by Mimi Barbour
Strokes of bliss!
He pumped and pumped, his whole body caught up in the action. She met each thrust, her legs curled over his, her body fully involved in reaching the same goal. Joined, they climaxed together. Her pulsating muscles drained him until he collapsed over her limp, sweat-drenched body.
Long moments passed as their breathing evened out, and finally she whispered. “Why did I ever wait so long? I was born to do this.”
“Ohhh, yeah! You are one talented hussy.”
“Go figure! I’m glad it pleases you.” She winked, then grinned—a seductress glint in her eye.
“Quit preening. It’s disgusting, you pleaser.”
He rolled over to snuggle around her and gather her into him, covering them both with his puffy duvet. “Tell me something. How did you ever escape the sex-starved males in your life? A girl with your looks and brains should have been able to get all kinds of boyfriends.” His warm hand stroked her shoulders and arms.
“Not when you don’t want one. I’ve come out of my shell since I met you, but as a teenager, shyness made life pretty gnarly. Mother and Father didn’t encourage my having friends, and any girls that managed to get past them didn’t last long because I wasn’t allowed to do anything extra-curricular, or go anywhere. Except for one girl called Violet, who I’ll tell you about one day, just not tonight.”
“That’s a bummer! Why were they like that? Your parents, I mean. You’ve consistently referred to them as Mother and Father in a rather formal way. It made me wonder.”
“I don’t believe a child was ever part of their plans, and when I came along they suppressed all my childish goofiness—you know, to run and sing and be silly. I was treated much better if I played their prim, little-miss-perfect princess, and so, wanting their love, I did. Pretty soon it wasn’t playing a part any longer but who I’d become, at least one part of me.”
“Always figured you had a split personality hidden inside you. The newest treatment for this disorder is to administer both personas the same medicine. So the doctor, who is myself, will have to service both of you equally. I shall now perform my sexual talents with your other self. Call her out. It’s time for her to face the music.”
She giggled as he’d meant her to, and the sadness left her voice. “I guess I do have another side of me who takes over once in a while. As you know, a few months ago I’d decided that my life was sinking deeper and deeper into blahness. And it scared me. So I changed and had a new, exciting life. That is, until everything got incredibly messed up, and the reasons to change, which seemed so important at the beginning, all became blurry. By then, I’d hurt the people I cared most about, while searching for what was right in front of my face all along.”
“You might have been searching, but I had you in my sights every minute. No way you were going anywhere without me.” He kissed her, showing her in the physical manner a man has, expressing without words, that she was his.
One kiss led to the second, which led to yet another, and not surprisingly they lost themselves once more in the pleasures of their intimacy.
Some time later he leaned back, and she watched him as he took his time gazing at her substantial lushness. She tried to imagine how she appeared to him with both arms spread out to either side of her naked lax body, a wet gleam shimmering over her skin, and the biggest smile on her face. One that matched his.
“I’m so happy, even my heart is smiling.”
“I can see it. Your eyes give you away. You’re the only woman I’ve ever known whose eyes actually smile. It’s weird. They smile even when your mouth isn’t. I love that about you.” His face took on a seriousness she wanted gone.
She reached up to his lips with her finger and poked gently. His look of arrogant male smugness cracked, and his face stretched to match hers.
“Your eyes are smiling too. Copycat!”
He leaned down, rubbed noses with her, then mouthed the words he’d never get tired of saying. “I adore you.”
“I adore you back,” she answered.
They became lost in each other’s eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Annie, honey. No more, you’ll be sore tomorrow, trust me.” He held her hands tightly, to stop them from wandering his body and pushing his buttons. He’d like to make love to her all night, but she’d be the one to suffer in the end, and that possibility controlled his passions more than anything else.
“I don’t care, Ty, I honestly don’t. I’ll soak in the tub or walk straddle-legged, put on ointment or—”
“You can’t make up for eighteen years of abstinence in one night.”
“Eighteen years?”
“Since your love affair with the bik—”
“You are a sick man.” His teasing had her struggling to touch him again.
He gripped both her hands tighter and leveraged them up above her head to keep them still. Faulty control mechanism, that couldn’t be trusted, shouldn’t be tempted. The little minx could stir him to life with a simple stroke in one of his many sensitive zones, and she had studiously researched most of them during their two bouts of making love.
“Look, brat. Behave! If you quit torturing me, I’ll share my good news. I figured you’d be bugging me before now to tell you what was up.”
The only way he could keep his hands off her was by taking her mind off the fact they were in bed, naked, and crazily in love. He watched her mood shift from provocative sex kitten to dubious apprehension.
“Ty, don’t keep me in suspense. This has been an incredible day of highs and lows. Even though our lovemaking has blocked the low, it’s still hovering here, in the pit of my stomach.” She jerked her tummy muscles and his eyes followed. He let her hands go so he could pat the quivering softness.
Then she pushed him back and leaned over him, her breasts squashed against his chest, engaging his attention once more. “Oh, no, you don’t.” She slapped his searching fingers away. “Now you’ve got my attention, tell me. It’s about Lea, isn’t it? God, I hope it’s about Lea. I’ve been truly worried.” He placed his hand firmly over her mouth and curtailed her rant.
