Blindfolded Innocence (40 page)

I got home from work around 5:45pm, showered, shaved, and dressed in tight jeans and a spaghetti strap tank that showed a little of my stomach.
 
I wore sexy panties and a shelf bra, in case the evening led to anything other than kissing.
 
Old Julia would never have considered anything more than kissing on a first date, but I was throwing caution to the wind.
 
Brad had been a little too persuasive regarding casual sex, and if I took his teachings outside our non-existent relationship, tough shit.
 
Todd had offered to pick me up, but I wanted to have control over when I left, so I told him I'd meet him at his house.
 
I had written down the address on an office post-it, and yanked out at least eight pieces of crap from my purse before I found the wrinkled square.
 
I plugged the address into my maps app and saw that he was only a half-mile from my house.
 
Translation - Todd lived in college crap too.

Todd's address turned out to be a town home complex, located in an area at least two steps up in price from mine.
 
I parked in a spot reserved for Apartment F and found the town home with little difficulty.
 
About 10 seconds after I knocked, Todd yanked open the door with a huge smile and a giant Great Dane.
 
The dog launched himself at me and I found myself in a sort of dance with the pooch, holding both of his front paws and trying to dodge his huge tongue.
 

"Walker!" Todd yelled, grabbing his collar and pulling him off of me.
 
He herded the large dog down a side hall and through a doorway, shutting it firmly behind the dog.
 
There was whining and scratching, and he shot me an apologetic smile.
 
"We have about five minutes ‘til he goes bat crazy, so I'll give you a quick tour before we let him out."

"Sounds good."
 
I set my purse on the counter and looked around.
 
The living room was small, but with nice furniture - a leather couch and granite coffee table.
 
Todd must have rich parents.
 
A large Godfather movie poster hung over the couch, and the small room was dominated by a large Plasma. The smell of Febreze hung suspiciously in the air and a candle was lit on the kitchen counter.
 
The house looked tidy, but not necessarily clean - it looked like everything had been picked up or hidden just moments ago and nothing had been wiped down or vacuumed since.
 
I looked at Todd.
 
He looked clean.
 
Really clean.
 
He had on soft sweatpants and a short-sleeve Under Armour shirt.
 
His hair was wet from a recent shower, and I could smell the soap he had used, some type of "ocean breeze" scent.
 
He didn't have the manly, developed body of Brad, but his thin frame was what I was used to, and his Abercrombie looks were what I had spent the last 10 years of my life pining after.

"So, the kitchen and the living room.
 
Very impressive," I drawled, leaning back against the counter and letting the action slid my tank slightly up, exposing my stomach.
 
Todd's eyes instantly focused there.
 
"Anything else to show me?"

"Um… yeah." he stumbled.
 
"My bedroom is back here."
 
He went down the hall and opened a well-stickered door, revealing a king bed and white dresser set.
 
He got points for no dirty clothes, at least none in sight.
 
I grabbed him and threw him on the bed, crawling on top of him.
 
His eyes widened and he scooted back on the bed.
 
I pressed him down with my hand and straddled him, grinning down at him.
 
"Oh my god, this is so hot," he whispered.
 
I was back
.
 
In my element.
 
Not like with Brad when I felt like a bumbling, inexperienced geek.
 
I pulled my tank off, revealing my lace bra and tanned stomach.
 
I leaned forward, brushing my breasts against him and kissed him, starting at his neck and moving up to his ear.
 
He squirmed beneath me, his hands grabbing my waist and my back.
 
Our lips met, a battle of tongues.
 
He was a hard, forceful kisser, and I tried to match the tongue thrusts and soften under his firm play.
 
I finally pulled my mouth off his, moving forward until my breasts fell in his face and he gobbled at them, using his hands to free my nipples from the bra and his rough mouth found them and sucked.

It was hard, a little too rough, and I winced and pulled away, putting his mouth at my neck instead.
 
My hands grabbed and teased his hair, and I traveled back down his body until our faces were together again.
 
I reached down and slid my hand under the waist of his pants, and met boxers.
 
Who still wears boxers?
 
Keeping my hands on top of them, I felt down until I reached the outline of his hard cock.
 
It was what I now considered average size, and I squeezed it tightly and then released it.
 
This is so not what I expected.

A series of loud barks and bangs erupted from the hall, and I figured that Walker's five minutes of patience had been reached.
  
I climbed off Todd and rolled over, laying flat on my back.
 
Todd rose on an elbow and looked at me, yearning.
 
The barking increased, punctuated by howling every four or five barks.
 
I sat up, grabbing my top.
 
"Maybe you should get him before he breaks something."

Todd groaned and sat up, hopping off of the bed and walking out.
 
