The Room - A Sensuous Experience

by Vasser, LaShawn

  “Robyn . . . ”

  “You built our dream home!”

  Maxwell wouldn’t look at her. His words were barely audible. “I built it twice.”

  “What?” She was confused. Then, she remembered what he said about the night they broke up. “I never knew about the other house.” Freud would have had a field day with this situation.

  “No, you wouldn’t have. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

  Robyn was quiet. “You do realize building this place doesn’t exactly scream that you wanted to get over our past. Do you hear yourself? You spent millions of dollars and invested time and energy into this place . . . just to hurt me? Or get me out of your system? There were easier ways to accomplish both of those things.”

  Maxwell took a sip of coffee. “It’s been nine years. You shouldn’t read more into it than it is.” His voice hardened. “All of this was about me, not you.” He got up and went over to the sink. “My life and the choices I make have nothing to do with you.” Now, it was his turn to sound delusional.

  The room was so quiet they could hear the tiny flecks of ice from outside pelt the windows. He decided this heart-to-heart was a mistake too and needed some time to himself. Maxwell wouldn’t face her. “You know where everything is. Do whatever you want to make yourself comfortable.”

  He started to walk out of the kitchen as Robyn followed him with her eyes. He paused and said, “I’ll make the call to the plow service and let you know what they say.”

  Maxwell left Robyn sitting alone in the kitchen.

  Chapter 13

  Robyn continued to sit at the table. She placed her chin in the palm of her hand. As angry as she was with Maxwell, he was someone she had loved deeply and obviously still cared for. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that he’d never gotten over the pain of her decisions. She couldn’t say he still loved her, but he was stuck in the past.

  He’d built her a house twice and was going to propose. There was a part of her that was glad he didn’t. She couldn’t honestly say she would have accepted it. Actually, Robyn knew the answer to that question. She wasn’t ready for that back then. Why was it women always had to choose between following their dreams and having a family? Why couldn’t she have it all? She wanted the man, and she wanted her career. And while it might have seemed as if she’d just picked up and walked away from him without a care in the world, it couldn’t have been further from the truth. If she were honest, next to her parents, her relationship with Maxwell had been one of the purest loves she’d ever experienced.

  Robyn knew that Maxwell would have done anything for her except come with her. She rolled her head around her shoulders. “Why didn’t you come? We could have had everything. But now, we just want to smother each other with a pillow.”

  Her stomach growled. A small smile appeared on her face as she picked up her fork. He remembered. It was the little things that got to her. No man had ever touched her soul the way Maxwell had. Her failed attempts at relationships were just as much her fault as anyone else’s, mainly because there was a part of her that she would always hold back. Honestly, it was that part she’d already given to Maxwell. It dawned on her that she hadn’t gotten over their relationship either.

  That wasn’t a great epiphany but more an admission of the truth. Maybe she had made a mistake nine years ago in leaving. She had money and the career but still felt empty inside. That stupid saying that material things meant nothing without someone to share them with came to mind. Who was she kidding? That statement was more than true. Otherwise, Robyn wouldn’t have packed up her life and moved back to where she felt the most complete.

  Robyn took a bite of her omelet. It was good. Better than she remembered. She pulled out her cell phone and called Eva again.

  Eva was breathless when she answered. “Hey! I wasn’t going to pick up the phone until I saw that it was you. Jesse, Cassidy, and I were about to go outside and play in the snow. What’s going on?”

  “I opened the door to leave and being half naked in this freakum dress forced me to realize my pride was going to have to take a back seat. It’s freezing out there!”

  “It’s not that bad out.”

  “I’m sure you’re wearing a snowsuit, gloves, and a hat. I’m in heels and dress. Anyway, Maxwell is going to call a service to plow. Who knows how long that’s going to take.”

  “Hmmm . . . why don’t you spend that time getting reacquainted, and I don’t mean sexing each other up, or down, or whatever positions you two were in.” Eva laughed.

  “You’re so funny this morning.”

  “Well, do you want to hear something even funnier? Jesse said he’s glad you two are stuck up there on that hill because now you’ll both finally be able to talk and hopefully get closure one way or another. After I thought about it, he’s right. So, in simple terms, he’s not coming to get you.”

  Robyn twisted her lips to the side. “Tell Jesse thanks for all the support.”

  Eva turned serious. “You know we love and support you both, but this has been a long time coming.” She hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but, Maxwell has been so driven because he needed to prove to himself that he was worthy of you. Then, he needed to prove it to you. I think almost every decision he’s ever made has been because of you. So, whatever happens up there, be careful with his heart. He may seem like he has it all together, but Jesse and I know the truth.”

  Robyn’s own heart twisted. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Talk and be honest. That’s it.” Eva’s voice took on a happier tone. “And, because I’m such a good friend, check the guest room. I packed a bag for you.”

  “What? How’d you know?”

  “Yeah, well, when Maxwell called earlier, I thought he would be on a mission, and I figured your hot ass would probably be spending the night. There are some toiletries and a change of clothes up there.”

