Pitifully Ugly

Chapter 30

Steak, crab and ahhh…

In hindsight, it was good to spend time with Mom and Kalen.

Their playful banter and being dragged from store to store made

the day pass quickly. Otherwise, I would’ve sat home and waited

impatiently for the hours to tick by. I returned home to relax for a

while and launder my new outfit.

Now as I stood in the mirror, I was actually happy that Mom

and Kalen were so insistent on dressing me for the occasion.

The black slacks and the lightweight burgundy sweater showed

off the figure that I’d worked for. It wasn’t so dressy that I felt

uncomfortable, yet the ensemble looked a lot dressier than jeans.

I slipped into the matching blazer and wished for a second that

Marvin had been around to do my hair and makeup.

I rode the elevator down to Hailey’s floor with a grin. My

arms were full with flowers for Hailey and a gift bag for Fuzzy

since her chicken-hunting stunt provided the perfect segue for me

to ask Hailey out.

“Wow, you look amazing,” Hailey said when she opened

her door. I wanted to return the compliment, but it froze on my

tongue when I took in the black cocktail dress she’d chosen for the

evening. It hugged every delicious curve and left me breathless.

“Is it too much?” Hailey asked when I stood there gawking.

“No…I…Oh, my God, you’re beautiful.” I felt as awkward

as a schoolboy as I presented the flowers. “These are for you. A

small show of gratitude for taking care of me when I was sick and

a thank you for agreeing to accompany me tonight.”

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Hailey sniffed at the one red rose in the center of the bouquet.

“And this dinner, is this some sort of show of gratitude?

“No,” I said, looking deep into her eyes. “This is just about

wanting to spend time with you.”

Hailey sighed as she looked at me, a small smile pulled at the

corner of her mouth. “I’ll put these in water.”

“This is for you.” I looked down at Fuzzy. I opened the gift

bag covered in tiny dog prints and pulled out High School Musical

2, a chew bone with a chicken-flavored center, and a stuffed lamb.

“I figured that this might make you happy while I steal your mom

away for a while.”

Fuzzy did a dance as I handed her the lamb.

“I’m going to get my coat,” Hailey said. “If you’ll unwrap the

bone and put in the movie, I think Fuzzy will be grateful.”

I watched Hailey walk from the room and looked down at

Fuzzy, who seemed to say, Open the bone, fool. She took it and

lay down next to her lamb in front of the TV and waited as I put

in the movie.

“Thank you for that,” Hailey said as she came back into the

room and nodded toward her pooch that was happily gnawing the

bone and eyeing the TV. “Are we ready?”

“Yes.” I walked over to the door and prepared to open it for

her. Hailey put her hand atop mine and stopped me. She tugged

on the lapel of my blazer until we were scarcely an inch apart. “I

want to willingly give you this,” she said before her lips met mine.

The kiss was gentle and sweet at first. I heard her purse drop

to the floor as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and

pulled me tight against her. All thoughts of dinner fled my mind

as her tongue slipped into my mouth. Her teeth grazed my bottom

lip as she broke the kiss that left me shaken and breathless. “Yes,

I think we’re ready now,” Hailey said with a coy smile.

“I’ll get your purse,” I said dumbly as I knelt in front of her.

I felt Hailey’s hand weave into my hair and tug me back up to

her. “I was wrong, we’re not quite ready.” She pushed me against

the door and kissed me again. My hands roamed over the backless

dress, and I moaned at the feel of her warm skin. She pressed

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harder into me, straddling my thigh. The sound of our breathing

drowned out the intro music to the movie. When she pulled away

from me this time, she looked as unhinged as I felt. “Okay, we’re

ready now.” Hailey took an unsteady step back.

I bit my lip to keep from asking, ready for what? I wasn’t

sure we were talking about dinner anymore. I felt like we skipped

straight to dessert.

Hailey wiped her lipstick from my lips with the pad of her

thumb. “I’m sorry. I think I kissed away your lipstick and mine.”

“You’ll hear no complaints from me.”

Hailey slipped the toe of her shoe under the strap of her purse

and lifted it high enough for me to grab. After she plucked it from

my trembling fingers, she opened the door. “Let’s go,” she said

with a pleased smile.

I knew my face was flushed when we stepped into the elevator.

I smiled at two tenants I didn’t know very well and wondered if

they could sense the sexual tension flowing off of Hailey and me

in waves. No one said anything as we rode to the ground floor.

They followed us into the courtyard, and when I glanced over at

Hailey, she was grinning from ear to ear. “What’s so funny?” I

asked when we were alone.

Hailey took a tissue from her purse and wiped around my

lips. “I didn’t do a very good job of cleaning away the lipstick.

I think it was fairly obvious to our neighbors that we’d been

making out.”

I kissed her again, making her repeat the process with a

laugh. We were still standing on the step when the cabbie I’d

called honked the horn.

“Is that for us?” Hailey asked as I tugged her hand.

“Uh-huh, we’d spend all night looking for a place to park.”

