Beautiful No More

by MJ Nightingale

  “Good,” he replied as he began to massage the deepest parts of her. He rubbed and fondled, and felt every inch of her. Feeling for that g-spot. He breathed his warm breath onto her buttocks, and kissed each globe again. Stroking, stroking, as she shook, clenched, and cried out on trembling legs.

  “I’m about to . . .”

  “Go ahead. Come for me, Cat. I want you to.” He stroked harder, finding her clit, and began to rub her there. Her knees began to buckle and he held her firmly. She screamed and cried out his name.

  “Oh, oh, oh, myyyyyyyy,” she continued to cry as the waves kept taking her under. She felt herself collapsing. But he was there. He scooped her up, swinging her legs over one arm as he carried her to the bed.

  Her eyes were round, and the greyness was almost silver. She kissed his chest, and felt like crying. She had never known such pleasure, and it would be painful if she had to lose this. Lose him. But each moment with him would give her memories she would cherish forever. She wanted to tell him, felt the urge to do so, but his eyes held her back. “Andreas I . . .,”

  “Shh, I am not done yet, Cat,” he placed a finger over her lips. Then bent to kiss her, but did not join her on the bed yet. He took her bottom lip into his mouth and sucked, and then bit it softly before releasing it.

  “Andreas I . . . want to please you as well,” she stammered as he walked beside the bed looking at her.

  “Come sit on the side of the bed,” he commanded her.

  She scooted up and sat waiting. For what she did not know. But once more her heart began to thud. To anticipate. His body glistened with a fine sheen of sweat.

  He pushed down his boxers and stood before her, and she could see very clearly his manhood and thought she understood his meaning. She lifted her hands to touch the silky sheath over the steel, but in an instant he was on his knees once more. “I would like that very much Cat, for you to take me in your mouth. But, I told you, I was still not done with you yet. Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes,” was all she managed to get out. He claimed her lips and pulled her head to him. She felt her breasts heave in their tight confines, the nipples pressing up against the leather painfully, but it was a pleasurable experience. They ached to be touched, fondled, and licked. Sensing her need, he pulled the string that bound them in the front, and her bustier opened for him. He took first one nipple with his teeth, and released his hold on her hair to take her other nipple between his fingers. He rolled it and squeezed it, elongating it with the rough pads of his thumb. Then he switched, and she could feel herself getting wet again. Her womanly folds throbbed and she ached to feel him fill her, and to be one with him again.

  But instead he pushed her down and broke from her breast. Her disappointment was brief, as he then slid aside the little slip of cloth covering her pussy. He spread her legs wide, and then wider, and when his mouth made contact with her drenched pussy it was unlike anything she had felt before. The intensity and shock of the intimate touch had her reeling and bucking off the bed. Her heels dug into the carpet. She pushed herself against him, harder, relishing his tongue and what it was doing to her.

  Feeling her pleasure building, Andreas took her leg and placed it over his shoulder to get better access to her. She was deliciously sweet and incredibly wet. He used his tongue to tease her, circling her clit and exposing the tiny bud. When she was fully unsheathed and her moans of pleasure were increasing, he sucked her clit into his mouth pulling on her hard. Then he released her and did it again. He used his tongue to reach into the depths of her, thrusting, and withdrawing and then he returned to her clit to bring her to a frenzy.

  Cat felt every minute movement, and she couldn’t catch her breath. The emotions she felt for this man were overpowering her. When she felt his hands on her thighs caressing, stroking while his tongue alternated between delving deeper and devouring her, she could stand no more. Her scream of passion rent the room, and she came like never before. Instead of stopping, Andreas added his finger to her already sensitive bud, and stroked it harder as he watched her come undone. She writhed beneath his ministrations as multiple waves of pleasure had her coming quickly once more.

  She collapsed in exhaustion. “Oh. . . that was . . . intense.” Her breathing was erratic, and she had not the energy to move.

  Andreas slid onto the bed next to her. She rolled onto her side, her energy gone. “Thank you Cat, for letting me love you that way.” He kissed each eyelid, as she dozed off to sleep knowing she should say something in return. But, she needed to close her eyes for just one minute.

