by K. T. Tomb
With that, Rae turned and stalked out of the room, leaving Bowman and Maria to deal with their guests.
I’ve got to get them out of here and fast. There’s no way I can endure being under the same roof as that man for any extended period of time.
Rae passed the door quickly and paused in the foyer. She picked up the telephone receiver and dialed John’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, John. How are you?”
“I’m doing great, gorgeous. How about yourself?”
“Doing good, honey. Ummm… listen, could you not come over here until dinnertime today? My mom just arrived and the sparks are already flying.”
“Wow, sounds heavy.”
“It is. I just don’t want to add any sparks to the fumes right now.”
“I understand, dear. Did you decide if you’re gonna invite her to the wedding yet?”
“That’s exactly what I want to find out before you get here. She doesn’t know we’re engaged and I’m not sure if I want her to yet.”
“Gotcha! Alright, I’ll see you around 8?”
“Sounds groovy, baby. See you then. Bye.”
Rae hung up the phone and went back to the study door. She could hear the soft talking between the two clearly, even though it was punctuated by the sounds of glass clinking and liquid sloshing. Her father was seated at the desk, offering snippets of conversation between bites of his sandwich and sips of tea. But it was obvious that her mother was already attacking the bar. Then Rae realized her mother was being lectured by her father and warned that she wasn’t expected to be staying for any extended period of time. He expected her to visit with her daughter and be gone within a week.
She waited for the precise moment to join them. A good daughter always made an auspicious and genteel entry into the room.
“Good afternoon,” she announced brightly, almost sashaying in. “Welcome back to Atlanta, Cat.” She walked over and gave the woman a hug and a peck on the cheek. “I remember how much you dislike being called Mother.”
“Well, well. Look at you,” Cat started as she flopped into one of the chairs in front of the desk. “I see you’re all grown up and still living under Daddy’s roof. No ring on your finger yet? Do you plan to die a spinster?”
“Wow! And hello to you too,” Rae replied, shocked.
“Cat, we already talked about this. Why don’t you leave the girl alone? She’s done quite well for herself, you know? She deserves a few words of praise from you.”
“Huh! I suppose so,” Cat relented. “So, what have you got planned for us for the week, darling? I know you must have some notion of how you want to spend the time we have together.”
“Well, Cat,” Rae started, “seeing as we’re off to such a great start, I figure we could take the horses out tomorrow for a ride through the woods.”
“Splendid idea. I’ll call up a couple of my old friends from the club and we can make a luncheon of it. What do you say?”
“Well, I was sort of thinking that it would be me and you.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. How boring would that be? I’ll make a few calls and we’ll have an afternoon of it. Okay?”
“Ummm, sure,” Rae stuttered, clearly disappointed. She was fighting back the tears when she said, “Sounds grand. Let’s do that.” Then, she turned away instantly and left the room.
The next day, Cat and Charles packed their bags and disappeared early in the morning. They didn’t wait to tell the others that they were leaving or even write them a note. Apparently, the thought of interacting with her family on any other terms than her own hadn’t appealed to Cat. Or so Rae and Alex thought.
The two sat down to their breakfast and were busy reading the newspaper when the telephone rang.
“I’ll get it, Dad,” Rae said, standing up from the table.
A few moments later she walked back into dining room with a Cheshire cat grin on her face. When she took her seat, her father turned to her and asked, “What was that all about?”
Stifling her laughter, Rae replied, “I think I know why Cat left so suddenly.”
“Why’s that? Other than being rude?”
“That was Mary Hollister on the phone.”
“From the club? As in the Junior League’s Mrs. Hollister?”
