Pandora's Box Read online

  "I like being with you too," I say as I lean across the console and kiss her. "Maybe we shouldn't have such a heavy conversation on an empty stomach?"

  "Agreed! Where shall we go?"

  "There's this place called Snooze in Del Mar Highlands Town Center and they have the BEST brunch around! Even on weekdays!"

  "I will take your word for it! Snooze it is!"

  --

  "I've had a lot of jobs through the years. Computers have always been my passion, but I started as a teacher because that's what my father wanted. Then I was an EMT when I got here. It was an easy course for me because I had finished one in Ohio before we left, and the money sucked, but I needed the work. Like I told you last night, I followed a complete loser out here. She was a musician whose dream of making it was so grand she even got me to believe that she would make it. And then she tried out at a few venues here and she was literally booed off the stage. Not because she was that bad. She was probably mediocre at best, but because she thought she was the next Melissa Etheridge the talent recruits were brutal. And then she left and I was stuck here. So I took a few classes at the Community College while I worked, and then I got an interview at Juniper Davies and I was able to finesse them more with skills than my degree. The money was much better there. And I was doing what I loved."

  We talk as we eat and learn as much as we can about each other. We are polar opposites in almost everything regarding our personalities, but we have so many other things in common.

  “If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Like, money is no object and you could pick anywhere to leave to tomorrow, where would you go?” I ask as I take a sip of my diner coffee.

  “Well, my grandfather was from Cuba, and supposedly we still have family there. A couple of uncles, maybe some cousins. I would love to see where he was from someday.”

  “Well, my grandfather was from Sweden but I have no desire to go there. But I would, however, like to see Cuba. It’s actually on my bucket list,” I say as I open my phone and show her a page in my notes that lists everything that I want to do someday.

  “Holy shit! What else is on that list?” she asks as we continue getting to know each other.

  We like the same music, the same movies, the same tv shows....and clearly, we have a sexual attraction that is undeniable. There are moments that it takes every ounce of self-control that I have to not drag her into the bathroom, and at times I get the vibe that she is having the same issue. I have never felt this connected with a person in my entire life, and I feel a great sadness as our bill arrives and it feels like our time together is over.

  She insists on paying the bill, and after a mini wrestling match over the receipt, she wins.

  "Can I at least pay the tip?"

  "Nope. Already put it on my card!"

  "Seriously? You have to let me repay you."

  "It's on me. No worries," she says closing her wallet and putting it back in her purse.

  "Really? You should at least let me take you out to lunch sometime. Dinner maybe?"

  "Sam Morrison...are you asking me out?"

  "Maybe. It depends on what you'd say if I did."

  "Well, if you are…then I'm definitely saying yes."

  "Good. What do you say to dinner at Red Wing Bar and Grill Friday night?"

  "I say that sounds lovely. Maybe just drinks and apps? I have to work late and won't be out before nine."

  "Okay. It's a date then."

  "It's a date!" she states before a long silence falls between us. "So…"

  "So..." I repeat. "I should probably head home. I have a pup that needs to be taken care of. I had my neighbor feed him and let him out this morning, but I feel awkward asking her again."

  "What kind of dog do you have?"

  "A pit bull rescue. His name is Lancelot. Such a sweet baby," I say as I finish the last of my coffee. I pull my phone out of my pocket and pull up my most recent picture of him.

  "Oh my, what a handsome boy! I would love to meet him sometime."

  "Well, why don't you come and meet him now? Unless you have something else to do..."

  "No, I'd love to. If you don't mind."

  "Not at all."

  With that, we both get up, and as I go to shut off my phone I walk into a man that I never even saw coming. He is in his fifties, dressed in a nice suit with short grey hair and a clean-shaven face. My phone goes flying out of my hand as he apologizes for his clumsiness.

  "I am so sorry ma'am. Let me grab that for you," he apologizes as he picks my phone up off the floor. "Here you go, ma'am. You have to be so careful nowadays. You never know who's trying to run a scam on you. It doesn't look broken. Please accept my apologies and have a blessed day."

  "You too," I say as I don't even pay him half a mind because I’m too focused on her as we walk out of the restaurant.

  Chapter Four

  Elena

  I see him sitting across from me and I begin to feel anxious.

  "What is he doing here?" I think to myself. "He said he wouldn't come around unless the deal was off. Was he just playing with me to make sure I was actually going through with it? Fuck."

  He knocks the phone out of her hand on purpose and then threatens me. Not directly, but in a way that only I know is true. There will be no payout if I don't succeed in the second half of this. I have to get my mind back on the job, but it's hard. It's hard when your target is someone you can't get enough of, and that you can't get out of your brain.

  Chapter Five

  Sam

  We pull up to my house in the Solana Beach suburb of San Diego. As we enter the neighborhood Elena's eyes get big.

  "Ooh, fancy," she says sucking her teeth.

  "Ha! I know exactly what you're thinking...but you didn't hit the jackpot with me. Sorry."

  "That was NOT what I was thinking!"

