Chapter 14 – Things are Heating Up
Dave's cabin
As the credits run on the television, Dave stretches careful from his place on the couch. Penelope sits up and groans.
"Oof! Between the drive and sitting for two hours, I am a bit sore," she moans.
"Want to go for a walk? I need to take Mudgie out."
The dog who had been snoozing by the fireplace stands up at the sound of his name.
Penelope lifts her feet and examines her sneakers. "Do I need hikers?"
Dave looks at her shoes. "Those will be fine. That's what I'm wearing." He lifts a foot to show her his own tennis shoes.
"Okay then," she agrees. She struggles to stand. Dave gets up and helps her to her feet. "That couch tried to kidnap me!"
Dave chuckles. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll keep you safe from the big, bad couch."
She bats her eyelashes at him. "My hero."
They share a laugh as they bundle up and head outside with Mudgie running ahead of them.
Penelope stops at the top of the stairs and looks around. Woods surround the cabin, no other sign of civilization in sight. She shudders and wraps her arms around herself. Dave steps up next to her.
"You okay?" he asks.
"It's so quiet," she whispers in awe.
"It's nice, right?"
She looks at him, eyes wide as saucers. "Nice is not the word I had in mind."
He tilts his head and looks at her carefully. "You really don't like the woods, do you?"
"It's not that I don't like them, it's that… well I can't remember ever being in the woods," she explains. "It's kind of scary."
He nods once. "I can understand that. It's also a very beautiful place. Will you allow me to show some of the things I like about the woods?"
"Promise you won't leave me there alone?"
His gaze sharpens. "I promise." He holds his hand out to her. She takes it and holds him tightly as they step down from the porch. Dave leads her around the side of the house and down a well-marked path.
Mudgie runs around through the trees and brush making his own path. They walk for several minutes before the path opens to a small dock on the edge of the reservoir.
"Oh," Penelope gasps. "This is beautiful."
"You can see the lake from the deck on the back of the cabin too," Dave tells her.
"Wow. The million-dollar view, huh?"
"I suppose," he agrees. "It's priceless to me."
"You told me before that you like to duck hunt, do you do that from here?"
"There's a spot across the lake," he says. "I fish from the dock once in a while. It's not always good, there are other spots that are better."
They stand and watch as Mudgie sniffs around.
Penelope shifts on her feet, still clinging to Dave's hand. "You know, I'd be okay with having dinner with your family."
Dave looks at her and smiles. "I'm not sure if I would survive."
"What do you mean?" she questions.
"My family can be very over-bearing, if you didn't notice with Reeni."
"She was delightful," Penelope cuts in.
"Oh delightful," he mocks. "Please don't tell her that."
Penelope stares at him. "I can't tell if you're being serious or joking."
"A little of both I guess. I love my sister and would kill anyone that hurt her, but she and the others tend to forget that I am a grown man," he explains. "They try to boss me around and tell me how to live my life."
"I can't imagine anyone bossing you around that you didn't want to be bossed by," she says pointedly.
He shrugs. "My family is a little hard-headed, all of us are."
"I'm still okay with meeting them."
He lifts their joined hands and kisses her knuckles. "You will Cara. I promise. Shall we walk around a little more?"
"Okay," she agrees.
He takes her down a path next to the lake that eventually veers off into the woods. The brush disappears as does the path leaving them to walk among the trees. The dead branches and fallen leaves crunch under their feet.
Penelope takes a deep breath. "It smells so… woodsy and like dirt."
Dave chuckles. "That my dear, is fresh air. No exhaust, or smoke, no artificial anything. I like the music of nature. The birds singing or flapping their wings, the wind blowing through the trees…"
"The bears prowling around getting ready to eat me," she adds.
"Nothing is going to eat you out here except me," he tells her as he pulls her close to his side. "Well, not as food anyway."
"David!" She looks shocked.
"What? You seemed to enjoy having me feast between your legs." He wiggles his eyebrows at her. "You did, didn't you?"
She blushes and looks around everywhere but at him. "Yes," she mumbles.
"Really? You're going to be shy? You weren't shy when we were in bed," he reminds her.
"That was different," she concedes. "We were in the privacy of my home."
Dave stops and looks around. "It's pretty private here. There's no one here but us, Kitten. We can talk about anything. Even sex."
