by Joyce Jordan
Moira finished her food and Conrad took the plate to the sink.
“Now I brought you some desserts of mine and I need your honest opinion,” he said as he opened the fridge and brought out an assembly of various desserts.
“Okay,” she said as she took the fork he offered her. They all tasted great except one that Moira suggested could be done a little differently.
“Well, how about my offer?” he asked.
“Sorry, I can’t accept your offer.” Moira held up her hand, “And because I know you won’t stop, I’ll say for now. Give me time. I like what I am doing right now.”
“Okay, for now,” he said to her.
“And just so you go away with something, I’ll make you a deal.”
Lucas grinned and said to her, “I knew I could get you to see my way.”
“As soon as I am feeling better. I’ll make that other dessert and bring it to your office. How is that?” she said and grinned at his scowl.
Conrad laughed out loud, throwing his head back and Lucas scowled even more. He stood and went to get a beer then sat back down and shook his head. “Okay,” he finally said.
Conrad thought the chair in the kitchen was too hard on her, so he moved them to the sitting room. Moira let them do most of the talking and was content to just listen to them talk. She finally met Dr. Ryan when he came up to check up on her later. He woke her from her nap and had her lie down on her bed to which Conrad carried her again. Pleased with her progress, he left but left strict instructions for her to finish her dosage even after she was completely well, and to not go to work on Monday and Tuesday. Moira had hoped she would have been able to make it on Monday. She felt guilty about being away when she had only started a few weeks ago.
She took another nap when Dr. Ryan left and when she woke up in was dark outside. She heard voices coming from the sitting room and wondered if Lucas was still here or Sam had made it back. She got up slowly from the bed and gingerly stepped onto the floor. She took two then three steps and smiled in victory. Baby steps Moira. With that in mind she continued soundlessly and was quite pleased with her results. She made it to the bathroom and was at the bathroom door when her cellphone rang surprising her and she cried out as she lost her footing but quickly grabbed the door frame. Two sets of feet rushed over and stopped when they were a couple of feet away from where she was standing.
“I’m sorry, the phone just startled me but I was almost there.” A few seconds later it stopped ringing then Conrad held her hand and helped her walk the rest of the way. She was surprised because she thought he would have picked her up. The next surprise was when he turned around and gave her privacy without her asking. She looked at him as she was washing her hands. He kept staring at her and she couldn’t figure out why. “What?” she asked.
“You are very stubborn, you know that?” He moved closer and lifted her chin. Moira wasn’t sure if he even needed a response. So she kept quiet. His other hand went around her waist and then he was kissing her, thoroughly, like a man starved. He held her loosely to him, like he remembered her ribs hurt. His kiss, however, was demanding and forceful. His lips, on the other hand, were soft, very gentle.
When he felt her knees give out, he caught her behind the knees and lifted her into his arms. Moira found herself back in the kitchen. It seemed she was just in time for dinner. Lucas was stirring some sauce on the stove and setting places on the island table for them to eat.
They worked together to finish cooking, their interactions telling Moira that they had done this several times before. “Umm. Can I ask a personal question?” They turned to her and raised their eyebrows. “Never mind,” she said when she thought about it.
“No, go ahead,” Lucas said to her.
Moira shook her head. “No that’s fine. It’s not apropriate,” she said and chuckled.
“Now I’m curious,” Lucas said and took a sip of his beer. “I promise we won’t be offended.”
She looked at Conrad who just nodded his head. “Are you partners?” At their puzzled expression, she clarified, “gay?”
“Oh no, no, no,” Lucas said as he shook his head vigorously. “I like women too much. Correction, love women.”
Moira looked at Conrad who just twitched his mouth. “Whatever gave you that idea?” he asked.
“You guys move like a well oiled machine so I thought maybe you were partners,” she reasoned.
“Let me show you how un-gay I am,” he said as he came around the island and took her lips again with his. He held her head with his hands and coaxed her to open and when he found a small entryway, he moved in and pushed his tounge further until she opened fully for him. As he let her go, he caught her bottom lip and nipped her with his teeth. “That good enough for you?” he asked.
She looked at Lucas who was grinning standing next to the stove. “Bi-sexual maybe?”
“Baby, the only person I want to have sex with in this room is you. I have never had sex with Lucas, will never, nor another man for that matter.” He looked at her as she colored up and blushed. “Now does that spell it out for you?”
“Ditto,” Lucas said and when Conrad looked at him, he grinned. “Well except for having sex with you. No offense, but I don’t poach on my best friend’s girlfriend.”
“Whoa! He is not my boyfriend,” she said.
“Moira,” he said as he came around to stand next to her. “When a man takes care of you instead of hiring a nurse to do the job, he is your boyfriend.”
“I…”
“Ahhh! Don’t argue. It’s just a fact. Simple as that. Now let’s eat,” he said as he walked back to the stove and started serving food onto the plates.
