by T. J. Quinn
“Yes, of course. Mrs. Benson must have our breakfast ready,” he said, stretching his hand to take hers.
She gave him a faint smile and put her hand in his. “Good, I’m starving.”
Zorban furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed how cold she was, but decided not to mention it. He too was cold, and he didn’t want her asking questions he couldn’t answer.
So far, she was the first woman that hadn’t asked him about his ‘strange cock,’ as they called it.
They went upstairs and enjoyed the delicious breakfast the other woman had prepared for them.
“Are you ready to leave, Mrs. Benson?” he asked her, with a smile.
“Yes, I am. The turkey is already in the oven, and all you need to do is take a look at it in a few hours. It’s set to slowly cook, so you don’t have to worry about it,” she instructed them.
“I’ll take care of it, thank you,” Leah offered with a smile.
“The catering team will arrive tomorrow at midafternoon to get everything ready. I’ll return earlier to check on everything,” she added, smiling.
“You know you don’t have to. You’ll be a guest tomorrow,” Zorban pointed out.
“It’s alright. I like doing it.”
“Very well, I’ll see you then. Have a very happy Christmas, Mrs. Benson,” he said, handing her an envelope he pulled out of a drawer.
“You too, Mr. Thalia.”
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Benson,” Leah said, with a smile as the woman picked up her purse, ready to leave.
“To you too, Miss Leah. I’ll see you both, tomorrow. Remember, if you get bored tonight, we have a lovely mass at St. Mary’s church. My baby grandson will be playing the part of newborn Jesus,” she told them as she left.
“Thank you.”
“She’s a nice lady,” Leah said, after taking a sip of cappuccino the woman had prepared for her.
“She is and a great help too. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Do you usually go to mass?” she asked him, puzzled.
“No, I’ve never been to a temple here, before. Have you?”
She shook her head. “My parents used to say religion was the fools’ panacea.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that. There are things out there, science can’t explain. It makes me think there must be a higher force somewhere, watching over us,” he said, finishing his food.
“Yes… I think so too. Perhaps we should go to St. Mary’s church and check it out. I’m sure Mrs. Benson would love to see you there,” she suggested, with a smile.
“Yes… that’s a good idea. It should be interesting ,” he agreed with a smile. “The problem with not having a family is that you usually spend holidays alone,” he said, with a smirk.
She shrugged. “I’m used to being alone. I spend most of my time alone with my animals and most times, I’d rather have them than the people around me. People can be difficult.”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re right, but you must miss having someone you can trust in your life,” he said, with a pensive look.
“You can’t miss what you never had,” she replied, getting up and starting to clear the table.
“You didn’t confide in your mother? Or your father?” he asked, a bit shocked.
“I tried, once, when I was little. I told them about a few things I had been experiencing, and they rapidly ordered me to shut up and never talk to anyone else about it. So, I learned to keep things to myself, that’s all,” she explained.
“Having a friend is a fulfilling experience. That person turns into a brother or sister to you, your confidant and the person you know will have your back, no matter what,” he said in a nostalgic tone.
“I’m afraid I’ve never met someone like that.” Her life was too complicated, too strange, for her to trust anyone with her secrets. If she had learned one thing from her parents, it was never to trust anyone. “But I’m sure most people do. I guess I’m just a loner.”
“It’s a shame, believe me,” he assured her, sighing. “We still have a lot of time before we need to check on our Christmas dinner. Would you like to go for a walk around town?”
“Yes, I would love that.” She could tell things were a bit different between them so a walk might be just what they needed to shake it off. “I’ll get changed.”
“Don’t be long.”
She wasn’t, and a few minutes later, she was walking down the stairs wearing a new pair of jeans and a t-shirt, along with a lovely navy-blue sweater.
They left the house and Zorban guided her towards the city’s downtown, enjoying the Christmas decorations spread all over town. At some point, he took her to a place called Westlake Center Tree where they wandered beneath the millions of lights that decorated the trees of the park and checking out the Macy star. The location was magical, and she enjoyed the walk more than she had expected. Although it was only noon, the lights were already on, and since the day was dark and threatening to give Seattle a lovely white Christmas, it all looked amazing.
There were still a lot of people rushing from here to there, apparently doing their last Christmas shopping. That reminded her she hadn’t bought him anything for Christmas.
After all the clothes he had bought for her, she wanted to buy him something, and when they walked by a small mall with its stores still opened, she convinced him to go in.
“I would like to get Mrs. Benson and Joanne a Christmas gift, so why don’t I meet you back here in an hour?” she suggested to him.
“I would like to go with you,” he replied, not sure he wanted her out of his sight.
“No… you know us women… when we start shopping. It’s better if we meet here in an hour. That way I won’t feel I’m boring you,” she insisted.
“If you’re sure…”
She kissed his cheek. “I’m sure. See you in a while,” she said, walking away.
Leah wasn’t a great fan of shopping, but she hadn’t lied when she said she wanted to get Mrs. Benson and Joanne a gift. Both women had been nothing but kind and welcoming to her.
