Authors: Sabel Simmons
On the last night of
their short trip, they had crayfish Raymond caught earlier for dinner and
afterward went for a leisurely stroll on the beach. Raymond pulled Clarissa
down on the sand just short of the surf breaking gently. She sat between his
legs with her back resting against his front, facing the sea. There was a full
moon, the whole area bathed in a bright bluish hue, adding to the romantic feel
of the night. The only sounds were the gently lapping water, surf and insects
chirping around them.
Raymond pulled
Clarissa’s short sundress up and over her head, ignoring her protests. Before
she even lowered her arms, his hands closed around her breasts to softly knead
and caress the rounded globes. His head lowered and his lips caressed her
earlobe then kissed and licked slowly down her neck. She groaned, quickly
turned around to face him standing on her knees. His hands moved immediately
to capture her breasts again, but she pushed them away.
He frowned at her
questioningly. She smiled slowly, her hands curled over his biceps, caressing
the length of the muscles tightening with each stroke. She gripped his t-shirt
and pulled it slowly up, watching his face, and smiled wider when his breath
lodged in his throat when she caressed his naked chest, then quickly ripped his
shirt off.
“It seems to me you are
asking for trouble, my love…”
Her eyes caught his,
searing him with a passionate look. “No … only to give you the same pleasure
you have been giving me …”
His blazing eyes sprang
to life and scolded her with heat and anticipation of her promise, yet
regretting he would not allow her to. He slowly shook his head. “I’m not
ready for that, Clarissa …”
She sat back on her
haunches, contemplating him sadly. She knew how to bring him the utmost
pleasure, he was the one who taught her and she was a quick learner, and over
the years together, she learned what pleased him the most. She reached out,
gently running her fingers over his cheek, leaned forward and tenderly kissed
him on his lips. Softly caressing, licking and pushing past his slightly open
lips to mate with his tongue in a dance of passion as old as time.
Slowly leaning forward
until her breasts were touching his chest, she rubbed the tightening tips
against his hardness. His breathing haggard, he clutched her shoulders,
pushing her away. He kept her close, but not touching, his eyes caught hers and
she smiled sadly at him. She wanted to do this so badly, to caress, kiss and
treasure his body, wanting him, to allow her to do it, to open to her, to allow
her to see and feel his honest reaction to her, not the pretense he has been
giving her.
“Please Ray … I won’t
ask for anything more. Just give me this one thing. Allow me to make love to
you. I need this! I need you to know that you have been the only one! I have
not been with anyone else … not ever! Plea … Ray!”
He pushed her away so
hard, she fell back on the sand, sprawled indignantly and near naked in front
of him. All of a sudden, he was a different man. He had the look of someone
that could easily kill! He glowered at her with so much loathing and
ruthlessness that she tried to cover her nakedness from his burning gaze.
His voice when he spoke
was soft yet very controlled but so hoarse he sounded like someone else.
“Do not …”
He growled, swung away,
picked up her dress and threw it at her, his back turned to her, desperate to
bring his malicious fury under control.
When he turned back at
her, she had her dress back on and sat dejectedly on the sand, tears slipping
down her cheeks. He drew his hands through his hair, took the steps that
separated them and went down on his haunches in front of her, wiping the tears
from her cheeks. His voice was still hoarse, but under control.
“We can never turn back
the clock, Clarissa. Never. What happened, happened, but it’s asking too much
to expect me to forget or forgive what you did … and to now claim it’s only
ever been me …”
His hand stopped her
when she started to talk, gently closing her lips.
“I asked we forget what
happened since I got here … and that is as far as I am prepared to go. Let’s
not spoil our last night here to rehash the past. I’m not ready for you to
make love to me … I might never be again … but I will give you pleasure
tonight, the likes of which you never had.”
He pushed her back on
the sand and covered her immediately to kiss her with so much passion she
forgot the pain his words caused. He continued to give her the pleasure he
promised, so much so, he had to carry her back to the cottage, she was so limp
she could not walk herself. Once there, he laid her on the bed, to force even
more pleasure from her body throughout the night.
