She smiled and cupped his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes and decided not to ruin the moment with a response. Nick still wore his Keffiyeh; Josie thought he looked very exotic with his suntanned face and glowing eyes. She pulled his face toward her and kissed him passionately.
Slowly, he unwound the hijab from her head and laughed. The exposed part of her face was covered with dust, while the rest was white and clean. “It seems you need a wash, Mrs. Markovich.”
“Maybe, but I’m not drenched with sweat and smelling like a wet dog in heat,” she teased.
Josie led him into the bathroom, plugged the tub and started running the water. She undressed, tied her long blonde hair back into a high bun and stepped into the tub, reclining comfortably.
Nick stepped into the tub and faced her. He picked up the bar of soap and gestured. “Come here.” Josie scooted closer to him and he carefully washed her cheeks, nose, chin, and ears and rinsed the soap from her face.
She lathered the soap bar in her hands and scrubbed his hair, face and, neck. She ran her hands down his chest and under his arms and scrubbed. Nick lowered his head as Josie rinsed his head with water. He turned off the spigot as the tub was nearly full.
“I hope you’re not too bored,” he said.
Josie leaned back and relished the hot water. “No, days just get long. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“That’s good.” He massaged her ankles, one at a time.
“I can’t even believe we are here. It seems like yesterday we were two kids trying to get out of Johnstown. I bet our friends would never believe,” she said.
“I think some can’t believe you actually married me,” Nick replied.
She lifted her head and stared at him. “Why not? I bet there are girls in Johnstown crying in their pillows right now. I know I would have been had you married another woman.” She sat upright in the tub and put her arms around his neck. “I am the luckiest girl in the world.”
“Luck must be a cheap commodity these days,” he replied.
“Honey, don’t sell yourself short. You are a grade A, primo catch,” she said.
He grinned. “I know. I just try to stay humble; don’t want my awesomeness to go to my head.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “No one could doubt your awesomeness.”
Nick cuddled Josie as they lay in bed. “What was your dream about today? I could tell it was erotic. Was it about me?”
Josie turned to face him. “There were these woman, they were dressed in black robes, kind of like Taliban. I was naked and they were massaging me everywhere.”
Nick kissed her shoulder. “That doesn’t sound like Taliban.”
“No, they weren’t the Taliban; they were dressed like. The woman spread my legs apart and then this dude had his way with me. Maybe it was the demon spirit you warned me about.”
“It was me in a previous life. I was the high priest and my priestesses were preparing you for sanctimonious sex,” said Nick.
Josie laughed. “Priestesses or haram?”
“Priestesses, they don’t touch me, just you.” He kissed her ear. “Because they know how much you like it when women touch you,” he teased.
She slapped him on the arm. “That was one time. Are you ever going to let me forget it?”
“No, cause I can’t. The image will be forever burned in my mind.”
“The guy…you, had this snake like dick that could move in all directions inside me. Do you think you can do that?”
Nick rolled on top of her and slid his penis inside her. He swiveled his hips in a circular motion. “Like this?”
“Hmm, that’s real nice,” sighed Josie, but it was like his penis was rubber.
Concentrating, Nick continued wiggling his penis inside Josie. “That better?”
“Oh, Oh yeah, that’s right baby,” she moaned, arching her back. He smirked and continued the motion with more force. “Oh God!” she cried.
“I’m here, baby!” he joked.
Josie eyed him sarcastically but felt her body climax. “My husband is a freak!” she screamed.
Nick dropped down next to her and played lightly with her nipple. “You scream freak in ecstasy as if it is a bad thing.”
She curled closer to him. “You’re my freak; wouldn’t want you any other way.”
The Tease of Sensuality
Never in her wildest dreams did Josie imagine she would live in Russia, but after Nick was offered employment at a US television satellite studio; she couldn’t refuse. While Nick worked, she toured the city looking very much like an American foreign exchange co-ed. Although she was constantly hit on by boorish older men, it was the turned down noses and the sideways scoffs of the fashionable Moscow women that soured Josie to the city.
