Secret Passions (14 page)

Sandi smiled and looked up at the ceiling as the candlelight flickered across the cracks in the plaster. Mitchell’s weight pinned her to the soft mattress, and she could feel his heart beat and his breath on her chest. She didn’t mind that she was completely naked with a man who wasn’t her husband. She didn’t mind that he was ten years older than her and not of her religion or race. She didn’t even mind if there was no real future in their relationship, although thinking about this caused her heart to skip a beat. The passion
they had given one another was all that mattered now. That, and knowing there would be more where that came from.

She’d lived more and done more since she’d been with him than she had in the last five years of her life. For that matter, more than she’d ever done before. She felt alive. Sure, there was a soreness spreading between her legs, but it only made her feel more alive, more aware.

Her fingers were buried in Mitch’s hair and she enjoyed the slight curl, running her fingers around the softness of it. He was still inside her and she could feel him growing again. She had so many questions to ask him, but felt too embarrassed to voice them. How long before they could do it all again? How many times? What was the small package he’d used before?

She had no experience with sex or the opposite sex. Her mother had never had “the talk” as American’s called it. She’d heard about protection on the television, but the commercials never explained how it worked. She’d assumed that’s what Mitch had used, but wanted to know more. She wanted to see what he looked like when he wasn’t engorged and swollen.

“What? I can hear your brain working, you know.” He chuckled into her hair.

“You’ll think I’m silly.” She turned her head and placed a kiss above his ear.

“Right now you could probably ask me anything, and trust me, I won’t think it’s silly.” He buried his face further into her hair, breathing deeply. “I love the smell of you.” He starting running kisses up her neck. Causing her eyes to close with pleasure. “Ask me anything.” He said between kisses.

“What was that thing you used?” She felt her cheeks heat and turn red.

He pulled back, holding himself above her with his arms. “When?”

“Before... Before you...” She closed her eyes and turned her head. His fingers moved under her chin, pulling her face back to his. When she opened her eyes, he was smiling down at her.

“Are you talking about the condom?”

She shrugged her shoulders. He pulled back. Reaching down he took another packet from his back pocket. “This?” When she nodded he smiled. “It’s a condom. It’s protection against getting you pregnant or transmitting diseases.” Upon her look he balked. “Not that I have any. God. No, I get checked twice a year. Besides, I haven’t been with anyone since Suzanne, and even then it was almost half a year since we’d...” He looked away and it was his turn to be embarrassed. Then he stood up and pulled her with him. “Why don’t you go in and clean up, then we can have some dinner.”

She looked down at herself and realized there were dark stains on her thighs. She rushed to the restroom, more embarrassed than before.

She’d heard about her virgin blood, but had always assumed since she was older, that it wouldn’t have been that bad. She was thankful she’d left her other new clothes in the bathroom and quickly donned a pair of yoga pants and another tank-top, this one the color of Mitchell’s eyes. When she walked out, he was sitting on the side of the bed waiting for her.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

She noticed the comforter was pulled back and the bed was turned down. He wore a pair of new shorts he’d bought from the store. Nodding her head, she walked over and sat next to him. When he walked over to grab her tray from the table, she laughed when she noticed that the word Maine was stretched over his butt in bright white letters.

“What?” He looked at her.

“
You have Maine on your butt.”

“What?” He looked at her funny now and she laughed even more.

“Maine. It’s on your backside.” Holding the tray of food, he turned around, trying to see the lettering on his back. He looked like a dog chasing its tail, trying to see it. She laughed even more. He stopped and smiled at her, and she knew he was just messing around.

Then he walked over and looked down at her. “Here, sit with your back against the headboard.” When she moved into position, he set the tray of food across her lap. “For tonight, we’ll eat in bed while watching a movie. I hope you like mystery and comedy. I found this.” He walked over and held up a video titled, “Clue.”

“I love mystery and comedy.” She smiled. “This food smells wonderful.” He bent over, turned on the set, and put the movie in the old VCR.

“I hope this works. It looks like this hasn’t been used since the eighties.” He grabbed the remotes and his own tray then sat next to her.

“I feel like a kid. Eating dinner and watching movies in bed.” He smiled over at her. “Oh!” he said, pushing off from the bed. “I almost forgot.” He walked over and took the champagne and two glasses from the table. Pouring some in each glass, he handed her one.

