Maelstrőm

by Michelle Love

  “I’ve found marriage records, five years ago to Sarah Hannah Li but before that nothing. Literally nothing. No employment records, no medical records, no birth certificate – at least nothing legal. Nothing. Guy’s a ghost.”

  Isaac had been unsettled by the detective’s incredulous tone. It was, he told him, possible to disappear into the vastness of the US, but usually there was always some trace, some footprint. Whoever he was or had been, Daniel Bailey was not who he told his wife he was.

  Sarah stirred in his arms. He smiled as she muttered something inaudible and snuggled deeper into his arms. He had no regrets, no doubts about telling her loved her. It was more than true; he’d known for weeks, hell, had known almost from the beginning. He loved her easy manner, her wicked sense of humor, her intelligence and warmth. He loved the way she would shove her glasses up her nose when she was reading, or she would laugh at the stupidest jokes – the sillier the better. He loved that she loved her food and didn’t pick at a garden salad like so many of his vapid ex-girlfriends. He loved the fact her butt jiggled when she washed her hair in the shower and that she didn’t care.

  Sarah opened her eyes as if aware of his scrutiny and smiled sleepily at him. “Hey, you.”

  In reply, he moved his body over hers, his erection already growing and she hitched her legs around his waist.

  “I like sleepy sex,” she said and he chuckled, sliding into her gently and moving slowly. Her mouth sought his and their tongues met and caressed as they made love, tenderly, taking their time and savoring the connection. She was still slick from his come, a thought that made him feel good. He wanted her to carry part of him always.

  After they’d come, he spent a long time just touching her, stroking his hand over the curves of her, the full breasts with their dark red nipples, her belly which curved out slightly and was soft rather than hard muscles like his own. Her skin was like silk to him.

  Sarah stroked her finger down his face. “Isaac?”

  “Promise me something.”

  “Anything.”

  “Promise me you’ll never stop touching me like that.”

  Isaac smiled, his sculpted features softening. “I promise you unconditionally.”

  He gathered her to him and they made love long into the night.

  Molly rolled over onto her stomach and looked at the clock. Ten past four in the morning. She groaned softly and dropped her face into the pillow. Looking up, she saw that her husband Mike was deeply asleep, occasional snores rumbling through his chest. Molly smiled and kissed him gently, contemplating waking him. Deciding to let him sleep, she pushed the blanket away and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She regretted the action as the fierce cold of the early morning hit her. She pulled her robe around her and padded into the little kitchen. Dumping a spoonful of hot chocolate into a mug, she waited for the kettle to boil. Outside the window, she could see rain running in rivers down Main Street. When the kettle whistled she poured the hot water into the cup and took her drink into the living room. Her tabby cat Pigeon opened one eye and contemplated her as she perched next to him on the window seat. She scratched the top of his head, smiling at the meow he mouthed silently. His eye closed and he was immediately asleep again.

  Molly could feel a headache buzzing around her skull and pressed her hot forehead against the cool window. The first ferry to the city left at four and already she saw the odd commuter head blearily down to the harbor. A light went on across the street at Finn’s place. She watched as her brother walked to his car, got in and drove past the Varsity, heading for the west coast road. She frowned. Weird. Was he working? Molly rubbed her head, trying to ignore the idea that popped into her head. He was going to Sarah’s house. But why in the middle of the night? Molly quelled the sudden panic and then remembered Sarah was in the city with Isaac. The cool window had eased her headache a little and she shivered, chilled now. As she was about to step away from the window when a movement opposite caught her eye. Outside the Varsity, a figure stood staring into the darkness of the empty coffee house. Molly watched, frowning, as the man – she was sure it was a man from his outline – stayed there for a while then as he turned away, the streetlight illuminated his face briefly and Molly gasped.

  His face was a mask of anger, of hatred, of purest vitriol and Molly recoiled from the window at the sight of his twisted, contorted face. But it wasn’t the waves of evil that came from the man that shocked her to the core. It was because she knew the face. Knew the man.

