I Want Candy (10 page)

‘I’m gonna leave my bra on,’ she thought, “and my panties too.” She slid on the XXL gray Reebok T-shirt, letting it kiss the top of her knees. Candy tossed her hair back and twisted it up in a sloppy ponytail before emerging. Eric looked at her and smiled, turning back to the evening news nonchalantly. Candy walked around the bed swiftly and slid under the crisp sheets, pulling them to her chin.

Eric tilted his head and grinned. “Are you cold?” he asked sarcastically.

Candy rolled her eyes, blinked lazily, and laughed.

“I told you before, nothing will happen that you don’t want to happen. I’m not gonna ask for anything. I’m not gonna initiate anything. If you want to sleep, you can with no worries. I don’t mistake a kiss or a hug for more than just that. I’ll never pressure you to do anything you aren’t ready for, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Good night.” Eric promptly turned off the television and rolled over on his side.

Candy contemplated his words before sliding down onto the plush, soft pillow. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to close her eyes, but her eyelids fluttered with nervousness. The faint smell of the soap and cologne from his skin lingered in the warm air. He turned suddenly towards her, his eyes still closed. He then moved onto his back, his face slightly turned to the right. Candy watched as his chest rose up and down, slowing with each breath until he appeared to be fast asleep. Candy lie on her side and watched him until she too fell fast asleep.

MR. SMOOTH TROPICAL FRUIT SMOOTHIE

1 mango and papaya peeled and seeded

1/2 cup fresh strawberries

1/3 cup orange juice

5 ice cubes

Place the mango, papaya, strawberries, orange juice, and ice cubes in an electric blender.

Process until ingredients are so smooth they make butter look rough.

* * *

CHAPTER 6

“I know you drink coffee because you were comin’ out of Starbucks when we met,” Eric laughed as he handed the warm mug to Candy the following morning.

“This better be good. I’m very particular about my coffee,” Candy snickered as she gently blew across the top of the mug before taking a sip. Eric looked down at her shapely, dangling leg that peeked shyly from under the sheets. Her foot rocked to an unknown beat as she flexed her toes, showcasing her hot pink toenail polish.

“I know how to make a cup of coffee, thank you very much. Starbucks has nothing on me!” Eric crossed his arms, waiting for Candy’s critique.

“OK, I don’t give out compliments freely when it comes to bean juice. However, you get an ‘A-!’” Candy teased.

“An ‘A-?’ Why not an ‘A+?’ You’re just tryin’ to get my feathers ruffled.” They both laughed. Eric took the mug out of her hands.

“Wait a minute!” Candy pleaded. “What are you doin’?” She reached in vain for the coffee mug. “Gimme a better grade,” Eric laughed and took a sip from Candy’s mug. “I’ll drink this whole thing,” he threatened.

“OK!” Candy squealed. “It was good.” She lunged towards the coffee mug. Eric put it behind his back, leaned towards her and kissed her passionately. Candy stopped struggling, her body falling loosely as he moved his tongue freely in her mouth. She slowly closed her eyes and kissed him back, cradling the back of his head. After about ten seconds, he pulled leisurely away and handed her the coffee mug back.

“‘A+,’” he whispered, satisfied as he walked back out of the bedroom into the kitchen.

Candy blushed, took a sip of coffee, and set it down. She fell back onto the bed. ‘Oh my God,’ she thought as her stomach fluttered with butterflies. Her thick hair spread out onto the pillow in luscious, full waves. She listened as she heard a new pot of coffee percolating. She rose and finished her coffee while watching the morning news in the bedroom. She then got up and stretched, reaching her arms to the sky before walking into the bathroom and turning on the shower. She methodically went over every inch of her body with Eric’s soap. It smelled like him, and she wanted him all over her. She watched as the foamy suds ran down her thighs and breasts. Suddenly turned on, she slipped a finger inside of herself then back out, rubbing her clitoris. She closed her eyes as the anticipation built. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Her eyes flung open.

“Yes?” she called out over the bursting stream of hot water.

“Do you need a fresh towel? I didn’t lay one in there.”

Candy looked around frantically. “Uh, yes, I guess I need one. I didn’t look before I jumped in. I’m sorry, this must be your washcloth, but it was dry, so I thought it was clean.”

“No, I didn’t use that one yet. You’re OK. I’ll be right back,” Eric said. He returned thirty seconds later. The bathroom door slowly opened, allowing a thick cloud of warm mist to exit. Candy peeked from behind the curtain, holding it protectively close to her naked body.

“Baby, I’ll put it down right here.” He laid the towel down on top of the toilet seat and quietly left the bathroom, closing the door securely behind him.

Candy quickly finished bathing. She put on her clothing from the night before, skipping the panties, and instead folded them neatly and placed them in her purse. Her hair was still slightly damp, so she tousled it and pinned it up with two bobby pins. She exited the bedroom and saw Eric sitting at his small dining room table, eating a bowl of cereal and reading the paper. He looked up and smiled.

“Hi, Beautiful,” he said, waving as he took another bite of his cereal. “I’m sorry I only have cereal, but I have two kinds – Cheerios and Crispix.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Candy smiled shyly. “I’ll fix a bowl of Crispix if that’s OK.”

“Of course. The bowls are in that top cabinet to your left, and I already have the silverware here on the table. There’s more coffee and some grapefruit juice in the refrigerator.”

Candy turned towards him and put her hand on her hip.

