Righteous Obsession (58 page)

He came into the room, looked around and whistled. 
“Very sexy!”

The room had an exotic mid-eastern look.  The bed with
its matching canopy, the pillows piled high at its head and the tapestry
hanging above the headboard was a sight to behold as was the beautiful stained
glass window.

“This bed is huge!”  Alethea exclaimed, bouncing up
and down on it.

Colin smirked and raised his eyebrows.  “That’s all
the more reason to make good use of it, if you get my drift!”

“I do and you’ve got a one-track mind, too!”  She
teased him.

“Actually, its two tracks – music and sex!”  He
joked.  He brought their luggage in from the other room and Alethea hung the
garment bag up in the closet.  “What should we do first?”

“How about we eat lunch then do some sightseeing? 
I’ll be your tour guide for some of San Francisco’s best-known sights.”

“Okay.  Can I choose the restaurant?”

“Sure.”

“I choose The Stinking Rose.”

“Good choice.  I ate there a lot when we were recording
Too Strong for Fantasy,” he chuckled.  “Good thing I wasn’t singing a duet!”

The Stinking Rose restaurant was on Columbus Avenue
and the pungent smell of garlic assailed them as they entered.  A waitress
seated them and they studied the menu for several minutes before ordering.

“I like the way this is decorated,” Alethea remarked,
noticing the terra-cotta walls, the marble tables, the gourd-bottomed wine
bottles and the bundles of garlic hanging from the ceiling.  “Like totally cool
as the kids say!”

Their waiter brought their coffee, a plate of crusty
bread slices and a pitcher of water.  Each table had a small condiment jar of
fresh garlic, minced and mixed with olive oil.  “I dare you to eat some of
this!”  Alethea teased, shoving the jar towards Colin.

“Only if we both eat it,” he countered.

“You first!”  She giggled.

Colin broke off a chunk of bread, spread butter on it
then some of the garlic and popped it into his mouth.  “Umm …very good!”  He
suddenly made a dive for his water glass, draining half of it in one swallow. 
“It’s also very hot!”  He gasped, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Alethea giggled again as the waiter brought their
salads.  She sprinkled some of the condiment over her salad and took a bite of
it.  Her eyes widened suddenly and she grabbed her water glass and took a large
gulp.  “Whew!  Now that’s definitely fresh garlic!”  She croaked.

Colin laughed.  “Well, one thing’s for sure – no
mugger’s going to come within six feet of us!”

“Wow!”  Alethea said as she daubed her eyes with her
napkin.  “It’s a good thing my mascara is waterproof!”  Amid teasing and
laughter, they finished lunch.

Colin enjoyed it immensely.  He’d forgotten how much
fun he and Alethea used to have before Father Michaels burst into their lives. 
Before they left the restaurant, Colin bought Alethea a souvenir Stinking Rose
T-shirt.  They spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing and having fun. 
They drove down Lombard Street and went up to the observation deck of the
Transamerica building.  They could see all over San Francisco.  They drove up
Telegraph Hill to see Coit Tower.  On their way back to the Red Victorian they
detoured to Alamo Square to see the famous and much photographed Victorian Row.
They also went to see the Palace of Fine Arts where Colin pointed out the spot
where the famous picture of Janis Joplin, sitting on the hood of her Mercedes
Benz, was taken.  Alethea took lots of pictures with her digital camera.  They
arrived back at the bed and breakfast and went upstairs.

Colin was ready before Alethea. He wore the same
outfit he’d worn for his wedding except his shirt was green silk and he’d added
a bolero tie to the point collar.  He glanced at Alethea sitting on the bed in
her bra and panties.  When she got up, he couldn’t help noticing they didn’t
cover much territory.  He watched as she slithered into her slip then the silk
dress Vanessa had bought her.  Jesus Christ!  Just watching her get dressed was
giving him a major hard-on.  He discreetly pulled his shirt down further.

Alethea noticed and smiled.  She lifted up her hair. 
“Colin, would you please zip up my dress.”

“It’d be my pleasure, Mrs. Matthews.”  He zipped her
dress and fastened the clip at the top of the zipper.  His hand caressed her
neck, lingering briefly.  He began kissing her neck, working his way around to
her throat.

She went limp with pleasure and pressed herself to him
eagerly, reveling in the feel of his swelling erection and of her panties
getting damp with her excitement.

Colin broke it off suddenly, breathing heavily.  “We’d
better leave now or we might not make it at all!”

“That’s for certain,” she agreed.  She let her hand
brush across his erection as she bent to retrieve her purse.  “Where are we
eating?”

“We’re eating at a ritzy, expensive French
restaurant.”

