Pleasure Vows

by Khloe Summers

  Matteo brushed his hand off her shoulder and down her arm, keeping eye contact. “I knew I could count on you. I’ll be down in a few.”

  The nurse blushed and turned away from the room. Once she’d turned the corner, Matteo shot eyes at me, ripped his phone from his pocket to text someone, then leaned in as though he were hugging me.

  “We need to move fast, our guy is on his way, but the nurse will only be gone for a few minutes.”

  Lifting me from my bed into a wheelchair, he transferred my oxygen and tossed a blanket over me. He then moved a panicked Cora and did the same. We were both weak, though I seemed to have more arm strength than her, so I opted to wheel the chair myself behind them. Sweat dripped from Matteo’s face as he peeked around the corner into the hallway.

  “Okay, let’s go,” he whispered back, as he pushed Cora’s chair through the hall. “If anyone asks, we’re getting a bite at the cafeteria.”

  I followed Matteo’s footsteps exactly, wheeling the chair directly behind him as I tried not to cough. The elevator was just down the hall but sat directly across from the nurse's station. Matteo wheeled Cora’s chair into place, then pushed the down arrow next to the silver doors. An eternity passed as we avoided eye contact with anyone in the area and waited for the number on the side of the doors to land on our floor. When the doors opened, Matteo wheeled Cora inside the empty elevator and I followed.

  “Excuse me,” a small voice echoed from behind.

  My heart paused, and I turned in the chair slightly to see a short woman with a long white lab coat standing behind us.

  “Yes?” I asked, trying to sound as sweet as possible.

  “You’re tangled with my dress… the chair…”

  I smiled, relieved that the woman wasn’t summoning us back to our room, or worse—to the police. “Oh! I’m so sorry. We’re in a hurry to get some food. Not watching where I’m going.”

  Matteo stayed quiet, his head still down, the baseball cap he wore low.

  “It’s soda bread day in the kaffey. Gotta get it while you can.” Her Irish accent a lull amidst the anchored emotion we were sitting in.

  The elevator stopped on the second floor, and the doctor stepped out, releasing a unified sigh from the three of us. We rode the elevator to the basement level of the hospital.

  “He said to go where they get deliveries. I think it’s down here.” Matteo steered Cora’s chair in the direction of a ramp with a garage-style door. “Stay here. I’m going to check outside.” He walked to the standard door at the side of the ramp, peeked out, then threw his head back into the building. “He’s here. But there are two police cars parked just around the corner. Can you walk?”

  I nodded my head. Nothing was preventing us from walking, we were just weak. I stood from the chair and took Cora’s hand, supporting her weight as she hoisted herself up. Matteo met us at the end of the ramp, holding my weight as I maneuvered towards the exit, and out into the sedan. Doubling back, he reached for Cora and steadied her shaking body as they made their way back to the car, slamming the door on our old lives forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Hannah

  About five miles up the road, the squat, scruffy man driving introduced himself as Franco, then loaded us into the hard, flat back of a white flower delivery van. ‘Eddies Floral—From Simple to Simply Magnificent’. Apparently, the hospital has cameras outside each entrance that the cops will request. Switching to this van gives us another few hours to get the hell out of here.

  Once on the road, Franco began speaking quickly. He was Italian and spoke with an accent much heavier than Matteo’s. “You have new life. You do this ok, no trouble. You don’t, trouble will find you.” He reached into the passenger seat grabbed two large envelopes and lobbed them aimlessly into the back. “Don’t share information. Follow directions in package. Read when you are alone.”

  Matteo grabbed the manilla envelopes, passing Cora her package first. She was trembling. I wanted to cradle and protect what little innocence she had left. I wanted to shield her from the inevitable hardship that was about to slap her in the face.

  I slid over to her side of the van and put my arm around her, pulling her trembling body into my side, our hospital gowns still the fashion choice of the day. “Where does he have you going? I’ll give you our new number so you can call on us anytime.”