I opened the door and watched Hailey’s legs as she slid across

the seat. We didn’t talk much on the half-dozen-block ride, but

Hailey entwined her fingers with mine and looked at me with an

unguarded intimacy that I’d not yet seen in her before.

“Do you feel like everyone is watching us?” I asked, hiding

behind my menu.

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Hailey’s eyes twinkled as she took a sip of her wine. “They’re

all looking at my gorgeous date.”

“I could argue that point.”

Hailey shook her head as she set her glass on the table. “Did

you ever notice how we always seemed to run into each other at

the apartment especially after we first met?”

I shrugged. “I always thought it was cosmic timing.”

“I can see the street from my window. I used to sit in front of

it and watch for you, then Fuzzy and I would make a mad dash

down the stairs.”

I sat back stunned by the revelation.

Hailey made a face. “I realize now that I’ve said it that I sound

like a stalker.”

“Not at all. It’s a sweet surprise.”

“Ladies, have we decided?” the waiter asked as he came to

our table.

Hailey winked at me. “You go first.”

“Promise me you won’t order only a salad because I don’t

want to look like a pig,” I said with a grin, then ordered the

crabmeat Karen. She impressed me when she ordered the filet

mignon Charlemond.

“I know, I’m drinking red wine with a crustacean.” I raised

my glass. “I’m uncivilized.”

Hailey grinned back at me. “I would’ve done the same thing.”

She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Screw propriety.”

“A rebel, I like that in a woman.”

Hailey ran her finger lightly around the rim of her glass as

she looked across the table at me suddenly serious. “You’ve torn

down every defense I have,” she said with a slight smile.

“I’ve torn down a few of my own in the process.”

“You know what I find irresistible about you?” She drummed

her fingers on the table as I gave her a questioning look. “You’re

just you. There’s no pretense, no smooth-sounding lines, just

a woman honestly offering her heart and hoping that it will be

taken by someone who’ll cherish it.”

“The woman I want to give it to keeps running away.” I

smiled.

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“Not anymore,” Hailey said seriously. “There are some

opportunities too sweet to pass up.”

Salads were placed in front of us, our wineglasses topped off.

“Thank you,” I said, but my gaze was locked with Hailey’s. “So

this means we’ll have a second date?” I asked when the waiter

left us.

“I was kind of thinking it would mean breakfast.” Hailey took

a sip of her wine as her meaning sank in.

“I think my crabmeat would enjoy a ride in a doggie bag.”

Hailey threw back her head and laughed.

I barely tasted my salad. The crab was delicious, but my

appetite for it had gone right out the window as I thought about

what this night would bring. Hailey fed me pieces of her steak,

and I shared the crab. I knew that Hailey was as ready as I was

to leave when the waiter asked if we wanted dessert. “Just the

check, please,” she said with a smile, but something behind her

eyes burned hot. I took that as my cue to call the cab.

The ride home seemed infinitely longer than it took to get

there. I thought I would be nervous, but I wasn’t. I felt longing

and desire that I thought only happened in books and movies. I

wanted to touch and be touched. To share a part of myself that

I realized I’d never truly given to anyone else. I’d had sex and

called it making love, but as I sat next to Hailey, it dawned on me

that this was how it was truly supposed to feel. Like two halves

merging together to make a whole. I would give as much as she

desired and take as much as she allowed.

Hailey squeezed my hand as we stepped into the elevator.

“As bad as I hate to say this, I’ll forgive you if you want to

back out now,” I said, watching her intently. “We’re about to

cross a line that for me is going to make being just friends again

impossible.”

“I know, but I think we’ve crossed that line already.” Hailey

squeezed my hand tighter and held it as if to say she wasn’t

backing down and wouldn’t let me, either.

I watched as Hailey’s hands shook slightly as she put her key

in the lock and pushed open the door. Fuzzy greeted us with a

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doggie smile, even though the movie had ended and was showing

the scene index over and over. Hailey gave her a scratch behind

the ears before she popped the DVD out and put in Grease. Fuzzy

walked over to me, expecting the same treatment. I scratched her

behind the ears and rubbed her chest and gave her a wink.

Fuzzy grabbed her sheep and settled back down on the rug

as Hailey took my hand and led me to the bedroom. As I closed

the door behind us, she stepped into the bathroom and washed

her hands. I watched as she looked at herself in the mirror and

exhaled a long breath. Her eyes met mine in the reflection.

I stepped in and reached around her to wash my hands. She

took them between hers and rubbed them with soap. It was a

luxurious feeling to feel her slippery hands move against mine,

something so simple was torturously sensual. Her gaze locked

onto mine when I leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder. Her

sigh as her eyes fluttered shut made my knees weak, and I leaned

heavily against her. She pushed back against me as she fumbled

with the faucet and cut the water off.

The only sound then was her breathing as I kissed my way to

her neck and softly bit into her skin. She leaned her head forward

as her hands gripped the sink. I felt like I was dreaming as my

hands slid down her hips, leaving wet marks on her dress. I pulled

back slightly and kissed down her back as my hands slid down her

thighs until I touched her skin. It was warm and smooth against

my mouth, and her thighs were hot to my touch as my fingertips

grazed against them while I pulled the dress higher.

