Could You Be Mine? Pt. 02

Lay, lady, lay,
Lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay,
Lay across my big brass bed
Whatever colors you have in your mind
I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine
Lay Lady Lay, Bob Dylan

Chapter 3: You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

{Sonya} Happy Sunday!

I groaned. I was sprawled out on Ellie's bed as she finished packing for a consulting gig in Chicago. She had a repeat client there who needed help prepping for their year-end audit every October.

"Who was that?" Ellie grabbed two shirts from the closet and started folding them.

"Sonya," I muttered as I tapped back a response.

{RJ} Not happy. Ellie leaving for CHI. I'll call you later.

{Sonya} Boooooo. Xoxo.

I threw my phone onto the bed and crossed my arms. "Who closes their year in the third quarter?" I grumbled as I watched her throw the last of her things into the suitcase.

"Plenty of people. And you're flying out this weekend, so it'll only be five days."

"That's five days too many."

"I'm going to call you every day and I promise you, I'll make it worth your while," she lifted her shirt so I could see her bra-encased breasts.

That's just not fair... I want more! "You can make it worth my while now, if you'd come over here," I sat up and hooked a finger into the waistband of her pants as she walked by and tugged her onto the bed.

"RJ!" She yelled as she fell into my arms. I went straight for her breasts.

Ellie laughed and then squealed when I pinched one of her nipples through her shirt, "You LUNATIC! Stop it! Honey, I have to finish packing, otherwise I'm going to be late."

She was right, of course. I'd been successfully sabotaging her departure for about an hour now. I reluctantly released her. She leaned in and gave my forehead a kiss, "You're adorable... and no one regrets it more than me that we can't roll around in bed some more."

"So stay! Don't go to Chicago. Come back to Win-B, there's plenty to do," I'd pitched this to her multiple times now. It was starting to sound pathetic.

"RJ, working there over the summer was hard enough when I was crushing out on you. It would be even more awkward now. And it would look like you hired me because we're together."

"Spouses work together all the time!"

That stopped her in her tracks. Stopped me, too. I hadn't quite realized what I'd said.

"Spouses? Like married people?" She had a hint of a smile on her face.

Yes! Step Five! Of course! "Why not?" Once more, I surprised myself by how clearly I felt about it.

"RJ, this is two months old. Don't say something you'll regret."

"We've known each other for almost five. Wait, are you saying you don't want to ma--"

Ellie put a finger on my lips, "No. I'm not saying that. I'm saying, THINK about it. And thinking about it in the ten minutes before I head to JFK is not the right time. Because when I say 'yes,' I want it to be crystal clear what we're both signing up for. Agreed?"

I stared at her and nodded, my mind whirring. She'd say yes!

She gave me a kiss on my lips, "Lunatic," she muttered as she shifted over to the bedside table. She pulled open the drawer and tapped her index finger on her chin. She took out two of her favorite toys and slipped them into a bag before shoving it into her suitcase. I was going to enjoy thinking about her using them.

"Can you bring Thelma and Louise this weekend? They're at your place."

"Yes ma'am!" I grinned. Thelma and Louise were two strap-ons that we've put to very good use. Ellie was proving to be a delightfully adventurous partner in bed, with our burgeoning collection of toys as evidence, but Thelma and Louise would always receive top billing from us.

Ellie zipped up her suitcase. "Okay," she stated simply, "I'd better get going."

Frustratingly, the street was crawling with vacant taxis and Ellie hailed one almost immediately. One deliciously sloppy kiss later, she was gone.

I stood on the street and watched her cab merge into uptown traffic. I called Sonya; I didn't like how much I was already feeling Ellie's absence.

"Rowan," Sonya was eating something crunchy.

I sighed, "She just left for the airport."

"Go to the gym and sweat it out," suggested Sonya, "Go hone those abs."

That was the last thing I wanted to do, "I think I prefer to go home and zone out."

"Going home and watching endless Wimbledon Finals videos won't help you feel better. Come on RJ, you used to really like your space. Take some space and go do something the old RJ would like to do."

"I don't want space!"

"Are you guys still spending every night together?"

Sonya was right. Ellie and I have been spending every night together, either at my place or hers. We've also been having dinner with my dad every Sunday night. Before the Chicago job, she was on a month-long consulting contract at a small non-profit with an office that was close to Win-B. We'd actually been doing our morning commute together. It was the easiest... and most profound... change I'd ever made in my day-to-day life. We were just... together.