“The one and only,” she replied. Alex put the paper down and lit a cigarette. He tossed the pack and the matches to his daughter and she did the same. “Apparently, she wasn’t doing us any favors by packing up Mr. Sleaze and the rest of her things and disappearing into the night. She was dying of shame at being turned down by her ‘friends’ and probably utterly terrified at having to spend an afternoon alone with me.” Then, mocking Mrs. Hollister’s over-exaggerated, nasal Southern drawl, she added, “She wanted to let Cat know the reason all the Junior League and Alpha Delta Pi ladies refused her invitation to lunch is because she has been permanently stricken from the alumni rolls of both organizations and she shouldn’t expect any further invitations to any of their annual events or social gatherings. They would also appreciate if she didn’t extend any to them. You know, in order to avoid a repeat of the current situation which has put her girls in an uncomfortable situation. She’s sure that Cat will understand her position.”
“Oh, the scandal!” Alex mused, and they both burst out laughing.
“Thank God, more like. My wedding has been single-handedly saved by stuffy Mrs. Hollister. I have to remember to send her some flowers.”
***
And true to Rae’s predictions, the wedding had gone off without a hitch. John remembered their wedding like it was yesterday and as he sat in the family room listening to Rae puttering about getting everything ready for their day, he had one of those moments of clarity when he knew for sure that he was the luckiest man alive.
It had been everything she’d wanted it to be and John had been blown away by the experience. Alex had been stringent on setting a budget, but being his only daughter, Rae had convinced him to set it at a figure that was a little bit higher than he’d initially wanted.
She’d decided to rent a wedding dress from a premier wedding boutique in Atlanta so that she would have enough money to purchase two dresses she loved; one for the rehearsal dinner and another for the reception. A cathedral length veil, a blue, satin garter and shoes for all three outfits completed her clothing purchases.
The grounds of Lexington House were transformed by pergolas draped in white curtains, tall arrangements of white and blue hydrangeas and lavender and what must have been miles and miles of white fairy lights that were strung from tree to tree and covered every bush creating an ethereal effect over the entire south lawn.
Rae had been a stunning bride in a form-fitting, off-the-shoulder satin gown that screamed of old Hollywood glamor. Her beautiful brown hair had been pulled into a loose chignon at the nape of her neck while neat pin curls framed her face. To complete the look, Rae had worn a large blue sapphire pendant on a white ribbon that was on loan from the vaults of her sorority. It was tradition that every member would do her best to wear it on her wedding day, and on her head she wore her great-grandmother’s diamond tiara.
And then the time for them to leave the reception arrived. They were both exhausted and more than happy to leave the din of the party behind, but there was also the mounting anxiety of the wedding night looming over their heads. They arrived at the bridal suite of the Reynolds Plantation Hotel just before midnight and set about settling in for the night. They would be waking up early and spending the entire day traveling to Birmingham, Alabama, where they would be honeymooning for a week.
Rae stepped tentatively into the bedroom and looked around. She was not in familiar surroundings and she could hear John in the adjoining bathroom sloshing around in the bathtub. She stood before the mirror and undid the buttons of her dress, then pushed it from her shoulders. She pulled the straps of her slip off as well, easing the garment free until she could wiggle it over her hips and let it drop to the floor. She pi
led them into her suitcase and took out the long silk negligee Benita had given her at her bridal shower for the occasion.
Dressed only in the thin, white garment, she poured two glasses of red wine and went to the bed, carefully setting the glasses on the nightstand. Rae picked up her elegant silver cigarette case and pulled out one of the clove cigarettes she enjoyed from time to time. Drawing deeply and blowing out the smoke, she allowed the scent of spices and licorice to fill the room. It did not take John long to catch the smell and soon he brought his toilette to an abrupt end and went into the bedchamber.
She was sprawled luxuriously up against a mountain of fluffy white linens blowing the smoke from her mouth in continuous lines of lush cloud. She looked like something from a Roman myth, a creamy-skinned warrior woman inviting the advances of her godly lover. She turned and saw him, but she did not move, nor did he wish her to as he stood admiring the vision of his love. She was stunned by his nakedness in the dim light and he was stunned by her ethereal beauty. Slowly, he advanced as if frightened that she might disappear like a mirage, but she reached out and touched his face and he knew she was really there.
