Cruising Through to Fulfilment

by Ann M Pratley

  Chapter 18

  It took twelve straight hours to fly from Los Angeles to Auckland, and then another four hours before Tanya was back in her home town. When she stepped out of the airport, she did appreciate the cleaner air and the rural backdrop to where the airport was located. She was exhausted but now eager to get back home. She lived in a small cottage that a friend had been looking after while she was away, and now, after three weeks of glamorous hotel rooms and ship cabin, she was looking forward to homeliness.

  She unlocked her front door and stepped inside, calling out to see if her friend was there before seeing a 'welcome home' note on the bench. She looked around - everything was immaculate, but oh so homely and comfortable. She sat down on her sofa, lay down on it and resisted sleep, knowing she had to readjust her body clock. After a quick shower, even though she didn't need to, she went into her work to speak to her boss.

  When she entered the office everyone ran up to her and hugged her, making her laugh, and then she made her way to her manager's office.

  "Tanya, come in and sit down," said Amanda, a forceful woman who, to Tanya, had always emanated power and strength. "How was your holiday?"

  "It was good ... interesting," Tanya said, having a very diverse plethora of memories wash over her. "I am ready to get back to work though."

  "Good! We have missed you and we are really busy - can you come back first thing tomorrow morning?" Amanda asked and Tanya eagerly nodded.

  "Yes, absolutely."

  She walked out, telling everyone who asked that she would be back the next day, and made her way back home. Now she was awake again, she could focus on unpacking and enjoying her home and all the things in it - little things that she took for granted day to day but it was so nice to see after what felt like a long absence.

  As she was unpacking she came across the dream catcher Greg had bought for her. Should she have kept it? It was just so beautiful, she thought to herself, and it deserved a place to be appreciated, regardless of who it was from. She walked around her home, spotted a right spot for it and quickly put up a picture hook for it. Standing back to look at it in its new home, she thought again about Greg and Paul, and that morning they had left. Kissing three men in three weeks. She didn't want to ponder that realisation again.

  Further down into her bag she found the lingerie and laughed at herself about it. Had David really liked her in it, she wondered. He hadn't asked or suggested she put in on again, so she guessed not, but what was she to do with it now? She folded it carefully into the original packaging and slipped it into the back of one of her drawers, suspecting it probably would not see the light of day again.

  She walked around her little home. It was only a two bedroom cottage but she loved it. She loved that it was hers, and that it had evolved to be as she wanted it to be. Tonight she would sleep in her own bed, but she would be sleeping alone, and she knew that would be hard because even though they had known each other for such a short time, she had come to love knowing David was beside her, to comfort her, hold her, make love to her. Already she was missing him - badly.

  * * * *

  On the other side of the world, David had also arrived home and was greeted by his live-in housekeeper, Mimi. She was an older woman who had previously been housekeeper of David's oldest friends. Day to day he didn't even need a housekeeper, in his view, but she had needed work and he did fully trust her to look after his home, which was especially important when he was travelling. His home wasn't a house - it was an apartment, high up in the sky in New York. Laney had hated apartments and the two of them had always lived in houses out in the suburbs, but when she had died he wanted things to be different so he wouldn't keep being reminded of her. So he had moved into the city, which was better for work, and had helped him with its sterile feel about it. There was nothing that said 'home' in this apartment, in fact it looked much like the hotels he had just spent three weeks in, except that now there was no Tanya - there was no-one at all for him to hold or kiss.

  He dismissed Mimi, telling her to that she could have the next four days off as paid leave, so he could have the apartment completely to himself, to realign himself back into normal life again. After she left he dumped his bag on an armchair and went to stand at the window. A great city spread out before him, with millions of people, but he only wanted to be with one, and she wasn't out there. She was already on her way home to another country at the bottom of the world.

  He put her out of his mind and got on with unpacking and then arranging a whole day of appointments to make sure as many waking moments of coming days as possible were filled, and would stop him thinking about her.

  Chapter 19

  A month passed and Tanya got back into the flow of work and catching up with friends. Everyone had been so excited to hear about her travels that she had started to feel like she was repeating herself over and over, but soon enough it was forgotten and everything seemed to be back to normal.

  David had called her every few days since they got back to their respective homes - only twice a week and only for an hour or so each time - but it was enough for her to maintain hope. He said he was finishing off a project and was hoping to be able to come soon, and Tanya took him at his word. She did believe he wanted to, she just wasn't sure she wanted to expect too much from him.

  The last call had been eight days ago, though, and she hoped this missed call meant he was busy with work, and that it wasn't a sign that he had decided long distance wasn't for him. She went to bed that night, sad to not have heard from him, but telling herself there would be a good reason. In her heart though, she knew there was a very good possibility that 'that time' had arrived, as it always did. She really believed that she wasn't meant to be loved for a long time, only to have short term relationships. She thought this and let herself cry until she fell asleep.

