Gloria’s Secret

by Robin Alexander

  “Bruises and scrapes were well worth it.”

  We walked out onto the bluff and looked down over the water as daylight faded. The warm breezes were like a caress. I looked over at Adrienne and sighed. She looked so lovely with the reflection of the setting sun on her skin and the wind in her hair. I wanted to take her in my arms, but the cumbersome crutches would make that action anything but smooth.

  Sensing my thoughts, she moved behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her chin on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I haven’t been as supportive as I should have been lately. I know you’ve been going through a rough time.”

  “It’s me who should apologize. I’ve been like a bipolar bear.”

  “I still love you, though,” she said with a kiss on the side of my neck.

  “I love you, too, even though I haven’t shown it much.”

  “Wanna show me now?” she asked with another kiss, then grazed her teeth against my neck.

  Chills ran down my spine and covered my body with goose bumps. “I’ll race you back to the cottage. Give me a head start, though.”

  She turned loose of me and gave me a gentle push. “Run.”

  “Run my ass,” I grumbled as I moved quickly toward our cottage.

  “Who are you talking to?” Colie asked as he met up with me at an intersection.

  “Myself.”

  He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked around before moving closer to me. “I was wondering if you’d go to Nassau with me tomorrow.”

  “Umm sure,” I replied, thinking that I still had a ways to go to our cottage. I would have agreed to just about anything at that point.

  “Iris and I have decided to buy our wedding rings separately,” he said. “Kind of a surprise for one another.”

  “Ah, I see. What time were you planning to go over?”

  “Bill’s planning a trip at noon. I thought we could hitch a ride then.”

  “Count me in,” I said and prepared to begin moving again.

  “Thank you, Hayden. Now go to your girl. She nearly plowed me over on the other path. She told me where to find you,” he said when I gave him a questioning look.

  By the time I made it to the cottage, the kittens and Saber were outside looking pissed off. When I opened the door, Adrienne was already in bed, and the scent of burning candles filled my senses. Dido sang softly in the background, adding to the mood. I tossed my crutches to the floor and limped over to the bed, carefully letting my injured leg bear my weight.

  “You cheated,” I said with a smile as I tugged my shirt over my head. “Colie ratted you out.”

  “I nearly killed him. I was running at full speed when I met him on the trail.”

  I struggled with my shorts until I fell across the bed. “I can’t be smooth with this damn cast.”

  Adrienne laughed. “Honey, you never were smooth. That’s why I love you so.” She moved next to me and relieved me of my clothes. “I like this, though, you’re very vulnerable.”

  “Only when I’m on my feet. It’s a level playing field when we’re on our backs.” I pushed her down on the bed, and my lips were fractions of an inch from hers when the phone rang.

  “Let me answer that,” she said. “It could be something about Teddy.”

  She rolled onto her side, presenting me with her back as she answered. When I realized it was nothing important, I nudged her onto her stomach as she tried to get rid of the caller. I went for her most sensitive spot—her lower back—and kissed it. She groaned, then coughed to cover it up when she realized what she’d done. I smiled against her skin as I continued to kiss, nibble, and lick my way up from one hip to the other.

  “Okay, I have to go now,” I heard her say. “I have something I need to take care of, but thank you for calling.” She dropped the phone onto the floor and tried to roll over.

  “No, stay like this,” I whispered against her skin. I ran my fingertips up and down her thighs as I continued to kiss her back. She spread her legs in invitation, but I used the opportunity to stroke the inside of her thighs, causing goose bumps to rise on her flesh. When she could take the teasing no longer, she rolled over and forced me onto my back. Our mouths met in a hungry kiss, and the familiar struggle for dominance began between us.

  She may have been on top, but I wasn’t willing to relinquish control. When she broke the kiss, I grazed my teeth across her neck, her weak spot. Whenever my teeth came in contact with the skin of her neck, she submitted to anything I desired. I pulled her body up as I kissed my way down to her breasts. When my tongue flicked her nipple, she ground her body against me, and it was my turn to groan when I felt how wet she was.

