Lost and Found
By Dottie
Copyright 2012
"AJ, do you have to be such a crude asshole? My love life is none of your business!" Nick stormed away from AJ and sat in the golf cart, waiting for AJ to make his shot.
When AJ makes it to the cart, he says, "Excuse me for caring! Geesh, you're so fucking jumpy. What is it; you fell in love with a married girl? Oh wait, is she in her 80's? Fuck Nick, I'm just ASKING why you're so happy. I don't need details of your sex life...unless you REALLY want to share."
Nick closes his eyes and counts to ten before saying, "AJ, look...it's a new relationship. We're getting to know each other. I don't want to jinx it by mixing her up in this lifestyle. We're not in the ‘meet the family' stage yet, so get a fucking grip ok? And DON'T mention me dating in any more interviews. OK?"
AJ sighs and says, "OK, fine! Fuck, the fans will be happy if you're with someone decent for a change! You've had lousy taste in women."
Nick says, "Gee, thanks AJ. Couldn't have been because you set a GREAT example now, could it?"
AJ has the grace to blush under all his tattoos before saying, "Hey, I admit I made dumbass choices. Don't blame me if you didn't pay attention to MY mistakes. Anyway, you've been with her six months and you're still hiding her. Can you BLAME us for being curious?"
Nick starts feeling guilty. He says, "I'm sorry Man. I just don't want to talk about her until I know if it's real or not."
AJ starts toward the next hole and says, "That's cool. At least tell me her name."
Nick smiles a goofy smile and says, "Her name is Penelope."
Later that night
She answers on the fifth ring with an out of breath, "Hello?"
Nick says, "Penelope, you ok?"
She tries to take a deep breath before saying, "Yeah...just came in from a run. How are you?"
She can hear the smile in his voice when he says, "Missing you. I want to see you all sweaty again."
She laughs and in a throaty whisper says, "You do, do you?"
He groans and says, "Damn you sound hot. Can I come over?"
She flops back on the couch and says, "If you do, it will be the 9th night in a row. My neighbors will talk."
He says, "Well hell, we'll give them something to talk about and leave the curtains open." At her gasp, he says, "Please?"
She sighs and says, "OK...but we're NOT leaving the curtains open."
He says, "Hey, Penelope, I didn't mean..."
She says, "Nick...it's ok. I'm not that fragile anymore. I promise."
He sighs and says, "I just...I don't want to upset you."
She says, "Well if you don't get your ass over here, I'm going to be upset."
He chuckles and says, "I'll be there in ten."
She says, "Make it twenty, I need to shower."
He growls into the phone, "Make it five, I wanna watch."
He almost made it. Six and a half minutes later, he's knocking on her door. When she lets him in, he sweeps her into his arms and whispers, "Oh goody, you waited."
After kissing her senseless, she whispers, "I had too. You know I love it when you do my back."
He laughs, following her into the bedroom. When they get there, he grabs her and says, "I think I should be sweaty too."
She squirms in his arms as his hands slide down to her ass. She pulls his lips to hers and he falls back across her bed. Her arms are trapped so she's helpless as he holds her tightly on top of him. His knee works between her legs and presses against her womanhood. She wiggles, pressing down hard against his knee.
He pulls his lips from hers and says, "Horny much?"
She laughs and says, "Only for tall blondes with blue eyes named Nick."
He loosens his grip on her, letting her slide her arms out. She scoots up his body, with her hands on his shoulders and kisses her way from his chin to his ear. He grabs her ass again and thrusts up into her, causing them both to moan. She whispers, "That feels so good."
He nuzzles her neck as she bites his shoulder. He whispers, "YOU feel good Sweetheart. I want to feel more."
Bringing her eyes back to his, she whispers, "What's stopping you?"
He holds her gaze and whispers, "Are you sure, Penelope? Are you ready?"
She sighs and whispers, "Make love to me Nick."
He's surprised but not stupid. He pulls her face back to his and gives her the sexiest kiss he's ever shared with anyone. It's not only about tongue; it's about hands and bodies melding together as one.
When she pulls away breathless, he sits up, leaving her straddling his knee. She presses down on it and says, "Please..."
He cups her face in his hands and whispers against her lips, "We have all night Baby. I've wanted this for too long to rush now."
When he starts unbuttoning her blouse, her breath quickens. When he pulls it open, she lets her head dip, her eyes falling from his. He brings her face back to his with a finger under her chin and whispers, "Don't you dare. You're beautiful Baby."
She bites her lip, allowing him to push her shirt off her body. Allowing him to see the scars. He leans forward, kissing the jagged slash that runs from her collar bone to the swell of her breast. She sighs and he whispers, "Absolutely beautiful."
It doesn't take long for his kisses to make her forget the scars. Make her forget the pain. Make her forget the night that changed her life just two years ago.
New York, March, 2010
"Where are you Penelope Siobahn Evans?" Juliette yelled to her sister.
Penelope says, "Do you have to shout? I'm right here. Where are we going?"
Juliette says, "We're gonna go have dinner with Mom and Dad at Marco's then I'll bring you home. I know you have a big meeting tomorrow."
Little did Penelope know that going home that night was going to change her life forever. After dinner, true to her word, Juliette dropped her off in front of her building. After hugging her sister and promising to do lunch one day soon, Penelope headed inside for a much needed good night's sleep.
