Tainted Pictures (17 page)

           Kate suddenly felt something in her chest and just as Derrick was moving in to kiss her, she belched right in his face.  A loud, unladylike burp less than two inches from him.  She couldn’t even believe it.  Kate was mortified, her face turning bright red.  Derrick jerked his head back in surprise at the sudden noise and movement and then burst out laughing when he realized what had just happened.  

           “Oh my god, I can’t even believe I just did that!”  Kate groaned and put her hand over her face, feeling mortified.  

           Derrick was still laughing, almost bellowing at this point, especially when he saw how embarrassed she was.  He nearly fell off his seat as his body convulsed and tears sprung to his eyes.  

           “Okay, it’s not that funny.  Seriously, Derrick!  You don’t have to make fun of me!”  Kate said, trying to sound angry but in truth she was trying not to laugh as well.  She grinned at him, still blushing as he leaned in and planted a firm kiss smack on her lips, and then continued laughing.  

           “God, I love you, Kate. You never stop surprising me.”  He winked at her and poured them both another glass of champagne.  He raised his glass in the air for a second toast.  

           “To a lifetime of surprises and laughter.”  He said, still smiling and then clinked glasses with hers.  She returned his smile and then sipped her champagne, much more slowly this time.  

~~~~

           It didn’t take much longer before she felt the limousine slowing down and coming to a stop, indicating that they had reached their destination.  The air had a salty scent clinging to it and the sounds of water splashing the sides of a hull reached her ears.  She loved going to the harbor and Washington DC had many wonderful waterfront spots, so Kate was immediately excited when she realized that they were going to be doing something near the water.  The windows were tinted and it was dark outside so she couldn’t see very clearly.  

           “What are we doing down by the water?”  Kate smiled at Derrick and finished the last sips of her champagne.  He just smiled at her with a devious glint in his eyes and slid towards the door which was opened by the chauffeur standing outside.  He got out of the limousine and Kate shuffled over the seat to follow him, attempting to keep her skirt down as it was starting to slide up her thigh.  Once Derrick was standing up outside the limousine, he turned back around and offered her his hand.  

           “Thank you, kind sir.”  Kate smiled up at him as she took his hand and let him help her up out of the back seat.  She was absolutely enamored with the entire scene around her when she got out.  The limousine was facing a dock that was lined with string lights down the wooden planks out onto the water.  

           The dock ended at a large ship that was also covered in string lights and bobbing gently on the soft waves.  It was a toned down off-white color, slightly darker near the water where dirt had clung to it over time.  In black cursive lettering on the side of the boat towards the front was the boat’s name,
The Spirit of Love
.  The dock had a long line of people slowly working towards the end and piling onto the ship.  Several were choosing to stop and take a photograph in front of a symbolic lifesaver that had the boat’s name on it.  Everyone was very dressed up and looked excited and Kate eagerly clutched Derrick’s hand as he led her down the dock.  

           “Are we going on a dinner cruise?”  She asked him eagerly.

           “Yup!  Two hours, you and me, on the water.  Some fine dining, even finer wine, who knows where the night will take us!”  Derrick looked sideways at her and winked.  She blushed and looked away, then leaned her head against his shoulder while they got in line behind another well-dressed couple.  A few minutes later they were posing in front of a lifesaver with the boat’s name on it, giving each other a corny but adorable kiss for the camera.  

           “This reminds me a little bit of the beach.”  Kate whispered to Derrick as they were escorted onto the ship and shown to a cute corner booth with drapes.  It was currently tied open so that they had a view of the dance floor and the bar but if you removed the ties, the drapes would close and it would just be the two of them in a quiet, cozy corner looking out the massive windows onto the dark waters.  The stars were so bright that no extra light was needed and they immediately made themselves at home, cuddling up with one another in the booth.  

           “That was our last date, you know?” Derrick said to her.

           “What was?” She responded, nodding her head in thanks to the waiter who had just dropped off two glasses of wine.  She took a sip and savored its delicate palate against her taste buds.  

