The Eternal Engagement

Hot water showered their naked bodies. Mona lathered the cotton washcloth. In small circular motions she gently washed Davis’s shoulders, kissed the center of his spine, then massaged his back.

His palms flattened against the tiles. “The hot water and your hands feels so good, baby,” he moaned, hanging his head forward. “Be honest. Do you love me, Mona?”

Thankful his back was to her, she kissed his spine again. It was more of a good-bye kiss for her. Davis was her transition man. He was there to help her escape from Steven. He was fun. He was great in bed. Davis was a good man. And if it weren’t unladylike, she’d compliment him for a job well done. The alternative for her was to crush his heart or settle for being in bed with another man she wasn’t in love with.

“Stay right here,” she said. “Close your eyes. I have a big surprise for you.”

He turned, looked down at her. “What now?”

“You know you love my surprises. Just do it, baby. I still have eleven hours. Remember, you started this twenty-four hours thing, not me.”

Melancholy dilated his pupils. His irises were hazed with desperation. “Put my ring on. That’s what I want more than anything right now,” he said, then closed his eyes.

She faced Davis toward the white ceramic tiles. “And no peeking.”

As she got out of the shower, the memory of Steven’s voice momentarily influenced her mood, shifting her thoughts. She wondered if she should tell Davis to take her home. She’d feel better if Steven had completed what came across as a threat earlier. “If you’re not back in our house by midnight, Mona.” Then what? Forget Steven. He was not going to make her miserable in her own mind.

Hesitant, she slipped on her engagement ring, happily picked up her cell phone, then skipped to the kitchen to contact Lincoln.