Cupid (Rocky POV)

"Now I don't need to bother you, but I'm in distress
There's dangerous of losing all of my happiness
But just between the two of us our love is concealed
So help me if you will
So, Cupid draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover's heart, it's for me
Nobody but me
Cupid please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover's heart, for me
Nobody but me"
Cupid Otis Redding Version (I love Amy Winehouse's version too)

"Rocky, you gotta see this!" Brandon called to me from the bathroom of our room at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas.

"Just a minute." I said, returning back to the phone to confirm our reservations. I booked us the romance retreat package. For the price I was paying, I wanted to take full advantage of everything.

I left the modern decorated living room and joined him in the bathroom. Brandon smiled at me through the mirror, pointing at the mini TV screen in the glass.

"That's really what you should be doing in the bathroom mirror: watching TV." I stated, sarcastically.

"It's called multi-tasking. Let me show you." He pulled me into his arms as we both faced the mirror.

He rubbed his fingertips up and down my arms while watching me in the mirror.

"We can watch TV and each other..." he said suggestively, grinning as his eyes met mine in the reflection. I couldn't hold eye contact with him, so I looked away.

"Boy, stop." I said, pulling away. "Save it for later. We have plans right now."

"Alright, fine. I will." Brandon laughed. I smiled too, relieved he didn't pick up on my discomfort. "Are we going to dinner?"

"No, we have massages. If you're hungry, I can change the schedule." I frowned thinking about how crowded it was in the lobby. More than likely we would have to cancel the massage and wait to be seated for dinner. But if that's what Brandon wanted, it could be done. I would just be out of that deal-

"No. Just needed to know if I should get dressed now. I'm down for whatever you have planned bae." Brandon commented, watching me with an inquisitive look.

I gave him the most confident smile.

"Let's go then."

We went down to the spa together. The lady at the front desk gave us a brief tour of the amenities before we separated to different changing rooms to get undressed. I decided to take a quick hot shower to relax my nerves. I needed to. This retreat was to get things right with Brandon. I couldn't do that if I was stressing out about every little thing.

After my shower, I put on the huge, comfortable over-sized robe and joined Brandon in the waiting area. He was sitting on one of their chaise lounge chairs. I eyed the complimentary refreshments and asked Brandon if he wanted anything.

"Whatever you get." He shrugged, looking around the room. I couldn't help smiling at him. It was his first time at a spa. He was acting brand new. It was cute.

I made myself a cup of tea and secured Brandon a cucumber water. I then made us a plate of assorted nuts and fruits before joining him on the chair.

"What all are we doing?" Brandon asked, sipping on the water. He put it down after his first sip.

"Just a massage, nothing too crazy for your first time." I said, teasingly.

"Why pay for something I can get at home for free?" Brandon joked back. "Although, I bet they don't make me massage them back."

"I don't make you-" I started to snap back, but I caught myself.

Brandon just chuckled. "I'm just messing with you."

After we finished our snack, we laid back on the chair, propping our feet on the footrest. I kept checking the clock on the wall. It was 5 minutes passed our appointment time. The silence was maddening. It gave me way too much time to think. That's the opposite of what I wanted. I didn't need to think, reminisce or doubt myself. The weekend was about Brandon and me. That's it...

After another 5 minutes, I sat up.

"Where are you going?" Brandon asked.

"I going see how behind schedule they are." I answered.

"No, don't go off. Just chill, Listen to the mood music." Brandon enticed me to lay back beside him. He wrapped his arms around me and I tried me hardest to calm down. The new age music wasn't helping.

"You're so stiff." Brandon continued. It made me stiffen more. "Is everything ok at work? You've been a more high strung than normal" he smiles.

"No, it's fine. Nothing I can't handle. How bout you?" I asked.

"It's straight. I learned to keep my work stuff separate from my home life. It's just a paycheck."

I forced another smile. "I'll try."

Thankfully, our message therapist came to retrieve us and led us to a couples massage room. We got settled on the tables and got started.

Between the massage, and the lavender aromatherapy, I was able to relax. I almost fell asleep while my masseuse expertly worked the kinks out of my back.

Brandon's voice broke me out of my trance.

"I think you lost your job Rocky." I looked over at him as his masseuse finished.

"That's perfectly fine with me. Now you don't have to be forced to touch me." I said smartly as both masseuses giggled.

When they left the room, Brandon sat up and grabbed his robe. I took my time doing the same. My body felt more relaxed than it has in the last 2 weeks...

I jumped when I felt Brandon fingers caress my back.

"You really don't want me to touch you?" Brandon grinned, halting his movements on my bareback.

"You know I do." I said, quickly, pushing away the memory of rougher, calloused fingers and focusing on his smooth, gentle touch. "But not in here!"

"Never heard of a happy ending?"

"Shoulda asked your masseuse, considering she took my job." I joked, standing up to pull on my robe.

Brandon walked around to face me.

"You know no one is taking your spot." He said, hugging me.

I pressed my mouth against him to hide my shame.

After a trip to the sauna, we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. I took the shower first, banishing him from the bathroom with a glass of champagne and the TV so I could get some privacy. I scrubbed hard, cleaning myself thoroughly even though I knew the reason why I felt so dirty couldn't be washed away...

I let him have the shower next. I was finishing up my make up when I heard the shower stop. I put my hair down, then clipped one side of it back.

I put on a slip dress right before Brandon emerged from the bathroom. He looked devastatingly handsome in a deep navy suit. It fit his body perfectly. I forgot how well he cleaned up in a suit. He had a plain, white t-shirt underneath versus a shirt and tie, but it fit his style. My heart lurched just looking at him.

