Ora's Story - Unbridled Desire

It seems only chapter 5 of Ora's story is up here, so I'll post chapters 1 through 8:

Chapter 1:


"I have to stop doing this to myself." Benji thought as he sat alone in his dark, empty apartment.

The light from his computer screen seemed to be the only comfort Benji had in this moment of solitude and depression. He was isolated. Even though he was $100,000 richer, had a new car, a possible contract with Celine Dion and had job offers pouring in by the busload, it all seemed so empty to him. All he really wanted was someone to share it all with. All he really wanted was her.

Benji sighed. He hated when he got like this. This was the side of himself that only came out in those private moments of solice. Those times when all you have are your thoughts to keep you company. All his thoughts of late were of her. The Foxy Cleopatra to his Austin Powers, the Jenny to his Forrest, the woman he loved so intensely that it hurt him just thinking about it.

"You know what? I'm not going to let this bother me anymore. I'm going to go online, check on my Myspace and put all these negative thoughts behind me", Benji said outloud as if there was someone there to hear him.

It was all the same.
"New Comments!"
"New Messages!"
"New Friend Requests!"
"New Birthdays!"
He wondered why if there were so many new things in his life why it felt as if he was in a constant state of deja vu. He decided that he was going to visit Donyelle's Myspace and see if she had updated it yet. He always had this nagging feeling that it was Tahir, not Donyelle, who ran that Myspace, but he figured that he would still get to see her overall beauty that had pierced his heart, if only for an instance.

"Nope, still nothing." he said disapointedly as he continued to scroll through her page.

Benji scrolled down the page until he stopped abruptly at her Top 12.

"4th? I'm 4th on her Top 12? Behind TRAVIS?"

Benji knew that this shouldn't anger him, after all it was only a Myspace that most likely wasn't even run by Donyelle, but he couldn't help but feel hurt by this. He looked at the picture of the man who came in first, on her Myspace and apparently in her heart. He was tempted. Benji had told himself earlier that he wouldn't get this way and resort to looking at Tahir's Myspace, but there he was just a click away from satisfaction. Before he could convince himself to be logical and remain cool and composed, Benji had already opened the link to Tahir's Myspace and was reading his newest blog.

"My woman? My baby? My love? Since when is Donyelle a piece of real estate? You don't deserve her. Donyelle deserves to be loved by someone who doesn't treat her like a toy he likes to play with."

At this point, Benji was so furious and disgusted by what he had just read that he closed his laptop and threw it across the room on impulse. He sat there, no longer embracing the light of his computer screen, feeling his eyes well up and silently sobbing as tears rolled increasingly faster down his cheeks. He knew in this moment what true love felt like.

Just as things couldn't possibly get any worse, Benji began to hear a familiar tune play from his bedroom.
So tell me have you ever really,
Really, really ever loved a woman?
He instantly regretted making that song his ringtone on his cell phone. It kept repeating itself over and over again, almost as if it was mocking his current state of being. After about the 5th time hearing those 2 lines of that unfortunately ironic song, Benji turned on his bedroom light and grabbed his cell phone. When he saw the name on the caller ID he was taken aback, but at the same time an overwhelming feeling of joy shot through his veins.

"Donyelle!" he said almost too excitedly.

"Hey Benji! What have you been up to today?" she asked inquisitively.

"Oh nothing much, just checking my emails and all that jazz." he said, leaving out the fact that he had just been crying, alone in the dark over her.

"Wow... that sounds unbelievably exciting! If only my days were that enthralling!" Donyelle said sarcastically.

She began to giggle. Benji's heart fluttered at the sound of her laughter. He imagined how she must look in that moment as joy poured out of her through her unmistakable chuckle. In Benji's mind, she was by far the most stunningly gorgeous woman he had ever seen and when she laughed her happiness brightened up everyone it touched. Benji blissfully sat on his bed with his ear glued to the phone taking in every second of Donyelle's laugh.

"Benji? Are you still there? Hello?" Donyelle asked. Benji didn't realize that he had been completely silent for a good 30 seconds now.

"Oh, yeah I'm sorry I was..." Benji stopped and quickly tried to think of an excuse.

"I was scrubbing the bathroom tile." he finally blurted out. It was the best he could come up with on such short notice.

Donyelle laughed. "Oh really? Well I was going to ask you if you wanna go out tonight with me but since you are busy scrubbing your bathroom ti--"

Before Donyelle managed to get the word "tile" out Benji cut her off and eagerly replied "I'll be there. I'm leaving right now. I'll pick you up from your apartment. Cya soon!"


Benji had no clue what God had in store for him on that fateful night as he drove off in his new hybrid SUV to pick up the girl of his dreams.


Chapter 2:

Benji and Donyelle were driving merrily along the streets of Studio City singing karaoke to SexyBack on the radio. They decided that they would stop at a Krispy Kreme Donut store to buy a dozen fresh off the conveyer belt donuts before continuing on their way to the park. Donyelle, persistent at first, finally gave in to Benji's puppy dog eyes and agreed to have more than 1 donut while they were there. She hadn't always been this self-conscious about her weight. She used to be able to eat whatever she wanted and not gain a pound. There once was a time where Donyelle actually enjoyed pigging out with her friends.

After the two of them brutally slaughtered the lyrics to about 5 more songs on the radio, Benji and Donyelle finally parked Benji's SUV at KKD and walked inside. They were both instantly hit by the wafting smell of the donuts that were so delectable that just one bite would get you hooked for life. Benji, being the gentleman that he is, ordered and paid for the donuts.

“It’s my treat.” He said, smiling with that big goofy grin she had grown to love.

Donyelle and Benji decided that they would eat a few of the donuts at the Krispy Kreme Donut place and save the rest for later. As they sat there talking and laughing and eating donut after donut, soon the “few donuts” they had planned to eat turned out to be all but 1 out of the dozen.

“Wow… I didn’t realize we ate so many of them!” Donyelle said embarrassedly as she stared at the nearly empty box of donuts.

“You can have the last one Donyelle” Benji said as he pushed the box towards her.

“No way! If I have one more I’m going to explode! You can have it!” Donyelle replied, finally realizing that she had just eaten about 6000 calories in donuts.

“How about we share it?” Benji said with a sly look in his eyes.

