Mist & Fog 3

I glanced down at myself and then pushed him away from me further. I pulled the robe together and took a deep breath. “You need to get out of here, Broderick. If you stay, I’m afraid things will get out of control.”

            He smacked his lips and smiled. “You’re finally admitting that you want me as much as I want you. I came here on the hope that you would invite me in and let me stay the night.”

            “I didn’t invite you in. You stormed in.”

            “I did, didn’t I? But do you blame me when you open the door wearing what you wear?”

            I wrapped my arms around my waist. “Please…I’m not used to this kind of…relationship. You can’t just show up here, have a roll with me in the sack, and then leave. I’m not like that, Broderick. If any man wants to sleep with me, it requires a relationship. And judging on you, you don’t do relationships, do you?”

            He walked toward me. “Who says I don’t? For the longest time, I’ve had a crush on you. Every day in high school, I’ve had to watch you walk down the hallways with your friends and know that you were out of my league. I’ve had to watch as jerks handled you like you were some item they could use and then trash. But I couldn’t do anything about it, could I? You wouldn’t have looked twice at me.”

            I swallowed. What he said was true and it hurt because even if he had had the courage to ask me out, I’d had rejected him. I turned away, a bit embarrassed and a bit guilty. He walked to me and turned me around to face him. He reached out and touched my cheek.

            “Natasha, there’s so much I can give you now. It’s not even about money. It’s about what I want to give you as a man, what I couldn’t give you as a boy,” he said.

            I took a shaky breath and shook my head. “Thank you, Broderick, but I’m not the same person I was in high school. A lot has happened and until I am comfortable sharing this with you, I don’t think we should be together.”

            I turned to go when what he said next stopped me. “Are you talking about your alleged affair with Senator Cromwell?”

            Slowly, I turned around and watched as his eyes turned misty. I fought the urge to slap him across the face. Was he researching on me? Was that how he knew? I’d paid good money to keep that information from leaking out; actually, my stepfather had paid. It was a fear that rode in me every day that some day I would meet someone and have to explain that the affair wasn’t anything as the press had printed.

            “You’ve done your homework. Now get out,” I said.

            Broderick walked toward me with the stance of a warrior. “I’m not leaving because the Natasha I know would never lower herself to do like that. I know Senator Cromwell pretty well and I know he’s got a like for the ladies, especially ladies he knows he can’t get his hands on. Why do you think he gave up his title after your so called affair was printed?”

            Tears welled up in my eyes and I turned away. “Get out of here!”

            He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “Oh, Natasha, you’re still hurting from it. Don’t let it haunt you anymore. I know for a fact that you never did any of those things.”

            Whipping around, I pushed him away. “It doesn’t solve the fact that I had to live with it for three years. Everywhere I went I was deemed as a home wrecker. My honor was torn up and if my stepfather hadn’t paid money to get the information sealed, I would still be dealing with it today.”

            He slowly grabbed my shoulders and held me. “Natasha, no matter what the press printed, I don’t believe a word of it. I know you. Have you forgotten that we attended the same school for years? I know you.”

            Tears rolled down my cheeks as he pulled me into his arms. Just being held felt so comfortable and being in the arms I thought I would never be in made me feel safe. He wasn’t someone set out to hurt me. He already knew my past and didn’t judge me. His arms tightened when my sobs tore from my throat. He picked me up and carried me to the couch. He held me like an infant on his lap and drew circles around my back, comforting me. It had been a long time since anyone had held me the way he had. In fact, no one had ever held me that way and it felt safe, peaceful, and made me feel wanted. He was quiet and I wiped my eyes, suddenly wanting him more than I thought I did. I slowly reached up my hands to his chest and he must have felt the want in my fingertips because he stopped breathing. When he tilted my chin up, I saw the passion in his eyes and when his lips closed in on mine, I felt the world fall apart with our passion.

 

            When I woke the next morning, Broderick was standing beside me pulling on his pants. I saw the trail of clothes leading to my bed and I blushed. He smiled and bent down to give me a kiss on the lips. He smelled freshly showered and I felt embarrassed about what he must have thought of me in the morning. But he didn’t seem to mind as he sat down. He was naked from the torso up and it suited him well. Beware of my nakedness I pulled the covers up to my chin.

            “I’ve seen everything, Natasha, no use being shy now,” he said with a grin.

            Blushing, I lowered, “I’m still not use to it.”

            He leaned forward. “And I like it, you being shy like this. It makes me want you even more.”

            I raised my eyebrows. “You can still do that after last night?”

            “Oh yes, I can, sweetheart.”

            Last night was full of passion beyond anything I’d ever experienced. It wasn’t just once or twice that we made love. We made love throughout the entire night, waking up to each other’s passion and fulfilling it time and again. I looked away as Broderick got up to continue dressing. When I shifted and felt the soreness between my legs. I winced and he turned around.

            “Are you alright?” he asked.

            Laughing, I said, “I think I’m going to have trouble walking today.”

            “Sweetheart, you won’t be the only one. Are you going to work today?”

            I turned to look at the clock. I had half an hour to get ready. “Yes, I will have to. Things are tight at work as it is.”

            “I’ll wait for you.”

            “Why?”

            “I’m meeting with Gary today.”