by Simply BWWM
“Like skeletons in the closet?” she asked hesitantly and quietly, but she didn’t say it loud enough for him to hear her.
“What was that?” he asked, looking over at her.
She shook her head. “Nothing, I was just saying how much I loved it in there.” She had decided to wait to ask him if he had any skeletons in his closet that she should know about. “So where to next, oh captain, my captain?” she teased him with a laughing smile.
“Next we go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She built it slowly over several years, bringing big pieces of it over from other countries. It really is a remarkable place. Do you know it already or will this be another first for you?” he asked curiously.
With a grin, she nodded. “I did know that it was there, and I love that place. There are such beautiful things there, and they have fantastic exhibits so often.”
He smiled wide and took her hand in his. “Then I know that we’re going to enjoy it.” He led her to the waiting limousine, and they were driven to the doors of the museum. He helped her out and minutes later they were walking along the bottom floor of several floors in the building, taking in all of it as they explored the beautiful pieces in it.
They discussed much of what they saw together, and Chanel absolutely loved having someone there to talk with about the artwork. It was rare that she had anyone with her who had even half of the passion that she had for it, and she grew grateful for the strong friendship that they were building. It was happening so fast between them, but nothing in her life except art had ever felt so right and so real.
When they had seen nearly all of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, they went across the road to the Museum of Fine Arts and strolled through the graceful and palatial marble and stone halls of that great edifice.
Of all the galleries that they visited there, the one they spent the most time in was the gallery of Impressionists, where they were able to see famous works by Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Matisse, Pissarro, and others. Together they examined the works both up close and from a distance, discussing them and appreciating the fine work that had gone into them. They agreed that the works were a treasure beyond any monetary value, a gift to the world of the beauty of the perspective of the human soul and mind.
They stopped for coffee in the café in the museum, after having stayed until closing time and still not seen all of it, or truthfully even half of it, though they had both been to it before. They left after their coffee, and he took her to a small jazz club not far from the middle of the city, where they were taken to a private table and shortly following that, an excellent dinner was brought out for them while live music played on the stage a short way off.
Their conversation ran the gamut again, as it tended to do every time they talked about anything, and they both loved the openness and versatility of their ability to seemingly be able to discuss any and every subject. They both knew that that wasn’t possible with just anyone.
With their appetites sated and their bodies relaxed from the wine they had drunk with their evening meal, Nick asked her to dance, and she loved the notion, following him out to the small and dark dance floor.
He took her in his arms, and they swayed slowly together as a velvety sounding lounge singer crooned out old love songs from decades far gone in the past. The other people began to filter out of the club, and at long last, the music stopped and it was time to go.
She was completely happy as he drove her home in his own car. When they arrived, he walked her to her door, and she held his hand and asked him if he wanted to come in. He smiled and she saw something different in his eyes than she had seen on the yacht; the flash of naughtiness had shifted somehow into something sweeter.
“I’ll come in for a little while,” he answered, his eyes seeming to study hers.
“I had the best time with you today,” she told him as they walked into her living room. “It seems like every time I’m with you, I think that it can’t get more perfect, and then it does, and it’s amazing. I love it. Thank you so much.”
He smiled warmly at her and drew her into his embrace. “It was the best time, wasn’t it? Everything we’ve done, all the time we’ve spent together just since we met, has been so rewarding, so wonderful. I wouldn’t trade it, not for anything. You bring out so much happiness in me, so much life. Thank you for that. I think we’re just really good for each other.” He leaned close and kissed her softly.
She felt the fires of need growing in her as their kisses grew deeper and more passionate. Their breath grew short as their hands began to move over one another, touching, squeezing, gripping in need.
Nick’s mouth moved from her lips down her throat to the hollow of her neck as his fingers pressed firmly into the roundness of her hips, and she felt a rush of heat and pleasure as she reached her fingers to the buttons on his shirt. The anticipation of what he would feel like making love with her made her all the hungrier for him.
He grew hard, and she felt him press against her. She drew in a breath of desire, and he groaned deeply. His mouth moved to the top of her breast, and she closed her eyes, but suddenly he let go of her and took a step back, breathing thick and heavy, his lips parted, his chest heaving, and he turned away from her.
With a gasp of surprise, she blinked and looked at him in wonder. “What is it?” she asked softly, reaching her hand toward him, but he took another step back and she stared at him. “What’s wrong?”
Nick shook his head and looked back at her with intense longing. “It’s nothing, nothing at all. Please, don’t worry about it. I just need to go. I can’t stay tonight. I wish I could. I really, really wish that I could, but I should go.”
