Aeromancist: The Beginning

by Charmaine Pauls

That first week, Kat didn’t leave his home, except for her runs, although Lann was out often to take care of business. What his business was, he never said. Like everything else in Lann’s life, this remained a mystery too.

  Marianne Sullivan almost swallowed her false teeth when Kat called to let her know she didn’t have to pick her up the following Thursday. She couldn’t get around an explanation without lying, so Kat simply told Marianne the truth—that Lann asked her for dinner and she never left.

  “I was wondering when you didn’t call after your meeting with him last week,” Marianne said, “but I didn’t want to pry. So, he asked you to stay behind to have dinner with him?”

  “Sorry I didn’t call before,” Kat said. “I guess I put it off because I didn’t know what to say.”

  “Do you know what you’re doing?”

  Kat chose to ignore the question. “Please don’t mention this to Charles. I know he’ll worry and tell my parents. I prefer to break the news to them myself.”

  “Is this relationship affecting your studies?”

  “I’ve never worked better. I’m making wonderful progress. I’ll show you on Thursday.”

  “Alright, then. I suppose you’re a big girl. As long as you know what you’re doing.”

  Kat also didn’t explain that her arrangement with Lann was temporary, that it would end in another few weeks’ time, because she couldn’t think of it. Not yet.

  * * * *

  On Friday morning, a week after her arrival, Kat walked into the library and took her place by her desk. Magda was already in. They exchanged a quick greeting. Kat had done plenty of electronic research the week before, and wanted to go through her notes and type up what was relevant before the end of the day. Lann was still in his office, as it was his habit to do some work in the morning before he came downstairs to examine the books. Her lover was an early morning person. He woke up before sunrise, and by the time the first daylight entered her room, he’d already taken her once or twice. Kat’s stomach did a handstand at the thought. He’d leave her to sleep while he swam a few laps in the pool, took a shower, had his breakfast outside, and went upstairs to work. Mid-morning he’d join her in the library. She’d work on her thesis and he’d work with the books.

  Kat sighed. She liked the pattern their days had adopted. The only thing she missed was being social. Aside from the staff, they never saw anyone. Lann didn’t invite friends over. Surely, a man in his position and with his power had to have plenty of acquaintances.

  “You’re daydreaming,” Magda said.

  Kat looked up to see the brunette staring at her from over her computer. “Am I? And here I was thinking how productive I am.” She smiled.

  “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s going on between you and Lann?”

  “Actually, I do mind,” Kat said, not unfriendly.

  “It’s just that he’s never told us why you’re here, or what role you’re playing in his life—if we can expect to see a lot more of you, or not.”

  Lann often touched Kat or used terms of endearment. Sometimes he had his hands all over her, and he didn’t care who was watching. Magda had seen him caressing Kat plenty of times. She obviously knew they were having a physical relationship. However, Magda was Lann’s employee. It wasn’t Kat’s place to tell her they had a thirty-day contract. Maybe Lann would never say anything, and Magda would assume that their relationship didn’t work out.

  “Why don’t you ask Lann about that?” Kat suggested gently.

  “Is that because you don’t know how to define what you’ve got with him, or because he made you promise not to tell?”

  “Why the curiosity all of a sudden?”

  “I just wanted to say you’re the first woman he’s ever invited here.”

  “Oh. Thank you, I guess.”

  Kat lowered her head behind a book. She wondered how many women Lann had invited to wherever he had lived before. She didn’t have time to think about it because the subject of their discussion walked through the door wearing dark jeans and a linen shirt. His hair was tied in a ponytail.

  “Morning Magda.” He shot the librarian a friendly smile.

  He walked to Kat’s desk and kissed her passionately. His tongue delved past her lips, stealing her breath and her reason. Kat felt her cheeks turn hot under Magda’s stare when Lann finally released her.

  “Never be shy about your affection,” he whispered in her ear, before saying in his normal voice, “I hope your work is up to date because I’m taking you out today.”

