He turned me around to face him,
backing my rear to the edge of the
dresser, and then reaching behind my
neck to pull me closer in a deep kiss.
His tongue parted my lips and claimed
my mouth with an urgency as his hands
pulled my hips into his groin.
“I want to know what it’s like.” His
voice was deeper than I had heard
before. His teeth gently nipped along my
jaw and my neck, making me delirious.
“Shepard, I don’t have a condom.
And here now? Don’t you want it to be
special and take your time?”
He stopped and stood eye level
with me.
“I have waited long enough and we
don’t have much time. I want it to be
you, and I can’t think of a better way to
start the New Year. It will give a
completely new meaning to the ‘stroke
of midnight’.” The devilish look from
the bathtub returned.
“I just don’t want you to regret it –
regret me.” This was a lot to process. I
had never taken anyone’s virginity
before. Hell, I’d only been with one
other person. It had been so long that I
felt like a clumsy virgin myself.
“Never, Violet. I couldn’t ask for it
to happen anymore perfectly.” He
looked at his watch and said, “We have
three minutes to midnight.”
A mad fury of fingers started to
unbutton, unzip, slide off and remove
clothing until we were both naked and
tangled on the mattress. Shepard had a
small strip of condoms in his suit coat
pocket that he laid on the nightstand.
“You’re
pretty
ambitious,”
I
smirked while ripping a tear in the foil
packet with my teeth.
“I came prepared,” he replied
Reaching down to his already
hardened shaft, I stopped one last time
and asked if he was sure. Simply
nodding his head, I gently slid the latex
material down his impressive length.
Shaking from nerves at what was about
to take place, this moment could not be
reversed.
It was hard not to be excited with
him. Both of us were taking short
shallow
breaths,
waiting
for
the
countdown to start. As I held him at my
entrance, I teased him by squeezing my
muscles around the head. He rested his
hands upon my hips, his eyes taking in
my body before settling back on my face.
His irises had dilated in anticipation as I
trembled above him. Rubbing soothing
circles with his thumbs on my hips, he
reassured me. This is what he wanted
and calm began to wash over me.
The countdown could be heard by
the guests just on the other side of the
door as they shouted loudly along with
the projection screen and microphone in
the den.
With each shout, I gradually and
slowly lowered myself down a little
more.
10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1…
I gritted my teeth and closed my
eyes as he stretched me within, causing
soft moans to erupt from my throat.
Shepard held his breath tightly as I took
him inside of me all the way. The
partygoers were screaming wildly,
“Happy New Year”, while Shepard and
I stared silently at each other, focused on
the feeling of being connected.
“Are you okay?” The concern was
all over his face as he watched me
wince in slight discomfort.
“I should ask you the same thing,
but I am fine; it has just been a really
long time.” I used my knees to slide back
up, drawing another gasp from him. “I
want you on top; you’re in control here.”
He flipped over along with me until
he was nestled between my legs and
propped up on his elbows. Using my
hand once again to guide him to my
center, I used my other hand to
encourage his hips forward.
“You can go faster if you want, you
won’t hurt me.” I could feel the muscles
in his back and shoulders tense up,
knowing what he was thinking. His
mouth came over mine and pressed hard
for a short moment. I studied his face as
he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw
while, driving deeply into me. Never
had I seen anything so beautiful. A
spectrum of emotions washed over his
face as he took in the new sensations.
My hands involuntarily went to his hair
and threaded through the dampening
strands. Sweat started to bead on his
chest and drip down onto mine. I could
taste the salt of his skin with each brief
kiss he gave.
His breathing began to tell me he
was coming close, so I tightened around
him and whispered permission to “let
go”. With one final kiss, he was like a
prized stallion breaking for the finish
line, grunting hard and giving everything
he had to this moment. His hands pulled
the sheets into his fists for stability
while I dug my fingers into his
shoulders. Primitive noises poured out
of his lungs as he found release, looking
at me wildly from above. He stilled for
a few moments before collapsing on my
chest as I closed my own eyes in bliss.
Nothing was spoken for several
minutes as our breathing regulated. I
reached down in between my legs as
Shepard began to withdraw to ensure the
condom came out as well. Not being
familiar with what to do, I gently slid it
off of his very sensitive cock and tied it
into a knot.
“Um, thanks?” He scratched his
head, unsure of how to act.
With a little sarcasm and a smile I
replied, “You’re welcome?”
I shuffled off the bed to throw the
condom away and check my now
awesomely ruined hair and makeup.
While I wiped the runny mascara away
from my eyes, Shepard, still naked, came
up behind me, wrapping his arms around
my waist as he kissed my shoulder. I
held his arms close against my chest as
we took in our reflections.
