by Marie Jem
As we snuggled close to one another on the sofa, Alex put his arms around me and kissed my cheek, “I love you, baby. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he confessed.
I smiled, “You’re just saying that, aren’t you?” I asked.
“I swear to God I’m not just saying that, Claire. You really are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I want to give you the world,” he replied. I could see the truth in his crystal blue eyes. I wanted to believe that Alex really loved me because there were a million women out there that he could spend his nights with, but he chose to spend them with me. He could have had a woman with more money and better looks, but he chose me. I couldn’t wrap my mind around his feelings towards me.
“I love you, Alex. You’ve helped me come a long way after what I’ve been through. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I would be emotionally or psychologically right now. You have taught me to love. You have taught me to trust again. I never thought I could trust anyone ever again and look at me now,” I said, tears filling my eyes. He pulled me tighter against his body as I put my head on his chest. Alex kissed the top of my head, inhaling my damp hair. “Alex, just promise me you will always be honest with me, even if you know the truth will hurt me. No secrets, just complete honesty,” I stated.
“I promise, baby. I will never hide anything from you ever again. You can ask me anything about my past or present and I will always give you an honest answer no matter what, but you have to do the same. No secrets, no lies. Just love and trust,” he replied.
“I like that,” I replied as we sealed the deal with a kiss.
The phone rang just then. It was my mother. I hadn’t told her about Alex and wasn’t planning on telling her over the phone, so I put my finger on my lips motioning for Alex to stay quiet.
“Hi, mom,” I said, casually.
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you since Friday, so I just wanted to know if you’re doing all right,” she said.
“I’m good, mom. Everything is going great. I just got back from dance class and showered and I’m sipping on some hot cocoa,” I said. I wanted to keep it short before she asked about my upcoming birthday. I couldn’t lie to my mother and didn’t want to tell her that Alex had a surprise weekend getaway planned for me when she thought the man I was in love with was married to a sick woman. There was no time to explain that story on the phone that night. We continued to talk about minor, everyday things and hung up soon after.
“You really need to tell her soon, Claire. I would hate it if my daughter was keeping something like that from me,” he said.
“I’m going to tell her, just not over the phone,” I explained.
We headed upstairs to pack our change of clothing for the following evening’s dinner and drinks with Stefano and the dance gang. After that was taken care of, we went to bed early enough, so that I could wake up with Alex’s alarm, since we had planned to carpool to work.
<><><>
Morning arrived too quickly and I had a very difficult time waking up before five o’clock with Alex. He was such a morning person and I was definitely not as happy and perky first thing in the morning, especially at the crack of dawn. I didn’t feel like applying makeup that early in the morning, so I packed my makeup bag and decided that I would fix myself up before our dinner plans.
I brewed a fresh batch of coffee as Alex became quite impatient. “Come on, baby, I have to be in the operating room soon. I don’t want to be late,” he said.
“I’m ready, here’s your coffee. Let’s go,” I replied and headed to work with Alex. It was very quiet at work that morning. I was the first one to arrive, which was a first for me. I turned on all the lights, brewed fresh coffee and logged on to my computer. I opened my email to find one from Mark.
Good morning Claire,
I see you and lover boy are happily ever after once again. You really trust him, don’t you? Haven’t you ever asked yourself why Angela cheated on him in the first place? Or why she turned to drugs? If she were such a happy wife, she would do neither one of those things. I just wanted to leave you with that thought for the day. Hope you have a great one.
Mark Kohler, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgery
Downtown Memorial Hospital
What a way to start an early day, I thought. Mark got exactly what he wanted. He had me thinking about all those questions he left me with. I couldn’t help but think Angela was so unhappy with Alex that she turned to another man. She was a doctor and could have just left Alex and lived a happy and financially stable life. There could be no valid reason for what she did. There were millions of unhappy women out there and infidelity and drug abuse would not be the answer to their problems. I knew Alex and I had a no secrets policy, but I didn’t know how to tell him about the odd email. I decided to print it and put it in my handbag.
Laura was surprised to see me at work so early, since she was always there before I was. I showed her the email from Mark and her expression was similar to mine when I read it for the first time.
“Claire, ignore this. He’s just trying to stir things up and break you up again. He’s the male version of Taryn,” she said, irritated by what she had read. “He’s such a jerk,” she added.
“So, do you think I should show Alex?” I asked.
“If you have a ‘no secrets’ policy then maybe you should. I think I would. Remember how upset he was the last time you didn’t mention the flowers Mark sent you?” she reminded.
“Oh yeah, don’t remind me of that,” I said.
As I worked, I tried to get the email out of my mind by focusing on things. I thought about how that evening would go, with Alex and Stefano meeting. I prayed Alex would be nice to Stefano and not refer to him as ‘motorcycle guy’. It was past noon and I hadn’t heard from Alex yet, so Laura and I went to the Cuban deli for lunch. I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything that morning and had been running on one large mug of coffee. I was starving. Laura was shocked to see how quickly I ate my sandwich.
