The Camera, The First Date and Oded's Kisses

Yeah, it’s me again. Teleah Brockman, Photographer and now avid Oded Fehr fan! Now let me tell you something, I learned a few things about Oded that day I met him and the day that followed. 1) He’s a really down to earth kind of guy; 2) He’s funny (or as he puts it, “quirky” **shaking head** I’m still trying to figure that one out); 3) He’s a toucher (hope you don’t have a “personal space” problem, cause Ded will invade it!); 4) He’s VERY affectionate; and 5) He’s a great kisser!

NOW, speaking of Oded’s kisses, have you ever had the pleasure of drinking water from a fresh water stream? Where the water is so clean and pure that it almost hurts to drink it? It’s so cold and fresh and you can’t seem to drink enough of it? THAT is what it’s like to kiss Oded! **sigh**

Okay, okay, I digress. Let me see; I know, let’s go back to where I left off, shall we?

It was late when I left Oded’s house that night, and it was even later before I finally arrived at my West Covina condo. As promised, I picked up the phone and called Ded the moment I walked in.

“Christ, what took you so long?” he answered the phone. I blinked, a bit taken aback by his abruptness.

“Well, that’s a hell of a greeting!”

“Sorry, I was beginning to worry,” he answered in a softer tone. I melted. Imagine that, Oded Fehr worrying about little ol’ me. Kind of made me all mushy inside.

“I live in West Covina, Ded, it takes a while to get here from Santa Monica.”

“Oh,” he answered sheepishly. “I didn’t realize you lived so far.”

“Yeah, it’s the price you pay to not have to deal with L.A.,” I answered.

“L.A. isn’t that bad,” he replied with a low deep chuckle that about damn near curled my toes. I had to sit down. “Just depends on which part you live in.”

I tell you right now, I hate L.A.! It’s crowded, dirty and expensive, but if Oded would continue to talk to me in that low sexy tone he was using right now, I’d be moving there before you could say, ‘Oded rocks my world’. Eventually I did, but that’s a different story.

“Well listen, Ded, I’ve got a long day tomorrow in addition to having to get up early to go buy a new camera, so I need to hit the sack.”

“I told you that I would replace your camera, Teleah,” he said, a bit miffed.

I sighed. I tell you, I hate dealing with men who get that “I told you” attitude. “Yes, you did, Ded,” I answered a bit too sweetly. “But you see, I need a camera for work tomorrow, so unless you plan to pull one out of a magic bag or something, then I need to buy one in the morning.”

Silence. I began to wonder if maybe I had laid on the sarcasm a bit too heavy on that last comment when finally,

“Okay, then I’ll come and pick you up in the morning and go with you to buy one.”

UGH!! MEN!! Damn them, you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them!

“Ded, honey buns,” I began, trying not to lose patience with this sweet man. “I will have to be up early. I have to be in Topanga Canyon by 10 a.m.”

“Honey buns?” he asked curiously, then laughed out loud. I found myself forgiving him for his pushiness about the camera. “Don’t think I’ve ever been called ‘honey buns’ before.” His laughter tapered off into a chuckle, and I knew that I would agree to whatever he suggested. Damn that man and his irresistible laugh.

“Okay, so you have to be in Topanga by 10 a.m.,” he continued. “Stop by here, pick me up and we will go to a good camera shop that I know of that isn’t too far away.”

“Okay,” I sighed dreamily, giving up the argument. Not that it was a real argument or anything, but damn, did I have to be such a wuss? I mean, the man laughs and I’m “space cadet” for the next 15 minutes. I really hoped that he would never find out the effect he had on me with that laugh, cause I could be in reeeeeaaaal trouble!

“So when can I see you again?”

I blinked, then blinked again. “Ded, you are going to see me in the morning.” I was beginning to find conversation with Oded a real challenge. Not that he didn’t make sense or anything, but we seemed to always be on a different wavelength.

“I know that,” he answered. “I meant for a date.”

