Convenience and Compatibility (6 page)

“You both know I love Greg, but we are not
getting back together. You know my reasons for breaking up with him
and I’m not interested in trying to change him. He is who he is. It
works for him, but it’s not for me.” I walk past them as they look
at each other. I’m pissed. I can understand Adam taking his
friend’s side but Tara is supposed to be my friend.

I push thoughts of Greg out of my head go to
bed excited about seeing Dean tomorrow.

Chapter
7

I wake up the next morning and replay last
night in my head, analyzing the evening, reminding myself that I
know very little about this guy. And although I know this, he also
feels very safe – it’s like I’ve known him forever. Part of me
feels some trepidation in dating him because of his parents. They
weren’t exactly rude to me, but they weren’t warm and fuzzy either.
Maybe if they knew me better or I have a more personal connection
with them they will be a little less indifferent to me.

My stomach rumbles and I remember that I need
to get up and get ready for Dean. I haven’t heard any moving around
in the apartment; Tara and Adam must be gone already. I love my
friends, but am relieved that I don’t have to have ‘The
Conversation’ again.

I make some tea and put on a face mask and
paint my nails. My plan is to lazily get ready for tonight, making
sure that everything is perfect. Somehow I know I won’t be able to
keep my hands off of Dean. There is something so exciting about the
beginning of a relationship. There is no guarantee that things will
work out and compatibility will be found, but this is the part
about it that is so thrilling.

I’ve finished polishing myself to perfection
with five minutes to spare. I admire my look in the mirror; casual,
yet cute. I’m wearing dark jeans and a V neck T-shirt. My ass looks
great in the jeans, but I’m wondering if my shirt is a little too
low cut when the door buzzes. With the way he was looking at my
tits yesterday when he thought I wasn’t looking, I’m pretty sure
he’s a boob man. Oh well, too late to change.

“Hello?” I say through the intercom.

“It’s Dean.” Hearing his voice reminds me
again that he is real and my stomach does a flip – I’m excited and
just a little scared about our date.

“I’m in 309.” I open the door slightly and
rush around grabbing my purse, keys, jean jacket and boots. There
are a few raps on the door as I’m zipping up my first boot. I
choose shoes with a slight heel so I won’t feel so short when I’m
with him.

“Come in!” I glance up to see Dean walking
through the doorway… and he looks like a sex god. It will be a
miracle if I can keep my hands off him until after dinner. “I’ll be
ready in just a sec.”

He looks down at me. “You look beautiful
Mallory.”

I want to blow him off and make a joke. I am
not, by any means, beautiful. Instead I say thank you and walk over
to him, pecking him on the cheek.

“It’s nice to see you.”

“Likewise. Although I like the scrubs look, I
like this too - you look hot.”

My cheeks get warm under his scrutinizing
stare. “Well thanks. Do you want a tour?” I wave my arm at the tiny
apartment like I’m Vanna White.

“Yes please.”

I take him through each of the rooms,
pretending to be a tour guide. It takes all of one minute.

“Well that’s it.”

“Impressive. How long have you lived
here?”

“About two years. Tara and I moved in
together after college.”

“And where is Tara?”

“I’m not sure, probably somewhere with her
boyfriend Adam.”

“Is that the guy you were walking in with
last night?”

“Yea, he’s really sweet. They’re a cute
couple.” I hope this is enough to appease him and he doesn’t ask
anymore questions. “Are you ready?”

“Yup, let’s go.”

We get in his car and Dean drives towards the
freeway.

“I was thinking of going downtown for drinks,
then dinner. Maybe walk around a little bit? What do you
think?”

“Sounds great.”

Dean has chosen a little Mexican restaurant
near Belltown to have drinks. I order Sangria and ask him what he
did today.

“I worked.”

“Oh.” Did I miss something? “Remind me what
you do.”

“I was on the computer and my phone all day,
playing the stock market.” Oh, that’s right. He continues, “After
the closing bell I tied up some things, got ready, then I picked
you up. What did you do today?”

“Slept for most of it actually.” He raises
his eyebrows. “I’m usually pretty wiped out after three shifts –
it’s my little ritual to do nothing the day after.”

He takes a sip of his whiskey and casually
asks, “So why was Adam giving me the stink eye last night?”

