Cutting Through

by Joan Hohl

  In fact, she and her two best friends had completely different personalities. Maybe that was why they got along so well.

  Krissy had always been flamboyant, outgoing, and as they got into their teens, outrageous. Julia, on the other hand, was the calm, pleasant, get-along-with-everyone type. Laura had been into her studies, quiet, a little meek. Well, maybe more than a little, she conceded. She was, and continued to be, the one to always give in to the stronger voice.

  In addition to her naturally quiet nature, respect for her husband had been instilled by the relationship of her parents. She had never heard them argue even mildly, never mind nearly scream at each other. But then, both of her parents were quiet and mild by nature. The apple didn’t fall far from those two trees, she thought, halfway between amusement and sadness.

  Always before, after appeasing Drew at the slightest hint of an argument, Laura had chided herself by paraphrasing the first line of an old song: I am woman, hear me whimper.

  “Not any more.” Laura said the words aloud, her voice strong with pride and determination. “Never again.”

  “Can’t I even go down with you for the weekend?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Are you whining?”

  “Yes.” Though Rand’s tone was petulant, his eyes gleamed with a wicked light. “You’ll be away for a whole week.”

  Krissy gave him a wry look. “Which means, no sex for you for seven long days.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You look like a spoiled little boy.” She laughed. “You know, you’re an even better actor than I realized. I’m talking Academy Award quality.”

  Rand laughed with her. “It would be nice, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.” His laughing expression turned sly. “You know, the leading lady on our film has intimated she would just love to jump my bones.”

  “She’s tired of living?”

  Krissy raised her eyebrows, knowing Rand wouldn’t cheat on her while she was away. Knowing that if he wanted someone else, he’d be honorable and tell her.

  Grinning, he crossed the room to her and pulled her into his arms. “You’d kill for me?”

  “Ahhh, no.” She grinned back at him.

  “Bummer.” He appeared crestfallen.

  “Oh, you’re such a ham,” she said, making a pretense of pushing him away.

  “You wound me, woman. Now you must pay the price.”

  “Oh, good,” Krissy said, sliding her hands to the back of his neck. “What kind of price?”

  “Torture.” He gave her a taste of his brand of torture by gliding his tongue down the curve of her neck.

  She shivered in response. “Are we talking fur handcuffs and velvet whips here?”

  Rand raised his head to give her an are-you-kidding look. “You’re into that stuff?”

  “No!” Krissy shook her head. “But I was beginning to fear you were.”

  “Nah, too kinky.” Rand leaned forward to brush his lips over hers. “I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy.”

  “Then, what sort of torture did you have in mind?” She sighed as his mouth brushed hers once more.

  “Torture of the sensuous kind. Like this.” His tongue slid across the seam of her mouth and when she opened for him, Rand didn’t greedily thrust inside, but slowly, excitingly, ran his tongue along her lip line.

  Moaning deep in her throat, Krissy pressed closer to him, thrilling to the sensations created by his erection pressing against her.

  His tongue proceeded to tease her by laving the inside of her lower lip.

  “Rand.” Her voice was growing husky with need.

  “Yes, love?” His voice was sensuality itself.

  “Kiss me.” A pleading note now.

  “Umm, not yet.” His tongue stabbed at one corner of her mouth. “This is part of the torture.”

  Krissy grabbed onto his thick hair, trying to pull his mouth to hers.

  He laughed, held firm, and stabbed at the other corner of her now pouting mouth.

  “You’re a devil,” she said, spearing her hands through his hair, her fingers tingling to the silky feel of the wavy locks against her skin.

  “And you love it. And me,” he murmured, his mouth coming to hover temptingly over hers. “Don’t you?”

  “Yes and yes,” she admitted, sighing. “Now, will you shut up and kiss me?”

  He did. Over and over. Sweetly, hotly, hungrily. Before and after the act. An act no one could call torture, except for the most exquisite kind.

