The Heart of the Forest

He'd been lost in his break-up with Emma for so long. It was quite possible that he'd seen this beautiful woman at the park and never noticed her.

A thin man in a black suit and horn-rimmed glasses waved a hand in his face. "Bro! Can I get a drink?"

"Sure, sure," Carlos said. "What'll you have?"

"Not for me," the man said. "I want to buy a shot of Patron for that girl over there, the sexy one in the bag. Will you tell her it's from me?"

"Ah. Sure." Carlos took the man's money. He had a few other orders to fulfill, but couldn't resist the excuse to speak to the woman again. He poured the shot and carried it over to her.

She turned to smile at him as he approached. He set down the shot. "This is from that fellow over there," he said, flicking his head towards the man in the suit. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man waving.

The woman looked over at the man in the black suit. She seemed confused, but nodded in his direction. Then she picked up the shot and quickly drank it. "Oh!" she said, licking her lips. "That wasn't water!"

"Tequila," Carlos said. "Careful... it can hit you hard. Maybe you should sip it next time."

She nodded quickly, but seemed to shrug off the effects of the alcohol. She also ignored the man who had provided the shot. Instead, she inclined her head towards the young couple she'd been talking to, a stylishly dressed man and woman in their mid-thirties. "These two have said they will teach me that game in the back, the one played with sticks... Would you like to play, Carlos? You know how to play that game, don't you?"

Carlos peered over her shoulder, at the two pool tables that filled the back of the bar. He met the woman's eyes, noting the eagerness in them. "Sorry..." he said. "We're too busy tonight. I can't leave the bar."

"Oh..." Her smile faded, then crept back. "Maybe later? If it's less busy?" Hopeful.

"Sure." She was such a strange woman. "Hey... what's your name anyway?"

She peeked at him through her eyelashes, then whispered something that reminded him of the wind stirring a grassy field.

"Did you say... Enesha?" he asked.

"Enesha..." She spoke the name as if tasting it. "Yes. That's fine. I am Enesha." She stood with the well-dressed couple and followed them toward the pool tables, her hips swaying in that sinuous way. Carlos let his eyes drop, admiring the way the plastic clung to her backside. He couldn't have imagined before that moment that a woman could look so good in a trash bag.

"Enesha," he murmured to himself while he filled a line of glass mugs with beer from the taps. "Enesha. Strange name for a strange girl." Maybe an Eastern European name. Thin and tall as she was, with her pale skin and dark hair, he thought she could be from one of those Eastern Europe countries. Romania, or Hungary maybe. Although, she didn't seem to have an accent.

As he fell back into the rhythm of his work, taking orders, pouring drinks, making change, he frequently glanced toward the pool tables. The tables were occupied, so Enesha stood and watched a couple games before she had a chance to play. Carlos wasn't surprised to see Mr. Black Suit leave his barstool and drift towards the pool tables. When Carlos looked in that direction again, Enesha was playing against the well-dressed couple with Mr. Black Suit as her teammate. Enesha received plenty of advice from the others as she leaned down to take her first shot, but when she finally took the shot, the ball went straight and true, knocking a ball into the pocket.

Enesha laughed. She noticed Carlos looking her way, and waved at him. He flashed her a quick smile and turned back to his work, puzzled. Why was she so interested in him anyway? He would swear he'd never met her before. She knew his name, but didn't seem surprised that he had to ask for hers.

Too bad the bar was so busy. He couldn't help but feel like Mr. Black Suit was in his spot, that he should be the one over there shooting pool with Enesha. He was losing his opportunity to learn more about her. Now Mr. Black Suit would get close to her, probably buy her a few more shots, probably leave with her soon after that.

Carlos knew Elena would kill him if he left Fernando to tend the bar alone. Not tonight, not on Valentine's Day, with the drink orders already backed up. Carlos mixed a long island ice tea for a woman at the window table who had ordered it fifteen minutes before. Fifteen minutes was a long time to wait for a drink; no one was complaining yet, but they would soon.

Maybe Elena would understand, this time? She was always encouraging Carlos to move past Emma. Maybe she'd be okay with him letting things go this time around, when it meant he was spending time with someone new? Maybe it was okay for a few people to complain about bad service, when it meant he got to spend time with a beautiful woman who seemed to be flirting with him?

