Dream Lover

by Cassie Walder

  “And what will an old family photo prove?”

  “That will be obvious when you see it, Edwina.” And with that the shade blinked out.

  Edwina picked up her hairbrush and finished brushing her hair. She needed to do something. Her hands were shaking. What could an old photograph show her? It didn’t make any sense. A creature of the night? Of course, he functioned best at night. He wasn’t the first man whom she had known who had a profound intolerance of UV radiation. It was rare, but there were several documented medical conditions for which an intolerance of UV was part of the list of complaints.

  Edwina went to the closet and pulled out another of the caftans that Marie had given her over the years. This one was a rich emerald green silk.

  Quickly, she took off her clothes and undergarments and pulled the caftan over her head. She took one more look in the mirror. Yes, that would do quite nicely. She grabbed a couple of thick beach towels and a bottle of infused herbal oil before she left the room.

  Klaus had managed the coffee quite well. He had a tray sitting on the hearth of the fireplace. He’d found her stash of fancy cookies and had put some of those on a plate. Pillows were on the floor. Klaus was half reclining on the floor, propped up with pillows, looking into the fire. He’d taken off his shoes, socks, and suit coat. The only light in the room came from the soft glow of the gas log.

  She was just about to him when he looked up at her. She watched him swallow hard as she knelt down beside him. She put down the towels and the bottle of oil.

  “You are so incredibly beautiful. It makes my arms ache to hold you.”

  “Good. I’d hate to think I was the only one with that problem.”

  He reached up and grabbed a handful of her hair and gently—but decidedly—forced her head to his. The kiss was hungry, almost beyond hunger. Then he pulled away from her.

  “What are the rules we are operating under tonight, Edwina?” he demanded.

  “Are there rules? All I know is that I want you.”

  He smiled. “I’ve decided that I’m not going to let you have me unless you make an honest man of me,” he teased.

  “Are you a dishonest man?”

  He chuckled. Then he continued to tease her, “I would be if I let you take what I have saved for the woman I will marry. So have a cup of coffee and we’ll talk.”

  She poured both of them a cup of coffee then handed him his cup. He’d made it strong the way that she liked it. She finished her cup and replaced the china on the tray.

  “Okay. We’ll talk. Shall I tell you of the dreams I’ve had about us?”

  “Only if they’re fit for my maidenly ears,” he teased.

  Edwina snorted with her laughter. “On second thought,” she said quietly as she crossed the room to him, “maybe I should just show you.” As she spoke, her hands went to his necktie. “I don’t know why men wear these things, they look so terribly uncomfortable.” She pulled the tie loose from around his collar. Edwina smoothed the imported silk between her fingers, before she placed the tie down on the sofa cushion just behind her.

  “You look comfortable with those bare feet. Are you wearing anything under that caftan?” Klaus asked quietly.

  “Now, that’s an interesting question. When we get a bit more equal in the clothing department, I might let you find out.”

  “Why, Doctor Johnson, I believe you have designs on my person,” Klaus observed.

  “You were duly warned, Doctor von Bruner. Yet you came here anyway.”

  “I did.”

  “I still like those shirts of yours,” she told him as she began unfastening the studs. “But there are times I really wish they had zippers.”

  Klaus laughed boldly. “A bit impatient, Edwina?”

  “Take off your shirt, Klaus, before I rip it off you,” she said with mock menace.

  “Help, I’m being ravished by a red haired wanton,” he whispered.

  “You know what they say, ‘God helps those who help themselves’?”

  “Then, I’m lost forever, because I can’t help loving you.”

  “Take off your clothes, Klaus, and no one will get hurt,” she teased.

  “Oh, I’m terrified,” he replied in mock fear.

  She unfastened the cuff links on his shirt and pulled the partially unfastened shirt off over his head. “I still say you should be sculpted, immortalized in stone or bronze, so that people can enjoy the beauty of your form for a long time.” She tossed the shirt on the sofa.

  He smiled at her. “You really want to share me?”

  “No. I’m greedy. I want you all to myself.”

  “I’m all yours.”

  “I’ve dreamed about this.”

  “Have you?” he demanded, suddenly serious.

  “I have.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “No. But I’ll walk you through it. Take off your trousers and your boxers.”

  He stood and divested himself of his remaining clothing.

  Edwina swallowed hard. Looking at him made her mouth dry. She spread out one of the big beach towels that she had brought in with her. “Lay down on your stomach.”

  He looked at her in disbelief. Then he complied.

  Edwina pulled off her caftan over her head and threw that garment where Klaus could see it. She knelt, straddling his hips, and she poured a little oil in her hand.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Going to give you a massage. First, I’ll work on your back and legs,” she said as she began at his shoulders.

  Touching him was nearly as exciting as being touched by him. She forced herself to breathe. She lectured herself in her mind to keep the touch therapeutic, to work on loosening up his muscles, relaxing him. Edwina tried very hard to ignore the sexual tension in her lower body, the heated moisture between her legs, and the heaviness in her breasts. Yet, her mind kept replaying the rest of the dream. She wondered if she would be bold enough to take what she wanted.

