Wanton Splendor

by Bobbi Smith

"Don't worry about me," he stated bravely and Cherie smiled.

  "I keep forgetting that you are almost a man. I'll see you when I get back."

  After kissing him goodbye, Cherie left her home and hastened to the riverfront. The steamer carrying the survivors was due in at any time.

  Mark was overjoyed as the port of New Orleans hove into view. Since their evacuation from the island, Isaac's condition had steadily worsened. He had been incoherent most of the time and to Suzanne's mortification, had called repeatedly for Cherie and Denis. Finally, in a frustrated fury, she had stalked away so humiliated that she vowed never to return. Since then, Mark had stayed by his side, witnessing his decline and he knew it was imperative to get him to a surgeon as quickly as possible.

  Hurrying back to check on Isaac, he met a steward and asked, "Have any plans been formulated for transporting the injured to the hospital?"

  "Yes sir, Mr. Kingsford. We sent word ahead. There should be vehicles waiting at the dock to transport them."

  "Good."

  Jacqui, with a protesting Mattie in tow, shoved her way through the crowd. For the better part of the week, she had been a waiting word of the survivors' arrival and now, at last, they were here. Her eyes scanned the decks of the steamer as it slipped smoothly into its berth. She knew the possibility of Mark's being on board was small for his name had not appeared on the lists of those still alive. But she still had to come.. .just in case. What had happened between them before didn't matter anymore. If he returned to her safely, she would never let him go again.

  Joel and Robert stood back, tense and silent, as the boat docked. There had been no further word on any of the survivors and it was with heavy hearts that they watched the passengers come down the gangplank.

  "Mattie! Look! There's Andre Montard and Suzanne Kingsford!" Pushing forward Jacqui ran to them, leaving her servant to follow in her wake. "Suzanne! Thank God you're all right. Andre!"

  She hugged them both, but before she could ask about Mark, Suzanne pulled forcefully away from her to glare at the small quadroon woman standing nearby.

  "How dare you!" Suzanne hissed loudly. "How dare you show your face in the presence of gentle folk! Slut! Whore!"

  Jacqui watched in surprise as Suzanne broke down and Andre had to carry her away to a waiting carriage. The woman Suzanne had made the scene over was not deterred by her attack and pressed on trying to get a glimpse of those leaving the boat.

  "Mattie," Jacqui whispered. "What was that all about?"

  "I'll tell you later. Ain't nothin' for discussin' in public."

  "Mark!" she cried as she waved excitedly to get his attention.

  Mark heard her call and broke into a run, "Jacqui!"

  Catching her to him, he kissed her eagerly, giving no thought to appearance.

  "Mark, thank God you're alive.. .You weren't on the lists ...I tried for days to find out if..."

  "Shut up and kiss me, Jacqui. And then tell me you'll marry me."

  She threw her arms about his neck and kissed him exuberantly.

  "Yes, Mark. I'll marry you. Right now, if you want!"

  "I want!" His gaze warmed as he looked at her, but then reality intruded and he frowned.

  "What is it?"

  "It's Isaac. I have to stay with him...he's been injured."

  "I'll go with you," she offered.

  "No. The hospital is no place for you." Mark caught sight of the stretcher bearing his uncle leaving the steamer and he turned to go. "Go on home and as soon as I know he's going to be all right, I'll come for you."

  "All right," she agreed. "I'll be waiting. If you need anything..."

  "I'll send word." He kissed her softly and then walked to Isaac's side as Jacqui and Mattie happily headed for home.

  Cherie had been startled by Suzanne's outburst. The only reason she could think of for her to lose her temper was that Isaac had told her of his plan to leave her. Embarrassed, but not discouraged, Cherie kept a sharp lookout for Isaac, anxious to know that he had made it safely home. It was Mark's conversation with Jacqui that she'd overheard in small bits and pieces that alerted her to Isaac's condition. And when Mark had rushed back to aid the stewards with the stretcher, she had known it was him.

  "It's Isaac?"

  "Cherie! I'm glad you're here. He's been asking for you."