“I used to dream about this, but I never thought it would

happen,” Hailey said. Her voice sounded shaky and breathless. It

came out in a hiss when I pressed my hand against the dampness

between her thighs. I wanted to be inside of her so badly as my

fingers found the seam of her underwear. “Don’t,” she rasped as

she grabbed my hand. “I want to be facing you when you touch

me.”I pulled my hand away and stepped back. I had to restrain

myself from ripping the clasp of her dress open and taking her

on the floor of the bathroom. Hailey spun around and pushed me

roughly against the bathroom wall. Her mouth was on mine in an

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instant as she pulled my belt loose. It landed with a clank on the

tiled floor. She pulled away long enough to pull my shirt over my

head, and her mouth found mine again.

I fumbled with the clasp to her dress as she unbuttoned my

pants and slid her hands around my hips. I shuddered as her dress

fell to her waist, and she pushed her thigh between mine. Her

hands pulled me tightly against her as the friction between my

legs became unbearable. I broke the kiss, unable to breathe, and

buried my face in her hair. I didn’t want to let her go when she

stepped away.

Hailey reached over my shoulder and turned off the light.

I watched her in the dim glow coming from the lamp in her

bedroom as she let the dress fall away. My gaze went to her bare

breasts first, then to her hands as she slipped her silky underwear

down her legs and stepped out of them along with her heels.

I pushed at my boot heel with the toe of the other. I knew I

was scuffing them, but I wanted them off. I wanted to be rid of

every barrier between me and Hailey’s warm skin. She grabbed

at my hands when I started to slide my pants down. “Let me do

it,” she said as she knelt and pulled them away. She kissed and

nibbled at the insides of my shaking thighs until I didn’t think I

could stand any longer. I fisted both hands in her hair and pulled

her up gently.

The sensation of her mouth on mine and her naked skin

pressing against me was more than I could handle. I pushed her

away and held her at arm’s length. “We’re not going to make it to

the bed if you don’t stop.”

She didn’t say a word as she took me by the hand and led me

into her bedroom. I couldn’t wait to get her on her back so I could

kiss and taste her. I groaned in frustration when I realized I was

the one lying flat on my back with Hailey straddling me. With

one hand in the center of my chest holding me in place, Hailey

took my hand and slid it between her legs. I shuddered as my

fingers slipped through the creamy wetness there. With her hand

firmly holding mine, she controlled where I touched.

I could barely breathe with her balancing her weight in the

center of my chest. I gasped when she easily slipped two of my

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fingers inside of her and slowly glided them up and over her clit.

“Please let me go,” I begged when she pulled my hand away.

Hailey’s eyes narrowed when she took my fingers and ran

them over my own lips. She sucked in a deep breath when I sucked

them into my mouth. The memory of the feel of her and the taste

of her on my tongue left me stunned as she moved quickly down

my body and buried her face between my legs. She groaned loudly

as she pushed her tongue into me.

My legs trembled. I squirmed uncontrollably as her tongue

would first push inside of me, then over my clit. She wrapped

her arms around my thighs and fought to hold me in place as I

dug my heels harder into her bed. My cries seemed to echo off

the walls of her room. I clamped my lips together tightly, trying

to keep quiet and not sound like this was my first time, but with

every stroke of her tongue, I lost control. She would take me to

the edge until I felt my insides begin to contract and pull away.

When she did allow me to come, I wrenched the sheets from the

corners of her bed.

Having an orgasm never made me blissfully relaxed like

some of my former partners claimed. It was like a surge of energy

passed though me that made me crave more before the last of the

tremors faded. I had Hailey on her back before she knew what

was happening. My mouth descended on her breast while my

hand moved between her legs.

“Yes,” she ground out as she dug her fingers into my shoulders.

She met me thrust for thrust and shuddered when I pulled out of

her and encircled her clit with my fingers. “Kiss me, Shannon.” I

did until she pulled away breathless. I listened to her breathing as

I drove her higher, the erratic sound of it made me never want to

stop. She gasped once, her body went rigid against me and held

for a minute before she slumped back onto the bed.

“We’ll go slower the next time,” I said against the damp skin

of her neck. I felt her laugh.

“I doubt it. Maybe after we’ve done it a couple hundred

times.”

I leaned up on one elbow and smiled down at her. “I’m not

looking for anything serious, you know.”

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“The hell you aren’t,” Hailey said with a laugh and flipped me

onto my back. She kissed me sweetly. “I’m seriously crazy about

you.” Her words were accentuated by a whimper and a scratch at

the door. Hailey groaned and rolled onto her back. “Fuzzy needs

to go out.”

“I’m certain that if you put a stool next to the door, she could

jump up and turn the handle. The elevator would be a breeze after

that.”Hailey kissed me again and got up. “You stay right here. I’ll

only be five minutes, then I plan to take my time with you.” She

put on a pair of sweatpants and pulled her robe over her bare

back.

I listened as the apartment door closed and hopped up.

Leftover steak and crabmeat would sustain us through the night.

When Hailey returned…I’d be warming it wearing nothing but a

smile.

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Robin Alexander