The Artifact: Natasha Burrows Series Book One

by Phillips, Michelle

  “Well, it's not like we haven’t gone in before all guns blazing now knowing exactly what we’re doing.”

  “True,” she said smiling a little.

  “We’ll wing it, like we always do. We make a good team, us two.”

  She laughed, “I don’t think I should mark you on your grammar there.”

  “There you go again, but I wouldn’t mind playing teacher with you.”

  “You are such a devil” she blushed like a rose in full bloom.

  “You are the one who seems to bring it out in me” he ran his strong hands through his thick dark unruly hair, unkempt like a lion's mane, pushing it away from his face. She could see for the first time he looked a little weary.

  “How about we find a good hotel, and we tackle the Vatican tomorrow?” she asked tentatively.

  “That sounds like a plan, and a good one” he answered, realising for the first time she seemed to actually see him.

  “Can we stay, somewhere really nice?” she asked hopefully.

  “Sure, let's get a taxi when we get off the train. We can ask the taxi driver.”

  They got of the train and joined a line waiting for a taxi. When they finally got a taxi, they asked for the best hotel in Rome.

  “The Hassler Roma” replied the taxi driver. His English was excellent.

  “Is it close to the Vatican?” Tasha asked.

  He nodded his head emphatically, “Oh yes, yes, si, si, very close.”

  They arrived at the Hassler Roma. Tasha swore that they almost died three times during the taxi drive. People were parked illegally all over the place, cars came the wrong way down one-way streets, and pedestrians, (well good luck to them) it was like the running of the bulls all over again, except the cars were the bulls and pedestrians were the unsuspecting runners.

  The swinging angel hanging off Giuseppe’s rear vision mirror did more to fuel her nausea than still her fears, and yes, she knew the taxi driver's name was Giuseppe, and that his daughter’s names were Sara and Laura and they were twins, both going to school, and his wife was a teacher. She knew practically everything about his entire life by the time they had reached the hotel, down to the colour of his socks, because his incessant jabbering never stopped and she came to understand just why his English was so good - practice!

  The receptionist, a snooty looking man, with slicked back brylcreemed black hair, looked down his long crooked nose and pointedly asked if that was all the luggage she had with her.

  “Would you like the Executive Suite?” he asked raising his hand to preen his hair. Tasha wasn’t quite sure why he bothered, by her calculations he must have had a almost an entire bucket of grease in his slick dark hair, there was no way it was going anywhere, not a chance!

  “We’ll need two rooms” Tasha added hurriedly.

  “Now where’s the fun in that?” asked Xavier jokingly.

  He crooked a disdainful eyebrow upwards and with proficient tap on his computer screen he booked them into separate rooms, next to each other. He handed them a small brochure, that contained a map of Rome.

  “You will find we are in walking distance of Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.”

  “Thankyou” said Tasha, the map would prove to be very helpful “and how far are we from Vatican City.”

  “The Eternal City? Around three kilometres. You can walk it if you wish, it takes around thirty minutes.” He eyed her clothing critically, “you may wish to, reconsider your attire, they have a strict dress code for entry.”

  She felt like taking his judgement and telling him where to stick it. But honestly she was too tired. If he had an inkling of what they had been through over the past couple of days, he would probably assume a fetal position in the corner of the foyer, rocking back and forth talking to himself. She smiled politely and took the room card, eager to kick off her shoes and snuggle into some 1,000-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets.

  Xavier stood by her door awkwardly. “Ok, how weird was that guy back there?” he joked pointing his thumb back behind him. “I was thinking any minute he would dissolve into a cloud of bats like Count Dracula.”

  She laughed “Yes, the widows peak didn’t do much to dissuade the impression that he was leader of the armies of the dead.”

  “Mwah, ha ha ha” he mocked “you’re clothing truly is a hideous fashion crime against the world. Now let me suck your blood..” He feigned a fake Hungarian accent.

  “Maybe he’s, you know, particular about fashion.”

  “You mean gay?” he laughed “you can say it. Shall we meet for dinner in the hotel restaurant? In an hours time?” he asked. She nodded “so it's a date then” he said as she turned to enter her room. She practically ran and flopped on the large king size bed.

  The room was amazing, and on top of that it had a fully marbled bathroom with the deepest bath she had ever seen. He body was aching, and she still felt dirty, so she flipped on the bath mixer with her foot, and dropped her clothes to the floor where she stood.

  Natasha laid down in the deep white porcelain bath filled to the brim with water and bubbles. It was so full, the water displaced by her body cascaded over the top, but she didn’t care. She laid in the soothing warm water, the air filled with the fragrance of scented body wash with the sweet notes of frangipani and lilies filling the air. She breathed in and out deeply, trying to release the stress she felt in every muscle and every sinew right down to her bones.

  She couldn’t believe that just yesterday she was traipsing past teetering trees, stumbling over numerous pitfalls of tangled roots and vines, and dealing with the ever present and ominous mercurial nature of the rainforest of the Amazon. She never believed the simple act of brushing her teeth could give her so much pleasure, but there it was, she was a reformed woman and believed she would never complain about anything ever again, well maybe not she chuckled to herself.

