Rusty Lovers

by Lilah Nichols

  “You are free to get dressed, Mr. Sutherland, and then please reclaim your carry on and take a seat in the waiting area.” With a curt nod, she disappeared down the side hall, turning into the bedroom at the back of the house. She leaned back against the door after it closed and allowed herself to smile. So far this trip to “The Villa” was going exactly as planned. And her rusty lover was thrilled by it. God! Every quiver and gasp had just made her want to play with him more. He didn’t have to say he loved it, it radiated off him.

  Quickly she stripped out of the TSA uniform and brushed out her hair, transforming herself back into Eliza, Director of Print Advertising. She pulled on a summery black wrap dress and stepped into a pair of low heels. The face in the mirror smiled back at her, and she couldn’t believe that was herself she was looking at. Yes, the unruly hair was the same, the fine lines forming around her eyes, only they weren’t frown lines any longer. She didn’t feel like an aging widow anymore.

  Eliza touched up her make up and twisted her hair up behind her head, securing it with a clip. She was all set to go, but she wanted to give Frank enough time to clean up and get dressed. Plus, it would do him a little good to sit there and wait for a few minutes, to have his mind start to wonder what might be next for their weekend. The Villa wasn’t really a BDSM resort. As far as she knew there weren’t any in the area, at least not on a permanent basis, merely hotels sponsoring an event for a weekend.

  No, the Villa was a going to be their little getaway to amplify Frank’s submissive feelings and set the mood for erotic dominance.

  Only the feelings were becoming much more genuine, more serious than simple erotic pleasure. Sure, their banter was light-hearted and their rapport was easy-going and fun, but there was a serious thread under it. Whatever she was setting up now was going to lay the foundation for their future. She was willing to work at keeping him sated and satisfied, and she had a feeling Mr. Helpful was eager for the exact same thing. They would spend two nights booked in a local hotel featuring fantasy suites, and immerse themselves in the dynamic.

  Deciding he had waited long enough, Eliza dabbed on another coat of lipstick and grabbed her bag by the door. Her little overnight carry on had wheels and hummed down the hallway behind her. Frank looked up and smiled as she entered.

  She didn’t stop, just rolled on over to him and kissed him where he sat. “A plus for you so far, my sexy student.” He stood and framed her face with his hands, kissing her softly. He seemed relaxed.

  “Am I through security, then?” His lips sought hers again, caressing gently.

  Happiness bubbled up inside Eliza, and her words came out almost like a laugh. “You are! Now we can finally hit the road, and we might actually make it to the Villa at a reasonable hour.” She dragged her little bag forward and set it at his feet. “Why don’t you take these out to my car, the trunk should be unlocked. I’ll grab us each a water bottle for the drive.”

  Eliza watched as he maneuvered the two bags out the door, and hurried to find her purse and catch up. She was eager to surprise him with their destination, a little-known area hotel. Somehow she had no doubts this would be another first for him, a place meant for lovers, with giant champagne glass bubble baths or private pools.

  The place she’d discovered wasn’t too far away, and just reading about the amenities made her mind work overtime. Fantasy rooms on themes that ranged from jungle rooms and science fiction suites to Venetian villas. The majority of the guests would be couples, some using the hotel for its convenience to the mountains and antiquing, and some traveling up from the city as they were for the sex appeal.

  Eliza took a moment to straighten out the dining room table and scoot it back into place, and then set the chairs back into place around it. She’d never look at this table the same way again. From now on she’d always have the mental image of Rusty splayed out over it.

  She took one last lingering look at it, flipped off the lights and headed out the door. Frank was ready by the driver’s side door, opening it for her in his typical gentlemanly way.

  Chapter 15

  “Any hints about where we’re going?” Frank asked.

  Eliza gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and concentrated on the road. Even though it was well past rush hour, the route was crowded with cars heading to the mountains for the weekend. She found it strange, for summer weekends the expectation was that everyone packed up and went to the shore. At least that had been Eliza’s expectation, so she had elected to go in the opposite direction.

