Sugar (2/?)

I


“Is that right?” Michael said, smiling at me.

“Yes.  I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting this.  But I like it so far.”

“Do you want to eat now or later?”

“The idea of a funnel cake is enticing, but I think I’d like to wait until later.  It’s been so long since I rode a coaster that I’m not certain of how my stomach will respond to it.”

“Fair enough,” he said, taking my hand.  “Because we’re hitting the thrill rides first.”

My stomach did a little flip-flop as Michael led me to the queue for the FireFall, which was filled with crazy vertical twists and drops.  We were fortunate that the wait wasn’t very long and we took our seats next to another couple.  Michael asked me if I wanted to sit on the edge and I quickly refused.  In moments, my heart was in my throat, yet I was screaming and laughing hysterically as the FireFall took us on an insane, twist-laden ride.  When it was over, he was leading me to yet another ride: the Demon, which was a multiple-loop phenomenon.  Michael wasted no time between rides and we hit every one of the coasters: Tiki Twirl, Delirium, Drop Tower Scream Zone, Invertigo (which I LOVED) Grizzly, Vortex, and Flight Deck.  After which, my throat was a bit scratchy from screaming and laughing.  My face was warm and I felt good.

“Hungry now?” he asked after we left Flight Deck.

“Starving.  Please feed me.”

"Can I get fries with that shake?"

Michael chuckled and I thought again that his smile was maybe the most amazing one I’d ever seen.  “Do you want to go to one of the restaurants or a snack stand?”

“Restaurants?  They have those options now?”

“Yes.  There’s the Outback Shack, the Game Time Bar and Grill, the American Café, and plenty more.  Joe Cool is my personal favorite.”

“Joe Cool?" I giggled.  "What do you want?”

“I don’t care.  I’m here to please you, Neshelle.”

“I want the full old-school amusement park experience.  Let’s go to a snack stand and get something excessively greasy and fatty.”

“Agreed.”

So we went to Joe Cool's and I turned into a glutton; I never eat like this and so I was going to indulge.  I got a chili dog, garlic fries, and a large ICEE.  Michael had an enormous plate of nachos, which he shared with me.  We talked about my job, his kids, and other random things.  I apologized for eating so much, but he winked at me and told me he loved a woman with a healthy appetite.  It made me feel good, because I enjoyed watching men eat as well.  Watching Michael devour his nachos appealed to me in a really sinful way.   

After our repast, we remained at the table for a few minutes and Michael took my hands.  I smiled at him.  “Does anyone ever call you Mike?”

“No,” he said.  “I’m too old for that.  Do you want to call me Mike?”

“No,” I said.  “I prefer Michael.”

“Do you want to get wet?” he asked.

I took a deep breath as my stomach did a flip flop.  Michael had a full lower lip that most women would kill for.  His lips had a natural pink tinge and when he smiled, it was as if time stopped.  I’d only seen him once before, and I didn’t have the chance to appreciate his looks until now.  I guess I was staring because he shook my hands. 

“Neshelle, do you want to get wet?”

“Hm?  Oh, wet?”  I felt my cheeks get warm.  “Do you mean a water ride?”

“Did you have anything else in mind?” he said, smiling deviously.

I closed my eyes and squeezed my thighs together.  “This is our first date.  Are you being dirty?  Are you a naughty boy, Michael?”

“That depends,” he said.

“On what?”

“On whether you want me to be.  I’ll let you decide.  But to answer your first question, yes.  I meant a water ride.”

I closed my eyes and quelled my nerves.  I could use the cooling off.  “Let’s go.” 

            After Logger’s Run, Rip Roaring Rapids, and White Water Falls, my hair was starting to frizz and I was tired.  But I could not deny the deep satisfaction I felt from the multiple adrenalin rushes I’d experienced.  We left White Water Falls laughing like kids and started making our way towards the exit when suddenly Michael pushed me up against one of the gates and kissed me.  I lost track of time and space when his soft, warm lips connected with mine.  The barest tip of his tongue explored my mouth and I felt myself pulse and knew I’d dampened my panties.  Shameless.  He had a pair of ridiculously soft kissable lips.

