by Cin Medley
I smiled, “What it did was make me realize that there is life after you.”
“You have no life. You will never have a life. I’m going to end it here and now.” He swung again, I blocked it, and slammed my fist into his stomach. “You think you can hurt me?” He yelled.
I slammed my fist into his throat. He grabbed my arm twisting it, I felt it snap, and he threw me across the lawn. By the time I got up he was on me again. He grabbed my broken arm, when he swung me around I pushed my knife into his side. He just stood there holding me, looking at me.
“Fuck you,” I whispered to him. Pulling the knife out I pushed it in again, between his ribs, puncturing his lung.
Somehow, he got his hands on my throat, and started to choke me. I stabbed him again. I heard Paul scream out my name, just before I started to black out. I managed to get my arm up and I slammed the knife in his throat. As the world was turning black I could feel his grip lessening. He went down and I went with him, the world went black.
Her father wouldn’t let me go. When I heard her arm break I fought hard against him. For an old man, he was strong. I stood there horrified at what I saw, horrified when she stabbed him. He finally let me go when she slammed the knife into his throat. I was too late; he had taken her down.
When I got to her, she was covered in blood and unconscious. Gently I picked her up, “Oh my god, beautiful. Come on baby.”
“Mr. Simon, please let me look at her.” A man said. I didn’t want anyone to touch her, ever again. “Mr. Simon I’m a medic, please let me check her out.”
I gently laid her on the ground, and sat there watching him check her over. “Her arm is broken, but she is alive. She is going to have a hell of a sore throat when she wakes up. Johnny, call the transport, we should get her to a hospital.”
I couldn’t look away from her face. She was so pale, so lifeless. I reach my hand out, it was shaking, I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared. I pressed it to her chest, I needed to feel her heart beat. I kept it there until a helicopter landed in the field. Three men came running up with a gurney, gently they lifted her onto it. “Come on,” one of them said to me.
I felt like I was having an out of body experience, like I was floating, as I followed them. Turning I saw her father, he nodded to me.
Two hours later I found myself pacing the hall, outside of the operating room. No one would tell me anything. Finally, someone came out. “Mr. Simon?”
“Yes, how is she?”
He chuckled. Why would he chuckle? “She is fine, better than fine. She is in recovery yelling at everyone to find you. Her arm was pretty badly broken in three places. We had to put a few pins in it, so she is going to be sore for a few days. Her throat is badly bruised, but there was no damage done.”
“When can I see her?” I was shaking.
“Come on, I’ll take you back there. She is one bossy little woman.” He laughed.
“Yeah she is. I wouldn’t have her any other way.” I smiled a bit more relieved, knowing she was yelling at everyone.
When the door opened and I saw her tiny body in that huge bed, I nearly lost it. The bruises on her neck were nearly purple. Her arm with a huge cast on it. When our eyes connected, my heart stopped. God, she is so beautiful.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi,” I moved to the side of the bed of her good arm. “God beautiful I was so scared.”
“Me too,” she whispered as the tears fell from her eyes. “Are you all right?”
I chuckled, through my own tears, “I’m fine. Nearly shit my pants, but I’m fine.”
She laughed, reaching up she grabbed my shirt pulling me down to her mouth. “Kiss me, Paul.”
“My pleasure,” and kiss her I did. God, she tasted like heaven. She had to stay overnight, because of the surgery. She couldn’t travel for a few days and she didn’t want Jo to see her neck. So we went to my apartment in London. I carried her in and straight to the bedroom.
“Mr. Simon, are all your beds this big?”
I laughed, “Every damn one of them.”
“Hmmm,” she smarted.
“What? I’m a big boy.”
She laughed, “Oh I know you are.”
I set her down in the middle of the bed. “Can I get you anything? I don’t have anything to eat, but I can run to the store or order in.”
“We can both go to the store.”
I reached up to touch her neck. “Maybe I should go. You sleep. I’ll only be about an hour. Then I’ll join you.”