"Not tonight..."

"Wow RJ, if you miss her this much after five minutes apart, you'd better marry her!"

I made a face even though I knew she couldn't see me, "I thought you said I needed to take it slow because I was bad at this stuff."

"Look, as a lawyer, I have an obligation to respect doubt in every argument I engage with. But that's all Doubt gets until I have proof one way or another. Same with you -- without precedent and without corroborating evidence, it's not far-fetched to respect doubt in your ability to stay in a relationship. But guess what? Everything you've told me about you and Ellie indicates growing reason to dismiss that doubt."

"I'm not a legal case, Sonya," I was being unfair, but I didn't like Ellie going away and my emotions were going sideways.

"I was only trying to tell you I think you guys are good together, geez!"

"Except she's about to board a flight to Chicago. For a long time."

"Absence sharpens love, according to Thomas Fuller."

"Ouch," I deadpanned.

"So go for the grand gesture, send her some flowers at her hotel or something..."

"Meh, that's so predictable..." I started walking home.

"Get on the next flight and surprise her at the hotel?"

"Can't, I promised to have dinner with Dad tonight. He's doing a keynote at Hudson U tomorrow and he wants to go over the speech with me."

"Oh! That reminds me -- I sent him some stuff on FZP-54. Patent expiring next year; can you make sure he reads through it?"

"Will do. Thanks for listening to me gripe."

"No problem... sorry your wife is headed to Chicago."

My wife...!

The moment I hung up with Sonya, I called Liz, Mona's wife.

"Hello?" Liz picked up. I heard her kids screaming in the background.

"Hi Liz, it's RJ."

"Oh, hey RJ, Mona's getting Milo ready for a birthday party," Liz snorted in disgust, "You know, one of those stupid parties where they get your kid all hopped up on sugar and cake and return him right before dinner. I'll go get her."

"Uh, actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh! Sure. Shoot."

"Where did you go to get Mona's engagement ring?"

When she didn't answer, I looked at my phone screen to make sure the call hadn't dropped.

"Liz?"

"Yeah. Sorry. RJ, did you say, 'engagement ring'?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes."

"I thought you did. Um, I went to Greg Quinton at Quinton's Diamonds. It was a while ago, but he should remember me. He'll take care of you."

"Awesome! Thanks, Liz."

"Uh, RJ -- is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Nope!" I grinned, "Thanks Liz!"

Once I confirmed that Quinton's was open, I called Ian. "Mr. Bishop," I said when he picked up, "I need your help."

Ian and Greg proved to be very capable counselors in my quest. Ian had this incredulous look on his face the entire time, as Greg brought out option after option.

Ian very quickly dismissed the larger diamonds, "Lauren likes jewelry, but she'd never go for those."

"What about that one?" I pointed to a square cut diamond in the middle of the tray.

Ian stared at it for a while, and then nodded.

Greg smiled in approval and offered to show us some settings. Fifteen minutes later, we were done. Greg went into the back office to set up the order.

Ian turned to me, "So when are you going to pop the question?"

I shook my head, "I don't know yet, but I want to have it ready."

He nodded thoughtfully, "She's going to love it."

"You think she'd say yes?" I knew I sounded about as needy as the question itself.

Ian nodded and chuckled, "Lauren marrying a woman. I would never have guessed it in a million years."

I laughed along, "I am holding a receipt for an engagement ring. I wouldn't have guessed that in a million years either."

I kept staring at the receipt long after I left the store; I couldn't wait to pick it up when it was ready. Ian promised to keep the ring a secret, but I had a hard time keeping a lid on my latest purchase. Every time Ellie and I spoke on the phone, I would catch myself wanting to tell her. We talked every night, and the steady exchange of texts and emails escalated in raunchiness as the week went on.

By the time Friday rolled around, the following text pinged on my phone: {Ellie} Which would you rather: Sex in a bathroom at O'Hare or sex inthe back of a cab?

I grinned and typed back, {RJ} Those are not mutually exclusive...

"What are you grinning at?"

I looked up as Mona sauntered in. She caught sight of my suitcase in the corner, "Chicago?"

"Flight's at seven. I need to get going," my phone pinged again and I smiled when I saw Ellie's reply.

{Ellie} Is that a promise?

"Is the ring in the suitcase?" Mona, Sonya, and Liz have been buzzing around the topic like bees on speed.

"No, it's not ready yet -- I'm meeting her family this weekend. One thing at a time."

