Common Sense Doesn't Become Me (5 page)

I grabbed her arm and started to drag her up
to my door of my apartment building. She turned and hit the remote
lock button for her car, and we started to laugh as I told her
everything. The cake left in the cab. The drunk singing and
possibly naked show I put on for him. The waking in the middle of
the night to cry into my pillow wondering how I got naked and in my
bed. Then the naked peep show he provided me, and in turn, my holey
underwear gig. The slipping on the spilled drink. The message from
my mother. The ride down the elevator and by the time we made it
inside my apartment, I had given her the brief overview in a
super-fast babble language, hoping she caught most of what I just
said.

"However, enough about me!" I practically
shouted with excitement. I quickly turned it back to her and wanted
to know about the pregnancy. How far along? Was she feeling ok? I
began questioning her so fast that I had to wonder if it was
excitement over the pregnancy or excitement about Mason - or
perhaps both?

"So, oh my God, tell me when did you find
out? How far along? Are you having morning sickness? Is Carl's mom
already bothering you for the second kid?" The last question got a
huge laugh out of both of us. We both knew that Carl's mom had been
bothering them for kids before they were married. However, Marion
had her reservation shortly after being married when she realized a
large portion of Carl's friends, and his coworkers, all had been
struggling with marriages. She was petrified to start a family
until she was sure. I knew. I knew that Carl loved her and did not
care that she came from a broken family that was struggling more
times than not. I knew that Marion's self-doubt came more from her
upbringing rather than from the fact that she was an incredible
person both inside and out.

We sat down on my couch facing each other,
and Marion took a deep breath while rubbing her belly. I watched in
awe as her brown eyes lit up and her long brown hair seemed to have
some magical halo around it. She seemed to have transformed into
this heavenly figure right in front of me, that, or I was imagining
what it would feel like to be pregnant. "Well." She started out on
one long slow breath. "I am approximately six weeks. I suppose I
could have chosen a better moment to tell you, I had actually
planned to tell you on your birthday, but you needed a
distraction." She paused and looked into my concerned eyes. She
didn't know it, but I was truly wondering how bad was I at the
restaurant, considering I didn't even remember her mentioning it
until I started texting her while doing my laundry? She continued
on when I did not say anything. "I've had a little morning
sickness, but mostly it was kind of a surprise. Remember that trip
to the Bahamas that Carl took me on for a work-related trip. Well,
we got a little crazy, and I forgot to pack my pills. We decided
not to worry. If it happened, it happened. I think secretly he has
wanted me barefoot and pregnant for years now, but I've been so...
well, apprehensive. I still feel as if I don't always fit in with
his family, his co-workers." Her tone held questionability.

"Hey." My voice was super enthusiastic. "Carl
loves you. That is all that matters. He loves you for you. The you
that is better than all of his family combined and any co-workers
times ten. He loves you because you are gorgeous. You are kind and
giving. You always say the right things to people when they need to
hear it. You are smart." She interrupted me.

"Not smart enough to get a college degree let
alone a high school degree." Her voice held regret.

"You got your GED. That's good enough. As far
as college, think about all the people that do go and never amount
to anything, or they just aren't good stalk, if you know what I
mean. It's the person you are not the piece of paper that says how
smart you are."

She laughed and looked across me to the big
window with the box seat. "Is that his place?"

I turned and looked dreamily over my
shoulder. "Yeah." Then the room fell silent. When I turned and
looked back to her, she had her eyes big and a huge question mark
hanging over her head.

"We've got plenty of time to go all ga-ga
over my pregnancy. I think we need to discuss what happened with
Steve, then being kissed by the sexy super across the alley."

"We do... however, Steve is O. V. E. R." I
spelled it out. "I should have known better, seen the signs,
figured out the what's up situation." I said what's up like I was a
gangster. I was going to have to quit acting all party gangster
after Wednesday. It was part of my twenty or so step plan to mature
and grow up. However, whenever I did talk gangster, Marion and I
always got a good laugh.

She held doubt in her voice. "Really? Because
the day before your family birthday party you were hoping, he might
step it up a notch. I don't think you were thinking ring, but some
type of commitment. It sounded like you wanted it to reach the
horizon. You can't be over him that quick."