At one point, her pleasure was so
intense she cried in ecstasy, “Oh God, Ray … I love you so much!” He froze
instantaneously, looked into her shimmering green eyes, clouded with passion
and felt those words arrow unwaveringly with a direct hit to his heart. This
time, it carried so much more weight; wrenched from deep within her soul, with
no forethought and no pretense.
However, everything had
to end, and so did their short, romantic trip to the Little Cayman. Both of
them were very quiet on the flight back the Grand Cayman, but for different
reasons.
Clarissa knew her heart
teemed with love for Raymond, but could not help but wonder what lay ahead once
they reached the hotel.
Raymond on the other
hand struggled with his emotions that were in total shambles. Try as he might
he could not conjure up any hate or resentment for the beautiful woman next to
him.
Just the thought of
Clarissa making love to him, controlling his reactions and emotions, caused his
blood to flow south, tightening his shaft painfully. Remembering how she used
to crawl all over him, caressed, kissed and licked down his body, caused
shivers to run down his spine. He could even feel her hot mouth taking his
hard shaft in her mouth, scraping her teeth up his length, only to nibble
softly on the tip, then lick and kiss the sting away. He forced the images
from his mind and concentrated on the sight of the Grand Cayman Island in the
distance to bring his body under control.
He knew he would have
lost all control if he allowed her to do that. She would have known without a
doubt that he still had strong feelings for her … and it was not loathing and
hatred!
He sighed heavily.
Whereto from here? God, if only he knew!
Lazily stretching her tired muscles Clarissa
slowly awoke from a deep sleep. A soft smile curved on her mouth. Slowly
reaching for Raymond, she was disappointed to find his side of the bed empty.
He still made a point of jogging every morning. She just did not realize he
would have the stamina to do so this morning, or rather mid-morning, judging by
the height of the sun.
He made love to her all
night long. She lost count on how many times he pulled her under him, on top
of him, in front of him. How he managed to bring her to ecstasy every single
time amazed her even more. She felt muscles she did not even know she had
twinge when she stretched again.
He has never been so
tender, so loving in his lovemaking. Yes, he had been passionate, extremely so,
but he had also been demanding, at times keeping her hanging on the edge until
she begged him to take her. He wrung her completely dry, not just physically,
but emotionally. To such an extend she declared her love to him again. Once
she did, he repeatedly wrung that declaration from her lips throughout the
night. This time however, she did not mind. She reveled in it. He was the
one, her soul mate, her forever after.
She made a decision
during the course of the night that she was going to make him believe in her
again, believe that she loved him; that it was not just words. With that
reminder in her head, she swiftly rose from the bed and after a quick shower
went to the kitchen for a quick cup of coffee and to start preparing brunch
before Raymond returned.
She found the note on
the dining room table, her name scrawled on it in black ink; she smiled,
recognizing Raymond’s bold handwriting.
The smile froze on her
lips as she read, her whole body stiffened in shock.
“No!”
Her cry was hoarse and
the shock turned to anguish as she read and re-read the short but devastating
note. She lowered the note staring at the clear blue of the Caribbean ocean,
without registering the beauty of it in the late morning sun. The question at
the end of the note ran through her mind, like a never-ending mantra.
I am leaving this
morning. I hope your job at this Hotel can make you happy. Still no regrets,
Clarissa?
She crumbled to the
floor, raw sobs racked through her slight frame. He left, without any warning,
without even saying goodbye, without even asking her if she would go with him.
She would have … she would have gone
with him, without even having to think it over. She knew her life and
happiness was with him. Only him, but he left, heartlessly, coldly leaving her
while she slept!
Clarissa went back to
work and spent so much time behind her desk that she fell in an exhausted sleep
at night.
It was weeks later that
Clarissa recalled Raymond telling her when he left the Island she would know
regret and his prediction proved to be the truth. She bit back a sob at the
memory and the last two weeks they spend alone together flashed through her
mind. He did it deliberately! He set out to seduce her, to make her declare
her love for him, and then he coldly left her. Just as she left him, six years
ago. She supposed that was his revenge … to hurt her as much as she hurt him
all those years ago.
Oh Lord, how was she
going to live life without him now!