“Will you have a drink with me, John?” she asked, offering the glass of wine.
He accepted it without a word and watched her as she left the folds of the bed linens and went over to sit in the wing chair. She was nervous, he could tell. He got into the bed, covering himself in the bedclothes, suddenly aware of his nakedness. He took one of her cigarettes from the case on the table and lit it, smoking deeply.
“This is delicious, Rae,” he said softly. “I can’t believe that I never tried one of them before.”
“You are a lover of those cigars of yours, John,” she replied. “To each their own.”
She crossed her legs shifting the negligee and it slipped suggestively up her thighs. John let out a breath of anticipation and Rae caught a glimpse of desire on his face. She lowered her head and blushed deeply. She had no plans to move from the chair, regardless of the torment his glances caused. She intended that he should come and get her if he wanted her. There would be no easy conquest after the day of stiff propriety which she had endured and she returned her gaze to the roaring fireplace. He lingered in the bed, watching her smoking her cigarette and relishing the view of his lover in all her barely-modest splendor.
John did not realize that Rae had drifted off to sleep as he sat enjoying the view of her reclining by the window. In truth, the heady sweetness of the spiced tobacco was sending his senses into another realm and he was enjoying it tremendously. Hearing the soft rise and falls of her breath, he got up and lifted her up from the chair, placing her softly into the folds of the bed. Standing back, he instantly felt the stirring of passion in his loins.
How much he loved her was incalculable. It shouldn’t be possible for one human being to love another as much as he loved Rae. He knew that she was devoted to him, and fearless in her love of him. This was what she deserved; his infallible devotion and he would go against everything and everyone to ensure that she was happy and loved all the rest of her days. At the beginning they had seemed so different. But he had persisted. Romeo had dared to love a Capulet, even though Romeo and Juliet’s love didn’t have a happy ending. But theirs would, he swore it.
Rae made a soft purring sound, shifting her form deeper into the mattress. She pulled at the covers as she dreamt of John. His tender fingertips were skimming the taut peaks of her nipples, his naked flesh pressing against hers and skillful hands trailing down her soft stomach and into the junction of her moist thighs. In the grip of her dream, Rae’s hand made the journey down her body and between her thighs, parting them further to admit the source of her pleasure.
It all felt so real, intense with the undertones of lustful lovemaking. She cried out and pushed closer to the source of her arousal, moving closer to the insistent, probing kisses she felt all over her body. As she was leisurely awoken from the grasps of sleep, she realized it was not a dream, she was not alone and she woke to find the arms of her new husband around her. He moved her leg over his thigh and persisted in the hungry exploration of her moist sheath with his fingers as she continued to respond to his body. It was her first time and he was being careful of that. He pulled out of her, satisfied that he had calmed her nerves, and returned to sucking and licking the stiff peaks of her ample breasts. He watched them grow taut and rigid again, inviting his mouth to suckle again and again from their risen peaks. He ravished each breast and Rae arched her back and moaned in abandon, whimpering into his ear with each flick of his tongue and the pleasure of his mouth.
Suddenly his dark eyes were gazing deeply into hers, his muscles tense, straining under the pressure of maintaining his composure. He pushed the hem of her negligee up higher and pulled the silky garment over her head, throwing it to the floor beside the bed. Then his eyes locked on hers in a stare as his hand returned to the wet folds between her legs. She stared at him in awe as the tender, delicious strokes spread a beautiful ache of shameless pleasure through her anxious loins. As the invasion became deeper and more intense, Rae pressed further against the aggressive appendages, moving them deeper inside her. She whimpered with desire and the feeling of something growing ever more urgent inside her, but John withdrew his hand and covered her mouth with his, crushing the sounds of her yearning. His tongue plunged repeatedly over and around hers, tearing gasps of pleasure from deep within her throat.
