by Erin Wade
We checked into the hotel and headed directly to the lady’s apparel shop on the first floor. We purchased suitcases and several outfits. I couldn’t wait to get out of the hijab and back into real clothes.
##
“I’m exhausted,” Alex mumbled as she fell onto the bed.
“Probably worn out from all that flirting.” I was teasing . . . sort of.
I helped Alex remove her hijab and pulled off mine. I carefully folded the clothes, because we must wear them to board the plane in the morning.
“I’m going to take a shower,” I informed Alex.
I expected her to join me, but she didn’t. When I finished showering, I found her sound asleep. I slipped into bed, careful not to disturb her.
##
The sound of the shower disrupted my restless sleep. The clock on the bedside table showed five a.m. We had a ten o’clock flight. I got out of bed to search for coffee.
Alex and I hadn’t talked much since meeting Malika. We needed to develop a game plan before we joined her for breakfast.
Our hotel was as nice as any I’d stayed in, complete with a Keurig coffeemaker and a wide selection of pods containing different coffee flavors. I selected a mocha cappuccino, slipped it into the holder, and pressed down the top.
I suddenly realized that things were coming back to me in bits and pieces—like details about other hotels where I’ve stayed and what kind of coffee I liked. The Keurig isn’t easy to use the first time, but I did it like it was an old habit. Things were coming back, but still few memories of Alex.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep last night,” Alex said as she slipped her arms around me and pressed her warm body against my back. “Did you make me a cup of coffee?”
“I . . . I don’t know what you drink. “I can’t remember.”
“It’s okay, baby.” She kissed me between my shoulder blades as she released me. “It will all come back to you in time.”
I pulled out the chair and sat down at the table in our room. Alex turned to me.
“What’s wrong, Sloan?” Her eyes bored into mine, as if searching for answers to her question. “Are you still upset because I was flirting with Malika?”
“Maybe.” I pretended to pout. I couldn’t resist her sensual movements. She stopped making coffee and straddled my lap.
“You know I was just giving you a hard time.” She nibbled at my lower lip. “I can make it up to you.”
I lowered my eyes “How?” My voice squeaked.
“I’ll let you see my tatas.” She giggled.
“Well, since I couldn’t trade you for a camel . . . .”
In one smooth motion, she pulled her T-shirt over her head. She wore no bra.
“God, Alex.” My breath caught in my throat as I stared at her. She kissed me softly, her full lower lip moved against mine. She sucked the soul from me as she deepened our kiss, teasing my tongue.
“I’ll even let you touch my tatas,” she whispered in her sexy way that left me breathless.
I trailed my fingers along her torso, tracing every curve as I made my way to her breast. I cupped the soft, firm flesh as my other hand held her tight against me.
She nibbled her way up my neck and breathed into my ear. “If you’ll take me to bed, I’ll let you suck my tatas.”
A moan rose from the pit of my stomach and escaped my lips as I stood, still holding her. She wrapped her legs around me and began to grind into me. I could feel the warm moistness of her, and I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.
For the first time, I realized we could take our time exploring each other. No one was hammering on the hospital door or hot on our trail, or likely to return to their campsite and catch us.
Making love to Alex was indescribable. She was warm and silky, soft and yet firm. Her scent was mouthwatering. Her mouth was everywhere—on my breasts, sucking my throat, nibbling my lips. Her teeth grated against mine as she pulled me down hard on her.
“You know what I need,” she hissed.
And I did! I knew what Alex needed and what she liked. I knew just where to touch her and kiss her and suck her.
She clutched my hair in her fists and threw her head back, arching to meet me. I know the next sound she makes will be a loud moan. Then she’ll scream my name over and over as she gives me everything she has and we ride the waves of passion together. I know this because I remember. God, I remember!
I moved to cover her screams with my shoulder. “Malika is in the room next to us,” I cautioned her. “She’ll hear you.”
“Sloan, I can’t . . . I can’t stop.”
“Bite me,” I hissed, and she did.
She buried her teeth into my collarbone and ground against me. Her fingernails cut paths down my back. Pain and pleasure shot throughout my entire body. To muffle my own cries, I buried my face in her dark tresses and rode her to the most exquisite feeling I have ever known. We went over the top together and came down slowly, gasping for air, still clutching each other.
“Oh, Sloan,” she whimpered, “I thought you had forgotten what I like.”
“It came back to me,” I whispered as I tangled my legs with hers and pulled her as tightly against me as possible.
##
Chapter 19
“Do you remember everything?” Alex kissed me gently after she fixed my hijab.
“Not everything,” I said, “but I do remember the most important things.”
“Umm, you certainly do, darling.” She gave me a look that made me gaze at the bed hoping for a replay.
She laughed at me.
“You are evil.” I kissed her.
“Malika is waiting for us in the coffee shop.” Alex grabbed the pull bar on her suitcase, and I did the same with mine. “Do we look like Rita and Melba, Tourist?” She laughed.
I moved to the opposite side of the elevator, trying to keep my hands off her. “Why did you get a sexy name like Rita and I got Melba?”
