“I’m here,” I murmured, almost thumping her chest to indicate what I truly desired: to be ensconced, securely settled in her heart. But I didn’t want to scare her off. And I sure didn’t want this to end after my flight back to New York.
As if we knew that our time might well be limited, once our heavy conversation died down, Robin and I soon found ourselves inside each other’s arms again, cuddling and stroking each other’s naked bodies on the bed.
“This time, let’s take it slower, yeah?” Robin’s fingers were back tweaking my nipples. With the other hand, she produced a delicious tingling in my clit as it again rose to the demands her fingers were asking of it.
“Yeah,” I said. The ache of missing her seemed already real, even in the middle of foreplay. I felt new tears course down my cheeks. It was just like me to spoil a moment instead of enjoying all that I had.
“What’s wrong now?” she said kindly, withdrawing her fingers and watching my eyes. I appreciated her patience, because at that point I was losing patience with myself about being unable to control the waterworks. What had gotten into me? I was not a crybaby, never was, so why start now?
“Nothing,” I said. “Please, Robin, please don’t stop what you’re doing. Promise you won’t stop.”
“I promise, but—”
“No ‘buts’, now, please.”
She cupped my bottom with her palms.
“Well, that kind of butt is okay,” I said, the banter back in my voice.
“You have the loveliest bum in the whole world.”
“You’re just saying that ’cause it’s true,” I said.
“Cheeky bugger.”
It wasn’t long before our bodies joined in a series of high-flying feats like birds mating in flight. It was impossible to tell where her limbs and lips ended and mine began. We spent uncounted hours pleasing each other enough to last a lifetime — a lifetime together we wouldn’t have. Eventually, the demands of nature kicked in, and our rumbling tummies started a conversation with each other.
“Was that your tummy or mine?” I asked while lazily tracing my finger in circles around her belly button.
“I have no idea, but maybe we should listen to our other physiological needs besides sex.”
“What, and move? Oh no, I’m way too comfy.”
“Me too, but it won’t help if we pass out. Rescuing a swan uses up a load of energy.”
“Good point. When’s the last time you ate anything?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Neither can I.” I shot up out of bed.
“Where are you going?”
“To scrounge around for a nosh.”
“A nosh? Now you’re sounding like The Nanny again, Fran.” She sat up in bed, her breasts beckoning me, but I had to resist.
“Stop. I’m not your Nanny,” I teased as I rummaged through the tiny fridge, holding up each item as I called it off.
“Now, don’t get too excited: we have one apple with two bruises, a half-eaten Snicker’s bar, and two samples of UHT soy milk, in case we’re really desperate.”
“I’ll pass,” she said with a groan. “Where’s the menu card?”
The room was such a mess it took a while before I found it under a pile of dirty laundry.
“Ooooo, let’s order an English breakfast, poached or fried eggs, sausage, bacon, fried mushrooms, baked beans, grilled tomato, black pudding and toast,” I read aloud. “Yummy, and fattening.”
“What happened to choosing foods wisely?” She twisted her lips in an overdone look of reproach. “Have you forgotten the message of your big presentation already?”
“I could get the eggs poached and have the toast without butter, I guess. Besides, dearest, we did a mitzvah today. We earned some extra calories.”
“What’s a mik-vah?” Her mispronunciation cracked me up. I was tempted to explain that a Mikvah was the ritual bath and cleansing amongst Orthodox Jewish women after menstruation, but was too hungry to get into a full Rabbinical discussion. Food first, I thought.
“Mitzvah, not Mikvah. It’s a commandment that means doing a good deed. It’s Hebrew,” I said. “We saved a swan from certain death today.”
“In that case, an English breakfast it is.”
I called room service to place our order. While on the line, I relayed the operator’s questions, “White toast or brown?”
“Brown, please. Fried eggs, bacon, no black pudding...”
“What is black pudding?”
“Stuffed sausages made with pig’s blood, onions, oats....”
“That’s disgusting. I’ll have yogurt and stewed fruit,” I said before thanking the woman on the phone and hanging up.
“Come here, please,” Robin said after I had put down the phone.
“What for?”
“So I can poke fun at your funny expressions and nasal voice.”
I scowled. “No way!”
“I have a very special cuddle for you,” she said.
She was irresistible. I still didn’t know how I was going to leave her in a few days. “That, my dear,” I said, “I can’t refuse.”
“How long do we have before they bring the food?” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.
I looked over at the clock on the small desk the hotel had provided. “Thirty minutes at the earliest.”
“Plenty of time for a cuddle.” She graced me with a wide smile.
“But not long enough. I leave the day after tomorrow.”
“I know, let’s not spoil it.” As I walked over and sat next to her on the bed, she reached out her arm and pulled me into an embrace. I snuggled far too eagerly into the crook of her elbow.
I had to be realistic. There would be no plans or promises when I left. Why did she have to be so damn irresistible anyhow? The long kiss she gave me was so slow, deliberate, and sweet. Our eyes remained open, as if memorizing each pore to keep this memory alive.
