by MJ Masucci
She opened the case and pulled back the padding. Behind it was a yellow piece of folded paper. He took it from her hands and unfolded the note remembering how he had felt when he wrote the words.
Ava,
You’re right. I am a nasty, egotistical jerk. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.
Best,
Xander
His heart skipped a beat thinking how he had snapped at Ava that day when she was only trying to do her job. She ran from him then, and he tried to make it better by kissing her when she wasn’t his. Now here it was five years later, and she was his. It was part of the reason why he wanted her to have his name and his name only — he didn’t want to share her.
“I was so mean to you that day. It hurts me to think about it.”
“Then don’t,” she said, gently removing the note from his hands and folding it before changing her mind and tearing it up.
“Why'd you do that?"
“We don’t need this type of reminder. It’s the past.”
She discarded the shredded squares in the garbage can next to her desk and removed the pen from its box, slipping it into her purse. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, let’s go home. I need to change out of these clothes and sit down with a glass of wine.
He offered his hand to her as she rose from the desk and they went to the elevator. Outside in early September, the evening was still warm. In another few weeks, the air would become chilly, with dusk coming earlier. Xander held her hand as they walked two blocks down to catch a cab home.
He went straight to the kitchen, calling, “Do you want a glass of wine?”
“I think I’ll pass.”
He had ordered Chinese and was waiting for the front desk to tell them the delivery arrived. She had said steamed veggies and shrimp, but he also ordered Kung Pao Chicken hoping it would pique her appetite. She hadn’t been eating much lately, and it was a constant worry.
When the food came, and Xander retrieved it, they sat out on the terrace just eating directly out of the cardboard containers. Just as he had hoped, she ignored the steamed plate she ordered and dove into the chicken. He watched her from the corner of his eye and smirked.
“You ordered this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I like Kung Pao. You know that.”
“I could kiss you because I had a hankering for it.”
“I was hoping you would kiss me anyway even if I didn’t order it.”
Placing the container and her chopsticks on the small glass table, Ava rose and removed the container of Lo mein out of Xander’s hands. She curled up on his lap and began kissing him passionately. His hands fisted her hair, and he returned her kisses with wild abandon.
“I can’t do it,” she murmured.
“Can’t do what?”
“I can’t stay away from you. I want you, now.”
“Here?”
“Yes, here.”
She was only wearing one of his t-shirts and a thong. His fingers slipped between her legs and gently moved the tiny panel of cloth to the side so he could have access. She was slick, and as soon as he touched her, she felt a series of clenches deep in her belly. Her frenzied attempt at opening his zipper to release him failed. Excitement took over, and her fingers shook with anticipation.
“I’ll do it,” he said as he sucked on her earlobe.
Once he was released, she stroked him, his cock steely hot between the palms of her hands. He continued to suck at her earlobe then moved to her neck, licking, tasting the saltiness of her sweat.
“Please, Xander.”
He petted her and removed his fingers so he could suck her sweetness off them. She groaned at the absence of stimulation, but all too soon she would be filled. Pushing her panties aside again, he positioned himself at her entrance, and she gently sank onto him, causing her to gasp as he filled and stretched her. They moved in unison; he bucked his hips to meet her gyrations against his base. She threw her head back and moaned loudly. It turned him on, even more, to hear her guttural sounds knowing that he caused them.
He thumbed and pinched her nipples, then cupped her breasts a bit too roughly, but Ava didn’t seem to care. She stopped and sat there intensely staring into his eyes, green to hazel. The stillness was torture. She was so tight, and he could feel her pulsing against him. His attempt at movement caused her to whisper, “Stop.”
“Sweetheart, is there something wrong?”
“No, I just want to feel.”
He reached between them and slowly rubbed her clit in gentle circles. Ava gripped his arms and the tighter her fingers clenched, the closer he knew she was to climax. He felt her ripple inside, and she began moving at a furious pace as she came, releasing with a prolonged throaty moan.
Her lips found his and pressed hard, biting, searching his mouth with her tongue which he sucked. She continued to move until he grabbed her hips and bucked into her hard, filling her as he came. After they had both been satisfied, she placed her head against his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart.
He chuckled. “I thought we were going to abstain from sex?”
“Could you?”
“No, I was just waiting to see if you would break first. I’ve wanted you all day.”
Now it was her turn to laugh as she remembered how she felt at lunch, lusting after him but trying to calm herself.
“What’s funny?”
“I wanted you at lunchtime.”
“Is that why you insisted you had to go back?”
“If I didn’t, I would have insisted that you take me to your office and…”
“That would have been complicated because I had a conference call with a client right after lunch.”
“It would have been interesting though unethical to fuck me while conferencing with a client.”
“But would have been impossible since I was Skyping with them.”
She began hysterically laughing and buried her head in his chest.
“I just saw that image in my head.”
“Did you regress all of a sudden? You’re acting like a silly teenager.”
She smiled at him and climbed off his lap, “I need a shower.”
“I’ll join you.”