  And exquisitely spent, Krissy lay content in Rand’s arms, practically purring in response to the soothing stroke of his hand as it moved from her hip to her thigh. The sharp sting of pain she had felt when he was making love to her breasts had been soon forgotten once his body became one with hers.

  “Are you sleeping?” His breath tickled her ear.

  “No.”

  “Are you going to go to sleep?” He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

  “No.” Her leg rested between his thighs, and she felt the leap of renewed passion. Anticipation stirred deep inside her. “Why? What did you have in mind?”

  “As if you didn’t know,” he chided, laughing softly. “Is it time for seconds?”

  “You’re insatiable,” she said, rubbing her leg against his hardening erection.

  “Horny, too.” Laughing, he flipped onto his back, grasped her hips and settled her on top of him, over him, sheathing him. “It’s now up to you, love. You may take a slow ride or a fast gallop.”

  Fully enjoying being in control, Krissy freely indulged her body, first in the former, then in the latter of his suggestions.

  “Rand?” Krissy’s voice was blurry after waking from a three-hour nap.

  “Umph.”

  “Wake up.” She lightly scraped her nails from his shoulder and down the length of his arm.

  “Umm.” He still sounded half-asleep. “That felt good. Do it again.” Even half-asleep he was sexy.

  “No.” She laughed. “You like it too much.”

  He yawned, hugely. “If not for more of my patented brand of torture,” he said, smothering another yawn. “What was so darned important you had to wake me.”

  “I’m hungry.”

  He opened one eye. “Well, I just offered…”

  “For food,” she interrupted, feigning impatience, which wasn’t easy as she was grinning at him.

  “Oh, that.” He opened the other eye. “Is that all?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Really?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “What else is bothering you? Anything I can help you with?”

  “Yes.” She was still smiling.

  “Glad to be of service.” He kissed her, with passion and obvious meaning.

  Krissy loved it, but shoved at his chest, laughing when he came up for air. “I said not that.” She hesitated, then clarified. “At least not yet.”

  Rand heaved a heartfelt, and obviously fake, sigh. “Okay, love, what’s on your mind?”

  “The Fourth of July.”

  “Huh?” He blinked. “What about it?”

  “It’s next week.”

  “So?”

  “Well,” she huffed. “What are we going to do to celebrate the holiday?”

  “I…” He shook his head, as if to clear the cobwebs. “I don’t know. I didn’t know you wanted to celebrate it.”

  “Well, I do. I love the Fourth of July.”

  “Okay.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, as though seeking guidance.

  “I’ve always loved it,” she said, offended by his expression.

  “You’re kind of goofy, you know that?” He grinned to take the sting from his remark.

  It didn’t work. “Goofy, am I?” she cried. “You’re the one who wanted this…this…affair.”

  Rand shot into a sitting position; she suspected it was just so he could glare down at her.

  “We are not having an affair, we are having a relationship.” He came within a slim hai
r of shouting at her. “And I was teasing by calling you goofy, and dammit, you know it.” He tossed the covers off of them both as though he meant business. “Get up.”

  “Why?” Krissy glared back at him.

  “Because we are going to make a little trip to jewelers’ row, where I’m going to put a diamond engagement ring big enough to choke a horse on your finger.” He jumped from the bed, seriously agitated. “That will put the stamp of approved intent on our relationship.”

  Continuing to glare at him, Krissy didn’t move. “Rand, I told you I didn’t—”

  “I know what you told me.” He cut her off with the slicing movement of his hand. “Now, I’m telling you. I love you. I want to marry you. You said yes to me weeks ago. Now, haul your ass out of that bed and let’s shower, dress and go make it official.”

  She blinked at him. “You’re serious.”

  He heaved another, this time real, sigh. “Krissy, love, I am totally serious.” Taking her hands, he drew her upright. “Krissy. You’re tearing me apart here. Please let me put my ring on your finger.”

  “Just the engagement ring,” she said tremulously.