“Because I am the sexy one.”
I had to admit it; even a hijab didn’t diminish her beauty.
Malika waved at us when we entered the coffee shop. She had ordered coffee for all of us and a fluffy French pastry.
“Do you have everything?” Malika asked. “We only get one chance at this. We can’t afford for anything to go wrong.”
I nodded. “We have a package for you. Don’t open it until you get home.”
“What is it?”
“Money and a gun,” I whispered.
A look of concern clouded Malika’s face. “I don’t—”
“Please don’t argue with us.” Alex placed her hand on Malika’s, and this time I found no room for jealousy in my heart. There was only love for my wife and deep appreciation for the woman who was risking so much to help us.
“We can’t carry the gun or money through security. The authorities will confiscate both,” I explained, “and we want you to have the money to use as you see fit.” I leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. “If you ever need me, call me.”
She hugged us goodbye and waved until we lost sight of her.
Uncle Benjamin didn’t let us down. We breezed through security and customs. I feigned religious indignation to keep authorities from searching under my hijab. My bullwhip was secured around my waist and showed up on the x-ray machine as a leather belt.
##
Alex snuggled into my side as I studied our airline tickets. “Our destination is Florence.” I tilted my head and looked at her.
“Yes.” She hugged my arm. “To our villa there. Do you remember Florence?”
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Visions of a younger Alex flashed through my mind: Alex riding a bicycle on stone-paved streets; Alex eating ice cream from the cone I held out to her; Alex lying on white sheets, inviting me to join her; Alex wearing a white dress and veil as she stood next to me.
“We were married in Tuscany,” I murmured. “That’s where we vowed to spend our life together.”
<
br /> “See, darling? All the important things are coming back to you.”
We had a layover in Spain and didn’t reach Florence until early the next day. We were exhausted. At the Florence airport, we went into the ladies’ room as two Muslim women and walked out as Alex and Sloan Cartwright. I ran my fingers through my hair, letting it fall across my shoulders.
“Even the air smells different here,” I said as we waited in line for a rental car.
Alex leaned against me. “Wait until we reach our villa. It always smells like spring there.”
Without warning, visions of a beautiful chateau filled my mind. I knew it was our home in Italy. “Do I even want to know how we became so wealthy?” I said as I placed our luggage in the back of the rental car.
“We did it together,” Alex said. “I landed a research job out of college. During our senior year, you worked on an exposé of the university’s football program, bringing to light how many rapes had been pushed under the carpet because star football players committed them.
“With your beauty and talent, every news station in the nation courted you. We both had high-paying jobs. We saved our money, were awarded several grants in our respective fields, and then we opened our own lab where I finalized my research on skin rejuvenation products.
“The scientific community lauded my research as a tremendous success, and A&S Cosmetics was born.”
Alex and Sloan?”
She nodded.
As we drove, more memories seeped into my mind: the ocean, the vineyards, and the gorgeous woman sitting beside me.
##
We had been at our villa a week when a man on a bicycle delivered a telegram.
“What is it?” I asked as Alex opened it.
“It’s from Leigh Redding.” Alex handed the paper to me. “She isn’t certain we’re here. She sent the same message to all of our residences.”
I read the telegram out loud. “Sloan, this is urgent. Do not ignore this. Must speak to you immediately.”
“She wants the evidence I have.”
“Where is it, darling?”
“I don’t know. My memory is returning gradually. I seem to be able to recall things from my early life but not the past couple of years.”
“You recalled the most important thing.” She caught my hand and led me into our bedroom. “You have no doubt that I’m your wife.”
“Yes.” I sighed as she pulled me down beside her on the bed and began to unbutton my blouse. “That truly is all that matters.”
##
Chapter 20
Alex snuggled into me and kissed between my breasts. “Thank you,” she murmured.
We both laughed when I responded with the age-old phrase, “The pleasure was all mine.”
“I can assure you that’s not true.” She kissed my lips. “Today let’s ride our bicycles into the village.”
“Sounds like fun.”
##
The bicycle ride brought back additional memories. “Is that little café we loved still here?” I asked.
“It was last year,” she said.
Try as I might, I could not recall the previous year. I was sure it would come to me sooner or later.
We parked our bikes and took a seat on the café’s patio. A young woman greeted us like old friends. She hugged Alex and held out her arms to me. I hugged her. She took our order and hustled into the café.
“She seemed hesitant to hug me,” I noted.
“She has had a crush on you since she was ten,” Alex said, laughing. “I told you, you’re a chick magnet.”
A look of concern crossed Alex’s face. “You look perplexed.”
“Leigh, Amy, and even my nurse Sadie indicated that I’m a philanderer.”
“No you’re not, Sloan,” Alex assured me. “They were trying to influence you to be unfaithful to me. They know that’s the only reason I would leave you.”
“With every fiber of my being, I know that too,” I said. “I would never take a chance on losing you. My mama didn’t raise a fool.” I chuckled, but it was halfhearted.
