9. Three Steps to Heaven

9

THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN

LESTER

"Here you go." I hand Daisy her ice cream cone with one scoop of strawberry and one of pistachio.

I should have said no to her invite. I don't know why I didn't. It's inappropriate to meet with students off school grounds.

"Thank you." She accepts it happily, instantly licking it. "Ah, fuck yes. That's the stuff."

She's a sweet girl, very talented, too.

I take a seat beside her on the bench, noticing her perfectly sun-kissed skin with freckles on her nose. A small strand of hair keeps poking into her eye and she continuously blows it away with her pink lips.

She watches the three little dogs run around the field as they play with each other. I notice she's taken off her roller-skates and now only has a pair of socks on as she swings her bare legs back and forth.

I scoop my ice cream up with a spoon and put it into my mouth. "You're right. This is good ice cream."

"Right?" She drags her tongue over her gelato. It's already started to melt, because the bright, hot sun is working quickly. "What flavors did you get?"

"Dark chocolate and rum," I tell her, taking another bite.

"Nice. I've never had the rum flavor before." She looks at me pleadingly, boldness in her eyes. It's in the way her eyebrow arches just the tiniest bit, and how the corner of her lip curls up while she purses them.

"Would you like to try it?" I offer.

She sits up straight, smiling like she's sucked all of the sunshine out of the sky. "Yes, please." She opens her mouth expectantly, and I feed her a spoonful of the rum.

" Hmm ," she hums in pleasure. "That's delicious."

One of the dogs, the little Spaniel, runs up to Daisy and puts a stick before her feet, stealing her attention. She chuckles as she bends forward to pick it up. Pulling her arm up, the muscles in the back of her thighs flex as she throws it. "Go on, fetch!" she yells, her voice a high pitch.

When she sits back down, a large drop of melted gelato drips onto her chest. It leaks between her breasts, and her finger follows the trail to gather it.

I swallow when she looks right at me, putting the finger into her mouth as she licks it clean with a sly smile. "I make such a mess sometimes."

When the little Spaniel with red fur lays the stick at Daisy's feet again, she bends over to pet her on the head. "Good girl, Holly G."

Grabbing the stick, she repeats the exchange, the dog running after it again. In the distance, the other two are still running and playing around as they have the whole gated field for themselves.

"Holly G?" I ask amusedly. "That's her name?"

Daisy laughs. "Oh, don't even get me started. My mother is a lunatic when it comes to dog names." She sits back down and scoots further up, her back against the wooden panels of the bench. She points her finger at the Spaniel. "Her real name is Holly Golightly. You know, from Breakfast at Tiffany's ?"

I take another bite of ice cream to stifle my amusement. "Really? She has a surname?"

"Oh, yes. But I'm just getting started." She nods her head at the other two in the distance. "The white poodle over there is Eliza Doolittle. And the wiener dog is Gaby." When I look at her expectantly, she chuckles and says, " My Fair Lady and Paris When It Sizzles ."

"I seem to notice a pattern here. Audrey Hepburn?" I ask, turning my head in her direction, my elbows resting on the backrest.

"Yep. Then there's Jo, but she's with my mom right now at a book signing. She's very old, so she can barely do anything anymore besides cuddling and sleeping. Then there was Sabrina, Princess Ann, and Nicole Bonnet. And little Susy and Regina. But they all passed away. My mother has a thing for adopting dogs from the pound."

"That's so kind of her. Makes up for the fact that those names are absolutely terrible."

She laughs, exposing a row of straight white teeth, looking away from me into the field.

"Do that again." The words leave my mouth before I can help it.

"What? Laugh?" She lifts an eyebrow and tilts her head, chuckling. "Why?"

"You have vampire canines."

She covers her lips with her hand, stifling another giggle. "I do?"

I finish the last scoop of my ice cream, putting the empty tub next to me on the bench. "Don't cover them. They're adorable."

"Adorable? Pfft." She feigns offence, shaking her head. "I'm anything but . You better watch your back, Professor. I could bite you and drink your blood." Holding up her hands, the cone still in her right one, she leans closer to me to imitate a scary, bloodthirsty monster. " Muahaha ." She clacks her teeth together as she pretends to bite me, the movement causing melted ice cream to drip all over her legs.

I chuckle as she curses and scoops it up with her fingers before licking it off. I hand her a handkerchief from my pocket and she takes it with a smile. When she's busy cleaning her legs, she mumbles, " I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul ."

"Dracula," I immediately remark. "An incredible piece of literature."

"Right? Now every time I read it, I'll think of you telling me I have vampire teeth. That's like the coolest compliment anyone has ever given me." She bites into the cone and chews, watching the dogs. "So what are your plans for this weekend? Doing anything fun?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Just getting some groceries. I was going to do some painting in my home studio after."