  "He has? With Suzanne aboard?" Cherie was in credulous.

  "Yes. Come with me. We're going straight to the hospital." Mark led her to a carriage and gave the driver instructions.

  As he was climbing in, Robert Adams and Christopher's man Joel hailed him.

  "Mark! You made it!" Robert shook his hand.

  "Robert, it's good to see you. Joel," he acknowledged.

  "I saw Isaac as they took him away. Is he going to be all right?"

  "I don't know, Robert. I'm on my way to the hospital now..."

  "We won't keep you...We were just wondering if there was any word on Christopher."

  Mark looked stricken. "I'm sorry ...I saw him go down ...A timber caught him and then..." Mark paused. "Where are you staying? Can I meet you later?"

  "At my townhouse. Please come any time. And if you need anything-please let us know."

  "I'll try to stop by tonight, but it will all depend on my uncle's condition."

  "Of course. We'll be waiting to hear from you."

  With a nod, Mark climbed inside the carriage where Cherie awaited him and they drove off toward the hospital.

  It was night and Suzanne was glad. Dressed in a flowing negligee, she sat before the mirror at her vanity brushing her hair in angry strokes. It had been bad enough that her husband called for his mistress while he was delirious, but to come face to face with her first thing off the boat ...well, the incident had totally shattered her sense of well-being.

  Suzanne was through playing games with Isaac. If he wanted a divorce, as shameful as it was, she would give it to him. No longer would she suffer the humiliation of being second... no third... in his life. It was over.

  Suzanne was grateful that Andre had been there to help her. He had seen her home and helped to calm her considerably before going home himself.

  The maid's knock at her bedroom door surprised her and she called to her to come in.

  "Miz Suzanne."

  "Yes, Lucy?" Suzanne regretted Patsy's death on the island and she wondered how long it would take her to find another servant as good and as trustworthy as she had been.

  "Mr. Montard is here to see you."

  "Andre?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Tell him I'll be right down." Suzanne felt happy for the first time in weeks. "Then you may go for the night."

  Lucy's eyes widened perceptibly, but she answered a humble, "Yes, ma'am."

  Suzanne waited long enough for Lucy to reach her quarters before going to see Andre. Leaving her hair down she perfumed herself and donned a silky wrapper before descending to greet him.

  "Andre," her tone was warm with welcome, and more, as she moved gracefully across the parlor to him.

  Andre's gaze devoured her scantily clad beauty and he realized, not for the first time, that he had been fool to ever have let her go.

  "Suzanne. I'm glad to see you're feeling better," he smiled.

  "It's all because of you, Andre," she told him. "You made me feel wanted at the most desperate moment of my life and I love you for that."

  "You are wanted, Suzanne. A man would be a fool not to want you..." he complimented, thinking of Fletcher's rejection of her.

  "Don't be a fool, then, Andre," she spoke seductively, going into his arms. "Love me."

  Andre had only a fleeting sense of regret that she wasn't Katie before he succumbed to his natural desires. Suzanne, whose only motive was to forget her humiliating scene with Isaac's slut, had no thoughts at all. Fletcher was dead... as well as her marriage... Andre was the answer to her prayers. He would make her feel attractive again and tonight that was just what she needed.

  "I'm going to leave for a few
hours, Cherie. But I'll be back as soon as I can," Mark informed her.

  "I'll be here," she said. "I've already sent word home that I wouldn't be back until very late, so there is no need for you to hurry."

  "Well, if you need me, I'll be at Robert Adams's residence."

  "Fine."

  Mark and Cherie had been at Isaac's bedside since their arrival that afternoon and during that time they had become friends. No longer was Mark ashamed or intimidated by her. He found Cherie to be a very warm, intelligent woman and now he completely understood Isaac's predicament.

  As he left the hospital, Mark knew he would have to hurry back, if for no other reason than to relieve Cherie. She had been with Isaac all day and Mark was truly impressed by her devotion.

  As his carriage arrived at Robert's house, Mark was welcomed by Joel and Robert.

