Convenience and Compatibility (5 page)

He opens the door to his black sleek car and
I get in. The car smells of him, the smell I remember from
December, and I smile with the recollection. I can hardly contain
my excitement and momentarily forget I should be upset.

Dean effortlessly gets in and starts the car.
He revs the motor while looking over at me, smiling. The car seems
to take on a different feeling from before. It seems to fit with
the new Dean as a tool, an extension of his body, instead of just a
means for transportation. “Shall we go?” he purrs.

I nod and smile – transfixed and speechless.
Who is this man? He pulls into traffic, shifting the gears
confidently. Why is that so sexy?

“I’m assuming that you’re hungry?”

“Famished.”

“Alright, how about somewhere close by
then?”

“Sure, anywhere. I’m not picky.”

He turns around smoothly and heads in the
opposite direction towards Madison Park.

We get to the cute business district of the
neighborhood and Dean points to a little Greek restaurant. “How
about there? Do you like Greek?”

“Love it.” I’m not lost on the irony that my
new guy is taking me to a Greek restaurant. Regardless, I love
Greek food.

“Me too,” he says under his breath.

We park and he rushes over to open the door.
He takes my hand, reminding me of how he held it before, and we
walk silently to the restaurant.

We are seated near the back, a small table
dimly lit with candlelight. Dean takes my coat and it’s then that I
remember I have scrubs on – how embarrassing. We sit opposite one
another and I’m a little surprised when he grabs my hand. This new
Dean is more forward than the old Dean, as if that could be
possible.

I try to mask my uncomfortableness by making
small talk. “We need to stop going out like this… I feel very
underdressed. And a little dirty.”

He smirks. “I like dirty.”

I smile and look away. If I wasn’t
uncomfortable, I am now. Wow, this guy moves fast.

“Tell me about your day.”

“It wasn’t too bad. My patients were easy
today.”

The waiter comes and we release hands to take
the menus. We order our food and drinks, making small talk while
waiting for the drinks to arrive. Dean talks about everything, it
seems, except for what I really want to know. He seems more
talkative than before – not overly rude, but able to effortlessly
fill lulls in our conversation when before he was quiet.

Our drinks arrive and I flat out ask him.
“Now tell me about the last two months. I can see a lot has changed
with you.”

“Honestly, it’s been a difficult couple of
months.” He’s interrupted by our entrees arriving, then continues
after we are settled.

“After seeing you in December I took a
serious look at myself, and decided I needed to change before you
saw me again. My goal was to be rid of the walker before I
contacted you. I reached that goal about a month ago. I then
switched from physical therapy to a personal trainer. I also moved
back into my old place. It has taken a long time to piece the life
I once had back together.”

“I guess I don’t understand, why did you want
to wait to see me?”

“Because I really liked you… and I didn’t
want you to see me like that. Like I was broken. I wanted you to
see me like I used to be. Before the accident.”

It takes me a minute to respond to him – I
didn’t expect such a honest explanation. “I thought you didn’t want
to see me again.”

“Oh Mallory, I’m sorry.” Dean takes my hand
again and holds it between us on the table, rubbing the back with
his thumb.

I look down at our hands. “No need to be
sorry.” His caress is utterly sweet and touching.

“What have you been up to since I last saw
you? How were your holidays?” Dean asks.

“I’ve been working a lot. Christmas was good,
I had the day off and New Year’s Eve was fun.”

“Oh really?! Who did you kiss at midnight?”
He leans in to the table and smirks.

“Um… No one of importance, just a friend from
college.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “I’m
sorry, that’s none of my business. Not that I want you to kiss
another boy again.” He narrows his eyes at me and laughs.

“Well you kind of forced me into it,” I
tease.

We finish our drinks and work on our entrees,
talking about our traveling adventures. I’ve only been to Canada,
but Dean has been practically everywhere. He tells me about the
amazing places he’s traveled, mostly with his parents when he was a
teenager. We don’t mention it, but I wonder what he would have
accomplished if he had the last three years. I also wonder if his
parents know that he is seeing me. I can’t imagine they would be
happy he is dating the help.

