by Olivia Myers
Her fingers were tangled in his hair as he moved his lips from her breasts to her navel. She watched him in the dark, eager to be touched and kissed. She could feel moisture and immense warmth pooling in between her legs.
He pulled her panties down and took his time removing them before hurling them across the room. She spread her legs as he began to lick through the curls of hair and the folds of skin, his tongue circling her clit as his fingers pressed underneath.
She was breathing heavily, her whole body aflame with sexual desire and passion.
He increased the pressure of his fingers. He shoved his tongue inside, letting it slide up and down her wet slit. Then he soon pushed his fingers up together, causing her to moan loudly. She climbed higher and higher in ecstasy, until finally she reached her climax. Her knees began to buckle underneath her but he caught her in his arms, laying her gently on the carpeted floor.
As she trembled and quivered with amazing bliss, he quickly undressed in front of her. Even in the dimness, she could make out the lustrous metal pieces of his body. They glistened distinctively, reminding her that he was different. And yet she didn’t care at all. Her eyes shifted to his handsome face, which was filled with naked passion and lust.
And as he kneeled in front of her, she caressed the gleaming metal on his legs. He moved forward, placing his lengthy cock against her still sensitive outer lips. He let it slide across the soaked surface of her skin, teasing, making her want him more.
“Oh, please!” she begged, arching her back.
He slid his cock into her then, slowly at first. She could feel its fullness stroking the walls of her vagina, the increasing friction making her body tremble again in excitement.
He went faster and faster, ramming harder every time. Their bodies moved in unison, blending perfectly as their separate heats combined into one.
He groaned with pleasure while her raspy breathing seemed to urge him to go even faster. Soon both of them exploded in delightful pleasure, filling them with incredible sensations that neither would ever forget.
After spending a few minutes resting on the floor in each other’s arms, they got up and moved to the bedroom. On the silky sheets of the king-sized bed, they made love again, each one eager to please the other and learn each other’s bodies.
***
With an easy smile on her face, Quinn put on a robe she found in the closet and strode out of the bedroom. She had never felt happier. It was certainly a heavenly morning.
“Ivan?” she called, wondering where he’d gone. She had slept like a baby through the night, and had woken up to an empty bed.
She saw a note from him on the fridge.
Gone out for a jog, and I’ll be back soon. Didn’t want to wake you up. You’re too beautiful in your sleep. Love, Ivan.
Quinn’s heart fluttered at the words. It was still too early to tell, perhaps, but she knew herself well enough to understand that she was falling for this cybernetic man. It did not matter where he’d come from or what he was at the moment. He made her feel good about herself. He made her heart soar like never before, and she knew that he cared about her, too.
The doorbell rang. She crossed the vast living room to get to the entrance, ready to throw her arms around him and have another round of mind-blowing sex.
Upon opening the door, though, she gasped when she saw three strange men with cruel faces. Before she could even react, they roughly pushed the door open wider and forced themselves inside. The biggest one grabbed her, one arm clapping over her mouth so she wouldn’t be able to shout for help.
She struggled with all her might but he was too strong. She tried to bite him, but his arm was too tight against her face. Her eyes wildly searched the surroundings for anything that would save her. There was nothing.
The two other men worked on disenabling the security cameras. They seemed to know where they were located.
She kept kicking, but the burly man who was holding her dragged her to the dining room and tied her to a chair. He wrapped a scarf around her mouth so her voice would be muffled.
Tears welled up in her eyes at that instant as fear gripped her tightly. She tried to hold them back and remain strong. Who are these men? What do they want from me?
“Where’s Ivan?” Burly demanded.
Her eyes widened. Why are they looking for him? How do they know him?
“Don’t worry, he’s going to come back for this woman,” the youngest-looking guy said. He had the most tattoos on his arms.
The tall one who had tied her to the chair looked impatient. “We can’t wait for him here. Hotel security might be on their way.”
Burly and Tattoo ignored him and helped themselves to the snacks on the table.
“Let’s go!” Tall said. “Let’s just take the woman.”
“Wait, do we really have to?” Tattoo asked, suddenly looking skeptical. “She’s that heiress!”
“Exactly,” Tall said. He appeared to be their leader. “Ivan will surely go looking for her. We can demand ransom and catch him, too.”
Burly guffawed. “Yeah, that’s a good one.”
“If we don’t pull this off now, we’ll never get another chance,” Tall said in a brusque manner. “It’s impossible to get into that mansion!”
Quinn’s heart rate quickened even more as she realized that these were the men who’d been lurking around the mansion that night the alarm had sounded. They seemed to be after Ivan originally, but she had no idea why. Maybe something to do with his past life? But he didn’t seem to remember much of it. None of this was making any sense.
As they dragged her into the hallway, she was even more terrified to see that they all carried guns.
Tattoo was staring at her with lustful interest. She turned her eyes away, tears falling down her cheeks. She had no idea where they were going to take her. Where was security, anyway?
“Don’t worry, lady,” the boss told her. “We’re not going to kill you until we see Ivan and he transfers all of your money to us. And don’t think anybody’s coming to rescue you because our friends have taken care of all the security personnel around here. There’s nobody to help you now.”
