Other People's Bodies

by Amy Cross

  "This probably isn't a good idea," I say quietly, pulling away. As soon as he places a hand on my waist, however, I feel the old Laura start to wake up, and I realize that I've missed this kind of human contact. It's been six months since I last had sex, and the pressure of Edward's hand is enough to reawaken my old spirit. It's not that I have any particular feeling for Edward; it's just that I miss this kind of human interaction.

  Leaning closer again, Edward gently kisses me, and I open my lips and start kissing him back. I let him pull me closer, until our bodies are touching, and finally the kiss becomes more passionate. Feeling a bulge in the front of his trousers, I think back to the time when I accidentally saw him making love to Rachel, and I feel a thrill pass through my body as I imagine him doing the same thing to me. I know I'll regret this tomorrow, but right now I want to be treated like a real woman. If that makes me a slut, I don't care.

  "Are you sure?" he asks, slipping a hand beneath my shirt and cupping my left breast.

  "No," I say, pressing my crotch against him as I feel myself getting wetter. "Just do it anyway".

  He starts kissing the side of my neck as his fingers clasp my nipple, giving it a little twist.

  "You should lock your door," I whisper. "And we need to make something clear -"

  "This means nothing," he replies. "It's not romantic. It's just -"

  "Sex," I say, fixing him with a determined stare. "It's just sex. It's just you and me, fucking in your office".

  "Of course," he says breathlessly.

  "As long as we understand each other," I say, feeling a shiver as he presses himself against me.

  Reaching down, he starts to unbutton my skirt, and soon he's got his hand in my underwear, gently stroking the lips of my vagina. I want to just throw him down onto the desk right now and take him, but there's another part of me that wants to take things much more slowly. After all, if I'm going to regret this tomorrow, I might as well have as much fun as possible first. Sometimes I feel as if there are two completely different personalities in my mind, struggling for dominance, almost like a civil war. It's been so long since the old Laura was able to have some fun. Why shouldn't the new, goody-two-shoes Laura take a back seat for a while?

  "Get these off," he whispers, tugging at the side of my panties.

  As he steps back and removes his shirt, I slip out of my skirt and then I pull my underwear away to go completely naked from the waist down. I pull my top off and unhook my bra, baring my breasts and pausing to watch as Edward strips naked. Finally, I reach out and brush a finger against the side of his long, hard, thick penis, and although there's still a voice in the back of my head screaming at me to stop, I know I can't hold myself back. When he starts kissing me again, I sit on the side of his desk and grab him by the waist, pulling him closer until the tip of his penis is nudging against the inside of my thighs.

  "I love you," he gasps.

  "What?" I ask, assuming I must have misheard.

  "I love you," he says again, kissing the side of my neck. "I love you, Elizabeth. I always have".

  Pulling away, I stare at him for a moment.

  "What's wrong?" he asks, as if he has no idea what he just said.

  "I can't do this," I say, grabbing my clothes and hurrying toward the door.

  "I don't understand," he replies as I quickly get dressed. "Why are you leaving?"

  "I'm sorry," I continue, "I just can't do this. It'd be wrong". Heading out into the corridor, I hurry around the next corner before stopping and taking a deep breath. My God, how much of an idiot can I possibly be? For a few terrible moments, I was actually poised to let the old Laura take control again. Heading toward the elevators, I remind myself that at least I was able to stop before things went too far, although that was only because he called me by the wrong name. Trembling with a kind of cool white panic, I try to stay calm. I just hope I haven't ruined everything.

  Elizabeth

  Five years ago

  "What the hell's going on?" I ask, hurrying out of the bar and finding a nervous crowd gathered in the reception area.

  "I think they're fighting," Rachel says, standing by the desk.

  I open my mouth to ask what she means, but after a moment I realize that she's right. There's a loud, angry noise coming from Edward's office, as if two grown men - well, two grown idiots - are engaged in an actual fist fight. Shocked by the idea, I stand next to Rachel and listen to the sound of someone being slammed against a wall, followed by the sound of a fist connecting with part of someone's body. It sounds like a full-on struggle, and I can barely believe it's happening.

  "It's Edward and Luke," Rachel says after a moment. "I don't know what caused it, but they're at each other's throats".

  I take a deep breath as I realize that I know exactly what caused this fight. Well, I know the latest catalyst, at least, but the actual cause has to be something much deeper. Brothers don't suddenly go for one another's throats like this without some kind of deeper provocation, and I can't help thinking that there must be some kind of deep division that goes back much further. I'm starting to realize that Edward and Luke's relationship isn't just bad; it's toxic and destructive, and right now I have no idea how I'm supposed to react.

  "Do you think they've stopped?" Rachel asks once the sound of fighting dies down.

  I stare at the door, unable to work out what to do.

  "Someone should go in," she adds.

  "Go ahead," I tell her.

  She pauses, and I can tell she's not going to go anywhere near that office right now. She seems like a nice girl, but she's clearly terrified. Frankly, I'm not sure she's going to last too long at the Heights, even if she thinks she can hack it around here. Hell, at the moment, I'm not sure whether I'm going to stick around. It's so tempting to cut and run.

