Sophie's Journey: A steamy adult romance (Eternal Flame Book 1)

by A. J. Milton

  Back at street level, my mind wouldn’t stop replaying the scene of Alex spanking me and how submitting to him made me feel so good. I ducked into a little bar for a coffee and continued to muse over my complicated feelings. I had always needed to be in control in my relationships. Maybe that was why they never lasted long. Because I wouldn’t give myself entirely. But with Alex, I had a level of trust that I had never had before. I still liked to take charge and be a little madam sometimes, but it felt so right when I took the other path and gave myself to him totally. The little we had done so far made me crave for more. I had never considered pain as a part of a loving relationship, but even just thinking about the sting of being spanked was making my panties wet. I wondered just how far we could go. I wondered just how far I was willing to go. I don’t know much about this sub and dom stuff. But I should find out more. I decided that this was a boundary I wanted to push against and explore further.

  *****

  The remainder of our trip seemed to go by in a whirl. The vibrant, energetic Big Apple was both invigorating and slightly overwhelming. I ate far too much, but enjoyed every minute. We crammed as much as we could into the next two days, but all too soon I found myself in a taxi on the return journey to JFK airport.

  “Is there anything else I can get you, madam?” The cabin steward, whose name badge proclaimed him to be ‘Michael’ had a soft lilting voice. He was very dishy, but most definitely in touch with his feminine side. The flight was almost empty and there were only three other passengers in business class. While serving dinner, Michael had explained to me that the last flight out on Saturday evening was often like this. Few people travelled at this time on a weekend, and hardly any business travellers.

  Michael seemed to have taken a shine to me for some reason, and treated me like a princess throughout boarding and during dinner. Of course, he had hardly any other passengers to look after, but even so, he had gone out of his way to make me feel special. After dessert, he announced that they would shortly be dimming the cabin lights.

  “I’ll make certain you are not disturbed, madam,” Michael spoke softly and gave me a wink as he moved away. I turned to Alex, who had obviously overheard the exchange and was just grinning. I leaned across and held his hand. Then without speaking but with a common purpose in mind, we converted our seats into their flattened bed-like form and waited until the lights went out.

  Mile High Club… oh yes!

  The slightly illicit feeling of making love in a semi-public place added to my excitement. Leaving my t-shirt on, I quickly removed my tracksuit bottoms and panties, and then slid under Alex’s blanket and on top of him. We were both eager. As we kissed, he slid inside me. I could feel his entire length, silk against velvet in my damp tunnel. He stroked my hair and kissed my neck, as we moved together. It was gentle and affectionate lovemaking, but still very satisfying.

  Bodily fluids duly exchanged, we composed ourselves and settled down for the rest of the flight. I normally find it hard to sleep on planes, but this time I drifted off almost immediately. The smell of coffee and warm croissants provided a pleasant awakening. Just in time for breakfast before we landed.

  Chapter 10

  Possibilities

  ~ Alex ~

  Wine glass in hand, I watched the sun dropping towards the trees. Sophie was still out at her charity job, and I was relaxing on the patio enjoying the warm evening and pondering just what a lucky man I was. Being together with her was just about as perfect as I could imagine.

  My trip to New York had been successful from a business perspective, and I had agreed on a lucrative partnership deal with a small firm over there which would help me with one of my multinational clients. But to be honest, work was not uppermost in my mind. The petite blonde bombshell who had taken over my life just a few months ago was impossible to remove from my thoughts for any length of time.

  She had lapped up the work that I had been able to give her, and she impressed me with her ability to grasp what needed to be done, and once she was confident in her knowledge, she was amazingly good at dealing with people in a professional way. I felt proud of her. The bright young student would have no problems moving into a challenging job when the time came.

  I still worried about our age difference. Things were no better with her parents and I felt bad about my part in causing that rift. My own daughter had been singularly unimpressed by my behaviour when I phoned and told her, although she promised to keep an open mind until she actually met Sophie. Even so, I was more worried about the long-term future. Although I had no idea whether our relationship would last, I was so much in love with her that I badly wanted it to. Yet that also frightened me. If we did stay together what would I do when I found myself growing old when she was still so young? I couldn’t bear the thought of her feeling obliged to stay with me if I got sick or infirm. She was such a free spirit it would break my own heart to chain her. Too many morbid thoughts and that’s a long, long way away.

  I diverted my negative thoughts in a different direction. Sophie had emailed me a couple of eBooks with a cheeky but challenging message. And the book titles clearly pointed to a journey into the world of BDSM. I confess that giving her a good spanking was a major turn-on. And I really could imagine restraining her and turning ‘little madam’ into ‘little miss submissive’. There were plenty of scenarios I could imagine even with my limited knowledge. I was certainly interested and enthusiastic in exploring this path with her, and she clearly found it compelling. I wasn’t sure whether I could imagine this being a total lifestyle change. Probably not, but some serious and committed recreational fun… I would be up for that!