After dinner we drive through the arboretum
and I look out my window. It’s spooky driving under the bare canopy
at night and I shiver involuntarily.

“Are you cold? Let me turn the heat up.”

He puts his right hand on my knee in between
shifting. This guy really likes to touch although it would be
sexier if my knee wasn’t covered with scrubs that I’ve been wearing
for sixteen hours. I look over to him and watch his profile as his
drives. Even though I barely know him I can’t shake my desire to
kiss him.

Dean looks over at me. “Do you want to see
where I live?”

I smile, “Sure.”

I’m excited to see where he lives. You can
tell so much about a person when you see what they surround
themselves with. We drive toward my apartment and then Dean makes a
right, towards the water and Laurelhurst. He pulls into the
driveway to a house only about a mile away from my apartment and
across the street from waterfront property. Once again he has both
impressed and surprised me.

“Here we are.” He watches me as I look up
through the front windshield to a boxy wood and concrete house.
“What do you think?”

“It looks very modern.”

“It was built in the 70’s, but I renovated a
bit when I bought it.” He presses a button and we drive into the
garage.

“Does anyone else live here?”

“No, just me. Is that okay?” he looks at me
concerned.

“That’s fine.” Dean feels safe and I’m sure
he’s not a rapist or going to kidnap me. I open the car door and we
walk up a set of steps to the foyer. I can see what he meant by
renovated 70’s; there’s a lot of dark wood on the trim and floor,
juxtaposed by modern crisp white walls. The light fixture in the
entry is modern and chrome and looks expensive.

“Let me take your coat. Would you like a
tour?”

“Yes!” I’m so excited; I just know I’m going
to love this house. If I wasn’t a nurse I would have studied
architecture or interior design.

He takes my hand and guides me from room to
room. The main level is mostly open with an expansive kitchen with
an equally large pantry, formal dining, living room, and study all
overlooking the water. We go upstairs where there are only three
smallish sized bedrooms. Dean explains that one of the original
bedrooms became the master bathroom and he decreased the size of
the master bedroom to make a bigger closet. The master has a view
of the water and is filled with a massive four poster bed and a
small bench at the foot. The bed looks both traditional and modern.
It has the same dark wood as the house and spindles with crisp
white bedding and neatly made. The whole house is neat and I wonder
if it is always like this, or he expected company. The tour ends in
the master bathroom which is almost as big as the bedroom. It has
an open shower and the largest freestanding soaking tub I have ever
seen. I can’t help picturing myself taking a bath in it.

“What are you thinking?” I look up to a
half-smirk, his head cocked to the side.

“Honestly?” He nods. “A good book and a
bubble bath.”

“Anytime,” he murmurs.

I look at my watch, it’s just after ten and
I’m exhausted. “Not tonight, I’m too tired.”

“Mallory, I’m sorry. You must be exhausted.
Do you want me to take you home?”

“Not yet. Is that okay?”

“Definitely.” Deans smiles and I’m reminded
of Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid. I smile back as he grabs my hand
and leads me downstairs to the sofa.

“Sit and relax. Can I get you anything?”

“Just some water please.”

While Dean is in the kitchen I look around
without him watching me. One word that comes to mind is pristine –
it looks like a showroom instead of a residence. I wonder if he
cleaned in anticipation of my visit, or if he is always this
neat.

Dean returns with my water and sits next to
me. He pulls my legs to his lap and removes my shoes.

“Um, Dean, no,” I say sternly and sit
straight up. “I just worked a twelve hour shift and I’m sure they
smell horrible.”

Dean smiles in a way that tells me there is
no point resisting.

I lay back so I am perpendicular to him and
he shifts to face me.

“You’re really beautiful Mallory… I’m so glad
you’re here.”

“I’m glad you showed up tonight. But… I
should really go.” But I don’t move.

“Okay,” he replies with a smile, but doesn’t
move either. I look at his beautiful lips. Oh fuck this!

