Lily White Lies(100)

He said, “You won’t be needing them,” in a voice laced in desire.

Cradling my head in his hands, we spent the next several minutes sharing a kiss that could have melted the candles on my coffee table. When he finally released me, he turned and led me through the door, closing it behind us.



I had always thought that spontaneity was as necessary to lovemaking as candlelight was to a romantic dinner. I thought that once it became routine or when it had to be planned ahead of time to fit into a busy schedule, it took the romance out of it and left nothing but the act itself. Knowing what Con had in mind had removed the element of surprise but added to the allure, knowing that tonight, a fantasy that had played out in my head dozens of times since our first encounter at Sal’s, would finally become a reality.

Con hadn’t revealed our destination, but as soon as he headed north out of the city, I knew where he was taking me.

“So how did things go with your grandfather today?”

As much as I looked forward to sharing that news with him earlier, other things had taken precedence and I felt the details of my visit could wait.

“Great. Where are we going?”

“For a ride. Does this mean he’ll talk to me the next time I go there with you?”

I wondered how long he thought he could deliberately avoid answering my questions. Removing my seat belt, I turned to face him. Propping myself up on my knees, I replied, “I’m sure he will. How much longer before we get there?” I lightly grazed his earlobe with my teeth.

He inhaled a deep breath, and answered, “Not long. What are you doing?”

“Mm... I missed you today. Have I ever been there before?”

Burying my fingers in his hair, I pressed myself into him. He squirmed slightly in his seat and tipped his head back a little. Careful not to block his view, I continued to kiss the right side of his face and neck and leaned into him again when I felt his breaths quicken.

“Um... no. You’re teasing,” he said in a husky voice.

Running my hand across the front of his jeans and applying slight pressure at the zipper, I whispered, “So are you,” as his body stiffened briefly.

My intention was only to tease, but I felt the car weave as I nibbled on his earlobe and thought that if I didn’t back off and let him drive in peace, teasing might be as far as we ever got. I sank into the seat and laid my head into his chest.

“And I was enjoying that.”

“I didn’t realize how much it interfered with your driving. We’ll have plenty of time for that later.”

“You call eighty miles an hour interference?”

I looked up to him with eyes open wide. “I was referring to riding the shoulders of the road, now I’m really glad I stopped.”

He laughed and gave my shoulders a squeeze before his voice took on a more serious tone. “By your good mood, I’m assuming things went well with your grandfather.”

“Better than I hoped.”

“Did you get all the answers you were looking for?”

“Most.” I propped myself up a little. “There are a couple little things... what was wrong with your grandmother that she was so sick for so long?”

“You know,” he said, “I really can’t tell you.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t. I know she had a nervous breakdown when I was young but she recovered from that.” He shook his head and continued, “My grandfather never talked about it much but when I was a teenager, she just seemed to be having bad days more and more often. She lost her mind but whether it was caused by an illness... you know, something like Alzheimer’s or whether she just went crazy, I don’t know. He never would say.”

Remembering the conversation I had with Gramp a few weeks earlier, I recalled what he told me about how when you’re in love you can tolerate and even overlook someone’s shortcomings and flaws, and thinking aloud, I said, “He really loved her.”

“What’s that?”

“Your grandfather... he really loved her.”

He said, “In his own way I guess,” as he brought the car to a stop in a densely wooded area.

Reaching into the glove box, he pulled out a handkerchief and motioned me to turn around.

I turned hesitantly, and asked, “What’s this for?”

“I want you to see Wisteria Falls all at once, not bit by bit as we approach it.”

The sun was beginning to set and being deep in a heavily wooded area, I wouldn’t have seen very much without the blindfold, but the suspense he was bringing to the evening heightened my excitement.

With the blindfold in place, he wrapped an arm around my waist, held my hand with his free hand, and led my deeper into the woods.