by Claire Adams
“I think I’d love that.”
“What kind of history would you teach?” I asked, with interest.
“British history would be my first choice,” she admitted. “But I’d also love teaching ancient history. I actually took both those courses in my first year. They were fantastic.”
“Who were your professors?”
“Jonathan Cooper for British History and Mira Kamal for Ancient History. She was the better lecturer, but he was more interactive.”
“What did you find so fascinating about British history, though?” I asked.
“You’re kidding, right?” Natalie said. “There’s the War of the Roses, the Tudor Dynasty, Imperialism.”
I laughed. “I’ll be honest; my interest was more on French history.”
“France,” she sighed lovingly. “I dream about France sometimes.”
“What do you dream about it?” I asked. “Apart from seeing the Eiffel Tower in snow?”
“Uh…the rest of the country.” Natalie laughed. “Paris is beautiful, and I understand why people love it so much. But there are other places to see in France. I want to see the cathedrals of Bordeaux; I want to walk through the vineyards in Loire Valley, I want to lie on the beaches of Biarritz. And most of all, I want to visit the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel.”
As usual, I found myself impressed with her vast knowledge of the world and all its wonders. She wasn’t just another college girl who loved France because it was a hot vacation spot for tourists. She was interested in the culture, the people, and the history of the country.
“I’ve heard a lot about the Abbey…Mont Saint… What was it again?”
“Mont Saint-Michel,” Natalie offered immediately. “The whole island is amazing. It’s such a unique plan; the buildings look as though they’ve been piled on top of one another with the abbey at the very top, like an architectural Christmas tree.”
I smiled, and she continued on passionately. “It was built around 708 AD by monks. Apparently, it’s said that the Bishop of Avranches was visited by the angel Michael, and this visit was what inspired the Abbey.”
She was so engrossed in the conversation that she barely noticed when I pulled to a stop and turned off the engine. I just let her talk, enjoying how passionate she was. I realized she was actually teaching me new things. Despite my travels, she still seemed to know more than I did.
“What?” Natalie asked, after a moment, realizing that I was staring at her. “Oh God, I’m talking too much aren’t?”
I smiled and shook my head. “I like listening to you talk.”
“Really?”
“Really,” I nodded. “You talk about real stuff; it’s refreshing.”
She smiled self-consciously. “I just talk about the things I love.”
“Exactly,” I nodded. “Most girls your age talk about reality shows, clothes, and men.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Apparently you’ve been hanging out with the wrong group of twenty-one-year-olds.”
I smiled. “How about we continue this conversation inside?” I suggested.
Natalie looked up and gave a little start of surprise. “Oh God, we’re here already. I barely noticed. Was that really an hour’s drive?”
“An hour and twenty minutes,” I nodded. “But it’ll be worth it. Come on.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me where we are?”
“You’ll see in a minute,” I said, with a smile.
I got out of the car and walked around to open her door. As she stepped out, she shivered a little against the bracing cold, so I wrapped my arm around her as we walked to the entrance. The sign outside tipped her off, and she looked at me in surprise.
“Botanical gardens?”
I nodded. “I’m full of surprises, aren’t I? And the best part about this particular garden is that it’s indoors and it’s heated.”
“Does that mean we’re looking at tropical flora and fauna?”
“We are,” I nodded.
“You are surprising,” she exclaimed as I paid for our tickets.
We walked through to the entrance of the gardens, which took us through a small tunnel and through a black screen. Then we stepped out into a lush world of tropical beauty, and I heard Natalie gasp in appreciation.
“Wow,” she breathed.
It was huge. There were paths that led in a dozen different directions. There were overhead paths that looked like flying bridges and little alcoves that hid benches and miniature water fountains. The temperature was comfortably warm, and I felt Natalie relax against me.
“This is spectacular.”
“I thought you might like it.”
We started walking through the gardens, and every now and then she would point out a cluster of flowers that she recognized. She knew about blood lilies and African moon flowers, she could distinguish between different types of petunias, and all the different flowers she couldn’t recognize enamored her.
While she admired the lush and vibrant flora, I admired her. Sometimes, I would let her walk ahead of me so that I could appreciate her perfect silhouette. The cream-white dress she wore hugged her body in all the right places before fanning out at her waist. She had left her hair loose today, and I loved the way the darkness of her hair contrasted with the blue of her eyes and the white of her dress.
She was a moving masterpiece, a work of art, and I was overwhelmed by how beautiful she was. The more we walked, the more worked up I got. And suddenly I was annoyed that I had chosen to bring her to such a public place. All I wanted was to take her into some dark corner, strip her naked, and ravage her until she was screaming my name.
I noticed that we weren’t the only couple in the gardens that night. The benches in the little alcoves were almost always occupied when we passed them by. In some cases, it seemed like a few couples just wanted a romantic setting to make out in.
