Bossing the Virgin

by Suzanne Hart

  Mrs. Stone had walked in, followed by Anne, who was carrying her bags for her. Cici was in Mrs. Stone’s arms and they were both laughing, genuinely happy to see each other.

  “Ah, Felix! I thought you weren’t going to be here! And who is this lovely young lady?” Mrs. Stone exclaimed, entering the room in a rush.

  “This is Nora, my friend,” Cici explained to her grandmother, who widened her eyes and turned to me.

  “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Stone. I’m a friend of the family,” I said, stepping towards her with my hand extended.

  “Of the family?” Mrs. Stone commented, turning her eyes to Felix, who looked even more nervous now. I gulped, wondering if I had said something wrong.

  “Well, if you’re a friend of the family, you should just call me Helen!” she exclaimed, and instead of accepting my handshake, she hugged me tightly. It was a warm hug, a real mother’s hug, and I couldn’t see why Felix was so afraid of her.

  “Grandma…how long are you staying? Do you want to see my room?” Cici was tugging at Helen’s hand, trying to lead her away. Helen looked at her son, with her strikingly confident eyes.

  “I don’t know how long I’m staying, sweetheart, depends on how long your daddy will tolerate me,” Helen said.

  “You know you can stay as long as you want, Mom,” Felix interjected, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Helen raised her eyebrows at him.

  “That’s what you said the last time, and then you started a fight,” Helen said, with some humor in her voice.

  “I didn’t start a fight, Mom…you’re the one who…it doesn’t matter. You’re here now and we’re happy to have you,” Felix replied, and I realized that I hadn’t seen him this nervous before. I could sense that he was desperate to make a good impression on his mother.

  “Yes, you’re right, I’m here now. Do you want to show me your room, sweetheart? And then maybe we can eat! I’m starving, are you?” Helen allowed herself to be dragged away by Cici and we could hear their fading voices down the hall. Anne was chasing after them, offering Helen refreshments. Felix and I were alone in the room again.

  “That went smoothly!” I commented and turned to him. He was already making his way to the bar in the corner of the room.

  “Do you want a drink?” he asked, hurriedly pouring himself a whiskey from a crystal decanter.

  “I don’t drink much,” I replied, but he poured some into another glass anyway. He brought it over to me and I had no choice but to take it from him.

  “You’ll need it,” he said. I took a small sip of the whiskey, which was bitter and burned my throat, and I watched him take a much larger gulp.

  I cleared my throat, wondering what I could say to fill these silences between us. Of course, mentioning the fact that he had touched my cheek earlier was out of the question. He was behaving like it hadn’t even happened, like I had imagined it.

  “Why are you so worried around your mother? She seems lovely…and she obviously just wants the best for you,” I said and Felix looked at me sharply. He clenched his jaw before taking another big gulp of his drink.

  “It’s hard to explain. She doesn’t approve of anything I do, doesn’t take any pride in my success, and ever since…my wife, since she passed away, Mom has been trying to convince me to let Cici live with her, claiming she would be happier there,” Felix said. The whole time he spoke, he kept his face rigidly turned away from me. He hadn’t spoken about his late wife before, and this thing about his mother was a critical piece of personal information, which I wasn’t expecting him to give me.

  I didn’t think he cared where Cici lived. I thought he would have been happier to have her off his hands.

  “Sometimes I think she might be right, like after what happened yesterday. I know Cici deserves better than me. I don’t know how to be a parent to her — you were right, too,” he continued in a deep, hollow voice. I felt my throat close up at the sound of his sadness. I tried to search for the right words to say, but Helen and Cici had returned to the room again.

  “What’s for dinner? Cici and I are hungry as a couple of little piggies!” Helen exclaimed with a loud laugh.

  Chapter 14

  Felix

  The one thing I had made up my mind on about Nora was that she was very well suited to the hospitality industry. Based on what Jackson and Joan had been telling me, Nora was a small-town girl with no experience in this industry, but now I could see that she was a natural at it. Whoever had hired her at the hotel needed to be commended for their good judgment.

  At the dining table, Nora made the whole experience bearable. She kept the conversation going, made sure that our plates were always full, and that Cici ate all her vegetables. It was hard to tell that Nora didn’t technically belong in the room, that we didn’t actually know her, that she wasn’t really a close friend of ours.

  Nora, true to form, did most of the talking and kept my mother busy. She didn’t give Mom a single chance to make a sarcastic comment about how empty Cici’s life was, or how little time I spent in the house. Instead, Mom laughed warmly as she sat beside Nora and asked her a ton of questions about her life in Minnesota.

  “I’ve always just wanted to leave all this behind and run away to a place like that, you know, to a much simpler life. Why would you leave all that behind and move to a city like this?” Mom was asking Nora.

  She shrugged, flicking some of her golden hair over her shoulder casually.

