CHAPTER THREE
Surprise Special
Three Hours Later
It was late afternoon and we were in the car again and we were headed home. For an hour I had been staring at the passing scenery my mind a complete whirl in relation to my newfound reality of being a legal US citizen.
Slowly I switched my gaze to the man behind the wheel. The man who had saved my life.
He noticed me staring and smiling, he said, “How does it feel to be free of all that fear that’s been weighing you down the last two years?”
Smiling, I speechlessly expanded my hands out wide and his smile deepened. I turned serious then and reaching out a hand, I tentatively laid it on his shoulder.
The hard muscles I found there flexed beneath my touch and with a little heady jolt I realized something. He still wanted me.
Better than that he seemed to still value me. Awkwardly, I then said, “I…. thank you, Caleb. You kept your promise.”
He shrugged, but said nothing as if what he had done really hadn’t been anything that special. He had done something very special though.
He had completely won my heart. I let my touch on his shoulder slide down to his hand, which I gripped strongly with mine.
His fingers squeezed over mine in return and he glanced my way curiously. Feeling very pressured, but equally committed I asked, “You want me?”
He glanced away and then back and where it looked like he had a paragraph to say he simply settled for, “Yes.”
With my free hand, I gestured to my heart and said, “I know that. For some time I know. I expect you to act like other men, but you never do. You just wait. You wait so patiently. Why?”
His one hand on the steering wheel gripped down and then as if revealing a deep secret he said, “I found something worth waiting for. I’ve been married before. It was a disaster.
I married someone based off of my own personal want not to be alone. I thought it was enough of a reason, but it blinded me to who she really was as a person.
I promised myself that I’d never make that mistake again. Yes, I want you, but…. it’s not enough for me to be a creature ruled over by my own desires anymore.
I’m a different man now. I want, no I need a woman in my life, but I chose to give my ability to go out and grab what I wanted to God instead. I told Him that I wanted Him to pick out a woman for me and that I would stay entirely out of the choosing process.
It was something He had to do and if He so desired not to act upon my behalf, well, there was a very real possibility that I would go without another woman in my life.”
I stared at him speechless, my respect for him becoming even greater than before. How had such a man as him ever come to be?
Licking my lips to clear them of dryness I knowingly tested him by asking, “You know you could have pressured me into marrying you in order to get legal status.”
“It’s not my way.”
No, it most certainly was not.
“I have a legal name now. I can do anything I want to, even leave Saloosa.”
He nodded and like the rock he was, he refused to look my way, but I could feel the tension radiating off of him with the intensity of a dying star about to explode.
Softly I whispered, “You really don’t care about my past in Russia? I… I was a….”
“Prostitute.” He filled in gently and blushing I nodded.
I tried to pull my hand free, but he wouldn’t let go of mine. I quit trying to pull it away.
“I…. I don’t like to admit to that, but yes, I had sex with men and….”
“And in return you were given food to eat and clothing to wear.”
I nodded emotionally and looking my way he caught my eye and said, “I’m not judging you, Anya. What matters to me is who you are in the present. In the two years I’ve watched you I can clearly tell you a few things about yourself. Starting with this. You are the farthest thing from a prostitute that I’ve ever seen. You’re a kind woman and I have seen the little things that you do that add up to a much bigger picture of who you are at heart. Like how you walk a half mile out of town to deliver leftovers from the Diner to old man Mike and his sister Esther May. You buy cat food to feed the kittens behind the dumpster so they don’t starve and you donate away money to local causes even though you barely make ends meet yourself. No, Anya I’ve been watching you and the whole time I’ve known of your past and right now it matters less than one more wart on a warthog’s backside if you know what I mean.”
He looked my way again and squeezed my hand firmly, “I want you! Do not ever be in doubt of that.”
“I believe you.” I said softly.
We were back in town. He stopped outside the Diner and had my door open in the next second.
People were smiling. How much did they know?
How much or how little they knew didn’t seem to matter and respectfully no one asked. I got ready for work and all evening I waited for him to come, but he didn’t.
I saw Janet enter the diner and I rushed to sit her before one of the others got to her first. When I drew close I was surprisingly pulled into a formidable bear hug by the middle-aged woman.
I returned it with a vigor of my own. This day had been a whirlwind of activity to be sure and there was much that I was grateful for.
I seated her and as I brought her drink to her I asked, “Is Caleb still at the office?”
Janet smiled knowingly and said, “That he is the poor dear. Looked about ready to send one of those big fists of his straight through a filing cabinet. Oh, he’s in a fine temper, he is!”
Alarmed, I asked, “Why, what’s wrong? Is he in trouble because he helped me?”