Conrad kissed her forehead and then went to help Lucas. Moira just sat dumbfounded and looked at them as one of them removed the baked potatos from the oven and placed them on the plates. She saw chicken and vegetables being added, before her plate was placed in front of her. Conrad placed her pills in her palm and she took them. Dinner was a silent affair. It was one thing to have Serenity push her towards Conrad, but another when his friend Lucas did the same thing. Food for thought. Her appetite had surely returned. She ate with gusto and was pleasantly surprised when she finished her food. Moira declined dessert but accepted some orange juice. Would have prefered wine but since she was taking pills, she couldn’t mix that with alcohol.
Soon after that Lucas left. On his way out, he kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear, “It’s time to pack up Mr. Rabbit.”
Will the embarrassments never end?
Conrad locked the door when Lucas left, then came back to her side. He was about to lift her up when he phone started ringing. He went to bring the phone to her and the scowl on his face told her he knew the caller, and it was someone he didn’t like. Moira took the phone and sure enough it was Jeff Myers.
She clicked accept as he lifted her up. “Hallo,” she breathed into the phone.
“Moira, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Hi.”
“Serenity told me you aren’t feeling well. Do you need me to bring you anything?” Jeff asked. “Maybe soup?”
Conrad lowered her onto his lap then she moved around until she was comfortable. Another man would have allowed her to finish her conversation in private, and then crowded her. But this was Conrad.
“I’m better now, but thanks for checking up on me,” she said.
“Can I come and see you tomorrow?” he asked.
From Conrad’s body language, she got the distinct feeling he had heard what Jeff had said, had probably heard their whole two sided conversation. Having one of them in the room was bad enough, but two of them was another story. And recalling the kiss from the other Sunday, Moira knew it would be an absolute disaster having Jeff come over while Conrad was still around.
“Tomorrow’s not a good day, Jeff. Can I call you when I am up to having visitors?” she asked.
“Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks Jeff
. Bye,” Moira said then hung up.
“That boy has the hots for you,” Conrad said.
“Who? Jeff?” Moira laughed. “Ouch! I keep forgetting about my ribs.” Moira held her belly trying to soothe the aches. “You know it would be easier if I sat by myself?”
“Then I won’t get to hold you,” he said looking at her. Their eyes held for a moment. “Besides we need to talk. We have a some untruths that were told we still need to deal with.”
Moira’s talking points were not yet fully organised, so she went on the attack. “You told Lucas about Mr. Rabbit?” she accused.
“Yes, I had to, considering he is the one who suggested I run a background check on the guy. Imagine our surprise when we found out that he didn’t exist?”
“What? You ran a background check? Why would you do that?” Moira asked surprised.
“Baby, what was I supposed to do. You had just pushed me away for this guy, and I intended to see whether he was good enough for you,” he told her. Conrad lifted her chin up with one hand and looked into her eyes. Moira’s green eyes met Conrad’s blue. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t let you go,” he finished before he took her lips and without hesitation Moira surrendered. Conrad took her on a ride. She tasted the beer he had been drinking earlier with Lucas. She felt his hunger, his desperation for her. She opened up and he took more from her.
She came up for air and he gave her a few seconds before he took her lips back. His hunger drove her hunger, his desperation fueled her desperation, his need for her brought out her need for him. She simply surrendered and without words accepted what was meant to be. There was no more running away, no more pushing him away. He left her chin and pushed his hand under her tanktop. Moira whimpered and Conrad took the kiss deeper. He brushed lightly on the tips of her nipples and she cried into his mouth.
“Shhh. I know baby,” he said as he rested their foreheads against each other. “This is too much.” They stayed like that for several minutes, then Conrad asked her if she was tired. When she said she wasn’t he laid her head to his chest, and they sat quietly until Moira was fast asleep. When her breathing changed he stood and put her to bed. He removed her sweats but left the tank top, then found shorts for her to wear. Then he went to take a cold shower, a very, very cold shower.
As much as he knew his libido would suffer less if he slept on the sofa, away from her, he just couldn’t stay away. Besides she was thrashing around and the bedding was already falling to one side. He told himself that was a good enough reason to sleep next to her and make sure he kept her covered so she didn’t freeze. He switched the bedside lamp off and joined her. Moira settled into his front and sighed.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning Moira woke before Conrad. She was snuggled against his front and his hand was once again on her breast. Only when she tried to move did he tighten his hold and squeeze her breast. So she stayed put.
“Morning baby,” he said as he kissed her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. “Sleep well?”
“Yes, thanks,” she replied as she felt something moving behind her butt. “Is that a…”
He chuckled. “Yes it is.” He moved his hand to the bottom of her tank top and slipped his hand inside and caressed her skin.
“Conrad…”
“Shhh. Just relax and enjoy it.” He moved his hands higher and slipped under the loose sports bra and palmed one breast. Moira moved her chest out to give him better access. He fondled her breast for several minutes before he pulled on the nipple; then he moved to the other breast and did the same. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he picked her up and took her to the bathroom. “Do you want another bath or a shower?”
Moira chose the shower and soon after, Conrad had stripped them both. He walked her inside and after he had scrubbed her and washed her hair, he let her leave the shower stall, then he switched the water to cold and washed himself. He left once his erection had dies down slightly. He knew it wasn’t going to go away, as long as he was in her presence and he didn’t get to fuck her. What had seemed like a good idea on Friday, was getting harder and harder. He was hoping Sam would arrive today so he could get some relief from the constant hard-on, otherwise he might just have to end up having sex with a sick woman. Unless there was medication that acted like the opposite of Viagra. That surely could help keep his dick down.
