by Cher Etan
“Stop staring its creepy,” she said without opening her eyes. Tony turned to stare at the ceiling instead but he was still smiling.
*****
Solomon was leaning over Katarina whispering something in her ear that was making her smile a lot when Tony walked into the kitchen in search of her the next morning.
“Oops, shall I come back later?” he asked grinning.
Solomon showed him the middle finger without turning around, “Nah we good. I was just…” Solomon trailed off without finishing the sentence and Katarina made no move to help him.
“Just…?” Tony asked still smiling.
“Er, did you want something?” Solomon asked.
“Er yeah I did as a matter of fact. Do I have to make an appointment to speak to my housekeeper now?” Tony asked eyebrows raised in teasing inquiry.
Solomon gestured at her. “She’s all yours,” he said walking out of the kitchen.
“I’m sorry Mr. Tony; it won’t happen again,” Katarina began anxiously.
“Don’t be silly Kat, how many times have I told you; what you do outside of work is completely your business. Besides now wouldn’t be a good time to hold a grudge because I want to ask a favor.”
Katarina’s brow furrowed, “Favor?” she asked uncertainly.
“Yes. I wish to take my wife to New York and I need you to watch Benjy…for an entire weekend,” Tony grimaced sheepishly at her. “You’re the only one I trust to look after him.”
“What about Mr. Elijah and Starship?” she asked.
“Well obviously I trust them too; but you’re a mother – you know what to do in more situations than them. And you won’t panic at normal baby stuff.” He finished looking over his shoulder guiltily.
Katarina smiled, “Well of course I’ll be glad to watch Benjy.”
Tony squeezed her arm, “Thank you Kat.”
“You’re welcome sir,” she replied.
“Oh! Of course you’ll get overtime for that.”
“Of course sir,” Kat said, but her smile became a bit stiff. Tony looked at her in trepidation.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.
Katarina looked surprised, “Of course not sir,” she said. Tony nodded, smiled and left the kitchen feeling like one hurdle at least had been breached. As he crossed the hall, Sophie was descending the stairs. He paused to watch her walk.
“G’morning darlink,” he said smiling. Sophie looked up from contemplating her feet and smiled at him.
“Morning,” she said quietly.
He waited for her to reach the bottom step then reached a hand out to take hers. She gave it to him and he kissed it, tucking it into his arm and leading her to the dining room.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked a tad smugly.
“Well enough,” she replied coyly. He glanced at her with a secret smile and then they were in the dining hall and Elijah and Solomon were adding their morning greetings to his.
*****
Katarina was being distant and professional ever since her talk with Tony that morning and Solomon wasn’t having it.
“What’s up with you?” he asked coming to tickle her sides. She moved out of his reach but didn’t crack a smile.
“Katariinaa?” he whined following her and placing his hands on her hips. She bit back a smile but just shook her head.
“Come on, are you fired? Did Tony give you notice or what?” Solomon persisted.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Kat said.
“I’m asking you,” Solomon replied.
They were sitting at the kitchen table by then as Kat shredded some vegetables into a bowl. Katarina’s eyes were cast down as if she didn’t want to meet his eyes and Solomon wasn’t having it. He moved to the chair next to hers and angled his head so he could look up at her face. Her eyes moved from the cabbage in her hand to his face and she sighed and put the cabbage down.
“He asked me to baby sit Benjy next weekend,” she said grudgingly.
“And?” Solomon asked, “You don’t want to?”
“I do want to,” she protested.
“So what’s the problem?” Solomon asked brows furrowing in puzzlement.
“I just…its stupid. I thought he was asking me as a friend to do it or maybe potential sister in law but then he told me he’s paying overt-“ Katarina covered her mouth and blushed avoiding Solomon’s eyes.
“What?” he asked.
She shook her head frantically standing up from the table and walking away. “I’m going to check on Sam,” she said exiting the house at speed. Solomon watched her go, completely bemused about what could possibly be happening. He played and replayed the conversation in his head, trying to discover what it was that had embarrassed her so but he couldn’t fathom what the problem was. He looked at his watch and stood up quickly. He was late for class.