She said she loved me, and I believed her. But once we were out of each other’s sight, how long would it be before she forgot all about me? I already knew I would never forget her. Our bodies melded. We were different enough to keep things interesting, and yet, there was still so much I longed to know about her. We had many things left to share, left to discover about one another.
“Maybe we should get some clothes on before room service arrives,” Robin said.
“Why don’t you shower first?”
“We might have enough time to shower together if we hurry?”
“Oooooo, sure thing. I’d love to wash your back.”
“And I can wash your bum.”
“Deal.”
It was another way to distract ourselves from thinking about the inevitable. We showered quickly, avoiding touching erogenous zones so we wouldn’t be distracted from hearing room service.
In fresh clothes, we heard the jingle of a tray in the hall, and when I opened the door, the aroma of English breakfast soon filled the air, starting my stomach growling anew.
“I am so hungry I could eat a horse, and sawdust would probably taste good too.”
She rolled her eyes, but like me, as soon as the waiter was tipped and out the door, she piled her plate high, and we ate in companionable silence.
Everything was delicious. My appetite surprised me; so much for cutting down on fat and cholesterol.
“Americans like sweets more than British people.”
I looked up from my food to see Robin observing me wiping my plate several times with my toast, slathered with butter and jam.
I shrugged. “We don’t eat baked beans and tomatoes for breakfast. I think the differences are what make traveling fun, don’t you?”
She nodded, then patted her flat abs. I wondered where s
he fit all the food she consumed. “I’m stuffed,” she said.
“Me too. You sleepy yet?”
“Getting there.”
We shed our clothes and hopped on top of the bed with the fresh linens—Debs’s bed. But I didn’t feel guilty, because she hadn’t even slept in it since the first night. The sheets were cool against my feverish flesh. Robin lay on her back while I took up my new favorite position, head resting between her shoulder and her breast, leg draped over the tops of her thighs. This left my arm with the freedom to explore her breasts, tummy, and whatever else I fancied. I didn’t remember dozing off, but at some point, sleep must have claimed me, because I awoke to someone shouting, “Yes!”
My peaceful slumber, broken, I nearly knocked Robin out of our love nest as I bolted upright, heart hammering in my chest. Thankfully, she had pulled the quilt up to cover our nakedness at the intrusion.
“Debs! You’re back early.” I managed to keep my voice sounding pleasantly surprised, but Debs wasn’t fooled.
“Sorry, guys. I didn’t think you were still here. There was no security lock or Do Not Disturb sign. I just came up here for those damn leaflets I schlepped all the way from New York.” She shielded her eyes to give us some semblance of privacy, but I could see from the grin between her fingers how pleased she was that I had hooked up with Robin. “It’s first break, you know,” she told me with a slightly reproachful tone, but only just slightly. Barely a moment later, she winked at me conspiratorially.
“Oh shit! I’m late again,” I said. “This is so not like me!”
Debs helped herself to a leftover piece of toast from our room service cart. “The morning session was terrific. I took notes and saved you some neat handouts.” She happily grabbed what she had come back for and waved the leaflets in the air. “Can’t believe I forgot these babies. There’s no way I’m taking them all the way back home. Well, lover girls, I’ll leave you two to get dressed. We can’t have you creating quite a stir showing up in your birthday suits, now can we?” She laughed at her own joke. She scrutinized the disaster area of both beds and the array of clothes we had left strewn about. “My, but this room has seen better days…”
I love Debs to pieces, but if I hadn’t been naked, I’d have gotten out of bed and pushed her out the door.
“Right. Janalyn, don’t you forget my presentation is at one, or I might never forgive you.” She winked again. Was she warning me or letting me know that she wouldn’t be coming back to the room and interrupting us until long after one? With Debs it was hard to tell.
The moment the door closed, Robin flopped back down onto the pillow. “That was awkward.”
“I’ll say. We should go.”
“Five more minutes, please,” she said, lightly caressing the curve of my arm, leaving goose bumps galore.
“No way. If we start that again we’ll never leave.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
Robin dressed quickly and planted a kiss on my forehead before heading to her own room to prepare for the day. As the conference wore on, we sat together at lectures and meetings. Robin had a meeting with the FDA about legislating bans on adulterating our food supply with unnecessary additives that had potential side effects. Meanwhile, Debs and I worked with a private group setting up conference calls at convenient times, as the time zone issue made it difficult.
“We will have to take turns speaking after business hours,” I said. Everyone agreed it was the only way to get us all together.
With that settled, I lead the group in coming up with strategies, Debs was in charge of keeping track of who was responsible for what, and by the end of the hour, I was not only satisfied with the progress, but soon I’d be with Robin again…and I could not wait!
If these brief absences were painful, how in the world was I supposed to manage long periods of time when we would be so far away from each other? I gathered up my extra pamphlets, pens, and notebook and left the room. I searched the masses, said hi to a few, and hurried to find Robin. The moment I saw her walking toward me, my smitten state accelerated until I was somewhere close to heaven, with high hopes I’d never come back to Earth. She looked so incredible I could eat her up. The swagger, the confident smile, and the carefree attitude that she could do whatever she set out to do. Between that and her handsome, rugged features, I had eyes for her alone. I was tempted to blow off the rest of the day and do nothing but be with her, but niggles of guilt reared their ugly heads. That’s not what I was there for, and I bloody well knew it.
