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Southern Tide Vol. 01

By: Soft1017



Hi everyone. I've decided to share this story here. I have grown much since I first wrote it and I feel like this story has run its course as far as being held for purchase. This, as well as the second volume might be the last stories I publish here and any other work can be found under my penname SC Edward. STI was previously published under the title "Catherine," so to those of you who have read the first, expect the same story with a little more detail added to it. I hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading :).

-Soft1017

*

For J. 

*

Chapter One

Max was barking again. He usually never made such a big commotion, but this was one hell of a storm. It was only noon, but the entire acre of land was shrouded in darkness, as the heavy rain pelted against the damp earth. The large Black Oak and Elm trees which surrounded the lot swayed, and danced to the howling of the wind. Dale could hear the babbling of the muddy water flowing about, and beneath the house. He would be safe, but there would be much to do after the storm.

Images of soaked debris, heavy broken branches, and an overflowing muddy river flooded his mind. He would have to coax his friend Brian into helping him clean up after the storm was over. A loud crack of thunder startled him out of his deep thoughts, and he took a swig of whiskey, before getting up to check on Max. The Golden Labrador Retriever was anxiously pacing back and forth on the porch, and barking for his master. Dale opened the front door and knelt down on the hardwood floor, in hopes of trying to comfort the over-excited dog. Dale's presence usually calmed him, but this time something was very different.

Something unseen was causing Max to act this way. It wasn't Max's first storm. Being with Dale for five years, he had witnessed many landslides and floods, all brought about by freakish weather. Dale looked out into the distance, hoping to find the cause. For the moment nothing looked out of the ordinary, other than that the entire area was unusually dark and flooded. The loud pelting of the rain against the shingles made Dale's skin tingle. Rainfall always had this effect on him. It was a comforting sound, and he listened closely as a sweet sensation washed over his muscular body.

Max was still jumping on top of him, and suddenly, he heard it. A deep gasp and a few gurgling sounds came from the right side of his fenced home. This particular area was about 10 yards away, and covered in tall shrubbery and grass; now almost invisible due to the high tide. The tall, white, wooden fence was broken from what he could see, and a long leg now hung from the structure, caught between the jagged boards. A head still bobbed above the murky water, and struggled to keep afloat.

Dale didn't hesitate. He jumped over the porch, and waded as fast as he could to the scene. He was over 6 feet tall, yet the freezing water almost reached his chest. It was no wonder that Max had tried to get his attention. The little guy would have had a hard time trying to rescue this person on his own. 

As Dale got closer, he realized that it was a woman. Her dark hair clung to her face, hiding any distinguishing features. She struggled against the flowing water, and Dale noticed that not only was she caught tightly between the boards, but she was also bleeding from a large gash on her leg. He quickly assessed that she probably tried to climb over the slippery fence, and fell over, trapping herself.

The rain came down harder now, and the freezing drops stung his face as he threw the debris aside. His teeth chattered as the cold penetrated his bones, but nothing would deter him from this rescue mission. He approached with caution, and freed the woman's leg from the jagged and broken planks. Large splinters were caught in the bleeding wound, and he tried his best not to agitate it. 

His hands slipped beneath her bottom, and he lifted her above the waters. She was a stocky woman, but he was a strong man, and had no trouble holding her body up. He noticed that her blouse was torn in the back, and over her shoulders. She retained a few light scratches, which now stained her white blouse with bright red. She trembled violently against him, and coughed as the dirty water splashed into her mouth. As he carried her away, he noticed a black knapsack hanging from the sturdier part of the fence, but he would get it later. Her safety was his first priority.

He carried her up to the porch, where Max still paced back and forth, and into the house. She still shook with fright, even in the safety of his arms. He laid her down on one of the couches, and rushed to the closet where he kept the emergency supplies and blankets.

Max stood on guard at her side, while Dale returned with his emergency kit, ready to examine the torn leg. The woman's eyes fluttered as she desperately fought to stay awake. Despite her efforts, she eventually passed out, and Dale wasn't surprised. In fact he was relieved; it would be easier to treat her this way. She was losing a lot of blood from the wound, and there was also a tiny bruise on the side of her cheek; indicating that she had probably hit her head. He was a little worried about undressing her, but the torn jeans had to go.

Dale dropped to his knees, and unzipped the front of the torn pants. The jeans were fitted tightly onto her hips, and now that they were soaked through, he would have an even harder time of peeling them away from her body. Not only that, he was sure that if he attempted to pull them off, he would irritate the injuries even more. Instead, he reached for his shears, and began to carefully cut through the rough fabric. He snipped at the jeans until they were no longer glued to her skin. The large shreds fell away to the floor in thick, heavy clumps.

Her body twitched when he pulled out the first shard with a pair of tweezers, but she remained unconscious. The wounds hadn't been as serious as he anticipated, but nevertheless, they still needed to be stitched up. He quickly got to work, and was thankful that she wasn't awake. It would have been a chore to calm her down, and keep her still. Instinct told him that she might have been uncomfortable at the sight of blood, or torn flesh.

However, he was no stranger to such injuries. Living alone for all these years, in such a secluded place made him very cautious. One had to be prepared for anything in such a remote place. He always had emergency supplies on hand, and also kept a transmitter radio in his basement. He even taught Max how to signal for help on the radio, in case he became immobilized. It crossed his mind to drive the woman to town, but he already knew that all roads would be flooded by now. He would be able to handle this situation easily, and eventually drive her back to town when the roads were clear. It was probably a blessing that the roads were flooded, because she would need the time to recuperate.

Almost an hour passed as he toiled on, and finally her wounds were clean, and neatly dressed. She was breathing deeply now, and seemed comfortable. Her body was a little cold to the touch, so he went to his room to fetch one of his long t-shirts. Both of them would be stuck indoors for a while, and he didn't want her condition to worsen due to the wet clothes. As he approached from the hallway, he finally took a good look at her. He hadn't cared to notice anything about her during the frenzy, but he began to take in the appearance of the only woman he had been in close proximity to in years.

The skin of her thighs was a creamy caramel color. She was beautiful in the golden lamplight, even though dirt, and tiny, dark, chips of driftwood still clung to her body. His mind went back to when he'd freed her from the tight jeans, and he remembered how soft her flesh had been. His eyes traveled upwards, to the cleft between her thighs, which was barely concealed by a pair of white silk panties. Her legs were slightly ajar, and he could see the clean shaven sides of her plump labia from the edges. His cock twitched with life; something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He didn't mean to stare at her for so long, but the sight of her scantily clothed body gave his eyes great pleasure.

He was very amused by this, because he had never held an attraction for black women, or even anyone of this weight for that matter. But things seemed much clearer now. He was simply a man, and she, a woman. She was also a pretty one at that. She looked very young, maybe in her early to mid-twenties. Her wavy hair still clung to the sides of her face, but could not hide the beauty of her slanted eyes, and the shapely dark eyebrows that framed her forehead.

As he studied her mauve lips, he wondered what she looked like when she smiled. Her right arm, which rose and fell with each deep breath, was also folded, and resting beneath the pillars of her heaving breasts. The wet, and now revealing white blouse clung to the large orbs, and he noticed the tiny hard nipples poking out, as if calling out to him from beneath the fabric. He had never seen a black woman naked before. If there was any guarantee that she wouldn't wake up any time soon, he would have liked to lift her shirt, and lick the skin of her breasts; just to see what she tasted like. He wondered if the feel of his tongue against her nipples, would cause her to get wet while she slept.

He so wanted give it a try, but he didn't want to disrespect her. She was probably scared out of her mind from almost drowning out there. He shrugged off his lustful thoughts, and sat down at her feet. Her shoes were missing, and only one foot was covered by a stained white sock. He pulled the damp sock off, and then he crouched over her, and pulled her forward as he lifted the blouse away from her arms and neck. The scratches on her back had clotted, and were no longer bleeding; a good sign. Carefully, yet swiftly, he pulled the dry t-shirt over her head and arms, without giving in to his desire to admire her semi-naked body. He propped a pillow behind her head, and covered her body with the fleece blankets before walking away to the front door.

Now that she was safe, he meant to get the dangling knapsack, which still hung above the rising water. Max followed him to the porch, but Dale made him go back inside to keep watch over the woman. The temperature was dropping fast, and he knew that the water would be even colder than when he last went in. Max would never stand a chance if he followed this time around. Still, he plunged into the waist deep water, and needless to say, the frigid temperature was still a shock to his system. He waded back to the fence where the fierce winds knocked the heavy knapsack against the planks, and quickly grabbed it. 

Both freezing and exhausted, he made his way back to the safety of the porch. He entered his living room, and lay the soaked bag down at her feet. Max had propped himself up on the adjacent couch, and his eyes were still fixed on the sleeping woman. Lying there, wrapped in the overlapping blankets and sleeping soundly, she looked rather peaceful. She didn't look like a victim of the storm. Instead she seemed like a friendly visitor, come to keep him company after three years of loneliness and boredom. He hoped that this illusion would come into being. 

His admiration was discontinued by a cold chill which ran throughout his body. He let Max know that he would leave them for a little while, and that he should stay with the woman until he returned. The dog barked in accordance and Dale headed for the hallway. He needed a hot shower.

As the hot steam clouded the shower stall, he thought of the day thus far. He had planned to relax, and wait out the storm with Max, but it seemed that he would not be spending his time alone. Of course Max had always been there, and was the best dog that any guy could ask for, but Dale always longed for human companionship. Brian only came over once in a while, leaving Dale alone to fend against boredom. It would probably be a few days before he could drive into town, and he hoped he would be a good host to his stranded visitor. 

It was obvious that she came to his house looking for help, and he would do his best to make her comfortable. Hospitality was scarce in these parts, and he could only imagine what it would have been like for her, if she tried asking the other townspeople for assistance. They usually didn't take kindly to strangers, and might have turned her away. She would be left out there to fend for herself, and it wouldn't have ended well. In fact, judging by the rate of the flooding, she might have not even made it this far.

He exited the bathroom, with a towel around his waist and thought to check on her before going to his room. The living room was dimly lit, and Max still lay on the couch, but had fallen asleep. He didn't blame the pooch. The calming effect of the rain, as well as the approaching late hour would have put anyone into a drowsy state; even this vigilant and trustworthy guard dog. The woman lay still, but the grey fleece blankets were overthrown, and now hung loosely off the couch. She had probably kicked them off while she slept, and Dale was once again confronted by the pretty pair of thighs. He wanted to touch her badly, but what kind of person would that make him?

"Ah fuck it!" he quietly said to himself, aware that this sudden sense of bravery was only brought about by the alcohol in his system.

He tip-toed to where she lay, and knelt down beside her. He touched her arm to test her sensitivity. It seemed that she was a heavy sleeper, because his large hand closed over her fingers, but she didn't move. His hand then trailed up her arm slowly, over her shoulders, her collarbone, and finally down to the curve of her breast. None of these movements startled her out of sleep, and so, he went on. All this time, his heart had been pounding furiously in his chest. To touch her body was exciting, yet he was taking a big chance here. He had never done anything like this before, but for the first time in a long time, he felt alive again. Almost like his old self.

His left hand gently lifted the shirt, while the other reached for the plump labia; still barely concealed by the white silk underwear. He realized that the straps of her brassiere had snapped off, and her breasts spilled out of the flexible cups. The brassiere looked uncomfortable, and the underwire had been digging into her ribcage. He felt around for the shears, and cut the center strap which held the cups together, freeing her from the tight harness. The soft orbs fell against her ribcage, and he thought he heard her sigh with relief.

He looked to her face again, but she was still unmoving, and unconscious. He knew that he shouldn't be doing any of this, but this was a very surreal moment. His body seemed to move on its own, despite the warnings of his brain. He just couldn't resist. Gently, he pulled the cream colored cups away, and stroked the sore underside of her breast.

Her tiny, dark nipples stood at attention now, and his mouth watered for them. He bowed his head, and his protruding tongue met with one of the erect buds. His tongue swung back and forth against it, both teasing and comparing the taste of her, to the women who came before. She was just as delicious; even more so. His opposite hand, which now rested below her soft belly, cupped her plump mound, and he squeezed gently through the silk underwear. Her labia were soft and fat, and he stroked the exposed sides, while he flicked at her nipple with his tongue. It rose even higher, as he teased it into further erection. Finally, he clamped his mouth over the nipple, and suckled her. He longed to hear words of encouragement from her lips. It was no fun playing with her while she slept on. His teeth grazed the nipple slightly, and his guest moaned, and shifted beneath him. He suddenly froze in place, and he waited. Nothing happened.

He was quite aware that he was crazy for doing this; maybe insane was the right word. However, he wanted to go on; he had to go on. His thick fingers slipped beneath the silk panties, and carefully separated the warm lips. To his surprise, she was as silky, and as wet as he had hoped. He really was having an effect on her. He would have gone further, but his eyes suddenly fell upon his left hand, which still clutched her breast. The gold band on his ring finger instantly brought back all of the memories that he tried his hardest to suppress. 

Dale let go of her, and pulled the t-shirt back down, and over her body. He got up from the floor, covered her with the blankets, and sat down next to the sleeping pooch. His heart was still racing, but he took another large gulp of whiskey to nurse the pain away.

Cat awoke dazed. She didn't know where she was, or what had happened to her. Her body hurt all over, but she also felt something else. Her nipples had grown stiff against the rough fabric of on oversized t-shirt that didn't belong to her, and she was extremely wet.

"What happened to me?" she thought to herself.

She carefully touched the tender bruise on her right temple, and suddenly, everything came back...

Cat planned on visiting her cousin Kiara, who lived out of state, and she rented a car for the long drive. It wasn't her first time making the trip, and she felt confident that she would make it before the storm hit. Unfortunately, the car died for some unknown reason, and she became stranded on the deserted highway. Not a single house was in sight, and she had no phone service. 

This simple drive had turned into the beginning of a horror movie. The sun had disappeared behind ominous dark clouds, and before she left the safety of the vehicle, she sat in the driver's seat, hoping that there were no weirdoes lurking around. She had always been a big horror movie fan, but she began to regret watching all those Hitchhiker and Slasher films.

Cat quickly grabbed her knapsack and began to walk, hoping to find a payphone or some sort of landmark where there would be help. She knew the area well enough, and trying to be an optimist, she figured that walking a few miles wouldn't be so bad. If anything, she'd lose a few pounds from the long walk. A few hours went by before she spotted a house in the distance. By then, the wind velocity had picked up, and she was soaked from the rain. 

The skies had grown even darker since she'd left the car, and she ran as fast as she could for the house. It was about half a mile away, and almost hidden by many large trees. She would have missed it, if it hadn't been for the bright porch lights. The closer she got to the house, the harder it was becoming to walk. She no longer tread over the road's firm gravel. Rain water and mud now covered the roads, and the earth had grown soggy and slippery beneath her feet. She couldn't count how many times she had almost fallen face down on the mud.

It seemed that the river she always crossed on her trips was overflowing, because the thick mud had quickly turned into a knee-deep sea of murky water. The large home was now akin to a lighthouse in the middle of a dirty ocean, and she waded through it, hoping to find some aid.

She was very close, but a wooden fence now blocked her way. There was no way in hell she was going to walk around the huge lot to find the gate. All she had to do was climb over, and just maybe the owner would be kind enough to help her. She hung her knapsack over one of the planks, and tested the strength of the fence. It seemed sturdy enough to hold her weight, and she began to climb. She made it to the top, with one foot anchoring her body on the other side. She was about to jump over, when the fence suddenly slid down into the mud, and snapped beneath her. She abruptly fell hard on her side, and her leg became lodged between the boards.

Cat was dizzy, but still aware of what was going on. She tried to yank herself free, while keeping her head above the rising water, but a sharp pain coursed through her leg, and traveled upwards to her spine. She couldn't move, and things were starting to look very grim. A dog was barking on the porch of the house, but she doubted that anyone would see her. The water was freezing, and her teeth chattered as she held on to the fence. Tiny twigs and amber colored leaves splashed into her face as the water quickly flowed past. The current was strong enough to carry her away, but she managed to hang on to the heavy wooden planks for support.


Southern Tide Vol. 01



Her vision had quickly gone blurry, and she was losing her strength. Her fingers were about to let go, because she believed that this was it. She would drown in this remote place without ever knowing the pleasure of a good man. She supposed that it was meant to be. How long had love and romance evaded her? Too long. Her body, now almost numb from the cold temperature, was ready to be taken by the tide. Suddenly, something or rather, someone caught her and held her above the waters. She couldn't see anything, because her hair had fallen over her eyes, and she was too weak to brush the strands away. 

The strong arms lifted her out of the cold water, and into a place of bright yellow light. She could no longer see, but the strong heartbeat that belonged to her savior, as well as the warmth of their surroundings, gave her a great measure of comfort. She felt secure, even though rationally she knew that she might not be out of the woods yet. She tried to lift her head, and she tried to talk...to thank this Godsend of a man, but she couldn't do a thing in this state. For now, she felt no pain, and giving into the drowsiness, everything went black.

A delicious sensation washed over her body as she dreamt. In the warm, yellow glow, her lover was caressing her body, licking her, and teasing her exactly where she loved to be touched. She couldn't see his face, but he lovingly held her hand at first; as if to tell her that she was going to be alright. His fingers then trailed up her arm, to her neck and finally down towards her breast. He slipped her bra off, and licked her tender nipple, while his other hand gently petted her pussy. She got wet rather quickly, and the flooding between her legs continued as he grazed her nipple with his teeth. His fingers slid into the moist folds, and she yearned for him to go deeper, but he abruptly stopped. She wanted to beg him to continue, but she was frozen in place.

"I'll do anything...just please don't stop. I want you! I want you!" she cried out in her thoughts, but he was no longer there.

He was gone. She was alone. Darkness immediately engulfed the warm, amber glow of this dream-world. Heavy raindrops fell upon her, and she was now floating in a frigid black sea. A huge gray wave rose above her head, and crashed into her. Her body plummeted fast; down into the black depths. She was sinking, drowning, and it was then that she woke up in a cold sweat. Despite the remnants of pleasure, she still shivered from this brief nightmare.

Cat rubbed her eyes. A few specks of dirt clung to her long dark eyelashes, making it difficult to see her surroundings. A beautiful golden dog was at her side, panting and looking at her as if concerned. She tried to sit up, but someone quickly walked up to her, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, take it easy. You shouldn't move too much." a hushed, masculine voice said kindly.

"Where am I? I...don't..." she mumbled.

"It's ok. Just relax. You got into a little trouble out there, and your leg's pretty banged up."

She looked up at the face of her rescuer. If only he was the man touching her in the dream. Those were the only thoughts that coursed through her mind now. At first glance, her eyes fell upon a huge bulge in his plaid boxers, which was parallel to her view. As he helped her sit up, her eyes traveled upwards, slowly from his navel, to the defined abdomen, then the broad muscular chest speckled with tiny freckles. A fine line of dark hair ran down his chest, dividing his gorgeous body into perfect symmetrical halves. She almost didn't want to look at his face. She felt embarrassed to be on this beautiful man's couch, intruding on his privacy and worst of all, for being so helpless.

She dared herself to look at his face, and she was met with a very sincere smile. Needless to say, attached to the gorgeous body was an equally beautiful face. His dark hair was slicked back, and he seemed to have just stepped out of the shower. His face was very manly, yet his wide blue-grey eyes lit up, and gave him a youthful appearance. He was clean shaven, but she could make out a tiny bit of fuzz below his pink mouth. All in all, she was very attracted to this man, but nervous still. Something glinted on his left hand, and she noticed the gold wedding band on his ring finger.

"Dammit!" she thought to herself. "Just my luck. Oh well, he wouldn't be interested in someone like me anyway."

"How do you feel?" he asked kindly.

"I'm alright. Um thank you for helping me." she replied awkwardly.

"Oh, it's no problem...I should've been there sooner. Too bad Max here can't talk. You should really be thanking him."

She smiled and looked down at the beautiful dog.

"Thanks Max!" she said, and she stroked the soft coat of fur on his neck.

Max leapt up and licked her hand.

