Dark Moon

by Victoria Wakefield

Next came makeup. Dark, gray smoky eyes with jet black mascara. To top off the look, I carefully applied the new red lipstick I had bought earlier today when we were shopping. I hope it matches the corset and panties.

  I hadn’t really been planning on getting into them yet, but I just wanted to see the entire look with the hair and makeup. I pulled them on, feeling naughty, and studied myself in the mirror. I liked what I saw.

  Deciding that I wouldn’t bother to change back into my normal clothes, I headed into the kitchen and dumped out the bag of stuff I had brought to make the strawberries. Originally, I’d planned on buying them, but all I could find were some gross looking boxed ones, and besides, how hard could it be?

  The recipe called for a double boiler, but I didn’t know what that was, and I needed enough time for the finished product to cool in the refrigerator, so that the chocolate hardened on the outside of the strawberries.

  I was, however, quite handy with a microwave. I broke the chocolate bar apart and put it in a bowl, then nuked it for twenty seconds. It barely looked like the chocolate had begun to melt, so I added thirty seconds and went into the bedroom to arrange the candles. I placed a total of six around the room. All creamy white and vanilla scented. Since I wanted to get the aroma going, I went ahead and lit them.

  I was starting to feel jittery with nerves. Michael would be back in half an hour. I had to finish the damn strawberries!

  I opened the microwave and was about to grab the bowl when I hesitated. The chocolate was bubbling and steaming. Shit. Had I burned it? I must have added three minutes instead of thirty seconds!

  With a frustrated sigh, I found a potholder and pulled out the piping hot bowl. It didn’t smell bad. In fact, it smelled sweet and delicious. I hadn’t ruined the chocolate, but I would have to wait and let it cool down. I stood there, impatiently blowing on the melted chocolate. Finally, when it looked cool enough, I tentatively dipped my finger in to test the temperature. It was warm but not hot. I tasted the chocolate, and was happy to find that it was rich and creamy, which it should be, considering I had splurged on one of those European bars that are outrageously priced.

  Humming to myself, I dipped the strawberries one by one into the chocolate and placed them on wax paper that I had put on top of a tray. I was so intent on what I was doing that I almost jumped a mile when I heard, “Hey, gorgeous.”

  “Michael!” I exclaimed. I spun around; he was standing in the doorway with a huge smile on his face. I threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly against my body, breathing in his wonderful scent.

  Michael pulled back to look at me, still holding me pressed against his waist. “You’re so impossibly beautiful, Lana,” he whispered. “You could make anything look sexy, but that outfit…I just want to touch every inch of your body, to feel myself inside of you, to know you’re mine and only mine.”

  “I am yours,” I said forcefully. I grabbed Michael behind his neck and pressed my lips against his, kissing him feverishly, hungrily, like I hadn’t felt his touch in years, not just a few days. Michael responded with the same aggression. He held the back of my head so that I couldn’t pull away if I wanted to. Which I didn’t. Ever.

  Michael slid his hand down my lacy panties, gripping my bottom, running his fingers up and down my entire back. He started to pull them down but stopped himself, groaning, “God, it is so easy to get carried away with you, Lana.”

  “I know,” I said, out of breath from kissing.

  “You taste like chocolate and my apartment smells like vanilla,” he teased, his voice husky. “I love it. I love you.” Michael was still holding me against him. His gaze was so intense that I had to look away. I leaned my cheek into his chest, tightening my grip around him.

  Laughing nervously, I said, “I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour!”

  “My flight was early and I wanted to surprise you,” he whispered into my ear. “I can see you had the same idea.”

  Michael unwrapped my arms from around him and forced me to look at him. “What are you scared of?” he asked.

  “I don’t know; I’m just so nervous around you,” I said honestly.

  He grinned wickedly. “Nervous to fuck me?” he asked in a low voice, leaning in to kiss my neck. “Because as amazing as you look right now, all I want to do is rip these clothes off of you.”

