A Wicked Beginning (14 page)

“Okay, okay, Cam. You’re such a tough guy sometimes.”

“Brutal upbringing can do that to a guy,” he remarked.

“Yeah, but you have a juicy tender spot inside, I know you do. I’m counting on that for our experiment to work.” She stroked Cam’s arm, causing a strange sensation to curl up towards his shoulder. It felt better than the usual pleasure he got out of touch…there was something different to this kind of sensation. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it sure as fuck felt awesome.

“How do you do that…?”

“Do what…?”

“That…” He nodded towards his arm.

“Did that feel good?”

“I’ll say.”

“Well, let’s just say this is my experiment.”

“What is…?” He didn’t want her to stop touching him.

“This…” she said, snaking a fingertip up his neck.

A wave of something he could only describe as wet current assaulted his senses…yeah, that’s what it felt like…like warm water rushing over and through his skin. “Shit, Chér. That’s intense. I have to drive, you know.” Chérie just laughed and rolled down the window, letting the wind tousle her hair. Watching her sure as hell stimulated his imagination. He could think of about 15 things he wanted to do with her right now; none of them had to do with driving.

“Just you wait,” she assured him.

They purchased sandwiches, chips, and drinks at Spader’s Deli downtown before heading out towards Shelton. They kept up a friendly conversation the whole way, delighting in getting to know each other all over again. After about an hour and a half of driving, they found a quiet spot in one of the inlets off the Puget Sound, spread a blanket, settled in, and consumed their meal.

The air was cool and moist as big cumulous clouds made their way through the sky. A light wind made the blue-gray water choppy. Still, they were in their element – the great outdoors. The two of them never minded the weather much as long as they were able to connect with the environment they loved. The weather was just part of the experience.

Once they had packed up the wrappings and remains, Cam asked her, “So, babe…you said you had an idea… I’m all ears.” He stroked a hand lazily down her silky leg.

“Well…” she began. “I had this experience once…when you and I had split up, I mean.”

Cam snorted. “Go ahead and say it – with Fabio.”

Chérie gave him a pointed look. “You and I weren’t together, Cam. And you were otherwise engaged yourself. Do you want to hear my idea or do you want to discuss the past?” she added tartly.

“Idea…” he replied. “Definitely idea...” He held up his hands, palms outward. “Forgive me…”

“Done,” she said, smiling. “Soooo….what I learned was that keeping an innocent heart while intimate…”

“With Fabio…” Cam growled.

“For Pete’s Sake, Cam, do you want to hear my idea or don’t you? I’ll stop right now.” She folded her arms over her chest.

“When did you become this bossy?” Cam couldn’t help but laugh. This, the new and improved Chérie was way more fun than the meek young woman he’d met and fell in love with. “Okay, tell me your idea,” he urged, tracing circles on her inner thighs.

“Okay.” She sat up eagerly. “So Manoko said that you could engage with me if you do it with a pure heart, right?”

“Right…” he replied, his attention on the tiny lights spreading across her skin when he touched her. All this glow stuff was crazy-strange.

“Okay, then…try to remember what it was like the first time you touched a girl.”

Cam chuckled. “I was ten-years-old, my dad was drunk and probably high, my mom was wailing, and the girl next door and I were outside…um…exploring.”

Chérie frowned. “Did you feel…innocent?”

“Babe, at that time of my life I felt so goddamned old already…nope, can’t say that there was much innocence in me at that point.”

“Hmm... Can you recall a time when you did feel innocent?”

Cam thought a moment. “How about this…when I was eight-years-old my grandpa took me to look at puppies. His neighbor’s dog had just had a litter. I think the bitch was a black Lab. I thought I might get one. I was really excited. We got to the farm, and I got to sit in the middle of all these squirming black puppies. They were climbing all over me and licking me. I was laughing so hard I nearly peed my pants. One of them had a white blaze along his nose. That’s the one I wanted. I was going to name him Snowflake.”

