They Say Love Is Blind

  Lee wrapped the towel around his waist and gestured to her. "Come here, honey." She walked to him slowly. He had a serious expression on his face. She stopped walking when she was a mere foot from him. He placed his hands around her shapely body.

  "I've known Roz since I was a kid. She's like family. For a moment I forgot that you don't know her like that. I could tell that you were really uncomfortable. If you don't want Roz to drive you home then that's fine. But I...don't want our day to end."

  "You don’t? I thought you wanted me to go."

  His brow arched. "I know your feet are sore. When I was lying in bed last night...I wished that I could drive you home and then I hoped you'd let me call you a cab. When she came over I thought it would be perfect...I just didn't want you walking to the bus stop, is all. Okay? I don't want you to leave. As a matter of fact..." He stepped closer to her. "I'd like to keep you here for a few more hours." His hands moved to her bottom and rubbed her softly. "Tory?"

  "Hmmm?" She was staring deeply into his sexy hooded eyes.

  "Does two coffee breaths cancel each other out?" His lips were a mere inch from hers.

  "Kiss me and let's find out." She muttered and then he kissed her softly. Her hands moved to his shoulders, still wet from his shower, and then up to his dripping curls. Lee pulled her tight against his body, his fingers caressing her full rear end.

  She pulled back suddenly. "Lee?"

  He blinked. "What?"

  "You did know that I'm black, before your friend told you, right?"

  "Yeah," he shrugged. "I could tell that you were black. And later when I asked Macey what you looked like she told me that you were a light skinned black woman with a voluptuous body and a gorgeous face. Also, that you were a big tipper." He added the last with a grin.

  Tory blushed. "Gorgeous? Your sister honestly said that?"

  He placed his hand over his heart. "Cross my heart. That's what she said."

  Tory smiled. "Lee, maybe we should get out of the bathroom."

  He sighed. "I guess you're right." He refastened his towel. "Do you want to go shopping with us?" He asked hopefully. "Don't let Roz make you uncomfortable. She's just very protective of me, is all. We've been friends forever and she knows how it's been for me with girlfriends."

  Girlfriends. Did he mean girlfriend or friend that is a girl? She looked at the sexy man. She wanted to say, 'hell no.' She didn't want to go shopping with them. She wanted to go shopping with HIM. But she wasn't ready to say goodbye to him yet, either. Plus it would probably aggravate that Roz to no end if she tagged along.

  "Well I have to shower and change-" He was already moving past her to turn the shower back on.

  "Shower here, then put your clothes back on, and we'll get you back to your place, then you can change. How's that--? Oh, and put on some walking shoes!"

  She laughed. "I can't shower here! My hair-" He pulled off his towel.

  "Come. Shower with me, querida."

  She sucked in a long breath. "Okay." Quickly, she pulled off her clothes and they entered the shower together. He grabbed the soap before she could and began washing her body. She would have been timid about it, had it not been for his obvious show of 'happiness' as his hands explored her soapy flesh.

  He groaned. "Tu és tão linda..." His mouth lowered to her breasts and he drew one nipple, then the other into his mouth, suckling gently. She winced as the pleasure engulfed her, groaning as quietly as she could manage. Her hand slid between them and she wrapped her fingers around his thick shaft.

  Lee shuddered and he moved to enter her, but she pulled out of his grip and sank down to her knees, no longer worried about the water soaking her hair. She tentatively kissed the tip of his swollen cock head.

  He cried out, body jerking. "Tory..." His fingers slid lightly into her wet hair as he threw his head back. She could see his adam's apple bobbing as he repeatedly gulped. She had always wondered what it would be like to place a man into her mouth. It was the man that made it feel wonderful; because Lee's groans and shivers broadcast each stroke of her tongue. It was obvious that she was bringing him great pleasure and that alone brought her pleasure.

  She was tentative at first, carefully lapping, and kissing and sucking just the head. But his moans encouraged her to be more daring and she slipped her mouth over his length until he was almost at the back of her throat. Suddenly she gagged, almost choking.

  He was breathing hard, trying not to move, trying not to cause her to choke again and she remembered her brief experimentation with purging. She only gagged when her finger touched the back of her tongue. She sucked him again, this time running the tip of him along the roof of her mouth and down her throat.

  "Oh, Torrrrryy!" He called out her name. She couldn't believe it, but she was deep throating! She felt his fingers turn into fists in her hair as he tried to control himself. She sucked and bobbed her head over him, swallowing the tantalizing mixture of saliva, precum and water from the shower.

  "I'm going to cum!" He cried out. He tried to pull from her mouth but she wanted to taste him and wouldn't allow it. The first creamy spurts shot down her throat and she did gag again. But then she released him enough to grip his shaft in her fist, working him until the last drop had spilled from him. She stroked his tight scrotum once and he gasped and jerked.

  "Oh my God..." He helped her to stand. "Oh Baby..." He was breathless as he held on to her.

  "I take it, I did it right?"