“I’m impressed!”

“I was hoping you would be!”  They were lucky to find
a parking spot only three blocks from the restaurant.  They entered the
restaurant and maitre d’ seated them.  Inside was dimly lit, the only sources
of light being the candles on the tables.  Colin looked around and gave a low
whistle.  “Very classy – it has linen tablecloths, napkins, and no prices on
the menus!”

“What are you having?”

“Why don’t you order for me?  I’m not really familiar
with French cuisine.”

“Do you have any preferences?”

“No.  I’ll try anything once!”  He joked.

Alethea suddenly felt Colin’s hand sliding under her
dress and up her thigh as she studied her menu.  She looked around the room
concerned somebody might see what he was doing.  She realized the angle of
their table and the floor-length tablecloth made for perfect concealment. She
relaxed.  She felt herself growing warm as he began lightly stroking her clit
through the thin silk of her panties. They quickly became soaked.  She let out
a small gasp as she felt the first stirrings of pleasure warming her.  Colin
stopped momentarily as their waiter appeared to take their order.  Flushed and
trembling, Alethea was barely able to articulate.  If the waiter suspected what
was going on, he gave no indication.  Once he’d left she felt Colin begin
stroking her swollen and throbbing clit, harder now until she suddenly had a
raging orgasm.  Alethea grabbed the arms of her chair tightly, shuddering and
biting her lips to keep from crying out, but small moans of pleasure still
escaped from her lips.  Their waiter returned with their salads, his face again
devoid of any expression despite Alethea’s flushed appearance.

Colin removes his fingers from Alethea’s seething sex,
bringing them to his lips.  “You taste good so good that I want more!”  In one
fluid motion he suddenly disappears underneath the table.  Shocked, Alethea
looked around to see if anybody had noticed, but everyone appeared intent on
his or her conversation or food.  She felt Colin remove her panties and part
her thighs; his breath felt hot on her inner thighs.  His talented tongue goes
to work on her clit and she can barely stifle her moans as she squirms in her
chair.  She felt his tongue slip inside her and began caressing her G-spot and
she explodes into an orgasm that practically lifts her off her chair.  She held
Colin’s face to her crotch so he could feel the intensity of it.  Her body
spasms, coating Colin’s face with her love juices.  After a few moments he
reappeared by her side, discretely wiping the traces of her cum from his face.

He began nonchalantly eating his salad.  Suddenly, he
nearly choked when he felt her hand slide underneath his shirt, unzip him, and
began boldly caressing him.  He felt himself become erect very quickly.  “Two
can play at this game, Mister!”  Alethea whispered.

By the time the main course arrived, they were so
horny; neither of them could recall later what they’d eaten.  The waiter
returned to inquire if they wished to see the dessert menu.

“No.  Please bring me the check,” Colin replied. 
“Thanks.”  He was back in a few moments with the check.  Colin paid for it,
using his gold card and signed for a generous tip since he had a strong
suspicion the waiter knew what was going on all along.

As they were leaving, Alethea noticed an alcove where
the bathrooms were and nudged Colin into it.  She peeked inside the women’s
bathroom and seeing it was empty, quickly pulled him inside.  Colin grinned
wickedly as he quickly picked up where she was headed then asked, “What if
somebody comes in?”

“I guess we’d better not waste anytime then!”  She
kissed him, letting her tongue probe deeply into his mouth while tugging at his
zipper, finally freeing his erect cock.  She wiggled closer to him, putting her
arms around his neck.

Colin picked her up and set her on the counter.  He
spreads her legs, positions himself and thrusts into her.  They quickly brought
each other to an explosive climax.  Alethea grabbed Colin tightly and buried
her face in his shoulder to muffle her cries as her orgasm rampaged through
her.  Colin’s body shuddered so violently and he nearly bit through his tongue,
trying to stifle his urge to yell out his pleasure.  Alethea jerked as she felt
the rush of his warm cum between her thighs then she went limp against him and
took a deep breath.  She held Colin’s face to her breasts then signed.  “I
needed this!”

“Me too!”  He replied, running his hands up and down
her back.  He straightened up and quickly rearranged his clothing.  He smiled
as he realized the bathroom now smelled pungently of their lovemaking.  “I’d
better get out of here.”

Alethea slid down off the counter and peeked out the
door.  “There’s nobody coming.”  She pushed him outside.  “I’ll be out in a
minute.”

Colin slumped into a chair, attempting to look like a
bored husband who was waiting for his wife to come out of the bathroom. 
Alethea reappeared.  She had combed her hair and repaired her make-up.  He put
his arm around her as they left the restaurant.  Colin let his hand slide
across her bare ass in a sensuous caress as he helped her into the Jeep.

