by Audra Hart
“Wow, you have your hands full here don’t you?” He asks.
“Not me. I just handle funding, inspections, certifications, staffing and the legal side of things. The staff here does the hard part, the day to day operations of this place. They are amazing ladies. They work 12 hour shifts. By the way, just so you know, I too am on call. If one of the ladies can’t work and the others can’t fill in, I do. It usually only happens a couple of times a month, but when it does happen, I have to drop everything and go. I really need to hire another lady, these three work way too hard, I worry about them becoming burned out, but I haven’t had much luck finding another woman suited to this type of operation, willing to work for what I can afford to pay.
“So darling, are you ready to meet my girls?” she asks quietly.
“Can‘t wait!” he says calmly. “Lead the way, oh fearless leader.” He grins lopsidedly at Morna, and drops a kiss on her forehead as he helps her out of the car.
“NUT,” she hisses at him, but grins widely. “Let’s go. I haven’t been over here since Wednesday of last week. They probably think that I have deserted them.”
“Well, let me warn you, it sounds like there is a minor war is going on right now,” he whispers into her ear as they proceed up the walkway.
“Nothing new, darling,” she sighs. “Nothing new.”
Morna uses her key to let them in. The scene that greets them is total mayhem. Monica and Amanda are squared off, shouting at each other. Ms. Johns is trying to separate the girls before the situation becomes physical. Two other girls are in the room also. Samantha is shouting and adding to the general confusion, but Mac is standing alone. She’s standing behind one of the living room chairs, covering her ears, and rocking at the waist.
Morna watches the scene for a few seconds, and then calmly, but very firmly says, “Ladies! We have a guest.”
All eyes, except for Mac, turn to Morna and Luca. Ms. Johns is obviously very relieved to see Morna. Samantha is eyeing Luca appreciatively. The other two girls simply look annoyed that the free-for-all has been halted so abruptly. And Mac continues to cover her ears and rock at the waist.
“Monica, Amanda, please join Ms. Johns in the den to settle whatever dispute you seem to be embroiled in. Samantha,” who is only wearing a small tee shirt and panties, “please go finish dressing, and then come explain to me why you are not in school right now.”
All the home’s residents leave the room except for Mac. Morna wanders over in her general direction. “Hello Mac. It’s nice to see you dear. Can you come meet Mr. Michaels? He’s a friend of mine.” Mac shakes her head no, then slowly works her way out from behind the chair. She comes to stand in front of Morna, but doesn’t look directly at Morna. Rather she seems to be studying something on the wall behind her. “Hello Mrs. Montfort. So nice to see you today.”
Morna smiles. “Yes Mac, it is very nice to see you today also. Would you like to meet Mr. Michaels?”
“Yes,” she answers in a small voice. Her rocking at the waist picks up intensity and she covers her ears again, but follows Morna across the room to stand near Luca.
“Mr. Michaels, I would like for you to meet one of my friends. This is Mac,” Morna begins the introductions.
Mac still doesn’t look directly at Luca, but she says, “Hello Mr. Michaels. So nice to meet you today,” Mac recites the words mechanically, a learned script of acceptable social interaction.
“It is nice to meet you as well,” replies Luca in his very smooth, calming voice.
Mac’s head snaps up and she looks directly into Luca’s eyes. Morna is taken aback, then smiles happily.
Mac whispers, “It is really is nice to meet you, Shining Man.”
Luca says, “It is really nice to meet you too.” Luca is very thoughtful at her response to him.
By the time Monica and Amanda come out of the kitchen with Ms. Johns they are acting like best friends again. And Samantha has returned. She’s watching everyone belligerently and looks like she is spoiling for a fight.
“Sammy, why aren’t you in school today?” asks Morna. Samantha ducks her head at Morna’s question and looks embarrassed.
Ms. Johns looks pointedly at Luca. “I’ll step out. I need to call the airline anyway,” he says. Morna smiles thankfully at him. Once he has stepped out, Morna turns her attention back to Samantha. “Sammy, can you please join Ms. Johns and me in the den?” Once they are settled in the den turned office, Morna turns to Samantha and says, “Spill.”