“That sounds sweet, Cam. Did you get that puppy?”

“Nope, my goddamned father said I was useless at taking care of anything.” A cloud of hurt formed on his face. Cam gazed out at the small white caps forming along the water. He watched a seagull overhead that was scoping out the food scraps below. Leaning over, he found a bread crust and pitched it in the bird’s direction. Three more gulls suddenly appeared, screeching and squabbling for the tasty treasure. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Chérie staring at him with a look of concern. Shit. This did
not
feel good. This was not the way he wanted the evening to go. “What’s your next idea?” he retorted.

Chérie did not react to his snappy comeback. Instead she offered a soothing reply. “Gee, Cam. You really did have a brutal upbringing. The puppy memory was a good one. But we need to find a memory that is not attached to a painful one.”

“Good luck with that,” Cam shot back. He crushed the paper sack with all the food wrappers into a tiny, white ball. “Sorry, babe, but this idea feels like therapy and that sucks. I’m not really up for dredging up my past. You got any other great notions?”

“Is there any time…now, I mean…that you feel innocent?”

“Chérie, I honestly don’t remember what innocence feels like. I think I was born old and worn out while my dad was hammering away at my mom to hurry up and get the goddamned baby out for Christ sake.” He watched Chérie sigh. Then little tears formed in her eyes. Shit. “I’m sorry, babe. That’s just what it was like growing up.” He wiped away her tears with his thumbs and looked into her limitless gaze.

Looking into her eyes was like looking into the universe, all mystery and wonder. He felt like he was falling into space. Then, Goddamn it all to hell, he started to cry, too. His heart felt like it was cracking into bits, held in the vast expanse of Chérie’s being. His mind was flooded with a memory of this little kid, this little boy Cam, never getting a chance to just be a kid. Now he was bawling. These fucking waterworks seemed to be pushing debris out of his system, much like the rapids push leaves, branches, even trees, down the river. Chérie had wrapped her arms around him, and the two of them were fucking crying like two small children. Cam sobbed and heaved like a dying man.
Hell, this was going to destroy his image as a tough guy
, he thought in the corner of his mind.

When the water show had eased up, he leaned back, seized his sweatshirt off the blanket and dabbed at Chérie’s eyes before scrubbing his own face. She smiled at him with this beatific glow. “That was different,” he said, smiling back at her.

“How do you feel now?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Kind of cleaned out, I guess.”

“Any innocence in there?”

He laughed. “You know, there might be a little bit, yeah…”

“Where do you feel it?”

“Well, Doc, I seem to feel it right here…” He knocked his chest with his fist.

“That’s perfect, Cam.”

“I’d rather feel it right here,” he said cupping his crotch. “And here…” He gestured towards her pelvis.

“Yeah, but this is where my experiment comes in,” she responded enthusiastically.

“Lay it on me.”

“For this to work, you have to have a pure heart, right?”

“What do you mean by ‘this’?” Cam wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

Chérie shook her head. “You know what I mean. Now, do you want to try this or not?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Okay. So feel that spot in your heart that feels like innocence…or softness…or whatever you want to call it.”

“Okay, coach, got it.”

“Now, kiss me.”

He looked over at her eager face. “That’s easy…” he said, reaching towards her.

“You have to stay in that super soft vulnerable place in your heart.”

“Hmm, that might be a twist in the plan.”

“Try it, Cam.”

He swallowed. This was going to be harder than it seemed. He’d had a million sexual encounters. Most of them had one goal in mind – getting off. And sure, he’d cared about the women he did it with – some of them at least. Chérie was the only one he’d fallen hook, line, and sinker in love with, however. And he’d only really realized that after they’d split up last year. He swallowed again. He was actually nervous, like a fucking virgin. He realized his foot was shaking back and forth like a flag fluttering in a tornado.
Calm down
, he urged himself…
This is only a kiss.
“Okay…okay, babe.” He scooted close to her and cupped the back of her neck. “Okay…” he said again. Then, he laughed. “Damn, Chérie, I feel like I’ve never done this.”

