Tiger Lily: Part One

by Amélie S. Duncan

  I smiled. “Okay. Thanks.” Jonas gently rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. He leaned over and kissed me softly, lightening my senses.

  “Kiss me,” Jonas commanded. His gaze locked with mine, and I trembled. So close to him, I was overcome by his beauty. The sculpted angles of his face and sensual pout of his full lips. My, oh my. I couldn’t believe I was with him, let alone that we had been together intimately.

  My heart pounded in my chest as I leaned in to meet his demand, pressing my lips against his. He held back and let me lead. I kissed along his jawline, then moved my hands up to his shoulders, and met his mouth again. When I sat back, I eyed him inquisitively.

  He flashed a smile. “I want you comfortable with me.” He lifted a brow. “But you want me to take the lead?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah. I suppose I do. Is that okay?”

  He cupped my face in his hands. “Yes. Like I told you last night, I prefer it.” He gave me a searing kiss that left me hot and panting next to him. “Now that we have properly greeted each other, let me take a look at you.”

  I fidgeted next to him as he lightly touched my hair, the side of my face, and down my neck to my shoulders. He grinned at me mischievously. “You have on a bra. Lean forward.” I did as he asked and his hands skimmed up the back and unclasped it. “You won’t need one tonight.”

  My brows furrowed as my hands quickly went under my shirt and I clutched the bra in place. “I never go braless. I’m much too…‌full. I’d be uncomfortable.”

  “Not for the yoga we are doing this evening,” he said cryptically. He didn’t say anything else, but I had the impression he was waiting for me to follow his request.

  My pulse increased as I eased the bra down my arms. I guess this isn’t that big of a deal. I told myself. After all, most of yoga is stretching and breathing. “What are we doing?”

  “It’s a surprise,” Jonas said, his face blank.

  I started easing the T-shirt back into place when he tugged my shirt back up. “If you wear it, I can’t do this.” He leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, running his fingers over the swelling plains of my other one.

  “Is that why we’re going there?” I said huskily, as I moaned and pressed into him.

  Jonas squeezed my breasts in his hands, “Partly, but that will give too much away.” His breathing was as labored as mine as he groaned and suckled my breasts.

  His eyes darkened as he moved his hands to my thighs and squeezed them. “I wish we had more time.” Jonas’s hands moved to my hips and stopped.

  His eyes widened as his mouth spread into a broad grin. “Panties with yoga pants?” He peeled down the sides of the pants. “Oh, Lily.” He let go of me and chuckled.

  I covered my hot face. “It’s not that silly.”

  He tugged at my hands and cupped my chin up to him. “No, and I didn’t say it to embarrass you.” He pecked my lips. “Your innocence just surprised me.”

  I glared at him. “I’m not innocent. I think I proved that last night.”

  His gaze bore into mine. “I’d still say you are. Sex doesn’t make you impure.” He kissed my lips again, then let my face go. He leaned over next to my ear, “You can keep them on.”

  I giggled and hit his arm, and he laughed. He pulled me close to him and placed his arm around me. I relaxed and we rode down the mid-town traffic to uptown. I didn’t know what to make of the yoga center we were going to, or Jonas’s ideals of me. Nevertheless, he had somehow made me feel at ease. In fact, I found I liked his playful control of me, though I wondered just how much play it was, and how much he would actually take from me in the end. I pondered this as the car moved through traffic. When we finally slowed and I peered out the window, all I could see was a row of brownstones.

  “This yoga center is run out of a house,” Jonas said, plucking the query from my mind. The car slowed down and we stopped, got out, and walked up the driveway and down a short flight of stairs. The fragrance of incense met us at the door, along with a small elderly Indian woman in a beautiful white tunic and pants. Her face lit up and a smile formed on her lips.

  “Namaste, Jonas,” she said.

  “Namaste, Padma.” He moved me in front of him and rested his hands on my shoulders. “This is Lily and it’s her first time here.” She smiled at me and we walked further inside and up to a desk where she wrote my name on a nametag and placed it on my shirt.

  “The session tonight is a bit advanced.” Her voice just above a whisper. “For couples.”

