Revealing Destiny

by C. J. Corbin

  “What, me?” he said innocently and opened the door. “Com’on my love, you have to admit this is fun.”

  I grinned because I couldn’t refute his comment - I was having a great time. Normally I didn’t care for surprises, but he was making this day a delight for me. I couldn’t wait to see my new necklace again and the author in me loved the fact that it came with a story.

  Again, the shop owner greeted Michael by name and I Idly wondered how he had managed all of this without me discovering. My fingers itched to touch the beautiful clothes that filled the elegantly furnished store. Apparently, however, we were not here to merely shop - there was a dress already chosen for me.

  The shop owner, Evelyne, spoke with a thick, French accent. I almost asked her if she would be more comfortable speaking French, since my high school French had to be better than her English was, however, I kept my mouth shut.

  After seating us on a dark velvet couch, she scurried to the back of the shop and disappeared behind a curtain. She returned holding a stunning gold and black brocaded gown over her arms, a design of black feathers decorating the silk. The strapless evening dress had a form-fitting bodice gathered at the rear and an ankle length underskirt with a full graduated over-skirt, also heavily gathered at the rear.

  I’m sure the shock showed on my face. “Oh! This is magnificent!” I exhaled, reverently touching the fabric.

  “Is this not incredibly dramatic? It will make a wonderful costume for Mardi Gras!” Evelyne exclaimed in her thick accent.

  “Who designed this work of art?”

  “Ahh… that is the shame,” she said soberly. “All we found in the dress was a terribly sewn Neiman Marcus label. The design is definitely from the 1950s, but that is all we have. Nevertheless, it does not detract from the beauty, n’est pas? Now, come with me and we will see how we did with the fit. Michael gave us your measurements, so we shall see how well he knows you!”

  Evelyne led me behind the curtain to a small dressing room. I was glad I’d worn my matching underwear because she didn’t leave me alone to try the dress on by myself. It was a good thing too, because the gown had two zippers, which I never would have been able to pull up alone. When I glanced in the mirror, I realized what a good eye Michael had for fashion. It shouldn’t have surprised me though; after all, he was an award-winning photographer.

  Evelyne beamed when she saw me. “Exactement! You look beautiful - the fit is perfect! We need no alterations! That pleases me!”

  Inwardly I giggled. Evelyne said every sentence with an exclamation mark. She was correct though - the dress was lovely, and it did fit perfectly. I walked out into the shop and immediately saw Michael approved wholeheartedly.

  “Elizabeth, the dress is gorgeous on you. You will look great at Marcus’ masked ball. I'll be the envy of every man there.”

  “But, you already gave me two dresses for Christmas.”

  “This one was supposed to be for Christmas too.”

  “I planned on wearing one of the other dresses.”

  He grinned. “Now you can wear this one. Evelyne, do you have the mask?”

  “Oh yes! Here it is,” she replied, holding up an elaborately decorated gold and black Venetian mask, a full plume of black feathers on the top. “You can either use the stick, simply holding it to your face,” she demonstrated, “or you can unscrew the stick and tie it around your head with the satin ties.”

  I laughed, holding the mask up to my face. “Michael, you’ve thought of everything haven’t you?”

  “I’ll have to fight off the men to defend your honor,” he said as he bowed regally in front of me.

  “Thank you, my love. Everything is beautiful and this has been a day of wonderful surprises!” I kissed him. I could feel the energy in his return kiss that sent fire to the center of my core.

  Knowing I would not be able to fit the dress in our already overstuffed luggage, Michael asked Evelyne to have the dress and mask shipped overnight to Marcus’ house. We continued to window shop and then walked back up the hill to our car to return to the hotel in time for afternoon tea.

  We sat in the elegant Queen Anne style chairs, a small table between us, and gorged ourselves on tea sandwiches, scones, English Devonshire cream, and pastries. After the flurry of the morning with packing, the long drive here, and then our exhilarating shopping trip, it was a pleasure to be able to relax and appreciate the sumptuousness of the hotel. The food and comfortable setting made me drowsy and so when we finished eating, we made our way up to our suite.

