“You know how good I am with my hands.” He drained his glass.
I did the same and held it out for him to refill.
“I grew up playing around in my uncle’s shop,” he explained. “Jerry was an excellent carpenter. He taught me a lot. The rest,” he said and shrugged, “I picked up myself.”
“I should have known.” I shook my head in giddy disbelief.
“Should have known what?” he asked mildly.
“That you could build me my dream kitchen!”
He chimed his glass against mine again. “Here’s to all our dreams coming true.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“And now please tell me how you feel about one dream that came true for you last night. You’re not regretting what a bad girl you were I hope.”
“No.”
“Good.” He smiled even as his eyes narrowed and darkened in the way that made me instantly warm and wet between the legs. “I was very pleased with you, Ariana. You learn quickly and don’t waste precious time struggling with artificial guilt. It’s one of the many things I love about you. If you were feeling guilty today about pleasing me so much and about pleasing yourself as well I would have had to punish you. You don’t have to give up anything you don’t want to, Ariana.”
“And yet I would give up everything just to be with you, John.”
“Then it looks like you’ll have to learn to accept more than you ever dared to think you could have.”
We chimed glasses again in silence as the room darkened. The sun had disappeared behind one of the old buildings across the street but our champagne sparkled and flowed like liquid light between our lips as we smiled into each other’s eyes.
“Oh damn!” He set down his glass and stood up abruptly. “I almost forgot.”
“Forgot what?” I watched him stride through his forest of statues into the miserable little kitchen that would soon be history. Oh what great pleasure it would give me to help him destroy it!
“I almost forgot this.” He returned carrying a plate he set on the table.
“Oh my! Strawberries and cream and champagne!” I promptly picked up one of the juicy red berries and dipped it into the little glass bowl filled with cream. “You’re going to spoil me, John.”
“That’s the plan.”
“By letting me fuck other men all the time?” I couldn’t resist asking.
He discarded the leafy green end of a strawberry. “With whatever we both desire,” he replied enigmatically. “Although the only man you’ll be fucking all of the time is me.”
I pretended not to be able to decide which strawberry to eat next as I avoided his eyes.
“Look at me, Ariana.”
It was a command. I had to obey.
“There’s something you’re not telling me.”
I was speechless.
“You promised to tell me everything,” he reminded me patiently. “Have you forgotten already?”
“No, John. This happened before we were together.” Yet that was a lie too. I clung to his eyes, feeling as though I had stepped into ethical quicksand.
“What happened?”
“A cop. I met him in the locksmith’s shop where I took the broken key to my rental car. He was suspended from duty and helping out his uncle or someone. I…we…”
“Fucked.”
I nodded, swallowing hard.
“When was this? You’ve only been in Miami a few days. I thought you arrived the morning we met in the funeral home.”
“I did. It happened that afternoon, before I went out with you.”
“I see.” He stared searchingly into my eyes. “There’s more.”
I respected him so intensely at that moment it made what was happening even more painful. A hot cloud of emotion was forming in my chest and I was afraid I might cry.
“I saw him again the evening before you came to dinner,” I said, forcing myself to hold his eyes. “I had already promised to meet him for drinks and I felt bad about standing him up. That was the last time I saw him.” Even this truth was tinged with falsehood because since then Eric and I had spoken—not to mention come together—on the phone.
“If that was all you wouldn’t look so miserable right now, Ariana.”
“I love you, John,” I said desperately.
“I know. That’s why you’re going to keep your promise and tell me everything.”
“I let him fuck me again in a public phone booth,” I confessed in a single breath as if afraid it might be my last. “Then when he called me the next day I told him I couldn’t see him again and yet…I had phone sex with him. I couldn’t help it. He started giving me orders… But I told him how I felt about you. He knows I can’t see him again.”
“Thank you.”
I assumed he was being sarcastic. Yet maybe he wasn’t. Confusion added its emotional moisture to the storm of feelings rising up into my throat and making my eyes burn.
The champagne and strawberries lay forgotten between us and his voice was barely audible as he said, “Is that all?”
“Yes, I swear it.”
He relaxed and picked up his glass. “Thank you,” he repeated and drained it to pour himself some more champagne.
“Why are you thanking me?” I demanded.
“For telling me everything. I can see how hard it was for you.” He dipped a large strawberry into the cream and popped it casually into his mouth.
I stared at him, feeling as if it was my heart and all its deepest feelings he was so casually savoring. “Don’t you even care?” I asked in disbelief.
“I care about you, Ariana. Those things happened before I told you I loved you. They happened before I asked you to be mine. I have no right to be angry with you. However if you ever want to fuck this cop again you’ll both have to have my permission.”
“I must be dreaming,” I murmured, looking around me as if I fully expected to wake up at any second. “This can’t be happening.”
“Are you telling me I’m a dream come true?”
Even more unbelievably, he was smiling at me!
“You’ll never be alone with another man again,” he said firmly, his smile disappearing. “If you ever fuck someone behind my back again it’ll be over between us. Do you understand me?”
