I Remember You

by Mairsile Leabhair

  She went into the kitchen, grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator, and took a big swig, before she poured Vicky a glass of wine. Carrying the drinks into the living room, she positioned herself on the far side of the couch, and with a little uncertainty, placed herself so she would be facing Vicky.

  As Vicky changed clothes in her bedroom, she thought how much better she felt now. After years of carrying around the pain and anxiety the rape had caused, she was able to share that pain with Aidan, the one thing she had feared most in life. Finally, her questions were answered. She was still loved, still wanted. And now, after all these years, she could let go of that nightmare, and truly give herself completely, to the woman she loved. Looking at herself in the dresser mirror, she still felt nervous, as if she were meeting her date for the first time. She came in from the bedroom, and picked up the glass of wine. “Thank you.” Taking a sip, she sat at the opposite end of the couch.

  “So uh…, are you okay?” This feels so surreal.

  Vicky nodded her head.

  They sat quiet for a long while, sipping on their drinks, stealing glances at one another. Then Vicky broke the silence. “Remember when we built the treehouse?”

  “I remember that you couldn’t climb up the ladder, that first time. I had to push your butt up the tree.” She laughed timidly at the precious memory.

  “Yeah, and then I couldn’t get back down. I was stuck up there for hours.” Aidan gave her a disbelieving look, “Well, it sure seemed like hours.”

  “I remember you wanted to hang curtains in the window, but the damn things kept falling off, because the window was so crooked.”

  Wiping away their tears with laughter, Aidan and Vicky, spent hours talking about the good memories, the good times they’d had as children. They were very careful to avoid anything that might take them away from that. As they talked, they unconsciously moved closer to each other. At last, they fell silently into each other’s arms, still riding the euphoria of sweet memories.

  Vicky ran her finger up and down Aidan’s forearm, “Do you remember when you first knew you were in love with me?”

  “The first or second time?” Vicky looked at her, confused, so Aidan explained, “The first time, it was those damn curtains. You wouldn’t give up until you had those rags hung up.”

  “Nothing a hammer and some nails, couldn’t take care of,” Vicky laughed

  “And when you took the hammer to them, your tongue in the corner of your mouth, concentrating so hard on that nail, was the exact moment I fell in love with you that first time.” Aidan’s green eyes sparkled like emeralds as she visualized the memory.

  “And the second time?” Vicky found that fact intriguing.

  “It was when I danced with you, at that cocktail party. You were so gorgeous in that little number you had on, yum,” she felt the quivers stir, “And you? Do you remember when you first fell in love with me?”

  “Oh yes. Remember those boots I gave you for your fourteenth birthday? You looked so hot in those things.”

  “Ah, yes. And was there a second time?”

  She smiled and replied, “When I saw you for the first time, as an adult in the pub, and then, as you leaned against your Mustang, looking so very much like I had imagined you would.”

  God, I love her so much, both women thought at the same time.

  “Vicky,” she became serious for a moment, “I want to promise you something. I want to promise you that I will never leave you again, no matter what. I love you, kid.”

  Vicky beamed, and replied, “I love you too, Aidan, and I’ll keep you to that promise.”

  She entwined her fingers with Vicky’s, “You were right, Vick, talking was absolutely the best thing tonight.”

  “Well, maybe the second best thing…”

  Aidan looked at her, and then registered what she was saying. “Oh, and what would you like to do next, m’lady?”

  “Well it depends…, let me see your wound.” Aidan pulled up her shirt sleeve, and Vicky checked the stitches. The wound was healing properly, so she asked, “Any pain?”

  “No, nurse, no pain.”

  “What about your ribs? Any pain stretching, bending, laughing?”

  “No ma’am,” she replied, not about to tell the truth now, when she knew what saying yes would have meant.

  Pleased with the results of her examination, Vicky giggled, jumped up, and said, “Race you to the bedroom!”