Donyelle knew he was up to something but she couldn’t figure out what. Just as Donyelle was about to pick up the donut at split it in half, Benji grabbed it and took a bite out of it holding it in his mouth. Donyelle laughed and suddenly she was reminded of a certain scene from Lady and the Tramp. She wasn’t exactly sure what had come over her but she slowly inched her mouth closer and closer to the donut until she had her mouth clamped onto the other side of the donut. Slowly but surely Donyelle and Benji began devouring the donut. With each passing bite their lips came closer and closer to their sugary embrace. Benji’s nose lightly grazed Donyelle’s and she felt a shiver go down from her nose all the way down to her toes. Soon, there was nothing separating their lips but a light layer of donut glaze that had accumulated on their lips. In this moment Donyelle completely forgot that she technically had a boyfriend and within seconds Donyelle pressed her sugar coated lips onto Benji’s. Donyelle and Benji became lost in their own little world where there were only them, the donut in their cheeks and the fireworks that exploded from their passionate kiss. Donyelle felt Benji begin to lick the sugar off her lips and she couldn’t help but moan a little. Just as he began to part her lips with his tongue…

Donyelle was abruptly awakened from her afternoon nap by her roommate Rayne who was vacuuming their apartment. Rayne accidentally ran over Donyelle’s broken that was lingering off the couch that she had been asleep on which caused Donyelle to wake up screaming in agonizing pain.

“OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN TO HIT YOUR TOE DONYELLE!” Rayne frantically apologized while trying to grab an ice pack for Donyelle’s toe.

The pain was unbearable but Donyelle didn’t want to be a hassle.

“It’s fine. Can you just please hand me the ice pack?” Donyelle said biting her lip from the pain and so she wouldn’t cuss out her roommate.

Rayne anxiously handed Donyelle an icepack and looked at her for a sign that she was actually ok. The pain seemed to be dying down so Donyelle, realizing that Rayne felt awful about this, gave her roommate a smile and said, “Shit happens.”

Rayne took this as the sign she needed and continued to ask Donyelle about her nap.

“So… how was your nap before it crossed paths with my vacuum?” Rayne smiled, half laughing and half hoping that Donyelle would laugh along with the joke.

Donyelle got this concerned look on her face. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about the dream she just had with Rayne but she needed to talk to somebody about it and it definitely wasn’t going to be Benji or Tahir.

“Well, I had an… interesting dream to say the least.” Donyelle said hesitantly.

“Ooo! Dish! Did you get your freaknasty on with Tahir in this dream? I still can’t believe you guys haven’t had sex yet.” Rayne said hoping for some juicy details from Donyelle.

“Actually… it was the exact opposite. I was hanging out with Benji at the Krispy Kreme Donuts place and we had one of those Lady and the Tramp type kisses except it was a donut instead of a piece of spaghetti. It was the most realistic and enjoyable dream kiss I’ve ever gotten and I have this gut feeling that if I hadn’t become “friendly” with your vacuum cleaner at that point it would’ve ended up me getting my “freaknasty” on with Benji in the back of his hybrid SUV.” Donyelle explained.

Rayne looked at Donyelle with a blank expression on her face. She had always had a feeling that Donyelle deep down had feelings for Benji but she didn’t imagine her to be having these kinds of dreams about him. Honestly, Rayne liked Benji A LOT more than she liked Tahir but she felt that Donyelle really needed to get her act together and come to terms with her feelings for the two of them.

Donyelle was worried about what Rayne thought about her dream and was about to speak when Donyelle’s cell phone rang. Donyelle looked at the name on her caller ID and cringed.

“Tahir”.

This wasn’t the best time for him to call. She really had no desire to talk to him until she figured out what her dream meant. However, she figured she should be nice and at least acknowledge her boyfriend’s existence.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby, it’s Tahir.”

“I know… I have caller ID. What’s up?”

“You wanna chill tonight? You can come by my house and we can just ha--”

Donyelle knew where this was going. He was inviting her over so he could try to get her to sleep with him. Their relationship wasn’t even that serious before she got accepted to the show and she had barely seen or talked to him during it. Donyelle did NOT want to make this leap in their relationship right now.

“Sorry hun, I have plans. Maybe another time?”

Rayne overheard Donyelle say this and wondered what she was doing that night.

“Oh… aiite den. Love you Donny.”

Donyelle hesitated. This was the 1st time that she had ever stopped to think if she really did love Tahir or if she was just with him because she was trying to deny her true feelings.

“I… love you too. I gotta go. Bye.”

Donyelle hung up the phone and prayed that he didn’t call back wondering why she was acting so avoidant. Just before Donyelle managed to walk off to her room Rayne caught her off guard and said, “So… what are your big plans tonight? Don’t tell me you blew off Tahir for another movie marathon with your loves Ben & Jerry?”

Donyelle was annoyed. Rayne had been acting oddly since she told her about her dream and Donyelle wasn’t sure why. She replied, “My relationship with Ben & Jerry is none of your business. They are always there for me when I’m sad and just come in SO many flavors, but no I won’t be spending this evening with them.”

“So you’re saying you blew of Tahir with no actual plans tonight?”

Donyelle sat there confused. She realized that there was only 1 person she wanted to be with that night and it wasn’t Rayne, Tahir or Ben & Jerry.

Donyelle smiled at Rayne and said “Oh…I’ll have plans” as she picked up her phone and dialed the number of the one man who in one moment would make everything better.

"Hey Benji! What have you been up to today?"

“Wow... that sounds unbelievably exciting! If only my days were that enthralling!"

Donyelle started to giggle. Rayne looked at her and said “you sound like you are a school girl talking to her crush.” Donyelle gave her a glare and signaled for her to shut up.

Donyelle noticed that Benji hadn’t said anything for a while and became alarmed.

"Benji? Are you still there? Hello?"

Donyelle started laughing. She didn’t believe his excuse for a second but she figured she would let him off the hook easy this time.

"Oh really? Well I was going to ask you if you wanna go out tonight with me but since you are busy scrubbing your bathroom ti--"

Donyelle smiled. Rayne watched her. She had known Donyelle since college and she had never seen her like this. Donyelle had the cheery disposition of a 16 year old girl about to go out on a date with the guy of her dreams.