"I… I'm pretty private about my sex life."
He scoffs. "I am your sex life, aren't I? Or is there someone else you haven't told me about?"
"Good God no, you're about all I can handle," she admits.
"Good. You're all I want, and I don't like to share."
"Same."
They continue to walk through the woods until they reach a road, then Dave leads them back towards the cabin.
"How far away are the neighbors?" Penelope asks.
"The Kinsey's are about half a mile up the road," he tells her. "They are the closest."
She shudders again. "It's hard to believe people actually enjoy being so isolated."
"I don't know how you can live so close to other people. Having strangers on the other side of a wall bothers me," he says.
"I like the reassurance that I'm not alone in this world."
"Trust me you're not alone anymore," he smiles. "I'm right here with you."
"Good." She shivers and snuggles closer to him. "I'm getting a little cold."
"We could sit in the hot tub for a bit," he suggests.
"I didn't bring a swimsuit with me," she replies.
"Honey we don't need suits," he reminds her.
"You just want me naked," she scolds.
"You didn't drive all this way just for my personality, did you?"
"I swear if one could die from embarrassment, I would be close to it," she mutters.
"Honey, I want you now and always," he says seriously. "It makes me feel good to know you want me too."
"It makes me feel good too. God, I never imagined someone like you would actually want to be with someone like me," she says as the cabin comes into sight.
"There is so much in that sentence which needs to be unpacked, but not now. I'm just a man, Penelope. A man who finds you very attractive physically, intellectually and emotionally. Nothing else matters, okay?"
She nods and blinks at him. "Okay."
"Now, hot tub? Or no hot tub?"
She smiles and places a hand on his chest. "Definitely, hot tub."
Mudgie leads them back to the house. The dog runs into the kitchen and takes a long drink from his water bowl as Dave and Penelope head for the bedroom.
They undress in the large walk-in closet. Dave shucks his shoes near the shelf then leaves everything else in a pile on the floor next to the shoes. He watches as Penelope carefully folds her clothes placing them neatly on a shelf. She grabs her robe and pulls it on.
"Not going out there au natural?" Dave teases.
She turns around and finds him wearing nothing but a smile behind her.
"It's going to be cold when we get out of the tub," she explains.
He shrugs. "You'll just have to warm me up."
"I thought that was what the hot tub was supposed to do," she says as she follows him out of the closet.
He pads through the house, leading her back through the kitchen and out the sliding door to the covered deck. The hot tub sat in a corner. Dave pulls off the cover and turns the jets on as steam rolled over him.
"Ooh, it's hot," Penelope exclaims.
"Not too hot," Dave assures her. "I leave the heater on all the time when I am here. You never know when you want to take a dip and I hate waiting for it to heat up. Climb in. I forgot the towels. I'll be right back."
Dave slips past her and enters the house again. He retrieves a couple of towels out of the linen closet, then stops in the kitchen for a bottle of wine and two glasses. When he goes back outside, he turns on the hanging lights as the sun was beginning to drop beyond the horizon.
"Vino," he announces as he hangs the towels on a nearby hook.
"Yes, please," Penelope says. She has settled into the far corner of the tub.
Dave sets the glasses down and opens the bottle of wine setting it next to the glasses. "Let's let it breath for a few minutes."
He climbs into the tub and settles into a spot adjacent to her.
"Is it too hot in here," he asks.
She shakes her head. "No. It was at first but now it feels perfect."
"Have you ever been naked in a hot tub before?" he asks.
She smiles shyly. "No," she replies lowly.
"I didn't think so," he grins. "You're tucked away in that corner, afraid that someone might see you."
"You'd rather I strutted around naked on Main street?" she challenges.
"Definitely not," he sighs. "I'd just prefer it if you were a little more relaxed with me."
"We've only been together once David," she reminds him. "And though it was mind-blowing and amazing, it ended rather abruptly. I have to get comfortable again."
"I'm sorry," he replies quickly. "I'm an asshole."
She shakes her head. "You're just impatient."
"Yes," he agrees. He stands up and grabs the bottle of wine pouring a generous amount into both glasses. He hands one to Penelope then settles into his seat again with his own glass.
"This isn't what I imagined when I was driving down here," she admits quietly.
"What were you imagining?"