  He nodded silently. He suddenly reached up and put his hand on her cheek. "Tory...I think that we get along really good. And I love being with you—not just like this, but just talking to you and dancing and...well, I do like this too."

  She smiled.

  "I want to be with you, all the time; a couple. I know we haven't known each other long, but-"

  "I was hoping you'd want that. I’ve been watching you just like you’ve been watching me. I thought…” she hesitated and plunged forward, “I thought that’s all there would ever be, watching and wishing.”

  He kissed her. "I've watched you for a long time, Tory, waiting each day for you to get on the bus, wondering what you think of me and how I would approach you. And days when I don’t get to see you then I'm disappointed. You never have to worry about how I feel about you. I’ll always show you my feelings.”

  They touched foreheads murmuring their feelings until there was a loud rapping on the bathroom door.

  "Vocês vão passar o dia todo aí?!" Came Roz's tight, angry voice.

  Lee grimaced in embarrassment. "Desculpa! Já estamos a sair!"

  "É que eu tenho mais que fazer hoje!"

  "Desculpa! Desculpa!" Lee reached up and turned off the shower. "We better get out there."

  Tory gave him a curious look wondering what was said. She was not going to like this whole thing of speaking Portuguese unless it was Lee speaking sexy words to her. He got her a fresh towel and then quickly dried himself, rubbing his hair briskly before heading for the door. He wrapped the towel snuggly around his waist, pausing before reaching for the door knob.

  "Ready?" She had already pulled on her clothes again and was just wrapping the towel around her sopping wet hair. Man was she ever a mess...but it had been worth it.

  She grinned. "Yep, ready."

  He opened the door and they quickly hurried to the bedroom but Tory still saw Roz sprawled on the couch looking pissed to high hell.

  CHAPTER 7

  Lee dressed quickly in cargo pants and a T-shirt that made her want to strip him down and jump his bones. She dug into her purse and retrieved her hairbrush and hair pins and made a cute bun out of her wet, ruined hair. She put on a bit of lipstick and then they went out to the living room together holding hands.

  Roz looked at her watch. "Let's go if we're going. We're dropping you off, right...um...what's your name?"

  "Actually I'm going with you. Lee invited me shopping."

  "She's Tory." Lee reminded her while guiding them to the elevator.

&n
bsp; Tory looked down at her clothes. "I still need to go home and change, though. Can't shop in dancing shoes!"

  Roz gave her a brief, unfriendly look as Lee closed them into the elevator and pressed the controls.

  Although it wasn't normally Tory's nature she couldn't help but to get in the other woman's face just a little. "I suppose since Lee and I are a couple now I should probably learn all of the things that you do for him—so that you won't have to do it anymore." Lee squeezed her, and the way he did it, she could tell that he knew exactly what she was doing and was giving his approval.

  "A couple?" Roz's voice was low. "I thought you just met..."

  The elevator stopped at the first floor and Lee opened the doors and ushered them out.

  "I watched her for a while. And I know for a fact that she's a keeper. Tory is the perfect mix of sweetness, innocence and woman. I was really lucky to have met her and I won't be letting her get away." Tory forgot about Roz then as she looked up at her man...Mmmm...her man. She put her hand through his arm and became his cane. Roz looked on stiffly.

  She finally plastered on a fake smile as they walked to where her car was parked at the curb. "Well, I should show her the ropes of leading the blind."

  "Well, she's pretty damn good. She's been my cane for a couple days now."

  "Well that's places that you already know. She hasn't helped you in a new place." Roz spoke defensively.

  "My place is new." He looked at her and smiled.

  Back at her home, Tory led Lee into her apartment while Roz trailed them--checking out everything with a critical eye. Well, she knew that she was a bit quirky. She liked vintage movie posters, and antique furniture that didn't match but had beautiful fabric or great texture. She had knickknacks that weren't all-together cute, but that meant something special to her; like the cloth voodoo doll that sat on her bookshelf, given to her by her paternal grandmother. There was the elaborate candelabra that looked straight out of a Frankenstein movie, but a piece that she absolutely had not been able to take her eyes from when she saw it in an antique shop. It was huge and overbearing in her small dining area but she didn’t care because she loved it!

  Lee removed his cane from one of the pockets of his cargo pants. She hadn't even seen him stow it there. She looked around quickly, eyes darting at the likely hazards in his path. He might bump into the cd/dvd holder, the arms of the entertainment center stuck out and would need to be folded back, you had to squeeze past the couch and chair in order to get into the dining room...

  "Go and get changed." Roz said while taking Lee's other arm. "I'll take it from here." Tory hesitated and then leaned in quickly to kiss Lee's cheek. She hurriedly changed into jeans and a casual blouse. Lastly she laced up tennis shoes and hurried back into the living room after checking herself in the mirror. She didn't look too bad considering that she had just recently resembled a drowned rat.

  As she re-entered the room, she overheard Roz talking. "Be careful here. There's a rug. It's old and curled on the ends." Tory blushed in embarrassment. It was an old rug but it was a clean one. She cleared her throat.

  "Okay, I'm ready. Shall we go?"

