The Chemist

Chapter 21

April 21st, 10:00 p.m. The Upper West Side, New York City

Trailing at a safe distance, Danny followed Kate through the darkened and now silent park, the only sounds the din of traffic from the West Side Highway. She'd walked about a mile before resting at a deserted playground called the DinosaurPark, surrounded by a wrought iron fence. She was keeping company with a swing set and the faux dinosaurs, Triceratops and Hadrosaur, standing up on its hind legs. Though officially closed after sunset, the entrance gate had been left unlocked, so she walked inside and sat on one of the benches.

He waited a good fifteen minutes before walking inside. When he approached her bench, she said, "Just leave me alone. Please."

"It's just a hand, Kate," Danny said as he reached out to her. He held his ground. He knew she was frustrated with life and people and all the baggage they carry with them. "Just give people a chance. Give me a chance."

Before his eyes, Ms. Hyde, for the second time today, transformed back to Dr. Jekyll. He sat down beside her, but looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

"Those things I said...I couldn't control myself," she said, apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. You need more time."

He half expected her to tell him to go to hell, but knew she had nowhere to go after having ransacked her own apartment. He thought it prudent to take the leap. "You are welcome to crash at my place. Then we'll figure out what you should do in the morning." Treading lightly, he said, "There's a sofa."

She didn't have the strength to protest. Without a word, she accepted the offer with a slight nod. He saw her shiver as a nighttime wind kicked up from the Hudson River. She wrapped herself in her own arms, recoiling into a ball of tension.

Danny's apartment—the one Kate was supposed to see on West 71st Street and Broadway—was set up by the Agency. He thought they had gone a tad overboard. Sure, it was a nice sized loft with brand new, modern conveniences typical of a bachelor's apartment...for someone who worked on Wall Street. There was a wide screen television, a bar, Frank Sinatra's arrest photo accusing him of 'Seduction'. It even had the most up to date kitchen appliances. Worst of all, the place was too darned clean for a bachelor.

When Danny turned on the soft glow of the back lighting, Kate's blue eyes widened at the sight. She immediately challenged him. "Wow. All this on a personal trainer's salary?"

He wanted to take a match to the Berber carpet but he kept in character. "You already know what I do."

"People think I could do it too, but I'll always be a purchaser."

"When I started, it was good. It paid for my college tuition. It paid for this place and I'm not ashamed of that. But once I got hooked on my own product, I had to get out. Now I just deal on the side."

"I'd met people who put themselves through school like that," she said. "But I didn't need to do it. Mom paid for everything. Besides, how many women you know of who deal?" she asked, thinking of her last conversation with Jen.

Danny shrugged. "Good for you. For me, it got pretty dark for a while. It took everything I had to fight the addiction. I don't want to see that happen to you, either. You're brilliant and passionate about what you do." When he looked at her in the soft but direct light, the straight light, hair line, her cheekbones and fair skin reminded him of Kelly. He paused. The sudden thought that this had to be more than a reclamation project entered his mind.

"When you collapsed on that dance floor, it made me think about what I'd never had to face—that the drugs I supplied killed many of my buyers. I'd only heard about it through second- and third-hand knowledge, so it was easy to shrug it off. But you..." A warm rush swelled from his chest.

"I can handle it. Really," she said, resisting his offer.

"I think you want to stop, but can't do it on your own. No one in your life is there to support you."

"But you can't even know how hard it is for me," she said. "The things I've had to deal with in my life."

Yes, I do, Kate. There was a moment when he thought she may come clean about her project, but it passed. Her eyes glistened as he said, "It's not too late. I'm here for you and willing to help." He moved closer and spoke soft and low. "Just try to say the words, 'I ...need ...help. I...need...help.'"

"Please stop. I can't do this right now."

He leaned in, ever so close, when he saw her will to resist was slipping.

"I'm going through hell at work right now. You can't even imagine," she said, trying to hold onto the defiance within her.

Danny leaned in just a little more. "Believe in yourself. Whatever it is, there's a way out. You don't have to be afraid anymore, Kate." His own inhibitions started to evaporate.

"I'm not," she answered, her eyes saying otherwise. She tried to look away. "No. Please. I'm not for you. I'm damaged. Can't you see that?"

"The words," Danny repeated in a whisper.

Kate shut her eyes and nodded repeatedly. He felt the barrier between crumble. She said, "I need help! Oh God, I need help! Please help me, Eric." Tears crawled down her cheeks.

"You deserve to be loved and you are capable of loving." His face was inches away from hers.

"But, I...d-don't...know h-how to d-do that!" She started to hyperventilate.

"I think you do," he whispered. He raised both his hands up to her face, gently removing her glasses as if he thought her body would break apart at the slightest touch. "You don't need to hide anymore." Her warm tears dampened his fingertips as they caressed her left cheek. He brought his lips a hair's breadth from hers.

She whispered, "I didn't want to feel...but I do." The connection was now complete. "Oh God," she moaned.

Their lips connected, two warm souls joining as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her against him. His hard length pressed against her, as his body weight pinned her against the wall. His hands stroked her hair as they kissed. Her chignon unraveled, along with any last trace of inhibitions. He knew at that instant he was hooked.

He carried her to the bedroom and drove her onto the bed. He undid the button on her slacks and pulled them down with her panties so he could stroke her thighs. Then he leaned forward to bury his mouth in forbidden territory. Her undulating moans became short staccato howls, her arms reaching up and around, digging her nails into his shoulders.

He reached behind her, unhooking her bra with his left hand as the fingers of his right hand made back and forth movements over her left nipple. She slid her own hands down his body and let him enter her. All too quickly her inner pulsations overtook him. This was not supposed to happen.

Danny's heart pounded with a sensation of floating in space. There was no up, no down; no right, no left. Finally he understood why he was drawn to Kate. I don't want to hurt her. I want to save her, he marveled, his body continuing to rock in and out of her. Without warning, he reached climax. , Kate moaned in crisp, repeated bursts, holding him tighter as she quivered in his arms. They were chest to chest, laughing.

As she lay on top of him, he kissed the back of her neck. She purred, then drifted off to sleep. He lay there, caressing her body, wanting to fall asleep yet hypnotized by her comforting warmth. He found his thoughts swirling in haphazard directions. The groundswell of passion had bubbled over within him, but there would be a cost. No, just stick to the plan. Focus on what you have to do, he told himself. He'd done this all before, when it had been part of his job.

But she is...

Rolling onto his back, Danny stared at the recessed light fixture. He knew the choice he just made would make his job that much harder, if not impossible.

Copyright © 2016 by Alan Field. All Rights Reserved.