“So you’re really just gonna sit there and let me make my own bowl? I thought you were a gentleman!” she teased.

“I am, but I feel like you’ll be spendin’ much more time here, so you may as well get used to where everything is now,” he smirked as he took another sip of his coffee and looked back down at the paper.

“Smooth, Eric.” Candy nodded and smirked in return. “Real smooth.” She reached high and chose an orange ceramic cereal bowl. She pulled out the juice and milk then sat at the table where Eric was reading the sports page.

They sat silently for a few moments. Eric suddenly put the newspaper down, folding it neatly. He folded his hands together and placed them on the table, looking seriously at Candy. She looked up, trying to read his thoughts.

“What?” Candy said as she put down her spoon.

“I just want you to know,” Eric started, “that I understand what your best friend’s going through likely makes you apprehensive about me and men in general. I know from some of our previous conversations that you have trust issues with guys. Like I told you, in the past, I was no angel, but I’m not that person anymore. I want you to trust me. I want to earn that trust, and I need for you to be open to me. I’ve been hurt too. We both have. Your friend’s going through something really hard right now and you feel like you’re right there in the trenches with her, but I’m not Dallas’s husband, and you’re not Dallas. We aren’t who we were yesterday, and we aren’t who we’ll be tomorrow.” He cocked his head to the side and watched her a moment before smiling and continuing on.

“I decided to settle down again after my last relationship because of what I want out of life. My ex and I both made mistakes. I loved her, she loved me, but we clashed on so many things. Sometimes things just don’t work out, but I’m a hopeless romantic. I believe I’ll find what I’m lookin’ for – if I haven’t already.” He looked at her and smiled again. “Candy, what are you thinkin’ right now? What do you want, and why are you afraid of me?”

“Afraid of you?” Candy blurted. “Eric, what are you talkin’ about? I’m not afraid of you, and I’m not sure what gives you that impression. I’m just a woman who likes to take things slow.”

“OK, I’ll accept that as an answer for now,” he said, and grinned. “What do you expect from me?”

“Honesty, friendship, sincerity – I can handle the truth. I’m a big girl.” The final words echoed in her mind. She bit her bottom lip as a river of sadness knocked on her consciousness.

Eric nodded. “That’s good to know. So many women say they can accept the truth, but I disagree. If we told you what we really thought all the time, you’d never have anything to do with us or be crying 24-7.”

Candy burst out laughing. “How do you figure that?”

“It’s true,” Eric responded candidly. “Many times we aren’t thinkin’ anything at all, but when we are, most of the time you don’t want to know what’s really on our minds. It would disturb you.”

“Try me!”

“OK, ask me a question,” Eric said, crossing his arms and grimacing.

“You asked me what I was thinkin’ right now, so you tell me what you’re thinkin’ right this second!” Candy demanded with a twisted grin.

“Right this second?” Eric asked.

“Is there an echo in here?” Candy taunted. “Yes, right now!”

Eric smiled. “How I want to make love to you. What’s your next question?”

“See! Men only think about sex!” Candy laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“We do think about sex a lot, but you women see something wrong with that when y’all think about it a lot too. I don’t see what the problem is. My position on this, however, is it’s not all I think about. I can think about it, but it doesn’t consume my thoughts so that I can’t concentrate on anything else. I can think about how lovely your breasts are shaped and also about the ballgame and getting an oil change at the same time. It’s not a challenge for me,” Eric laughed.

Candy smiled, “You’re incredible, and standing in the need of prayer. You need Jesus!” she teased.

Eric laughed heartily, “That’s true, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is the honest answer. If I told you what you wanted to hear, it would’ve been a lie, but you would’ve rather heard it. We lie to you to keep the peace,” he clarified.

“Oh, please!” Candy rolled her eyes. “You men lie because you’re always up to somethin’ sneaky! If you weren’t doin’ anything wrong, you’d have no reason to lie.”

“Me thinkin’ about sex, your breasts, or other primal subjects isn’t wrong. It’s just not what you want to hear. How’s it wrong?” Eric looked at Candy sternly, trying to keep from laughing.

“Because you should be more concerned about me as a person, whether I’m compatible with you, and what I have to bring to the table.”

“Who’s to say I’m not? I just explained to you that I can think of several things at once. I can think of all of that and sex. That’s another problem with women, especially women such as yourself. You think it has to be ‘either or.’ You only see things in black and white.”

“What do you mean ‘women such as myself?’” Candy asked, her attitude growing.

“Women who live inside their heads. It’s not an insult, so simmer down,” Eric teased. “Look, men and women don’t think alike. We just don’t. We’re wired completely differently. To men, sex is a normal part of our day, whether it’s a thought, a movie, or an actual encounter. It’s as routine as brushing our teeth. For many women, it just stays in your head. I want a meaningful relationship with someone I have similar interests with and can have an intelligent conversation with. I want a woman who’s modern but has some old-fashioned qualities. I want her to be open to love and to understand that just because I’m different from her doesn’t mean she should be worried or concerned. This is the way God designed it. We balance each other out. I want a family some day, and I want to be able to give my wife and kids a house that makes the one you live in now look like a shack. I want it all – the American Dream. I work hard at my job, and even though it’s blue collar, I make a damn good living, and I want to share my life with someone whom I can dig and who digs me. I don’t want a one-night stand, I want a one-
life
stand,” he smiled proudly and finished his coffee.