She giggles, holding her hand in front of her face. "A mud hut, with no heat where you had to cook over a fire outside and sleep in a bed made of straw and covered with animal hides."
He laughs heartily. "The hell? You thought this was Little House on the Prairie or something?"
"Or something," she chokes out as she laughs.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you," he replies as he takes a sip from his glass.
"I am so not disappointed," she smiles. She slides closer to him.
"Good," he says as he slips his arm around her shoulder. He kisses her temple as she leans into him. "What did you mean earlier when you said, I never imagined someone like you would actually want to be with someone like me?"
"Gah!" She tilted her head back and rolled her eyes. "Really? I have to explain this to you?"
"Yes, really."
She stares into his eyes for a long moment then looks away. "It's really not hard to see the differences between us David."
"You're a girl and I'm a guy," he says with a frown. "That's all I see."
She takes a deep breath and blows it out in frustration. "There's more and you know it. You're rich and famous and smart and handsome, and I'm a frumpy, fat, computer geek who needs life coach and a raise."
"Honey," he says so softly she turns in surprise. "That's all window dressing. Let me break this down for you. You are not frumpy. You're unique. You have a style that others may emulate but they'll never pull it off like you do. I love the way you dress, to begin with. Some of your outfits are more brazen than others, which shows the versatility of your personality."
He finishes his drink, gets up and places it on the edge next to the bottle of wine. Turning back, he takes the glass from her hand and sets next to his. Then he grabs her and pulls her to her feet.
He wraps his arms around her and presses their naked, wet flesh together. Looking directly in her eyes, he continues, "As far as being fat or skinny or anywhere in-between, that doesn't matter to me. I love the way you feel in my arms, the way our bodies come together in all the right and wrong places. Am I attracted to you physically? Absolutely. Am I attracted to you mentally? Yes, to that as well."
Penelope slides her hands over his shoulders and clasps them behind his neck. Dave gently sways them back and forth, enjoying the feel of her body rubbing against his. His hands wander slowly up and down her back.
"You are smarter than me in many ways, I find that a huge turn-on."
She laughs. "Oh really?"
"Oh, hell yeah," he replies. He grasps her ass and grinds his erection against her. "I love when a woman can challenge me intellectually. Life is about continually learning and growing. If you can't or won't do that, you might as well give up."
"I see."
"And as far as how you see me? I have money, yes, I've made a good amount on my books and I've invested well. Am I famous? Not really. Most people don't recognize me in public. As for being handsome, well, that's just genetics. I got lucky. Now, the part you skipped over would be my personality. This is where you definitely are better than me."
"I disagree," she cuts in.
He silences her with a raised eyebrow. "We all know that I can be a real pain in the ass. I'm anal retentive, a control freak and, oh yeah, an asshole. Trust me, honey, I've only shown you my good side."
"How do you know that I'm not an asshole too?" she questions.
He grins at her. "I'd be very surprised to find that out."
"I don't think you're an asshole, David. I think you're used to doing things your way and you're willing to go through anyone who gets in your way. You care deeply for people. Even those you've never met. And especially those who can no longer speak for themselves. Anal retentive? Don't you kinda have to be in this business. I for one, have enjoyed your attention to detail even if no one else does. However, there is one detail you've missed."
"Oh?"
"It's fricken cold standing here," she complains. "Can we sit down?"
He grins. "We could go inside and cuddle on my bed."
She pretends to think about his comment. She rubs her turgid nipples against his chest as he squeezes her ass with both hands.
"Yes," she says finally. "That would be acceptable."
He helps her out of the hot tub. "Will you take the wine and the glasses? I need to put the cover back on."
She slips her robe on, grabs the bottle and glasses and heads inside. Dave watches her for a moment before quickly tossing the cover on and shutting off the jets. He follows her into the house. Penelope is at the sink washing the glasses.
"You can leave those. I'll wash them later."
She rinses both glasses and sets them on the dishrack to dry. "Already done," she says as she wipes her hands on a nearby towel.
She turns around and looks at him. "Are you not cold?"
"I'm freezing. Care to warm me up?"
Eyeing his erection that stiffly waves at her, she raises an eyebrow. "Well, part of you isn't cold. How are you so hard?"
"I told you, intelligent women turn me on," he reminds her. Slowly, he approaches her like he's walking up to a wild animal.