Carlos glanced at the pool tables again, just in time to see Enesha leaning over the pool table to take a shot, and behind her, Mr. Black Suit, hiking up the back of the trash bag and groping her ass. Enesha's eyes widened in surprise, and her shot missed badly. She whirled to face Mr. Black Suit, who tugged the bottom of the trash bag up above her waist. Carlos could see that he had guessed right, she wasn't wearing panties, and Mr. Black Suit was exposing her to the bar. Mr. Black Suit put his hand between her legs, greedily digging his fingers into her. Enesha inhaled sharply, her fingers tightening around the pool cue.

Carlos found himself moving before he knew it, flying around the edge of the bar in the direction of the pool tables. He caught Mr. Black Suit from behind, pulling the man's arm up behind his back. "Hey!" he barked. "None of that here!" Mr. Black Suit yelped with pain as Carlos propelled him towards the exit, flinging him out into the cold. The man's horn-rimmed glasses fell off and skittered into the gutter.

"Take it easy!" the man snarled. "What's the problem anyway?"

"Get lost!" Carlos yelled. "Learn how to keep your hands off the ladies!"

"She's the one with no panties..." the man muttered, but he had no fight in him, didn't even want to look Carlos in the eye. He turned and stalked angrily away.

Elena appeared. "What happened?"

"You got some clothes in the back, don't you? Workout clothes?"

"Yes... why?"

"For the girl in the trash bag."

Elena nodded. "Check the filing cabinet."

Carlos returned to Enesha. She looked embarrassed, smoothing out the bottom of the trash bag, trying to stretch it longer.

"I'm sorry..." she said.

"Not your fault. But you need to put on something more substantial if you want to stay here. Do you have any other clothes? I have some you can borrow if you need them."

"I don't have anything..."

"Come on, then." Carlos took her hand and pulled her towards the back room.

After the noise of the bar, the back room seemed very quiet. Carlos went to a cabinet and opened drawers, looking for Elena's extra clothes. "I'm sorry," Enesha said again, wrapping her arms around herself. "I haven't been touched like that in a while... I didn't expect how it would feel..."

"You don't have to apologize," Carlos said. "That guy was a creep."

Enesha shook her head. "Don't blame him. I think he couldn't help it. They say it's my nature. He created us to taunt you, you know."

"Who did? That creepy guy?"

"No. Pan."

"Pan? You mean Peter Pan?"

She started to giggle as if he'd said the funniest thing. Carlos felt himself smiling, although he didn't quite understand the joke. He opened the bottom drawer. "Ah, here we go." He found the clothes in a gym bag, tucked behind some books. A gray sweatshirt, a pair of baggy sweatpants. He pulled them out.

Enesha nodded, and to his shock, immediately took hold of the bottom of the trash bag and pulled the whole thing up and over her head. She stood naked in front of him, gazing at him as if nothing was unusual.

"Um..." He knew he should give her the clothes he had bundled in his hands, but for a moment, he was too stunned by the sight of her nudity. His eyes drifted down her body, tracing the shape of her breasts. So firm, yet so yielding...

Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to put his hands on them, to squeeze them, to pinch her nipples between his fingers. How amazing they must feel, so soft, so warm. He wanted to put his mouth on them, to suck her nipples between his teeth, to taste her.

He blinked, surprised by the sudden surge of lust. He forced his eyes back up to her face, embarrassed. She was watching him intently, breathing deeply through her mouth, her breasts rising and falling with each breath. Her hands trembled at her sides.

He realized with astonishment that she wanted him to touch her. She wanted him to!

Carlos felt his arms rising, reaching for her. He looked down at her breasts again, letting his gaze drop lower, over her flat stomach...

That was when he had his second shock. His desire vanished instantly. "Where did you get that tattoo?" he rasped.

Enesha looked down at herself. She traced the heart with her finger. "Do you know these letters?"

"CH and EG. Carlos Hernandez. Those are my initials. Emma Gregg. My ex-girlfriend. You have our initials tattooed on you."

"You carved them on a tree..."

"That's right. A tree in a special place, up above Levy Park. You saw it there?" Carlos stared at her. "You had it tattooed on you?"

Enesha looked down. She suddenly seemed sad. "I saw you there, with her. I could tell that you loved her..."

"I did. But we broke up. She left me for another guy. You saw us? I don't remember ever seeing you."