Alethea giggled.  “I didn’t think there was any point
in putting my panties back on since they’re probably not going to stay on for
very long.”

“True!”  Colin agreed.  They got back to their room
and Alethea immediately disappeared into the bathroom with her Victoria’s
Secret bag.  Colin got undressed and crawled into bed.  She came out again. 
“Well, what do you think?”  She turned in a circle so he could get a complete
view.  She wore a silk teddy of the pale gold.  Its entire bodice, fashioned of
exquisite French lace, sensuously complimented her breasts.  It laced up the
front and had flutter leg styling.

“Very nice,” Colin responded then yawned widely.  “You
know, I’m really beat!”  He pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes.

It took Alethea a moment to realize he was teasing
her.  “Colin, you rat!”  She yelled as she picked up one of the pillows and
whacked him with it.  He grinned, picked up a pillow and whacked her back. 
Laughing and screaming loudly, they engaged in a lively pillow fight.  Alethea
was winning until Colin cheated and grabbed hold of her.  He brushed his hair
out of his face.  “Geez!  We’d better lower the volume!  We’re not at home!”

Alethea reached behind her and started tickling him. 
He immediately collapsed and curled himself into a ball, trying to avoid her
hands.  “No fair!”  He protested.

She rolled him over and climbed on top of him, pinning
his arms above his head.  “Why, Colin Matthews!  I never had you pegged for a
prude!  Are you afraid somebody will hear us and think we’re making love?”  She
teased.

“No.  I’m afraid somebody will hear us and call the
cops because we’re keeping them awake!”  He rolled over, easily flipping her
off of him.  She went down in a tangle of tawny hair and long, slim legs.

“Well, now that you’ve got me where you want me; what
are you going to do about it?”  She whispered.

Colin loosened the lacing on her teddy and slipped the
straps down, exposing her breasts.  “I have a few things in mind!”  He started
kissing her breasts and caressing her nipples with his tongue.

“Oh!”  Alethea gasped.  “You’re certainly off to an
excellent start!”

Caitlin and Jemma were having lunch at the food court
in the Mall.  Caitlin filled Jemma in on everything that had recently happened
between her father and Colin.

“Your dad must be practically walking on water!” 
Jemma remarked.

“He is, Jemma!  You should see him!  It’s such a
change from the way he’s been the last month.”

“What do you suppose will happen when this initial
euphoria wears off, though?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Colin’s twenty-eight.  He’s got his own life
and his own interests.  I hope your dad isn’t expecting to have the same kind
of a relationship with Colin as he had with Dave.”

“Well, it appears he didn’t have the kind of
relationship with Dave he thought he had.  I’m sure he realizes he’ll probably
never have a really close relationship with Colin.”

“What happens when Dave is finally arrested?  Colin
will have to testify against him and if Dave’s convicted, Colin will be
responsible for sending him to prison for a long time.  Can your dad handle
that?”

“Of course he can!  What are you getting at anyway,
Jemma?”

“I’m saying, in theory, he may think it won’t make a
difference.  Realistically, he’s bound to feel some resentment towards Colin
even if he won’t admit it.”

“Why would he resent Colin?  He knows Dave committed
terrible crimes and has to pay for them.”

“Well, what about these feelings you think he still
has for Colin’s mom?  Can he keep those under wraps?”

“I didn’t say he still had feelings for Amanda,”
Caitlin argued.  “I said I thought he might still have some feelings for her –
there’s a big difference!  For all I know I could be wrong!”

“Suppose you’re not wrong?”

“Even if he does, and I’m not saying he does; Amanda’s
happily married and so is daddy.”

“Come on, Cait!” Jemma scoffed.  “Your dad might as
well be single!  You’ve said yourself your mom only has one man in her life and
that’s Dave!  Eventually, Colin’s going to have kids and your dad and Amanda
will be thrown together more for birthdays and holidays.  What happens then?”

“Even if mom does file for divorce, Amanda’s married
and daddy would never break up her marriage no matter how he feels about her!” 
Caitlin snapped.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, Cait!  I didn’t mean to upset
you.”

Caitlin sighed.  “I’m sorry, too, Jemma.  Talking
about mom and daddy possibly splitting up is kind of a sore subject with me.”

“That’s certainly understandable, Cait.”

“Do you still want to come over and watch Colin’s
wedding video?”

“You bet!”

They finished their shopping and went back to
Caitlin’s house.  As they came in, Jeff called from his study, “Cait?”

“Yeah, Daddy, it’s me.  Jemma’s with me.”