  Andreas waited patiently for Cat to awaken. He knew he had tired her, pushed her to her limits this afternoon. But he wanted to show her how it could be between partners who cared for one another. Partners who wanted to please one another. He knew her experiences had been brutal, forced, and ugly, and wanted to make sure she experienced all that great sex could be.

  He enjoyed watching her sleep, too. He often woke before her, but didn’t have the leisure to watch her for long. This time he took her in, the sight of her sated and resting after he had pleased her well. She was remarkably beautiful. Her pale skin had a rosy glow in the lamp light. She had just a few freckles on her cheekbones, but he felt like he could pick her out of a crowd by just gazing at them. Even his ex-fiancée had faded from his mind eventually. He wouldn’t ever forget this raven haired beauty. He knew his feelings for her were growing stronger. It terrified him, but he was determined to try with her if she would let him. He didn’t even know if she saw that kind of future for herself. For so long he had denied that it was a possibility for him. What a difference a few weeks made. And even amidst the most important investigation of his life, he didn’t think he could let her walk away without a fight. He knew the timing was wrong, and would wait before he suggested more. But in the deepest part of his heart, he hoped she would want a possible future with him.

  * * *

  Cat awoke suddenly feeling eyes upon her. The moment she met his gaze, she asked, “How long was I sleeping?”

  “Just thirty minutes or so,” he glanced down at her taking in her disheveled appearance.

  “Oh, Andreas. I am sorry. I did not pleasure you in return.” She turned to her side, propping her naked body up one elbow.

  “Don’t be sorry for that. We have tonight,” he whispered seductively.

  “Or now,” she suggested.

  He knew he had worn her out. “Cat, tonight is fine. I can be patient. You are worth it,” he murmured lying back, and pulling her down on top of him. “Let’s lie here a bit longer. I enjoy just holding you.”

  “The others are not back yet?” she asked settling in.

  “No. I don’t think so. Rest, I’ll wake you in a bit and we can shower and join them for dinner.”

  “Mhm,” she responded yawning. Another nap sounded good if he was here beside her.

  Chapter 23

  Tit for Tat

  The crisp air reinvigorated him. The weather had finally cooled and fall had arrived. He enjoyed the anonymity of the south, but the weather was never something he had gotten used to.

  He sat in his beat up Dodge Spirit. It was nondescript, a faded green from the Florida heat, and had over 200,000 miles on it. But it was running and he was happy for the tinted windows. He sipped his drink, and placed the Hardee’s Styrofoam container of sweet tea back onto the seat next to him. He was taking Angela today. He wasn’t sure how, but he was determined. He watched the Marinos all leave early. He heard on the news last night they were attending a charity event that evening for some military shindig on the base. He knew then, that it was time. He would grab her, and his hunch that she would be the last to leave had paid off.

  Unlike his other victims, whom he knew were single, and had followed to their respective homes, he planned to grab her here. He wanted Andreas to know, to see him on his security tapes if he had them. It was stupid, but it was his way of telling him to fuck himself. Andreas had taken his woman, and now he was ta
king something of his. Like last time. Tit for tat. Andreas had robbed him of his wife and son, so he had taken his parents. Now he had taken Catarina, so he would take this woman.

  From the sign on the door, the business closed at 6:00 PM and it was close to that now. He glanced at the clock on the dash. He had just ten minutes to wait. He would get out of the car a few minutes early and then grab her right out front. He had a bottle of chloroform. Stuff was pretty easy to make as he had found out when he first began to kill. His father had used it on the woman when he was moving them to make them easier to handle. An old family recipe so to speak. It was the only good thing his father had ever taught him. But, it had to be precise, and one had to be careful. The fumes could be toxic, and you could not use too much or you could kill the victim before you actually wanted to.

  The bottle lie beside him, and he was about to uncap it when his heart thudded in his chest. A police cruiser had pulled up behind him. He fumbled briefly with the bottle and slipped it behind him. He set his hand on the shift to put the car into drive. But the police officer passed him and with a slight nod walked up to the Marino offices just as the secretary, Angela came out. She greeted the young man warmly, as he escorted to his cruiser.