So he noticed.

I feign innocence. “Was he?” Dean cocks his
head and gives me a look like, ‘you damn well know he was.’ “It
could be because I used to date his best friend.” I shrug.

“When did you break up?”

“About six months ago. I really don’t know
what Adam’s problem is.”

He smiles at me, “I can guess why. How long
did you go out?”

“Only six months. It was really easy to date
him because of Tara and Adam – convenient really.”

“Then why did you break up? If you don’t mind
me asking?”

“No, I don’t mind. We just weren’t very
compatible long-term.”

“And your friends want you to get back
together with him?”

I look at him apologetically. “I guess.”

Dean finishes my sentence, “And he wants to
get back together with you.” I nod in agreement.

He reclines in his seat and swirls his
whiskey. “I see.”

Oh no, I have a pang of fear – did I say too
much? It’s always a little weird talking about exes.

Dean eyes me speculatively and smirks, “Well
I guess I have my work cut out for me. We can’t have that.”

I grin back, “You have nothing to worry
about.”

We finish our drinks and
take a walk,
hand in hand, down the street. I don’t know where we’re going, and
I don’t care. I’m feeling a little tipsy and I link my arm in
Dean’s, pulling myself close. He’s warm and smells amazing; like a
musky, almost sweet scent. Walking down the sidewalk, I’m thinking
how lucky I am – I don’t want this moment to ever end.

“Are you hungry? I thought we’d walk around a
bit, but it looks like it’s going to rain.”

I look up at him, “I could eat.” In reality
I’m starved; I’ve barely eaten all day.

I see my favorite restaurant up ahead and I
hope we are headed there. We stop at the doorway and he asks me if
this is okay. I look up at him dreamily and manage to say “Uh huh.”
This man is more than perfect.

We are seated in the back in a half-circle
booth – sitting very close. He puts his hand on my leg and I look
into his eyes. I smile at him and know that I will have a hard time
keeping my hands off him tonight. In fact, I am thinking of
climbing onto his lap and taking him now, but instead I mind my
manners and look down at the menu.

The place is slow tonight, given that it’s a
Thursday, and our food arrives in all its fanfare. First comes our
Caesar Salad, made by our waiter right at the table. He puts raw
eggs into a bowl and whisks in oil, anchovies, lemon juice, and
some spices. The presentation is just as good as the taste. Like a
well-run machine, as soon as we finish our salad our entrée is
served. Our steak arrives on a flaming sword and I giggle in
delight. I have been here many times before but never tire of the
theatrics.

Dean tells me about his family during dinner.
He is an only child, which he hates, but he is very close with his
parents. He also talks about his childhood and his last and only
girlfriend. I’m jealous when he tells me about her, but also very
curious and I keep asking questions. I demise two things from his
description: he is definitely over her, and she is a stuck-up
bitch. Amanda – whatever. He is mine now. It may be juvenile, but
there’s nothing like a little competition for me to want a man a
little more. I know that Dean is a catch and I feel lucky to be
sitting here with him. My mind drifts to this evening and I squirm
a little – I can’t wait to see this man naked. His body language
tells me he wants me as much as I do. It feels good to be
wanted.

Dinner ends and I am stuffed, but I ask him
if we can order the bananas foster. It’s an amazing dessert, but
also fun to watch as the waiter assembles it in front of our table
on a hot plate. We’re lingering over dessert and Dean asks me if I
want to head back to his place for drinks. I’m pretty sure that
this is code for “will you fuck me tonight” and I don’t want to
make it too easy for him.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I tease. I look at him
and giggle. He holds my head gently and moves his mouth to my ear.
He whispers heartily, “Oh please.” He lingers on the last word,
breathing into my neck. I take a couple of deep breaths and close
my eyes as shivers run down my back.

“Um, yes. Let’s go. Your place,” I manage,
trying to keep my composure, but Dean knows exactly how he affects
me. He releases me and laughs wholeheartedly. I look over at him
and can’t help but smirk.

I excuse myself and go to the bathroom before
we leave. I need to make sure I’m ready for this. I check my makeup
and hair, make sure I smell good, and reapply my chap stick. I
check my phone and am surprised to see that we have been at the
restaurant for five hours! Oh shit, it’s nearly ten o’clock. It’s a
good thing I slept in today – it’s going to be a long night.