Chanel was totally blown away by his choice. She wanted him to stay, but he was clearly going to hold back again and leave her before the passion between them went past their clothes to their skin. Emotion welled up in her, and she tried to swallow it back as it caught in her throat. She wanted more than anything to be with him, but she didn’t want to push him either.
“Okay,” she spoke with quiet confusion.
He sighed and looked at her with a torn expression and then stepped toward her and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, leaning down and pressing his lips softly to her forehead.
“I have to go. This was such an incredible day. I loved spending all of it with you. Thank you so much for it, it was a gift.” He let her go and walked toward her door, pulling it open as he turned to look at her once more before leaving.
“I’ll see you soon. We’ll go out again this week, if you’re free. I’ll give you a call tomorrow. Sleep well and sweet dreams.” He gave her a tender smile and then walked out the door and closed it behind him.
She walked toward the window and watched in silence as he got into his car and drove away. Chanel was totally astounded. It was the second time he had left her just as things were warming up between them. Just as she had expected that he would be staying the night and making love with her, he had left again. Left her wanting, left her wondering, left her confused and disappointed.
Chanel sighed with frustration and went to her room readying herself for bed, and as she laid there staring at the ceiling, she ran the whole day through her mind over and over again, trying to find some kind of clue as to why he had left her as he had. Her mind was so plagued with questions that it was a long while before she fell into a restless sleep.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing that she realized was that she had a headache, and she pushed herself up off of her bed and headed for the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. The only thing on her mind was Nick and how things had gone with him the night before.
She stewed over it for a while and then decided to call Chris. She knew that he would have some good advice for her, and she was much too confused to try to figure it out all on her own. He answered after a few rings, and she gushed a breath of relief.
“Thank god you answered!” she breathed, and he grew concerned right away
.
“What’s wrong?”
She sighed heavily and sank down into a thickly cushioned chair. Closing her eyes, she spoke in a tired voice.
“It’s Nick.”
“Well that didn’t take long,” Chris grumbled. “What happened?”
Opening her eyes once more, she rested her hand on her forehead and told him. “Well, I’m not exactly sure what’s happening. We’re seeing each other, and we’re having a great time when we’re together, but the last couple of times we’ve been out, when we get to my place and I think he’s going to stay the night with me, just as things start warming up, he backs off and leaves.
It’s so weird. When we were on the yacht, he couldn’t keep his hands off of me and it was perfect. It was amazing. Now that we’re back in Boston, he wants to see me and spend tons of time with me. He keeps kissing me, and we’re getting along perfectly, but when things turn to him staying the night, he just pulls away and that’s it. He leaves. No staying over. I can’t understand why he’s not staying. I mean, things were fine before, and now they’re just… weird. Why isn’t he staying over?”
Emotion welled up in her again and she felt worry flooding through her. Chris sighed.
“Honey, you’re rushing things. I know it feels like magic right now, and you’re all about the intensity and sex and heat and fun right now, and you’re crushing hard on him, but it’s still the very beginning. Maybe he just needs a little time to adjust to the change of being with you. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. After all, he’s the one who asked if you two could still see each other when you got back to Boston. He’s the one who wanted to continue your fling, so don’t think on it too much. If you’re really bothered by it, then ask him. Talk with him about it. You’re coming to me, and you always can, you know that, but you should go to him and see what he’s thinking. Talk to him.” He was sympathetic, but his logic was clear.
She sighed and nodded her head. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’ll wait and see how things go, and if it continues much longer, I’ll bring it up to him. It was his idea that we keep seeing each other, so I guess he wouldn’t want to keep seeing me if anything was wrong. It’s just strange that he hasn’t been staying the night. I can see that he wants to, but then he leaves before it gets that far. I guess I’m just worried and probably shouldn’t be. I just don’t understand how he can pull back like that. I don’t want to pull back. I want to keep going and see what else comes for us. And on top of that, he’s hands down the best lover that I’ve ever had, so I don’t really want to skip any times that he might be able to stay over with me.”
“Stop pouting, things are good, and you are happy with him, so just enjoy it and take your time. If you feel like there’s a problem later on, then talk to him, but don’t worry about it until there’s actually something to worry about. Also, you’re not taking my advice. I told you to take your time with this, and you aren’t. There’s no reason to rush anything. Just enjoy it.” Chris spoke with love in his voice, and she was grateful for it and relieved by it.
“You’re right,” she reiterated. “I guess it feels like I’m falling for him so fast, and I want to keep that going. I don’t want to lose it. I shouldn’t be worried about it. I’ll try not to worry about it. Thank you so much.” She smiled and felt her concern begin to ease away. She was grateful to have such a good friend who loved her without limits and was honest enough to tell her the truth whenever she needed to hear it.