Janet’s smile deepened, “Oh the blindness of youth. Honey, do you realize that if Caleb allowed himself to do as he wanted that he’d be here at this Diner every waking hour that you were serving here?”
I shook my head completely speechless.
“He would be you can rest assured of that! You have no idea how much he looks forward to Friday evenings. The day after though he falls through the floor or in this case is in contemplation of murder of a filing cabinet. Darling the man is madly in love with you, please for all of our sakes put him out of his misery.”
The town mayor was sitting close by and must’ve overheard everything because he lifted his hands and folded them together beseechingly as if in prayer.
Whispering I said, “I had no idea.”
“Now you do and here, honey, this is the telephone number for the office.”
I took the napkin that she’d scribbled something down upon, it read 911. I looked past the napkin at Janet.
She held a hand up beseechingly, “It’s an emergency, please call.”
I nodded and left the table. Going to the kitchen phone I fumbled with it and shakily dialed 911 and asked to be directed to the local police station.
Everyone in the kitchen was watching me. I didn’t care.
A gruff male voice that I actually didn’t first recognize as Caleb came on the line, “What’s the nature of your emergency?”
Breathlessly I said, “Caleb, it’s me Anya.”
“What’s wrong?” Was the immediate response and a thrill went through me as I read the level of wrathful intent fully willing to be brought against any threat I faced.
“It’s nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I… I was just wondering if you would like to come over for dinner. I think you would like the special and… and…”
“I’ll be there!”
“Good, I… Caleb are you there?”
There was no answer over the phone. He was already on the way, apparently.
I bit my lip and then fully let myself smile. Turning from the phone I beheld a series of smiling faces.
One of my fellow waitresses asked, “Is he coming?”
I nodded. Another waitress by the swing door called out with delight, “He’s already here!”
I felt myself blush a deep red and before I knew it, I was being pushed out of the kitchen by both waitresses. Caleb had already sat down in one of his favorite haunts.
Steadily I approached him even as my heart threatened to break out of my chest. I had never expected such a day as this to come, but it had and I knew what I was going to do.
His gaze rested on me hungrily as I came closer. With interest, he took in the absence of a menu in my hands.
Softly he said, “You didn’t bring a menu.”
“No, I did not and that is not all.”
One of his eyebrows arched thematically higher. I liked the way he could do that.
“I have lied to you once again. I do not want to give you the special tonight. I want to give you something else instead.”
I ducked my head respectfully and then I knelt down onto my knees before him and said, “I want to give you myself. I want to serve you as your wife for the rest of my life. I would rather cook you your food each night, then serve it to you as a hired person. If you choose to accept my proposal I promise that I will obey you and take care of you and above all things respect you even as I already do.”
I let my gaze rise up and meet his as I waited to hear what he would say.
“I accept your proposal a thousand times over!” He whispered gruffly.
Intense relief shot through me followed by startlemeant as he did something quite unexpected. He reached down and pulled me up, only he was then suddenly moving and in a daze, I found myself to be draped over his shoulder.
The entire diner erupted in applause as Caleb started walking and as embarrassing as it was I felt a thrill go through me. I now belonged to the best man in town. How had that happened?
The night air was cool against my cheek and then I was being set onto my feet. He was close and then he was kissing me.
It was like nothing before in Russia as there had never been a Caleb before and in this moment I felt a wave of wild delight pass through me that knew no shame as I kissed him back with as much fervor as he was kissing me with.
He seemed to drink in my offering of passion with a groan of delight. Pulling back briefly, he said, “You know what you agreed to in their right?”
“Yes, Caleb. I didn’t know how to ask you, but it came to me suddenly. I meant it all and my new last name happens to be yours already.”
He stared at me and then laughed out loud. A thrill shot through me. I had made him laugh.
It seemed like a great accomplishment. I drew closer for another kiss, but found myself being pushed into his cruiser instead.
He closed the door and sprinted around the front hood of the car and I couldn’t fight back the smile that came to my lips and neither did I want to. With a ringing peel of tires the cruiser shot away and I was plunged back into my seat.
Things were about to become very serious indeed. Looking over at him I said, “I wish I was a virgin for you.”
He looked my way with passion and said, “Honey, do you remember what I told you about trusting me?”
“Yes.”
“Well, trust me now when I say I don’t care. Got it?”
“Yes, Caleb.”
The car jerked to a halt and Caleb was gone from it. My door was yanked open and then as I giggled so was I.
Once more I was held over my man’s shoulder and with a heady thrill I had to admit that I liked it. My hands pressed in against his warm back for both bracing as well as to feel the muscles that lay there.