“Of course! I feel the same way.”
“Good. Now relax. I’m not angry with you. In fact, I want you to invite this cop to the party Saturday night.”
“What?!”
“You heard me. I’m commanding you to invite this man to the party.”
His eyes told me he would not welcome any questions and that there were only two words he wanted to hear—the only two words necessary between us right now if we truly loved and trusted each other.
“Yes, sir.”
“Have some more strawberries and drink your champagne before it goes flat.” He smiled again. “Life is good.”
I drained my glass even though I was already feeling drunk from all the enticing possibilities spreading out before me. I brought a strawberry to my lips and sucked on it in wonder.
We killed the bottle watching darkness fall in silence. Too many intense things had been said and had happened between us for us to fall into small talk now. I was still trying to absorb it all. Part of me was definitely worried. This was a whole new world. I never would have dreamed of falling in love with a man who not only wasn’t the jealous type but was confident enough to enjoy sharing my body with other men.
I nearly jumped when he stood up abruptly. He unbuttoned his jeans with practiced ease and shoved them down along with his underwear, just far enough to expose his growing cock. “I want you to suck me,” he said, although he needn’t have bothered for I had already turned toward him and taken his stiffening length eagerly in hand.
I licked his head and then sucked on its tender fullness for a contented moment before sliding my lips slowly down his swelling shaft, at the same time lightly caressing him with my fist. I swallowed him whole, relishi
ng the sensation of his head nudging my throat even as the exercise became more difficult the bigger and harder he got. I moaned with the effort and from the profound satisfaction of being in possession of his beautiful erection.
I couldn’t get enough of his cock. I was torn between gazing admiringly at it where it towered before my face when I let it slip out of my mouth and an insatiable desire for its mysteriously flavorful dimensions. And he obliged me by letting me lick and gaze, suck and swallow, stare and pump and fondle for as long as I wanted to.
There was the slightest, sweetest bend in the center of his cock that made it appear even more magnificent to me. I absolutely loved the fact that he shaved his balls, which made licking his scrotum a totally luscious experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed bouncing his soft, heavy sac in the palm of my hand as I slurped noisily over his rigid shaft. At first I felt a little self-conscious about making too much noise as I went down on him like starving woman but the deep sounds of pleasure he made every now and then encouraged me to be even more audibly greedy.
Suddenly he slipped out of my mouth and pulled me to my feet. “Bend over the table,” he commanded. “I’m going to fuck you now.”
There were no blinds, my naked breasts, bobbing wildly as he fucked me violently from behind, were in full view. I clung to the edges of the glass and arched my back to take his beating. He was coming at me from an angle that almost hurt yet I perversely loved the excruciating power of his penetrations. The possibility that we were being watched intensified my excitement and I could feel how much our exposure turned him on as well.
He came deep and hard inside me and it felt so good I didn’t miss enjoying a climax myself. I had everything I wanted and the possibility of more than I might be able to handle.
“Mm, thank you,” he said breathlessly, acknowledging the fact that he had left me behind as he turned me to face him and took me in his arms. “Where would you like to have dinner tonight?” He murmured into my hair, kissing the top of my head.
“Anywhere. I don’t care. I’m just happy to be with you.”
“I’m glad, because I’ll do everything in my power to make you as happy as possible.”
Chapter Twelve
“Ariana?”
“I’m in my room, Mami.”
“Ariana!”
“What?” I snapped, sitting up in annoyance. It was mid-afternoon and I was contemplating a little catnap before I showered and dressed and headed over to John’s place.
“There’s a police car in our driveway! Why is there a police car in our driveway?!”
I leapt out of bed and tried desperately to peer between the foliage growing in front of my window. I could make out the black and white of a squad car parked out front but that was all.
“It can’t be,” I muttered. “He said he was suspended from duty!”
I should have known better than to try to discourage a man like him by never calling him back. My heart rate accelerated. I felt I was getting a speeding ticket from the universe for going too fast sexually with a total stranger and then breaking the romantic speedometer altogether with John.
“Good afternoon, officer,” I heard my mother say politely out in the foyer. “Is there a problem?” Apparently she had opened the front door before he had time to ring the bell. “What can I do for you?” she added anxiously and I held my breath as I barely caught the sound of a male voice responding. “Ariana?” she practically gasped my name. “She hasn’t done anything wrong has she?”
Thanks, Mami. I glanced down at myself in dismay. I was wearing the gray shorts and t-shirt that were just threads away from disintegrating and black leather flip-flops but there was no avoiding the confrontation. I opened my bedroom door and flapped down the corridor.
Rosa gave me an anxious, wide-eyed look as I approached, in which I caught just the slightest glint of suspicion.
PoorMami, she would never know how bad I had been since I landed in Miami. I couldn’t be sure yet the policeman actually was Eric since he was hidden behind the open door but all my instincts already knew for certain what my brain could only guess. What I wasn’t expecting was the devastating effect the sight of him would have on me. I barely noticed Mami melting away as I said, “It’s okay—he’s a friend of mine” because I wasn’t really aware of anything except the black uniform and black boots and the man inside them. “Hello, Eric,” I added automatically, my eyes finally making it up to his face. I had been staring at the dangerous objects hanging from his belt, one of which was obviously a gun.
