The Schuyler House

by Cade Haddock Strong

  * * *

  My birthday is in late April, and Alex surprises me with a weekend trip to the Inn at Little Washington. The Inn is located in northern Virginia about two hours west of DC, and I’ve always wanted to go there. Not only is it an incredibly romantic historic inn, but it also happens to have a Michelin-starred restaurant at which all overnight guests are guaranteed a reservation. I know scoring a room there is no easy feat, so I can’t believe Alex was able to get us in.

  My actual birthday falls on a Thursday this year, so Alex makes me flank steak and grilled asparagus on her grill. We agreed to a quiet dinner at home on the actual day since we’re leaving for the Inn the next day. On Friday, we somehow manage to sneak out of the office around three o’clock so that we can hit the road before the peak of rush-hour traffic. Traffic out of the city is still pretty heavy, but we still make it to the Inn a little after six o’clock.

  We drive into the Colonial village where the Inn is located and park Alex’s truck in a small gravel lot outside the Inn’s main building.

  A very tall, thin, twenty-something woman greets us as we approach the reception desk. “Hello, and welcome to the Inn at Little Washington. May I have your name, please?” she says a little too pleasantly.

  “Um, yes, the reservation is under Alaska Holland,” Alex replies as she digs in her purse for her wallet.

  “Alaska, that’s a very unusual name. I like it,” the woman says as she starts to peck at her computer. “I see you are staying with us for two nights. We have you in a beautiful room in The Parsonage, the Victorian house just across the street from the main Inn. You’ll love it, the rooms were just renovated this past year,” she says as she hands Alex a registration card to complete before continuing. “You’re all set for dinner at the Inn’s restaurant tomorrow night…and let’s see, it looks like you’ve arranged for private dining this evening. A table will be set for you in our library and, as you requested, be available for you at eight o’clock.” she says as she looks up at Alex to confirm that everything she’s said is correct.

  “Yes, that all sounds right,” Alex says to the tall woman before giving me a little wink.

  “Do you need any assistance with your luggage?” the receptionist asks as she hands Alex two room keys.

  “No thank you, we don’t have much. I think we can manage on our own,” Alex replies, and we turn to head back out to the parking lot.

  As soon as we’re outside, I turn to Alex. “Private dining in the library? Like bringing me here wasn’t enough? You sure know how to sweep a woman off her feet!” I wrap my arm across her shoulders as we walk back to the truck.

  We move her truck across the street near the Parsonage, grab our bags and head off in search of our room. We find it on the second floor, and Alex slides one of the keys into the lock.

  “Wow!” Alex says as she steps inside the room and takes a look around.

  “Holy shit,” I echo when I step in behind her.

  The room is fairly large and exquisitely decorated—it’s less ornate than the décor of the main inn, which suits me just fine—with furniture that somehow manages to look contemporary and English country at the same time. A fire has been set in the wood-burning fireplace, and French doors open to a balcony that overlooks the meticulously maintained gardens, which are bursting with color.

  Alex steps out onto the balcony to take in the view. “I could seriously get used to this! When I made the reservation, the person explained that Parsonage offers a more modern take on the Inn’s English country house aesthetic, whatever that means.” Alex says as she steps back into the room.

  We quickly unpack, and start to freshen up for dinner. We’re in the process of changing into our clothes for dinner when there’s a knock at the door and a deep voice says, “Room service.” Alex and I are both half naked, and we stare at each, not sure what to do. I grab a robe out of the closet, and Alex ducks into the bathroom.

  “Coming,” I say as I tie the robe and head for the door. I open the door to find a well-dressed man with a bottle of champagne nestled in a bucket of ice and two champagne flutes. I let him in the room, and he sets the champagne and glasses on a table near the French doors before politely excusing himself.

  Alex emerges from the bathroom. “Wow! Where did that come from?”

  I notice that there is a little card tucked under the bucket of ice. I pick it up and open it. “Oh my gosh, it’s from Ellen for my birthday. I mentioned to her that you were bringing me here…How sweet.”