  Chapter 12

  A gentle breeze wafted through the open window, and across their nude bodies. They pulled each other closer, as the mockingbird’s docile tones eased them awake. Vicky got out of bed carefully, allowing her lover more time to wake up. Gathering her things, she went to the bathroom, and took a shower. When she returned, wearing her blouse, with a silk slip, Aidan was sitting up in bed, naked, with the covers pulled back, a sheepish grin on her face. Vicky knew exactly what she was up to.

  “I’m sorry, honey, they won’t let you return to work, until the doctor clears you.” Vicky explained, as she pulled on her skirt, and slipped her blazer on, over her blouse. Looking very much the CEO, in her navy blue suit, accented with a pearl necklace, she studied herself in the bureau mirror, and decided it would do.

  “But I’ll go stir crazy, just sitting around here, doing nothing.”

  Is this a good time to tell her? She had tried before, but something always got in the way. “Aidan, I need to tell you something.”

  “What, Vick?” For her part, Aidan was enjoying the view, as she watched Vicky dress. It sent a nourishing tingle through her body. Even the sound of the telephone ringing, did not stop her from feeling amorous.

  “Victoria Montgomery. Oh, yes, how are you?” She smiled as she listened to the answer, “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, or your family.”

  Aidan began to nip at Vicky’s soft neck, making her way up to the sensitive flesh, just below the ear.

  “Oh! Thank you, um…, that is most kind of you,” Quickly losing concentration, she swatted playfully at Aidan. “What? Yes, she’s right here, one moment please.” She handed Aidan the phone, and with a grin on her face, stood behind her as Aidan brought the phone up to her ear.

  Who would be calling me? “Uh, hello?”

  “Ms. Cassidy,” she snapped to attention, “this is Jackson Trenton.”

  Vicky laughed at her lovers rigid, straight as a board, posture, and decided that turn-about was fair play. Nuzzling the nape of Aidan’s neck, she kissed her way down to the soft area, just below the shoulder blade. She continued her decent to the hollow right above Aidan’s hips, and caressed her butt cheeks, sending sparks straight to Aidan’s clit, and up to her breasts.

  “Mr. President, SIR!”

  “If you feel up to it, would you have any time today, to come see me? I apologize for the short notice, but I won’t be in town for much longer, and wanted to discuss your ideas about the home grown terrorist problem.”

  Vicky walked around to Aidan’s attention‒deprived breasts, and cupped them, lovingly.

  “Oh, yes! Uh, I mean, of course, sir, I’d be honored. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.” Now it was her turn to fend off the advances of her lover, who reveled in the payback. Vicky ran her hand down Aidan’s quivering abdomen, and played with her belly button. She sucked on it, causing Aidan to quiver, even more.

  “I’ll have my driver pick you up, say around noon? We’ll talk over lunch, in my private study,” President Trenton concluded.

  “Thank you, sir, I look forward to it.” She hung up the phone, relaxed her stance, and smiled down at Vicky, “He wants to have lunch with me today.”

  Vicky stood up, “Oh that’s perfect. Now you won’t have to worry about being cooped up all day.”

  “You’re right, I need to get prepared. Mind if I use your office to make some notes?”

  “Of course not, sweetheart, this is your home too.”

  Aidan smiled, her green
eyes sparkling, “Well,” she drew Vicky closer, and played with her pearls, “Do we have time to finish what we started?” She slipped her warm hand under Vicky’s blouse, and cupped her breast, squeezing it, until she felt it become hot with desire. She smiled at the pleasure she saw on Vicky’s face.

  Vicky leaned in, and kissed her, “I’m sorry, honey, but I’ve got a meeting to get to.”

  That didn’t dissuade Aidan, who continued massaging Vicky’s breasts, as she unbuttoned her blouse, while she distracted her with a kiss. A deep, tantalizing kiss, that would make one lose their train of thought completely. Leaning in close, so that her own breasts rubbed against Vicky’s, her long fingers massaged them to the rhythm of the kiss. Vicky closed her eyes, and drank in the sensation, like it was a glass of the finest wine, intoxicating and delicious.