She smiled, “Will you help me undress. I’m going to need some new clothes.”
As we took off her clothes, she had nothing on under the scrubs they let her have. “Jesus, Victoria. Your fucking beautiful.”
Smiling at me, she crawled into bed. “Hurry up and get back here.” She said so sweetly.
I couldn’t help myself, I laid down next to her and pulled her into my arms. Having this cast on her arm made it a bit difficult to snuggle. But I needed to kiss her, to feel her. She slid her hand up my shirt her mouth covering mine. We lay there kissing for what seemed like hours. I like this about us. Nothing is hurried, nothing is forced. It is so natural to kiss her. “You taste like heaven,” I whispered to her.
“Mmm, go, so you can get back,” she whispered, closing her yes.
I slipped out of the bed and headed to the store. I didn’t want to leave her, but we needed supplies. The stores here closed so early. I got a few supplies and then I stopped off and picked up some clothes for her. I didn’t get any panties or bra’s; she isn’t going to need them just yet. Smiling I headed back to the apartment.
I put everything away and then went to the bedroom, dropping my clothes I climbed into bed behind her, wrapping my arms around her. “I missed you,” she whispered.
“I’m right here, beautiful. Go back to sleep.”
I felt her body relax as she fell back asleep. I closed my eyes and followed her. This is my life now. I want this so much.
When I woke up I was cocooned in his arms. I don’t think I have ever felt this relaxed, not in a very long time. He sensed I was awake because his arms pulled me a bit closer. I felt his lips on my neck. “Did you sleep well?” He whispered as he made a meal of my shoulder and neck.
“I did,” I breathed out. It was more like a moan. “Paul.”
“Yeah baby?”
Turning my head, he shifted my body a little so I was laying partially on his chest. His mouth covering mine. We laid like this kissing for a long time. His hands gentle on my breasts. So good he always makes me feel. Our kisses were kisses of lovers. Slowly he moved his hand down my body, across my hip to my thigh. I love how his hand nearly fit around my thigh. He slowly slid it up on his, opening me to him.
I couldn’t move, my cast lying on his chest, my other arm touching his face. I felt him run himself through me, then slowly he pushed inside of me, and made love to me. It was so intense, so slow, so long. I don’t know how he stays hard for so long.
His fingers trailed up and down my body, across the hair at my core, his body not missing a stroke. I was so open to him like this, I felt his fingertip gently pass over my bud. My body shook, it felt so good. So erotic, again and again he did it. I felt the tears building in my eyes.
He did it again and I shattered to pieces. Pulling away from his mouth I cried out. “I. Got. You.” He moaned as he released. We shook and convulsed together. Him holding me, me holding his head.
We didn’t talk, I think we both just wanted to be this connected. After everything that happened we needed just to be this. I needed to be this.
I just let myself go and fell back to sleep. I haven’t slept in nearly three years. Always afraid, always aware. It’s over now, I just need to relax.
Holding her like this, still inside of her is a feeling I’ve never known. She is so fucking beautiful. So tiny compared to me, hell compared to any man. Her body fits perfectly with mine. Her scent from her arousal only makes me harder. I am so
glad I taught myself control. I so enjoy her. Her core so tight but yet so silky. The way she responds to me. I know we need to talk about all this shit, I’m sure she does as well. But for now, I am going to love her the best that I can, because she simply deserves’ the best man I can be.
Chapter Ten
She moved and winced, my eyes popped open, “You all right?” I whispered. It was dark out.
“I think the pain meds wore off, and I have to go to the bathroom.”
I chuckled. “Come, I’ll help you get up. I got you some clothes if you want to get dress.”
We untangled ourselves and I helped her slid to the edge of the bed, “Can I just wear one of your shirts?”
I kissed her forehead, “You can wear whatever you want. The closet is there.” I pointed to the door next to the bathroom. “I’ll go make us something to eat and get your pill.”
