Until the End of Time

by Schuster, Melanie

  At once, he raised his head from her breast and pulled her close to him. She was shaking all over and he stroked her velvety length while saying her name.

  “It’s okay, Renee, it’s okay. I’ve got you, baby, it’s okay,” he murmured. Soon the trembling stopped and was replaced by an incredible heat that coursed through her body.

  “Andy. Oh, Andy,” was all she could say.

  She didn’t need to say anything else; their bodies were doing the talking. Everything that Andrew was feeling, every tender word he had every wanted to say, every erotic dream he had ever had about Renee translated into the motion of his body and his hands. By the time he was ready to join their two bodies, Renee could have picked him out of a room of thousands blindfolded, just by the touch of his hand. Her hands never stopped moving, either. She matched Andrew stroke for stroke, caress for caress. Just when she thought there couldn’t be anything more sensual than the way he was touching her and kissing her, she felt him entering her body.

  As she was getting used to the incredible sensation of being filled like she had never been before, she felt Andrew’s hand on her cheek.

  “Open your eyes, baby. Look at me, Renee,” he coaxed.

  Renee looked directly into Andrew’s dark eyes that were smoky with passion. Her hands held on to his shoulders while her body adjusted to his weight. They were connected to her in the most powerful and intimate way possible and each time he thrust into her she saw stars. The feel of his muscular body on her and in her causing her to spiral off into a fiery cloud that she never knew existed. But with every stroke, every push she knew she was where she should be. The adoration that was in Andrew’s eyes was staggering, even in her state of erotic euphoria. Andrew was giving her everything he had. He was holding her hips and telling her in every way possible that he loved her. Finally, when he sensed that she was on the brink of ecstasy, he pulled her even closer to his body and whispered in her ear.

  “I love you, Renee. It’s always been you, baby, only you. I love you,” he groaned before joining her in the electric explosion that made him hers.

  It was still raining by the time they were able to breathe normally. The French doors were open, allowing the moist, fresh smell to mingle with the scent of the expensive candles and the earthy smell of love. Andrew had turned on his back and held Renee against his heart and they clung together holding hands and not speaking. Finally Renee lifted her head long enough to kiss him on the neck and murmur “Thank you”, with a soft sigh.

  “The pleasure was entirely mine,” Andrew said sleepily.

  They fell asleep in each other’s arms while the storm continued. They did not sleep long; the urgent hunger that they felt for each other was not to be so easily satisfied. Renee woke up to find Andrew gazing down at her with his heart in his eyes.

  “Renee are you okay, baby? I wasn’t too rough, was I?” he asked softly. “I tried to be gentle,” he said, “but you’re so damned incredible that I couldn’t slow down.

  Renee loved the way he was stroking her face and turned her head to kiss his palm. “Andy, honey, do I look unhappy?” She smiled lazily, knowing that she must look totally content.

  He had to admit that she looked very satisfied. “But Renee, it’s been so long for you, and you’re so small, I didn’t want to hurt you with my impatience. I wanted this to be the most incredible night of your life,” he admitted.

  By way of answer, Renee stroked his face and kissed him with all the fire that she was feeling. She pushed his shoulder gently so that he would roll onto his back. Once he was where she wanted him, she began stroking him from his hips to his shoulders. When he let out a soft sigh of contentment, Renee lowered her head and began kissing his nipples in the same manner that he had kissed hers, which made him wild. Knowing that he had total control of him, she boldly slid her hand down to his throbbing manhood and caressed it slowly and surely.

  Andrew choked back a cry of passion and immediately reversed their positions. “Baby, I want to make this special for you and I can’t do that if you drive me out of my mind,” he groaned.

  Renee smiled and slid her hands down his strong, muscular back that was damp with perspiration. She grasped his buttocks and moved her hips sensuously at the same time. “Andy, this is special, sweetheart. Everything about this is special. And this is the most incredible night of my life. Besides, it’s hardly begun,” she whispered. “Look out the window.”

