He took my silence as consent and we drove for a while down moonlit country roads bordered on either side by tall sugarcane fields. Mark was quiet, it was a little unsettling for me because I had gotten use to his incessant chatter. Eventually we emerged unto a road that ran parallel to the ocean and he turned unto a graveled beach access road. I could hear the gravel hitting the sides of the SUV despite the throaty roar of the engine. The sound abruptly receded as we drove unto what appeared to be soft grass.
The moon was a glow of orange light behind heavy clouds, the starless sky was dark and all I could see below it was liquid inky blackness where the sea should be. I could hear turbulent waves crashing on the shoreline and I assumed we were on an outcropping of rock high above the sea. Mark turned the engine off and the smell of the sea wafted in on a gust of fresh air as I put my window down. It was going to rain, I could smell it in the air.
Mark reached over and took my hand in his, I watched as his big hand engulfed mine. He was a big man, the kind of strong solid man who can pick you up with very little effort. The thought of being picked up ran a thrill through me, I’m tall so its rare for me to find a man who would want to pick me up! “Do you know how many times I tried to reach you?” he asked, “I tried several combinations of numbers before I finally found you today. “Oh but I gave you my number!” I said chuckling. “I don’t think you gave me the right number, but you know what? I’m very happy that I eventually found you.” He abruptly leaned in and kissed me rather clumsily on my cheek, I thought it was adorable.
He was really sweet and I felt a little ashamed that I’d made it difficult for him to reach me. “I thought of you a lot since that day on the beach, I feel like we connected in some way and I absolutely had to see you again” he continued earnestly. He squeezed my hand and I felt a slight tremor in his which was a bit surprising. It appeared that he was about to get all emotional on me and it wasn’t what I expected. I am usually wary of overly emotional displays, I get uncomfortable because I seldom know how to react. Extracting my hand from his, I opened my door and stepped out into the cool night air, it felt heavenly! the wind tossed my hair and lifted the hem of my flimsy top. I turned to walk closer to what I sensed was the edge of the outcropping but Mark grabbed me back by the arm, “be careful, there is a sheer drop” he said coming up behind me.
He pulled me into his warm embrace and we stood in silence drinking in the sight of the cloudy sky and listening to the sound of the waves crashing below. The brisk wind was beginning to feel chilly and my skimpy top did not afford me much warmth. I was happy for the heat of Mark’s body against my bare back and his warm hands on my hips. He slid his hands up my sides over the silky fabric of my top. His hands hesitated just below the curve of my breasts for a moment before quickly moving up to briefly skim across the thrust of my nipples beneath the silky fabric.
“Your breasts are incredible” he murmured against my neck. “Are they real?” I wriggled out of his embrace and laughed as I opened the car door. “Yep, they’re very real” I said. I’m always a little peeved when someone asks if my breasts are real, I’d honestly rather fly off to a fabulous location for a weekend than go under the knife any day! “I think we should go now, or I may fall asleep on you.” I said. I watched as he walked around to the driver’s side and got in “You have permission to sleep on me whenever you like”, and he sounded like he meant it.
As we drove back the way we came, the rain came down in torrents. I hadn’t been wrong! I’d known it was going to rain since earlier. “Any plans for tomorrow?” Mark asked, and as I opened my mouth to answer he did that thing I was getting used to. “Let me take you shopping” he said. I laughed, I’ve never known a man to willingly offer to take a woman shopping! “are you kidding? you want to take me shopping?”, he looked at me from the corner of his eye “Why not? you’re gorgeous and I’d love to dress you up and show you off. Just tell me what time to get you in the morning and we can go shopping. you can have your hair done, get a manicure or whatever you like.” I stared at him in disbelief, he glanced at me again “Seriously, I mean it”. I didn’t know what to say! this was a first for me and I had no idea how to respond.
When we finally arrived at my friend’s house, it had stopped raining. Mark turned to me and reached for my hand. “Listen babe, I’ll be here at 10 tomorrow, we’re going shopping, I mean it”, “alright then, I’ll be ready and waiting at 10” I said. He pulled me closer and kissed me way too hard, almost suffocating me in the process. He tasted of the whiskey he drank earlier and while he was sweet, I really wasn’t sure this was going to work…
To be continued…