  She felt like she had barely laid her head on the back of the bath when she heard an insistent banging on her bathroom door. She could hear Xavier calling out to her and oddly the water felt cold.

  “Oh” she sighed “just a minute” she called getting out of the bath somewhat awkwardly. She wrapped a white silk dressing gown provided by the hotel around her and opened the door.

  “This better be good” she said as she opened the door.

  Before her stood Xavier looking flustered “you’re ok” he cried.

  “Yes” she said “why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because I have been knocking on your hotel door for hours. No-one saw you leave and you weren’t answering, I got them to open the door for me” he said, still a little flustered. “I was expecting you for dinner.”

  “I was just having a bath” she responded exasperated.

  “For three hours?” he replied incredulously. She looked down at her fingers, they looked wrinkled and shrivelled just like prunes.

  “I… I thought... I must have fallen asleep” she replied a little sheepishly.

  “Oh ok” he said, looking a little uncomfortable. She looked down and realised that her wet hair was hanging over her shoulders and dripping down her gown. The gown had become almost transparent over her breasts, the darkness of her areola showing through. She looked up, realising that he had been looking at them all this time.

  “Really?” she huffed.

  “What, they were right there, in front of my face, and… well. . how can I not look?” he asked.

  “Well that's no excuse. You’re a pervert” she pouted, folding her arms over her breasts.

  “Why do you hate me so much?” he asked, “what have I done to you? What could I possibly do to you to make you dislike me so much?”

  She looked at him unable to answer. “I don’t hate you, exactly, I just don’t want to be taken advantage of... by the likes of you.”

  “The likes of me?” he asked looking at her with mild amusement. “And please tell me princess, what is ‘the likes of me?’”

  “A womaniser, you know, with your perfectly
toned muscles, those deep blue eyes and mysterious dark eyebrows. That charming smile that makes women melt. The daredevil bad guy routine that makes them all drop their knickers.” He burst out laughing uncontrollably. “What?” she asked even more infuriated. “What’s so funny?”

  “The way you described me, anyone would think you had a crush on me Ms Burrows.”

  She flushed bright red. She was pretty sure her face was verging on the colour scarlet. “I might find you…. mildly attractive.”

  “Mildly” he said with those sexy raised eyebrows of his.

  “There you go again” she was legitimately frustrated “acting all sexy and mysterious with your eyebrows.”

  “What would you like me to do?” he winked at her “shave my eyebrows off, will that remove my infamous sex appeal?”

  “God dammit” she cried. “I don’t want to be another notch on your belt, why can’t you just leave it… leave me alone?” she looked at him, possibly the most handsome man she had ever come across, swearing her heart was about to burst.

  “Because” he said moving closer to her “from the moment I saw you, I knew you were the girl I have been looking for, the girl of my dreams.”

  “How can you say that?” she said dismissively, her head fighting but her heart missing a beat.

  “Do you really think so little of yourself?” he asked. “Do you know how beautiful, intelligent and just a little bit crazy you are?”

  She smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m sorry, I’m just in a bad place, with everything that has happened. I didn’t mean to take it all out on you.”

  “I know, come here” he invited her holding his arms out. She relented practically falling into his arms, enjoying the warm and the security of his strong embrace. “You don’t have to be alone, I’m here with you.”

  She looked up at him, he noticed her eyes had a subtle green glint. He placed his hand to her head, cradling it. She couldn’t remember why she was always so angry with him, and she definitely couldn’t control her feelings of lust any longer.

  Her head was constantly fighting it, but her heart was giving into the passion, the lust she felt had for his loins. She felt his warm body through the sheerness of her gown and her nipples hardened, aroused and pert. He noticed and smiled wickedly. She figured after all she had been through in the jungle, how many times she could possibly have died, it was definitely time to take life by the balls, and him as well she thought crudely.

  “Make love to me” she said.

  “What? are you sure?” he was surprised but continued to hold her gaze intently to check her sincerity. “I mean I want to, badly, but only if you…..” She answered him by undoing her robe and allowing it to fall to the floor. It lay at her feet and she stood before him her body glistening with beads of moisture.

  “Good god” he said biting his lips. He reached out to touch her, but she pushed his hand aside. She was standing like a naked venus, her beautiful pert breasts atop a fleshy mound he knew could grant him so much pleasure.

  “No” she said firmly. He looked at her puzzled. She was holding the strap to her robe in her hand and walked behind him tying his hands behind his back.

  “What are you doing to me?” he begged.

  “Men making love are like a reader who likes to skip the exposition and flip over to the best parts of the book.” She whispered softly in his ear biting it gently. “I’m going to undress you, slowly. I’m going to make every second of this count.” She touched him lightly on his chest slowly undoing the buttons of his shirt. “Right about now” she whispered sensually, “you want to touch my soft skin and run your hands along the inside of my supple thighs” she leant and kissed him softly on his chest. He groaned, his manhood rising at the thought of her thighs wrapped around him.