I heard a door open and him scolding Walker, apparently ineffectively, because the dog came bounding into the bedroom ten seconds later.
 
I had my shirt on by then and was planning my exit strategy.
 
I was feeling zero spark and starting to fantasize about my warm bed and a good book.
  
Todd chased Walker into the room and grabbed his collar, pulling him off of the bed.
 
"Maybe we should move to the living room," I suggested.
 
His face fell, but he shrugged it off.
 
"Sure.
 
Walker will leave us alone in there."

I walked back to the living room, snagging my purse on the way.
 
"Hey, is there a bathroom I could use?"
 

"Sure.
 
It's back in my bedroom, the door by the closet."
 
I walked to the bathroom, locked the door, and leaned against the sink.
 
Pulling out my phone, I searched through my apps.
 
Some computer nerd, circa 2010, invented an ingenious app called "Fake-A-Call".
 
I opened the app and scheduled it to send a fake call to my phone in 5 minutes, from Broward.
 
I set a second call in 6 minutes, also from Broward.
 
I then set my ringer to extra loud and put it back in my purse.
 
I flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and primped for a minute.
 
No point in looking bad on my way out.

I exited the bathroom and wandered back to the living room, where Todd was standing awkwardly with a coke and a bottled water. "I thought you might be thirsty," he said, thrusting both out to me.
 
I set my purse down on the coffee table, grabbed the water, and grinned at him.
 
"Thanks.
 
You want me to put in the movie?
 
We can watch it out here on the couch."

"Uh... yeah.
 
Sure."

"You got any popcorn?"

"Naw.
 
I got beef jerky.
 
Want some of that?"

"Ummm… Maybe in a little bit."
 
Like never.
 
"You sit, I'll put the movie in."
 
I fumbled around with the DVD case and his TV, changing the channels and inputs until the correct screen popped up.
 
Right about then, like clockwork, my phone rang.
 
"Todd?" I asked, facing the TV on my knees.
 
"Will you look in my purse and see who that is?"
 
He instantly obliged, unzipping my purse and digging around like he was looking for gold.
 
Men never miss the chance to look through our crap.
 
He pulled out my phone and looked up at me quickly.
 

"It's Broward."

"Broward?"
 
I frowned, making a show of looking at my watch.
 
"That's weird.
 
Don't answer, let's see if he leaves a message."

"He's in Dallas, right?"

"Yeah.
 
Maybe it's a pocket call."
 
I shrugged nonchalantly.
  
I turned back to the TV, grabbed the DVD remote, and hit play.
 
I shoved to my feet and sat on the couch next to Todd, snuggling close to him.
 
My phone rang again and we both looked at the phone, laying upright on the table.
 
"Broward" was clearly displaced.
 
I moved uneasily.
 
"Todd, I better answer."

He nodded, quickly.
 
"Yeah, get it."

I answered, and spoke to the empty phone.
 
"Hello?" I paused for a beat.
 
"No, I've already left."
 

"Which statute?
 

"On your… wait - let me get a pen."
 

I turned to Todd and covered the phone.
 
"Do you have a pen?"
 
He hopped off the couch and ran to the kitchen, opening and closing drawers until he came back with a pen and paper.
 
I held the phone close to my ear and scribbled some crap down on the pad.
 
"Okay, fourth file cabinet to the left, Henderson file…"
 
"and you have to have this tonight?"
 

"no, I don't mind."
 

"yes sir."
 

"I'll call you when I have it in hand."
 

"bye."
 

I hung up the fake call and frowned regretfully at Todd.
 
"I have to go to the office."

"Now?"

"Yeah.
 
Broward needs something for court tomorrow and he wants me to send it to him now.
 
ASAP in fact."
 
I ripped off the page and stuffed it in my purse.
 
I handed the pen and paper to him and leaned forward, kissing him briefly on the check.
 

"Thanks for the invite, Todd.
 
Sorry I couldn't stay for the movie."

"Want me to come with you?"

God no!
  
"Awww, that's sweet, but no. I don't know how long it will take, or if Broward will want me to do other stuff there."
 

I leaned down and patted Walker's head, silently thanking him with my eyes for being so damn noisy during our uncomfortable make-out session.
 
The dog lolled his tongue to the side, smiling at me.
 
I left while Todd was still sitting there, pen in hand, trying to process the sudden change.
 
I gave him a bright wave and firmly shut the door behind me, jogging down the front steps and hopping into my car before he could think of something to say.
 

Holy crap.
 
I’m getting too old for this stuff.
 
I swore at that moment to stay away from men and to become a spinster, collecting cats and eating raw cookie dough till I got old, fat, and happy.