  There were times we played an unspoken game, and this was going to be one of those nights. Neither of us was willing to give in to the other. We would tease to the brink of insanity, and whoever submitted first was the loser, but the loss was sweet.

  She pulled away from my mouth and spread my legs with her own. She took my hands and laced our fingers while pinning them above my head. Adrienne looked down at me and smiled before kissing me and grinding against me at the same time. I could feel her heat and wetness against my own, and the pressure was just enough to titillate. I wrapped my good leg around one of hers and pushed against her, trying to increase the pressure, but she pulled back each time I thrust against her.

  “What do you want?” she whispered against my ear. “I’ll do anything.”

  The words, and her warm breath against my skin, made me think of a whole list of things. I refused to answer as she thrust quicker, harder, and her wetness washed over me. I tried to wrench my hands from her grip, but she tightened her fingers, refusing to let me go.

  “I can do this for hours,” she panted against my ear.

  “Liar,” I replied with a smirk. “Now let me go.” Her grip on my hands loosened as my teeth found her neck once again. I took advantage and rolled her onto her back, enjoying the feel of quivering muscles while I ran my fingertips down her stomach and into the slick wetness that waited for only me.

  I watched her face in the soft light as I entered her. The muscles in her jaw flexed under smooth skin, her eyes half-lidded stared into mine before closing. Lost in the sensation, she gave herself over to it completely and allowed me to take her to heights that had her screaming my name until she could take it no longer. We held each other, whispering words of love until her strength returned and the game began again.

  We awoke at nearly noon, after spending the night and early morning hours exhausting each other. Muscles protested as I crawled from the bed and into the shower, with Adrienne right behind me.

  “I wish I hadn’t agreed to go with Colie today,” I said as I lathered my hair. “I would’ve preferred to spend a lazy day in bed with you.”

  “We are anything but lazy in bed, love.”

  After we’d bathed and dressed, we went in search of food. The bar was empty, which was not uncommon when we didn’t have guests. But I figured I’d find Colie there waiting on me. We made ourselves a couple of sandwiches and sat at one of the tables.

  “Where do you suppose Colie is?” I asked Adrienne.

  She thought for a moment before lifting her sandwich for a bite. She froze before the sandwich met with her mouth. “Hayden, they—”

  “Don’t tell me if they’re having sex.” I said, dropping my sandwich on my plate.

  “Hayden!” I heard a little voice call over my shoulder and turned in time to catch Teddy as he sprang into my lap.

  “Hey!” I said as he hugged me as tight as he could.

  His small hands squeezed my neck tightly, then he let me go and smiled. “I’m gonna live here now.”

  I looked up at Iris, and she said softly, “Lease to purchase.”

  He crawled into Adrienne’s arms and squeezed her just as tight. She looked over his shoulder at me as tears filled her eyes.

  He was the son of two people who had threatened our lives, but we loved him anyway. And for Adrienne, th
is was a chance to set things right. She’d confessed that she felt guilty for Marta’s fate, even though it was Marta who chose to do things the way she did. The little guy in her arms would be more healing than any drug or therapist could ever be.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Time seemed to fly by. Summer came and went unnoticed, and September was upon us. Things at the inn were about to get very interesting.

  “They’ll be here any second,” Adrienne said as she set the phone down.

  Iris wrung her hands nervously, and I paced back and forth in the bar until Adrienne caught me by the back of my shirt and forced me to sit. Myra ordered Shelby to sit next to me, and I shot her a grin when she whined and plopped down in a chair.

  “Okay, remember, no one mentions what happened this summer,” Adrienne reminded us. She still wasn’t comfortable talking about the “Marta thing.” We all knew if it got out that the wild crew would want to hear every last detail. So we all agreed not to bring it up.