  “I have to…, go to…,” she mumbled, then groaned out loud, when Aidan ran her hand down her abdomen, and around to her soft belly. She unzipped Vicky’s skirt, and pushed it, and the slip, to the floor. Dropping her hand down to the forbidden zone, she stopped just short of her ultimate goal. All the while, moving Vicky backward, she now had her against the wall, holding her there with her own body, breast to breast, leg to crotch. Vicky thrust her pelvis towards Aidan’s knee, asking for satisfaction.

  “Not yet, baby, not yet.” She removed her knee, and with one hand bracing Vicky up, the other hand did its magic on her clit.

  “Oh wow!” Vicky yelled, as her whole body tried to fold around Aidan’s hand, to lock it in place.

  “Open your eyes for me, baby,” Aidan cajoled, and Vicky opened her eyes, though it wasn’t easy for her to focus. As soon as Aidan saw those beautiful blue eyes, she released the exquisite pressure she had skillfully built up in Vicky.

  “Oh my God!” Vicky screamed.

  She watched Vicky’s eyes dance with the orgasm, a show rarely seen, but often fantasized about. She thrust her fingers again, and thought Vicky was going to break her hand when her thighs constricted against it.

  “Oh, God, Aidan!” she screamed again, a wanton cry of satisfaction, as she laughed and giggled, and rode the exploding wave of ecstasy to the very last tingle. “Oh wow! Oh God!” It took her several minutes to come down off of the sensations.

  Aidan laughed, and kissed her on the nose, “My work here is done, you can go to the office now.”

  ***

  Aidan was escorted into a large, private study at the Trenton Library, located just a block down from the river market, by the Arkansas river. President Trenton was talking on the phone at his desk, so she took the opportunity to look around the room. Lunch was already laid out on the conference table, and consisted of heart healthy foods. Turning from the table, she saw that books were stacked up in the corners beside the full bookshelves, next to a bay window. As thick as the glass was, she surmised that the window was bullet proof. Another wall had a mounted flat panel television that was tuned to the news channel, the sound muted. A large overstuffed sofa sat facing the television, with an armchair beside it. Finishing her tour of the room, she brought her attention back to the President. His look of anger and frustration concerned her. He hung up the phone and turned his attention to Aidan, who immediately snapped to attention.

  “Sorry about that, Ms. Cassidy, won’t you please be seated.” The President indicated the sofa, and she relaxed her stance, taking a seat. Trenton sat beside her, and offered her a cup of coffee. He began the conversation with a question dear to her heart, “How is Victoria doing, after the shooting?”

  “She doesn’t say it, but she’s still a little bit skittish, sir.”

  “Aidan, may I call you Aidan?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Aidan, I know I asked you here for a specific reason, but I’ve been in a meeting all morning, with the local Department of Homeland Security, and I want to talk to you about it.”

  She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She knew this was not going to be good news, if the President was seeking her council on something. For the first time since entering the room, she noticed blue prints of St. Frances Hospital, and a surge of panic hit her like a freight train.

  Trenton gave it to her straight‒out, “Muham has escaped custody, and is considered armed and dangerous.”

  Aidan jumped up, “I have to go.”

  Her first thought and only concern, was for Vicky, but the President alleviated her initial concerns, “I’ve already sent agents to guard Victoria, at the hospital. She will be safe, I assure you. I need just a few more minutes of your time. Please, sit down, and hear me out.”

  Aidan sat back down, reluctantly. “Yes, sir.”

  “Homeland tells me that Muham, whose real name is Charles Rassler, ripped his wound open at the jail. He was being transported to the prison hospital ER, when he escaped, and seems to have disappeared.”

  “What do you think his intentions are, sir?” She already knew, but she wanted to hear it from Trenton.

  “To finish what he started.”

  “And what can I do to help, sir?”

  “Aidan, did Victoria ever tell you about the time she cared for my mother?”

  This seemed a strange question to be asking, at a time like this, but she wasn’t in a position to question the reasoning behind it. “Not a lot, sir, just that she grew to really care about you and your family.”