  My lips parted. Couples?

  “I know,” he said flatly as he guided me past her.

  “I didn’t mean….” Padma cleared her throat. “I just wanted you to know Dani is in the other room with…‌Alan.”

  His brows knitted. “Oh. Apologies Padma, and thank you.”

  Jonas moved up a few steps away from her, then turned to me and said, “Dani told me she wouldn’t come tonight.” He ran his hand through his hair.

  His ex-wife Dani? She was here? I understood his reservation and I wasn’t sure how this would go, though he did mention they were friendly.

  I touched his arm. “We don’t have to stay. I’m here for you. We can go,” I offered.

  Jonas gave me a small smile. “It’ll be fine.” My tension eased in his assurance. He proceeded by splaying his hand on my lower back and guiding me down a short hall into an open alcove. There we saw intricately carved, built-in shelves marked “shoes” lining the walls. From what I could see, the place was decorated in an Eastern theme.

  Brightly colored silks hung on the walls, along with beautiful tapestries of gods and goddesses. The floors were decorated with mosaic tiles. With the large stone pedestals holding even larger candles, the place reminded me of a temple, though most temples didn’t have state of the art kitchens and adjacent cafés.

  Jonas stopped moving and I followed his gaze to a tall slender blonde with a pageboy haircut standing next to a guy with round glasses and a ponytail, circa 1967 hippy. The female had an upscale artist air about her. Maybe it was her designer bohemian clothing. Nevertheless, she was a coiffured beauty.

  They started moving towards us. Jonas closed the distance and gave the woman a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “I didn’t know you were coming,” he said.

  I chewed my bottom lip as I looked at the warmth flowing between the two of them. The man touched my arm. “I’m Alan.”

  “I’m‌—‌”

  “Lily,” Dani finished for me as she moved away from Jonas and leaned in, surprising me by cupping my face and kissing my cheek. “Jonas told me you would be coming with him. Welcome.”

  Alan touched Jonas’s shoulder and shook my hand.

  “Thank you,” I said softly, moving back to Jonas’s side.

  “She reminds me a little of….” Dani clicked her tongue.

  “Maggie,” Jonas answered quietly.

  Dani smiled and nodded in agreement. “Yes. Greg’s Maggie. But wow, those silver eyes and lips.” Her gaze raked me from head to toe. “Makes me wish we ran across her back then.” She wiggled a brow at Jonas and giggled. He laughed a little with her.

  I let my hair fall forward, and Jonas reached out and tucked me against his side. “Let’s not scare her,” he said dryly.

  Dani beamed as she looked between us. Alan leaned over and kissed her cheek, and she smiled up at him. “We just came for an early meal and chat. How about a cup of chai? Before your class?” She clasped her hands together.

  “Okay,” Jonas said. He led me to a table, then walked away with Alan to pick up the drinks while Dani and I sat down together.

  “You’ll have to forgive me. I knew you would be here tonight, and my curiosity got the best of me. So we decided to stop in to meet you,” she replied.

  I didn’t know how to answer so I nodded, then looked for Jonas, and found his gaze was on me.

  “She’s fine,” Dani called out. He just shook his head. “He’s afraid I’ll say something that
will make you run away.” She winked. “I don’t want you to run away, though. Which is why I recommended this session tonight. Give you a chance to sync your energy together.”

  I raised my brows. “Like soul and spirit body energy. I read some Eastern Philosophy in college…. “

  “Yes!” Dani exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “Jonas said you were clever. Now I’m having my own ‘Lily’ conversation.”

  I gave her a smile. Jonas had mentioned me to his ex-wife? That’s odd. What was I doing chatting with his wife about him? I covered my mouth.

  “Oh, please don’t be uncomfortable,” Dani said and grinned at me. “Yes. Jonas did mention you to me. We talk about everything. You needn’t worry.”

  “She shouldn’t worry about what?” Jonas asked. His tone was light as he walked up to the table and placed the steaming cups down. “From Lily’s expression, I think I must insist on knowing,” he mused.

