stood there watching the whole exchange. Both of them had big grins on their faces, looking extremely amused at my predicament. Taking mercy on me, the man finally said, "It doesn't look like you are going anywhere for a while.
Bubble finally harrumphed and started the process of standing. Sumptuous Devin, as I had decided to call him silently in my head, surprised me by saying, "Wait."This gave me an excuse to pause and look directly at him. He was a sight, all tall and handsome, but that standard description didn't do him justice. He was all of those things, but he was also one of the most ruggedly good looking men I had ever seen. His jeans and tee shirt were snug enough to give a hint of the tight, tan body that they covered. I licked my lips and realized that his full attention was focused on me. It was almost as if he was waiting for me to say something. Oh no! Did he ask me a question?"Huh?" I asked, looking clueless.He didn't seem to be phased by my inner turmoil. "I said that Buddy and I were just getting ready to head to Treats, the bakery on Beach Street. Would you like to join us?"I knew the place he was talking about. It was a local favorite. They had a few alfresco tables that overlooked th
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, grabbing Kim and hugging her as soon as she walked downstairs."Umm, you're welcome," she said, hugging me back. "What'd I do that was so great?""You suggested that I go out more often and meet new people, so I did and he is so handsome, but I didn't know how handsome he was until he came closer to me. He's so dreamy that it nearly took my breath away, but it's not just that his looks. He's also kind and funny and down to earth, and he has a cute dog," I gushed, breathless."Well, any guy who has a great dog like that has to be somewhat okay, but slow down. Who is this guy, and what do you know about him?"I took a moment to enjoy how protective she was of me, and then I started about telling her all about Sumptuous Devin. "He seems to make you happy." Kim admitted. "Just be safe and only meet him in public places at first. You never know. He could be an ex murderer or some other kind of freak.""We're coming to Biggie's on Friday night, so
Time seemed to slowly crawl by while I was waiting for Friday. When it finally arrived, my nerves kicked into high gear. All week, I had been writing pick me up reminders to myself on sticky notes, and they circled my mirror. I took a moment to read through them. Breathe. You are an intelligent woman. Don't chatter non-stop. Smile. Do not worry. You are worthy. You deserve to be happy. They were simple, but reading them helped me calm down.I smiled at the new one that Kim had added in the center of my mirror. Have fun. I took a sip from the glass of chilled white wine that she had delivered to my bathroom before leaving for her shift at Biggie's.Since I still had over an hour before I needed to meet Devin at the restaurant, I decided to take a bubble bath. The wine and bath must have been just what I needed because I was almost calm as I donned my denim mini skirt and the v-neck, light pink tee shirt that Kim had chosen for the occasion. I still couldn't believe that she had loaned
We walked hand in hand along the sandy shore. The nearly full moon glimmered on the water. It was unseasonably warm, so even the breeze off the water wasn't too chilly. I was pleasantly tipsy and happier than I ever remembered being in my entire life.I was in my own world with Devin and barely took notice of the couple walking towards us, until the man spoke. I would have recognized his voice immediately, even if he hadn't called me by the nickname he had used the entire time that we were married, despite the fact that I didn't care for it."Surprise." He drew the word out. "Working your magic on a new fellow, I see."Devin smiled and introduced himself, extending his arm to shake hands.I almost felt sorry for Tiffany when Richard introduced himself as my husband. "Ex-husband," she and I interjected simultaneously."Right, of course, we all knew that. What good fortune, to run into you on our little weekend getaway." I had to force myself to refrain from rolling my eyes at his broad
I blurted out, "Want to take this party inside?" I wondered where this newfound boldness was coming from."Oh, uh." He ran his fingers through his hair.He doesn't want me. He's just being nice. My inner voice panicked."I'm not exactly prepared." At my perplexed look, he elaborated. "I didn't think we'd be in this situation tonight, so I don't have any condoms.""Oh." Relief flooded over me. Since I hadn't had sex until I was married, I had never had to worry about condoms. In fact, I'd never seen one other than during the banana demonstration that every teen suffers through. "Okay, we don't have to." I paused before adding, "But I know I don't have any diseases because I got tested after I found out Richard had been with that whore we saw tonight." Whore?!? My mental critic screeched. How classy.He looked down at me and smiled. "I know I am disease-free because I always wear a condom, but I don't want to get you pregnant on our first official date.""Apparently, I can't get pregnan
I awoke to the delectable smell of sizzling bacon. "Could you be any more perfect?" I asked as I devoured the sight of him working in the kitchen. I watched the muscles in his bare back flex as he turned the bacon. Clad only in perfect fitting jeans, he looked completely at ease in the kitchen.When he turned to hand me a mug of English Breakfast tea, he asked, "Cream and sugar, right?"I could see by the color of it that he had already added the ingredients, and I was beyond touched that he had remembered. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed a shirt," I said, indicating the long, navy blue tee shirt that I was wearing."Looks way better on you than it ever did on me." He smiled. "Mind buttering that toast? Then we can head outside to eat. It's a beautiful morning."He was right, the sun was glistening on the water and the air was fresh and clear. We ate in companionable silence, and I kept finding myself gazing at him. He was so handsome it almost hurt my eyes. When he tossed his last
I could not stop smiling. Last night had been the best of my existence. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders, knowing that my body was capable of experiencing so much pleasure. Now I could see what all of the fuss was about. The only mar on our perfect night was seeing Richard and learning that I was the reason he and I had never conceived a child. I had wanted a baby for as long as I could remember, and I would not give up on that dream. Perhaps I would just need to explore other options, like adoption. I decided to put off thinking about it for now. It's not like I had to be in a big hurry. I wanted my life to be more settled before I made a plan for my child. Settled with Devin? The possibility popped into my head. I attempted to nudge it down, realizing that I might be skipping ahead way too quickly. I ran up the stairs two at a time towards my bedroom. As I rounded my doorway, Tobi, Kim's bitchy cat, skittered out of the room as if I had just kicked her.
We decided on an elegant, black, form-fitting cocktail dress. When paired with the super-high, shiny, black stilettos that Kim had loaned me, the look was classic and stunning. I just hoped I didn't fall down, especially considering what I was wearing underneath my ensemble.The thigh-highs, garter and racy thong were not my traditional type of undergarments. It made me feel sexy, though, to know how scantily I was clad underneath my demure outfit. I shivered in anticipation as I imagined how Devin's eyes would sparkle when he discovered my naughty secret.As I climbed the steps to the museum, I wished again that Devin had picked me up instead of asking me to meet him here. I had waited until fifteen minutes after the event started, hoping that there would be plenty of people here, so I could slip in unnoticed. I despised walking into parties by myself. The great room of the museum had been transformed into a sparkling fairy forest and the effect was magical. Six-foot tall mushrooms p