  Lee was touching a small metal bell, running his fingers over its surface. He quickly returned it to the mantle.

  "I like your apartment." He said breathlessly. "There's a lot to see. I can't wait until you show me everything." Tory was about to smile when Roz decided to open her mouth.

  "Yeah, well this place is an accident waiting to happen."

  Lee tilted his head, turning in her direction. "Rosalind."

  "It's a...cute apartment but this clutter is going to cause you to trip over something and break your neck! This place is é uma bagunça. And that’s being nice.” She gave a distasteful look around. “Não é lá muito limpo!"

  "Rosalind!" Lee spoke sharply.

  Tory looked from one to the other. "What did you?" Rosalind crossed her arms in front of her without responding. Tory turned to Lee. "Lee, what did she just say?"

  "Tory...nothing. Let's just-"

  "I want to know what she said!" She snapped, finally reaching her breaking point with the two of them speaking secretly to each other just because they knew a different language and she didn't.

  Lee turned to Rosalind. "Roz...you need to just leave."

  Tory stomped her foot and brought her hands together sharply. "No! I'm not having this. You two are not going to be speaking over my head. I want to know what she said and I want to know NOW!"

  Roz was breathing hard. It was obvious that she wanted to do battle with the younger, woman. And yet she wouldn't until she got some indication from Lee what would happen next.

  Lee scowled. "She said that your house is dirty. Tens que pedir desculpa!" He seemed to suddenly remember to speak English and amended. "Rosalind, you're going to apologize to her this instant and then you're going to leave!"

  Tory was speechless. Her apartment was cluttered, maybe a bit dusty but it was not dirty! She felt like defending herself but wouldn’t. She wasn’t dirty. She rubbed her elbows. She was not a dirty person.

  "Lee, don't be silly. I'm not going to just leave you here. I've never left you someplace in my entire life and I'm not going to star-"

  "I don't know what your damn problem is! But you've gone out of your way to be rude to my girlfriend." His voice was so angry that it shook. "What is wrong with you?"

  Tory finally found her voice "I can't...believe what you just said.” Her eyes narrowed. “How dare you call my apartment dirty!" She had never been so insulted! She’d had to fight for years to feel clean and here was some woman implying that she wasn’t. She started shaking with sudden rage.

  "I know what your real problem is.” Tory spat. “You want Lee. You want him—and not as a family friend, not as a brother. He may not be able to see how you look at him, but I do! Am I right, Rosalind? You want him the way a woman wants a lover! "

  "You're sick!" Roz said. "Lee, let's get out of here!"

  Lee reached out his hands and Roz took them. He yanked away from her. "Tory?" She brushed past Rosalind and gave Lee her hands. Then she glared at the woman who no longer held a superior look on her face, who now looked scared and filled with anguish.

  "The novelty is going to run out for her, just like it did for all of the others-"

  "Don't do this here-" he said.

  "Family will be here when she isn't! I'll be here, like I've always been here."

  He scratched his head. "Roz...you're married. You have the boys. I mean-that was a long time ago. We were just kids and...you ended that."

  "I was stupid. I was young and stupid. I thought that the world was my oyster, Lee. I didn't know what I had in you until I went out there and everyone else was-"

  "Don't!" He said. He rubbed his face and Tory watched. He hadn't known. He honestly hadn't known...but now that he did, would he want her? They obviously had history.

  Lee blew out a loud voice. "Roz...you're like a sister to me. I mean, we were like fourteen years old. I was broken hearted when you dumped me but I got over it."

  "But...I haven’t."

  "Roz...I met someone that I really like. I'm sorry but...I don't feel that way about you."

  Roz looked at Tory, not with anger, but with so much hurt and pain that she almost felt it herself. It was the hurt that she'd felt more than once in her life when she wanted a man and she knew that he wouldn't want her...not ever. But for Roz it was a hundred times over.

  "I'm sorry," she choked out and then hurried out of the apartment.

  Tory was silent for a moment. "Do you want to go after her?"

  "No," he said firmly. "I'm here with you." He gripped her fingertips and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry. There's enough baggage without that-"

  "Shh!" She kissed him lightly. "I don't think that about you at all."

  He frowned. "Are you sure? If this ever gets too much-"

  "Lee."

  "No. If it does I'd rather you walk away then just stay wit
h me out of guilt. If I start thinking that..."

  She kissed him again. "I guess you have to say that, huh? But the same thing goes for you. If you don't want me anymore-"

  He sighed. "Unless you turn into a maniac over night, I don't see that happening...and even if that did happen, it'd be hard to let you go. I'd have to get a long chain and keep all sharp instruments away from you." She giggled and then grew serious.

  "You didn't get your shopping done."

  He smiled. "I can do my shopping alone. I just call up there and the grocery store that I shop at gets one of the baggers to guide me. Of course, it's more convenient when I have someone with a car for the bigger stuff like litter for Cat, or bottled water. But truthfully, sweetheart, I am very self sufficient. Do you know what the ACCESS bus is?"