  “I’ll say. What do you say we pop that bad boy open and enjoy some champagne before dinner?” she asks.

  We finish getting dressed, and I settle into one of the chairs on our balcony while Alex opens the champagne. I hear a pop, and she steps out on the balcony with two flutes of champagne a moment later.

  I take one and raise it in the air. “I would like to make a toast…to the crazy-ass biker that almost took you out in Rock Creek Park. If it wasn’t for him, I may never have met you!”

  “I’ll toast to that!” Alex says as we clink our glasses together.

  We sit on the balcony, sip champagne and soak in our beautiful surroundings. Alex tops off both of our glasses before we make our way to dinner.

  The very tall woman at the front desk greets us warmly when we step back inside the main inn. “Back for dinner?” she asks.

  “Yes, we are,” Alex replies.

  “Let me show you to the library.”

  We follow her across a large living room to a set of French doors. She opens the doors to reveal possibly the most inviting space I have ever seen. The walls are lined with books, and there’s a fire crackling in the fireplace. The bookshelves are softly lit, but otherwise, the only light in the room is coming from the fire and a handful of candles that adorn the small dinner table set in the middle of the room.

  The waiter pulls out a chair for each of us and presents us each with a handwritten menu. He points to the menus and explains that we will be enjoying their “petite” tasting menu. Petite because it only includes five small plates and dessert rather than twelve courses served in the main restaurant. The menu for the evening includes wine pairings, so there is no need for us to order a bottle of wine.

  As soon as the waiter leaves the room, I reach across the table for Alex’s hand. “It doesn’t get much more romantic than this. Thank you for all of this, Alex. This will, without a doubt, be the most amazing birthday that I have ever had,” I say, and I really mean it. Spending my birthday at the Inn at Little Washington is an incredible treat, but spending it with Alex is what really matters. This is the first birthday that I’ve spent with someone I…someone I love, I think to myself as I swallow hard and look up into her sparkling green eyes.

  “You’re welcome.” She gives me a tender smile.

  I consider telling her right then… Telling her what I just realized myself—that I love her…that I am in love with her. But I cannot find my voice, so I just let out a small sigh. We sit in silence, just appreciating the moment and relishing our surroundings until the waiter reappears a few moments later with our first dish and wine pairing.

  We linger over crisp endive and tangy pear salad, lamb Carpaccio, mouthwatering spinach pasta with truffles, tender short ribs, and moist sea bass before finishing off with a pungent cheese plate for dessert.

  “That was truly one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life! I cannot imagine how they can top that tomorrow night,” I say as I savor the last bite of cheese.

  “Yeah, that was unbelievable.” Alex licks her lips slowly and then dabs them with her napkin. “I mean, I know this place is supposed to having amazing food, but I’m still blown away by how good it was.” The waiter returns to see if he can bring us any tea, coffee, or espresso. We both decline but gush over the meal we have just enjoyed.

  After he leaves, Alex and I wander back over to the Parsonage. Once we get back in the room, Alex gives me a mischievous look. “Did you see that awesome Jacuzzi tub in the bathr
oom? What do you say we test it out?”

  “If it means getting naked with you, count me in!”

  I follow Alex into the bathroom. She turns on the water to fill the tub and adds a few dashes of the Inn’s bath salts. While the tub fills, we strip out of our dinner clothes, toss them over the back of a chair and then slip into the warm bubbling water. Alex lies back against the end of the tub, and I nestle myself between her legs and lean back against her breasts. She wraps her arms around me, and I lean back to rest my head on her shoulder.

  “This is heaven,” I whisper, and let out a contented sigh.

  “Uh-huh.” Alex nibbles playfully on my ear before reaching up to grab the bar of soap off the ledge of the tub. She runs the soap over my arms and shoulders and gently lathers up one breast and then the other. The sensation causes me to squirm a little bit, and my nipples stand to full attention. When she’s done, I confiscate the soap and ungracefully flop around in the water as I try to reposition myself so that we’re facing each other. I maneuver my legs around her torso and begin to run the soap in slow circles over her large breasts.