*****
The safety video message was playing and Sophie was absorbed. She’d never seen dancing, singing and rapping as part of the in-flight safety message before. Virgin have outdone themselves she thought as she accepted a glass of champagne from the flight attendant. She pushed back the guilt she felt over ingesting alcohol figuring that she had an entire weekend to get it out of her system. She took a sip and leaned back enjoying the sheer luxury of first class.
“This is the life,” she sighed contentedly. Tony turned to her with a smile, agreeing with his eyes. He accepted his own glass of champagne and raised his own glass to her in toast. She smiled at him over the rim of her glass, promise in her eyes.
“So about this mile high club…” she murmured.
“Oh God yes!” Tony enthused. Sophie burst out laughing and Tony smiled in self-deprecation.
“I can’t help myself when it comes to you,” he said.
“I love it,” Sophie agreed.
“Shall I find out where the bathroom is?” he asked hopefully.
“Let’s wait until the ‘fasten your seat belt’ sign goes off,” she whispered conspiratorially to him.
“You’re probably right,” he whispered back smiling and downing his champagne and looking around for the waitress. If he was really going to do this, he needed some dutch courage. Making love in plane bathrooms was definitely outside his comfort zone but if Sophie was willing he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass him by. The plane took off and Tony kept an eye on the red light that indicated their seat belts should stay on. As soon as it was off he went in search of the nearest toilets. There was a flight attendant just on the other side of the partition, putting together drinks in preparation, Tony supposed, of serving the passengers. He stared dubiously at her and then peeked into the space behind the toilet door.
“Not much room to maneuver,” he murmured to himself, “But I suppose we’ll make it work.”
He headed back down the aisle to report back to Sophie. She smiled when she saw him coming and Tony’s heart lifted.
“Well? Are we doing this?” she asked him.
“Oh absolutely,” Tony replied taking her hand in his. “Come on, before people have drinks and wanna use the facilities.”
Sophie stood up and let him guide her to the facilities so they could join the Mile High Club.
Chapter 3
“Do you know this is only my second time in New York?” Sophie asked as they walked hand in hand out of the La Guardia airport.
“Oh?” Tony said. His mind was still reeling seeing as most of his blood flow was still pooling around his nether regions. He wondered how Sophie could pay attention to anything around them, he was still seeing double. ‘Women are different though’, he thought dazedly, ‘recover quicker and shit’.
“Yeah. The first time was our honeymoon,” she ventured to tell him in case he’d forgotten.
“I remember,” Tony said smiling. She smiled back remembering the hectic time that had been with Tony introducing her to his staff as their new boss.
“Will we stay at the inn?” she asked.
“No. A friend of
mine is lending us his apartment in Manhattan for the weekend. It’s cozier, more private and secure.”
“Oh,” Sophie simpered, “what are you planning on doing with me this weekend you serial killer white dude?” she teased.
Tony just laughed out loud, squeezing her hand tighter. “Wouldn’t you like to know”, he said waggling his blonde eyebrows in what he imagined was a sleazy manner. Sophie smiled to see it. When she’d met Tony he had such a serious mien and rarely smiled, now he laughed all the time and if that was in any way because of her, Sophie was glad of it. ‘Come to think of it, I smile a lot more too’, she thought in bemusement, ‘Hmm, maybe we just are that good for each other’.
Sophie slowed her walk as they approached the car realizing the irritability she had been living with for a while seemed to have dissipated in the muggy New York air. She cocked her head in surprise, raising a brow in wonder at this development.
“What are you thinking?” Tony asked watching the play of emotions on her face.
Sophie turned to him, her smile increasing in wattage, “I don’t know but I just feel better than I’ve felt in a while and I just realized it,” she said.
“Hmm, looks like Elijah was right about us just needing a break.” He said as he ushered her into the back of a black SUV whose driver had the door open for them.