"I think he likes you. My name's Dale by the way. You're going to be stuck here for a while, so I guess introductions are in order."

"Oh...I'm Catherine...but you can call me Cat." 

"It's nice to meet you Cat." he smiled. "You might not want to move too much. I had to stitch up your leg, so just take it easy, alright?

"Oh thank you. I hope I didn't put you through too much trouble. I don't usually climb people's fences." she said shyly.

He laughed out loud, and his beautiful smile melted her heart. She never received smiles like this.

"It's alright. Don't worry so much. Can I get you something to eat? You're probably starving!"

"No...no, I'm fine." she responded with hesitation.

"Look, I know you're probably scared about being in a stranger's home, but I promise, you're safe here."

"Um I just..." and she dropped her leg off the couch, only to wince, because the movement made her leg burn with pain.

"Hey, hey don't overdo it. Just please relax. I'm not the greatest cook, but I'll get you something." and he walked away, leaving her alone with Max.

He was very charming, yet she still felt awkward, and moreover embarrassed. While the concerned pooch studied her, she took the time to look about her surroundings. She was sitting in the living room of a modern cabin; fashioned with walls, and floor of a deep amber color. The wooden frames were surely made with some sort of fragrant wood, because the scent filled the air, along with faint musky undertone. 

Three crimson couches, each of various lengths, were positioned in the middle of the large room, and a large fireplace, made of multicolored stone was the grand display of this beautiful abode. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the stones embedded into the wall, reached all the way up to the ceiling. She had never seen anything like it, and was mesmerized by the beautiful patterns and colors of the stones. She didn't however, let this dazzle her too much. This was still unfamiliar territory, populated by God knows who, or how many.

She continued to look around, and recognized that the living room had somewhat of a woman's touch; although not too strong of an indication. There were a few scented candles on the bookshelves and center table, as well as a few decorative lamps, and scarlet throw pillows to match the room's décor. It was extremely quiet however, and it seemed to be only the pooch at her side, and Dale who were at home.

When Max's tail lashed against her distended leg, she looked down and suddenly took in the fact that she hadn't been wearing her own clothes. Not only that; more importantly her thunder thighs had been exposed during their entire conversation.

"Aw crap!" she thought.

She usually had a habit of playing with herself while she slept. With no men in her lonely life, masturbation had become a full-time hobby. Such was the mediocrity of her life. Her face flushed with heat as she wondered whether she touched herself while he was taking care of her. Judging by how moist her crotch was, it was very likely that she did.

Dales approaching footsteps broke her out of her thoughts. Cat looked down at her legs, and quickly pulled the shirt over her thighs, as far as it would stretch.

Her savior emerged with a blue ceramic bowl of fruit, containing strawberries, blueberries, and slices of peaches. The sight of the fruit made her mouth water. She hadn't eaten anything other than a granola bar for breakfast the day before.

"This is just to hold you off till lunch." he said with another sincere smile.

"Lunch? How long have I been asleep?" she asked timidly.

"All night and all morning. But you did hit your head really hard, so I'm not surprised. After you eat, you can take a shower if you'd like. I uh hope you don't mind, but I had to get your clothes off. You had a couple of splinters in your leg, and your back was bleeding." he said, aware that she still fought to cover her thighs.

"It's ok. I'm really grateful for your help. I might've been in a lot of trouble if you hadn't saved me." 

"It's not a problem. I want to help you, so just use this time to get better."

He placed the bowl atop her lap, and once the aroma of the fresh fruit invaded her nostrils, her belly growled. Dale laughed at this and handed her a metal fork.

"Sorry." she giggled with embarrassment.

Chapter Two

Cat stood still, and let the soothing hot water flow over her aching body. She had to be careful with her leg, but besides that inconvenience, she was in heaven. She felt comfortable and clean again. Dale was outside preparing lunch, and he had been kind enough to take care of most of her needs.

She remembered the wedding ring on his finger, and her heart ached for the moment. Why was it that she always ran into men who were taken? Always, these beautiful men teased her with their smiles and kindness, only to be attached in the end. She wondered where his wife was. It just seemed to be him and Max alone in the house. Maybe she was also stranded and couldn't make it back home in time.

"If I was his wife, I would never leave home." she thought.

She quietly laughed to herself for having such a thought, but she believed that she meant it. Dale was gorgeous, and she wondered what it would be like to have him in bed. His wife was one lucky woman.

Cat was still turned on by the recent dream, and she had to release that pent up desire. For the moment, his wife wasn't around and he belonged to her...at least in mind. She imagined Dale between her legs, and a tiny bit of wetness trickled from her core. Just the thought of having him next to her, made her wet. She closed her eyes, and slid her fingers over her pussy.

It wasn't the first time that she'd masturbated in the shower, and she was used to it enough to know that the water would wash away her wetness. Cat didn't want that to happen, so she turned the water off, and moved to the furthest corner away from the door, hoping the effort would stifle her moaning. She lifted the injured leg to the side of the tub, and reached into her warm center. Her clit was aching, and she had barely touched it before. Never did she have such a reaction, without any form of stimulation.

It was Dale. Everything about him turned her on. It wasn't because he had a great body; she had met many gorgeous assholes in the past. There was something special about this man. He was kind and generous, without wanting any reciprocation. She hadn't expected to be treated so well, yet he was doing all he could to make her feel safe.

"You suck Cat!" she admonished. "You're always falling in love with strangers who don't want you. What's wrong with you? Just do this and get it over with!"

She did as her inner voice instructed, and for the moment, forgot his kindness, and the warmth of his smile. Lust was her main focus now, because she wanted...no, she needed to rid herself of this desire for him. It was her only way of having him, and she was surely allowed a fantasy or two. At least with these urges gone, she would lose the shyness and be able to focus on more important things.

Cat imagined him naked, and between her legs. His body glistened with droplets of water, and each sparkling tear slowly ran down his broad shoulders and arms, as his head moved against her wet pussy. Dale was licking her slowly and sweetly, savoring the taste and the soft textures of her inner flesh. He was on his knees as if she was his queen, and he, a servant.

He wasn't rough, or quick with his tongue. Instead, he lapped gently, teasing and torturing her with every stroke. Her center was dripping, and she kept the image of him in her mind as she slid her fingers deeper into her core.

She could barely keep quiet as the waves of pleasure washed over her body. Her nipples were erect and were usually her favorite things to play with, but she could not pull away from her pussy. She wished that he would come into the bathroom and take her; or rather, she wanted to go out there, and take him.

She wanted to go down on him, ride him, anything to make him hard for her. Anything to make him call out her name. Anything to make him come. She didn't care anymore that he had seen her thighs, and she only wanted to show them off now. If only she knew for sure that he wouldn't be repulsed by her fat.

"Stop it and come already!" she scolded herself.

More images flooded her mind. Her back was against the bathroom tiles now, and she imagined him lifting her body, just as he had done when he saved her life. He was strong, and impaling her with his hard cock would be a cinch in such a scenario. However, this time she did not want him to be gentle.

Cat wanted to be ravaged. She wanted him to take control, and leave his mark deep inside her. Her body shivered with pleasure as she thought of him fucking her roughly. Her fingers could not compare to the bulge in his pants, but the quick twirling movements over her clit were enough to make her release. Tiny pearlescent streams trickled down her thighs as she climaxed...but that desire remained ever stronger. She needed Dale inside her, and couldn't end this on her own.

She wanted to cry, because she could not rid herself of this yearning for him. She never had such an emotional orgasm before, and it scared her. Her heart pounded in her chest, yet between the hyperventilating and the stifled moaning, she wanted more. The rational part of her knew that she had better shut up, and find some way to alleviate this painful wanting.

He would probably still be in the kitchen, and that was fine. She would take him by the arm, and pull him to a chair. Before he would be able to say anything, she would slip her tongue into his mouth, and pull his cock out of that slit in his boxers. Finally, she would slide down on top of him and ride him to satisfaction.

"Easy enough right?" her naughty side thought.

No. Cat couldn't do that. It would never work, and she would end up looking cheap after a move like that...if she even got that far. She laughed again, and pulled herself together. This wasn't the first time she was horny and couldn't do anything about it.

Cat had dealt with this predicament many times before. She decided to wait till night fell, and planned to get her pretty, sky-blue dildo out of her knapsack. She always came prepared. At least it would bring her the much needed comfort she required. She was looking forward to fucking herself silly with the rubber dildo, and couldn't wait for that time to come.

Dale stood over a simmering pan of seasoned rice, as his guest showered. He grew harder as he thought of Cat naked in the shower. His little session with her the day before was cut short by his thoughts of Marie and Jessie. Maybe it was all for the best.

Cat probably had some worried boyfriend waiting for her at home. Still, he discovered that all hope and life hadn't died in him yet. For a long time he drank heavily, swore at himself, and beat his fists against the walls, out of loneliness and anger.

Only Max had been there to witness his despair. Now with Cat here, he didn't feel so alone anymore. Nor did he feel the need to drink. In fact he hadn't touched the bottle in almost 12 hours; a new record. Even if she would be gone soon, the effects of her presence were enough to make him realize that maybe all wasn't lost.

It was at that moment, that he decided that maybe he should give himself another chance. Maybe he could go out more, and meet other people. He did live a few miles from town but that never stopped him from being social.

Maybe he could find a nice girl to talk to...or maybe he could talk to Cat. His thoughts fell upon her again. If only he could pass up his lunch, and eat her pussy out instead. He remembered how wet she'd got from his teasing.

"If I had her in bed, she'd never want to leave." he smiled, and thought to himself.

Dale never boasted to be the greatest lover, nor was he ever one to be so vulgar, but he was eager to prove his capacity. He had been waiting patiently for her to come out of the shower. She had no change of clothes, or underwear in the knapsack, and he supplied her with some of his own.

He deliberately gave her one of his white cotton tanks, and his tightest pair of boxers. Without a bra, her voluptuous breasts would swell against the white cotton tank, and as for the boxers, they would be short enough to expose her pretty thighs to him. He would probably never get another chance to taste her, but for now he would enjoy the view.

The sounds of slow, limping footsteps broke him away from his thoughts, and he turned around to see Cat coming towards the dinner table. Her dark hair was damp, and clung to the sides of her neck. Every time she limped forward, tiny drops of water stained the tank with light grey streaks where they fell. Her nipples weren't as erect as he would have liked them to be, but he could still see the faint outlines against the fabric.

"That smells really good." Cat smiled obliviously, as she sat down.

"It's nothing fancy. I have some chicken baking in the oven too. Just hope you like my cooking." he smiled.

"I'm sure you're a great cook. Just the smell of it has my mouth watering."

The sight and the scent of her body had his mouth watering, but he didn't dare to say so.

"How's the leg? Is the pain going away?" he asked.

"No. Not really, but my back feels better." and she crouched over to examine the stitches in her leg.

Her heavy breasts jiggled every time she moved, and she looked uncomfortable being without a bra. Dale couldn't help but stare as she bent over. Every inch of her body looked delicious. He licked his lips, as he thought of sucking her swollen nipples through the tank.

"Well after we eat, I can give you some pain-killers and redress your leg." he said, trying to maintain thoughts of concern.

"Thanks for doing all this. I know I'm probably giving you a hard time."

"No, it's no trouble. I'm glad for the company. It's just been me and Max for a long time."

She was quiet at his response and seemed to ponder on his statement. Her eyes fell upon the wedding ring, and he took notice.

"I am married...well I was. My wife and son were killed in a car accident three years ago." he finally revealed.

He didn't want to have to bring them up, because he wanted to focus on Cat, without having to walk back into that place of despair. But she deserved to know everything.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Dale. I...I didn't mean to get into your business." she said guiltily.

"It's alright Cat. There's nothing to be sorry about. It's a part of life that we all have to deal with eventually."

"Yeah...but..." and she became very quiet.

He came forward and sat down next to her at the table.

"It's okay, really. I'm okay to talk about it now."

"It must be really lonely out here...all by yourself." she replied sadly.

"Yeah sometimes...but I still have Max." he smiled sincerely. "I hope you're not gonna go quiet on me now."

"Oh...no. I just hate to hear about bad things happening to nice people, that's all."




Southern Tide Vol. 01



"Well you seem nice as well, and I'm enjoying your company. Don't worry too much, okay? It was only a matter of time until you found out."

"Alright and thank you." she smiled.

"No problem. So what about you? Are you married? Any kids?"

"Me? No...I never have any luck in the love department." she smiled and shrugged.

"I'm sure you'll find someone."

"Well... I don't know about that. Maybe." She said avoiding eye contact.

He wanted to say much more, but he wasn't very sure of himself. In such an awkward circumstance, what would she have thought of him? Instead, he rose from the chair and checked on the entrée in the oven.

"Ready to try my cooking?" he asked, as he pulled the Pyrex tray out.

"Yes. I'm starved!" she said, much more cheerfully.

Dale set the table, and served her a large helping of the baked chicken and rice, with a garden salad on the side. He knew she hadn't had a proper meal in days, and he wanted to take care of her. He missed cooking for more than one, and planned to enjoy whatever time he had left with her.

Judging by the injury, as well as the excessive flooding, he estimated that they would probably be together for the next two weeks. He hesitated to tell her this, because he didn't want her to feel uneasy about spending too much time in his home. If the flooding subsided, he would take her into town earlier than that, if that's what she wanted.

"This is so good!" she exclaimed, taking her first bite of the chicken.

"Thanks! I always liked cooking, but I don't do much of it anymore."

"Oh...well maybe I can help you tomorrow." she said. "I'm pretty good at cooking myself."

"Nope! You're the patient, and I'm the doctor!"

She laughed at his statement, and he realized his words may have sounded like a sexual pun.

"Well doc, I can't have you doing everything for me."

"And why not?"

"Don't you have enough on your plate?" she asked.

"Nah, I've been through worse, and can handle pretty much anything you throw at me. It's my job to take care of you now."

"So anything I want, you'll do?" she said, giving him a sly smile.

"Yup, I'm not going anywhere. So I'm yours." he chuckled, knowing her thoughts were probably more innocent than his.

"I think I'm going to have my own personal masseuse for the next few days." she giggled.

"You didn't even have to ask Cat. I was planning on doing that after I checked your leg. I'll bet you're pretty sore."

"I am. Have you ever worked in a hospital Dale?"

"Nah, out here you've always got to be prepared. I inherited the land from my dad. We used to raise horses and cattle. Injuries were a common thing, so I taught myself from experience."

"Wow horses? Do you still own any?"

"I sold most of them after the accident. There's another family ranch where I keep the rest. I would've liked to have them here, but every year the flooding gets worse. It's a lot of work to maintain the land just without the horses."

"Yeah I know what you mean. I come past here every few months to visit my cousin. I thought I'd be able to beat the storm. She didn't want me to make the trip because of all the flood warnings, but I can be stubborn sometimes."

"Did you let her know that you were safe?" 

"I tried to call her when I got stranded, but I had no signal on the highway. I'll call her when I'm done eating."

"You can use my phone if you want."

"Thank you. So...umm, I guess it's going to be a long time before you can go back into town right?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. I'll take you back as soon as I can drive through the water."

"Oh I didn't mean that I wanted to leave right away. I just don't want to be too much of a burden." she replied quickly.

"So you want to stay here?" he said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I've taken a liking to Max." she laughed.

"Just Max?" he teased.

"Um no...I...I like you too." she said bashfully.

"Good to know. For a minute there I felt unappreciated."

"Please don't feel that way. I'm really lucky to be here. I'm very shy around people and I don't want to be a problem."

"I'm only playing with you. I'm glad you're here and you're not a burden. I don't get much company, living out here. All you see is all I have, and that's Max."

"I thought so...and I'm sorry."

"Will you stop apologizing? Everything is fine; really. I'm more than happy to take care of you."

She smiled, "Alright."

As the two ate, Dale explained more about his early life. His family bred horses and made quite a good living doing so. They bred Morab, Morgan and American Saddle-bred horses for racing. Now Dale's uncle John was the overseer at the other ranch, and also the only family that Dale had left. He and John were very close, but Dale hadn't visited him in a while. 

He knew that Cat probably wasn't into horses, but he wanted to impress her. It seemed that she enjoyed listening to him. Even though he had set her up to be his eye candy, she was handling it quite well, and he was beginning to feel a little guilty. Max came into the kitchen. and quietly sat next to her. His soft tail lashed against her leg, and she began to laugh because the movements tickled her. She was so beautiful, and seemed like such a youthful spirit that Dale's heart warmed to every giggle, and every smile that came out of her. He had previously forgotten the feeling of joy. Maybe time would fly by quickly, and she wouldn't realize how boring a person he was...with Max's help of course.

After dinner, he proceeded to wash the dishes, and directed her to his home phone. It wasn't long before he could hear her conversation over the loud clanging of the dishes. From her responses, it sounded like she was being scolded by her cousin.

"Ki I'm fine. Don't worry, geez! I'll keep in touch. I just need to charge my phone and then I'll call you right back." she said.

(Pause)

"Yeah, you have this number, so if anything you can track it Ms. Detective." she responded in an annoyed tone.

(Pause)

"I need to call the rental company, and tell them about the car, and...hold on a sec. Shit! I think I lost my wallet and keys. There's a big hole in the bottom of my bag. Ugh!"

(Pause)

"Yeah I've got to look for it. It's probably outside somewhere. Okay Ki...bye."

She hung up the phone, and he heard the knapsack drop to the floor. He finished with the dishes, and walked to the living room, where she sat on the couch. She looked frustrated.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asked.

"Well...I guess it could always be worse. I think I lost my keys and wallet out there somewhere. I had my I.D.s in there, plus the card for the rental company. I think they might charge me extra for the car." and she rubbed her right temple, as if trying to soothe a severe headache.

"I can go look for it right now." Dale said, hoping to be of even more help.

"No Dale, its freezing out there, and you've done enough already."

"Cat it's no big deal, I'm used to all of this. Your wallet must be heavy with the weight of the keys, right?"

"Yes it is...why?"

"Well, maybe if I feel around for it, I might find it. I'm pretty sure you got that rip at the fence, and the current might not have carried it too far. If we're lucky, it might still be close by."

"Dale...come on you've done enough. I can't ask you to go back out there."

"You're not asking me baby girl, I'm going anyway." he smiled.

He walked over to the opposite couch, and put his boots on as she watched in silence.

"I owe you for all this. I feel horrible that you want to do all this for me. Maybe it's stuck in the mud. When the water goes down, I'll find it."

"Cat shush! Let me take care of you alright." he said sternly.

"Oh...alright." she said, in a mousy tone of voice.

Dale realized that he probably sounded a little harsh, but he badly wanted to be her knight in shining armor. He smiled sincerely at her as a silent apology, and walked to the front door without saying another word.

Outside, the skies were still dark, and gave a silent warning that more flooding was to come. He stepped down into the water, but suddenly looked back at Cat. For the moment she was distracted by Max, and smiling again. He felt horrible for snapping at her, but he had grown tired of her apologies.

He craved her, and he wanted her to know how he felt...but he had fears of his own. He probably wasn't her type, or the type of man she was used to being around. Still, he wanted to take care of her.

With Marie and Jessie gone, he felt needed. He wondered if this was selfish of him. Was he only concerned about his needs? He wasn't totally sure. Maybe he was going crazy, but what he felt for her was enough to give him a glimpse of hope. Fate brought them together, and he took it as some kind of sign.

Even though he was deep in thought, he moved forward until he reached the fence. The water was still waist length, but the current had slowed down. He found the spot where Cat was caught, and with his bare hands, reached down into the muddy water.

His hands moved carefully around the posts, and he suddenly felt something soft and rounded. Maybe it was leathery, or rubbery. He wasn't sure, but it definitely wasn't part of the fence, or the natural terrain. He grasped it and held it up.

The thing he held up was cylindrical and covered in mud. As the tiny grains of sand slid off, he recognized it for what it was.

In his hand was a long, blue, rubber dildo. He wanted to laugh out loud, but he knew that Cat would hear him. He chuckled silently, and held it down so she wouldn't spot it. He reached down again into the slimy soil, still chuckling and thinking of a way to approach her with his find. He knew that she would probably be embarrassed, but this was the first time in a long while that he'd had a good laugh.