  Kat beamed at him. “Really?”

  The prospect of having him to herself for a whole day was exciting.

  He eyed her jeans, flat sandals and strapless top. “That’ll do just fine.” He offered her his hand. “Let’s go, bella.”

  She got to her feet, laughing. “Where to?”

  “Surprise.” On the way out, he called to Magda, “See you on Monday.”

  Kat heard Magda’s sigh follow them to the door.

  This time Lann didn’t make use of his driver, but took a black Pagani that was parked in the garage. They drove to Valparaiso. Kat enjoyed the hour-long drive, sitting next to Lann while he held her hand, letting go only when he needed to shift gears. Once they entered the city, he took the road to the harbor and parked inside a private garage. He helped her from the car and took a picnic basket and blanket from the back.

  “We’re going on a boat?” she said.

  “My beautiful, curious, Katherine.” He kissed her ear and whispered, “And so responsive.”

  She felt herself blush as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the jetty. She looked around, but didn’t see any yachts or speedboats. There were only freight ships and fishing trawlers.

  He lifted her hand and pointed her finger to the end of the quay. “There she is.”

  Kat looked in the direction he indicated, and then pulled in her breath. She stopped dead. “Oh. My. God.” A seaplane! Lann’s smile was so obviously pleased, she felt like hugging him.

  “Have you ever been in one of those, bella?”

  “Never.”

  “Then I’m happy to be your first.”

  “Oh, Lann. You’re amazing.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she let him go, he laughed. For once, he seemed carefree.

  “First put my flying skills to the test, and then decide if I’m amazing.”

  Lann helped her into the passenger seat of the aircraft, and secured the safety clip for her. When he had taken the pilot seat, he did the pre-flight check, exchanged words with a control tower, and started the engine.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded eagerly. He steered the plane away from the ships. A little way into the ocean, he picked up speed, and a few seconds later the plane lifted into the air. Kat could hardly contain her excitement.

  “Lann, I love this,” she exclaimed. “Can you go wilder?”

  His eyes were warm. “You don’t know how much I wanted you to ask me that.”

  She didn’t know what he meant, but flying with him was exhilarating. “This is better than sex!” she said over the noise of the engine.

  He lifted a brow. “I’ll have to change your mind about that.”

  Kat looked at the view of the sea below. They were turning inland. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s good to see you happy.”

  “I can’t believe you arranged this. I missed flying.”

  “I know. Want to give it a try?”

  She stared at him, wide-eyed and grinning. “You’ll let me?”

  “Take the yoke in front of you.”

  Kat gripped the wheel with both hands.

  “That’s it. Keep it steady. Watch your instruments. Do you see this one here? Just keep the line level, and we’ll be fine. If you drop below the line and need to go up, pull the stick back. If you need to put the nose down, push down.”

  She focused hard on keeping an even l
ine. It wasn’t as easy as it seemed. When she saw him unclip his safety belt, she uttered a cry.

  “Lann, you know I don’t like to actually fly the plane myself.” He ignored her with a mischievous grin. “Lann? Lann? Where are you going?”

  He bent over her. “Here.” He kissed her, long and hard. Kat tried to keep her eyes on the instruments. The steadiness of her hands was seriously affected by his palms that smoothed over her breasts, his fingers finding her nipples.

  She pulled away. “Lann, baby, please take back your plane.”

  He burst out laughing. She glanced at him in alarm. Lann had never laughed like that.

  “What’s so funny?” she said, nervous and excited at the same time.

  “You just called me baby,” he said, looking very pleased.

  “I did?” She looked back at the horizon. The wings tipped left and right as she tried to keep the line on the instrument panel even. “Oh God, Lann, please take back your plane.”

  With a last kiss in her neck, he settled back in his seat and fastened his safety belt. She sighed in relief when his hands gripped the wheel in front of him.

