by Louisa Bacio
In the bathroom, he turned the water on in the oversized tub, adding some lavender-and-vanilla scented salts. The warm, fragrant air steamed over the mirrors and window. Maise entered, and he took her hand, helping her into the tub before settling into the water himself.
Above them, a magnificent skylight offered a view of the darkened sky. “Ever wish upon a star?” Maise asked him.
She settled into that sweet spot between his legs, resting her head against his chest with complete trust. His heart filled with something? Pride? Love? He barely knew her and had no idea if she would want to extend this rendezvous into anything else.
Would the magic end in the morning?
Chapter Four
Against her back, Reece’s cock twitched for attention. The hot water may have soothed her body, but her soul wanted more. If she was only to have this one night, she was going to make the most of it. The slight physical complaints be damned.
“Need some help with that?” she asked, rubbing her backside against him.
“Sorry. I keep trying to tell him that it’s time to leave you alone, but he seems to have a mind of his own.”
Reece reached around to cup her breasts, massaging them before tweaking the nipples into points. She tilted her head back, reaching for his mouth. As their lips touched, she whispered, “Take me.”
He bent her over, positioning the head of his throbbing cock at her opening. She rose on her knees, angling her bottom up a little further until it hit its mark, and she pushed back, impaling herself. She rode him—her back pressed against the muscles of his stomach. The bath water swayed and splashed with their union.
***
With a heated green plush towel wrapped around her, Maise sat in one of the oversized chairs, sipping champagne. As morning grew closer, Reece seemed to be more agitated. She thought back to their earlier conversation and the lies that lay between them. How could they have shared so much and still be so distant?
He paced back and forth in front of the magnificent windows. She couldn’t take in the beauty beyond the glass, but focused on her new lover’s anguish.
“I lost my brother a week ago,” he said. “Idiot was driving doped up on cold medicine and pain pills, and he had an accident.”
Chills ran up her back, and goose bumps erupted on her arms. As if she knew what was coming next, without it even being said. Still, she almost asked him to stop talking. She didn’t want to hear it, the actual confirmation.
“He paid for this date for me as a gift, and used to rag on me that I needed to let go and get out more. I thought I owed it to his memory to use it.”
He paused, and Maise wanted to ask him the question, or a few questions. She wanted to fill in the empty spaces in the story. To make those final connections, but once that happened, where could they go? What would it change? It was supposed to be one evening. No matter how much she liked him, or wanted more, the truth continued to exist.
He was alive, and she remained dead.
Reece pushed open the sliding glass door to the balcony and let in a soothing, cool breeze that brushed away some of the sadness clinging to the room. After stepping outside, he turned toward Maise and held out his hand.
“Come with me.”
She followed his lead, biting her tongue. If all she had left on this earth was now, she didn’t want to ruin it with truths he wouldn’t believe.
Her hand slid over his, locking together. How could they be so right together when they had only met and wouldn’t have the possibility of learning more? Was God, or whoever waited in the Judgment Room, that cruel? For the first time that evening, she cursed finding Madame Eve’s card in her purse. If she hadn’t come on this date, she wouldn’t have known what she was missing.
Now, she had everything to lose.
The crisp air on the balcony cleared her mind, and Reece’s warm body heated up her soul. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in closer.
“You feel magnificent.” He nuzzled her hair, inhaling. “And you smell even better.”
While the ocean lay dark and silent, a few lights danced on the horizon. Probably boats, fishermen out in the predawn. Maise glanced up into the sky, taking in the remaining stars sprinkling the heavens and the carved out sliver of a moon. Had she been up there for so long? She’d died before the last full moon.
Sliding a finger under her chin, Reece brought her face up and met her gaze. “Penny for your thoughts,” he said.
The truth beckoned, and it became now or never.
“Was there anything more with your brother’s accident?” she probed. “Anyone else involved?”
The pain that flashed across his face made her regret her question. She should have left well enough alone.
“Yes. A young woman. She was going through the intersection when he ran the red light. He hit her, on the driver’s side.”
His voice hitched, as if he couldn’t continue talking. She knew the rest of the story, too well. She sagged against his chest, thankful for his strength to hold her upright. Would he believe her, if she told him she was that woman? What had brought the two of them together? It could not have been a coincidence. Madame Eve possessed some ability; hell, she’d brought Maise back from the dead, even if temporarily. But, did her matchmaking skills possess that much power?
“What is it?” Reece asked. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“That woman was me. I was in the accident with your brother.” Her admission might call an end to the evening. Reece didn’t seem like the ultimate believer in the afterworld.
His hands dropped from her body, and a sense of loss enveloped Maise.
“That isn’t funny,” he said, taking a step backward and evaluating her. “Are you telling me that I’ve been with a hallucination this entire time?” Reece looked at her as if she’d sprouted moss and crawled out of a fresh grave. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, good for you. Maybe if you don’t believe in me, I’ll ‘give up the ghost’ and disappear, kind of like Tinkerbell in Peter Pan.” Disgust coiled in Maise’s chest. Here, she’d given herself to him, and how did he react? How was he supposed to react?