Two days later, Xander told Ava he wouldn’t be leaving with her from work. He had clients. She found that odd since he hadn’t mentioned it until the end of the day. It was Thursday, and they would be spending the night at her place, so she just went straight home.
She was sitting on the couch trying to finish as much of the New York Times crossword puzzle as she could when he came home.
“Sweetheart, I’m home.”
She loved the sound when it came out of his mouth; for her, anywhere he was, could be called home. Rising from the couch to greet him, she stopped short. In his hand, he held a huge bouquet of red roses, more than a dozen. Tears sprang to her eyes as she took them from him, inhaling the fragrance they gave off.
“Happy one month anniversary.”
Her mouth dropped open because he had remembered and she hadn’t. “I…I forgot. I’m so sorry.”
Xander smiled and rubbed his knuckles against her cheek. “You never forget. I can tell by the love you give me.”
“But this is an important anniversary and I just…forgot.”
“Baby, I know you love me. I don’t need tokens from you to show it.”
Ava spent the rest of the night in bed showing him how grateful she was to her husband.
Chapter 24
The rest of the work week was quiet, as it usually was after a holiday. They had decided to go to visit Janelle’s family on Saturday. Xander’s young cousins, especially Jimmy, had been asking to see him, and he missed them. He was also anxious to take the ‘Vette on another long drive with his wife by his side. Janelle was thrilled that they were together for good though he wouldn’t tell her they had gotten married.
He woke up before five and went for a morning run. Ava wa
s curled up against him, and he moved away slowly so as not to wake her. She hadn’t been sleeping well not only because of their sexual encounters but general restlessness. Each day he would ask her why, but she would tell him she had no memory.
The truth was that she did, but didn’t want to reveal the cause. She had begun having the nightmares again about his death. The visions had not been enough for her to scream, but enough to cause her to toss and turn as if moving away would stop them. Xander would pull her close to him, and it seemed to quiet her down.
He ran through the darkened streets of the city. It was cool, almost cold with temperatures in the 50’s. He loved the crisp air of fall (even though it was not autumn yet) and the coming of winter. He knew that his wife did not share his feelings. Ava hated winter though she did enjoy snowfall.
Last year had been a heavy snow year, and if the forecasters were correct, this would be, too. It would be perfect to take her skiing, a sport he enjoyed since he was a child. Maybe they could find an intimate setting where they could make love by a fireplace.
By the time he got back to the apartment, the smell of coffee was in the air. Ava was sitting at the breakfast bar in her white terrycloth bathrobe, drinking it from her favorite kitty cat cup. She smiled at him when he entered, and after he had toed off his running shoes, he went to her, planting a kiss on her lips.
“How was the run? I’m glad you didn’t wake me.”
“It was quiet and cool. Better wear a sweatshirt this morning.”
She pouted her lips, “Did I tell you I hate the cold weather?”
“It’s not cold, just crisp. It will warm up, but I think they said we are going to have showers on the way. Maybe we should take the Infiniti. It handles better on wet pavement.”
They still hadn’t decided to end the lease on the Infiniti and paid for another monthly parking spot for the Corvette. He would have loved to drive the car on the trip, but to him, she was like delicate china. He needed to protect her, and the Infiniti was a more stable car in the bad weather.
As they walked to the garage where the Infiniti was parked, it started to drizzle. Xander tried to give Ava his hooded sweatshirt so she could cover her head.
“No, it’s chilly out here, and I don’t want you to get wet.”
“Sweetheart, I want you to stay dry and not get sick.”
“It’s only a few more blocks. You can turn on the heat in the car. Let’s jog over there.
As she spoke, the drizzle became heavier, and they both started to run. Two minutes later they were safely inside the garage, and Xander was opening her door. He sat in the car and turned it on, blasting the heat while Ava pulled off her wet sweater.
“Did you put on the seat warmers?”
“Yes, I thought you would like it.”
“I do, but it’s making my ass hot.”
He chuckled, “I don’t think turning off the heat is going to make your ass any less hot.”
She reached over and gently raked her nails over his arm. Shuddering at the sensation, he looked at her with knitted eyebrows.
“What?”
“Don’t do that,” he said gruffly.
Ava started to giggle full well knowing what she had done to him. He turned off the seat warmers and pulled out of the space before hitting the brakes short of clearing the parking spot. His glowering look told her she had forgotten something she always promised to do and she reached for her seatbelt. He said nothing, and once she was safely buckled in, he pulled out of the spot and drove to the street.
She began to pick at her nails, and he knew something was bothering her.
“Sweetheart, what is it?”
“Please don’t be angry at me.”
“I’m not. I just want you to be safe.”
Since it was early, that traffic was non-existent, but even so, Xander kept to the speed limit. He didn’t want to risk an accident especially when the rain became a deluge as they drove further north. The wipers swiped at the water that rolled down the window, but it was still hard to see. He glanced at Ava and noticed she was gripping the door handle and console with white knuckles.
“It’s okay, I’ve driven in worse.”
“Can we pull off?”
“Are you that afraid?”