Josie stayed close to their apartment that overlooked Gorky Park and made sure to have dinner ready when Nick returned from work. They ate on the sofa, watching the news, and afterward they would set their plates aside and have sex. It became their nightly routine and neither one complained.
Occasionally they were invited to some swanky dinner swarmed by beautiful women, many of them eyeing Nick. Josie never doubted his love for her, but she did doubt herself. Am I beautiful enough? Can I keep him satisfied? Will another woman be able to fill all his needs? Slowly she sank and Nick began to notice.
“We don’t have to stay here. I can get a job anywhere,” he said one night after they made love.
It’s not that she didn’t like Moscow; she just didn’t like herself in Moscow. The last thing she wanted to do was admit her insecurity; she knew he would find her silly. “I just feel out of place.”
“Why don’t you take some classes at the American University, study the language, the history and literature,” he said with a yawn.
Josie lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. It was the perfect suggestion and the next day, she enrolled in a few courses. Many of the people she met were young Americans as well as several others from different countries. She found a crowd of like-minded people to keep company and soon Moscow became a much warmer place despite the cold weather.
Marta Balakin worked at the library where Josie studied. Josie hated Marta because she was ravishingly beautiful. She even disliked checking out books when Marta was at the desk. Josie felt inferior to Marta in every way.
One day Marta surprised her by asking in perfect English, “Why don’t you like me?”
Josie was taken aback and quickly had to come up with an excuse. “No. It’s not the case. My eyes, people say I have serious eyes. I just look serious all the time.”
“You have very pretty eyes,” Marta said.
The compliment stunned Josie. “Thank you.”
“My eyes are plain,” said Marta. “I have to use so much makeup to make them look special.” She paused and awkwardly continued. “I usually don’t do this, but I don’t have any friends other than Russians; I’d like to know if you’d want to get some coffee sometime.”
Josie could hardly believe her ears; a beautiful Russian girl wanting to befriend her. “Sure,” she said feeling suspicious.
After Marta’s shift was over, she and Josie headed to the coffee shop, where Marta admired her diamond ring. “Are you engaged?” she asked.
Here it comes, she wants a threesome; she wants to steal my husband. “Married,” she replied strongly.
“That’s nice. I’ve been trying to get my boyfriend to propose. We’ve been dating now for two years. How long have you dated before you married?” asked Marta.
Josie sighed. She has a boyfriend. “About five years. We dated in high school and through college.”
“Wow, that’s so sweet. Is he American or Russian?” Marta asked.
“American, he’s a cameraman working for a news station,” replied Josie.
“What’s he like? I mean, what are American men like?” she asked.
Josie was surprised she couldn’t answer; she didn’t date many American men. Really all she
knew were David and Nick. “Is there much of a difference?”
“My boyfriend, Oleg is very possessive, yet still he hasn’t asked me to marry him. Isn’t that strange? You’d think if he were so possessive, he’d marry me.” She laughed. “Is your husband possessive?”
“Nick,” she said with a chuckle, “he’s from the future.”
“What?” asked Marta.
“That’s what he told me when we first met.” Josie drank her coffee. “My husband is weird.”
Marta laughed out loud. “He sounds fun. How did you get him to ask you to marry him?”
“I did nothing,” said Josie. “He just surprised me one day.”
Marta took a sip of her coffee and stared intently at Josie. “You didn’t like me. I could tell. Why?”
“It’s so silly. You’re so beautiful; all Moscow women are so beautiful. I guess I was jealous,” admitted Josie.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Josie inched close to Marta to hear. “It’s all an illusion. It’s the way in Russia. Women are raised to look good for men.” She studied Josie’s expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. “I know. It sounds very sexist to American girls, but men like beautiful women,” Marta replied with a casual shrug.