Irresistible

            He broke the kiss and the look in his eyes was so intense and revealing, it shook me to my core.  Kevin had looked at me that exact same way not even a week ago and I didn’t resist his charms.  If Michael kept on being sexy, I doubted if I would be able to resist him.  “Michael,” was all I could manage before he kissed me again.  It was as if there were fireworks in my chest; I felt tingly all over and parts of me throbbed in the most dirtiest of ways.  Two men at the same damn time.  God has a marvelous sense of humor.

When he broke that kiss, he brushed his thumb against my lips, cupped my face and murmured, “Neshelle.”  Then he pulled away and held out his hand.  “Shall we?”

            As we headed towards the parking lot, I looked up at the night sky and glanced at the stars.  Michael pointed out the constellations he knew, paying particular attention to Orion.

“I like Orion.  He’s my favorite.”

“Why?”

“Well, he’s a hunter.  But I like him because he’s got two supergiant stars at opposite ends.  If you squint, you can actually see the colors.  That red one, in his left armpit, that’s Betelgeuse.  Now,” and he made a diagonal to a blue star, “that’s Rigel, at his knee.  Squint.”

I squinted.

“Can you see Betelgeuse and Rigel?  They’re red and blue.”

I squinted again.  My eyesight wasn’t the best, but I could make out a telltale red dot and a blue one.  “I can see them.”

“Arcturus is orange, but we can’t see it from here.  Polaris is at the end of the Little Dipper, which under normal circumstances, you can see.”

“You like astronomy.  Nerd,” I teased, even though I found intelligent men brutally sexy.

 “I’ve got a five-inch Meade mounted on my deck.  Maybe on our next date, you’ll go stargazing with me.”

“Maybe,” I said, moving closer to him.

He took my hand and I smiled at him.  “I am having such a good time, Neshelle.  I love amusement parks; I don’t go as often as I like, and this was refreshing.”

“I enjoyed it as well, Michael.  It’s been at least nine or ten years since I’ve rode rides like these.”

We found his motorcycle and he unhooked our helmets.

“Well, I’d like for you to see something else, if you’re in no hurry to get home.”

“I’m not.  I’m working from home tomorrow.”  One of the blessed perks of my job was that I telecommuted every other Friday.

“So we don’t have to cut our date short?”

“No,” I said.  We’d already been out three hours or so, but I wasn’t ready for the date to end.  I was having too much fun with a man I liked.

Once on the Harley, Michael headed west, towards the coast.  I held on to him, not so tightly this time, and enjoyed the feel of his heartbeat matching the thrum of the bike.  The moon was a crescent and as we neared the coast, everything got darker.  Soon enough, Michael pulled off on the side of the road and turned off the Harley.  We dismounted and removed our helmets.  Michael took my hand and we walked up a slight incline, and then down another one.  Michael stopped and I bumped into him, staring into the black void of the Pacific.  It roared in my ears and I instantly lost myself in the music of the waves.   I love the ocean.  It’s awesome.  I stood for I don’t know how long until I heard Michael’s voice in my ear.

“Majestic, isn’t it?”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I come here when I need to think.  I like coming at night.  It’s quite cleansing.”

I closed my eyes and listened, feeling a measure of peace.  It was as if everything rolled away and all that mattered was the water before me and the man behind me.  I felt his arms come around me and he pulled me into his chest.   His arms were around my waist and I folded mine over his to let him know that his gesture was not unwanted.  For a long time there were no words and I was comforted when I realized we were breathing in tandem.

“I have never been to the beach at night,” I said.  “Never even thought about it.”

He nuzzled the back of my ear.  “I do it regularly.  If my schedule permitted it, I’d be a night owl.”

“Me too,” I said.  Kevin had said almost the same thing.  What were the chances?

“So you’ve already answered my next question,” he whispered, pulling me closer.

“What question was that?”

“I was going to ask if you’ve ever made love on the beach at night.”

I turned to look at him.  “Have you?”

“Of course,” he said.  “I love the outdoors.  I have no limitations.”

My stomach seemed to roll over and beg at the very thought of the debauchery I could get into with this man.  I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Have I offended you, Neshelle?”

“Quite the contrary,” I said.  “I just didn’t know how to respond to that statement.”

Michael laughed and then, to play even more hell with my already frayed nerves, kissed my neck.  “I’m sure that if you gave it some thought, you’d know exactly how to respond.”  He gave me a quick pull.  “Come now, let me take you home.”

tbc...