It was even worse, because now he couldn't stop laughing. He had never expected to find a sex toy out here, and it amused him to no end. Suddenly his hand brushed across what felt like jagged, cold metal. He felt around once more, and pulled up a heavy key chain with a bright red wallet attached to it. The flaps were secured by a tab of Velcro, and nothing seemed to be falling out.

Dale walked back to the porch, with the dildo behind his back. He couldn't wait to spring this discovery on Cat. He wondered why someone as beautiful as her needed this thing. Didn't she know that she had him wrapped around her little finger? If she asked, he would give her anything she wanted.

Cat waited patiently in the living room for Dale to return. He'd snapped at her before he left, but she understood why, and wasn't offended. At first her heart sank just to be spoken to like that, but then she remembered his loss, and his loneliness. He needed this.

The least she could do was let him be the man of the house. She looked to the front door, and saw him crouching over in the cold water. He must have been a dream husband to his wife. She felt ashamed for fantasizing about him, and regretted what she had done in the shower.

How disrespectful of her to lust after a widower who had nothing but good intentions. Cat's guilt caused her to lose interest in masturbating. If she did feel the need to touch herself later, she would use some faceless image of an imaginary lover. It was all she had, and had always worked for her before.

She could hear the sounds of Dale's movement against the water outside. He was coming back inside and as he stopped to the porch, she noticed his clothes were soiled from the muddy water. He shook himself off before entering the house and presented her with the red wallet. Cat didn't care that the stacked business cards were soaked. That wallet contained her driver's license, her work I.D. and the keys to her home. Without it, she would be put into more than a few annoying situations.

"You're a lifesaver Dale! Thank you so much." she said with gratitude.

"You're welcome...and look, I'm sorry if I sounded rude before. I don't want anything to happen to you. You've been through a lot, and I want to be there for you."

"I-I understand." she stammered, flattered by his genuine concern. "Thank you."

She felt her heart swell. Just the tone of his voice made her body melt. She held off these thoughts, looked down into the wallet, and found the card that she was looking for. The ink was running, but she could still make out the phone number.

"I found something else that might belong to you." he chuckled." It was next to your keys."

"Hmm...wha...?" and she quickly looked up from the drenched business card, to see Dale holding her blue dildo in his hand.

Her entire body went cold. It was as if she had just seen a ghost.

"SHIT! WHY ME?" her thoughts screamed.

"From the look on your face, I guess it really is yours." he smirked.

"Um yeah..." she replied, her face red with embarrassment.

"Here you go. You might want to be careful where you put it next time. I don't think you'd want to lose it again." he teased, as he handed it to her.

"Okay. I'm going to go back to the room, and hit my head against the wall now!" she said shamefully.

"Come on Cat, relax. I was only teasing you. It's not a big deal." he laughed.

"Right!"

"Some people need to have a little fun now and then, right?

She didn't answer, and only laughed.

"Don't move. I'm going to take a quick shower, and then I'll take a look at your leg."

"Alright...if it's not too much trouble."

"Do you need another lecture?" he asked.

She smiled, "Thanks Dale, I'll be here waiting for you."

He winked at her and then walked away, with Max close behind him. She waited for him to disappear from sight before going face first into the soft throw pillows. She flung the dildo to her back, and thought of how things always seemed to go horribly wrong.

"Well...at least I have my wallet back." she sighed.

The toy had been a secret. Now that Dale had seen it, she didn't think that she would ever feel the same about using it again. Even though she lived alone, and never had to worry about anyone catching her in the act, she always used it in the dark, and under the covers.

She couldn't understand why she ever did this, but in some way, this routine made her feel secure. Maybe she was ashamed of the fact that while everyone else seemed to be hooking up, getting married, or just constantly having sex, she was having date nights with a sex toy.

Cat supposed she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore, because she planned to throw it away. Her nights with the rubber mold were getting old and repetitious. There wasn't a body to hold, lips to kiss, or strong hands to caress her body. She always denied the fact that she was lonely, but it was becoming painfully apparent. She was miserable.

How long had it been since she felt wanted by someone? She couldn't answer her own question, because she didn't know what being wanted really felt like. At least not in the loving sense. Unfortunately, she had always fallen into traps where she had just been used as a booty call. In the past she always told herself that at least she was getting some, but she never really felt good about any of it. She hated thinking of her past.

Dale's heavy footsteps were quickly approaching, and she slightly lifted her face from the pillow.

"You alright Cat?" he asked with concern. "You weren't crying or anything were you? Your face is all red."

His hair was wet and slicked back, just like the first time she laid eyes on him. She hated this unrequited crush. Life always seemed to play cruel jokes on her. The spiced fragrance of his cologne filled the living room, and was doing a fine job of exciting her. She couldn't stand it.

"No, I'm okay. I was just thinking."

"Look there's nothing to be embarrassed about." he reassured. "You're not the only woman on the planet with one."

"I know...but it's still embarrassing; the way you found it."

"It did give me a good laugh. I haven't laughed liked that in ages, so finding it was a good thing for both of us, right?"

"I guess." she finally smiled.

"Alright, well scoot over. Time to see your leg." he said, gently tapping her naked thigh.

Dale's gentle touch caused another flood between her legs. It didn't do any good that at that very moment, she remembered she was wearing his clothes. His naked body had touched these clothes.

Cat took a deep breath as that thought sunk in.

He sat close to her, and rested her leg over his knee. She wanted to get up, and run to her room. She had never gotten so wet for anyone before. Every time he touched her, she felt these tiny hot spasms in her abdomen, which led her to drench the crotch of the borrowed underwear. He was carefully dabbing the wound with iodine, while she was silently coming in his boxers.

"Ugh! Why is this happening to me?" she thought.

The only thing to give her away was the curling of her toes, but Dale didn't seem to notice that little detail. Her breathing had grown shallow, but she was very good at keeping quiet. She tried to think of something to say, maybe to distract herself. While he wrapped her leg with gauze, she noticed a few strands of silver-grey against the waves of his dark hair, and began to wonder how old he was.

"How old are you Dale?" she asked.

"Probably older than you. Guess!" he smiled.

"Umm 27 or 28?"

"I look that young huh? I'm 35...and you?"

"I'm 30."

"No way! You look way younger." 

"I guess we're both going to look good in our 50's." Cat said with a tiny smile.

"Well you're going to have to keep coming back here to find out how that goes!" he smirked.

"Umm...is that... an open invitation?" she asked, trying to conceal her eagerness.

"Sure why not? I think Max has taken a liking to you."

Cat giggled.

"...but not just Max." he continued.

Those words made the sensation between her legs grow worse. He was flirting with her, and she didn't quite know what to think. The situation with the loss of his family, as well as the ring on his finger complicated things. It was all too much to think about right now, and she laid her head back without responding, intending to enjoy the moment.

"I'll be right back." Dale said suddenly, and headed towards the kitchen.

He came back with a glass of water, and handed her two white pills.

"These should take the pain away for a while." he said. "They might make you a little drowsy though."

"Thank you." and she took the pills directly into her mouth.

"Ready for the massage?"

"Absolutely!" she exclaimed, probably sounding a little too excited.

Dale laughed in response and returned to his spot, next to her on the couch. He grabbed a tiny bottle of oil from the coffee table, and slowly poured a clear, scented liquid onto her thigh. Cat recognized the warm scent of vanilla and coconut. He began with the injured leg, and his hands moved upwards, and away from the bandages. She closed her eyes, and inhaled the relaxing fragrance, as his strong hands kneaded her soft thigh.

She didn't feel so uneasy anymore. Even though she had huge thighs, she took very good care of her skin, and was proud of how smooth and soft she was. A sudden feeling of confidence came over her as his hands slid over her thigh. There was no room for insecurities now. She was at peace with herself and it was a new, yet welcomed feeling.

She moaned, perhaps a bit too loudly, and covered her mouth instantly.

"It seems I'm doing a great job!" he teased.

"Sorry...it does feel really good." she grinned.

"Should I go harder?"

She paused, and hated the effect that his last question had on her. Her nipples puckered against the white tank top, and were probably giving her arousal away. She shivered as the hard buds rose and she crossed her arms over her chest, in an attempt to hide herself.

"Umm...it's fine." she smiled.

"Here, how about this?" and he applied more pressure to her thigh.




Southern Tide Vol. 01



It was then that she shifted, and slowly clamped her thighs shut. Cat didn't want to make it obvious that she'd had another mini orgasm. She bit her bottom lip, as the warm juices trickled out from her core. Dale's hands seemed to slowly move ever closer to her hot center, and she felt helpless.

She desperately wanted to reach into the boxers to relieve herself, but she was trapped. Dale's face was blank, and he seemed deep in thought. Did he even realize how far he'd gone?

Dale's oily fingers glistened as they slid over Cat's skin. He was using the same massage oil that he frequently used on his late wife. Marie loved the feel of his hands on her body, and she never failed to tell him so. The scent brought back memories of her, lying on the couch in his arms, while their six year old son Jessie, played with his favorite toy cars on the living room floor.

They had been a very happy family. Dale had just begun to teach Jessie how to ride the horses. He was very protective of his little boy, and wanted him to be a great rider, just like his dad.

Jessie had been very excited when Dale gave him his own pony to take care of. He hugged his father tightly, and ran to the young mare with a young Max following not too far behind. Marie didn't want Jessie riding yet, but Dale assured her that he would be able to handle it. Dale was right, and his son was becoming better as the days passed.

It was a month later that he got that horrible phone call. When he arrived at the hospital, he couldn't go in. He couldn't look at their bodies. John had gone with him, and it was he who identified the bodies. Dale couldn't stand, nor could he talk. He felt like none of it was real, and all a nightmare that he would eventually wake from. But that awakening never came.

The whole ordeal was almost a blur, because everything happened so quickly. In the blink of an eye, everyone dear to him was gone. He didn't know why he was still alive. Even his parents died when he was at a young age. Why were they all taken away from him?

He asked God this question many times, and there had only been silence. There were even moments when he thought about ending his life. As much as he drank, and beat himself up, he expected it to happen soon, but something kept him going and alive. Maybe it was Max, or the infrequent, yet comforting presence of Brian. He didn't know for sure.

The pain never quite subsided. Even now, when he teased and laughed at Cat, beautiful Marie and Jessie never left his thoughts. He didn't know the answers to why he was left behind, but hoped that maybe one day, he would understand.

Cat's leg suddenly jerked beneath his fingers, and he looked down at his hands. He was dangerously close to her inner thigh, and he slowly moved his hands away. He had been so deep in thought, that he didn't realize what he was doing.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt your leg?" he asked in an innocent tone, even though he knew what he had done.

"Um yeah. I just need to use the bathroom for a minute." she replied.

"Sure." he smiled.

He helped her up, and watched as she walked away. She had a little wedgie from the tight cotton boxers, and he watched her pull it out from in-between the soft rounded cheeks. He wondered if Marie would mind that he was admiring Cat in such away. Would she want him to move on? He loved her still, and always would, but there was this undeniable attraction to Cat.

The sight of the single glistening thigh was enough to get him hard again, and he could feel his cock straining against his jeans. He shifted on the couch, and got comfortable. His eye spotted something in the back of the cushions, and he immediately recognized Cat's little toy. His own organ was much bigger, and he laughed to himself as he thought of how she reacted to his finding it.

Dale wanted to show her that her toy was nothing in comparison to him. It was soft and flexible, whereas he was rock hard for her right now. She was probably very used to this thin and flimsy thing being inside her. He would definitely cause some damage to her tight little pussy if he got to have her.

Something else caught his attention now. On the crimson seat of the couch was a dark and damp circle. He touched it, and wondered if he spilled the oil onto the couch. He couldn't have. That's exactly where Cat's bottom met the couch. He touched the wet area, and studied the silky moisture on his fingertip.

"This was...oh baby girl." he thought. "If only you knew how I would've licked your pussy dry." 

She'd had a little accident on his couch, and it turned him on even more. He knew that she was in the bathroom playing with herself. Either that, or she was taking the longest dump ever. He laughed. Not sexy. He preferred to think it was the former thought.

His finger trailed along the wet spot, and he picked up more of the wetness. He brought his finger to his nose, and then he licked it. He wanted more of her sweet honey.

Cat still hadn't come out of the bathroom, and he planned to interrupt her. Dale wouldn't let her get any satisfaction, while he suffered. It was probably devious of him, but he wanted to be the one to give her an orgasm. He quietly got up, and crept towards the bathroom door. He spotted Max at the end of the hallway.

The pooch was playing with one of his chew toys, and his movements drowned out the sound of Dale's heavy footsteps. As he approached the door, he heard nothing at first. He put his ear to the door and waited.

Cat began to moan quietly behind the door, and it sounded like she was getting close.

"Mmmm fuck! Ooooh!" she purred sweetly. "Oh...oh..!"

"Hey Cat?" he called out immediately.

He heard a quick shuffling, and it sounded like she had knocked something over.

"Y-yeah?" she responded.

"You okay in there?"

"I'll be out in a minute." she called out.

"Did you just fall down? I'm coming in!"

"NO! I-I mean um...no I'm alright. I just knocked something over by accident."

Dale smiled. He was having too much fun with her. He wanted to barge in, and take Cat into his arms, but he would be patient. He had embarrassed her enough for today.

Chapter Three

Dale awoke to the savory smell of bacon and maple syrup. It was still dark outside as he looked to the window. It didn't take him long to figure out that Cat was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Almost a week and a half had passed since he saved her life, and things had gone quite well.

For the past four days, he didn't see much of her or Max. He would head out in the early mornings to clear out the land on his own. The water was slowly subsiding, but the current brought more debris than he first anticipated. He had to dig a trench to redirect some of the water away, so that the area could be better navigated through.

Cat and Max were left alone in the house, but he made sure that they were well taken care of. He gave her some clothes in advance, and he also restocked the refrigerator. He was prepared for food shortages as well, and kept a storeroom in the basement, in case any problems were to ever arise.

Dale longed to be with Cat, and not outside in the freezing cold. He had grown very fond of her, and was becoming used to her presence in his home. Of course, he still wanted to have her, and knew that she wanted the same. Cat wasn't an idiot. Many times he'd openly flirted with her, and gave slight hints of his interest. Something held her back, and he knew what it was.

He raised his left palm and examined the gold band on his finger. It was the symbol of his vow to love Marie always. Even without the ring, his love for her would never depart, and he knew all of this, yet hesitated to remove it. He hated to think of the ring in such a way, but it was like some kind of physical restraint.

It held both he and Cat back from having what they wanted. He took a deep breath, and ran his forefinger round the gold band. It had absorbed his body heat and was warm to the touch. This was one of the hardest things he would have to do, but he needed to act before Cat was forever out of his life.

Dale crept through the hallway, and stood at the entrance to the kitchen. Cat was wearing one of his loose black tanks and her back was turned to him. Her injuries were healing quickly and she no longer walked with a limp, or required bandages.

He took a moment to admire her pretty thighs which were partially covered by the long tank. They were not the only thing he found attractive. Her unruly, curly, hair; her medium-brown skin tone; her full lips and her soft voice; all of it and more, aroused him to no end.

It had always been he who cooked the meals, but she had gotten up early, and beat him to the kitchen. He looked to the dining table, and admired the breakfast she prepared for them. She must have been awake for a while, because on the table were stacks of pancakes, sausages, eggs and bacon. On the counter, a pot of black coffee was brewing silently, and Cat was now cleaning up a tiny mess on the stove top. He crept up behind her, and flung his arms around her.

It was the first time he had done anything as forward as this, but he felt playful this morning. He couldn't start the day without giving her a little scare. Needless to say, she was almost startled out of her skin, and yelled out a very loud "SHIT!" Dale couldn't explain why he put his arms around her. He never thought of himself as the outgoing type, yet she brought out this playfulness in him that he never knew existed. Most importantly, she didn't push him away.

"What are you doing patient?" Dale grinned, with Cat still in his hold.

"Dale! Don't do that! You scared the crap out of me!" she admonished.

"You're supposed to be taking it easy. That was punishment for not listening!"

"Oh please! I'm much better now." She said, relaxed. "Plus you've been working so hard. I barely get to see you, so I thought I'd do this to thank you for everything."

"Aww shucks, I feel so special." he chuckled.

"Sooo...I think I might need my arms back now." she said sheepishly.

She was so very soft and fragrant, that he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

"Now you see what you just did? I was gonna let you go, but I think I just changed my mind."

She laughed aloud.

"Well I guess none of us are going to be eating any of this food, since you won't let me go. I might as well let Max have it."

"Where is Max anyway?" he asked, once he realized that Max hadn't spent the night in his bedroom.

"He slept next to me last night. He's still asleep."

"I think he likes you better than me now." and his hands dropped to her sides.

He thought to tickle her waist, just to irritate her, but she slowly broke out of his grasp and backed away.

"Um I meant to tell you. You gave me more tops than bottoms...and I didn't think you'd be awake yet, so I..."

"Sooo... you made me breakfast half-naked? Hot!" he laughed. "Come on, I'll get you something."

She laughed as well, and followed him down the hall. He was more than pleased to find out that Cat had nothing on except the loose over-sized tank. It hid her figure from him, but he would soon remedy that. This was the first time she would probably see his bedroom, and he hoped that once she set foot inside, she would remain in there with him.

"Ladies first!" he said.

She smiled and walked in. He followed her and closed the door behind them.

"Cat?"

Before she could answer, he gently grabbed her and pinned her against the wall. Neither one said anything for a moment, but he eventually broke the silence and kissed her soft lips. There was no tension in her body, and she leaned in against his bare chest. He had finally gotten his first taste of her lips.

Surprisingly, he didn't rush. While he held on to her, he knew that she might shy away from him eventually. It was better to savor what little he had now, and pray that she would want him to go further. Even though it was he who made the first move, he was terrified.

He knew that her reaction, after whatever was to happen, would shape his thoughts on finding love after Marie. If she rejected him, he would not take it very well. Still, he didn't stop and slipped his tongue into her mouth, slowly. She tasted of sweet maple syrup, and he eagerly sucked the breath out of her mouth.

Dale had hopes of doing this for a long time. While he was away, all he thought about was her. He had fantasies of taking her into his bed, and making love to her, or even fucking her. He wanted to know everything; how she liked to be kissed, touched and taken. Did she want a rough lover, or someone who would take their time? It didn't matter. Whatever she wanted, he would give.

Cat couldn't believe that any of this was really happening. Images of Dale kissing, and holding her, had stalked her dreams and fantasies ever since she first laid eyes on him. Her passionate thoughts were now manifesting into reality. It was always she who made the first move in these fantasies, but now it was Dale who took the initiative, and she was glad for it.

During the times they were together, he would do little things to make her think that she might actually have a chance with him. In the past, Cat usually read the signs wrong, and she didn't want to risk looking like a fool. It seemed that she wouldn't have been wrong this time around.

Dale pressed his weight against her, and she felt his thick organ rising beneath his boxers. His body was strong, and rigid from all of the hard labor, yet his touch was very gentle. He no longer held her against the wall. Instead he backed away, while his fingers trailed along her smooth arms.

The fuzz on his chin tickled her face, and the feel of his skin against hers, made her body shiver. Finally, he sucked and pulled on her bottom lip, ending their first kiss.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time Cat." he whispered. "But you kept playing hard to get."

"It's not that Dale. I just...after everything you told me about the accident, I could never replace what you lost."

"Cat...hold on a minute. I love my wife, but I'm sick and tired of being alone. She and my boy are gone now...but none of that means you're beneath them. You don't know how beautiful you are baby girl." and he pressed his lips to her neck.

"I never wanted you...to be alone Dale." she gasped.

It was becoming difficult to speak, because he had already lifted the sides of the tank, and now ran the hot tips of his fingers along her waist and back. She couldn't stifle the sounds that escaped her lips.

Every time his fingers drew closer to her buttocks, her breasts or her pussy, they immediately retracted and moved elsewhere. She felt like she would die if he continued to tease her in such a manner.

