The Wooden Nickel

by Alisha Paige

  “I love you, Cliff,” Louise whispered as he pushed her skirts around her, finding the latches of her garter belt. He kissed the satiny skin that separated her stocking from her white lacy panties before gently unhooking each one. With shaking, purposeful hands, he unrolled her stockings one by one, kissing her creamy, heated flesh as his lips circled her knees. He trailed, tiny, heated kisses down the length of her leg, stopping to lick the tiny crevice of tender flesh behind her ankle bone. He took each foot in both of his hands and kissed her heel, making her toes curl under. Louise giggled, reveling in the feel of wet heat enveloping each toe in his mouth as he suckled gently. She’d taken great pains to paint them the softest pink. The thought of Cliff scraping the polish off with his teeth went as quickly as it had come.

  “My, my, Cliff, are you hungry?” she asked, her head falling back onto the bed.

  “I’m famished,” Cliff growled from beneath her skirts.

  Louise sat up and saw the top of Cliff’s head as he began to help himself to her other foot, tasting each toe as if they were the rarest candy in the world.

  “Help me out of this dress?” Louise asked shyly. Cliff had never seen her without clothes on. The thought made her heart leap. She hoped he’d be pleased. Cliff noticed her quivering as he stood up and helped her to her feet.

  “Baby, what is it?” Cliff asked, concern flooding his face. “You feel okay? You’re shaking.”

  Louise turned her back to him so he could undo what seemed like hundreds of tiny pearl buttons on her back. “I’m just nervous, I guess.”

  “I’m here for you, honey. We can go as slow as you want or we don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to,” Cliff replied softly as more and more buttons were undone, revealing more and more of her ivory figure. He swallowed hard at the sight of it as the material gave way to her curvy hips.

  “Oh, no, I don’t want to wait,” Louise half whispered.

  “Are you sure, sugar?” Cliff asked, hoping and praying she would be ready. He thought he might go mad if had to wait another second.

  Cliff unhooked the last button as Louise pulled her arms out of the lacy sleeves. A cascade of silk and pearls rushed to the floor, pooling at her bare feet. Louise stepped out of the ivory circle with Cliff’s help. She bent to retrieve the heirloom from the floor and laid it across a chair next to the window. Cliff’s forehead immediately broke out in tiny beads of perspiration as he watched her round rear end bend over and cross the room. Her breasts swelled over her white lace bra that was trimmed in tiny pearls and white sequins.

  He sucked in his breath at the sight of his young bride. Louise had forgotten about her veil. It still cascaded down her back, but Cliff decided against telling her about it. Here stood his fantasy woman. Part girl, part sex kitten, part bride all wrapped inside of the woman he loved. Louise turned to face him, her face flushed and heated.

  Cliff held his hand out to her. “Come here, my beautiful dream bride,” Cliff commanded in a gravelly voice that was foreign to her ears.

  Louise tiptoed over to him, falling into his embrace. With one deep breath, he took her in his large arms, his muscles flexing around her small back as he breathed her in, kissing her long neck, beneath the veil.

  “Oh, my veil,” Louise said as she reached above her head.

  Cliff snatched her hand away and kissed the palm of it. Rice continued to fall from both of their heads with each movement. He held her hand out and glanced at her new wedding ring, a single marquis diamond set in white gold. “I like the looks of that.”

  Louise smiled as she kissed him on the cheek, unable to believe this handsome young reporter was her husband, hers to love forever. Cliff threw his jacket to the floor and undid his shirt in less than two seconds, tossing it to the floor. He unfastened his belt and Louise tried to concentrate on his face. She had never seen such an expression grace his usually cheerful features. He almost looked angry and it excited her beyond anything she’d ever seen. The lines on his forehead were deeply creased with tiny beads of sweat rolling from his temples, wetting his nearly white sideburns. His strong face was taut and serious, his coppery eyes flamed rusty brown, as shiny as melted milk chocolate. With kiss swollen lips, he broke into one of those deadly grins when he caught her staring. Louise’s heart wavered at the sight. She didn’t see how a person could ever be happier then she was at that moment.

  Here was the boy she had loved since the day he handed her his last wooden nickel. Back then she had wondered whether or not freckles lurked beneath all that soot, now she could count them while he slept. His pants had been discarded on the floor. He stood before her in his undershirt and underwear with a hungry look on his stunning face. Suddenly she was afraid. Her blue eyes were riveted onto his as he took her hand and led her to the bed. He pulled back the sheets and helped her lie down.

  “Are you okay, sugar pie?” he asked, kissing her softly on the lips. Her breathing was ragged, making her breasts appear as if they would topple over all the sequins that teased the lush mounds. Cliff knelt over her and kissed the tops of the soft flesh. Gently, he pushed the straps over her shoulders and slid his arm beneath her, releasing the hook. He removed her bra, ever so slowly, feeling as though he were unwrapping the most expensive, dainty jewelry, never before seen by a pauper like himself.