Caleb was a stud. He walked around the car to the trunk and grabbed something out of it. In the gloom of the evening I recognized the objects as blankets.
Blankets? From my upside down position I strained suddenly to see about me.
There were no houses or lights of any kind to be seen anywhere. I was at a complete loss as to where I was.
It was almost scary, but then I had Caleb. Still, it was with concern that I looked about the barren landscape when he set me down on my feet.
It was chilly and then the howl of a coyote sent chills of a different sort down my spine. Caleb’s warm arms came around me, I melted back into him.
My eyes closed as his lips pressed against my ear and I clearly heard him say, “I’ll keep you safe.”
I believed him. Turning in his arms I whispered against his chest, “I thought you were taking me to your home to um…. you know.”
Caleb chuckled deeply. He was silent for a long moment and then said, “In some ways we know a lot about each other. In other ways we know practically nothing about each other. I want to know more about you, both the good and the bad and you're free to ask the same of me. All night long if you wish to.”
I looked up, “You are serious about this?”
“I am.”
“I thought you were in a rush to have me. You’ve already waited longer than most men ever would have.”
“Tonight is part of my desire for you. I want you Anya, I want all of you and not just your body. But yes, I really, really want your body.”
Somehow I found myself laughing and crying at the same moment. He hadn’t needed to say that he desired me for I could feel the evidence of it pressed up against me. He was big even as I’d known he’d be.
Heady desire swept through me and it left me without shame. I completely relaxed in his arms and laying my cheek against his chest I said, “What do you want to know Sheriff?”
“What color are your nipples?”
I flushed, but smiling I said, “Pink.”
“How do you like them touched?”
“However you want to Honey.” I breathed out.
“No you’re going to have to do better than that.”
I pursed my lips and then admitted, “They’re really sensitive. I have to be really turned on for rougher stimulation to feel good.”
“When you were in Russia did anyone ever take the time to really turn you on?”
His hold about me was warm and I truly felt like I could tell him everything. He cared for me and I loved him.
Feeling completely unburdened in body, soul and heart, I whispered, “No. I stimulated myself sometimes in order to not make it hurt as much when I was put to be with someone.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my face against his chest. Oh, how to God, I wished I was a virgin for this man!
I could’ve started to cry then from the remorse of that lost reality, but his question stopped me, “Do you think I’ll turn you on?”
Laughing shakily I managed to get out, “You do know that you’re really hot right? I mean you’re a girl’s dream come true and… and you’ve been turning me on since the day I first saw you.”
“Oh really. It wasn’t just me being driven out of my mind then?”
“No.” I said as I shook my head with a smile against his chest.
“So while you were being quietly turned on what sensuous thoughts were you having of me?”
Blushing, I pressed closer. He squeezed with his arms and I took the hint to speak.
“I wondered how big your cock was, well, I guess I knew it was big. I wanted it. I admit it.”
“You think you’ll like it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!” I said with emphasis looking up into his face. I could hardly see his features because of how dark it was getting.
Softly I said, “I like this. What we’re doing right now.”
“I thought you might.”
Suddenly I realized something, “You’re doing this for me aren’t you? To get me ready. You could’ve taken me to your home and been ramming me full with your cock and you well know I wouldn’t have stopped you. Instead, you brought me out here to talk and relax me. I… I… Caleb you don’t have to wait. I like this, but I know the passionate man that you are. Just take me. Talk to me later and I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Don’t put yourself through waiting anymore. I……”
“Shhhhh.”
I fell silent and he just continued to hold me in the gathering darkness. Somehow that melted me like nothing else could.
I fell apart, then in his arms and cried. Oh God, what had I done to deserve a man like this?
The answer was nothing! Nothing!
Caleb said nothing, but continued to hold me as he stayed in denial of his raging manhood that was pressed up against my belly with a wanton need for me. Oh, how I suddenly wanted him to fill me full with him!
In some ways it had become my most cherished desire, but I knew it wasn’t happening tonight and I respected him all the more for it. Suddenly we were on the ground laying on a blanket with another pulled snugly over top of us.
I was cuddled in against him and in a way it seemed that he surrounded me with his presence. I’d never felt more comfort or been at greater peace in my life.
Gasping, I opened my eyes fully to stare up at the stars. They were so bright!
As I looked into the sky, he began to talk. He told me everything.
The good and the bad about his life and then I did the same. There came a point in the night when everything that needed to be said had been and for the first time in my life I experienced what it was like to be loved by a man.
Caleb loved me. I loved him, but he was showing me that in some ways he’d loved me first.