Uncorked

by Rebecca Rohman

  “You know me well enough. And this time no I love Santa Monica underwear, please.”

  He smiled at her words and kissed her on the lips.

  “Can you leave me your phone? I’ll find somewhere for us to stay while you shop.”

  “Great idea. Use this,” he responded, pulling a credit card from his wallet and handing it to her.

  An hour later, they were all checked in at the hotel, their home for the next few days. They now had to reorganize their entire trip, and because Chella’s ID was destroyed in the explosion, flying back was out of the question. It was looking more likely that they’d have to take the three-hour drive back to San Diego.

  After they showered and had dinner, they lay in bed watching TV. Mitch eventually fell asleep. Chella shut off the lights and tried to sleep, but after an hour and a half, her efforts were futile. She got out of bed, walked over the wall of glass windows and looked out at the marina. Ciao Bella was gone, the one place that allowed her to feel free and safe. In the process, Mitch had lost one of his prized possessions, the second in less than a month. How could she make up for a loss like that? The days when she could pull away and say it was over were gone. She had fallen deeply in love with him, too deep to back out now.

  Mitch opened his eyes and realized Chella was not in bed. The sounds of the shower running came from the bathroom.

  He glanced at his watch. It was almost three in the morning.

  Strange… she showered just a few hours ago.

  He slipped from the bed, and after knocking on the bathroom door, he entered the steamy hot bathroom. He tore away his clothing and joined her in the shower.

  “Why are you showering and not in bed?” he asked as she turned to face him.

  “I couldn’t sleep. I thought a nice hot shower would help me relax.”

  “What’s on your mind?” He picked up the nearby shampoo bottle and after pouring a bit into his palms, he worked it through her hair, massaging her scalp.

  “That feels good,” she replied.

  “Tell me…”

  “You know what’s on my mind.”

  “I don’t want you to worry. The boat can be replaced. That’s what insurance is for. And if I want to, I can name it Ciao Bella. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

  “So it doesn’t bother you that one of your most prized possessions blew up?” she asked.

  “You’re one of my prized possessions, not the boat.”

  She blushed at his response.

  “Chella, this afternoon when I realized that the explosion came from the marina and I was trying to get back to you, the boat was the last thing on my mind.”

  Chella kissed him lightly on the lips then gazed into his eyes. She felt an overwhelming surge of love for him, so powerful; she could feel her heart pounding.

  “Your heart is racing.”

  She touched her forehead to his. Warm water cascaded over their bodies. One breath trembled out.

  He backed away to look into her eyes. “What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”

  “Nothing. I’ve fallen so deeply in love with you.”

  And it scares me like crazy.

  At that precise moment, she was completely vulnerable to him and that was what scared her, not the love she felt for him.

  He cupped her face like a chalice, looked deeply into her eyes and said, “That’s really good news, because I’ve fallen deeply in love with you, too.”

  She sighed with relief. He lifted her into a warm embrace and kissed her.

  “This scares me. The way I feel scares me,” she whispered.

  “Don’t be scared. I’ll take care of your heart. Trust me.”

  Mitch held her and drew her in even tighter. The woman he loved had handed her heart right back to him.

  Slipping one hand to the back of her head, he teased her lips lightly with his. He pinned her against the marble wall with his body. She wrapped her hands around his neck and responded enticingly to his kiss, encouraging him as his tongue occupied her mouth.

  As he repeatedly tantalized her lips, his erection grew between them. He caressed her body. His hands travelled from her neck, detouring at her breasts and hips, before slipping his fingers inside the deep contours between her thighs.

  Her body responded to his every touch, returning his deep kisses as he worked over her clit. Her knees weakened. He directed her over to the shower bench and kneeled between her legs on the shower floor. He kissed her swollen, rounded breasts and sucked them while he penetrated her with his fingers.

  He lowered his head between her thighs and pleasured her core with his tongue, loving every inch of her deep trenches. She sunk her fingers into his hair as she cried with sheer gratification. Swinging her hips as he pleased her, she tightened her hold on his hair as the pressure began to rise.

  “Oh God, Mitch. You’re going to make me come,” she said then quickly backed away.

  He laughed devilishly. “I think that’s the point, Sweetheart.”

  He pulled her to her feet and continued to kiss her feverishly. Plastering her back against the walls, he raised her body and slowly entered her. She wrapped her slender legs around him, tightening them as he continued to press inside her. Intense sensations radiated deep within her, and the soft impressions he left on her neck brought her closer to release.

  “Not yet,” Mitch whispered, tenderly pulling away.

  He shut off the faucet and guided her out of the shower. He kissed her again then lifted her by her waist and placed her dripping wet body on the granite countertop. He pleasured her lips while she took his hard, slippery shaft into her hand and massaged him.

  She slid off the counter and planted light kisses over his body. Starting from his lips, she worked her way down to his throat, his chest, his belly button. She kissed his erection. Between his muscular thighs, she took him into her mouth. She welcomed him deep inside, licking him, kissing him and lovingly welcoming him deep into her throat. She continued kneading him and jerking him off while pleasuring him with her mouth. She worked over his head, using her tongue and lips to get him closer, so close he stopped her.

