by Combs, Sasha
“We’re nearly there. I hope to meet the real Carolyn this weekend, I’m sure she’s bound to have a really enjoyable time.” Carolyn looked at Misha as he gleamed with certainty. She hated when people had her pegged and Misha had her dead to rights. She did have a tiny little voice that was screaming to get out and her strong will had always forced it into submission. But Carolyn feared the consequences if that little voice ever did get out. She feared that perhaps everything that Misha wanted or thought he wanted could be his for the taking; if that little voice escaped. The law gave her life order and purpose; the very things that had been robbed from her life as a orphaned eleven year old child. Carolyn depended on this order to help her maintain structure and stability and without it she feared the potential consequences. She feared that she could potentially throw caution to the wind. She knew that she’d have to be on her guard this weekend because Misha could prove to be a worthy adversary.
Chapter Five
Baby its cold outside
As Misha drove over the unleveled bumpy dirt road, the cozy log cabin nestled in between the countless trees came into view. Misha touched Carolyn’s arm. “Wait here while I turn on the generator.” Misha got out of the car and approached the cabin as if he’d been there before. The sun had already set and gave way to the light of the moon; this caused Misha to become enveloped by the darkness. As Carolyn sat patiently in the car she began to have serious doubts regarding her decision to spend the weekend alone with Misha in such a secluded place. Her idea of getting back to nature included a day at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak and eating a Coney Dog with all of the toppings. Her aunt never involved her in any outdoor activities so she usually shunned all invitations that required the use of mosquito repellant or dark clothing to repel the attraction of ticks. As her heart began to beat rapidly the log cabin became illuminated with light. The front door swung open as Misha came strolling out of the cabin. As he approached the vehicle Carolyn could see determination in each stride as he moved nearer to the car. His demeanor suggested a purpose and desire to accomplish a specific task; just like a hunter after his prey. As he reached for the passenger door to assist her out, she concluded that he was on the hunt and she was his prey.
As Carolyn walked into the cabin she looked around carefully examining her surroundings. She looked for access points, entries and exits. Reaching inside of her leather purse she pulled out her cellular phone. Releasing a loud sigh and a moan of disappointment she said “Oh man…no bars.”
“You can’t get a signal out here.” Misha had entered the house carrying a box full of groceries. He had bought their luggage in earlier as he watched Carolyn silently touring the cabin. He had laughed aloud when he returned to the car to get the groceries because he could clearly see the trepidation bought on by this situation. But he had no intentions of alleviating any of her apprehensions. In his mind he believed that this would be the natural course of events that would cause her to finally relax and allow nature to takes its course.
“How can any person in their right mind place themselves in a remote environment where they can’t get a cellular phone signal? That’s just absurd.” Clearly irritated she walked over to the kitchen and watched as Misha began to unpack the groceries and place items in the refrigerator and cupboards. Misha calmly responded.
“Not everyone feels the need to be connected 24/7. Sometimes being out of the range of communications is a good thing.”
“When is it good not to be able to get in contact with someone?” Carolyn stood in the frame of the doorway to the kitchen with both hands on her hips, head tilted to the side as she conjured up the most sarcastic expression imaginable. Misha appearing not too be fazed and ignoring her Oscar performance, continued to unpack the groceries.
“Our situation is one of those times that communication is the least thing needed but by your behavior it appears to be the most thing wanted.”
Closing up the last cupboard, Misha turned to see a completely shocked Carolyn with her eyes and mouth wide open, still standing in the doorway. Again, appearing unaffected by her comments and behavior he began to approach her and close their distance.
“I’m going out back to gather some wood for the fireplace. I have a variety of things for us to eat. If you don’t mind can you prepare a light dinner for us, I’m sure you must be starving.” Now standing directly in front of her he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead and whispered “Don’t try to think too much Carolyn; just relax. I promise you that there will be no need for your cellular phone. The only communicating that will be going on in this cabin will be between you and me.” As he looked down into her eyes he gently rubbed his thumb across her cheek. Misha watched as Carolyn’s countenance literally began to change before his eyes. The sides of her mouth began to give way to a tiny smile as her eyes roamed and studied his face. Their visual exchange made it very difficult for Misha to leave Carolyn but with the war abated and their body language rendering outward signs of a truce; he felt at ease to complete his chore and collect the wood.
