Willfully Blind

CHAPTER 5 Hot and Bothered

Hours later, Dirk and Lisa ended up being the only guests left. Lisa, having walked Tangie and her husband Jamie out, rejoined Dirk outside on the deck. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see it was nearing 9 o'clock, probably about time they hit the road, too. Just steps before reaching her chair, Dirk grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap, surprising Lisa since he rarely showed her affection in public. Courtney and Daryn appeared shortly thereafter and started clearing dishes from the table.

"Hey, you need a hand, Court?" Dirk asked, stroking Lisa's back. She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his neck.

Courtney shot Dirk a snarky glare.

"Oh, no you've done so much already. We'll take it from here."

"Courtney," Daryn chimed in. "Be nice to Dirk. Looks like he's stepping his game up. I see you with your PDA, Dirk. There's hope for you yet," Daryn said, offering him a wink.

"Thank you, Daryn. Finally, somebody willing to acknowledge a brother's efforts!"

Lisa laughed, thinking maybe Daryn wasn't so bad after all, although not completely convinced.

Courtney and Daryn headed into the house, picking up a few straggling empty soda cans, along the way. Moments later, Dirk noticed them through the kitchen window, embracing.

Sitting there with her head on Dirk's shoulder, Lisa closed her eyes, surprised to discover she could still smell remnants of his soap.

"Hey, you wanna do something adventurous?" Dirk whispered.

"Hmm..." Lisa responded faintly; eyes still closed.

"Let's sneak off for a quickie," he whispered into her ear. Lisa slowly pivoted around to face Dirk. She stared at him for a moment studying his facial expression. She did not get the sense he was joking.

"Are you serious?" She asked anyway, waiting for him to break out into laughter.

"Yeah, girl! Spice things up a little bit. You down?"

"Hell no!" Lisa said, lunging from his lap. "I should have known you were up to something when you sat me on your lap and started being all affectionate. Wow. You are something else, Dirk Gleason. You don't think any more of me than that?" Standing over Dirk, eyes blinking rapidly, she was trying her best to keep her hurt feelings in check. After a few glasses of wine, she was feeling a little emotional, and with his suggestion, for some reason, she was ready to cry.

"Why are you being such a prude, Lisa? It was just a suggestion. It would be exciting, but I mean, if you ain't with it, just say so. No big deal."

"But why would you even suggest that Dirk? Exciting or not, what would give you the impression I would ever go for engaging in that kind of kinky behavior at our friend's house?"

"Ah, yeah, if I'm not mistaken, you engaged in that kind of behavior when we were in college. That night at the frat house when we snuck off into the bathroom during the party...or have you wiped that from your memory?"

"That one time, Dirk? Really?" she asked, voice raised.

"Shhh!" He placed his finger to his lips, looking past Lisa in the direction of the kitchen, seeing neither host in sight. Furious, Lisa continued in a loud hushed tone.

"The only reason I was even in the bathroom that night was because you convinced me to play that stupid drinking game." She pointed at Dirk as he sat there with a smirk on his face as though he'd proven her wrong and had every right to make his kinky suggestion.

"Me going into a bathroom because I was on the verge of throwing up didn't equate to me wanting to engage in some sexual escapade. You knew what you were doing and probably just took advantage of my condition."

"Come on, Lisa, really? We had been dating for close to a year when that happened. You're trying to make it sound like I all but date raped you. I think you may be experiencing a little lapse in memory, but yeah you were into it just like I was." Yeah, he was smug, but why wouldn't he be. She was always trying to make him into the bad guy. Not this time, though. She was taking responsibility for her part in this one.

"Well, I don't want it now and really can't imagine wanting it like that ever again. I guess you don't remember how embarrassed I was when we came out of the bathroom and everyone was standing around smiling. It was a month before I felt comfortable enough to go back over there. But you don't remember that, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Lisa picked up a half platter of now listless grilled vegetables from a nearby table and headed towards the house. She met Courtney just as she reached the patio door.

"Here, give me that." Courtney exchanged Lisa's platter for a bottle of beer.

"That's Dirk's. And don't worry about cleaning up, Lisa. Just pass that beer to Dirk and go relax. You're our guest, so no more cleaning. Seriously."

"Okay, but we're actually getting ready to head home, Courtney," she said, glancing over at Dirk, who was now leaned way back in the patio chair. Flapping his legs back and forth, his face was buried in his cell phone.

"Aww, man...you gotta let my boy finish his beer. I already opened it for him, and Daryn's was just saying she had about a third of a bottle of Cabernet left she was hoping you'd help her finish..."

Lisa thought about it, looking for a quick excuse. Other than telling him what his crazy friend had suggested, nothing came to mind.

"Okay, I guess since you already opened it," she said, yielding. "We'll hang out for a little while longer. I'm gonna have to pass on the wine, though. I think I have officially defaulted to designated driver."

Ten minutes later, they were in the sitting room reminiscing about their childhoods. It was a light, fun conversation and got Lisa's mind off her exchange with Dirk. Daryn even mentioned how much she enjoyed Lisa's wine selection and planned to put it into her own rotation. As soon as Dirk finished his beer, as if he read her mind, he sprang to his feet like he had all the energy in the world.

"Well, guys, we're gonna get outta here." Dirk met Courtney's hand with his own. "Dee as always, you guys did a bang-up job. Thanks for hosting us."

"Yeah, thanks, guys. We really enjoyed everything," Lisa parroted, taking the keys out of Dirk's hand.

The ride home was quiet, particularly with Dirk reclining his seat back and dozing off seconds after they pulled out of the driveway. When they arrived at the condo, Lisa had to shake him awake.

"That was quick." Dirk adjusted his seat back to an upright position. When Lisa didn't respond, he turned to her, stretching and letting out a loud yawn.

"Lisa...I know you're not still mad about that silly suggestion? I mean, come on. I was wrong because I wanted you right then?" Dirk asked, unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over. Lisa glanced at him for a moment then turn back around, looking straight ahead. Feeling a bit chilly, she tensed her shoulders and slid her hands between her thighs.

"Is it a bad thing that I wanted you to know you still turn me on after all these years?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Dirk. I just don't —"

"Stop looking at everything so negatively, girl. You gotta make a better effort to stay positive, baby. You know I love you, and I just thought it would be fun. That's it. Okay?" Dirk reached over and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Placing his index finger under her chin, he turned Lisa's face towards him and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Okay?" he asked again. Lisa nodded, bringing her hand to his face. And just like that, she was over it, dismissing it as her own overreaction, as she knew she had a tendency to do. And that night when they made love, she thought of his earlier words and realized it did, in fact, feel good to be desired, particularly by the man she loved.