Dark Moon (12 page)

We spent the rest
of the day shopping. Maryanne was always in the market for clothes, and I just
wanted some new casual outfits that were a little bit sexy. Sure, I loved my
red lingerie and little black dress, but I couldn’t exactly lounge around his
apartment or on the balcony in those, or go for walks by the river.

Maryanne talked me
into buying a pair of ‘booty shorts,’ as she called them. Like the name
suggested, they barely covered my butt. But they looked good, and Maryanne
would never steer me wrong. She also picked out some t-shirts for me to try.
One had a lace back and a lightning bolt in sequins across the front. I would
never have picked it out for myself, but I had to admit that I liked it.

By the time we got
back to the dorm, I only had a few hours until Michael was home. I grabbed my
new clothes and headed to his apartment. It felt strange, letting myself in
– even though I had a key I had never needed to use it before – but
strange in a good way. Like this was our shared space.
Maybe someday it
really will be.

I got a shower and
stood in a towel while I blow-dried my hair, using a round brush curling
technique that Maryanne had taught me. When I finished, I had soft, loose curls
and waves framing my face.

Next came makeup.
Dark, gray smoky eyes with jet black mascara. To top off the look, I carefully
applied the new red lipstick I had bought earlier today when we were shopping.
I
hope it matches the corset and panties.

I hadn’t really
been planning on getting into them yet, but I just wanted to see the entire look
with the hair and makeup. I pulled them on, feeling naughty, and studied myself
in the mirror. I liked what I saw.

Deciding that I
wouldn’t bother to change back into my normal clothes, I headed into the
kitchen and dumped out the bag of stuff I had brought to make the strawberries.
Originally, I’d planned on buying them, but all I could find were some gross
looking boxed ones, and besides, how hard could it be?

The recipe called
for a double boiler, but I didn’t know what that was, and I needed enough time
for the finished product to cool in the refrigerator, so that the chocolate
hardened on the outside of the strawberries.

I was, however,
quite handy with a microwave. I broke the chocolate bar apart and put it in a
bowl, then nuked it for twenty seconds. It barely looked like the chocolate had
begun to melt, so I added thirty seconds and went into the bedroom to arrange the
candles. I placed a total of six around the room. All creamy white and vanilla
scented. Since I wanted to get the aroma going, I went ahead and lit them.

I was starting to
feel jittery with nerves. Michael would be back in half an hour. I had to
finish the damn strawberries!

I opened the
microwave and was about to grab the bowl when I hesitated. The chocolate was bubbling
and steaming.
Shit.
Had I burned it? I must have added three minutes
instead of thirty seconds!

With a frustrated
sigh, I found a potholder and pulled out the piping hot bowl. It didn’t smell
bad. In fact, it smelled sweet and delicious. I hadn’t ruined the chocolate,
but I would have to wait and let it cool down. I stood there, impatiently
blowing on the melted chocolate. Finally, when it looked cool enough, I
tentatively dipped my finger in to test the temperature. It was warm but not
hot. I tasted the chocolate, and was happy to find that it was rich and creamy,
which it should be, considering I had splurged on one of those European bars
that are outrageously priced.

 Humming to
myself, I dipped the strawberries one by one into the chocolate and placed them
on wax paper that I had put on top of a tray. I was so intent on what I was
doing that I almost jumped a mile when I heard, “Hey, gorgeous.”

“Michael!” I
exclaimed. I spun around; he was standing in the doorway with a huge smile on
his face. I threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly against my body,
breathing in his wonderful scent.

Michael pulled
back to look at me, still holding me pressed against his waist. “You’re so
impossibly beautiful, Lana,” he whispered. “You could make anything look sexy,
but that outfit…I just want to touch every inch of your body, to feel myself
inside of you, to know you’re mine and only mine.”

“I am yours,” I
said forcefully. I grabbed Michael behind his neck and pressed my lips against
his, kissing him feverishly, hungrily, like I hadn’t felt his touch in years,
not just a few days. Michael responded with the same aggression. He held the
back of my head so that I couldn’t pull away if I wanted to. Which I didn’t.
Ever.

Michael slid his
hand down my lacy panties, gripping my bottom, running his fingers up and down
my entire back. He started to pull them down but stopped himself, groaning,
“God, it is so easy to get carried away with you, Lana.”

“I know,” I said,
out of breath from kissing.

“You taste like chocolate
and my apartment smells like vanilla,” he teased, his voice husky. “I love it.
I love
you.
” Michael was still holding me against him. His gaze was so
intense that I had to look away. I leaned my cheek into his chest, tightening
my grip around him.

Laughing
nervously, I said, “I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour!”

“My flight was
early and I wanted to surprise you,” he whispered into my ear. “I can see you
had the same idea.”

