by Fiona Murphy
Carrie had been as surprised as the twins to see the checks, Rafael hadn’t said a word to her about them. It would have been nice to know in advance but she wasn’t going to think about it too much. If she did it would make her think about other things she and Rafael didn’t talk about, like everything except sex. She had hoped she could get something more personal out of him over the last week but he hadn’t said much she didn’t already know. Questions about his brothers or even work would have him turning them around on her and ask her about her own past. It was frustrating but it had only been a week and she needed to give him more time.
Turning on the water to the deep garden tub she added a few drops of scented oil and the smell of jasmine quickly filled the room. Undressing, she slid into the hot water and sighed at how good it felt. When the water covered her, she sat up to turn it off. She had just settled back against the back when her cell phone rang. A little shout of glee escaped her, she knew it was Rafael. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub as she sat up and reached for the phone. Checking the display, she wasn’t disappointed.
Forcing a deep breathe, she was shooting for happily surprised not giddy. “How’s Phoenix?”
“Fucking hot, how’s Dallas?”
“Hot here too, you know that. What was it this morning, something like ninety five by nine? The twins spent the whole of dinner making plans, you didn’t have to do that Rafael. Especially after what they did and still owe you.”
“They deserve it, had they not been really putting in work then they wouldn’t have gotten paid. What plans are they making?”
“Well, Riley had planned on spending it on video games and shoes but by the end of dinner I’m pretty sure Elliot had talked him into a checking account to save it.”
“Hmm, that’s good. What are you doing, what was that noise?”
“I’m taking a very hot and relaxing bath.” His intake of air was clear in her ear and she smiled.
“Damn it, Carrie.” The words were a hiss.
“Well, Rafael, you asked. This is a big bathtub, I’m surprised we haven’t made use of it yet. Maybe when you come back.” She let her voice drop an octave and her free hand cupped her breast and flicked over a puckered nipple.
“You witch, you’re touching yourself.” It was an accusation.
“Hmm, maybe.” Knowing what she was doing to him was making her wet. She wanted to touch herself but didn’t dare.
“Where is your free hand?” A demand rapped out at her.
“On my breast, my nipple is so tight. It misses your mouth.” It was a sigh of admission, she didn’t dare lie. She heard the rustle of clothing and knew he was undressing for her. “Are you naked for me now? Is your cock out and hard for my pussy?”
“Yes, it misses your mouth too. Your dirty little mouth and the way I fuck into your throat. You take my cock like such a good girl. Your tongue licking me like a melting ice cream cone.”
“Mm, that’s my cock, you have your hand on, that cock belongs to my hand and mouth.” His words and her own were making her so wet she couldn’t take it and her hand moved between her legs, she was so wet. It didn’t matter her pussy was still swollen from last night and this morning.
“Ah, now you’re touching my pussy aren’t you? I can hear your little moan. That same moan that escapes you when my mouth is on your wet pussy. No, back to your breasts, I want them tight as if they had been in my mouth. Yes, that’s it. You get to touch your pussy when I say you can. I want you to put your fingers in your mouth and taste yourself for me. The taste of you is so damn good, sweet and tangy. There are times I think of you and swear I taste you on my tongue. Sucking those fingers like you wish it was my cock, aren’t you? I can hear you, Carrie. Say it, say my name in that breathy little moan of yours.”
Her pussy clenched and the ache felt like he was there inside her, “Rafael.” His name came out of her just like he wanted and she heard him groan through the phone and she twisted a nipple painfully. “Please can I touch my pussy? I need to so badly, please?”
“Not yet, I want you to suck that tight nipple into your mouth. I want to hear you sucking hard like I know you like it. That’s it, sweetheart, harder. That’s the little whimper I love to hear, now you can touch your pussy but not your clit. Not yet, tell me how wet you are.”
“So wet, Rafael, I’m leaking down to my ass. You would be using it to play in my ass like you love to do. Why haven’t you fucked my ass, yet? You know I want you there.” Her finger slipped down and she toyed with the tight rosebud he had so far slipped two fingers in but not the cock she had pleaded for. She gasped as she slipped a finger inside, and he groaned her name.