  “I could kiss you. Thank you, Eva.”

  “Welcome. Anyway, Jesse and Cassidy are giving me the evil eye. I better go. Call me later when you get home.”

  After ending the call, Robyn made three decisions. She was going to take a hot shower and then find Maxwell. He had been important to her, and even if they only ended up as friends, they needed to figure this thing between them out. But, first, she was going to finish her omelet. The man always knew the way to her heart was through her stomach.

  *****

  Maxwell stood under the shower with both hands on the wall as he let the spray of the hot water run down his body. He was tense. He was confused. He was angry. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to let this thing with Robyn go. It was obvious that she had moved on with her life without giving him a second thought, or was it? He quickly let go of that notion. Somewhere in the back of his mind, she was always there. Why wasn’t he able to do the same? Building this house, having her here was stupid. Having her in his arms and making love to her was sheer lunacy.

  He should never have listened to his business associate, Randall Fisher. The entire plan of showing Robyn what she had been missing by recreating their dream home to wooing her in order to make love one last time was his idea. Initially, Maxwell balked at the idea but it eventually grew on him. But, Jesse was right when Maxwell told him about this scheme. He said it was idiotic and could backfire big-time. He’d also dropped more truth on him when he told Maxwell to face his feelings and go after Robyn or bury it and move on with his life. What Jesse didn’t understand was that was exactly what he was trying to do! Maxwell wanted the happily ever after that he and Eva had. His problem was that he’d never met anyone who came close to making him feel the way Robyn had. In the end, Jesse had been right.

  Maxwell lifted his face up to the shower head. His mind flashed back to having her body beneath his driving into her over and over again. The mere thought caused his manhood to stand at full attention. He took himself into his hands and began to move back and forth. He ran his thumb over the tip imagining t
hat he was plowing inside Robyn’s hot body. The mere thought caused him to add extra pressure and pump faster. He couldn’t remember the last time sex was so good.

  Maxwell allowed his imagination to run wild. He tried to stifle a growl. Blood was pounding in his ears as the vision of Robyn changed. She now had her full lips wrapped around him eagerly taking what she wanted and trying to please him. Thinking of her swirling her tongue around the bulbous head drove him insane. Seeing Robyn on her knees, slowly pulling him inch by agonizing inch into the incredibly wet cavern of her heated mouth was driving him crazy. Her head began to move faster as she sucked the bulbous part of him. She swirled her tongue around the head and sucked at the opening. In his mind, he thought she would enjoy the taste of his warm and salty releases.

  Maxwell knew from previous experience what she felt like when she would take him all the way to the back of her throat. Those memories were a blessing and a curse and caused a tightening in his stomach.

  Hot liquid was coursing its way up the length of his shaft, ready to blow. It didn’t take much to push him over the edge since he’d already been hovering over the cliff.

  A memory of hearing Robyn say I love you was all it took.

  “Ahhhh!” Maxwell exploded.

  He groaned inwardly. His breathing was heavy and uneasy. It took a few moments to catch his breath. Maxwell slapped the cool tile in front of him. “Shit, that woman’s got me doing hand jobs.” Maxwell hadn’t done that in years. “This has got to end. I’m putting a stop to this madness today.”

  With a newfound determination, he finished his shower. He was more than ready to close this chapter of his life with Robyn Levy.

  Chapter 14

  Robyn showered and changed into a white sweatshirt and a pair of black yoga pants. Eva didn’t pack any shoes, but she did pack some socks, so she was grateful for that. It was early afternoon, and a couple of ours since their last conversation. Robyn decided that had been along enough to hide from Maxwell.

  “I’m not a coward. We’re going to finish this today.” The decision made she walked out of the guest bedroom and down the hall. Robyn stood outside of the closed door to his bedroom. After a few moments, she raised her hand and knocked.

  She heard him moving around. His heavy footsteps started getting closer and closer to the door. Robyn had been completely prepared to tell him what was on her mind until he opened the door. When she saw him, all thoughts went out of her head. He stood on the other side wearing nothing but a towel. His body glistened. He was still wet from the shower. Robyn’s mouth went completely dry. She couldn’t get her voice to work if her life depended on it. When she did open it to speak, nothing came out. She cleared her throat and tried again. This time she was able to form words, but it came out in a little squeak. “I-I was hoping you and I could talk.”

  Maxwell loved the way her eyes devoured him. No matter what else might be going on between them, it was safe to say, physically, they were as in tune with one another as they always had been. He smiled. “Should I change?”

  Robyn quickly averted her eyes. “It’s your house.” She shrugged trying to pretend as if she wasn’t affected by him. “However you feel comfortable is fine with me.”

  “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll meet you down in the study.”

  She nodded and quickly walked away.

  *****

  Ten minutes later, Robyn was staring out of the window with her arms wrapped around her body seemingly in deep thought. She turned at the sound of his voice.

  “I see you found some clothes.” Maxwell walked into the room wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

  “Eva packed a bag for me. Apparently, she felt as if we had some unfinished business and that I might need them.”