"Dale? Stop teasing me." she whimpered.

"I can't. It's been a long time since I touched you like this. I wanna take my time."

"A long time? When did you...?" and her words were cut short, as his hand slid down to her pussy.

It was no longer smooth, and bore a little fuzz, but he didn't seem to care. He began to stoke the sides of her plump lips, while his other hand lifted her large breast to his mouth. He mimicked the same movements from when they'd first come in contact, and her body reacted as it had before. However, being in denial caused her to think of this moment merely as déjà vu. She considered the familiarity, but didn't quite know what to make of it.

"You were asleep, but maybe you remember this." and his tongue gently licked the dark bud through the fabric, while he squeezed the flesh of her labia.

In a flash, the dream came back to her...but it wasn't a dream. It had really happened.

"That was you?" she asked, astounded by this revelation.

He didn't answer, and continued to tease the swollen nipple with his rough tongue. He still petted her pussy, and she was slowly melting against his warm fingers. Her reflexes led her to squeeze her thighs together, but his hand got in the way, and so he continued to torture her.

"You don't want me to stop, do you baby?" he muttered against her breast.

"No Dale. I wanna be here with you. Just please don't tease me."

"But I missed playing with your pussy. I'll give you anything you want Cat, but I need a little quality time with this...and this."

While he spoke the words, he bit and pulled at her nipple while simultaneously inserting his finger into her wet mound.

"Ooooh fuck! Dale, you're making me so wet." she groaned. 

"I can see that." he breathed over the damp fabric, which still hid her nipple from sight.

His teeth grazed it slightly, and pulled at it again. Truth be told, she loved all he was doing to her.

His tiny bites, as well as the slow insertion of his finger into her pussy, were causing her to overflow with wetness. She held her breast against his face, as if encouraging him to continue.

"You like that, do you babe? Want more?" he teased, still holding her nipple between his teeth.

"Yes please don't stop."

"Mmmm." he moaned, and continued to flick his tongue against the thin fabric.

More of his fingers reached into her moist slit, and spread her open. Her entire body quivered when he found her clit, and began to massage the tiny muscle.

"Oh...my...Dale you're going to make me come." she moaned.

"Then I guess I should stop. I don't want you to...at least not yet. Come over here beautiful." he said.

Dale took her by the arm, and led her to his bed. He had her lie back against the pillows, while he remained standing.

The sharp sounds of sheets of rain pelting against the window pane caused her to look away from him for the moment. It was raining heavily, and she looked to the window hopefully. Maybe there would be more flooding, and she would have an excuse to stay with Dale a little while longer. Dale's weight suddenly upset the still mattress, and broke her out of her thoughts. Cat watched as he came closer, and crawled between her legs.

"I want you to do something for me Cat." and as he said this, his lips pressed against her inner thigh.

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"I want you to play with yourself. I want to watch you spread your pussy open, and play with your clit."

"I...I...don't know Dale. I've never done that...in front of someone before. Are you sure?" she asked in the most puzzled tone.

Realizing that he could now see between her legs, she felt a little awkward and slowly brought her thighs together.

"I'm sure Cat. You don't have to hide from me baby." and he spread her open again. "Listen sweetheart, I've already seen every inch of your body, and I think you're beautiful. When you hide from me, you make me think that you don't want me. Is that how you feel?"

"No. I do want you."

"Then give me your hand."

She slowly extended her hand out to him. He took it, only to guide it into her moist pussy. He positioned her fingers over her clit, and let go. He was lying on his chest now, and he leaned on his elbows as he waited for her to begin.

"Go ahead baby. I wanna see you get wet." he whispered.

Cat felt very uneasy, but she began to rub herself, as he wanted. He went further to spread her legs wider, and she felt cold and vulnerable as her pink inner flesh became even more exposed. No man had ever looked at her down there. Her past intimate moments were always quick, and there had always been a lack of foreplay.

She thought that her body had repulsed them, and maybe it really did. She couldn't wrap her head around why he would want to watch her do something like that. Her heart pounded in her chest and she grew nervous.

As if sensing her uneasiness, Dale moved closer to her mound and licked the glistening folds.

"I guess I'm going to have to do it for you, since you're such a scaredy-cat!" he said with a sly smile.

His tongue plunged into her with such force, that it made her body quake. He even buried his nose into her wet mound, and her hands balled into fists as he slowly ate her out. He was sucking, and slurping her wetness away with his hot mouth. Every time he licked her dry, more of her creamy juices gushed forth.




Southern Tide Vol. 01



Cat's fingers smoothed and combed through his dark locks as he lapped at her clit. Every lash of his tongue caused a burning sensation in her throat, her chest, her abdomen...everywhere. She was on fire.

Cat groaned and writhed against his face, but he held her down and in place. She was powerless against his swift tongue, and she thought that her hyperventilating probably made her look crazy.

The powerful suction of his mouth drained her body of its wetness, and it was as if Dale was trying his hardest to suck her soul into himself. He was like a hungry wolf, crouched on all fours, and she was his willing prey.

Cat took her last deep breath and with a violent convulsion, she suddenly came against his face. Still, his tongue remained inside her. She could feel her own flesh twitching against his warm tongue, as he continued to clean her little mess.

Max began scratching at the bedroom door, and the commotion broke Dale away from his feast. His nose and mouth glistened as he lifted his head away from her center.

"Don't move Cat." he said with a grin. "I'll be right back."

Dale walked out of the bedroom and wondered what Max's excitement was all about.

"Hey boy! What is it? You hungry?" he asked, acknowledging the overexcited retriever.

Max barked again, and led him down the hall, to the front door. Dale spotted a cherry-red Chevy truck from the side window, and silently swore to himself. It was Brian. He just couldn't catch a break.

He opened the front door, and waited for the large truck to pull up to the front porch. The water was now only a few inches high and seemed to make way for the vehicle. Dale began to worry about what he would think of Cat.

His best friend had a reputation for being outspoken, and very impolite. In fact the only reason Dale kept him around was because they had known each other since childhood. He loved Brian like a brother, but sometimes he could be a lot to deal with. Even Marie had more than a few run-ins with him.

"Aye man! How the hell are ya?" Brian yelled, as he stepped down from the muddy truck. "Hey Max!"

"I'm holdin' up. Had to dig up a trench to get all this damn water out. How's the roads?"

"Not bad. I got through em' with the truck. I figured you might need help clearing' out all the branches and shit!"

"I got most of the dead-fall outta the way, so I'm good." Dale responded.

He was really trying to get rid of Brian, but his friend just walked past and went in. Before Marie's death, he wouldn't have dared to go inside uninvited, but now he had no use for manners.

"Somethin' smells good!" Brian yelled from the living room.

"Shit!" Dale muttered under his breath.

Dale could already picture him greedily shoving food into his mouth. He just hoped that Brian would behave in front of Cat. Dale took a deep breath, and walked towards the living room. This was going to be a long day.

Cat lay back in the bed, and thought about what had just happened. She came...in Dales mouth, and he liked it.

"He needs to come over here and get back to work." she thought and giggled.

Of course she meant to return the favor. It would have been extremely selfish of her to be the only one having a good time. She wanted to make him happy again. He deserved that and more. Too much tragedy had befallen his home, and she wanted to return both the attention, and his kindness.

Cat began to wonder why he was taking so long. She had grown drowsy from the previous excitement, but breakfast awaited. She wanted to sit down with him and Max, to hopefully discuss what would come out of their recent tryst. She got up, and pulled the tank down over her legs. Maybe they could even continue their fun after breakfast.

She walked up to the bedroom door, and heard multiple voices coming from the hallway. This would account for why he hadn't returned. But she couldn't go out there like that; dressed baggily and very unlike her usual decent self. She quickly looked around and proceeded to the nearest dresser.

Cat was surprised to find the top drawer filled with women's underwear. She reached for the second drawer, and found an assortment of women's blouses neatly arranged into three piles. They were obviously his wife's clothes. He'd kept them after all these years. Cat lifted one of the tops out of the draw, and unfolded it. His wife had been a few sizes smaller than she was. She folded it and put it back into place.

In the corner of the drawer, she took notice of a navy blue shirt, with a wide neck. She pulled it out, and let the fabric unfold as she held it up. It was a dress; probably a maternity dress from the size of it. It would be a tight fit but she was tired of wearing men's clothing.

Cat wanted to feel feminine again. She knew that Dale would probably be upset about her rummaging through his wife's clothes, but she would deal with it when the time came. She did not want to seem insensitive, but his wife no longer had need for these clothes. She was also thinking of the days ahead.

The time would come when she would have to go into town to get a tow truck, and she wouldn't do that without a bra, at least. Her back was already sore from being without one for so long. She meant to borrow the dress, a pair of panties and two bras. Her huge breasts needed that extra support. She would definitely return everything after she bought herself something to wear.

Cat moved to the adjacent dresser, and found Dale's clothes. She grabbed a t-shirt, some shorts and crept back to her room to change.

"Is she hot?" Brian asked in a muffled voice, as he shoved two strips of bacon into his mouth.

"Why? I thought you already had a girl." Dale replied.

"So what? That don't mean I can't look. Is she hot like Marie was?"

"She's...she's kinda different from Marie."

"How different?" Brian frowned.

Dale didn't want to describe what Cat looked like, because he already knew what Brian's reaction would be. Not only would he be shocked that she was black, but also for the fact that she was overweight.

Most of the townspeople's perceptions of black people were negative for the most part. He didn't know what he felt as Brian questioned him. Was it shame? Fear? Or was it guilt? He was beginning to feel uneasy as he wondered what to say.

Suddenly, Cat appeared and she waited for Dale to introduce her.

"Cat...this is my best friend Brian. He came over to help me clear out the mess in front."

"Oh hello." she smiled.

Brian hesitated for a moment, and looked to Dale with a look of confusion. His expression didn't change as he muttered a quiet "Hi."

"Are you going to have breakfast with us?" she asked unfazed.

"Um..." and he looked towards Dale's blank face once more.

Dale already knew what he was thinking, and wanted to get him out of the kitchen before he managed to offend Cat.

"We were just about to get outside." he said. "We'll take some of the food out to the porch and eat there. Sorry to leave on you."

"It's okay. Do you need any help? I could make you guys a plate."

"Uh no. Just relax and eat. We'll be right back. We'll grab some food in a little bit."

"Oh...okay then." she responded, in a disappointed tone. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Come on man." Dale quickly said to Brian.

Brian got up first and walked past Cat without a word, but he did look back and caught Dale giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Dale followed him to the front, and awaited Brian's reaction.

"Aww man you can't be serious!" his blonde friend said.

"What's your problem?" Dale frowned.

"She's...she's black. Well not that there's anything wrong with that. I guess I didn't expect her to be black."

"Well she is and I like it!" Dale said impatiently.

"Yeah man...but I don't know. She's kinda..." and Brian stopped in his tracks, as if searching for better words to describe his thoughts. "She's fuckin' huge man! I mean how do you go from Marie to that? Damn...you can do so much better than that Dale. I thought you liked hotter chicks man!"

"I still do... I just..."

"Well Sandy's hot. Remember Sandy? Donna's friend? She's still got eyes for you...and she's way hotter than...her."

"Can you keep your fuckin' voice down?" Dale whispered.

"Why? You planning on movin' her out here or sumthin'? Y'all go out now?"

"No...I mean...I don't know man."

"You didn't sleep with her yet, did you? Cuz...shit! How do you work with all that in bed? It's like having a quarterback in bed. That ain't sexy!"

"Dale...your um...cell phone was ringing. I think it's your uncle." a hushed voice said behind them.

Both men looked back to see a crushed Cat. Her face was flushed and she could barely meet his eyes. She was holding onto Dale's cell phone, and looked as if she would burst into tears. Dale didn't know what to say. All he could do was accept the phone from her hand. She quickly walked back into the house, and he heard the door to her room close. He sighed heavily, and looked at his recent call log. It was indeed his uncle, but he was too upset to call back. The call would have to wait until later.

"Sorry man. I didn't think she would hear me." Brian said, expressing a tiny bit of remorse.

Dale shook his head, and roughly rubbed his face. How was he going to fix this? He searched his mind for an answer. At this point he knew that it would eventually come down to choosing between Brian and Cat. It seems as if fate had landed him with another tough decision, and he wasn't too thrilled about getting things underway.

The sky was growing darker, and the looming clouds overhead seemed to be conjured up by Dale's gloomy thoughts. He had known Brian all his life. They had been through a lot together, even though Brian was the cruder of the two. Now he might have to choose between his old friend and a second chance at love.

"Wait... I don't even know how much she likes me. What if I'm just a little fling on her vacation time? We never really spoke about what we wanted from each other, and in life. She could be in it just for the thrill. I should stick to what I know...and people I know." Dale thought, in an attempt to justify Brian's words.

Before another thought entered his mind, he became distracted by the jingling sounds of bunched keys behind him. He looked back, and saw Cat coming towards them with her knapsack hunched over her shoulders.

She wore a tight navy blue dress which showed off her curvy figure, and he began to think of how beautiful she looked in a dress. He would have liked to see her take it off just for him...but it seemed none of that would be happening now.

"Can you drive me into town Dale? I think the water's low enough." Cat said, in almost a whisper.

"Uh...sure. Are you leaving?" Dale responded.

"I don't know. I..." and she looked down to the floor as she spoke.

It was then that Dale remembered that Cat had no clothes of her own, and he suddenly recognized the dress. It was one of Marie's dresses. He never took much notice of his wife's wardrobe but she had worn the dress enough for him to remember it.

"Isn't that my wife's dress?" he asked her, trying to control his tone.

"Yeah...I just wanted to borrow it to go into town."

"How did you...you took it from my room?" he asked, even more irritated.

"I was going to put it back. I couldn't go into town without..." she replied defensively.

"You had no right to go through her things Cat! Don't you think that if I wanted to give you her clothes, I would have done that when you first got here?" and from that point on, he grew angrier.

Dale felt like both his home, and his wife's belongings had been violated.

"Well you were the one who cut my clothes off!" she said defensively.

"You were bleeding Cat...and you had splinters in your leg."

"Yeah? Well...maybe...maybe you should have left me alone out there!"

She turned to Brian, who awkwardly stood in the midst of them. "Brian, can you take me into town? I'll pay you 50 bucks for your trouble."

"Uh...s-sure Cat." he stammered.

"Thank you. I'm ready to leave now if you don't mind."

"O-okay. I uh..." and he turned to Dale, as if hoping that he would say something to stop Cat.

"Go ahead, take her!" and Dale headed back inside without another word.

Max stood at the foot of the door, and watched them in silence, but Dale quickly called him into the living room, away from Cat. Dale was too angry to say anything more. He didn't even look back at her. He went straight for his room and slammed the door behind him.

Another storm was headed in his direction, but he was too upset to care. It began to rain harder, and the booming thunder was loud enough to drown out the sounds of Brian's truck driving away, with Cat inside.

Chapter Four

Cat leaned back against the black leather seat of Brian's truck, as he drove away from the ranch. It occurred to her that she would kill two birds with one stone, by having him drive her to the abandoned car. She had charged her phone the previous night, and would call a tow truck from there. She wanted to get the rest of her luggage out of the car...because she needed to get out of this dress.

The old Cat would have been bawling at the moment, but she had somehow gotten used to what people thought of her. She was nothing but a ball of fat to most; no emotions, no voice, just someone to be stepped on. Dale had been the closest she'd ever gotten to feeling like a real woman. She was beginning to feel that her size didn't matter, and who she was on the inside, was all he wanted. Boy was she wrong.

"Stupid, stupid Cat...you should know better!" she thought.

At this point, Max was the only male entity that she liked and trusted. She missed the pooch...but she also missed Dale, and she beat herself up for it. It was probably good that Brian came around; otherwise she may have never known that Dale was ashamed of her. Yes, she asked him to drive her to town, and yes he had insulted her. But she would rather go with him, than stay with Dale. She felt ashamed of what she had done, but she was past making excuses to justify her actions.

In all honesty, she took the dress for reasons related to what Brian said about her. Cat had always been a big girl. She had never gotten below a size 16 and had broad shoulders ever since she could remember. She couldn't count how many times she was de-feminized for the way she looked. She wasn't petite, or dainty and was called manly, and other derogatory names, despite her attempts to be as feminine as she possibly could. In the privacy of Dale's home, she never had to worry about that. However, in the outside world she found herself needing to prove her femininity by wearing dresses and makeup. In truth she hated makeup, and she was never into wearing dresses. A cute top and a pair of skinny jeans appealed to her any and every day.

She stole a quick glance at her driver and took in his full appearance. Like Dale, Brian was a very handsome man. He had on a royal blue baseball cap, with a red and white, capital T logo in the front. Cat wasn't a baseball fan, but she had made enough trips to Kiara's town to know that the Texas Rangers were popular there. Although the baseball cap hid most of his hair, a few dirty blonde curls poked out from behind his ear. In that moment she thought that he was a dead ringer for Christopher O' Donnell.

Like the famed actor, his face featured deep blue eyes, fair skin with tanned freckles splotched on his cheeks and nose, and thin coral lips encased by an angular jaw. He looked forward the whole time, and was silent. She knew that he was uncomfortable with her in the truck, and it was probably because he was giving into that "loud, angry, black woman" stereotype. She found a little humor in that because she could have had her revenge by scaring him a little, but that wasn't her style. Cat just wanted to get out of his hair, and pay him the fifty bucks as promised.

"Change of plans Brian. Can you take me to my car instead? It's only two miles from here and I'll call a tow truck from there. I want to get my luggage out of the car."

He looked at her for a moment, as if startled by the fact that she spoke. Maybe he expected something else, and his face showed it.

"Uh sure...but you can get your stuff, and I'll drive you to this auto repair shop I know. The guys there usually overcharge strangers, but I can get you a good deal."

"No. It's alright. I don't want to cause you any trouble." she said dryly.

"It's no trouble. I wanna help." 

"Look Brian...you don't have to pretend to be nice." she began. "I heard everything you said, and it's obvious that you don't like me. I'm not sure that I like you all that much either. I just want to get my things, and I'll take care of my business. Oh...and here's the money I owe you." 

Cat slipped out two twenties and a ten from out of her wallet and tried to hand the money to him. He refused the payment.

"I can't take that." Brian said.

"Why not? I don't want to owe anyone else anything."

"Look Cat, I may be an asshole...but I'm not that sleazy. Just put that away. I'll take you to the car. You can get your things, and I'll take you to get it towed...and I'm sorry." he muttered gravely.

She couldn't believe this. What was he playing at?

"Do you want me to tell you that it's okay? Because it's not." Cat responded calmly. "I'm not trying to replace Dale's wife, and I'm tired of people calling me "that" or the "manly bitch" or like you said "a quarterback." People don't realize how much words can hurt someone, but it is what it is. You said your piece, and I respect you for at least being honest. Just spare me the bullshit, and don't be fake right now. The sooner I get out of your way the better."

Brian immediately turned away from her, and looked straight ahead, but she noticed a slight frown upon his face. He looked like as if he was offended by what she said, but she thought that he had no reason to be. Cat had been calm the whole time, and even though she was angry inside from all the humiliation, she kept herself in check. She would cry out and punch a few pillows when she got to a motel. For now Cat locked every emotion inside.

Brian slowly turned the truck around, and the large tires screeched as they propelled over the muddy asphalt. He drove Cat back to the car, which was in the same condition that she left it. It hadn't been broken into, nor was it in an area where the water could get to it.

She was relieved, and made for the trunk to get her bags. She had packed light and only brought two duffel bags with the essentials. Cat wasn't planning on going out much while staying with Kiara. Maybe an occasional dinner out, and a comedy flick was all she planned to enjoy with her cousin. The ground was still slippery, and she almost slid under the weight of the bags as she pulled them out of the trunk. She looked towards the red truck, parked in front of the car and wondered why Brian wasn't leaving.

She closed the trunk, placed the bags on top of the hood, and then walked towards the truck with the knapsack over her shoulder. As she approached, she found him looking back at her through the side view mirror.