“Get your finger out of your ass, I’ll fuck your ass soon but not until I say so. That’s a good girl, two fingers, I want two fingers inside your pussy. Slow down, slow, mi dulce, this isn’t a race and if it were I would make sure you came first every time. I can hear your little moans and now doesn’t that still feel good? I’m going to let you add a third, one more finger. Yes, you like that now slow. Slowly, in and out yes, you can last sweetheart, I’ll tell you when you can come and it’s not yet.
Tell me, what are you thinking about, Carrie. What way are you imagining us fucking to get you off?”
A sob escaped her as she opened her mouth and she bit down on her lip. Working to catch her breath was hard, “On my knees, I love when you fuck me from behind. You feel so deep and thicker, even more than when I’m on top of you.”
“Hmm, I do so love to fuck you from behind, watching your thick, beautiful ass shake in my hands. You’re close aren’t you, I can hear you trying not to come, such a good girl. I just might reward you when I get home.
Alright, you’ve earned your orgasm. Keep your fingers in your pussy but slide your thumb inside you and up to your clit. Oh, that moan was lovely to hear come out of you. My name, Carrie, say my name as you come for me.”
“Rafael, Rafael.” They were moans pushed out of her as she slid over into a body shaking orgasm. Dimly, she heard him groan her name and knew he had come as well. Closing her eyes, she felt wonderfully lethargic but she missed his arms around her. She wanted to say the words but she didn’t dare, too soon.
“Damn, Carrie, it’s going to be a long week.” He groaned.
“Yes, it’s not the same but I liked your phone call.”
“Then I’ll call you tomorrow tonight.”
“I’d like that.”
“Okay, now get out of the tub. You’ve probably half turned into a prune. Night, sweetheart.”
“Night, Rafael.” A term of endearment stayed locked deep down.
He hung up and she hit end but she held the phone for a little while longer. She missed him, it helped knowing he missed her just as much.
When the call came in four days after Rafael had left for Phoenix and only hours after he texted her letting her know things weren’t going as planned and his trip was going to take longer than he first thought. She was in a bad mood and she almost let it go to voice mail. The only reason she heard it was because was waiting for a follow up text from Rafael to let her know just how long he would be gone. She had made it clear cell phones weren’t to be used at the desk, so she didn’t think it fair if she said one thing and did another. She told Oliver and Linda she was fine with them surfing the web on the computers but knew they weren’t happy many of the social sites were blocked. Her finger hovered on silent but there was no one in the foyer and the first floor was quiet, Oliver shook his head and nodded to her office. She smiled her thanks and answered. When she heard the voice of her doctor she should have known then it was something, nurses called when it was nothing.
“Carrie, I just wanted to let you know everything came back clear except your pap, it came back abnormal. Nothing to be too concerned about, we’ll do another pap in six months just to be sure. I know with your aunt’s history it sounds scary but I’m sure it’s nothing. Everything else came back clear, no HPV or anything else to be concerned about. I
want to schedule the next pap now though so there’s no forgetting. Your insurance will cover everything December thirtieth, I can get you in early if that works.”
She murmured a yes and disconnected the call. Her legs gave out and she was on top of her desk. Closing her eyes she fought the lump in her throat, stop it, the doctor was sure it was nothing. Her memories of her aunt Patty had been fuzzy, she’d been almost ten years older than Carrie’s mother but Carrie did remember the arguments and her mother’s tears. Her aunt had been diagnosed with cervical cancer at only thirty one and dead by the time she was thirty four. Carrie’s mother had fought with her own mother, saying she couldn’t drop everything and run back to Iowa. Carrie had known the tears were because it was a lie. Her mother simply hated Iowa and was terrified of being stuck there if she went back. Carrie’s mother hadn’t even gone to the funeral, the next year she met the twin’s father. Often, Carrie thought it was her sister’s death that had pushed her mother into a relationship that was all wrong just so she wouldn’t die alone as her sister had. Yet, Carrie remembered Patty had a husband but he’d died in the Gulf war and she’d never dated anyone again.