  “Edwina!” Klaus moaned as she had almost finished working on his legs.

  “Doesn’t it feel good, Klaus?”

  “You know that it does. You are pushing me to my limits, Liebling.”

  “Good. I want you to be wild for me. Roll over,” she said as she moved to the side.

  “Oh, I’m wild for you,” he said as he reached for her.

  “Talk is cheap.”

  He pulled her down atop him. Then he rolled over suddenly, bringing her beneath him. He kneed her thighs apart. “I’ll try to be gentle.”

  “I won’t break, Klaus,” she said quietly as she shifted her body and rolled him over to his back. “But I also won’t have you thinking that you’ve seduced me and worrying yourself into a state of guilt. This is my responsibility, Klaus.”

  He smiled at her. “I love you.”

  “I know,” she said with a returning smile as she lowered herself slowly, guiding his erect penis into her vagina.

  Klaus watched her face carefully as he felt her hymen give way. But she had closed her eyes and wasn’t giving any indication with her expression of how she much or how little discomfort she was experiencing. She did expel a stream of air through her teeth after she finished slowly sheathing the hard, hot, length of his cock within her.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked in concern.

  She laughed quietly as she opened her eyes and looked at him. “I don’t know. How am I feeling around you?”

  “Like heaven.”

  “Good,” she said as she squeezed her pelvic floor muscles around his penis. “I’d hate to think that only one of us was enjoying this.”

  “Frau!”

  “Klaus!” she cried as he reached down and began to lightly stimulate her clitoris. It didn’t take much additional stimulation to send her over the edge.

  Klaus sat up and held her tightly as she climaxed.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he instructed as she came down from her sensual high.

  She complied.

  “
Hold onto me,” he told her as he rose to his knees and then to his feet. He carried her to her bedroom.

  Her bed was nothing more than a Queen sized mattress on a pedestal. The sheets and coverlet were turned down. He lowered her to the mattress and followed her down.

  There were no words. There was no energy for further words. Klaus, leaning up on his elbows, began thrusting. Edwina looked up at him. The muscles of his upper arms and shoulders flexed and bunched as he braced himself over her. She knew that she had never seen anything as beautiful as this man loving her. And it was love, she realized. He was a considerate lover.

  There were so many sensations bombarding her, Edwina could hardly keep up with them all. She met each of his thrusts with a lift of her hips. The tension in both of them built to a nearly unbearable level.

  Edwina reached a second climax. She cried out his name a split second before the edges of her vision became blurry and everything went dark for a moment. When she came around, a short moment later, she could feel his penis still within her, throbbing as her pelvic muscles gave him strong contractions as a reward.

  Then he collapsed upon her. He buried his face in her throat. Klaus thrust into her hard, deep, for five more strokes before his body stiffened. He cried out her name as she felt the hot pulsing of his climax.

  Gently, Klaus rolled over onto his side and pulled Edwina into his embrace, snuggled tightly against him. He dropped kisses all over her face, brushing his lips over her forehead, cheeks, the tip of her nose, her mouth, her chin, and down her throat.

  She had never felt so cherished or so tired.

  Klaus lay there and looked at her as she dozed. He pulled the coverlet up over them.

  He looked around the room, really looked, for the first time. She had called this room ‘monastic’ and that wasn’t a bad descriptor. The bed was larger than any he had ever found in a monastery. But the furniture wasn’t much more than functional. She was right about other aspects of the room seeming monastic. There was a crucifix hanging on the wall at her bed head. There was rosary on her night table. She was right about another part of her assessments. There were too many windows in this room for him to be able to spend the rest of the night with her here.

  He looked at her face resting in sleep and smiled. He didn’t think he would ever forget this moment. He had told her that he wanted to lay with her, watching her sleep the sleep of a woman well and truly loved.

  He didn’t like the rather ugly bruise on her arm. He made a mental note to have a long talk with her tenant Jim Douglass in that regard. That any man should lay hands on Edwina raised his anger. He lightly kissed her temple.

  He watched her face as she smiled.

  The house was full of people. The tall grandfather’s clock in the foyer rang off ten thirty p.m. as she came down the stairs. A large Christmas tree stood by the curving gray marble staircase. There was a good deal of laughter coming from the large gathering room. A small group of adults whom she didn’t know filled the gathering room and stood around a grand piano singing Christmas carols in German. Klaus was seated at the piano, playing those carols. There was a large fire crackling in the fireplace. Klaus looked up at her. She met his eyes. She felt her face grow warm because of the promising look in his eye.

  “Klaus,” one of the men said with a laugh in rapid German, “married to the woman for over two and one half years, and she still blushes when you look at her?”

  Klaus finished the song and rose from the piano bench.

  He came over to her. Lightly touching her face, he asked, “Is the baby asleep?”

  “He finally closed his eyes and drifted off.”

  Klaus looked up. “You realize where you are standing?”

  Edwina laughed softly. “I did hang the mistletoe, Klaus.”

  “You did, didn’t you?” he teased. “So,” he said as he took her into his arms. “Then you will just have to pay the penalty.”