  “You see?” he said. “It’s not so difficult to be in control. You just flew our plane.”

  She stared at him in awe. She was just about to get emotional over the gesture when he dipped the wing. She shrieked with excitement.

  “Now, I do aim to please, and I believe you’ve asked me to go wild.”

  He made sure she enjoyed the flight, giving her plenty of adrenalin before landing on an inland lake that surrounded a small island.

  The pine-tree covered island had a white, sandy shore. Lann secured the plane next to the jetty and helped her down. They seemed to be the only people.

  “This is beautiful,” she said. “Where are we?”

  “Privately owned nature reserve. We’ve got the place all to ourselves.”

  They walked along the walkway to a clearing under the trees that overlooked the lake. Lann spread the blanket out in the shade and pulled Kat down next to him. “Help me unpack this.”

  They took out champagne, fruit, cheese and a baguette. He handed her two glasses. “Hold this.” He popped the cork and served them.

  “Lann, this is the best day of my life. Thank you.”

  His palm brushed over her shoulder. “You’ve been working too hard.” Worry flickered in his eyes. “Been cooped up in the convent for too long. And you did keep your promise not to fly with anyone else but me very nicely.”

  “So this is my reward?”

  “No. I think your reward will come later.”

  “What a lucky girl I am.”

  “The luck is all mine, bella.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “For food?” he drawled.

  “You’re impossible.” She gave him a stern look and brought a piece of cheese to his lips. “Open.”

  He obeyed, sucking her fingers into his mouth. Kat fed him pieces of fruit and cheese, taking bites in between. When they were both satiated, he got to his feet and started to remove his clothes.

  “What are you doing?” Kat said with a laugh, looking around, even though she knew they were alone.

  “Come swim with me.”

  She glanced at the lake. “The water will be freezing.”

  “Are you a pussy?”

  She gasped. “You didn’t just call me that.”

  “Oh, yes, I did.”

  She jumped up and discarded her clothes. Before he was out of his jeans, she was running to the water, stark naked. She gritted her teeth as she entered the icy water up to her ankles. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Lann making his way to the lake, a huge grin on his face. She held her breath and charged. It was so cold it felt as if it would stop her heart. She let out a loud yelp and heard Lann’s laughter echo behind her. She dived in and swam with furious strokes in an effort to warm her limbs. When she turned, Lann still stood on the beach.

  “Come on!” She beckoned him with a finger. “Or are you a pussy?”

  He made big eyes at her. “What did you just call me?”

  “I said—”

  Before she could complete her sentence, he stormed. She managed to splash him before he got wet, and heard his curse before he disappeared under the water to resurface in front of her. Laughing, she tried to swim away, but he grabbed her around her waist.

  “Not so fast, bella.”

  He turned her and jerked her against him. His body was warm in the coldness of the water. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pressing close. He groaned in response. Kat felt his erection against her middle. Lann wasn’t laughing any longer. His hands went to her ass, gripping her firmly. He lifted her slightly so that his cock pressed against her folds. The cold water contracted her skin, and when he lifted her higher with one hand, spreading her open with the other, an onslaught of cold water assaulted her swollen clit. Immediately the sensation was replaced with the heat of his body as he lowered her onto his erection, sliding effortlessly into her lubricated depth. She arched back, gasping as he claimed her with every inch he had.

  “God, Katherine, I’m buried so deep inside of you,” he said against her neck. He kissed her feverishly, sucking her skin into her mouth, making her scream as he bit down gently.

  “You drive me wild, krasavitsa.” His tongue moved down her neck to the hollow of her throat, trailing a path to her breasts. He licked each upper curve, before he took a cold, hard nipple in his warm mouth. Kat moaned. He started suckling her, moving her up and down on him.

  “Is this good, bella?”

  She whimpered. “Lann...”

  “Tell me, Katherine. Tell me what you want.”

  “Everything,” she sighed. “I want everything.”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking,” he said darkly.

