Back Where It Began

Preface

Breakups are always the worse. Has there ever been a good breakup Sylvia Taylor asked herself. Six years, she had spent six years with this man and to find out the last three of that he had been seeing someone else. That was half of their relationship. They had been living together for the last four of those six years. Looking back, maybe she should have seen the signs. But she had built her retail business from the ground up and now at thirty-one she owned four locations throughout central Florida. She had been too busy to see that he was cheating. When she started the business, he was her biggest supporter. He always pushed her to be successful. Now all she could think about is never to let anyone back into that space of her heart. If she didn’t let anyone in, they couldn’t break it, not even her high school crush Wes Hamilton.

Wes Hamilton set in his office staring out the window waiting for his foreman to come in for their morning meeting. He had spent four years building his construction business. When he stepped out and quit his nine to five job to chase his dream, his wife had left him for a doctor. She had always seemed to be more into the money he was making than him and their marriage, but he never knew how much until she had to change her spending habits until the business was turning a profit. She left a bad taste in his mouth for relationships. He didn’t mind the occasional dating, hanging out and having sex, but commitment, especially marriage was out of the question. So, when Sylvia Taylor, an old high school friend had hit him up on Facebook about his motorcycle, he immediately had asked her to come down sometime, and they could hang out and ride. He knew the high school crush he had on her was long gone by now. Back in the 1990s there was still an uncertainty of whether someone would even be interested in an interracial relationship. When he realized she was one of the women that saw love for love, she was already dating someone else. He never had the chance to tell her how he felt about her so a no feelings attached; occasional hook up would be perfect since they had already discussed that neither of them was looking for a relationship.

Chapter 1

Sylvia and Wes Hamilton had gotten back in contact a month ago, April 20th, on Facebook. They had been friends in high school, but had lost contact through the years. She remembered having the biggest crush on him. They have been friends on Facebook now for years. But one day Wes had posted a photo of his Suzuki Hayabusa about a month after she had sold her Honda CBR RR 600, and she commented about the bike. From there it went to casual talks on Messenger until they had finally exchanged phone numbers and started occasional text messages. He finally asked her to come back to their hometown for a visit, so they could go for a ride. Of course, she said yes!

The following week she called him to let him know that she would be heading down on Friday. She had cleared her work schedule for that afternoon. He suggested that she come straight to his house, and they could have dinner.

When she got done with all of her work Friday, she packed up her BMW and headed southeast to her hometown of Vero Beach, Florida. It was a beautiful spring day. She texted Wes to let him know that she was on the road and would see him soon. She was excited and looking forward to catching up with an old friend and riding again.

As she got closer to the coast of Florida, she felt like she could smell the salt air coming off the Atlantic Ocean. She knew she was still too far away to smell it, but she always got so happy to come home to the beach. She liked living in Orlando, but there was no place like home, and she missed the beach.

As she pulled into Wes’s driveway, she never thought for a million years how much her life would change. They had been sending messages back and forth for a few weeks just catching up, but when she parked the car, the butterflies started in her stomach almost made her throw up. I can’t believe I am sitting in the driveway of the man I spent so many memories with in high school. With the man I had wanted so much more than to just be his friend and never had the nerve to tell him. I was scared I would loose his friendship if he hadn’t felt the same. Now I am sitting here thirteen years later fixing to hang out again.

She looked at the clock and it was about 5 p.m. She had left her home office around 3:30 p.m. He said he would be home around 5 p.m. and that he would throw some hamburgers on the grill for dinner for them. She hoped she wasn’t getting here before he got home. She should have left a little later to make sure he would be home before she got here, but the excitement had kicked in, and she was ready to go. The great thing about being the owner was she worked from home most of the time, and had managers who ran the day-to-day operations at the stores. She did all the purchasing of the inventory from home and would go out to each of the stores at least once a week to drop in unannounced to check on things. This made traveling easy because she didn’t have to be at the stores at all.

Wes was handsome and built like a model with a personality that lit up a room!! But friends they were, and friends was all she could see them being. Orlando was about an hour and a half away. There she owned four boutiques and had no intentions of moving back to her small beach community hometown where it was hard to find a good-paying job. There was no way they could be more than friends because of that, she thought. An hour and a half may not seem far, but when you think about the issue that she had trusting men right now, any amount of distance would not work. She had to keep any thoughts other than that one out of her mind.