"Makes sense. Hey -- you know that Lauren's friend said yes to catering my birthday at your place next Friday, right?"

I closed out some files on my computer, "Yep. Ian told me. He's going to pop by the space over the weekend to scope out the kitchen."

The meeting space on the sixth floor of our building was something Dad needed for his pharma consulting work. With all the R&D stuff he worked on with those companies, it was good to have a large but private space in which to host people. Mona's birthday was at the end of the month, and Liz was throwing her a party. It was easy enough for me to offer them the space to use.

"Will Lauren be back in time for the party?"

"No -- her client's taking her out to dinner Friday night, so she comes back the next morning, why?"

"That's too bad -- it'd be good to see her."

"We can come over to your place when she's back," I suggested, as I slipped my phone charger into my suitcase.

"Good idea. Safe travels," Mona winked at me, "See you Monday."

Monday was the farthest thing from my mind as I made my way to Chicago. Ellie was waiting for me at the arrivals hall at O'Hare and we wanted each other so badly we stumbled into the nearest bathroom and locked ourselves in a stall. Her eyes were wide and slightly wild as I pushed her against the wall. Our first kiss was quiet... but deep and full. I cupped her breast with one hand, while the other one lifted her skirt and snaked upwards. My fingers pulled her underwear aside and were inside her without hesitation. I felt her grab the back of my shirt as she hitched up a leg; she gripped me harder as I started thrusting, my fingers pressing against her clit before sliding inside, just the way she liked it. It didn't take long until she gripped me hard as she came. She rested her head against the tiled wall of the stall, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Hmmmm," she exhaled.

I slid out of her and tasted my fingers, "Delicious."

"You," she reached for my belt, "I need you."

I watched as she unbuckled my belt and undid my pants. Her hand reached in and her fingers started rubbing. The jolts running through me were furious sparks of pleasure. I leaned forward and buried my face in her neck, "Ellie... Ellie..." I moaned as her fingers decimated me. We stayed like that for a while, her hand cupping my sex, and me breathing long and hard against her flesh.

I couldn't tell if people had come in and out of the bathroom while we were in there, and I didn't really care.

"Hotel sex?" Ellie said quietly in my ear.

I nodded.

We giggled like teenagers as we cleaned ourselves up and headed towards the exit. We made out in the back of the car all the way to the hotel. I'd never been a fan of public displays of affection, but I couldn't help myself.

"Have a good night, ladies," the driver said as we stepped out. I gave him a generous tip and a five-star rating for indulging our antics. Ellie assured me it was unnecessary as he probably enjoyed the view enough to let us ride for free.

We checked in, made our way up to the room and Ellie pushed me onto the bed, "We have brunch with my family tomorrow at ten thirty. So we've got to work up an appetite..."

I watched eagerly as she stripped. I followed suit. She leapt on me and it was paradise.

"Okay handsome, let's make up for lost time... I need you to fuck me senseless."

You don't have to ask me twice.

Thelma, Louise, and all the secrets we'd discovered about each other's erogenous zones were played and replayed in a leg-numbing loop of lovemaking well into the early hours of the morning.

We had more sex when we woke up. We were recovering from our most recent go of sixty-nining when Ellie mumbled something into my thigh.

"Hmm?"

She shifted off me and turned around, "Time to go..."

I leaned in and licked her nipple. "Oh!" Ellie sunk her fingers in my hair. I pinched her other nipple and entered her. "Oh!" she said again. And again. And again.

"I love making you come," I said, when she came down from her orgasm.

"Lunatic," she whispered.

"If you're saying I'm crazy about you," I kissed her, "Then you'd be one hundred percent correct."

We arrived, late and slightly embarrassed, for brunch at her parents' house. Ellie's family didn't seem to mind. They were all so warm and welcoming it wasn't hard to immediately feel accepted as a part of the family. Her father, Jonathan, was a gregarious man who gave me a huge bear hug when I arrived; "Call me Jon," he boomed. Ellie got her baby blues from him. Everything else she inherited from Celia, her mother, who was taking some croissants out of the oven when we walked into the kitchen.

"Jon, I took these out for you -- you forgot to set the timer again," Celia set the tray on the counter and took a sniff, "Hmmmm, these smell delicious. I knew I married you for a reason!"

Jon blushed at the compliment and it endeared him to me even more.

Celia gestured to the croissants, "Come and get 'em. RJ -- it's so nice to finally meet you!"

