opportunities to see a lot, if that was
what we wanted to do.
This
long
distance
interlude
remained idyllic because there were no
mundane habits to spoil the mood. A
week alone together would be sufficient
to know if this would be worth investing
more into for the long run. I would
manage, that much was for sure. My
melancholy would not remain forever;
one foot in front of the other, I would
soldier on. Yet for once, I did not want
to fight; I wanted to lie in bed, tangled in
Shepard’s long arms, smelling his skin
and tasting his sweet kisses. My hang up
about our age difference quickly
disappeared. He was far wiser and more
mature than most people I knew my age.
He
was
attentive
without
being
overbearing. Either you have those
qualities or you don’t. I did discover his
little penchant for reading old works of
erotica like
The Story of O
, and
Delta of
Venus
. He never stopped surprising me.
I ignored the hard drive, which I
had placed into a safety deposit box for
safekeeping. Dealing with something so
intricate was a task I was not prepared
for. Shepard called me to tell me he
would be leaving after his last final and
would arrive close to midnight. Our
flight left very early the next morning,
but I would be driving so he could sleep
on the way there. All he knew was that
we were traveling to a warm place
because of the packing list I gave him.
He would need to stop by his house, but
that would take mere minutes. Warning
him not to come over until then, I knew
that once he walked through those doors,
the outside world would disappear.
Butterflies began their fluttering
deep within my chest with each passing
hour. Anticipation was not something I
was familiar with. Connor brought a
different kind of longing.
Connor – of course that son of a
bitch would try to infiltrate this moment.
My first love remained a festering
disease deeply ingrained in my very
being. The thought of my heart opening
up to someone else must have awoken
the sleeping beast. As adrenaline was
starting to course through my veins due
to the ghost of the past, I heard the
wooden frame of the door crack open
with footsteps following it.
He was here
.
The rush of elation quickly
overtook any guilt that attempted to take
me under. My feet hit the floor and
rushed to the stairwell. I couldn’t
contain the squeal of delight. Two and a
half months felt like an eternity.
We met halfway and immediately
my nightgown was hiked above my hips
where a surprised Shepard found nothing
underneath. Quickly loosening his belt
and dropping his pants to his ankles,
there were no words spoken – just
urgent tongues dancing their greeting and
hands furiously working to join two
hungry bodies. I gasped for air the
moment he entered me, grabbing a
spindle on the banister for support.
Laying flat against the stairs with one leg
hiked over his hip, he leaned down by
my ear.
“Hi,” one word…
I moaned loudly with each drive
forward. His face held a look of
satisfaction as I melted beneath him.
Fingers lightly grazed my throat, chest
and ribcage. The rounded edges of the
steps dug uncomfortably into my back,
but I dared not make a noise and risk
ending this scorching encounter. I was so
tightly wound, it did not take long before
my body started to shake and my vision
was blinded by a kaleidoscope of color.
Every nerve in my body buzzed with
electricity. I was so sensitive; each
touch was almost too much for me to
bear. He did this to me. Watching me
come apart triggered his release.
Using the stairs as leverage, he
quickly came with a few deep grunts
before collapsing between my legs. I
loved the feeling of him spent inside of
me. I had decided to get an IUD after he
left to prevent any pregnancies. I knew at
some point in time if we were to be
serious, he would have to know
everything about my past and hopefully
understand. I teased him mercilessly on
the phone about having me whenever he
wanted.
Using his hands to push the damp
strands away from my face, he placed
fragile kisses on my lips.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
“You missed this; it’s okay.” I
winked to indicate I was kidding. He
could be so serious; I wasn’t sure how
he would take a joke like that, yet.
“Maybe a little, my dear.” As he
pulled his lower lip into his perfect teeth
before dipping down and kissing me
deeply, I sighed in contentment.
“I missed you, too.” My teeth
grazed his stubbly chin affectionately. I
did miss him. The way his blue eyes
stared intensely at all times, how his
subtle touches immediately calmed my
harried nerves, and how he always knew
what to do. The discomfort of being
pressed into the stairs was a sheer
annoyance compared to the buoyancy I
felt inside.
“Let’s go to bed, Shepard. You
need your handsome sleep.”
“Whatever. I still think you’re crazy
for giving me a chance. I thought I would
leave and you would be done with me.”
I knew he was being honest. For a
moment I did, too. I still had a few seeds
of doubt, but they were not strong enough
to shake it.
“No, not done yet by a long shot.
You will probably be done with me
first, but that is not something I want to
talk about. Because in this moment, there
is nothing that I want more in the world
than to be in bed with you and getting
what little sleep we can in the next four
hours.”
Shepard stood and extended his
hand to assist me before pulling his
pants back up, kissing me once again.
