Jake led her along the corridors, and they arrived in yet another wing.
“This is the area where they used to let the tourists stay overnight if they so desired,” he said. “It was always really locked up tight so the bums could never get in. Well, they could have gotten in if they really wanted to, but they had the rest of the building to hang out in.”
“Wow, this is nice,” Madeline said as she entered the doorway after Jake unlocked the door.
The hallway was carpeted, and although it was old and musty, there weren’t any crumbling walls or dirt piles on the floor. The walls were painted a pale yellow with faded flowered border along the top. Jake walked down the hallway for a while and opened a door. He showed Madeline a small bedroom that was made up. It looked clean.
“You can stay here tonight, if you want,” Jake said.
“Where were these rooms when we got here?” Madeline whined.
“They were too far away from the main area and the portable toilets and all. But I decided that for tonight, we’ll stay over here. Just you and me.”
“You and me?” Madeline asked.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll have the room down the hall. There are a lot of rooms. I had the PAs make sure there were a couple made up just in case anyone wanted to stay over here.”
“I slept on the floor when I could have been here?”
“Face it, Madeline, you would have still been in there sleeping on the floor.”
“You’re right. I would have been.”
“So there’s your Valentine’s Day present. Don’t say you never get anything.” He grinned.
“Valentine’s Day present?” Madeline asked. “Please.”
“I would have done it anyway,” Jake said.
“I know. That’s why you’re sweet.” Madeline reached up to kiss him on the cheek. Jake took her face in his hands and kissed her fully on the lips.
He drew back, and before she could speak, he kissed her again.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Madeline said as she stepped back.
“Why not? You don’t have anyone, do you?”
“Well, no... but Diana...”
“Diana?” Jake stared at her. “Diana? You think that me and Diana...?” He laughed. “Madeline, we’re just friends. Buddies. We’ve never been and never will be anything more.”
“Oh,” Madeline said.
“So can I kiss you again?” he asked.
Madeline didn’t answer as she pressed her lips against his. They kissed awkwardly, their gear coming between them.
“I should leave... before...” Jake said.
“Don’t leave,” Madeline said. “Stay here with me.”
Jake kissed her again. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
He went to the knapsack and started to pull things out. He set up several of the battery-operated candles so there was more light. He held up packages of wet wipes and bacterial disinfectant. He had towels. He even had a bedpan. He held it up.
“You don’t have to go to the portable toilets. I brought you this.”
Madeline laughed. “You’re funny,” she said as she took off her coat.
Wordlessly, they undressed. When they were naked, they looked at each other and kissed again.
Jake opened the wipes and proceeded to wash her. He started with her face, softly pressing the wipes against her cheeks, washing away the dirt and dust, kissing her as he did so. With another wipe, he washed her neck, her shoulders, her arms. He took more wipes and rubbed them along her breasts.
“You are so beautiful,” he sighed as he sucked on one of her nipples. Madeline moaned softly, her body surging with warmth toward him.
“I want to make love to you,” he said. “Here, wash me.”
Madeline took the wipes and washed his broad, hairless chest and muscular back. She ran the cloths along his tight buttocks and down his firm thighs. When she went around to the front of him, his penis was already erect.
She took it in her hand and gently washed it. When she was done, she leaned over to take him in her mouth.
“Oh, that’s good,” Jake sighed as Madeline sucked him deeply. She pulled him out and licked him all along his shaft, flicking her tongue on his head, and then she deep-throated him.
She bobbed her mouth up and down along his cock, coaxing him harder.
“That’s nice, but you’d better stop if you want me to last,” Jake said as he pulled away from her mouth.
He took her hand and led her over to the bed. With a flourish, he tore away the top blanket for the clean sheets beneath. They both got onto the bed and lay back, kissing each other.
Madeline’s body was aching with all the walking they had done, and lying down was such a relief. Jake rolled over and took Madeline in his arms, kissing her deeply. Their bare bodies pressed against each other. He was so warm and smooth, so muscular and broad.
She ran her hands along his arms, feeling his biceps and then his back. He stopped for a moment.
“Wait,” he said as he went back to the knapsack. He returned with a package of condoms.
“Oh good,” Madeline said. “I didn’t bring any on the trip. I didn’t think...”
“Shhh,” he said, gently kissing her. He opened a package and took out a condom. He rolled it onto his penis, never missing a beat with his lips.
When the condom was on, he pushed Madeline onto her back and slowly pressed himself into her. She trembled with impatience as his hard cock parted her moist, warm lips, filling her emptiness.
“Oh God, you feel amazing,” Madeline sighed, wrapping her legs around him to draw him deeper.
He began to thrust into her, and Madeline rocked with him. The energy of the stress, the worry, the horror of the day flooded through their bodies and into each other. Their groins met and parted, meeting again, deeper and harder.
“Faster,” Madeline urged. “Oh God, hard and fast, Jake.”