  Michael wasn’t tired, but lately he had been laying with me when I took my naps. I enjoyed having him with me and we often laid side-by-side, talking and not sleeping at all. Usually we had the dogs surrounding us, so it was nice for it to be only the two of us in the bed for once.

  “You are full of surprises today,” I murmured as he settled in next to me.

  He drew my hair away from my neck and nuzzled my ear with little kisses. “I hope you were surprised. It was hard for me to keep it a secret. I’m glad the dress fits you so well - I was worried if it didn’t we wouldn’t have enough time for more alterations before we left on our trip.” He laid his hand across my belly.

  My fingers played with the light hair on his forearm before I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed his knuckles. “You did a very good job with my measurements.”

  “Annie helped.”

  I chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure she did. I knew something was fishy when she kept taking my measurements, telling me she was trying to fix the dress Margaret destroyed.”

  “I do have Evelyne on the lookout for another dress like that one, but, so far, she hasn’t had any luck.”

  I rolled to my back and looked up at him. “Oh honey, don’t worry about that.”

  “You know I still feel bad that she ruined it.”

  Reaching up, I stroked his cheek and whispered, “I’m over it. Besides, the dresses you gave me at Christmas, and the one today, more than make up for it. I love the necklace, too. I’m looking forward to wearing it.”

  Michael smiled and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to him. “You make it all the more beautiful.” He kissed me gently. “Now try to get a little rest. I’ll wake you when it’s time to get dressed for the ballet.”

  “Okay,” I surrendered, snuggling deeper in his arms. I fell asleep quickly, soundly, and didn’t move until I felt Michael nudging me gently.

  “Babe, it’s time to get up.” I rolled over and looked up at him, the bedroom dim from the darkness outside, but lit by soft lamp light. “I ordered some hot chocolate for you. It’s on the table in the other room.”

  I smiled and stretched. “I’m getting used to this treatment - I like you spoiling me.”

  “Come on, sleepy head. Time for you to get dressed, we don’t want to be late,” he said, pulling me up by my hands. Already dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt and black suit slacks, he pointed toward the bathroom. “It's all yours.”

  I put my hair up, not wanting to get it wet, and slipped into the shower. The hot water felt good running down my skin and warmed me up. After my shower, I dressed quickly in a short, low-cut, black cocktail dress while drinking hot chocolate and nibbling on the quinoa salad Michael ordered for us. I wasn’t hungry, but we weren’t planning to have dinner before the ballet so I knew I needed to eat at least little bit. Once I finished dressing, Michael pulled out the pearl and sapphire necklace from the velvet box. He stood behind me while I watched him in the mirror as he closed the clasp. My hand went up to my throat, my fingers tracing the piece. It was lovely.

  “See what I said?” he commented, looking at my reflection in the mirror. “You make it even more beautiful.”

  I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you so much, Michael. Thank you - it is the most wonderful present I’ve ever received.”

  “And you are the most wonderful present I’ve ever received,” he murmured. Scooping his hands under my butt, he pulled me closer.
I could feel his erection against me through his pants and I pressed myself closer, wanting the intimacy. He chuckled, “That will be for later. We have to leave now, or we’ll be late.”

  I giggled as we parted but reached down and squeezed him. In answer, he swatted my behind softly.

  “Move it, my little Hellcat, or I’m going to throw you on the bed and make love to you until you can’t walk.”

  “Oh… promise?” I said playfully, arching an eyebrow in challenge.

  He pulled me back against him, placing my hand against the bulge in his pants. “More than a promise,” he answered huskily.

  Releasing me, he shrugged into his suit jacket and it was my turn to take a deep breath of appreciation. As much as I loved him in his jeans, he always wowed me when he put on a suit. The cut of his jacket fit his large frame perfectly. I always expected him to say, ‘Bond. James Bond’ when I saw him dressed this way. Women's heads snapped around, their eyes following his walk through the lobby. I had to admit that the stares from other women always made me feel insecure. How I ended up with him was a mystery I was still trying to solve.

