by Mona Moore
"I have. I traveled around Asia when I was younger, staying in temples and hostels where I could. I was an exchange student in China for some time as well. It's really a beautiful and spiritual part of the world. It's where I picked up many of my philosophies about medicine."
The word enlightened came to Scarlett's mind, and she was finally beginning to understand why Charles had such a quiet and calm demeanor. If he had spent time with monks and spiritual healers, he had probably learned that sort of mood, discipline and relaxed attitude from them. He was the complete opposite of her and her family in every way, but it suited him well. It made him Charles. Admittedly, she could probably learn something from his state of mind.
"You may have to order for me," she told him with a laugh, confused a bit by the menu. "I’ve had Indian food, which seems similar, but never Thai. I'm not quite sure what to get." She told him, feeling a little embarrassed by her lack of diversity.
"Alright," he told her, seeming happy that she was leaving it in his hands. "It’s interesting that a strong lawyer such as yourself would put your power in the hands of a man.”
He observed, not making it obvious if it was meant to be negative or positive. Scarlett gave him a hard look, and he chuckled. "It was a bit of a psychology joke. I didn’t mean anything by it," he laughed.
She found herself laughing a little as well, knowing she needed to loosen up a bit. That had been one of the few complaints Frank had voiced. For lack of a better word, he’d thought that she was - stiff.
Scarlett found it easy to get to know Charles, his philosophies, and his travels. He had to be one of the most interesting people she’d ever met. She was beginning to see why her mother would want to introduce the two of them. She was amazed by all the things he had seen and accomplished in his life and felt a sudden want creeping up on her. She wanted to live a fuller life. She wanted to travel and dance in the rain; eat exotic foods and - make love on balconies.
As their conversation deepened, she also found the sexual tension growing between the two of them. There was no denying it was there. It was palpable in the air. They often leaned into each other and even shared food from one another’s plates. It had to be one of the most open and exciting first dates she’d ever been on. It became easy to forget about her past frustrations with Charles as her psychiatrist.
"So now that you have this new time off, maybe you could come with me for some extra therapeutic counseling; make it a long weekend," he suggested teasingly as their hands touched later in the evening. Scarlett sized him up, wondering what was going on in his head.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked biting her lip.
His answer was a bit cryptic for her liking, but she found herself feeling a happy glow around him that she wanted to continue to capture. "Just pack enough clothing for a long weekend, and make sure it’s comfortable. Bring a bathing suit and warm outerwear."
As Charles walked her to her door at the end of the night, she found herself being nudged forward until her back touched the front door. He leaned in wordlessly, his eyes holding her enslaved, and let those full lips of his capture her own in an achingly slow and sensual kiss that turned her insides to liquid. But, before it could get any hotter, he pulled away and smiled. “Thank you for tonight. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the morning, Scarlett.”
It had all ended far too quickly for Scarlett. She almost wanted to call him back and fling him into her home so she could have her way with him. The deprivation she’d felt over the years, the lack of physical heat and sexuality that she thought might have been a defect on her part suddenly became evident that it had merely been a lack of attraction to Frank. Because with Charles and the way he made her feel when he kissed her, it was like someone had lit a flame under her and she was ready to combust.
That night she didn’t lie awake with Charles dancing behind her eyelids. Instead, she found herself drifting off into a peaceful slumber, and wondering just exactly what he had in mind for their little retreat. Something told her that her life was never going to be the same.
CHAPTER FIVE
Scarlett looked around in awe as Charles led her into his cabin where they would be staying for the weekend. It was a stunning combination of old stone and wood, completely secluded in the country, surrounded by trees. The front of it was right up against a small lake with streams and small falls leading off into the forest. It screamed Charles.
"This place is incredible," she told him as he began to show her around. For a cabin, it was massive. She couldn’t imagine the money it had taken to build such a masterpiece, and it made her wonder if he had it built himself or if he’d bought it that way. Something told her he’d had it built. There was too much of him in it not to have been.
As they passed by the original wood mantel above the fireplace in the living area, she noticed a picture of a beautiful young woman with short dark hair and green eyes smiling at them. She picked it up gingerly and stared down into her lovely face, trying to find any similarity in her features to Charles’.
"Who is this?" She asked Charles, wondering if it was a sister or some other family member. She had learned a lot about his travels and feelings but not so much about his relationships or family members. It made her curious.
Charles had been talking excitedly until then as he pointed out everything, but he went silent and somber instantaneously without explanation. He avoided the question, and instead placed the frame back where she’d taken it from and directed her to the bedrooms. He briefly showed her his hot tub outside. Scarlett frowned to herself. That was strange, the way he had changed the subject. But she put it at the back of her mind, wanting to enjoy the weekend for what it was; a time to get away with a man that she had an incredible attraction for. She wanted nothing more than to get to know him better.
Grabbing her bags, he ushered her into a room complete with a handmade four poster bed. “Put on some stretchy clothes. Something good for exercise, and meet me in the Solarium.”
“Okay,” Scarlett said, unsure what to make of it all.