John suddenly took hold of his rigid member and stroked it purposefully in hopes of bringing his torment to an end, but Rae grasped his erectness to stop him. John groaned at the pleasure her touch was sending through his body, almost succumbing to his own release, but she let him go just in time and his lips returned to her sumptuous breasts. She was moaning again under his tutelage and then he moved down along her soft body planting kisses on the plateau of her belly and into the sensuous indent of her navel. He traveled lower still, prompting an inviting response from his lover as then he parted her legs to allow for his advances. His hands curved beneath her hips and braced her for a completely new experience, the tender exploration of her sex. With a firm hand on her, his mouth probed the tender junction carefully, his tongue flicked over and over again at the wet folds of her womanhood. Not knowing what else to do, Rae reached down and took fistfuls of his raven hair into her hands, hoping to bring the stunning assault to a pause, but she only urged him further into the luscious wonders of her body.
Rae pressed her head back into the pillows behind her head and let out a cry of passion as John’s mouth coaxed the liberation of orgasm from her body. He drew back and uttered a groan that spoke of his immense restraint. He moved his body on top of hers and pulled her left leg around his hips, opening her up to the impending insertion of his hardened flesh, and when he eased himself inside her slick sheath, every nerve in their bodies was standing on end. The pleasure of this primal conquest sent John’s head back in relief while Rae relaxed and yielded to the delicious ache of his power and strength, imploring it to stretch out within her as he buried his love deeper and deeper inside her. The sounds she made were soft and insistent as he moved tenderly within her, hips rising rhythmically to meet him in every indulgent plunge. John, vaguely aware of the shivering spirals of pleasure whirling through her body, pandered to her inexperience. He delayed his own pleasure, moving with both force and care and watching her face for the signs of rising pleasure. There was a look of wonder on her face and then of surprise and delight and in perfect harmony and with a few more final thrusts, she was vibrating underneath him; her body humming the pleasures of her release. He let his own spasms of passion break loose. Unable to hold back the passion rising over them, they gave in to the demands of their bodies. Ecstasy gripped them both, hurling them through wave after wave of mindless abandon.
The ride home was sobering for them both and, though riding in the same direction, their minds seemed to be miles apart. The sensation of each other’s touch burning just below the surface of thei
r skin and permanently marking their souls. For the moment, their desires were quelled by their excessive lovemaking during their honeymoon, yet piqued by the new discoveries they had made. Rae had aroused a new lust in him for the way her body responded to his masculine attributes while at the same time losing her inhibitions and inexperience. She had enticed him into making love to her anywhere he felt the urge to and had indulged him wholeheartedly in his desires for that. John had taken her over into a realm of boundless ecstasy and shown his desire for her was deeper than she had ever known. A desire that saw him pillaging her body for pleasure repeatedly and plying her senses under an endless supply of bliss from his.
This was the life they were meant to live, it was a heightened version of the life they had lived before their marriage and now that they had tasted it, there was nothing that either of them wouldn’t do to hold on to it forever. As they took the last turn and arrived at Lexington House, Rae and John felt the weight of their real lives settle back onto their shoulders. The weight of knowing there was still so much left to do before they could make that life they had glimpsed during their honeymoon become reality.
Chapter Six
Alpharetta, Georgia
1978
Extending his hand across the meeting room table, John greeted his new associates. “Good morning, gentlemen. I am John Thorn and this is my wife and business partner, Rae Lexington-Thorn.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both,” Rae added, extending her hand as well.
“Good morning. I am Steve Moore and this is Emmitt Farmer.”
The four shook hands and took their seats.
Steve was tall, but slender; he seemed to have too slight a build for someone who claimed to have grown up working in steel mills. Emmitt, on the other hand, had an average frame, but it was bulky with the toned muscle of someone who exercised regularly, perhaps even with the help of a personal trainer. His appearance was intimidating, to say the least. A new, perfectly tailored suit emphasized his toned physique even more.
