by Suzy Shearer
“Oh yeah, I forgot.”
The two men left around six, promising to arrange a date for Isabella to photograph Ayesha. Gabriel and Isabella stood in the courtyard watching them drive off then went back inside to the warmth of the house.
“That wasn’t too bad, was it? Told you they’d like you.”
“It went better than I expected. It’s just so many people to meet in one hit. At least with my family it’s only my parents.”
“I have a mind to see you naked.”
Isabella caught her breath as Gabriel looked intently at her. He took her hand and almost dragged her upstairs and into one of the large reception rooms near his bedroom. At some point in the day he’d lit the fire and the room was now cosy and warm. Before Isabella could say or do anything he made her remove her shirt and black pants. She stood in front of the fire in her black brassiere and lacy knickers. Gabriel sat down on one of the couches and just looked at her. She could feel herself reddening under his piercing gaze. His look was so intense, so possessive—Isabella loved it.
Her heart started to pound as she breathed in and out through her nose and she felt moisture pooling between her legs. Isabella had a good idea that Gabriel knew exactly what she felt as she saw a little smirk cross his delightful lips.
“Would you like me to put you over my knee, Miss Coburn? Would you like me to redden those cheeks on your arse?”
An “ah” was all she could manage. In two strides he stood in front of her. One finger reached out to trace the contours of her lips then continued southward. She closed her eyes as it ran down her chin then to the valley between her breasts.
Isabella felt his breath on her ear then he whispered, “Your eyes are closed, Isabella. That’s against the rules.”
She opened them quickly.
“Keep looking at my face, my Issie.”
He pushed a hand between the lace of her bra and her hot skin. She tried not to move as he rubbed and squeezed then pulled her nipple hard.
His lips caressed her ear as he said, “I love your breasts. I love the way they taste, the way they feel. They belong to me. They are mine to do with whatever I please, aren’t they, Isabella?”
A breathless “yes” had him kissing her ear, pulling the lobe into his mouth. His hand still played with her nipple but then she felt him caress her stomach with his other hand. He searched her face as he moved the hand downward to slide over the lacy fabric of her panties. She felt him force a finger under the material at the apex of her legs and rub along her sodden slit.
“Mm, my Issie is so wet.”
He pulled his finger over and held it up for her to see.
“Taste yourself, Issie. Taste the nectar I adore.”
He pushed the finger between her lips and she curled her tongue around it as she sucked and licked. He pinched her lips with his finger and thumb until she blinked.
“Such a good girl.”
Those four words made her feel weak. His hands went behind her to undo the clasp of her brassiere. It fell down her arms and he tossed it aside then lowered his head to take one breast in his mouth, his hand cupped underneath it. She could feel his tongue swirling around the peaked nipple, feel his teeth rubbing back and forth before he bit down. She grabbed his shoulder to keep herself upright as he continued biting and sucking. Standing, he pulled her against him hard. She could feel his erection pressing into her. Gabriel took one of her hands and held it over the bulge.
“This is going into your cunt very soon but first I need to make sure you’re ready.”
Holding her hand, he almost dragged her over to one of the large couches. Before he sat he dropped his jeans, his erect cock burst free. Sitting down, he pulled Isabella over his knees. She could feel his dick rubbing along her stomach.
Without warning he brought his hand down hard on her arse cheeks. In rapid succession four more followed and Isabella screamed softly.
“More, my Issie?”
She nodded her head. Satisfied, he landed another four and Isabella started to wriggle, trying to move her body up so his cock would be close to her entrance. He pulled her back down with a laugh.
“Ah ah, naughty girl.”
She felt him pull her panties down then laid another half dozen smacks on her cheeks and the top of her legs. The stings had long given way to a feeling of intense burning which only made her more excited. He forced a hand down so he could rub at her slit, pull her clit, her lips.
“Tell me, Issie, who owns this cunt?”
“You do,” she gasped.