Josie sat back in her seat. I’m married and you’re not. Love is not about beauty it’s about the person. I don’t have to get all gussied up to attract Nick. “My husband was never that big on made-up, fancy women.”
“And yet you are jealous of all the beautiful Moscow women. Men are visual, they love looking at beautiful women. There is nothing wrong with being beautiful, especially being beautiful for someone you love,” stated Marta as she studied Josie’s thoughtful expression. “It’s more than just beauty; it is making your man feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Every man wants a ravishing woman on his arm; every man desires a woman who will make them feel they are the greatest catch.”
“Not all men are into that macho bravado, having eye candy on their arm,” Josie protested.
Marta reclined in her seat and stared smugly at Josie.
“Not all women are supermodels who can pull it off. Everyone is different, all couples are different,” Josie defended.
Marta leaned forward. “It’s an illusion. It’s not about how a woman looks; it’s about how a woman feels about herself. If a woman feels beautiful, she is beautiful. If she feels like an old hag, no amount of makeup can make her beautiful. How do you feel about yourself Josie?”
She felt like crap; she felt unattractive and it concerned her. “I’m all right.”
“What do you think when other women are admiring your husband? Are you worried he may run off with them, or are you confident no other woman could take your place?” Marta laughed. “Sometimes, I like to drive Oleg crazy. I dress up real sexy when we go out on the town. All guys try to hit on me, but I make sure they all know who my man is.”
“Sounds like a game. Nick and I don’t play games with each other’s affection, besides we’re married.”
“It’s not head games; it’s sex games. You’re out on the town, making each other so hot and you get home…that’s when the fun starts. Drive your man nuts in public, in private he drives you nuts,” explained Marta with a wink.
“And you’re not married,” replied Josie.
“And yet, we’re having crazy fun,” said Marta.
Josie reflected; she used to have crazy fun with Nick, now they had fallen into a routine. She was living in a foreign city, ripe with adventure and yet she and Nick were growing boring.
“I’ll make you a deal if you want. I’ll help you look like a Russian woman, if you can help me get my Oleg to marry me,” said Marta.
It was a deal Josie didn’t know if she could accept; she didn’t even know this Oleg, but she did want to look as ravishing as the Russian women. “I—okay. I’ll try.”
“Great! I’m sure you and I will become best friends.”
A few days later, Josie squinted at a sign hanging on a door. “What’s this place?”
“It’s a bath house,” replied Marta casually.
“Why are we here?”
Marta laughed. “To bath, it is true; Americans are so uptight. To feel sexy, you need to feel sensations on your skin.”
“We take baths in America. I’ve taken baths with my husband,” responded Josie. “I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not some uptight virgin.”
“Everything is a sensation,” replied Marta, “everything is sexual—a bath, a massage,” she ran her fingers through Josie’s hair, “a haircut, eating, shopping, everything. You just need to find the joy in it; find the joy in life.”
The experience of sitting naked with Marta in the bath reminded her of her brief encounter with Wendy, yet there was no physical touching, just the feeling of the soft, spring water, and the subtle outline of Marta’s submerged nude body. She was thin, even bony, but she had beautiful full breasts. Josie felt very aware of her athletic figure and small breasts.
Afterward, Marta took Josie to the salon. They sipped liquor and ate chocolates as the attendants worked on their hair and nails. Under the dryer, feeling intoxicated by the alcohol, Josie grew aroused. She couldn’t believe a blissful day with a friend could make her feel so sexual.
When the foils came out of her hair, Josie was shocked to find herself a lighter blonde. “Nick’s going to kill me,” she said.
Marta winked. “You look hot. You’re going to kill him.”
Shopping with Marta was a more intense experience. Josie was never one to wear such tight, short and low cut clothing. “I can’t wear this; I’ll feel like a prostitute.”
“You don’t look like a prostitute,” Marta said, helping Josie adjust in the dress. “You just look sexy. Have you never seen yourself look this sexy?”