  It was Daniel Bailey.

  Sarah sighed as the hot bath water soothed her aching limbs. The tub was three times the size of her own tub at home – come to think of it, the entire apartment was bigger than her home. Home, she thought guiltily. She had to admit she hadn’t missed being there at all these last few days. Molly had assured her that they were coping, that the coffee house was running fine but still, Sarah knew that in a day or two, her bubble would burst and she’d have to go back.

  “You don’t have to,” Isaac said later when they were at dinner. “You can have anything you want, stay here and live with me. Start over if you want.”

  Sarah smiled. “You are sweet but no. As much as I love you, I don’t want to be a kept woman.”

  Isaac shrugged, grinning good-naturedly. “I knew you’d say that but the offer is there. I would like to talk about where we go from here. I know it’s fast.”

  Sarah considered. “It is a little fast but neither of us is a teenager, we know the risk and rewards of a relationship. We can talk about it, certainly.”

  “Moving in together?”

  She nodded. “Talking about is the first step. But not tonight, tonight I just want to have fun. There’s a wonderful cover band who play up at the Paramount on Thursday nights, I wondered if you would…”

  “Count me in.” Isaac was smiling but she could see there was something else bothering him.

  “What is it, my love? What’s bugging you?”

  Isaac shifted in his chair, not meeting her eyes. “I’ve done something and I need to tell you about it.”

  Her chest clenched up immediately…he cheated on me….he wants to end it…but she forced herself to keep her face blank. “Oh?”

  Isaac took a deep breath in. “Before that day, the day Wilson died and I found one of the letters, what you had been telling me about Dan had been bothering me. His disappearance. So I ask a private detective to look into it. I know I should have told you, it’s just what he found, I couldn’t get my head around.”

  Sarah felt the tension ease. “That’s fine, Isaac. I’d be as curious as you if the tables were turned but I told you, we couldn’t find anything.”

  He nodded. “Same here. Nothing. That’s just it. As far as Daniel Bailey goes, he didn’t exist before your marriage.”

  Icy cold shock hit her. “What are you talking about?”

  “There was no Daniel Bailey born when he said he was, where he said he was. Did you ever meet any of his family?”

  Sarah shook her head. “His parents were dead, no siblings.”

  “No cousins, no aunts and uncles?”

  She shook her head slowly. “It was one of the things we had in common, no family.” Her voice was gruff, uncertain. “This is crazy, why would he say…. why would he?” Her eyes filled with tears and she slumped in her chair. “What does it matter now, anyway? He’s gone.”

  Isaac let her think about what he said while they ate. After their entrees had been cleared, she looked at him and he was sad to see the hurt in her eyes.

  “Why am I surprised?” She said, then sat up. “Isaac… there’s a lot about me, a lot about my marriage that I haven’t, well, we haven’t had a lot of time to get to know each other so perhaps it’s not surprising that I haven’t told you.”

  He took her hand. “Tell me.”

  Sarah rolled her shoulders trying to ease some of the tension. “I met Dan at college – he was teaching a music program. We met in the cafeteria – he started to talk to m
e one day and we became friends. One night, when he was walking me home from the cinema, he kissed me and that was that. We got married after I graduated and then came back here to open the coffee house and for Dan to teach at the school. Our life together wasn’t… there were times when we spent a great deal of time apart and to be honest, it seemed to suit us both. The friendship we had kind of just went. Suddenly, I was his wife and therefore his property. He even resented me spending time with George and the twins, trying to isolate me from them. That’s how he started to behave for a while until I reached my limit. He was controlling to the point of ridiculousness but he’d always turn it around saying I was oversensitive until I was convinced I was.”