“I’ve never had this before. What is it?” She asked after taking a sip.

“Champagne. It’s for special occasions. I found a couple bottles in the pantry. Here.” He held up his glass. She held up hers the same way and he clinked them together. “To old movies, great food, and great sex.” He smiled.

By the time the movie had started, her plate was half empty and she’d gone through her first glass of champagne.

T
he next morning the sun and birds woke her from a deep sleep. She was snuggled against something very warm and hot breath was on her neck, causing her to almost sweat. Trying to move, she realized she was being pinned down by Mitchell’s weight.

“Mitch?” She tried to push him aside, only to have his arms snag around her waist. Pushing harder, she laughed as he buried his face in her hair. She knew what he’d see if he opened his eyes. Her hair was probably standing in spikes around her face. She desperately wanted to run to the bathroom to straighten herself up and brush her teeth.

Finally, she freed herself from his arms by pushing herself away from him, only to land on the carpet by the bed. Looking up, she saw him leaning over the edge of the bed, his chin resting in his hands as he smiled down at her.

“Going somewhere?”

She raised her chin and started to stand. “Yes, I was heading to the restroom so I wouldn’t knock you out with my morning breath. But since you’ve made it difficult, maybe you deserve my dragon breath.” She started to move towards him, only to end up back on the bed with him hovering over her.

“Hmmm. I doubt you have dragon breath, let’s see.” He dipped his head and tasted her lips. “Nope, you taste like champagne bubbles. Sweet.” He licked her lips and she lost her will to fight when his tongue darted out and played with hers. Her hands went into his hair and she realized she could spend the whole day in bed with him. She no longer felt shy when he pulled her shirt up and over her head. His eyes traveled over her bare skin and she felt the heat spreading throughout her entire body.

He’d slept with just his shorts on and she enjoyed running her hands over the smoothness of him. When he leaned down and took her mouth, the light covering of hair on his chest brushed up against her and she felt a new sensation. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pressed herself to him and marveled in the feel of him hardening. She rubbed herself against him, loving the way his hips pumped against her. When she reached around to pull him closer, he pulled back and quickly shed his shorts, then in one quick swipe, removed her clothes. She started laughing, then seeing his face, she stopped and almost moaned. Desire and passion flooded his green eyes, making them almost shimmer.

Slowly he reached over and took the foil package off the nightstand. He opened it and showed her the small see-through disk, then rolled it on himself slowly, allowing her to see exactly what he was doing. She found it both interesting and exciting to watch his movements. He moved back onto the bed and smiled down at her.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

She shook her head and closed her eyes as he slowly entered her. He ran kisses up and down her neck, causing goose bumps over every inch of her skin.

“Wrap your legs around me again and hold on.” He held himself above her and she did what he asked until he was thrusting faster and she found it hard to catch her breath between the want.

“Come with me.” He whispered in her ear as he thrust one final time and they both exploded together.

Mitch sat on the beach watching Sandi paint with her new watercolors. He’d brought along a book  that he had found in the house, but found it boring and uninteresting. Instead he spent his time watching her. Her movements were swift and sure as she used the brushes on the large canvas they had purchased. He knew she could easily spend the whole day painting without a break, but the dark clouds heading their way told him they had another hour before they would end up getting wet. It was just past lunchtime when he heard the first thunder and finally walked over to her, and they packed up her supplies. They walked in the back door five minutes before the rain started.

The whole house seemed darker once the clouds loomed overhead. They turned on the lights, but the false lighting gave the house a different atmosphere. The place was meant for
natural light. They found a few older games in a cupboard and since Sandi had never played Monopoly before, he spent a half an hour teaching her, only to have her kick his butt in the game. She ended up with more houses and hotels then he’d ever had playing the game.

“I guess I have a mind for numbers. I noticed it when I got my first paycheck, the very first money that I had earned on my own.” She smiled. “It was invigorating knowing that I could support myself.” She sat cross-legged on the ugly yet comfortable couch in the large living room. The rain continued to pelt down while the thunder crashed. At one point he thought they might lose power, but it flashed on and off a few times then remained steadily on.

“We never did get to login to your bank and check your accounts.”