"You can go now. I'll be fine." she said to him.

"I can't leave you alone out here. Come on, I'll take you back."

"I don't think you'd want to be seen with the ugly, fat chick in your car. What'll everybody say?" she replied sarcastically.

He sighed heavily and shrugged "Just get your stuff Cat. I'm not leaving you here."

Cat paused and looked into his eyes. If she could recognize anything in this man's face, it was that he probably was sorry for what he said. Still, that didn't give him a pass, but she would go with him. At least something good might come out of this series of disasters, and she would be able to save some money; maybe even have the car fixed. She didn't say anything, and walked back to the car to get her bags.




Southern Tide Vol. 02



Chapter One

A full year had gone by, and things had fallen into normalcy for Cat and Dale. They had recently settled down into a charming new home together, and were taking off as a couple. They were happy and in love, and Kiara knew that they would probably marry soon. She on the other hand, was miserable and envious of Cat. Even though she had been the most popular of the two, her life had gone in a very different direction, and as a result she began to avoid her cousin.

It was Friday night; a time for going out on a date or partying with friends and lovers. That used to be her lifestyle years ago, but now Joshua was the only love she had left...next to Cat and her mother of course. She sat at home in her living room, wondering why she had been denied the same happiness. She tried to be her old self and happy for Cat, but she could no longer mask her true feelings. She had grown irritable and almost hated her cousin for having something that she couldn't seem to attain. Cat had found a good man from a chance meeting, while she was stuck as a single parent, with not many quality men wanting her.

It was well known that that from the plethora of questions a woman could be asked by a man upon first meeting, "Do have any kids?" was one of the first few. The answer usually determined whether he would invest in you or not. Before having Joshua, she was the hottest thing around; pretty, young and slender, with no extra baggage. Her cousin had physically been the exact opposite. In her world, it seemed that men put more value into a good looking woman, over one with an impressive intellect. Had it been the opposite, Cat would have caught a good man years ago. Instead Kiara was the one getting all the attention, and she assumed that all of it would last. A relationship with Derek, now her ex, and a positive pregnancy test changed all of that.

When they were together, she believed that he would take care of her. She had been with him for two years before Joshua's birth, and thought that they would continue to be happy. Time proved her wrong and unexpected problems began to surface, taking an extreme toll on their relationship. Two months before Joshua was born, Derek had suggested that they spend some time away from each other, for the benefit of their relationship. She agreed and expected to be back in his arms, with that bit of extra love and support, especially since she was close to her due date. It only took a few weeks to realize that her aspirations of having a happy family were no longer possible. Derek abandoned her and she was replaced by another woman.

Stephanie was everything that she had been before the pregnancy, and needless to say, the new mother-to-be did not take it very well. She broke down and had no one in her corner. Her mother and so called friends, all came down on her harshly with "I told you so," and Cat had been the only one to keep her grounded through it all.

Kiara had learned that life was indeed no fairy tale. All of the Disney movies she had watched as a child, featuring down-on-luck princesses meeting chivalrous princes, and having their "happily ever afters," were all lies. The Little Mermaid had always been her favorite, and she would daydream about finding a prince as beautiful and as sweet as Eric.

Derek had been the equivalent of Eric in the beginning. Tall, dark-skinned and devilishly handsome; he was perfect. They met in their first years of college and quickly became an item. They even planned to move in together, but at the very last minute, something changed; he changed. He seemed to be bored with her and began to lose his temper more often than usual.

She tried to keep it all together, but he had no intention of trying to fix whatever was wrong. In hindsight, she now realized that he had tried to push her away, in hopes that she would break up with him first. Instead, she clung to him because he had been her first love; the prince that was supposed to bring her that happy ending. His role changed and he had transformed into the villain of her story book; the wolf in sheep's clothing, and the one to blame for her hardened exterior. He had robbed her of hope, so much so, that she now felt at her lowest.

Kiara used to be soft spoken, patient and even willing to trust; but no longer. Her heart had no patience or room for men. Yet, she still craved more than what she already had. She wondered if her life would have turned out differently if she hadn't given birth to Joshua. Maybe then someone would want her.

Wrong. This was all wrong. She shouldn't have thought that way. She loved her son and did not regret having him, even though his father was the king of betrayal. Still, Joshua only soothed three quarters of her yearning heart. The remaining fraction wanted a partner and longed to find love...true love.

She felt a sudden pang of guilt for feeling this way. Without a moment's thought, she closed her eyes and asked God to forgive her for not feeling complete. Her mother, also a single parent had told her that she didn't need a man to be happy. She was meant to survive on her own, without help from anyone. Why then did she feel jealousy and resentment towards her cousin? The very same who had it much harder than she ever did, and still found a great partnership.

Kiara slapped her palm to her forehead out of frustration and looked to her cell phone. Four missed calls from Cat. She remembered the last time she saw the happy couple together, at their housewarming party. Everything was perfect. Dale was a gentleman, Cat was extremely happy and Brian...Joshua liked him, and maybe she did too.

She sighed. She had fallen into a tiny trap, all brought about by Dale's inquiry. She hated being led on by a suggestion. It wasn't certain and led her to question herself, as well as Brian. On one hand it seemed that he was a nice guy, but she could not forget what he said about her cousin. She didn't believe that Cat had forgotten any of it either. Being a voluptuous woman herself, and not that far from Cat's weight, he might be thinking the same of her as well. What if he was just pretending to be nice for fear of losing Dale? Could he have faked all of it? Even being so good with Joshua?

Her heart ached at such a thought. It was fine if a man hurt her feelings, and pretended to want, or love her. That she could handle, but Joshua was another issue. She would not let anyone hurt him or give him false hope. In the long run, she knew that Brian would probably have some influence over her son, and how he treated people; namely women. There would be serious repercussions if she exposed him to a man who had such distorted ideals.

Her intuition told her that Brian wasn't pretending, but what if she was wrong? She didn't know him very well. She had only been around him a few times, and only Dale or John could probably see behind the bullshit. That is, if there was any bullshit to discover.

Without another thought, she snatched her cell phone from the mahogany coffee table, and began to dial Cat's number. After two rings her cousin answered.

"Hi Ki. Are you okay?" Cat asked. She sounded very concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why?" Kiara responded calmly.

"Well, you always pick up when I call. I haven't spoken to you in days, and can't help but think that something might be wrong."

"I'm okay." Kiara lied, hoping to direct the attention away from herself for the moment. "How's your boo?"

"He's good. He's settling down well over here."

"That's good."

There was silence for a moment, only because Kiara was bad at faking contentment.

"Okay cuz, what's going on?" Cat asked.

"I'm fine. Why do you think something's wrong?"

"I can hear it in your voice Ki! Talk to me!"

Kiara sighed, "I'm just lonely Cat. That's all. It's like I can't find a good man."

Cat was quiet for a few seconds, and then said, "I'm sorry. Do you feel like I'm rubbing everything in your face? Is that why you haven't picked up your phone?"

"No babes."

"Ki don't lie. I used to feel that way too. You had all these guys chasing after you and I had no one. I was both sad and jealous; but I couldn't say anything. It wasn't your fault that you looked better than me. You were always more outgoing and I wasn't. People liked that about you."

"Damn Cat, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be upset, but I can't help it. The types that come after me...they don't really want to be with me. They just want some quick ass, and they could care less about Joshua. I don't want that for us. I want someone who will care equally for both of us."

"I understand Ki. Maybe you should try...something different."

She knew where Cat was going with this.

"Something different like...Brian?"

"Well he is great with Josh and you guys seem to have a little chemistry."

"Hold on! Before we even go there; do you believe him?" Kiara asked boldly, regaining the power in her tone of voice.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean do you buy that he's really sorry? We're almost the same weight; you and I, and to know that he spoke about you in that way still bothers me. How do you know he's not just pretending to stay good with Dale?"

"It's been over a year Ki..." her cousin sighed. "Dale had a talk with him and he did say that he was sorry. He might have been going through some things and took it out on me; someone he didn't know. I think he's really trying to make an effort and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's all Dale's got, besides John. I don't want them to be at odds with each other, over me."

"Cat he has you too. What you're saying makes sense, but don't tell me that you're only thinking of Dale's happiness, and not yours."

"I am happy, but you're right. It's taking a lot to forget what he said. But Dale's got my back."

"I hope so. That's not all I'm worried about either. He might influence Josh in the long run. I want my son to respect women. He shouldn't be like his father."

"I agree with you, but I don't think you have to worry too much about that. I think Brian is a lot different from when we first met him, and with all that aside...I mean if he hadn't said those things about me, do you think you'd be attracted to him?"

Kiara searched her thoughts for a moment. She really wanted to lie about how she truly felt, but what good would it do? Cat would be able to see through a lie.

"Yeah...I guess. I don't know. I'm a little scared to be honest. I don't want to get hurt."

"I know how you feel. A little part of me expects things to go wrong with Dale at any moment, but I'm fighting the negative thoughts."

"You two will be fine. I can feel it. This is your time to be happy."

"I am Ki, and I want you to find love as well. Are you still coming to visit? Brian will be there. Maybe you guys could have a little talk and from there, you can decide what you want to do."

"Even if I do, what makes you think that he'll want to get with me? As far as I know, you and Dale are only speculating and trying to do a little hookup, and you know how much I hate those."

"Girl please! You obviously didn't see the way he was looking at you, all those times we met up. He wants some chocolate in his life!" Cat teased.

Kiara laughed at the joke. 

"It's good to hear you laughter again Ki. Give Brian a chance, and see where things go. I really feel that he likes you."

"Maybe. I can't let what he said go so easily, but I'll try to talk to him about it."

"I know, and I think he'll listen to everything you have to say. So you're definitely coming, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. I've taken off work, so I should be able to make it."

"Good, because I kind of told Brian that you've been having a little car trouble, and wanted to do some carpooling with him on the way up here. He said it was okay."

"YOU WHAT!? Are you out of your mind Cat? Why would you do that?" Kiara fumed.

She was more nervous than angry at this sudden revelation, but tried to calm herself, not wanting to upset Cat.

"Come on. You guys live in the same town. Why not drive up here together? Then you can talk to him a little more. It would give you guys a little privacy, to get things out of the way. You'll be able to ask him all the questions you want." Cat said persuasively.

"I guess...but I'm not sure I'm comfortable about being alone with him. You should've asked me first Cat. I don't like being thrown into situations like this."

"I know and I'm sorry. You can always call and tell him that you'll get there on your own." Cat said, with a bit of urgency in her voice.

"Call him huh? Why can't you do it? You're the one that got me into this. I know what you're up to. You're just trying to get me to talk to him."

"Maybe. Come on Ki. Just go with it this once. If you guys don't hit it off, I'll drive you back home myself."

"You promise?"

"Yeah. Besides we haven't spent any time together in months. I could probably spend the weekend with you, or something."

"You sure Mr. Man wouldn't mind you being away?"

Cat laughed, "He's a big boy. He can handle it."

"Handle what?" Dale's voice interrupted on Cats end.

"He's home Ki. I'll call you tomorrow okay? Just think about what I said."

"Yeah sure." she sighed. "What's Brian's' number?"

"Uh oh!" Cat teased excitedly. "You going to call him?"

"Yeah. I might as well."

"You're not going to cancel on me are you?"

"Cat...I don't know." Kiara sighed. "I'm not sure that I'm ready to get into anything with him. I'm confused."

"Don't worry about it. If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to do anything. I thought that since he got on so well with Josh, that there could be something between you two."

"I know you meant well. Just give me a little time to sort my head out, okay?"

"Of course. But I really miss you Ki. Promise that you won't give me the silent treatment anymore? I don't like that."

"I'm sorry Cat. I promise I won't, and I miss you too babes. Joshua does too. He wants to come with me, but my mom wanted to take him for a week."

"Give him a hug for me, and tell him I'll visit soon."

"I will. I'll speak to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay Ki. Goodnight."

"Night!"

Kiara hung up and looked at her latest entry. She wanted to be happy like her cousin was, but that would require a good amount of faith. She was terribly lacking in that regard. She wanted to call Brian, but felt anxious, which was very unlike her character. She had always been headstrong and direct about what she wanted. But now just thinking of him caused butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

Just then, two tiny brown arms flung round her neck, and she was instantly comforted by the embrace.

"Hi mommy!" Joshua yelled aloud.

"Hi baby. You done brushing your teeth?"

"Yeah they're all clean!" he exclaimed proudly.

"Come here let me see you."

A little boy with the combined features of his mother and father; the latter being more dominant, walked round the black suede sofa, ready to be inspected. He had a wide grin on his face and flashed his newly brushed teeth at her. A single canine was missing from his mouth and a new one was already forming at the root of his pink gums. He was wearing his favorite black and navy-blue pajamas, which were splotched with images of Batman and Robin, all over the front and back.

"Good job baby. The dentist is going to be so proud of you, because you take good care of your teeth." she smiled.

"But I don't like the dentist. He scares me." Joshua pouted.

Kiara laughed, "He's not so scary. He just wants you to have healthy teeth. Remember how he gave you that nice toothbrush last time?"

"Yeah...but he's still scary."

"Come here. Give me a hug." she said, with a warm smile.

Joshua climbed onto her lap and flung his arms around her once more. Now eight years old, he was growing fast, and no longer a tiny, weightless toddler.

"Mommy, can I come with you to Auntie Cat's house?"

"No baby. We promised grandma that you'd go see her, remember?"

"I know but I miss Brian, and the horses."

"Cat doesn't have any horses where she lives. She lives in a town, like us."

"Okay...but Brian said that he'd let me ride all by myself next time. Oh, but I wasn't supposed to tell you that. It was our secret." Joshua said, with a mischievous smile.

"You guys are keeping secrets from me now?" she asked, amused by the fact.

"He said you might yell at him, if I said anything. But I told him you wouldn't. You're a nice mom and you wouldn't get mad."

She laughed, "You like him a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah he's my friend. I told Chris and Mikey about him and the horses. They got jealous. They wanted to ride the horses too." he said, with even more pride.

"Maybe their mom and dad can take them to a petting zoo. They have horses there."

"I know. We went to one with the class, but Brian's more fun." he smiled.

"Oh yeah?" she asked; her heart warming to the idea of a more reliable man being in Joshua's life.

"Yup!"

At that same moment, a thought sparked in her mind. Maybe she could do something nice for her son. Inviting Brian over for dinner would help her to better judge his character, as well as give her son the chance to see him before she goes away. She would kill two birds with one stone, and in the process have the information she required.

"Tell you what. You can't go to Auntie Cat's with me, but would you like if I asked Brian to come over for dinner? That way, you'll get to see him before you go to grandma's house."

"Really? He's going to come here?" her son shrieked with excitement.

"Well I gotta ask him first. Maybe if I tell him that you want to see him, he'll come. What do think?"

"Yes I want to see him. See? I told him you were a nice mom." Joshua grinned, and hugged his mother tightly.

"Can you do me a favor though?" Kiara asked, as a worrying thought came to mind.

"What?"

"Let's not tell daddy about this yet, okay? Did you tell him about the horses?"

"No...I was going to tell him when he took me to the movies, but he never came." he said; his happy expression slowly melting into one of hurt and disappointment.

Kiara hated that look. She wanted to save him from any more disappointments; however, she had no control over what his father did. 

"It's okay. Don't worry about it baby. He wanted to take you, but he was a little busy. I'll take you when I get back...or maybe we can ask grandma to take you."

"Okay." her son responded.

"Now go to bed. It's getting late, and you have school in the morning."

"But I'm not tired." he whined.

"If you don't, I won't be able to call Brian. You don't want to see him anymore?".

"No. I do."

"Then go on. I'll come tuck you in when I get off the phone."

"Okay mommy. Tell him I said hi, okay?"

"I will baby." she smiled, and she watched as her little boy ran up the stairs, without further hesitation.

She hoped that she was doing the right thing. In all reality, she knew that Joshua would want to see more of him, and the only way to know if he was the genuine article, was to find out firsthand. She took a deep breath and proceeded to dial the number.

"This had to be done; at least, for Joshua's sake." she thought.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she hit the 'call' button.

Why was she so afraid? She had never been this anxious before, with anyone. She secretly hoped that he wouldn't pick up. She might have choked and sounded like a fool. Her wish was granted, because after five rings, the call went straight to voicemail.

She hung up without leaving a message, and relaxed against the couch. She had previously sat up straight and rigid, bracing herself for the pending conversation. Brian didn't know her number, and probably had no intention of picking up. It was a relief, but she knew that she would have to face him sooner or later.

"Oh well!" she muttered under her breath.




Southern Tide Vol. 02



She would put it off for now. On the coffee table was one of Joshua's favorite story books. She hadn't seen when he put it there, but knew that he meant to ask her to read it to him. With all the excitement of asking Brian over for dinner, he had probably forgotten about it. She picked it up and proceeded to his room, wondering if he too would lose faith in fairy tales, when he got older. She dreaded the thought, but hoped that the hardships of life would be more lenient with her son.

Kiara awoke at seven, ready to start the day. Joshua was due at school by 8:30, and she had some time to prepare breakfast. She pulled on her white cotton robe, and checked on him in the next room. He was still asleep, but she would let him sleep a while longer. He never made a big fuss about getting up, and was able to dress himself for school. She had his uniform pressed and ready, waiting on his side chair. She made a note to herself to get him two new pairs of boots later.

He had already outgrown his old pairs within a matter of months, and had complained that his toes hurt after school. With work and everything else on her mind, she had forgotten, but would make an effort to get it done today.

Pancakes, bacon and apple slices were on the menu this morning. Midway through preparing their breakfast, she called for him to wake up. He came down to wish her a good morning, while rubbing his eyes and yawning. 

"Baby, I left your uniform on the chair. Take a quick shower and get dressed. I'll get your breakfast ready, okay?"

"Okay." he yawned, and marched back up to his room.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, startling her in front of the stove. She wasn't expecting company, but already knew who it was. She sighed, and rolled her eyes at the thought of having to see Derek's face this morning. She knew why he was here. He thought that he could make up for ditching Joshua, by taking him to school this morning. She knew that Joshua would be happy to see his father, but one of these days, he would learn the truth about Derek. She was tired of lying to protect the image of his neglectful father.

Derek was clad in an expensive grey suit and tie, when she opened the door. He worked at a prestigious law firm, and always dressed the part of a successful lawyer. He was even more handsome nowadays; however, she no longer felt anything for him, save contempt. He had always been the dapper type, and there had been a time when just being in his presence, would send chills down her spine. Now she couldn't stand him; but she tried her best to be civil in front of her son.

"Hey Kiki." Derek said, with his signature goateed smile.

She hated when he called her that. It reminded her of days past, when there had been love between them.

"Why are you here so early?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"I came to take Josh to school. Is he awake?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs brushing his teeth." she said dryly.

"Can I come in?"

She wanted to say no, but vowed never to keep Joshua's father away. He barely saw Joshua now, and she wouldn't deny her son any time with his father.

"Derek...why do you feel like you can just show up anytime you want? Either keep your promises to him, or don't come here at all."

"Come on Ki. I had a case. I couldn't make it." he said defensively.

"That's always the excuse isn't it?"

"Look, he's a strong boy. He'll be fine. My dad was always busy and I turned out fine."

He had turned out fine as far as being a lawyer, and making good money. Yet, his relationship with his own son suffered greatly. She would have said all this out loud, but chose to keep it to herself. She never had any arguments in front of Joshua, and wasn't about to start.

"Right...if you say so. Come in." she said, giving him room to pass through her doorway.

"Making breakfast? Smells good! Can I get a little something to eat? I only had a cup of coffee this morning."

She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. She would have liked to yell, "Kiss my ass. Go get your girl to make you pancakes!" But again, her son's presence kept her in check.

Without another word, she walked over to the kitchen, and he followed. Joshua must have heard his voice, because he rushed downstairs to greet his father.

"Daddy!" he cried with glee.

"Hey little man!" Derek said, as his son rushed into his arms. "You been good?"

"Yeah. I missed you."

"I missed you too Josh. I came to take you to school today. How you been doing in school?"