She got out the car and walked up to the front door where he immediately met her. One look at that handsome man with a body built like a football player, abs that you could see through his t-shirt and looked like they went on for days, and she could barely control herself.

Wes took one look at this gorgeous blue-eyed, blond-haired woman with a tan that he would bet had no tan lines, and a body that would make any man stop and admire, and he remembered all the reasons he had a crush on her in high school. They exchanged a hug and said hello before he led her into the house.

They set in his living room talking for hours. They had spent countless hours on the phone catching up and just getting to know each other all over again, but it was as if they hadn’t touched the surface. They had not seen each other or spoken in thirteen years since they had graduated from high school until about four weeks ago. They laughed, watched TV, and really enjoyed the conversations. They had briefly talked on the phone about their failed relationships and being business owners. Tonight, however, they went into depth conversations about those relationships. How they had failed and their feelings about them. She felt so bad for him. She lost a long-lasting boyfriend. He had lost his marriage. She thought about Bryan and even though all of her long hours had eventually pushed him away, he had been so supportive in the beginning which had given her the push and encouragement she had needed to start her own business. But as for Wes, his ex-wife had just up and left when he started his business, giving him no support at all just grieve and headaches. She knew that if that had been her as his wife, she would have supported, encouraged, and even helped him obtain his goals and dreams. She had even told him as much.

Five hours later she got up to head to her parent’s house where she would be spending the weekend. He walked her out to the car.

“I really enjoyed the time spent catching up tonight,” Sylvia said.

“I really enjoyed it too. I am glad you were able to make the trip home. I will see you in the morning around 10:00 a.m., sound good?” Wes replied.

“That sounds great. I can’t wait for our ride! And of course, spending the day with you!” she laughed.

Wes laughed and said, “Well I am glad I come in at least second to my motorcycle!”

They both laughed hysterically now. She proceeded to get into her car, and he leaned in and gave her a hug and gently kissed her cheek.

When she had gotten to her parent’s house, she took a shower and laid down for the night. She tossed and turned for hours before finally falling asleep. She had really enjoyed the time spent just talking. It amazed her that they had so much in common, how easily they had clicked and the comfortable way they were with each other. But what she really couldn’t get out of her mind was the smell of his cologne, the sound of his voice, the touch of his hands and that soft gentle kiss on the cheek.

She woke up that Saturday morning and even though she had not gotten a lot of sleep, she felt so energized and ready for the day. She ate breakfast with her parents, and then set outside on the porch taking in the salt air and beautiful sunny day. The sunny days in her hometown just seemed so much more relaxing and beautiful than the ones in the city. She tried to just relax and clear her mind, but all she really wanted to do was jump up and drive to his house. It was still too early to go. They had agreed on her arriving at 10 a.m. and it was only 8:30 a.m. He lived about twenty minutes from her parents, so she left and headed to his house at 9:35 a.m.

Pulling up into his driveway today was a different feeling than the day before. The butterflies were gone. She wasn’t nervous to spend time with him anymore because the day before it had felt so natural to be with him. She walked up to the door and knocked. As soon as he opened the door she smiled and hoped he didn’t see the glow that she knew she had. If anyone had ever asked her if she believed in love at first site, she would have told them no. She still wouldn’t say that she actually did, but she was definitely feeling something. She was surprised to see a big smile on his face as well when he opened the door.

They both said hello and gave each other a hug. He planted another soft gentle kiss on her cheek. Why did that make her feel like she would melt, she thought.

“How did you sleep last night?” Wes asked her when they set down on the couch.

“I slept fine. It took me a while to fall asleep though,” Sylvia replied, “How about you?”

Wes replied, “I slept like a log! I figured we could take the bike and drive down the coast for the day, grab lunch and then head back here throw something on the grill for dinner and relax. Does that sound good to you?”