Carolyn had not meant to show her don’t mess with me side; but she did have legitimate concerns regarding their remote location. She still had not been able to get in contact with Alexandra prior to leaving the city and she’d left messages at her home, cellular phone and her office. She was hoping that Alexandra would return her calls but in her current situation she would be out of the range of communication for the next three days. As she finished preparing their meal Misha returned through the front door of the cabin. He had placed mounds of wood on the large wrap around porch and bought a bundle in to start a fire in the stone fireplace. Misha appeared comfortable in this environment and Carolyn surmised that he either lived in a remote area in Russia or participated in outdoor activities.
The kitchen was designed for cooking but not eating; so Carolyn placed the food on a tray and carried it into the front room to join Misha as he stoked the fire.
“The fire feels good.” Carolyn smiled at Misha as he turned to look at her; obviously pleased that she relented her trifling ways and prepared a meal.
“The food smells good.” Misha stood from his kneeling position in front of the fireplace and joined Carolyn on the couch.
“You see, I can be civil.”
“Carolyn I never doubted that and I’m sure that many of my other expectations will be revealed before we leave this cabin as well.”
“Dare I ask what those expectations are?”
“You can ask but I’m not obligated to answer.”
“I thought we were her to talk…excuse me…communicate.”
Laughing Misha stood and looked down on Carolyn.
“Yes you’re right, but that’s not the only thing we’re here to do.” Carolyn looked up at Misha with a look of curiosity. Misha didn’t want to elaborate, so before she could frame a question he said “I’ll be right back, I need to wash my hands.” As he left the room, Carolyn thought to herself what in the world does this man have in store for me this weekend?
After finishing their meal Misha opened up a bottle of Chardonnay Wine. Before joining Carolyn on the couch, he added kindling to help maintain the fire. The late autumn weather was causing the temperature to take a downward dive; so Misha unpacked two large wool blankets to help them stay warm. The dinner conversation focused primarily on the log cabin. Carolyn wanted to feel secure so she focused her questions on the operations of the generator, fuel supplies, heating and plumbing. Misha did everything, short of giving her an inspection tour, to alleviate any fears that Carolyn might have regarding their secluded location. He promised her that if anything went wrong they always had the option of getting in his car and returning to civilization.
As he settled back on the couch next to her he asked her a question.
“So tell me a little about yourself Carolyn. I already know that your law practice is a large part of your life; tell me something I don’t know.” Carolyn took a large sip of wine as she prepared to answer his questi
on. “That question is a tall order but I’ll try to answer it. You are right about my law practice. It encompasses more than 90% of my time. I really don’t have time to do much else. My clients are usually very demanding and I work to please. I really don’t have any hobbies or any special talents. I usually spend my free time reviewing Law Reviews or case files. I was an only child like my mother and father and the only living relative that I know about is my fathers sister; the aunt that raised me after my parents death. I have a few colleagues that I have lunch or dinner with. And I have one best friend that I share my inner most thoughts with. That’s it in a nut shell.” Misha stared at Carolyn as she summed up her life in one neat package. It was never his intention to find out her true inner thoughts by asking her the question. He knew that the best way to get to know a person was through observation. He had resolved that he’d get to know the true Carolyn over time but he wanted to hear how she’d summarize herself. As Carolyn stared into the fire, trying not to be over taken by Misha’s closeness, a frightening thought came to her mind. Summoning up the courage, she spoke.
“You know Misha, when we first met, I’m sure you realized that this whole situation put me a little off my game. I really didn’t handle our first meeting well.” She paused as he looked at her with a curious frown adoring his handsome face.
“Then the second time we met, well you know what happened.” Misha smiled as he watched Carolyn blushing as she recalled their first kiss. “Well after our second meeting my mind was elsewhere and I really didn’t comprehend much else so please don’t take this question the wrong way.”
“Carolyn, you can ask me anything; I’ll do my best to answer any question that you ask.”
“Misha, I’m embarrassed to say, that I don’t have a clue as to what you do for a living. I’m sure you told me…I’m positive you had to of told me. But for the life of me I don’t remember hearing it.” Misha placed his wine glass on the end table as his body broke out into laughter. He knew that they both shared a mutual physical attraction but he had no idea that the intensity for Carolyn was so great. This realization pleased him beyond belief and he knew that their fate most defiantly was sealed. Composing himself Misha resumed his position on the couch as he turned his body to face Carolyn.