“That’s okay, I don’t think they could get their hands on it. There are passwords even they couldn’t break. Besides, they would have to know my bank and account numbers. I didn’t have them written down anywhere. I do all my banking online and make sure everything is secure, something Ethan taught me before he left.”

“Really? Why would he do that?”

She took a deep breath. “Because the night he came and rescued me, he hacked into my father’s accounts and stole my dowry. He moved every penny of it into a secure account. For me.” She looked off into the window, not really seeing the darkness of the day. “It’s something he told me about once we’d made it to the boat. He told me my family had ten times that amount and after the hell they’d put me through, I deserved it.” She smiled and looked at him. “I didn’t know they would have to pay it all back.” Her smile fell away.

“Sandi, it’s not your fault. Like I said, as far as I can tell your family is no worse off than before you left.”

She nodded. “I don’t doubt it. I haven’t even touched that money. To be honest, I don’t know if I ever will. I’ve made a good living off my paintings. Enough that I could live comfortably and still give a good chunk to any charity of my choosing. If my family had come to me and asked me for the money back, I would have given it to them freely.”

He moved closer to her and kissed her forehead, running his hands through her hair. How could someone be so generous? After all her family did to her, she was still willing to be kind to them. She amazed him. He’d never known anyone so selfless.

“I have a few other games I can teach you to play.” He smiled against her mouth, walking her backwards towards the stairs. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. In one move she was in his arms as he carried her up the stairs.

Later he made a fire in the downstairs fireplace. There was enough wood stacked up by the back door that he didn’t have to venture out to the larger pile that was getting wet in the downpour. The storm was gaining strength and the wind was blowing pretty hard, chilling the large place. Sandi was snuggled up on the couch, tucked beneath a large blanket wearing her jacket, a hot cup of coffee in her hands.

“The first winter that I lived in New York, I thought I’d freeze. I’d never been anywhere where it snowed before. I remember when I was younger, one winter it actually got below ten degrees Celsius
and I thought that was cold. But that first winter here, I think it hit five degrees. The snow was so much fun that first year. I can remember walking out and seeing it for the first time.” She closed her hands over her coffee cup, trying to warm them. “I didn’t own any winter clothes, so naturally I was grossly under-dressed, but I didn’t mind. I walked to the park and played with a few children, throwing snow balls until I couldn’t feel my fingers. Then I went home and took a hot bath.” She sighed. “I still can’t get used to the cold, but I don’t mind it. It’s such a nice change.”

“Wait until you see the fall colors up here.” He thought about it. “You know, in the next few days I bet we see the leaves start to change. I could take you on a drive, show you some beautiful places I know. There’s this church I know of. I bet you’d love to paint it.”

“Oh!” She sat up a little, “That sounds wonderful. I’ve seen some photos of this part of the country, I’ve always wanted to paint up here.”

He smiled. “How about we take a drive tomorrow, if the weather holds?”

“I’d like that.” She was smiling at him as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. He was standing with his back to the window, but when her face showed signs of horror, he spun around and scanned the darkness behind him.

“What?” He rushed towards her.

“Mitch, there’s someone out there by the woodpile.” She sunk back into the couch, trying to make herself smaller.

He spun towards the windows, looking into the darkness. He waited for another flash of light, but the sky was dark. Walking towards the back door, he grabbed his jacket.

“Wait!” She jumped off the couch. “You can’t go out there!” She grabbed his arm.

“Why not? Sandi, we don’t know if it’s your family. It could be a neighbor, or someone lost. I’m just going to take a look.” He walked to the kitchen cupboard and grabbed the flashlight he’d seen earlier. Checking to make sure it worked, he walked to the door. “Lock this behind me.”

She nodded and he walked out into the darkness.

Sandi watched Mitch walk out. She wanted to scream. Why would he go out there? What could he do? She stood by the back door, looking at the beam of light coming from the flashlight as he looked around the yard. She could see him head to the woodpile where she’d seen the dark figure minutes before.

She craned her neck trying to get a better view, and he disappeared around the large pile. The flashlight beam disappeared for minutes and she held her breath, listening for any sounds as the rain pelted against the door. Rushing over to the window, she hoped to see the light, but the yard was dark and she started panicking even more. What could she do? Should she run out there? She knew the phones weren't working in the large house, so calling for help was out of the question.