Tundra Witch

by SL Perrine

  The alcohol she has imbibed throughout the evening has allowed Gianna to loosen up considerably. Her smile reaches all the way to her eyes, her skin seems to be glowing, her gyrations continuously draw attention to her fantastic curves. As he stares at Gianna, he notices her kind eyes meet his with frequent regularity. Her kind eyes? Where the hell did that come from? The song comes to an end, and Anthony turns to leave as the first notes of a slow song begin.

  Gianna grabs Anthony’s hand and pulls him against her, her arms encircle his neck, and she lays her head on his shoulder. Anthony hesitantly slides his hands across her hips and is further amazed when her body folds into his. They sway in time to the music and Anthony finds himself becoming aroused. To take his mind off his condition, he engages Gianna in conversation.

  “Hey, when did you get that present for Daniel?”

  “I purchased it while you were agonizing over your choices.”

  “That was extremely nice.”

  “So is this. I couldn’t tell you the last time anyone has touched me so intimately.”

  The admission catches Anthony by surprise. “Surely you don’t mean that. There’s no way your husband could keep his hands off you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he says without thinking.

  “My husband,” she scoffs against his shoulder. Gianna slowly raises her head and looks at Anthony with a huge smile. “Do you mean that?”

  “I, uh, well. What I meant to say was-”

  “Mind if I cut in, Anthony?” Daniel interrupts with a tap on Anthony’s shoulder.

  Anthony extricated himself from Gianna’s arms and presented Gianna to his friend with a flourish. “She’s all yours, my good man.”

  Daniel gives an exaggerated bow. “Thank you, my good man.”

  Gianna giggles as Daniel gathers her to him while Anthony beats a hasty retreat.

  “So, Gia. What are your intentions with my best friend?”

  “I assure you, Daniel, I have the purest of intentions.”

  “You might, but the pants puppet trying to escape from my buddy has everything but the purest of intentions.”

  “That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard,” Gianna replies as she glances in Anthony’s direction. “A nice guy like Jax would never be attracted to a woman like me.”

  “Jax?” Daniel asks in confusion.

  “Sorry. Jax is the nickname my daughter gave Anthony.”

  “That’s adorable, I can’t wait to call him that,” Daniel says enthusiastically.

  “You two have been friends for a long time?”

  “Ever since elementary school when Jax beat up several guys for picking on me for being gay.”

  “Has he always had superhero syndrome?” Gianna asks.

  “Always. You couldn’t find a better man in the world to look after your daughter. He’d never allow anyone or anything to harm her.”

  “You truly believe that, don’t you?”

  “I know for certain. He’s never lost a fight, no matter the odds stacked against him he always comes out on top, somehow.” He gives his head a shake. “Well… except in his personal life,” Daniel sadly adds.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know, the string of tragedies that have plagued his family.”

  “Yes, he told me about his father’s passing.”

  “That’s it?”

  “There’s more?”

  “He didn’t tell you,” Daniel says.

  “Tell me what?” Gianna asks in confusion.

  “Dios mío,” Daniel exclaims softly. “That’s so like him.”

  “What didn’t he tell me?”

  Daniel takes a deep breath. “Well, he told you about his father’s illness and how he passed away, yeah?”

  “Yes.”

  “He buried his sister and her six children a week later.” Gianna’s mouth drops open in disbelief before Daniel continues. “They died in a car accident on the way home from his father’s funeral. Sold off everything he owns and used his life savings to have them buried. That would have been a few days before your relationship began.”

  “I take it Jax has told you I’m not really his girlfriend. Is that what the big pow-wow was at the bar earlier?”

  “Yeah. He told me everything.”

  “I can’t imagine what you must think of me.”

  Daniel pulls her close in a warm hug and kisses her on the cheek. “Anthony, the epitome of the dumb, mute, blind man when it comes to women. I’m rooting for you, Mrs. Moretti. I don’t know what your situation is, but I can tell the two of you are attracted to each other and you aren’t happy at home.”

  The music ends, and O’Shaughnessy yells from the bar, “last call!”

  Daniel gives Gianna another hug, and they leave the dance floor to say their goodbyes. Anthony and Gianna make their rounds and exit the bar with the promise that they’ll get together again soon. Presenting Daniel with his address at the Moretti’s, Anthony exacts his promise to visit him at the Manor before giving him a farewell hug. Anthony ushers Gianna to the vehicle and buckles her in. He climbs behind the wheel, and they head for home.

  Chapter 10

  The truck pulls up to the house, and Anthony looks at Gianna. “Would you like me to walk you to the door?”

  “You can pull around back. Your entrance is closer to my room anyway. Then you may walk me to the door.” She smiled and tilted her head to the side.

  Light from the front of the house and the soft glow of the dashboard lights illuminates his face. She noticed how much he’s been working to better himself. She felt the tight muscles of his chest when he held her at the pub, and the memory makes a shiver race the length of her body, igniting her core. She had not had a man hold her like that since the beginning of her relationship with Giovanni. Even then, the contact between her and her husband seemed forced. She always thought she was the cause of it and asked herself the same questions when they continued to grow farther apart; hadn’t she been pretty, thin, well mannered, and groomed enough for his liking? At least Gianna finally knew she was just born the wrong gender. There would never be anything she could do to fix her marriage, but at least she knew why; most women never received that piece of mind.