“Oh.” Now for some reason that caught me by surprise. It’s funny now when I look back at it. It was quite obvious he was interested, but for some strange reason I was blinded to the fact. Maybe it was the fact that I couldn’t seem to stand when he laughed. My brain was fried.

“You don’t want to go out with me, do you?” It was more a statement than a question. The sad sigh he delivered after say that snapped me out of my euphoria.

“What? Oh, yeah, sure Oded, of course I want to go out with you!”

“You don’t sound too certain about that.”

Okay, I was thinking that maybe Oded needed a good **smack** right about now!

“Ded?”

“Yeah?”

“Why would I not want to go out with you after that kiss you laid on me earlier?”

He laughed out loud. If I hadn’t already been sitting down, I would have fell on my face. You could tell he was tired; he had that sleepy huskiness in his laugh. Then silence. I really wished I could have seen his face. He makes the cutest expressions, especially when he is unsure of himself.

“Well,” he finally said, “it was only a kiss. That doesn’t mean you would go out with me.”

IT WAS ONLY A KISS? Oh my god, I nearly fainted! That kiss nearly had me contemplating doing something I never do . . . jumping into bed with a total stranger! Good lord!

“Ded?”

“Yes.”

“You think I’m the kind of girl to let just any guy kiss me like that?”

I could almost hear him back peddling. He started stumbling over his words. “Oh god no, Teleah, I didn’t mean it like that!”

“I kissed you back,” I informed him, trying my best not to laugh. He was so cute!

“I know.”

“And you still think I wouldn’t go out with you?”

“I don’t know.” It almost broke my heart, the tone in his voice was so sad. It was quiet, and he sounded so unsure of himself. I decided it was time to have mercy on him.

“Ded?”

“Yes.”

“Ask me out.”

Silence. I could almost picture him chewing on his lower lip, getting up the nerve to ask.

“Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night, Teleah?” he finally asked. His voice was so soft; I had to strain to hear him.

“I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow night, Oded.” I answered happily. I could hear his very audible sigh come through the phone line. “Now see? That wasn’t so hard.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “You’re not just saying yes because you don’t want to hurt my feelings, are you?”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. “ODED!”

“What?”

“Hush!”

He chuckled softly and all my frustrations melted away as a shiver raced up my spine.

“Teleah?”

“Yes, Ded?”

“I really enjoyed your company tonight.”

Oh hurt me. Why did he have to go and get all mushy on me all of a sudden? I was never going to get to sleep at this point. My brain was on Oded Freeze at that moment.

“I enjoyed your company too, Ded.” I answered maybe a bit to breathlessly. “And if you question my sincerity, I’ll slap you!”

That chuckle again. Okay, I was ready to be committed. Just sign the papers and bring me a white jacket.

“Well, I should really get to bed. I’ll be over in the morning by 7:30.”

“I’ll be waiting,” he answered softly. Good Lord! What visuals that brought to my already overactive imagination!

“Good night, Oded, see you in the morning.”

“Okay,” he answered, then his voice softened even more and dropped several octaves, “Goodnight, Teleah.”

Holy bread on a broomstick, I literally slid right off the couch. I shivered, my nipples hardened and I ached between my legs, all from the way he said ‘good night, Teleah’. Damn, damn, damn!!

I hung up the phone and continued to sit there on the floor. I couldn’t move; my legs would not be able to hold me up. I was sorely tempted to just curl up where I was and go to sleep, but I knew I would regret it later. So I crawled on my hands and knees to my bedroom. It was sad, really. The man had reduced me to crawling around my own apartment because I couldn’t handle his voice. Good lord, I was a mess!

Now let me tell you something about men and shopping. THEY DON’T MIX!! Rule #1: NEVER take a man shopping with you! Rule #2: see rule #1!

I arrived the next morning at Oded’s home and was pleasantly greeting with a nice, long, lingering kiss. Hmmm, fresh water stream! He was fresh out of the shower, his hair was still wet and I could smell the soap and shampoo mixed with his own unique masculine scent. He was wearing blue jeans again, with a white t-shirt and a blue, long sleeve, button-up shirt over that. I was confused, but then after that kiss, that wasn’t surprising.

