Chapter
18: Starry Eyed Surprise
“You
really wanna know how I like to be kissed?” Sara asked seductively as she slid
into Van’s lap and grabbed a large clump of his soft chestnut hair, tilting
his head back in the process. With an equally seductive smiled, she pressed her
lips against his cheek, and ever so slowly moved towards his mouth. Van closed
his eyes, savoring the softness of her kisses as she left a trail of them over
his face.
Sara knew
she was driving him to ecstasy with her teasing as his arms encircled her waist
and held her tightly, never daring to let go as she continued. She finally
reached the corner of his mouth, but kissed around it slowly, softly, giving him
as much pleasure from this as she was experiencing.
Van
moaned, his head beginning to spin with anticipation until he finally couldn’t
take it anymore. In one fluid motion, he managed to flip Sara so that she was
lying on the couch and he was on top of her, his lips continuing the kiss that
was now driving him wild. His right hand wove beneath her robe, delicately
running over soft, warm skin. Sara shivered, her body turning into putty at his
slightest touch.
They
pulled apart for a few minutes to stare deep into each other’s eyes, a sight
that startled them both when they realized how intense the other’s gaze was.
Sara held her breath as Van’s lips descended down onto hers once more for a
delicate kiss. He continued to deepen it, his hands flowing over her body as his
tongue gently slipped into her mouth. Sara could feel the low groan that rose
from her throat as he sucked on her lower lip then proceeded to nip it lightly.
Her hands continued to ruffle through his hair, encouraging him to keep going.
“Van,”
Sara moaned, gently pulling her legs up to let him fall between them, but in the
process gently hitting him in the stomach.
Van pulled
away suddenly, his head still spinning, but this time from sickness and not
euphoria. Sara looked at him, fear present in her deep green eyes, and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Sara,
no offense, but I think I’m going to be sick,” Van groaned as he sank to the
other end of the couch.
“What?”
she shot back.
“I’ve
had a little too much to drink tonight, and I think it’s begun to catch up
with me,” he replied, closing his eyes and trying desperately to keep the
world from spinning out of control.
“Oh,
boy,” Sara said as she stood up and headed into the kitchen to find the trash
can. She knew exactly what he meant, and was prepared just in case the worst
happened. She returned to the living room, placing the trash can beside Van, and
sat down where she had been just a few minutes ago, watching him intently to
make sure he was okay. His arm was draped over his forehead, shielding his eyes.
“Van,
you okay?” Sara asked as she leaned closer to him. He shook his head slowly,
fighting the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. But his valiant efforts
just didn’t cut it. He leaned over the trash can and let it go, unable to hold
back any longer. Sara shook her head, feeling his pain.
Van looked
up at her wearily and said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s
okay,” she replied, holding her arms out and motioning for him to come. Van
lay down on her chest, his head falling just below her chin as she wrapped his
arms around him. “I know how you feel,” Sara added as she gently ran her
hands through his hair. “Get some rest.” Minutes later, Van was asleep,
barely making a sound as she cradled him in her arms. “Good night,” she
whispered, kissing the top of his forehead before she also closed her eyes to
find the comfort of sleep envelop her.
*~*~*
Sara awoke
the next morning with a body on top of her. It took a few moments to realize
that it was just Van. She stretched out her arms over her head as she tried to
move her feet, but they were still tangled beneath his body and numb from his
weight. Knowing that it would be impossible to extract herself from his grasp,
Sara decided to stay put and watch him as he slept. She played with Van’s soft
chestnut hair, running her fingers through it over and over again as she left
several soft kisses on his forehead. Even after an hour of her gentle caresses,
he was still sound asleep.
Finally
unable to take it any longer, Sara decided to use one more tactic to wake him
up. She gently raised Van’s chin up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He
groaned, sighing deeply, and opened those misty blue eyes. “Good morning,”
Sara whispered.
“Mmmmm…”
Van groaned as he looked up at her wearily. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a
brick,” he mumbled into her chest, still unable to lift his head.
“I think
more than a brick hit you,” Sara joked, lovingly stroking his hair.