Suddenly, Donyelle got up and walked off towards her bedroom and said “Excuse me Rayne, but I have to get ready. Benji is picking me up soon. I wonder what he’d like to see me in…”

Donyelle’s bedroom door closed and Rayne realized that it was going to be one interesting night.


Chapter 3:

Traffic. Benji had been in a hurry to get to Donyelle's apartment in Studio City and he got stuck in traffic.

"Just my luck" Benji thought to himself as he sat impatiently in his SUV on the highway, which was more like a herding area for cattle with bright lights, 4 wheels and loud horns rather than a driving route.

Benji began to fidget in his seat and play air drums on his steering wheel. He didn't exactly know why he had been this overly enthusiastic to see Donyelle. Granted, Benji was always happy to see her mind you, but this time there was something different about it. He could feel an indescribable presence all around him and he knew deep in his heart that he needed to see Donyelle as quickly as humanly possible. Benji needed to see her, his well being depended on it. Benji began to regret offering to pick up Donyelle during rush hour since what could be a 45 minute drive would probably turn out to be a 2 hour one. Suddenly, the car in front of him began to inch forward and with each passing second it accelerated faster and faster. Benji, who was well known for never going over 10 mph of the speed limit, floored the gas pedal and began weaving in an out of traffic in his new hybrid SUV. Fortunately, the traffic had let up some, but when he finally decided to check his speedometer he realized he was doing 105 in a 55 mph zone.

“Oh gosh!” he exclaimed as he realized how fast he was going.

“Maybe I should listen to the radio… that might calm my nerves some. Yeah. That’s what I’ll do.” He thought to himself as he turned on his car radio and began flipping through the stations until he found a familiar song to listen to. After about a minute of aimless tuning he found a song that brought back a flood of memories.

Call me up
Hot line I got some conversation
I can be your operator
Baby you should call me later
Because you are so fine
I hope that you’re not playin
Cause I’m lovin what you’re sayin
Baby don’t cha keep me waitin
Call me up hotline
You are so fine yea you’re so fine
I can be you’re operator
Call me up hot line you are so fine
Your so fine don’t cha keep me waitin call me up

Benji began to reminisce about the time when he danced to that song with Donyelle. It was the last time they danced a hip hop routine together, just the two of them, and he had been admitted to the hospital for strep throat during their rehearsal time. Rather than go back to the apartments and get some well deserved rest, Donyelle spent a majority of the time he was in the hospital at his bedside resting her toe on a chair and keeping Benji company. Every night Donyelle was there, Benji would wake up in the middle of the night and watch her sleep. He was always amazed at how even in her sleep Donyelle would glow and radiate beauty that made him feel blessed to be in her presence. One such night, he noticed Donyelle asleep with her head and arms up on his hospital bed. He couldn’t help himself. Slowly he lowered his lips towards her face until there was only a small film of air between his lips and her face. Soon Benji gently kissed her on the forehead and said “Donyelle, I love you with every fiber of my existence” and continued to gracefully drift back to sleep.

Benji snapped out of his daydream about his past experiences with Donyelle just as the song ended. Fortunately, the song ended just in time for him to regain control of the SUV which was barreling down the road at 70 mph and was about 5 seconds away from hitting a tree.

“Ok… I REALLY need to stop thinking about her right now. If I go off on one more daydream about her I’m gonna cause an accident. I’m only about 10 minutes away from her apartment. I can go 10 minutes without thinking about her and her breathtaking eyes, her perfect smile, her Monroe piercing that is so edgy and yet very tasteful and becoming, her curvaceous body, the way she makes my heart melt when she hugs me, kisses me on the cheek, touches me, talks to me, looks at me… wait… what was I saying? Oh right… I can go 10 minutes without thinking about her.” Benji paused for a moment.

“…Who am I kidding?” Benji said to himself sighing.

Benji realized that lately he had been talking to himself quite frequently, especially when concerning Donyelle and decided that he was going to grasp onto whatever sanity he had left and make the final turn her apartment complex to finally pick her up. He realized that it’s always in those moments of solace where your true passions and desires reveal themselves. Benji began to wonder what Donyelle had been up to between the time they hung up and now while he was losing his mind in the seemingly longest car ride of his life. He shrugged off the thought, parked his car and walked to the door of her apartment, setting forth the events of the most remarkable night of his life.


Chapter 4:


Donyelle frantically searched through her closet for something to wear.

“How is it I have a whole closet full of clothes and yet I have nothing to wear?! THIS IS CRAZY! I wonder if I have enough time to buy a new outfit before Benji gets here…” Donyelle thought to herself as she rummaged through everything in her closet for the perfect outfit.

“Rayne! Have you seen my pink pumps? I can’t find them anywhere!” Donyelle yelled to her roommate who obviously didn’t care about Donyelle’s search for her missing shoes.

“Wait a second… I have a broken toe. Why the hell would I wear my pink pumps?” Donyelle said thinking out loud. “God! Why am I such an idiot sometimes!?”

Donyelle sat down on her bed and stressfully sighed. She never thought in a million years that she would get this worked up over looking nice for Benji of all people. There was no doubt Donyelle loved him since the moment she met him, but the love was more of an “I love you like my best friend” kind of way not an “I wouldn’t mind riding you like Seabiscuit in the back of your SUV” kind of way. Donyelle walked back to her closet in another attempt to try to find a decent outfit. She hoped that this trial wouldn’t be as futile as the last one. As she pondered whether or not Benji would like her Louis Vuitton belt and Chanel sunglasses together she stopped and got a shocked and appalled look on her face.

“Wait… what in the world am I doing? I have a BOYFRIEND! A boyfriend that I love… well… I think I love…maybe love? Either way, Benji is my best friend! We are just hanging out! Why am I getting all worked up over him? This is no big deal! AGHHHHHH! WHAT AM I DOING?! One minute I’m happy with my boyfriend and the next I’m imagining what it would be like to kiss Benji!” Donyelle screamed fretfully as she reached for a pillow to drown her confusion in.

“I dream cheated on my boyfriend with my best friend! They might as well call me Skanky McSkankho. Skanky McSkankho? Where the hell did that come from?” Donyelle asked herself confusedly.

As Donyelle laid on her bed voicing all her frustrations into her pillow, she suddenly felt tears begin to roll from her cheek onto the pillow she was using as a security blanket. Her mind was going a mile a minute and all she wanted was a second to catch up. Donyelle had never been so confused in her life until this moment. She knew she had to come to terms with her feelings and decide between the two men in her life.