There were things she didn’t know about Charles, obviously. It was becoming increasingly apparent that she had recklessly decided to estrange herself from the rest of the world in a cabin in the woods with a man she hardly knew. This wasn’t who she was, and it frightened her, but the attraction she felt with Charles was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. He made her feel bold when she was the furthest thing from it. And there was a soul link there; something that was pulling them together. It had been present right from that first day in his office. Yes, their attraction was off the charts, but there was something more to it, she was certain.
She put on a pair of low-slung yoga tights and a loose-fitting tank and made her way into the Solarium. She found Charles shirtless and barefoot, again. Her eyes, embarrassingly, couldn’t be pulled from his body. It looked like he’d been carved from stone. He was every bit as hard and toned as he felt and she blushed furiously when the memory of their moment on the balcony came into her mind. She shook it off and inhaled deeply.
Two yoga mats were laid out on the floor, and he was sitting cross-legged on one; his eyes closed and palms pressed together. She slipped off her shoes quietly so as not to disturb him and pulled her hair up in a messy bun atop her head, meeting him on the other yoga mat across from him.
Silently and in that quiet way only Charles could exude, he began to instruct her on how to move her body and how to breathe, even how to meditate. She soon found herself sweating but went with it anyway. It was curious, the way his moves were loosening her bones and making her feel freer, yet setting her skin on fire and making her muscles ache. Perhaps he should have been a yoga instructor on the side.
When they were thoroughly sweaty about forty minutes later, Charles tossed a towel in her direction and smiled a smile to make the sun envious of its brightness. "I think we should make a trip out to the hot tub.”
His suggestion had Scarlett looking at him like he just mi
ght be insane. It was dusk by now and snowing quite heavily. There was also the fact that she hadn’t been half naked and in close proximity to any man for the better part of a year. She couldn’t be held accountable for what would come next, especially around Charles.
"I'm not sure that’s a good idea," she told him, nodding towards the snowy scene outside. Charles reached out and took her hand, forcing her to examine those incredible blue eyes.
"Trust me." He whispered and brushed his knuckles down her cheek. That was all it took to get her to grab her robe and bikini before following him obediently out into the cold.
She could feel his gaze on her, following her every movement, and the sexual electricity that was coming from Charles had her swinging her hips a little more illicitly than she normally would have. She dropped the towel from around her body and tested the water with her toes before they both sunk into the hot tub. Scarlett groaned with delight, resting her head back against one of the small cushions there. The smell of jasmine wafted through her system instantly. Behind her was an outdoor fireplace she hadn’t noticed before, and its warmth was hitting her back nicely as she soaked in the warm, soothing waters.
"See all this?" Charles put his muscular arms up, gesturing to the house and the woods around them. "This is what keeps me calm and centered, being out here with all this beauty. I thought it might help you too; get you to relax and - open up more."
The way he said ‘open up’ made Scarlett shiver a little. It sounded – dirty somehow. Scarlett wasn't sure if he was talking from the perspective of a man that wanted to be with her intimately or from the outlook of a psychiatrist. Whatever it was, being this near to his half-naked, muscular body was enough to send her hormones through the roof. Her eyes raked his chest as it glistened with waterdrops, reflecting the firelight behind them and she licked her lips.
"How does it feel?" He murmured softly, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Mmm, it's fantastic." Scarlett had to be honest, even if she hated admitting defeat. "I’m very impressed with this place."
"How would you like to play a game, to pass the time?" he asked suddenly, staring her down as if he had some kind of power to make her say yes. She shrugged and nodded, not having a good reason to say no. He could have asked her stand on her head, and she would have done it at this point.
"Would you rather be beautiful, having plenty of affairs, but never marry; or would you rather be completely ugly but have one man the rest of your life?" he asked her.
"You're psychoanalyzing me, aren’t you?" she asked him with a little laugh, looking at him sideways.
"Maybe just a little. But it’s fun."
Scarlett sighed, eyes aimed skyward and agreed to play. "Alright, I suppose I would want to be ugly with the husband. How about you?"
"I guess I would have to choose the same thing. Okay, from now on, you have to think of a new question," Charles scolded lightly. "Do you prefer morning sex or night sex?"
Scarlett’s mouth fell open slightly, blushing a bright red in the fading light at his blunt, sexual question. He had mentioned dirty talk in one of their past sessions. Is that what he was trying to do?
"Just relax and be honest," he coaxed, smiling slyly at her.
This Charles was different.
"Night," She told him, feeling a little cowardly with the sudden heat level of the conversation. Yet, something in her pushed her onward. She would not admit defeat just because this man turned circles in her stomach. She realized that now she would have to come up with a dirty question of her own. It was now or never.
"Would you rather someone watch you have sex or that you were watching someone else have sex?" She spewed the question out quickly, trying not to think about the embarrassment she was feeling in the situation and putting her best foot forward. She couldn’t let him see her nerves. Scarlett was surprised that she’d come up with such a question so quickly on the spot.