Michael unwrapped
my arms from around him and forced me to look at him. “What are you scared of?”
he asked.

“I don’t know; I’m
just so nervous around you,” I said honestly.

He grinned
wickedly. “Nervous to fuck me?” he asked in a low voice, leaning in to kiss my
neck. “Because as amazing as you look right now, all I want to do is rip these
clothes off of you.”

My entire body was
tingling and I was throbbing like crazy to feel him again. I unbuttoned his
jeans, sliding my hand down the front of his fitted boxers.

“Baby, you’re
going to make me cum too fast,” he said. “I get hard just thinking about you.
It was torture being away from you for three nights.”

“Same here.” I
tugged at his jeans and boxers. “I want to fuck you right here, right now.”

Michael leaned
down and scooped me up in his arms, so that my feet were off the ground. “I
know I’m not carrying you over the threshold just yet,” he said seriously, “but
let’s go to the bedroom.”

I nodded without
saying anything.

Michael carried me
to his bed and carefully set me down. I lied on my back, watching him as he
kicked off the jeans and boxers I had started to pull down. Even just the sight
of his chiseled, naked body, his erect cock, made me even wetter, if that was
possible.

He tugged my
panties down and I spread my legs. As delicious as the foreplay was, I was
throbbing to have him inside of me. And since we didn’t need to use condoms
anymore, it felt like the connection was even deeper.

Taking the hint,
Michael lowered himself into me. We both moaned in pleasure. I grabbed his ass,
his fucking sexy ass, felt the muscles tense as he moved up and down inside of
me.

When we were
making love, it was as though all time stood still. It was the most
intoxicating feeling I had ever experienced in my life. And my mind was
completely clear, not plagued by the horrible worries that usually filled it. I
never wanted it to end. Of course, it always ended with that wonderful
sensation of both of us cumming. And tonight was no different.

Michael tried to
prolong it. He slowed down, unclasped the corset hooks and slowly, deliberately
kissed and licked my nipples, which he knew drove me insane. But, suddenly,
neither of us could hold off any longer, and we gave in, letting go of all
inhibition, sharing the most personal thing any two people could share.

After we were
done, I didn’t want to let go of Michael. I held him against me, still on top
of me, still inside of me. We were both breathing heavily.

“That was unreal,”
I finally whispered. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,
Lana. More than you can ever understand. More than mere words can express.”
Michael rolled over to the other side of the bed, his body still touching mine.

I must have dozed
off. I woke up to the scent of vanilla and everything came rushing back to me.
Michael wasn’t in bed. I grabbed one of his t-shirts and pulled it over my
head, not bothering with underwear.

Michael was in the
kitchen, putting the tray of strawberries into the fridge. “I didn’t want your
surprise to get ruined,” he told me, “so I finished making these.” Michael was
only wearing his boxer shorts. He came over and hugged me. “That was intense,”
he said in a low voice.

“I know. The way I
feel about you…it’s scary,” I admitted.

“Don’t be scared.
It feels right. That’s all that matters.” Michael kissed me tenderly. “I
ordered food – Chinese this time. There’s a new place we haven’t tried
yet.”

“Sounds great.” I
smiled. Michael handed me a flute. “Champagne?” I asked in surprise. “What’s
the occasion?”

Michael grinned.
“Seeing my wonderful, amazing, perfect girlfriend who I’ve missed like hell.”

The rest of the
evening was a happy blur. Michael talked about his trip, and I didn’t even
think about Abigail until he asked me how work and school were going. Instead
of mentioning her, I told him about staying up drinking wine with Maryanne and
ditching classes.

In the morning, we
made love again. But as I got ready to leave for class, I became apprehensive.
Even though Evie wouldn’t be at the hospital, who knew if she had told anyone
else about Abigail, or about the fact that I was dating Michael? She had such a
big mouth; it was almost inevitable that she’d said something to someone.

I didn’t think any
of the nurses would have the nerve to say anything directly to Michael, but I
couldn’t bank on that. And besides, even if they didn’t, they’d surely act
funny around him.

Ugh. I’m going
to have to tell him now.
Michael might not forgive me if he was blindsided.

After I had
showered and gotten dressed, I walked into the kitchen, where Michael was
drinking coffee and looking at his phone. “Hey, there’s something I need to
tell you,” I said nervously, sitting down at the table next to him.

Michael looked up
from his phone, a surprised expression on his face. He reached out and squeezed
my hand. “I was just checking my calendar. My first appointment is later this
morning. What’s happened?”

“I should have
said something last night, but I didn’t want to spoil our evening together.”

Michael’s
expression had turned from surprise to worry. “Did you get bad news?” he asked.