“That sounds great to me. I am excited to ride and spend the day with you.” After she said that she thought about how it may sound. She was hoping he didn’t catch it the way she said it. Even though she meant it that way, she didn’t want to express it that way to him. She had meant to say something more like, spending the day with an old friend or hanging out. Maybe he would catch it that way since they used to spend a lot of time together senior year.

“Okay the let’s get the bike out of the garage, grab our gear and get on the road,” Wes replied. She couldn’t tell by his facial expression how he had taken her comment, good or bad he didn’t let on at all.

He backed the bike out of the garage, and she grabbed the helmets. They put on their helmets and jumped on the bike and headed south. She missed riding so much. She had to buy another bike soon. The force of the wind, the power under her, it was all a thrill to her, the faster the better. It took all of two minutes of those thoughts for her mind to catch up with what her body was feeling. As she set with her arms around him, all she could feel were the hard muscles under his shirt. Man, what a six-pack! Her legs close to his could feel the muscles in his thighs. Everything female organ in her body was on alert thinking of what it would feel like to be all wrapped up around him, under him, and on top of him. Oh my God! She needed to stop having these thoughts and get back to enjoying the ride. As soon as she said ride, her body went right back to thinking about riding him and not the bike. But she knew she had to get it together and pay attention to the bike ride. The more they were both paying attention and being in sync the safer they would be.

Wes was glad she was behind him and not sitting in front of him. He could feel himself rising. From the moment she walked up on the porch this morning all he wanted was to do was wrap himself all around her. The way she smiled alone lit a fire in his bones. The sweet smell of her skin when he hugged her took his body into overdrive. And right now, with her body wrapped around him on the bike, he almost couldn’t control himself. He wanted to pull over somewhere off the highway and lean her over the seat of the motorcycle. He had to stop thinking like this. He knew that’s not what she came for, and she wasn’t looking for it either. At least not now.

Chapter 2

As they left his house and crossed over the bridge headed towards A1A, she remembered how much she loved and missed home. Vero Beach had changed some through the years, but it still had the small coastal town feel. There was a time when everyone knew everyone, but today it was a place where the tourist would come and crowd the beaches during the summer. You could tell that there were a lot of tourist that never left and ended up moving here and/or were retiring here.

They rode through town and headed south. Because it was such a small town, they wanted to get a longer ride in for the day. It was right at two hours from Vero Beach to Ft. Lauderdale. That’s where the destination would end. They had decided last night to head there and grab a late lunch, head out to the beach to catch the sunset coming across the ocean, and then head back to his house, and he would put some steaks on the grill, and she would cook some homemade macaroni and cheese, asparagus and dinner rolls.

The ride was so peaceful. She loved it. The wind, the thrill, the excitement, all of it. She knew it was time to really look at buying a new bike. She should have waited to sell hers after she bought a new one. But it sold so fast once she listed it that she didn’t have the chance. As they continued to make their way to Ft. Lauderdale her mind would go back and forth between thinking of this hunk of a man in front of her, to trying to think about anything else but him! She swore her hands even had a mind of their own a few times. She had caught herself rubbing up and down on his abs several times, but he never seemed to mind. Man, you could feel every ridge of every muscle. She could only imagine what he looked like without a shirt on and how she would love to run her tongue over all six of them.

They finally got to Ft. Lauderdale and stopped at a Caribbean restaurant, Jerk Machine Downtown Ft. Lauderdale, for lunch. Another one of her favorite things. She could already taste the curry goat, rice n peas, steamed cabbage, and plantains as they parked the motorcycle.

As they got off the bike, Wes asked her did she enjoy the ride. She replied, “It was great. Very peaceful and right on time. Just what I needed.”

“Great, I’m glad I could oblige!” he said with a laugh. She loved his laugh. It was one that even if you couldn’t see his face, you knew that he was smiling ear to ear. They walked in and got a table. As soon as the waitress got to the table, they ordered their drinks and food. They were so hungry at this point and both knew what they wanted.

“When you drive down the coast, do you stop here often?” she asked.

“It is one of my favorite spots, so I do tend to stop here a lot. How did you guess that?” he replied.

“Well,” she said, “the waitress seemed to know you, but looked scared to say anything because you were not alone.” she laughed.

