At six o’clock Tuesday morning, I met Alexa at her apartment for our ten-mile run. Thankfully, the weather was much warmer than a few weeks past when I needed winter gear. I donned a pair of shorts, a running shirt, and a zip up, since it was still a tad cool to start. Rain was in the forecast, so I was happy it was still clear. Running in bad weather sucked.
I texted when I arrived, so I didn’t disturb Addison’s sleep. One thing I learned from getting to know Alexa was they never started work before ten. The stores didn’t open before then, and that allowed them to sleep in.
A minute later, a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed beauty opened the door and dove straight at me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“Good morning, beautiful.” I kissed her like I hadn’t seen her in weeks, not just three days before. She tasted fresh like wintergreen toothpaste, and I couldn’t get enough of her.
“You ready, old man? You going to keep up today?” She was saucy this morning, and nothing was sexier.
“Yes, dear. Let’s do this. I would like to run down Boylston before they block it off for the ceremony, if you’re cool with it. I think it would be good for you to see the finish line before Monday. See the love everyone has for this city. See that we’re Boston Strong, and nothing can bring this town down.” I squeezed her in a tight hug, loving the feel of her pressed up against me.
“I would really like that. Thank you.”
I was worried she wouldn’t want to go down that road with me. She was scared, but she needed the ugly memory replaced with beauty, and I wanted to be there for her.
“I was hoping we could listen to my playlist today. I promise no hard rock. I made it special for this occasion.”
“Did you make me a mixed tape?” she teased, bouncing up and down like a goof. “Are you going to finally give me your letterman jacket when we get back?”
“Wow, you are full of sass today. Do I need to give you some sassy juice?” I joked.
Alexa gave me a sideways glance, looking down at my shorts, and zoning in on my cock.
After a few seconds, I realized what she was thinking. “No way! That is NOT what I meant. Alexa, seriously?”
“Saturday night, maybe? Bill Clinton said oral isn’t really sex. So, it totally works, right?”
Thoughts of her mouth wrapped around my cock flooded my brain. Note, running with a hard-on was not fun.
“Let’s go, dirty girl.”
And with that, I told her what playlist to load up and away we went. First song up was cheesy, but perfection, the theme song to Rocky. Then came a classic, “Chariots of Fire.” Each song on the list was more inspirational. Thrown in were songs that made me think of Alexa like “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera.
Once the song registered with her, Alexa looked over at me, questioning my choice. I reached for her hand to give it a squeeze as I mouthed, “You are beautiful,” along with the song.
As we made our way to the bombing site, we took out our ear buds, slowed down to a walk, and grew reverent. I laced our fingers, and we stopped at the finish line together, bowing our heads for our own moment.
Every single emotion rolled through me. Fear, helplessness, pride in my city. Pride for the woman standing next to me, who at that instant, locked her body tight while tears welled up in her eyes. After a minute, I wrapped her arms around my neck while she sobbed into my chest. I held onto her as tight as I could, letting her get it all out. Knowing Alexa as I did, she had been holding in these emotions for a year.
After a few minutes, she tried to move away, but I kept my hold on her.
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure why I keep covering you in snot, but I needed this. Thank you.” She pressed her cheek to my chest.
We stayed at the bombing site for another minute. I said a prayer for the victims, the survivors, and the runners who were going to fight this demon in six days.
We slowly walked away from the finish line, worked our way to a jog, and finally to a full run. Once we were a respectable distance from the site, we reinserted our ear buds and pressed play. The perfect song came on immediately, “Shipping off to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys. Nothing got the blood flowing like the beat of this song. Didn’t hurt to think of Jonathon Papelbon dancing around the pitcher’s mound like an idiot, either.
By the end, Alexa and I were screaming the lyrics as we jumped up and down on the sidewalks of our city.
The rest of our run was great. The heaviness we carried during the first part had lessened. I felt lighter. Alexa even had a bit more bounce in her steps.
“What time is your appointment today?” I asked as we approached Alexa’s neighborhood.
“I think it’s at four. I have to check my day planner.” She flipped her hand up and planted her palm in my face. “And before you laugh at me for having one, I’m a very visual person and need to see things in print.”
“I wasn’t going to laugh. I make Jessica print out my schedule every day so I can hold it and reference it all day.” I looked up at the sky, trying to picture my day. “If it’s at four, then I think you may be my last appointment. Can I meet you afterward for dinner in your neck of the woods?”
A wide spread smile grew across Alexa’s face. “Sure. Do you want me to wait for you? I could just hang out in the sauna for a bit.” Mischief twinkled in her eyes. “It would be a hardship, but for you, I would totally do it.” Sarcasm flowed in her words.
“No, I think it’s best that we don’t leave the spa together.” Six more days. “Once I’m done cleaning up and closing up the office, it’ll be after six. Jess can lock up for me. I’ll take a cab straight to your place. That will give you time to get pretty for me.” I winked, trying to mask how much I hated the precautions we had to take.
“Hey, I always thought I was pretty. Shit, I’m one sexy beast right now. All sweaty and stuff. You telling me you don’t want to get with this?” She swept her arms down her body like Vanna White presenting a new puzzle.
“You have no idea. All I want is to strip you bare the second we enter your apartment. Sweaty is sexy as hell on you. That tight outfit you’re wearing is begging to be ripped off.” I looked over at Alexa and saw her jaw hanging open at my words.
“No one is stopping you, tiger… but you.”
And wasn’t that a pisser.
Moments later, as we reached her apartment door, my desire to do as I said throbbed through my veins and my cock.
“Thank you for the run. You’re stronger than you think. Never doubt it.” I captured her mouth in a searing kiss that would have to hold us off until dinner.
*****
Alexa
The run wrecked me. I never would have had the courage to go to the finish line, today of all days. But he was right. Going there helped. I felt a renewed sense of strength and clarity.
However, the rest of the day, my mood was solemn. The day deserved respect, and I gave it mine as I took a few appointments before heading to The Rub Down.
First up was Mrs. Feldstein. She was one of my favorite people in the world. Not only was she a dream to dress, since she had a great body with lots of womanly curves, but she was genuinely a wonderful person. She personally donated five thousand dollars to my marathon fundraising, and made her husband’s company match it. Rich beyond imagination, she was so down to earth, no one would ever know by talking to her. I adored her.
Having just returned from a trip to St. Maarten, her skin was perfectly bronzed and her natural blonde hair bleached out by the sun. Finding her the right dress for Saturday’s gala would be easy. She chose a simple black dress that hung perfectly over every one of her curves, and then fell straight to the floor. The neckline was asymmetrical, with one shoulder and arm fully exposed, and the other covered. A bright orange clutch finished the ensemble, and she called it a day. We made another appointment for a few weeks later to refresh her spring wardrobe.