The Odor of Violet

by Ju Ephraime

  “In my wheelchair,” he answered.

  “You wheeled your chair all the way down here? Why didn’t you call me on the house phone?” she wanted to know.

  “Cook said you weren’t answering the phone,” he replied.

  “I would have answered the call from your room. That why I’m here,” she told him.

  “I didn’t want you to feel obligated. I wanted you to come because you wanted to, not because I’m your responsibility. I don’t want to be anyone’s responsibility anymore,” he told her.

  “What do you mean?” Her heart skipped a beat. He was getting ready to fire her. “Has something changed in the last twenty-four hours, Damien?”

  Now that he has his Shelly back, he no longer needs me. What a sad state of affairs.

  “Come to think of it, how come you are not having dinner with Shelly? The last time I saw you, you were busy ushering her into your office. Why not have dinner with her?”

  “Shelly was not in my office for more than twenty minutes, if even that. It took me just that long to realize I’d outgrown Shelly. She wanted to see me, and I did not want to appear childish and not see her. If I had, she would think I was still carrying a torch for her, which is so far from the truth, it’s funny.

  “I’ve been in my office all day alone. You never called. Never stopped in to check up on me, and when I requested to have dinner with you, and you alone, I was told you were indisposed. So, here I am, to see for myself. Tell me, just how indisposed are you?” he asked.

  Lisa was speechless. He had been in his office all day, alone? How was that possible? She’d made herself sick for nothing. All this time Damien had been alone in his office. There was no Shelly. And just like that, without any warning, her heart picked up its rhythm again. She could take a deep breath and not experience pain.

  ***

  Damien was busy feasting his eyes on her, breathing her in. He watched the emotions flashing across her beautiful face. She didn’t know he could see her, so she made no effort to hide them from him. He saw the relief when it dawned on her that he had not been with Shelly and neither did he intend to be.

  He could not stand being this close to her and not touching her. He stood up and reached for her, bringing her into his arm. Damien slid his hands through her hair and grasped her head. Removing his glasses, he looked directly into her eyes. “I need you in my life.”

  ***

  For a moment, Lisa couldn’t move or breathe. The statement was startling in its bluntness. In fact, it was so direct she couldn’t pretend not to have understood it. She couldn’t turn away but could only stare at him, mesmerized by the heated expression in his green eyes.

  “A of couple days ago, I asked you how you would feel having a blind man as your spouse, and your answer was sort of vague.”

  “Please,” she whispered, closing her eyes against the look in his.

  “I understand what you are afraid of,” he continued. “I understand why it would be hard for you to imagine life with a sightless man. I’m here to tell you that you can choose not to take a chance on me, but I’m willing to take a chance on us.”

  Lisa was too worked up to be able to sort through the jumble of emotions bombarding her. There was indignation, hurt, joy, and a great deal of trepidation. But none of that was responsible for the vibrant, shivery heat that was pumping through her body and pooling between her thighs. She squeezed her legs together and shifted from one foot to the next. He pulled her closer into his body, flush against the length of his erection, as if sensing her longing. He kissed her, his mouth artfully searching and then demanding until she opened up to him, yielding everything. She had no defense, no pride, when it came to this man.

  ***

  The scent of violet and aroused woman called to him. The alluring line of her neck as he pushed the heavy fall of her hair out of the way so he could have his face against her warm enticing flesh was like heaven.

  She had undressed for the night and was wearing a cream-colored silk nightgown, which revealed rather than concealed all her womanly assets with every move she made.

  He was mesmerized by the dark shadows of her nipples as they pressed against the light fabric. His eyes traveled down to the junction of her thighs, back to her full lips, which were at the moment parted as she hummed in anticipation. He wanted to take her beautiful breasts into his mouth, but he was so blown away by her beauty that, for a moment, he could only stare.

  She was everything he’d ever wanted, ever dreamed, ever yearned for in the loneliness that had been his life for the past two years.