“Ded, it’s going to be 90 degrees out today. Why do you have a long sleeve shirt on?”

“I get cold easily,” he answered as he nibbled on my earlobe, then moved to that spot just below my ear.

He gets cold in 90-degree weather? The thought didn’t last long as he nibbled on neck. Oh my! I shivered as his arms tightened around me, pulling me more fully against his body. Oh and what a wonderful feeling his body was! I was losing it fast! There was something I was suppose to do, a reason that I was at his house at 7:30 in the morning. Oh yeah, the camera!

“Ded?” I forced out.

“Hmmm?” He seemed quite content with what he was doing. For that matter, so was I.

“The camera?” I was getting quite breathless and more than turned on. This was not good. Well it was, but not good timing. And damn if he wasn’t getting turned on too. Oh god, oh god, oh god!

He lifted his head and smiled down at me. “Camera, huh?” I nodded only because it seemed the thing to do, not because I was agreeing with him. It was also at that moment that I realized he hadn’t shaved around his mouth and chin. I guessed the “now you see it” was on its way back. I was surprised that I hadn’t noticed the whisker burn when he kissed me, but then again, I had had other things on my mind.

Suddenly he released me, leaving me feeling a little outta sorts, grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face the door, then gave me a little shove. He followed me out the door, locking and closing it behind him. It was a pleasant drive over to the camera shop, and then all hell broke loose.

I spotted the camera I wanted right away, but Ded had another one in mind. Who was this camera for anyway??

“Teleah, this is a better camera!”

“I don’t care, Ded. I want this one!” I answered, a bit frustrated.

“But it’s just like the one you had,” he pointed out. “I’m giving you the chance to upgrade!”

“And I appreciate that, honey, but I have a photo shoot in an hour and a half and I don’t want to have to deal with learning a new camera,” I argued. “I know this one, and besides, this camera is for me, right?”

“Well yes, of course it is.”

“Then shouldn’t I get the one I want?” I smiled, making my point.

He growled at me! I couldn’t believe it, but he actually growled at me!

“Fine!” he answered, miffed. I smiled my triumph (a bit too soon, I might add). “I’ll just get you both!”

My jaw dropped as he turned and walked towards the counter.

“Oded!” I called out as I rushed to catch up with him. “You can’t buy me both!”

“Why not?” He kept walking.

He wasn’t making this easy. Like I said before, rule #1!!

“Well, because you only broke the one camera.”

He stopped and turned to look at me with that raised eyebrow. “Then consider it an early birthday gift.”

“My birthday was last week,” I answered a bit sarcastically. It was the truth though.

He reached up, curling those long fingers around my chin, and leaned in close. “Then it’s a belated birthday gift,” he answered and kissed me hard on the mouth.

I suppose I could have kept arguing, but then what was the point? Oh yeah, that would be one more thing I learned about Oded that day . . . HE’S STUBBORN!!

So, with my new cameras in the trunk, I dropped Ded off at his house. I gave him directions to my condo in West Covina along with my phone number and he promised to pick me up around seven. After a lengthy drink from that fresh water stream, I was off to Topanga, whistling a merry tune. That merry tune didn’t last long, though. It was a short time later that my day went to hell in a hand basket and preceded to roast there.

By the time six rolled around that evening, I knew my date with Oded was not going to happen. What was supposed to be a simple photo-shoot with an entertainer (who shall remain nameless) turned into a fiasco! I started trying to call Oded on his cell phone, but with no luck. For some reason the connection wasn’t going through. I even talked the “entertainer” into letting me use their phone incase it was a problem with my cell phone. It wasn’t; either Ded was out of range or the signal was blocked by the canyon. So I called his house and left a message on his answering service and prayed he wouldn’t hate me for standing him up.

It was a little after 9 p.m. when I finally pulled into the garage of my condo. I sighed heavily as I got out and entered my place. I checked my answering machine, nothing from Ded, and checked the front porch. No messages, no nothing. He hated me. I felt like crying. I wandered into my kitchen, trying to decide if I wanted to eat something or just go to bed. The doorbell rang. I frowned. Who the hell is ringing my doorbell this time of night?

