Red Ribbon, Part 3
This is one of the first things I wrote, and my lack of skill is apparent. From the over-done storyline to the awkward an amateurish writing this is so bad it’s entertaining.
Copyright (c) Lila Dubois 2007. This is unedited, and I am an infamously bad self-editor, so read at your own risk.
***
“Lizabeth? Lizabeth Brown?”
The deep rumbling voice triggered the memory for her. “Marcus Palmer?”
With a few long strides the big bruiser was at her side, his arms coming around her in a rib crunching hug. On instinct Liz’s arms went up around his shoulders returning the fierce hug. It was not the greeting a mature woman would give to an old acquaintance but the hug of a twenty year old college student to a good friend. With a final squeeze Marcus held her at arms length, his big hands spanning and cupping her waist.
“Lizzy, wow, how are you?”
“Mark, it’s been so long. I’m fine, how are you?”
“I’m good, I’m good, thanks.”
Mark held her back from him and his eyes made a slow easy sweep over her, from the crown of her glossy straight blond hair over her torso hugged by the ribbed sweater and down the lean length of her leg emphasized by the tailored slacks she wore. With a smile Liz returned the favor. His dark hair was worn longer than she remembered, curling against the nape of his neck, the sides pulled back behind his ears. It should have looked boyish but instead he looked like a warrior of old. The breadth of his shoulders tapering to a nice waist, not too lean, emphasized the impression. His pants were tight around his thighs showing the barest outline of the muscles and hard flesh.
Liz could see appreciation reflected in his eyes. She found nothing offensive in his examination, indeed it was merely an acknowledgement of her beauty and she had returned the favor. They had given each other similar perusals while in college. They had met in class, each from very different parts of their university community; she an involved student leader and crusader, he the star wide receiver of their national championship football team.
When they had known each other back then they had both been in other relationships. Only with their frank appraisal of one another had they acknowledged that if the situation were different they might have been able to be with one another. It was because they had both been committed to other people that their friendship had grown so strong without the overlying need to posture and pose. It had been a strange friendship but a good one.
Mark let his gaze sweep over the stunning woman before him one more time. She had changed from the sweatshirt and jeans clad co-ed he had known into a polished and professional woman. They had parted ways after college, both knowing when they said goodbye the last time that theirs was a friendship that would not survive their adult lives. She had gone on to corporate America and he to the boy’s club of professional football. There had been some regret for the friendship lost but both had appreciated the time spent together enough to celebrate it for having existed rather than morn its passing.
Suddenly Mark remembered where he was, and more importantly he remembered what was going on in the community center. A slow grin curled the corners of his mouth revealing his strong white teeth. For a moment Liz looked uncomfortable. She turned her head slightly to one side as if embarrassed, her feet shifting against the pavement of the parking lot, but as Mark watched she straightened her shoulders and turned to look at him with the fire of defiance in her eyes. Her look said that she would not be afraid or ashamed for having been found here. Indeed, Liz raised one eyebrow and tilted her head giving him a questioning look, her posture inquire as to what he was doing here. Then it was his turn to feel slightly uncomfortable at having been caught out.
“Well this is certainly an interesting situation,” Liz said.
“Yea well, I guess you could say that. But I would have said fucking embarrassing instead of interesting.”
Liz laughed, her head falling back, exposing the long smooth line of her throat. The slow burn that had started in Mark’s belly when he first saw the stunning woman walking towards him burned a little bit hotter.
“So, I figure there are three things we can do,” Liz chuckled. “One –we can walk away and pretend this never happened. Two –we can exchange business cards, renew our friendship by e-mail and just pretend that we didn’t meet each other here. Three –we can go and get a cup of coffee and catch up.”
“I say number three, there’s a good place down the street or we can head back into downtown.”
“Let’s go to that place on the corner of third and Fairfax. You remember it?”
“Yeah, I remember; we used to go there to study. You always drank diet cokes, when did you grow up and start drinking coffee?”
“As soon as I realized how much more caffeine there was in a cup of coffee than a diet Coke, however there are times at night when I crave that sweet fake sugar taste.”
Mark chuckled appreciatively. Lifting his hands from where they still gripped her waist he looked around for her car. “Do you want to follow me or do you want to drive with me?”
“I’ll follow you.”
Liz headed towards her black SLR, hips swaying. Mark watched her walk away, his eyes tracing the outline of her tight ass through her pants.
Now that was one fine looking sassy woman, he though. Too damn bad she’s a Dom.