Van
laughed for a couple of seconds before he realized where he was. With all the
strength he could muster, he pulled himself off her body and rested his weight
on his hands, which were spread on either side of her hips. Looking down at
Sara, he asked, “Am I hurting you?”
“No,”
she softly replied, pulling him back on top of her. “I like that you’ve been
my blanket all night.”
“And I
like that you’ve been my mattress and pillow all night,” Van said, softly
nuzzling her neck as he brushed his lips across the soft skin beneath her chin.
Sara shivered as goosebumps began to appear on her skin.
“Whoa,
hot lips, go brush your teeth before you even think about finishing what we
started last night,” Sara interjected before he got carried away. Van pulled
away and looked at her strangely. “You must have been really drunk to forget
what you did last night,” she added sadly, noticing his look.
“Oh,
no!” he cried. “I’m so sorry.”
Sara
smiled wearily. If Van was lying, she was having a hard time reading it in those
beautiful blue eyes. “Don’t worry about it,” she said before taking too
long to analyze everything. “Now go and clean yourself up. I’ll be waiting
for you when you come back so we can…discuss this further.”
Van stood
up gingerly and walked to the door. “You’d better be here,” he replied.
When Sara
heard the door close, she tried to get up, finding it at first to be one of the
hardest things she had ever tried to do. Her legs were still completely numb and
unable to move. Getting the feeling back in them proved to be painful. As she
finally stood up, the sensation of thousands of pins and needles pricking the
bottoms of her feet shot through her. Sara winced in pain as she limped into her
bedroom to find something a little more decent to wear. She pulled out a red
knit halter top from her new wardrobe and a pair of black leather pants. A knock
came at the door as she was slipping on a pair of black strapped stilettos.
“I’m
coming!” Sara called as she walked to the door, looking in the mirror to find
she really needed to do her hair before she even stepped out of the apartment.
“Come
on, Sara! Ian’s creeping me out!” Van called from outside.
“He’s
outside?” she asked, surprised, as she opened the door and let him in. Sara
looked out across the parking lot to find Ian watching from inside his car, as
he usually did. She growled, letting her anger show, then stepped back inside.
“You know what?” Sara asked as she turned to find Van standing behind her.
She noticed he had changed into a white ribbed turtle neck sweater and a pair of
brown leather pants. ‘Damn, he looks good.’
“What?”
Van asked, snapping her out of her daydream.
“Uh…
Why don’t we go out today?” Sara suggested as she headed for her room again
and quickly brushed out her hair. Once she was satisfied with the look, she
walked back into the living room were Van was standing and waiting for her.
“Okay,”
he slowly replied. “Why the change of heart?”
“Because
I haven’t seen any of LA since I go here. And that was nearly four days ago.
What am I supposed to tell my friends when they call me? ‘Uh… sorry guys,
but I can’t tell you anything because I haven’t done anything?’” Sara
answered, grabbing her purse and keys off the table, something she was finding
odd now that everything about her lifestyle had changed. She was definitely
slipping into a new groove, and becoming more of a woman than she every thought
possible.
“Alright,
I think I have a few great ideas about where we should go today. How about lunch
first? Because I don’t know about you, but it’s getting close to noon and
I’m hungry,” Van said as he took Sara’s arm and led her downstairs to the
silver Aston Martin he had barrowed from the Candy Store earlier that week and
forgot to return.
“Holy
shit!” Sara squeaked when she laid her eyes on the car.
“On loan
from the Candy Store,” Van replied as he opened the door for her. Sara easily
slipped into the gray leather seat, taking a look around her to find all the
little luxuries scattered about the cabin. She couldn’t believe she was
sitting in one of the most expensive cars in the world, let alone being driven
around in it. Van slipped beside her and turned on the car, revving the 6 liter
V12 engine before pulling out of the parking lot. He turned on the radio,
letting it blare Jay-Z’s “03 Bonnie and
Sara began
to laugh as she said, “Oh, the irony!”
Van looked
at her puzzled. “What?”
“Have
you seen the video for this song?”
“Yeah…
Oh… I get it… Aston Martin… Sara, no offense, but you’re weird.”