“Hello, Ariana.” His pale, wolf-like eyes seemed to sink into mine like fangs, painfully challenging me not to desire him.
“Would you like to come in?” I asked, my mother’s presence in the house making me feel relatively safe.
“No thank you.” He glanced over his shoulder at the squad car. “I’m on duty.”
I got the impression he was showing off, which amused and annoyed me in equal measures. “Yes, I see that. I thought you were suspended.”
“I was.”
“Well I’m happy you’re back on duty.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t bother asking him how he got my address or why he had come by. I imagined I knew the answer to both questions and there was nothing I could do about either one of them.
He looked me up and down slowly and I let him get his fill without volunteering any more information about my love life.
“I’m sorry I’m not dressed for company,” I said lightly.
“You look beautiful.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I confessed.
“Are you still seeing that special someone?” His right hand came to rest on the holster of his gun as he glanced back at the police car again. He had left the motor running.
“Yes I am, Eric. We’re flying up to Boston soon and driving a truck down with my things. We’re moving in together.”
“Jesus. You sure don’t waste any time. Are you sure you’re not going to get burned rushing into a relationship like this?”
“I appreciate your concern, Eric,” I said, and I really did, “but I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Well,” he took a step back, “at least you’ll be living here in Miami where I can catch you if you fall.” He saluted me as he turned away.
“Eric…” I reached out and lightly touched his arm just below the black sleeve of his uniform shirt.
His whole body stiffened as though I had shocked him. He didn’t turn to face me again. All I could see was his hard profile as he said, “Yes, Ariana?”
He kept his voice carefully neutral but I wasn’t fooled. I could sense and was somewhat awed by how much he really wanted me. His lust was suddenly as palpable to me as the hot and humid air outside contrasted with the frosty air-conditioning of the house behind me. I was standing on a threshold in more ways than one. My unbelievable conversation with John yesterday was fresh in my mind and that—combined with the fact that a deeply buried part of me was coming dangerously alive here in hot and humid Miami—made it possible for me to do what I had promised to do and also very much wanted to do.
“How would you like to go to a party Saturday night?” I asked quickly, before I had time to regret the step I had just taken into a world where I might actually be able to have my cake and eat it to.
The invitation got his full attention. His hand still resting unconsciously—or deliberately—on the butt of his gun, he turned to face me again. “What’s the matter? Is your boyfriend busy that night?”
“No, he’s going too. The party is here in the Gables at the house of a man who owns one of the art galleries.” A man I knew intimately… The memory was so hot I had to suppress it in order to maintain my composure. “Would you like to come?”
“No thanks.” He made to turn away again.
“Eric!” I held his eyes even though it was like plunging naked into a cold sea. I took a deep breath and exhaled the impossible words, “My boyfrie
nd asked me to invite you.”
“He asked you to invite me?” I had definitely caught him by surprise. “You told him about us?”
“Yes. I can’t keep anything from him. I love him.”
“You’re not making any sense.” He sounded impatient, not just with me but with his own reluctantly growing curiosity. I sensed he was intrigued against his will and that he resented it. He wanted me—that was a straightforward fact he could deal with and fight for—but my unexpected invitation had thrown him off balance. It had confused him enough to make him feel uncertain of where he stood, something he clearly didn’t appreciate.
I glanced down at my painted toenails. “Would it make more sense if I told you that he didn’t ask me to invite you?” I deliberately paused before meeting his eyes again. “He commanded me to invite you.” My pussy juiced beneath his penetrating stare. “But of course it’s up to you if you come or not.” I couldn’t resist the suggestive phrasing because it seriously excited me to watch the currents of thoughts and emotions shimmering in his eyes.
“What sort of man are you involved with, Ariana?”
“An artist.” The cop in him was worried about me! His reaction struck me as so unselfishly sweet I felt like throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him. “A sculptor to be more precise.”
“And this friend of his who’s throwing the party owns an art gallery? Sounds like a perfect front for drug dealers to me.”
I laughed. If I had been less sure of John I might have been angry and tried to defend him but my trust in him was so profound I didn’t feel like wasting my time trying to communicate it to someone who had never met him and could therefore quite reasonably doubt his integrity. “They’re not drug dealers,” I said simply.
“I have to get back to work.” He adjusted the heavy belt that had slipped a little too low on his lean hips. “Would you mind telling me what’s going on?”
“I’m inviting you to a party, Eric,” I replied innocently. “I think you would really enjoy it. Really!” I added earnestly because I was suddenly afraid he wouldn’t go.
He glanced down at my nipples where they seemed to be trying to poke through my skimpy t-shirt. “I thought you were a nice girl, Ariana,” he said almost angrily, as if I had disappointed him.
Faith in the Flesh Page 13