Jeff came out of his study.  “Hello, Jemma.”

“Hi, Mr. Michaels.”

“Did you girls do anything exciting at the Mall?”

“We did some shopping and a lot of looking,” Jemma
replied.

“We’re going to watch Colin and Alethea’s wedding
DVD,” Caitlin said.

“I’ve got work that needs my attention so I’ll be in
my study if you need me.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

Jeff left his door open and he could hear the start of
the DVD.  He heard Jemma squeal loudly.  “Ooh, Cait!  Alethea’s gown is so
romantic!”

“Grandma said she thought it was from the early
1900’s.  Doesn’t she look gorgeous?”

“She does!  I think Bride’s Magazine™ should do a
layout of her wearing that gown and veil!  Whoa!  Colin sure looks sexy!  You
know, Cait, he looks so much like your dad, I don’t know how we missed it all
this time!”

“Well, you didn’t,” Caitlin remarked. “You were the
one that pointed it out to me when we saw Colin at the mall.”

“Yeah, but I was just theorizing, Cait. I never even
imagined they were actually related.”

Despite the work on his desk, Jeff found himself being
drawn into the living room to watch the DVD again.

“I can see a definite resemblance between you and
Colin.”

Caitlin nodded.  “Grandma said she can see it, too.”

When the DVD ended Jemma rolled her eyes.  “Wow!”  She
sighed loudly.  “It was so romantic!”

“Imagine having Vanessa Morrison for your maid of
honor,” Caitlin added.

Jemma looked at her watch and sighed.  “I’d better be
getting home, Cait.  Duty calls!”  She rose.  “Don’t ever major in history,
Cait – too damn many term papers!  Thanks for inviting me to watch the DVD.”

“Well, I figured Colin would want his number one fan
to see it!”  Caitlin teased.

She grinned.  “I am, aren’t I?”

After Jemma had left, Caitlin started making supper. 
She and her father sat down to eat. 

Out of the blue, Caitlin suddenly asked, “Daddy what
are we going to do for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year?”

Jeff sighed.  “I don’t know, Cait.  Frankly, I’ve
tried not to think too much about the holidays.”

“Mom will be out of jail by Thanksgiving, but I doubt
her feelings towards us will have mellowed any,” she remarked glumly.

“Towards you, I hope her feelings will have, but
she’ll never forgive me.  She blames my desire to find Colin for the cause of
this whole tragedy.”

“Dave and Dave only is responsible for this tragedy,
Daddy,” Caitlin replied firmly.  “I still can’t figure why Dave didn’t talk to
you when he found that file.  You were always so close.”

Jeff shook his head.  “I don’t know, Cait.  I’ve
probably asked myself that same question a hundred times over the last month
and I still don’t have a satisfactory answer.”  He sighed again.  “If I just
hadn’t kept that promise I made to your mother and told you and Dave about
Colin – maybe, I could have prevented this!”

“And maybe, it would have happened anyway, Daddy,”
Caitlin said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe, Dave was sick all along and we didn’t see it
or chose not to see it.”

“I don’t understand what you’re getting at, Cait.”

“Maybe, that ultra-conservative facade was a symptom
of his instability and we chose to ignore it because he was a priest and we
thought he should be that way.”

“I never thought about it like that,” Jeff admitted. 
He glanced at Caitlin who was toying with her food and it was obvious to him
she still had something on her mind.  “Is something else bothering you, Cait?”

“Well, Jemma and I were talking about what will happen
when Dave’s finally arrested.”  She stopped and seemed hesitant to continue.

 “And…” Jeff prompted.

“You know, Daddy, Colin will have to testify against
Dave.  He won’t have a choice.”

“Dave committed terrible crimes and he’ll have to pay
for them and I do know Colin will be the prosecution’s main witness.”  He
sighed again.  “However, it’s possible Dave may be found mentally incapable of
standing trial.”

“Huh!  He didn’t look mentally incapacitated that day
he came home from New Orleans – he was practically gloating!”  Caitlin
glowered, her eyes growing dark at the memory.

“I know, but what they’ll base it on is his state of
mind at the time he stabbed Colin.  Did he realize what he was doing was
wrong?”

“Every action he’s taken since that time leads me to
conclude he did know it,” Caitlin said.

“I didn’t get the impression from that letter he wrote
that he felt he’d done anything morally wrong and it’s apparent he doesn’t
think the secular laws apply to him.”

“He was stalking Colin and leaving threatening
messages on his voicemail.  He tried to run him over before he stabbed him! 
Doesn’t that prove he wasn’t acting on impulse?”