“Violet, you are the most beautiful
thing I have ever seen.” He kissed my
shoulder again before resting his head
and breathing deeply.
“Are you okay, really?” Watching
to see his response, I became fearful at
his down expression.
“Do you care about me, Violet?”
I flipped around quickly to take his
face in my hands.
“Do not ever doubt that for a
moment.” I was tempted to drop the L
word, but it was too soon. I may have
felt it, but I knew better than to speak it.
He seemed satisfied with my
answer. Once again giving me a deep
kiss, he went to get my dress and
undergarments before readying himself.
When we rejoined the party, it would be
obvious to Jack and Adam what
happened. I just hoped they wouldn’t be
too pissed it happened here. After we
were both dressed, Shepard laced his
hand in mine and led me out into the
crowd after locking the door. Things
were starting to get even wilder, but for
us, it was all winding down. He never
took his hands off of me for one moment
the rest of the night. Jack and Adam
smiled but never said a word. Since he
didn’t have anything to drink, Shepard
asked if we could leave a little after two
in the morning.
Walking into my house, Shepard
shut the front door and backed me up
against it.
“Would it be wrong to ask for
more?” He immediately began to nip at
my neck and chin.
“You will be insatiable; I can
already tell.” I giggled at his eagerness.
“Only for you, Violet, only for
you,” he said. And with that, the next day
and a half was spent in bed, beginning to
makeup for all the years he waited.
Chapter 6 -
Breaking Even
I never once expected that the very
thing that would get me out of bed every
day was right next door the whole time.
The lab remained closed for several
weeks as the city forensics team was
hard at work, determining what really
took place that terrible night. The
university thought it would be a good
learning experience for the criminal
justice students, so they were allowed to
assist with the investigation. Personally,
I couldn’t stand to go near the building
as it was a constant reminder that there
were things they would never discover.
A few weeks after Shepard went
back to Vanderbilt University, I finally
had the strength to plug in the hard drive
that the Doc gave me. I didn’t need to
open a file; I already knew what it
contained. Every note, trial, investor,
supplier – you name it – was on that
drive. It was his complete work
compacted in a three by five inch metal
device that fit in the palm of my hand.
The memory stick was another story.
There were two files: one with my name
and the other was simply labeled
Instructions
.
The first file was a letter the Doc
wrote, detailing the turmoil he had
encountered
since
announcing
the
discovery. He thought something terrible
was going to happen, but he had no idea
it was coming so quickly. The second
file was a process for auctioning the
research.
My mind froze. Every neurological
process ceased before I even read the
instructions. The pieces started to fall
together – why I ran samples for a year
despite the find confirmed a hundred
times over. I was an insurance policy. I
could alter the gene with my eyes
closed.
He set me up
.
I could not go to the police because
I would become a suspect. There would
be no way for me to prove I had nothing
to do with his disappearance.
The bile rose out of my stomach,
emptying the contents across the
bedroom floor. Managing to make it to
through the doorway and roll over the
edge of the cold porcelain bathtub, it
began to lower the fever I felt rushing
through my bones. This doesn’t happen,
does it? Can a person escape one crazy
life just to find herself sucked into
another? Everything ran together in a
collision of consciousness, rendering me
unable to move. The smell of vomit
started to creep into the room, reminding
me that I could not avoid it forever.
As uncertainty threatened to pull me
under, the slender thread of stability
remained anchored within my heart.
Shepard would be calling soon. From
hundreds of miles away, his voice
chased away the darkness and encased
my soul in comfort. After Shepard left,
Jack emailed me a photo taken the night
of the party where Shepard was standing
behind me, arms wrapped around my
waist and lips nuzzled against my neck.
We were basking in the glow of the
stolen moment, a secret only we knew
captured forever on film. I kept it on my
phone and printed a copy to keep on the
nightstand. Shepard was the last thing I
saw before sleeping and the first thing
upon waking – a constant reminder that
this time, I was not alone.
In order to keep myself occupied, I
began planning a surprise trip for us to
go away during spring break. He
continuously chattered reminders of how
he would be back soon, occasionally
whispering naughty things he had in
mind. I loved how my cheeks would
blush like a schoolgirl. I dreamed of
warm weather, tropical drinks and ocean
adventures with Shepard by my side.
Once he confirmed he had a passport, it
was a matter of hitting the purchase
button.
No one would know who we were
or where we came from. We would be
two ordinary people, if only for a week.
I checked the itinerary relentlessly at
work, scoping out tourist information
from each port of call. A cruise sounded
so lovely and offered the most