Chapter 3
The woman was on my mind from the moment she left. Brenda was all I could think about, and I was starting to wonder if this is what Linc had felt. He hadn’t met Sky at a bar, but he’d told me that he knew as soon as he met her that she was the one.
I didn’t believe in all that, but I did believe that Brenda had done something to me. The problem was, I didn’t know anything about her besides her first name. She could have come from anywhere, and since I still didn’t remember who Marla was, there was no way for me to track her down.
I spent another week halfheartedly fucking around, but the girls at the bar couldn’t even come close to what I needed. I needed Brenda and the way she made me feel. It wasn’t fair that I got to feel that way one time, have the best sex of my life, and then never be able to see her again. I decided that I was going to find her. I just wasn’t sure how.
It finally hit me the next day. While I didn’t know much about Brenda, I remembered that she had paid for a couple of drinks with a credit card. I just had to find the receipt and then I could find her. As soon as I thought of it, I knew that was the way to go.
The owner wasn’t too excited about letting me go through the credit card receipts from a week ago, but when I offered to work the night for free, he found it in his heart to let me. Bruce didn’t believe in love, and he told me more than once that I was making a huge mistake. Maybe that was true, but I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t try. I would always wonder what could have happened with Brenda, and I didn’t want to feel that way. If she turned me down, then I could at least move on somehow.
“There you are. Brenda Warren.”
Now I just had to find out where she lived. I called the credit card company and told them that she’d left her phone in the bar and I needed her address so I could mail it to her. It turned out that she was from way the hell over in Rochester, New York. It was a long trip, but what else did I have to do? I knew that Brenda was the one for me. All I had to do was find her. I had it all mapped out in my head. I wasn’t sure if it would go according to plan, but I was hopeful.
***
I talked to Linc before I left, and even he told me I was crazy. I tried to say that it was his idea, but he wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t say that I’m the reason you’re going to New York to find some woman. I didn’t tell you to do that.”
“No, but you found Sky, and now I want a woman like that for me. Brenda is my Sky. I think I love her.”
“You lust her, Rico. This is a long trip for a girl that you met in a bar.”
I ignored his comments, because I was still going to go. It was all I could think about, and I knew that as soon as I got to Rochester, Brenda would see how right we were for each other. She would be happy I’d found her. I didn’t like to think about the fact that she actually knew where I was if she wanted to get in touch. Was I the only one who thought our night of passion was the best ever? I didn’t know for sure, but I knew that it was up to me to find out. I had to find out one way or the other. I was never going to sleep again until I did.
***
The plane ride was one of the longest of my life. I didn’t like to fly as a rule, but knowing that I was going to see Brenda made it worthwhile. Having no idea what was going to happen next made it terrifying. I wanted to see her, but there was a fear, a real fear, that she was going to think I was crazy for being here.
I pushed all the doubts from my mind and thought about what Linc had said. “When you see her, you’ll know, Rico.” He’d wished me luck, and now I needed it. All I had to go on was her name and address – and the memory of the best fuck I’d ever had.
The doubts continued as I got into the taxi and gave the driver the address I’d written down on a piece of paper. It seemed weird that the next few minutes were going to determine the course of my life. It was even stranger that I felt this way. I hadn’t felt this way ever before. Before I’d worried about how many women I could get. Now I finally believed the quality over quantity thing. It had nothing to do with looks; they were all beautiful. It had to do with the feelings and the draw that couldn’t be seen.
The taxi stopped in front of a row of townhouses and I asked the driver if this was the place. When he told me it was, I paid him and resisted the urge to have him wait. I didn’t want there to be a witness to this, because I had no idea what the outcome would be as I walked up to the door that had my future behind it.
My hand went up, but I couldn’t push it to knock. I heard the taxi leaving behind me and knew that I was finally on my own. I couldn’t breathe, but I was going to make this work somehow. I just had to keep it together for a little while longer.
The door opened before I could muster up the courage to knock on it. My hand jerked back when a man opened the door. It was all for nothing. Right then I knew that this was her man, her husband, and I’d come all this way to make a fool of myself.
“Can I help you?”
The tall blond man didn’t seem to be upset, but I was.
“I’m looking for Katie Marie?”
He got a confused look on his face and shrugged his shoulders, telling me that he’d never heard of her. I thanked him and started to walk away. The last thing I wanted to do was have Brenda see me here, like this. She was going to think I was some pathetic chump.
“Rico?”
It was her voice, my Brenda, and I couldn’t keep walking. I had to see her one last time. That’s what I told myself. Just one more time.
“What are you doing here?”
The man was standing there looking puzzled. She pushed him back. “Go, Aaron, this is important.”
Aaron gave me a dirty look, but he backed off. I didn’t know who he was, but I was happy she’d told him to piss off. It was exactly what I wanted to tell him too.
“I’m here to see you, but I think it was a mistake. I had a little time off and figured Rochester was as good a place as any to visit.”
It sounded lame to my own ears, and she smiled at me.
“Why are you really here?”
“Who is Aaron?”
“My brother, why? He was just over to fix my sink. So, why are you really here?”
I was feeling more relaxed by the minute. That unseen pull that we had before was still there. For some reason I’d been afraid that it would be gone.
“Turns out no one in Denver fucks like you.”
Her smile got bigger and her bright blue eyes sparkled. “Is that so?”
I nodded and moved to kiss her. It was all I’d thought about for weeks, and it was better than I remembered. The need for her was so immediate and swift that it took my breath away. I had to have her, right now.
She seemed to feel the same way, because she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house. “Aaron, why don’t you go get us some lunch at Charley’s?”
He had a question on his lips, but he bit it off. “Sure, Sis. Does your friend want anything?”
I answered for her. “No, I’ve got everything I need right here.”
~The End~