  A limousine waited outside and whisked us away to the War Memorial Opera House. Once we were seated in one of the mezzanine boxes, and the ornate room began to fill, my excitement level rose. I loved the ballet and wanted to study it, but I was too tall and uncoordinated, so when I took lessons the instructors never encouraged my dancing.

  It was not Michael’s first performance, either. Growing up in the bay area as he did, his mother ensured that early on both he and his sister were culturally educated. He always surprised me in this way, because while his outward appearance was rugged and he was a natural outdoorsman, he was also incredibly tender and romantic. He loved the arts, music, and enjoyed attending performances like tonight’s ballet.

  The theater darkened, the music started, the curtain rose, and I was in heaven. Michael took my hand and held it throughout the performance; I had tears in my eyes more than once. During intermission, we went to the concession stand where he purchased a plate of chocolate truffles and chocolate covered strawberries. We stood in a corner with a multitude of people around us, snacking on the decadent desserts.

  “Are you having a good time?” Michael asked as we clinked our glasses of sparkling water.

  “Oh yes!” I bit into a truffle and it melted in my mouth. “Yummy,” I said reveling in the taste of raspberry and chocolate.

  He smiled and chewed on a chocolate covered strawberry. “Yum is right. You’ve got to try these strawberries.”

  He lifted one from the plate and held it as I bit into it. “Oh, these are so good.” I marveled.

  His gaze smoldered and his voice lowered. “You look so beautiful tonight, Elizabeth.”

  I blushed, the husk in his voice reminding me of how often I used to redden around him when we were first dating. He saw it and chuckled.

  “Now there is something I haven’t seen in a little while - I was beginning to think I wouldn’t see it again. But then, I think I remember how to make you blush,” he teased with a growl and leaned over, whispering in my ear. “It has something to do with mentioning how much I want to get you out of that dress tonight. How I want to pull your panties off and run my tongue up your thigh until I reach your sweet, wet core, and then make you wriggle underneath me all night long.”

  Sure enough, that did it. I knew I was beet red. “Oh Michael!” I sputtered, trying to find the ability to speak as I pushed his shoulder. “You’re being bad. People might hear you.”

  “Let them listen. They might learn how to love a woman as incredible as you.” His arm wrapped around my waist, his hand coming to rest on my bottom.

  My face still flushed again, but I had to admit that I loved when Michael started down this road. He made my knees weak. I wanted to take off my dress and wrap myself around him. From the first day we met, it had been difficult to keep my hands off him. Fortunately for me, he was the type of man who also enjoyed being touched.

  He fed me another strawberry and I looked around, becoming aware that, even in our little corner, women were noticing him. “Michael, I think we’re starting to attract attention.”

  “Let them watch what I do to the sexiest woman in this building - hell, in this city.”

  “No Michael, really.”

  He turned and shot the ladies his biggest grin. Oh, he knew the effect he had on women. Those deep-set dimples and smoldering eyes could knock any woman off her feet. He turned back to me and I swear I heard a collective sigh from the women around us.

  Saved by the bell, the sound notified us that intermission was over. I enjoyed the second half of the ballet, but the performance on the stage was not my focus. I could only think about what was ahead of us when we returned to the hotel, and Michael didn’t make it any easier by stroking my arm and hand. He was sitting too close. Inhaling deeply did not make my heart beat any slower, instead his incredible scent made my pulse increase. When he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly, I almost exploded with desire.

  Soon we were back inside the limousine, winding our way back to the hotel. The driver could obviously tell we wanted privacy because he discreetly closed the partition; I think he even drove around the block several times once we arrived at the hotel.

  “I want to undress you when we get to the room,” Michael murmured in my ear, his lips trailing down my neck to my shoulder. He had already lifted me into his lap, my dress pushed up beyond the top of my stockings, and I could very clearly feel the hard bulge in his slacks against my thighs.

  “And then I get to undress you?”

  “No, tonight you’ll watch me,” he purred in my ear seductively.

