Willfully Blind

CHAPTER 11 Quest and Conquer

Dirk remained in his car parked in the gym parking structure well after his conversation with Courtney trying to decide if Lisa had a legitimate gripe or just overreacting? It's not like she saw him with his tongue down the girl's throat. Although he couldn't argue that if the situation was reversed and he'd seen her hugged up with some other dude, he would have hit the roof.

Since his senior year in college, he had been pretty much latched to Lisa. She had been his number one since then, and he really wasn't trying to lose her, but it was hard for him. He had been through a lot of women and in the process, became addicted to the sport of it. And even when he did try to be good, the ladies just seemed to flock to him. It was like a curse. He didn't want to deny responsibility, but it was what it was. His Uncle Ray, who was only ten years his senior, had a way with the ladies. He conveyed what Dirk would come to realize later as the wrong message when it came down to women: pursue and conquer. For the longest time, he hadn't seen anything wrong with that attitude. He never made promises to the ladies, never committed to them. Just dated them and had fun. As he saw it, they had fun too, so what was the harm?

He had that very same attitude when he met Lisa at a frat party one night. They were juniors at the time, and he noticed her right away. She was petite but had a nice ass, and from her muscled legs and flat stomach, he was pretty sure she worked out. It was an instant turn on. And he could tell her shoulder-length hair wasn't a weave. Another bonus. Her complexion was a little light for his taste, looking like she was only two shades darker than biracial, but she was a ten either way. She came off confident, but friendly and was not at all hard to miss.

He had put on the old charm, and as usual with the ladies, she was responsive, although she later told him that she hadn't noticed him right away. He'd asked her if he could put his number in her phone and she agreed. They went out for coffee and dessert a few nights later. He could tell she was impressed with the dessert idea. From his experience, most women were.

Within a week, she was at his apartment, and he was trying to get into her pants. After disengaging from a long arousing kiss, she stopped him cold, staring at him, astonished.

"What's wrong?" he'd asked, matter-of-factly.

"Dirk, are you trying to sleep with me? Like seriously?" They had been sitting on his futon, watching a movie when he laid his head on her shoulder. It seemed innocent enough, and truth be told, she didn't even oppose their passionate kiss. It was only when his hand, which had been resting on her leg, began slowly moving further up her thigh.

"What's wrong, you ain't feelin' me?" He was sure she was judging from her breathlessness during their kiss.

"That's not the point, boy. I don't even know you. I'm not about to go there with you." Truth be told, Lisa could have totally gone there with him, as wrapped up as she was at that moment.

"I'm not trying to force you, but you did seem into it..."

Lisa calmly stood and excused herself. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she turned on the water and glared at her reflection.

"Pull it together, Lisa," she whispered, trying to contain herself. She felt like Travolta in the Pulp Fiction movie when he stood in Uma Thurman's bathroom mirror, trying to talk himself down.

Although the conversation hadn't gone there, she was still a virgin, and although not committed to waiting for marriage, the idea still loitered in the back of her mind. She hadn't waited all that time to give it up to someone she barely knew.

When she returned from the bathroom, Dirk had turned the television off and lit several candles. There was a lavender aroma encircling the room, her favorite fragrance, adding a romantic atmosphere, to an already vulnerable situation for her. Not wanting to tempt fate, Lisa asked Dirk to take her home.