by Cher Etan
“Wow, sounds like it sucks big time,” Tony said, sounding a bit guilty.
“I just wish Kermit would come out already; I feel like I’ve been pregnant for 200 years.”
“Is there anything I can do? A massage maybe?”
“Aww you’re sweet. Okay maybe you can massage my boobs; it might make them feel better.”
Tony reached forward and took hold of Sophie’s shirt, lifting it off her body and discarding it on the floor. He leaned his head forward and kissed the indentation between her breasts and then cupped both breasts in his hands as he kissed his way up her neck.
“Hmm, interesting massage…” she murmured.
“Mmmm,” Tony replied.
His hands were busy squeezing and releasing her breasts, squeezing and releasing over and over and then reaching down to tease her nipples into hard points. He leaned down and took one hardened nipple in his mouth sucking gently until she moaned with pleasure. Then he withdrew his mouth and blew gently on the nipple causing her to shiver uncontrollably. His other hand never stopped working the other nipple, teasing it to hardness and then caressing around it; assaulting her with different sensations. Her discomfort was already forgotten. Tony took her nipple in his mouth again and sucked hard making her gasp. Then he withdrew his mouth until only his front teeth were touching her nipple and nipped it gently and then blew. His other hand grasped her other breast hard and squeezed and then released. Sophie grabbed onto his hair, holding tight to his blonde locks as if she didn’t know whether to pull him closer or push him away. Tony raised his head and hungrily captured her mouth with his. She returned his ardor and his hands snaked downwards, running lightly down her leg. He took hold of her sleeping shorts and tugged and she obliged, lifting her hips so he could pull them off. She spread her legs on either side of him and pulled him closer, kissed him harder. His hands rubbed lightly along her thighs, making teasing touches closer and closer to her center and making her whimper with need.
“Are you going to keep teasing me or are you going to…” Sophie growled.
“To…?” Tony teased, smiling against her lips.
Sophie wrapped her legs around his middle and pulled him closer. Her hand closed around his and pulled it right into her with a groan. Tony’s smile got wider as he burrowed into her, searching for her clitoris. Sophie scuttled forward encouraging him to do it harder without words. Tony laid off teasing and rubbed against her with fervor. His tongue tasted her chocolate skin all the way from her shoulder to her stomach as his hand went deeper and deeper inside her, rubbing, stimulating, arousing them both.
“Tony!” she cried urgently.
It was all he needed. Tony leaned back and divested himself of his track bottom and then leaned forward, his dick waving in the air, the veins standing out in angry red straining forward toward her wet entrance. Sophie lay back taking her own legs and spreading them wide and upward on either side of her stomach. Tony took his penis in his hand and leaned forward directing it into her. As the head of his dick touched her entrance she exhaled in anticipation and he pushed into her with a similar sound. His back muscles worked as he used his hands for leverage, not touching Sophie anywhere else except where their bodies joined. He thrust into her fast and furiously, face contorted with effort as she made encouraging noises and begged him with words that drove him mad.
“Yes Tony; please! Fuck me. Fuck me harder,” she whispered urgently as his rhythm increased with every word. His face contorted in a rictus of effort and his mouth opened wide as his throat made growling sounds.
“Yes Tony, yes! Love me. Love me now. I want to feel you. I want to feel you coming inside me. Now Tony. Now! Please!” she said, body convulsing around him. Tony cried out and released himself inside her body jerking and convulsing even as he screamed her name.
“Oh Jesus fuck Tony,” she said as she let her legs fall on either side of him.
“You know you sure do curse a lot,” Tony said in an observational tone as he collapsed on the bed next to her. Sophie just laughed.