“I’m an anesthesiologist. I work at Beaumont. I’ve been there for eight months now.” Carolyn looked stunned. She thought to herself how could I have missed that.
“So before Beaumont, where were you?”
“I grew up in St. Petersburg in Russia with my father and his mother. I always did well in the sciences and it was decided that I would pursue a profession that would best utilize my talents.”
“Misha there aren’t any black people in Russia. Have you ever been around black people before coming to the United States?” Misha knew that Carolyn would bring up race as a possible controversy. He’d thought of ways to completely push the topic into oblivion but he accepted the fact that he’d never be able to convince her that is wasn’t an issue for the world but he could convince her that it most definitely was not an issue for him.
“Yes. I worked with blacks in Germany. I also befriended some of the U.S. Military medical staff; and many of them were black. But Carolyn I never thought of them as my black friends, they were just my friends.”
“Misha if you grew up in St. Petersburg, when were you allowed to go to Germany?”
“I went to Germany in 1993. I attended University there and I worked at Charite’ University hospital in Berlin before being recruited to come to the U.S. to work at Beaumont. ”
Carolyn wasn’t the best historian but she remembered the fall of communism in Russia and that time period was fresh in her memory. “Misha, how old are you?”
“I’m 31. Why is that a problem?”
“Do you know my age?”
“Yes, it’s on our Marriage Certificate.” The thought of the contracts and marriage agreements caused Carolyn to become angry with herself, as she began to recount the events of that week. Before she could become fully engulfed in her mental beating she was interrupted by Misha. “Carolyn, before you get started on our differences I’d like to add these final points. Our age difference of 6 years isn’t worth mentioning; it’s negligible. Even though I grew up in a communist country, I spent all of my adult life in Germany after the fall of the Communist party. And Carolyn when I say this, I mean it from the bottom of my heart…” As Misha began to finish his points he looked at Carolyn with an unmistakable look filled with desire; his eyes traversing her body.
“The color of your skin is not an issue; as a matter of fact I think you have the most beautiful complexion I’ve ever seen; and yes I do have a frame of reference to make the comparison.” Carolyn had never lost a case or failed to get her client what they wanted; so she concluded this must be what defeat feels like. Misha had made his point and she conceded to his reasoning and logic.
It was well past midnight and Carolyn had to admit, their first evening at the cabin had yielded a great deal of information. As she unpacked her suitcase she recalled how her thoughts had been so preoccupied by the contracts and semantics, she never even realized that she was clueless about the man that had become her paper husband. Alexandra was right; Carolyn never looked at the many contracts as people, they were simply legal documents which represented a marriage contractual agreement. It saddened her that even in her current situation; she’d done the same thing by labeling herself. Not once had she considered Misha, or his feelings or the fact that he had feelings. Not once had she questioned where he went to school or who his parents were. Carolyn knew that the time had come for her to release the inhibition that had so bound her over the many years of her life and honestly allow herself to become acquainted with Misha Petrov.
The log cabin had two bedrooms that were adjoined by one full bathroom. Misha told Carolyn that she could take her shower first because he wanted to check the generator and douse the fire in the great room before they retired to their respective beds that night. Each room had a small stone fireplace and Misha wanted to set a fire, which would break the chill and warm the rooms before they went to sleep for the night. Misha welcomed the cool air as he gathered the logs from the front porch because his proximity to Carolyn was causing his biological urges to get the better of him. Misha knew that Carolyn had a physical attraction towards him but he wasn’t certain if she was fighting her sexual desires as he was. He knew that women had basic needs just like men and Carolyn didn’t strike him as the frigid type but she was showing a great deal of restraint, remarkably greater than he was capable of. As he stoked the fire in her room he heard the water running in the shower. His mind began to venture into territories that only made his predicament worsen. He envisioned the hot soapy water running down her wet caramel colored body over her curvaceous hips and her yielding breast. As his mind continued to torture him, Misha wondered how much more his body could take. Just when he thought he’d reached the precipice, the water stopped running. Realizing that she’d finished showering; Misha left her room and closed the door. His body begged him to stay but his mind forced him to go.
