Lost Soul (20 page)

Jessica heard the doorbell ring from her cozy spot under the covers.
 
She tried to ignore it at first, assuming it was an Avon lady or a Jehovah’s Witness, but after the third ring she hauled herself out of her bed and threw on a robe before padding to the door.
 
She’d moved from her tiny apartment several years ago into a barely-larger bungalow.
 
It was nothing special to look at and the neighborhood was in desperate need of gentrification, but she liked the idea of putting equity into her own home instead of throwing it away on rent.
 
She could barely afford the mortgage, though, so home improvements would have to wait.
 

Michael had offered to help her financially many times, but her pride kept her from accepting anything but his love.
 
She knew he had plenty of money.
 
His clothing always looked custom made and perfectly fit, he drove a nice car, and he didn’t think twice about dropping several hundred dollars on a night on the town.
 
But Jessica never wanted to feel indebted to him; he already owned her heart.
 
Taking his money would make her feel like he was paying her to be with him and nothing could be farther from the truth.
 
In reality, she loved him despite his wealth.
 
At first she was self-conscious about their disparate socioeconomic standings, but Michael never looked down on her for being a simple waitress with only a high school education.
 
In fact, he talked to her like she was his equal, like her experience waiting tables in a tiny town in Michigan was just as valid as the years he had spent doing business all over the world.
 
He valued her opinion and made her feel like her thoughts were worth hearing, even when she was sure they were simple and naive.
 
She loved him for that, and a thousand other reasons; she just wished she had enough to offer him to make him stay.

“Happy birthday, Jessie,” Michael said with a devastating smile as Jessica opened her front door.
 
He was half hidden behind an enormous bouquet of pink roses and a straw fedora that sat jauntily on top of his head.
 
He was dressed in a tee shirt that showed off his muscles and a pair of swim trunks that hung low on his chiseled hips.
 
A brightly colored beach bag hung from his shoulder and his cocky smile made it obvious he was proud of his scheme.

“Michael!
 
What are you doing here?
 
You never come to visit this early in the day!” Jessica exclaimed, taking the proffered roses in one hand and using the other in an embrace.
 
Her smile made it obvious she was delighted by the surprise.

“I know, darling, and I owe you an apology for all the birthdays I’ve missed, but I couldn’t let one more go by without showing you how glad I am that you were born.
 
Please say you’ll spend the day with me, Jessica.
 
I want to spoil you as much as I can.
 
Please tell me you don’t have any other plans.”

“It wouldn’t matter if I did, Michael; I’d cancel them all just to spend a few minutes with you,” Jessica admitted shyly, burying her nose in the flowers to avoid looking in his eyes.
 
Michael lifted her chin with his finger and gave her a small grin in reply then leaned in for a kiss that quickly turned inappropriate for the front porch.
 
Unwilling to break contact, Michael fumbled behind her for the doorknob and swiftly shuffled them into the house, never once taking his lips from hers.

Jessica led him past the tiny kitchen to her bedroom and the two tumbled into the still warm bed.
 
Michael quickly shed his tee shirt and Jessica took a moment to admire the sharp lines of his pelvis disappearing into his shorts.
 
Michael didn’t let her look for long, though, before tugging her close and nuzzling his face against the soft satin covering her chest.
 
His hot breath on her skin made her breasts go taut beneath the thin fabric and she moaned as his hands traced the line of her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

A while later, Michael lay on his side staring at Jessica as she dozed, her head resting on his arm, trapping him under her body like she had pinned him under her spell.
 
He watched her eyelids flutter and her lips quiver as she dreamed and he wondered if he played a starring role.
 
Jessica stirred under the intensity of his gaze and opened her amber eyes to stare into his.
 
A smile brightened her face as he stroked her cheek.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Michael whispered, his voice still husky with desire.
 
“What would you like to do today?”

Jessica’s smile grew wide and she replied, “I’ve always wanted to wake up and hear you say that, Michael.
 
Do I finally get to have you for the whole day?”

Michael nodded, hiding his anxiety behind his smile.
 
He’d never been away from Maxwell for this long before, and never during the day, but his desire to surprise her for her birthday had been on his mind for months and he decided it was worth the risk to give her a special day.

“If you want me,” Michael purred, nuzzling the side of her face.

“I’ll always want you, Michael — all day, every day.”

Michael lifted his head to stare deep into her eyes.
 
“I’d give you every day of the rest of my life if I could, Jessie.
 
You’re always on my mind, even when we’re separated by a thousand miles.”

It wasn’t the promise of forever she wanted, but she would have to be satisfied knowing that at least he thought of her when he wasn’t by her side.

“It looks like you had a day at the beach in mind,” Jessica said, dropping the emotionally charged topic that plagued her mind but had no solution in sight.

“If you’d like,” Michael replied.
 
“The weather’s going to be really nice and I never get to see you in the sunshine.”

“Sounds great, Michael,” Jessica smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.
 
“Let me go find my swimsuit.”

A sheepish look crossed Michael’s face.
 
“Umm, I kinda brought one for you, you know, just in case?
 
I wasn’t sure if you had one or not.
 
You never mention going to the lake.”

“It has been a really long time,” Jessica confirmed.
 
“So what kind of swimsuit did you buy me?”

Michael wiggled his eyebrows and dug into his beach bag, pulling out a microscopic scrap of fabric.