“Shuu! Don’t be worried. Yes! It’s about Lea. She came to see me today, and she looks wonderful. She told me how, after she left you that last night, she thought about what you had said to her and realized you’d nailed everything perfectly. The shame of letting someone like Doug dominate her chipped away at her sense of worthiness. Your words helped her to see clearly that the only way she could ever belong to herself again was to escape. To get free of him. And she did. She explained how she suckered him into following a bogus trail she’d set up, leading him back to her old neighborhood, while our little schemer hightailed it to the city and created a whole new life.”
“I’m so glad. Where is she now?”
“She wandered the streets for a few days, hiding out from Doug and his pals, then eventually she went to Dominic’s place to ask for a job. He took her in, and other than the fact that she insists on being out of sight by working in the kitchen, she’s doing just fine. I assume it’s her method of trying to protect Dominic in case Doug comes to the restaurant again looking for her.”
“That’s great news.” Annie’s eyes glowed; she rolled over on her back and lightly clapped her hands together like a child.
He followed as if an invisible string attached them and they couldn’t be too far apart. Her hair drew his hands, and he sifted his fingers through, playing with the soft curls. “She tried calling you a few times but couldn’t get to you personally, and she didn’t want to leave any messages at your office. Maybe she did on your home phone.”
“I checked when I got in, but there were none. I didn’t even bother to call her place, in case Doug answered. Besides, I had a lot on my mind after reading the sweet message you left on my door.” She kissed his nose and rubbed her hand along his cheek.
“You liked that, did ya?”
Had his voice always been so husky? The sound traveled along eve
ry erotic nerve in her body, bringing them all back to attention. “Yeah, I liked it.”
“You’ll be pleased to know there’s an exclusive event planned at Dom’s restaurant for later tonight, an anniversary get-together to celebrate his second year in the business. Relatives and close friends are the only ones to be invited, and we are to be his special guests. Dominic decided to close the place to customers earlier than usual, to accommodate the party.”
She kissed him all over the face, and then wriggled in an attempt to break loose. It did the trick. His interest stirred, along with other parts of his anatomy, but this time Annie called a halt and left the warm cocoon.
“We have to go. Look, it’s already after nine. He’s going to be wondering if we’re coming or not.”
She yanked on his arm and tried to pull him off the side of the messy bed. With a twisting movement straight from the pages of a karate manual, he bolted straight up, lifted her in a fireman’s hold, and stalked towards the shower.
“Calm down. I told Dominic we would be late and that I was making supper for you here. He’s okay with it.”
Hanging upside down, she giggled. “Speaking about eating? I’m starved. You never did feed me.” The smile in her voice matched the one plastered over her face. He glanced in the mirror and saw the expression she wore as she hung limply over his shoulder, and he decided, there and then, that he’d never seen her look happier.
“Bitch, bitch, bitch. There’s just no pleasing you, lady.”
Giggling, she answered, “Screw you.”
A love pat on her derriere made her screech. He chuckled and swaggered, then answered, “Already accomplished, and, may I add, you did a mighty fine job.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Tyler, you didn’t have to come with me to get my purse. I could have met you downstairs.”
“You’re not getting out of my sight for the next few days. I’m not taking any chances in case that workaholic personality reappears, and you decide you need to write a report or something equally asinine.” He chuckled and kissed her lightly, teasingly.
“Have faith. I told you that Anna is gone. Just little ole Annie here.” She grinned at him, while her hand reached up to get the hidden key. In her haste, she’d forgotten to take her purse to his place.
“It’s gone, Ty. My key isn’t here.” She searched the whole ledge and came up empty.
He put her behind him and tried the door, which opened easily. Reaching in, he turned on the light, pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and began to dial 911. In a grim voice he said, “We’ll have to wait here. Your apartment’s been vandalized.”
***
In less than fifteen minutes Detectives Drake and Penn arrived. Surprised and pleased to see them again, Annie questioned how it happened they were still on call.
“We had another case we were finishing off when your 911 came in. We recognized the name. You did us a favor earlier, so we decided to repay it now,” said Detective Drake, his manner as cordial as it had been previously.
“Did you go inside, touch anything?” Detective Penn asked, after shaking hands with Annie and Tyler.
“We were told to wait out here, so no, we didn’t.”
“Okay then, let’s see the damage, and if there’s anything missing.”
Other than a huge mess, and some spare change and jewelry missing, nothing else appeared to have been taken. A few minutes later Annie thought to check her answering machine and noticed that one call had come through and obviously been listened to. The old-fashioned message machine’s light was off, but the number one now was displayed. Knowing positively she’d checked prior to leaving for Tyler’s, when it had unmistakably displayed a zero, had her adrenaline kicking in and her stomach acting up.
“There were no calls when I left a couple of hours ago. Now there’s one, and whoever broke into the place listened to it.”
Detective Penn replayed the message. It was Lea, her voice cheery.
