Where Would I Be Without You by CJ Hawk Page A

thought what the hell, it was only a number.
    I looked over at the clock, and the night was young, numbers were numbers, and I knew more about him than most men that I slept with, not to mention; he knew just as much about me.  I let the one-word roll off my lips that gave him the go-ahead sign, and things were going to progress from there; I was sure of it.  "Yes!"
    As soon as our lips met again, clothes flew to the side of us, skin was being touched and not much else was said verbally, yet all the physical parts were spot on.  It was as if we were made for each other, knew what each one liked and responded accordingly to each other.  Within the hour, we laid next to each other, somehow in his bed, not quite remembering how we got there, breathing hard with two naked bodies lying next to each other and only thing touching were hands.
    I spoke up first.  "Wow."  Because that was how I felt.  Not to compare to other men, but I did.  Mason had me figured out, or maybe, he just knew how to please me so well that I didn't think it got any better than it did.
    "Wow is one word to describe it all .  You are fantastic."  Then he rolled to his side and propped himself up as he lowered his lips down to mine and kissed me.  I felt his hand wander over parts of my body briefly, and then he pulled back while looking into my eyes.  "You ok?  You know.  That we didn't wait."
    "I'm good.  I didn't know if I could hold out much longer.  I think if we had tried, we might have exploded."  I laughed.
    " I was waiting out of respect.  I respect you Amber.  You're fantastic."  He kissed me again and then rolled off to the side of me.  Just hearing him say that ballooned my heart ten times, even though, deep down, a small part of me worried that since we didn't wait, he might have lost respect and find ways to think twice about what we were building.
    That thinking, that once Mason and I had made love that he would just want to dump me and move on was lingering in my brain every second now. He must have sensed something as his words and actions of encouragement of there being an us carried on through the rest of the evening. Later that night, he walked me to my apartment, kissed me good night in a way that told me this did not end here tonight.
    W hen I got home on Thursday from work, after worrying because I had not heard from him all day, I was greeted with a very stinky and slimy looking super in a work flannel shirt, work pants and rubber boots.  He was holding a mop and bucket.  The first words out of his mouth brought relief to my ears even though they shouldn't have.
    "I had to deal with a backed-up sewer issue down in my apartment building.  Cracked sewer pipe.  Stuff no man wants to see, smell or clean up.  I have been dealing with a plumbing contractor all day.  I was just coming to this building to get another mop and bucket, when I thought maybe you might be home and want to know why I have not texted back all day.  It's been a real crapper today, literally."
    I tried not to laugh as I pinched my nose, but I did.  I finally got out the words when the sorrowful look on his face told me he needed a little TLC.  "I'll make you dinner.  You go finish up and by all means wash up, and I'll be here waiting."
    He started to reach in to kiss me, but I took a few steps back, opened my eyes to huge round circles and almost screamed out.  "No sir ree buddy.  You stink.  Hurry up.  Wash up!  And I'll be here."  As soon as he took the step back out of my doorway into the hall, I quickly slammed the door shut before he answered.  Whatever he had been cleaning all day obviously got on his work boots and the smell soaked into his clothes, because he stank.  I heard him yell behind the door.  "Thanks love.  See you in a bit."
    Thanks love.  See you in a bit.  Those few words, especially the first two replayed in my head several times while I danced around the kitchen pulling a dinner together.  I opened a