  When the door to Edward's office finally opens, there's a pause before Luke steps out. He's got a cut lip, but otherwise he looks mostly unharmed. Given the violent sounds that came from inside the room, I can't help wondering whether it was Edward who took the brunt of the damage. Staring at me, Luke seems to be filled with a kind of angry energy, and for the first time in my life I actually feel scared of my husband.

  Without saying anything, he turns and walks away. The crowd of nervous guests stands around awkwardly, as if they're waiting for someone to explain what's happening.

  "It's okay everyone," Rachel says suddenly, taking charge of the situation. "If you'd like to come to the bar, I'll arrange for you all to have a complimentary drink". As the guests head through to the bar, she turns to me. "I don't know what else to do," she whispers, before following the crowd. It's almost as if, in the space of just a couple of minutes, she's managed to step up and take control. I guess maybe there's a little more spark to her than I'd realized.

  Left alone, I stare at the door to Edward's office. There's no sign of him, and I'm starting to worry that he might be seriously hurt. After exchanging an awkward glance with the receptionist, I make my way over to the door and pause, listening out for any sign of movement. So far, the lack of any kind of activity from Edward is kind of worrying, even though I know there's no way Luke would have actually hurt his brother.

  "Edward?" I call out.

  Silence.

  I step into the room, and I almost scream when I see Edward's bruised and battered face. He's sitting at his desk, but he looks awful: there's blood streaming down one side of his head, and he's staring straight ahead with a lost, mesmerized expression. Realizing that he doesn't seem to have noticed my arrival, I make my way cautiously over toward him, at which point I see that three of his teeth are arranged neatly on the desk. Blood is dribbling from his mouth, and he seems almost catatonic.

  "Edward, are you okay?" I ask, trying not to panic.

  No answer.

  "Edward, say something".

  He turns to me, and for a moment he doesn't even seem to recognize me. "I'm fine," he says eventually. "I'm afraid my brother and I..." His voice trails off, and
he seems to be having trouble staying focused. "There was a disagreement," he says after a moment. "I'm sorry, you had to..." Again, his voice trails off, and finally he pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and starts trying to wipe the blood from his face. "I'll be fine," he adds. "Please, just let me fix myself up. There's nothing for you to do here. You should go and check on Luke. Make sure he's okay".

  "You need to see a doctor," I tell him.

  "No".

  "You're hurt!"

  "No, I'm fine".

  "You've lost a lot of blood!" I insist. Looking down at the carpet, I see a patch of blood slowly soaking into the fabric. "You need to see someone".

  "Leave me alone. Please". With that, he slowly hauls himself to his feet. I stand back, but he only manages to walk a couple of paces before he lets out a gasp of pain and drops to his knees.

  "I'm calling a doctor," I say, grabbing a phone from his desk.

  "I'm fine," he hisses, but it's clear that he's badly hurt. As I frantically call for an ambulance, Edward passes out, landing hard against the floor. I don't know why, but it's clear that Luke has beaten his brother senseless.

  Part Six

  Weapons of War

  Laura

  Today

  "They found him in the mountains," says Polly, the receptionist. "Apparently he was on the verge of death, and one of his legs had already been picked clean by vultures. Can you imagine that? He was being eaten alive!" She stares at me with an expression that seems to be a mix of revulsion and fascination. "I don't believe in miracles," she continues, "but this is a miracle. There's no other explanation".

  "Huh," I reply, finding it hard to take everything in. After avoiding Edward for a couple of days and busying myself instead with planning for the hotel's imminent closure, I decided this morning that I finally needed to come and talk to him about our little indiscretion the other day. When I reached reception, however, I found that the place was buzzing with the news that Luke Bannister, having been presumed dead for almost a week, has been found alive in Afghanistan. Having already been evacuated, he's already on his way back to the hotel. I guess Polly's right. It's a miracle.

  "He's due any time now," she continues. "Can you believe it? I swear to Christ, I was starting to think about what I should wear to his funeral. I just never thought there was a chance he might be found. Don't tell anyone, of course. I just..." She pauses. "This family has been through so much. First Elizabeth, then Rachel. I thought Luke was going to be the third bit of bad news, but now it's as if God has looked down on this place and decided that there's been enough pain and suffering".

  "Sure," I reply, just as Edward emerges from his office. I feel my chest tighten as we make eye contact, and I realize that there's no point delaying things any further. Heading over to him, I try to work out what the hell I should say first. I've been panicking about this inevitable meeting, but I still haven't come up with a good way to deal with the embarrassment. It's all well and good for the old Laura to come out and play, but it's new Laura who has to pick up the pieces.

  "Good morning," he says, acting as if nothing unusual has happened between us. "I trust all the plans are proceeding as expected".

  "Totally," I reply. "The last guests are leaving today, and then the contractors will be moving in on Monday to get things started". I pause for a moment. "I heard about your brother. You must be so relieved!"

  "We are," he says stiffly. "If I'm honest, I have to say that I'd given up hope. So many of our brave soldiers lose their lives out there in the theater of war, it seemed impossible that we could be so lucky. Nevertheless, he's on his way back, although I believe his injuries are quite extensive. There's a long way to go before he can recover, but I'm hopeful that with the family gathering around to help, he'll improve rapidly. It's going to be a very tough ordeal for him, though, and he's going to need all the support we can possibly provide".