"Hmm," he thought. "I think I would rather have someone watching me have sex. I know I could give them quite a show." He raised his eyebrow at her suggestively, moving a little closer to her in the bubbling hot water. "Would you rather watch porn with me or read an erotic novel out loud while touching each other?"
She felt liquid pool between her legs instantly, trying to keep her wits about her while thinking about the things he was saying. Butterflies were fluttering wildly in the pit of her stomach. Charles was casually trailing a line through the water droplets on the skin of her arm with one of his fingers. He was barely touching her, but it was like he’d taken a hot poker to her flesh.
Scarlett felt her face go hot as she tried to stammer out her answer. "R...R…Read an erotic novel," She told him, her voice somehow no longer her own, getting huskier.
Feeling bolder, she thought of a question she could bring the game home with. Something she normally wouldn’t have the courage to say but emboldened by the way he was touching her. There was no way she would let him get away with making her feel this way without getting him a little riled up too.
Scarlett pinned him mercilessly with her eyes. "If you could have me in any way you could, would you rather me riding you, or would you like to take me from behind, doggy style?"
Something changed in Charles' eyes at that moment; predatory lust swirling in their depths. Her breathing was shallow at the nearness of his body to her own. He pulled her face close to his, holding onto her chin while tickling her ear with is hot breath. "I'd love to fuck you from behind, and do some incredibly filthy things to you until you’re gasping and screaming my name."
“Is that righ—“
Before Scarlett could come back at him with something equally dirty, he turned her face to his and crushed his lips against hers. She responded by wrapped her legs around him in the hot tub, sighing breathlessly when his tongue slid deeply into the warm cavity of her mouth. The water held her breasts to the surface, and Charles took advantage, tearing his mouth away to drag a line down her neck and lower to tease her exposed flesh. She was certain he was going to take her right there, and she was going to let him. There was no way this train was stopping at the speed it was going in.
Before she could reach down to remove his bathing suit, he climbed out of the hot tub and grabbed her, slinging her over his broad, strong shoulders as if she weighed nothing. She squealed with excitement as he marched to her room, careless of the water he left behind him. She found herself being thrown down on her back onto the feather-down mattress of her four-poster bed.
Charles crawled onto the bed to meet her, spreading her legs as he placed himself achingly between them. For one brief moment Scarlett felt self-conscious about him seeing her naked, but as soon as he pulled off her bikini and began to snake his warm palms up and down her body, she let that melt away. It had been so long since a man had touched her so intimately. Goosebumps formed all over her body, and he ran his hands down between her breasts, past her belly until they hovered just above her eager sex.
His let his hand rest on her mound while his thumb found her clit, making small delicate circles. Even more maddening were his licks and nibbles, slowly creeping up her thigh. She shivered as he hit the most sensitive of spots. When his mouth covered her pussy, a ragged moan dragged itself from her lips, and her pulse quickened. He licked her slowly from bottom to top before sucking softly on her sensitive clit. Scarlett’s breast swelled under his assault.
She could tell he was a dominant man in the bedroom. He was strong and knew just what he wanted to do with her as he lay a palm flat against her belly, holding her hips steady as he continued to eat her out. Scarlett felt herself easily letting go; happy to let him have his way with her. Something she’d never allowed herself to enjoy before.
Suddenly, his thumb and mouth stopped, and his hands slipped back up her body where it found her right breast, massaging it and tweaking the nipple for an electric shock that went down her body and into her sopping wet sex. With his head now just below her chin, she could feel his breath lightly tickling
her sensitive skin. Soon, her nipple was hard and at attention under his expert touch. He took it into his hot mouth and sucked enthusiastically sending electricity to every nerve ending in her body.
"Your body tastes so damn good," He told her before standing up and removing his swim trunks, revealing his hard cock.
Scarlett nearly covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, but bit her lip hard instead, her eyelids languid. He was a true vision; a demi-god in stature with a long shaft that could easily fill her up and then some. His muscles rippled in the low light, and she felt herself throbbing below at the thought of him inside her. How long had it been since she had been good and fucked?
"I want you on all fours," Charles commanded her, waiting for her to follow his order.
She did as he said without question, flipping her body over and giving him a full view of her rounded ass and glistening, swollen pussy lips. He growled at the eyeful before getting on his knees in the bed behind her, his hands curling possessively around her hips.
"You’ve been a naughty girl tonight, Scarlett," he said in a deep, resounding tone. "You've been asking me dirty things and getting me all hot for you. What do you think your punishment should be?" he asked her.
Scarlett had never been spoken to like that in bed, but she was intrigued and turned on. There was something predatory about the way he was touching her body; the way he was talking to her like she needed discipline. She liked it. A lot.
"I deserve a spanking," she spouted off without thinking, going with the first thing that popped into her head. She didn’t want to be thinking right now. She wanted to be in the moment and feel everything Charles was about to do to her.
Charles' hand came down on her skin suddenly making her jerk, probably leaving a searing red hand print behind in his wake. Then, he copied the motion on her other ass cheek until she gasped. The fleshy globes were tingling from the hard slaps. Each one made her pussy tighten and ache. It was throbbing to be filled up.