Now she only thought of her aunt when it came to filling out the history on medical sheets. She never added her grandmother’s heart had given out two years after Patty died because she was sure it had been due to loss and loneliness not high blood pressure. At the time it all started Carrie had been too young to take it all in but she remembered it had been the same thing of one abnormal and then back again and then another and then a biopsy and then calls had started in earnest. Her mother on the phone nearly every day, her mother yelling at her sister for not having taken better care of herself. Carrie couldn’t breathe when she thought about her own putting off a yearly pap for the last two years, simply because they were so damn uncomfortable and it wasn’t like there was a chance she had caught anything.
Had she made the same mistakes her aunt had made? Stupid, don’t do it, she told herself even as she brought up the computer and searched for everything she could on cervical cancer. It wasn’t pretty but it did settle her nerves and she realized why her doctor had mentioned HPV, she had none of the symptoms. She was worrying for nothing, nothing, she told herself. Then her phone rang and she jumped. The display told her it was the delivery company for cleaning supplies and she answered, forcing the tremble out of her voice.
It was going to be fine, she was only twenty six, she was healthy. Besides, she didn’t have a choice, she had two boys that needed her around for another few years. She wasn’t going anywhere. She scanned through her phone and wished she could call Rafael, just to hear his voice but didn’t dare. He’d know something was wrong and nothing was wrong. Nothing, the word firm, she opened the door to her office and smiled at Oliver, everything was fine.
When Rafael called that night, the same as he had every night since he had been gone she sighed with relief. Gathering the stack of overwhelming paperwork into a tidy pile she tossed it onto her bedside table and lay back with the phone. The only thing she was worried about was how long he’d want to stay on the phone. Her period had begun today and she didn’t feel well.
“Did I bother you?” He sounded concerned and she was so relieved she wanted to cry.
“No, sorry, just looking over some paperwork and didn’t realize it would take so long to get rid of and get comfortable.”
“So are you comfortable now?” His voice was deep and despite the heavy ache in her lower abdomen her breasts obeyed and then hurt like hell for doing it.
“I’m really sorry but I just started my period today and don’t feel good. You made my nipples hard and now they hurt. I should have warned you, this time of the month is hell for me.”
“Ahh, sweetheart don’t apologize. Did you talk with your doctor about that? From what I understand there are certain birth control pills that can help alleviate certain symptoms.”
“I did and even better she gave me a pill that means I can skip having a period all together. No more nights and days curled up in a ball of misery and yelling at the twins for no good reason. It sounded like bliss so I took her up on it.”
“Is that safe?” His concern is palpable.
“Rafael, of course it is. She’s a doctor and has been one for a long time. She knows what she’s talking about. The only reason you have a period is to know you aren’t pregnant. If you continue with the pill continuously the chances of failure are nil and you really don’t have to worry about pregnancy. Also, we won’t have to go a week without sex, except for when you go out of town again.” He was quiet and she knew he was thinking, “Rafael, thank you for the concern but I really like this plan. The pain I go through is just awful, it would be TMI and it would make you cringe. This is a good thing, for me and I trust the doctor.”
“If it is better for you then of course, as long as you’re safe. You never mentioned what doctor you were going to see. Was it a GP or an OB/GYN?”
“She’s an OB and I’m not going to give you her name so you can have her grades at school and the rest of her researched to within an inch of her life. It’s now become a very common thing to do, that’s it enough of that.
So you texted it’s going longer than planned?”
“Yes, it looks like another two days here at least. Only now the Los Angeles office has already been calling two days in a row which means I’m going to be met with a fucked up mess to clean up. The last time I was there they were glad to see the back of me so if they’re practically pleading for me to get there as soon as possible then it has to be bad.” He sighed.
“That doesn’t sound good at all. Why haven’t you put someone in charge of the offices you think can handle it? Is there no one you trust?”