  “Oh fuck, Chella!”

  He urgently pulled her to her feet, flipping her around so her back was to him. He placed her left leg on the countertop and slowly entered her from behind. Circling his arms around her, he shifted inside her while cupping her enlarged breasts in his palms.

  Bracing her body against the vanity, Chella’s cries of pleasure permeated the room.

  “Baby, you feel so good,” Mitch whispered, kissing her softly on her ear.

  “So do you,” she murmured between kisses. “Take me to bed.”

  He fulfilled her request, taking her to their room. He lay down on the bed. She straddled him, absorbing all of him within her. She moved in a slow, sensual sway above him, evoking feelings from deep within and sending titillating sensations through her body. He guided her as she glided over him. She felt the pressure mounting as she moved over him. He returned her deep kisses, occupying one palm with the feel of her awesome body. With the other palm, he caressed her profile. He sat up and enveloped her in his arms as he continued to kiss her. She sank her fingers into his silky dark hair while he invaded her mouth with his tongue.

  He flipped her to her side, spooned her and entered her from behind. She arched her head up wrapping one of her arms around his neck so she could reach his lips, kissing him passionately. He pulled her closer to him, raising one of her legs. She felt him thrust deeper and more rapidly inside her. Mitch’s groans became louder as he continually returned into her, sending gratifying ripples through her body. The pressure began to rise. As he plunged his sweet parts inside her, she pleasured herself, rubbing her clit—hard.

  “God, Mitch. I’m coming…” she cried as her body erupted in ferocious spasms.

  He exploded inside her. His strengthened grip subsided in calm waves of utter bliss.

  Minutes later, they kiss lightly on the lips.

  “I lo
ve you,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too,” he replied, returning her kiss. “Do you feel better?”

  “I do. That was incredible. I guess that’s one way to forget about all our troubles.”

  Mitch was the first to wake up the next morning. Chella lay fast asleep next to him. He knew that after the day she’d had yesterday, she needed rest. He left her a note, kissed her goodbye and went see his mother.

  When he pulled up to the house, he was happy to see Liz’s car outside. She didn’t know Mitch was coming. He rang the doorbell and waited for a response.

  “Who is it?” came her voice from the inside.

  “Mom, it’s me.”

  She opened the door, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”

  “There’s something important I have to talk to you about.”

  “Come in,” she said, gesturing to him to enter. “What did she do?”

  “Chella’s fine. This has nothing to do with her,” he replied tartly, following her into the kitchen and taking a seat at the island.

  “This sounds serious.”

  “It is. It’s about my father.”

  “What about him?”

  “He’s dying. He’s sick, and he needs my help.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Awhile back I received phone calls from two women, Simone and Olivia Waters. They’re his twin daughters. My half-sisters.”

  “Wow. I knew he was married, but I didn’t know he had kids.”

  “He wants me to forgive him for what he did to you, what he did to us. His daughters want me to get tested to see if I’m a bone marrow match. He needs a transplant to survive.”

  “I think you should do it.”

  “Do what?” Mitch asked, somewhat confused.

  “I think you should forgive him and check to see if you’re a match.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Mitch, there’s so much you don’t know about your father.”

  “I know enough.”

  “Prior to the incident, he was my best friend. He always looked out for me, and it all changed in five minutes after one night of heavy drinking. We were both drinking.”

  “He ruined your life.”

  “He gave me you.”

  The guilt felt like a lead raincoat to Mitch.

  “How can you just forget what he did?”

  “I didn’t forget. I just remembered what he did for our family and me before and after that day. Mitch, when your grandma was dying of leukemia, he gave her blood on a regular basis. I never asked him to do that. He did it for me. And he did it on a regular basis because they both had the same rare blood type. I never asked him to get tested, those are all things he did on his own. Then after she died, I was such a mess, he took a week off and handled all the funeral details together with my Uncle Tony, God rest his soul. Then a few months after the incident, Uncle Tony had a heart attack. Your father was the one who performed CPR and brought him back to life. Another heart attack killed him years later, but he saved Uncle Tony’s life that day. I can’t forget that. He’s done so much for our family.”

  “Mom, he violated you. That must have been difficult for you.”

  “It was. This doesn’t make this easier or better, but it happened very quickly. Once it was over and he realized what he had done, almost immediately after, he begged me for forgiveness. The forgiveness only came when I realized that he had gone out and started doing those talks with teenagers. They started right after he finished college. He tried reaching out to me for days and weeks after it happened. When he couldn’t reach me, he sent me weekly letters apologizing and letting me know what talks he had done. He’d send them to Margery, and she’d forward them to me.

  When you were three years old, I finally sent him a letter telling him that I forgave him. I really believed he was sorry. In the eyes of society, he’s a social outcast, and he found some way to make something out of this horrid situation, something that’s not self-serving but has the potential to help others. I think, in a way, it’s a way for him to punish himself, too. I’m sure he’s not well-received everywhere he goes, especially by women. This is probably a way for him to make up for his transgressions. An atonement of sorts. I never told him about you though, and forgiveness didn’t mean that I wanted him back in my life, either.”