  Sarah set glasses atop the bar and prepared for the impending arrival. She’d been around this block once before and knew that the women converging on the bar would start drinking the minute their feet hit the ground. I was thrilled to have her assistance. Even though I’d been free of the cast for months, I didn’t relish long hours behind the bar on my feet.

  Over the summer, nearly every staff member who had vacated when they thought the inn was haunted had returned. Iris had a full crew in the kitchen, including Sarah the bartender.

  We all jumped to our feet when the van pulled up the driveway and stopped in front of the bar. Adrienne, Iris, and I held back, letting Shelby and Myra greet their closest friends first. The first to emerge was Blair, holding a plastic snake. She leaped into Shelby’s arms and hugged her tight without her feet ever touching the ground. Behind her came Leigh, her partner, who was also holding a plastic snake that she shook at me before hugging Myra. Every last one of the hateful heifers had a snake in her hand as she disembarked.

  Lacey and Roslyn were the first ones I exchanged hugs with. Roslyn placed her snake around my neck like a lei. “We brought you these to commemorate our last visit.”

  I’d been bitten by a snake when they were here last. The worst part was Adrienne and I were in a compromising position. I fainted, leaving her to explain why she was topless and I was screaming.

  There was a cacophony of female voices filling the bar before Adrienne stood on a chair and called everyone’s attention. “We’ve been keeping a secret from you all, and I’d like to share it with you now,” Adrienne said once everyone settled down. “Your visits are always special, but this one is going to be one to be remembered.”

  “I never remember our visits,” Rory called out and lifted her drink. “I’m drunk the entire time we’re here, so someone take pictures.”

  Allison, Rory’s partner, nudged her in the ribs. “Hush, I wanna hear what the secret is.”

  “Iris has met the love of her life, and you’ve all been invited to her wedding,” Adrienne said. “And yes, it’s a man before you ask, Rory.”

  Cheers erupted as the group gathered around Iris, demanding details. She looked alarmed as they hurled suggestions for the bachelorette party. I actually felt sorry for her.

  Blair walked over to Adrienne and me with a cheeky grin on her face. “So you two look like a happy couple.”

  “We are.” Adrienne took my hand. “I couldn’t help but notice that Dana didn’t make the trip.”

  Blair shrugged and wrinkled her nose. “She stopped coming around after we had a talk.”

  “Did the talk involve you choking the shit out of her?” I asked.

  “Something like that,” Blair said with a chuckle. “I heard through the rumor mill that she now considers herself bi and is dating a man. No loss to the lesbian community in my opinion.”

  Adrienne and I were just discovering our feelings for each other when the gang came to the island. Dana had a thing for Adrienne big-time and did everything she could to get Adrienne into bed with her. This didn’t sit very well with me and made for some tense moments. On the last day of their visit, I got my revenge during a volleyball game when I “accidentally” hit her in the head with the ball. Oh, and I got the girl, too.

  Leigh joined us and looped her arm around Blair’s waist after giving Adrienne and me a hug. “I want to get into my swimsuit, wanna join me?” she asked Blair.

  “I’m gonna go with her,” Blair said. “But when I get back, I wanna hear all about you two.”

  No sooner than they’d left us, Donna and Chelsey strolled up. Donna reached over and toyed with one of the plastic snakes hanging around my neck. “People die laughing when I tell them about the snake bite story. Will there be a repeat?”

  “Not if I can help it. I like the new hairstyle,” I said with a nod.

  “Oh,” Donna said as her face flushed and she ran her fingers through much shorter blond locks.

  “That was actually an accident.” Chelsey chuckled.

  “I was experimenting with color and I got a little overzealous,” Donna said while playing with a strand.

  “She went through three different colors in a week. Brown, red, then back to blond, then it just started falling out.” Chelsey gave Donna an affectionate pat on the cheek. “I like this look. She’s always hot to me.”

  “Oh, no,” I heard Iris yell. “No, I can’t!”

  Allison and Rory were laughing their heads off. “But you have to,” Allison argued. “We all do it.”