  Gianna tried not to think of Anthony’s arms around her as he pulled the SUV to the back of the property. They were strong. Much stronger than she ever gave him credit for. One could attribute that to rigorous workouts, or just how he had always been. She would never know for sure. She just knew she enjoyed the feeling of their bodies pressed together. The beating of his pulse against her as they moved as one. That was an intimacy she could say she never experienced with anyone. Ever.

  The vehicle stopped in front of the rear entrance to the Manor, and Gianna looked up to see Nico moving around in the garage.

  “How is it he always seems to be where he’s needed?” Anthony asked.

  “We have all the vehicles fitted with a sensor. When we enter the driveway, he gets a notification.”

  “Ah, and here I thought you hired government cronies.”

  “Like CIA operatives? No. He’s better.”

  When Nico moves to the car Anthony holds up his hand and jumps out before Nico can touch Gianna’s handle. He walks around the car and opens the door with a mock bow, but Gianna thinks it’s endearing.

  Leaping from the truck, she offers him her hand. Anthony takes it and tucks it under his arm, shutting the door as she steps forward.

  “The least the help around here can do is let me walk a pretty girl to her door,” he snickers at Nico with a grin and leads Gianna to the door that would put them in the hallway near his apartment under her wing of the house.

  Gianna felt the rush from all the alcohol she consumed and wondered how Anthony managed to drive them back safely. Before she could ask Anthony whisks her inside and unexpectedly pushes her against the wall. For a quick moment a thought that he was going to take her right there in the hall enters her mind; but he merely tripped on the t
hreshold and held himself upright the only way he could.

  His stare bore into her. His arms surrounded her, leaning against the wall. The door to the patio still hung open, and a breeze blew her hair in front of her face, breaking the spell.

  “Are you okay?” she asked him as he pushed back.

  “Yeah, I’ll live, but somebody should put a warning sign on that step,” he laughs, but it only made the moment awkward. “Well, I’ve walked you to the door, and almost flattened you. I think that fulfills the end of the date obligations.”

  “Date?”

  “I…um, well.”

  “It’s ok.” Gianna blushes and smoothes her shirt. Another nervous tick she acquired being married to a hard man. Something to busy her hands while masking the way her body shook. “Good night, Jax.”

  “Good night, Gia.”

  He turned to leave, and she realizes she couldn’t let him walk away. “At the bar,” she starts as he opened his door.

  “Yes?”

  “You…did you mean what you said? You never got to tell me.”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On whether you’re asking as Gia or Gianna?”

  “What? That’s a strange question. How can I be one or the other?”

  “Well, I’ve noticed Gia is more alive than Gianna. She likes to joke, smile, and blush. Gianna would much rather go over itineraries and orders. She’s cold and brooding. On occasion, she can be a royal bitch.”

  Her head snapped up, but she realizes he said bitch. Understanding he has not learned her secret she shifts her stance. He must have taken her movements to mean she was angry at his accusation, so she smiled and clasped her hands together.

  “It’s really that bad, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “The mask I’ve given myself. Though, it does allow me to be who I must to survive in this house.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Before she could move to the stairs, he was in front of her again. His hands cupping her face bringing her eyes upward to meet his. “I meant yes, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” His thumbs trailed down her cheeks, and she notices he is wiping away the tears that mysteriously snuck out of her eyes.

  How could he think such a thing when she was such a mess? A hard, cold woman who keeps everyone, except her daughter, at arm’s length or farther. “Yes, he can.” Gianna hears herself say out loud in response.

  “Can what?”

  “Yes. He can and has kept his hands off me for many years. Almost all of them.”

  “Well, no wonder you cry when held,” he smoothed his thumb over her cheeks again, but this time it wasn’t to chase off tears. When his hands moved to the back of her head, he eased her forward as their mouths met. Soft, velvet lips touched hers. The kiss wasn’t hard and needy as it had been the first time. This was comforting, loving, and welcomed.

  When he pulled back and looked at her, he seemed to be searching her eyes for any hint of reluctance. She made sure she gave none.

  “Would you like to join me for a drink, Gia?”

  “Yes,” the word escaped her mouth in a whisper. She knew what she agreed to. She knew once she walked into his apartment that she would be his. She would allow Anthony this night to command her and her body to an ocean of pleasure.

  Anthony laced his fingers with hers and pushed his door open. He sauntered backward keeping their eyes locked together. He waited until she moved forward on her own, and when she did, she did not hesitate. Before she knew it, the door closed behind them, and he held her against it. His hand raking against her thigh as she raised it to wrap around him. Their mouths in a frenzy to conquer; one against the other. Her nails dug into his shoulders and pulled at the fabric that covered them.