"You didn't see me. But I saw you."

"When?"

"Many times."

Carlos didn't know what to make of this. He held out the bundle of clothes. "Here. Put these on."

She accepted the clothes and dressed quickly. He turned away, his thoughts whirling with confusion. When he looked back, she was covered, yet somehow the baggy clothes seemed tight on her, clinging to her curves in a way that was still profoundly sexy.

"I don't understand," he said. "Why would you get someone else's initials tattooed on you? I didn't see any other tattoos on you. Why would you pick that one?" His eyes widened suddenly. "Wait! Were you the one that cut down the tree? The tree with the initials on it?"

Enesha smiled. "No. No one cut down that tree."

"I was up there this morning! The tree was gone!"

She shook her head, her eyes twinkling. "The next time you go up there, the tree will be there. I promise."

Somehow, the certainty in her voice made him doubt what he had seen earlier in the day. "It's still there?"

"You'll see!" She took his hand, tugging him towards the door.

He let himself be pulled along, thoroughly confused. "Enesha... who ARE you?"

She just laughed. Her laugh sounded like the wind.

***

At 11 PM, the crowd in the bar finally began to dissipate, and shortly after 11:30, Elena saw the first empty table since the Valentine's Day rush started. Her feet hurt, her back hurt, but she'd made a good amount on tips and the time had passed quickly. A few disgruntled customers, but mostly the crowd had behaved itself, even though Elena freely admitted the service had been terrible.

Carlos sat in the back by the pool tables, as he had for the last couple hours, talking with the pretty Trash Bag Girl. He had abandoned bartending shortly after "Trash Bag Girl" became "Sweatshirt Girl", and he and the girl had been together since then, playing pool, chatting, flirting. Elena had considered going over and reminding him how overwhelmed they were, but instead she went behind the bar and tried her best to cover his workload. It was Valentine's Day, and it was good to see her brother showing a spark of happiness again.

At one point, she intentionally drifted near them to eavesdrop on their conversation. She overheard Carlos enthusiastically talking about a hiking trail in the forest that led to a waterfall. Elena rolled her eyes. "Better take this one to a different place than you took the last one, hermano..." she said to herself as she walked away. "Don't need another damn Emma..."

***

Carlos pulled up to the entrance to Levy Park. It was after 2 AM, and of course the park was closed. The gate to the parking lot was shut and latched with a chain and padlock. Carlos parked on the side of the road just outside the gate. He opened his car door and stepped out into the chill air.

"It's a little cold. You sure you don't want my coat?" he asked Enesha.

"I'm fine," she said. "I don't mind the cold."

They walked through the darkness into the empty park. The moon hovered just above the mountains, bathing the grass and trees in a dim glow. Enesha held his hand. Her hand seemed very warm.

He had supplied her with a pair of oversized boots from the bar's lost-and-found box, but when he looked down at her feet, he was surprised to see she had shed the boots in the car and now walked on the grass barefooted. He started to open his mouth to ask again if she felt cold, but before he could, she stepped in close to him and kissed him. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin as their bodies met. He pressed his hands against the small of her back, then slid them down into her sweatpants, gently squeezing her ass, pulling her against him.

She seemed content to kiss him again and again. He broke away, murmuring, "It's been a while since I've done this."

"Me, too," she said as she continued to dot kisses on his jaw.

"Look... my place is a mess, but it's cozy... do you want to go there...?"

"I want to be here," she said. "In the forest."

"Will you take my coat, then? I'm worried you're going to freeze."

He could see her smile in the moonlight. "Okay."

Carlos started to remove his coat. To his surprise, Enesha also began to remove her clothing, shrugging her way out of the sweatshirt, wiggling out of the sweatpants, until she stood naked in the night air. She exchanged the workout clothes for his coat, which she slipped on but left unbuttoned.

He didn't know what to say. Obviously, he had failed in his attempt to make her warmer, but she looked incredibly sexy dressed only in his long black coat. He reached for her, letting his hands rest on her breasts, squeezing them. He couldn't deny that she felt warm to the touch, and although her nipples were stiff against his palms, he suspected it was as much from arousal as the cold.

She was very responsive to his touch. She moaned as he caressed her breasts, rubbing her body against him, kissing him hungrily. Her nipples were very sensitive, and she gasped when he lightly pinched them. He dared to slide his hand between her legs, finding her very wet, and she moaned again as he pushed a finger inside her.