  Indeed, we would certainly expand our games, but a more serious exploration of bondage would probably have to wait a little while, as it was nearly time for Sophie to go back to college. And next week we were planning to spend a few days in Paris and visit Yvette.

  The sound of Sophie returning interrupted my musings. I braced myself. Her customary greeting when we were alone at home was to almost leap onto my lap, put her arms round my neck and kiss me thoroughly. It was a tough life but I could handle it.

  *****

  The next day I got some unwelcome news. I needed to go to Germany the following week on business, and unfortunately it wasn’t something I could easily re-arrange.

  This meant that I wouldn’t be able to go to Paris. Sophie’s lip quivered a little when I told her, and it was rare for her to look so disappointed. I hugged her tight.

  “Darling, you can still go to Paris. The tickets are all booked. It’s only for three days, and I will be able to come with you another time. And anyway, I will be away at the same time so what’s the point of staying here alone?”

  “I guess so,” she said. “It would be really nice to go to France again.”

  I could see her mood brighten, but she was still biting her bottom lip. So, something was still bothering her. I suddenly realised what it might be.

  “So, I won’t be there to chaperone you with flirty Yvette.” I tried to make light of it and give her a chance to get her thoughts clear.

  She squeezed my hand hard. “I love you Alex. I just don’t know what I’ll do if Yvette does come on to me.” She paused.

  “I’ve been thinking since we talked about it, but I honestly don’t know quite how I feel. I admit I am just a little curious, but I love you so much and it doesn’t feel right to think about sleeping with anyone else. Even a nice woman,” she added with a wry smile.

  I held her tight and stroked her hair in reassurance.

  “Little darling, at risk of playing the age card, you are still young. It’s understandable if you wanted to explore, and I won’t seek to influence you either way. I will say with absolute certainty that whatever you choose, I will accept, and I will still love you just the same. Go to Paris, have fun and make the choice you feel is right if you have to.”

  She looked at me with shining, slightly moist eyes and tried to smile.

  I add
ed, “But if you do go for it, I will be really annoyed that I won’t get a chance to watch!”

  That did provoke a laugh as well as a hefty thump. What I said was true. She was a beautiful young bird, and it was not my place to put her in a gilded cage. I wanted to be with her, but equally, I wanted her to be able to fly free.

  ~ Sophie ~

  I’m not claustrophobic but it felt strange to be two hundred feet below the sea travelling under the English Channel on my way to France. Another first for me, but this time it felt a bit lonely as Alex wasn’t here to share the experience with me.

  Since we had gotten back from New York, it had been a busy and hectic time. I had worked for Alex for nearly three weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it. He even took me out a few times to visit some of his clients and help him gather information which would help him advise them how to improve their robotic systems. The technical side was beyond me, but I could easily grasp the business issues that were involved. After that, I spent some time helping at a children’s hospice charity. Small children scare the hell out of me, and I’m not qualified to work with them. But I helped out in their fundraising office and felt quite good with myself about doing something worthwhile.

  And now, I was travelling in a very luxurious train, which would take only a little over two hours to travel between London and Paris. And Alex, being Alex, had insisted on booking me a Premier class seat so that I would be well fed and comfortable on my journey. I think he just wanted to fatten me up before I went back to my meagre student diet the following week.

  I had made sure we had some seriously hard and passionate sex before we parted. But we had grown so close that I sort of felt him inside me all the time, and anyway it was only for a few days.

  I thought about the last few months. I had never been happier. I had found a deep and passionate love with a man who respected and understood me. And I’m going to hang on to him for as long as I can!

  And I thought about the future. My last year of college coming up, and looking for a job. All that seemed so far away. And finding Alex had also set me on a journey of exploring my own sexuality. With him, I had already found new boundaries, and I was keen to continue on that path. The thought of going further with our mutual interest in bondage was an absolute certainty.

  And as for the next few days? With the help of my very supportive man, I had overcome my fear. I didn’t know for sure what might happen with Yvette. But I did know that whatever happened I would approach it and embrace it positively.

  Life is for living.

  THE END

  Sophie’s story will continue in the next Eternal Flame novel: Sophie’s Choice

  If you want a taster, the first few pages of Sophies’s Choice can be found at the end of this book.

  Other books by A.J. Milton

  Eternal Flame Series:Contemporary Adult Romance

  Book 0: Three Hot Nights - Free Short Story

  Book 1: Sophie’s Journey

  Book 2: Sophie’s Choice - Due to be published Summer 2017

  Book 3: Sophie’s Return - Due to be published early 2018

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  Other FREE short stories and full details on my website: www.ajmilton.com

  *****

  My Amazon Author Page

  Excerpt from Sophie’s Choice

  ~ Sophie ~

  Yvette was waiting for me in a café close by, outside of the rail station. She looked amazing and quite different. Her hair was cut shorter and had transformed from sun-bleached brown to a dark brown with a hint of red. She wore a casual but very stylish skirt, and an exotic blouse, which made me feel quite ordinary in my simple skinny jeans and summer top. She was the epitome of an artistic French woman. Which, I realised, is exactly what she was. I was willing to bet that her hair colour and style changed several times each year.