***
Solomon couldn’t sleep – the air was heavy and oppressive and he just couldn’t get comfortable. He tossed and turned in bed for an hour before giving it up for a bad job and exiting the bed. He stood uncertainly in the middle of his room wondering what to do now. The sight of the moon peeping through the blinds made him walk toward the glass doors that led out to the balcony and he stood there, surveying the stars and moon up in the sky. They were not really clear through the haze of smoke and damp that hung in the air and the surrounding vegetation loomed creepy and ominous in the dark. There was misgiving in Solomon’s heart as he surveyed it but he dismissed it as overactive imagination. He caught sight of a lone figure leaning against the side of the building smoking some sort of cigarette. They looked to be waiting for someone and Solomon wagered they’d be there for a while so he hurried back into the room and snatched up his pad and pencils. Settling down on the wicker chair on the balcony, he drew the entire scene with the hazy sky and the trees casting ominous shadow over the streets below with the man leaning casually on the side of the building smoking his cigarette. When he was through he held it out to examine and nodded in satisfaction. His fear was quite forgotten until he heard the piercing scream coming from his sister’s room.
***
Sophie had quite blacked out, satiated by Tony’s loving when she began to feel a strange pulling in her abdomen. At first she thought it was part of her dream and tried to shake it off but the pulling was persistent. She cursed inwardly, thinking that the cramps were back despite Tony’s very effective therapy. She lay still, trying to ignore them. Suddenly a stabbing pain tore through her and she sat up startled, wondering if something was severely wrong with her or her child. She clutched her stomach and felt Tony turn around to face her in the bed obviously still mostly asleep but reaching out a hand for her in blind inquiry. She tried to call his name but found she had no breath to do so. Suddenly her nether regions were suffused with wetness and she looked down with dread, wondering if she was losing the baby. There was a ring of wetness around her on the bed, mostly colorless but streaked with blood. She opened her mouth and screamed unable to help herself in her terror. Tony started awake and fell out of the bed in shock. Not more than a minute later, Solomon came tearing into the room a terrified look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” they asked simultaneously as Tony picked himself up off the floor. Sophie was too terrified to speak but pointed at the puddle that surrounded her. Both men leaned forward to have a look and then they both jumped back as if they’d seen a cobra coiled to strike.
“Wha…?” Tony said in a breathless whisper but Solomon straightened up, comprehension coming into his eyes.
“I think your water just broke,” he said.
“What?!?” Tony and Sophie said simultaneously. “It’s not my time yet,” Sophie said.
“It’s not her time yet,” Tony said at the same time.
“Tell that to Oswald there because apparently he didn’t get the memo,” Solomon said, he being privy to their game of ‘worst baby names ever’.
Sophie looked wildly at Tony, reaching out a hand to him which he promptly grasped, “What do we do?”
“Obviously we go to the hospital,” Tony said.
“But…the doctor’s in Boston...” Sophie said weakly.
“Pretty sure there are doctors in New Orleans too,” Solomon ventured.
Both Tony and Sophie glared at him but Solomon just shrugged in a ‘don’t kill the messenger’ type way. Just then Sophie felt that sensation tearing through her again and she bent forward trying very hard not to howl in pain. This galvanized Tony and Solomon into action, the latter volunteering to get the car while Tony got her down.
“Can you walk?” Tony asked already reaching down to carry her.
“Yes but I need to wear some clothes,” she said. She hadn’t bothered to wear her sleeping shorts after sex so the only cover she had was the sheet drape
d over her.
“Oh,” Tony said stealing a glance at the doorway to see if Solomon had left already. Seeing that he had he hastened to the closet to bring her a loose kaftan type garment to wear. Sophie took it without comment and draped it over her head. She stood up and pushed it down to fit and then looked for her sandals and bag. Tony already had the latter and he took her hand carefully in his and led her out the door like she was extremely invalid. Sophie wasn’t having that, she straightened up telling him she could walk on her own, but allowing him to keep hold of her hand nevertheless.
“Are you scared?” he asked as they waited for the lift.
Sophie looked at him and smiled while simultaneously shaking her head, “I can’t think about that right now. Its game time baby.”