  She saw the muscle in Isaac’s face clench in anger and tried to smile. “I asked him to go to counseling and he agreed and everything seemed to change for the better. Then I found out he was watching me at work. All the time. He’d put security cameras in the coffee house and had actually made a note of every time I spoke to a man – especially Finn – and quizzed me on what was said, and how long they were talking to me. As far as I know that’s as far as it went but I’d had enough. I told him I wanted to spend some time apart. He begged me to stay with him. After a couple of months, I became convinced that he was having an affair. So I asked him, straight out. No reproach, no shouting. I just said to tell me if he wanted out. He said no, the only way he would leave me is if I wanted out. Then two days later, he disappeared.”

  Isaac cursed softly under his breath. “I’m sorry, Sarah, what a fucking manipulative…”

  “Quite. After I’d got over the shock of him going missing, thinking he was dead, thinking he had killed himself and it was my fault… that’s when I got angry. I’m still angry.”

  “Good. Stay that way.”

  “He’s alive somewhere, doing the same thing to someone else. Probably under a different name.” She smiled then. “What a tool. I seriously am happy he’s gone. “

  Isaac burst out laughing at the expression on her face. “No more walking on eggshells.”

  “Nope. And thank god for you, showing me what a real, healthy relationship should be.”

  He toasted to that with his champagne but as they drank, a ribbon of unease curled in his stomach. Was Dan somewhere else?

  Or was he here and still watching her?

  “It wasn’t Dan.”

  Molly scowled at her brother. He was so sure and so annoyingly smug about it. “You don’t know, you weren’t there.”

  “Mols, you’re projecting. Dan is gone, and to be honest, good riddance. It’s just because Wilson died and because of the letters that you’re imagining boogeymen. And anyway, Dan never showed any violent tendencies. Yeah, he was a douche but he genuinely loved Sarah, he would never have hurt her or killed her dog.”

  Mols shivered. “You didn’t see his face.”

  Finn rolled his eyes. “Whoever it was, it’s nothing to worry about.”

  Molly got up then and made herself busy washing the breakfast stuff. Her children and Mike had left together just because Finn came to waste some time with her, rather than Caroline, before he went to work. Molly couldn’t help feeling that Finn was being too blasé about what she thought she saw. She knew Daniel Bailey’s face. It was him.

  “Okay think about this,” she turned to her brother who was sneaking some cold toast from one of the kids” discarded plates. “What if he came back and was going to see her but saw her with Isaac? Maybe it pissed him off.”

  “Sarah hasn’t been with Isaac for six months. Also, Wilson was Dan’s dog too.”

  Molly muttered to herself and Finn grinned. He stood and put his around his sister’s shoulders. “Look, let’s not make trouble where there is none. Wilson could have eaten something left for a raccoon or something.”

  “And the letters?”

  Finn shrugged. “Sarah’s convinced they are just sent out of spite. I don’t know, I want to believe that, I even want to know it’s Caroline. Nothing we can do about it until…well.”

  “Someone hurts Sarah?”

  Finn looked uncomfortable.

  “Not going to let that happen. Anyway, better get to work.”

  As he opened the door to leave, Molly called him. She fixed him with a stare. “Finn… she’s our family, our sister.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  After he’d gone, Molly finished clearing the kitchen and went to get ready for work. Her cell phone beeped. A text from Sarah.

  Hey gorgeous, see you at work this afternoon. Missed you xxx

  Molly smiled. Finn was right. Sarah was happy at last and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

  “I don’t think I’m going to let you out of this bed.” Isaac covered Sarah’s naked body with his, using his weight to pin her down, feeling her pillowy breasts against his solid chest, her soft belly against his. Sarah grinned up at him as he wound his fingers through hers.

  “You can keep me prisoner whenever you like but my business may suffer.”

  He nibbled her earlobe. “Maybe I’ll quit my job, come work with you.”

  Sarah chuckled, enjoying his kisses. “I guess at this point you can do just about anything.”