Quinn whimpered, afraid for what would happen next.
They blindfolded her. But from what she could determine, they had only gone a few floors down before she was taken out of the elevator. Perhaps they were simply going to hide her in one of the hotel rooms until Ivan arrived.
She thought of him then, wondering how he was connected with these guys. Would he be able to take them all down? He’d been programmed as a butler, after all, not as a bodyguard.
Perhaps an hour or two had passed since she’d been thrown onto a bed while tied and blindfolded. The door had been shut, but she could still make out the words of their argument.
“Ivan’s an ass! We should just kill him!” she heard one of them saying.
“No,” the scratchy voice of Tall answered. “He’s still one of us. When and if he remembers everything again, he’ll have the power to destroy our entire organization.”
“That’s why we gotta kill him! Don’t you remember? He almost turned us in before! He even returned all those expensive paintings after all our trouble!”
Silence followed. Then the leader said, “If we don’t have his loyalty anymore, then we’ll just have to use him to steal the Morgan fortune…and then we can finish him.”
Quinn’s blood seemed to run cold. She was afraid for her own life and for Ivan’s. She was very much confused about his identity too. Had he been aware of his past life all along? Had he been hiding the truth from her on purpose? Somehow she couldn’t allow herself to believe that. She had to be strong, to keep believing that she and Ivan were on the same side.
Her eyes were hurting from the pressure of her blindfold. Her bound wrists and ankles were even more painful. She longed to move her body even just a bit, or be able to stretch her arms and legs. But of course there was nothing she could do. She eventually fell asleep, cryin
g.
When she woke up, someone was unbinding her legs, and then her arms. Grateful for being able to move her arms, she quickly lifted them to take off her blindfold. But before she could accomplish that, she felt strong hands grip her arms and pin them on either side of her head.
“I’m going to have a taste of you now that the others have left.”
She could picture Tattoo’s ugly face as she felt him climb on top of her. She bucked and twisted beneath him, using all of her strength to move out of his hold. He slapped her hard across the face. She could taste the blood in her mouth, probably from her broken lips.
She felt his hands groping her body. She couldn’t do anything but sob in desperation and fear.
She heard the bedroom door open. “Hey!” a familiar voice shouted. The sound was followed by a loud sickening punch.
There was no more weight above her. She quickly sat up and took off her blindfold. Ivan stood there, breathing heavily as he threw another punch at Tattoo, who fell hard on the floor.
But instead of rushing toward Quinn, he glanced at her for a second and then left the room in a hurry. She was at a loss, even as police officers and her own security personnel rushed in. She was quickly taken to the hospital while the bleeding man on the floor was taken into police custody.
***
TWO YEARS LATER
“You’ve done it again, Quinn,” Jessica said with a big smile as she approached her best friend. “I’m so proud of you.”
Quinn’s eyes scanned the happy faces of the orphans in the institution’s multipurpose hall as they watched the magic tricks happening on stage. They had organized yet another activity for the charity foundation that Quinn had established two years earlier.
“Thanks, Jessica,” Quinn answered. “It wasn’t just me. It’s you, too, and Mom and Andrew and Nick and Elise. Thanks to all of you for making this possible.”
Jessica gave her a hug. “At least you’re able to put the money to good use, right? And it’s a great way to keep your mind off…” She trailed off then, clapping a hand over her mouth in alarm. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“Hey, it’s okay.”
“Do you miss him, Quinn?” Jessica asked.
“Always,” Quinn said truthfully, knowing that she was referring to the cybernetic man who had once made her heart beat like crazy.
Since that night she’d been kidnapped, he had never shown himself to her again. She heard from Carmela, though, that he had continued to work in the art gallery in Green Peak and had moved into his own apartment.
Quinn had assumed that he’d been ashamed because of his past. Several times she’d wanted to visit him just to talk. But she figured it was all for the best. After all, she’d already decided to move back to her hometown after the traumatic incident she’d gone through.
The police had informed her that the two other men who had been accomplices in harassing her had been captured and put behind bars. They were apparently high-profile criminals who had numerous counts of theft, assault, money laundering, and even murder cases in their names.
She hadn’t wanted to find out about Ivan’s involvement in the past cases, though. Because he hadn’t been put in jail, his cases were probably not as grave, or maybe he’d been issued some sort of pardon for saving her life.
She didn’t know much about his part in it, just that she ached with missing him.
That afternoon, she got a call from a friend she had recently met who was also a rich philanthropist. Unlike Quinn, who had simply inherited all her wealth, this slightly older woman was a well-known Internet entrepreneur who had already traveled the world helping people become successful in their own fields while doing various charity works.
“Hello, Linda? Since when did you get back from London?” Quinn asked in surprise over the phone.
“Actually, I’m still here,” she answered. “And that’s why I was hoping you could go to this event tonight in my place. You just have to show up as the guest of honor for the opening. Please, please?”
“I—”
“Thanks, Quinn! I owe you. I’ll just send you the address. Thank you!”