  He wanted and needed her with a pain that was almost physical in its intensity—a need that threatened to bring him to his knees. He raised her face with his finger, and looking deep into her eyes, he took her mouth in a kiss that was driven by hunger, desperation, and love. Yes, he loved this woman, and he intended to do everything in his power to get her to come around to his way of thinking. They belonged together; nothing else would do.

  “I did not think to bring any condoms with me, and I’m in too much pain to make it back to my room,” he told her against her mouth.

  “You don’t need any condoms,” she told him. “I’m on the pill.”

  She was busy sticking her hand inside his jeans, even as she gave him the best news he had heard in a long time. “Easy, sweetheart,” he murmured against her mouth, leaving a trail of heat as he dragged his tongue from her mouth to her neck and then to the nipple that was pushing against his chest, begging for attention. “You’ll be the death of me, Lisa.” He took her hand, and with quick economical movement, he stripped off his shoes and clothes. Soon he was standing naked in front of her.

  Raising her hands, he drew the light fabric over her head, dropping it to the floor. Lifting her in his arms, he took her to her bed.

  “Are you ready?” he asked her, just to make certain she was with him every move he made. The only answer he got was the hot lick of her tongue over his skin as she breathed his name the way only she could.

  Damien’s hot mouth found its way to the valley between her breasts. He took one of her breasts in his hand, and lifting the soft weight to his face, he inhaled deeply, taking one erect nipple into his mouth. Placing his bottom lip over his teeth, he brought pressure on the nipple with his lip and teeth, eliciting a sound of sweet surprise from her.

  “Is it too much?” he asked as he waited for her response.

  She answered him by lifting her hips off the bed and rubbing her hot core again his stiff erection, which was prodding her in places that caused her to squirm. Her fingers tightened in his hair as he returned to her breasts, going from one to the other, worshiping her with his mouth, sending sharp streaks of sensations from her breasts to her core.

  When she had twisted almost off the bed, beneath his hot, busy mouth and hands, her nipples were stiff and sensitive, glistening from the light of the table lamp. He lifted his head to admire the beauty exposed to his hungry gaze.

  She opened her eyes—eyes dark with need—as she whispered his name in a plea. “Damien. Damien.”

  Her whisper became a hiss as he slid down her body, his mouth stopping along the way to kiss and worship every inch of her body. Placing his hands beneath her hips, he lifted her off the bed and up to his mouth, and then he proceeded to feast on her in a way he had taken no other woman before. He went from licking to sucking and then probing with his stiff tongue.

  ***

  Without knowing it, she broke into her refrain, “My darling, my darling, my darling.” It was as if she was stuck in replay, and that told him she was getting ready to explode.

  He raised his head long enough to witness her coming apart in the pleasure he had given her. Then he went right back to doing what he’d wanted to do from the first time he met her. He drove her to a second orgasm with his fingers and tongue, caressing and worshiping her with his mouth until she came in a wild explosion that had him racing to take her cries into his mouth.

  ***
>
  When she came back to the reality that was Damien, he was cradling her face in his hand as he gave her soft kisses, stopping every so often to gaze into her eyes. The taste of herself on his lips had her yearning for him even more.

  “When are you going to give me some of this candy you are keeping from me?”

  “You want it?” he asked in a wickedly seductive whisper.

  “Yes,” she whispered back.

  “Take it then,” he said, poking her nether lips with the blunt head of his erection.

  “Please, Damien, I want to feel you deep inside me.”

  “Then raise your legs and place them on my shoulders.”

  She should have been mortified by her wanton behavior, but she was too caught up in their sexuality. She wanted nothing more than to give him the same pleasure he’d given her. Placing her legs on his shoulders, she used her hands to hold them in place as she watched him watch himself sink into her, inch by agonizing inch. He disappeared inside her, only to reappear as he withdrew, only to disappear inside of her again. Watching his wet glistening shaft going in and out of her body set her afire all over again.