“Say it. Say the words,” he insisted.
“You own my cunt.”
“Tell me you want me to fuck your cunt. Tell me you want me to push my cock in hard and rough.”
“I do, I want it hard and rough.”
She felt him bite one cheek and it was all she could do not to come there and then. He practically ripped her knickers off and threw them across the room. He made her stand then got her to straddle him. Without warning he roughly pulled her down onto his hard shaft then bent to bite across each breast.
“Fuck me, Issie,” he demanded and Isabella complied willingly.
She bounced up and down on his cock, impaling herself by standing on tippy toes to almost withdraw him before slamming herself down again. She felt a hand grab her clit and pinch it while he bit down hard on a breast.
Isabella screamed as her first orgasm rolled across her body. He kept the pressure on her clit then somehow manoeuvred her onto the floor. He took over hammering into her body. Isabella wrapped her legs around him and hooked her ankles. It allowed Gabriel to thrust even deeper. She felt him jerk and his grunt echoed around the room as he filled her with his cum. She unhooked her legs as he pulled out but then he pushed his face between her legs.
With one hand he pulled on her pubic hair while the other tweaked and teased at a nipple. His mouth was biting, sucking, chewing, licking. Isabella lost it completely. Another climax overtook her but Gabriel was relentless. He wasn’t satisfied, he wanted more.
Dragging down on her nipple hard with his other hand, he wrapped a hunk of hair and pulled tight. She felt his teeth slide back and forth on her clit. She tensed, knowing what was about to come—wanting it and hating it at the same time. He bit down.
Her scream echoed as her body shook with the orgasm that rolled back and forth. It felt as if it was one of the hardest she’d had and Isabella thought it would never stop. She could only lie panting as Gabriel sucked her tender and sensitive clit into his mouth. Just touching it sent more ripples racing back and forth until he finally lifted his head.
Isabella was beyond speech, beyond seeing. She felt him stand then lift her easily into his arms. He carried her down the hall and upstairs to his room. She lay completely satisfied as he cleaned her body then rubbed cream into the bites he’d made on her body.
She didn’t have the energy to do anything as he settled alongside then covered her body in kisses before wrapping her tight in his arms. Isabella’s eyes had long shut and now she drifted off in a pillow of comfort and utter bliss.
Chapter Nineteen
The next few months saw Isabella and Gabriel getting closer to each other and becoming familiar with the things they both enjoyed. Isabella felt as if he were the best thing in her life, he made her happy, and he made her laugh.
When he discovered the painting in her bedroom he merely raised his eyebrows then said, “I like your painting. I can get you an intro to the artist if you like.”
Isabella had thumped his arm and they ended up having a wrestling match that turned into something much more sexual.
Isabella finally had the small clay model of the bull completed and fired. It gave her the opportunity to see how dynamic the finished statue would be even though this was half scale at just over two metres in length and almost as high. It was the opportunity to make any changes in the pose when she made the full-sized version. She decided to make a cast of this smaller model as a present for Gabriel’
s birthday later in the year. The difficulty would be hiding it from him but she figured she’d just keep it covered whenever he came in the studio. Señor Vargas had come out to the studio recently to see the completed small piece in clay and had expressed delight. Now she had his approval she could begin the full-sized piece.
As well as her photographs of Ferdinand, Gabriel had made dozens of sketches of the bull for her. Between them and her prints she was sure this piece would be perfect. All were now pinned to a large board she had in her studio. She could see them from her work table for easy reference.
Gabriel was working frantically on his paintings. He didn’t need her to model at the moment, rather he worked from his sketches and drawings. He’d also painted a smaller canvas of her. It was of her stretching out her tight muscles with yoga when she was posing. Isabella was amazed at how sensual and sexy it looked. Gabriel hung it in his bedroom, telling her if she could have an Archangel painting in her bedroom he could have Issie in his.