“But—”
The line went dead. Quinn had not even had the chance to say no. But of course she could never say no to such an amazing woman and mentor. Linda knew it, too.
She then received a short email from Linda with the address of the event that night. She didn’t even detail what it was all about. Nonetheless, Quinn got ready and drove herself there with her new Mercedes Benz.
The small function room in the building had been converted into an art gallery, with different paintings hanging on white pristine walls.
Quinn was immediately greeted and welcomed by the organizers. A young girl who looked about her age introduced herself as Dinah. She handed Quinn a glass of champagne and offered to give her a short tour.
“So this is an art exhibit?” Quinn asked in amazement. “The paintings are wonderful!” She couldn’t help admiring the artworks.
“Yes, they are,” Dinah said proudly. “We gathered up-and-coming artists who are beginning to make waves in the art scene. Half of the proceeds will go to Miss Linda’s foundation while the artists get to keep half of their profits.”
“I see,” Quinn said, smiling. She hadn’t even known that Linda was interested in art. But perhaps she had a lot of friends who were and who had promised to buy some. After all, it was for a good cause.
Suddenly, in the middle of the tour, Dinah’s phone rang and she had to excuse herself. Quinn told her it was okay, and she continued exploring on her own.
As she rounded one corner, she was taken aback by the sole painting on the opposite wall that showed a woman that had a striking resemblance to her. Curious, she moved closer. It looked like some sort of surreal portrait of a woman with long blond hair, who was looking up to a huge mansion in the background. She was wearing a flowing dress and had a wistful smile on her face.
When she saw the title, she gasped. The Heiress. Below it was the artist’s name—I. Johnson. Could it possibly be Ivan? She’d never learned his last name. He’d probably recalled it when he’d gotten back all of his memories.
Quinn shook her head, finding it hard to believe. She looked around then with a mixture of excitement and nervousness in her heart. But she didn’t see Ivan anywhere. She couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Silently she reprimanded herself for getting her hopes up.
Dinah was suddenly back. “Miss Morgan, that woman looks like you,” she remarked in a cheerful voice. “You should consider getting this painting. It’s one of my personal favorites.”
Quinn smiled. “Can you tell me more about the artist?”
“I don’t personally know him and I’ve never met him,” Dinah admitted. “But I heard Mr. Johnson’s very talented. All his works are very deep and emotional too. Most are surreal, actually.”
Before Quinn could reply, Dinah pointed out the next painting. “Look, here’s another one of his works.”
Quinn’s eyes shifted to an oil painting of the same size, which showed a surreal figure of a robot looking up into the bright sky where the sun was peeking from the clouds. In his arms, he held a beating human heart.
With her heart pounding hard, she looked at the label. The title was Human Again.
“Isn’t that cool?” Dinah said. Then she turned toward the entrance. “Wait, I think the artist just arrived. Let’s meet him.”
Quinn followed her gaze toward the far end of the room. Across the short distance, her eyes met with his and she immediately felt their strong connection. It was still there. Her heart seemed to jump into her throat as she slowly followed Dinah toward the tall, handsome man with slightly longer dark hair and intense dark brown eyes.
“Mr. Johnson, isn’t it?” Dinah said. “I am so thrilled to meet you. By the way, this is our special guest of honor, Miss Quinn Morgan. I’m sure you’ve heard of her.”
“Oh, countless times.” The familiar-sounding chuckle that f
ollowed seemed to warm Quinn’s heart. He then extended his hand toward her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Quinn placed her hand in his, her eyes never leaving his. When they touched, the electrifying bond was still there. It seemed to cause turmoil in her blood. “It’s my pleasure to meet you,” she whispered.
Dinah gave them a strange look, but then she had to excuse herself again when one of the other organizers called her attention.
“Ivan Johnson,” Quinn murmured as she stood close to the cybernetic man whom her heart had secretly been pining for.
He grinned. “That’s me. It’s my real name, actually.”
“Congratulations on your booming art career,” Quinn said, feeling proud. “The paintings are exquisite!”
“I was very much inspired.”
“Really.”
He moved closer then, his eyes locked on hers. She wanted to throw her arms around him and ask him all the questions that she’d never gotten to ask. But at that moment, she asked the question that had most haunted her all this time. “Why didn’t you say goodbye, Ivan?”
The smile left his face and was replaced by a somber look. “I’m sorry, Quinn. I was so confused back then. I didn’t know what to say to you. I felt like I had no more face to show. It’s my fault that you got into that trouble, and I was so afraid that if I came near you, you might get harmed again.”
Quinn took a deep breath, trying to control her constricting heart. “I never blamed you for anything. Actually, I’ve been wanting to say thank you. Thank you for saving my life, Ivan.”
He smiled. “It’s you who saved mine. You saved my humanity, my heart, my life. Now I’m a just an ordinary man…with metal body parts.”
Quinn smiled back. “I’m glad.”
“So, about those paintings,” he started. “I can give you a big discount…on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
Looking into her eyes, he placed his hands on her cheeks and whispered, “Will you be my date tonight, Miss Morgan?”
