My first entry in a Lit contest. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Many thanks to stevieraygovan for his careful editing, and also to PennLady for giving the story an extra set of eyes. I appreciate all the help.
(c)2012, annanova. All Rights Reserved.
I want to play
.
That was all the text said.
He read it with a sense of bemusement. Her spontaneous nature was something he had learned to enjoy. Of course, her current message left him with one problem.
She was out of the state on a free-lance assignment.
Before she left, she'd made sure to give him her full itinerary and they'd talked about a time he might be able to fly west. Having always wanted to see the Oregon Coast, he had agreed to take advantage of the Labor Day weekend and return with her when the job was over the following Tuesday. Once he reached a stoplight, he hit speed dial, allowing his hands-free system to handle the call.
"Wilson Travel, this is Karen. How may I help you?"
"Hi Karen, it's Brad... again." He watched the light change and moved back into traffic. "I know this is last minute, but can you possibly get me on an earlier flight west tonight?"
He could hear her nails clicking on her keyboard. "I think I can. What's going on, Brad?"
"Something came up, and I need to get there as soon as possible."
"When?"
"Two hours ago."
The travel agent chuckled. "I might be good, sugar, but I still don't have a time machine." A few more clicks and she hummed, "When can you get to the airport?"
It was Brad's turn to laugh then. "I just left my place and I can be at the airport in... oh, one hour."
"Great! I can get you on a three o'clock flight, which will land in Portland at a little after five. Will you still need a car?"
"Yes," he stated. "Although, if you can upgrade me to a convertible...."
"Are you sure about that, hon? I hear it rains a lot out there, even in the summer."
"That's what Anna tells me, but she also said last night that it looks like they're in for a spell of good weather. I like the idea of her red hair blowing in the wind while we drive along the coast."
"I'll see what I can do for you, Brad. Of course, you may not find out until you land. I'll text you whatever I find."
"Thanks, Karen. I appreciate it."
He ended the call and thought about the strange path his life seemed to be on. Earlier in the year, he'd been on an assignment that had kept him from Anna for three months. Her eye and skill with a camera managed to bring her up for a couple gallery discussions and a show at one of them. It had been enough -- barely.
Once he returned home, she'd moved in.
Looking back, it was funny how that had worried him. After months of telling her his house was a confirmed bachelor place, it had taken very small steps, if he was honest, for things to shift into feeling like a home. The biggest change was the garden.
He grinned. Okay, the biggest change was coming home to Anna. Every so often, he'd walk in to hear music in the living room where he'd find her wearing a sexy dress, a silk robe, or one of his dress shirts.
Or even nothing.
But she knew how much he enjoyed opening surprise gifts, so she generally wore something he could remove.
Since her photography had taken off, that didn't happen every night. He shook his head, remembering the night not long ago that he'd come home with some friendly colleagues. Anna had received word that some of her pictures were being used in a travel magazine pictorial and she was ready to celebrate.
Most of Brad's meetings that day had placed him in a dead zone, which meant he wasn't able to let her know he'd also had a good day. The two members of his team who'd been with him had brought invaluable experience, sealing a major deal, so he decided to bring them home for a celebratory barbecue. He tried calling as they got closer to the house, but her phone kept sending him to voice mail.
It wasn't until they were walking into the kitchen and he heard the haunting vocals of Enigma coming from the patio that he knew. He stopped suddenly and his friend Mark walked into him.
"Dude, what's up?"
"I'm sorry... can you guys wait here a minute? Grab a beer from the fridge if you want, but I need you to just... wait here." Brad stifled a groan, knowing that their missed messages were going to prove important.
There were a few chuckles and winks, but the guys agreed to sit back until the coast was clear. In the meantime, he headed for the patio, wondering what he'd find.
She craned her elegant neck in order to see him, a broad grin on her beautiful lips. "Hey there sexy, how was your day?"
Drinking in the view of her long legs, he wished at least one of their calls had gotten through. She was wearing, sort of, the skimpiest bikini she owned that could still claim to give her any amount of coverage. The back yard had been set up for a small celebration with her iPod deck providing their favorite soundtrack and an ice bucket chilling a bottle of sparkling wine.
"Looks like you had a good day," he chuckled, leaning down to kiss her nose.
