The woman looked at me, and sighed, her expression sympathetic. “Let me check. I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”
She typed a few things into her computer, studied it, and then reached for the phone.
“Hi, this is the desk. We have a mister..?” She glanced up at me.
“Derek. Derek Rittsman.”
“We have a Derek Rittsman here. His girlfriend, Amelia Parker, was brought in earlier. Car accident, I think. Yes. He wants to know if he can come up. Alright.” She was quiet for a little bit as she waited. I tapped my finger nervously on the desk. “Okay. Thank you.” She hung up.
“Room 306,” she told me.
“How is she?”
“I don’t know, sir. But they wouldn’t be letting you up if it was the worst.”
“Thank you,” I said, turning away and heading down the hall. I took the stairs two at a time, climbing as fast as I could to the third floor. When I got there, I asked a passing nurse where the room was, explaining the circumstances. Kindly, she led me there.
The door opened, and there was Amy, sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, but looking well. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. Without restraint, I ran over to her, throwing my arms around her and holding her tight.
“Fucking hell,” I said into her hair. “I was terrified. What happened?”
“Ouch,” she said, flinching. I immediately stood back, concerned. “No, I’m okay. Just a little sore. Oh, Derek, I’m so sorry.”
“About what?”
“The car. It’s completely totaled. This truck, the driver wasn’t paying attention and ran the red light. It hit the passenger side.”
“Oh my God, Amelia.” I sat beside her and covered her face with kisses. “I don’t give a damn about the car. All that matters is that you’re okay. I was so… I thought…”
“I’m fine. A few bruises. A little whiplash. They took some x-rays. I was going to call you, but they just finished all the testing and my phone was dead. I didn’t realize that you knew.”
“They called my father about the car, and he called me. We didn’t know anything, just that you’d been in a wreck.” I let out an airy, relieved laugh. “Holy shit, Amy. Don’t ever do that again. I almost had a heart attack.”
“I’ll try not to.” She leaned against me, nestling her head into my shoulder. “It’s good to know you care, though,” she teased.
“Care? I went into full blown panic,” I told her. “I really thought I’d lost you.”
She peered up at me, with that sweet, unassuming face of hers. God, I couldn’t imagine my life without those eyes, and those lips.
“I’m really sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to cause you so much worry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Amelia. Ever. I’m just overjoyed that you are okay.”
Looking at her, and realizing how close I’d come to losing her, clarified my thoughts. This woman was not some passing fling. In one short week, she had completely ingrained herself in me. I could not bear the thought of being without her.
I had no explanation for how she had so swiftly taken over my life. I’d never been so drawn to a woman, so, so…
It didn’t make sense.
I was probably overreacting. I was filled with emotion and adrenaline. I wasn’t thinking straight.
A nurse knocked and peaked into the room, smiling at us. “The doctor has cleared you to go home. Everything looks good. I assume you have a ride?”
“She does,” I said, holding her hand as we stood up.
The nurse ran over a few quick warning signs we should watch for over the next few days, but assured us that Amy shouldn’t have any lasting problems from the accident. She was incredibly lucky, the nurse said, to have done as well as she had considering how fast the truck had been going.
Finally, I led her out of the hospital, grateful for her health.
“Miss Parker,” Adam said, smiling at Amy when we got to the car. “You’re looking well.”
“Hi, Adam,” Amy said. “Thank you. I’ll be leaving the driving up to you from now on, though.”
Adam laughed. “A wise decision.” He turned to me. “Am I taking you back to work, Mr. Rittsman?”
“No,” I said. “We’ll be going home.” After what happened, I wasn’t going to let a moment of today slide by without her. That sort of fear really shakes a man.
I called my father to let him know that Amy was okay, and then settled in for the ride home. Amy cozied up to me, and I wrapped my arms around her. She was a little shaken too, and all she wanted was to be near me. The feeling was mutual.
