The room was not empty after Kiefer left. Something of him remained. I couldn't bring myself to leave the bed. Too warm. Too many recent, very recent, memories. I wanted somehow to capture them before a long shower threatened to rinse away even a smote of their potency.
My only concern, and it was not a strong one, was what kind of flack Kiefer might take from Shirley. I had learned that he was not, as Shirley thought, daunted by her imposing personality. In fact, he indulged her by pretending to be. She may be upset by not knowing his whereabouts, but he'd not let her get under his skin.
Kiefer was adept at sliding past trouble spots. I'd seen him maneuver around difficulties with ease, as long as the difficulties didn't touch him too closely. He adored his mother - that I knew. But she was less an influence on him than she believed. He'd been on his own for a very long time - over two decades. Kiefer needed everyone and no one.
As he exited my room, he threw a sentence and a question over his shoulder.
"I have Mom to pacify and some phone calls to make this morning, but I'd love to treat you to lunch. Be ready around 11:30?"
I nodded affirmatively and smiled as Kiefer went out the door. It gave me plenty of time to daydream and to get ready. The only problem was not knowing what to get ready for. Casual? Formal? Crap. I'd think of something.
I continued to daydream. But the delicious dreams turned troubling after a bit. Things seemed to be moving so fast. What did I know of this man really? That is, what did I know of him intimately. Sure, I knew him better in this way now than I had last night, but what did I really know? Suddenly I was very nervous. Had I dreamed all of this? Surely. But no. His smell infused the pillow, the sheets, the room, my nose.
I shook my head in wonder to no one but myself. Amazing. Lunch with this man. This man I'd been studying for a long time now. Wondering. Wondering what the more intimate side would be like. And now I was learning. Georgia would always hold special memories for me, especially if these were to be the only ones I'd have of him. Again the word "lunch" popped into my thoughts. But lunch where? What to wear?
Stupid, I thought to myself. You're stupid. Call him. I had his cell phone number saved on my own which lay on the bedside table. I picked it up, found the number, and punched the dial button. I didn't expect him to answer, but he did.
"Hey," he said. "It's not 11:30 yet. You hungry already?"
"Nah. I didn't know how to dress. Sorry to bother you, but you didn't mention where we'd be going."
"Well, I didn't know where we'd be going. But I do now. Casual. Very. And have a swimsuit and sunscreen and that kinda stuff. Okay?"
"Okay. I'll be ready. Bye."
"Later."
So, it would be something informal. That was good. I dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with my bikini underneath. I gathered a few other things, a wrap, some underwear, various body potions and lotions, sunglasses, hat, and beach towel, and stuffed them in a large tote.
I was ready at 11:15. Just enough time for me to allow my mind to wander back to this morning. I couldn't, didn't, stop myself from going over every detail. I had worked myself into quite a state of excitement when at 11:32 there was a soft knock at the door. Silly, but my heart was pounding as I rushed to the door and pulled it open.
Kiefer looked very handsome. A blue-green shirt. Khaki shorts. Sunglasses. And, most unusual, he sported a Panama hat with an aqua-colored hatband. When we exited the house, a car awaited us at curbside. We entered the backseat and the driver took off, apparently aware of our destination. I dug around in my tote and retrieved my own sunglasses. The Georgia sun was bright and the glare from the road made the glasses welcome.
I asked Kiefer where we were headed. He told me it was a surprise and not to ask. Our conversation turned to the vacation so far. I told Kiefer that I was very grateful that he'd included me in the invitation and that everything had been incredibly wonderful. Within twenty minutes, we pulled into a marina and got out of the car. Kiefer carried my tote as well as his own small duffel bag. As we made our way closer to the boats, Kiefer revealed that we were going out for a picnic on a yacht, a pretty good sized-one, at least forty-five feet. A man, apparently the captain, stood beside the boat we were going out on as we approached. Kiefer and the man engaged in conversation for a moment or two and then we boarded.
The captain ushered us to the cabin door and told us he'd give us a couple of minutes to get situated and then he'd get underway. The cabin was sumptuous, the furnishings and appointments elegant. Kiefer tossed his duffel and my tote bag down and then removed his hat and glasses. I placed mine back in my tote bag. Simultaneously, we kicked off our sandals.
Lunch had been brought onboard already, and it was scrumptious. Delightfully, the meal was not one of those tedious ones we'd suffered through last night. The best part was that it was mostly finger-food and we got to feed one another. A long banquette extended about six feet along one side of the cabin's interior and in front of it was a table, solidly attached to the floor on a sturdy looking steel pedestal. The table was laden with the food, the variety of which was amazing. We tried all the different foods together and compared reactions. If one of us did not care for a particular item, the other got the remainder. This continued until only the veggie and dip tray remained. Carrots.