Samantha refuses to meet her eyes. “I got suspended. I was giving Ray a blow job in the gym when the assistant principal caught us.”
“I see. And how long is the suspension for this time?” Morna asks.
“Fifteen days,” supplies Ms. Johns when Samantha remains silent. “I am sorry Morna, I left a message on your machine at home when the school called yesterday.”
“Not your fault Robbie, I haven’t been home since Monday morning and my cell is acting funny again. I will call Janice to see if she can come do tutoring for the next three weeks.” Morna pulls out her phone and finds the number on the contact list and hits send. “Janice. Hi, this is M… Deidra Montfort. How are you today?” She’s silent, then says, “I have three weeks’ worth of tutoring for you if can take it on.” She listens again. “Great, how about starting Monday. 4:00 to 6:00, Monday through Friday? Yes, your usual rate will be great. I will leave a check in the office each Friday. Okay? “Yes, it’s for Samantha. Tenth grade. She will have her assignments and books from school, I just need you to help her stay caught up. Thanks again, you are a Godsend.”
Morna turns to face Samantha, who has been watching her belligerently during the phone call. “Okay, young lady. Your classes are taken care of. What can we do about work? You know the rules, if you get kicked out of school, you have to work. The homeless shelter is out, I am afraid you might exercise poor judgment with some of the men there. Any ideas?”
“Yeah, I got an idea. Why don’t you kiss my ass?” Samantha sneers.
“That’s not something I can see myself doing. Besides, how would that solve our little problem?” asks Morna calmly.
Samantha laughs. Then becomes contrite. “I’m sorry Mrs. Montfort. I don’t know why I said that to you.”
“Sammy, as bad as that was, I am more worried about why you got yourself suspended. Why would you demean yourself that way?” Morna asks softly.
“Shit! I don’t know why I do that stuff. I just do, okay?” snaps Samantha.
Morna watches Samantha thoughtfully for a few moments and then says, “If I can find another therapist, will you work with someone? I don’t want you to keep hurting yourself this way. Other people will not consistently start treating you with respect until you learn to respect and love yourself. You know that, right?”
“Sure, whatever Mrs. Montfort. I’ll try if you think I should.” Sammy says begrudgingly.
Morna looks at Sammy with an appraising eye. She‘s not very tall, about 5‘6” or so. She‘s slender but has large breasts and lovely rounded hips. Her long hair is a lovely chestnut color with deep red highlights. Her eyes are bright blue and intelligent looking. She‘s a very pretty girl. “I do, Sammy, I really do.” Says Morna softly, then she hugs Samantha to her. She kisses the top of the young girl’s head and says, “You will also do all the dishes and laundry around here until you return to school. Okay ladies, come meet my friend.”
Ms. Johns and Samantha follow her back out to the living room. Luca is waiting, chatting quietly with the other girls. Mac is standing directly in front of him, staring at him raptly. “Luca, I would like for you to meet one of my right hand ladies, this is Robbie Johns. Robbie this is Lucian Michaels. Luca nods politely to Ms. Johns. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Johns,” he says. “You as well,” comes Robbie’s reply.
“And this is Samantha. She is on a bit of a forced vacation from school right now,” says Morna.
“Nice to meet you,” says Luca.
“Sure,”
mutters Sammy, then leaves the room.
“Ms. Johns, where is Josie this morning?” asks Morna.
“I am not sure Mrs. Montfort, she slipped out after breakfast. She was mad because it was her turn to do the dishes,” supplies Ms. Johns.
“Okay, I will deal with that later. We better get Amanda to her appointment. Girls, I love ya, stay out of trouble. Be back in a bit,” Morna says as she herds Amanda out the door. “Ms. Johns, I will take care of dinner tonight? Okay?”
“Deidra, that would be a Godsend!” gushes Ms. Johns.
She looks back at Luca, and is amazed that Mac is holding him back. She is holding his hand and gazing into his face. Luca is smiling back. He leans down to get on eye level with Mac and says gently, “Mac, I am going with Mrs. Montfort and Amanda, but I could come back later if you would like that.” Mac suddenly throws her arms around Luca and hugs him fiercely, then she abruptly runs out of the room. Ms. Johns tells Morna that she will look after her.
