by Mia Ford
“Eat your fill, Celia, although I hear that women in the big cities starve themselves to look good.” Conrad interrupted the silence.
Celia licked her lips and turned to look at him with a forced smile on her face. She was starting to dislike him more and more with every passing minute. There was just something unpleasant about him, despite his handsome smiling face and friendly demeanor.
“There’s no reason to stereotype us all.” She said, bringing the crystal glass of water to her lips.
“Why don’t you just leave her alone?” It was Wilder who had said that, and Celia whipped her head to look at him. This wasn’t something that she had expected him to say. Conrad broke into a loud laugh.
“Practice what you preach big brother.” He said, munching on his food.
“How are you feeling grandpa?” Celia spoke directly to him, ignoring the two quarreling brothers on either side of her.
Her grandfather looked tired, barely touching his food. He was drinking too much water and staring at his hands instead of concentrating on his dinner. He looked up at Celia and tried to smile when she spoke to him, but she could see it in his eyes that he was ready for bed, his illness had already got the better of him.
“Just tired, dear girl. I’ll be better in the morning.” He said, and Celia nodded her head.
“Of course. I’ll tuck you in whenever you want to go.” She said, holding her grandfather’s gaze.
“If Jack could have it, he’ll sleep all day, won’t you old sport?” Conrad said. Celia whipped her head to look at him in disgust. She wanted to say something, she was desperate to find the right words to say to this man who was hiding his true personality behind a curtain of fake friendliness.
“He’s sick Conrad. Show him the respect he deserves for his years of service to our family.” Wilder growled, this time he banged the table with a clenched fist. The glass beside his hand shook from the force.
“No, no, I’m fine. Let’s keep eating.” Her grandfather said, while Celia’s nostrils flared from the agony of it all. She was pained for her grandfather. How long did he have to endure this sort of treatment? Had he lived his whole life being treated by the Moore’s this way?
“I am showing him the respect he deserves. Ask him what I’ve offered him. We’re paying for his medical bills, aren’t we? Put a roof over his head.” Conrad’s voice had lost the friendly baritone now and he was snarling his words out at his brother. Wilder stood up, pushing the chair behind him. He was furious, more furious than Celia was.
“That’s enough Conrad. You will shut up right now.” He thundered and Celia clasped the necklace hanging from her neck tightly. What had she found herself in the middle of? What was this world her grandfather was living in?
“Or what? You’ll banish me from your kingdom?” Conrad said and laughed loudly. Celia stared at her grandfather who had turned his eyes to his lap again. He didn’t want to look at what was going on. He didn’t want to be a part of this.
“Conrad, the man is sick!” Wilder continued, placing his clenched fists on the table and leaning forward down the length of it. The table was so long however that he was nowhere close to reaching his brother. Conrad was still laughing; his laugh was ringing manically in Celia’s ears.
“What do you want me to do about it? Change his diapers?” He said, holding his belly as he laughed some more.
Celia couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up with a jerk from the table and threw the napkin from her lap on to the table.
“I’m taking grandpa away, to New York. This is insane.” She cried.
“No, no, Celia, sit down child.” Her grandfather said, but she wasn’t looking at him.
“He doesn’t deserve this. I’m taking him away from this horrid place.” She cried and ran out of the dining room. She could feel hot tears pressing against her eyelids as she ran. Straight through the living room, then through the foyer and out of the house, down the porch…running.
“Celia!” She heard Wilder’s voice behind her. She hadn’t expected anyone to follow her. She needed to be by herself.
“Please leave me alone. I’ve seen enough.” She cried, still keeping her pace up. She wasn’t quite sure where she was going. It had gotten dark by now, she could feel the dusty ground underneath her feet, but all she wanted to do was get as far away from the house as possible.
“Celia. Will you just stop running!” His voice was getting closer; he was catching up to her.
Then she felt his hands on her waist and he had whipped her around. Her body crashed against his wide chest, her hands pressing against his shoulders. He was holding her by her hips, close to himself. In the dark she could see his blue eyes sparkling as he stared straight at her.
“Stop running, Celia.” He said, in a much softer voice. She was out of breath, but nothing before had felt this way before, to just be in his arms.
He was strong, his body was muscular and hard. She could feel the strength in his grip, the rigidity of his thighs against her own soft curves. He released her as suddenly as he had caught her, but she could still barely breathe. The last thing she wanted was to be aroused by Wilder Moore, but that was exactly what was happening.
“I can’t…he needs to come with me.” She said, still breathless from the running. As her eyes adjusted in the dark, she found him staring at her, contemplating her face, her body. His look had changed; he didn’t seem as frightening as before.
“Do what you need to do, Celia. He’s your family. But I want you to know that he will always be welcome in my house. He is like a father to me.” She heard him say the words but she couldn’t believe what he was saying. This was a softer side of Wilder that she could never have imagined in him. Her heartbeat was evening, she licked her lips and gulped.
“That was painful to watch. The way Conrad, the way you…how you were fighting about him, right in front of him.” Celia said, screaming a little, and pointing at the house. Wilder remained calm, he hung his head as though he was ashamed.