  “I am not taking off my clothes and swimming with you crazy girlies.”

  Neither Adrienne nor I made an attempt to rescue her. She would have to face the music right along with us.

  Colie stayed clear of the inn, spending his time with Teddy. When the wild crew was in the house, it wouldn’t be a good idea to have an impressionable child around. After hearing about some of antics the group had engaged in, Colie was more than happy to stay away.

  Most of the group hit the water to cool down from the trip. Lacey and Roslyn stayed in the bar waiting for their chance to hear all about Adrienne and me. They had her hemmed up at a table while Sarah let me pretend I was helping her restock the bar. I watched as Adrienne’s face flushed red repeatedly, with relief that I wasn’t sitting there with her.

  “You’re not out of the woods yet,” I heard someone say, and I turned to find Blair with an evil grin on her face. She took me by the hand and led me to the table of inquisition. “What have I missed?” Blair asked as she pulled up a seat.

  Roslyn held up a hand and began ticking off fingers as she recounted the conversation. “They’re in love and totally committed to each other. Their sex life is still exciting, even after a year. Hayden quit smoking and has made peace with her family, who by the way will be here for the wedding.”

  “No offense, but this kind of blows,” Blair said. “What will we torment you with now?”

  “You’ll think of something, I’m sure.” Adrienne rolled her eyes.

  Lacey put a finger to her temple and tapped for a moment. “Anal sex, your thoughts on it, Adrienne?”

  I laughed as Adrienne’s jaw dropped and her face colored. Blair looked at me. “You could answer the question for her.”

  “What I do or don’t do with my butt is none of your business.”

  “Oh, she’s gotten good,” Roslyn said. “It’s gonna take more to crack her now.”

  “Right, and I have some business to attend.” I stood and prepared to make my retreat.

  “I’ll help you,” Adrienne offered.

  “No, no, honey, you stay and chat, I can handle it.” It was cruel and I knew I’d pay for it later, but the opportunity was just too funny to pass up. The look Adrienne gave me as I walked out of the bar made me want to rethink leaving her there.

  Dinner was wild that night. Iris set the meal up buffet style in the bar, and Sarah and I struggled to keep up with the demand for drinks. The wild crew was talking at once, making plans for their visit,
which included a shopping trip on Nassau. Someone was talking about canoeing, while someone else was planning a trip to one of Nassau’s casinos. It made my head swim.

  With the wedding happening at the end of their visit, the next two weeks would fly by. Adrienne and I were already looking forward to our week of rest that we would spend with Teddy while Iris and Colie went on their honeymoon. He’d been officially adopted, and I’d enjoyed his company, and now missed him.

  When bellies were full and the food cleared away, dance music filled the bar. I watched as Adrienne danced among the group of partiers. She moved sensuously with the music, catching my eye every so often with a smile. Desire washed over me as I watched and wondered if we’d still have the energy to make love when we turned in for the night.

  “Good night, Hayden,” Iris whispered in my ear. “I’m going home. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  I kissed her on the cheek and said good night and someone in the crowd noticed the gesture.

  “You’re not turning in for the night, are you?” Allison asked with a grin.

  “Run, Forrest, run!” I yelled as Iris made a quick retreat through the foliage. Half of the group went after her.

  “Maybe we should take this opportunity and hide,” Adrienne said as she watched the chase.

  “Too late,” Shelby said with a grin as she took firm hold of our hands. “You know the tradition.”

  I thanked God for a moonless night as Adrienne and I, hand in hand, waded into the water naked as the day we were born. Iris had escaped. She knew the grounds like the back of her hand and easily lost her pursuers. Adrienne and I weren’t so lucky and found ourselves in the middle of a herd of the drunken and naked.

  We made our way into deeper water, after being dunked a few times, and watched as Blair sat atop Leigh’s shoulders and tried to topple Allison from Rory’s. “Come play,” Blair called to us.

  “You think she’s hot, don’t you?” Adrienne asked against my ear.