When the three of them are settled into Morna’s Camry, Amanda can no longer contain herself. “Deidra, did you see that? WOW! Mac hugged him!”
“Yes, that was really something wasn’t it?” says Morna thoughtfully. “I guess I was worried about nothing Luca. She really took to you.”
“She’s a beautiful soul, Morna,” is his only reply. He too, seems to have been deeply touched by Mac‘s reaction to him.
The three of them go along in companionable silence for a several minutes when Amanda breaks the silence by blurting out, “So you two finally hooked up?” Morna blushes and Luca chuckles quietly as he turns into the parking lot of the dental office.
Once Morna helps Amanda with the paperwork and pays for the visit, they settle into the waiting room in chairs on either side of Luca. Luca reaches over to takes Morna hand. Amanda spots the move and giggles, then she says, “I knew it! Mrs. Montfort, you deserve a nice man like Mr. Michaels.”
When Amanda is called back for her exam and treatment, Morna stands up to go with her. “No way,” says Amanda. “Stay here and hang with your man.”
“Fine Amanda, I will be waiting here if you need anything,” says Morna.
Morna returns to her chair, and Luca takes her hand again. “Well, what did you think of my girls? Jan was in school. But I hope everyone will be there when we get back. I just can’t get over how Mac reacted to you. That was amazing. What did she call you, ‘Shining Man wasn‘t it?”
“Morna, I have a strange feeling that she knows what I am.”
“Really?” Whispers Morna. “Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know, I just have a feeling,” he replies thoughtfully. “When you were busy with Samantha she asked me how I could go out in the sunlight. She must have met someone like me before.”
Morna is quiet for several minutes as she traces the lines of Luca’s perfect, pale, cold hand. “She didn’t even react to the feel of your hand.” Morna is quiet for a few minutes then whispers, “Too bad Natalie had such a hard time. I always felt guilty that I became so agitated when you touched me. I always knew it was okay, I even knew that I loved you and you loved me, but your touch would just make me… vibrate all over. It was inexpressibly overwhelming. I was always so torn, I wanted to be a woman with you, but I just couldn‘t do it.”
Luca‘s gaze softens and he begins to say something but seems to think better of it and closes his mouth. After a moment he says; “Yes, Natalie was a very hard incarnation for you,” he agrees. He picks up her hand and kisses it gently. “Me too, if I am being honest. I often felt more like your father than your husband.”
Morna strokes his cheek gently and mouths, “Sorry.” The couple remain silent, holding hands and lost in their own thoughts until Amanda returns. After the dental visit; they drop her off at the house. Luca says, “Where do you want to eat lunch?”
“Let’s go to Sam’s diner. I can order a hamburger and we can go to my house here in town.” I want to get a few things I will need tomorrow. We have almost three hours to kill before we go to The Shack.” Morna reminds him.
When they arrive at her little house Morna starts to see the place through Luca’s eyes. She hasn’t had any interest in fixing the place up since she moved in. It’s not been something that she even thought about most of the time. She looks around at the clutter and the pile of papers and books on the coffee table and feels embarrassed for her mate to see what a slob she has become. She begins to self-consciously tidy up when Luca comes up and wraps his arms around her from behind. “Stop Morna. I have been in this house almost as much as you have ever since you moved in. You have had your hands full just surviving. Decorating and keeping a neat house have not been a big priority.”
Morna turns in his arms and snuggles into him. She knows that he is right, but she still feels like a failure for the way she has been living all these months. He tips her face up to him and looks into her eyes. “Don’t dwell on it. You did the best you could on your own. I should have found a way to help you more.” He leans in and kisses her gently. She pulls away because she’s angry with herself for floundering through her life for so long and she is angry with him for making excuses for her and blaming himself.