“I know. I apologize. I can’t control him, he’s a nuisance. A spoilt brat.” He said harshly. Celia took a few steps towards him, catching his gaze, forcing him to look into her eyes. She didn’t know where she had suddenly manufactured this new strength from. She had been afraid of Wilder, but not anymore. Now she had seen exactly what he was made of.
“You were rude to me. I can handle that. But cruelty towards my dying grandfather…” She said and before she could finish her sentence, Wilder had caught her mouth with his lips. His hands were on her waist again, he had pulled her close to himself and was kissing her, wildly, just like his name. She could feel the scratching of his coarse beard on her cheeks and Celia closed her eyes against the world, she could feel her knees buckling and her heart melting. She had wanted this from the first moment she saw him.
Wilder was kissing her ferociously, like he had been waiting to kiss her all day. But she barely knew this man, and yet she couldn’t resist him. He was the man of her dreams. She could feel his tongue inside her mouth as he explored it. His hands were on her hips as he held her close, their bodies were pressing against each other.
He pulled away from her, leaving her breathless, and she said his name…Wilder…
“I’m sorry Celia.” She heard his soft heavy voice, while he was tugging his hand away from her. She grabbed him and pulled him to herself again.
“I want this. I want you now.” She said, holding his gaze, asserting herself. She wanted him to see just how much she wanted him. How she hadn’t wanted any man before like this. She hadn’t had anyone before him.
He was kissing her again. Her cheeks, her chin, his lips tracing her skin as he tasted her long pale neck. She arched her back to make space for him. When she opened her eyes, she could see the stars above her, it was night already, and they were all alone in the dark, with the lights from the house visible in the distance.
She felt his chest under her fingertips, and she was slowly undoing his buttons one by one.
His shirt flapped open and revealed a strong wide chest. A light dusting of hair lined the middle and she ran her fingers through it.
Slowly she felt his fingers graze her thighs, lift up her dress up to her hips.
“Celia…” He breathed her name in her ears, then bit on her earlobe, taking it into his mouth gently and sucking it. Her fingernails dug into his flesh as she held him. He was making her wet. She had never felt this wet between her legs. The boys she had been with, whom she had kissed, whom she had allowed to touch her breasts…none of them had managed to make her feel like this. She hadn’t wanted to give her virginity to anybody before, not like she wanted to give it to this stranger.
His mouth found its way down her throat to the neck of her dress. He was tracing a wet line down her cleavage, dragging down the fabric with his teeth. She felt the cool night breeze against the flesh of her breasts as he pulled down her lace bra with his mouth. She moved against him, stuck to his hips, while his right hand softly touched the inside of her thigh.
“Wilder, take me now.” She said, with her eyes pressed close. She couldn’t bare it any more. She wanted to feel him against her, feel his hardness in her hands. She could feel the knots in her belly tightening. What was this feeling? An incredible urge to grind her hips against his, invite him in.
His hand found her blazing hot wetness. He stroked her and she winced. Nobody had touched her there before, but somehow this felt natural, like he had always been there, like his fingers had touched her center before. He slipped his forefinger in, slowly at first, his mouth still on her breast. Celia moved in his arms, bending backwards, enjoying the sensation of having a part of him inside her.
Then his mouth was on her nipple. It had hardened from her arousal and he sucked on it, tugging it with his teeth. She yelped with joy at the feeling of having the wetness of his mouth on her nipple. He was pushing his finger deeper into her, preparing her for what was to come. Then his stroking became more powerful, and her wetness grew.
“Do you like that?” He asked, raising his head to look at her. Celia nodded her head at him, her face flushed with desire, her breathing constricted. It was too much to bare, he was torturing her, she wanted him inside her not just his finger.
“I’m ready for you, please, take me now.” She cried, in a breathy whisper. Wilder slid out his finger and in one swift movement unbuckled his belt and undid his jeans. They fell to his ankles, revealing what she had been waiting for. A thick throbbing dick that she couldn’t take her eyes off of. It was strong and erect, calling out to her and never before had Celia wanted something so much.
He pulled her to himself again and lifted her up. It was amazing how light and small she felt in his arms. He held her facing him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His hardness was against her soft wet core; she could feel it throbbing against her skin. Celia bit down on her lip as he adjusted her, gripping her waist, pressing her against him.
Then he slid in without warning.
“You wanted this, Celia.” He said as she arched her back again, closing her eyes to feel the full power of him inside her. It was painfully pleasurable, the kind of feeling she had never felt before. He was big and throbbing inside her, she could feel his full length. He had thrust himself in completely, he hadn’t been tender with her this time. And he was right, this was what she had wanted.
She dug her nails into his arms as she clung on to him. He started pumping. She bounced in his arms as he pushed himself in and out of her. His face was darkened; his eyes were strained. It was like he couldn’t control himself when he knew he shouldn’t have been doing what he was doing. She wanted him to want her, just as much as she wanted him, but he was looking at her with anger, like she had made him do this.