“Not exactly.
Actually, I got a visit from Abigail at the hospital on Wednesday.” The words
tumbled out of my mouth before I could lose my nerve.

Michael’s body
stiffened. “Becky got in touch with her. That’s the only way she’d know about
you.” He stood up and started pacing. “I can’t believe she would do something
like that. I’ve got to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. I know
what Abigail’s like.”

“No, Michael,” I
begged. “It will only make it worse. Please sit down.”

Michael stopped
pacing, but he still looked furious. He was clenching and unclenching his
fists. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he sat back down. “What did Abigail say?”
he asked quietly.

I relayed the
conversation, not leaving anything out. He actually laughed when I told him
about calling her a cougar. “She was addicted to tanning, so I’m not surprised
she looks older now. I used to try and make her stop, not just because of the
accelerated effect it has on skin aging, but the huge cancer risk as well.”

Michael paused and
raked his hands through his hair, deep in thought. “I’m not going to say
anything to Becky or Abigail,” he finally said. “Abigail is crazy; she hid it
from me for a long time, but when the shit hit the fan and I dumped her for
cheating, she wouldn’t accept that it was over. I had to change my phone number,
change the locks; she gave her key back to me but I knew she had made a copy.
I’d come home and find my mail rearranged. Little things that most people
wouldn’t notice.”

“What finally made
her stop?” I asked.

“It took a long
time,” Michael admitted. “I was in residency at the time. She would try to
waylay me at work. I’d just ignore her. I never fought back. Abigail gave up
eventually.”

“So you never
hooked up with her again after you broke up?” I blurted out.

“Fuck no.” Michael
shook his head forcefully. “I didn’t tell you, but I went and got tested
– you know, for the full panel of STDs – after it ended.”

“Really?” I hadn’t
given much thought to STDs when I went on the pill, but somehow it was nice to
know that there was no chance of me getting anything.

“I only knew about
my best friend, but she could have been screwing ten other guys. She’s crazy,”
he said again.

“Which is why you
can’t pay her any attention,” I said, thinking about the story Maryanne told
me. “I won’t either.”

“I agree. Don’t
worry about those gossipy nurses. Let them giggle. I love you and I don’t give
a shit who knows it.” He paused. “And I’m glad you told me. But don’t worry
Lana, nothing will ever come between us. I hope you know that, right?”

“Yes, I know
that,” I whispered, but inside I wasn’t so sure. If Michael ever found out what
I was keeping from him, he’d never forgive me.

Telling Michael
about Abigail had gone better than I ever could have imagined. He was such a
caring, understanding man. In fact, I was in a wonderful mood, and I didn’t
feel a bit weird when I got to the hospital, knowing that the nurses might be
whispering behind my back.

Nurse Evie wasn’t
supposed to be working today, and I groaned when I saw her at the nurses’
station.
She probably switched her shift, just so she could torment me.

But even Nurse
Evie couldn’t squash my high spirits. I’d be spending all weekend with Michael
– well, except for Saturday evening. Maryanne had texted me suggesting a
double date on Saturday night. Which was fine by me. I liked Toby and was happy
to see my best friend settling down with a nice guy.

Evie barely said
hello when I got there. I could see the jealously and anger in her eyes. I had
a different task today than ever before. I was supposed to stand by the entrance
to the hospital and direct people to the elevators and field questions.
She’s
just making sure I don’t have any opportunities to see Michael.

I was annoyed but
forced myself to let it go. She could keep me from him during my volunteer
shift, but she couldn’t do a damned thing about the rest of the time.

A couple of hours
in, Michael texted me to find out what I was doing. A few minutes after I
answered, he came to the first floor.

“You make scrubs
look hot,” I teased him in a low voice.

Michael grinned.
“I’ve been looking for you since your shift started. I’m afraid I don’t have
long,” he said apologetically. “I just had to see your beautiful face.”

“I really want to
kiss you right now,” I said in a low voice.

“Tonight,” he
promised.

“Have any of the
nurses asked you about us?”

“Barbara told me
you were a very sweet girl and we made a cute couple. I just said thanks, and I
thought so, too.”

“That was nice of
her,” I said, surprised. “I didn’t think Barbara liked me.”

“Oh, she’s
alright,” Michael replied. “She comes across tough but I think it’s just
because she’s been doing this job for so long. She’s very set in her ways and
doesn’t like how the younger nurses goof around.” Michael glanced at his watch.
“Not too long now. Are you meeting me at my apartment? I have a surprise
planned,” he said mysteriously.

“Of course,” I
replied, my heart racing.

“Wear something
casual.” He briefly touched my arm, and then was gone.

###

I didn’t bother
going home before heading to Michael’s apartment. Maryanne was probably
spending the evening with Toby, and I’d see her tomorrow on our double date.