  “I wanted to experience something different; I wanted a different life…maybe not permanently. My heart will always be in Minnesota. I want to go back there someday soon,” Nora replied, and the two of them smiled at each other warmly.

  Mom finally turned her attention to me. I had been feeling ignored for a while now, like I wasn’t even in the room.

  “And how did you two meet? I didn’t think my son would ever have a…friend like you,” Mom remarked, raising her brows at me.

  “Daddy lost me in the hotel!” Cici stepped in, and I looked at my daughter nervously. This could go very badly if Cici was allowed to explain the story. Nora added a quick laugh.

  “Oh yeah, that happened yesterday; it was quite funny. Cici was spending the day with me while Felix was at a meeting and my phone was turned off so he couldn’t find us later,” Nora explained, meeting Mom’s eyes confidently.

  I could see that Mom was a little confused, but soon enough, she dropped it.

  “So, you work at the hotel, is it?” Mom asked.

  “Yeah, she’s the head of management. She’s been working there for a few months, closely with me,” I interjected. Nora whipped her face around to look at me; she was surprised by what I had just said. Mom nodded her head, looking impressed.

  “I’m sure you’re excellent at your job, Nora. Felix is lucky to have you on his team,” Mom said and dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. Nora blushed, and for the first time tonight, she seemed like she was lost for words.

  “Well, we better get this one to bed then. Come along, sweetheart, grandma would like a bedtime story read to her,” Mom said, beginning to get up from her chair. Cici’s plate was wiped clean, and she jumped off her chair.

  “Goodnight, Daddy,” she exclaimed, running over to kiss me on my cheek.

  “Goodnight, baby girl, I’ll see you in the morning,” I said to her and Cici widened her eyes with excitement. She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a tight hug. Then she went over to Nora.

  “Goodnight, Nora, will I see you in the morning too?” she asked, and it was Mom who burst out laughing. Nora’s cheeks flushed, and I cleared my throat.

  “Cici, go to bed!” I said firmly, and she looked confused but went out of the room with Mom.

  Nora and I were alone again, but she got up from her chair.

  “I should clear this up. I took the liberty of giving Anne the rest of the evening off since I’m here to help,” she said and started stacking up the plates on the table.

  “You don
’t have to do that right now, I’m sure Anne will take care of it in the morning,” I said and emptied the remaining whiskey down my throat. It was my third of the night.

  “It’s all right. I’ve been doing this my whole life; my granddad made sure of it,” Nora said with a smile, without looking at me. I reached for her hand, while she reached for my plate, and I wound my hand around her wrist. Startled, she looked at me, and our eyes met.

  “I said, don’t do that right now.” I had spoken in a deep, gruff voice and Nora stood still, staring at me.

  “Okay, then I’ll go,” she said, and I released my grip on her hand.

  “No, that’s not what I meant either,” I remarked, and she stood beside me, her breasts rising and falling as she looked into my eyes.

  “You were…you were great tonight. I don’t know how to thank you,” I said and I saw her cheeks flush again. She shook her head.

  “It was my pleasure. Cici is wonderful and the food was great. It was a nice dinner; I enjoyed myself,” she said, and slowly I stood up from my chair. I was towering over her and she had to crane her neck to look up at me.

  There was a raw desire for her that was overtaking my body, the one that had been throbbing inside me since I first saw her. But now, it was out of control. I wanted her and she was right there in front of me, not stepping away.

  Chapter 15

  Nora

  Felix was standing over me, too close to me again. Why was it that every time we were alone together, I felt like he was going to kiss me? We were staring into each other’s eyes and neither of us was making a move. I could feel the electricity in the room; it was palpable, making me breathless.

  He reached for my face again, and this time, I didn’t feel so scared. I wanted him to touch me like he had before — every cell of my body was screaming to be touched.

  Instead of my cheek, his fingertips gently grazed my lips. My breath was caught in my throat, my eyelids flickered. His fingers swept slowly down from my lips, down my neck till he tilted his head and lowered it towards me.

  My mouth parted; it wasn’t a conscious decision…it just happened. I gasped when our lips touched, and my eyes fluttered close. Felix Stone’s mouth was on mine, I could taste him, I could feel the warmth of his breath as we started kissing.

  My hands rose up to his chest and I pressed my palms into him, while his hands traveled down my body. I felt him grip my waist hard, pulling me closer to him. His tongue parted my lips further, sliding into my mouth. Nobody had kissed me like this before. The only kisses I’d experienced were silly, naïve, sloppy kisses with some teenage boys in my hometown.

  For the first time, I felt like I was being kissed by a man, by someone who knew what they were doing. His tongue tangled with mine, setting my body on fire. I moaned, pressing my body against his. I could feel the strength of his chest, the ferocity of his arms as he held me tightly to himself.

  There was a new feeling in the pit of my stomach now, a hot burning desire for his body…for more than just his kiss. He slowly pulled his lips away from me and ran his tongue down my chin, leaving a wet trail down my neck.