Jake leaned up on his elbows and plowed into her as deeply as he could. He pumped hard, each stroke faster and deeper. Madeline hung on to him, crying and moaning as ecstasy took hold. Each thrust brought her higher and closer to the edge. His breath was hot in her ear as his own moans and sighs filled the air.
Madeline’s legs trembled, and soon her whole body was caught in a wave of orgasm.
“More, Jake,” she cried as she climaxed. “Oh God, yes!”
Jake fucked her furiously, and as her orgasm slipped away, another arrived to take its place. She rode the waves, clutching his arms, his ass, her legs locked around him, her head shaking back and forth.
Jake thrust into her one last time, and she felt him stiffen and release inside her. “Oh God!” he called out. “Oh God!”
He slowly pumped another time or two, and then he stopped. He took a deep breath and pulled out of her.
He lay on his back, panting. Madeline rested her hand on his chest.
“That was amazing,” she purred.
“You are amazing,” Jake said as he leaned over to kiss her.
Chapter Fifteen
Rearrange your environment to attract auspicious energy.
Madeline stared out her window. The snow kept falling, endlessly and relentlessly. It was like a conveyor belt of fluff. Every winter she would vow to move somewhere warm, yet every winter she was still in the apartment. California was so far away.
Madeline sighed and sat back down on the couch. She flicked around the TV stations for a while, but none of the shows caught her eye.
There was a pang in her stomach. Not the throb of distrust and pain, but a sensation of longing, of wanting, of craving.
She ached for Jake. She laughed as she caught the nuance. Funny but true. She was amazed at how much her feelings had opened up since she’d started drawing classes.
She found her pencils and some paper and set to work drawing another vision. She closed her eyes, letting her fingers find the vibration of the pencil and matching them to the urgency of the paper.
The pencils sl
id along the paper at a feverish pace, swirling and jagged lines being Madeline’s preference.
When at last she was done, she looked at the paper in amazement. “I can’t believe that was me,” she said.
You always were good at art, her mother said.
“Oh, quiet, Mom, you know that’s not true. I suck at art, that’s why I never did anything with it. But now, I think I’ve tapped into something else.”
Madeline placed the sketchpad on the back of the couch. She walked into the center of the living room to look at it.
It was not a brilliant work of art, but a competent rendering by a competent person. At least she liked to think so.
The picture was of the tunnel. Madeline and Jake stood inside the glowering light storm. Rainbow rays emitted toward the ghosts’ darkness. In the background, swarms of swirling spirits watched.
Madeline nodded. Yes, she was getting better at drawing. She could almost tell it was her and Jake.
* * *
Checking her email for the fortieth time, she saw one had come in from Jake. He was wishing her well and asked how her day was going.
Madeline sat down to reply. She typed a big long speech about how much she missed him. As she read it back to herself, she realized it was madness to send such a missive to someone she barely knew.
Did she?
She had gotten to know him over the past couple of weeks. She had relived their lovemaking over and over since she had been back. She liked to think she knew him well, but maybe it was all an act. Maybe he was really someone else.
She frowned. That was craziness.
She deleted the email and had set to work writing a new one when the doorbell rang. She wondered who it could be and answered the door. Ellie stood outside, covered in snow and carrying two book bags as well as a knapsack.
“Ellie?” Madeline asked.
“Uh, you did remember, didn’t you?” she asked. “Remember, the appointment? Feng shui for your birthday?”
Madeline thought a moment. “Of course, the feng shui.”
“You said to come today, so I did.”
“When?”
“When we talked on the phone. You said you’d write it on your calendar.” Ellie pushed her way past Madeline and found her calendar stuck to the fridge with a magnet.
“Aha. It says right here, ‘Ellie, feng shui, one o’clock.’ So here I am.”
“Man, I must be getting Alzheimer’s or something. I completely forgot about it.”
“Is this a bad time?”
“No, not at all. I just haven’t tidied up or anything.”
“Believe me, it doesn’t matter. By the time we’re done with this, you’ll see.”
As they pushed the furniture around to blaring rock and roll, Madeline shouted to Ellie. “It doesn’t matter if we feng shui. I got laid.”
Ellie stopped pushing the couch and stood up.
“Get out!” She went over to the stereo to turn down the music. She faced Madeline with her hands on her hips, waiting expectantly for an explanation.
“No, I did. And it rocked.”
“Wow, who is he?”
“That Jake guy. The paranormal investigator. We finally did it.”
“Man, you’ve had a crush on that guy for years,” Ellie said.
“Hey, how did you know?”
“Oh, please, it’s always ‘Jake this’ and ‘Jake that’ about your theories. You were nuts for him before you even met him.”
“It’s those damn words on the screen. I’m so cerebral sometimes. It’s like he’s licking my brain but in that warm, friendly way, like when you’re getting head.”
“You’re a freak,” Ellie said. “But a happy freak. Well, I’m sure you’ll find things will get even better once we get this place in order.” She smiled.
“I’m looking forward to that.”
After a few hours, they finally had the place rearranged. Ellie smiled as she held out a sage stick to Madeline. “Once I’m gone, sage this place and wait for the magic to happen.”