Natalie turned to me, and my eyes fell to her low neckline. I could see the gentle curve of her breasts and felt myself harden slightly at the sight. She was obviously oblivious to my preoccupation because she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards one of the overhead bridges.
“This is the perfect place for a date,” she said. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How many other girlfriends have you brought here?” she asked, teasingly.
I smiled. “None.”
“None?” she repeated.
I nodded. “You’re the only one I’ve brought here.”
She seemed surprised by that. “Why?”
“Because you’re honestly the only girl I’ve ever dated.”
“What?” Now she looked really shocked.
“I’ve never been into relationships,” I told her honestly. “I’ve had flings, hookups, and one-night stands, but never anything very serious.”
Natalie was quiet for a moment, and I could see that her blue eyes were thoughtful. “Wow, I guess I didn’t realize that. Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
“How many women have you been with?”
I suppose I should have seen that question coming, but it still took me off guard a little. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want to scare her away by telling her about my sordid past.
“Uh…”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she said, sensing my reluctance. “But I suppose I’m curious.”
I knew I had to answer her question now. If I didn’t, she would make assumptions, and that might end up worse for me.
“I’ve been with more women than I can count,” I told her honestly. “I don’t know the exact number. Less than fifty, more than thirty.”
Natalie nodded slowly. “That’s quite a lot, isn’t it?”
I smiled. “Does that bother you?”
“No,” she said, but she answered too fast, and I heard her voice stumble a little.
I wondered if I had just made a mistake by telling her the truth. Not
only had I told her I had never really had a committed relationship with a woman, I had also told her that I had had casual sex with a string of different women. I reminded myself that she had been a virgin when she’d met me.
“It’s okay,” I told her gently, as I took her hand. “You can be honest with me.”
Natalie took a deep breath. “I don’t care about your past, Chance,” she said. “It’s just that… You know I have very little experience. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I can’t really compete with all the women who came before me.”
I was floored that she would believe that. “The women who came before you weren’t special like you are,” I said. “If they had been, I would have loved them longer.”
She smiled, but she didn’t seem convinced.
“Natalie,” I said. “You are beautiful.”
“Stop—”
“No, really,” I insisted. “To me, you are the most beautiful girl I’ve been with. And that’s not just because of your face or your body; it’s because of who you are. It’s because of the person you are. You’re smart and intelligent and witty and curious, and I love that about you. You don’t have to worry about any of the women who have come before you because none of them compare to you. None of them even come close.”
She gave me a shy smile. “And you don’t care that I’m so inexperienced? It’s not off-putting in bed?”
I raised my eyebrows at her in disbelief. How could she possibly think that I am not completely and utterly beguiled by her? I pulled her towards me and kissed her at the nape of her neck.
“You have no idea how sexy I find you,” I whispered to her. “Sometimes when we’re in that crowded lecture hall, it’s hard for me to keep my hands to myself. It’s hard for me now.”
Natalie looked up at me, and her eyes were both teasing and seductive. “I can feel how hard it is.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you up for something outrageous?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Like what?”
“I want to fuck you.”
“Here?” she sounded instantly nervous.
“In the backseat of my car.”
“I…someone might see us.”
“That’s part of the turn on,” I told her. “And at this moment, I want you so badly, I don’t think I would care if everyone saw us.”
She smiled and I saw a spark of desire in her eyes. “I… Okay,” she said, at last.
“Okay?” I asked again, to make certain.
She took a deep breath and smiled. “I’ve come this far; why stop now?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Natalie
I felt a clawing burst of expectation as we made our way to the exit. We had barely covered the gardens, but I didn’t care. As beautiful as it all was, I wanted him more. He walked slightly ahead of me, but he kept a firm grip on my hand so that we remained linked. I stopped seeing the petunias and the lilies; I stopped seeing the bright colors; instead, all I could focus on was Chance.
His broad shoulders were powerfully built, but his waist and hips were narrow. He could almost pass for a swimmer, but his upper body was a little too muscular, and that gave him away. His hair changed color as we walked. Under some lights, it looked brown with hints of gold, and under others, it looked like golden hair with shades of brown.
I noticed a young woman eyeing Chance as we passed and I felt a little surge of pride. I had never had something that another person wanted. It made me feel like I had achieved something. I knew I was being silly, but that was how I felt with him by my side. He made me feel weak in the knees; he made me feel like a teenager experiencing her first crush. He made me feel silly even when I thought I was being witty and urbane.
We walked back through the tunnel and outside into the cold. The sky was dark and misty, and a part of me was glad. It meant that the likelihood of us being noticed had reduced significantly.
As Chance walked me to his car, I started to feel urgency in his pace and in the rigid posture of his body. Was that desire? Was it impatience? Was it both?
I got my answer the moment we came within sight of the car. Chance turned and grabbed me. He pulled me to him with gentle force and kissed me passionately until my lips felt raw and tingly. He pushed me against the car and slipped his hands under my dress. It was so cold that his hands felt like hot irons on my skin, but it was a beautiful, intoxicating feeling. I felt heat course through me, inside and out, as I pressed myself closer to him.