  Anthony scooped her up, her legs wrapped around his waist of their own volition, his hands holding her ass as he carried her to his room. He kicked the door wide and pulled their mouths apart to gaze into her eyes as he laid her on his bed. Her hair tumbled around her, spilling out like the darkest night invading a summer sky. His hands moved up her sides taking the hem of her shirt with them. Once it was over her head, and her breasts exposed in her white lace, strapless bra, she felt exposed to the whole world but safer than she ever had at the same time.

  Gianna sat up and bunched his shirt in her hand pulling him down on top of her. His mouth claimed hers once again, and her hands went to work pulling his shirt up his back, breaking the contact only long enough to pull him free of it. She felt his hands at her waist; the button of her jeans popping open and then the heat of his hands moved up the bare flesh of her sides. He took her left breasts in his hand and applied just the right amount of pressure. Equal parts pleasure and pain tore through her quaking body. She moaned between their mouths and arched her back in response, begging him for more.

  Just when she thinks he’s going to make her squirm again, he moves away from her. She lazily watches as he removes his pants and leans over to slide hers from her body. He hooks a finger under the edge of her panties and playfully rubs between fabric and flesh.

  “If you make me beg, you will regret it.” She manages a stern whisper between gasps.

  “Oh, Gianna has come to play,” one corner of his mouth lifts, and she takes his meaning.

  “Yes, and bad boys will get punished accordingly.”

  “How is my behavior so far?”

  “Adequate but could be improved upon.”

  “I think it’s time we move away from that word.” He kneels between her legs and slides his hand further down the front of her pushing white lace along with his hand. His fingers find her mound and stop. “Any new words come to mind?”

  “Several. Though for the life of me, I can’t… voice them.” Her back arches pushing her firm breasts into the air, begging for his caress.

  “Good.” Anthony pulls at the fabric covering her sex, breaking the seams and tossing it on the carpet. Gianna cries out, startled but extremely fascinated. “Let’s see if we can soften a little more of that exterior, shall we?”

  “Oh, goodness Jax, enough talk.” Her pelvis lifts as his fingers trail further to her sex, and she digs her hands into the bedspread, her arms reaching out, her fists filling with the soft comforter beneath them.

  “But we already know we’re so good at it.”

  “Please,” she whispers breathlessly.

  His fingers move around the edge of her soft lips, increasing her arousal. Warmth and moisture amplify inside her with each passing moment. He has successfully gotten her to a point she could never attain on her own, and he hadn’t really touched her yet. He was driving her wild. His fingers moved finding the hard nub, massaging it; her hips move with every turn of him against her.

  “Ah, there she is. Soft and malleable.”

  He moves his fingers to her core coating them in her warmth and wetness, then slid them back to her clit. Her hips moved up, her legs spread wider than she’d ever thought she could get them and her head moves side to side under his ministrations. Just when she is on the brink he stops and adjusts himself, so he is between her legs, hands on her hips and his fingers digging into her firm ass. ‘All those hours working out, are finally going to pay off,’ she thought silently to herself.

  One hand slid up to press down on her flat stomach, the other held firm against her lower back. The heat of his breath replaced where his fingers had been. Not realizing what he meant to do until the last second when she looked up and saw his face lower toward her. She gasped, “Oh, fuck.” Her body moved against his tongue as it dipped and slid over her folds. She felt swollen and didn’t know how much more she could take before she had to beg again for him to take her. She wanted to feel the length of him inside of her.

  Gianna’s head throbbed with each new orgasm. One after another taking her over the edge, until she had to pull herself from his grasp. She jerked her body toward the headboard, and he looked up at her with a smirk.r />
  “I wasn’t done, naughty girl.”

  “That’s nice. It’s my turn, turn over.” She managed to get on her knees and make him flip to his back right where he was, legs dangling over the side of the bed, his feet resting on the wooden rails.

  Gianna moved to the floor. Standing was difficult in her state of intense release. Each leg threatened to give out from under her. Her body was almost too relaxed. She leaned in against the bed and took Anthony in her hand. The fullness of his cock made her shudder. She’d never done what she was suddenly anxious to do. She cupped his balls in one hand while she began stroking the length of him with the other. After a few movements, the tip started to moisten. Anthony let out a groan, which gave her the courage to lick the tip with her tongue before taking the head in her mouth, swirling her tongue around his helmet. She moved quickly, then slowed, repeating her movements and savoring how Anthony moved with her. Without warning, she let his cock glide to the back of her throat. It hit so hard she thought it would cause some reflex, but nothing happened. She added a slight graze of her teeth, and Anthony’s knees bounced up.

  He tugged on her hair, and she moved her eyes up to look at him. He was pleading with her; his turn to beg as her movements slowed and quickened. Making Gianna release him, Anthony pulled her up toward him. His cock pushed into her abdomen as his body flexed. She rubbed her hands over his chest and abs, noting his dad body was disappearing just as she thought.

  “Do you have…”

  “Shit!” His head fell back against the bed, and he lay staring up at the ceiling. “Sorry. I wasn’t exactly planning to seduce the lady of the house.”

  “Who said you did the seducing?”

  “Indeed.” He didn’t agree nor disagree but still looked pained.

  “There are other ways to satisfy our needs.”