“Annie? I guess you’re not there, but I just needed to tell you how happy I am. I ditched the loser and am making pizzas at Dominic’s place. Please come tonight to the party. It won’t kick off until about ten, as Dom’s closing early. I know how tired you’ve been lately, so it’ll be tough, but maybe you can sleep in tomorrow. I’d like to see you. I—I have a lot to share with you. I’m free.... Anyway, I’ll talk to you soon. Love ya! Oh, yeah! Did I mention its Lea? Bye!”
“Oh, my God! I know who broke in. Ty, it has to be Doug. He’s looking for Lea, and he must have come here thinking I was hiding her.”
“You could be right.” He pulled out his cell phone and called the restaurant. Hearing the owner’s harried tone, he passed on his message quickly.
“Sorry to bother you Dom, it’s Tyler. Have you seen anything of Lea’s old pal Doug? Looks like he might have vandalized Annie’s apartment, and while doing so found a message from Lea saying where she’s hiding. He’ll know for sure now that she’s with you. He’s probably been watching the place, but since she’s living upstairs, and hasn’t left, he wouldn’t have known positively. Now he does.”
Tyler’s expression relaxed and his stance returned to his normal calm.
“Okay, keep a close eye on her, and we’ll be there shortly.”
Tyler turned to the two detectives, who were busy writing down Annie’s answers to their questions. “Is it okay for Annie and me to leave? We have a pretty important party to go to, and I’d feel a lot happier if we were closer to Lea for the next few hours. We could be exaggerating our fears, but I’d still feel better.”
“Sure, go ahead. We’ll call in the locals so they can finish up here and wait for the fingerprint analyst, then we’ll close the place down. Look, I put out an APB on this Doug character. He’s already a person of interest to us, so we do have a good rundown on most of his haunts. But just in case your guy shows up, I’ve noted the address for the restaurant where you’re going, and we’ll be sure and have a squad car nearby for the rest of the evening.”
Relief evident, Tyler answered, “Thanks, officers. I wouldn’t put anything past that tricky bastard.”
“Miss Hynes, do you have another key for the apartment?”
“Yes, in my purse.” Annie patted the item now hanging over her shoulder.
“I’d call the locksmith tomorrow and have them replace everything, just to be safe,” Detective Penn said, the warning glint in his eye not to be ignored.
“Will do. Thanks for everything.” Annie waved to both police officers as she went out the door Tyler held open.
***
Annie saw the taxi driver glance at them in the rearview mirror. Tyler’s left arm cuddled her to him while his wandering right hand snuck towards the opening in her sweater. She entwined her fingers with his and forced them down into her lap.
“Quit it,” she hissed. “Behave yourself.”
“I don’t want to behave myself.” He lunged at her and she pushed him away, giggling. Then turned and faced the window.
The continuous neon lights of New York City never failed to invoke flurries of pleasure, since she seldom went out for fun after dark, and hardly ever to a party. Going to parties meant being popular, being popular meant having loads of friends, and she’d never been that lucky.
Their driver chose the route through Times Square, and the teeming nightlife made her feel a part of the crowd in a way she hardly ever experienced. All the lights, congested traffic, and throngs of partyers out having a good time excited her. Honking horns, laughing people, even the smells of the busy hot dog stands added magic to the scene.
Tyler vied for her attention. She grabbed his wandering fingers again. “The driver is watching us,” she hissed.
“Nothing he hasn’t seen many times. We’ll give him a peepshow he can tell the boys at the garage about. Come ’ere, me lovely.” His fake pirate accent sounded corny. She smacked him a good one.
“Stop it, or I won’t stay with you tonight.”
Instantl
y his hand hesitated in making the return journey to her sweater, and he looked into her twinkling eyes.
“If I do stop, you’ll stay with me?” His seriousness appeared, and showed her how important her answer would be.
She whispered. “If you behave now, I’ll stay and do anything you want me to.” Her meaning couldn’t be misunderstood. The lustful look visible in his half-lidded eyes had her breath snagging in her throat. She tightened her hold on his hand and began jabbering to change the subject. The temptation to let him shock the older cabbie, now studiously keeping his eyes averted, had to be crushed.
“Tell me something you’ve never told me before,” she said, desperate to refocus his interest.
“What do you want to know?”
Numerous questions crowded her mind—until she spotted two grungy-looking teenagers lounging by a streetlight.
“Why did you choose to go into social work? And why with street kids? Face it—it’s mostly a thankless position. Really, society has a lot to answer for. How many times does the system return those poor babies into the same mess they’ve run from? I’ve often wondered, Ty, how do you face the disappointments day after day?”
“I care about the kids.”
“I know that, but I always had the feeling there was more to it. As if there were things you held back, parts of your past you were hiding.”
“You’re very intuitive, Annie. Probably why I never went into too much detail. There is stuff I don’t talk about very often. It makes me uncomfortable to admit to some of the crap I got into as an adolescent, which leads us back to why I chose this particular road.”
He turned his head so she could see only his profile and a grim look replacing his earlier smiles. First the muscle in his jaw clenched, and then his body stiffened. The arm around her shoulders tightened, hugging her to him even more. Since she’d been sitting as close as possible, her body now came close to lying over his.