“Honestly, I can’t believe I could stay away from you for an entire year.” I raked my eyes over her beautiful body and licked my lips.
“You didn’t. We met once a month for four days. Sometimes here or in Paris. I often flew into Spain, and you would meet me there. We aren’t able to stay away from one another for very long.”
“I’m glad.” I caught her left hand in mine and kissed her knuckles. The sun sparkled off the diamond in her wedding band.
“Did I have a matching one?” I asked as I touched the stone.
“Yes.” Alex’s eyes sparkled brighter than that diamond. “The artisan who designed them for us lives here. Oh Sloan, let’s have a new one made for you.”
##
We spent the rest of the day locating the jeweler who had crafted our wedding rings. He had retired but agreed to make a new ring for me.
“One week.” He scribbled a phone number on a note pad and handed it to Alex. “I will have it ready in one week.”
We wandered through the plaza and shared a gelato. I held it as Alex took a bite. “I love you so much,” I whispered, unable to find my voice.
“Let’s go home, Sloan.” The way the words fell from her lips was so sensual that I couldn’t suppress the moan that escaped mine.
The week passed quickly, as time always did when I was with Alex—at least what I could remember of our time together. We rode our bikes all over the countryside. Sometimes we took a picnic basket. Other times we searched for out-of-the-way cafés and spent hours just talking and touching.
We purchased burner phones so we could call each other if we were separated. When Alex called the jeweler, he assured her my ring was ready.
##
I was giddy as a bride as I waited for the old gentleman to show us my ring. I had butterflies in my stomach.
He gave it an extra shine then handed it to Alex. She inspected the ring and raised her eyes to my face. She dropped to one knee and said, “Sloan Cartwright, would you honor me by marrying me?”
“Oh yes!” I gasped. “Always.”
She slipped the ring on my finger. I pulled her to her feet and kissed her.
We walked hand in hand to the café where we’d left our bicycles.
“This is our tenth year of marriage,” Alex said, leaning against me as we strolled along. “We should reaffirm our vows.”
“I’d like that.” I hugged her closer. “Do we need to go through all the legalese or simply have a magistrate marry us?”
“Let’s make it official,” she said, “binding, like our first marriage.”
I nodded. I was happy to do anything that would bind Alex to me forever.
We stopped by the local magistrate’s office and filled out the required papers. “You must post your intention to marry in the square,” the clerk informed us as she stamped and signed the necessary documents and slid them across the counter to us.
“This is so romantic,” the woman said, hugging herself. “Come back next Monday, and the magistrate will perform the ceremony.”
“I can’t believe you’re marrying me twice.” I skipped beside Alex, as excited as if we were marrying for the first time.
“It’s the least I can do.” She laughed at my antics. “After all, you did fall in love with me twice.”
I stopped in the middle of the street. “I did, didn’t I? I had no idea who you were when you burst into my hospital room. I just knew my heart went crazy, and I couldn’t catch my breath.”
She laughed even louder. “Yes, I do remember how your machines went crazy. I thought Leigh and Amarosia were going to attack me.”
I held her at arm’s length and looked at her. “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”
“Why, yes, I do.”
I knew her answer was an honest one. She knew how drop-dead beautiful she was, and she still chose to marry me.
We walked the rest of the way i
n silence. I remained in awe of her, humbled by the fact that this woman, who was everything a woman should be and more, was my wife.
##
“You are beautiful,” I said as Alex joined me downstairs for our trip to the magistrate’s. “Is that the same wedding dress you wore the first time?”
“Yes, darling.” She tiptoed to kiss me. “Are you ready to make an honest woman out of me?”
I thought of all the nights we’d spent together since my accident. “It may be too late for that,” I teased.
“Just as long as the world knows I’m your woman,” she said. “That’s all that matters to me.”
“I’ll shout it from the rooftops,” I promised
##
Several people in the magistrate’s office volunteered to serve as our witnesses, and two signed the documents. Alex requested a dozen official copies of the marriage license.
“Last time we had to file these with everyone and their dogs in the US,” she said as she slipped them into her purse.
“I’ll file the necessary papers for Italy.” The magistrate smiled as he kissed Alex on the cheek.
A crowd followed us down the street, singing and laughing. “I can’t wait to get home and have you get me out of this dress.” Alex raised her eyebrows.
It was all I could do to keep from running to our car.
##
I was in my office making notes on our escape from Africa when Alex brought me a glass of ice tea. “What are you doing?” she asked as she leaned down for a kiss.
“Making notes on our adventure,” I said. “If I’d had a video camera, our trip across Africa would have made a hell of a documentary. Certainly a testimony for the BushCat. I have a new admiration for that little plane.”
“Why don’t you write a book about it?” Alex suggested as she eased between my chair and the desk and straddled my lap.
Her kiss was unhurried and exploring, filling my body with heat and need.
“I’d have to leave out the best parts.” I kissed the pulse point in her neck. “Otherwise I would be labeled an erotica writer instead of an adventure writer.”
She squeezed her legs tighter around mine and pushed hard into me. “Umm . . . that wouldn’t be all bad.”
