Love/Forty

by Bette McNicholas

  Dante carried her out of the pool, cradling her in his arms, protecting her. He wrapped her in a huge towel and laid her on the lounge chair. Concern was written on his face as he held her and tried to keep her warm.

  “Do you still have any doubts about our love?”

  Mercedes shook her head. “I’ve never been in love before, and I’m full of anticipation, anxious to consummate this love, but I’m also scared.”

  “Are you worried about becoming pregnant, because…”

  She shook her head, “No. Faith took me to her doctor and I have been taking pills…”

  “I knew there was a reason I’m fond of your friend.”

  “I’m going to tell her you said that!”

  “That’s fine, I consider that a compliment.”

  The top of her bikini laced together in the middle of her chest. He wrapped one end of the tie around his finger and asked, “What would happen if I pulled on this?”

  “Pull and find out?”

  “I intend to, I promise.” Taking her hand, he said, “Let’s go inside, you can change for the boat trip and get warm, and we’ll wait for Max and Faith to arrive.”

  “On one condition,” she said with a smirk on her face.

  “Oh, no. Let’s hear it.”

  “You have to stay away and can’t touch me, otherwise I won’t be able to control all my emotions and keep them private, and they’ll know what we’ve been doing while they were gone.”

  Dante shook his head and grinned. “What do you think they think we’ve been doing while they were gone? And how do you know your brother and Faith are not experiencing the same feelings? It’s the Florida weather.”

  “I don’t think the sun and palm trees have anything to do with how I feel.”

  “What does?”

  “You. You’ve skillfully made me fall in love with you with your compelling charm, athletic body, not to mention that you’re a man who is used to getting everything he wants.”

  “And I want you. From the moment I first saw you, Mercedes, I wanted you. I never realized I was lonely until after I had to leave you in Arizona.”

  “That frightens me, Dante.”

  “Why? I would never hurt you. I want to make you happy and bring you pleasure.”

  “But I’m not as sure of myself as you are of yourself or me. I’m afraid. As much as I want to love you and want you to make love to me, I’m afraid of what will happen if you stop loving me.”

  “That is never going to happen, unless you tell me you don’t love me. Let’s have tonight and then you can decide if you want our relationship to continue, because I plan to want to make love to you forever. Is that all right?”

  “Yes, because I don’t know what else to do with all these compelling passions. I want you to satisfy them.”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place and the right man. Let’s get ready to wait for Max and Faith,” he said, taking her hand and leading her into the bedroom, and closing the door. “Welcome to the love shack!”

  “What exactly do you have on your mind, Mr. Edwards?”

  “Foreplay…”

  “Oh, no-o-o!” She cried as he untied her top.

  ****

  The afternoon on Dante’s boat was refreshing and fun. The weather was perfect and along the way, he pointed out the homes of some celebrities. They docked alongside a restaurant, and entered through the back deck—a few people seated outside recognized him and nodded a greeting and once inside, he shook a few hands and gave one child an autograph.

  They ate upstairs on the outdoor deck overlooking the water and enjoyed their privacy. It was apparent Dante was familiar with the owner of the establishment when Mercedes noticed the man lock the front door, which insured them of a pleasant time without worrying about being disturbed.

  Mercedes also noticed that her brother and Faith apparently had had an enjoyable time together shopping and seemed to get along rather well. Faith had purchased a couple pairs of Capri pants, some great tops, and some jewelry. Max had bought a new and expensive pair of sunglasses.

  “Well,” he said, “looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time in the sunbelts of the world watching tennis, and these glasses, along with my hat will give me the European look I’m trying to create.”

  They had a chuckle, enjoyed great conversation, and a very delicious lunch together. They made their plans for the evening, after Mercedes had taken Faith aside to get her opinion on whether or not she would be comfortable spending the night at Max’s.

  Her response was, “What’s not to like? But how does Max feel about that arrangement?”

  “Dante said that Max had no problems with that arrangement if you were comfortable with the plans.”

  “Perfect. And I am going to go crazy waiting until we leave for New York before I find out all the loving details of your night alone with Dante.”

  “I could say the same about you and my brother.”

  “We’ll see…”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Everyone enjoyed the evening at Dante’s private yacht club. They had a lot of fun, in spite of the enthusiasm and fifteen minutes of fame guests of other members stole while they chatted and asked for autographs. But the rest of the evening allowed them a lot of privacy. They enjoyed the open restaurant overlooking the canal, a wonderful meal, and great music and dancing.

  Her parents were overwhelmed by Dante’s generosity of treating them all to dinner as he explained he was a club member and paid a monthly fee. The bill would be deducted from his account at the end of the month. Her mother, especially, was overcome with Dante’s charm and also had no idea how much wealth he accumulated playing tennis.

  Before her parents left, they made plans to get together after breakfast on Sunday and then they’d decide what they would do—a boat ride up to Fort Lauderdale, seemed to please everyone.

  Mercedes wondered if anyone had any idea how jittery her insides were and she felt like one of those young teenaged women who were given away in marriage to members of royalty and on their wedding night were surrounded by ladies-in-waiting and being carried off to the marriage bed…

  After Faith and Max left for his place, she felt withdrawn and guilty, not that she didn’t want to spend the night with Dante, but that her brother and Faith knew why she wanted to be alone with him. There was no sense of privacy.