“You know what? I just need time to figure out what I really feel for the both of them. It will all come in time. Yeah… that’s it… time. Jesus! I’m talking to myself out loud again! What in God’s name is wrong with me?” Donyelle exclaimed as she got off her bed and began frenziedly tearing her closet apart for her in search for her pair of Applebottom jeans.

“Uhhhh Donyelle? Can you keep your ramblings to yourself please? It’s kinda creepy hearing you declare your undying love for 2 men through the walls of our apartment…” Rayne yelled from the living room.

Donyelle had forgotten that the walls in their apartment were far from soundproof but at this point she didn’t care.

“Oh and hun? Wear your Lucky Brand Seven Jeans that make your ass look huge… well… huger, your red and black Betsey Johnson shirt that makes the twins look extra perky and by that point Benji won’t give a rats ass what you are wearing on your feet. If white chocolate wants to play with the big girls than he’s gonna be able to handle it.” Rayne said as she continued to sit cozily on the couch watching The Flava of Love with her pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream in hand.

Donyelle smiled. Rayne just saved her another hour of panicking that she didn’t have to waste.

“Oh shit! Benji! He should be here any minute now! I should call him and see how far away he is so I can see how much time I have to do my hair!” Donyelle exclaimed, yet again realizing that she was talking to herself out loud once more.

“Donyelle! I thought I told you to keep your thoughts to yourself hun. Oh and if you start fixating on your hair I sware I’ll slap you so hard that you’re hair will fall out and you won’t have to worry about what to do with it. Get your ass dressed, do your hair up so you can see your eyes and have the night of your life.” Rayne screamed from the living room once more.

Donyelle, who was afraid of irritating Rayne any further, got dressed, did her hair and called Benji to see when he would get there.

“Hey Benji! Where are you?”

Donyelle couldn’t help but grin.

“Donyelle… I’m kind of stuck in traffic. I prolly won’t get there for another hour or so…”

Donyelle’s face went from giddy to melancholy in a number of seconds.

“Oh… well… I guess I’ll see you when you get here…”

She didn’t even try to hide the disappointment in her voice. Unexpectedly, Donyelle heard a knock on the door and she figured it was Rayne’s boyfriend who had come to get Rayne off the couch she had been glued to. She opened the door and saw Benji standing there with his cell phone pressed to his ear.

“I guess you will.” Benji said smiling as he talked into his cell phone while staring lovingly at the woman on the line.

Donyelle, out of excitement, dropped her cell phone to the ground and jumped into Benji’s arms giving him the longest, most meaningful hug she had ever given anyone in her life. After she finally managed to let go of him, she slowly began to intertwine her fingers with his and watched as Benji tried to hide his face that was turning red from the embrace. Benji and Donyelle walked hand-in-hand out to Benji’s SUV completely unaware of what the night held for the both of them.


Chapter 5:

Benji began walking up the stairs of Donyelle’s apartment complex when he heard a familiar song echo through the stairwell.

So tell me have you ever really,
Really, really ever loved a woman?

This time around he welcomed the song playing as his ringtone for in his heart he knew exactly who was calling. He looked at the caller ID on his cell phone and saw 8 little letters that made his heart well up and burst from excitement.

Donyelle.

Benji was ecstatic to hear Donyelle’s voice over the phone, but he decided that he would play around with Donyelle as step by step he got closer to her door.

“Donyelle… I’m kind of stuck in traffic. I prolly won’t get there for another hour or so…” Benji said as he tried to keep himself from laughing and ruining the joke.

Benji could almost see the disappointment in her face through the phone. He felt horrible for making her upset but he knew that in a matter of seconds she would get a welcome surprise. Benji covered his hand over his cell phone as he knocked on Donyelle’s door in hopes that she wouldn’t hear him knocking over the phone. As he heard someone begin to unlock he put his cell phone back on his ear and as the door opened he saw Donyelle, smiled and said, “I guess you will.”

In that moment Donyelle looked absolutely breathtaking. Half of her braids were up and the other half were left dangling, which revealed her eyes that with one glance could stop a bullet dead in its tracks. She was wearing a red and black shirt that “accented her attributes well”, to say the least. Benji tried to stop himself from looking down her shirt in order to not raise suspicion and to try to remain decently composed around her. Before he was able to lose all of his self-control once seeing Donyelle’s jeans, Donyelle dropped her cell phone and jumped into his arms hugging him for what seemed like an eternity. Benji hoped that this moment would never end as he held the girl of his dreams lovingly in his arms. Soon, he became lost in the light aroma of vanilla that always accompanied Donyelle’s hugs, which he had grown to yearn for. Benji started to feel Donyelle release from the hug and he tried to hold onto her as long as he could, relishing in every second that he held her in his arms, wishing that this moment was the infinite reality, never ending. Slowly their embrace was replaced by a light intermingling of their fingers. Benji couldn’t help but blush, especially since during their hug he couldn’t help but notice how Donyelle’s jeans made her booty look much more voluptuous than usual. By that point, Benji was so beside himself that he didn’t stop to notice what Donyelle was wearing on her feet.

As they walked hand in hand to Benji’s SUV, Benji began to become confused about the whole situation.

“Donyelle is dating Tahir, but I’m the one holding her hand in my own, I’m the one she wanted to be with tonight, I’m the one that held her in my arms as long as I possibly could just to try to imagine what it would feel like to be the man she loved.” Benji thought to himself as they neared closer and closer to his car.

“I want to be the one that makes her feel loved, the one whose shoulder she would cry on in hard times, the one that makes her feel special, the one that would hold her close in the middle of the night when she feels cold and alone, the one that she’ll grow old with.”

Benji quietly sighed to himself. For all he knew, Donyelle didn’t feel the same way he felt about her. For all he knew, Tahir could’ve been busy tonight and he was a last resort. For all he knew, Donyelle had no idea about his true desires and would find the little surprise he bought for her that was in the front passenger seat of his car inappropriate and unnecessary. Only time would tell because before he knew it they were at his hybrid SUV. Being the gentleman that he is, Benji opened Donyelle’s door for her then continued to around the car to the driver’s seat, buckled his seat belt, and began to drive off into the sunset.