He pumped inside her repeatedly, grunting with every thrust. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, knowing that she would never be the same again after this night. But this is how she had wanted to feel; this is how good she wanted a man to make her feel. So, wet that she couldn’t wait to have him inside her, so full to the brim with desire that she never wanted him to stop.
While Celia ran out of breath, Wilder only grunted, he could have gone on all night long. But he was reaching her deep inside, to her core where nobody had ever reached. He pumped and he pumped, while she bounced up and down in his arms, her strawberry blonde curls falling over her bare breasts that he had revealed.
A new feeling overtook her suddenly, she could feel her belly contracting, knotting up tightly, waiting to be released. He was bringing her to orgasm, using himself to manipulate her so that she would never feel this good again.
Celia let out a cry when she came. She hadn’t expected an orgasm to feel like this, this explosive. So, uncontrollable that her juices flowed out of her. Wilder didn’t stop thrusting, deep inside her so that her body shook beyond control. She yelped again as her toes curled in her sandals, and then she felt him explode inside her. His grip on her waist tightened, she felt like he might actually crush her to death. He clutched her hard and he growled like a wild beast as he came, releasing himself, shooting deep within her.
They were both out of breath now, as they began to climb down from their release. Celia was spent, and sweating and lay her head on his bare chest. He held her head to his heart as he breathed hard. He was still inside her.
They remained like that for several moments, their bodies cooling slowly, till she felt him slipping out of her. He released her gently so that her feet touched the ground, she was unsteady on her feet and tried to balance herself like she had just gotten off a rollercoaster.
“You should straighten your clothes.” He said, while keeping his eyes on his own clothes. He pulled his jeans up and started buttoning up his shirt.
Celia licked her lips, suddenly conscious of her exposed breasts and her messed up hair. She hoped against hope that her grandfather would have already gone to bed by now. She didn’t want him to see her like this.
They tidied themselves up in silence, keeping their eyes averted from each other. They both knew that it had been an unplanned surprise, that they barely knew each other, that this shouldn’t have happened. Wilder had resumed his usual annoyed tone of voice; Celia was meek again.
“About this…” He began to say, as he buttoned up the last one near his collar. Celia jerked her head up to look at him, some locks of her hair fell over her eyes and she blew them away.
“We don’t have to discuss it if you don’t want to.” She said, averting her eyes from him again. She could still feel him inside her, she still remembered how good she felt just being in his arms. But he had gone back to being his old self, closed up and unwilling to talk. There was no point dragging this out.
“Good. I’ll see you in the morning. Hope you sleep well.” He said, suddenly turning around and walking back towards the mansion. He had left Celia standing in the dark, staring after him.
She could hear the crickets chirping in the grass now, as she watched him walking up to the mansion, opening the door and going in. It was only then that she started to make her way towards the house. She wanted to avoid him, at least for the night. Because clearly he was avoiding her. She didn’t know what to think. She felt so hot and heavy, so confused with mixed emotions, the desire for Wilder still coursing through her veins. If he returned to her, came to her bed at night she would invite him in, she wanted to taste his mouth again.
Celia walked slowly back to the house, opened the door and found Wilder nowhere in sight. She didn’t even know where his room was, where he slept or what he might be doing.
“Where did you two run off to?” She heard Conrad’s voice behind her. She whipped around with her hand on her heart.
“You scared me!” She cried, her nose twitching at the mere sight of him. He had his hands thrust into the pockets of his pants and he took a few steps in her direction.
“So, did you have a good chat with my respectable brother?” He asked menacingly, it was clear that Conrad
had a point to make. Had he seen them? Had he guessed it?
“I haven’t seen Wilder. He must have lost me when I left the house.” Celia said, brushing past him as she tried to get away; but Conrad had caught her hand and yanked her close to him.
“Don’t be in a hurry to leave, Celia. We all love Jack and we love having you here. You are very welcome.” He said with the same smiling face, but this time his face was unnervingly close to hers. She could smell the whisky on his breath that she hadn’t detected earlier. She tugged at her hand, trying to get it free. He held on tightly, smiling at her with a shining face. After a few moments, he finally let her go.
“Jack has gone to bed, so you’re free to do what you want now.” He said as she rubbed her wrist where he had been violently clutching her. “If you’re bored you should come to me, I don’t sleep till the early hours of the morning.” He added.
“I’m very tired. Good night Conrad.” Celia said, before whipping around and rushing to her room. She closed the door behind her and locked it from the inside, silently thankful that he hadn’t followed her. She detested Conrad now more than ever, especially because she knew that she was falling in love with his brother.
When Celia woke up next morning, she took another shower and changed into a fresh floral dress before leaving her room. It was nine in the morning, but she wasn’t sure what time anybody else in the household woke up. The house looked empty, she couldn’t hear another soul move anywhere.
Eventually, walking around the rooms she caught sight of her grandfather sitting on a rocking chair at the back porch. She joined him outside, placing a hand on his weary shoulder.
“Good morning, sweet child. How did you sleep?” He asked her. She gave him her hand and he held it tightly.