  My lips found his, our tongues tangling, and I managed to growl, “Good.”

  The car came to a stop and I heard the driver’s door open. Michael quickly set me back into the seat as I straightened my clothes. I could not, however, wipe the wide grin from my face as I exited the car. Entering the lobby, we rapidly made our way alone into the elevator where we continued our heated groping until the bell rang, announcing our floor.

  Normally once we made it to the privacy of our suite, we would tear our clothes off, but he had other ideas tonight. He led me into the bedroom and sat me on the edge of the bed.

  “Stay there,” he instructed with erotic huskiness as he removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie.

  The maid had already turned down the bed, and I watched him in unbearable anticipation while he moved around the room. My pulse quickened and the lower half of my body turned to liquid. Moving slowly he turned off all the lights, leaving only one lamp lit by the window. The sole light lent a soft glow to the room. I liked that he left it on, always preferring to see him rather than being in the dark. Next, he slipped off his shoes and socks and stood in front of me. I looked at him and licked my lips slowly.

  “I love it when you do that,” his voice just a whisper amongst the dim light.

  I smiled and continued to look up at him through my lashes. “I know.” My eyes feasted on him, stopping at his visible erection. “And, I like that.” I reached out but he caught my hand.

  “Not yet.” He let go of my hand and stepped back.

  The energy in the room was thick with anticipation as he removed the cuff links from his sleeves and began to unbutton his shirt with languorous movements, his eyes never leaving me. My breath caught when I saw his exposed chest; it always did. The smattering of blond hair across his chest, and the lovely trail, that ended below his waist was a path I often followed with my lips.

  “Breathe, babe.”

  The sound of his voice was deep with desire and I smiled at his reminder. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath. After he removed his shirt and laid it on the nearby chair, he moved toward me. Pulling me to my feet, he unzipped my dress, letting it slip to the floor to pool around my feet. He picked it up, laying it next to his shirt. I felt incredibly sexy in my new lacy black underwear and was glad I�
��d worn garters and stockings, knowing Michael especially liked it when I did.

  He unsnapped my bra with one hand and tossed it over his shoulder, artfully landing it next to my dress. Smoldering eyes met mine as his arms encircled me, pulling me close. The ache from my breasts all the way down to my core was palpable. Too soon, he pushed me gently back on the bed; my body immediately protested the loss of his skin against mine. I rested back on my elbows watching him, waiting for him. Wanting him.

  I licked my lips and he groaned unconsciously. Time seemed to be moving so slowly. Finally, he picked up both of my feet and rested them against his chest as he continued to stand over me. The high-heels I wore made deep impressions in his skin as he slowly removed my shoes and dropped them to the floor. Holding my feet, he placed soft kisses on the soles and ran his lips up to my ankles, alternating his kisses between the two.

  “Such beautiful feet and ankles,” his murmured, voice heated and deep. He moved closer to me, bending my knees. “And these knees,” he said as his hands roamed upward, his touch lighting small fires along my body.

  Through his ministrations, I laid there watching. My skin, already beyond aching with need for him, tingled with anticipation, my body a pool of desire. I tried to steady my breathing, but it was no use. I fell back completely on the bed, my elbows no longer wanting to support me.

  “But,” he whispered, “my favorite, are your thighs.” His tongue lapped at the skin above my stockings while he slowly parted my legs, leaving me open to him. He nibbled and licked a circle around my center and I wiggled, trying in vain to relieve the throbbing need he was causing. Michael laid his hand over my mound.

  “Anxious?” he chuckled.

  “You’re driving me crazy,” I said breathlessly. "Please, don't stop."

  “Excellent,” he said as he knelt on the floor in front of me. Hooking his fingers around the string of my thong, he unhurriedly pulled it down, and tossed it somewhere. Where, I don’t know, because I was beyond caring.

  Parting my legs wide, he exposed me completely. His finger traced a circle around my sensitive nub, teasing me. “Mmmmm… so silky. I think you want me very much, don’t you?” he asked his voice dropping and I knew this was affecting him as much as me.