  My entire body was tingling and I was throbbing like crazy to feel him again. I unbuttoned his jeans, sliding my hand down the front of his fitted boxers.

  “Baby, you’re going to make me cum too fast,” he said. “I get hard just thinking about you. It was torture being away from you for three nights.”

  “Same here.” I tugged at his jeans and boxers. “I want to fuck you right here, right now.”

  Michael leaned down and scooped me up in his arms, so that my feet were off the ground. “I know I’m not carrying you over the threshold just yet,” he said seriously, “but let’s go to the bedroom.”

  I nodded without saying anything.

  Michael carried me to his bed and carefully set me down. I lied on my back, watching him as he kicked off the jeans and boxers I had started to pull down. Even just the sight of his chiseled, naked body, his erect cock, made me even wetter, if that was possible.

  He tugged my panties down and I spread my legs. As delicious as the foreplay was, I was throbbing to have him inside of me. And since we didn’t need to use condoms anymore, it felt like the connection was even deeper.

  Taking the hint, Michael lowered himself into me. We both moaned in pleasure. I grabbed his ass, his fucking sexy ass, felt the muscles tense as he moved up and down inside of me.

  When we were making love, it was as though all time stood still. It was the most intoxicating feeling I had ever experienced in my life. And my mind was completely clear, not plagued by the horrible worries that usually filled it. I never wanted it to end. Of course, it always ended with that wonderful sensation of both of us cumming. And tonight was no different.

  Michael tried to prolong it. He slowed down, unclasped the corset hooks and slowly, deliberately kissed and licked my nipples, which he knew drove me insane. But, suddenly, neither of us could hold off any longer, and we gave in, letting go of all inhibition, sharing the most personal thing any two people could share.

  After we were done, I didn’t want to let go of Michael. I held him against me, still on top of me, still inside of me. We were both breathing heavily.

  “That was unreal,” I finally whispered. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, Lana. More than you can ever understand. More than mere words can express.” Michael rolled over to the other side of the bed, his body still touching mine.

  I must have dozed off. I woke up to the scent of vanilla and everything came rushing back to me. Michael wasn’t in bed. I grabbed one of his t-shirts and pulled it over my head, not bothering with underwear.

  Michael was in the kitchen, putting the tray of strawberries into the fridge. “I didn’t want your surprise to get ruined,” he told me, “so I finished making these.” Michael was only wearing his boxer shorts. He came over and hugged me. “That was intense,” he said in a low voice.

  “I know. The way I feel about you…it’s scary,” I admitted.

  “Don’t be scared. It feels right. That’s all that matters.” Michael kissed me tenderly. “I ordered food – Chinese this time. There’s a new place we haven’t tried yet.”

  “Sounds great.” I smiled. Michael handed me a flute. “Champagne?” I asked in surprise. “What’s the occasion?”

  Michael grinned. “Seeing my wonderful, amazing, perfect girlfriend who I’ve missed like hell.”

  The rest of the evening was a happy blur. Michael talked about his trip, and I didn’t even think about Abigail until he asked me how work and school were going. Instead of mentioning her, I told him about staying up drinking wine with Maryanne and ditching classes.

  In the morning, we made love again. But as I got ready to leave for
class, I became apprehensive. Even though Evie wouldn’t be at the hospital, who knew if she had told anyone else about Abigail, or about the fact that I was dating Michael? She had such a big mouth; it was almost inevitable that she’d said something to someone.

  I didn’t think any of the nurses would have the nerve to say anything directly to Michael, but I couldn’t bank on that. And besides, even if they didn’t, they’d surely act funny around him.

  Ugh. I’m going to have to tell him now. Michael might not forgive me if he was blindsided.

  After I had showered and gotten dressed, I walked into the kitchen, where Michael was drinking coffee and looking at his phone. “Hey, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said nervously, sitting down at the table next to him.

  Michael looked up from his phone, a surprised expression on his face. He reached out and squeezed my hand. “I was just checking my calendar. My first appointment is later this morning. What’s happened?”