“Ah shit, who knew I had it in me,” Josie said with a sigh.
“All women have it in them,” replied Marta as she smacked Josie on the behind. “Now you’re ready to make your man crazy.”
Josie arrived at the restaurant where she was to meet Nick and several of his coworkers, most likely in the company of ravishing women. She approached a female host and said, “Anisimov party,”
The receptionist looked her over and guided her to the table. Josie didn’t notice the looks she received from men as she passed. When she took her seat next to Nick, he glanced up and said, “This seat is saved for my wife.”
Josie laughed and took her seat at the table. “You’re funny.”
Nick stared at her. Her long blonde tresses were gently curled. Her eyes were hi-lighted with dark liner and her lips were bright red. But it wasn’t just the hair and makeup; she wore a stunning knit dress that clung to her figure and high heels that accentuated her shapely legs. Nick looked at her again and again but said nothing.
The men at the table were falling all over themselves to get her attention and to please her. One of Nick’s male associates passed a dish to Josie. “Try this Kaluga caviar. It is freshly farmed in China; it is exquisite.”
Josie took a taste and moaned her response. “It’s so good.” She touched Nick on the arm. “Oh sweetie, you must try this.” She spread caviar on a cracker and put it to his lips. He looked at her as if she were a stranger—a strange beautiful woman. “Come on sweetie. Try it.” Nick parted his lips and Josie fed him the cracker. Finally it hit her—sensuality. It wasn’t just about the act of sex; it was about how she felt, and tonight she felt beautiful.
Nick hid behind his menu as the waiter helped Josie with her decision. “Madame, may I recommend the green borsch, the swordfish for a main course and the honey layer cake for desert.”
“Sounds delightful,” replied Josie.
“I’ll have the same as my wife,” said Nick to the waiter as he handed him the menu.
Josie smiled at Nick’s possessive behavior. She never thought she would enjoy being possessed by a man, but she had to admit, it was a turn on. She slipped her hand from her lap and onto Nick
’s thigh. Slowly and carefully not to draw attention, she caressed his thigh and moved it toward his crotch and gave him a good squeeze. Nick coughed and scooted his chair forward toward the table as Josie continued to rub him, feeling him grow hard in her palm.
The waiter returned to Josie. “Madame, would you like to try the salami? It is quite tasty—specialty of the restaurant.”
Josie laughed and everyone at the table looked at her. She took a piece while continuing to massage Nick. “I love salami.”
“You sir?” the waiter asked Nick.
Nick quietly gestured no. Throughout dinner, he noticed Josie constantly touching him, heard her soft moan with every bite of food and her eager expressions as if everything and every word spoken contributed to an inner rapture. He began to wonder what demon could have possessed his wife.
After dinner, Nick hailed a cab. He remained quiet. She didn’t remember him saying one word. “Are you okay?” she asked.
He wanted to ask what happened to his wife, but he didn’t want to offend her. He was still trying to digest Josie’s change of appearance.
“Are you mad? Don’t you think I look beautiful?” she asked.
“Very,” he said.
“My friend Marta said men like beautiful women. She said a woman should try to be beautiful for her husband.”
Nick broke a grin. “She is a wise woman.”
The cab pulled up outside their apartment. Once inside, Nick was slow to make a move. He could not take his eyes off her.
“Are we going to make love tonight, or not?” Josie asked frustrated.
“To touch you, would disturb your beauty,” he said.
“Well that just fucking sucks! I got all gussied up for you and all I get is nothing! No, ‘you look beautiful tonight honey.’ You barely responded when I was feeling you up at the restaurant. Don’t I excite you anymore?” Josie kicked off her high heels and stormed into the bathroom.
Starting at her reflection in the mirror, Josie grew teary-eyed as she removed her makeup. When Nick entered she said, “All I wanted to do is turn you on! I wanted to be so sexy, so you couldn’t keep your hands off me.”
One with the Wind Page 9