  At work the next day, she engrossed herself in her work, determined to not think about him. If it was over, it was over - she just had to accept it and get ready to move on. She had been telling herself the whole time she was with him that it would not last, so why did she feel so upset about it now being a real possibility? She worked furiously, catching up on missed work at an incredible pace all of a sudden.

  Shortly before her day's work was finished, her manager came to see her.

  "Tanya, can you come to the conference room please," she said, very formally and in a way that made Tanya wonder if she had made a big error in something and was about to be reprimanded.

  Tanya walked down the corridor and into the conference room, suddenly even more confused upon seeing no-one there at all. Behind her, though, the door closed and she turned around and shrieked. Before her was standing David, looking very uncertain of himself, like he was worried she might not be glad to see him. She jumped at him - there was no other way to describe it - and threw her arms around him, kissing him, and he was relieved and thrilled at her response. How wonderful it felt to be in her arms again! He pulled away from her, respectful of it being her workplace, and she looked at him, seeing his shyness.

  "Perhaps this isn't the best place for some things," he said quietly and she laughed at him and hugged him tightly again.

  He looked at her and could see tears in her eyes. But she was smiling - and what a smile! He knew then that he hadn't been too presumptuous and he wasn't at all unwelcome - these were the fears he had had all the way from New York and now he could put them to rest.

  She pulled back from him, also aware of it being her workplace, but she couldn't stop the tears - happy tears. He wiped them away and looked at her in wonder. How could she be so happy to see him? And how did she look even more beautiful now, when he had thought her so incredibly beautiful before?

  She just wanted to kiss him and touch him. She looked at her watch and saw it was still another 30 minutes until she could leave, and she felt conflicted.

  Suddenly the door was opening and Amanda was there, smiling at her. "Go home and have a good weekend, Tanya."

/>   "Thank you," Tanya replied, although her manager had already silently disappeared.

  She turned to David, feeling very flustered with him in her presence again.

  "I just need to grab my bag. Come with me," she said, holding his hand while leading him down to where she worked, and then out to the street when she was ready. She was so shy, all of a sudden, like he was a new being that she had never seen before.

  Once out of the door she turned to him and kissed him properly, not caring about the world seeing her do it, and he felt like he was bowled over, all over again.

  "How far away is your home?" he was asking, and she was thinking the same thing.

  "It's a 15 minute walk," she said, and he saw her start to walk faster, making him laugh. She was wearing semi-high heels, knee length skirt and blouse, and he was briefly reminded of the night she asked him to lift her skirt slowly. The thought had an instant effect and he had to purposely turn his mind elsewhere.

  David marvelled at this time and place - he was in New Zealand of all places, and he was surrounded by old buildings that, compared to New York, were dwarf in size. Looking up he could see the vast open sky, and the air was fresh. He was in a dream, he thought to himself. He must be.

  Tanya looked at him while they walked. She couldn't believe he was actually here, in her country, to see her. And she was annoyed that on this one day she didn’t wear sneakers in her walk to work, so it had to be a slower than usual trek home in these shoes. On David's face she could see the same eagerness. They hadn't said anything else to each other - neither asked about their day, or David's flights, or anything - they were both completely consumed by one need, and one need only.

  Finally Tanya turned them up a small path to a quaint little house like David had never seen before. She unlocked the front door and welcomed him in, dropping her bag, and him dropping his, as soon as the door was shut. He took her into his arms and kissed with such longing, pushing her up against the hallway wall. Her hands were everywhere on him and he moaned with desire for her. It had been a month and it was too long!

  Tanya pulled away from him, took his hand and led him to her bedroom, where she undressed as quickly as she could, as did he. The sight of him in front of her, naked and aroused, was an instant effect on her and she just needed him. But she was unprepared, she quickly realised - she hadn't known he was coming and was perplexed about what to do, knowing she had no condoms in the house.

  David saw her confusion and questioned her.

  "I don't have any condoms…" she started to say and he dashed out the door, making her smile at his eagerness.

  He was back with a box, trying to rip the outer plastic off with his teeth in his frustration, and she laughed at him. He looked at her, laughed with her at the craziness of their desperation to be closer, and leaned in to kiss her, to slow things down. As he did, she took the box from his hand and skilfully opened it, pulled one out and slipped it over him before lying back, pulling him with her and guiding him inside her, both of them gasping at the feeling that neither had experienced for one whole month.

  For David, it was like coming home. The way she felt inside, the way she kissed him, the way she looked at him. In only a few minutes, he convulsed inside of her and collapsed, like the orgasm itself had taken a strong physical toll on him.

  Tanya held him tight, savouring the feeling of him in her, covering her body with his. She kissed his neck, shoulder, cheek, and when he lifted his head to look into her eyes, she continued kissing his lips. Oh how glorious it was to have him here, in her house!

  He pulled out of her but continued to lie on top of her, kissing her. He had hoped she would be glad to see him, but she just kept surprising him with her enthusiasm to be with him.

