“Except for being a lying, cheating piece of scum.”
“Which is not punishable by law,” Eli said.
“Too bad. You ready to go? I’d like to see this kid Abby. Don’t you find it interesting that her best friend is a nerdy little geek?”
Eli couldn’t help wincing at the description. “She probably wants to improve her mind.”
“Ouch!” Chelsea said as they went to the front door.
Turning, Eli stopped and kissed her. But when it became deeper, he pulled away. “Another minute of that and we’ll never leave.”
“Mmmmm. Shopping or sex? You always impose such difficult questions.” He half pushed her out the door.
Eli drove into Williamsburg, down Richmond Road, to the huge collection of outlet stores.
“Nice,” Chelsea said as he drove through the three parking areas. “I could do some damage here.”
Eli backed into a slot in the middle area, near the Ann Taylor and Michael Kors stores. As soon as he turned off the engine, he went to Ben & Jerry’s to get them milk shakes.
“I couldn’t possibly,” Chelsea said even as she took the strawberry one he’d bought for her. She took a deep drink. “I don’t think I’ve had one of these since I was a kid. What are you going to do after I leave?”
Eli drank of his vanilla shake. “Get a life,” he said. “I think I’ve been waiting to start one, but Jeff with his new girlfriend, and Pilar and Lanny, have made me want . . . I guess it’s companionship. For years, Jeff and Pilar and I were a team, but it looks like that is going to change.”
“Because of me?” Chelsea asked.
“No. Because I held them back. I wasn’t aware of it, but I was making sure Jeff didn’t leave. I came up with things for him to do so he had to cancel dates.”
“You were jealous?”
“I don’t think so—but maybe I was. I was certainly jealous of his freedom to move on.”
“But now you can go forward?” Chelsea was trying to understand what he was saying. He’d held back from any permanent relationship all these years because he was . . . what? Waiting for her? “I thought that maybe last night changed things between us,” she said stiffly.
Eli, watching out the windshield for Abby, smiled. “Last night was great.” He glanced at Chelsea, then back. “It was really, truly the best sex I’ve ever had, but let’s face it, in the scope of a life, sex doesn’t mean much.”
“I think a good sex relationship is very important,” she said softly.
“Sure. At first it is. Look at my parents. The first few years they were together, they went to bed about six p.m. I was too young to understand about that passion where you can’t keep your hands off a person. Fingertips touching sends electricity through your body. The sound and smell of a person’s breath can make you weak with desire. Your mind is taken over with thoughts and images of the other person. Her hair, her eyes, her skin all penetrate your very being. Your shake is melting.”
Chelsea was staring at him, eyes wide.
“Your shake? You’d better drink it or it’ll melt.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” She took a sip. “I’ve never heard you talk like that. I didn’t even know you felt like this.” She bent forward to kiss him, but he didn’t turn toward her.
“Of course I do. But only about you.” He kept his eyes straight ahead. “My point is that sex doesn’t last. It’s fun, like it is now for you and me, but what happens tomorrow?” He looked at her as though waiting for an answer.
Chelsea was still thinking about what he’d said about his desire for her.
“Do you agree that the sex between us is extraordinary?” he asked. “At least it was for me. But you’d know better than I would.”
“You mean because of my extensive experience?”
Eli gave a shrug.
“Just because I’ve not dedicated my life to the US government doesn’t mean I’ve jumped into bed with a hundred men.”
He looked at her. “What does the government have to do with this? I just said that last night was the best time I’ve ever had in my life. On the stairs! That was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. You were great.”