  "Of course," I say, wondering whether or not to raise the other, more delicate matter. "I was hoping to grab a word with you," I continue. "I was thinking that maybe we should talk about what happened the other day".

  "The other day?" He stares at me as if he doesn't know what I'm talking about.

  "You know," I say, trying not to blush. "In your office".

  "Oh". He glances over toward the reception desk, as if he's worried about us being overheard. "I'm not sure there's much to say," he continues after a moment. "I hope we can maintain a professional relationship, despite our moment of weakness".

  "Yes!" I say eagerly. "That's exactly what I wanted too! It was a moment of total weakness and it won't happen again, but there's no reason why we can't overcome it and continue to work together as two adults. I mean, just because we... did those things... doesn't mean that everything has to be weird when we talk, does it?"

  He stares at me.

  "It was a one-off thing," I continue, feeling as if I'm being picked out by a spotlight. "Not to be repeated".

  "I'm glad you see things in such a mature manner," he replies. "Over the years, I've learned that one can't always be in control of one's physical needs, but one can be in control of the other aspects of life. As I've told you a number of times, Laura, I have a great deal of respect for you, and I'd hate for our working relationship to be ruined just because we gave in to our urges".

  "It won't happen again," I say.

  Smiling awkwardly, he checks once again that we're alone, before leaning a little closer. "How would you react," he whispers, "if I told you that I'd be interested in continuing that aspect of our relationship? Behind closed doors, of course". He waits for a reply. "I enjoyed our little encounter, Laura, and I'd very much like to repeat it some time soon. With the utmost level of discretion, of course".

  "You..." I pause, trying to make sure that I understand exactly what he means. The last thing I want is to misread the situation and end up embarrassing myself even further, but at the same time it seems as if he's suggesting that we should continue to hook up from time to time. "You want to... do it again?" I ask.

  "It's rare that I meet someone who makes me feel this way," he continues. "I'd very much like to explore the possibilities a little further. I'm certain that we only scratched the surface in terms of what we can do for one another, and I'd like to get to know you better". He conspicuously glances down at my chest for a moment. "I'm quite certain that there's a lot of potential that we left untapped the first time. On a purely sexual basis, of course".

  "I don't know if that's a good idea," I reply. After all, sleeping with your boss is never a good idea, especially when he calls you by someone else's name. As far as I'm aware, Edward has no idea that he called me Elizabeth several times while we were making love, but I definitely noticed and I can't help thinking that Edward has some issues he needs to work on before he's capable of moving on from Elizabeth's disappearance.

  "I can maintain a strict division between our professional and personal relationships," he whispers. "I hope I'm not making you feel uncomfortable, Laura, but I feel we have a great deal of potential as sexual partners. As long as we set out boundaries and rules from the start, why shouldn't we indulge in a little mutual pleasure? We'll set out the understanding from the start, so that we both know what we're getting ourselves into, and then we'll proceed at a pace that's mutually satisfying. Isn't that how all the best unions are supposed to work?"

  I take a deep breath, trying to work out what to say. The truth is, I could use some extracurricular activities, but I can't shake the feeling that sleeping with Edward again would be a mistake. Besides, I've been trying so hard to put the 'old' Laura away and forget about her, and I feel as if it'd be a step backwards if I started opening my legs every time someone prompts me. When I left London and came here, I was determined to put that kind of relationship behind me.

  "I sense a degree of uncertainty," he says after a moment.

  "It's not that I didn't enjoy it," I tell him, "it's just that I feel as if maybe it'd be inappropriate. We're working t
ogether -"

  "And you don't think you can maintain a distinction between two different sides of your life?" he asks. "Are you worried that you can't contain your feelings? Or that I can't contain mine? I must assure you, Laura, that I pride myself on my ability to remain professional at all times, even in my private life".

  "It's not that," I say.

  "Okay," he replies. "Don't worry. I don't want to force the issue. Obviously we have different views of what happened and how things might proceed. However, once the fuss with my brother has died down, I'd like you to do me one favor". He pauses for a moment, as if he's a little nervous. "Have dinner with me".

  I stare at him, barely able to believe what he's saying.

  "Just one meal," he continues. "We can eat here at the hotel. Is that such a horrifying proposition?"

  "No," I reply, "I just... Sure". Although I immediately regret agreeing, I figure there's no way I can back out. I've just turned down his request for casual sex, so I guess I need to give him something. Still, it's pretty weird to see how eager he's become to get to know me better. I've always been a sucker for a guy who's direct about what he wants, and no matter how hard I try to deny it, the truth is that I'm already starting to get turned on again. Frankly, despite my reservations about the whole thing, I'm tempted to pull him into the nearest room and give him exactly what he wants. I guess maybe my mother was right. I guess I'm a slut. Why fight my inner nature?

  "Something to keep back for a rainy day, perhaps," he says, looking a little awkward. We stand in silence for a moment, before we both look over at the door as a car approaches.

  "Sure," I reply. "I mean, maybe".