The Clinch ( An Erotic Novella ) (4 page)

The following week, I would steal snatches of online time while James was over at friends or playing in the neighborhood.

The emails that Mark and I traded became love notes. We yearned for each other.

While it seemed silly that two people who had never even met could love each other, I didn't doubt our love for a moment.

I had come to rely on Mark as a friend, lover and confidante. He was the person I thought of when I woke up, and the person who came with me into my dreams as I lay down to sleep at night.

It was incredible to me that I could have become so attached to a person in so short a time, but I had. There was no doubting my feelings for him.

It seemed as though there wasn't another person in the world who understood me the way he did.

There were times in our chatting where we would say the same words at the same time.

We would laugh about it over and over as it happened. Our connection to one another was so strong.

I felt alive when we spent time together online. I couldn't imagine we could have been any closer, even if we had met and dated under conventional circumstances.

And besides, meeting online was becoming the usual way of meeting people, instead of at a bar at closing time.

At the end of the week, we decided we were ready to try a phone call again.

James was going over to a friends house for a sleep over, and it seemed the perfect time to talk undistracted.

I felt as if I should get dressed up and do my makeup and nails like this was a real date.

I was so excited.

I carried the cordless from room to room so I wouldn't miss hearing it ring.

We had both agreed upon a time but I didn't want to rely on my poor sense of time and run an errand right at the time he called.

I had already wasted one call with him due to my friend Simone's stupid meddling and I knew better than to keep Mark waiting any longer.

When the phone rang, I jumped startled and excited.

I didn't want to answer the phone on the first ring though, so I forced myself to breath deeply and relax, counting the rings, grabbing it up just before it switched over to the answering machine.

"Hello?" I answered, making my voice so sultry and sexy.

"Hello there, sexy" said the voice on the other end.

My stomach dropped as I heard him. "What do you want?" I replied, not so sweet anymore, realizing it was my ex's voice on the other end.

Dammit I thought to myself.

I hope Mark doesn't try to get through while I am talking to this jerk.

He proceeded to tell me James had twisted his ankle playing soccer with a couple of the neighborhood kids, and while he had iced and elevated it all night, James was still complaining it hurt to walk on.

He wanted me to come pick him up and take him to the doctors for an x-ray.

I almost told him to do it himself, not wanting to leave the house and miss Mark's call, but I stopped myself.

I knew that the request was probably coming from James and not the ex.

Any time James was hurt or sad, distressed in any way, he always saught me for comfort and aid. I didn't want to let him down this time.

Gathering up my carkeys and purse as I told John, my ex, I was on my way.

I tossed the phone into the chair by the front door as I left.

I almost thought I heard the phone ringing as I pulled out of the driveway, but I shook it off as my overactive imagination.

I didn't return until after 10pm, several hours of which were spent in the Emergency room, a busy place on a Sunday evening.

James merely sprained his ankle, the x-ray was negative for a fracture.

He did however get a complimentary ankle wrap and a cool set of crutches, I felt were going to end up in another injury from the way he swung them around and balanced himself on them.

I was frazzled to say the least as we pulled up to the house. Walking through the door, Jamess bags balanced under one arm while I unlocked it, I glanced across the room to see the answering machine blinking.

Three messages waiting.

Damn, damn damn, I thought to myself.

Getting James settled in for the night took another half hour, and it was late by the time I sat down and listened to the messages.

It seemed my imagination wasn't working overtime.

From the timestamp on his message it had to have been him calling as I rushed out of the house.

There was another message a few hours later, him again.

I could hear the hurt and disappointment in his voice.

The third message was from John, asking what happened and why weren't we home yet.

I cursed at him for not handling things himself, he had cost me a chance to talk to Mark.

Who knew when I would get the opportunity again.

I glanced at the clock which now showed half past eleven, and knew I couldn't try to reach Mark that late.

I was tempted to sneak into James's room and leave an email for Mark explaining what had happened, but James was far too light a sleeper for me to get away with that.

I went to bed frustrated and distraught about the whole thing.

The following week was hectic to say the least.

Carting James to school and picking him up (he usually walked but due to the crutches that was impossible) then sitting at the kitchen table trying to finish what work I brought home with me, James comfortable in his room playing an internet game, his foot propped on pillows.

I knew I wasn't going to get a chance to touch base with Mark.

It seemed to me that life was pushing me away from having a relationship with him.

But then again, I didn't have time to have much of a relationship with anyone.

Thinking back, it had been years since I was intimate with anyone at all.

This thing with Mark was about the first time I had truly let my hair down and allowed someone close.

He made me feel so alive.

When we chatted I became reanimated.

I had hopes and dreams.

I let myself indulge in fantasies.

I could only hope that Mark would give me the chance to explain my absence and give me another shot.