  “I was just starting my own amazing conversation with Lily,” Dani said. “But she was a bit worried about talking about you with me. I tried to explain it’s perfectly fine. We’re best friends and all.”

  Jonas grinned and shook his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have left her with you.”

  “We’re fine,” I said, assuring him. “We spoke about balancing energy.”

  “Good.” He winked at me, then turned to Dani, “So where is Paul tonight?”

  “He told me he was studying for his recital, but I know he’s on a group date,” Dani said, laughing.

  Jonas’s jaw ticked. “So he’s lying again.”

  Dani shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal. He’s fifteen. We did worse.”

  Jonas smirked at her then grinned. “True. But I won’t let him get away with it.”

  “If you moved back from Texas,” Dani said in a light tone.

  Jonas’s eyes dulled, but he said nothing more and sipped his chai. I reached under the table and touched his knee.

  “My father used to go on tours,” I offered, “but he always came through with a punishment when he got back.” I laughed a little, and Dani and Alan joined in with me. Jonas’s hand slipped under the table and squeezed mine.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Lily,” Dani said, “I understand. But we all miss him here.”

  “We do,” Alan chimed in support.

  “I know. It won’t be forever,” Jonas said quietly. I squeezed his hand back.

  “Oh, I got a call from Arthur about seeing you with a young lady this morning. He wanted to make sure I was okay,” Dani said in a bored tone. “I told him.”

  “I told him too,” Jonas said and exhaled. A bell sounded.

  “The session starts in five minutes.”

  “We should get going,” Alan announced. “Nice meeting you, Lily. We should do a dinner together.” I shook his hand.

  Dani gripped my face and kissed my cheeks. “Enjoy.” Jonas tugged her arm and she giggled. “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Jonas followed them out of the café.

  Dani Crane was a surprise. So easy and seeing their banter, though unfamiliar, relaxed me. She was so comfortable and welcoming to me. Not at all like I had imagined meeting an ex would be. Even Alan seemed awfully comfortable. My heart panged. They were like a family. A longing gripped me, but I took a deep breath and pushed my thoughts away. I didn’t want to get caught up in the past.

  Jonas returned with a bag in his hand, giving me one of his gorgeous smiles, “I apologize for that. Dani is just….”

  My grin went lopsided. “‌—‌She’s really just wow…‌I don’t know. I was nervous, but she was so kind.”

  Jonas smiled wistfully. “Dani is.” He blew out. “My time in Texas has become a sore point for us. For Alan and Paul too. Thank you for that story about your father.”

  I shrugged. “It was true. He traveled at times, but we never felt he didn’t care for us.”

  “I do care,” Jonas said softly. “Anyway, I appreciated that.” He tugged a little on my ponytail and I giggled for him. He took my hand and we walked up a flight of stairs and through a set of double doors. I stopped just inside, as my eyes took in the scenery.

  The room, though dimly lit, was decorated as what I’d imagine to be an Arabian Tent. Beautiful colorful silk scarves draped along the ceiling, their soft edges brushing against the polished wood flooring. Like the rest of the center, the room had more floor pedestals with lit Eastern statues in the corners.

  What captured my attention was the three makeshift tents in a triangle along the center of the room, complete with drop silks between them. The one at the top of the triangle was on a raised platform, lit with a large mattress in the center. There was a couple inside one tent. The other was unoccupied.

  The doors closed and Padma and an elderly man, also wearing a tunic, walked past us and took a place in the middle, as Jonas led us over to the unoccupied tent.

  “Namaste and welcome, everyone, to Tantra,” Padma said. “Tonight’s session goal is for couples and lovers to learn to communicate your sexual desires and embrace your sensuality.”

  My jaw unhinged. He didn’t.

  Jonas took my shoulder and leaned down next to my ear, “I thought you would enjoy this. Help you become more comfortable with your body and me.”

  I stared at him. I didn’t know if I should be mad or happy that he had thought enough of me already to seek out a way to help us.

  “This is Ravi,” Padma said. She motioned to the elder man with short white hair dressed in loose pants standing next to her, love shining in her eyes. He kissed her palm before turning to the class.