  Lisa was pleased to see the pleasure Damien got from her body, which was evident because every time she opened her eyes she caught him watching her with an expression of wonder on his face that was almost gut-wrenching. It was hard to believe that he could not see her. She chanted his name as he sank into her to the hilt. Her muscles, spasming from her two previous orgasms, caressed him until he lost control and began riding her with a power and strength that had her panting and then screaming as she entered the throes of her third orgasm. Unable to hold back, she took him with her, shuddering and shaking in a climax that seemed to go on and on.

  Twenty-Three

  When Lisa awoke at dawn, she was alone. Damien must have left her at some point in the early hours of the morning. She wanted him—wanted him close to her, holding her, loving her. She needed to kiss the flesh that had given her so much pleasure. There had been no condoms, but she didn’t care. She’d told him she was on the pill, but that was not true. She just didn’t want anything getting in the way, because she’d wanted him so much. This morning she wanted to worship his body as he had worshipped hers.

  Smiling to herself as she thought about Damien, and feeling each sensual ache from his thorough love making, Lisa swung her legs to the floor, dragging herself out of bed. She showered and dressed in a pair of slacks and T-shirt, threw a jacket over the tee, and walked out of her room and made her way to Damien’s. She was impatient to see him.

  There had been something different about Damien’s lovemaking last night. It was not that it was different in and of itself, but she wondered about the way she would catch him constantly watching her, as if to gauge her reaction.

  Knocking, she waited for him to bid her enter before she opened the door. Damien was standing in front of the window, watching the dawn light break across the sky. He was not wearing his sunglasses, and his eyes were alive. He gave her a hot look that took her breath away.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked. “Are you hungry?”

  “I am. How did you know?” she asked.

  “You had no dinner last, and neither did I, so we are both starved. And after the workout I put you through, I know you have to be as hungry.

  I’d kiss you,” he said, “but then I’d have to take it to the next level, and we don’t have the time. Cook will be here any minute with breakfast. I asked her to bring a tray for two. I was going to call you on the phone when she got here. I know how you are about appearances.”

  He turned away from her and went back to looking out the window. She got the distinct impression that he was actually seeing what he was watching.

  “Damien, are you able to see? Is your sight coming back?” she asked.

  He turned to her and gave her one of his sexy, heart-stopping smiles. “I’ll tell you about it after we have eaten. Can you wait until then?”

  “I have no other choice,” she answered, but wrapping her hand around her waist, she braced herself for whatever he had to say.

  Right on cue, Cook knocked on the door before wheeling in a breakfast tray so laden with food it was as if she had prepared food for an army instead of just the two of them.

  She had a queasy feeling in her stomach, but she knew she had to eat. Pouring a cup of coffee for her and Damien, she thanked Cook for the excellent food as Cook walked out the door.

  Damien walked over to the desk. Taking his coffee, he helped himself to a heaping plate of bacon, eggs, and toast.

  They both began eating in silence, but it was heavy. She hurried through the food because she wanted to hear what Damien had to say about his sight. The suspense was killing her, but she bided her time and waited until he’d gone through three servings of bacon and eggs.

  As last, he pushed his chair back and turned his sharp gaze to her. Lisa was again struck by the remarkable clarity of those green eyes.

  Taking her hand, he confirmed what she had suspected—he’d begun seeing shapes and shadows after the first night they’d made love. He hadn’t told anyone because he thought he was imagining things. And anyway, he’d still been blind, still helpless. He’d only regained his full sight three days ago.

  “Is this when you began wearing those sunglasses?” she wanted to know.

  “Yes,” he answered, “but I wanted to see what I had missed for two years without anyone knowing I was able to see. Do you think that was selfish of me?”

  “I can’t stand in judgment of you, Damien. Who am I? You obviously had your reasons.”