I bit the inside of my mouth while thinking.
"I suppose. I am still a bit hurt and confused. It was all so
surreal. Him being late. My cousin saying something about why is he
wearing a ring and then his wife. Ack. That was scary. I hope she
doesn't plan on hunting me down, driving me over with her car or
worse." I shivered with the thought.

"I doubt it. And hey, I hate to say it, but
you probably weren't his first. The reason the wife figured it out
so quickly. Look. Guys like Steve are a dime a dozen. If they think
they can get away with it, they will. They look good, say the right
things, and plan appropriately by having an excuse for everything.
Now this Mason guy, you did say his name was Mason, right?"

"Yeah. Montahue." I paused and looked at her,
waiting to see if she recognized the last name.

"The Montahue. Like as in the one that
manages this building, has the billboards all over town, you make
your rent check out to?" Her last word hung in the air. If I wasn't
certain, we both were thinking how awkward to write a rent check to
your lover that manages the building. Although, he was not managing
right now, nor was he my lover - yet, he was being the super and
super kisser was more like what I was thinking about.

While I was thinking about Mason, Marion had
her own friendly advice she wanted me to listen to. In one ear and
out the other, that seems to be my motto. Because while she was
offering very good advice like take it slow, don't give out too
much too soon, see if you can establish a friendship first. All her
advice was great advice but all I could think about was the color
of his skin against my naked skin. Those large hands he bragged
about being so skilled with. His eyes and how the color of them
just mesmerized me. Then there is the fact that he is built with
muscles and hardly any fat that he could easily have been a stage
dancer in the Magic Mike movie.

"Earth to Amber?" Marion joked as she waved
her hand in front of my face. "Something tells me that everything I
just said will go..." I finished the saying for her.

"In one ear and out the other?" It came out
in a meek squeak with a questionable smile on my face that hopes
she forgives me for being so self-centered with my thoughts on
Mason.

"Exactly." She laughed. She knew when I was
too far-gone in my own demise that no amount of talking common
sense would cure me. She did what any great best friend would do at
that time, she changed the subject. "So what happened after Carl
and I left the restaurant Miss Party Girl?"

It did not take Marion and me long to be deep
into a retake of my family birthday party. She mentioned that it
wasn't really all that bad, but she was an awful liar. Deep down, I
knew I would not be going back to that expensive Italian restaurant
anytime soon, at least not in this decade. Too bad as it was a
really romantic restaurant for couples or small parties, and I
could easily envision Mason and Carl drinking from a cut glass, as
Marion and I giggled over, just about anything as we liked to. I
could easily see Carl and Mason having drinks, talking business,
hitting the golf course together, which was scary for me, because I
was basically envisioning marrying the guy and having his kids. I
needed to apply some brakes to my mental race.

A knock at my apartment door drew both of our
attention to stare at the door, as if we could see right through to
who was standing there. For a fleeting second, I held my breath
thinking what if? What if Steve's wife decided I was worth the kill
after all? Then we both looked at each other, shrugged our
shoulders, and I was about to call out 'who's there' when his Latin
bad-boy voice practically sang out. Well, at least to me, it did.
"Amber? It's Mason. I've got your laundry. I saw you come in with
someone while I was working on Mr. Cather's door hinge. Hey, Mrs.
Hatley had an issue with you monopolizing the laundry room..."

He did not have time to finish. I swung my
door open so fast, the air behind it was sliced in half. "Hey!" No
lack of excitement on my part. Then I noticed it. My laundry basket
with my three loads of laundry. Washed, dried and oh my garsh...
did he fold it too?

"Can I come in?" He asked in a way as if I
could never say no. He produced a sex-laden appeal that even got a
smile out of Marion.

I stepped aside and let him in as I watched
him walk over and set my laundry on the very hard window bench from
which I first caught sight of him. When he turned to look at me, he
gave my body a quick grazing that sent a nice warm happy feeling to
the core of my, well you know. Then he looked at Marion with his
inquisitive sexy mysterious eyes and smiled.