“Yes, and if Colin had died, I’m sure Dave would be
facing charges of premeditated murder.”

“There’s also his attempted murder of Debbie Simpson,”
Caitlin said pointedly.

“I think Dave was angry when he heard the rumor about
her sleeping with Colin. When he saw her that night he decided then to kill
her.”

Caitlin was silent.  Her father seemed to have
forgotten, on purpose or otherwise, that Debbie had told Detective Madison that
Dave had been wearing dark clothes and gloves when he approached her.  That
alone was proof enough for her that Dave had planned to kill Debbie.

Alethea woke up before Colin, slid out from under his
arm and sat up in bed.  She smiled as she watched him sleeping.  No matter how
big their bed was, and this one was huge, he always seemed to end up sleeping
on the edge of it, half-uncovered and with one leg dangling off the bed.   She
tenderly brushed aside his hair so she could see him better.  She thought he
looked as sexy asleep as he did awake.  At the touch of her hand, he awoke
immediately and smiled as he saw her.  “How long have you been awake?”  He
shifted himself into a more comfortable position and pulled the comforter back
over him.

“Not long.  I was watching you sleep.”

“Watching me snore, too, I’ll bet,” he joked.

“No.  You weren’t snoring this time,” Alethea teased.

“With a nose like this, I’m afraid it’s unavoidable,”
He commented ruefully.  “When we have a kid, I hope he or she inherits your
nose!”

“Your nose is long, but it fits your face though and I
like your nose just the way it is.”

“Thanks.”  He stretched and glanced at his travel
alarm.  “It’s after eleven already!  I didn’t intend to sleep so late.”

“Well, we were up very late last night,” Alethea
teased.

“But for a good reason,” he said as  he got out of
bed.  “I’m going to take a shower.  Care to join me?”

“I’d love to – only to save water, of course!”  By the
time they finished showering and got dressed, it was after twelve and Colin was
starving.

“Where are we going today?”  Alethea asked as they
walked outside to get the Patriot.

“I was planning to take you to Fisherman’s Wharf. 
You’ll love it!  It’s like a carnival and mall combined!”  They had lunch at
one of the excellent seafood restaurants on the Wharf.  After lunch, they
toured Pier 39, did some shopping at the Cannery and Ghiradelli Square.  Their
last stop was at the Chocolate Manufactory where they had sundaes.

“I shouldn’t be eating this, Colin!”  Alethea rolled
her eyes in despair.  “I know I’ve gained umpteen pounds since I got married!”

“If you have, I don’t know where you’ve gained them. 
I certainly can’t tell and I’ve had several good feels, too!”  He teased. 
“Look, since you’re worried, I’ve got just the exercise for you until the pool
is finished.”

“Let me guess!”  She teased.  You need a new
racquetball partner because you’re tired of Jake beating you!”

“Jake doesn’t always beat me.  What I’m talking about
is rollerblading.  It’s great fun and really good exercise, too!”

“I guess I could try it,” she replied doubtfully.

“It’s not hard to learn.  I’ll teach you, but first we
have to get you some blades.”  They strolled around for a bit more and headed
back to the Red Victorian.  They went out again after taking their purchases to
their suite.  They walked up a couple of blocks to a store that sold
rollerblades.  Colin had bought his there and he knew they’d do a good job of
outfitting Alethea.

On their way back, Colin showed her some of the sights
of the Haight.  The first place he showed her was the apartment where he lived
until he’d bought his home in Sausalito.  He showed her the house where the
Grateful Dead had lived during the sixties and an apartment where Janis Joplin
once lived.

“I guess this part of San Francisco has a lot of
history?”

“Yeah, even before 1967.”

They returned to their suite and went out for supper
at a popular restaurant, specializing in Caribbean, Cajun and Mexican cuisine. 
When they returned to their suite, Alethea sat on the bed and sighed.  “The
meal I had tasted just like New Orleans!”

“Feeling homesick again?”  Colin asked, sitting down
beside her.

“I can’t help it sometimes,” she replied, leaning her
head against his shoulder.

“I know.  Just wait, Thanksgiving will be here before
you know it!”

“Mom and dad are really looking forward to seeing us.”

Colin chuckled.  “I’ll take your word for it!”  He got
up and started to undress.  Alethea came over and put her arms around him. 
“You’re getting to be such a good husband.”

He put his arms around her and
held her tightly.  “Well, I’m trying very hard.”

“I know you are.”

They were up at ten the next morning since they had to
check out by eleven.  They had breakfast then checked out and loaded the Jeep. 
Alethea smiled and squeezed his arm.  “I had a wonderful time – in more ways
than one!”