~

Donyelle was enthralled. She couldn’t be happier than she was at that moment as she walked down the stairs of her apartment complex with Benji in hand. Both of them walked in complete silence the whole way to Benji’s car. They didn’t need words. Donyelle could tell that Benji was as happy to see her as she was to see him. However, she began to notice a weird look creep across Benji’s face. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was but she didn’t like it very much. Donyelle figured that Benji was deep in thought about something really important and decided not to disturb him. Besides, she was going to be spending countless hours with him that night so there were plenty of opportunities for her to talk to him then. They finally reached Benji’s SUV and just as Donyelle was about to open the door Benji stepped in front of her with a “nuh uh” look on his face, unlocked the car and opened the door for her.

“He sure does know how to treat a woman right…” Donyelle thought to herself as she was about to climb into Benji’s SUV.

As she thought that she couldn’t help but flashback to their “Vietnamese Fighting Waltz” rehearsal. ”You better be my man… treat me right.”

“I guess he’s learned.” She thought as she giggled to herself.

Before she was about to sit down in the front passenger seat she saw an assortment of surprises just for her in the seat. Donyelle picked everything up off the seat, sat down, buckled her seat belt and began to rummage through her gifts with the excitement of a child on Christmas day. Among the things she had in her lap were a bouquet of white & red roses with their thorns still on them, a box of chocolate truffles, a small turquoise velvet box that looked suspiciously like a ring box and an envelope with Donyelle’s name on it. Suppressing her urge to look in the velvet box first, she opened the envelope and started reading it.

Dear Donyelle,
Before I came to pick you up, I saw these things in some stores in my area and I thought of you so I bought them. The white and red roses reminded me of how vibrant, beautiful and breathtaking you are but at the same time how you are edgy and can whip out your Vietnamese Fighting Waltz Choke Hold when you get in a tight spot. When I saw the chocolate truffles I remembered you talking about how you loved truffles more than regular chocolates because you end up picking all the caramel chocolates out the regular boxes and trashing the rest. Finally, I decided you needed a piece of jewelry that rivaled you in beauty that you can parade around everyday and when you look at it you can think of me, especially since after the tour who knows how often we’ll be able to see each other. If you are reading this, then most likely I’m in the seat right next to your’s in my SUV waiting for you to open the rest of your gifts so finish reading this card already and open the chocolates and the turquoise velvet box!

Your Partner (in Dancing and in Crime),
~bEnJi

Donyelle couldn’t help but beam a gleeful smile. This was without a doubt the nicest and most romantic thing anyone, her boyfriend included, had ever done for her. However, she stared at the turquoise velvet ring box wondering if this was Benji proposing to her.

“This is crazy. We aren’t even DATING! Why would he propose to me? This would definitely be one for the record books. I can see it now “World’s Cutest Way to Propose: Benji Schwimmer to Donyelle Jones.” Hmm…” Donyelle thought to herself as she propped open the box of truffles and started ravenously devouring them.

Donyelle looked over at Benji who had apparently been staring at her the whole time she read the letter and gave her a look that egged her on to open the velvet box.

Donyelle thought pensively about the situation. “Do I love Tahir? Do I love Benji? Would I say yes if this were an engagement ring? Benji’s always talking about how he wants to have a wifey and a family of his own… would I become his family?

All the questions in her mind subsided. She suddenly realized that she knew the answer to the questions that were stirring in her mind. “Yes Benji, I do love you. I love being around you, I love thinking about you, I love talking to you, I love touching you, I love every part of you that hurts and I want to be with you, not Tahir and not Ben & Jerry... ok sometimes Ben & Jerry.”

Donyelle slowly began to open the turquoise velvet box and saw…


Chapter 6:

Benji watched attentively as Donyelle read the card he gave her. He was hoping that she didn’t find his little surprise for her too forward. It was far from his intention to stir up any ill will with his present, it’s just Benji had the compulsive urge to make Donyelle feel as if she was a princess. In his eyes, she already was one. Benji noticed an awe-inspiring smile appear across her face and he was relieved. Donyelle seemed to be thinking pretty deeply about something as she eagerly took to the chocolate truffles like a moth to the flame. Benji waited impatiently for her to open the little turquoise box. She looked up at him and without words he pressed her to open it. At this point, words were unnecessary. As Donyelle slowly opened the turquoise velvet ring box, she got a glimpse of what was inside and covered her mouth to keep from squealing.

“Benji! It’s absolutely STUNNING!” Donyelle said as she continued to gaze admiringly at the contents of the ring box.

Benji grinned. He loved seeing Donyelle happy, it always made him feel warm on the inside.

“I couldn’t help myself… when I saw it I automatically thought of you and how gorgeous it would look on you.” Benji said with the utmost sincerity.

Benji continued to watch Donyelle’s reaction to the gifts. He noticed Donyelle’s eyes begin to get teary as a single tear fell down her left cheek. Benji slowly reached his arm over to her face and gently wiped the tear off her cheek. Donyelle began to unbuckle her seatbelt, turned to Benji and hugged him from across his SUV. Fortunately, at this point he hadn’t begun to drive yet otherwise he definitely would’ve caused an accident. Donyelle slowly raised her head to Benji’s cheek and softly placed a kiss on his cheek. She let her lips linger a little longer than she usually did when kissing Benji then she began to raise her mouth closer to his ear.

“Thank you Benji. I don’t deserve to have someone as amazing as you in my life.” Donyelle quietly whispered into Benji’s ear.

Benji was shocked when he heard this. He turned to Donyelle and said “I should be the one saying that to you Donyelle. You deserve this and much more. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved.”

Donyelle smiled. At this point, their faces were only inches apart from each. Benji tried to restrain himself from kissing her right then and there.

“She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend.” Benji repeated to himself to keep himself from giving into his burning desires.

He noticed Donyelle’s face begin to lean in closer to his own and just as there was only a light layer of air separating their lips, Benji heard an unfortunately ironic song fill the already sexually tense air of his car.

So tell me have you every really,
Really, really ever loved a woman?

Benji looked over at his cell phone that had begun to ring.

“Someone had better be dying.” Benji thought to himself as he begrudgingly moved away from Donyelle.

He looked at the caller ID on his cell phone and saw the name of the person who slaughtered the most anticipated moment of his life.

“Lacey.”