“You’re going to give yourself some serious heartburn, Claire,” she laughed, “but I have to say, it’s good to see you eating,” she added.
Laura was just as excited as I was about my upcoming surprise weekend getaway. She wanted to hear all about it when I returned to work on Monday. I was getting excited and a little nervous as well. I was skeptical that I would receive another strange email from Mark that afternoon, but I didn’t. I was able to concentrate on work and patiently await five o’clock, so I could change and meet Alex by his car. Laura wished me a fantastic weekend and gave me a hug before she headed home. It was time for me to head out soon after and so I did.
<><><>
Alex was already dressed in his jeans and his black long sleeve cashmere v-neck sweater. We almost matched, except my sweater was ivory. He smiled when he saw me and opened the car door for me. Stefano had asked us to meet him at his favorite pub. It was so cold outside, but so warm and cozy inside the pub. Stefano and Mandy greeted us at the entrance along with Kristen and a few others from the studio. I hugged Stefano and wished him a happy birthday, as he did to me. I introduced Stefano and Alex to one another and gave Mandy and Kristen a hug as well.
“Nice to meet you, Stefano,” Alex greeted warmly, yet a bit conservative.
“Likewise. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you from Claire,” Stefano said. It was funny that he said that as I had only mentioned that Alex was married to Angela and how sad I was to have found that out. He winked at me when Alex wasn’t looking. I could see Kristen was getting a very good look at Alex. When she noticed me looking her way, she smiled and gave me two thumbs up. When everyone arrived, the hostess escorted all of us to our big booth.
Alex sat very close to me with his hand on my thigh, as if he didn’t hold onto me, someone would kidnap me. Stefano and Alex both sat on opposite ends of the booth with us girls on the inside of the booth. I laughed to myself as I thought they looke
d like bodyguards. Keisha, one of the girls from my class asked Alex what he did for a living.
“I work at the hospital where Claire works,” he replied, briefly.
“Oh that’s nice. I didn’t know you two worked together. What do you do there?” she asked.
“I work for the environmental services department. I make sure the toilets and floors are clean after the patients use the restrooms. I go around dusting and vacuuming the physicians’ offices,” he replied.
I looked around the booth and the reaction on the girls’ faces was priceless. I began to laugh, as did Alex.
“He’s just joking. He’s a plastic surgeon,” I clarified.
“Reconstructive surgeon,” Alex corrected.
“Oh yes, sorry. He’s a reconstructive plastic surgeon. If your ear or nose ever falls off, he will put if back together as new,” I said.
“That was a good one, Alex,” said Stefano, still laughing. Alex’s cell phone rang just then and he excused himself from the table and went outside to take the call.
“Claire, you didn’t tell me he was a plastic surgeon,” Kristen began. “Does he have a brother? Preferably an identical twin brother, please,” she added.
The waitress brought our drinks and appetizers. The pub had the best appetizers that always filled us up more than the other food they had on the menu. Alex returned after quite a long conversation on his cell phone.
“Is everything all right?” I asked after he sat down.
“Yeah, baby. Everything is fine,” he smiled, putting his arm around me.
Everyone toasted Stefano and I for our birthday. It was turning out to be a great night.
“What do you have planned for your birthday tomorrow, Stefano?” I asked.
“Well, Mandy is taking me wine tasting this weekend,” he replied, putting his arm around Mandy.
“That’s sweet. I hope you guys have a blast,” I replied.
“What about you? Any plans?” he asked.
I turned and looked at Alex, “Well, Alex has a surprise weekend getaway planned for us, but I have no idea where we are going,” I replied.
“You will know soon, baby,” he replied with a grin.
The waitress arrived and handed Alex the check. Stefano stood up and tried to get it from Alex, but the waitress said it was all taken care of by Alex.
“Come on bro, why did you do that? I was going to cover it, since I invited everyone,” Stefano said.
“It’s your birthday, Stefano. It wouldn’t be fair. You’ll take the next tab,” Alex promised.
“Thank you, Alex. You really didn’t have to do that. It was very generous of you,” Stefano replied, genuinely.
“Happy birthday,” Alex said.
We all headed outside and said our goodbyes. We would all see each other at dance class the following Monday and share our weekend stories. It had turned out to be a good evening with good company. On our way home Alex took my hand and kissed it.
“That was very sweet of you to pay, Alex. Did you have a good time?” I asked.
“Yeah, baby. I had a great time. Motorcycle guy is not that bad after all, however, I can tell from the way he looks at you that he does have feelings for you. I trust you, Claire, so I’m not going to make a big deal of it. Let’s go home and pack. I’m planning on spending an amazing weekend with you,” he said as he kissed my hand again.
Chapter 21
Alex drove to his house after the pub, so he could pack his things for our weekend trip. He watered some plants around the house as they were beginning to dry up, since he hadn’t been there for a few days. He packed his things in a large suitcase and said I could add my things on top.
“Just pack your undergarments and toiletries. We will go shopping and buy new things on our trip. I think this suitcase is big enough to fill with our new items on our way back,” he said, pointing to the large Louis Vuitton suitcase.