  "I couldn't wait any longer to see you," he said, placing small, light kisses all over her face.

  "Good," she said, reminding him once again of her simplicity in how she viewed things, and he laughed softly and pulled off her, wondering what to do with … and there she was, suddenly reaching down and then holding right up to him, her rubbish bin so he could put the used condom in it. Never did she stop surprising him.

  They lay side by side, facing one another, both enjoying looking at each other.

  "You don't mind that I just appeared without warning?" he asked, but he already knew the answer - it was so clear to see on her face.

  "No, I am just happy that you are here," she said, showing emotion in her voice.

  David was overcome by emotion himself, and kissed her passionately, feeling her melt in arousal. He lowered his hand to caress her while he kissed her, and felt her legs widen, allowing his fingers access to pleasure her. He groaned in his own hunger at how turned on she was, and it took only a minute for her to buckle in pleasure.

  "I missed you so much, Tanya," he said when she had recovered and was looking at him again.

  "And I missed you," she replied. "How long are you staying?" she asked, already dreading the day he would leave.

  He gently stroked her cheek and lips with his hand.

  "How long would you like me to stay?"

  "Don't you have a return ticket?" she asked, curious.

  "I have a flexible ticket. At the moment I have return flights booked for Monday a week away, but I can change my flights to whenever I want," he said.

  "I have the next two days off but after that I still have to go to work…" she started and he put his fingers up to her lips before kissing her.

  "I know. I shall find ways to keep myself busy during the days, and keep you busy at night," he joked, suggestively.

  They just looked at each other until stomachs growled and it was time to move.

  "I have food here - or would you prefer to go out?" Tanya asked and David shook his head.

  "I don't want to move from this spot, but if I have to, I don't want to move from your house," he said and she laughed at him.

  "Come on then, you can help in the kitchen," she said, teasing him. "There's something I don't know about you - can you cook?"

  David jumped up out of bed and started dressing. That was an interesting question that he had not planned on - should he tell her that for the past year since Laney had died, he had had a housekeeper who also cooked and froze meals for him to reheat whenever he wanted one? Or that during the final two years of Laney's life, he had taken great pride in building a substantial cooking repertoire as he became head chef of the household? He smiled at her.

  "You can teach me - pretend I am your apprentice," he said and laughed.

  "Really? You don't know how to cook?" Tanya asked, looking alarmed. Surely that wasn't what he was saying.

  He laughed again, holding his hand out for her.

  "Come on."

  Through scrounging through the refrigerator and cupboards, the two of them produced a meal and moved into the lounge area where they could sit on Tanya's sofa and eat comfortably while sitting close to one another.

  "I like this house," David said, looking around the living area. "Do you rent it?"

  "No I own it - well the bank owns much of it actually, but it is in my name," Tanya replied. "How was your property development work stuff when you went home?" she asked and David smiled at her attempt to show an interest in his home life.

  "Everything is fine - it all works well enough without me there," he said, briefly wondering if he could run his business from New Zealand. "I just have to make the decisions, but at the moment there are no big ones to be made."

  They ate, talked, laughed and kissed, feeling relaxed even though they were in a different place to previously. After finishing their meals and washing up, David put his arms around her and held her close to him.

  "It feels so good to be near you again," he said and she revelled in the feeling of being in his arms.

  She looked up at him and could see him fading in energy.

  "It's a tiring trip, isn't it," she said and he nodded.

  "It sure is - I don't know if I have ever sat still for
12 hours before in my whole life!" he said and she could see him stifling a yawn.

  "Do you want a shower or bath before you fall asleep?" she asked and he instantly was awake in his smile. She laughed at him and took his hand. "Come on, I think a shower is safer, given how sleepy you are," she said and he continued to grin.

  In the shower he let her wash him, and she did the same, and then they cuddled into her bed, with neither making any attempt for anything else, and soon both were sound asleep.

  Chapter 20

  When David woke up he reached out and was pleased to find her nice warm body next to him. In the preceding weeks since leaving LA he had found himself waking like that on the odd morning - reaching out and expecting to find her, when he was still too giddy to recognise where he was. It was Saturday and he knew she had no work on, and smiled at the thought while moving up behind her and putting one arm over her. The feeling of her skin was amazing and he instantly jumped to attention, resting hard up against her thighs, and she moaned, widening her legs briefly and pushing her thighs back to envelope him. She lifted his hand and kissed it before putting it on her breast and felt him to start to caress her nipple. He moved his hand down, marvelling again at how quickly she became aroused, and while he moved his finger he started to feel her moving her hips back and forth, with him nestling between her thighs. The feeling was exquisite - something new that he had never felt before. He lay still and enjoyed the sensation she was creating on him, until he could hold back no more. After he climaxed he lay still where he was and concentrated on pleasuring her until he felt her orgasm also. Neither moved from the spot, and soon were asleep again.

  * * * *