When she opened her door, she was grabbed and thrown against the wall. She heard a voice say, "What the fuck? You said she was out till late!"
Another voice...one she knew very well, said, "She was supposed to be. Just get the shit and let's GO!"
Penelope gasps and says, "Dave?"
The first voice says, "You stupid fucker! She knows who you are!"
Dave says, "Penny, you shouldn't be here."
She whimpers in his vice like grip and says, "Let me go. Take what you want...please, don't hurt me."
Dave says, "I'm not going to hurt you."
The first, more sinister voice, says, "Speak for yourself."
A white hot pain lances through her shoulder. At first she thinks she's been shot. Then she sees the glint of the metal blade as the knife slices through the air again, this time leaving a jagged cut across her face.
She falls to the floor, grabbing her face. Dave says, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! STOP IT!"
She watches as the knife sinks into Dave's stomach. She closes her eyes at the sight of her boyfriend falling to his knees, clutching at the blade protruding from his body. She tries to scream, but she can't.
The other man kneels, pulling the knife out of Dave and turning it on Penelope. She manages to scream when it sinks into her side, slicing her open. She feels herself sinking into oblivion when she hears one of her neighbors screaming, "Oh my God, PENNY!"
Nick finishes undressing her as her hands slowly push his t-shirt up his body. He grabs it and tosses it aside as her hands land on his chest. Her touch is so delicate. He's always had a thing for tall, statuesque women...but then he met Penelope. Barely 5'4" and so insecure.
September, 2011
Their meeting was purely accidental. Of all places, in a cab, in New York, in a thunderstorm. He was getting in one side, her the other. She tried to get out, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She had a scarf covering most of her face, but he could tell she was scarred. He offered to share the cab so she wouldn't have to wait in the rain for another one. As cold as she was, she agreed.
When they got to her building, she got out. He paid the cabby and followed her. He watched through the door as she went to the elevators. She turns back to see him watching her. He smiles and holds up the bag she left in the car.
Slowly, she walks to the door and opens it, allowing him to step in out of the rain. Trying to keep her face hidden, she says, "Thanks." After a brief pause, she says, "Thanks for sharing the cab. I should pay for it."
He says, "No, you shouldn't. But if you want to make me a cup of coffee, we'll call it even." He can see the struggle going on in her big green eyes. He smiles and says, "I can take a rain check too. We've already got the rain." Laughing, he says, "Have a nice day."
When he turns to leave, she shocks herself by saying, "Wait." When he turns, she says, "It's the least I can do. Maybe the rain will stop soon."
Secretly surprised, Nick follows her to the elevator. She tries to stand where he can't see her face. Finally, he says, "You know, it's really not a big deal."
Playing dumb, she says, "What?"
He says, "The scar. You don't have to hide it. It doesn't change how cute you are." Before she says anything, he says, "I'm Nick, by the way."
Feeling herself blushing, she says, "Penelope."
When they get to her door, he watches amazed as she unlocks 3 dead-bolts before pushing the door open. As she runs to shut off an alarm system, he gets even more curious. He watches as she returns to the door and turns all three locks, once again securing her home. When she turns to him, he says, "What happened?" Before she can reply, he says, "I'm sorry, none of my business."
Sighing, she turns and heads into the kitchen, regretting her impulsiveness of asking him in for coffee. He follows her and says, "Please, don't be offended. It's obvious something happened, even if the scar wasn't there. I'm just insanely curious at how a beautiful woman can be so self conscious about something so insignificant."
That stops her. She turns to face him fully and he can see the scar is almost 3 inches long, starting on her cheek and going almost to her ear. She says, "You really think THIS is insignificant?"
He smiles and says, "It is to me, yes. That's not what grabbed my attention in the cab."
Curiosity wins out and she says, "What did?"
He says, "Your eyes. And your hands."
She looks down and says, "You don't have to...I'm used to it."
He steps closer, touching her chin and pulling her gaze back to his. He whispers, "I mean it. Your eyes are so big and bright. I've never seen anyone with such vibrantly green eyes." Lifting her hand, he says, "These are beautiful. So small and elegant." He brings his eyes back to her and slowly slides his finger across the scar. She winces and he pulls away, saying, "This is just an unanswered question."
She turns away and makes their coffee, her nerves a jumbled mess. The first time in over 2 years she's been touched by a man and he seems unaffected by the repulsiveness of her face. When she turns back, he says, "How you long have you lived in New York?"
She says, "Umm, my parents adopted me when I was 2 weeks old. They moved here from Florida after that. This is all I've ever known."
He takes the cup she's holding out to him and says, "Do you like it?"
Shrugging, she says, "I used to. Now I just want to leave and never come back."
He says, "Why don't you?"
Penelope drags her nails down his chest as he pushes her now naked form back on the bed. He sucks on her neck, whispering, "Beautiful. Simply breathtaking."
From any other man, she'd think it was just words. But Nick means it. He doesn't care about her past. He doesn't care about the scars. He only cares about her. For the first time in a long, long time, Penelope feels attractive. The power of the feeling consumes her in ways she never dreamed were possible. As he presses between her legs for the very first time, he whispers, "I'm falling in love with you Penelope."