  Dante put some music on and reached for her hand to dance. The music was romantic and Mercedes relaxed in his arms. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I feel exposed. My brother and Faith, although I know they won’t talk about us, know why we are spending the night. My parents have no idea, but after they see me tomorrow, my mother will know. She would never say anything, but I will feel guilty. You’re used to living in a fish bowl, but I’m not.”

  Dante stopped dancing, but didn’t let go of holding her. “We don’t have to do this, Mercedes. I will be happy to drive you over to Max’s, and you can spend the night there. We just have to hope he and Faith aren’t sleeping together,” he said, winking at her.

  “You are so predictable.”

  “We can simply spend this time getting to know one another better. We don’t have to have intercourse.”

  She buried her face on his shoulder. “How long do you think that will last, being here alone on a beautiful night, romantic music? I can’t seem to think of anything else but loving you and I can’t get close enough to your body, and inhale enough of your scent. You intoxicate me.”

  Dante held her closer. “I love the dress you’re wearing, and I wanted to unzip the side and watch the shimmering material flow to the floor. I know you wore this strapless dress to tease me,” he whispered, reaching and slowly unzipping the dress. “Tell me when to stop.”

  Mercedes felt her body heat and swayed with him to the music until her dress was in a heap. His hands unhooked her strapless bra and she stood there in his arms, while he tasted her neck.

  “Your skin feels like silk,” he whispered.
Then his hands roamed her body and she jolted when he reached down, lifted her off her feet, and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and he undressed.

  Mercedes raised her arms to welcome him. “I’m ready, for you to teach me to love you.”

  Dante took his time loving Mercedes. Starting with her lips, her neck, then her breasts, and slowly moving down her body until she felt no inhibitions. His fingers and hands slowly explored every part of her body and when he knew she was totally and completely his, he raised her arms above her head and spread her legs and entered her warmth. She accepted him and tightened her muscles around him and he held onto the very last minute when she called his name.

  ****

  Dante lay on his side with one arm raised and his hand on his forehead, staring at Mercedes’ beautiful face, as she slept peacefully. The entire night of lovemaking remained whisper quiet, except for their breathing and words of love. The joy of making love to her for the first time was beyond anything he ever experienced.

  She surrendered herself to him, and he watched her become sexually aroused, enjoying all the emotions he wanted to share with her. Her eyes were filled with desire and her mouth was passionate and hungry for all he taught her. She was like a butterfly on the brink of escaping the cocoon.

  At the sign of the first orgasm, he held onto her until she relaxed again in his arms. He pulled the covers over them and held her until she fell asleep.

  He had finally taken in all that had happened between them emotionally and began to relax into a deep sleep, when he awakened by her touch and the kisses she placed on his body. They continued making love several times during the night until she fell asleep again.

  The night became a preview of what his life would be like married to her. He loved her more than anything in the world and that included tennis. He would never forget her reactions to his loving her; the kisses and the touches that made her tremble in ecstasy. He smiled as he noticed her stirring, and his chest filled with love and desire.

  She peeked out from under her lashes and smiled at him, closed her eyes and simply grinned.

  “You have a silly smile on your face like Meg Ryan had in When Harry Met Sally.”

  “I like Meg Ryan.”

  He laughed. “What are you thinking that makes you grin like that?”

  “M-m-m! I’m thinking I never want to get out of bed and I never want to wear clothes ever again.”

  “Well, in that case, I shall oblige the lady…”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mercedes and Dante met Max and Faith and went out for a bite to eat. The four of them stopped at a grocery store and went back to Dante’s to prepare lunch for their boat trip. They filled the cooler with drinks and snacks. Dante had the boat fueled up for the trip to Fort Lauderdale, and they waited for the Lockhart’s to arrive.

  When the guard announced their arrival at the entrance gate, Mercedes rushed to greet her parents when they pulled into the driveway. The moment her mother stepped out of the car, she knew something horrid had happened by the look on her face—yet everyone close to her was at Dante’s and she couldn’t imagine what had caused the stressful frown.

  “What’s wrong, Mother? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Her mother shook her head and took Mercedes’ hand. Her dad got out of the car with a couple of newspapers tucked under his arm, and a face that matched her mother’s that immediately set Mercedes’ heart pounding. Colorado? Maybe. But certainly not last night—that had to be impossible.

  She waited until she had re-entered the house but remained silent waiting for her parents to reveal whatever they read in the newspaper that made them look distraught. She felt relieved that Max and Faith were there to help her deal with bad news, especially if it concerned her relationship with Dante.

  Her dad handed the newspapers to Dante, and said, “You might want to take a look at these. I stopped at the store to pick up a paper to get the baseball scores…”

  Dante flipped the folded tabloids over and on the front page found a photo of his father inside Heathrow Airport, kissing a woman after she came through customs. He stared at the photo, but the woman’s face was hidden from the camera. Ambassador Edwards greets a mysterious envoy extraordinaire?