She realized very
quickly that her job did not hold the same excitement now as it did over the
past six years. She was in automated mode. She did everything she had to,
conducted meetings, prepared for the Christmas festivities, all with a heart as
heavy as lead. She hardly ate and Bette was literally force-feeding her snacks
during the day, but she knew it could not sustain her in any way.
“Clarissa, you have to
eat! You are wasting away and throwing up nearly every time you do eat is only
making it worse!”
“I am not throwing up
on purpose, Bette!” Clarissa snapped the words at her. Bette sighed and shook
her head.
“I know that, but you
are not healthy and it is your body’s way of telling you that you need to take
better care of it. Please, go to the cottage and rest. You need to sleep, for
at least a full day or two. You hardly slept at all over the past four weeks,
and it is Christmas soon. Now, please go. There is nothing here that I cannot
handle myself. I don’t want to see you in this office again until Monday!”
She ushered Clarissa to
the door, overcoming her meek struggles easily. She gave her a quick hug and
whispered in her ear. “Think about what you need, my friend, and fight for
it. You always have, why did you give up so easily this time?”
Tortured green eyes
looked into hers. “Because he hates me now.”
“Bullsh…if that man hates you, this
island will sink before the end of the day! Even if he does … fight for him!
Make him love you. He did once … you can make him again!”
Raymond stood at the floor to ceiling
window of his massive new office, staring into space. The door opening behind
him pulled him out of his brooding. He turned and grimaced when he saw it was
Miguel. The glare in his eyes was testament of what was to come.
Circumventing it, Raymond raised his hand and said brusquely, “I don’t want to
hear it, Dad.”
Miguel ignored him,
walked around the desk and came to stand as close to him as he could. He spat
the words out, angry for the first time in many years.
“Well, you are going
to! What the devil beseeched you? How could you seduce the poor woman and
then coldly leave her? I expected better of you, my son!”
Raymond barked out a
laugh, his eyes cold. “Seduced her? Hardly, you forget, she has always been
ripe for the plucking!” The words spat out of clenched lips, fisting his
hands, he turned back to the window.
Miguel sighed, noticing
the tired circles under Raymond’s eyes, the haggard look on his face, all
testimony that he was not sleeping and suffering, just as Bette told him
Clarissa suffered. He cursed softly. He should have cleared the air years
ago! How was Raymond going to react to this now?
“There is something I
have to tell you, and I want you to know that not a day has gone by over the
past three years that I have not regretted not telling you this sooner.”
Raymond looked at him
and realized that his father suddenly looked very stressed. Patiently he
waited for Miguel to gather his thoughts and tell him what he had on his mind.
“Your mother … and I …
lied to you all those years ago. It was all her idea, she was sure Clarissa
only used you, and when she left you so easily for the job on the Cayman’s I …
stupidly agreed with her.”
He struggled with his
feelings and when he stopped talking, noticed Raymond’s frustration in his
rigid stance.
“She never, Clarissa
never … oh damn, this is harder than I thought …” Raymond reached the end of
his patience.
“Just spit it out then
we can stop talking about her. When will any of you realize I do not want to
hear her name mentioned again!”
“She never slept with
him!”
Miguel shouted at
Raymond, went pale as Raymond froze and his face solidified like solid rock.
“Clarissa never slept
with Henry Scott, Ray.” His voice now soft and cajoling, “Your mother was
scared you were going to go after her and I, stupid fool that I was, believed
her that Clarissa cared nothing for you. The fact that she left you so
callously for a job carried too much weight!” Raymond’s eyes were shuttered
but the dark glitter spoke volumes.
“I am sorry, my son, I
should have told you this long ago. Maybe then…” His shoulders slumped and he
turned away, but Raymond stopped him with a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Maybe then nothing.
She still would have left. The job was that important to her. I however, would
not have given in to Linda’s wish. It was the thought of her having sex with
that sleaze, that made me agree to that and to give her a child. At least in
that Mother got what she wanted, Clarissa out of my life.” He ran his hand
through his hair. Miguel looked at him.
“What are you going to
do now?”
Raymond went to sit in his
chair and slumped down in it, a frown marring his brow.