“Yes, mademoiselle,” he said
while playfully swatting me on the rear
and walking past me with a smirk.
Underestimating someone can be a
dangerous thing; unfortunately, I began to
wonder if I had done that with him.
Chapter 7 - A Break
in the Clouds
“Can I have a hint?”
Shepard blew on the lid of his
travel mug of piping hot coffee while
asking the valid question.
“It’s warm,” I said jokingly while
glancing for a moment towards him,
careful to not take my sight off the road
for too long.
He closed his eyes and laughed
quietly. He knew there wasn’t a chance
in hell I would ruin this surprise for him.
We both needed it: a week alone, free of
the obstacles that stood in our way. He
seemed positively giddy sitting in the
passenger seat as we made our way to
the Dayton airport. It was four o’clock in
the morning and the roads were free of
traffic. Large flurries of snow hit the
windshield as if we were traveling at
Mach speed. Thankfully, it was warm
enough they simply melted upon impact.
It did not take long to reach the airport
and shuttle off to the terminal. The gate
agent was entirely too chipper for this
early hour. Between her and Shepard, I
was already pondering my first drink.
“Identification,
please.”
Her
blinding smile was returned by an
enthusiastic slap of plastic by the man
next to me. He was dying to know where
were going, luckily the flight was only
one part of the surprise trip.
“Ooooohhhhhh, San Juan, Puerto
Rico, nice! I must say I am a tad bit
jealous of you two!”
I turned to watch Shepard light up
like a tree and mouth a quiet “yes” while
pulling his fist down towards his hip. I
couldn’t help but giggle and roll my
eyes. This was going to be entertaining.
A few hours later after a transfer in
Charlotte, we landed at the edge of
American rule. A long line of passengers
waited for a taxi, no doubt headed for
the same destination. I watched Shepard
squirm, but remained mum on our final
point of arrival, or departure, I should
say. The air was sticky and thick. Palm
trees spiked from various locations
around the terminal along with other
tropical plants. Once it was our turn to
hop in the cab, he was no longer in the
dark about where we were going.
“PanAm port, please,” I relayed to
driver.
“Port? Are we going somewhere
else?” Shepard now stared at me in
disbelief. I was done with the intrigue.
Although I could continue much longer, I
decided to let him in on the surprise.
“Yes, we’re going on a cruise. For
eight days, you are going to be stuck
with me on beaches, in pools, you name
it. But at night, we’re going to be
confined to an itty bitty room, so I sprung
for a balcony. I hope it’s okay.” I
became nervous. I had never even
thought to ask him if it made him sick
being on boats or open water. Regret
began to seep through until his hand
reached behind my head and pulled me
into a deep kiss.
“It’s perfect! I can rub oil on your
sexy back while we’re tanning on the
deck. Bend you over the rail while
we’re…” He stopped and looked at the
driver who was now eyeing us
curiously.
We both busted out laughing at our
shameless display of affection. I
wondered if we had the ability to
contain ourselves enough not to get
kicked off of the ship. It didn’t take long
until we arrived and prepared to set sail.
Our luggage was carried up separately
while we attended a mandatory safety
drill, going over escape procedures, if
needed. We stood in the back listening to
the prerecorded message while growing
hungry and restless. Dinner was
thankfully not too far away. After
returning to our staterooms and changing
into semi-formal wear for the first
seating, we headed down to the dining
area for our first public meal together.
Shepard held my chair out like a
gentleman and kissed my hand before we
were introduced to the other couples
sitting at our table. One was from
Hoboken, New Jersey, and was on their
fiftieth wedding anniversary. The other
was from Shelbyville, Tennessee, and
raised
award
winning
horses.
Apparently, they also had kin who ran a
bootleg
moonshine
business
and
promised to bring a little of the prized
hooch to the next dinner.
The conversation flowed freely as
well as the wine. Over an hour passed
between courses before we realized it
was time to retire. It was such a long day
and I was exhausted and ready to be
alone with him. Shepard ran his hand
along my thigh, indicating that he too
was ready to go. We excused ourselves
from the table and simply held hands in
the elevator, sated by a delicious meal
and the knowledge we had a whole
week ahead of us.
The rest of the evening was not
rushed. It was light hearted and sensual,
allowing us to take the time to explore
each other without hurry. We conversed
between caresses, sharing thoughts with
gentle kisses.
“Thank you, Violet. This is
amazing,” he whispered in my ear while
pulling me snugly against him.
“Please, this is the least I could do
for everything you have done for me. I
am happy I could surprise you.” Even
though he couldn’t see my smile in the
dark, I was sure he could feel it.
“You’re not the only one who has
gotten something they needed out of this.
Did it ever occur to you that maybe I