I sit up and straddle Dean on the sofa,
watching his face carefully to see if this is okay. He responds
with a low moan and runs his hands from the back of my knees to my
ass, pulling me closer. I feel his arousal and gently grind up
against it – testing the waters. I run my hands through his hair
and he closes his eyes as I move my mouth to his ear and suck on
the lobe. Dean’s hands go to my hips and he starts moving my body
up and down his cock – it’s fully erect now and I’m turned on that
he wants me already. He surprises me by picking me up with one arm
and laying me beneath him on the sofa. I guess he has been working
out. He traces my lips with his finger… and then he kisses me. I
moan into him and push my pelvis against him as his tongue enters
my mouth. Forgetting that I barely know this guy, I grab his ass
and pull him closer. We dry hump for a moment until Dean pulls
away.

“Oh Mallory, I’m going to come soon if we
don’t stop.”

He pulls away and I’m full of hunger – my
pussy aches to have him there. Fuck! I pull myself out from under
him and walk to the bathroom. I shut the door and look in the
mirror – I’m a mess. My hair is disheveled, make-up smudged. I fix
my pony tail and clean up the smudges under my eyes before I go
back to face him.

I walk into the living room and Dean looks
up, and I think I see hope there. A little sad that he will be
disappointed, I know that I need to go home before things get any
farther.

“I think I should go.”

He stands up and walks around the couch and
gives me a hug. “I’d like it if you stayed.”

“I’d like it if I stayed too, but I barely
know you… I should to go.”

“You know me better than you think. But come
on, I’ll drive you home.”

We get to my apartment
and he idles
his car at the front door to the complex.

“When do you go back to work?” He puts his
hand on my knee, caressing my leg, as he looks down at my
crotch.

I’m distracted by his touch and can’t think.
“Um, let’s see… Monday.”

“Can I pick you up tomorrow? Dinner
again?”

“Sure, when?”

“How about three-thirty?”

Out of the corner of my eye I see a car pull
in and park. Subconsciously, I know it is Adam’s blue Volvo and I
suddenly have a pit in my stomach for some reason.

“Mallory?”

I look back to Dean’s face as I see Adam
walking towards the apartment out of the corner of my eye. For some
reason I don’t want Adam to know about Dean… at least not yet.

“Um, yes. That sounds great. Thank you for
tonight. Goodnight.”

I quickly get out of the car and leave a
slightly shocked Dean, his hand hanging in mid-air. Adam’s opening
the front door of the complex as I climb out of the car and he
stops and stares at me, his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes shift to
Dean, and a slight scowl grows on his face. I want Dean to drive
away before this gets worse for me, but his car is not moving.
Great, I can just imagine what Dean is thinking.

“Adam,” I call. Hoping to get his attention
off Dean and get inside quickly.

“Mallory, what’s up?” He finally looks at me;
I can tell he’s disappointed by the tone in his voice.

I ignore the rudeness. “Not much.” He opens
the door for me and we walk inside.

I can feel Dean’s eyes on me as Adam and I
talk, walking up the stairs to the second floor. His motor revs and
I hear him drive off when I know I’m out of his view.

“Who was that?” Adam spits out.

“Someone I started dating.” I say as
nonchalantly as I can, but the tone of his voice tells me I was
right in not wanting him to know about Dean.

“Oh?”

I open the apartment door for us and Adam
continues quizzing me.

“Where did you meet him?”

“We met at the hospital.”

Tara interjects, “Meet who? What are you guys
talking about?”

Adam answers for me, “Mallory was just
dropped off by some mystery guy.”

They both look to me and I just stare back –
what can I say? Why is this such a big deal?

Tara breaks the silence. “Greg will be
heartbroken.”

What? “What do you mean? Greg and I have been
broken up for at least six months – I think he’ll be fine.”

They both look at each other and I know there
is something going on.

“What? Spit it out. Greg has moved on. He had
that girl, what’s-her-name at New Year’s.”

“Mallory, Greg wants you back,” Tara begins.
“He talks about you nonstop. When you didn’t bring a date to New
Year’s, he thought he might have a chance to win you back.”

Oh shit. My heart breaks a little for Greg.
Part of me still loves him and always will, but this is my chance
to move on with someone that is hopefully more compatible.