“My grandfather wants this to be a family firm and only trusts family to be in charge. Considering how badly my father and uncle messed things I had hoped he would have learned his lesson. The plan was for Benito to gain the knowledge and head the Phoenix but if you’ll remember it didn’t quite work out.”
“You never said, where is your father and uncle?”
“My father is in the Houston office and will likely never step foot in Dallas again until he’s to attend my grandfather’s funeral. He does okay there but the framework was already in place from my grandfather. My uncle has retired to Hawaii, his wife is content with him out from under foot. He paints and actually seems to make enough to support himself.”
“So no chance of putting your dad in charge in Phoenix or Los Angeles?”
“No, and I think he wouldn’t want to go. He has a nice cozy life in Houston with a long-time girlfriend and he’s content.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize your parents are divorced.”
“They aren’t. My mother likes the name Castillo and the weight it carries in Dallas. She’s not letting my father off the hook, she refuses a divorce and half of his monthly pay goes to her. My grandfather isn’t happy with the situation but knows she could cost the family more with a divorce.”
“Wow, your mom is, um patient.”
Laughter came through and it was nice to hear him laugh. “You were going to use a bad word, Carrie. It’s okay, she is a bitch. Her only concern is being maintained the way she was promised. Her family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse not long after she married my father or I’m sure they would have divorced long ago.”
“Javier, says she’s like a little poodle who loves being pampered and looking pretty. I thought he was making fun, I guess not.”
A heavy sigh, “You’re going out to lunch with Javier?”
“Don’t be mad. It’s not a big deal, he seems almost as tense as you. He likes taking me out and making me laugh that’s all.”
“I don’t like it.” The words are clipped.
Carrie was almost afraid to ask, “What don’t you like about it?”
“Are you wearing skirts when you’re out with him? I’ve told you before I don’t like you in skirts. I don’t like he’s
got you all too himself, making you laugh. When you laugh you’re eyes get all sparkly and you blush too easily. I don’t like it.”
Fighting a smile, Carrie snuggled into the pillows. “Rafael, don’t be cranky. Javier is on his best behavior and it’s almost annoying how often he calls me, Rafael’s woman. Javier behaves himself and I promise so do I.”
“Fine, but no more skirts. Please, Carrie.”
“Yes, Rafael, no more skirts.” She heard his phone chime and he swore.
“Rafael, it almost ten thirty in the evening. Is that work?” For a moment she went still, could Rafael be with someone else in Phoenix?
“Yes, damn it. It’s the Los Angeles office and it’s only nine thirty there, sweetheart. I have to go. Night.”
Rolling over she clutched a pillow close. Where had that idea come from? Rafael wouldn’t be with someone else, not when he spent night after night on the kind of phone sex so hot she wondered how her phone didn’t melt. He had once accused her of having a dirty mouth but when he let go his words had been so much dirtier and better than hers. Don’t be stupid, she told herself.
The call had been brief but he hadn’t paused at the idea of continuing talking even knowing he couldn’t get what he called for. It made her feel better, until her eyes caught the edge of the folder.
On her lunch break she had been to see an insurance agent. The amount of different life insurance policies available was staggering and overwhelming. While she didn’t want the twins to become dependent on a payout if something did go wrong, the idea of being able to take care of them into college appealed. As long as it was used for school and not Riley becoming a video game junkie. Was she being overly cautious? Her aunt had almost five years, then again the more she had thought about it the more imperative it seemed. The agent had added to her concerns by laying out nightmarish scenarios of car accidents, and plane crashes until Carrie had felt faint. If something happened to her today, there was no one to take care of them. She could ask Bethany, but would it be fair to Bethany? It would be for the twins, without Bethany they would go into foster care and pushed out of the system once they hit eighteen. Except Bethany had just gotten married and two teenage boys were expensive to maintain. The only thing about all of this was she wasn’t sure she wanted the insurance to pay out immediately to the twins in one fell swoop. She had little doubt it would be gone in months. Tomorrow, she would call Javier and ask him for advice on estate planning.