Again she hesitated. Maybe I should simply talk to Derrick. Tell him how I really feel. Derrick was really vocal about what he called ‘brazen’ women. Even after all these years together, Von had to be careful of when and how she touched him. Anything overtly sexual and he’d turn cold.
She forced herself to shake off any uncertainty. She had a plan, one that would work. Satisfied, Von returned the panty set to the drawer and closed it. Then she crawled into bed and turned off the light. Her smile, had Derrick been there to witness it, would have warned him to watch out. She fell asleep and as Derrick commanded, her dreams were full of the two of them entangled in all sorts of erotic poses.
Chapter Five
“Foul!” Sean looked up from his position on the wet concrete court where he’d sprawled after Derrick aggressively body checked his shot, causing him to miss.
Hands on his hips, head hanging low and breathing hard, Derrick conceded, “You got me.” He extended a hand and Sean grabbed it, allowing Derrick to pull him to his feet.
This was game five in the best of three-out-of-five. The score was tied two/two. If Sean made this shot, he’d win the game and Derrick owed him lunch. Dinner, now, since they’d long passed the lunch hour.
Derrick jogged over to retrieve the ball while Sean lined up on the free throw line. They’d played hard, first with a group of guys who’d already had possession of the court when they arrived, and later against each other after it began to rain and everyone left.
Ball in hand, Sean bounced it once, twice, then lined up his shot. Swoosh! All net. Derrick, positioned beneath the goal, caught the basketball and slung it at Sean for his second shot. Bounce. Bounce. Shoot. “That’s game,” Sean announced unnecessarily as the ball fell through the net.
“Good game,” Derrick acknowledged.
He laughed. “I take back what I said about you getting soft. You still play a mean game of B-ball.”
Derrick smiled. “Yeah, well, I’d like to know who said white men can’t jump. They never met you. That’s for sure.”
They headed for the park entrance.
“You’re still competitive, I see,” Sean commented.
Derrick shrugged. “What can I say? I like to win.”
Sean grinned at him. “So do I, which is why you owe me a steak.”
Glancing at his watch, Derrick said, “I’m going to have to give you a rain check on that. It’s after five and I still need to prepare for tomorrow. I’m preaching and need to finish my sermon notes.”
Sean took in both of their soggy, sweaty appearances and the sounds of their shoes squishing with each step. “I don’t think either one of us are in any condition to be going out.”
During their second game, the light summer rain had finally stopped, but by then they were both soaked.
Sean palmed the ball, dribbling it from hand to hand as they walked down the sidewalk to Derrick’s apartment complex. Occasionally, he passed it to his friend who made fake air shots before passing it back.
“Can I borrow your shower? I don’t want to travel like this.”
“Sure, man. Let me grab a towel and the bathroom’s yours. You want me to throw your things in the dryer?” Derrick asked.
“No, thanks. A plastic bag’s fine. I’ll throw them in the wash on base.”
As they entered the parking lot, Sean stopped by his car to grab his duffle containing an extra pair of fatigues and a t-shirt. His boots were in the cab so he brought them, too. No underwear, but it wouldn’t be the first time he went commando. The important thing was that he had an extra pair of socks.
In the apartment, Derrick called out from the bedroom, “I’m calling for pizza. Want some?”
“Naw, you got stuff to do. As soon as I’m dry, I’ll head out.”
Hooch came out of his room wearing a pair of low riding drawstring sweatpants of an indeterminate color, wet clothes in one hand and rubbing his head with a towel with the other. “Go ahead. I’ll shower after you finish. In the meantime, I’ll run these,” he held up the soggy clothes, “through a wash cycle. Extra towels and wash clothes are in the bathroom.”
“Thanks.” Sean picked up his stuff and headed in the direction Derrick indicated. Once through the doorway, he discovered the bathroom to the left and the bedroom was to the right. He glanced into the room as he went by, stopping in his tracks when he spotted the picture.
A quick look over his shoulder confirmed that Derrick was otherwise occupied. Sean stepped into the room. On the dresser was an eight by ten picture of Derrick and Von, which appeared to be fairly recent. In it, Von sat while Derrick stood behind her in a classic pose. The spotlight picked up the sparkle in her engagement ring. They seemed to be happy and very much in love.
Another glance around the room revealed several more photographs. Some tucked in the dresser mirror while others were in frames, in places of honor on the corner computer desk, on the walls and around the room. They showed the history of their relationship. From gangly youths to how they were today.
A nagging thought lingering at the back of his mind finally came to the forefront. Sean inhaled deeply. Walked over near the bed and did it again. Pictures of Von everywhere but not a trace of her scent. Why? Didn’t she spend any time here or did Derrick spend most of his time at her place? He hadn’t, and wouldn’t, ask Von about the sexual aspect of their relationship, but had assumed that as long as the two of them had been together, they were intimate. So why couldn’t he sense some sign of her presence?
He left the room and went to take his shower, conscious he’d been in there too long.
As he washed, Sean pondered his decision to reveal to Von his love for her. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and those pictures revealed a woman with very strong feelings. But was it love? During his captivity, Sean managed to convince himself that Von was with Derrick out of habit. That her relationship with Derrick couldn’t possibly be as strong as her friendship with him. He was her confidante, the person she told things she told no one else. But, was it love as he wanted to believe, or was it the safety of distance? Had Von used her letters as a relief valve, figuring he was safe because they’d never met in person?
Sean didn’t know but before he left, he meant to find out.
A quick shower later, he exited the bathroom with his socks and boots in his hand, making sure to leave the bathroom as clean as he’d found it. He sat in one of the dining room chairs to finish dressing as a knock sounded at the door.
Derrick came out the kitchen, grabbing his wallet off the counter. “Must be the pizza. That was fast.”
A tantalizing scent hit his nostrils, causing them to quiver and his cock to stir. That wasn’t the pizza guy. An aroused Von stood on the other side of that door.
Sean stomped a foot into a boot. He needed to get out of here.
“What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call and say you were coming over?”
Sean paused, Derrick’s tone striking him as not right. The two were engaged. Why would she need to call?
“I wanted to surprise you.” The scent of Von’s arousal increased now that the door was no longer blocking a portion of it. Underneath was a hint of nervousness. Was she afraid?
Not his business, he reminded himself. He made quick work of his bootlaces and then pushed his foot into the other boot.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked in a husky voice.
He couldn’t help it. Sean looked up, wanting to see the expression on her face. From where he was seated, only a small portion of the entryway was visible.
“Yeah.” Derrick stepped back and widened the opening, allowing her to pass him.