In theory 14 days had seemed like a long time. In reality it went by way too fast. To her there was a stop, and that made her comfortable. She opened up around him, and he knew he had struck gold with her. A woman actually looking him in the eyes instead of drooling over his muscles. A woman actually listening and not trying to get him into bed. A woman who way too quickly made him fall in love.
"Final day," she said.
She leaned back in her seat when she had finished her plate of food. He had taken her back to the Thai restaurant. It felt right to end the deal where it had started, and he hoped it wouldn't be the end after all but instead a new beginning. A beginning without a deadline.
"I'm going for a goodnight kiss then," he said.
"You promised, Dean," she reminded him. "Only food."
"Would it be so bad if I kissed you?" He asked.
She sighed and nervously ran her fingers over the edge of the table.
"Come on, catwoman, talk to me," he said.
"It's just been a while," she said lowly.
"Since what?" He asked.
"Since I've been with a man," she answered.
He grinned at that answer, and she looked down. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment.
"How long since you've been with a man?" He asked.
"Two years," she answered.
"Damn!" He whistled. "No need to be afraid. I won't hurt you."
"Dean," she sighed.
She finally looked up at met his eyes again. She had a look in her eyes he hadn't seen before.
"I wanna show you something," she said.
He could see that whatever it was, it was serious.
"Okay," he nodded.
They got into his car, and she told him where to go. Soon they pulled up in front of an apartment complex. She didn't say anything when she exited the car. For once he kept quiet too as he followed her up the stairs until she stopped in front of a door and took out her keys. He looked at the name sign on the door. Mackenzie Kirby. She had taken him to her apartment.
"Before I unlock the door, I wanna make it very clear that I've never had a man inside before so don't expect anything," she said.
He smiled and nodded. She unlocked the door and let him inside. It was a small apartment. The front door led directly into a small living room. The other doors were open, and he could spot three other small rooms. A bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom.
"Keep your shoes on. You might wanna get out of here fast after you hear what I have to tell you," she said.
"It can't be that bad," he said.
She sighed and licked her dry lips. It was clear he wanted something with her, and she wanted the same with him, but she couldn't let him in without him knowing who she used to be.
"It's not much," she waved a hand out in the air. "But it's mine. I own everything inside these walls, and that makes me proud and happy."
"You should be," he said.
"Two years ago I changed my life around. I started cleaning at a school until the arena had an opening. It pays more than the school. I used to have a lot more. More money, a bigger place, a lot of crap I didn't really need," she said. "But it came with a prize."
"Nothing in life is free," he smiled. "So what did you do? Were you a thief, or did you scam people?"
"I was a prostitute," she said.
The silence fell thick as he stared at her. He half expected her to say it was a joke, but nothing came. She expected him to run out, but he kept standing there.
"Go on," he finally said.
"I started on the streets until I got in touch with an escort service. You think it's better and that you got protection, but it's all the same. Men, money, sex. And the fucking feeling of being nothing. Sure, I got money, but at what cost? I felt like shit, and my body was always in pain. And the violent customers..."
"Wait, violent?" He stopped her. "Did you have many of those?"
"Too many," she sighed. "And I sucked it up, covered the bruises with makeup, and went on to the next one. I hate myself for doing that, Dean. And I won't be mad if you wanna walk out of that door right now. But I couldn't continue this thing with you, whatever it is, without letting you know what you have to deal with."
Silence fell again for a few seconds, and then he smiled. He kicked off his shoes, walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her.
"What I have to deal with is a wonderful woman who has stolen my heart," he said. "And now I'm gonna kiss you."
He leaned down and kissed her. It was soft and experimental at first but soon got heated. He reached under her ass to lift her up without breaking the kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist while he carried her into the bedroom and gently placed her down on the bed. His hand slid under her blouse, feeling the skin of her stomach.
"Dean," she broke the kiss.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, Mackenzie," he looked her in the eyes. "I don't care about any of them. What they did to you wasn't sex. It was... Something else. Something I would never do to you. Let me show you how good it can really feel."
"I'm scared," she whispered. "Not of you, but I have all these bad memories, and they're blending with what I feel for you."
"I know," he said. "But I'll make damn sure to push away any doubt and only give you good memories if you'll let me."
His fingers still danced over her stomach, aching to move further up to touch her breasts. He wouldn't do it until she gave him the green light. He leaned down to kiss her cheek before moving his mouth to her ear.
"Let me pleasure you like you've never been pleasured before. I guarantee you don't want me to stop once I get started," he said.
"What if I disappoint you?" She asked.
"That will never happen," he licked her earlobe. "I'll take such good care of you, catwoman. I'll spend all night taking things slow, going easy on you, making love to you."
"Dean!" She whimpered and grabbed his tee. "I want you."