Wait. Did I just think bloody? Really, Janalyn? I was already assimilating the lingo in my mind. It’s like I was already halfway a resident. Was Robin already a part of my life I could not live without?
I had never been this distracted at a conference in my entire career, and I hoped it didn’t come back to bite me in the ass.
CHAPTER 14
After catching me enveloped in Robin’s arms, Debs vacated our room for Kirk’s, and Robin checked out of her shared room. Her roommate was pleased as punch, and the rumors around the conference were just too delicious not to enjoy. Lena shot me daggers, until I was tempted to gloat in her face. Debs and Kirk were quite inseparable. I was happy for Debs that he at least lived on the same continent.
By Friday, Robin only had to look my way, and my eyes grew misty at the thought that we wouldn’t get to see each other again. Marcus Spencer hadn’t returned my call or my e-mail request for an extension, so I wasn’t even sure we‘d have the weekend together. Yet Robin kept rehearsing our ever-changing itinerary: We’d visit Devon’s coastline, the moorlands, and all the most notable castles and pubs. She insisted on paying the airline flight reservation changing fee, promised to feed me, and promised she’d cart me all over the place to fill in my bird tick-list.
I sipped another cup of conference coffee and tried not to think about our eventual parting as I watched her hand glide down the day’s agenda. “Do you think we’ll have time for a shag before the closing session, or should we skip out on it?” Robin said. “Think Deborah will miss us?”
“I can’t do any shagging—or sightseeing—until my boss returns my call about staying here longer.”
She handed me her Samsung, and I checked my e-mail. There it was, in disappointing black and white.
“Just great,” I said. “Mr. Spencer insists I be at work on Monday because the board members are attending our debriefing.” I was nearly reduced to tears.
“What a prat,” she grumbled as she read the offending text.
“I know, Marcus wrote the same thing to me!” Debs was suddenly at my side.
“You asked him too?”
“Of course, you’re not the only one with an original idea. Leave it to Marcus Slave Driver Spencer to call the debriefing on Monday morning! His father would have given us at least a week,” Debs said. “Look, why don’t we get the gang together for the last meal of the con? It’ll take your mind off leaving in the morning.”
“Okay.” I was so downhearted, Debs attempted to tickle my waist. But I couldn’t find a smile anywhere.
Our discussion ended when the lecturer dimmed the lights and started a short film on identifying demographics and geographic areas that needed urgent attention to improve the health lifestyles of the impoverished. I absently noted the questions at hand: Education is paramount, but will the recommendations be understood? Will the target groups be able to afford to choose foods wisely? At this point I really didn’t care. I was too depressed about having to leave.
Somewhere in the middle of the film, Robin nudged me. Cheer up, she mouthed.
I couldn’t lose the pout, which is not to say that I tried all that much. After the meeting was over, Robin and I walked out together. The other attendees left us alone. In fact, it was incredible when they parted like the Red Sea, to allow us to pass. If I wasn’t so downhearted, I wo
uld have hugged them each personally, grateful for the alone time with Robin.
“We can e-mail and Skype,” she suggested.
I had no idea how she managed to be so cool about our impending separation. “Are you even remotely sad that we may never see each other after this?” I asked her pointedly.
“I’m sad you’re leaving, but while you paint gloom and doom, I prefer to figure out how we can see each other again.”
“I’m glad one of us is optimistic.”
“As I said, in the meantime, we can Skype and stuff.”
“Yes.” It was barely a murmur.
“Jan, are you going to mope around all day?”
I pouted. “Yes.”
She gazed at me with a sidelong, admonishing glance. “And is ‘yes’ all you ever say?”
“Yes.” I finally cracked a smile and felt the faintest hint of the cloud around me lifting. The more I thought about it, the more I refused to spoil our last day. And as I straightened my spine, put my shoulders back, and raised my head, I gave Robin a genuine smile. She was right. We could keep in touch. I needed to adopt her light-a-candle rather than curse-the-darkness outlook, and the sooner the better.
We didn’t get to go sightseeing like we’d planned, but we got to pass notes with jovial banter back and forth throughout the panels. We made the most of our break times and then, at night, planned farewell festivities involving everyone.
There were fifteen of us in all at the hotel restaurant for our last supper of the conference. I didn’t even know who most of them were or who had invited them all. It was impossible to converse with everyone seated at the long table, which was just as well, since Robin had my undivided attention. When she put her Visa in the pot and handed me back my thirty pounds, I fought the urge to protest, deciding to pay her back in private.
There was a small crowd around the waiter, while people took turns with his credit card machine. As the group began to disperse and exchange goodbyes, it was clear that most were simply moving toward the bar. Robin and I exchanged dubious glances at the prospect of wasting the rest of the evening in public.
Across the Pond Page 18