“I will,” Madeline said.
Chapter Sixteen
Embrace your innermost desires.
Madeline was late getting to class, and she hoped she wouldn’t be too disruptive. As she tried to quietly enter, her knapsack hit a fellow classmate’s easel, and all her work went clattering to the floor. In trying to help, Madeline’s knapsack hit other people as well.
“Here, let me take that from you,” Adele said as she helped Madeline off with the bag.
“I’m so sorry,” Madeline said as she looked around the class. The students scrambled to pick up rolling pencils. She shook her head at her own clumsiness and tried to make her way to her easel without further incident.
Adele returned to her position at the front of the class.
“Today, class, we’re going to paint something that will cheer us up on this drab winter night. I know we all just survived Valentine’s Day.”
There were a few chuckles around the class.
“Now that it’s over, brush aside any bitterness or dark thoughts you might have toward love.”
What a difference a week made, Madeline thought. Last week she wouldn’t have thought about V-Day being anything but bad news. Now she was practically humming with joy.
“I want you to concentrate on the sensation of love. Think about a time you loved and were loved. An innocent love. A beginning love. A child’s love. All those wonderful, crushing emotions can be portrayed in color. Use your intuition to paint a tapestry of love,” Adele said. She watched her students as they proceeded to put pencils to papers. A few had brought watercolors and were trying them out. Madeline looked longingly at the paints. Adele noticed her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wish I had thought to bring watercolors. I’d really like to try them tonight.”
“I have some you can use.” Adele went over to her easel and brought back a tray of paints. She filled a little jar with water.
“Thank you,” Madeline said.
The class passed quickly. When the students were finished painting, Adele had them show their work to the others. She stared in amazement at Madeline’s work.
“You’ve improved so much,” she said. “I can feel warmth and light practically flying from the work.”
“I had a good weekend,” Madeline said. “I think I’ve figured out how to open up my feelings.”
“I think you have too.” Adele smiled as she stared at the portrait of a rainbow-colored man and woman holding hands in a tunnel.
Chapter Seventeen
Socialize with friends.
The club was packed, and it took Madeline a while to find Natasha and Maggie. Not long after she arrived, Ellie showed up. Adele and Toni followed soon after that. The women drank their beers, trying to find an area large enough for them to clump together and gossip.
However, it didn’t seem as though that was going to be the case.
“This band is good, huh?” Maggie asked. Her eyes flashed playfully as she sipped her drink.
“I’ve always liked them. I guess lots of other people do too,” Madeline shouted over the noise of the crowd.
“Yeah, who knew so many people would come out in February?”
“Well, it is Friday night.”
“Yeah, but it’s still Hermana in the wintertime.”
“I guess people like the band.”
They tried to see the band, but the crowd was so dense it was impossible to move anywhere near the dance floor or even within view of the stage.
“I hate being short,” Madeline said. “I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Don’t worry, I can’t see anything either,” said Natasha, who was easily the tallest of the women.
“Look, there are the guys, finally.” Maggie pointed. Weldon and Gus pushed their way through the crowd. Madeline looked at them enviously. They seemed like such nice guys. Weldon hugged her hello, and Gus gave her a kiss.
“It’s crowded in here,”
Gus yelled to Natasha.
“Who knew?” she said and shrugged. Gus nodded, staring over at the bar. He scratched his arms impatiently while Natasha talked to Maggie. Weldon was trying to get Madeline’s attention.
“I hear you went to a haunted asylum in California,” he said.
“I can’t hear you,” Madeline said. “Do you want to step out for a sec?’
Madeline was dying to get away from the music and was pleased that he agreed. They found a pocket near the front entrance to talk.
“I was asking you about your trip. The asylum? How was it?”
“It was a strange yet wonderful adventure.”
“Is it haunted for real?”
“Yes, I’d have to say it is for real. I saw some things there that I can’t explain. I couldn’t if I tried.”
“Did you get any good pictures?”
“I think I did. I haven’t had a chance to review everything yet, but I got some orbs and ectoplasm. The usual stuff. Stuff no one can prove one way or the other, so you just never know just what it is you caught.”
“But you don’t see the things you catch when you are taking the pictures?”
“I don’t. Maybe some people do. But not me. I’m lucky to see an aura now and again,” Madeline said as she stared at Weldon.
“What is it?” he asked
“I can see it,” she said.
“What?”
“Your aura. It’s clear as a bell.”
“I have a clear aura?”
“No. I just see it clearly. It’s really quite remarkable. I see a lot of pink. I guess you’re quite taken with Maggie.”
“She’s the best. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m happy for you. I think you two make a great couple.”
“Sure we have our ups and downs. But it’s cool.”
They returned to the main part of the club and after a few moments of pushing and shoving were able to navigate their way back to their friends, who had moved over by the bar to get more drinks. Madeline stood with them and wished desperately she were somewhere else. She looked at Gus as he looked wistfully into the crowd.
Aquarius: Haunted Heart Page 16