Death came with a lot of baggage.
“What do you believe in?” she asked.
The question hung in the air, heavy and weighted with disappointment. Reece shook his head, and walked back inside. “This situation is too weird.” He slumped into a reclining chair and put his head between his hands.
Conflicted, Maise stayed where she was. He appeared to need comfort, but wasn’t she the one who’d caused the problem in the first place? She’d gotten what she’d come for: Losing her virginity. No commitments. No attachments. So how come a sense of loss pervaded her emotions?
Being with Reece made her feel so alive.
If she weren’t dead, would a relationship work out? The connection between them had grown strong. She thought they could have made a go of it.
She dragged out putting on her clothes, waiting for him to do something. Say something. Her time was almost up. Where she was going, make-up didn’t matter. None of the material items she possessed mattered. She’d keep the memories.
A night of pleasure to erase the pain and heartache. Maybe, someday, Reece would understand that.
As she fumbled with the button of her jeans, her hands grew transparent, flickering like the batteries dying on a holographic toy.
“Don’t shut me out.” She held her palms up for him to see. “The accident happened at Sixth and Olive, downtown Los Angeles. Your brother’s car was white, and a green rabbit’s foot hung over the rear-view mirror.”
He paled. “I gave him that rabbit’s foot one St. Patrick’s Day. How did you know that?”
“The last few seconds passed very slowly. Cars honked. We made eye contact, and I saw that memento dangling.”
Tears stung her eyes, and she wiped them away.
“Do you believe me now?” she asked, desperation taking over her senses. How could she have gone her
entire life without knowing love and find it now? It wasn’t fair. But she would not give up meeting Reece, for anything on Earth, or in Heaven.
She searched his face for an answer. “I don’t know what you have going on, but I forgive your brother, and I’m sorry you lost him.”
“How could you do that?”
She shrugged her shoulders, the weight of what lay ahead dragging her down. “Either you let it go, or it eats away at your soul. I want to remember the good.”
“But you’re not dead,” Reece said, his confusion evident. “I mean, you didn’t die. The last I heard, you were in a coma.”
“What? Coma?” The implications sent shockwaves through Maise. “How could I be in Heaven if I wasn’t dead?”
“Were you in Heaven? What’s the last thing you remember?”
“No,” she hesitated, “more like a waiting room at a doctor’s office.” He was right; she hadn’t been admitted through the pearly gates yet. Or, more like the big white doors. Did this mean that there was a possibility of a different outcome?
“Let’s think through this. Did you see Jeremy? Was he there?”
A tugging sensation radiated through her body and grew more insistent, and Maise gave one last look around the suite. Reece reached out, trailing his hand down the side of her face, and leaned in for a kiss.
“It was wonderful to meet you, Maise,” he said. “Thank you for coming here and for sharing yourself with me.”
“Oh, Reece. I know that it’s supposed to be for one date, but do you think we’ll ever see each other again?”
Any other day, any other time, she wouldn’t have the strength or confidence to ask. Today, though, in the early dawn’s light, looking over the Pacific Ocean, she had nothing left to lose.
“I’m sure of it,” Reece said. “Our paths were meant to cross.”
“Well, I’ll be seeing you,” Maise said, standing at the suite’s door. He glanced up, his mouth ajar but didn’t speak a word.
With a soft fading out that Maise associated with movies, the room disintegrated. She focused on Reece’s cologne and smiling face, until she knew nothing.
Over, just like that.
Next, she found herself back in the awful waiting room. The old guy had left. She dug her number out of her purse, and checked it again 57. The display read “Now serving 53.” What would happen once her number was called?
Chapter Five
He couldn’t believe she was gone. He’d watched her disintegrate. Maybe instead of spending their last few moments together fighting, he should have cherished the time. He should have held her in his arms, kissing her good-bye. He should have told her how wonderful rocking the bed—with her—had been. All those loving things a man whispered to a woman.
No. Instead, he’d let what she’d said cloud his vision of their future. He hadn’t told her how much she had meant to him. Madame Eve had set them up for a reason. She must have known their connection would be more than a mere one-night stand. Yet, how could they have a future together, if Maise was as good as dead? Reece had anticipated an alive, real, and breathing bed buddy. Not someone with one foot in the grave.
Such a warm and compassionate woman. And, she forgave his brother for the accident. Now, if he could do the same thing.
Reece ran his hands through his hair. After the emotional, physically draining night they’d spent, he probably looked like shit. Damn if he didn’t have to leave, just as alone as when he’d arrived. The lush and decadent room seemed not quite as plush. As if the vitality had been sucked out when she left. With one last glance, he picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and stepped outside.
Sometime over the last half hour, dark clouds had moved in, blocking the sun. The ocean churned, dark blue waves crashing against the rocks below. Reece shivered and wished that he’d brought a jacket.
“Storm’s coming.”
He turned to see the property manager, Johnny Castillo, headed in his direction. The guy looked like he’d always say the right thing to a woman.