  "Yeah right! I heard the cha-ching when we pulled down this street!"

  "You're a police officer! That hardly screams well off!"

  We are both laughing at the absurdity of this conversation.

  "I know that by the looks of the neighborhood you would think I had money, but I lucked out and bought my house by the beach that was in foreclosure for way less than it was worth and Isaac gave me the money for the down payment," I share as we make our way through the neighborhood.

  "It wasn't for me that's for sure even though he was one of my best friends. He did it for Travis making sure his son was in a good neighborhood and a good school district. That's all he wanted. He used all the money he got from a settlement he received from a car accident he had been in two years before he died. I was also the beneficiary of his life insurance policy but most of that is in a savings account for Travis when he turns eighteen. So while I can afford the mortgage, I can't afford a Beamer or even a Michael Kors bag."

  "Good thing what I'm interested is not in your wallet, but between your ears...and your legs." she laughs.

  "Oh, I see how it is!"

  I pull into the driveway of my house, and I hear her gasp.

  "Sam, this is like a multi-million dollar house..."

  "I know. I told you I lucked out. Isaac really helped me out with this one. He found it and took care of the sale. All I had to do was sign the loan papers and the deed."

  "Wow..."

  --

  Lancelot is very happy to see me, and he likes Elena. A lot. That's a good sign because he's very picky with who he allows in the house. He's very protective.

  We end up taking him for a long walk on the beach, and we hold hands and talk more as we do. My injuries are very sore, but she has been doing a good job of taking care of me. I know our time together is probably going to end soon, but I don't want it to. We keep finding excuses to stay together.

  After our walk, we sit on the patio overlooking the ocean and drink iced tea. Lancelot is sitting under the coffee table sleeping, content from his walk and having his mama home.

  "What a beautiful day," she finally says.


  "That it is."

  "What time is it?"

  "About three. We just had brunch but I'm already thinking about dinner."

  "You just read my mind."

  "I'm a complete foodie. That's why I exercise so much. Not for my job or my health but so I can eat!"

  "I heard that! You know what I've been craving? And it's so bad..."

  "What?"

  "A pepperoni pizza from Bronx pizza!"

  "Girl, that's exactly what I was thinking! Because to be honest? I've got the tiniest hints of a hangover, and it's really hungry!"

  "Oh good, so it's not just me?"

  "Nope. Craving a little grease and that's the perfect cure!"

  "So maybe I should stay. For dinner I mean. No sense in us both ordering one when we can share."

  "I couldn't agree more.”

  Of course, dinner turns into a movie. We watch the latest movie in the Halloween series as we eat pepperoni pizza and sip more iced tea. We thought about having a glass of wine for about half a second and then the thought turned both our stomachs so we stuck with the tea. She is not a fan of horror movies but she indulges me. Most likely because she likes hiding her face in my chest. And I really don't mind it either.

  We are in the middle of a pretty intense scene when her phone goes off.

  "I have to check that," she says. "Even though I'm on vacation it might be work."

  She walks over to her purse and answers it. A few words are exchanged when she signals that she's stepping out on the deck to take it.

  I sit back and sigh. I'm enjoying her company. Probably much more than I should. But where was this going? And why was I so worried about it this early?

  Chapter Six

  Elena

  I walk out onto the deck and answer the phone, periodically checking to make sure that Sam stays on the couch.

  "Is it done?"

  "You gave me six weeks!"

  "Well, I figured with all the time you've been spending with her you'd have learned something by now."

  "It's barely been a whole day!"

  "Yeah, but you haven't left her side. And it looks like you're not going anywhere anytime soon either."

  "What? Are you spying on me? That's a dumb question, right? You sent your guy to fuck with me at the diner earlier, didn't you? It's none of your business how I choose to get this done."

  "There's a half a million dollar payout on the line here Miss Roberts. I think it is my business."

  Chapter Seven

  Sam

  She seems frustrated as she comes in off the patio. I'm on my laptop checking some work emails when I hear the door open.

  "Everything alright?"

  "Yeah. Work can just be a little irritating sometimes."

  "Do they want you to come in? Do you have to leave?"

  I immediately regret how desperate I sound.

  "What? No. They just needed some info that I don't have because I'm not at my desk. I'm busy. So they're just going to have to wait."

  She walks up behind me and wraps her arms around my neck and kisses the side of my head.

  "Speaking of work they just emailed me and told me to take until Monday off. So it looks like you're not the only one on vacation now."

  "Lucky you."

  I turn my head and kiss her quickly as I close out my search engine.

  "What's that?" she asks.

  "What?"

  "That program that's in the corner there. I've never seen anything like that before. That's odd."

  "I don't know to be honest. Isaac gave me this laptop a few months before he died. He said he didn't know what it was either, and anytime you try to click on it the computer shuts down. A friend of ours in IT said it might be part of the core processor but since it doesn't affect the way the computer works it's not a big deal and didn't look into it any further."

  "Want me to take a look at it?"

  "Nah, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Maybe if we ever get bored."