As Misha stood in the shower he turned off the hot water and allowed the cold water to run down his body. He’d wanted to be with her but he wasn’t certain if the time was right. Carolyn was an enigma. He knew that she kept so much of herself locked away that even she was not fully acquainted with herself. He felt the sexual attraction and he wanted to give into it but he wasn’t certain if Carolyn was ready to forgo all that limited and restrained her. He knew that he had initiated their get-a-way weekend and he would also have to lure her into reciprocating her true desires.
As Misha stepped out of the shower he dried himself and put on his silk pajama pants. Standing near the door that adjoined her room to the bathroom; he stood silent as he tried to discern whether Carolyn had fallen asleep. He gently tapped on her door to see if she’d respond.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry did I disturb you.�
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“No.” Misha heard the springs on the bed as they squealed due to the weight of the mattress. He listened intently as the muffled noises indicated movement in the room; then suddenly the adjoining bathroom door was opened. Carolyn stood before him with a thick bright red velour bathrobe, with red and blue striped flannel pajamas. Her attire wasn’t sexy but Misha found himself inexplicably turned on. He noticed Carolyn as she stood staring at him; bare chest and pajama bottoms.
“I just wanted to make sure you had settled in for the night.” Carolyn did not respond. Her gaze was so fixed that she didn’t even hear him when he spoke.
“Carolyn is everything okay?” Misha touched her on her shoulder. “Huh…what did you say?”
Misha thought to himself why won’t she just give in to what she really wants? “Is your room warm enough for you?”
“I’m fine, but is the fire supposed to look like that?”
As Misha slid pass Carolyn, he looked down into her face as if he was trying to sum up her expressions. Carolyn was on the brink of giving in. When she opened the door she was fully expecting to see Misha dressed as she was; like Nanook of the North Pole. She was not prepared to see him half naked, clad in his sexy silk pajama bottoms. She began her mental beating again; why didn’t I bring my silk teddy. Following Misha over to the fireplace, she watched as he stoked and added kindling to the fire. As he knelt before her she watched as his muscular frame glided and moved seductively as he made the fire obey his will. As the flames grew, the light crackles and heat from the fireplace projected an air of romance. Carolyn began to get warm so she untied her thick velour robe; allowing it to remain partially draped across her shoulders. Between the combination of the fire, the warm room, Misha and her thick flannel pajamas, Carolyn didn’t know if she was experiencing early onset menopause or a spontaneous combustible orgasm. Closing her eyes, she tried to regain control of her predicament. As she bit down on her lower lip she began a mental countdown from ten to one as she tried to steady her desire. When she opened her eyes Misha stood before her looking down into her eyes. His eyes explored every facet of her face. He bought his face closer, within mere inches, as his exploration continued. The smell of him began to overtake her and without warning Carolyn leaned in and allowed her mouth to meet his. At first her kiss was desperate and hungry but Misha didn’t what their ship to crash so he began to take control. Misha steadied her into his arms as his mouth began to orchestra a rhythmic balance of want and need. Misha allowed his tongue to dance along her lips as he teased and taunted her; then he parted her mouth open and slipped his tongue in as their mouths dueled back and forth. Carolyn moaned deep from within her throat as Misha filled her like no man had ever done. His hands roamed across her thick outer garments and Carolyn was surprised at how her body responded; even through her thick flannel pajamas her body screamed for more of his tender touch. Misha slipped his hands under her top for flesh to meet flesh. He release a deep colossal moan as his desire began to swell to an uncontainable height. Misha knew what he wanted. He wanted Carolyn in every way possible but he didn’t want to take her unless she was willing to give herself freely to him. He knew he’d have to slow things down to better assess the situation but this was easier said then done. She felt so good to him. The way her body fit, and melded itself into his arms; it was as if she was made just for him. This unity made him want her all the more. Swooping her into his arms, Misha carried Carolyn to the bed. Gently placing her in the center, he crawled into the bed like a large Siberian tiger slowly stalking his prey. Carolyn lifted her body onto her elbows as she watched him slowly approaching her. She couldn’t bring herself to talk. When Carolyn had agreed to come to the cabin she had no intentions of entering into anything romantic. She knew they needed to talk and that’s what she came prepared to do; talk. But she didn’t count on her sexual need rearing its ugly head. She didn’t count on his irresistible magnetism drawing her into his web. She didn’t count on her unbelievable attraction towards him. Most importantly she didn’t count on them consummating their marriage as husband and wife. There was a lot she’d not counted on but at that very moment none of it mattered because she wanted Misha and she was prepared to give herself to him fully and totally.