“Alex, I will just pack what I have at home. I don’t need new things,” I replied.
“Just pack the necessary items to get you by for half a day. We will get you new things, baby,” he repeated.
“Where are we going anyway?” I asked.
“You will find out soon enough,” he smiled.
Alex locked up before we headed out. He walked towards his truck and stated he didn’t want to park his Porsche at the airport for a few days and felt more comfortable leaving his truck there instead.
“Airport? I thought you were going to tell me where you’re taking me, Alex,” I reminded him.
“Baby, I told you, you will find out soon enough. Come on, let’s go to your place, so you can pack your things too,” he said and opened the truck door for me to get in.
On the way to my condo, I couldn’t help but wonder where Alex was taking me. Could it be to New York? No, that would be too far of a trip for just two nights. I loved surprises, but it was killing me.
“Are we going tonight or tomorrow?” I asked.
“Tomorrow,” he replied.
“What time?” I asked.
“Our flight is at eleven,” he replied.
When we arrived at my place, I headed upstairs, Alex following me to make sure I only pack my undergarments and toiletries and nothing else, but what I would wear to the airport in the morning. I packed everything, leaving out what I would use in the morning. I wanted to apply makeup and put a few curls in my hair, so I didn’t look hideous wherever he was going to take me. I dumped the contents of my handbag on the bed and decided I would sort through the items to ensure I did not have anything that I wouldn’t be able to take hand carry on the airplane due to travel safety restrictions. Alex told me he would take care of the packing while I took a shower.
I took a shower and dried and styled my hair to make life easier in the morning. When I returned to the bedroom, Alex was sitting on the bed, reading the email from Mark that I had printed and put in my handbag that morning.
“What the hell is this, Claire?” he asked with his angry tone.
Oh shit! I thought, “T-t-that’s an email I received this morning. I printed it to show you,” I replied.
“When were you planning on showing it to me? Next year?” he asked sarcastically.
“I was going to show you after the weekend was over because I didn’t want it to upset you,” I replied.
“I’m going to call that son of a bitch,” he said, taking out his cell phone. I took a hold of his arm and pulled the cell phone away from him.
“Alex, please don’t call him. I will talk to him on Monday and confront him. You’re so angry right now that it’s not a good time. I don’t want to start off the weekend like this,” I pleaded.
“Claire, give me the phone. I’m going to call that prick right now and tell him exactly what’s going to happen to him if he even thinks about sending you another email,” he said.
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you until Monday, Alex. I knew you would react this way and I was trying to avoid it. It’s my birthday weekend. Just do this one favor for me and let it go until we come back from our trip. I don’t believe a word in that email anyway, Alex. I know he’s full of it. Just let it go for now, please,” I pleaded.
“Ok, baby. I’m only doing this for you. Come Monday, his face is going to look like his ass,” he warned. Alex put away his phone, but was still angry and would be angry for the remainder of the weekend every time he was reminded of Mark.
“We will not talk about this at all over the weekend, okay?” I asked.
“Anything for you, baby. Do you want to know where we’re going?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes! Please tell me,” I pleaded.
“Las Vegas,” he replied, waiting for my reaction with his sexy smile.
My eyes lit up. I hadn’t been to Las Vegas in a few years and was itching to go, but didn’t have the chance or the finances.
“Vegas? Oh, Alex, I’m so excited. I can’t wait! You’re the best, you know that?” I said, throwing my ar
ms around his neck and kissing him a hundred times. I imagined how fun it was going to be to go to Las Vegas with Alex.
“If I knew you were going to be this excited, I would have told you much sooner,” he grinned. “I know I’m going to enjoy every single inch of you this weekend,” he added, kissing me passionately.
“I’m going to have a hard time sleeping tonight, Alex. Maybe you shouldn’t have told me about Vegas until morning,” I laughed.
“Don’t worry, baby. I know of a few ways to put you to sleep. I’m going to take a quick shower, then I’m going to fuck you into tomorrow morning,” he said, casually and headed for the bathroom. My jaw dropped.
I set the alarm on my cell phone, so I could wake up early enough to put myself together and get to the airport on time. Alex wasn’t kidding when he said he would take a quick shower. He came out of the bathroom with his dripping wet dark hair over his bright blue eyes and only a towel wrapped around his waist. Oh my, I thought. He had the I always get what I want look in his eyes as he grabbed my bottom with both hands, pulling me closer to him, kissing me, his tongue pushing against mine. His body was boiling hot from the steaming hot shower he had just taken. He made me weak in the knees and left me wondering what was next.
We were on my bed before I knew it with Alex on top of me, his chest pressed against my breasts. He kissed me softly on my lips before heading down south to my breasts. His tongue circled around my nipple, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. He moved further down south as his tongue moved in circles between my thighs. He moved my legs as far apart as they could go, putting me in the splits position, as he continued with his tongue, adding his finger. I was about to lose control when he added another finger, gently sliding his fingers in and out as he continued in a circular motion with his tongue. Moments later, he sent me into an intense orgasm where I moaned so loudly I knew my neighbors must have heard.