“I should eat.” She mumbles as she picks up the bag from the drive thru and goes into the kitchen. She grabs a coke from the fridge and pops the top. She drinks half of it and then opens the bag and eats standing at the counter while she reads through some files she had retrieved from her work area. Luca comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her and nuzzles her neck while she eats. She tosses most of the burger away and then excuses herself to go wash her hands and brush her teeth. She is suddenly hungry for something that isn’t food.
When she comes out of the bathroom Luca is sitting on her couch reading a book about autism. “It would have been nice to have that book in Maryland during the Natalie years.” Morna mumbles as she takes it out of his hands, hikes her skirt up and straddles his lap. She tosses the book on the coffee table and turns to face her beloved. “Look Luca, I know I have been a mess for a long time. But you can’t blame yourself for that. Do you understand me?”
He starts to argue and Morna covers his mouth with her own. Morna kisses him gently as she moves his hands to her breasts. She moans happily when he starts kneading them through her clothes. She runs her hands down his hard torso and finds his belt. She unbuckles it smoothly and quickly frees his erection. “I think you have missed me,” she murmurs into his mouth. He growls in agreement.
She chuckles and positions herself quickly to mount his hard cock. She slides slowly the down the length of his hard shaft holding his eyes with her own as she goes. He moans as her hot, wet body envelopes him, and her eyes take on that familiar glassy appearance. “I have missed that look!” he rasps as she shivers in delight as tiny contractions cause her vaginal muscles to tighten around him. He lovingly strokes her cheek as they gaze deeply into each other’s eyes.
Luca chuckles and says, “I know you had panties on when I helped you dress this morning. What did you do with them love?”
Morna shrugs and caresses his face lovingly as she moves up his erection slowly. “I left them in the bathroom.”
Luca places his hands on her hips and draws her back down and then holds her in place as he smoothly stands up. “Wrap your legs around me, baby.” He orders huskily. She willingly complies and he walks them into the bedroom and lies her gently across the bed, never breaking the connection between their bodies. He hovers over her and starts to move slowly in and out. Thrusting deeply each time.
He kisses her again and then gently removes the sweater set from her body. He cups her breasts through the bra and murmurs “So beautiful.” He reaches behind her to quickly unhook the bra and gently peel it away from her breasts. She reluctantly releases her hold on him so that he can slide the bra off of her arms. He cups her right breast and manipulates the hard nipple with his icy lips. When she shivers he wonders if it is from excitement or his cold touch. He reaches
out with his tongue and flicks the hard nipple once, twice, three times. The venom on his tongue causes her delicate skin to tingle and burn slightly. She smiles at the familiar sensation and sighs as it ignites still another fire in her body.
She brings her knees up and opens her legs wider to allow him deeper access and smiles contentedly when he takes the hint and drives deeper and faster into her body. She eagerly meets him thrust for thrust until she tenses with an orgasm. He continues to drive into her body as the spasms of pleasure assail her body. As she relaxes he slows his movements and says, “Let’s get some of these clothes off.”
When he withdraws and pulls away to undress her, she starts to sit up to help. Luca chuckles and says; “Please be still, baby. I want to finish undressing you.” Morna sighs and complies. He kisses her lips softly and then kisses the scar on her cheek. She tenses at that but he pretends not to notice. He draws his hands down her body, over her heavy breasts onto her soft, supple belly. He groans happily as he buries his face in her warm belly and plants several tiny kisses all over it.
Morna giggles self-consciously and says, “I am not exactly the hard bodied warrior that I was in Airendell.”
Luca looks up into her eyes and says, “Morna, I truly love this body. It is soft and yielding. But it is still strong. I can feel it, don’t doubt that.” Morna smiles at his bias but doesn’t comment. He can tell she doesn’t really believe him. “Trust me.”
“I do,” She whispers. “I always have.”
Luca smiles at those words. He knows they are true. Even when he would find her in a new incarnation and she would not recognize him, she would still trust him. Their bond has always been powerful. He leisurely slides the skirt down her body. When he finally has her naked he takes his time caressing and kissing her from shoulders to toes.
Morna is still burning up with passion for her mate but she is frustrated because he is still dressed. She sits up abruptly and says, “My turn! I want to finish undressing you and have my way with your body.”