  Alex looks up at me, and her incredible green eyes are full of desire. “Out of the tub now,” she commands.

  I splash some water on her breasts to rinse away the soap and work to extract myself from the tub. “Your wish is my command, Madame,” I say flirtatiously as I step on the floor mat and reach for the two plush hotel robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Alex climbs out of the tub after me, and I hand her one of the robes. She ties her robe and takes my hand to lead me back into the bedroom.

  She drops my hand when we reach the side of the bed and quickly runs over to pull the curtain across the French doors. “I’d rather not have the whole hotel watch as I ravage your body,” she says with a wicked grin as she walks back toward the bed.

  “Oh, really, ravage, huh?” I ask playfully.

  She doesn’t answer but reaches down to untie my robe and push it open to expose my naked body. She lets out what sounds almost like a growl as she reaches out to touch one of my very erect breasts and then leans down to take my nipple in her mouth. Alex sucks hard on one nipple and then moves to the other before pushing me down on the bed.

  She slips out of her robe and crawls on top of me. She slides her tongue into my mouth while simultaneously slipping her hand between my legs. “Oh, so nice and wet,” she says huskily as she slowly slides her fingers inside of me and then over my throbbing clit.

  She slides her hand back inside me, and I begin to move with her. I reach up to kiss her as I begin to tense against her hand, and I let out a very loud moan before collapsing back on the bed. “That was amazing, Alex,” I mutter as I try to catch my breath. “It’s been a long time since someone made me come that hard…”

  Alex looks down at me and gives me a big grin. “Glad I could be of service,” she says with a chuckle.

  In a quick move, I reach up and grab her shoulders and roll over on top of her so that I can return the favor.

  * * *

  The next morning, we head down and have breakfast in the small dining room located on the first floor of the Parsonage. It’s an incredibly beautiful sunny day, and after breakfast, we plan to set out on a short day-hike in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.

  As we finish eating, our waiter brings out the two gourmet box lunches we’d requested. I tuck them into my daypack next to the water bottles I filled up before we left the room. Alex, always the Girl Scout, has filled her pack with two spare fleece jackets, two raincoats, a flashlight, a bag of gorp (aka trail mix,) and some other odds and ends, and I kiddingly remind her that we are just doing a short hike, not climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

  “It’s good to be prepared,” she replies defensively and punches me playfully in the arm as we walk out to her truck.

  The trail that we’ve picked is about thirty minutes from the inn. After we park the car at the trailhead, we change into our hiking boots and set off into the woods. The hiking trail starts off following a river and is basically flat for the first hour, but then the slope increases and the last mile is pretty much straight uphill. We’re both breathing pretty hard when we finally reach the rocky summit and pause to take in the breathtaking views of the valley below and nearby mountains. We scramble over the rocks until we find a sundrenched perch nestled between the rocks and kick back to soak in the view.

  “Well, I guess the hellacious climb was worth it, huh?” Alex asks as she leans down to loosen the laces on her boots.

  “Yeah, it’s beautiful up here,” I reply. “How about some lunch? I’m starving!” I reach to pull the box lunches out of my pack. I set the lunches out on the rocks in front of us, pop open the lids and peek inside. “Yum,” I say as I pull a mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwich out of my box and dig my teeth into the homemade bread.

  “Yeah, damn, this is pretty decadent for a hike,” Alex says after she finishes chewing her first big bite. “I’m usually happy if I have a peanut butter sandwich.”

  Our lunches also include a small container of mixed berries, and we feed them playfully to one another, not even noticing that an older couple has joined us on the peak. We wave hello to them sheepishly as we finish up our meal.

  Before long, two more groups of hikers reach the summit. “Wow, our timing was really good,” I say to Alex.

  “Yeah, I can’t believe we got the summit to ourselves while we ate lunch,” Alex replies.

  “Knowing the Inn, they probably arranged it!” I say with a laugh.