“Someone will see,” I said breathlessly, the moment his lips moved to my neck.
“Who cares,” he replied, in a voice that was ragged with need.
His hands moved upwards, and I felt his fingers push aside my panties until they were teasing me slowly. I felt myself moisten at his touch, but I also noticed someone emerge from the entrance to the gardens.
“Chance,” I gasped. “Someone’s coming.”
Without a word, he opened the back door for me, and I fell back into the seat and backed into the car. He moved in immediately and the door shut behind him. It was cramped in the small space, but somehow, we found room. His entire body fell across mine, but his fingers fell between my legs once again. He slipped them inside me, and I cried out in pleasure as a tidal of sexual pleasure released itself.
He fingered me slowly at first, and then it got faster and faster until I was gasping for breath. He kissed me hard, then moved down to my breasts. He sucked my left nipple as I felt an orgasm come on. It was so easy for him to make me cum. It was like he didn’t even have to try. The orgasm was a small one, but I felt it down to my toes.
He didn’t give me time to recover, however; he pushed up my dress, pushed down his pants, and entered me in one powerful move. Again, I gasped deliriously, noticing that the windows were starting to fog up.
I grabbed whatever I could to anchor myself as Chance fucked me hard in the back seat of his car. His cock felt huge and hard inside me, but I was so wet and excited that he slipped in and out of me easily.
A small part of me was aware that the whole car was shaking and that anyone who passed would immediately know what was happening, but I had reached a point where I no longer cared. Chance was right – it didn’t matter who saw or who knew. I wanted this man, and he wanted me. It was a celebration that neither one of us should have to feel ashamed about.
I felt Chance’s body shudder over mine, and I knew he was trying to control himself, trying to prolong the moment before he came, too. I didn’t want it to end yet; I wanted him deeper inside me, if that was possible. I hiked one of my legs up, and Chance understood what I was doing. Wordlessly, he placed one of my legs over his shoulder and pushed down hard inside me so that I cried out.
He fucked me in that position for a few minutes. Then again when I felt that he was close to cumming, he changed positions again. He brought my leg down and flipped me over, then entered me from behind. I felt a curious new heat spread through me. He had never fucked me from behind before, and as he rammed into me, I realized how much I liked it.
It was an animalistic position, but I hadn’t expected to feel so liberated and free at the same time. It was the carnal animal inside both of us that was being released, and I delighted in the freedom. The position brought me new sensations, and I wanted to feel more.
“Fuck me harder,” I gasped, without thinking. “Fuck me faster.”
Immediately, his pace quickened, and I started to feel the second orgasm coming on. All I could hear was the sound of his flesh slapping against mine, and our ravaged breathing mixed in together. The windows were completely fogged up from the heat and sweat of our bodies, and it put me in mind of the love scene in Titanic.
I had always been strangely fixated with that scene. It had always been beautiful and raw to me. It felt like a true mark of passion, but I had always watched it in a detached sort of way. I had no experience that was relatable, so I had no real or specific emotions tied to watching that scene.
But now I knew… I knew h
ow it felt. I could imagine how Rose might have felt had she been a real woman. I knew the intoxication of what it felt to be spiraling into love and having no control over your emotions or your body.
We came together, clinging to each other as though we were holding on for dear life. Chance was breathing heavily, and as he relaxed against me, I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. He moved aside my hair and licked my skin after kissing it. After a moment, he moved to the side, pulling me on top of him so that I was looking down on him.
He smiled in contentment. “That was something.”
“I’ve never done that before.”
He smiled. “You’re experiencing a lot of firsts with me, aren’t you?”
“All my first have been with you,” I informed him.
His expression remained tranquil, but I detected a small spark in his eyes that I couldn’t quite interpret. “Does that flatter you?” I asked. “Or scare you?”
“Both,” he replied honestly. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t,” I told him. “I’d much rather you be honest with me, even if it hurts.”
He frowned. “Why would it hurt?”
I shrugged and buried my face in his chest so that he wouldn’t see my face when I spoke. “It might hurt one day, when you tell me that you’re…moving on.”
Chance was quiet for so long that I was tempted to look up at his expression. “Are you scared I’m going to want to move on soon?” he asked softly after a long pause.
“Sometimes.” I nodded. Then I sighed and continued on before I lost my courage. “All the time, actually,” I admitted. “You never made me any promises.”
“Natalie?”
“Hmm…”
“Can you look at me, please?”
Biting my lip, I raised my head to meet his perfect hazel eyes. “Yes?”
“I love spending time with you,” he said sincerely. “And at the moment, I can’t imagine ending this. Can that be enough…for now?”
“It can.” I nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “Good… because I really like you, Natalie. You’re… different.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s a great thing,” he told me. “All this time, I thought I just wasn’t made for relationships, but now I realize…maybe I was waiting for you.”