  She leapt up and greeted me in a typically French way, her brown eyes sparkling, and then led me to another café in a much quieter tree lined street a little distance away. We ordered drinks and talked about had happened since our last conversation. And a bit of a chat about diving in Egypt where we had met. We spoke mostly in French except when I lost my concentration. Even though we had talked recently, being face to face seemed to help my conversational French, which came bubbling up without too much trouble. It was a very long time since I had been an exchange student in my middle school, but my habit of reading French language books and trying to keep practicing seemed to have paid off.

  “And how are things going with Alex?”

  “He’s wonderful, and I’m very happy,” I replied.

  “I’m sure you have a lot of interesting things to tell me.” She gave me a wicked smile which made her meaning entirely clear. I had mentally prepared myself for Yvette’s direct and uninhibited approach to life. I would enjoy having a girlie confidante, as it was ages since I had seen my college housemates, who were my normal outlet for gossip and man talk. But I also decided that I would give as much as I got.

  “Yes, I’m sure you will get lots of my story after a glass of wine or two. And what about your love life?” I enquired.

  “Sophie, Cheri, where is the blushing girl I met in Egypt just a few months ago? She seems to be a much more confident young woman now. Ah well, I am… in between lovers, you might say. But we will indeed have much to talk about over a bottle of wine or two.”

  We grinned at each other, and parked the topic of relationships. Yvette asked me what I wanted to do while I was in Paris, and I gave her an unrealistically lengthy list which would take weeks, rather than the three days that I had. I suggested that she choose a few things from my list, but also show me some of the ‘real’ city away from the tourist hotspots.

  “You have to remember that I’m a Breton, not a native Parisienne,” she replied. “But I know the city well, so we will find plenty to see and have lots of fun!”

  Yvette shared an apartment with another artist in a suburb about twenty minutes by train from central Paris. We decided to return there before the evening rush hour, as it wouldn’t be practical to lug my wheelie bag all around Paris.

  Her apartment was lovely; full of period features and decorated in an eclectic mixture of tastes. From a shabby chic chandelier to bright and bold pictures and fabrics. Yvette’s ‘end’ of the large studio area had massive computer screens for her graphic design work, but also a small easel and several sketch pads. She showed me drawings and watercolours of the coast and countryside in her native Brittany.

  “They’re beautiful. You really are very talented.”

  “But they don’t pay the bills,” she replied. She flicked her hair as if in exasperation. “The world is full of watercolour landscape artists. I sell a few in the tourist galleries, but mostly I turn them into digital art. The internet makes the whole world my marketplace and they supplement the freelance work I do for business customers.”

  We spent quite a while talking about her work, and looking at some of her computer-assisted art. I can barely manage more than a matchstick man, and her different skills fascinated me, as did the animation in her eyes as she talked. Punctuated by expressive hand movements. Very French!

  Yvette’s flatmate Marie arrived home in the early evening with her boyfriend. She seemed much quieter and less ebullient than Yvette, but that was just my first impression. They sat in the kitchen holding hands and talking in low voices, and making no effort to be sociable. Yvette shrugged and explained that they had a rather intense and on-off type of relationship, which she had long since given up trying to keep track of. She suggested that we go out for dinner and leave them to it.

  It felt like it had been a long day, and I was feeling quite tired but definitely hungry, so I agreed readily. Over dinner in a small bistro nearby, the topic returned to intimate matters. And as the second bottle of wine was opened, my inhibitions relaxed enough to tell Yvette about how my relationship with Alex was blossoming both physically and emotionally. She was a good listener, and afterwards I realised that she
had probed quite cleverly. But he was my first real love and I think my bright-eyed enthusiasm was more than apparent. I didn’t recount every episode of our bedroom activities, but she certainly got the general idea, subject to the fact that my French vocabulary for such topics was somewhat limited!

  But tipsy or not I wasn’t going to let her get away without sharing some of her life with me.

  “Come on Yvette, now you know my love life better than my mother! It’s time for you to open up. I remember you saying that French girls also love older men. So, tell me more.”

  I brushed my blonde frizz behind my ears, and raised my chin firmly and expectantly. Little madam Sophie was not going to allow silence as an option. Yvette put her hand over mine, and smiled knowingly.

  “Hmm, well my first relationship with a much older man was at college. He was my professor and he took personal coaching to a new level. He wasn’t as good looking as your Alex, but he attracted me intellectually as well as physically.” She went on to explain how their relationship had lasted several months during her second year at university and how mature he had seemed compared with her teenage experiences. I could identify only too well with her description, and once again had this feeling that Yvette and I were kindred spirits in some way.

  She went on to tell me about another relationship with an older man, after she had left college. But he had been married and that affair was briefer and much less successful. At this point, the long day and more wine than usual started to catch up with me. Yvette spotted my not very well disguised yawn and we walked back to her apartment arm in arm, having established a new level to our friendship with these shared intimacies.