She smiled then and leaned back in the chair. “Well that’s enough about my love life. What’s going on with yours? Any hot new dates lately?”
His tone changed immediately, and he gushed happily, “Yes! I had three dates this week. It’s feast or famine around here, I’m afraid.” He laughed quietly.
“Were they all different dates?” she asked curiously, feeling a little excited for him.
“Yes. That new dating app I am trying is blowing up my dating life.” He sounded as happy about it as he could be.
“You little tramp,” she laughed at him and teased him.
“You know it,” he agreed wholeheartedly.
They laughed together, and their conversation took varying turns as they carried on with it, but in the back of her mind, the tension and frustration that she had felt about Nick had gone. She felt better and she was at ease again. She knew that things were going to be fine, and nothing could be better than that.
Chapter7
Three days later, after she and Nick and been calling and texting each other, he told her that he was going to take her to dinner, and she felt as if she was over the moon about it. Everything she had been worried about with him was done and gone, and she was enjoying her new romance.
He hadn’t mentioned anything about not staying over, and she began to wonder if there wasn’t a problem at all. He talked with her about everything else, telling her big things and little things, confidences, and everything in between, but he made no mention of their lack of intimacy, and she considered that if there had been a problem, then he would have probably brought it up to her.
Chanel was watching out of the front window of her home when she saw his limousine pull up in the street. Her heart soared, and she vaulted off of the sofa and rushed to the door, pulling it open just as Nick was coming up the steps.
He was breathtaking in his tailored brushed silk navy suit and white shirt with a tie that was almost the shade of blue of his eyes. His black locks were slightly tousled but mostly combed back, and he seemed just on the verge of devil may care. She couldn’t begin to hold back the happiness that she felt at seeing him, and she went right to him, wrapping him in her arms as she tipped her face up to kiss him.
His lips parted hers and his tongue moved into her mouth, twisting around her tongue, tasting her deeply before he let her go, short of breath, and with just a hint of hunger. He gazed at her standing there in her soft gold satin gown, just the color of a beautiful summer afternoon, and it shone more against the backdrop of her dark skin. She looked more beautiful to him than any woman he had ever seen, and it took his breath away just to see her.
“You’re stunning,” he said in a low voice.
She grinned at him, touching his face with her fingertips as she leaned up to kiss him again. “So are you. You amaze me.”
He gave his head a slow shake. “I don’t know why you’re amazed, but as long as you want me, I’m yours.” He kissed her again, and she felt the familiar pangs of need beginning to warm in her.
Nick took her by the hand, and giving her a smile, he walked with her to the car, where the chauffeur and Andrew were waiting to take them away. Once they were safely tucked into the back of the car, she reached her hand to his face and leaned close to kiss him.
“I’ve missed you,” she told him in a deep and husky voice, kissing him as she had just minutes before in front of her house. The heat in her returned swiftly.
“I’ve missed you, too,” he replied, touching her face, and kissing her in return. His hand left her cheek and he closed it around her arm and then moved it to her back, pressing her closer to him. She loved the way that it felt to have his hands on her body, to feel him wanting her. She needed to feel it, to feel him, and she wanted him all the more for it.
Chanel slipped her fingers into the long dark locks of his hair at the back of his neck and held him closer to her, as his hand glided down the satin material of her dress as he moved from her back to her hip, where his fingers curled in around her curvy flesh there. The feel of him needing her that way made the fires in her burn hotter, and she moaned softly.
“Touch me…” she whispered, bringing her hand to the top of his and guiding his hand to her breast. There was no bra beneath the dress, only the thin satin over the top of her generous curves, and he could feel her nipple harden beneath his hand.
He groaned deeply and closed his fingers around the soft flesh, moving his thumb back and forth over the stiff nipple. She sighed softly into his mouth as she kissed him,
missing the way that he touched her and wanting so much more from him.
Nick’s hand began to hold her breast more firmly as he grew hungrier for her, and his kisses deepened and hardened; she felt flush with happiness in knowing that he did want her. She took his hand from her breast and moved it to her knee where the hem of her dress lay, and she pushed his hand up beneath her dress, almost to the core of her, aching to feel his fingers touch her body, aching to feel the pleasure that she knew that he could give her. But as she brought his hand too near the core of her, he stopped and closed his fingers over her thigh, giving it a firm squeeze before he pulled his hand back again, and pushed himself away from her, breathing hard.
He looked out of the window and tried to catch his breath as his chest heaved. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to let it go that far.”
She blinked at him in surprise. He was doing it again. He was pulling away from her. Concern tinged the edges of her mind as she looked back at him in bewilderment. “We didn’t do much at all,” she said in a quiet voice.
