Tessa's Escape to Athena's Ground(84)

                She put her hands on her hips, in what she hoped was a provocative pose, and said, “Fuck my pussy.”

                On rare occasions, usually when something went very wrong with her business, she used the word fuck. Except as a young child, and only when referring to furry little felines, she’d never used the word pussy. It felt ridiculous to do so now, especially since she was hardly referring to a four-legged creature. She felt utterly bizarre and that rubbed off on her delivery. Both syllables of the word came out muffled and ashamed.

                “Pussy needs a little work.”

                Tessa freshened her hair and makeup, laid on a heavy coat of Russell’s red lipstick, and loosened the see-through kimono so it gapped open at the top, allowing her ‘headlights’ complete visibility. “At least I can get that right,” she said, smiling. “Oops.” She’d smeared red lipstick on her front tooth and had to tissue it off. If the lipstick transferred from her lips that easily and with such indirect contact, she could only imagine what Russell would look like once she took him into her mouth. She blushed.

                “When are you going to grow up and stop blushing every time you have a sexy thought?” she asked the reflection.

                The reflection turned a deeper shade of pink.

                “It’s hopeless!” she screamed.

                A knock on the door interrupted her outbreak. “Tessa?”

                Russell was here and she wasn’t sexed up enough. The outside, yes. The stuff that required her spirit and her mind, not so much. Tessa took a deep breath and willed her introvert into silence.

                “Yes,” she called through the door. “Russell, you better be ready for me.” She reached for the door knob. “With a bottle of red wine in one hand.” She pulled on the door and it opened two inches. “And a big, juicy cock in the other.” She yanked the heavy door all the way open, jutted her hips like the stripper had taught her, and thrust her nearly naked boobs front and center.

                It was not red wine in his hand; it was a bouquet of red roses.

                And it was not Russell holding them.





-36-

                The man behind the roses stared at Tessa. His eyes started at her bright red lips, moved to her breasts and traveled down to her crotch, clearly without underwear and only subtly covered by the black see-through kimono. His face turned as red as Tessa’s shiny high heels and the roses he carried.

                “David?” Tessa said, mouth open in horror.

                “Tessa?” he said, eyes wide as if he was watching a nightmare come to life.

                Tessa pulled the kimono over her breasts and said the first thing her frozen brain came up with. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

                “Clearly not.”

                Tessa winced. “What are you doing here?” Her voice began to quiver.

                “I thought I was welcome. Your email…I heard you shout, something about being hopeless. I was afraid…” The redness in his cheeks began to fade, replaced by angry dark sparks in his blue eyes. “Obviously I needn’t have worried.”

                “It’s not what you think,” Tessa said. “Let me put a robe on and we can talk.” She motioned for David to come inside.

                He shook his head and didn’t move. “I obviously made a mistake with you. You’re not who I thought you were.” He handed Tessa the flowers. “I don’t know who Russell is, but maybe he can tell you you’re not hopeless. Me? I’m not so sure.”