  “It would not surprise me.”

  “Think they offer room service up here? A beer would taste really good right now.”

  “In your dreams, Pearson,” Alex says as she stands and pulls on her backpack. I follow suit, and we begin our way back down.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  That night, we feast on dinner in the Inn’s biggest draw, their Michelin-rated restaurant. The main restaurant offers three different tasting menus, and Alex and I both opt for the vegetarian menu since we’d had a lot of meat and fish the night before. The waiter inquires whether we are interested in adding the wine pairings, and we nod in unison. Over the next three hours, we savor every bite of the dozen or so mouthwatering dishes that appear from the kitchen, each one with its own unique flavor and each beautifully presented. Like the previous evening, each dish is just a small taste, but I feel very satisfied when the waiter brings out our dessert.

  After dinner, Alex and I decide to take a short stroll in the lush gardens surrounding the inn. The moon is nearly full, and although the sun has long since set, the air is still relatively warm. We walk hand in hand, and Alex points out some of the many flowers that are just starting to bloom. Even though I’ve been working at Hemlock for a few months now, I still don’t really know a thing about flowers, and I enjoy listening to her explain the varieties.

  We pause when we reach the far side of the garden where there’s a small pond with a gurgling fountain. The pond is lit up, and you can see koi swimming around in the shadows.

  Alex reaches up to brush her hand over my cheek and gives me a soft smile. “You look beautiful in the moonlight, Mattie.” She leans in to kiss me softly on the lips. She pulls back and stares into my eyes while taking my hands in hers. “Mattie,” she almost whispers. “I think I’ve gone and fallen in love you.”

  “Oh, Alex…” I lean my forehead against hers and let out a shaky breath. “I’ve gone and fallen in love with you too.” I give her a quick kiss before continuing. “God knows, I wasn’t looking for it, but you came out of nowhere and swept me off of my feet.” She wraps her arms around me, and we slowly sway back and forth. “What do you say we head back to the room?” I finally ask, my voice raspy with emotion.

  We barely make it inside our room before we rip each other’s clothes off and start devouring each other’s bodies. Before long, Alex has me down on the coffee table with her head between my legs. She strokes my clit with her tongue and slides her fingers inside me. I
rock back and forth gently and let the pleasure build until an orgasm thrusts through me.

  I roll off the coffee table and chase Alex over toward the couch. She has her back to me, and I reach around to take one of her bare breasts in my hand. I squeeze her breast tightly and push her down toward the couch so that I can enter her from behind with my other hand. I knead her nipple while she rides my hand, finally moaning loudly as she comes against my hand.

  “Jesus, our poor neighbors.” She laughs as she turns to face me.

  I give her a quick kiss. “Yeah, especially because I am not done with you yet,” I say as I squat down to place my mouth between her legs.

  We have sex in various positions throughout the room until we eventually fall exhausted and satiated into bed.

  I sleep like a brick until a soft knock on our door wakes us promptly at nine o’clock. I crawl out of bed, slip into a robe and quickly gather some of our clothes off the floor before answering the door. It’s a waiter with the room service breakfast we’d ordered the evening before, and I direct him to roll the table over near the couch.

  Once he’s gone, Alex climbs out of bed and pads to the bathroom. “Damn, I’m sore,” she says when she emerges from the bathroom. “I’m not sure if it’s from that killer hike or our after-dinner gymnastics.” She snickers.

  “Probably a combination of both.” I laugh as I pull the tops off the various steaming plates that have just been delivered.

  Check-out time is not until noon, so we leisurely sip coffee and nibble on our omelets while we flip through the Sunday Washington Post and occasionally share knowing glances.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  A couple of weeks after our trip to the Inn at Little Washington, Alex and her lead designer Paul head off to Seattle for a few days to attend some landscaping conference. I spend most of the time Alex is gone working at Hemlock. I stay late at the office nearly every night, and tonight is no different. My back aches from hunching over the computer all day, and I finally decide to call it quits and head back to my apartment on Q Street.