  He opened the paper and read the byline aloud: While The Cat’s Away…seems while Julia Edwards was in Milan introducing a new perfume, her husband, Mark Edwards, the ex-ambassador to France and father of tennis champion Dante Edwards, had plans gallivanting in Londontown, with another woman.

  Mercedes was in shock, but before she could say a word, her brother led them all out on the patio to wait while Dante placed a call to Italy. Mr. Lockhart said, “And, we don’t want to leave here for a while either because the paparazzi have already gathered outside the gates of the community.”

  The fifteen minutes Dante spent on the phone seemed like an eternity to all of them, waiting nervously to find out what had happened. Mercedes asked herself over and over again, what had she done? Her answer: fell in love with the one man she knew would eventually break her heart. How foolish she had been to believe fairytales can come true, when she feared the publicity and had been determined never to date a celebrity. No, instead, she listened to her brother and her friend and her own heart and fell hard.

  Yet at the same time, she believed nothing would ever cause her to regret the private affair they shared, or the enchantment. She’d be forever conscious of him conquering her heart. Being alone with Dante became the most loving, romantic and erotic experience of her life. The silence in the room became deafening, except for their breathing and whispers of love. The intimate words he shared telling her how loving her felt and the feelings she experienced by his touch; the looks they gave one another were euphoric, evocative, and intoxicating.

  Her heart would break if their love ended. She would miss every emotion they experienced as a couple. She would love him forever, and would always remember their first night of lovemaking, every touch, and every moment. The familiarity, she hadn’t known possible, done with perfection in every touch, except she couldn’t live in a glass bowl and she wondered how his mother must feel after learning about this article in the newspapers.

  Dante finally appeared on the patio holding one of the newspapers, and smiling.

  “What happened?” they all asked in unison.

  “Although you cannot see the woman my dad is hugging, it’s his sister, my Aunt Lindsay, from Texas. The four of them are going on a barge trip through the wine country of France next week, and my uncle will join them in Paris before they board the boat. The tabloids will print apologies and retractions in the next editions, and in the meantime, hopefully the networks will carry the real story. My dad appears frustrated and pissed, to say the least, but Mother and Aunt Lindsay think the incident quite humorous.”

  One look at Mercedes’ face and Dante knew not to suggest they go on their way, in spite of the annoying photographers, but instead, he suggested they swim, watch a baseball game, he’d fix appetizers and order Chinese for dinner, play cards, dance, he finished, smiling at Mercedes, but didn’t miss the sadness and disappointment in her eyes. A hurt he wasn’t sure he could mend, but he was determined not to give up on their love.

  Instead of going to Fort Lauderdale, Dante and Max put together a plan. On Sunday afternoon, the six of them went on the boat, along with a captain, Dante hired, and they slipped past the crowd of photographers, hiding in the salon, while the captain took the boat on the Intercoastal and out toward the Atlantic Ocean and headed for Key West, while they fished and spent time sunbathing and getting acquainted.

  After they arrived at their destination, Mercedes and Faith and the Lockhart’s made reservations in a quaint bed and breakfast and Max and Dante and the captain stayed on the boat that night, after sightseeing, shopping for casual clothes and necessities they hadn’t packed, they later enjoyed a seafood dinner and island music at a popular local restaurant.

  Dante felt a sligh
t strain the entire evening that hung in the air between himself and Mercedes. They held hands and danced after dinner, but he remained concerned. He held her back at the B&B, kissed her, and after a moment he felt her begin to melt. If they had been alone, he would have taken her back to the ship and he could have talked to her and mended the drift he felt between them. He gave her one deep, passionate kiss goodnight and she couldn’t control the sound of longing that escaped her throat. He was certain of their love, but didn’t know how to assure her everything would be all right. He was convinced they could somehow find time to be together without being caught. He had to agree that seemed almost impossible at times, especially since he was on the brink of becoming the number one tennis champion in the world.

  Wednesday came too quickly and there didn’t seem to be a chance to be alone with Mercedes. The strain she placed between them, although invisible on the surface, still hung in the air. He wanted to simply hold her and tell how much he loved her, but there was no chance once they returned from Key West.

  In the airport parking lot where he knew they were safe from paparazzi, he held onto her tight, drew her close, and whispered in her ear. He told her how much he’d miss her and wished she would change her mind and come to England. He stared into her eyes, looked down at her lips and captured them, parting them with his tongue. His kiss was soft and warm and yet demanding and she responded and softened in his arms.

  “I love you, Mercedes.”

  “I love you, too, Dante. I wish you the very best tournament ever and will watch every moment on TV.”

  “If you won’t come away with me, please change your mind and come to England with Max.”

  When she didn’t answer, he wanted to end on a happy note and asked, “Can I bring you something from London, instead? Big Ben, Buckingham Palace?”

  Mercedes couldn’t keep from laughing. “The trophy.”

  “It’s yours,” he said. “Miss me.”

  “I promise. I’ll talk to you when Max calls.”

  Dante couldn’t remember feeling that low in a long, long time and he needed the time left between then and the tournament in order to get his head and body in shape to win. He didn’t want to leave her behind but couldn’t break his commitments to be with her, especially since she obviously didn’t want to be seen with him.