  “Then show me.”

  His mouth claimed hers in hard approval, his tongue sweeping over her lips before he drew the very breath from her. She struggled to inhale through her nose while he claimed her mouth like that. He kissed and kissed her until she felt the urge to pull away from him to draw air, but when she pushed with her palms on his chest, he only sealed his lips tighter over hers, at the same time increasing the pace with which he penetrated her.

  Her clit rubbed against his rock hard body. One hand folded around her neck, applying gentle pressure, while the other spread her ass. Sensations slammed into her as his fingers tightened, cutting off her oxygen. Before she had time to process what was happening, she felt a finger rubbing down her cleft, and then she felt it there. She jerked when Lann pushed on that forbidden entrance. It was hard to think with her body craving air, craving him, and craving release. Already her orgasm was a tightly coiled cord, a second away from snapping. Just when she thought she was going to black out from the need of air, he released her throat, at the same time pushing his finger inside her ass. As oxygen reached her brain, her orgasm ripped through her with an intensity she had never felt before. She clung to him, filled by his cock and his finger, as the waves crushed over her and continued to ripple long after he had spurted all of his seed inside of her. Her strength gone, all she could manage was to lean her head on his shoulder, and to trust him to take care of her.

  Lann kissed her hair and her cheek. He said gentle things to her in Russian, while he slowly pulled his finger from her. She moaned, and he kissed her forehead. She felt like fainting from the aftershocks of the pleasure. She tried to lower her legs, but Lann prevented her with his hands on her ankles.

  “Hold on, krasavitsa,” he said against her ear. “Don’t try to walk.”

  He gently cleaned her in the water, washing his semen from her before carrying her to the shore. Kat had never felt more depleted in her entire life. It was worse than the time when she had a few drinks too many at the student bar and had to be driven home and put to bed by her friend.

  She started shivering as Lann lowered her onto the blanket. He stretched out on top of her and folded the blanket around th
eir bodies. He kissed her neck and her shoulder until she felt his heat penetrating her skin, and her body once more relaxed. When the shivering stopped, he lifted himself to look down at her.

  “I’m going to get off you now. At first it’ll feel cold with the breeze, but the sun will warm you.”

  She whimpered when he rolled off her, exposing her skin to the air. “No, don’t.”

  “I’m too heavy.” He rubbed her arms.

  It was then that she felt it, a faint movement of air, invisible fingers brushing over her. It was as if a soft blanket of clouds were pulled up over her body. She stared at Lann in wonder. Was this what he had meant when he had said she moved the air for him? Lann moved many things for her. A knowledge nestled in the depth of her mind started to surface, a feeling she couldn’t acknowledge. The only thing she could do was to push it back. She had promised Lann she’d walk away. She had promised herself she wouldn’t care. She turned herself blind to her emotions, and instead, focused on the physical, on what her body experienced. Slowly, her equilibrium returned, but she felt extremely lethargic.

  “What did you do to me?” she said, trying to focus on Lann’s face and not falling asleep.

  “I cut off your ability to breathe, just for a few seconds,” he said. “The surge of oxygen that follows makes you come harder.”

  “That it did,” she said, closing her eyes.

  “Katherine, look at me.” She gazed back at him. His expression seemed concerned. “Did you enjoy it?”

  “Oh, yes.” She tried to nod. “It was the best sex of my life.”

  A slow smile curved his lips. “Good.” His eyes warmed. “Your trust means everything to me.”

  He lay down next to her and pulled her into her arms. They stayed like that until Kat felt some of her energy return. When she tried to sit up, he shook his head.

  “Rest.”

  “I need a drink.” She reached for her glass.

  “No more alcohol,” he said. “Wait for your body to recover.” He sat up and reached inside the basket, taking out a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap, lifted her head and brought the bottle to her mouth. After a few sips, she lay back again, studying him.

  “You’re so handsome,” she said.