Where Would I Be Without You - By CJ Hawk Page 0,4

night. The brightly lit candles, thirty of them, didn't bother me. The snarky comment from my mother when I asked for three pieces didn't bother me. The birthday cards with gift cards were nice, except when I opened my mother's card, the gift card was for half of what she gave my sister for her birthday. A nice penmanship comment of 'get yourself something nice to wear' tore at me for a second then I tried to take it in a positive way. Because that is what this heavenly cake did for me. It made me forget all the rest of the bad things that happened before tonight and the crazy things my family said and did after.

I was not only having my cake and eating it too; I was taking the left over's home to wallow in my tears with for many lonely nights to come. Because tonight may have come to a crappy ending, but I had my cake, and I was not going to be left out in the cold for very long. In a few days, I will be officially thirty, and I am going to make my mark in this world.

Chapter Two

Nothing like a glimpse of a man with broad naked shoulders, naked six-pack of abs, naked chiseled backside and did I mention NAKED - to make a girl's tears just disappear. That naked I am referring to is my new neighbor who just moved in across the alley. Directly, across from my living room window seat was the window of my neighbor's bedroom. I have not met him yet, but I fully intend to. Then a thought struck me quickly. Not even twenty-four hours from my last disaster of a boyfriend, and here I go again. 'Not so fast you horny slut. Why don't you take a break from all the male testosterone drama and explore what else is out there, like volunteering?' That was my good girl conscious talking, and she was a party pooper on more than one occasion; that comes from a strict Catholic upbringing and a mother who raised me to think that I was not out being all that I could be.

However, as I had watched him strip down to nothing, without a single cover on his window, right in front of me, obvious that I was not even there as I stood half-hidden by the corner ledge of my large apartment window. I debated the fact that my bad girl side held a lot more power over my good girl conscious. My bad girl side nudged me hard and shouted. 'Now you need to get your hands on that. Don't be shy girl. You're a catch. Doesn't he look positively sinful? More sinful than your birthday cake? "My birthday cake. Shit!" I had left it in the taxicab that drove me home. However, all that didn't seem to matter as I let drool drip down off my lip, while my mouth sat open, and I stared like laser beams at my naked neighbor's body. Examining every fine sculpted inch of his body.

While I sat down on my window ledge, meant as a window seat, I watched his every move. I would not be a normal healthy female if I didn't. Then he left his bedroom, walking in the direction of a small bathroom window directly next to his large uncovered bedroom window. It began to steam and that got me thinking. So, I sat there still as could be, thinking any minute now he will be stepping out of that hot steamy shower, hopefully naked again, back into his bedroom with water droplets trickling down his finely sculpted body. I was hoping he hadn't unpacked any towels yet and would walk completely naked to his room.

Five minutes had passed, and I was beginning to feel an ache in my lower back, along with the fact that my butt had fallen asleep. In the two years that I had lived in this apartment, I had never once put a cushion on this window seat let alone pillows. No reason to. I used it as a coffee table or junk collector. Now, with my new neighbor and his ability to put on a free erotic show, I will be putting not only a plush bench pillow but also several throw pillows. I might even pick up a book and pretend to read while precariously facing my neighbor's bedroom window. Perhaps, right about the time he needs to either, dress or