  Cora opened the envelope and began rummaging through its contents but as she was pulling out the paperwork, Franco slammed on his brakes and turned to look me in the eye. “No! You don’t ask. She doesn’t tell.” His face had curled into a dramatic pile of facial features that looked like a wrinkled Picasso.

  Matteo tapped on my foot and motioned for me to join him again. I squeezed Cora’s arm in comfort and slid back to Matteo’s side. Franco continued driving.

  “You trust him?” I whispered, now leaning into Matteo.

  “I got his number from a letter my mom left me. I trust him more than anyone else.” His assurance was rather uncomforting. Matteo looked down towards me, keeping his voice low. “Cora will be okay. I had them transfer two million dollars into a bank account she can withdraw from when she finishes college. And I put more aside for her to attend a good school. It will be good for her to be with kids her age. Find some normalcy.”

  “That helps her financially, but not emotionally. She needs us. Who else will ever really understand what she’s been through?” I kept quiet, trying not to cause a scene.

  “I love this about you… this care and concern for everything and everyone. You know I do. But we don’t know anything about Cora or how easily she will cave if anyone were to find her. And believe me… Kings Ranch will be looking. No one can know who we used to be. No one.” His eyes had dilated into a soft but serious concern.

  I gave a shallow nod, then turned my attention to the van. There were only two small windows on the back and both were tinted black, so seeing where we were was difficult. The three of us waited patiently until our getaway driver swung open the back doors.

  “Before you leave… the flash drive with girls Matteo sent… it’s been sent to the polizia…” His language was broken and twisted as he spoke. “All polizia. I got guy on it from the back… we help the girls… but you should know… Kings Ranch will have vendetta. You need to stay hidden.”

  The three of us nodded in unison. I was content to know that Kings Ranch would be investigated, but I doubt it would put any real stop to their actions. They would change their name or locations, evade the law, and pay off who they needed to. We can only hope this is the smoke that starts a larger fire.

  The man leaned against the back door of the van and motioned for Cora. She glanced towards us, still shaking. “I’ll be okay. I’m stronger than I look.” She adjusted her gown to cover her back as she slid from the van into the night. Before we could see where we were, Franco slammed the back doors closed.

  I adjusted myself back towards Matteo, taking the pressure of the hard metal floor off my ass. “How long have we been driving? Where could we be?”

  “We’ve been driving for nearly 4 hours. We could be in Galway. I’m assuming he’s dropping us all at private hangers and from there we’ll go to wherever. If I’m right, we’ll be getting out in less than five minutes.”

  Sure enough, Franco returned to the van and three minutes later, he was letting Matteo and I out as well. “Buona fortuna, good luck. If you need anything… you have my number.”

  Matteo concurred, then reached his hand behind my gown to help me onto the jet. “We’re so close my Bella. We are so close to living outside the shadows.”

  One Month Later

  Hazel

  Marco sat against a pine tree in front of our small cabin in the woods. It had been built recently with a rustically modern flair and overlooked a private lake. In the distance, we could watch as the seasons changed the snowcapped mountains to red and gold. But for now, we were happy to feel the warmth move into the
air and smell the peace that grew with wildflowers. We were in heaven amidst the pines—it was where we met—where our romance blossomed—where we grew the secrets that can never be told.

  “Are you ready to finally do this?” I shouted from the front porch steps.

  Marco stood at attention when he heard my voice, then walked my way, brushing dead pine from the back of his black suit. “Assordante! Stunning my Bella.”

  I’d left the cabin in a lacey white A-line, that cut low in the front, and swept the mossy ground as I walked. “This has to be the most unique thing on our bucket list yet,” I said, reaching for his bulging arms as he neared.

  He smiled coyly, then took my hand, guiding me further into the alcove we’d chosen for the ceremony. We were alone in this part of Alaska, except for the bears and moose that occasionally made their way into our slice of paradise. The alcove itself sat close to the cabin and was no larger than ten feet across—it’s opening forcing us to duck beneath the leafy aspen trees. It was as though the earth had made this place uniquely for us—especially for this moment. Marco had spent the better part of the day preparing the cove, and this was the first time I’d seen it finished.