  “Okay, just the engagement ring.” He smiled, with a tinge of determination. “For now.”

  “On one, no, two conditions.” She sounded every bit as determined.

  He sighed again. “What are they?”

  “First, we order something to eat from room service before we leave.”

  “All right. What else?”

  She smiled, coaxingly. “While we’re eating, we make plans for the Fourth of July.”

  Rand lost it. Doubling up with roaring laughter, he fell back onto the bed. While he was busy having an amusement fit over her requests, Krissy dashed into the bathroom and flicked the switch on the lock.

  Moments later, he was pounding on the door, demanding she let him in.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower,” she shouted through the door. “In the meantime, call room service. I’ll have a French dip sandwich and a baked potato. And order another bottle of that good cabernet.”

  “You’ll pay for this, too, sweetheart,” he growled in mock warning, tacking on, “Later tonight.”

  “Oh, that meal was so good,” Krissy said an hour or so later. She raised her glass to him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Rand also raised his glass, tipping it toward her. “But thanking me doesn’t get you off the hook. You’re still going to pay for locking me out.”

  “Promises, promises,” she taunted. “So, let’s get back to important stuff. What do you want to do to celebrate the Fourth. Any ideas?”

  “I’ll let you set the agenda. I haven’t a clue what’s available in this city.”

  “Oh my God, Rand,” Krissy cried fervently. “We’re in the birthplace of our country.” A soft smile of remembrance touched her lips. “Years ago, the state had a motto and song that went, America starts here, in Pennsylvania. There have been a lot of different state mottoes since that, but I always loved that one best.”

  “Well, well, we really do learn something new every day,” Rand said, his smile for her gentle and beautiful.

  Krissy frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “You are a dyed-in-the-wool patriot.” He gave her a tender smile. “You really do love this state.”

  Krissy nodded. “I really do love our country, most especially this state.” Reaching across the narrow room service table, she grasped his hand. “Oh, Rand, you are in for a treat. An historical feast.”

  “Okay, I’m game. What’s on the menu?”

  “Well, to begin, next week is the yearly Welcome To Philadelphia celebration. There will be all kinds of festivities, lots of fireworks, at the museum, at the ball game. I don’t know exactly how many. We’ll go to Penn’s Landing to watch the ones set off over the Delaware River.”

  “Sounds good, I—” he began.

  “But that’s not all,” she interrupted. “We’re going to visit Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross house, Elfreth’s Alley…”

  “Wait a minute.” Rand held up his hand. “Why are we going to an alley?”

  “It’s not just any old alley, Rand,” Krissy corrected him. “It’s a block that has thirty-some houses, a lot of them built before the Revolution. It’s located in the middle of the Old City and is the nation’s oldest residential street. I’d guess that thousands of people have lived there and so far as I know, most of the homes are still occupied. But I think there’s one that’s kept open for tourists.”

  “You amaze me,” Rand murmured in awe. “How do you know all this historical stuff?”

  “I grew up here, even if it wasn’t right here in Center City.” Her smile was sly. “Besides, American history was my favorite subject in school.”

  He pushed back his chair and stood. “Okay, love. Let’s get going.” He circled to hold her chair.

  “Rand, the festivities don’t start till next week. Where do you think we’re going?”

  “To find a ring to slip on your finger.” He turned to her, raising one eyebrow. “What? You thought I’d forget?”

  He was such a darling. She raised up on tiptoe to give him a sweet, adoring kiss.

  “What was that for?” he asked, his voice roughened with emotion.

  “That was for you…being you.”

  “Ahhh, Krissy,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “I honestly, truly, do love you.”

  “And I honestly, truly, do love you back.”

  He jerked his head up. “Enough to marry me now?”

  “Don’t push it, lover,” she said, wryly.

  Rand laughed, grabbed her hand, and headed for the door.