"I got 100 on my spelling and math test." the little boy beamed.

"That's my boy!" Derek smiled. "I know I promised to take you to the movies but I was busy. I'll take you next Friday, okay? It'll be a men's night out, with just the two of us."

"Okay!" Josh responded happily.

It seemed that all sins were immediately forgiven, much to Kiara's distaste, and she shook her head at the conversation. Derek's promises were beginning to mean less and less to her. She wondered if the same would happen with Joshua. She looked back at him, cradled in his father's arms. She pitied her son. But for the moment, there was nothing she could do. Derek was always good with his mouth, and had the amazing ability of turning her into the enemy.

She would have liked for Joshua to continue chatting with his father, but realized that he was still in pajamas. If he didn't hurry, they would be pressed for time.

"Go take a shower Joshua. When you're done, you can have breakfast with your dad. You need to hurry or you'll be late."

"Alright." Joshua replied.

He rushed back upstairs, to do as he was told. Kiara approached Derek with a plate, holding a few strips of bacon and pancakes topped with melted butter and syrup. She was instantly reminded of happier days, when they would spend their mornings together making breakfast, as well as making love.

She grew cross as the memories came flooding back. But she hid this irritation as best she could. He couldn't know that even now, she was still wounded by his betrayal. She set the plate down in front of him and walked back to the stove.

"Thanks. You always made great pancakes." he smiled.

She didn't answer.

"You know I've been meaning to talk to you, about us." he said, after a sip of coffee.

She laughed and shook her head in disbelief. Why was he doing this now?

"Last time I checked, I was single and you were with Stephanie."

She would have gone further, but her phone began to vibrate. It distracted her from saying any of the explosive statements that she might have unleashed upon him. Her heartbeat quickened, once she saw who the caller was. Brian was returning her call. She took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Did someone call me from this number last night?" a clueless Brian replied.

"Yeah...it's Kiara."

"Oh, hi. Sorry I didn't pick up. I had an early night last night."

"It's okay. Um, can you hold on a minute?" she asked, very aware that Derek was eavesdropping on the conversation.

She turned the burners off, and walked towards the living room, where she would manage to have a bit of privacy.

"Sorry about that." she said. "I was wondering...would you like to come over for dinner on Sunday night?"

"Dinner?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Is...everything okay?" he responded, seemingly unsure of the situation.

"Oh yes, everything's fine. It's just that I won't be taking Josh with me, to see Cat. He wanted to see you as well. So I figured, we could all have dinner before I left."

"Sure...that'll be really nice." he replied.

He was obviously very suspicious of this invitation.

"Okay great. Um, what time would be good for you?"

"Well...I'm free on the weekends, so anytime would be fine."

"8:30 sound good?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay. Well I'll see you then. Joshua's going to be really happy. He can't stop talking about you and the horses."

"Oh yeah?" he replied, in a less than doubtful tone. "He's a sweet kid. Tell him I said hello, and I'll see you both soon, alright?"

"Will do! Okay talk to you later." she said, with a tiny smile.

"Sure. See you then."

Kiara exhaled and relaxed the tension in her shoulders. The conversation had gone better than she anticipated. She half expected him to question her motives and refuse. Had he done so, it would have been a bigger disappointment for Joshua, and she would have hated breaking the news to him. But Brian had been agreeable, and she felt a little more comfortable with the idea of being alone with him...and Joshua of course. She walked back to the kitchen, in a much better mood. She must have still had a smile on her face, because Derek had given her an odd look, as she emerged out of the hallway. She pretended not to notice and went back to the stove.

"So who was that?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"A friend. Why?" she replied, with her back turned to him.

"No reason. I just heard something about dinner and..."

"Yeah, I'm having dinner with him. Something wrong?"

"Can we talk Kiki?"

"About what?"

"You know that I still love you right?"

She almost laughed out loud, but she caught herself and turned to look at him with disdain. How curious it was to hear something like that from him. There were times when those words were all she wanted to hear. Those had been the tough times, when she felt alone and not even Cat could console her. She had pleaded with him to come back to her, but he responded by blocking her phone number.

It took two full years to get over him, and by then he had moved in with his new girlfriend. She was supposed to be the one moving in with him, but Derek made his decision. Later, she vowed never to take him back if he ever decided to come around.

"How's Stephanie?" she asked sternly.

"She's...we're not together."

"Oh, okay." she replied calmly, masking the anger that boiled within her.

He was alone now, and his first thought was to seduce the one he abandoned. She would never stoop so low as to take him back.

"I wanted to take you out. Just me and you. I miss you Kiki."

"And what about Joshua? Is he coming too, or are you going to leave him out of the equation? You know what? It doesn't even matter, because it won't happen. When people fuck me over, I don't go two steps back. I only tolerate you because of our son. Other than the two of us being connected as his parents, there won't be any kind of relationship between us!"

"Come on Kiki. I know you miss me. Remember how..."

"No I don't. I'm fine actually."

"What, so you've got another man now? Who is he?" he asked bitterly.

"Derek, mind your business and I'll mind mine! I don't ask what you and Stephanie get up to, and I don't intend to. What we had is done. All I ask is that you be a good father to your son." she retorted, trying to keep her anger and tone under control.

"I am a good father. I buy everything he needs, and I come to see him when I can!"

"When you can isn't enough. But you can't even see that. It's not only about buying him stuff. You've only seen him twice in one month. Today makes three times. You think that's enough?"

"Look I have work and..."

"Yeah, work." she mocked. "I guess you no longer have afternoons and days off right? I work too Derek!"

"Kiki come on..."

"Mommy, can you help me with my tie?" Joshua shouted from his room upstairs.

"Yeah baby, I'm coming." she shouted back and rushed for the stairs, silently thanking her son for this welcomed interruption.

Had the conversation gone any further, she would have given Derek a piece of her mind. Joshua's little save kept her from becoming even more flustered, and she rushed upstairs to him, leaving Derek to eat alone.

Chapter Two

It was mid-November and Brian hated this time of year. Every year, for the past three years, he had always spent the upcoming holidays alone. Sure there had been random girlfriends, but he had never been serious with any of them. As for Dale and John, both were now living their own lives with good women, and once again he had no one. He pondered on what he might do to alleviate this loneliness, and only came up with the idea of trying to salvage what he had with Kelly. It had been a year since they broke up and he was tired of being alone. It wasn't because he missed the sex. With Dale gone, and no women around him, life had gone a down a notch.

He couldn't imagine...or rather, he didn't want to go through the effort of finding a new woman. It was never hard to get one interested. The tedium of courting women, only to have things go sour, was too much for him at the moment. And he was quite sure that things would indeed go sour. It was as if a dark cloud now loomed overhead; causing an increased melancholy within him.

He craved familiarity and Kelly would be the familiar face that he needed. Unfortunately, she had already moved on and found a new guy. They never had any major problems while they were a couple. At some point, both realized that the relationship was going nowhere. In essence, all of his relationships with women ended this way. None of them could ever compare to what Dale had; past or present.

He had never really given the idea much thought, but now he realized the value of having a good woman at his side. He couldn't put the blame on women however, because he was the problem. He never possessed any of the fine qualities that came so easily to Dale. In fact, his mouth nearly cost him a relationship with his best friend. The experience also taught him a very good lesson; he needed to grow up.

Many times, he asked himself why he'd said those things about Cat. He really had nothing against her...except that she had done the one thing that he could never do. She saved Dale's life and made him happy again. A feat he never thought possible, or maybe he hadn't tried hard enough. He even contributed to Dale's drinking, and hadn't seen anything wrong with it. After all, alcohol always seemed to mend most of his bad memories until he could block them out on his own. He was never good at handling tragedies, and didn't quite know how to comfort Dale. In his mind, he was doing Dale a favor.

It took a complete stranger only a matter of weeks to repair the damage, and he hated himself for letting things happen this way. He had been rude to Cat when he first met her. He even called her names, and probably destroyed her self confidence in the process. He didn't deserve her friendship or Dale's for that matter. Yet, they overlooked his behavior and gave him a second chance.

Now Kiara was the one reaching out and inviting him to dinner. She was the last person he ever expected to get a call from, and lying in bed, he couldn't stop wondering what she wanted. Why was she being nice to him? He had become more of a thinker and less of a talker since these new women came into his life. He hadn't said so much as an unkind word about either one, after the embarrassing incident.

He had even taken a liking to both women, but was still cautious around them. He observed that they were almost polar opposites. Cat was always the soft spoken one, while Kiara had the smart mouth. Of course, she kept that side of her in check whenever Joshua was around. However, this blunt honesty made him appreciate her company; though he kept that part to himself. He liked the fact that she was always honest about her feelings, and was bold enough to defend her ideals. He even began to find her a little attractive, but never told Dale or John so. He was afraid of what that would mean.

It was true that he had never been attracted to fat women, but he definitely didn't find them repulsive; even though he alluded to the fact. Now he felt shame for being attracted to Kiara, who was almost identical to the woman he had berated. Did that make him a hypocrite? He was sure it made him an asshole. Yet, what if he was no longer that kind of man? What if he wanted to give Kiara a chance? Would she even give him a chance to redeem himself?

He wouldn't have been so forgiving if he was in her shoes. That first angry phone call was rightly deserved, and she was probably inviting him to dinner to expand on that call. But why in person? And why now? Months had gone by since the incident. Couldn't she have done this over the phone, or at a family gathering? He had been itching to call Dale for a little advice, but knew that word would get to Cat, and eventually back to Kiara. He didn't want to seem insecure or unable to handle a little meeting with her.

He had considered calling her back to cancel, but there was Joshua to think about. He didn't want to disappoint the kid. Her son had been the one to save him from Kiara's attitude, and being around a child again made him think about his own past and future. He had been quite close to Jessie, and when he died, it hit him hard. Probably not as hard as it hit Dale, but the loss was painful nonetheless. He had been there for every birthday party, the baptism and even Jessie's first haircut. He was Uncle Brian; a title he had forgotten until he met Joshua. In essence, he felt like he owed both Kiara and Joshua for that, and the least he could do was to have a nice dinner with them.

Still, he wanted to know what Kiara meant to talk to him about. It wouldn't be a good idea to bring up the awkward event in front of Joshua. He preferred that they talk in private, because he was sure that Joshua would be vying for his attention. He wanted to have fun, without having to worry about what Kiara truly thought of him. 

A few hours had gone by since he last spoke to her, and it was around lunchtime. He picked up his cell and decided to call her back. He hoped to catch her on a break. Maybe he could clear things up and save them from an awkward time.

"Hello?" she answered after a few rings.

"Hey Kiara, I wanted to talk to you about something. Is this a bad time?"

"No it's dead at work and my boss is on his lunch break. Is...this about dinner?"

"Yes it is. What did you want to talk about?"

"It's something that's been bothering me for a while. I just want to put my mind at ease."

"Would it be okay to tell me now? I hate to wait, when I know you're probably going to yell at me in the end."

"Who said I'd do that?" she asked lightheartedly.

He sighed, "Look, we both know what I said about Cat was wrong. I've said that I was sorry many times and it's like I keep getting reminded of my mistake. That's what this is all about, right? "

"Brian, of course it can't be easily forgotten. I understand your frustration, but it's a fucked up world out there. People like you feel like they have the right to say anything to anyone, and that's a big problem for me. But...that was only part of the reason I wanted to talk. There are other things that I'd like to get out, and I'd prefer not to do it over the phone. The dinner idea was really for my son. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be going to see you and Cat, so I thought a little dinner date might be nice."

He smiled. "A date huh?"

"Well not a..."

"It's alright, I'm kidding. And I'm not like that anymore. You said "people like me" but I've changed. What are you doing later after work?"

"Not much...just a little grocery shopping. Why?"

"Why don't I pick you up after work and we'll talk about anything you want?"

"Are you backing out of dinner?" she asked suspiciously.

"No not at all. I'd just rather get it over with. Besides, I wouldn't want to talk about any of this stuff in front of Joshua. I thought about it, and it would be better if we spoke before dinner. That way, it wouldn't be awkward. We'd be able to focus on having a little fun with him. Knowing your temper, things might get heated if we don't." he smirked.

"I don't have a...whatever! Are you sure? You're not going to be busy?"

"I can spare some time for you. Where do I pick you up?"




Southern Tide Vol. 02



"I work at Brookville Hospital. It's kind of far though. I'll just meet you in town."

"It's no problem. I can get there faster than you taking the buses. They're kinda slow out there right?"

"I'll be driving back to...oh...wait. Cat did tell you that I was having car trouble, right?"

"Yeah. Did you get it fixed?"

"I should tell you that she was just trying to get us to go up there together." she admitted. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should've figured." he grinned. "You said you were going grocery shopping? How about I just meet you there? Maybe I can help with the heavy lifting or something."

"Um...okay. I might be there a while. Joshua's going away to my mom's house for his winter break, and I have to get lots of groceries. I wouldn't want you to wait on me."

"No, it's okay. I've got to get some stuff too. We can use the time to talk. Should be nice, right?"

He heard her smile on the line, and he began to relax at the idea of seeing her again. Up until now, his nerves had been on end.

"Okay...yeah. It would be cool to have a little company." 

"Great. Where do you shop?"

"The supermarket on 89th street's got a lot of good sales this week. That okay?"

"Yup. Text me the time I should meet you and I'll be there."

"Okay...and thanks for calling. I hadn't thought about talking in front of Joshua, so thanks for the suggestion."

"No problem. I'm sure that you already have a lot on your mind. So I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah. I'll see you soon."

"Alright. Take care."

Brian planned to meet Kiara at the store's entrance for 5:30. He was on time, but she hadn't arrived yet. She let him know beforehand that she would be a few minutes late, probably because of Joshua. He was no longer nervous, and it could have been because he had finally gotten her to smile. He was instantly reminded of the last time he saw her. That was when he really began to take notice.

It began two months ago, at Cat and Dale's house warming party. It may have been earlier than that, but he had been in denial about his feelings. The party was a small affair, with only one new person added to the mix. John had followed in Dale's footsteps, and also sought to find companionship. He had taken a liking to the local vet Abby, who frequently came to the farm to check upon the livestock and horses. She and John quickly hit it off once he got the courage to ask her out, and that conveniently left Brian and Kiara as the only single ones.

He had seen Kiara many times before, but Joshua had always been around, and she was in 'Mommy Mode.' Now he got to see a different side of her that all encompassed her sensual femininity. Joshua was left at home, and for one night, she let her hair down. 

Brian understood why. She loved and wanted to protect her son, which probably led her to put on that tough and worrisome face he was so used to seeing. Yet, at the party she had transformed completely, into a more carefree character.

At first it was her scent that caught his attention. The beautiful floral notes seemed to reel him in, and soon he found himself inching closer to her. After a few glasses of wine, his desires became even stronger. He wanted to touch her. He had taken into account that there were other people present, but he couldn't contain his fantasies. The Ruby-red maxi dress she had worn to the party was like a red bull's eye. The dress caught his eye no matter where she stood. Its hem stopped only a few inches above her knees, and he was greeted with the sight of her luscious brown thighs. He yearned to find out how soft they were.

The dress hadn't been too tight, and it accentuated the swell of her breasts, and her hourglass figure very well. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, but he couldn't go through with it. He already had the reputation of being the asshole of the bunch, and she might have taken it the wrong way. His infamous statements about what he found sexy had dug him into a deep hole, and there was nothing he could do to get himself out of it.

At the time, he had wanted to make her smile, like she did for her cousin. It may have very well been the liquor forming these ideas in his head, but he didn't care. He wanted her to like him. Even though no one was thinking of his past mistakes at the time, he couldn't let it go; not even for the moment. He imagined that she wanted to be as far away from him as possible, and he gave her what he thought she wanted.

He stayed away for the most part, until it was time to take a few photos. He had been directed to put his arm round Kiara's waist, and hesitantly did as he was told. She hadn't pushed him away, or given him any attitude. She could have even been an entirely different person, if he hadn't known any better. She also put her arm round him and pressed her body against his, for the pictures. By then he was completely gone; lost in her fragrance and the softness of her body. He wanted to squeeze her tightly and shower her neck with kisses, but that wouldn't have been appropriate.

He would have ended up with a black eye and a kick in the balls, if he had proceeded with such action. And so, after the picture was taken, he let go of her and went to sit back down in his corner. He remained there with a drink in hand, where he could admire her from afar. Needless to say, he expected these thoughts to dissipate once he went back to being sober. They did not, and even after everyone had gone home and back to their normal lives, he would frequently think upon that night, when he held her close.

He wondered what she would look like now. Would she appear in a sexy nurse's uniform with that beautiful sleek hair tumbling down to her shoulders? He smiled to himself as he looked straight ahead to the store's entrance. Had he not given into his daydreaming, he would have seen Kiara walking towards the side of his red truck. She gently rapped on the transparent window, and he flinched from the unexpected sight of her.

She smiled slightly and waved, while he tried to regain his composure. By God, he hadn't seen her. Had she hesitated for even a second more, she would have witnessed his hand falling to his crotch, to stroke his swollen member through his blue-jeans. He quickly pulled his t-shirt down and over the bulge, and exited the vehicle.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late." she said, with a warm smile. "I had to check on a few things before I drove out here."

"It's alright. I was just chillin' out in the truck." he said, after clearing his throat.

He noticed that instead of a nurse's uniform, she was dressed casually, with a pink baby doll t-shirt and a pair of tight, black jeans. The outfit hadn't been what he expected, but she was still a sight to behold. He was even met with that same delicious fragrance, and it brought back memories of the cravings he felt on their last night together.

"Last night together..." he thought.

He wished those words meant something more than just seeing her at a party. He noticed that Joshua wasn't with her, and wondered where he could be since school was out. 

"Joshua's not with you?" he asked.

"No...he's with his dad. They're...going to spend a little time together this afternoon." she responded hesitantly.

"Oh...well, after you." he replied, with a forced smile.

Of course Joshua had a father. It was obvious, but he'd never quite acknowledged the fact. His heart sank at the thought of another man being in Kiara's life, as well as Joshua's. It never occurred to him, because she had never spoken of Joshua's father in his presence. He assumed that it was just the two of them. Jealousy crept into his heart, as he imagined another man holding Kiara in his arms.

"Does he know that you're meeting me here?" he asked, referring to Joshua's father.

"Who Joshua?" she asked, unaware.

His first thought was to say no; however, intuition told him to go with the opposite.

"Yeah." he quickly responded.

"No, I didn't say anything about meeting you. If I did, he would have wanted to come with me, and then we'd never get to talk. Besides, his father needs to spend more time with him."

"They don't see much of each other?" he asked, with a sense of relief.

"No...he was never there for Joshua. He only comes around when he feels like it and..."

Kiara stopped talking, as if she remembered who she was about to confide in.

"I'm sorry. Am I being nosey?" Brian asked, sensing her uneasiness.

"No not at all. I just don't want to lay my burdens on other people." she said, with a tiny smile.

The awkward conversation ceased until they strode into the supermarket's entrance. Brian pulled out a bright red shopping cart from the stack, and observed the store's bright red and green displays. He noticed that the place was quite empty. On the store's polished white floor, was only a handful of employees stacking the shelves. A few children were here and there, cuddling boxes of sweetened cereal and candy bags.

He watched and waited as Kiara fished through her handbag, and pulled out a shopping list. He only wanted a few essentials and had everything memorized. She on the other hand, would not be shopping light. But he didn't mind. Maybe this trip would grant him some time to get to know her better.

"Mind if we start in the pasta aisle?" she asked.

"Nope. You lead, I'll follow."

The two headed to the Pasta aisle, which was recently stocked with boxes of macaroni and cheese and Chef Boyardee cans. Kiara grabbed a few cans of ravioli, and stacked them into the wide cart.

"I remember when my dad used to buy me these. I loved em'." he chuckled.

"Yeah, Josh really likes them too. We eat a lot of home cooked meals, but once in a while I like to spoil him. Since he's going over to my mom's, I want to make things easier on her. So I'm going to get a few quick meals."

"How long is his break?"