“Or maybe it was sex on a plane,” a grinning Sophie replied nudging him.
“Or maybe it was sex on a plane,” Tony agreed enthusiastically. The huge grin on his face did not fade even as they became bogged down in rush hour traffic. They listened to classic 80s music and drank champagne, talking about nothing in particular and just enjoying each other’s company. The city skyscrapers eventually gave way to Central Park as they came into Manhattan.
Sophie stared out the window, taking in as much scenery as she could, “Wow, we have to come here and explore,” she said.
“Yes but you know there’s no way we can see everything at the park right? It’s just too large for one weekend especially since you want to see a show and eat pizza and shop,” Tony pointed out.
“I know but Central Park is New York City! We have to go.” She moaned.
“Of course we will darling. We’re not far from here anyway, we could freshen up and come right back on foot if you like.”
“I do like,” Sophie said and Tony smiled to see her as excited as a child.
“Which show are we going to?” she asked him.
“Cirque du Soleil…the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour,” Tony announced as if he was a ring master.
“Really!!” Sophie exclaimed so loudly that Tony had to lean back to save his ears from impeding deafness.
“Yes, I thought you’d enjoy it,” he said rubbing his ear theatrically. Sophie ignored his theatrics, jumped on top of him and smashed his head into her ample bosom.
“Oh my Gaad!” she continued to exclaim, “When are we going to see that?”
“Tomorrow night,” Tony said.
“You know you are absolutely the best husband in the world right?” Sophie said.
Tony wanted to reply but he was distracted by the sight of her bare legs straddling him since her dress had ridden up. He put his hands on her thighs, rubbing up and down absentmindedly.
“So beautiful,“ he whispered, “Like the feel of a mango before you take that first bite, smooth, soft, yielding to my touch yet firm with a hard core that holds it all together. One color but so many shades. It’s endlessly fascinating. I love to touch your skin”
Sophie stared at Tony in shock,”Where did that come from? You been holding out on me Romanov?”
“Holding out on you?” Tony asked, his attention still on her thighs rubbing his hands up and down and watching the play of sunlight on her flesh.
“You a poet in your spare time?” Sophie elaborated.
“No. You just inspire me is all,” he replied still caressing, his eyes glazed and his mouth slightly open.
“Never get tired of me. Promise,” Sophie said.
“Never,” Tony said with conviction.
*****
Solomon’s eyes were closed as he listened to Green Day on his earphones, bobbing his head to the music and lost in his thoughts. He stretched his legs out on the bed and put his hands behind his head to get comfortable. The baby slept beside him – Katarina had fed and bathed him and then handed him over for Solomon to lull to sleep. He’d expected that Benjy would give him a hard time but he’d gone right off to sleep with the slightest bit of rocking.
‘Maybe I’m the baby whisperer’ Solomon thought with a smile. Katarina’s son Samuel had taken to him pretty quick too despite being autistic. Benjy sighed in his sleep and turned his head as if searching for something. Solomon laid his hand gently on Benjy’s back and he quieted again. Solomon lay back down to listen to his music, content to lie there with the baby and let the peace of the room surround him.
Suddenly he felt a new presence in the room but just as he was about to open his eyes and see who it was, small hands snaked under his sweatshirt to run over his bare chest. He knew those hands, intimately, they had touched him many places and taken him to realms unreachable in the physical plane.
“Really? In front of the baby?” he whispered not opening his eyes.
Katarina pinched his nipples in response and then moving his sweatshirt out of the way, she replaced her hand with her mouth. Solomon gasped mainly due to the sensation but also in surprise because Katarina was seducing him no more than one inch away from a sleeping baby. He opened his eyes wide and gazed at her. She had a small smile on her face and she seemed to really be enjoying suckling him like this while her hand ran all over his exposed chest. It was ticklish and Solomon squirmed but it also caused a wave of heat to suffuse him from head to toe, eventually settling around his belly. He could feel himself hardening and looked sideways at a sleeping Benjy.