  “I would never have thought there would be this much traffic this late!”

  Going through the towns that spotted the major route were the worst, and Eliza finally pushed the button for radio. “See if you can find something you like on there.

  “Sure!” God, Frank thought to himself. He was back to sounding like Mr. Helpful.

  Frank scanned through all the stations she had programmed in and sighed. “You have Rock, Talk Radio, Alternative, Country, and Classic. Mind if I look for something different?”

  At first, she thought he was joking. Who couldn’t find something to like given the sort of customary choices? But she had asked him to put on whatever he liked. She was curious to know what sort of music he favored anyway. “Feel free. I’m not sure what stations we might get this far north.”

  “You don’t have satellite radio, do you?”

  She shook her head “Sadly, no.”

  He cranked the knob around and finally tuned in to a jazz station.

  It was surprising and yet adorable that he liked jazz, Kenny G smooth jazz. Somehow it suited the evening, speeding north for a romantic getaway. As if on cue, the Subaru outpaced the other drivers on the road and continued farther off the beaten path.

  Eliza wanted to imprint the moment on her memory, holding hands with Frank as the dusk fell, cruising along to a station she had never heard of, but suddenly wanted to program into her radio. She felt euphoric, like the time she and a few girlfriends had bolted off the college campus and spent a weekend at the shore, hands out the window swooping the air as they raced down the parkway. Her heart had that lighter than air feeling, only better.

  Sitting beside her, Frank didn’t need to ask if she liked it. Her face glowed. Or maybe that was residual from the security inspection from earlier. He lifted the back of her hand to his lips and dusted kisses along her knuckles. He smiled as he did so. All was right with the world. His heart and his mind and even his cock agreed that putting Eliza on a pedestal and keeping her happy was a priority. He liked her take-charge attitude, even if he wasn’t he wasn’t ready to label it domination and submission. Whatever they had might seem like a game on the surface, but he wanted to explore further, to be the one responsible for keeping that healthy glow on Eliza’s face every weekend for the rest of her life.

  Frank wholeheartedly believed she deserved it, to be loved cherished. She had freed up something inside him, he couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend would bring.

  It was late in the evening when Eliza made the final turn onto the long driveway. “What is this place?” Frank wondered aloud. It was looking very remote.

  “Just wait for it,” she nodded to the lights up ahead. “It may be hidden, but it’s a full-fledged resort. You may even have heard of it. They specialize in fantasy suites.”

  Eliza pulled into the drop off circle and parked. “See? You get our bags while I check us in.” She took two steps towards the sliding door and then hurried back, holding out the keys to him. “Maybe you had better park too.”

  She walked away from the car without waiting for him and hurried inside. Frank found it awkward, feeling like a valet, but as always, being helpful was something he aspired to. He found her finishing up at the desk, pocketing two keys and looking at the restaurant that was closing up for the night.

  “Are we too late to get dinner?” she inquired. “It was a long drive.”

  The desk attendant looked apologetic. “The main dining area clo
ses at 9, but the bar has burgers and bar food until 11, and room service is available until midnight.

  The lobby itself was almost deserted, and after the clerk retreated into the office, low conversation and the faint strains of oldies music drifted from the darkened doorway of the bar. Eliza caught hold of his shirt collar and dragged him down for a long hot kiss. He gave no resistance, standing there, holding a suitcase in each hand. He didn’t let go of them, but rather let her lips explore his softly.

  “Let’s not forget why we are here…” she whispered. “Let’s stow this luggage and see about getting a nice juicy burger.” Frank trailed after her to the room, glancing around at the romantic touches. Floral arrangements set on Louis XIV tables and over-sized gilded mirrors. In the elevator lobby, recessed lighting almost gave a glow of candlelight. The vestibule of their suite was similar. Someone had placed a welcome basket on the sideboard, and a bottle of wine was chilling in an ice bucket.