When we finally got home, I thanked Adam before helping Amy out of the car.
The mansion was quiet, familiar, and safe. I was aware and thankful for what I had after facing the fear of losing Amy.
As we made our way down the hallway, I glanced down at Amy. She had quickly bounced back to her normal self, looking cheerful and happy to be here.
Perhaps it was the tide of emotion that had rolled over me today, but I was hit by a sudden wave of desire.
Without warning, I took her in my arms and pulled her into a bedroom that we were passing, closing the door firmly behind us.
She looked up at me with surprise, “Derek?”
“Get undressed,” I said, my voice low and husky. “Get on the bed. I need to fuck you, now.”
There must be something about near-death experiences that makes people horny, because Amy didn’t hesitate before obeying. I got out of my own clothes, specifically setting aside my tie and belt.
I took a hold of her and pushed her down onto bed, before grabbing my tie and using it as a blindfold over her eyes. Amy bit her lip in anticipation, a smile creeping onto her lips. Once I’d secured the knot, I flipped her over and tossed her further onto the bed, climbing on top of her. Straddling her, I grabbed her wrists and pinned them together, before looping the belt around them, tightening it, and pulling her hands over her head. She was completely under my control.
Then I kissed her, smashing my lips against hers. I wanted her to feel all of me, just as I wanted to taste all of her.
The hand that wasn’t holding up her arms journeyed down her body, not skipping an inch of her skin. My fingertips took their time exploring her. They traced her collarbone, grazed her breasts, and played with her nipples, causing her to arch up, humming.
My mouth followed after my fingers, trailing just behind. I nibbled at her neck for a bit, as Amy was particularly sensitive there. She tilted her head back as I kissed her throat, gently sucking the skin. I moved on to her nipples, which grew hard under my tongue, and my hand slipped between her thighs.
My fingertips grazed her clit, barely touching the bundle of nerves. I continued that gentle, teasing motion, watching her face as impatient desire took over her expression.
“Please,” she moaned, bucking her hips in an attempt to rub harder against my hand. I held her hips firmly with my other hand, and didn’t give in to her pleas just yet. “Mm. Fuck me. Please, Derek.”
“Patience, beautiful,” I said, taking two fingers and tracing down around her slit, feeling how wet she was, how badly she wanted me.
I sat back, so that I wasn’t touching her at all, and waited for a moment. Unable to see, she stiffened in expectation, unsure of what I was going to do. I allowed her a minute of that anticipation, enjoying how her bottom lip trembled and her legs tensed. And then, when she couldn’t take the suspense a moment longer, I gave in.
My mouth dove between her thighs. I flicked my tongue against her lips, before moving up to her clit, sucking gently. A breathless moan escaped Amy, encouraging me to push harder. As my tongue continued to swirl around her clit, I slid two fingers inside of her, moving them in a ‘come here’ motion that stroked the g-spot in her inner walls.
Her back arched off the bed, and she squirmed, making it difficult to keep a steady pressure. I gripped her hip as tightly as I could, pulling her toward
me.
My mouth and hand switched places. While my fingers circled and massaged her clit, my tongue entered her, licking her wetness. As I sped up, Amy became louder, gasping and moaning and calling my name.
I savored the sweet, warm taste of her. More than that, I delighted in pleasuring this woman, making her lose control.
Once again, I stuck several fingers inside of her and sucked on her clit, fucking her hard with my fingers as I tripled my efforts. Amy’s whole body squirmed, while she tilted her head back and howled her pleasure.
“Don’t stop,” she begged. I didn’t.
I felt her cum, her inner walls convulsing tightly around my fingers, but I didn’t slow down. As the orgasm took hold of her, I continued rubbing and sucking her. My grip on her hip didn’t allow her to pull away.
Amy moaned, unable to even form words, as her body shook. When I didn’t stop, she arched back and then bucked up, completely overcome. All mine.