“Ha, Ha, Ha,” he fakes a laugh, “I think I have had her before.”

“Oh, so now I really understand. I was thinking maybe she had a little crush, but you’ve had her before!” She is dying laughing now.

Laughing he replied, “Now that is a good one. You really out did yourself on that comment!”

They both just set back and laughed at this point. They continued with some small talk while they ate. Then got back on the bike and heading back towards the beach from downtown. They parked, got off the bike and headed towards the water. She missed the ocean living so far inland. But she promised herself that she was going to move back to the beach one day. She hadn’t decided exactly where yet though. She was thinking the move would be around this area or Miami. Miami would give her the big city life and the beach life she loved. It would be the best of both worlds. This area had the beach, and she would only be about forty-five minutes from Miami and the cost of living would be a little cheaper.

Once they got to the edge of the water, she took off her sneakers and socks and put her feet in the water. I guess the expression on her face was priceless because he just smiled this sweet, understanding smile.

“You really do miss the ocean. Will you ever move back home?” he asked as he took off his shoes and socks to join her.

She replied, “I don’t think so. It would have to be something serious going on for me to move back. I like the hustle and bustle of the big city. I am not too far away that I can’t come home to see my parents, but far enough to be in the city life. I do want to move back to the beach though. I have been thinking somewhere down here like Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. I do know that I want my next store will be located down here.”

“What would you consider something ‘serious’ for you to move back home?” he asked.

“Well since my sister is still living in Vero Beach, I am not concerned about my parents needing me when they are older, even though I would come home from time to time to help out. I guess it would have to be a significant relationship, probably marriage. Either with someone who already lived there, and the easiest sacrifice would be for me to move home than for him to move where I am, or for neither of us to be from there and decided we could work or retire there. It is one good thing about the business I own. I can work it from anywhere and when I need to show up at a store, I can just show up,” she replied. I probably said too much in that response, but that’s how I have felt since I moved away.

“Very interesting mindset.” That was all he said.

They continued to walk down the beach and as the sun started to set, he grabbed her hand. They eventually stopped walking and faced the ocean. It was a beautiful and romantic sight to see. But all she could think about was why he had grabbed her hand. She was completely caught off guard by it. However, it felt so natural.

They stood and watched the sunset for a few minutes before he gently guided her back towards the bike. They washed their feet off at the outdoor shower, got back on the bike, and headed back to his house to cook dinner.

Once back at his house, he put the bike back in the garage, and she had carried their jackets and helmets. He then went out back to fire up the grill while she made herself at home and went into the kitchen. The conversation over dinner was just more about their businesses. What their goals were and how they planned to both grow them. There was one thing that she not only found interesting, but very exciting and intriguing was one of his hobbies. He raced motorcycles! When she had her bike she would love to ride out to the track and watch the races. She hadn’t been in a while. She missed going and would have to start going again. It was one of her favorite pass times. However, he didn’t race just at the track, he raced on the street too. Now she had never seen that first hand. Only on the internet or in the movies. That would be an experience she would love to see. She told him the next time he raced, whether at the track or on the street to let her know ahead of time that she would love to come watch. He said that he hasn’t been able to race the last few months because of his work schedule, but he was hoping to be able to go again soon and would let her know.

He walked her to the car after dinner. They stood outside for a few minutes as she expressed how much she really appreciated everything this weekend. She would head back home in the morning to get ready for the week ahead. He agreed that the time spent was great and that he hoped they could do it again sometime and keep in touch. He opened her car door, gave her another gentle kiss on the cheek. The problem was, his brain was giving her a gentle kiss, while his mind and body wanted to just pick her up and lay her across the hood of her car. He wondered what it would take to get them past the friend zone, to the friends with benefits zone. But he knew tonight was not the night to talk about that. He didn’t want to ruin the last 48 hours they had spent bonding.

As she got back in the car and headed back to her parents’ house for the night, she thought about how she wanted him to really kiss her, not just a kiss on the cheek. Her body had started aching for it. At the same time, her mind was telling her that it was a very bad idea. Or was it really a bad idea? Could they just hang out and have an intimate relationship too? Guess only time would tell. Right now, she couldn’t even have imagined before today that they would have even spent such a great time together.