I stumbled on the first part with laughter.
"Mason." I pointed to Marion. "Marion meet Mason." Then I pointed
to Mason. Out of my silliness, I just introduced the wrong name to
the wrong person. Marion bailed me out fast.

"Hi Mason. I'm Marion. Amber's best friend. I
heard she put on quite a show for you." She laughed, and I glared.
She should not have reminded him. Then she smiled at me with raised
eyebrows to say 'what?' and all was forgiven. I could never stay
mad at her or think her intentions were ill wished. She was just
funning with the ever chaotic and dramatic person we call me.

He stepped forward and shook her hand hello,
and then he turned back to me. "Sorry. Mrs. Hatley apparently does
not like your Monday morning laundry routine as she called it, and
since I am new here, and she seems to think I give a dang about who
monopolizes the laundry room, not saying that you are. I just
figured it would be easier to take your things out of the
dryers."

"So?" I stood there looking at my perfectly
folded clothes wondering if all my lacy things like bras were at
the bottom or did he fold those too? "It wasn't Mrs. Hatley that
folded them?"

He laughed and looked at me straight in the
face. "No. That would be me."

The room grew suddenly quiet and in less than
two seconds, Marion was out the door hollering, she will call me
later. She has never left without a hug good bye. I think she felt
the same storm brewing that I did, and it wasn't the kind that you
cursed at; it was the kind where you hunker down with a sexy naked
man and do things to pass the time. When a man folds laundry for a
woman - that is like porn for women. Gulp.

I finally got the nerve to look up into his
eyes. Those gorgeous bluish greenish eyes that captivated me with
their mere brightness and invitation to just jump right on in and
take a swim. His eyes were smiling, but they were also singing
Latin love songs to my heart. He finally broke the trance and
walked over and closed my apartment door, all while turning his
ringer on his phone to mute. When he turned to me, I wanted to melt
into the floorboards.

He started off with 'it's no big deal'. I
laughed lightly. Then he continued on explaining. "I have three
sisters and don't think that I didn't have to deal with their
laundry a time or two. I just felt it was easier and perhaps nicer
being it's your birthday and all, so I folded them for you."

I stumbled out. "Actually Wednesday is my
birthday."

"I know that. However, someone as special as
you should celebrate all week long." He said it like his tongue
just ran up and down my body giving me the shivers, or perhaps; I
only imagined that.

I let my hand slowly stroke up his arm, and
over his shoulder until my wrist draped over it, and my hips moved
in close to him within inches. I tilted my head while looking up at
him with bedroom eyes and realized that I was not in control of my
body. My body was in control of my mind, which I was feeling
completely out of control. I had such a sexual desire standing next
to this man. The man who just folded my laundry and brought it up
to me. Not only was he incredibly sexy naked, although I only got
to see it from a separation of an alleyway, guessing twenty or
thirty feet between buildings, give or take a few feet. I was drawn
in by his eyes. It was as if they could look at me and undress me
with a sensual stroke. I could look into his eyes and declare that
I found euphoria. "I don't normally do this kind of thing."

His voice stroked my skin when he replied
with something so very unexpected. "Well I guess that just makes me
a very lucky man."

I did not have to finish with my seduction
that I was planning in my head. Mr. sexy super, Mason soon to be
CEO Montahue, naked or dressed, slowly lowered his lips to mine as
his strong hands wrapped themselves up onto places on my body that
had me reeling for more. I felt his right hand slip behind my head,
touching my neck and entangling his fingers into my hair. I felt
his other hand glide onto my hip and to the lower of my back
pulling me in closer to him. I let my lips open just a bit as his
pursued mine that held a tingling sensation to them. I had never
felt that vibe with another man before, not in the way his lips
were pressing against mine. Just as his hot tongue dipped into my
mouth a loud easy moan exited as I felt my body press itself hard
against his, almost pushing him backward. If it wasn't for his
strength from his body, I was pretty sure I could have knocked him
back onto the couch with my passionate bravado. I was feeling
pretty dang passionate right now, all this from just this kiss.
This kiss, which far surpassed the little surprise he dropped on me
earlier right before he left me spinning in the laundry room.