"Two weeks. I took off from work at the same time. I wanted to have a little vacation while he was gone."

"Sounds good! So, will I have to duck for cover, when you tell me what's bothering you?"

She laughed at this and he smiled in response. He liked this side of her.

"You make it seem like I'm the angry type. I'm not going to yell at you...although, Joshua did tell me that you guys have been keeping secrets." she said. "You were going to let him ride all alone, and I wasn't supposed to know about it."

Brian snickered, "He blew my cover huh? Well, he did say that you wouldn't yell at me. So I guess he was right. He's around the same age that Jessie was, when he learned to ride."

"Jessie?"

She wasn't familiar with the name.

"Yeah. Dale's little boy."

"Oh...I-I'm sorry." she said solemnly, losing her smile. "I never knew his name. It's horrible what happened. I don't know what I'd do if something was to happen to Joshua."

"We all took it pretty hard. Josh actually reminds me of him. He loved the horses too." Brian smiled.

He hadn't spoken Jessie's name in years, and heartbreak suddenly swept over him at the mention of his deceased nephew. But he hid his pain from Kiara. He wasn't going to act like a big softie in front of her.

"Well as long as you keep him safe, I suppose you can let him ride. I wouldn't want to have to kill you now."

"Yes Ma'am!" he smiled.

"Since we're on the subject, I suppose I should get to the point of the matter."

"Go ahead. Just don't hit me." he joked.

He winked at her playfully and the sad memory slowly began to dissipate.

Kiara rolled her eyes at him, and began, "My son...he really likes you. Actually he talks about you more than his father. But as his mom, I have concerns. What you said about Cat still bothers me. I'm a little smaller than she is, but it isn't by very much. It terrifies me to think that one day Josh might be influenced by the things you said. Whether you like it or not, you've becoming sort of a figure in his life, and I want him to be an upstanding man who respects women, regardless of their sizes or what they look like."

Brian nodded, "I understand where you're coming from, and know that I'd never talk like that in front of him. Dale and I...we've always dated certain types of women. Smaller, I guess and I don't know...I was used to making fun of women I wasn't attracted to. I was wrong for it. I knew that. I was trying to be funny, but I didn't think that Dale would take it so seriously, or that Cat would hear me."

"Well the fact is that she did. I know you have a type, and I'm not trying to force you out of it. You like what you like. Society treats women of all sizes badly; that's a given. You weren't the only guy to do it, and you probably won't be the last. But I can't have Josh treating women like that; skinny or fat. I'll be honest with you. Sometimes I thanked God that I wasn't Cat. I hate to say it, but I saw how people treated her. The name calling, and laughing behind her back; all of it. Sometimes I just stood by and watched, thinking "At least that's not me." Now as a mom I couldn't imagine what going through life must've been like for her. I think that's why she was so quick to get away from Dale. You guys were just like the others...and I'm no better."

"Don't say that Kiara. It's not your fault. It was all me. I know what I did. I remember it every time I see her face. I don't even feel comfortable being around you guys. I feel like I gave the worst impression, and there's nothing I can do to change your minds. I sometimes avoid going to see them because of that whole mess."

"You don't have to. She believes you're a good guy."

"She does?" he asked, with a tiny frown.

"Yeah. She said that you were probably taking your frustrations out on someone you didn't know."

"I guess...but that doesn't excuse what I did. And, what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. How do you feel about me?"

"Well...I...uh..." she stalled. "Joshua likes you, and he thinks you're cool. I guess that's good enough for me."

"Dodging the question huh?" he smirked. "I know how he feels."

"Well...that was the other thing that bothered me. Dale is your best friend and you wouldn't want to lose him. I was worried that you were pretending. I'm hesitant to say how I feel, because I don't know you all that well. So...are you pretending?"

"No, I'm not. If I was, I wouldn't be here with you. You remember the last time I saw you guys? At the party?"

She nodded.

"I didn't say much to either of you."

"I noticed. I just figured that you weren't in the mood for the party."

"I was. I wanted make merry with you guys, but I felt ashamed for being included. I didn't deserve to be around you good people. So, I just kept my distance. Joshua's nice to me, because he doesn't know that I was an asshole to his Aunt Cat. He wouldn't like me so much if..."

"Whoa wait honey! Do you hear yourself? You did just hear my confession of not wanting to be in Cat's shoes, right? We've all done and thought bad things, and no one is below forgiveness. Cat forgave both of you and I should too. I think I went overboard with the anger, because I was just as guilty as you were. When I called you, I think I was also yelling at myself for being a bystander, you know? Once again, I was letting my cousin's feelings get hurt. For the record, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone that far. I never even thought of apologizing to you until now."

"It's alright. I deserved it. I think that phone call actually snapped me into shape, and forced me to question what I was doing. So I should thank you, and I apologize for putting you guys through that."

"No more apologies okay? We've spoken about it, and its water under the bridge." she smiled warmly.

"So, can we be friends now?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not. By the way, what would you like for dinner? I don't know what you like to eat?"

"Anything! I never turn down a free meal." he replied innocently, even though his thoughts had become lascivious at the behest of the question.

She hadn't noticed, because she was distracted by her shopping list, but he had been admiring her plump figure the entire time. When she bent over to look at the prices, he caught glimpses of her heaving breasts, which seemed to bulge and spill out of their tight harness. He wanted to liberate the soft orbs and have them as dessert. He would have even preferred to skip dinner, and instead, prod his tongue into that pink center between her thighs.

He began to feel dizzy at his arousal, in turn provoking his cock into semi-erection. She had been oblivious to all this, yet a part of him wanted her to know just how much of an effect she was having on him. Even in this very public place, he would have liked to pin her against the stocked shelves. He wanted her to feel the bulging evidence of his attraction to her.

"Come on. Give me a hint? Steak? Seafood?" she asked, completely oblivious of his wanton thoughts. "Are you allergic to anything?"

He cleared his throat and smiled, "Don't worry. I can eat anything, and I'm sure you're a great cook. Surprise me."

"Okay. If you say so."

He looked down at the filled shopping cart, and realized that time had passed rather quickly. The distraction of his fantasies, and their brief conversation, led him to enjoy their time together. Otherwise, this would have been a dull trip to the local supermarket.

During the course of the conversation, they had already walked through most of the aisles. They picked up cereal, peanut butter, microwavable meals and fun sized snacks for Joshua. Brian knew that Kiara probably wasn't going to cruise into the beer aisle, so he excused himself for a moment to get a 6 pack. He still liked a beer or two, and hoped that Kiara wouldn't be offended by his drinking.

He felt rather good however, as he left her behind in the Baking aisle. He now knew what the expression, "walking on air" felt like. There had been hope for him after all and it seemed that his fears had been premature. Kiara had given him a chance to explain his side of the story, and she did it as a lady, without interfering or using accusatory words.

He had even seen the vulnerable side of her, which she couldn't have been very comfortable sharing. This made him respect her even more, and he hoped that they would become even closer. He was in no rush to ask her out though. He had seen Kiara for who she really was, through her concern for Joshua and Cat. He was happy enough just to talk with her; at least for now. His desire to have her was still strong and ever present.

He reached the beer aisle and began to scan the shelves for a pack of Coronas. In the next aisle over, he overheard two females chatting amongst themselves. At first, he dismissed the conversation, but then he heard mention of Kiara's name. Curious about what they found so funny, he silently listened in on their conversation.

"Girl I can't believe she's walkin' around with a white boy." one of them said. "What the hell's gotten into her?"

"I know right. At least Joshua ain't there. Derek would blow a gasket!"

"She sure don't know how to keep a good black man. Your brother's a lawyer, he makes good money and he's fine as hell! Why the hell did she ditch him for a white boy?"

"Who knows? The girl's lost it! I'm about to call him right now."

Brian quickly grabbed a 6-pack, and stealthily snuck to the edge of the aisle, to spy on the two women. One of them, a red head with a long curled ponytail was on her cell phone, presumably calling her brother. The other, a shorter woman with a blonde pixie cut, scanned the shelves of soda bottles, with a shopping basket in hand. They were both young women, and probably acquaintances of Kiara. At first he thought to play spy, and continue to eavesdrop, but decided against wasting his time on their type.

A classier woman was waiting for him nearby, and he hurried back to the aisle where he'd left her. He thought it best not to tell her about the two women. He wasn't sure if she would try to confront them and cause a scene. The afternoon had been a good one, and he wanted to keep it that way.




Southern Tide Vol. 02



He found her at the store's front, next to the checkout line, going over the items in her shopping cart.

"Ready?" he asked, as he approached.

"Yup. Got everything you wanted?" she smiled.

"Just about."

"I think I'll drive over to my mom's after this, to drop everything off early." she said, as she closed in on the cue.

"When are you taking him over there?"

"Day after tomorrow. He should be happy after he sees you. Oh...I forgot to get some hot chocolate. I'll be right back, okay?" and she dashed into one of the aisles, leaving him behind with the cart.

Brian caught himself watching her behind as she walked away, but quickly tore his eyes away from her body. He was lucky that the store was empty; otherwise, he would have looked like a slobbering fool to any onlookers. He began to pile the groceries on the moving belt while she was gone, hoping to distract himself from anymore of his daydreaming.

She had just emerged out of the aisles and joined him on the line, when someone called out to her.

He and Kiara turned around to see the same pair of women he'd crept upon, coming up from behind them. They were probably following Kiara.

"Hey girl, how've you been?" the redhead asked, flashing a smile that masked the sinister personality he'd seen not too long ago.

The blonde woman smiled, but looked Kiara up and down, as if taking her measure. Her eyes held a look of contempt. Even he noticed, but Kiara ignored it, and waved back at them.

"Hey. I'm alright. How's everything?" she acknowledged the red head.

"I'm good. Where's my nephew at?"

"He's with Derek. They went to the park, while I'm shopping."

"Okay. I see you got a lil' boo thang over here." she said, cocking her head towards Brian.

Kiara smiled nonchalantly and proceeded to introduce him to the women.

"This is Brian. He's an old friend of mine. Brian this is Natalie and Tayshia."

"Hi ladies." he smiled. "How y'all doin' today?"

"We're good!" Natalie, the red-head and obviously the leader of the two, responded.

He turned back to the cashier, who asked if the groceries were all being paid for on the same bill.

Brian handed his card to her, and said "Yeah, everything."

"Brian? What are you...?" Kiara questioned with a slight frown.

"Talk to your friends. I got it." he smiled.

"Ooh girl!" Natalie squeaked. "You givin' him that good stuff huh? Got him payin' for your food and everything! Derek never told me you were..."

"Derek? Sorry but I don't tell deadbeats my business. Now I've got to finish up and get home. I'll see you some other time." Kiara interjected and turned away from the pair to join Brian.

The cashier already had everything bagged, and had just handed him the receipt when Kiara joined him.

"Come on." she said, apparently annoyed.

Brian didn't say a word, but followed her as she left the two women, wide-eyed behind them. They had walked into the parking lot with the stocked cart, when he decided to finally say something.

"Mad at me?" he asked, as she opened the trunk of her car.

"No I'm not mad. But why did you do that?" she sighed.

"What'd I do?"

"Pay for my stuff. I'm not comfortable with men paying for things."

"Why is that? Can't I do something nice for a friend?"

"When a man pays for something it usually means he expects something in return. I don't..."

"I don't want anything from you Kiara." he said, aware that this was a slight lie.

He did want something. He wanted her, but he couldn't openly confess any of this. Her version sounded malicious, while his intentions were far from it. He would have done this for her even if she would never see him again.

"Well did you do it to get them talking?" she continued, "Because they will. It's a small town, and everybody knows everybody's business."

"I did it because I wanted to. You're treating me to dinner. It's the least I can do. Anyway, I didn't know you had stalkers out here." he said playfully, hoping to avert her attention from his so called blunder.

"Stalkers? Yeah you're probably right. Maybe I should call them stalkers. Those two have nothing better to do than talk shit about other people."

"So Natalie...she's Josh's aunt? And she doesn't like you?"

"No she doesn't, but I don't really care. She's a fake, and I don't associate myself with people like her. I only tolerate her and her brother because they're Joshua's family. He's too young to realize how conniving people can be."

"Are you worried that word's going to get out about us shopping together?"

"Not in the least. I'm a grown woman, and I choose my own company. If they can't handle that, then it has nothing to do with me. I know she's going to go back to her brother and talk about me like she's still in high school, but I don't give a damn!"

"You two aren't together?"

"No. He left me a few months before I had Joshua." she said glumly, avoiding eye contact.

It was a look of shame, but he knew that she probably wasn't to blame for this misfortune.

"Damn Kiara. I'm sorry." he sympathized.

"It's okay. I got over it and I think I was better off without him anyway."

"Is it going to be a problem? Having dinner, I mean. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"Still trying to back out of dinner?" she asked, with a tiny smile.

"No...I just don't want to bring any drama into your life. Those two look like they're plotting against you or something."

"All the more reason to not back down. Besides, you'll have to explain to Joshua why two girls scared you out of coming to dinner. You want that?" she said, finally lightening up.

"No Ma'am!" he chortled. "I'll be there. Don't you worry."

"Alright then. Thanks for the help. I'll see you tomorrow." she said, as she got into the driver's seat.

"Definitely! I wouldn't miss it."

She smiled and bid him goodbye, and slowly drove away. He looked back to the store's transparent windows and saw the two women still chatting. He knew that they were probably whispering rumors about him and Kiara. They were likely to bring Joshua's father out to shake things up. Women had the ability to ignite such fury in men, and he knew that whatever was coming wouldn't be good. But he would not let them keep him away from Kiara. She was a feisty one, but worth whatever trouble those two could ever throw at him.

Chapter Three

"Are you kidding me?" Kiara shouted at her ex over the phone. "Seriously! How old are we Derek?"

"What do you mean?" he replied defensively.

"How old are you and how old is Natalie? You're both acting as if we're still kids!"

"What's our age got to do with anything? Word is you're walking around with a white boy, calling me a deadbeat and shit. Did you, or did you not say that?"

"Yes I said it, and it's true. I know where you got this all from, and you can tell either one of those bitches to grow the fuck up. Since when do you care about who I'm walking around with? You never cared before. Is it because he's white or because your chick left you, and you've got no one else?"

"Of course I cared." he replied, avoiding the question. "I care about you."

"Oh that's rich! You care about me now that you're alone and Stephanie left you. Before that I was only a baby mama to you. I didn't mean anything. Eight years went by and you treated me like I was just an employee; a babysitter for your son. Now I'm supposed to just forget all that, and go crawling back to you?"

"You're still stuck on the past Kiki." he said more calmly. "Just let it go. I'm trying to get my family back."

"Oh no! I will never let it go. I will protect myself and Joshua from you if I have to. So quit the bull and tell Natalie not to ever approach me like that again. I knew this was coming, and I knew they would get you to come after me. I just didn't think it would be so soon. You can still see Joshua, but don't ever think that you can lecture me about who I'm with. I am not your child and I am not your woman. I will walk around with whomever I please, so back the hell off!"

"You're trippin'! I'm going to come around, to see Josh alright?" he responded, ignoring her warning.

"Now you want to start coming around? Well you can't tonight. We have plans."

"Look Kiki. We need to straighten this mess. I want to fix things between..."

"But that's what you don't get. There's nothing to fix!" she cut in. "All damages are done, so just get on with your life, and I'll get on with mine. I have to go."

"But..."

"I gotta go!" she repeated sternly.

"This isn't ov..."

"Goddamn him!" she muttered under her breath, as she hung up without giving him a chance to finish.

She was in the middle of cooking, when Derek decided to give her a call. This was all being done on purpose. She knew him well, as he did her. He was intentionally trying to frustrate her in hopes of foiling her plans.

A part of her felt good to know that he was jealous. After all, what better way was there to get back at an ex who hurt you? She had hidden this small satisfaction from Brian, but she was actually happy that Natalie had seen her with another man. It wasn't the first time. This time however, she was seen with someone of a different color from every other man she dated in the past. They weren't even a couple yet, but Derek seemed to take offense to that very fact. At this point, she wasn't sure of what he would do. His response had been unlike anything she expected. He had always been calm and confident; even in an argument. But now, he was behaving much differently.

Getting back at Derek did feel good, but a thought began to worry her. Maybe she had always wanted him back. Why else was she feeling happy to be getting attention that wasn't shared with Joshua? 

There was an extreme difference this time around. Of the few men she entertained in the past, not many had measured up to Derek. She would constantly compare their appearances, salaries and manners to his. She thought that he was the best she could ever do. She now realized that she really hadn't gotten over him, and sought these men in hopes of making him jealous. She had unintentionally placed him on a pedestal and suffered for it.

Of course things never turned out as she hoped, and she was left alone without so much as a kind word or apology from Derek. But she no longer felt the need to compare anyone to him. He was no longer impressive in her eyes. Brian had stolen his spotlight and she felt good about that, regardless of their rocky history.

She wanted Brian to be a part of her life, no matter how insignificant. Joshua's happiness was paramount, yet even she felt content in his presence. Maybe there really could be something there. She was a little skeptical, but knew that he was trying his best to make up for past mistakes. He could have avoided her, but chose not to. She would keep an open mind and base her decision on tonight's events.

The doorbell rang suddenly, and she looked to the clock, fastened against the kitchen wall. It was only a quarter past seven.

"What the hell?" she snorted.

Why couldn't Derek just take a hint? She had no patience for his antics, but she marched to the door anyway, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" she thought. "I need to get rid of him, and fast before Joshua sees him."

Kiara approached the door with her mean face on, but was only greeted by a smiling Brian. She was taken aback, because he looked quite different from when she last saw him. At 6'2, she had always thought of him as a tall and rugged Marlboro man. He seemed quite fond of wearing jeans and t-shirts as his main garb. At the last party, he had donned that same unkempt look, while everyone else had dressed formally. He never seemed to care much about grooming either, because he was normally unshaven, and his blonde curls were always long and hidden by a baseball cap.

Now a gentleman stood before her with a dozen red roses in one hand, and a large sky-blue gift box in the other. She didn't know what to say and just stared at his unfamiliar, yet gorgeous form. His dirty blonde hair was no longer wild and flapped in the breeze. Instead it was cut short, and slicked back to reveal his handsome features. His cobalt blue eyes seemed even more vivid now, and his high cheekbones and chiseled jaw, gave him a look of sophistication. He had also ditched the t-shirt and jeans look, and worn a charcoal grey suit with a matching tie.

"Wow...you look..."and she paused, not knowing whether she should use the word "handsome" to describe him.

"Different?" he smiled and presented her with the large bouquet.

"Yes. If I didn't know better, I would've thought you were a businessman or something."

"You don't like it?" he asked and raised his golden eyebrows.

"No, I do...I just...wasn't expecting you so soon." she said, and her cheeks flushed with heat.

Her fingers shook as she accepted the bouquet, and she tried her best not to fumble and drop them.

"I know. I wanted to hang out with Joshua before dinner. Is that okay?"

"Yes. Sure. Oh, I'm sorry, come in." she said, realizing that in her dumbfounded state, she'd forgotten to invite him in.

"Thank you." he said and walked past her.

He even wore cologne, and the spiced fragrance made her heart flutter as he brushed past. She wanted to steal him away and keep him close, but as he said, he was only here for Joshua.

The words stung, but she ushered him into her tiny and simply furnished living room. Joshua sat on the tanned carpet and was playing one of his video games. He wasn't dressed as formally as his elders, and had on a light blue polo shirt with khaki shorts. He was too engaged in his game to even realize that he wasn't alone anymore.

"Thank you for the roses" Kiara whispered, not wanting to alert her son to their presence. "I never expected a gift."

"You're welcome." he smiled. "I got Joshua something too. I think he'll really like it."

"That wasn't necessary Brian. You already did something nice for us. You didn't have to get us anything else."

"Are you always going to be like that?" he teased with a grin. "I wanted to, so take it easy. I like treating a lady to nice things."

She shook her head and smiled, "Okay, Marlboro man!"

He returned the smile and it warmed her heart. She hoped that her cooking would please him tonight. He had already done much in such a short time and deserved a decent meal.