           “The beach.  You and me away the whole weekend on the sand, toes in the salty water.  Do you remember?”  Derrick said wrapping his arm behind her and pulling her close against him.

           “I could never forget.  It was the most romantic time we ever spent together.  So much has happened since then.  It feels like an eternity ago.  I feel like we are something entirely different now than we were back then.”  Kate said softly, cuddling up against him a bit tighter.  It was the Sunday evening that Derrick dropped Kate off at her apartment after their weekend getaway that she had been attacked.  It was only a little over a month ago and yet they were a completely different couple today than they had been on that beach.  They were different people too, better people.  They were a stronger couple.  

           “Well we are, you know.  It was a lifetime ago, a different lifetime.  We are new, what’s between you and me is new.  I think it’s even better, Kate.” Derrick said while he looked down at her and pushed a lock of hair off her cheek, tucking it gently behind her ear.  

           “Better than I ever dreamed.  That was also the weekend we put a title on things.  Any regrets about that?”  Kate glanced up at him, her head leaning against his shoulder.  

           “Kate I have so many regrets in our relationship and the things I have put you through, but making you my girlfriend and now my fiancé, that will never ever be something I regret.”  He turned to look at her seriously, speaking in a soft, husky voice.  He kissed her lips very gently, his fingers gently tilting her chin upwards so that he had perfect access to her soft, pink lips.  Without stopping their kiss, he reached over and unhooked the curtain allowing it to drop closed and give them more privacy.  

           Kate grinned in their kiss and slipped one of her hands up around his neck and turned her body, reaching her leg over his lap.  She was quickly straddling him in the booth, leaning down to kiss him as he grabbed her hips and pulled her firmly down against him so she could feel how turned on she made him.  The wide window flickered the dull yellow lights against the black waves behind them but neither of them were paying attention to the view anymore.  

           Derrick pushed Kate’s dress up her thighs and slid his hands up her smooth skin to pull her panties down but then looked at her in surprise when he felt no resistance.  She just grinned at him, getting the confirmation from him that not wearing panties tonight was definitely the right choice.  

           His eyes suddenly were ablaze and he kissed her with a fierceness that made her toes tingle and her stomach clench.  She reached down and immediately began unbuttoning his trousers while he grabbed the knot on her side that tied her dress closed and unraveled it, letting her dress fall open.  She was wearing a lacy bra that was really more for show than support and instantly satisfied his every visual desire.  

           He kissed down her neck, cupping her breasts in his hands and she arched her back and leaned her head up, allowing him better access as she breathed out in a quick pant.  Without warning there was a tapping sound at the edge of their curtain and a waiter stuck his head through.  Derrick and Kate both jumped in shock and Kate scrambled off of Derrick’s lap, back to her seat in the booth, pulling her dress closed tightly around her.  Derrick just grinned at the waiter while Kate looked down, unable to make eye contact with him as she blushed hysterically.  

           “Are you guys ready for your meals?  Another bottle of wine maybe?”  The waiter asked, sliding the curtain open.  He was either oblivious to what had been going on or he just didn’t care.  He was middle-aged and clearly wasn’t in the job he wanted to be in at this point in his life.  He looked like he had seen it all and just wanted to get the night over with.  The embarrassed couple in the booth placed their orders for dinner and more wine and then he left the two of them alone, with the curtain wide open.  

           “Well, that is not how I saw that going.”  Derrick said to break the tension.  Kate looked at him and then they both burst out laughing.  Their food was brought to them only a minute or two later as the dinner cruise was well underway and the couple enjoyed their second bottle of wine together, eagerly enjoying the lowered inhibitions that each delicious sip brought.  

~~~~

           Dessert had been served and quickly polished off.  It had been a beautiful assortment of small bites including everything from cheesecake to truffles arranged delicately on a platter with swirls of chocolate decorating the plate.  They had enjoyed sensuously feeding one another and trading kisses in between.  Couples were now beginning to make it to the dance floor and a variety of music all with slow, romantic undertones floated through the entirety of the ship.  