  CHAPTER 14

  Jon drove Julia into the city late in the afternoon of the Friday of the Fourth of July week. They had booked a room at the same hotel she had stayed at in the spring, and where Krissy was still in residence in a lavish suite.

  Julia and Jon had made love twice more that week. He had been passionate, the way he used to be with her, leading her to hope they were growing closer.

  Yet, not once had Jon whispered to her he still loved her. Nor had he murmured how good they were together, in and out of bed. The unmentioned strain remained between them.

  “You know, this is the very same room I had in the spring?” Julia marveled, gazing at the number on the folder containing the computer key card the desk clerk handed to her.

  “Yeah,” Jon muttered, walking toward the bank of elevators. “The start of this whole business with Krissy and Laura,” he said, after stepping into the empty car behind her.

  “What business?” Julia frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Jon shrugged. “All of this running back and forth to meet for lunch, or the six of us meeting for the occasional dinner.”

  “I thought you enjoyed their company,” Julia retorted, her voice sharp. “You said you did.”

  The car stopped at their floor. The doors hissed apart. Irritated, Julia swept past him along the corridor to their room.

  He heaved a long-suffering sigh, which only succeeded in increasing her irritation. She was so agitated, she had to slide the card into the slot three times before the green light blinked, allowing her entrance into the room. She swung around to glare at him the moment he shut the door.

  “What was that put-upon sigh all about?” she said, not even trying to conceal her anger. “Were you lying to me when you claimed to enjoy those evenings out?”

  “No, of course not.” Jon raked his hand through his hair. “I just meant, all that time spent together, and still you three feel a need to spend a week away.”

  The anger inside Julia expanded. It was to the point of exploding from her mouth when a tap sounded on the door, followed by a call.

  “Bellman.”

  Turning away, Julia strode to the wide window and gazed at the now familiar panoramic scene below. She managed a tight, sad smile
for the statue of William Penn atop city hall. This time, she didn’t greet the state’s founder, aloud or silently.

  “Thank you, sir, I hope you enjoy your stay.” The voice of the bellman, and the gentle closing of the door as he departed, broke into her brooding thoughts.

  Fat chance of that, Julia thought, grateful she and Jon would only be there that one night. She, Krissy and Laura were leaving for the shore after checking out tomorrow. Well, she and Jon would be checking out. Laura was driving in from New Jersey, and Rand would be staying in the suite.

  “What is your problem with my spending a girls’ week away, Jon?” she asked, her annoyance clear in the tightness of her voice. “You’re away for days and at times a week several times each year.”

  “But that’s for business,” he snapped back. “Not for pleasure.”

  “Oh, give me a break.” Julia made a rude noise. Somewhere between a snort and a mocking laugh. “Are you actually trying to tell me you never have a good time at those conferences and seminars? You never meet up with old friends, go out to eat, have a few drinks, laugh and enjoy yourself?” Before he could respond, she continued scathingly, “Do you honestly take me for that big a fool?”

  “No!” Jon exclaimed in denial. “Dammit, Julia, you know full well I have always treated you and your intelligence with respect, and I have never so much as given a thought to taking you for a fool.”

  “Then why do you resent my going away with my oldest and dearest friends?” On a roll, Julia was not about to stop, even though he opened his mouth to reply. “You have left me on my own so often, holding down the fort. First I was running after kids, now I run the kids around to all their games and classes. It’s exhausting.”

  “Julia.” Jon’s tone held a plea. “I know you’ve been a model doctor’s wife, but you did know I was a doctor before you married me.”

  Julia threw her hands up. “I’m not complaining about your profession, Jon. Have I ever? I’m just saying, you’re being unfair by objecting to my being away. All I want to know is…why?”

  “I’ll be alone.” Simple and straightforward.

  “Oh, Lord!” Julia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I’ve been alone for most of our married life. Which, in case you don’t realize it, means you weren’t there. And now, with the Ems in Florida, I’d be almost completely alone, as I have been for the past week.”