  Isaac grinned wickedly. “Damn right. Now, beautiful Sarah, you gonna wrap those amazing legs around me or am I gonna have to do it for you? Because my cock needs to be inside you right now.”

  Sarah sighed happily as she curled her legs around his waist and then moaned as Isaac plunged his rock-hard cock into her. It was the morning that she was going home but Sarah didn’t want to think about that, laying here in Isaac’s massive bed, being thoroughly and expertly fucked by him. This gorgeous, funny, alpha man who owned her body so completely. Isaac smiled down at her as he thrust.

  “You’re so beautiful, baby, I can never get enough of looking at you, especially like this.”

  She lifted her mouth to his, caught his lower lip between her teeth for a playful nip, then ground her lips against his, exploring his mouth with her tongue. “Isaac Quinn… I love you so much.”

  “I love you, schmushy face, and then there’s this…” He thrust hard and she gasped with pleasure as her senses exploded. She tightened her pelvic muscles, gripping his cock, making herself as tight as she could for him, eager to make sure she gave him as much pleasure as he did her. From his groan and the way his eyes closed, she could tell she did.

  “What do you like, Isaac… tell me… I’ll do anything for you, with you… tell me…” She whispered this in his ear, felt his teeth biting down on her neck as he moaned with pleasure.

  “You. I want to fuck you forever, in every way. Sarah, I want to take you against a wall, fuck you in a rainstorm, feel your sweet mouth milking me dry… god, Sarah. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to you if you let me…”

  His words made her pulse quicken until it was a furious rush of blood through her veins and she clung to him, riding him hard. “Do it, do whatever you want…”

  Isaac came then immediately turned her on her stomach. “I’m going to fuck you in your perfect ass, Sarah, but you want me to stop, you say so straight away and we’ll stop…”

  She nodded, unable to speak in her excitement. Once she consented, she heard him reaching for something – the sound made her realize that he was applying lube to his firm cock. She shuddered and gave a low moan as he also teased her asshole by slowly rubbing it with a lubricated finger. As he pushed slowly into her, his fingers caressing her clit as he did, she gave a long, shuddering moan. She’d never done this before, not with Dan, not with anyone and the pleasure was so intense she felt her head swim, her limbs liquefy. She came again and again, heard Isaac telling her over and over how much he loved her.

  Afterward in the shower, they were messing around, soaping each other up and laughing.

  “My legs are still wobbling,” she told him, “That was incredible.”

  Isaac grinned. “We can do so much more if you like… anything.”

  Sarah pressed
her breasts against him. “God, yes, please…”

  Isaac smiled, smoothing her hair with his big hands. “Sarah…I’d like you to meet my brother, his family. You’d like them.”

  “I’d love to… you know more about me than I do about you at this point. Time to redress the balance.”

  “Good. I’ll set up dinner plans – not too scary, huh?”

  “Not at all.” She was distracted. His erection was hard against her belly and she stroked it gently as she smiled up at him. “You know what?”

  “What?” He was obviously enjoying her touch, smiling, relaxed, turned on.

  “I never enjoyed sex before you. I didn’t hate it, but it was always a chore, always so “let’s just get this over with”. I never knew what the fuss was about.”

  Isaac bent his head to kiss her. “That’s because we fit together. We belong together.”

  “You betcha. Now, put this incredible cock back inside me…”

  As they flew back to the island, Isaac took her hand in his. “I have a few meetings today but I can be back over here by about ten tonight. If you’re not sick of me.”

  “Hah, would never happen. God, it’s beautiful out here today.”

  The Washington day had broken bright and warm and the sun sparkled off the waters of the Sound as they flew out over the bay. Sarah squeezed Isaac’s hand.

  “Hey, listen, I was thinking of having a cookout at the weekend. You, me, Molly and Mike, Finn and some friends. You could invite your brother and his family, your friends. Might be less stressful for everyone to meet like that.”

  Isaac nodded. “Sounds perfect, although you mean I have to share you for a whole day?”