  “I’m glad you understand, Lisa. Let’s hope Jake takes it in the spirit it was intended. I wanted to see you, observe you without your knowledge because I wanted to ask you to marry me. I made a mistake in the past, which I did not want to repeat. I needed to be absolutely sure.”

  “Is that why you asked me if I would take a blind man as my husband?” she asked.

  “Yes. I wanted to see your reaction without your knowing I was observing you. While your answer then was a bit hesitant, I knew it was because you had some concerns. That’s why I came to you last night. I wanted to show you that I was all in and to see if you were too,” he explained.

  “But why did you have to have Shelly over? Was that another test?” she wanted to know.

  “No, Shelly’s phone call and subsequent visit were very opportune. I took advantage of it to test my reaction to her. I wanted to see if I reacted to her the way I reacted to you.”

  “And did you?” she asked.

  “You know the answer to that already. You are like a drug in my blood, Lisa. My body reacts to your scent as soon as you enter a room, as soon as you are breathing the same air space with me. Shelly cannot come close to you, even if she tried.”

  Taking her hand, he went down on one knee. “Will you marry me, Lisa? I promise to make you happy and be a good husband.”

  “Yes, Damien, I would be honored to marry you. But is my scent the only reason why you want to marry me?” she teased.

  “No,” he said. “You know how I feel about you, and besides, I can’t stand sneaking around to be with you. I want to be able to have you any time I want. I’d like to go to bed with you and wake up with you, without feeling guilty about it. I can only do these things if you are my wife.

  “Oh, my darling,” she said, too choked up to say anything more.

  “And to clarify the scent thing,” he continued. “I don’t know why your scent has such a powerful effect on my body, but my heart recognized you the first time I shook your hand. I choose not to acknowledge it at the time, but my heart knew what it wanted. I’ll concede, it took a while for it to catch up to my body, but in the end it got there. Also, you have a thing about acting professionally, and I don’t want you compromising your values for me. I don’t want to change anything about you. You are to me perfection personified.”

  Lisa was speechless. The more time she spent with this ma
n, the more she loved him. She did not want to tell him how she felt because he evidently was one of those men who did not believe in love. He had yet to tell her he loved her. She’d wait. But now they had to go face Jake together. She hoped he saw things the way Damien saw them and understood his dilemma.

  She agreed with Damien that he should talk with Jake alone about regaining his sight. She felt Jake was like family, and granted she had just agreed to marry Damien, but she didn’t want Jake to feel that she had been in on the whole thing. So, after they were through with breakfast, she returned to her room, where she stayed for what she hoped was enough time for Damien to share the news with Jake.

  She was heading to her office when she ran into Jake as he was walking out of the breakfast room.

  “I was on my way to check up on you. You seemed to be not feeling well a lot lately. Are you feeling better now?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m much better, thanks. I’m sorry that neither Damien nor I were at breakfast this morning and you had to eat alone. I had breakfast with Damien in his office, at his request. I believe he wants a meeting with you this morning. Have you heard from him?” she asked.

  “I did,” he replied. “I’ve decided he will have to wait. I’m sick and tired of Damien’s strange behavior of the past few days.”

  Oh no, she thought, he hasn’t spoken to Damien yet. “Oh, Jake, please don’t be angry with him. Please go see him and try to have an open mind, but more than anything, put yourself in his place so that you can understand the reason for his actions. You know where I’ll be.”

  She hoped Jake did not ruin his relationship with Damien because of some imaginary slight he believed Damien did her. She had told him she was a big girl and did not need anyone taking up her cause. She was a woman of the world she’d told him, and she could handle this. She prayed he believed her.

  She was so worried about Jake and Damien she was not able to concentrate, so she took out her checkbook and began paying off some of her bills she’d been neglecting. That took all of forty-five minutes. She had to get something else to do or she’d go crazy not knowing. She grabbed her bag off the hook and took her car keys to go into town. As she stepped out, she almost knocked Jake down; he was standing right behind her.