  Amazingly, despite the rain, it was still not totally dark outside. The cool, rain scented air drifted over them as they loved each other over and over though the night.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next time that Andrew awoke, he saw Renee re-entering the bedroom carrying a large tray. He watched her through his barely opened eyes, enjoying the view. She had put the filmy robe on and it did little or nothing to obstruct his view of her body. She set the tray on the needlepoint-covered bench at the foot of the bed and turned to the ice bucket to retrieve the bottle of champagne that was chilling there. It was actually a second bottle; the first one had been consumed some time before.

  Renee was so intent on her tasks that she didn’t pay any attention to the fact that Andrew was watching her. By now he was fully awake and sitting up, propped on the great pile of pillows arranged at the head of the bed. Finally, as she turned around to retrieve the crystal flutes they had been drinking out of earlier, she noticed that he was no longer asleep. With a ravishing smile, she leaned over and kissed Andrew, who promptly pulled her back into bed.

  He immediately divested her of the robe saying, “You have on way too many clothes. Besides, that doesn’t really cover anything up, you know.”

  Renee shrugged and agreed. “But who likes to get a present that isn’t wrapped? Are you hungry?”

  “For food? Kinda. For you? Always,” he answered.

  They kissed again and again which made Renee almost forget that she had gone down three flights of stairs to prepare him something to eat. “Mmmm, stop it. Those stairs aren’t conducive to breakfast in bed, so you’d better enjoy this now because who knows when I’ll do this again,” she said frankly.

  Andrew released her temporarily, but his eyes roved over her with a ravening look of desire. “I’ll fix breakfast for you next time, how about that? That seems fair,” he said.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off Renee’s lissome body as she arranged the tray on his lap so she could feed him. The sight of her dark, smooth body next to him with nothing covering her but the afterglow of their lovemaking was amazing.

  “You know what,” he said, before accepting the strawberry she held out to him. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was 18.” He bit into the strawberry and licked the resultant juice from her fingers. Renee ate the other half and looked at Andrew demurely.

  “Really? Do I look the same as I did in your fantasies?” she asked, arching a brow.

  Andrew looked her over seriously before answering. “Yes and no. You’re slimmer than you were in college. You’re more toned, I guess. All that tennis. You have to understand, I fell in love with what I saw that day, Renee. Especially one part of you in particular. And now it’s gone,” he said ruefully.

  “And just what part would that be?” she asked in surprise.

  Andrew sighed. “You had the cutest tummy in the world. It was round and sweet and adorable and now it’s flat like a model’s. Which is fine; I’m not about to complain or anything. You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he added hastily.

  “I actually memorized a poem after I saw you,” he confessed.

  Renee looked at him with total disbelief. Andrew saw her look and raised his right hand. I did. It’s the only poem I ever memorized, and this is from a child who had to have a crib sheet for every church pageant; Bennie can verify that. Want me to say it for you?”

  Renee nodded slowly and Andrew cleared his throat.

  He looked at her fiercely and said “Don’t you laugh at me—this is serious. Okay.” With a
look of total surrender he began speaking softly:

  She walks in beauty, like the night

  Of cloudless climes and starry nights;

  And all that’s best of dark and bright

  Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

  Thus mellow’d to that tender light

  Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

  Renee was so touched that tears filled her eyes. Andrew leaned over and kissed away the tears. “That wasn’t supposed to make you cry,” he said gruffly. “I must not recite very well.”

  Renee kissed him back, very gently. “Oh no, Andy, you did it just right. You’re so sweet, I don’t think I deserve you,” she said softly.

  Andrew disagreed with her. “Well, I don’t know about all that. But I know I deserve to eat. You worked me hard, woman. Feed me, so I get my strength back,” he said comically.

  Renee kissed him once more and then did as he asked and fed him the tray of fruit, cheese and croissants that she had prepared. He moaned his appreciation as she fed him a piece of canary melon wrapped in prosciutto. His eyes lit up as she offered him a raspberry Bellini to follow the saltiness of the Italian ham; raspberries were another passion that they shared.

