Holiday Spice (3 page)

T
hen, something amazing happened.
We decided to extend
our
coffee chat into a
full-fledged
date!
We walked along the old part of town and visi
ted some of the shops. The whole evening
just went incredibly
, far better than I could have ever dreamed!

As time passed,
Leon and I continued
seeing each other, making it official after about the
third week
.
We spent Christmas at his parent’s house. 
Of course, when my mom heard about this, she automatically
started
talking about marriage and children…
again.
 

After
a full month
of dating, we decided to take it to the
next level… or, at least, I did.
I went to the lingerie store
for the first time in a VERY long time
and picked out something sexy: small, black, with lace
and a corseted ribbon lining
.

This was the night.

Leon and I had plans to go out for dinner and a movie,
but
little did he know I would lure him into coming home with me.
Well, maybe he knew.  It had probably been a longer wait than with most of the girls he dated, but I was nervous and afraid of getting hurt. 

Eight
o’clock rolled around, and he wa
s on time like always. Under my dress was the sweet little number I picked up earlier, and I was getting the jitters just thinking about it. Would I have the courage to bring him home? Dinner was perfect; the dim lights lit his hair in a way that almost gave it a hint of caramel brown. The movie was romantic and included many sensual
themes
that made me even more excited about my plans.

As
we walked up my front porch, he
guide
d
me to the door
and
I pulled him close for the most passionate kiss we ever shared. I put my leg around him and he reached for the door, eyes still closed, locked in the moment. I knew he was thinking the same thing as me.

Once the door was open, we quickly made our way inside, and he pushed me against the door, I could feel his excitement, and I made him sure of mine.

My dress came off on the way to the bedroom, as did his shirt, revealing the most gorgeous six pack
abs
I had ever seen. I unfastened his pants, revealing his risen boxers, and I knew I was almost at the prize.

He urged me to
lay
back on the bed and his firm, masculine hands grasped my hips.  In a flash m
y panties
laid
on the floor, leaving me in the lingerie top,
legs spread and quivering with excitement. 

We started o
ff
slow, easing into the
rhythm of
passion
ate thrusting that no vibrator in my special drawer could ever duplicate.  It was intoxicating and he worked me hard that night, but I loved every second of it.

When I woke up, I was alone in my room
.
I pulled on my robe and brushed my teeth.
Still bleary
-eyed, I headed to the kitchen only to be greeted with an amazing sight
. I had to rub my eyes to make sure
that
what I was seeing was real.

Fresh roses graced the table, along with breakfast, coffee, and Leon,
who looked
amazing as always. I felt like a com
plete mess,
he was already all dressed and had been out; I was just barely out of bed.

It was a full
year exactly
from the day we met up for coffee when
Leon told me he had a surprise for me. He
’d
wrapped a blindfold around my eyes after we got in the car.
After he took us on
a
n intentionally
long
and
twisted route,
I was surprised
when he
slipped the blindfold off of my eyes and we were at that very
same coffee shop
where our first date began.

Once inside, he led me to a
very special
table that was completely decked out. Our drinks
arrived the moment
we sat down, even though we
hadn
’t order
ed
yet.

Leon got up to go bring us pastries
while
I reminisced about
our first visit
.
  I
t wasn’t hard to guess what he would be bringing back; cheesecake for me and baklava for him.
We ate the same thing every time we came back here.

Leon set down both plates and gestured towards my dessert
.
On the small plate there laid a piece of New York
cheesecake
and on that cheesecake there was a sparkle. My breath
escaped me.  I was staring at a
gorgeous solitaire ring.

Wide-eyed and mouth gaping, I looked up to see Leon on one knee, asking for my hand in marriage. I could hardly catch enough of a breath to tell him that I would absolutely marry him! Little did I
realize that
the whole café was watching this scene
play
out.
Our audience let out a loud
cheer when I finally uttered the words.

Our wedding was planned for July, set on the
beach
of Galveston Island, mid-morning in the back of a beach house where the reception would be held. All of my Texas family planned to attend, and so did his Mississippi family.

The regular baristas from the coffee shop, which had become my best friends over the span of my Colorado venture, were my bridesmaids. All of the females in the wedding flew in a separate plane than the men, who flew in on the next flight. We decided to keep
things
separate until the wedding to make it even
a
more special
day,
and to have
an awesome bridal shower.

The next
few
days would be hell not getting to see my gorgeous specimen of a man. Although, deep in my heart, I knew it would all be worth waiting for… especially the honeymoon!