           “Do you want to dance?” Kate asked Derrick hopefully as they finished off the last of their wine and dessert.  She dabbed at her mouth with a cloth, pressing away any remaining remnants of the sweets that they had devoured.  

           “I have a better idea.”  Derrick said and winked at her as he slid out of the booth and stood up.  He turned around and offered her his hand which she gratefully accepted and slid out behind him.  He led her away from their table and she held his hand in between both of hers, pressing her body against the back of his shoulder as she followed him.  He led her to the front of the boat and opened the door to walk out onto the deck outside.  

           The wind instantly hit her and chilled her straight through to her bones causing her to pull her cardigan around her tighter and press herself against Derrick’s back as he took most of the brunt of the wind.  They walked out onto the bow of the ship, right to the very front.  It was a real life Titanic moment and Kate felt her heart swelling as Derrick held her and shielded her from the cold.   

           When they got out to the very front of the ship, with nothing but the waves and the wind surrounding them, Derrick stopped and turned around to face Kate.  He grabbed her waist and pulled her in close to his body, wrapping his jacket around her and catching her lips with his.  He kissed her softly but passionately, gently nibbling on her lips and tasting every inch of her that wasn’t covered from the cold winds.  

           Just as soon as they had started, they stopped and Derrick gently pushed her away from him and took a step backwards to look at her.  She tilted her head to the side perplexed as to why he was distancing himself from her but then he smiled at her and she felt her tensions release.  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box and held it up in front of him.  

           “You know, a few days ago I asked you a question. It was spontaneous and real and I am so glad that I did.  But you deserve more.  Kate, you deserve more than I will ever be able to give you but I want to spend the rest of my life trying and failing just so I can try again.”  Derrick said, looking down at the box he was fidgeting with in his hand.  Then he looked up at her and smiled and kneeled down on one knee, holding the box up to her and slowly opening it.  

           Inside the box was a velvety red bedding nesting around a silver band supporting a row of multiple sparkling diamonds.  The center diamond was very large and captivated her attention as her jaw dropped open.  On either side of the center diamond were cascading smaller jewels covering the band.  It was by far the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.  

           The cut of the stones and the patterns were so unique, she had never even imagined a ring like this before but now as she looked at it she knew nothing else would have been right.  Somehow this man knew her better than she knew herself and she fell in love with him again right then for it.  

           “Kate, when I first met you I was just trying to pick up a cute girl in a coffee shop.  Honestly, I had no clue what I was getting into and you knew that by how stupid I acted time and time again.  But every day that I spend with you, I learn more about myself and the man that I want to become because you make me see that.  You hold up a mirror to me when no one ever has and you know what you want and now I want to be what you want.  

           You should never accept less than you deserve in this world and, Kate, I don’t deserve you.  Not even a little bit.  But if you are willing to bend the rules just a little and give me a chance, I want to spend every day for the rest of my life trying to become the man that you deserve.”  Derrick said to her confidently and softly.  Kate put a hand over her mouth trying to hold herself together but a tear had already snuck down her cheek.  

           “Kate, will you be my wife, my lover, my other half, and the woman I spend the rest of my mornings waking up next to?”  Derrick concluded and looked up at her hopefully.  

           Kate opened her mouth to speak but her voice was missing underneath the lump of emotion swelling in her chest.  So she just nodded her head furiously up and down and leaned down to kiss him, grabbing his face in her hands.  Her tears tickled his cheeks and he stood up to wrap himself around her, kissing her back and smiling.  He pulled apart just enough to hold the ring up between them.

           “May I?”  Derrick said, smiling at her with his eyes twinkling.  Kate still just nodded, absolutely unable to speak and now crying harder but silently.  He took the ring out of the box, putting the box back in his pocket.  Kate held out her hand and he gently slipped it over her ring finger and they both looked at it happily.