He opened his cell phone and instantly heard his sister’s cheery greeting.

“GEE GEE PANTS!”

“Hey Lace Face… what’s up?”

“Oh nothing really… just callin to see what you were up to and to say hi.”

Benji looked angry. He always loved his sister dearly but this wasn’t exactly the best time for her to call.

“Well… I’m in the car with Donyelle right now and we are about to go out.”

“Ooo! Donyelle huh? Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything!”

Benji could pretty much see the smirk on her face as she said that through the phone.

“No Lacey… you weren’t interrupting anything. I gotta go. I’ll talk to ya later you little rat.”

He lied. He was lying through his teeth with that one. Then again, it wouldn’t exactly be nonchalant to talk about his almost makeout session with the woman of his dreams with his younger sister while said woman sat less than 3 feet away.

“Bye Geege!”

Benji hung up his cell phone and tried to resist the urge to throw it out the window of his SUV. Benji looked at Donyelle who looked pretty disappointed as she sat back in her seat with her belt buckled. She began to read the card he gave her again and stare endlessly at the object in the turquoise box as she slowly began to dig into the chocolate truffles again. Benji knew he messed up big time and knew he had to lighten the mood somehow, even though at this point he was infuriatingly angry with his little sister for calling at the most inopportune time possible.

“Hey! Are we just gonna sit here in the parking lot of your apartment all night or are we not?” Benji said to Donyelle hoping to see her smile. He had inadvertently caught her off guard but she couldn’t help but smile and giggle a little.

“¡Vaminos!” Benji exclaimed showing off his mad Spanish skills.

Benji put the keys in the ignition, turned on the car and began to back out of Donyelle’s apartment complex. He turned on the radio and the 1st familiar song he came to was SexyBack...


Chapter 7:


Donyelle slowly began to open the turquoise velvet box and saw the most magnificent 14 karat white gold lip ring with a small red ruby in the middle of the stud. Donyelle had always known how fond Benji was of her Monroe piercing, but she never imagined that he would shell out a small fortune for something this exquisite.

“The key to any girl’s heart is through her body piercings…” Donyelle thought to herself as she covered her mouth to keep from squealing like a teenaged fangirl.

“Benji! It’s absolutely STUNNING!” Donyelle said excitedly. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it. The white gold was so classy and the red ruby enticed her eyes making them yearn for more. She began to wonder how much this “friendly” present cost Benji. Donyelle figured that this one token of Benji’s affection was worth about 20 times the amount of money Tahir had spent in total on their lovely “dinner dates” to McDonalds.

“I couldn’t help myself… when I saw it I automatically thought of you and how gorgeous it would look on you.” Benji said looking at her in a way she had never seen him look at her before. He had always been a loving and caring person ever since they had met, but in this moment she could see through the windows of his eyes and tell that right then he was being the most open and sincere he had ever been with her. Donyelle was moved by this. She couldn’t help but think that this whole situation seemed to have come straight out of a sappy romance novel but she didn’t care. In this story, she was the torn princess and Benji was her knight in shining armor.

Donyelle began to feel her eyes well up as a tear rolled gracefully down her cheek. All of this had been so sudden and she couldn’t help but get caught up in the beauty of it all. Unexpectedly, she felt Benji softly wipe the tear off her cheek. His touch had been so sweet and tender and once his hand was gone from her face she could still feel the warmth that radiated from his fingers on her cheek. Donyelle began unbuckling her seat belt and leaned over to give Benji a hug in the driver’s seat. She slowly raised her lips and placed a quaint little kiss on Benji’s cheek. She could feel the sparks flying between the two of them and unintentionally let her lips linger a bit longer than usual. Donyelle began to raise her lips up to Benji’s ear and fought the urge to nibble on it for a bit. She had accidentally found that little soft spot behind Benji’s ear during the competition and throughout the weeks she would find any excuse to caress it.

“Thank you Benji. I don’t deserve to have someone as amazing as you in my life.”

Benji was like a dream. Donyelle had never met anyone remotely like him in her entire life and she thanked God that the competition had brought him into her life. Without Benji, Donyelle didn’t know if she would’ve been able to survive throughout the grueling schedule of the competition. Aside from Martha & Jason, Benji was Donyelle’s main support system during the show and was always more available and compassionate than her so called boyfriend.

Benji looked really shocked when she said this. He turned to Donyelle and said “I should be the one saying that to you Donyelle. You deserve this and much more. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved.”

There was something about Benji’s words that captivated her body and soul. It may have just been the chocolate truffles talking but deep down she wondered what it would be like to kiss Benji in a more than friendly manner. Donyelle couldn’t help herself. She slowly moved her lips closer and closet to Benji’s looking for a sign for her to stop. There wasn’t any. Just as Donyelle was a moment away from giving into her smoldering desires, Benji’s cell phone rang.

“He had better not answer it.” Donyelle thought to herself hoping that the song in his ringtone would act more as background music than an interruption.

He did.

“Hey Lace Face… what’s up?”

Donyelle frowned when she heard who was on the line.

“Just great… he’s talking to his little sister. I put myself out on the edge like that only to have him ditch me to talk to Lacey. Why am I kidding myself? It’s not like he has any interest in me anyways. He’s always been a flirtatious guy. It’s not like I’m special or anything.” She thought to herself as she sat back down in her seat and re-buckled her seatbelt.

“No Lacey… you weren’t interrupting anything. I gotta go. I’ll talk to ya later you little rat.”

Donyelle’s attention had been grabbed when he said that.

“She wasn’t interrupting anything? Then WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT BENJI?! “Oh some fat black chick was about to stick her tongue down my throat. Thank God you called to keep me out of harms way of her sexual prowess!” I knew this was too good to be true. Why is it that the world teaches you to believe in fairy tale endings? Where’s my fairy tale ending? Why can’t I live happily ever after?!” Donyelle contemplated to herself and she considered unbuckling her seatbelt, getting out of Benji’s SUV and going back home to her roommate, their TiVo-ed episodes of The Flava of Love and all the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream she could eat.

Suddenly, just as Donyelle was about to execute her dramatic exit she saw the card that Benji wrote her and began to read it over again.