  “I called a service. They should get here before nightfall but couldn’t guarantee a time.”

  “Sooo, we’ll have the rest of today to spend together. Whatever shall we do to pass the time?” Oh god. That came out wrong. “Wait . . . I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Maxwell looked amused at her words, but then seemed to become uncomfortable. “Look . . . I-I owe you a real apology.”

  Robyn was thankful he didn’t take what she said the wrong way and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you do, but I think I owe you another one too.” She walked over to the sofa and sat down.

  He did the same.

  “It’s not your fault that . . .” Maxwell was trying to find the right words. He took her hand in his.

  Robyn’s stomach flipped. Oh, God. She thought. Get the padded room ready. It was official. She was crazy.

  Maxwell continued to try and explain. “Even though I told myself that I understood why you left, if I’m honest, I’ve been angry with you about it for nine years. If the last twenty-four hours has revealed anything, it has shown me that my goal for this weekend was to try to put our past behind me so that I could move on. I hate to admit this, but I felt that if you were hurt a little in the process, it would be okay because it couldn’t be half as painful as how I ached after we broke up. I’m sorry and even more so because I hurt you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Maxwell. I felt as if I left a part of me behind when I took that job in New York. You were my first love.” Her pride wouldn’t allow her to tell him that he’d been her only real love. “I was afraid that if I stayed in Romona, I would never know what I was capable of. That I would suffocate and die from not knowing. My biggest fear though was that I didn’t have a fallback plan like you.”

  Maxwell was confused by that. “What do you mean? I had a fallback plan? I didn’t know what the hell I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t have any plans.” Outside of making a life with you, he thought.

  “That’s not true. Well, it is a little in that you didn’t know what you wanted to do, but you could have always taken over your father’s company. There was never any real doubt about what you could do. It was just a matter of you getting serious. I projected my fears on to you. Back then, I was afraid that I’d never make anything of myself and all the whispers around town about us would seem . . .” Robyn searched for the right words. “True. My father worked for your dad. If I didn’t make something of myself, there would have been no one there to catch me.”

  His voice was low. “I would have.”

  “Then why didn’t you come with me to New York?”

  “Do you remember what you said to me that night?”

  Robyn’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “I said a lot. Which part?”

  “The ‘There’s no opportunity for me here, Ian! Don’t you want to see and do more than just getting worked up for the Jubilee Day parade during the Fourth of July?’ I memorized it word for word.”

  “That was . . .”

  He interrupted her. “True.”

  “No, not true. It was awful of me to say.” Robyn loved the Jubilee Day parade too.

  Maxwell was thoughtful. “You needed to see what was out there. I know I’ve said it before, but last night, for the first time, I actually meant it.”

  “Maxwell, I’m really sorry for how everything happened. I should have shared my real fears with you, and I certainly shouldn’t have accepted the job in New York without discussing it with you. Can you forgive me?”

  He was incredulous that after everything she was asking for forgiveness. But if he were honest, if felt as if he’d been waiting for it for years. Maybe he had been. “Can you forgive me for all this?” He gestured around him.

  “Yeah. I can forgive you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel some kind of way about last night. I’m still pissed, but I think it’s more important we put the past behind us.” She paused. “I think . . . I think we needed this to understand each other better.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.”

  They sat in silence as they thought about what the other had said. After a moment, Robyn smiled.

  “So. You built me a house?”

  He laughed. “Two of them. That one at the ba
se of the hill with my own hands.”

  “Really? I feel like such a terrible human.”

  “Don’t. There’s no point.”

  “Where exactly is it?”

  “I haven’t been to it in a while, but I never sold it. I built it close to where we would sneak off and . . . where we would go when we wanted to be alone . . . just down at the base of this hill.”

  Her voice was soft. “I’d love to see it one day.”

  Even after their frank talk, Maxwell still wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her. He resisted that urge. “I might not have an opportunity to show you before I go back to California, but the next time I’m in town we should plan a tour.” It was time, past time, to let Robyn go and move on with his life. Forgiving her was the first step in the process.

  Robyn had never been good at holding her tongue. She couldn’t help asking about the woman he was on the phone with earlier. “So, this Marissa? Is she special?”

  Maxwell sat back in his chair. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’re good friends, but she wants to be more. I’ve known her for a few years and from time to time we hang out. She’s perfect on paper, but we’re not exclusive. If we were, I would never have . . .” He looked over into Robyn’s eyes. “Last night wouldn’t have happened.”

  Robyn glanced down at her hands. She knew her cheeks were probably inflamed.

  “We had some unfinished business.” Maxwell lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “I’m glad we finally talked. I needed this more than I knew. Even though I think you broke my jaw, thank you.” He sighed. “Maybe now I can put the past where it belongs.”

  Robyn wanted to scream. Yes, they needed to move on from the past, but she wanted to get to know the real him, the man he’d become today. She didn’t completely want to let go of the love of her life. She thought better of it, though. Maybe Maxwell was right. Maybe it was time to move on—no, it was more than past time for both of them. “We were friends once. I hope we can find our way back to that.”