Several days went by before I got the chance to email Mark.

It was Friday night, and I had let James stay up late to watch one of those action movies, Raiders of the something or other, and I guess it was not so adventuresome as I found James asleep on the couch halfway through it.

I covered him with a blanket and moved his soda far enough away that his thrashing in his sleep wouldn't knock it over.

Then I went into his room and after unburying his keyboard, signed on. Mark had of course left a few emails by now.

He didn't seem angry in them, but there was a tone of hurt in the later ones.

I replied to the last one, sent several days prior and tried to explain where I was and what I was doing that made me miss his call.

I also let him know how badly I had wanted to talk with him, how much I missed him and let him know that I wanted to continue trying to make something out of our "relationship".

I cut myself short, knowing my inclination to run on about things, and signed the email, sending it on its way.

Now all I could do was wait and see if he responded.

I went to bed that night, a measure of hope restored and examined my feelings for Mark. He was the first person in a long time that could make me laugh, who really listened to me, who shared his life with me.

As I lay there, sinking into slumber, I realized that I really wanted him in my life, and not just as an online personality, but as a real person.

A person whom I could be intimate with, someone who I could love.

That night I had a dream.

In my dream he and I were meeting for the very first time.

We made arrangements to meet at a nearby upscale restaurant, it had intimate dining, a bar and a dancefloor.

I was beside myself getting ready for the date.

Simone was over and she was helping me chose what to wear.

Half my closet lay scattered around my room, as I tried on dress after dress, skirt after skirt, pants, shirts, anything that would make me look wonderful.

I ended up choosing the blue silk dress that felt smooth against my skin. I guess I figured if I couldn't win him over with my personality, at least if he danced with me, he would fall in love with the feel of my dress pressed against him.

I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and stood in the front.

They had a wonderful koi pond there and I was leaning against the rail, scattering koi food and watching the fish clammer for a bite.

They were beautiful, all the striking colors and sizes. I was so intent on watching the fish that I didn't notice the approach of another person.

I felt his presence as he brushed his hand across my back and as I turned startled, he spoke. His voice was the way I recognized him.

I was stunned by his strong face and body. He smiled at me and introduced himself, like we had never met before.

I laughed to cover my nervousness as I reached out my hand to shake his. As he took my hand he pulled me closer to him, and wrapped his arm about my waist.

As I found myself pressed against his body I was overcome with desire for this man.

I gazed up into his steely grey-green eyes and melted at the look of love reflected from them.

His hands were around me, running up and down my back as I put mine up around his neck.

My fingers ran through his soft brown hair and I leaned in toward him. As our lips were about to meet, I woke.

I lay there staring at the ceiling, my body aching for a man who I had never met. I reached down under the covers and stroked my fingers over the lips of my pussy, teasing them through the curls of hair there.

My hand barely touching. My pussy pulsed with need as I parted the lips and pressed one finger into the slick folds.

I spread the moistness up against my clit and stroked it until my hips began pressing upward from the bed.

My clit had swollen and was peaking out through the folds, and I pressed against it.

My finger slid around it over and over.

With my other hand, I pressed two fingers deep inside me, stoking the inner walls of my cunt.

Increasing the pressure on my clit, I stroke over it again and again, as I plunged my fingers inside me.

My hips rose and met the thrusts of my fingers, my body now shaking with the pleasuring I was giving myself.

When I finally climaxed, I was shuddering and my pussy was clenching at my fingers.

I finger fucked myself over and over as my body shook, my pussy now slick and wet, my fingers now sloshing as I slid them in me again and again.

Afterward I lay there, shaking from the intensity of my climax. I fell asleep thinking of Mark, sure that things would work out.

Sunday, I got up early, and made James and myself a huge breakfast.

As I cooked, I thought of how it might feel to spend a lazy day in bed with Mark. He and I cuddling as we read the paper.

Croissants and coffee on the bedside table.

I imagined we would snuggle up against each other, one of us constantly reaching out for the other, stroking a thigh, rubbing a back, kissing a cheek.

I could see us feeding one another croissants, heavily buttered, and licking the butter from each others lips.

I knew that eventually our caresses and kisses would turn toward more serious loving. Lying on our sides facing one another, both of our heads on the same pillow, would stare into the others eyes, his hand caressing my side as I pressed forward and kissed him.

Kissing one another slowly, our lips pressing forward time and time again, loving kisses, until we became so aroused that the kissing would escalate. I would come up on one arm and lean over him, my mouth on his, my tongue running along his lips, parting them and darting into his mouth.

My tongue running along the gumline of his teeth, then slipping further in and sliding along the side of his tongue.

As we kissed, our passion escalating, his hands would be caressing my breasts. His fingers rolling my taut nipples between his fingers.