“You probably haven’t.” She smiled back at him encouragingly. “Keep the focus here, Cam.” She tapped his heart.

“I may only be able to do this once.”

“Once is a start,” she encouraged.

He took a deep breath. Moved cautiously towards her mouth… Lips connected…check…he felt all fluttery inside…weird. A pulse of sensation flooded his heart. Her lips were so soft…so sweet…his cock stirred, but no pulsating evil in his leg. He pulled back and gulped. “What do you think? How’d I do?”

“That was great, Cam. How do you feel?”

“Like I’m fucking five-years-old…”

“That’s wonderful…let’s try it again.”

“Okay, coach, let me out on the playing field again.” He leaned in for another kiss…began to melt into the intoxicating kiss. Put the tip of his tongue out for a tentative exploration. His cock hardened into pure want… The motherfucker claw marks start to burn. “Shit…” he pulled away.

“It’s okay, Cam, this is new.”

“I’ll say…” He paused to catch his breath and ease the stinging in his leg.

“Up here…keep your attention up here.” Chérie tapped his chest again. “Ready to try again?”

Cam rubbed his chin with his palm. “Why not…?” Then he thought of something. “Hey, Chér, what do you think of this?” He reached into his pocket and groped around for the small golden cat’s eye which James had given him. Pulling it out, he handed it to Chérie. The greenish-golden orb pulsed with light as Chérie took it in her hand. It was like it knew who she was or something. Cam shook his head. Always something new to wrap his head around, that was for sure.

“Cam, it’s exquisite. Where did you get it?” Chérie turned it to and fro in front of her face, watching the setting sun light up the translucent streak in the center.

“James gave it to me today…to, uh…to help me deal with my anger. He said one of his clients got it from some shaman dude in Peru. It’s supposed to bring grounding and forgiveness. I, uh…I thought it reminded me of you.”

Chérie glanced up at him and gave him a heart melting smile. “That’s beautiful, Cam. Thank you for honoring me so…”

“Uh, sure…anyway, for this little experiment of yours…how about if I try imagining this…the qualities of this stone in my…in my, uh, heart.” Jesus, he sounded like an idiot saying that. He looked towards the sky for support.

“That’s a great idea, Cam,” Chérie exclaimed. “Here…I’ll even hold it close to your chest as a reminder.”

She closed her hand around the small stone and pressed her fist up to his heart. He noticed juicy warmth spreading through his chest. “This isn’t going to turn me into some insipid namby-pamby dude, is it? Like, some weak-ass guy with a limp dick…?” he asked with a snort.

“No, tough guy, you’ll still keep your hard-ass reputation. You’ll be better, though, because you will learn how to invoke your strong heart.”

“Alright, then, as long as it improves my reputation, I’m alright with this.” He laughed softly. “This is fucking weird, babe.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “I’m sure you’ll get over it…especially when you experience how good it feels.”

“Lay it on me, coach.”

Again, Chérie put her attention on the small stone in her hand. Cam watched her, mesmerized. She tipped her head upwards and asked, “Ready…?”

“Ready…” He inclined his head towards her face with a delicious feeling of balminess running through his chest like a tropical waterfall.
Like water…
he kept repeating in his mind.
Like warm, warm water running downstream…
His lips touched hers, and he became flooded with new sensations. He was sort of tingly all over, and yes, his cock was getting hard, but it didn’t capture all of his attention. Instead he was noticing all he experienced touching Chérie’s lips and the narcotic sensations coursing through his body. He pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. Man, this felt extreme. So many new sensations… This was like exploring a river run for the first time. You took nothing for granted, did not assume anything. He broke the kiss with a loud lip smacking sound, threw back his head, and laughed. “Fucking awesome, Chér…this is fucking awesome.”