In fact, she already had something in mind for both women, but she was going to need some wrapping paper and tape to give it the final touches.
Finding a gift for Zorban was a bit harder. What the hell do you get for a man that has everything? After wandering through the mall’s hallways for several minutes, she finally found a tie that would make him remember her.
Made of a light shade of grey, the silky fabric had all sorts of snowflakes printed on in an even lighter shade of grey. It was quite lovely, and Leah was sure Zorban was going to like it.
Sure, she knew it was a cliché getting a tie for a man, but she had found a way to make it a bit more personal, and she was pleased with it.
When she came out of the store, she was a bit distracted, and that almost made her miss the strange man leaning against the railing. She had noticed the man before, probably because his hair was white and he didn’t look much older than her.
Either way, now that she thought about it, she was sure she had been seeing the same guy, all over the place, almost as if he had been following her.
Frowning, she walked away towards another store, and after pretending to go through whatever they had on sale, she came out just to find the guy, not far from where she was. He was definitely following her.
A bit scared and with no idea why someone would want to follow her, she headed back to the exit praying Zorban would already be there waiting for her. She knew she could face an unarmed man and subdue him temporarily freezing his ass off, but she didn’t stand a chance against a gun.
Bullets flew faster than her blows of wind and snow.
Zorban was already there, and she was so relieved her legs felt weaker for a moment. Once she was in his arms, she looked around looking for the man, but he was gone, probably looking for an easier target.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, sensing something was wrong.
U
nwilling to ruin things on such a special day, she shook her head. “Nothing, I’m just hungry. Do you know of a place where we can eat?”
“Sure. Not far from here there’s an excellent Italian restaurant if you want to go there,” he suggested.
“Yes… I would love to. Do we still have time? I wouldn’t like letting Mrs. Benson’s turkey go to waste,” she said, smiling, totally forgetting the creepy guy.
“Yes, we have time… it won’t be ready for a few more hours,” he assured her.
“Great, let’s eat, then.”
The food was perfect, and things between seemed to slowly go back to what they were before Zorban’s tactless words.
By the time they got home, their passion and desire for each other were back, more ravenous than ever. Zorban carried her straight to bed, taking them to paradise a few times before they returned to the kitchen.
“Oh, god… I’m sure we ruined the turkey,” she grumbled, as she stormed into the kitchen when she realized how late it was.
“You’re exaggerating. We’re only half an hour late,” he said, trying to calm her, unable to suppress the amused grin on his face.
She snorted and opened the oven sure she would find it turned into chunks of charcoal. But it wasn’t. The bird looked perfectly roasted, and when she pulled it out of the oven, it smelled glorious.
“See? I told you so,” he teased her.
She huffed, ignoring his remark as she took it to the kitchen counter. “What are we going to eat with it?” she asked, making sure the bird was perfectly cooked.
“Mrs. Benson left us more food in the fridge. Why don’t you take a look at it?” he suggested, picking some of the meat to taste it. “This is delicious.”
She slapped his hand. “Wait for dinner,” she ordered him before she went to the fridge. She had left them sautéed vegetables and some potatoes she could easily turn into delicious mashed potatoes. “Do you like mashed potatoes?” she asked him, slipping the vegetables into the oven to warm them.
“I’ll eat anything you prepare,” he assured her.
She quickly prepared the potatoes, and soon they were enjoying their meal in the living room, under the magic light of the Christmas tree they had decorated.
“This is a lovely tradition,” she confessed, as she finished eating.
“Yes, I thought so too. It makes you want to do good things for people. I know the feeling should be there all year long, but you can actually see it happening at Christmas time.”
“You’re right. Thank you for showing me your version of Christmas. It’s been an incredible experience,” she assured him with a smile.
“Wait until you see the party tomorrow,” he teased her. “I even get to play the Santa Klaus part,” he said, smirking.
She laughed surprised. “That’s something I want to see.”
“You will.”
“But, if we don’t want to be late for church, we should be going,” she warned him when the clock ticked nine thirty.
“Yes, you’re right.”
Chapter Nineteen
He helped her clear the living room and put away the leftovers before they left for church. Leah was wearing another of the dresses Joanne had bought for her. This one was a deep burgundy that enhanced her fair skin and her pale hair.
Mrs. Benson was delighted to see them there, and she introduced them to her whole family before she guided them to the family seats to watch the performance of the congregation members.
The choir was angelical, and despite the forgotten lines and the crying baby, the play was lovely. The actors actually managed to transmit the emotional effects of such a transcendental event.
When they finished, it wasn’t a surprise to see the whole congregation getting on their feet to cheer them.
The rest of the mass was also exceptional. They didn’t participate in the prayers, and the rituals but the priest’s words were meaningful and definitely worth listening to.
When it was all over, Mrs. Benson invited them to her home for a post-mass celebration, but Zorban declined the offer. He wanted to take Leah to watch the fireworks from the space needle.
They were saying goodbye to Mrs. Benson and her family when Leah got a glimpse of someone that shouldn’t be there. This time she had no doubts. It was the man from the mall.