Our lunch turned into a fun-fest when baby carrots came into play and we attempted to stuff them into various orifices! I stuck a baby carrot in Kiefer's ear. He laughed and said he'd gotten used to having food stuffed into crevices while around me. He grabbed a celery stalk and tried to stuff it down my t-shirt, a move I blocked with my right arm. I went back to the carrots, and this time determined to stuff one up Kiefer's nose. He realized what I was going to do, grabbed my wrist, and yanked the carrot from my fingers. He stuffed the carrot in his left nostril and then grabbed another, stuffing it up the other one. He jumped up and got down on his knees, slapping the palms of his hands together and making grunting sounds, appearing as some crazed psychedelic walrus.
I laughed so hard that I slipped down on the cushions of the banquette. Kiefer stopped his walrus imitation, stood, and smiled down at me. He removed the carrots from his nose, tossed them aside, and eased onto the edge of the cushion leaning over me. Immediately the anticipation grew. The simple act of being near him was all it took. One of Kiefer's hands came to rest on top of my head, the other on my hip, and he nuzzled his nose up and down my neck and shoulder; my hands traveled lightly up and down his back. I turned my head slightly to reach Kiefer's ear and showered it with soft kisses. He raised his head and playfully bit my earlobe.
I wondered how far this nuzzling and kissing would go. It was delicious no matter the outcome. Soon, though, I had my answer.
Kiefer sat up and looked at me. His eyes narrowed, squinted almost, and he licked his lower lip. But what followed vocally did not match his expression.
"Let's change and get some sun, maybe a quick swim. Just enjoy the water."
"Sounds great. I need to move around after all that food!"
As Kiefer stood, I followed suit. I pulled my t-shirt over my head, revealing my bikini top.
"Damn. You wore your swimsuit! I wish I'd done that. I gotta change all the way."
"Aw. I'm just lazy. Thought it'd be easier to just wear the thing. I brought underwear to put on later."
"Just underwear," Kiefer asked, his eyes getting big. "Ummmm. Just underwear. I like that! Is it that little underwear? Those thong things?"
"No, goofy. I meant underwear to put on under my clothes later when I take off my swimsuit. And, yes, if it's any of your business, the panties are those thong things." I shook my head at him as if exasperated.
Kiefer puffed out his lower lip and pretended to sob, leaning over to place his chin on my shoulder.
"You . . . called . . . me . . . goofy," he gasped out like a crying child.
I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him to me and babbling soothing baby talk in his ear. He allowed me to continue this for a full half minute then abruptly he pulled back and away.
"Mind if I take off my clothes right here?"
I'm not sure why he asked. He had turned and his shorts and underwear were down before he finished the question. Seconds later the shirt was off. And there he was. Naked before me. Oh, it was the backside of him, but it was still more than my system could take without emitting an involuntary moan. Thankfully, it was a silent noise and he didn't hear me. In some ways I didn't like what I was feeling. I halfway resented the fact that every single muscle below my waist was contracting and sending signals to my brain. It wasn't right that he should be able to do this to me with no effort on his part.
As Kiefer moved to his duffel bag, I studied his walk. I liked it. I liked his legs, the muscular upper thighs, the ample calves. Then, the devil had the gall to bend over to retrieve his swim trunks and reveal his balls to my eyesight. Well, shit, I thought. Just what I need. Another stimulus. I turned away and rummaged through my tote bag for my glasses, sarong, and hat. I could hear Kiefer pulling on his trunks, the sound of fabric rustling.
After I removed my shorts, I wrapped the sarong-like cover-up around my shoulders. Because we'd both removed our sandals before eating, I asked if he thought we'd need them.
"Nah," he replied and took my left hand in his right, leading me out of the cabin.
We emerged into the sunlight. And it was bright. I placed my hat firmly on my head and pushed my sunglasses up on the bridge of my nose. Kiefer replaced the Panama on his head; the sunglasses had been put in place before we left the galley. He wore blue swim trunks, boxer style, but no shirt. We headed to the bow of the boat where cushions-deep, comfortable cushions-covered about an eight-foot long seating area. As we sat facing one another, we both turned out bodies sideways in order to look forward at the sparkling water spreading into a soft "v" shape as the yacht slowly made its way.
We lazily watched the water for about a quarter of an hour. From time to time, Kiefer ran the palm of his hand up and down my arm. His touch made me feel many things, but at this moment it was mostly a warm and comfortable feeling. The sun and water were a perfect backdrop for my emotions - warm and, surprisingly, deep. I say surprisingly because I was unprepared for the power of the emotions inside me. I was taken aback by how relaxed and connected to Kiefer I felt.