  “Didn’t you ever want him to pay for what he did to you? Go to jail?”

  “He pays for what he did to me every single day. In here.” She placed her fist over her heart.

  “Why did you keep me? Don’t I remind you of that night?”

  “Halfway through the pregnancy, I had every intention of giving you up for adoption. But I was so alone. I didn’t have anyone to talk to—Margery and I weren’t so close back then—so I’d have conversations with you. I bought a storybook to read to you. In many ways, you became my best friend. One month before you were due, I made up my mind to keep you.”

  Mitch walked across the room and embraced her. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered. She held his hand, leading the way up the stairs.

  “I have something for you,” she said, walking into her room.

  “What is it?” he asked curiously.

  “Have a seat. I’ll show you.”

  Mitch sat on one of the two armchairs near the window. His mother pulled a large hatbox from the closet and handed it to him. “I think you should have these.”

  He opened the lid and saw hundreds of letters inside. He randomly pulled one out, and looked over the envelope. They were apology letters his father wrote his mother.

  “Take them with you. Read them when you’re ready. They might help you get some answers or the closure you need.”

  “Mom, I’m so grateful to you for bringing me into this world. I appreciate you talking to me about this.”

  She smiled at her son, kissing him on both his cheeks.

  “I hate fighting with you, and I know I’ve been angry, but the truth is I want both you and Chella in my life. I shouldn’t have to choose between the two of you.”

  “Mitch, I don’t like her.”

  “Can you at least respect her? For me?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “She’s great. I love her, and she’s not going away.”

  “I’m not making any promises. I’ll try.”

  “That’s a start. I’m still not sure I can do this—forgive him—and be a donor.”

  “Give yourself some time. Whatever you decide, I’ll still love you.”

  “I love you too, Mom. Are you hungry? I’d like to take you to lunch.”

  “Is Chella going to be there?”

  “No. Just you and me. But Mom, if we’re going to do this, Chella is off-limits.”

  “I’d rather talk about you and Emily, anyway.”

  Mitch shared the events of the morning with Chella. The Liz he described to her that afternoon was kind, forgiving and supportive. It almost seemed like Chella brought out the worst in her. She was starting to see Liz differently. Whether that meant the relationship would change had yet to be seen.

  Mitch and Chella arrived at Charlotte’s house to pick up Emily. She wrapped her arms around her dad and wouldn’t let go.

  “We’re going to the pier. We’ll go on some rides, do some shopping, have some fun,” Mitch said as he held his daughter in his arms.

  “Really daddy? Mommy’s taking Micky to the pier, too. Can we go together? Pleeeeease?”

  Mitch looked at Chella then Charlotte. Chella smiled.

  “Emily, I’m sure your dad has plans and other places he might like to take you,” Charlotte said.

  Mitch looked uncertain of what to do.

  “I don’t mind. It’s up to the two of you,” Chella said quietly.

  “What do you think?” Mitch asked Charlotte.

  Chella could sense that both Mitch and Charlotte had their reservations, or at least didn’t want to step on each other’s toes. Chella thought of a
way to give them some privacy.

  “Emily, is that your bike over there?” Chella asked.

  “Yes, it is. Daddy got it for me at Christmas.”

  “Why don’t you show it to me?” Chella said as Mitch put Emily down. She looked at him, mouthing I’m-okay-with-this then took Emily by the hand and left.

  After a short exchange between Charlotte and Mitch, they agreed to all go to the pier together. Charlotte had to visit her dad afterwards, so she and Micky followed in her own vehicle.

  It was amazing to see Emily with her brother. Chella witnessed first-hand how close they were. When they first arrived and parked their vehicles, Chella thought it was adorable the way Emily waited for her little brother then held his hand as they walked along the pier. After a couple hours of walking, Chella felt tired, but the kids were eager to go on more rides. Charlotte stopped by a vendor and tried sunglasses on with the kids. Chella and Mitch sat on a nearby bench.

  “Go ahead without me. Go have fun with the kids.” Chella said to Mitch. Her head was pounding.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this whole arrangement?”

  “Of course. I promise. I’m a little tired, and I have a headache. I’ll go sit, enjoy the view at the restaurant, and have a cup of tea or something. Maybe I’ll feel better after I relax for a while. You can find me there when you’re done.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, why don’t you hold onto this card and some cash. Feel free to use it for anything,” he said as he pulled the items from his wallet.

  “Really? I saw a BMW dealership and a Bloomingdales down the street. Maybe I’ll go on a wild shopping spree.”

  “If it makes you happy, I’m fine with that.”

  “I’m teasing. Thank you. Go have fun with your daughter. You know where to find me if you need me.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she replied, kissing him lightly on the lips then waving goodbye as he left.

  After a few minutes of rest, she walked over to the restaurant nearby. She had placed her order when Charlotte walked up to the table and said, “Mind if I join you?”

  “Of course not. Have a seat,” Chella replied.