"Damn, you look sexy." Brandon complimented me, grabbing my hand to give me a twirl. He let out a low whistle as I turned to face him.
"I'm a lucky man." He smiled.

"No, I'm the lucky one." I said, holding him close to me. I inhaled his scent. It was a combination of his body wash and Nautica cologne that made me feel like home. How could I ever let him leave my mind?... I fought back the tears that sprang in my eyes. When it was safe, I let him go.

"Let me put on my shoes and we'll go eat." I said, turning away to put on my heels.

When I had my heels on, we went to the steakhouse in the hotel. We were seated right away. When the waiter came, I immediately ordered red wine and Brandon followed suit. We toasted to each other and I drank the first glass quickly. I sipped on the second glass, feeling more at ease. The wine, plus the atmosphere: the candle light, the romantic music and all the happy couples, finally put me in the right mood.

I was on a date, with Brandon. His brown eyes gazing lovingly into mine were always easy to read. His smile brought nothing but happiness to my life. We had our ups in down, but at the end of the day, I knew he would do anything for me. He centered his life around me. What else could I possibly want?

"Can I sit next to you? You're too far away across the table." Brandon asked.

"You don't even have to ask." I told him. He scooted his chair closer to mine and we ordered dinner. We shared a spinach salad, crab cakes, jumbo fried shrimp and a New York strip.

It was easy to push everything else away. Regardless of anything, I loved him. I focused on that love for him. I fed him, kept constant body contact and kissed him often. It was different from the previous past 2 weeks. I wasn't doing it out of guilt, I did it cause I needed him to know how much I loved him.

We were kissing when the waiter returned, asking if we wanted dessert. I kissed Brandon lightly on the neck as the waiter ran down the dessert menu. I slid my hand over his groin as he listened.

"That sounds good. Can you send it up to our room?" Brandon replied, shortly, handing over his bank card to pay for dinner.

I pulled away. "It was my treat." I protested.

"I got it." Brandon said.

"Very good sir." The waiter said, before leaving us.

"What's gotten into you?" Brandon chuckled, grabbing my hand.

"Nothing yet." I said, nibbling on his ear.

The waiter returned with the check and bank card. Brandon signed for it before we left.

I pulled away from Brandon's embraced when we returned to the room.

"Where are you going?" He groaned.

"Be right back!" I said disappearing into the closet. I pulled out a Nike shoe box.

He laughed when I handed over the gift.

"You didn't." He exclaimed, opening up a pair of Air Jordan 4 “Columbia”. 

"I did. Happy Valentine's Day."

"I can't believe you got them." He said, shaking his head in shook.

He wanted a pair for Christmas. I just couldn't spend more than $200 on a pair of sneakers that people fought for. It was just dumb. I couldn't feed into that culture of trying to own a closet full of Jordan's instead of a home or car. Especially to fatten the wallet of a man who already had millions, but I broke my own rule to make Brandon's day special.

"Thank you Rocky." He said, putting the shoes down. He pulled me in his lap and gave me a kiss.

"You're welcome." I said.

The smile that was forming on my face disappeared when he pulled a small, jewelry box out of his coat pocket.

"Brandon-" I breathed, wiggling out his lap. The ease I had at dinner disappeared too. My heart was thumping out of my chest.

"Be honest if you like it or not." He said, opening the box to reveal little heart shaped earrings. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"They're beautiful." I smiled, taking the box from him. Truthfully, Valentine's Day would be the only time I would be caught in heart shaped earrings. I was so relieved it was just earrings though, I would wear them every day. "Thank you Brandon. I love them."

He looked me in the eye. "Were you expecting something else? Like a ring?..." He smiled

I blanched. "No Brandon!" I blurted out. When the smile faded from his lips, I continued. "I'm happy where we are at, aren't you?"

"Of course. People just assumed after hearing how long we've been together I would be buying a ring. I just wanted to make sure we were still on the same page." Brandon answered, still looking a little shocked.

"We are. No rush." I agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

We heard a knock on the door and Brandon went to open it. Brandon came back in the room, holding a big slice of strawberry cheesecake. He took a forkful after he sat down and fed me a piece.

"Good?" He questioned as I swallowed.

"I've had better. Try some." I replied, kissing him hungrily, sharing the sweet dessert with my lips.

We got undressed and laid back in the bed, sampling the cheesecake off of each other. After the last bite was eaten off my navel, Brandon lifted my hips from the bed and thrust into me. I loved the feel of his strong grip as he held my legs spread apart, his full, soft lips when he leaned forward to latch onto mine and finally the growl that escaped when he came inside me.

I moaned softly as I came too. It was the first time I came in two weeks. I had been faking it for just as long. I closed my eyes to hide my tears. This time, they were tears of relief and joy. I thought I would never have that again with Brandon. It felt incredible.

We ran a bath to clean up together. I leaned against Brandon's chest as we soaked in the hot water.

"I know there's no rush on anything Rocky. Before we weren't on the same page because I was worried about my job. I just wanted you to know I see my future now. With you." Brandon said against my ear.

I nodded, a tear falling from my eye. I made the mistake of letting my past lead me astray. The guilt eating away at me was making me question my feelings. I had to let go of both my past and guilt so I could be the woman Brandon deserved. That's all I needed to focus on: the future. My future was with Brandon. I was never going to let anything mess that up.

I turned to look Brandon in the eye. "I see that too. I love you Brandon. Always."