"Ooh. The famous Lester Gilbert at work. Exciting." She shoves the last piece of the cone into her mouth, swallowing it down. "Thank you for the ice cream. That was really nice of you. But now you gave me a sugar rush."

"And what's to do about that, Miss Burton?" I inquire, crossing my arms.

Giving me a naughty smirk, she gets up and grabs my hand, pulling me with her. I can do nothing as she takes me further onto the field, snatching a stick off the ground on the way. The dogs run toward us with speed, jumping up Daisy's legs.

She hands me the wooden stick. "You can probably throw better than me. I have the motor skills of a sloth."

I take it from her and the dogs switch their attention to me. Holding it up, I take a few steps backward and twirl it in the air. "Come on," I tell the little balls of fluff.

They bark when they get excited and impatient, and I reach my arm back before I throw it forcefully. It flies through the air and they go after it straight away.

It lands somewhere across the field, and Daisy nods at me with her arms crossed. "Impressive. Wonder what else you're capable of with those hands."

I nearly choke on air, and I try to hide it with a cough, covering my mouth with my fist. Her eyebrows are raised, as if she's challenging me to say something.

It happens quite often, getting flirted on by a female student. But I always shut it down real quick by either telling them to stop or giving them nothing in response until it eventually dies down and they move on to the next crush.

Which is exactly what I should do now.

Eliza is back at my feet and lays the stick expectantly before me, nearly vibrating with energy. I throw it again and they fetch the stick over and over, until all three of them have had a chance to catch it. When they return, Daisy takes a tin out of her jean pocket and shakes it. Dog treats. Without her having to give a command, they all do a cute little twirl in exchange for a treat.

Daisy sinks down onto the grass, and I do the same across from her. "Hey, you fluffy rascals. Aren't you sweet?" I say when the dogs crowd over me.

"They like you. Are you a dog lover?"

I try to give each of them the same amount of attention, petting their heads and backs. "I like dogs. Though I'm more of a cat person."

She gasps, putting her hands to her chest. "Oh, no, Professor Gilbert. We might have a problem here."

I laugh. "You've got a thing for the dramatics, haven't you? Cats are great. Got one myself at home."

"Really?" She scoots closer to me, leaning back on her elbows. "A boy or a girl?"

"A girl. A Norwegian Forest Cat."

Holly snuggles up against Daisy's leg, and she's the first to fall asleep. "What's her name?"

"Luna." My lips curl up when the other two dogs come to lie against me, dozing off all the same.

Daisy suddenly looks up at the sky with a frown. "Did you check the weather forecast today?"

I notice the sun has completely evaporated, in its place dark gray clouds that suck the blue away. Shaking my head, I sit up. "No. I didn't expect to be out for long."

"I think it's going to rain." Right when the words leave her mouth, the first drops start falling. "Ah, crap."

The dogs stir and start making irritated noises when the rain intensifies. She nods at them. "I'm not made of sugar. But they are."

I get up and help Daisy do the same, and when we hear a strike of thunder, we start running across the field.

"They're scared of thunder," she says when they start whining.

"Let's go to my car and I'll take you home." I grab her roller-skates from underneath the bench where she left them, before we leave through the gate. Once we're at my car, she bends over to pick up the dogs, putting them into the backseat one before the other.

The rain is so intense now that it reddens her back when it falls down on her skin. Even through the deluge, I can see the way her jean shorts ride up her ass.

I instantly force my eyes away.

When we're seated in the car, both of us are out of breath. I lean forward and drop the skates at her feet, noticing her white socks are now brown and dirty. We look at each other for just a few seconds before she bursts out laughing, and I instantaneously follow behind.

Her hair is stuck to her cheeks and neck, her mascara running down her face. The small pieces of clothing she wears are completely soaked through, giving me a peek at hardened nipples when I realize she's not wearing a bra.

Trouble. She's trouble .

It's hailing now, big chunks crashing on the windows and the rooftop. "Holy fucking shitballs. Where the hell did that come from? It was so sunny before."

I turn on the radio, and the news lady quickly switches to the local weather forecast, advising everyone to stay inside until the storm clears.

"Where's your parents' house?" I ask, looking at Daisy, who looks like a wet little kitten.

"Across town. Maple Lane. About a twenty-five-minute drive."

"What are you doing all the way here then? You must have been skating for over an hour."

She moves a hand over her wet hair, freeing her face. "We like the exercise. And this park is the best in the city."

I look through the windshield. "It's only getting worse. I don't think it's safe to drive in this storm. I live five minutes away. How about we wait it out there and I'll take you home right after."

"Perfect." I don't miss the twinkle of excitement in her eyes. "Let's go."

And in confirmation of our predicament, another loud burst of thunder crashes through the air, before a strike of lightning follows.