  “Oh, Louise,” he replied as two gorgeous mounds of ivory, pink woman lay before him. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed, kissing each nipple gently. Louise bit her bottom lip, unsure of herself, hoping she would know what to do and praying he would help her. Cliff took off his undershirt and threw it to the floor to join the growing pile. Louise gasped out loud. She had never seen the chest of a man before, not even her own father and the sight floored her. His arms were huge; his chest rippled with muscles and was that his stomach? Where hers was so flat and smooth, his was a collection of hard, man muscle, giving way to narrow hips that joined his large thighs covered in light, blond hair. He was a vision and she already knew, yes, he would taste better than hot, buttery pancakes on Sunday morning.

  She felt his hardness growing larger, pulsing on her tummy as his hips grazed her own while he suckled each breast. Louise closed her eyes as a tiny whimper escaped her throat.

  Cliff thought he would die. He dove onto her belly, showering her with kisses, forcing giggles from her throat, only feeding his desire. God how he loved her lyrical laugh and the way her blue eyes danced when he heard that sweet music. His angel lay helpless beneath him and though he hated to put an end to her innocence, he loved that it was him partaking in the pillage of something so beautiful. With his teeth, he removed her panties, spitting them out once they skimmed her toes.

  He sat at the edge of the bed, wanting to see her for the first time. She was his now and no one else’s. No other man had seen her undressed and Cliff now wondered what in the hell he had done to deserve such a gift, such a vision of perfect loveliness. Her chest heaved as he scanned her body, noting each curve, each smooth freckle, each beautiful mole, each birthmark. She looked so young to him and he had to remind himself that he was still young too, and that this was okay. She was his wife and he was now her husband and she was willing and ready to be devoured by her man. He met her eyes and saw fear in them. Her baby blue eyes were shining with tears, threatening to spill out onto her rosy cheeks and more than ever she reminded him of that little girl in the bread line who took the wooden nickel from a filthy hobo.

  Cliff went to her, taking her face in his hands. “Baby, don’t cry. Are you scared?”

  Louise nodded as her arms went around him, reveling in the feel of his smooth, tight skin beneath her fingers. “Just a little.”

  “I’ll go slow.”

  Louise nodded again, saying nothing. Cliff was uncomfortable with her total submission. His Louise was full of laughter and life. He didn’t want it like this. He wanted her to want him as much as he wanted her. “Why don’t we wait until I get back from Europe?”

  Louise came back to life insta
ntly. “Are you crazy? Cliff, you’re my husband. Please make love to me,” she begged.

  He kissed her firmly on the mouth. “Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Emberton!”

  Louise laughed and seemed more like his girl again. “You just looked so frightened for a moment,” he explained as he caressed her thigh, sending that sweet, hot honey that seemed to pour from his palm and into her leg.

  “You’re just so big,” she explained, incredulously. She explored the large expanse of man that lay above her with her tiny hands, marveling at the smooth skin splayed over tight muscles.

  A deep, throaty chuckle escaped Cliff as he pulled her hip to his, reminding him that he still wore his underwear. He cursed softly as he shoved the thin cotton boxers down his legs. He kicked them off swiftly and lay at her side. She wouldn’t dare touch it and there was no way she would venture a glance. Oh, my, Louise realized nothing lay between them, except heat and desire and an undeniable love that had ripened fully over the years. Cliff was ready to pick his fruit as he hovered above her and kissed his bride on the mouth. He had intended to take it slow, but once he nestled half an inch inside of her, he nearly lost his mind and fell into her completely, taking her at once. Louise screamed in pain and horror and shock, but the pain subsided as quickly as it had pierced her within. Languid, slow pleasure began to pulse through her as he whispered his apologies into her fragrant hair and kissed her tears away. Louise began to move with him and the room became whiter and brighter than any white she’d ever dared to file a dreamy memory under.

  “I love you, Louise,” he sighed as he began to climb higher and higher, fearing he wouldn’t please her, wondering how he’d even know.

  Louise was unable to answer his cries of love, but he knew she loved him back. He could feel it in her kisses and the way her eyes turned bluer when she caught his gaze. She began to mimic his motions until they were completely in sink. Her effort touched his heart. He growled, trying desperately to sustain himself. He closed his eyes, hoping that it would somehow help to not look directly at her incredible body. Her short, trim nails dug into his shoulders as her head flailed on the pillow beneath her. She had never imagined that love could feel this good and finally understood Cliff’s silly way with words, comparing her to his favorite desserts. He was absolutely decadent and she now knew that she’d never get enough of him. What would she do while he was traipsing around Europe, all in the name of a good story? Why, she might die without his touch. Heaven of all heavens, he was magnificent.

  Cliff opened his eyes, making sure this weren’t a dream. Her lips were open, swollen and pink from their kisses, her lush lashes curled upward from her closed eyes, fanning her beautiful face, the face he loved and dreamed of nightly. She had a spectacular body. A body that any man would fight to protect and now that he’d seen her, knowing and realizing her full womanhood, he didn’t want to leave her side, but everything was already set in place and wasn’t that why they’d gotten married in the first place? To give them both something to look forward to? Cliff would sure enough look forward to returning to her and more of his bride’s sweet love.