Penelope stops him in his tracks by reaching out and wrapping her hand around his penis. She squeezes him gently.
David rolls his eyes and moans. "Dio santo! Do that again."
Her hand glides up and down his shaft. She slides her other hand over his chest, exploring the hills and plains of his body. The hand wrapped around his shaft gently pulses and slides as her other hand teases first one nipple then the other.
Penelope slowly eases herself to her knees. She kisses the tip of his erection before slowly taking him in her mouth.
Dave grabs the edge of the counter as his knees start to buckle. The pleasure rolls throughout his entire body.
"Oh my God, sweetheart," he moans. "You do that for too long and we're not going to make it to the bedroom."
She pulls back and looks up at him. A smile on her lips, she says," The night is still young, mon ami. We'll get there eventually."
He reaches down and traces her brow. "Why are you so good to me?"
"Am I being good to you? I thought I was being a little wicked."
She sticks her tongue out and licks the tip of his erection.
"Wicked good," he groans.
She takes him back into her mouth as she watches him. She wraps one hand around his thigh, holding him in place as her other hand cups his balls. She sucks and nibbles and slides her lips up and down his shaft until his body tenses and his hips begin to shift.
She pulls off him as he starts to thrust harder and strokes him with her hand. A few strokes later, his body tenses and he cums.
Penelope strokes his thighs and his stomach as he breathes heavily, his body shaking. She rises to her feet and wraps her arms around him. Dave grabs her holding her tightly to him.
He moans and she gently sways them back and forth.
"You okay, honey?" she whispers.
"Mmm," he moans.
She laughs softly. "Took the words right out of ya, huh?"
He pulls back and looks down at her with a tender look. "Thank you. I think it's my turn to take care of you now."
She smiles and touches his face. "I can wait. Believe it or not, I didn't come here just to ravish your delectable body."
"Oh?" he questions.
She appraises him. Her demeanor becomes more tense. "I'm interested in you for more than sex, David. But, please, tell me now if that's all you want from me."
"It's not," he replies patiently. "I'm sorry if I've given you that impression."
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as he looks around the room coming back to focus on her. He takes her hands in his. "Let me clean up the mess I made on the floor and put some clothes on then we should sit and chat. Okay?"
"Any chance we could eat too?" she asks shyly. "It's been a few hours since we had lunch."
He chuckles. "Of course, mio bellissimo amore."
He leans over and gently kisses her on the lips.
"I'm going to get dressed in something more than my bathrobe," she tells him.
He nods and watches her leave the room. He sighs again and runs his fingers through his hair. "Rossi," he mutters angrily to himself. "Slow the fuck down."
He grabs a wad of paper towels and cleans the floor, tossing it the trash he pads towards the bedroom as Penelope comes back out. She's still wearing her bathrobe but now it covers what appears to be silk pajamas.
"Make yourself comfortable," he smiles. "Have a snack or something. I'll be right out."
He takes a quick shower, rinsing himself off and then quickly dressing in his own silk pajamas. He grabs his robe on the way out.
He finds Penelope in the kitchen digging through the refrigerator.
"Find anything good?" he asks gently.
She spins around holding a carton of eggs in her hands. "Omelets?"
"Yeah," he says enthusiastically as his stomach growls. He steps next to her and begins pawing through the refrigerator as well. "What would you like in yours? I have onions, and mushrooms, and peppers, tomatoes…"
"And cheese?" she asks.
He nods. "You got it. Have a seat."
"I want to help," she pouts.
"Fine," he smiles. He kisses her lightly. "Grab a knife off the counter-block and a cutting board from the cupboard over the sink."
He continues to pull ingredients out of the refrigerator and place them on the counter. Penelope joins him at the island, placing a cutting board and a boning knife on the counter.
"Uhh." Dave raises an eyebrow. "What do you plan on doing with that?"
She looks at the knife. "Cut the vegetables?"
He smiles indulgently. "Honey, that's a boning knife. You use it to de-bone chicken and fish."
She picks the knife up and looks at it closely. "I honestly didn't know there was a difference."
Dave rolls his eyes and mutters. "Oh Signore, abbi pieta!"
She smacks his arm. "I don't know what you said but it didn't sound nice."
He gives her a hurt look and rubs the spot where she smacked him. "Ow!"