Chapter 3

It was Monday morning and he was back to reality. Wes set in his office making the schedule for the rest of the week. He was running two different job sites right now. He had one crew doing a small renovation to a local restaurant and the other crew doing a bigger job building a $550,000 home more inland. What he wanted to stay focused on was bidding on a new city project that was coming up next month. He knew the doors that project would open for his business not just in Vero Beach, but the surrounding areas. However, all he could think about this morning was the weekend with Sylvia. He smiled as he thought of the great conversations and time spent. When his thoughts went from that to the way she felt on the back of his bike or the way she rubbed her hands up and down his stomach and chest on the ride, he felt himself start to rise. Good thing he was sitting behind the desk, he smirked to himself. How was it that she could bring out so many thoughts, feelings, and reactions from him? For instance, he could understand him getting a hard on. She was one beautiful and sexy woman. But what he couldn’t understand is the reaction that caused him to grab her hand at the beach, or the gentle kisses on the cheek or the way his heart started skipping beats when she smiled or laughed. Any other woman and there would have been none of that. The kiss on the cheek would have been aggressive to the mouth, and he would have just picked her up and carried her to the couch or just right outside on the hood of the car. But there was something about her that was different, so different that it made him different.

Monday mornings were spent getting all the sales reports from each of the stores from the weekend, looking at the inventory from each store that needed to be reordered, and any new inventory that she wanted to add. Monday’s and Wednesday’s were always the busiest. She kept telling herself to hire someone to run the payroll on Wednesday’s, but it never seemed like an urgent matter. She had the time to do it herself. I mean outside of her stores; she had no life. Thinking back on the weekend, maybe that would start to change. She and Wes had connected so easily, it was like they were the puzzle pieces in each other’s lives that had been missing that fit so perfectly. The question for her was if she ready to try and put those pieces together. When she thought of him, she could feel herself glowing. It wasn’t just the friendship; it was the chemistry and passion that she felt between them that made her think of what they could be.

Wes continued through his day trying to decide to call her, text her, or should he wait and see if she contacted him. Maybe he should wait a few days before reaching out that way he didn’t seem too interested.

Sylvia finished up her work for the day around 4 p.m. She had not heard from Wes all day. Maybe deep down she wanted him to call, but in reality, she really didn’t expect him to. She knew eventually they would contact each other to keep in touch and it would have nothing to do with anything more than that. She couldn’t even figure out why he was on her mind so much. Why couldn’t she just look at the time spent as two old friends just hanging out and not add any additional feelings to it. She needed to clear her head and get a distraction. One thing about living in Orlando there was always something to do. She decided that Universal Studios would be the distraction tonight. She loved roller coasters and the night-life at Universal’s City Walk. However, she didn’t want to pay to go inside Universal so late in the day. But she would go enjoy the City Walk and have dinner. She figured she would get there and walk around for a few hours before having dinner around 7 p.m.

Wes made it through the day without calling her, but as soon as he left work, he sent her a text message before he could change his mind.

Sylvia received a text message about 4:15 p.m. from Wes. She was just fixing to get into her car and head to the City Walk. When she saw his name pop up on her phone, she lost her breath for a second. She regained it by reminding herself they were just friends. Good afternoon. How are you?

She took a minute to respond to not look as though she was excited to hear from him. Good afternoon. I am great. How about you? Busy day?

Wes really didn’t expect to get a response so quickly. He knew she was a busy woman. Then his phone went off. I am doing good. Yes, it was a typical Monday here. How was your day?

It was good. Like you said a typical Monday. I got a lot done considering all the interruptions throughout the day with minor issues.

That does sound like a busy day! He decided to change the subject and just step out there and see where her head was. Do you have any plans tonight?

I was just getting in my car to head to the City Walk to walk around and decompress for the day. Then decide what restaurant I will grab dinner at. What about you?

I don’t have any plans. But if it’s okay with you, I would love to meet you for dinner. I am on my way to the house now and could be on the road in an hour. What would you say to me meeting you at the City Walk, and we grab dinner together then continue to walk around for a while?