  He shifted his weight over her and repositioned her hips, bringing her closer to him. Louise answered instinctively, lifting her legs and wrapping them around his torso. He pulled her to a sitting position to face him, their limbs wrapped around each other, slick with sweat. Wet hair clung to her cheeks. With tenderness, he tucked the fly away tendrils behind her ears and kissed her closed eyes, her lashes tickling his chin. She opened them slowly, looking at her husband through a heady haze of love and lust. He smiled for her and her face broke into a gaze of happy love that made his heart go numb. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he devoured her face, stealing her breath, holding her to him, taking her over the edge as she clung on for dear life, crying his name out in wracked sobs of extraordinary white, hot ecstasy. Cliff held on until he felt sure she was sated. Holding her face with his hands, he fell into her, smothering her with kisses, crushing her velvet hair with his fingers, drinking her in until the waves were smooth as glass.

  They held onto one another, tangled together, drenched with sweat, their foreheads touching. He massaged her tender breasts as their breathing returned to normal and their pulses slowed. Gently he laid her down and took her veil off of her, chuckling as he laid it on the night stand. She never opened her eyes, but smiled as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. He pulled the sheet up over her and held her until she fell asleep.

  “I love you, darlin’,” Cliff whispered into his wife’s ear as he pulled her to him, nestling her beneath his chin.

  She sighed in her sleep as he kissed her forehead, wondering how in the hell he was going to manage to tear himself away from his beautiful bride in two short days.

  ~ * ~

  “So did he leave three days after your wedding?” Eric asked as he sipped hot cocoa on the porch swing with Louise.

  “He sure did,” Louise replied.

  “I bet you were awfully sad, Grandma.”

  “Oh, honey. You just can’t imagine. He was heading for a part of the world that was getting ready to burst at the seams, except we just didn’t realize it yet.”

  “You mean explode?”

  Louise nodded as she starred off into the distance, remembering the war and how much everyone had lost.

  “How long was he gone?”

  “Almost seven years exactly,” Louise said softly, seeing him in her mind as he kissed her goodbye at the train station.

  ~ * ~

  The train ride was only the beginning of his journey. He would travel three days by train and then two weeks by boat. Louise didn’t think she’d survive another day without one word from him. He was gone a whole month before she received her first letter. She’d been so relieved, she’d burst into tears, half thinking him dead. It was postmarked Vienna, so she knew right away that he had reached his destination. With shaking fingers, she opened the letter, anxious to hear his voice in her head and see his familiar scribble.

  March 16, 1938

  My Dearest Louise,

  How are you my darling? I’ve been so busy here and I never imagined it would take so long to get here. Once I got off the boat, it took five days to reach Vienna. I had to buy a warmer coat. We are in the throes of winter here, though I’m sure you must be enjoying warmer weather by now. My new coat is lined in beaver and keeps me quite cozy.

  I wish I would have had the foresight to realize that I can’t speak the language here. I wrote my first story and mailed it to your father, though I had no one to interview. I wrote about what I see around me and the changes occurring. Occasionally I will meet someone who speaks English. I had no idea how lost I’d be here. I’m mostly without any means of communication, but I’ll manage. I will travel to Germany in a month and perhaps more people there will speak English, but I have decided not to count on it. Things are mostly quiet, but I have witnessed a few atrocities here that in America would be unthinkable. I’ve written about them in the story I sent your father, so I don’t want to repeat myself or waste my letter meant for your eyes only on the retelling of such terrible deeds.

  I miss you so much, sweetheart. It’s hard to believe you’re my wife now and I’ve already written Bill and asked him how long he wants me to report from Europe. He wants me to stay for at least six months, but now that just seems unbearably long. I hope he understands how badly I need to be with you, my wife. I long to hold you in my arms and kiss you all night long. I will never tire of your kisses. Your love is the sweetest in the world. Our wedding night seems like a dream and I confess, I dream of it often. It only makes me miss you more and wish I was back home.

  Stay safe and give everyone my love. I miss you more and more every day. I promise to write every week.

  Your loving husband,

  Cliff

  P.S. You can write me at the address on the envelope. I’ll be keeping this post office box until I travel on to Germany. Love and kisses.

  Louise held
the letter to her chest as tears spilled down her cheek. The hole in her chest felt as hollow as the old rotten oak lying across the creek out back. She swallowed as the pain slithered down her throat, falling like a boulder, landing at the pit of her stomach, forcing an anguished cry from her as if she’d been stabbed. The pain was unbearable. Louise still found it hard to forgive her father for sending Cliff so far away. She prayed night and day for his safety. No one really knew what was going on over there and why did Cliff have to be the one to find out?

  March 26, 1938

  My Dearest Cliff,

  I was thanking the heavens the day your first letter arrived. It already seems like an eternity that you’ve been gone and though I don’t want you to worry about me of all things (as if you aren’t concerned with enough already) I’ve been sick with the flu and in bed for days. Today was the first day I was able to walk to the mailbox myself and Ida was ever grateful for it, too. I’ve been making her check the box since my illness set in. And what a glorious prize awaited me inside! I just read your letter and began writing this one to you straight away! I miss you, my darling and I too often dream of our wedding and the beautiful night we shared together. It’s so odd, but it seems like it happened years ago to someone else perhaps.