By the time he was done with his shower, Moira had blow dried her hair, and dressed. She was wearing another tank top and another pair of sweats. She was moving easier today, infact was looking more like her normal self. Another day of rest should do the trick, although he was glad Dr. Ryan had insisted on an extra two days of rest. Knowing Moira she would have been at work first thing Monday morning.
He found her peering into the fridge. “Sit. I’ll make breakfast.” She didn’t argue, and went to sit quietly with a glass of orange juice. One thing he was thankful for is that she took to drinking fluids seriously. He made a similar breakfast like the day before of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and tomatoes. She sat while he cleaned the dishes, then they walked to the sofa. He was once again surprised when she didn’t balk to sitting on his lap.
They fell into a confortable conversation until she dozed off and he moved her to the other end of the sofa. Conrad realized he hadn’t called Sam this morning, so he made the call. He also needed to confirm his ETA. Apparently Sam was at the airport and on standby. With the backlog of flights it would be a miracle if he managed to fly out that day. He had thought of renting a car, but they were all sold out. Conrad assured him he wouldn’t leave until he was back, which was a double edged sword for Sam who wasn’t sure whether that was a good idea to have one of Miami’s playboys stay with his sister un-chaperoned yet he didn’t want his sister to be alone. “I’ll have Moira call you when she wakes up,” he said by way of goodbye.
He texted Lucas to bring him another set of clean clothes for the next day. He took his laptop deciding that he might as well cover some of Monday’s work if he wasn’t going to be in the office. He e-mailed Janet to cancel his meetings for tomorrow. When Moira woke up, he was just shutting his laptop and planning on making lunch.
“Hi,” he said. She looked gorgeous half asleep.
“Was I asleep that long?” she asked.
“Yes, some of the medication is a sleeping tablet. The last one is for tonight,” he explained her unasked question of why she kept falling asleep.
She made a face which just made her look adorable. He chuckled and stood. “Soup and salad okay for lunch?”
“Yes. Do you need help?” she asked as she got up.
He moved to her and took her lips in a fast and deep kiss. “No just come and sit with me,” he said.
She followed him and sat down. He made a simple onion and potato soup and when that was simmering, made the salad. She realized he must have gone shopping because some of the ingredients were not items she had bought. He talked to her and made her laugh. And today, she didn’t hurt when she laughed, unless she laughed too hard. Hopefully in another couple of days, she would be back to full working capacity.
Again he refused her help with the cleaning up. She called Serenity while he finished with that and she assured her she would still be able to make the trip in a couple of weeks time. She would buy the ticket in another few days and let her know.
She had to hang up because Stu was calling her. Moira rolled her eyes when he told her that Sam had already told him she couldn’t come to work until Wednesday at the earliest. He told her he would have Sofia practice what they had gone through before she fell sick and then they could resume when she came back.
“Have you talked to Sam?” she asked him.
“Yes, he thinks I have corrupted you. You need to call him and put his mind at rest. He may not be able to make it till tomorrow,” he told her.
“I can see how that’s eating him up,” she said and laughed.
Lucas brought an
other bag with more change of clothes for Conrad. He winked at her and told her she was looking better. She left them in the kitchen and went to sit on the sofa and call Sam. There was noise where he was. He moved to a quieter place and told her he was at the airport. Everybody was trying to get on the waiting list for the first flights out.
“Don’t worry about me, I am feeling much better. I should be back to my old self by tomorrow,” she told him. “Just be safe, okay.”
“Okay, I’ll text you if I manage to get a flight out today, otherwise the one for tomorrow morning is definite,” he said. “Everybody’s flight has been pushed back,” he explained.
Moira went to her bedroom and picked up her kindle. She went back to sit on the sofa and opened the book she had been reading last week. She had just got to the suspense part of the book when her eyes suddenly failed her. She tried to fight the battle but lost. Damn recuperating body she thought as she succumbed and fell asleep.
She woke up thinking that this sleep, wake, eat cycle was beginning to sound like a one year old baby’s cycle. Hopefully after tomorrow, all traces of the sleeping tablets she was taking would be completely out of her system. The apartment was silent and she wondered if Conrad had fallen asleep too. She carefully got up, looked around and found him sitting on a chair not too far from her.
“Come here,” he said to me.
As if in a trance, Moira walked to him. He patted his leg and she sat down and curled into him. When her stomach rumbled they both laughed and stood up.
“I’ll make dinner,” he said and pulled her with him to the kitchen. He made angel hair pasta in garlic sauce and chicken. When she asked him who taught him to cook, he said it was his mother. The cooking skills had come in handy when he went to college. Both him and Lucas had been great cooks, and so while everyone ate more of pizza daily, the two of them cooked their own food. Sometimes they would cater for parties and that’s how Lucas went into the food industry business and bought a few hotels, but concentrated in the Florida area. His passion had always been the shipping business, although he was a silent partner in some of Lucas’ hotels.