  “I should have said something last night, but I didn’t want to spoil our evening together.”

  Michael’s expression had turned from surprise to worry. “Did you get bad news?” he asked.

  “Not exactly. Actually, I got a visit from Abigail at the hospital on Wednesday.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could lose my nerve.

  Michael’s body stiffened. “Becky got in touch with her. That’s the only way she’d know about you.” He stood up and started pacing. “I can’t believe she would do something like that. I’ve got to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. I know what Abigail’s like.”

  “No, Michael,” I begged. “It will only make it worse. Please sit down.”

  Michael stopped pacing, but he still looked furious. He was clenching and unclenching his fists. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he sat back down. “What did Abigail say?” he asked quietly.

  I relayed the conversation, not leaving anything out. He actually laughed when I told him about calling her a cougar. “She was addicted to tanning, so I’m not surprised she looks older now. I used to try and make her stop, not just because of the accelerated effect it has on skin aging, but the huge cancer risk as well.”

  Michael paused and raked his hands through his hair, deep in thought. “I’m not going to say anything to Becky or Abigail,” he finally said. “Abigail is crazy; she hid it from me for a long time, but when the shit hit the fan and I dumped her for cheating, she wouldn’t accept that it was over. I had to change my phone number, change the locks; she gave her key back to me but I knew she had made a copy. I’d come home and find my mail rearranged. Little things that most people wouldn’t notice.”

  “What finally made her stop?” I asked.

  “It took a long time,” Michael admitted. “I was in residency at the time. She would try to waylay me at work. I’d just ignore her. I never fought back. Abigail gave up eventually.”

  “So you never hooked up with her again after you broke up?” I blurted out.

  “Fuck no.” Michael shook his head forcefully. “I didn’t tell you, but I went and got tested – you know, for the full panel of STDs – after it ended.”

  “Really?” I hadn’t given much thought to STDs when I went on the pill, but somehow it was nice to know that there was no chance of me getting anything.

  “I only knew about my best friend, but she could have been screwing ten other guys. She’s crazy,” he said again.

  “Which is why you can’t pay her any attention,” I said, thinking about the story Maryanne told me. “I won’t either.”

  “I agree. Don’t worry about those gossipy nurses. Let them giggle. I love you and I don’t give a shit who knows it.” He paused. “And I’m glad you told me. But don’t worry Lana, nothing will ever come between us. I hope you know that, right?”

  “Yes, I know that,” I whispered, but inside I wasn’t so sure. If Michael ever found out what I was keeping from him, he’d never forgive me.

  Chapter 19

  Telling Michael about Abigail had gone better than I ever could have imagined. He was such a caring, understanding man. In fact, I was in a wonderful mood, and I didn’t feel a bit weird when I got to the hospital, knowing that the nurses might be whispering behind my back.

  Nurse Evie wasn’t supposed to be working today, and I groaned when I saw her at the nurses’ station. She probably switched her shift, just so she could torment me.

  But even Nurse Evie couldn’t squash my high spirits. I’d be spending all weekend with Michael – well, except for Saturday evening. Maryanne had texted me suggesting a double date on Saturday night. Which was fine by me. I liked Toby and was happy to see my best friend settling down with a nice guy.

  Evie barely said hello when I got there. I could see the jealously and anger in her eyes. I had a different task today than ever before. I was supposed to stand by the entrance to the hospital and direct people to the elevators and field questions. She’s just making sure I don’t have any opportunities to see Michael.

  I was annoyed but forced myself to let it go. She could keep me from him during my volunteer shift, but she couldn’t do a damned thing about the rest of the time.

  A couple of hours in, Michael texted me to find out what I was doing. A few minutes after I answered, he came to the first floor.

  “You make scrubs look hot,” I teased him in a low voice.

  Michael grinned. “I’ve been looking for you since your shift started. I’m afraid I don’t have long,” he said apologetically. “I just had to see your beautiful face.”

  “I really want to kiss you right now,” I said in a low voice.

  “Tonight,” he promised.

  “Have any of the nurses asked you about us?”