I’d slowly been
bringing pieces of my wardrobe to Michael’s apartment, and I almost had more
clothes there than at the dorm. Michael wasn’t home when I got there. I took a
shower and changed into my new shorts and the lighting bolt t-shirt, then
settled onto his couch to watch TV and wait for him to get back.

“I could get used
to coming home to you everyday,” Michael said when got there. “You look hot.”
He eyed me up and down, his gaze lingering on my tiny shorts. Michael leaned
down to kiss me and slid his hand up my thigh, and I tried to pull him down on
top of me.

“Hey,” he said,
laughing, “I really do have something planned, as tempting as it is to get lost
inside you.” He paused. “I need a shower before we head out. Care to join me?”

“I just had one!”

“Okay, I guess I
can wait until later to have you,” he said, only half-joking.

“What are we doing
tonight?”

“Still a
surprise.” Michael winked at me.

After his shower,
Michael got dressed in dark jeans and a fitted gray top. I couldn’t stop myself
from running my hand over his shredded chest.

It was a nice,
balmy night. I had no idea where Michael was driving us, but I really didn’t
care, as long as we were together.

Finally, when I
saw the tall carnival rides in the distance, I knew where we were going.

“You’re taking me
to the fair!” I exclaimed.

“It’s only in town
for a week. I thought it would be fun. I’ll try and win you a stuffed bear. You
can show it off to all the nurses,” he teased.

I laughed. “This
is perfect, Michael. I haven’t been to a fair since I was a teenager.”

“Me, neither,” he
said. Michael parked in the packed lot and came around to open my door. He held
out his hand, and when I took it, he pulled me to him and planted a kiss on my
lips. “Tonight we can pretend like we’re sixteen again. I wish I had met you
back then.”

“I would have been
seven when you were sixteen!” We both laughed.

“Okay, maybe not
when I was sixteen,” Michael conceded, “but you know what I mean. I never want
to waste another minute of my life, a minute spent without you.”

I leaned my head
on his shoulder as we walked, hand in hand, towards the fair entrance.

Most of the other
fair-goers were teenagers, some in groups, some obviously on dates.

“I hope you’re not
scared of heights.” Michael gave me a devilish grin.

I gulped. “Only
marginally. But I would do anything for you.”

First we rode the
log ride, which slowly, painfully took us up a creaky hill, after which the log
was catapulted down a hundred foot drop. I screamed and held onto Michael, who
was sitting in front of me in the log. We were soaked when we got off the ride,
but the night was warm so it didn’t matter.

“You look like a
drowned rat,” I teased Michael. “An incredibly hot, sexy, drowned rat, that
is.”

He pulled me to
him and kissed me. “Ferris wheel next? And we can’t forget the haunted house
ride.”

We spent the next
few hours going from ride to ride, laughing and kissing and acting like two
stupid teenagers without a care in the world. For the haunted house tour, we
sat in a creaky cart that took us through a ‘haunted’ mansion. I played along,
screaming and hugging Michael at every ghoul that popped out to scare us.

“Want some food?”
Michael asked me when we were done.

“Sure,” I replied.

I didn’t realize
when Michael asked me if I wanted some food that he meant a taste test of every
stand in the park. We ate corn dogs, funnel cakes, polish sausages and even
fried Oreos.

“I’m stuffed!” I
exclaimed, after taking a bite of fried cheese on a stick.

“I was going to
take you out to dinner after this,” Michael said ruefully, “but I’m absolutely
stuffed as well. I forgot how filling fair food is.”

“I’m fine with
going home,” I murmured.

Taking my hint,
Michael quickly led me out of the park and back to the car. We were on each
other as soon we had shut the doors. Suddenly, there was a knock on the window.
We jumped apart guiltily.

A security guard was
standing there. He did not look pleased. “Aren’t you a little old to be making
out in your car?” he said when Michael rolled down the window.

“Sorry, sir,”
Michael replied smoothly. “We were just leaving.” Before the guard could say
anything else, Michael put the car into gear and drove off.

“God, that was so
tacky,” I laughed as we sped away from the fair.

“Which part?” he
asked wryly.

I giggled. “Making
out like teenagers in the car. But it was so much fun.”

Michael
momentarily took his hand off the shift stick and squeezed mine. “It doesn’t
matter to me what I’m doing anymore, Lana,” he said seriously, “as long as it’s
with you.”

“How did I get so
lucky to find you?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I was just
thinking the same thing,” Michael replied.

When we got to his
apartment, the only thing on both of our minds was making love. As he pushed
himself inside me, I knew that I never wanted to feel any other man besides
Michael Reynolds.

Little did I know that
tonight was the last night we would have together before my world fell apart.