Twisting on her lounge chair to lie on her side, she drew the backs of her fingers over his cheek. "I did... I got some great news and I've just been waiting for you to get home." She brought him back in for a tender kiss, the water she'd been drinking cooling his mouth. When he pulled back, she asked, "What were you up to? I tried calling you, but kept getting sent to your voicemail... if my call went through at all."
He crouched next to her without taking his hand from her face. "I was in meetings east of town and we were stuck in the middle of a bunch of dead zones."
"We?"
"I was with Mark and Tim and as it turns out, I've got good news, too."
At the sound of the refrigerator door closing, she giggled in amusement. "They're here, aren't they?"
"Yeah, I wanted to call you, but... you know... dead zones. When I was able to get through, we were so close to the house I figured... I don't know. I'm sorry, babe. I can always take them to the pub if you'd rather."
She sat up, tucking her hands into his and slid over to let their knees touch. "I'd rather hear your news. You implied that something great happened with your meetings, and I'd love to hear about it."
Her voice was soft and low, the way it was so often in their bedroom when she was asking -- pleading sometimes -- for him to touch her, to take her just a little harder, a little faster... a little slower. Or better yet, those times she told him what she was going to do to him before he was sent into orbit.
"We got the contract for the first group," he told her. "I know we're in the running with the second, but they have another meeting tomorrow and should call us in a couple days with their decision."
"Brad, that's wonderful!" She slid further forward and with just a little wriggle, ended up kneeling between his knees, her arms around his neck. "I know how hard you were working for this, for both of these, and I'm so proud of you."
Adjusting his crouch, he was able to place his hands on her lower back. "Well, I have to give a lot of credit to Tim and Mark... they were rock stars. In fact, that's why they're here. I thought grilling some steaks would be a great way to kick back and celebrate."
Brushing her lips over his, she whispered, "That's a wonderful idea, and I love you for thinking of them." She pressed her body to his, kissing him with a familiar ease that spoke of things to come. When she pulled back, she asked, "Do we have enough food for everyone tonight?"
"Probably not." He nibbled her lower lip for a moment while thinking. "I'm not even sure what we've got."
"We should probably get into the kitchen and check on that."
They remained in their huddle, kissing and caressing until a sound from just inside the door brought them back to a sense of reality. Her warm smile as they separated sent a new surge through his body, and she giggled when his hands jerked briefly against her back.
"Do you need a minute, babe?"
"No," he laughed. "Once you walk in the kitchen looking like that, they won't have room to laugh at me."
After changing the bikini, which had indeed been noticed by their guests, for a light sundress, it turned into a fun evening of laughter with good company over good food. The men were pleased with the results of their work, yet when Anna was finally persuaded to share her news, cheers broke out again.
"Anna, that's cool!" Tim enthused. "I've never known anyone who was published, let alone in a magazine I actually read. How did
Travel Time
get in touch with you?"
"I read them too, so I'm familiar with their work," she replied. "It was actually Brad's idea that I contact them with a story suggestion based on something I'd been telling him. They liked it, so they're sending me to Oregon next month. I have to say, the idea of escaping a Texas summer, even if only for most of August, makes me happy."
Curious about the logistics, Mark asked his colleague how he felt about the project. "I don't know how I'd react if my wife was taking a trip with another man."
"Oh, no," she broke in, "I sold them on the idea of a pictorial. I'll be writing and photographing everything... it's just me."
Stepping up for his lover, Brad added, "She's a fantastic photographer. Most of the stuff we have on the walls is her work. Besides, even if she was traveling with someone, there's nothing to say it wouldn't be another woman... and I trust her either way."
"Well, congratulations, Anna!" cheered Tim. "Writing, photography... is there anything you don't do?"
"Firearms," she deadpanned to the men's laughter.
Later that night, after their visitors left and the kitchen was clean, she wondered, "Brad, how do you really feel about this job that's coming my way?"
They were preparing for bed. With his shirt hanging open, he stopped what he was doing to bring her into a warm embrace. "Anna, except for your mother, I'm your biggest fan. The fact that this freelance thing has come your way... to me, it just confirms what I already know."
Kissing the tip of her nose while her fingers played in the soft hair on his chest, he added, "You're an amazing woman and an incredible photographer. You've had a couple shows that were successful, so this opportunity will just allow more people to see why."