  “Thanks for inviting me out to dinner, Michael. I’m babysitting for Andreas tonight, so now I won’t have to cook.”

  “No problem, Mom. I thought it was a good idea. I am just finishing my shift, and I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Aw, you are so sweet. Still my baby,” she cooed as he shut her door and then went round to his side of the car.

  Sal wanted to cry. He was devastated. His plans for the evening were ruined. He considered following them, but with having a police escort tonight, and babysitting on that god forsaken island that had tight security, there was no way he could have gotten close to them there. He needed to think. He needed a new plan. So after the police car was out of sight, he pulled out into traffic. He headed home, to think, and to plan.

  Chapter 24

  The Fight

  Andreas and Gio waited downstairs. The girls were still upstairs getting ready and they were discussing what Tony and his security team may have found out.

  “If he can find where this guy works, or lives and the new identity he is using, he will pull off one heck of a miracle.” Gio stated taking a small pull on the O’Doul’s he was drinking.

  Andreas took a sip of the scotch he had poured. “Yes, that would definitely give us the break we need.” He hoped Tony’s team had been able to narrow the playing field. It would give them a place to start looking at least.

  Just then Blaze and Bella walked in. Blaze was also dressed in a tuxedo, while Bella wore a black roman style gown that flattered her expanding waistline. She was nearly five months pregnant, and she was glowing. The morning sickness she had been experiencing finally passed.

  “You look lovely, Bella.” Andreas approached and kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek.

  “Yes, you do,” Gio agreed and was right behind his brother to greet her.

  “She is gorgeous,” Blaze added his own appreciative comments, although he had told her, and showed her how beautiful she was before they had come downstairs. Blaze was proud of his wife. She was everything he ever dreamed of, and she had come out from under a very tough year. Today, they just found out the sex of their baby, and he couldn’t be happier. They planned to tell the others tonight.

  “Hey, now. Bella, you look amazing.” It was Nikko coming in with his Ronnie on his arm. She wore a scarlet gown that clung to her curves. Her blond hair was piled high on her head, soft ringlets framing her oval face.

  All greeted the stunning Ronnie when Johnny came through the door to announce his mother and Catarina would be coming down soon, and that Angela had just arrived.

  “I’m here,” Angela joined the growing crowd in the library. “I brought movies, and snacks,” she announced.

  “Yes!” Johnny fist pumped the air.

  “I hope not scary movies,” Lisa called from behind the door followed by Cat who made her entrance then.

  “Is there any other kind?” Angela teased and rolled her eyes in Johnny’s direction.

  “Mom, I’m almost eleven. Stop babying me.” Johnny shook his head.

  “I brought a comedy and one scary movie, but I watched it, and it’s not that scary,” Angela leaned in to show Lisa the titles and she nodded her approval.

  “Both of you look stunning.” Gio crossed the room to greet his wife who wore a one-shouldered gown in emerald green. Her ginger colored long hair loose in soft waves that trailed down her backless dress. He kissed Cat softly on the cheek and then took his wife in his arms.

  Andreas remained rooted to the spot. Cat was by far the loveliest woman in the room, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched as each of his brothers greeted her and kissed her warmly. It reminded him of his thoughts of yesterday. She was perfect. Perfect for him, and he knew his family would accept her. They all had their own pasts, and they would not hold hers against her. In fact, it made her fit in all the more.

  Nikko slapped him on the back. He leaned in and whispered, “Shake your head, your eyeballs are stuck.” Andreas glared quickly at his brother for using the juvenile expression, but his wife Ronnie who suited him so well, quickly added. “Don’t forget to pick your jaw up off the floor or flies will fly in.” Then she elbowed her husband.