  “You want to cup my beautiful breasts in your hands and trace the outline of my nipples with your tongue. I’ve seen you looking at my breasts, I know you want them” she started undoing his pants. “But you can’t” she pulled his pants down, squatting with her face at the level of his manhood. “I saw you looking at how my body glistens when it's wet” she said looking up at him. “It glistens like just that in the morning light when I get out of the ocean after swimming in my thong. You can see my nipples fighting under the cloth of my suit, and my thong cutting through the cheeks of my naked bum, wedging them apart, moist and salty layered with slippery lotion and oil. My skin - you can taste it, my skin tastes like the salt of the sea. Its slippery with oil, so smooth and easy to push my thong aside and slide up inside.” She reached her hand to touch his organ, impressed by its size and engorgement.

  She brought her lips close to it, barely touching it. It flinched like it was begging for her touch. She denied it her touch, and stood up and brought her lips next to his “I know you want to squeeze my ass while you impale me with your giant schlong. I know you have been dreaming about it, wondering what it would be like to make me writhe and moan, pulling my hair as I call out your name, over, and over...” She turned her head away from him and walked around behind him.

  “God” he groaned “I’m going to burst.”

  She swiftly put her hand between his legs from behind and started stimulating him with her fingers. It was like he was hit with a bolt of electricity and his whole body felt like it was on fire.

  “No more” he cried “I have to have you.”

  “What are you going to do to me, if I let you have your hands back?” she asked saucily.

  “I’m going to pin you down, push your thighs apart with my legs and make you apologize to me. You’ve teased me too much. I’m going to make you mine. Once you have me, you're going to be begging for me, like a slut asking for more.”

  “Begging for it?” she repeated. She walked over and sat on the bed, crossing and unfolding her legs like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. “You are very impressive, I must admit, your size is… extraordinary. But I’m not just any bitch you know, I’m hard to please.”

  He growled, a low guttural sound of lust and yearning, “Yes, you are a bitch, I’ll have you like one, down on your knees, I’m going to slap myself against your arse over and over again, watching it bounce. You won’t be able to walk for a week.

  “Sounds like a promise” she said reaching out her hand for him, motioning for him to come forward with a curl of her index finger. He walked to her, completely naked and she reached her hand around to pull the knot free.

  The instant his hands were free he grabbed her throwing her on the bed, diving on top of her wasting no time in plunging himself deep inside her. She gasped as he took her, he chuckled softly “you talk big don’t you, come on, you can take it.” He pushed hard grabbing her thighs with force and taking his head to her nipples licking them as he pushed. He ground his thighs against hers trying to get the full length of himself inside her to the very last millimetre. He took his head to hers, kissing her deeply, passionately as he felt himself erupting inside her, like a thousand fireworks going off. She joined him, groaning with pleasure as she writhed and quivered, raising her hips up towards his in one final thrust as she climaxed.

  They lay in silence, his arm wrapped around her. She felt safe again, content and blissful.

  “Room service?” he asked. “I’m starving after that.”

  “Sounds amazing” she said softly. “Oh, and can we get some wine?”

  The room service arrived on a trolley, lobsters, sirloin and an array of perfectly cooked vegetables. They feasted and laughed together in the large bed, she giggled as Xavier played the fool and tried to eat his dinner off parts of her body, naming each of them in Italian. After a couple of glasses of wine and a few of Xaviers crazy stories later, they both fell asleep.

  They both awoke in the morning, to the sun streaming through the hotel drapes, playing in splashes across their naked bodies. He looked at her lying there like an angel, her golden hair like spun gold and he reached out and stroked the elegant nape of her neck. She stirred stretching and
he reached his arm over her, starting to play with her nipples. She pushed his arm off.

  “I need a bath” she said abruptly, getting up.

  “Really?” he asked lifting the sheet to expose his erect penis.

  “You, and him, can join me if you like” she said coyly. She went into the bathroom and started half filling the bath with warm water.

  He followed her, unsure of what she was doing. “Kneel in there” she said motioning to the end of the bath. He climbed in, resting his back against the bath. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing, but like last night, he couldn’t wait to find out. She turned her back to him and stepped in squatting down over him. “You know” she said “you really should lather up a bit.” He grinned, grabbing the soap he lathered his hands and his manhood and started lathering her backside, all the while using his fingers to penetrate her.

  She sat down fully on his erect manhood, gasping with pleasure as he filled her, and using her knees and the sides of the bath moved up and down rhythmically. He took his soapy hands and ran them over her breasts and nipples, enjoying the slippery smoothness. “God” he groaned, as he felt the pressure mounting. “Don’t stop” she moaned. With their bodies meshed tightly in the tub, they both felt a heightened sense of stimulation, with the ultra arousing sensations of the sexy warm water surrounding them on all sides.

  She lifted herself off up off him slightly still holding the tip of him between her, and grabbed the detachable shower head from the faucet and turned it on placing the spray between her legs. He cried out with pleasure, shuddering with passion as the streams of water hit him. He slid his hands up from her breasts and over her shoulders, and pulled her downwards with a jolt, giving one last final push as he exploded, his manhood dancing and jumping inside her.

  She slid off him gently and he looked at her. “You are going to kill me” he said.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied getting out of the bath and wrapping a towel around herself.

  “Damn, it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for isn’t it?” he said shaking his head.