“I don’t know … apart
from Henry Scott, nothing really changed. She still left because her career
meant more to her than I. She still left because she did not love me enough …
If you don’t mind, Dad, I’d like to be alone.” Miguel nodded and turned to the
door where he turned and glanced back at his dejected son.
“She came back you know
…” Raymond’s head shot up, his eyes darkening. “When?”
“Four months after she
left. She said she realized she made a mistake and that she loved you too much.
She found you in your office; kissing Linda … It totally devastated her. She
went back to the Caribbean, thinking you never loved her.”
Miguel turned and
opened the door. Without turning his voice hoarse, he continued.
“There have been too
many misunderstandings, my son. Maybe it is time the two of you really found
out what you feel for each other … and if the job really still means so much to
Clarissa.”
He walked out and
closed the door softly behind him. His eyes found Rethas’, eagerly waiting for
him in the reception area.
“What did he say? Is
he going to fetch her?”
“I don’t know, my
darling. We can only wait and see.”
Raymond sat behind his
desk as if turned to stone. His mind was in total shambles, his heart even
more so. He pulled open his top drawer and unlocked the small hidden
compartment, and took out the glittering diamond ring Clarissa returned to
him. He now realized it must have been after she was here and saw him kissing
Linda. The day he told Linda he would give her a child. The day after he
confronted Henry Scott and he confirmed that his mother’s claim was true. The
rotten, lying bastard! If he had not been fired years ago, he would beat him
to a pulp now!
It was hours later
before he straightened behind his desk, reached for the intercom and called his
secretary. Efficient as always she walked in immediately after with her pen
and pad. He began dictating as soon as she was poised in front of him.
“Dear Miss Langston, it
is with regret that I have to inform you that your contract will not be renewed
at the end of your current period. We thank you for…” His voice droned on as
he rambled off all her accomplishments and ended with, “We wish you only
success with your future career. Yours sincerely, Raymond St Claire.”
He glanced at Sophia who sat looking at
him with wide eyes. He shook his head when she started talking. “Make sure
that letter is send by speed courier to reach her no later than Monday
morning.”
There was a bounce in Clarissa’s step
when she walked into the office on Monday morning. Bette looked guilty and she
quickly stuffed a letter she was reading in her drawer.
“Another love letter,
Bette?” Bette paled and Clarissa frowned, but before she could probe further,
Bette jumped up and walked around her desk to give her a quick hug.
“You look and sound so
much better! Did you at least sleep enough?”
Clarissa smiled. “More
than enough, especially after I came to a decision.” She continued walking to
her office with Bette trailing after her.
“Well, don’t keep me in
suspense, what decision?”
Clarissa worried her
bottom lip between her teeth, a clear indication that she was slightly unsure
about the decision she came to.
“I am going to
Manchester to talk to Raymond. I am not going to stand back and let him walk
out of my life, as he did me years ago. You were right. I love him and I will
fight for him, for us, for our future!” With resolve, she sat down behind her
desk, looked up at Bette hovering over her hesitantly.
“What’s wrong? I
thought this is what you wanted me to do?” Bette wrung her hands.
“Uhm … well, yes, but
…” Her mind on the letter she stuffed in her drawer, but then she came to a
decision and pulled her shoulders back.
“So, when do you want
to leave? I’ll make the flight booking straight away!”
“No need. I already
did that last night. I am leaving on the 17:00 flight this afternoon.”
“Well, you surely made
up your mind then! Do not worry about anything. Christopher and I will keep
the fort.”
Christopher was the
assistant manager and right on cue, appeared in the doorway. She already
informed him last night that she was leaving and asked him to come and see her
this morning so she could do a quick handover.
Bette sat down behind
her desk and pulled the letter from the drawer. Her eyes skimmed over it
again.
Dear Miss Langston. It
is with regret that I inform you that your contract will not be renewed at the
end of your current period …”
With strong resolution, she got up,
walked to the shredder and quickly placed the letter in place. Hearing
Clarissa soft laughter at something Christopher said, her mouth set in a
straight line, she pushed the button and watched as the metal teeth devoured
the letter in long shreds.