  My breasts were rising and falling rapidly; I was anxious to know what he was going to do next, which other part of me he was going to touch. There was a throbbing wetness between my legs, something I had never felt in the presence of someone else before. I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or keep those feelings to myself…they were becoming very hard to control.

  His tongue continued along, to the neck of my dress, and that was when his hand rose up to my breasts. I stared at him, at the top of his head; he was bent down in front of me. His hand cupped my left breast, and I gasped. I had never been touched like this before. What was happening to me?

  I could feel my nipples pebbling, hard and sensitive under my clothes. He used his hand to squeeze my breast and then looked up at me. His green eyes looked stormy and dark now, like he was angry with me? With himself?

  My breasts bounced as his hand traveled down…down the front of my dress, till he placed it on the spot between my legs. Even though my dress was a barrier between our bodies, I knew he could feel the throbbing warmth of my core through it.

  He rubbed his finger between my legs and I moaned, feeling another wave of desire wash over me. I didn’t know what to do with my body, how to react to his actions. All I knew was that I wanted more of it.

  I bit down on my lower lip while he stroked me. His eyes were narrowed, staring into my eyes, and I held his gaze. I wanted him to know I wanted this…that I didn’t want him to stop.

  There were footsteps in the hallway outside, and Felix released me. I felt a wave of guilt and panic as the dining room door opened and Helen stepped in. She caught us standing close together and her brows rose up on her forehead.

  “Oh, I didn’t… I thought I should clear up in here,” Helen said, looking shiftily between Felix and me. He stepped away from me hurriedly, walking towards the door.

  “Yeah, sure, goodnight. I’ve had a long day,” he mumbled, brushing past his mother. He was gone before I had a chance even to say anything.

  Helen stood there, looking at me with sympathy. Even though she hadn’t seen anything crucial, she could sense that something was happening between us. I tucked some hair behind my ears nervously and started stacking up the dishes and cutlery again.

  “You don’t have to do that, dear. I’ll do it.” Helen came over to my side. I couldn’t look at her; I was still reeling from the shock of what had just happened.

  “It’s not a problem,” I said. Helen touched my hands gently, and I had no choice but to meet her eyes.

  “I’ve got this, dear. You should go to him,” she said. I smiled nervously and shook my head.

  “I don’t know what you mean. Is Cici asleep? I should leave now,” I said and reached for my purse behind my chair. Helen watched me in silence; there was a sympathetic smile still on her face.

  “Whatever you think is best, dear,” she said. I smiled as widely as I could.

  “It was nice meeting you, Helen, I hope you enjoy your stay in San Francisco,” I told her.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you, Nora. I hope we see each other again,” she said.

  I practically ran out of the room and to the front door. I was panting by the time I was out of the door. No, I didn’t think I would see Helen again, probably not even Cici…not after what happened tonight.

  Chapter 16

  Felix

  I woke up the next morning, with the knowledge that I had barely gotten a few hours of sleep. I was still thinking about Nora and what had happened in the dining room. We kissed! Or to put it more accurately, I kissed her. I’d touched her in places a boss wasn’t supposed to touch their employee. But, I knew she had kissed me back. I could still hear her soft moans while my tongue was in her mouth, while my hands traveled over her body.

  I needed a cold shower.

  I changed, shaved and went to the kitchen where I could hear the voices of Cici, Mom, and Anne. I was still feeling dazed, like I was walking on clouds. I hadn’t felt like this in a long time and the problem was that I was having these feelings of desire for a woman I should have been keeping my distance from.

  Cici and Mom looked up when I walked in.

  “Hi Daddy!” My daughter was excited to see me and rushed into my arms, and I lifted her up. Mom was having her breakfast with a newspaper open in front of her.

  Anne was preparing my breakfast behind them.

  “Where’s the nanny?” I asked, bringing Cici back to her chair. Mom looked up at me, from above her half-moon shaped glasses.

  “Oh, I dismissed her. Cici doesn’t need a nanny when she has her daddy and grandma to look after her, does she?” Mom said and smiled at my daughter.

  “You dismissed the nanny?” I thundered. I could feel frustration and anger bubbling inside me, and Mom smiled.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart, just for a few days, just as a trial. Let’s see how Cici gets
on without a nanny. I’ve made sure she's heavily compensated for these days off, so she doesn’t mind really,” Mom said dismissively, waving a hand in the air.

  “Daddy, grandma says that I’m a big girl now and I don’t need a nanny,” Cici told me as I sat down beside her.

  “No, Cici, you do need a nanny!” I said, glaring at Mom, who had gone back to reading the paper.

  “Felix, sweetheart, what your daughter needs is a strong parental presence in her life, not a stranger who changes her diapers and heats up her feeding bottle. Cici is past that stage in her life,” Mom said, while her eyes were flitting over the paper.