Tony nodded and led her into the empty elevator pressing the button for the basement where Solomon was waiting with the car. His heart was beating so fast he thought he might have a heart attack. At the same time, he was so proud of how brave Sophie was being and resolved to be a credit to her. They could do this. God please look after my family! He couldn’t help but pray.
***
“Congratulations! You have a boy,” the nurse said placing the baby in Tony’s arms. He was shaking so much he was afraid that he would drop him. He glanced anxiously at his wife, who was out cold. They had had to do an emergency Caesarian section because of the heavy bleeding and Sophie was still sedated. Tony vaguely thought he should probably go and tell an anxious Solomon that everyone was fine and the baby was born but he was too fascinated with his son to move. Unlike other babies he’d seen, little Benjamin Romanov was born with a full head of black curly hair. Tony figured that was due to his mother and smiled at her still figure, his smile disappearing when he actually looked at her. Was she supposed to sleep this long? He turned around to ask someone but the room had cleared and all that remained was a solitary nurse on the other side of the room fiddling with machines. He opened his mouth and then closed it, shaking his head. If there was something wrong they wouldn’t just have left. Even as he thought it an orderly came by and informed him that he was here to move his wife to her room. Tony looked down at his baby, whose little fists were wrapped tightly around his finger even as he slept and then back at the orderly. He was loathe to surrender the baby to anyone but the nurse came over and told him that he was welcome to accompany her and place the baby in the nursery himself.
“Doesn’t he stay with his mother?” he asked.
“Normally that would be a yes, but he needs to be kept under observation overnight just in case there are any complications because it was a difficult and early birth. We shall keep you informed or you can stay with him, whichever you choose.” The nurse said.
Tony nodded and followed her out the door and down a corridor. She kept turning to ensure he was right behind her and when they reached the baby nursery she took little Benjamin away leaving Tony feeling empty and deprived. He watched as she placed the baby in a glass framed crib on a blue blanket. Benjamin began to fuss and cry once he was put down, the nurse did not pick him up again but headed off to speak to another nurse. Tony placed his hands on the glass that separated him from his child and tried to attract his attention with funny faces. But Benjamin just continued to cry, kicking his legs in the air and looking irritated. His eyes open and Tony saw that they were gray like his father’s. He stared in fascination until someone came to pick him up and give him some milk from a bottle. Tony frowned; he knew that Sophie would have liked to be the first one to feed her son. The thought of her made him start, he needed to check on her and see that she was alright! He hurried down the corridor getting lost and turned around looking for her room. He turned a corner and found himself in the waiting room where Solomon was pacing anxiously. Solomon took one look at his anxious face and came hurrying to him, face crinkled with fear.
“Are they…?” he asked with wide eyes, afraid to hear, but anxious to know.
Tony shook his head so hard that his short blonde hair flew about, “No they’re fine. I just got turned around looking for Sophie’s room. Benjamin’s in the nursery. They’re bottle feeding him.” He said.
“Benjamin…?” Solomon said in wonder, “It’s a boy”
It was a statement but with a question behind it. Tony’s face broke into a smile that was not so much on his lips but as if his whole face lit up with some inner light that slowly brightened until it was almost painful to look at.
“Yes,” he said, “It’s a boy.”
Chapter 4
They left New Orleans three weeks later for Boston. Due to the severe blood loss she had suffered during labor, the doctors had kept Sophie under observation for two weeks and then recommended bed rest for a week. Despite her weakness she insisted on breastfeeding Benjamin who was hale and hearty, having suffered no ill effects from being premature or the prolonged labor. Tony was anxious to get them home and Elijah, Katarina and Roman were anxious to meet Benjamin as soon as possible. Elijah called daily and spoke to his grand-daughter as well as Benjamin even if he couldn’t reply. Their conversations mainly consisted of cooing and other incoherent sounds from both sides but they both seemed to enjoy it immensely so Sophie put her hands up and didn’t interfere. Roman came down in the second week to see how his daughter in law and grandson were doing but only stayed a day since he was on his way to LA to check on the inn which was experiencing some low season challenges. Solomon kept Katarina informed and offered to go ahead of the couple to see that the house was ready for them. Sophie teased him that he just wanted to see Katarina again but Solomon loftily ignored her. He was anxious to see Katarina but more than that he wanted to get away from Camille and her grandmother. He had a bad feeling about them and felt that the more distance there was between them, the better.
