Taken (Dark Desires 1)

"I didn't say that! He's smokin'. His eyes are blue and his hair is sandy brown and all of his suits are custom fit and let me just say he wears them well."

"Have...you...kissed him yet?" Diamond leaned in closer.

"I'm not telling."

"You're terrible!" she squealed. "I know you did. You can't fool me. Now what about Joshua? How does he fit in with all this?"

Just the mention of his name made my whole body heat up. As much as Marty was a gentleman, Joshua was a firecracker. He was bold and liked to be seen.

"It was his idea that he have his limo pick me up and take me to and from work. What kind of a guy does that, right? And he's very affectionate. He's always rubbing my back or holding my hand or leaning in close to me and whispering something in my ear."

"Now, here is the billion dollar question. Oops. No pun intended!" Diamond laughed out loud at her own horrible pun. "Do you see a future with either one of these guys?"

I sat and thought for a moment.

"I think it is a little too early to tell. Besides, how often do you think these guys go out with women who are picking out china patterns after their first drink together? I don't want to be like that. I just want to be me and if the day comes that that isn't good enough for one or both of them I haven't lost anything."

"So what you’re saying is you aren't getting too involved." Diamond asked.

"The truth is I'm afraid to. I don't know, Di. Like I said, maybe I'm just not cut out for this kind of lifestyle."

"Well, my advice would be to date them both. Men do it all the time, rich ones and poor ones. You aren't married, you can have as many boyfriends as you like. You're beautiful, smart, and hilarious to talk to. They should be ready and willing to spend every dime they have to keep you. In fact," Diamond tossed back the last gulp of her second martini. "They should be willing to show you how much they care by giving your best friend a stack of bills and a ride in the limo."

She waved over the waiter indicating two more martinis.

We continued our girl’s night out ordering some potato skins and fried zucchini. By the time I left and hailed myself a cab I was buzzing just a bit. I couldn't tell Diamond all about Joshua. Not yet. My gut was telling me that being with him was just a lust thing.

He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. When he looked at me it was like there was something slowly smoldering behind that blue and he smiled all the time making his eyes squinty in the corners. It was obvious he worked out. I felt the muscles in his arms and the flat surface of his chest the first time I met him when he whisked me into his car. I don't know if he intentionally did that, letting a little bit of his ego show, or if he was just trying to keep me dry underneath the umbrella.

When Mrs. Ogawa called and told me I was hired I immediately called Joshua to tell him and thank him.

"So, as I see it you owe me diner." He said over the phone, his deep voice making my knees melt.

"I'd like to but I haven't gotten paid yet. You may have to wait about two weeks before I can afford a fancy meal from McDonald's." I teased.

"Then I guess I'll just have to pay for everything until then. Have you eaten already?"

"No." I looked in the mirror and thought I looked a fright.

"Great. I'll pick you up in half an hour and we'll go celebrate."

"You know, I'm not dressed very fancy so can we keep it on the simple side?"

"Natasha, you're going to learn I don't keep anything on the simple side."

That was it. End of discussion. He was on his was to pick me up so I threw on a simple dress, put my hair in a ponytail, added some red lips and that was all she wrote.

When he showed up he had a bucket of fried chicken, a bottle of Cristal, two straws and a big blanket. Driving for about thirty minutes out of the city we pulled into a beautiful park in a lazy suburb called Manooka.

"Is this simple enough for you?"

"It's perfect." I said, feeling my cheeks flash red as he looked at me. After he laid down the blanket, he took me by the hand, pulled me close to him and kissed me. I wasn't sure if it was the quiet of being away from the city or the unconventional gesture of laying out a picnic for me but I kissed him back with everything I had.

Maybe it was because I hadn't been kissed like that in a very long time. Who am I trying to fool? So things progressed and we made love there, on the soft picnic basket as our food got cold and the Cristal got warm. I was sure I had blown any chance I could have had with him. No guy wants to spend too much time and energy on a girl that puts out so quickly. But I felt better than I had in a long time.

If I never saw him again that was okay because I had a new job and the pay was better and there would be other men and other picnics and maybe no limos or Cristal but that wouldn't be the end of the world.

You can imagine my surprise when he called me the very next night. I tried to play it cool, like "oh, hey, hi, uh, what's your name again?" But when he told me he had a little time before work to visit I found myself saying sure come on over.