  "Come in. Sit down." Robert gestured him into the manly comfort of the study.

  "Thank you, Robert."

  "Would you care for a drink?"

  "No thanks, but coffee would go well."

  After they'd settled in, Robert broached the subject he'd dreaded.

  "I know this will be painful for you, but we must know... Did you see what happened to Christopher?"

  Mark understood. "I was in the hotel lobby and he was trying to reach Katie in the dining room when all hell broke loose... The windows blew out and then the walls went ...I saw a board or something knock him down and he didn't get back up."

  "What about Katie?" Robert asked as Joel stood silently in the background.

  "Andre said she was with Christopher when the water..."

  "They were together?"

  "From what I can find out."

  "And their bodies weren't recovered?" Joel pressed.

  o.

  Robert looked at Joel, their expressions equally determined.

  "Where have the search parties been looking? Have they gone back in along the coast?"

  "They've just started there. Evidently the scavengers have been hiding out in the bayous..."

  "Scavengers?"

  "There were looters everywhere and we had nothing to fight them off with... They were like vultures, preying on the dead..."

  "We have to look, Robert," Joel stated firmly.

  "I agree, Joel. And the sooner we get out there, the better."

  "You're going out?" Mark interrupted.

  "At daybreak."

  "Then I'll come, too."

  "What about Isaac?"

  "There's nothing more I can do to help him. Cherie is with him now."

  "Meet us at the Adams's Warehouse landing at sunup, then."

  "I'll be there," Mark assured them, glad that they were going to take some action.

  He had felt so frustrated and defeated. At least now he would know that he had done all he could to save them.

  The Aftermath

  Joel stood on the steamer's promenade deck and watched in grave disappointment as Last Island faded from view. They had searched the beaches thoroughly but had found no trace of Katie or Christopher-alive or dead.

  Joel and Robert had both been stunned by the total devastation wreaked by the hurricane. The once subtropical paradise was no longer a thriving resort community. Stripped bare by the storm, the island lay unprotected against the elements. The useless, hulking remains of the Star so deeply imbedded in the sands only added to the air of death and decay.

  Shaking his head in a forlorn gesture, Joel contemplated the possibility of a future without Christopher. There would be no way that he alone could continue their work at Greenwood and Dee still had not been freed.

  "What's wrong, Joel?" Mark asked as he joined him on deck.

  "I'm worried, Mark. I had really expected to find Christopher today."

  "I think we all were," Mark agreed.

  "Where are we bound now? Robert isn't heading back to New Orleans already, is he?"

  "No. We're going to check the coastal areas, just on the chance that they might have been washed up on shore."

  "Good. Somehow I feel we're so close..."

  "I know," Mark paused. "I hope it's not just our imaginations working overtime."

  "What is?" Robert broke in as he came out on deck.

  "Joel and I both feel that Christopher and Katie are alive..."

  "I feel the same way, too," Robert confided. "Why else would we be searching these isolated back-washes for them?"

  "I'm glad we're not going to give up yet," Mark said gratefully. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I thought I hadn't done everything possible to find them. Especially after having made it through myself." He smiled crookedly at Robert and Joel. "There's a lot of guilt connected with being a survivor..."

  Robert and Joel didn't respond. They were familiar with the trauma of watching friends and family in dire trouble and being unable to go to their aid.

  "We're going to do our best to find them.. .we'll just have to pray that our best is good enough."

  It was late afternoon and the August heat was oppressive. In their makeshift shelter, Katie napped fitfully.

  A short distance away Christopher sat unmoving. His shoulders slumped in defeat; his expression was one of sad acceptance. No longer could he pretend that help was on its way. He had finally been forced to face the ugly truth. If they were to survive they would have to save themselves.

  Guilt plagued him, as he shook his head in self-condemnation. Had he killed the scavenger who'd attacked Katie, they would be in possession of his boat. But his concern for her that day had overridden his common sense. Without a skiff, their trek back to civilization would be long and treacherous, especially since they'd both lost their shoes during the storm. Barefoot or not, though, Christopher knew that they had to try walking out.