“I saw these things in some stores in my area and I thought of you…”

“The white and red roses reminded me of how vibrant, beautiful and breathtaking you are…”

“I remembered you talking about how you loved truffles more than regular chocolates…”

“I decided you needed a piece of jewelry that rivaled you in beauty that you can parade around everyday…”

“…when you look at it you can think of me, especially since after the tour who knows how often we’ll be able to see each other.”

Donyelle realized after rereading the card how wrong she had just been. What they had was real. She wasn’t just another trick.

“No. This just wasn’t the right time. Besides, it’s kind of cheap to have your 1st meaningful kiss with someone in their car. That’s really high school.” Donyelle thought to herself as she started gazing once again at the lip ring Benji gave her and began helping herself to some more chocolate truffles. She was off in her own little world reflecting on her life and the choices she would have to make in due time.

“Hey! Are we just gonna sit here in the parking lot of your apartment all night or are we not?”

Donyelle was startled by this. She wasn’t expecting to hear Benji say anything but she couldn’t help but smile and giggle a little.

“¡Vaminos!”

“Oh look… he’s getting all festive now! All we need is some sombreros and some hispanic music and we’ve got ourselves a fiesta!” Donyelle thought laughing silently to herself.

Finally, Benji put the keys in the ignition, revved the engine of his SUV and began to back out of Donyelle’s apartment complex. Benji began playing around with the radio until he came to a song that set off several hundred alarms in Donyelle’s head.

I'm bringing sexy back
Them other boys don't know how to act
I think your special what’s behind your back
So turn around and I’ll pick up the slack.

As soon as Donyelle heard the words “I’m bringing sexy back”, her face went from a radiant golden brown to a sallow, peaked tan color. Fortunately, Benji was focusing on the road ahead of him and didn’t notice the instantaneous change in her facial complexion.

“Ok… this is just a coincidence. Plenty of people dream about songs they’ll hear on the radio.” Donyelle thought to herself as she tried to rationalize the situation.

“Oh heck yes!” Benji exclaimed. “This brings back some memories!!!”

Benji began singing along with the radio and doing as much as the choreography they had both learned to SexyBack that he could without driving his SUV off the road.

“Dirty babe, you see these shackles baby I'm your slave. I'll let you whip me if I misbehave. It's just that no one makes me feel this way.” Benji sang as if he was dedicating the bridge of that song to Donyelle. He continued to break from his in-car karaoke to do his Benji Stiller face which made Donyelle burst out laughing. The color began to come back to Donyelle’s face and she began to wonder why she was worried in the 1st place.

Donyelle couldn’t help but sing along. By the time the chorus came on, Benji and Donyelle were both singing in unison and dancing around in their seats.

Come here girl
Go ahead, be gone with it
Come to the back
Go ahead, be gone with it
VIP
Go ahead, be gone with it
Drinks on me
Go ahead, be gone with it
Let me see what you're working with
Go ahead, be gone with it
Look at those hips
Go ahead, be gone with it
You make me smile
Go ahead, be gone with it
Go ahead child
Go ahead, be gone with it
And get your sexy on

Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.
Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.
Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.
Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.
Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.
Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.
Go ahead, be gone with it
Get your sexy on.

Donyelle was overcome with laughter. This was the first time in a while that she was enjoying herself so thoroughly that she forgot about the constant ache of her broken toe.

She had completely forgotten how off key Benji’s singing voice was until that moment and was instantly reminded of when she heard his band Sreattlands’s promo CD, more specifically the song “Janus” which featured Benji’s “star-quality singing ability”. Donyelle figured it would be best if she didn’t tell Benji about her, Travis & Heidi’s little adventure into his suitcase, playing around with everything they found, including the CD which he hid under his Book of Mormon. She always found it ironic that he used his Book of Mormon to hide a CD with a song on it where he sang about anal sex, but she figured that even Mormon guys had urges like everyone else.

Donyelle realized that her current situation was becoming increasingly more like the dream she had dreamt that afternoon and decided she had to do a test.

Donyelle turned to Benji who was continuing to belt out verses of SexyBack and asked, “Benji? By any chance were we going to stop by the Krispy Kreme Donut place near my house?”

Benji looked at her and laughed.

“First the box of chocolate truffles then a box of Krispy Kreme Donuts? Are you trying to have a sugar overload Donny? I was hoping I wouldn’t have to drive you to the hospital to get your stomach pumped tonight but if you want some donuts then by all means let’s go.” Benji smiled and began to take one of his hands off the steering wheel and playfully poke Donyelle in her stomach.

Usually, Donyelle would get insulted that he poked her in the stomach after offering her food, but she knew it wasn’t Benji’s intention to make her feel overweight and she couldn’t do much while she was curled over in her seat laughing so hard tears began to roll out of her eyes. She had always been ticklish in her stomach and Benji knew that all too well.

After much protesting, Benji finally stopped poking her in the stomach and Donyelle asked, “Well, were you planning on going there tonight?”

“All I planned to do was pick you up, Donny. You’re the one who called me remember? I assumed you had some grand idea as to where I would be driving us tonight, but now that you mention it I wouldn’t mind stopping by there. I don’t want too many of em, but can we split a few if that’s cool with you?” Benji asked as be began driving in the general direction of the KKD store in Studio City.

Donyelle remembered what happened in her dream when they were going to “split” a donut. She turned to Benji and grinned and replied, “Sure! I’d love to split them with you Benj. I do feel kinda bad making you drive me around though…”

Benji turned to Donyelle, keeping his eyes off the road for a hazardous amount of time.

“Don’t feel bad at all Donny! I love playing chauffeur to you Donyelle. This may not be a limo but hey, at least it’s environmentally friendly! Besides, just spending time with you is good enough for me. We could go hang out in some back alley behind a dumpster for all I care, as long as I get to enjoy your company.”

Donyelle smiled. Benji always had a way of making her look on the bright side of every situation. Benji returned his concentration to the road as they drove off to the Krispy Kreme Donut place and continued to slaughter the lyrics to several more songs on the radio…


Chapter 8:

“Krispy Kreme Donuts?” Benji asked himself confusedly. Benji was perplexed. As long as he had known Donyelle, she would barely look at anything with more than 200 calories let alone suggest going out of their way to pig out. There was something quite peculiar about all of this and Benji knew that there had to be some hidden reasoning behind this that he wasn’t aware of.

Benji decided that he was going to embark on an undercover investigatory mission in order to figure out the reasoning behind Donyelle’s actions. He put himself in the mindset of someone who is smooth, sly and overall unbelievably stealth.