  “You know, Renee, I could get used to this kind of treatment and want it all the time,” he warned her. “What would you do then?”

  Renee had gotten out of the bed to remove the tray and put it back on the trunk. She turned to look at Andrew, whose arms were crossed behind his head and who was wearing an extremely happy expression and nothing else.

  “Well, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” she said with a smile. “In the meantime, how about the only bubble bath you may ever get in this house,” she said over her shoulder as she walked towards the bathroom. Andrew was out of the bed before she finished the sentence.

  ***

  The next few weeks were as sweet and rhapsodic as anything either of them could have imagined, although not nearly as discreet. By some tacit agreement they still hadn’t revealed their relationship to the world at large. It was still much too new and tender to be subjected to scrutiny, although various family members found out bits and pieces here and there. One weekend they were shopping at the Somerset Collection, ostensibly to find a suitable shower gift for Bennie. The wedding was getting closer and closer, as it was taking place in October, and Renee was throwing a shower for her best friend whether she liked it or not. Bennie felt that she and Clay had way too much stuff as it was, and wasn’t looking forward to more things. Renee was ignoring that—Bennie was her best friend and she was getting something wonderful.

  She and Andrew had wandered around the huge mall aimlessly, enjoying each other’s company more than anything. It was there that Andrew’s sister-in-law Tina had seen them hand in hand and oblivious to anyone else. Their intimate demeanor suggested that this was way more than an outing of two old friends. Hmmph. It’s about time, thought Tina. She didn’t make her presence known; she knew all too well that privacy was critical in the early stages of love. She couldn’t stop smiling all the way, though.

  Donnie was the next Cochran to discover the truth of their relationship. The occasion was a cookout at Bennie and Renee’s the day after the shower. Bennie was outdoors watching Alan and Andre grill the meat. Renee was in the kitchen arranging vegetables on kabobs to grill after the meat was done. Andrew was entering the kitchen with Donnie when Donnie got a wicked gleam in his eye. He picked up a dishtowel and wrapped it around Andrew’s hand and doused the hand with a bottle of hot sauce that was on the cooking island. Before Andrew could protest, Donnie picked up a large knife and put it in Andrew’s other hand. Renee’s back was to the two men and she wasn’t paying them a bit of attention until Donnie’s dramatic announcement.

  “Damn! Renee, Andrew cut his hand!”

  She whirled around with a look of total panic on her face. She had turned as pale as the French Vanilla walls of the kitchen. Covering her mouth with her hand she ran to Andrew. “Oh, my God! Oh baby, are you hurt? Donnie call an ambulance, now! Oh Andy, baby, let me see,” she implored, trying to remove the dishtowel.

  Andrew looked daggers at Donnie and took the towel off his arm. “Renee, sweetheart, it’s just hot sauce. I’m not hurt; Donnie was just trying to be funny, that’s all. I’m sorry baby, really, I am,” he said gently.

  Renee’s relief was audible as she sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around Andrew’s neck. She stayed there until her heart stopped pounding while he stroked her back with his clean hand. They stayed in each other’s arms murmuring to each other and doing a lot of kissing, forgetting that Donnie was in the room.

  Donnie was totally dumbfounded. He had meant absolutely no harm; it was the kind of stunt that Andrew was forever playing on Renee. Who knew that the two of them had hooked up? And from all appearances it was quite serious, too. Donnie decided it was time for him to vacate the premises, but it was too late. Andrew’s voice caught him before he could leave the room. “You can apologize later, Adonis, but just make sure you keep this to yourself, okay?”

  Donnie cringed. Andrew never called him by his full name of Adonis unless he was really serious. He mumbled something and got the heck out of there before he did something else stupid. Andrew and Renee. Who would have thought it possible? He smiled as he left the room. His big brother really did have game after all.