"You big baby! Tell me what knife should I use?"
He takes the boning knife from her and carries it back to the knife block then pulls out two other knives and brings them back. "This is a Chef's knife. It's good for chopping, slicing, dicing, and mincing."
He hands her the knife.
"It's big and heavy," she says as she wields it in front of her.
"Try this one," he says. He hands her a smaller version of the Chef's knife that has a curved blade and dimples in it. "This is a Santoku knife. The indents help keep food from sticking to it."
She holds the Santoku knife. "Ooh, I like this one."
"Don't cut your fingers off," he warns.
"I'll do my best," she promises. "How come you have so many cutting boards?"
"Many reasons and for many things," he says vaguely. He grabs two bowls and begins cracking eggs into them.
"Really? You're going to give me some lame-o reason?"
He looks over at her as she starts slicing mushrooms. "I'm sorry. I thought you were teasing me. I have so many for a variety of reasons. If I am having guests over and I want to serve a charcuterie board, I'll either use several smaller ones that I place around the house or I will have one large one on the center table. The ones that are wrapped in plastic are kosher. I have a few friends who are Jewish, and those boards are used specifically for them."
"That's so sweet," Penelope cries.
He shrugs. "I've rarely thrown out a cutting board, so some of them are pretty damn old."
He finishes the eggs, whisking milk into them. He goes to the stove and pulls out a pan.
"I'm lucky to have one board," she tells him. "Ooh, and the one that is like a drawer in my cabinets."
"Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas. A knife set and a good cutting board."
She looks at him and smiles. "You're getting me a Christmas present?"
He smiles back. "Of course."
They finish making the omelets together. Dave cooks hers first, then his own as Penelope makes some toast. They sit at the table and eat together.
"Oh My God! These are so good!" Penelope gushes. "How come they taste so much better than when I make them myself?"
"Because we made them together?"
"I guess," she replies as she stuffs another forkful into her mouth.
"So, mi amore, what would you like to know about me? How can I make you realize that I am not after you just for sex?" he asks.
She sets her fork down and sighs. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm probably making a bigger deal it of it than I should."
He puts his own fork down and reaches across the table to hold her hand. "If something bothers you, it needs to be addressed," he assures her.
"I have trouble trusting people," she says lowly. "Well, not people – men. I have trouble trusting men. All my adult life, men have paid attention to me because they want something from me. Whether it be technology or money or sex – it didn't matter. And I'm not talking about just the hot guys like you and Derek, I'm talking about all kinds of guys. Sometimes, I feel like I have a sign on my back that says, "I'm desperate, take advantage of me!""
He squeezes her hand but stays quiet letting her talk it all out.
"I can't tell you the number of times I've been befriended or led to believe that there was more to a relationship than there was," she says with a hitch in her voice. "How many times, I've fallen in love only to find that the other person didn't even like me. You probably have no idea what I'm even talking about, do you?"
"Not completely, no," he answers honestly. "But I've had my heart broken many times."
She scoffs and tries to pull her hand away.
"Penelope, mi amore, you will find that my heart opens easily," he confesses. "Usually too easily. Some women can be just as cruel as men. And when you're famous and have a few dollars in the bank, those women seem to appear from nowhere. I'll admit, I've been taken advantage of myself. I fought back by becoming a bastard and a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. Henceforth the reputation."
"I'm not here for that," she whispers.
He smiles. "I know. And if it feels like I'm moving too quickly for you, I'm sorry. You're everything I've wished for and then some. Now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you."
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as she stares at their joined hands.
"I don't want to lose you either," she says after several seconds tick by.
"I promise you I'm going to show you that I'm not just interested in having sex with you," he tells her solemnly. He lifts her hand from the table and kisses her knuckles. "I want to know you and love you as a complete person."
She gives him a watery smile and sniffles as she nods. "Okay."
He slides his chair back and pulls her out of her own chair and onto his lap. She melts into him as he holds her close.
"It's going to be okay, Gattina," he whispers into her hair.
They sit this way for several minutes before her stomach growls and his answers just as loudly. They both crack up laughing.
"We should eat before it gets too cold," he tells her.
He reaches over, grabs her plate and hands it to her. He keeps one arm around her waist holding her in place as they both finish their food. Afterwards, they wash the dishes and tidy the kitchen.
END CHAPTER 14