  "Somehow I don't ever see that happening."

  "Me either," I answer kissing her sloppily on the mouth.

  We restart the movie and every time that there is a cheap jump scene we become more and more entangled in each other. Pretty soon the movie is forgotten and we begin making out instead. I turn the TV off as I move on top of her and feel her breasts over her shirt as I kiss her. Her hands move over the bare skin of my stomach and back as we kiss without any rush. I wince as I move a little too quickly and she stops, looking at me with concern.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “A little. But I don’t mind.”

  And then I’m kissing her again, the feeling of her mouth on mine and her hands on my skin making me wet.

  "You know, I told you I don't put out on the first date," she says between kisses.

  "I know. Me either."

  "I also don't do one night stands," she states as she pulls away and looks at me.

  "Me either. So, I guess you're going to have to stay here tonight then."

  --

  I wake up throbbing with pleasure. My body is responding before my mind is as I realize that she is between my legs doing things to me that have never been done before. My hands go down to her head and tangle in her hair as she looks at me right in the eye and lodges her tongue right under my clit. Making eye contact she flicks it up and down several times.

  "Good morning." she murmurs between little licks across my stiff nub.

  "Good morning," I manage to squeak out as I cup her face with my hands.

  "I hope you don't mind. I woke up starving and really needed to eat," she says as she continues to look me in the eye as she tickles the underside of my clit with her tongue.

  "Not...at...all," I croak out as I begin moving my hips against her mouth. She swirls her tongue all around me causing me to ache. My breathing begins coming in hard gasps as she works me towards orgasm. As she latches her lips and teeth and tongue around my clit and begins to suck, I feel myself start crashing into that beautiful oblivion of orgasm. She continues to suckle on me as I try to calm my body down, but I'm still so sensitive. I love the feeling of her mouth latched onto me but I can't take much more. Reluctantly I push her away and pull her up, kissing her deeply.

  "Mmmm," I moan as I suck my essence off of her tongue. I never thought something like that would appeal to me, but there was something so erotic about it that it begins to turn me on again.

  "Now, that's better than an alarm clock. I could get used to that."

  "So could I," she laughs as I roll her over. I start at her neck, licking all over it as she presses her head back. Then I move to her chest, dragging my tongue down to the tops of her breasts and then back to her collarbone. I grasp a breast in each hand and palm and squeeze them as I continue to taste her skin. Then I start with her right breast, swirling my tongue all around her areola before pinching her nipple gently between my teeth. As I hold it there I bathe it with my tongue causing her to squeak. I smile. That's new. I pull her nipple in my mouth and suck as she puts her hands on my shoulders and squeezes. I move back and forth giving them both the same amount of attention. Her breasts are so beautiful, and I could suck on them all day.

  Why did I wait so long to embrace this side of myself? Was sex with a woman always like this? Or was it just with her? I ask myself these questions as I drag my tongue down her sternum to her belly button. She grabs the sheets on either side of her and arches her hips up at me but I take my time teasing her. I lick down over her mound to the top of her slit then back up again. I repeat this several times until finally dipping my tongue in but avoiding her clit. As I lick back up, I hear her whimper and I laugh.

  "Please..." she begs.

  "Please what?" I ask as I continue to lick and kiss the soft skin of her mound.

  "Eat me."

  I put my hands on her inner thighs and push her legs apart until they touch the bed. Using my thumbs I spread her open as I use the flat of my tongue to lick her. She gasps as it
touches her clit and she tries to push herself closer to my face but I hold her down. I have no idea what I'm doing, to be honest. I'm pretty much using my instincts. But I want to tease her. I want to make her beg. And then I want to make her cum.

  I continue to lick her with the flat of my tongue. I hold it soft and don't apply too much pressure but I can tell she wants more as I can feel her begin to squirm. Instead, I dip down and use the tip of my tongue to tease the outside of her pussy opening. She's so wet and I'm not quite sure if it's okay to put my tongue in her. I look at her and she has her head back so I just ask "Inside?" and she groans out "Please..." That seems to be the only word she is able to get out right now. Holding my tongue stiff I push it inside her and wiggle it around as best I can. Again, I have no idea what I'm doing so I just continue to do that as I push it in and out of her. Her hand moves to the back of my head and pushes me closer to her so I try to push my tongue deeper, and as I push my tongue up I feel a gritty little spot at the top of her pussy wall that causes her to squeal. I continue to lick at that spot, but because of its positioning, my tongue grows tired quickly.

  I move away causing her to sigh, but quickly capture her hard clit in my mouth. I suck and lick and nibble at her until she cries out and I smile into her pussy feeling extremely proud of myself.

  I crawl up her body so I am between her legs as I watch her come down from her orgasmic high. When she stops trembling and her breathing returns to normal I capture her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. But as we begin to rock against each other once again, her slick, hard clit moving against mine, I hear a familiar voice call from downstairs.

  "Sam? Sweetie? Are you home? I thought I just heard somebody scream? Sam?"

  "Jesus Christ!"