  He parked the luggage beside the door and glanced around, wanting to see if there really was a champagne glass bubble bath, but Eliza caught his hand and pulled him back towards the hallway.

  “Dinner,” she reminded him.

  “Right.” He would rather have spent a few minutes checking out their villa. Ever since he’d heard the words ‘fantasy suite’ his mind had gone into overdrive. The brief glimpse had let him catch sight of an enormous round bed and a separate lounge with a fireplace. The room bore the high round arches and pale plastered walls of a Roman villa, complete with cool ceramic tiles beneath their feet.

  A shudder ran through him at the thought of kneeling on those floors, his imagined role would create indelible memories. His mouth went dry and heat pooled in is groin imagining himself naked or dressed only in his white towel kneeling on that stone floor.

  Just as suddenly as they’d flicked on, the lights flicked off and he was tugged by the hand back out into the hallway. Eliza was laughing at his curiosity and pulling Frank by the hand back down to the bar.

  “Plenty of time to experience the Roman house slave treatment later…” she teased.

  Frank stumbled along after her, shaking his head to clear the hum of desire. He followed her into the dim light of the bar and found just what he needed, a quiet booth in a dark corner. Normally retreating someplace out of sight would have guaranteed hours spent waiting for a waiter to remember he had customers. But for a romantic getaway resort? They’d have to be more attentive.

  Eliza edged into the seat opposite Frank and soon had a refreshing spritzer in her hand and a bowl of peanuts to nibble on. She gazed around. The bar was almost empty, just one or two couples lingering, dancing by the jukebox in the corner. She pulled Frank closer and spoke low, “A jukebox? Maybe we have gone back in time a little.”

  “Your Subaru is really a De Lorean underneath all that paint.”

  “Yes, I wanted you all to myself, so I not only drove you to the middle of nowhere but also back to 1995.”

  “1995 was a good year! Benny was born, and I started in the Chemistry department at the college.

  “Somehow when you put it like that, it sounds sexy.”

  He looked her right in the eyes, across the table in the quiet corner booth. “It’s you, Eliza. You make me feel sexy. I was always a stick in the mud before this. I did nothing out of the ordinary, nothing kinky, nothing excessive…”

  The waiter appeared and interrupted only long enough to deliver their burgers and fries. The tantalizing smell caused her stomach to growl, and Eliza didn’t wait to dig in. She shook a dollop of ketchup onto her burger and then laughed as Frank did the same. “Stop copying me!” she teased.

  He stopped mid shake and looked up in surprise. “I’m not copying you! I always eat cheeseburgers this way. Half the people in the country eat their cheeseburgers this way. And, oh my God, you’re messing with me again!” He squashed the lid back on his burger and attacked it with gusto. “I swear, you do it on purpose, and I fall for it every time.”

  He looked across at the lovely lady opposite him. Her features were soft in the dim light, but she was laughing hard, at his expense, trying to chew and swallow. She took a long sip of her drink.

  “You are so cute when you sputter, Frank. It’s a crying shame no one has teased you like this until now. You’ve gone through 48 years of your life without it.”

  “The last thing I would have needed in high school or college was a pretty girl like you teasing me and making fun at my expense.” The over-sized burger was a handful, proving to be both juicy and delicious. Frank carefully wiped his chin and reset his napkin in his lap.

  “Exactly like that, Frank! That’s exactly what you needed as a young man. Maybe then you wouldn’t have been a virgin on your wedding night. Any girl who teases you verbally… is thinking inside about teasing you sexually. And you wouldn’t be so stiff, sitting there, daintily wiping a spot of grease off your chin.”

  “Daintily wiping, are you kidding me? My mother was the one who insisted,” he was sputtering again, and he knew it. “And you are doing it again! Am I that easy? Wait… does that mean you wish you could be teasing me sexually, right now?”

  In response her toes caressed along his thigh under the table, slowly working their way up towards his crotch. She found him semi-hard, and wiggled her toes against his package, feeling the fabric shift as she flexed. “Oh, yes, Frank. I am glad you finally understand my meaning. Finish up your meal, sexy. You will need your strength.”