  He smiled, “She did more than that, Aidan. She worked double shifts, and came in on her days off, to care for my mom. And when I was visiting, she took care of me, as well. I was… very close to my mother, and Victoria sensed my emotional state. It didn’t matter to her, who I was. I was her charge, and she was the boss. She guarded my privacy like a pit bull. Not even my Secret Service agents were allowed in, during the worst of it. My mother died before the rest of the family could get to the hospital. Victoria was with me, when my mother took her last breath. I’m telling you all this, because she is very important to me, and I assure you, I will do everything in my power, to make sure she is safe.”

  “Thank you, sir. That means a great deal to me, because I feel the same way. But what aren’t you telling me, Mr. President?” Something’s off here, he seems afraid of something.

  He got up and went to another door, opening it to a man waiting in the next room. “Aidan, this is Tom Bradshah, director of Arkansas’ Homeland Security division. Tom, would you please fill Aidan in on the latest intel?” Trenton rejoined Aidan on the sofa, and Bradshah took the chair next to them.

  “Muham was not alone in his escape, he had help. Intelligence thinks he’s part of a cell, right here in Little Rock.” Bradshah explained.

  “What are they after, sir?” Aidan asked nervously.

  “Ms. Montgomery.”

  “Well fuck that!” Aidan jumped up again.

  “Aidan…” Trenton almost whispered.

  She looked at the President, and reluctantly sat back down. “What could they possibly want with her, sir?”

  “We think Muham’s original plan was to use her to get to the president, and hold the hospital hostage. Apparently they weren’t aware of, your, um, relationship with her, and they were caught by surprise. When you stopped Muham, the others went underground. But now, we’ve gotten a tip that the plot to hold the hospital hostage, is still in the works. We think the operatives they had in place, are still working at the hospital.”

  “But how could they possibly hold an entire hospital hostage, sir?”

  “That’s what we need you to find out, for us, Aidan.” Bradshah stated, “We can put our people in the hospital, but you have intimate access to Vicky, that our people wouldn’t have. You see, there’s someone on the inside, planning the attack, and we think, after you stopped the first attempt, they will be watching you, as well as Ms. Montgomery. By now, they will have had time to do a thorough background check on you, and will know of your relationship with her. We swept for bugs and didn’t find any, but we’re pretty sure they have surveillance in Victoria’s office, as w
ell as her home. So we want you to, uh… to break up with her, in a very public way, and‒‒”

  This time, she stood up in anger and spit out, “No, I won’t do it!” The thought of even pretending to break up with Vicky, was already breaking her heart. Vicky had already sacrificed so much of her life, just to be with her. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, ask her to do more.

  But the agent continued to explain, “By breaking up with her, it will take some of the pressure off the terrorists. They will focus more on Ms. Montgomery, and less on you. That leaves you free to roam the hallways, in search of anything suspicious. If the breakup isn’t real, they will know it. We also want to taint your reputation, by red flagging your Congressional Medal of Honor application. Just long enough to add to the illusion‒‒”

  She interrupted him again, “I don’t give a rat’s ass about a medal. My only concern is for Vicky, and I will not do this, unless she knows about it first. And even if she agrees to it, I’m sure not going to let them go after her.”

  President Trenton stood up, and looked at Bradshah. “Give us the room, please,” Bradshah left the room, immediately. Turning his attention back to Aidan, he took a deep breath, and hardened his eyes, “You know, I can recall you back to active duty, and order you to do it.”

  Oh shit! I can’t disobey a direct order from the president. Aidan searched her mind, for a way out of it. Wait a minute. He doesn’t have the power to do that. It’s an empty threat. “Sir, permission to speak freely?” The president nodded, “Mr. President, you don’t know our history, Vicky’s and mine. You don’t know the hell she’s been through, because I tried to protect her, once before. No sir, I just can’t do that to her, again. I made a promise to her. Please, sir, don’t ask me to break that promise, it’s sacred to me, to us.”