  ***

  It was getting harder and harder to keep her relationship a secret from Bennie. Not the actual dating part; Bennie was so wrapped up in wedding plans and moving to Atlanta plans that she hardly noticed what was going on around her, of that Renee was sure. It was the not telling part that was hard; it was such a delightful secret that it was killing Renee not to confide in Bennie. She couldn’t wait to see the look on her best friend’s face when she found out they were a couple. But the timing wasn’t quite right for Renee—she didn’t want to distract Bennie in any way from the monumental tasks ahead of her. So she bided her time and thought she did a great job of keeping it under wraps. She would have been crushed to know that she was failing miserably.

  Her entire staff at Urban Oasis was well aware that something incredible had happened to their boss. Renee had always been a pleasant person to work for and with; now she was a veritable goddess of joy. She floated into the salon in the mornings, she was charming and vivacious all day long and she was constantly thinking up things to show her staff how much she appreciated them. She would bring lunch in that she had prepared herself, or she would order out for everyone. There were added incentives, too, in the form of bonuses for outstanding performance. Urban Oasis was now the most sought after salon in town as a place to work as well as a place to be royally pampered.

  Valerie knew the moment the change had come over Renee; she sensed it as soon as she saw the way Renee was glowing on her first day back at work after her weekend with Andrew. Valerie was discreet enough not to say anything in front of anyone else, but as soon as she got Renee alone she couldn’t resist. She gave her a knowing look and said, “I told you—hot and steamy does the trick every time, doesn’t it?”

  “Hell, yes,” Renee said promptly. She didn’t even pretend like she didn’t know what Valerie was talking about.

  They both cocked their heads in the often-used nod that meant “I-ain’t-mad-atcha-witcha-bad-self” and started laughing. Valerie knew a major corner had been turned when Renee suggested it was time they started thinking about a shower for Charlotte whose wedding was going to be in November. It was plain that Renee’s emotional boundaries had been brought down by Andrew. And it was about time.

  Andrew knew that Renee cared for him deeply—it was apparent in the way she talked to him, the way she treated him and the way she looked at him with her heart in her eyes. He didn’t think he would ever get over his happiness at being with Renee as a couple. The time that they spent together was like a gift to him, one that he hadn’t had much time to enjoy lately. The military precision with which his sister’s wedding arrangeme
nts was unfolding was terrible and fascinating to behold. Not to mention the fact that she would be moving to Atlanta at the end of it all. As her housemate and best friend, Renee was naturally in the thick of these plans and didn’t have nearly as much free time as Andrew would’ve liked. Plus, she was going to have to use some of that precious time to visit her mother in Cleveland, something that Andrew was trying to be adult about.

  “Andy, it’s my mother’s birthday so of course I have to go,” she said reasonably. “And you’ll be at that medical conference, anyway. So really, it couldn’t have worked out better,” she pointed out.

  They were sitting together on Andrew’s huge leather sofa. To be more accurate, Renee was sitting and Andrew was stretched out with his head in her lap. A cooling breeze came through the opened widows and a Jill Scott CD was playing softly. The only light came from the scented candles which lit the room and everything would have been perfect if they had been planning a weekend getaway instead of separate trips. Andrew said as much to Renee without opening his eyes. He was too comfortable for one thing, and he didn’t want to give away how much he was going to miss her for another. They were only going to be apart for a couple of days, but it was looming like a separation of months to Andrew. He inhaled Renee’s unique fragrance before drawing her head down for a long, lingering kiss.

  As they pulled apart, he abruptly got up from his reclining position and stood up, pulling Renee up with him. Without a word they began dancing and before Renee could protest, he had danced them up the stairs to his bedroom. Not that she would have said no; Andrew had her completely under his spell. Renee was still overwhelmed by the act of love as she experienced it with Andrew. He was gentle, passionate, inventive and energetic; everything that she had never had in a lover. In Andrew’s arms she truly understood what it was like to be a fulfilled woman.