She had to read that text three times before responding. Did he just ask her out on a date on a Monday night where he is going to drive an hour and half to come take her to dinner? He really did. Okay so now the ball is in her court. It was just dinner so why not. That sounds like a nice idea. I would enjoy having dinner with you tonight.

Wes waited what seemed like forever for her to respond. He assumed she was trying to come up with a response that let him down easy. Then her reply came in and he started smiling. She had obviously taken a few minutes to think about it, but her response was yes! Great, I will call you when I get there, and we can decide where to meet.

Okay. I will see you in a few hours.

See you in a few.

Sylvia was glad she never pulled out of the driveway. Now she needed to go back into the house and reevaluate her appearance. What should she wear was the big question now? Shorts, a sundress, jeans, and a blouse, heels, sneakers, sandals, she just didn’t know what to wear tonight. She knew it was going to be casual. What she didn’t know was how casual. Thank goodness she had time to go through multiple options until she found something that she thought was casual and sexy but not too sexy. She chose a nice pair of fitted jeans with a light blue blouse, nothing too over the top, so she could put on a pair of sneakers due to the walking around. She finally got back in her car about 5:30 p.m. still giving her enough time to walk around by herself to hopefully make the butterflies stop.

Wes jumped in the shower, threw on a pair of jeans, a polo shirt, and sneakers, and headed to Orlando at exactly 5:30 p.m. He was looking forward to seeing her. In his head, he couldn’t quite understand why he had wanted to see her so bad. He really wasn’t looking for a relationship. He was on a path that his mind couldn’t stop him from taking. He brushed it off as his second mind was doing all the thinking. But how could it really be his second mind when he knew tonight after dinner he would go back home alone.

At 7 p.m. Sylvia’s phone rang. She already knew it had to be Wes; he would just be getting here unless he ran into traffic. When she answered, he took her breath away when he said hello.

“I just pulled into the parking lot. Are you close to the front entrance so you can meet me there?” he asked.

“Actually I am. I walked back this way a little while ago to be able to meet you at the entrance,” she replied.

“Okay great. I will see you in a few minutes,” he said.

She tried not to pace while waiting for him to show up, but she couldn’t keep still. Finally, she heard him call her name and as she turned to meet his face, she knew she couldn’t stop the way she was glowing. They proceeded to walk towards each other, extended their arms into a hug and of course, he kissed her cheek. She could have melted right there in the middle of the City Walk.

Wes couldn’t help but notice how great she looked in just jeans and a blouse. His thoughts went straight from that to how he wished they could just skip dinner and go straight to her house instead, even if he was starving.

“You look great!” he said as he grabbed her hand as they started walking.

“Thank you. So, do you. Do you have a preference as to what you would like to eat? I’m starving. I skipped lunch!” she replied.

“I don’t, and I am starving too!” he said.

“Then how about we just head over to the Hard Rock Café now and then after we can stop at look at the shops if you like,” she said.

“Sounds great to me,” he replied.

They proceeded to walk around to the Hard Rock Café just doing small talk about how their day went and stores they passed. When they got to the restaurant, they were immediately given a table. They ordered their drinks and looked over the menu.

After dinner, they started walking back to the entrance. They never stopped at any of the stores, just walked hand in hand enjoying the breeze and the stars of the night. When they got back to the entrance, they said their goodbyes so that they could go back to their vehicles. This time there was no kiss on the cheek. She had made up in her mind that she wanted to see what the passion would feel like. She took charge. When he went in to kiss her cheek, she went for his lips. She could feel his shock, but then he took it to the next level and passion emerged, sparks flew, and time stood still. She started by just brushing her lips with his, but passion overtook them both and it was like a simultaneous movement. They both opened their lips, and she could feel his tongue brushed past her lips. It was like he was tasting every bit of her right down to her soul and that’s exactly what she wanted to do to him.

Wes couldn’t believe she took made the first move. Guess he was wrong in his thinking that she only wanted to be friends.

When the kiss finally ended, they stared at each other for a few minutes until he finally said that he needed to get back home. It was 10:30 p.m. now, and he would have to be up in the morning at 4 a.m. They both said how much they enjoyed the evening and that they would talk to each other later.