  He liked her touch, her outspokenness. And it was a simple thing to perch closer to the edge of his seat and offer himself up to those tantalizing toes. The way she smiled when he did it gave him another glimpse into her mind. Maybe someday he would feel like he could keep up with her erotic games, but for the moment, he got hard just wondering what she might be thinking, how she might next surprise and jostle him.

  “So tell me about this house you’re selling. The one she who must not be named suddenly wants to keep.” Reality returned, and he found it was easy to enjoy her playful touch while he explained.

  “I still don’t understand it, I mean, the house is amazing, just not something that can be maintained on a teacher’s salary. We bought it about fifteen years ago, and have been redoing one room at a time. Not every year, more like not in the first five years when Ben was small, but in the last ten.” It was evident Frank had pride in his home.

  “So why not sell it then? Was your mortgage underwater or something? That you can’t clear any money, or have to split debt?”

  “No, we did refinance once, but only to get a better rate. We should clear enough that each of us could put a down payment on something reasonable. But it’s like one minute she’s obsessed with our past and the next she wants everything to stay the same. Only without me in the picture, I guess.”

  Eliza tossed her napkin onto her plate and pushed it away, leaning forward and stretching across the table to pick up his hand. “Do you know anything about her lawyer? Maybe that is where this is coming from? Suddenly thinking he can get more for his client at the last minute?”

  “Hadn’t thought of that. Or maybe they are bucking for a price reduction. I don’t know. I just want this over. I have moved on, and she can’t get pissed that someone wants me after she kicked me out.” High time he stood up for himself and went after what he really wanted. His confidence was back.

  Dinner didn’t drag on. Even the waiter was able to sense their underlying eagerness to get back to the romance of their fantasy suite. He cleared their plates and made a cursory inquiry about dessert, before bringing their bill.

  Eliza plucked out of his hand as he was about to set it in the center of the table. “I’ll get this, Frank, and you should go see if there’s a romantic slow song on the jukebox there, so maybe we can squeeze in one dance before adjourning to our room.” She was fishing in her purse, but not for a credit card.

  Frank rose and meandered to the brightly lit Wurlitzer, realizing he hadn’t put a coin in one of these mac
hines in years. The display glowed with neon lights, and the shape and form of it was comfortingly familiar. He read over the song choices, recognizing most of the oldies, Elvis, Moody Blues, and Whitney Houston. For some reason, he wanted to find something a little more current. He flipped the page and scanned through songs and artists he had never heard of before. He looked over his shoulder and saw Eliza speaking to their waiter and signing off on the bill, charging it to their room.

  He hurriedly scanned, hoping something would jump out at him, a song he’d heard his students mention, or something he’d know was a romantic hit. After a few mental kicks, he settled on the last one on the page. He’d never heard of the song or the artist, but the title seemed perfect, “I Could Not Ask for More.” He dug a couple quarters from his pocket and plunked them into the machine, hastily hitting J10.

  She was on her way to him when he turned, and he met her on the dance floor, drawing her into his arms and giving her a little spin. She flowed into his embrace as the song started. The tune had a slow, heavy drum beat and an easy rhythm. “Oh, Frank,” she laughed. “How did you know this was one of my favorites?”

  He snuggled her close against his chest and dropped his head low to rest his cheek on her hair. “I didn’t, it just seemed appropriate, the title I mean.” The song had a country twang to it, but also a little bit of a pop sound, the song of a happy lover realizing he had found a special woman. “I must say,” Frank moved easily to the beat and decided he’d made an excellent choice. “I must say, I have a suspicion every song in that machine is probably a perfect, romantic couples song.”

  In response, both her hands dropped down to cup his ass cheeks, fingers splayed as she pulled him closer. “I have to imagine that dozens of couples dance after dinner when they come all the way out here. We are not all that different from most,” Eliza murmured.