A bit upset, she waited for the Bensons to leave before she turned to look at Zorban, doing her best to act normally. “Please, don’t look now. There is a man following us. I noticed his presence at the mall, but I thought I was overreacting, but now I’m sure of it,” she warned him, murmuring the words as if she was making sexy suggestions.
“Are you sure? Where’s this guy?” he asked, tensing up a bit, his whole body on high alert.
She leaned over to kiss him, still playing her part. “He’s right at the church door. His hair is white, and he’s wearing dark clothes,” she explained before she stepped back. “We should go.”
“Yes, we should,” he agreed, turning to head back to his car, taking a glance at the man she had described.
Furious, he realized it was one of his uncle’s men, probably the one he had sent to Earth to confirm his presence. Cursing to himself, he opened the door to Leah, and a few moments later, they were driving away from there.
“Did you see him?” she asked with a worried look.
“Yes… though I have no idea, who would be interested in following us. I’ll have my security team check him out. Don’t worry about him anymore.”
She nodded and tried to forget the whole thing. Watching the fireworks helped her forget. It was an amazing show. When they returned to his apartment, Leah had put the stranger in the back of her mind. All she could think of was Zorban.
He took her to the living room, and with a smile, he pulled a gift from underneath the tree. “Merry Christmas, Leah. Thank you for sharing your first Christmas with me,” he murmured, handing her a small rectangular, black velvet box.
“You have already given me more than enough,” she protested, recognizing the logo of a famous jewelry store.
“Giving you gifts pleases me,” he said, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. “Take a look at it.”
With somewhat shaky hands, she opened the box to reveal a gorgeous pendant of a snowflake on a necklace, that looked like platinum. It was delicate and incredibly beautiful.
She gasped, surprised. “You shouldn’t have…” she protested again.
“I had to. It was perfect for you,” he said, picking up the necklace and putting it around her neck.
“Thank you… I have no words to say how special this is,” she assured him, kissing his cheeks before she walked to the tree and reached for the gift she had hidden there before. “I got you this one. I hope you like it.” She handed it to him and waited for him to open it.
He stared at the tie a bit too much for her taste. “If you don’t like it, I can take it back…” she said, with a frown.
“No… it’s perfect. Snowflakes… they brought us together, so I guess it’s only fair that we make it our symbol,” he said, smiling before he carefully put the tie down. Pulling her into his arms, he stole a passionate kiss from her.
A few moments later, passion and desire had taken over them, and this time, they didn’t even bother to go to the bedroom. Instead, he took her to the fluffy carpet in front of the fireplace, and after taking off all of their clothes, they lay on the carpet and unleashed their fiery passion.
Kisses, caresses, and nibbles were the tools he used to drive her insane. He took her to a rapturous release a few times before she took over and pushed him down, pressing his back against the carpet and straddling him.
“It’s my turn,” she murmured, breathing hard, as she leaned over to kiss his lips before she drew a trail of kisses down his neck, across his chest and right to where his cock stood proudly.
She ran her fingers up and down his shaft, relishing its rings for a while before she leaned over and kissed its tip. Zorban’s loud moa
n encouraged her to go on. Soon she was kissing, sucking and licking the way he had done to her clit, giving him some of the pleasure he had given her.
At some point, he lost his patience and pulled her up, helping her to impale herself on his huge cock. Her loud moan echoed his, and soon she was riding him down the path to paradise and right into the wild turmoil of pleasure and bliss.
She collapsed on his chest, breathing hard, with her heart beating as fast as his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer to him.
“We should go to bed,” he whispered in her ear in an amused tone.
“Later… I’m too comfortable here,” she mumbled, loving the feel of him still buried inside her.
He chuckled and agreed. “Just promise me you’ll wake us up before Mrs. Benson arrives,” he warned her, closing his eyes.
“I will… I promise,” she assured him, closing her eyes too and just a few moments later, they were sound asleep.
They woke up early in the morning and had enough time to enjoy Christmas morning together before the catering crew and Mrs. Benson arrived.
After that, the penthouse fell into some sort of organized chaos, and Leah used the time to prepare the gifts she had thought of for Mrs. Benson and Joanne.
Locking herself up in the bathroom, she rapidly conjured the ice she needed, and soon she was working on a small version of the chapel where Joanne and Matthew got married. She added as many details as she could, wanting it to be a perfect reminder of the special moment. As for Mrs. Benson, she created a full set of twelve snow angels for the Christmas tree using her gorgeous baby grandson as a model. She was sure the old woman would love it.
After it was all done, she used a technique she had discovered when she was still experimenting with the ice sculptures that preserved the ice sculptures forever. It was as if she was able to turn them into crystal. The results were quite fascinating, and she loved doing pieces like that, but so far, she kept them to herself, afraid people might start asking how she managed to do that.
Once she was done, she took the gifts to the room and wrapped them with the paper she had bought at the mall. Hiding the presents under the tree was quite easy, considering the number of people bustling around and all the gifts already put there.