As the orgasm finally started to subside, she fell back onto the bed, gasping for breath. Her thighs trembled and twitched.
I allowed her a few moments to rest as I sat up, rolling my neck. I studied her, hungrily taking in her beauty, her vulnerability, as she lay tied up before me. Filled with a feral sort of desire, I climbed back over her and started to kiss her again.
Amy immediately responded, kissing me back, eager to taste herself on my lips. She pressed herself up against me, so that my erection grazed her swollen slit. I groaned as I felt her wetness on my cock, which throbbed with longing to be inside of her.
“You gonna fuck me now?” Her voice was so playful, so coy, and so fucking provocative. It twisted my stomach with lust.
In response, I pinned her arms back over her head again with the belt, and thrust hard into her. Having not expected the suddenness of my motion, Amy gasped, her whole body jolting as I filled her up. As her walls adjusted around me, she let out a shaky moan.
“That feel good, baby?” I pulled out, then plunged back into her. This time, both of us moaned. “Fuck.”
I started fucking her hard, her breasts bouncing to the rhythm that I set. I was so turned on from going down on her, the pressure built up in my core fast. I thrust relentlessly, without pause, until Amy was practically screaming in pleasure underneath me.
I came, burying my cock deep into her as the waves of satisfaction rolled through me. There aren’t words to describe the pure pleasure, the complete gratification and mind-numbing thrill. My whole body was shaking by the end of it.
Falling beside her, I lay on my back, breathing deeply. Amy wriggled her hands out of the belt loop and slid off the blindfold, before curling up beside me with her head on my chest. I ran a hand through her hair, completely content.
For a while, we were quiet. I watched Amy’s face, her expression lost in thought.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, kissing the side of her head.
“How happy I am to be here, with you,” she responded. “And how happy I am to be alive.”
Chapter 19
Derek
I woke Amy up early on Thursday morning, kissing her cheek gently until she opened one eye and peered up at me.
“Good morning, beautiful.” I smiled at her. There was nothing more stunning than Amy in the morning, I thought. The sleepy look on her freckled face, her hair tossed and tangled. I could wake up like this forever.
“It’s too early to be that excited,” she mumbled, rolling over onto her stomach and burying her face into her pillow.
“It’s only six, first off. I didn’t know you weren’t a morning person.”
“I almost died yesterday. Pretty sure that means I get to sleep in.”
“Amelia.” She glanced up at me, playfully pouting. “It’s already Thursday.”
She gave a mock gasp. “Not… Thursday.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I know. Now, listen to me. I’m dedicating this whole day to you. We’re going on an adventure. Just me and you. We’re shutting off our phones, going to the city, and not giving a shit.”
She sat up a bit. “Okay, I like the sound of this. What’s the occasion?”
I shrugged. “Life?”
“Good enough for me.”
She jumped out of bed and pranced over to her bags. Amused by her sudden energy, I watched as she dug through her things and pulled out clothes, before heading to the bathroom. She left the door open, so I watched her take off the tank top and sweats she had worn to bed. Then she pulled on a sleek, elegant maroon colored dress that Charlotte had made. It fit her perfectly, neatly falling to her knees. She pulled her hair up into a curly, messy ponytail.
I got up too, dressing in a casual button-up and shorts. It didn’t take either of us long to get ready.
After finding my father to tell him that we would be out for the day, I led Amy out to the garage.
“No Adam today?” she asked, looking at the row of parked cars that my father and I owned.
“Nope. I gave him the day off.” I winked at her. “You trust me enough to drive?”
“We’ll see. What are we taking?”
I walked up to the first car, a glistening silver Porsche, and tapped its hood. “Does this suit your tastes, my lady?”
She stuck out her tongue, and hopped into the passenger seat. Then we were off.
On the drive to the city, Amy played music while I drove. She had a widely diverse taste in music that I enjoyed, especially since I listened to the same five songs on repeat. She made the ride go by quickly, as we chatted about every subject under the sun.