“I guess those acting classes paid off.” He thought to himself as he began his mission.

“Donyelle… how’s your toe been doing since the show ended?”

That was smooth on my part. It’s good to start with a subject that won’t arouse suspicion and by asking I also earn some caring points. Score!

“Oh… well... for the most part it’s been getting better since I haven’t been on it as much but it did have a little run in with Rayne’s vacuum this afternoon while I was napping…” Donyelle said hesitantly. Benji noticed the hesitance in her voice and continued his internal sleuthing.

Hmmm… there is something odd about how cautious she was when relaying that story. OOO! I KNOW! RAYNE RAN OVER HER TOE WITH THE VACUUM AND SHE WAS SO HURT THAT SHE WANTED DONUTS! THAT MUST BE IT! ...no it’s not.

“Oh I’m sorry! If I wasn’t driving I’d take your foot in my hand and kiss your toe and make it all better.” Benji said half-jokingly as Donyelle giggled and blushed a little.

I’d like to take this time to present the honorable and unbelievably awesome Dr. Benji: The Doctor of Love. Oh… right… sleuthing.

“Awww thanks Benji! You’re a doll. Are you this nice to all the girls you escort to Krispy Kreme Donuts?” Donyelle said facetiously.

“Actually I’m only this nice to the girls I rape, kill and bury their bodies in an Indian Burial Ground that makes them come back to life having an urge to kill.” Benji said carelessly. He instantly regretted every last work he had uttered and hoped that Donyelle would get the reference and laugh along rather than pull out her cell phone and call the police.

Oh gosh! I’m an idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid. I KNEW I shouldn’t have borrowed Lacey’s copy of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary last night! So much for being smooth you bumbling moron!

To Benji’s delight, Donyelle fell over laughing.

“Oh man! I haven’t read Pet Sematary since I was in high school! I remember when I was 15, me and my boyfriend at the time rented the tape of that movie and I was so terrified that I was pretty much curled up in his lap with my face buried in his shirt.” Donyelle said as she began to reminisce about the good ol’ days back in the 90s when everything was infinitely better.

Benji tried to restrain himself from taking advantage of the situation but eventually be broke down and said, “Hey Donyelle, you wanna run by Blockbuster and rent Pet Sematary? I’ve got plenty of shirts you can use as a security blanket and I’ve been told that my lap is pretty comfortable.”

You’ve gone and done it now Benji. Besides, what happened to your sleuthing huh? This is not the “let’s piss off Donyelle” variety hour! You have a mission! Stop thinking with your dick for about 5 seconds here and let’s get the show on the road!

Benji found it unnerving how he would have internal conversations with the little voice in his head. Fortunately he managed to keep himself from talking to himself out loud this time.

Donyelle looked at Benji, smiled and started to unbuckle her seatbelt. Benji had no clue what she was up to but was intrigued nevertheless. She slowly inched closer and closer to Benji who couldn’t acknowledge her often for fear of starting an accident and sending his angel flying through the front window of his SUV. Benji noticed Donyelle’s hand on his chest. Her hand began to draw lazy circles on Benji’s pecks, slowly feeling its way up and down his chest. She began tracing the indentations of his abs and ribs with her pointer finger and approached Benji’s ear from the side. As Benji tried to turn his head to look at her, Donyelle moved her other hand across Benji’s shoulders until it moseyed its way to Benji’s left shoulder and from there it sashayed up Benji’s neck until it was entangled in Benji’s hair. Benji tried to restrain himself from moaning from the sensations that Donyelle’s hands evoked in his body.

“Please God, do not let Donyelle look down at my pants right now. I beg of you. Please.” Benji thought silently praying to himself.

Donyelle inched her lips closer and closer to his right ear while continuing to play with Benji’s hair and chest. She began to whisper something ever so seductively into his ear.

“Well, I do need a big, strong man to hold me tight while I quiver in fear during that movie.

Donyelle slowly turned her attention to Benji’s pants and chuckled quietly, only loud enough for Benji to hear.

“And from the looks of things you’ve got the big part handled.”

Donyelle slowly began to lower the hand she had on Benji’s chest lower and lower down his body until it came strikingly close to Benji’s pants that had “stretched” some, to put things lightly. Benji swallowed hard and closed his eyes while breathing in deeply. He had dreamed of several variations of this moment since his the moment he found out him and Donyelle were partners. Donyelle lowered lips slowly until she was at his right cheek. She opened her mouth and placed her tongue lightly on Benji’s cheek, letting it glide aimlessly across it and sealed the deal with a fiery kiss where her tongue had left off on his cheek. Benji didn’t know if it was possible for him to be any harder than he was right at that moment.

Soon, he felt Donyelle’s hands leave his body and no longer felt the warmth that radiated from her. He looked over to see Donyelle grabbing Benji’s cell phone and dialing.

“Who are you calling?” Benji managed to squeak out quietly.

“Dmitry! He can be my big, strong man who will watch Pet Sematary with me! I mean who else could do that job? Well… besides Tahir of course.” Donyelle said smiling evilly.

“Oh look! We’re at the Krispy Kreme Donut place!” Donyelle said excitedly as she jumped out of Benji’s SUV and walked outside.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD JUST HAPPENED?! WHAT WAS THAT?! YOU’VE GOTTA BE FREAKING KIDDING ME! FIRST LACEY NOW THIS?! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!” Benji screamed inside the safety of his car, where so many things had happened to him within the last 2 hours that he couldn’t help but reply every moment he spent in that SUV over and over in his head.

Benji looked out the window and wondered how in the world he managed to drive to the donut place while Donyelle was fulfilling his every fantasy right there in his SUV. He looked over at the building and saw Donyelle with her face pressed up against the glass of the Krispy Kreme Donut place watching the donuts as they came off the conveyer belt and smiling as if her inner child had been fulfilled at this moment. Benji finally came around and stopped looking out the window. Unfortunately, he was graced by the presence of the little voices that live inside his head once again.

You know what the worst part about all of this is? You STILL don’t know why she wanted donuts in the first place. Benj, you are gonna need a few minutes to… return to normal… if you catch my drift. Too bad this is your SUV and not your apartment because a cold shower would be perfect right about now.




~ Moose ~