*  *  *  *
 
*  *  *  *

On their wedding day, Annabelle wore a dress that fell just below her knees; her hair was in a wavy up do that she had pulled from a glamor magazine. Her makeup dawned gold and silver accents, making her face shine in the cool sunlight.

Leon stood waiting for her at the end of the
beach,
the makeshift aisle was
lined by
many
beautiful
seashells. Annabelle came across the bridge that led to the beach from the beach house following her bridesmaids,
all
dressed in tropical tea-length dresses. On each bridesmaid’s arm was a member of Leon’s band.

Leon, along with everyone in attendance, stared at Annabelle as she approached him. Her hair swept by the ocean breeze to reveal her face to her groom. The veil she wore didn’t have a chance of staying down, but she never once let it faze her.

When she stood next to Leon,
he
leaned over and whispered to her something that would be a secret from the audience, but their laugh to share
for sweet eternity
.

They were finally
joined
, now husband and wife.

After the vows had been exchanged and a kiss shared, the audience gathered in the beach house to enjoy cocktail hour as the pictures of the newlyweds were being taken. The featured drink was a fuzzy navel, a deliciously sweet peach concoction.

The DJ announced the newlywed’s arrival into the house, and everyone
chimed in
with applause. The night carried on swiftly and sweetly, as one could only dream one’s wedding may be. As they headed out the door to the limousine, their guests blew bubbles in their direction and waved them off.

The
couple
would spend their first night as newlyweds in warm embrace
at
the San Louis Resort. A bottle of champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries awaited them when they arrived. The
y fed each other the strawberries, but
decided to hold off on the champagne since they had already had
enough
to drink at the reception. Their
last few days
apart led
had heightened their anticipation, resulting in
a tangle of skin and satin.

Months later
,
as the holiday season approached once more,
Leon and Annabelle were
overjoyed to share their next
big news. They were expecting a baby
…
a
product of the infinite love they shared and would continue
to nurture for all of time
.
 

“
Ah, the mail has arrived
,”
Elizabeth muttered to
herself
as she heard the postman clunking down her front steps. One of the reasons she loved the Christmas holidays so much was because of all the holiday cards she received.

Today was no different in that she had an impressive stack of cards to open.
Most young women in their late 20’s don’t get nearly this excited about the mail, but to Elizabeth it brought back fond memories from her childhood. 

S
he
carefully
open
ed each envelope, enjoying the cutting sound her holiday letter opener made.
O
ne at a time
Elizabeth unpacked
the greetings
,
savor
ing
the beauty of each card. Near the bottom of the stack there was an envelope that didn’t appear to be a holiday card. In fact, the envelope suggested that this was rather expensive stationery and there was no return address. The post mark indicated that it had been mailed locally.

Her curiosity piqued, she employed her
letter opener
to slit the top of the envelope.  She w
ithdrew a single folded she
et of the finest of stationery and began reading.

*  *  *  *

My Dearest Elizabeth,

I hope this finds you well and in high anticipation of the coming holidays.

I’m writing
t
o let you know just how beautiful you are to me and that I spend most of my waking hours thinking of you. My nights are filled with dreams of taking you in my arms, kissing you and taking you to heights of pleasure that you have never experienced.

I assure you that, in spite of what it may seem, you are in no danger from m
e. I am not evil. You can just think of me as a
man who is
utterly
infatuated with the loveliest of all women.

Will you please agree to join me for dinner this Friday night? I will send my car for you at 7PM. You can either accept my invitation at that point or you can send my driver on his way. Obviously, I am hoping with all my heart that the answer will be yes. If it is, I’ll reveal my identity to you at that time.

With much hope,

Your
(for now) Secret Admirer

*  *  *  *

Elizabeth
felt slightly panicked.
H
er first thought was to throw the letter
away and forget she ever received it. However, she knew that she would never be capable of doing that. Her curiosity would definitely get the better of her.

Of course, she would accept this invitation. She only had to figure out how to do it safely.
She knew that a
quick call to her best friend, Celia,
would allow some peace of mind
.

Elizabeth surprised herself when she
actually
told
Celia the complete truth
,
knowing that
her friend would admonish her not to accept the mysterious date
.
  Overcoming Celia’s furious objections,
Elizabeth
arranged for a back-up plan
.
If Celia did not receive a phone call at
a certain time, the police would be contacted
.

“If he wanted to hurt me, he could have done it in 100 less complicated and expensive ways than this,” she assured Celia.  “But I appreciate your concern.  You’ll definitely hear from me, though. 
Hopefully with some juicy details about Mr.
Mysteryman
.”