  Then he kissed her.

  Later, when everyone had gone off to their own rooms, Klaus walked up behind her as she was about to step into the shower.

  “Want someone to wash your back?” he asked quietly.

  “I don’t know. Are you free?”

  “No, but I’m reasonable.”

  “That, husband, is debatable.”

  “We haven’t been in the shower together in a while.”

  “It’s been two days.”

  “That’s about forty-seven hours too long.”

  “No argument from me.”

  Klaus kissed her neck. Then he turned her around to face him. “Steam and soap just don’t really appeal right now. Maybe later,” he said as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.

  A fire was blazing in the fireplace. A couple of throw pillows were on the floor. Beside them were a wine cooler containing champagne, and two tulip glasses.

  “You’ve been planning.”

  “Of course I have. Seducing my beautiful wife is my favorite occupation,” he said as he lowered her to the floor and came down to lie on his right side beside her.

  “And you do it so well,” she replied as she touched his face lightly. “I love you so much.”

  “Maybe even as much as I love you.”

  She ran her hand up his leg and stopped when she decided that he was ready, willing, and quite able to finish his plans.

  “Don’t stop touching me,” he moaned.

  And she didn’t. She loved him with her hands and mouth, stroking him, kissing him, taking his penis within her mouth, and teasing it with her tongue. Finally, she straddled him as he lay before the fire and took his penis deep within her before she began to move. His hands were alternately on her breasts and her hips. That part of their lovemaking was brief and intense, but he managed to hold off on his orgasm until she had experienced hers.

  Laying together in the firelight, Klaus reached for the champagne and poured them both a glass.

  “No. I don’t think I’d better, darling.”

  He looked at her, puzzled. “Why not?”

  “It’s not good for sprout here,” she said as she touched her not quite flat stomach.

  “Are you sure?”

  “The test was positive this afternoon. We’re going to have another baby in about seven and a half months.”

  Klaus stood and lifted her from the floor. He gently carried her to the bed.

  “I’m not made of glass, husband.”

  “Phase two, just for you. Tonight, you will know that you are loved.”

  “I know that.”

  “You will never have any doubts.”

  “No doubts,” Edwina murmured in her sleep as she snuggled deeper into Klaus’ arms.

  He kissed her forehead. Her eyes came open. “Hi,” she said quietly. “I’m glad that you aren’t a dream now.”

  “I’m real, Edwina Elizabeth. But, I can’t stay with you much longer tonight.”

  “I know,” she said quietly, only acceptance in her voice. “You have to take care of yourself.”

  “You are incredible.”

  “We are incredible,” she corrected. She bit her lip. “I have a dream to record. Do you mind?”

  “No. Was it a good dream?”

  “Yes. Why don’t you go get dressed while I record this in my journal?”

  He kissed her hard on the mouth once more then got out of bed without further comment. She reached under her pillow and brought out her nightgown, a long fleece dorm shirt. She pulled the garment on over her head.

  She got out her dream journal, put on her glasses, and recorded the images from the party and what followed but the faces of the members of the crowd didn’t come back to her. She knew that they would haunt her all day until she did remember them.

  Klaus’ house was familiar to her. She had years of seeing that house. It was just another dream. Or at least that was what she tried to tell herself. Two and one half years of marriage to Klaus, a baby, another on the way, a house full of Christmas guests who all spoke German. Bu
t she couldn’t shake the images. It was all too real.

  Once she had put away the journal, the phone rang. Edwina reached for the phone. No one spoke on the other end. But there was a considerable amount of heavy breathing. She hung up the phone. No sooner had she hung up the phone than it rang again. Same story, heavy breather. At the third call she simply retaliated by turning off the ringer and setting her answering machine to pick up on the first ring, then she shut off the ringer.

  “Crank calls?” Klaus asked from the doorway.

  “Sounds that way.”

  “Any suspicions?” he asked as he crossed the room to come to sit beside her on the rumpled bed.

  “No proof.”

  “You think it was your disgruntled tenant?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted quietly. “Probably.”

  “I’ve never seen the point in making crank calls.”

  “No. That’s not your style. If you wanted to harass a woman, you wouldn’t limit yourself to pranks like heavy breathing calls. You’d start with something far more direct.”

  “I’m not sure if that was a compliment or an insult.”

  “If it were an insult, you’d know it.”

  “Knowing you, yes, I believe I would. I’m supposed to pick Karen, my sister, up from the airport in about an hour.”

  “Go, do what you have to do.”

  He sighed. “I’d rather stay here with you. But a man takes care of all the women in his life.”

  “As long as the only other women in your life are your sisters, nieces, and eventually maybe our daughters, I’ll accept that.”

  Klaus lightly kissed her forehead. “Does that mean you’ll marry me?”

  “Probably. There are still things we need to discuss.”

  “Things? What sort of things?” he asked carefully.

  Edwina looked at him. “We don’t have time to discuss them right now. You need to get out to the airport and pick up your sister.”

  “I could send Schmidt.”

  “You told her that you would pick her up, didn’t you?”