  Glancing over at Katie, his gaze softened, easing the grave lines of worry that were newly carved into his features. Somehow, some way he would see her to safety.

  Getting slowly to his feet, he went back to her and kissed her awake.

  "Katie, darling," he whispered against her lips.

  Katie opened her eyes to look up at him with undisguised adoration. "Hello," she murmured sleepily. "Have I been sleeping long?"

  "About an hour or so, I guess."

  "I'm sorry."

  "No need to be. You were tired."

  Katie reached up to caress his cheek gently. "You look really worried, is there something else?"

  "We can't wait here any longer Katie. If help was coming it would have been here by now," he explained seriously.

  "I knew we'd have to do something soon, but I wasn't sure what..."

  "We'll have to walk out, it's the only way."

  "Are we going to follow the bay?"

  "That's the safest. I don't think we'd last long if we tried to go inland."

  "I know what you mean. I heard the tales about the alligators in the swamps." Katie shuddered at the thought of the big, hungry, log-like creatures.

  "According to Joel, those are not tales, they're true stories?"

  "Then let's be sure to stay out of their territory, all right?" she smiled.

  "Good idea. We'll plan on heading east first thing tomorrow morning," Christopher felt a little more hopeful as he kissed her again.

  The enforced intimacy of these past days together had made him realize more than ever just how precious she was to him.

  Katie lay still, enjoying the sensuous play of Christopher's lips upon hers. During this time they'd spent together, she had come to know him better and the more she learned about him, the more she had loved him.

  "I love you, Christopher," Katie told him honestly.

  Christopher pulled away and stared down at her. He treasured their closeness, but he was also aware for the first time of what a great responsibility loving someone could be. The days of only taking care of himself were over. He loved Katie and wanted to protect her from all harm.

  "Oh, Katie," he sighed. "How did we end up here?"

  "I thought you liked b
eing alone with me!" she complained in false indignation. "You mean you're not having a good time?"

  Christopher couldn't hold back his smile and Katie was relieved to know that she had lightened his mood.

  "Of course I'm having a good time," he insisted. "I'm alone with you in a remote," Christopher cleared his throat. "Very private resort, of sorts. The accommodations are rustic and leave a bit to be desired.. .but on the whole it's been memorable."

  Katie laughed happily. "You forgot to mention how much you've been enjoying the wild life."

  "Oh, yes," he kissed her quickly. "Our friends the mosquitos, who are almost big enough to ride and all the other assorted wonderful creatures of the night. Remind me to take you somewhere a little less exciting on our next vacation. All right?"

  "All right. But frankly, there's one part of this I wouldn't have traded for the world."

  "What?" he couldn't find anything to be optimistic about.

  "Making love with you any time I want to," she smiled invitingly as she pulled him down to her. "Like right now."

  And Christopher didn't protest as Katie took the lead in their mating.

  With no thought to modesty, she shed her clothes and unbuttoning his pants, stroked him to hardness with expert caresses.

  "No," she denied him as he reached out to touch her. "I want you to relax and enjoy."

  Smiling at Katie quizzically, he folded his arms behind his head and lay back as she undid his shirt and pushed it aside to expose his chest. Trailing her fingers over the powerful muscles of his shoulders she paused to tease his flat male nipples before slipping lower to trace a path of tempting fire over his lean, trim stomach.

  Christopher tensed as she moved up over him to touch her lips to his, trapping his hardness between them. The satin of her belly created an exquisite friction as she rubbed against him. When he could bear it no longer, he clasped her to him and in one easy movement, rolled, bringing her beneath him.

  "You're right, Katie," he murmured as he slipped within her hungry body. "There are definitely benefits to coming to these out-of-the-way resorts."

  Smiling softly at him, she drew him down to her, meeting him in a poignant kiss that stirred his heart.

  Fused in love's embrace, he sought release from the reality of their situation, if only for a little while. Thrusting desperately into her welcoming warmth, he climaxed quickly with Katie and, then he lay together with her enjoying the peace of the moment.