“I take it your accommodations for the evening were to your liking?”
Reece nodded, not sure what to say. “Yes, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“What we want is not always what we need,” Castillo said. “But, if you open your mind to the experience, it can prove to be quite…enjoyable.”
The comment left Reece silent.
“Now if you excuse me, I need to check on a few other departing guests.” With a nod of his head, the manager walked away.
Departing. Departed. Dead. The string of thoughts ran through Reece’s mind, as he took off toward his car in a slow jog. He knew where he had to go.
***
Ever since his grandfather had gotten ill when Reece was a teen, he’d hated hospitals. No one could say they liked them. His grandfather and his brother had gone into the hospital, but hadn’t come out alive. With a heavy heart, he parked his car at Grace Memorial. Inside, he hoped, awaited his future.
Before arriving, he’d called and cleared his visit with Maise’s family. He’d had a little contact with them since the accident. Although her mother sounded like she thought his request a bit odd, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. She probably thought Reece wanted to make some type of amends with his visit since his brother was responsible for the accident. Since Maise occupied a private room, no one had to see his reaction to her. Although he questioned the likelihood that the woman he’d come to visit would be the same one he’d shared that incredible night with, hope remained.
She lay in the bed, so pale and frail. She possessed so much energy, so much vitality, it was difficult to see her unresponsive body. His stomach clenched with fear. Such a contrast to the warm woman he’d met. He hoped it wasn’t too late, for both of them.
All sorts of machines beeped. IVs were hooked up to her arms. He dragged a chair to the bedside and picked up her hand. He’d never held someone’s hand that didn’t clasp back. Again, that same thought came: “lifeless.”
He paused. According to what her mother had said, from a medical standpoint, Maise should have been fine. She’d had some internal bleeding, which had been stopped with surgery, and some swelling of the brain. All vital signs had returned to normal. Yet, she hadn’t woken up.
“Maise, can you hear me, honey?” he asked. “It’s me, Reece. I know you’re still here with us. The doctors say there shouldn’t be any reason for the coma to persist.”
He knew in some alternate reality, dimension, or whatever, she waited in a room outside Heaven. Could he be enough to coax her back? Could he be that selfish?
His mind turned to their time together, the passion that had filled the bed, the way soft moans escaped from her lips when she came. Never had he experienced such a connection with another person. Women like Maise didn’t come around often. Damn, in his twenty-nine years on earth, he’d never met anyone who came close.
He had to try.
***
“Fifty-five. Now serving number 55,” a voice called out. A forty-something woman sitting across from her stood up. She met Maise’s gaze. “Did you cherish every moment?” she asked.
“What?” Maise said, startled. Why was this woman talking to her?
“Did you appreciate the time you had on earth?”
Maise realized she’d never embraced life. Sure, she’d relished Thanksgiving and the delight of Aunt Susie’s peanut butter fudge melting on her tongue. The way her dog, Scout, wagged his tail in excitement as she entered the condo. Or the soft rasp of Reece’s scruff on her inner thigh as he delved between her legs.
But had she lived? She didn’t think so, but if given the chance again, she would.
“Not as much as I should have,” she admitted aloud, both to the woman and to herself.
“I did,” she replied. “Every instance of my children’s lives. I loved every age, from the smell of them as an infant to their self-awareness and their moody pre-teen stage.” Her voice hitched. “I wish I could have had
more.”
Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. “I don’t regret what I had. I regret what I didn’t get. It’s my time now, but I don’t think it’s yours.” With that last comment, the woman turned away and walked toward the double doors.
Maise wanted to call her back, to ask what she could have meant, but another voice called to her.
“It’s not your time, Maise. Do you hear me? You can’t die now.”
A whisper of sensation rubbed across the skin on the back of her hand, and she swiped at the distraction.
“Come back to me, Maise.”
A phantom sensation of her hair being pushed back startled her, and she reached up, almost feeling Reece’s touch. Then she recognized the voice.
“Can you come back to me? I think you can hear me.”
The weight of the paper grew heavier. She stared at the numbers, until they blurred into nothingness. She needed to make a choice. She wanted the chance to live.
Determined, she crumpled the paper, crunching the number and what it signified. She wanted to live.
***
Maise’s hand twitched in his. At first, the flutter of movement was so slight that he thought he’d imagined it. He held his breath, willing her to do it again.
“That’s it, baby. You know I’m here. Give me a sign. Come back to me.”
Again, her fingers flexed against his, and he smoothed his thumb over her chilled skin. He kissed the freckle on her index finger. A miracle happened, and her brilliant eyes opened, taking him in.
“Hello there,” he said. “Good to have you back.”
She looked around the room.
“Where,” she said, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.
“Shhh, you’ve been out of commission. Let me get you something.”
He pressed the call button on the side of her bed.
A nurse came in. At first she turned to acknowledge Reece, but the minute she saw Maise’s eyes open, her attention shifted and demeanor changed. “Oh my, young lady. I never thought I’d see the day. You’ve given us quite the scare.”