“No, I have to pee.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“I wanted to get further up the line, but I really have to go.”
He turned his signal on and pulled off at the next exit, stopping at a small diner. They hurried out of the car and ran inside. She shivered as her wet skin came into contact with the air conditioning. Xander waited at the counter after he ordered two coffees. He felt uneasy when he noticed two men in greasy trucker’s hats sitting in a booth near the bathroom. They had followed Ava with their eyes.
She was wearing nothing special, just a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. But then again, she could dress up a potato sack and still be beautiful. He moved closer to the bathroom door waiting to escort her out. Their eyes swung to him as he came near their table and when she came out, he put his arm around her. One of the men gave him a smirk and looked hungrily at Ava.
Xander kept her close to him as he paid for the coffees. She started to dawdle looking at donuts under a clear dome display. He gently prodded her, and they ran out to the car trying to avoid the steady rain.
“Why in such a hurry?”
“Those two guys in there…”
“Xander, they weren’t going to do anything.”
“I’m not so sure. They followed you into the bathroom with their eyes like they had never seen a beautiful woman before you arrived.”
He threw the car in gear after they were buckled in and peeled out of the parking lot. The last thing he wanted to do was get into an altercation with some locals.
The trip took nearly five hours when they finally pulled off onto the Saratoga Springs exit. Ava had fallen asleep for a time, and Xander kept glancing at her angelic face as he drove. Fortunately, as they got further upstate, the rain had turned into intermittent showers. The temperature had increased, and he had turned off the heat. At the light off the exit, she mumbled, and he stroked her hair causing her to stir.
“Where are we?”
“We’re about a couple of miles from Janelle’s. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t want to sleep too long, but I needed a nap.”
He drove along the wet streets of Saratoga. The usual tourist pedestrian traffic was a trickle, but it was still early in the day. The sun was trying to peek through the clouds, and their hope was that it would dry. They were staying overnight, and he wanted to take her into town for his favorite greasy burger, that is if Janelle hadn’t made a feast.
When they arrived, the sun had come out and was drying the driveway. The children ran out the door when they heard the car coming, and Xander had to pull to a stop so he wouldn’t hit them. Janelle came running out after them, but by then he had parked the car in the middle of the long driveway.
“Hey, boy, I’m happy to see you,” Xander said to Jimmy as he swung him up into his arms. Sophia clung to his leg, and he picked her up in his other arm. He brought them over to Ava to reintroduce them to her.
“Do you remember my wife, uh, fiancée, Ava?”
Janelle stared at him and raised an eyebrow. Ava ignored the slip and began talking to the children. Sophia took a shine to her, and Xander put her down so she could walk with Ava into the house. He let Jimmy go so he could move the car further up the driveway. Janelle followed him.
As he got out of the car, she questioned him. “Xander, are you married to Ava?”
“No, it was just a slip. I want her to be my wife so much.”
“I can understand that. I have something to tell you.”
“Is everything alright?”
“I’m pregnant, only about eleven weeks. I told Billy not to mention it because I know how sensitive Ava is to that kind of thing.”
“That’s wonder
ful news, and I appreciate you keeping it under wraps. Do you think you will be able to attend our wedding?”
“Yes, I should be fine, and I already discussed it with Billy’s sister about taking care of the kids and the baby while we attend.”
“Oh,” he said with a frown.
“What’s the matter?”
“I was hoping that you would bring Jimmy and Sophia. But I guess the baby might be too young for travel.”
“I wasn’t aware you were allowing children.”
“I think there would be mutiny if we didn’t. Ava’s family has so many little ones that finding babysitters for all of them will be complicated especially since we are inviting extended family. The wedding is in the early afternoon so we should be fine.”
“I’ll let Billy know. He thought the kids would have to stay home.”
In the house, they found Ava sitting on the floor playing with the children. Jimmy had a small racetrack set up, and the kids were pushing cars along while she manned a toll bridge. They didn’t hear them come in and Xander grabbed Janelle’s arm, whispering for her to wait.
He was fascinated watching his wife involved in the children’s activity. It made his heart swell with love to see how gentle and patient she was with them. Not that he hadn’t seen her interact kindly with children but these were strangers to her, and she was treating them like they were her family. Janelle broke the spell, “Come on kids, clean up your toys. It’s time for lunch.”
The children groaned, but Ava helped them take apart the track and put the cars away in a case. Sophia held her hand as they walked to the table.
“Where’s Billy?”
“He’s helping Bill at the lumberyard. A few guys quit, and they are shorthanded.”
“I’m sorry I had to leave.”
“You didn’t belong there, and you know it. Bill knew that, and he isn’t angry you left. He wanted you to be happy.” She nodded at Ava, who blushed.
Janelle had laid out a plate of cold cuts, a large tossed salad and chicken nuggets for the children. Xander spent most of the lunch joking around with Jimmy and Sophia. It was Ava’s turn to watch his interaction. She thought back to years ago when he held Mikey and fed him. It was at that moment that she knew he would be a good father. She wanted to give that to him.