I went to walk away and she touched my arm lightly. I turned to her, “Hey,” I whispered. Her head was down.
“I can’t have children,” she said so softly.
I pulled her into my arms, “I know beautiful, it’s fine. We have Jo.”
“Yeah?”
I reached up to touch her face, “Oh, yeah.”
She nodded and walked to the bath room. I watched her, damn she has the perfect ass. Shaking my head, smiling I went to the closet to grab a pair of pajama bottoms, then headed out to the kitchen to get her a pain pill. When I walked back into the bedroom I heard her crying in the bathroom.
I knocked on the door, “Victoria, can I come in?” She didn’t say anything, so I tried the knob. The door was unlocked so I pushed it open. She was curled within herself leaning against the back wall. I move towards her and she started to shake so I got down on my knees. “Victoria,” I whispered. She just shook her head. “Sweetheart, talk to me.”
Her eyes landed on mine and what I saw in them scared the shit out of me. “I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve told so many lies I don’t know the truth. I didn’t have cancer. I cut off all my hair so I could wear those stupid wigs,” she cried.
“It’s over now. It’s all over,” I tried to calm her down.
“Is it!” She yelled. “He said it wasn’t over. He said it wasn’t over, that it wouldn’t end here.”
“Victoria, you killed him. He can’t hurt you anymore. Come on sweetheart,” I said softly and moved toward her. She didn’t move, she let me come to her. I pulled her into my lap. “We are safe now. Jo is safe now. Do you want to go back to Chicago and get her? Max will protect her.”
“I need to talk to her, to Max. To Kathy. What if he got to Kathy? She was so willing to help me. I keep playing over in my mind the scene in the parking lot. She didn’t even draw her gun. I think she knew what was happening. She was insistent on flying commercial. Jo is still in danger.”
“Come on, let’s get dressed. I’m afraid I didn’t get you any panties or a bra, I didn’t think you would need them right away.”
She giggled, kissing my neck. “I didn’t plan on needing them. It’s all right.”
We moved to the bedroom, where I helped her put on the jeans I got her, she took one of my shirts out of the closet and put it on, tying it around her waist.
Picking up my phone I called Max. “Max listen, don’t react, in fact act like I’m your mother or something. Is Jo still at my apartment?”
“Hi, mom. Yeah, I’m working. No don’t worry it’s all right.”
“Max, she isn’t safe. The woman who is with her is a danger to her. She is either going to take her or kill her. You need to figure out a way to get her out of there, or contain Kathy. Remember she is a trained agent just like Victoria.”
He laughed, “No mom, don’t worry about it. All right I’ll call you next week.”
“We are on our way back. With your life Max. With your fucking life.”
He disconnected the phone. I turned to look at Victoria, she was dialing her phone. “No, don’t.” She looked up at me. “If you call her and she knows you are alive, we lose our edge.”
She smiled up at me, “Well Mr. Simon, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you have a knack for this spy shit.”
I laughed, “Come on beautiful, let’s get to the airport. We are going to have to charter a plane. If we get on my plane it will register. Flying commercial won’t work either, our names will be on the manifest.”
When we got in the elevator she looked at me. “You’ve done this before?”
“I have, yours is not the only life that is full of lies. Victoria, I’m out, your father got me out. I have more than a billion dollars. We can go anywhere, live anywhere, become anyone.”
She shook her head, “I just want to go home and be Victoria Holmes. I’m tired of lying all the time. I’m tired of not being me, of being a liar.”
I smiled at her, touching her face, “But you are a beautiful liar.”
“I don’t want to lie anymore. I want my life back.” Her voice dropped, “I want a life with you.”
“As I do you.”
I gently pulled her in my arms.
We chartered a plane and headed back to Chicago. I couldn’t focus on anything. When was it all going to stop? I played it over and over in my mind. What was I missing? Who was I missing it with? His words rolling over in my mind, I couldn’t get them out of my mind.