Opening the door, I nearly fainted. It was Oded. He had several bags hanging from one hand, what appeared to be a video tucked under his arm and a bouquet of colorful flowers in the other hand. “Hey beautiful,” he smiled as I stepped back to let him in. I was speechless and could only stare.

He put the bags and video down and handed me the bouquet. “Tough day, babe?” he asked, his head tilting slightly to one side. Apparently he got my message that I had left on his answering service.

I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it! He was the sweetest, most sensitive man I’d ever met, and if I lived to be a hundred, I didn’t think I’d ever meet another one like him.

“Hey.” Oded reached for me and pulled me into his arms. He held me close, one arm wrapped tightly around me, the other hand coming up to stroke my hair as he pressed his lips to my forehead. “You want to talk about it?”

I hiccupped and pulled away, swiping at my tears. I glanced down at the bouquet of flowers, hoping they hadn’t been crushed. They hadn’t. “Later.” I smiled up at him. “First I want to know what all this stuff is?” I pointed to the bags and video sitting on the floor.

His gaze followed where I had pointed, then he turned back to me and smiled. “Well, after I got your message that you were having a tough time and were going to be late, I figured you wouldn’t be up to going out to dinner, so I went and picked us up some and stopped by a movie rental place. Thought we could just relax here, eat, watch the movie, then I’ll tuck you in and leave.”

Tuck me in . . . now there was a thought.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are a dream?”

He shook his head and smiled. “Don’t think so.”

“Well, you are. You are my dream.”

“Hmmm, dreams are nice,” he replied as he pulled me back into his arms. “But I’d rather be your reality.” Then he kissed me. It was a slow, drugging kiss. Fresh water stream. It hurt so bad, I wanted more.

His lips moved over mine in such a way that I think he was trying to memorize every centimeter. Soft, playful kisses. He kept nibbling on the corners of my mouth as he worked his way around. I was putty in his arms. Completely and utterly useless. His tongue flickered out to stroke across my bottom lip, then teased the corners before moving across my top lip. I sighed, leaning into him. His hands came up to frame my face, his thumbs brushing along my jaw. They remained there briefly before moving into my hair. Anchoring his long fingers in my hair, he tilted my head slightly and deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue between my parted lips. I could only cling to him, my hands clutching his shirt, holding on for dear life as he made love to my mouth.

Never had a guy do that before. I mean, I’ve been kissed before, but never had I ever felt like I was being made love to just from a kiss. I was hopelessly lost and could only return the kiss. My tongue tangled with his as I became more aware of my surroundings and began to respond. He groaned, releasing my hair, his arms moving down to circle around my waist. I felt the length of his long hard frame against my softer one and sighed against his mouth.

I didn’t want the kiss to end. My thirst for his kisses knew no bounds, but I also knew that it couldn’t go any further. Not yet anyways. I have standards after all, and something told me that Oded did too.

“Our dinner is getting cold,” I whispered breathlessly against his lips.

Oded ended the kissed with a last stroke of his tongue across my bottom lip and a gentle tug with his teeth. He smiled. “Can’t have that!” His voice was a bit gravelly and sent shivers up and down my spine. “Feeling any better?”

“Much!” I answered as he released me. On shaky legs, I picked up the bags and went to the kitchen. He’d brought us Chinese food, and after eating, we both curled up on the couch, his arms wrapped around me, and watched the movie he had brought.

I fell asleep in his arms and remember nothing of him carrying me to bed. He claims I tried to drag him into bed with me, but I think he’s lying through his teeth. Just something about the glint in his eyes when he says that . . .

Anyway, that was the events of my second day of knowing Oded Fehr. Now, I’ve got to go. He’s begging for dinner and giving me that sad little boy look. I’m a sucker for that sad little boy look, so off I go.

Until next time . . .

This is Teleah Brockman signing off.