"Hey Josh!" he called out, while Kiara gazed at him in awe. Her eyes hadn't gotten used to his transformation.

Joshua quickly turned around from his trance-like state and squealed, "Brian! You're here!"

"Yup! I wanted to hang out with you for a little bit, so I came early. What you playing?"

"Need for Speed. Want to race with me?"

"Sure...but I'm not so good at these games buddy."

"It's not hard. Come on I'll teach you."

"Alright. Sounds like a plan. Oh and I got you a little something." he said, and handed Joshua the blue gift box.

The box was huge in Joshua's hands, but light enough for him to support it.

"Really? What is it?" Joshua asked excitedly.

"Open it up!" Brian smiled, as he got on one knee to match Joshua's height.

Kiara enjoyed this little scene. Brian seemed to bond with Joshua so effortlessly, and it made her happy to see her son in such high spirits. Without waiting another second, Joshua lifted the box's lid and let the cover fall to the floor. He gingerly unfolded the opaque tissue paper, and lifted a tiny, black, felt cowboy hat from inside. Immediately, Joshua placed the hat over his head and it was a perfect fit.

"When you get back from your grandma's I'm going to ask your mom to take you riding again. Every cowboy deserves a good hat right?" Brian winked at him.

"Yup!" Joshua said, and flung his arms around Brian.

Kiara laughed at them. It was a very sweet gesture, and she would give him some slack for wanting to let Joshua ride alone.

"How do I look mommy?" Joshua grinned.

"It looks really good on you baby. I can't wait to see you in action."

"Can I wear it to dinner?"

"Okay but just for tonight, alright? Did you say thank you to Brian?" she reminded him.

"Thank you Brian!" Joshua smiled.

"No problem little guy." Brian chuckled. "Ready to teach me how to play?"

"Yeah, come on!"

She would have liked to stay with them, but her attention was needed in the kitchen.

"Okay guys!" she said. "I'm going to have dinner ready in a little while, so don't get too caught up in the games."

"Need any help?" Brian asked, as he rose from the floor.

"No, I'm okay. You two have some fun. I'll let you guys know when it's time to eat."

"Okay, but if you need me, give a holler."

"I will." she smiled, and turned towards the kitchen.

She really did want him to join her. She enjoyed looking at him. It was then that she seriously began to entertain the idea of asking him over more often. Even now, her fingers still trembled with excitement and her heart trip-hammered in her chest as she thought of his smile. She went a little further and imagined what his mouth would feel like on hers. She longed to know what he tasted like...but they had a long way to go before any of that could happen. She was unsure of whether he even found her attractive.

She had gotten her hair and nails done, and worn a cute little black dress that was sexy, yet appropriate in the company of Joshua. She wanted to impress Brian, but he never showed any signs of interest. This was a little disheartening, and she began to feel foolish. At first she hadn't cared so much about catching his eye, but now she was fretting over if he found her pretty enough.

"This is all Cat's fault." she sighed.

She wondered what Cat would think if she could see him now. With a cooler head, she realized that he had indeed over gone this major change for her. Joshua already loved him and wouldn't have cared about his appearance. Maybe after Joshua was gone, she could spend a little one on one time with him; something not involving only dinner. That would definitely be something to look forward to.

Brian lay back on the couch and watched as Joshua expertly maneuvered his racing cars on the television screen. He had played a few rounds but preferred to watch Joshua. He hadn't expected to feel very comfortable in their home. For a brief moment, he had even thought of her as the enemy. But then, she and Cat had probably thought of him in the same way. Still, he felt quite at ease now and was surprised that he didn't want to go anywhere that she wasn't; namely home.

She had left him and Joshua alone but he wanted to break away and go to her. He had given her the shock of her life by dressing up, but he wanted to please her. At the last minute he decided to get her a present. He had already gotten the hat for Joshua a month prior and wanted to do something that would possibly accelerate the pace of their new relationship. 

Kiara had greeted him at the door with a look of annoyance but her anger quickly melted away, which gave a hint of mutual attraction. She was speechless and he tried his best to not laugh at her. Not many had ever seen him like this and anyone would have been easily shocked by his makeover. Despite her expression, she was beautiful tonight. She had also dressed up and worn a pretty black dress. It was a simple knee-length style which would have been drab and unflattering on any other woman, but Kiara was a knockout in the dress.

His mind was riddled with fantasies of slipping the loose sleeves down to her shoulders and brushing his lips against her cocoa-toned flesh. His lips quivered as he thought of taking her to bed and exploring every inch of her body with his tongue. It was a shameful thing to have such thoughts with her son right next to him but he couldn't help it. The more he tried to suppress his lust, the more irritated he became. He treasured their new friendship but the underlying fantasy of having her was more powerful. He wondered what his younger self would have thought of all this.




Southern Tide Vol. 02



In truth he never saw himself with someone like Kiara. He always pictured his dream girl as some hot blonde. He always had a thing for blondes. It was just his preference and had been this way since high school. When he went bar hopping with Dale in their earlier years, they would always look out for the hottest blonde or brunette; the latter being Dale's favorite. Dale had gotten with Marie, while he never gave any serious thought to relationships. He would go out with one woman, then a while later hook up with someone else. Now this routine had run its course and he wanted something else; something better.

He was tired of bars and temporary women. He wanted something solid; someone he could count on for love, as well as pleasure. He was always told that he was attractive by more women than he could ever count and that had been the one thing he relied on when trying to find sex or women. He never cared to work hard, but his looks had gotten him only so far.

Now he was learning that just being good looking did not guarantee love or a woman to take interest in him for long. That was probably why Kelly left him. She had found him charming and attractive in the beginning, only to learn the truth of who he really was later on; unkind, rude and impetuous. He was sure that his past girlfriends had even more unflattering adjectives to describe his character and they would probably be right. He never even gave a damn about being a good man, but things had changed.

Now he had to start all over, but it was a welcomed change. He was lucky to be here and now, with a changed attitude and people to care about. He tried to force those lustful thoughts away and put patience before everything. His love for Joshua had indeed transformed him, yet he still struggled with the sexually frustrated caveman raging inside.

Many times he tried to deny these feelings and urges, but it was to no avail. Kiara was gorgeous, independent and fearless. He needed someone like her in his life. If not for the pleasure of making love to her, then better to learn from her example; someone unlike anything he'd ever known. She had been through many struggles; probably more than she was willing to admit and he admired her strength. This was the south after all and being both a single parent and a black woman were not easy.

He wasn't blind to how black people were treated and even he had looked down upon them; especially Cat. He thought that she was below Dale's standards. An angry phone call from Kiara and an ultimatum from Dale finally set him straight.

He wanted to change and more importantly he wanted to be the man that Kiara wanted. He wanted to end her suffering and be there for Joshua, even though he wasn't the father. He remembered when the older folks criticized unwed, single moms and bastard kids; never giving a thought to them being actual people with struggles. He didn't want that for Kiara or Joshua. They deserved happiness and he wanted to replace Derek. The man didn't know what he had.

Brian took a deep breath and then rubbed his eyes. It was strange how his thoughts shifted from lascivious, to calm and composed so quickly. He wasn't used to dealing with the new dilemmas that came along with his attraction. It was becoming too much of a chore to suppress these ever shifting yearnings. He thought that he should talk to Kiara about all of this and be honest about how he felt. Maybe she would listen and alleviate some of the pressure. At this point only one thing would calm him, and that was knowing how she truly felt about him. He had caught tiny hints, but they weren't strong indications and might have been wishful thinking on his part.

What a weakling he was by second guessing himself. This was not the over-confident Brian he was used to. His father would have been ashamed to see him like this; anxious and wanting to talk to a woman about...

"Brian?" Kiara called out to him quietly.

"Hmm? What?" he responded, as he snapped out of his reflection and whipped his head around in surprise.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah I'm fine." he lied and wiped the tiny beads of perspiration that had accumulated on his forehead.

"Are you sure? You look a little pale." she said, glancing at her son, then back to him.

It was clear that she thought Joshua had done something to upset him but she couldn't have been further from the truth. He didn't hear her come into the living room but was glad that she did. An uneasy feeling had crept over him as the realization of what...or rather who influenced him to be the unpleasant man that he was, came into focus. He had been an emulation of his long dead father.

Like Dale, his own father had passed away when he was young. The old man loved cigarettes and the bottle, and so he died from the excessive use of these vices. Luckily Brian had never taken much of a liking to smoking and only drank in moderation. He could have done far worse by following in his dad's footsteps. He never knew his mother but was told by his old man that she had gone off with another man.

"That stupid whore left me to go off with some retard!" his father would say, "She didn't have much of a brain in that head of hers anyway. Hell if I care if she's dead or alive!"

It didn't mean much to him because he had been too young to remember his mother. She never contacted him, nor did she ever return. He didn't blame her. His father, when he was alive, was not someone he would want to introduce Kiara to. If she still thought him to be that major asshole, his father would be just that, only multiplied by ten. That was where he got his arrogance and unruly mouth from.

The thought of his father made him feel queasy but he tried his hardest to focus on the moment at hand. If Kiara knew what was going through his mind, she might have been turned off.

"Can I have a glass of water?" he asked, trying to give his most convincing smile. "I think I'm just a little tired from work."

"Yeah...sure." she said and slowly headed for the kitchen.

The way she moved spoke of her concern for him and he decided to follow, instead of waiting for her return. He was afraid that if she left him behind again, his thoughts would spiral out of control. He wouldn't let that spoil their evening. Besides, this was his chance to go to her.

"I would have brought it to you." she said, once she realized that he was following her.

"It's okay. Sure you don't need any help in here?" he asked, as they entered the kitchen.

His stomach growled suddenly as the savory aroma of seafood filled his nostrils. He immediately remembered commercials he'd seen as a kid, of families happily enjoying their dinner. In these advertisements, the man of the house would come home after a hard day's work. He would meet his wife in the kitchen and she would have a big dinner ready. He would then dip his finger into a silver bowl full of cake batter, all with a wide grin on his face.

He would kiss his wife on the cheek, as a thank you for the meal, and then join his two or three children at the table. Then, his wife would bring their dinners out and everyone would dig in with happy smiles on their faces, while simultaneously endorsing whatever products were being served. That was how he envisioned his future family. It was a stretch and not a very practical scenario, but all in all, it was still what he wanted. Being in Kiara's company had been the closest he'd ever gotten to this perfect vision, and he didn't want to give it up, not for anything.

She had prepared Shrimp Alfredo for dinner and the creamy white sauce still simmered over the stove. As side dishes, they would be having a garden salad and fresh baked butter and garlic rolls. He was suddenly stricken with sadness, and felt helpless once again. He needed her and didn't want to go back home to an empty apartment, devoid of the comfort and love he felt here. He would have liked to be frank with her, but he knew that if he said anything, his confession would either render her quiet or uncomfortable. So, he pretended to be unaffected by his emotions.

"Everything looks so good." he smiled and patted his empty stomach. "Looks like we got a chef in the house!" 

She laughed and handed him a glass of ice cold water, "It's nothing fancy. We haven't had seafood in a while so I thought this would be nice."

"Man, I wish I could get some good home cooking like this every night. This beats Chef Boyardee any day."

She giggled. "Yeah, yeah. Enough with the flattery."

"No I'm serious! Joshua's lucky." he said, not knowing how else to praise her.

"Well I try." she said sheepishly. 

He gulped down the glass of water and began to feel a little better as the cold liquid filled his empty stomach.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about some things."

"Oh...I see. If you're not feeling well, you can go home. Maybe we could do this again another time?"

"No way! I feel better now and I've been looking forward to trying your cooking. I could never make something like this on my own."

"It's easy. Not much to it."

"Nah. I know you're trying to kick me out but I insist on eating with you guys."

"Why would I do that?"

He shrugged and smiled.

"Well if you really do feel better, would you mind helping me set the table?" she asked, "We'd eat a lot quicker if I got a hand."

"Definitely! Where should I start?"

She gave him directions on how to set everything up. He was to bring out the salad and rolls first, while she put the finishing touches on the shrimp and pasta. Her dinner table was already decorated with ivory tapered candles and a crystal vase filled with the roses he had gotten her. He smiled as he admired the display. It was beautiful and he felt like he truly belonged.

Dinner at his apartment had never been this elegant and it always seemed to lack the company of a good woman. Sure he would have his girlfriends over, but dinner for him was usually takeout or prepackaged TV dinners. He was always tired after work and went for convenience rather than quality. The only time he ever put an effort into cooking were at their barbeques.

This meal however, was made with finesse. Not even his father had gone through such lengths. The meals had been a lot healthier in the earlier years, but as time went by his father put less of an effort into making sure he ate properly. That's where the cans of Chef Boyardee came in. Lucky for Brian, he would be invited to John's house for supper most days out of the week. John was obviously aware of his father's neglect and stepped in at the right moment.

While he moved back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, he would frequently glance at Kiara, who stood at the stove. He wanted to tell her everything; that this was what he'd always wanted yet hadn't known it. He wanted her to know how he felt about her and that he wasn't just here for Joshua. They were something special and he needed them in his life. Joshua's father suddenly came to mind and he wanted to find out more about this man. If he got any closer to Kiara, he and Derek would definitely butt heads, thanks to Natalie and her friend. Before he invested in a serious relationship with Kiara, he would need to know the facts.

And so, he waited until he was done setting the table before he said a word to her. By then he was a little nervous about finding out the true nature of their relationship, but it had to be done. He sat down at the counter next to where she stood and began.

"Hey...uh do you mind if I ask you something?" he asked.

"Not at all. Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to clear up a few things. It's important."

"Okay. What's on your mind?"

"Joshua's father, Derek right?"

"Yeah." she replied and finally looked at him.

"Do you guys see each other a lot?"

"You mean are we still together? No we're not. Why? Are you worried about something?"

"Well...I'd like to see more of Joshua and you. You guys make me feel as if I'm a part of the family and I think I've been missing that in my life. Before I go any further I want to make sure that there won't be any problems...as far as his father goes. It can get pretty ugly if he decides to start something in front of Joshua."

She didn't reply right away. It was as if she still couldn't trust him and that thought made him grow uncomfortable. He was about to dismiss the conversation when she finally answered.

"You don't have to worry about him. He's a little jealous but he doesn't know how to be there for his son."

"He doesn't take care of Joshua?"

"No, he makes good money and he provides for Joshua. Financial support was never the issue. If I could give him any credit, I'd say that he was always reliable as far as getting Joshua everything he needed. But that's not all there is to being a good parent. Sometimes I think he didn't even want Joshua and that he only takes care of him because he's obligated to. Joshua sees less and less of him as time goes by and it's not because he and I fight. Even when we do, I let him see Joshua because I know how much Joshua loves him. I think your being here is a good thing, so don't worry too much."

"So... you wouldn't mind if I came over more often?"

She smiled, "No I don't mind. We'd like that."

"When I first got here...I thought the old Kiara was back." he said, finally relaxing.

"You're talking about how I looked at the door? I thought you were Derek. He called me right before you got here and was looking to mess up our dinner."

"He knows about that?"

"He overheard our conversation on the phone when he came to pick up Joshua for school."

"Oh, I see. I thought I'd made a mistake by coming too early."

"No you didn't. Everything's gone well. Let me worry about Derek, okay?"

"Alright. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No I'm just about done. We can eat in about ten minutes. If you don't mind, could you ask Joshua to wash his hands before dinner?"

"Sure thing! I forgot to tell you that I got us a bottle of wine for dessert. I couldn't carry everything in all at once, so I took only part of the gift with me. Mind if I get that first?"

"You're too much." she smiled.

He winked at her then headed back to the living room where Joshua's eyes were still fixed on the game. He rushed out the door and to his truck to find the bottle. When he found it, the bottle was lukewarm from the heat, and the woman at the gift shop had recommended that it be served chilled.

He didn't know much about wine and had asked her for advice when gifting a woman. She came up with a few bottles and placed them on the counter before him. He made the choice of what he thought would be the most romantic. The clerk had pointed out that one of the vintages actually tasted like chocolate covered strawberries. This wine bottle in question wasn't as attractive as the others. It was fashioned in green glass and a simple red label which read Chocolate Shoppe in gold foil letters. Still, she swore by it and recommended that it be served as dessert itself. He was quite impressed by her knowledge and chose the bottle, hoping that Kiara would enjoy his selection.

When he returned to the kitchen, she was done with the pasta and was on her way to bringing it out to the table. There was no sign of any sort of dessert and he was thankful for having chosen the wine to end their night. He asked for permission to pop the bottle into the fridge and she allowed it, while letting him know that he was free to think of her house as his own.

As she requested, he got Joshua away from the video games to wash his hands and the two of them joined her at the dinner table. Joshua sat closest to Kiara, while he was positioned across the table from her. As far as he was concerned he had the best view in the house.

When they'd finally gotten down to eating he had probably fallen in love. Her culinary skills were spectacular and at this point there was nothing left to be desired. She was the one that he wanted and he made the decision to ask her out after dinner...or maybe when he got home. He wasn't used to being direct with her and thought that somewhere deep down, she still harbored feelings of distrust. In any case, this only made him want to prove himself even more.

Kiara should have been tired, but it was as if she fed off of Brian's energy. Joshua had grown tired after the meal, and fell asleep on the couch when they moved to the living room. Dinner had gone well, and Brian even complimented her cooking a few times. It felt good to have a man to cook for. This was what she had always wanted her home-life to be like; only it was supposed to be Derek in this scenario. But he had ruined his chances with her, and now a better candidate stood in his place.

She hadn't put much thought into serving desert, and opted out for ice-cream. Brian had done one better and gotten this spectacular wine that she had never heard of. It tasted of chocolate covered strawberries; her favorite dessert next to cherry cheesecake. It was delicious, and while Joshua slept, they chatted and sipped on the deep red wine.

She told him more about her life and her job at the hospital, where she did medical billing. He spoke more of his job at the farm where he worked with Dale's uncle, John. The recent months had been hard on them due to the lack of rainfall. There was hardly any grass and water to feed the cattle. Brian and the other hands at the ranch had to transport bales of hay, and gallons of water to alleviate the situation. He was tired and hadn't been eating very well, which was why he had been so thankful for the meal.

While he spoke of work, her mind began to wander, and she wondered what he would look like with no shirt on. It was a random idea, but talk of his hard work at the ranch triggered memories of days past. She had seen him shirtless and sweaty before; however, she had always dismissed the idea of being attracted to an asshole like him. Now she revisited the vision, except this time, she pictured him as he was now; a beautiful and charming man, who had impressed both her and Joshua.

As the effects of the alcohol spread throughout her body, her breathing grew heavier and she began to relax into the minor fantasy. She found that along with the sweet and drowsy sensation, her body had awakened to the racy thoughts. Her nipples were erect, and felt extra sensitive beneath the dress. She wished that Brian would do something about it. It had been too long since she was last intimate with a man; two years to be exact, and she craved his attention. She wanted to feel like a woman again, and not just a caretaker.

She took a generous gulp of the wine, and let the warmth of the alcohol wash over her. The sensations soon became even more pleasurable, and she reached over her chest to clasp her other arm. She hoped that the light brush of her arm against her bosom would soothe the tender nipples. She would have liked to be honest about what she wanted, but she held her tongue. She would not wear her heart on her sleeve just yet. Instead, she would try to find out more about him, in hopes of distracting herself from any more lecherous thoughts. This was probably the perfect time to inquire about his love life, since their relationship was in its early stages. She would still be able to pull herself out of this tiny crush without too much trouble, if push came to shove.

"So..."she began "You know more about my family, than I do of yours. Are you married? Any kids?"

He chuckled at the question, "Me? Nah. No kids, girlfriend or wife. I'm flying solo...for now."

"Oh...and you don't have any other family?"

"I do. I have an older sister; Donna. She left home when I was a kid, before my dad died."

"I'm sorry. So...you grew up alone?" she asked pensively.

"No, I was lucky. Donna really couldn't take care of me, and my dad didn't leave us much money. Dale and I were best friends, and when my old man passed, John took me in. He taught me a trade and I've been like a son to him ever since."