“Paul, will Max protect her?” I asked.
He chuckled, “Max, likes you. He told me that he respected you. So I’m pretty sure he will protect her with his life.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I whispered. “I need to think.” I got up and started pacing. I stood closing my eyes, running through every conversation I ever had, with him. He’s been Andy Marciano the entire time we were together. When did he change? How did he change? Was he this man all along? He said he married me so he could keep an eye on me. When did we get married? Right after I joined MI6. He said he hated that I remembered everything, and he married me because of it. What did Johnathan figure out that ended in his death?
I started remembering conversations Johnathan and I had right before he died. Was he trying to tell me something? Did he tell me something?
I looked at Paul, “What did Al tell you about me?”
“Just that you were married, and you had found out he remarried and was having a child. Why?”
I shook my head, “And that’s it?”
I watched him run through the conversation he had with Al, “Wait, he said that you didn’t know that the accident you had that caused you to lose your baby, was in fact an attempt on your life. A way to control your brother.”
I nodded my head, I remembered he kept telling me to be careful, to stay safe. To watch my back. When we were both in MI6, we were a team. He had never said that to me. He knew, he had to know I was in danger. Who was Kathy in all of this? She was Johnathan and Elizabeth’s friend. More Johnathan’s. Her voice popped in my head, the look on her face in the mall. The look on her face when she turned around to see McDonald dead. Her insistence on taking a commercial flight.
I spun around looking at Paul, “Before I called you, that day at the beach, the day we made love for the first time.” He nodded. “I called Steven. I didn’t talk, I just thought I needed to hear his voice. Instead I heard a woman’s voice in the back ground, asking him who it was. It was Kathy’s voice. Kathy is his wife, she is pregnant with his child, and she has Jo.”
“Max, will not let anything happen to her. I don’t think Kathy would do anything if she didn’t have the chance. Max won’t let her have a chance.” He said as he came to me pulling me in his arms.
“God Paul, I’m so scared. So ready to be me. All these lies, years of hiding, years of lying, years of not living. So many passing me by.”
“Shh, I’ve lived the same way beautiful. After Sylvia, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t want to see the failure of a man I had become. I couldn’t save her. My brother put a blade to her throat right in front of me, and I cou
ldn’t do a thing. Victoria when he had his hands around your throat, I think I was more terrified, he was going to take you from me.”
“My father wouldn’t have let him kill me,” I whispered.
“Maybe so, but that still didn’t lessen my fear. You said you think you’re in love with me,” he whispered.
“I did,” I whispered back, “I do. I’ve never felt this connected to someone in my life. That day in your brother’s office. When you shook my hand I felt you through my whole body.”
He chuckled, “Me too.” His hand came up to my face and he kissed me. “Come on, you need to rest. There’s a bed in the back of this plane. We still have five hours to go before we touch down.” I nodded to him and let him lead me to the back of the plane. “I got you beautiful,” he whispered into my neck as he wrapped himself around me. Closing my eyes, I let sleep take me, I was in the place I felt the safest.
Everything was spinning around in my head. She was safely cocooned against my body. I just wasn’t sure how safe I could keep her. She was disabled with her broken arm. I just wanted this to be over. Life shouldn’t be this hard for someone.
As I lay here holding her, I couldn’t help but smile. There is life after death. I said a prayer to Sylvia and thanked her for loving me, for teaching me how to love and be loved. I know I have to tell her of the life I’ve led these past five years. She needs to know everything; I want our slates to be clean.
Taking a deep breath, she is all I want. Her scent is embedded in my soul. The way she makes love with me is incredible. I feel my arms tightening around her, as I realize I love her. I am falling deeper and deeper in love with her. Is this how it happens? Does it happen this fast? I felt the plane slow down, we are getting ready to land.
I kissed her head, and started to rub her back. “Mmm,” she moans gently, just like when we make love.
I chuckled, “You keep making that noise and we won’t be getting off this plane anytime soon.”