  As I stepped beneath the slightly bent aspens into the circle of pines soft violins played on vinyl, and lights illuminated the trees in dots of white amidst the green. Strung across the middle—paper lanterns—all lit to shine ever so slightly. On the ground, a blue and ivory antique rug laid spread with silky white pillows strewn about it. A tear fell onto my cheek as I took in the scent of pine, cedar, and patchouli.

  I looked towards Marco. “It’s…”

  “It’s us,” he said, brushing my lips softly with his.

  Pulling me in closer, he wrapped me in his arms, letting his hand linger on my exposed back as we swayed to the soft rhythm of the violins. “You have given me a life beyond what I could have ever imagined. With you, I can be myself and feel accepted.” He moved his lips to the lobe of my ear and continued kissing my neck gently between each phrase. “With you, I can laugh. With you, I can cry. With you, I can live out every fantasy without shame.” He trailed his lips from the lobe of my ear onto my neck, then leaned me down onto the silk pillows and continued spreading heat from his lips towards my bubbled breasts. I stayed quiet, enjoying the rush of sensations as he continued. “With you, I feel safe to be me, and I never want that to end.” He looked towards my face, then leaned himself back onto the pillows beside me.

  Reaching down, I unzipped his pants and pulled them off slowly, gathered my lacy white dress, I straddled his core, letting his hard cock slide into my depths with a moan. He kept focus on my eyes and pulled a diamond-studded band from his chest pocket, placing it on my hand as I bounced on his length.

  “My Bella, my sweet, sweet Bella.” A tear fell from the corner of his eye. “I vow to spoil you with love, give you all my time, feed into your every fantasy, save every animal that needs us, be your best friend, and hold you every night like you’re the only woman on earth… because to me, you are and always will be.”

  My heart swelled with emotion, and my eyes began to water. Marco grasped his hands on my waist and rocked my hips back and forth as passion spilled from our hearts. Reaching between my breasts, I pulled the gold band I’d chosen for him, then placed it on his ring finger as I continued to feel his thickness spread my walls.

  “Since I met you.” I sighed. “Life has been an adventure. A fantasy filled journey around the world.” I moved faster on his cock, hitting an angle that favored my g-spot just right. “This feeling I have for you, can’t be defined. It’s more powerful than words. And when you find something that potent, you don’t try to understand it, you just let it flow around you and take you where it will.” I struggled to keep my focus as I felt myself close to climax. He reached his hand up towards my face and ran his hands through my long blonde hair.

  I arched back and let out a moan but continued. “And that… that is what I vow to you. I vow to keep this feeling alive forever,” I sighed. “I vow to show that feeling in the way I touch you.” I let out a deep moan. “In the way I talk to you, and in the way I pleasure you, because you are my forever, and forever’s are always worth fighting for.

  Marco ran his fingers through his thick black hair, his face a soft pink as I continued to twist on his cock. Holding the lace at my hips, he leaned his head back and tensed his body. I’d been on this ride hundreds of times, but this moment was filled with more emotion and pleasure than I’d ever felt.

  Bouncing faster, I could feel my body tense and begin to release. Marco reached for my hand, pressing his palm together with mine so tightly, I could feel his heartbeat. He was losing touch with reality; I could see his eyes rolling back in his head. I dug deeper, pushing past my pleasure in pursuit of his. Closing his eyes, he let out a deep satisfying moan that shook birds loose from nearby trees. I slowed my pace, letting his sensitive cock rest in my warmth.

  He gazed up at me with a smile. “My Bella… my beautiful wife… only with you could this be a reality.”

  I returned the smile and leaned forward, kissing his full lips as salty tears fell from our eyes. “My husband… life with you will always be an adventure.”

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