  It was enough to shake Andreas from the stupor he was in. He went to her then. Her dress was the simplest of them all. It was a dark steel grey, a simple satin. It skimmed her tiny figure, but did not cling. It was modest in the back, and the front had a simple square cut design. The only daring feature was the slit that went up one side of the dress that revealed her perfect legs. He remembered the black six inch heels and he was sure his eyes sparkled. Cat wore her long thick hair down; it glistened and shone. Around her neck she wore a simple silver chain and from it was adorned a blue stone. Matching earrings completed her outfit. Classy. Mascara made her eyes pop, and he noticed the deep grey of the dress matched her eyes perfectly.

  “I love the dress,” he whispered in her ear. “And you do look stunning,” he added as he pressed a light kiss along her cheek.

  “Well, you better run along,” Angela pushed them out the door. “Johnny and I have a date with some ghosts, and a kid who had a very bad day.”

  Andreas led the way. Taking Cat by the elbow, he nodded at the security man who opened the door for them. Out front, there was a limo waiting to take them to the General’s Ball.

  * * *

  The limo dropped them off in front of the Officer’s Club. The General had gone all out for this year’s event. He had invited over 500 dignitaries from the base itself and the local Tampa Bay area that served the needs of the citizens and soldiers who either lived on base or nearby. The tree out front was decorated festively for the holidays but also in patriotic colors. The red carpet outside was a nice added touch, and photographers and news camera persons waited patiently to get pictures of those who entered. Andreas had a moment’s hesitation and almost had the limo drive round to the side of the building, but Cat’s slight touch and smile made him relax. The police had cleared her name, and the sound bite had been mentioned on several news stations. If the paparazzi wanted to take her picture, then so be it. “I’m okay, if you are,” she leaned in and whispered, guessing correctly why he had suddenly become tense.

  “I’m good.” He kissed her cheek as the limousine pulled up in the queue.

  They were only a few cars back, and they could already see the flashing lights as couples made their way inside the officer’s club for the dinner and dancing. Then the evening would end with the Bachelor’s auction. Andreas had briefly considered withdrawing his name but hated to disappoint the General. He hoped some old Tampa socialite bid on him this year. Last year, he had not been so fortunate. The woman who placed the winning bid had been a sexually depraved widow. He had been happy to oblige her. She had be
en a few years older, but a stunning blond bombshell. Her bid had given the Fight for the Fallen ten thousand dollars.

  When their car stopped before the center of the roped off area, Nikko and Ronnie, who were the closest to the exit stepped out first. Flashes of light immediately ensued. Only six months earlier, Ronnie had been an escaped fugitive of the law, unjustly framed for drug smuggling. The photographers didn’t stop when Bella and Blaze emerged from the car. Bella had her own difficulties just months earlier when she had to testify against a local mobster. Gio and Lisa’s entrance did not garner as much chatter from the paparazzi, although she too had demons in her past. Her troubles hadn’t made the papers in Florida to the extent that her sisters-in-law’s had.

  They were up next, and Andreas got out first. He held out his hand as the photographers began to snap pictures of him. It was blinding. When Cat stepped out, the lights were brilliant turning night into day and she had to momentarily shield her eyes. But smiling, she ignored the whispers of the cameramen and reporters as they made their way down the red carpet.

  They were almost inside when one particularly aggressive reporter reached his microphone over the cordoned rope and called to Cat. “Miss Stone, any idea who is killing your, er, ‘girls’?” he stammered.

  She looked in the direction of the question. “Not at this time. But I want him brought to justice more than anyone. Thank you,” she nodded and kept walking. Andreas was proud of her for her quick thinking. They did not want to reveal too soon that they had a possible lead. The reporter was not satisfied however, and called loudly even though another couple was coming up behind them. “Mr. Marino, are you and Miss Stone involved? Is Romeo going after her because of you?”

  Andreas stopped dead in his tracks, and turned. His smile was brilliant, white teeth flashing. “Yes, Miss Stone and I are dating. I do not know yet why he is targeting her. Our relationship began after two of the murders. But this time, I will catch this sick bastard.” Like Cat, he nodded and waved back any further questions. He wasn’t sure if his statement was a mistake or not, but he felt the need to let the world know that Cat was his and warning Romeo may have not been a good idea, as it might incite him, but it could possibly scare him.