I walk out of the bathroom and Dean is
waiting for me, leaning against the wall. I sigh and take his
outstretched arm – he is beyond hot. I hold myself back from
grabbing him inappropriately as we walk back to the car.

“Mallory?” he asks when we get outside.

“Hmmm?”

“I really like you.”

“I really like you too.”

We walk in silence the rest of the way. He
starts the engine and looks over at me, hunger in his beautiful
eyes and I’m sure I am reflecting the same emotions to him. He
looks away and takes a deep breath before pulling into traffic. The
air in the car is electrifying. He touches my leg between shifting
again, but this time his touches are less innocent. He grips my leg
and rubs his hand up and down, careful to not go past mid-thigh.
That’s all I’m thinking about on the ride to his place – hoping he
will move his hand just a bit higher. I’m so hot for him I can
barely stand it.

We are both panting by the time we pull into
the garage. Dean practically runs around the car to open the door
for me and grabs my hand. He walks me, almost drags me, up the
stairs as I laugh at his impatience.

We get to his bedroom and he lights a couple
of candles on his nightstand. I don’t remember seeing those before
and am touched that he planned ahead. Or should I be insulted? I
put the thought out of my mind and focus on the moment and the need
I have to feel him between my legs.

Dean undoes the buttons on his jacket,
looking into my eyes, smiling down at me. He pulls me to him and
takes off my jacket. It falls to the floor and his eyes haven’t
left mine. Dean rubs his hands up and down my arms.

“Your skin is so soft,” he says to
himself.

He puts one hand behind my neck and moves my
head to the side so he can put his mouth on the other side. He
kisses start out tender and sweet. I run my hands up and down his
chest, over his shirt. Hmm, his smell is stronger now and I want to
kiss his sweet chest. I start unbuttoning his shirt, starting from
the top, and he stops kissing me.

“Uh, Mallory?”

“Yea?” I’m looking at him confused. Did he
change his mind?

“I just want you to be prepared for some
scars.” I’m looking at Dean confused, and he elaborates. “Remember?
The feeding tube and I also had a suprapubic catheter.”

“Oh.” I had almost forgotten the Dean I knew
five months ago. He has changed so much it is like he is a
different person.

Dean pulls me away from him and searches my
face. “Is that okay. Does that gross you out? I know it’s weird,”
he blurts out.

I smile, “Did you forget I’m a nurse?”

Dean doesn’t smile back, instead he sits down
on the bed and runs his hands through his hair. “And um,” he
begins. What, there’s more? “It’s been over three years for me so…“
Dean hesitates and I can see that he is nervous.

I don’t wait for him to finish his thought. I
close the gap between us and kiss him. He’s surprised, but shortly
regains his momentum and grabs my ass, pulling me into him. I suck
on his bottom lip and run my hands through his hair. Dean lets out
a low moan and I push my tongue into his mouth, kissing him deeply.
I pull back from his grasp and give him a mischievous smile. This
is going to be fun.

I gingerly push him onto the bed. He has a
look of shock and lust on his face as I climb on top of him –
straddling his legs. I stare into his eyes as I finish unbuttoning
his shirt and undo his pants. I open his clothing a bit and then
lift my shirt over my head. I have on a tan lacy bra which is a
little too small and my breasts are bulging from it slightly.

Dean makes a deep grunting noise and his
hands go straight for them. My suspicions were right – he is a boob
man. I let him massage them for a bit then break out of his grasp
to get out of my pants and socks. He takes the opportunity to
remove his clothes and move up in bed. He’s left on his underwear,
grey boxer briefs, and is sporting a massive erection in them. I’ve
left on my panties – tan, lacy boy shorts that I know make my ass
look amazing.

My eyes are drawn to his erection – I want to
touch it. I crawl up the bed and lay next to him so I can put my
hand on his cock easily while we kiss. I start out tenderly, not
knowing how sensitive he is, rubbing my hand gently up and down
it’s length. His cock feels amazing through the fabric and I move
down to his balls, cupping and gently tugging, making circles with
my fingers. Dean is moaning like crazy and pawing at me like a mad
man. Clearly he wants more quickly, but I want to suspend this
sense of discovery.