  “Thank you, Padma,” Ravi said. “We will start with breathing and a little Hatha yoga to loosen you up. After every pose, we will return to the mountain pose.”

  Padma demonstrated by rolling her shoulders back and placing her palms together in front of her.

  “You maintain contact with your partner,” Ravi said. “We will give a question and you answer together. Let your mind rest and speak freely.”

  “After we loosen up, you may disrobe and get in your tent,” Padma said. “Please set out your yoga mats so we can begin.”

  I trembled and Jonas hugged me closer. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  Jonas massaged my shoulders. “We’ll go as far as you are comfortable.” He unzipped his bag and pulled out mats.

  “Face each other and maintain eye contact. Breathe in and exhale.”

  I stood in front of Jonas and felt a flutter through me. He was gorgeous.

  “We start with the mountain pose,” Ravi said. “We place our feet together then roll our shoulders back and put our palms together.”

  “Now for the first question. Say three things that come to mind when you think of sex,” Padma said.

  I tried to hold the pose and not giggle. “Naked. Exposed. Good.”

  “Touching. Feeling. Orgasm,” Jonas said.

  “Next pose. Inhale, extend your arms up, and place them flat on the floor…‌exhale.” Padma demonstrated and then we did the same pose.

  “Breathe out and gaze at each other and ask your partner, when you think of your body, what three words come to mind? Say it at the same time,” Ravi said.

  “Fit, athletic, healthy,” he said with a smile on his lips.

  “Curvy, fat, embarrassing,” I said, then covered my mouth as Jonas frowned. He gave me a hug.

  “Breathe in, and lunge with palms together over your head. Like this.” Padma and Ravi demonstrated. “Now tell your partner three words that come to mind when you look at them. Same as before.” We broke apart and I lunged with Jonas, then back to the mountain pose.

  I grinned “Gorgeous, kind, demanding.”

  “Beautiful, sweet, sexy,” Jonas said. We gazed at each other.

  “Last poses, downward facing dog, into the cobra.” Padma demonstrated by placing her hands flat on the mat and parting her legs, then lifting her hips in the air.

  “Breathe,�
� Padma said. She then moved her legs together behind her and dropped down, raising her upper body and lifting her chin in the air.

  “Exhale. Back to the mountain pose. What three words come to mind when you think of having sex with your partner?”

  “Aroused, excited, enjoyment,” he said.

  I smiled. “Nervous, aroused, excited.”

  Jonas took my hand. “Relax. I want you to enjoy this.” He led me to the tent and we climbed inside. He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his ripped upper body.

  I trembled and looked around, only to find the others engrossed in their partners.

  “Eyes on me,” Jonas said, calling me back to him. He pulled off his pants, no underwear. His cock was exposed and jutting out from his body before me. He was like a sculpted work of art, utter perfection. Waves of heat flowed through me as my pulse pounded in my chest. I was spellbound, my eyes not able to stray from him.

  He knelt before me and touched my knees. “You want me to take them off you?” Jonas asked in a low tone.

  Could I do this? I blinked and nodded. He reached for my shirt and tugged it off, leaving my upper body naked. I automatically reached up and shielded my breasts, though my mind was quick to remind me that he had seen and touched more just last night.

  He reached for my waist and worked my pants and panties together down my legs, placing them to the side with his clothing. He took in a sharp breath, his eyes looking over me approvingly, and the tension I didn’t realize I was holding eased.

  “We won’t have sex here. This is just part of the practice,” he said.

  “Now I want you to get in the yab-yum,” Padma called out.

  I turned my head and gazed over their naked forms as Ravi stood immodestly naked, then sat down and crossed his legs. Padma straddled his lap and wrapped her legs around his torso, settling her hands on his shoulders. Ravi moved closer, pressing himself up against her, neither breaking eye contact.

  “Gaze at each other. See the goddess and god within each other. See the desire your lover has for you,” Padma said.

  My eyes widened as I turned to Jonas and he expertly took the seated posture. He reached for me and I settled myself in his lap, wrapping my legs around his lower back. He pulled me close, pressing my sex up against his. I looked up into his face and felt energy course through my body, taking my breath away.