“Yikes,” Jessica replied, holding up the tiny purple bikini.

“Not your style?”

“You know I’m 34, right?”

Michael shrugged.
 
“You look exactly like you did at 24.”

Jessica smirked and held the swimsuit up for size.
 
“You always know the right thing to say to made me feel good, Michael.
 
How did you get so wise?”

“I just say what’s on my mind.”
 
Michael’s smile burned through her resistance and the next thing she knew she was modeling the tiny swimsuit for his approving eyes.

“I changed my mind,” Michael growled, pulling her down by his side.
 
“I don’t want to go out, I want to stay inside and make you mine.”

Jessica swatted him away with her beach towel.
 
“No way, mister.
 
You promised me a day in the sun and that’s what I want.
 
Besides, you already made me yours a long time ago.”

Michael wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for one last kiss.
 
“All right, we can go out if you’d like, but tonight I have a special surprise, so pack an overnight bag, too.”

Jessica raised her eyebrows in surprise.
 
“What should I bring?”

“Something nice,” Michael replied, gazing longingly at her lithe body, scantily clad.

Jessica threw a few things in a bag and soon they were on their way to Lake Michigan to enjoy the sun and sand.

The day was brilliant, bright sunshine bouncing off the white sand, blinding them as they looked for an empty spot to set up camp amidst the crowd of sunbathers.
 
Michael had lounge chairs and a cooler full of snacks and drinks and a bottle of suntan lotion he was looking forward to helping Jessica apply.

They soaked in the rays, talking and laughing till their skin began to sizzle, then took a dip in the cool lake where Jessica wrapped her legs around Michael’s waist and kissed him till a beach ball to the head interrupted their embrace.
 
Jessica giggled as she slid down his legs till her feet were on the ground, but her hands stayed wrapped around his waist.

“They’re just jealous,” she said, “because I’m with such a gorgeous guy.”

“Are you kidding?” Michael balked.
 
“You’re the gorgeous one.
 
I’m just some guy who got lucky enough to spend time with you.
 
You’re even more beautiful in the sunshine than you are in the candlelight.”
 
His hands stroked her cheeks then traced their way down her hourglass curves and his eyes drank in her beauty.
 
His mind drifted to fantasies of spending every day with her here in the sunlight.
 
It was even more appealing than the thought of spending every night in her bed.

“Let’s walk down the beach so I can show you off,” Michael suggested with a twinkle in his eye as he grabbed her hand and led her towards the pier.
 
They strolled casually down the beach, their hands swinging together between them, stepping over sandcastles and children digging channels to the water, stopping to pick up shells along the way.
 
Jessica looked away every time a guy gave her an appreciative stare, but Michael just beamed.
 
He wasn’t offended; he was just proud she was with him.

When they reached the pier, Jessica begged to walk to the end and climb the lighthouse for a view of the shore.
 
The lake stretched out endlessly before them and they both stood and appreciated the scenery for a few minutes, wrapped in each other’s arms, as the seagulls squawked and dived around them and the waves lapped at the side of the pier.
 
By the time they had made the trek back to their things the sun was starting to dip and Michael told Jessica about his plans for the rest of the evening.

They made a quick stop at the hotel to change before heading to the restaurant and Jessica looked so good in her little black dress that Michael wanted to skip dinner so he could rip it off her.
 
He resisted the temptation to ravage her when he heard her stomach growl and instead led her back to the car for a quick ride to the restaurant.

Flickering sconces lined the damask-papered walls of the small French restaurant, giving it a romantic glow.
 
Jessica gasped at the elegance as her eyes scanned the beautiful dining room and she grabbed Michael in a hug as she whispered her appreciation in his ear.
 
“You deserve someplace as beautiful as you,” he replied, pulling her in for a kiss.
 
Their hostess took the hint and led them to a secluded table that still had a nice view of the restaurant and a waiter quickly appeared with wine and menus.
 
Jessica noticed hers didn’t have any prices and she shuddered to think what each dish must cost.

“Get whatever you’d like, Jessie,” Michael said, as if reading her mind.
 
“Today is your special day.
 
I want you to remember it forever.”
 
His gaze was intense as he stared into her eyes and Jessica gasped at his words.
 
They sounded too intense to be talking about just a birthday.
 
It wasn’t even an important birthday like 30 or 40, and he’d never made such a big deal about it before.
 
Did Michael want today to be special for some other reason?
 
Jessica wondered.

Maybe he was going to propose!
 
Her eyes widened as the idea crossed her mind.
 
She stared at him, trying to guess what was going through his mind but all he did was look at her in adoration.
 
She didn’t want to get her hopes up so she tried not to think about it, but once the seed had been planted it quickly grew into a jungle that forced every other thought out of her mind.

As the tuxedoed waiter brought course after course, Jessica’s anticipation grew until she realized she couldn’t even remember what all she had eaten let alone how it had tasted.
 
She forced herself to stop and focus on savoring each moment, burning the memory into her mind.
 
She laughed till her stomach hurt as Michael regaled her with stories of his awkward encounters overseas.
 
The stories were actually about Maxwell, but Michael had lived through them too, so it wasn’t too hard to pretend it had actually been him.

Her favorite was when he had accidentally flipped off an entire boardroom of important businessmen in Greece because he didn’t realize a wave was not considered a friendly greeting but more like an F-you.
 
Jessica giggled as Michael demonstrated their indignant reaction to his faux pas.