  “Barbara told me you were a very sweet girl and we made a cute couple. I just said thanks, and I thought so, too.”

  “That was nice of her,” I said, surprised. “I didn’t think Barbara liked me.”

  “Oh, she’s alright,” Michael replied. “She comes across tough but I think it’s just because she’s been doing this job for so long. She’s very set in her ways and doesn’t like how the younger nurses goof around.” Michael glanced at his watch. “Not too long now. Are you meeting me at my apartment? I have a surprise planned,” he said mysteriously.

  “Of course,” I replied, my heart racing.

  “Wear something casual.” He briefly touched my arm, and then was gone.

  ###

  I didn’t bother going home before heading to Michael’s apartment. Maryanne was probably spending the evening with Toby, and I’d see her tomorrow on our double date.

  I’d slowly been bringing pieces of my wardrobe to Michael’s apartment, and I almost had more clothes there than at the dorm. Michael wasn’t home when I got there. I took a shower and changed into my new shorts and the lighting bolt t-shirt, then settled onto his couch to watch TV and wait for him to get back.

  “I could get used to coming home to you everyday,” Michael said when got there. “You look hot.” He eyed me up and down, his gaze lingering on my tiny shorts. Michael leaned down to kiss me and slid his hand up my thigh, and I tried to pull him down on top of me.

  “Hey,” he said, laughing, “I really do have something planned, as tempting as it is to get lost inside you.” He paused. “I need a shower before we head out. Care to join me?”

  “I just had one!”

  “Okay, I guess I can wait until later to have you,” he said, only half-joking.

  “What are we doing tonight?”

  “Still a surprise.” Michael winked at me.

  After his shower, Michael got dressed in dark jeans and a fitted gray top. I couldn’t stop myself from running my hand over his shredded chest.

  It was a nice, balmy night. I had no idea where Michael was driving us, but I really didn’t care, as long as we were together.

  Finally, when I saw the tall carnival rides in the distance, I knew where we were going.

  “You’re taking me to the fair!�
�� I exclaimed.

  “It’s only in town for a week. I thought it would be fun. I’ll try and win you a stuffed bear. You can show it off to all the nurses,” he teased.

  I laughed. “This is perfect, Michael. I haven’t been to a fair since I was a teenager.”

  “Me, neither,” he said. Michael parked in the packed lot and came around to open my door. He held out his hand, and when I took it, he pulled me to him and planted a kiss on my lips. “Tonight we can pretend like we’re sixteen again. I wish I had met you back then.”

  “I would have been seven when you were sixteen!” We both laughed.

  “Okay, maybe not when I was sixteen,” Michael conceded, “but you know what I mean. I never want to waste another minute of my life, a minute spent without you.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder as we walked, hand in hand, towards the fair entrance.

  Most of the other fair-goers were teenagers, some in groups, some obviously on dates.

  “I hope you’re not scared of heights.” Michael gave me a devilish grin.

  I gulped. “Only marginally. But I would do anything for you.”

  First we rode the log ride, which slowly, painfully took us up a creaky hill, after which the log was catapulted down a hundred foot drop. I screamed and held onto Michael, who was sitting in front of me in the log. We were soaked when we got off the ride, but the night was warm so it didn’t matter.

  “You look like a drowned rat,” I teased Michael. “An incredibly hot, sexy, drowned rat, that is.”

  He pulled me to him and kissed me. “Ferris wheel next? And we can’t forget the haunted house ride.”

  We spent the next few hours going from ride to ride, laughing and kissing and acting like two stupid teenagers without a care in the world. For the haunted house tour, we sat in a creaky cart that took us through a ‘haunted’ mansion. I played along, screaming and hugging Michael at every ghoul that popped out to scare us.

  “Want some food?” Michael asked me when we were done.

  “Sure,” I replied.

  I didn’t realize when Michael asked me if I wanted some food that he meant a taste test of every stand in the park. We ate corn dogs, funnel cakes, polish sausages and even fried Oreos.