It struck me how comfortable I was with her. In just a week, she’d somehow made it feel as if I’d known her for years, as if she was my closest friend. I felt like I could trust her with anything—which was, admittedly, frightening, daunting.
Finally, we made it to a large parking garage in the middle of the city. It was close to a lot of exciting things the city had to offer. I placed the ticket in the windshield, and we set out for the streets.
“Where do you want to go first?” I asked her.
Amy considered my question. “I don’t know. Anywhere is fine with me.”
I laughed. “Oh no, we’re not playing that game. There has to be somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. Anywhere in the city. Come on, I’ll take you.”
“Okay. This is gonna sound boring and typical,” she said. “But I’ve always wanted to go to the Empire State Building.”
“You’ve never been there?”
“Nope. I’ve passed it plenty of times, but I’ve never been to the top. I have a weird enjoyment of heights.”
“Amelia Parker. You have lived in New York your whole life and you never… I don’t know how that happened, but we’re going to have to fix it… today.”
Amy skipped a few steps ahead of me, bouncing with enthusiasm.
We were only a few blocks away. I held her hand as we walked through the crowds of people, enjoying the feeling of having her beside me.
It didn’t take long at all to arrive at the building and get to the elevator. There were several other people who apparently had the same destination in mind. The machine made several stops, letting some people out and bringing others in. Trying not to feel claustrophobic, I watched the floor numbers lighting up, growing as we got closer to the top. With every floor that we passed, Amy squeezed my hand.
Finally, the doors opened at the 102nd floor, and we all got out.
Amy practically ran to the edge, leaning over and peering out. I watched, amused as her jaw fell open, and she turned back to me.
“This,” she declared, “is really cool.”
Chuckling, I stood next to her. “Look. You can see Rittsman Enterprise from here.”
“Oh my goodness, look at that! It looks so tiny from here.” She pointed. “Look, over in that area is my apartment, you can’t see it from here, but that’s pretty much where it is. Close to the firm, within walking distance.”
We continued pointing out the different p
laces we knew, remarking on how full and complicated the city was. At first glance, it seemed so chaotic, sprawling around the water. But, upon further inspection, one could admire the organization and planning, the human thought that had gone into the city.
“Ready to go?” I asked Amy.
She looked like she didn’t want to pull her gaze away, but finally turned to me, her eyes bright. “Where to next?”
“How about Central Park?”
* * *
There was a festival going on in the park, with rows of tents set up, people selling their wares. We walked through, tasting samples and playing carnival games.
We were stopped by an old woman calling us forward. There was a sign in front of her tent that read, Madame Zee, Expert Fortune Teller, $5.
“Would you two dears like to know what your future holds?” the lady asked us. She was younger than I would have expected, with a mane of frizzy red curls framing her face. She wore a peasant skirt, a loose blouse, and her outfit was wrapped and layered with scarves.
I looked down at Amy, and she nodded eagerly.
“Step forward, step forward,” the fortune teller said, opening the door to her tent. We followed her in.
The ambiance of the tent was mystical, with incense and smoke wafting in the air. Candles were lit and placed around the shelves, along with old books and jars filled with interesting objects. Madame Zee sat down on the thick, colorful rug, and gestured for us to sit across from her.
I never had great faith in anything supernatural, but there was definitely something eerie about this space, enough to send chills up my arms. I glanced over at Amy, who had a wide-eyed, expression on her face.
“Have either of you ever had a tarot reading before?” Madame Zee asked.
Each of us shook our head.
“It’s quite simple,” she said. “But powerful. I will lay down three cards from my deck. The first card will represent the physical realm—the earthly, material world and how it currently relates to you. The second card is the mental realm, or the mind. The third is the spiritual realm. The cards have different meanings, and it is ultimately up to you to interpret them, based upon your intuition. I can assure you that you will be walking away today with a deeper understanding of yourselves—and each other.”
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