"Not here," she breathed, even as she moved her hips back and forth on his intruding finger.

"Where?"

"You know where."

They found the trail at the back of the park. Carlos led the way but Enesha followed the path without hesitation, despite the darkness and her bare feet. Carlos wondered how much time she spent in the forest. She walked without making a sound, slipping through the weeds and shrubs without rustling them, somehow avoiding the sticks that seemed to crack under Carlos shoes with every other step he took. A night bird burst out of a nearby tree with a loud whistle, startling Carlos, but Enesha just laughed merrily.

She acts like she belongs here, he thought. A creature of the forest.

The trail turned, and now Carlos could see the flat boulder, the secret place where he and Emma often came to be alone. He saw what he had seen before, in the dawn of the previous morning.

"See?" he said. "It's gone. The tree with the heart on it is gone."

Enesha laughed. She caught his shoulder, moving in close to him, pressing her body against his. "Shush..." she whispered huskily. "This night, you are mine, not hers." She pressed her mouth against his. Below, he could feel her hands undoing his belt.

She undressed him slowly, carefully removing his clothing one item at a time, draping them on the boulder. She removed his shirt, his shoes. When she pulled down his pants, his erection sprang free, and she took a moment to wrap her hand around it, stroking it gently. His pants and boxers went on the boulder, as well as the sweatshirt and sweatpants he had been holding. He shivered in the cold, but she brought him to the boulder and pushed him down onto the layer of clothes, leaning over him, finally straddling him. She lay on top of him, and the heat of her body banished the cold from his skin. The coat lay on top of both of them like a blanket.

Enesha reached down between their bodies, finding his erect penis and guiding it into her wetness. She closed her eyes as he entered her, a wistful smile twitching her lips as he filled her. Slowly, she began to move back and forth on top of him. He slipped his hands under the coat onto her back and slid them up and down, loving the feel of her naked skin.

She began to kiss him, pressing her soft lips against his face. Her long hair fell around him as she made slow love to him. He reveled in the light feel of her on top of him, the warmth of her body, the sweet smell of her that reminded him of sandalwood. He closed his eyes to slivers, leaving them open just enough that he could see her face, watching the way her lips quivered each time she pushed down onto him.

He let her set the rhythm of their sex, and she never went fast, pushing down on him slowly each stroke as if savoring the feel of him entering her. He thought he was close to climaxing several times, but each time she slowed, letting his penis throb inside her. The pleasure grew so intense that he clutched at her back, his fingertips digging into her.

Suddenly, she cried out, and her body trembled on top of him, no longer moving slow but instead grinding against him fiercely. He used her orgasm to bring his own climax, feeling himself finally fall over that edge. His penis burst inside her, flooding her.

Afterwards, she nestled on top of him with her eyes closed, breathing contentedly.. Her weight didn't bother him at all. Her body warmed him better than any blanket. He put his arms around her and drifted to sleep.

***

When he woke, the sky was just starting to slow a hint of light. He could hear birds whistling from the branches around him. 5 AM maybe. He sat up, blinking at his surroundings. He was still naked, lying under his coat on the flat boulder. He was alone.

"Enesha?" he called, but he could see no sign of her. He got to his feet, feeling the bite of the cold morning air. Swiftly, he pulled on his pants and shirt, then wrapped himself in the jacket.

What had he expected anyway? She was a strange woman. She had appeared in his life so suddenly. Didn't it make sense that she would leave just as suddenly?

He looked around again for some clue that would explain her disappearance, or show in which direction she had departed. Or, for that matter, some clue that she had existed at all. His coat was still there, as well as the sweatshirt and sweatpants. That meant that when she left, she left naked.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the tree.

It was still there after all, leaning crookedly over the boulder. The heart still carved on the trunk. CH + EG. Exactly like it had always been.

Why had he thought it was missing?

He must have been confused. Looked in the wrong place. Strange. But it had been a strange Valentine's Day in a lot of ways. Carlos pulled on his shoes. He sat on the boulder, waiting in case Enesha returned, watching the sky grow steadily lighter until finally the sun rose over the horizon. At that point, he accepted that she wasn't going to reappear. He started back down the trail to the park.