Gabriel came with her one weekend when she drove to Plymouth to see her parents. They lived in Torpoint, about twenty minutes’ drive from Plymouth central. Isabella was nervous, wondering how her parents would take to Gabriel. She’d told them all about him and her mother had assured her they would like him but she still wondered.
She needn’t have worried. Within five minutes of meeting him they were treating him as if he was their son. Her father Richard had taken him outside to show him the cottage garden and they’d stood talking about plants for at least half an hour until her mother Jane called them inside for lunch. After a leisurely meal the four of them had walked down the lane to the river. Richard pointed out various places to Gabriel as they wandered along the riverbank. When they headed for home Jane had her arm through Gabriel’s while Richard and Isabella dawdled behind.
“I like your young man, Issie.”
“Really?”
“Yes, my dear, really. I’ve always been so sad because you’d never met your soul mate. But now… now you have.”
She looked at her father.
“I like him so much, dad.”
“I can see that and I can see how much he loves you, Issie. Don’t be silly and let him get away. He isn’t Peter.”
“Oh, I know that.” She replied pointedly. Isabella giggled. “Look at mum with him. She’s doing her queen mum thing.”
He squeezed her arm.
“That’s because she likes him, too. We’re just so glad to finally see you happy.”
The remainder of the visit was perfect. They went out for dinner and then Sunday morning Richard drove the four of them around the area before they had a late ploughman’s lunch in one of the local pubs. Isabella brought up the subject of her parents moving into the annex and to her surprise her father didn’t say no outright as he had on previous occasions. He didn’t say yes either but for the first time she could see his interest growing. Reluctantly they said good-bye around four in the afternoon. Isabella missed them so much and knew they both missed her. She just hoped they’d make up their minds and move in soon.
As their relationship developed into a more loving one Isabella discovered more about herself. Now that she had finally accepted her darker side she embraced it fully. Whatever Gabriel suggested she was willing to try. Her trust in him was now absolute. She just knew he would never hurt her intentionally and whatever he did would be designed to bring her pleasure.
One day he jokingly called her a “pain slut” and she realised that’s exactly what she was. She craved the pain. It heightened her responses, it made the pleasure all that more pleasurable.
“It’s funny, Gabe, I hate hurting myself. I mean, I get a paper cut, I’m in tears and ready to go to hospital. Yet when you bite me, when you hit, it sends me crazy. I want more and more.”
“That’s because of the association you’ve made between sex and the pain. It increases the sensitivity in your head to pleasure.”
“Yes, that’s it. The more it hurts the more excited I get, the harder my orgasm is. I keep wanting more. I get lost inside the pain.”
“I know. If I let you, you’d want me to hurt you more and more but that’s dangerous. I have to watch. I have to make sure I don’t exceed what I know you can handle. I won’t give you more than you can take. I know your limits. You may not but I certainly do.”
“Thank goodness, because I have no idea. I mean there have been times I’ve wanted you to hurt me more. Yet a few times I’ve almost called ‘red’ but you stopped or did something else.”
He’d kissed her then and told her he would always look after her both in and out of bed. Isabella adored him for that. She knew no matter what he would be there for her, caring for her in every way possible.
When Isabella got the small bull cast she was more than happy with it. It looked so much like Ferdinand, she just hoped Gabriel would think so, too. Working swiftly but carefully she polished it then gave it its patina before hiding it in the kiln with a large cloth covering it from Gabriel’s prying eyes. The actual statue was also beginning to take shape. She’d sent Señor Vargas photographs of the bronze for his final approval of the bull before she got too far into the main piece in case he didn’t approve. She needn’t have worried—he was enthusiastic with his praise.
In between working on the bull she gave Gabriel a few more sittings. He had been wavering between two canvases. Now that he had narrowed down his choice he stopped letting Isabella see the work, telling her he wanted the finished piece to be a surprise. Agreeing easily, Isabella knew how possessive some artists were of their work. Some artists would actually scrap a piece if someone saw it.