I couldn't believe how un-phased the entire family was about me and Ellie being together. Of course, things have changed a lot over the past several years, but it was still notable.

"We basically half-adopted Ian when his family had trouble with him being gay," Ellie explained, "It would be insanity if my parents felt anything other than acceptance in terms of us being together."

I loved spending time with the Calders and being in Ellie's childhood home.

"You must come for Thanksgiving," Celia, said. I think she liked that I was eating their food as if I'd been starving for days before. Which, in all honesty, was kind of true -- I'd been somewhat unsettled with Ellie's absence and more than a little nervous about this trip -- food had not been particularly appealing... and as Ellie anticipated, we'd worked up quite an appetite overnight.

"Aunt Kay would have an absolute cow, it'd be like watching a slasher movie going on in her head!" Josh's eyes were glinting with mischief.

Ellie gave her older brother punch in the shoulder, "Josh, come on!"

"Can't you totally see it?" Josh warmed to his theme, "Bring Ian. You guys can be the rainbow warriors. It'll blow her mind." He made an explosion noise and started laughing again.

"Kay won't be coming this year," Jon Calder said, "She has other plans. RJ, you're more than welcomed to come. Your father, too, if he'd like to join us."

"Wow, thanks for the invitation. I'll talk about it with him." I was stunned by their generosity, and also by the possibility of a Thanksgiving where it wasn't just my father and me. It wasn't that I didn't like Thanksgivings with my dad, it was more the fact that a big family get-together didn't even seem possible six months ago.

"I really like the idea of spending holidays with you," I leaned my head on Ellie's shoulder as we made our way back to the hotel after saying goodbye to the Calders.

"Me too," Ellie put her hand on my thigh, "Do you think your dad would want to come?"

I pulled out my phone and shot him a text. He responded fairly quickly, and urged me to go to Thanksgiving with the Calders, but he himself demurred.

{RJ} ??? I don't want to have Thanksgiving without you!

{Dad} Go. I made other plans that came through recently.

"Huh," I frowned, "Dad's made other plans for turkey day."

I stared at his text, confused, "We always spend Thanksgiving together."

"Maybe he has a hot date!" Ellie wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"Unlikely... but I'll ask him," I tapped out a snarky rejoinder.

{RJ} Hot date?

{Dad} Aren't you supposed to be on a hot date yourself? Stop neglecting your girlfriend.

I showed Ellie his reply. She whistled, "He answered a question with a question. RJ, I think your dad's met someone!"

It took a couple seconds for that idea to sink in... and when it did, it all made sense.

"Sneaky ninja!" I shook my head incredulously, "That's why he's all text-savvy all of a sudden. His new girlfriend's been the one getting him emoji-ed up! I can't believe he's been dating her in secret! Holy shit, they were probably together on New Year's Day! When I called him and he sounded weird. He wasn't going senile. He was... he was probably..."

I looked at Ellie. She nodded as she laughed, "Yeah, probably."

"I can't believe he didn't tell me!"

"Easy there, hotshot..." Ellie squeezed my thigh, "Slow it down. He'll tell you when he's ready... it's gotta be a big deal for him, you know?"

It's a big fricking deal for me, too!

"Come on," Ellie tilted her head and pushed open the car door, "I'll help you take your mind off it."

Oh! I scrambled out of the car and almost forgot to thank the driver. Ellie started to walk into the hotel lobby and her body was detonating mini-pheromone bombs with every step. I caught up with her at the elevators and pulled her into a tight embrace, "You need to WARN me before you strut around like that. It makes it really difficult for me not do something completely inappropriate."

She chuckled, "Whatever do you mean, RJ?"

The elevator doors opened, and we tumbled in, "I mean, Lauren Elizabeth Calder, when you walk around like that, it makes me want to pick you up, caveman-like, and take you to bed."

She turned to me with a sexy grin and casually draped her arms over my shoulders, "If you ever show up in nothing but a loin cloth, I'd open my legs for you -- I wouldn't care where we were or who we're with."

-pulse- Holy shit I love this woman. I think I made a sound that was a mix of a cough and a sputter. It was a miracle that we didn't give hotel security an eyeful in that elevator; when we got to the eleventh floor, Ellie's eyes were a stormy blue... and all I could think was I can't believe this is real... and where does one procure a loincloth in Chicago? We had barely crossed the threshold of the room before she slammed me against the wall and clamped her lips over mine. Holy shit I love this woman.