Sara
playfully slapped him in the arm. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to all the
luxury. I was a deprived child,” she said, relaxing in her leather seat. “If
I was your girlfriend, I'll be there for you, if somebody hurts you even if it's
somebody like me… Yeah-hee… Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be. And
so I put this on my life, nobody or nothing will ever come between us. And I
promise I'll give my life and all of my trust if you was my boyfriend. Put this
on my life, the air that I breathe in, all that I believe in. I promise I'll
give my life and all of my trust if you was my boyfriend…” Sara sang along
with Beyonce’s voice once that part of the song began. Van looked at her,
astonished that she was being so free spirited. She blushed and stopped once she
realized he was eyeing her. “Keep your eyes on the road,” she scolded,
trying to hide her embarrassment.
“I think
this is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen you,” Van replied. “It’s nice to
see you so comfortable for once. It sounds like you barely have time to just
enjoy life ever since you found that thing,” he added, pointing to her
bracelet.
“Yeah,
well, wearing the Witchblade has been a blessing and a curse. This thing has a
mind of its own sometimes. I’m just glad it’s been quiet lately, unless you
count the two times I used it while I was out here,” Sara said as she touched
it lightly with her fingers.
“Twice?”
Van asked. “You mean…”
“Yeah,
that’s how I knew you were in danger,” Sara said as she looked away. “It
sends me visions when I touch significant things. And how do you actually think
I knocked that guy out? If it wasn’t for the Witchblade, you’d be dead right
now. To tell you the truth, I think it likes you.”
“It
likes me? Okay, now that’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Why do
you think you’re still alive?”
“Point
taken.”
The drive
remained silent for the rest of the time they were in the car. Sara continued to
stare out the window seeing the various landmarks the city had to offer as Van
stole glances at her. She was absolutely radiant that afternoon. There was a
continuous smile on her face and a relaxed air about her. She seemed lighter
almost, and when they reached the restaurant, she nearly bounced out of the car
and skipped inside.
“Hmm…
Firefly… It’s unique,” Sara said as the hostess led them to the sunny
patio the restaurant offered. The beautiful hard wood tables were arranged in a
circled around a large fire pit in the center. They ate a wonderful lunch of
pancetta-wrapped shrimp served in mustard butter and a hamburger buried
underneath bleu cheese, avocado, grilled onions and aioli. Dessert was a shared
slice of cherry cheesecake. Sara had never tasted such wonderful food in her
life.
“You
know, you could spoil a girl like this,” she said as lunch wound down and they
waited for the check.
“Well, I
aim to please,” Van replied. The waitress arrived with their check, and he
quickly grabbed it off the table before Sara even had a shot. She glared at him
as he said, “This is on me. You can get it next time.”
“Alright,
I take my last comment back, you will spoil a girl like this,” she told him as
they stood up and walked out of the restaurant after he paid.
The rest
of the day was filled with tiny surprises, like a visit to Mann’s Chinese
Theater, a quick shopping spree on
“This is
so beautiful,” Sara whispered as she cuddled closer to Van.
“Not as
beautiful as you,” he whispered back, kissing her neck softly as she blushed.
“Today
was probably one of the best days of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever had so
much fun with someone. All of my relationships have just been so crazy and
hectic, and not to mention completely fucked up. Being with you has totally
brought me back to earth so I could enjoy myself,” she said, allowing him to
continue nibbling on her neck.
“I’m
glad you enjoyed yourself,” Van replied as he held her close and kissed her
cheek. Sara shifted her angle so that their lips could meet. They continued to
kiss until the stars had fallen upon them in a beautiful array of twinkling
lights.
“Let’s
head back to my place to finish what we started last night,” Sara whispered in
a very suggestive tone as she took Van’s hand and pulled him up. They ran back
to the car, unable to wait for what was to come, but as soon as he started the
engine, Sara’s phone began to ring. “Pezzini, go,” she said.
“Gallo
wants to make the drop tonight at
“Alright,
I’ll have everything ready and we’ll take him down,” Sara replied. “Meet
us at the Candy Store in half an hour.” They hung up with each other without
saying good bye as Van stared at her wondering what was going on. “Gallo wants
to make the drop tonight at
Van sighed. He should have expected this and never gotten his hopes up. He stepped on the gas and drove back to LA, heading straight for the Candy Store.