* * * *
Gabriel was at that stage in his painting where he needed to step away from it so Isabella had suggested he come over to her home and stay for the weekend. He still had six weeks before the painting was due at the Tate. Her parents had come up to stay in the annex for the week.
Each time they saw each other she mentioned her parents moving in, pointing out the advantages of living in the area. Isabella dangled the fact that Michael and Andrew owned a nursery and took her parents to meet them there. Her father was still hesitating to move in even though her mother was now all for the idea. She realised they were both getting older and just wanted to be closer to Isabella. Meanwhile Isabella’s garden was getting more and more overgrown.
Gabriel’s parents had joined everyone for lunch and all were sitting outside in the warm sunshine of late spring when Gabriel brought out drinks for everyone. They were enjoying the barbecue Gabriel had cooked and were talking easily. She and Gabriel had hatched a plan between them to finally get her father to agree to the move.
Isabella looked around casually.
“You know, I think I’ll need to get someone in, the place is getting overgrown. I have that man who comes to mow the ground, the same one that does Gabe’s but I’m thinking I should ask him to rip out this mess.”
Her father looked horrified.
“What? You can’t mean that, Issie. You can’t just tear everything up. It needs a lot of work but the bones are there.”
“They might be there, dad, but I just don’t have the time nor the patience for gardening.”
“I think it’s a good idea, Issie. Look at the mess mine was in but at least Adam has got it under control.” He turned to Richard and said, “Adam’s one of my brothers. He lives in a separate large house I have on my property rent free in return for maintaining the grounds. I was going to rip everything out before he came.”
Nothing more was said on the subject until the six of them had finished eating lunch. Her father had been rather quiet all through the meal. They were now drinking tea when he suddenly spoke.
“Don’t let that man tear up the garden, Issie. I have to have something to do when we move here.”
Isabella looked at her father then leapt to her feet to hug him.
“You mean it? You’re really going to move here?”
“Yes. I mean it. Your m
other’s always wanted to come, I was the sticking point. Don’t really know why. I’ve hated being so far away from you. So let’s get our affairs in order, rent out the cottage, or sell it. Then we can move in.”
Dorothy looked over at Jane and grinned.
“That’s great news! Now I’ll have someone my own age to talk girl talk with.”
Jane looked like she was still in shock from Richard’s announcement but she manage to smile across at Dorothy.
“This is news to me, Dottie. I’ve been at him since Issie moved here and wanted us to come but he’s always dug his heels in.”
“Well, we’ll have heaps to do, lots of places to see. I’m so pleased.”
Isabella was overjoyed. Her parents and Gabriel’s got on like the proverbial house on fire and now she’d have them close. No more four and three-quarter hour drives whenever she wanted to see them.
Over the next month Richard and Jane arranged to rent out their house. They forwarded on their furniture and at last moved in five weeks after agreeing. Isabella felt relieved to finally have them under the same roof, albeit alongside.
Her parents settled quickly into living there. Richard attacked the garden with new-found youth. Dorothy took Jane sightseeing while Michael Senior decided he’d help Richard. Isabella and Gabriel were delighted at how well their parents got on.
Dorothy belonged to a couple of groups—a photography one and one that met twice a month to discuss food and eat. Jane and she became inseparable. Meanwhile Richard and Michael turned their hand at beer making—with mixed results, in between sorting out the gardens. Still, they enjoyed themselves and if it meant everyone had to sample their latest batches, so be it. But as Raphael remarked after the fourth batch, they were getting better.
Erica and Ian’s romance got stronger and stronger until on Erica’s birthday Ian proposed. Isabella felt so happy for her friend when Erica practically leapt on Ian as she said yes. Most of the Milford clan and all of the Coburns had gone to Raphael and Jennifer’s for the monthly lunch when Ian got down on one knee. Amid cheering and whistles the happy couple beamed at their guests.