‘Sorry nephew’ he thought as he made a grab at Katarina.
“Ah,” she said in negation moving away from his seeking hands, “We can’t. The baby.”
Solomon stared at her in stupefaction; he opened his mouth to tell her she started it but she foiled that by leaning down and settling her mouth over his. Her tongue dipped teasingly into his mouth and then ran over his lip, tasting him, teasing him, driving him crazy. He lay completely still, at a loss as to what Katarina thought she was doing to him.
“You taste like honey in the sunshine,” she whispered against his lips and he hardly knew how to respond. All he knew was that he was harder than he remembered being ever; there was a sleeping baby beside him and a hundred and ten pound woman on his chest driving him absolutely crazy. It was like twilight zone in here.
“What are you doing?” he whispered face strained and veins sticking out on his forehead.
“I’m just showing you how I feel. Is that bad?” she whispered as she ran her lips against his cheek and caused him to shiver.
“Nope. Not bad. Just…I don’t know what you want me to do here,” he hissed.
“I want you,” she said slowly, “to lie back and enjoy it.”
“Ookay,” Solomon said closing his eyes again and praying for strength. Katarina opened her mouth and bit into his neck, quite gently. Not enough to leave a mark, just enough to make him faint with desire.
“Uuuhhhh Sam?” he asked.
“He’s having a nap too,” she said licking his jaw.
“AAAAhhhh,” was all Solomon could say in reply with his eyes squinched shut and his whole body shivering with the desire to pick Katarina up, slam her to the bed and fuck her into oblivion. He reached tentative hands up and grasped her waist. He exhaled in relief when she let him and his hands tightened on her.
“Kat,” he whispered, opening his mouth and snaking his tongue out hoping to catch some part of her body. She leaned down and kissed the tip of his tongue then went back to licking parts of his face.
“I like how you say my name,” she murmured into his skin, her Russian accent th
ickening with her emotion.
“I like how you tease me to within an inch of my life,” he replied breathily.
She huffed a small laugh but then smashed her mouth to his, holding his face in her small hands and making him feel cherished and loved. It occurred to him that they hadn’t said the words yet, and he wondered if she knew how he felt about her. He gently ran his arms up her arms until his hands covered hers and then he softly removed them from his face, pulling her away from him.
“Kat?” he said.
“Yes Sol?” she replied smiling down at him.
“I love you.”
Kat just stared at him, her eyes becoming serious. Then she leaned back and got off his chest, folding her legs to sit beside him in the bed.
“Oh,” she said.
“Oh?” he asked incredulously.
“I didn’t know you felt that strongly,” she said.
“Really? Because I thought it was pretty obvious,” he said.
Kat shrugged, “I didn’t want to make any assumptions.”
“Okay then, no more assuming. I love you.”
Kat looked off into the distance, “Thank you,” she said and then she stood up and left the room. Solomon sat up on the bed watching her leave in disbelief. He looked back at the sleeping baby and shook his head then looked down at his bulging lap in consternation.
“Was it something I said?” he asked him. He was unsurprised when Benjy did not reply.
*****
“I miss Benjy,” Sophie said flopping down on the gigantic bed in the humongous bedroom of the house they were staying in. She swayed from side to side, enjoying the feel of the foam mattress beneath her that seemed to envelope her like she was a babe in its arms.
“I miss him too,” Tony replied and was surprised to find that it was true.
“Shall we call home?” Sophie asked rising on an elbow to face him.
“No,” Tony replied.
“Why not?”
“Because then you’ll start to feel miserable with missing him so much. We’ll call tonight like we planned. Right now, we’re going to Central Park for a walk remember?” he said striding to the bed to take her hand and pull her off it. He had changed into sweatpants and sneakers and was holding a pair of sweat pants out to her. He stood her on her feet and she took the pants from his hand and dropped them on the bed. She took her dress off in one fell swoop and then reached for the sweatpants. Tony stopped her with a hand on her thigh curving his hand on her ass.