She was still working at the hotel and took every opportunity to talk to him and try to convince him to come with her to her grandmother’s. The more she insisted, the more freaked out he got, wondering what the catch was. He might have amnesia but he still remembered that when something was too good to be true, it probably was. Plus he was pretty sure she had taken to following him around. Whatever kind of relationship they’d had before…? This was just creepy.
“I’m gonna leave tomorrow for home,” he told Tony as they sat down to a sandwich supper in their suite before Tony went off to the hospital to spend the night with his wife and son.
“Okay then, though I’m pretty sure Katarina has everything ready for the baby you might be useful in case she has questions,” Tony said. “And of course…” he continued with a smirk but Solomon held up his hand and shook his head in a ‘I don’t wanna hear it’ gesture. Tony just grinned and bit into his sandwich.
“Don’t check out, just leave. That way that weird girl who’s been following you won’t know you’ve left.” He said instead.
Solomon nodded his agreement and they finished the rest of the meal in peaceful silence.
“Kiss Benjy for me won’t you?” Solomon said as he opened the door for Tony, “Tell him I’ll be by to see him before I leave.”
“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” Tony said wryly tipping his hat at Solomon as he headed for the lift.
Solomon sat back down and got the remote. He was determined this time to sit through an entire reality show episode. He found the Kardashians again and settled back in the sofa watching determinedly. A soft knock on the door startled him awake a while later and he realized that the show was rolling credits. He rolled his eyes at himself and went to answer without inquiring who was on the other side in his distraction.
“Hi,” Camille said with a smile.
Solomon’s face closed and he sighed deeply, “What do you want Camille?” he asked.
“I thought I’d come say goodbye. I hear you’re leaving us,” she replied.
Solomon’s brows rose until they almost touched his hair, “Where did you hear that?” he asked.
Camille shrugged, “The grapevine.”
; Solomon stepped back opening the door wider, “Why don’t you come in for a minute?” he said, “Let’s talk.”
Camille stepped into the room with a smile and sauntered over to the sofa, dropping down on it with a sigh of contentment. She spread her arm along the back of the chair, patting it with her other hand, inviting him to sit beside her…
Solomon pointedly took the single seat that stood next to the sofa and crossed his arms and legs, looking expectantly at Camille.
“So.” He said.
“So.” She echoed.
“What is it that you want with me?” he asked.
Camille stared at him for a long moment and then shrugged, “I just want to help you.”
“Help me…?” Solomon prompted.
“You know, get better and stuff.”
“Why?”
“Because…we meant something special to each other once,” Camille said her voice getting smaller with each word.
“And..?” Solomon asked with raised eyebrows.
“And it hurts to see you like this.”
“See me like what exactly?” Solomon asked leaning forward and placing his chin on his knuckles like she was a particularly interesting specimen he was studying.
“You know…you can’t remember anything…can’t remember me. It hurts.”
“I see…” Solomon replied leaning back in his seat. “Well, I’m sorry about the hurt but I’m fine and my memory is returning, albeit slowly. There’s no need for your spells and potions.”
Camille nodded as if she was agreeing but Solomon could see that her eyes had darkened with some emotion and there was a frown on her forehead that seemed odd to him.
“Well…” she said as she rose to her feet, “I guess that’s that.”
“I guess so,” Solomon agreed getting up as well to get the door. He turned his back to her and then everything went black.
***
“What have you done?” her grandmother asked her in a flat tone.