Uncorked (20 page)

“You seem angry, like something
else motivated you to do this.”

“Yesterday afternoon while you
were asleep, the concierge called me to tell me my five-thirty appointment was
waiting for me in the lobby. I hadn’t set up any appointments, so I asked them
who it was. It turned out to be my mom’s friend’s daughter, Francesca. I didn’t
invite her up. I went down to the lobby to sit with her. She was completely
confused. Apparently, my mother told her I was having a cocktail party and
invited her. Francesca is like a sister to me. I always suspected that she
wanted more, but I could see how hurt she was when I told her there was no
party and I was seeing someone. It would be one thing if she was able to laugh
it off, but I think she thought that invitation meant something, and she got
her hopes up. I think it really hurt and humiliated her.”

“Why didn’t you invite her up?”

“For a number of reasons. Chella,
you’re the only person that’s ever been in there, apart from my mom, and now
Craig.”

“Really? Not even Jason and
Vicky?”

“They know I live there—it was
always my intention to invite them—but the last six months have been crazy. I
still haven’t finished unpacking.”

“I didn’t notice.”

“I like my privacy.”

“I can understand that. I’m sorry
all this has happened. You must be overwhelmed.”

“I am. It would be easier if we
had the freedom to roam, but I think the gas leak was a blessing in disguise.
Seeing something else made all the difference.”

“I’m happy you’re in a better
space.”

“Me, too. Why don’t we go to the
restaurant on the top floor? We can have dessert and watch the sunset from
there.”

“That’s a fantastic idea.”

Mitch and Chella
sat on the fortieth floor at the
corner window taking in the breathtaking vistas of the San Diego bay and the
Coronado Bridge. The sounds of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane’s “Sentimental
Mood” filled the space, creating a warm and romantic atmosphere. They enjoyed
black martinis with chocolate mousse for dessert and watched as the orange ball
slipped below the horizon.

Her mind drifted back to her
conversation with Craig earlier that afternoon. If she had to go off the way
she was feeling at that precise moment and forget everything else that was
happening in the world, she would be quick to commit to Mitch.

“Chella?”

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“You were somewhere else back
there. I thought we were having a great time.”

“We were—I mean—we are.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“You.”

“Me?

She couldn’t ignore the cheering
squad in her head.

Come on, Chella, take a chance…
go Chella go!

“Immm hmmm,” she replied
nervously, taking a sip of her martini.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Do you still want more?”

“More of what?”

“More than just a thing.”

“Are you serious?” he asked,
reaching for her hand. She was certain he could feel her sweaty palms, her
racing pulse.

“I am.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be
ready, but if I want to take control of my life again, I have to start
somewhere. I can’t think of anyone with whom I’d rather start.

He pulled her into a warm embrace
then kissed her softy on her lips.

“I think I’m falling in like with
you,” she whispered.

He smiled against her lips and
said, “I’m falling in like with you, too.”

When they entered
their room, Mitch circled his
arms around her from behind and kissed her deeply, devouring her. He stroked
and massaged her breasts through the fabric of her tank dress. He turned her around
to face him, lifting her in his arms. She wrapped her legs around him as he
carried her across to the nearby desk. Standing between her thighs, he peeled
the straps of her dress down her arms, exposing her rounded breasts. He took
them into his mouth, sucking, licking, while his fingers slipped between her
panties and found her pleats. He kneaded her, caressed her. With his fingers,
he penetrated her.

She slid off the desk and pushed
him against the wall and stripped him—his shirt, his pants, his underwear.
Kneeling before him, she took him into her mouth, tracing him with her tongue,
sucking him, pleasuring him.

He slipped her dress over her
head and pulled her to him, exploring her mouth and working her crevasses once
more as he pleasured her against the wall. She held him in her hands, stroking
him, massaging him while his fingers worked over her, both indulging each
other.

“Oh God, Mitch,” she whispered
through moments of escalating pleasure.

 He responded to her cries,
peeling away her panties then bending her over the desk surface, placing one of
her legs on the desktop. On his knees, he licked and sucked her clit from
behind, sending her into moans of pleasure. When her cries grew louder, he
stood up and entered her from behind. He circled his rock hard shaft inside
her, used his fingers to satisfy her front, nearly bringing her to her peak.

 He carried her over to the bed.
He lay on top of her, nose to nose, lips to lips, eyes to eyes, glaring deep
into her soul. He captured her mouth with his, exploring all that was Chella.
She encircled his face in her hands responding passionately to his deep kisses.
He used his free hand to caress her breasts, her ass, her clit, rapidly
bringing her to the verge of climax.

He slipped on a condom and sat on
the bed. Lifting her, and gently placing her on top of him, he entered her.
Beginning a slow dance over him, she wrapped her arms around his neck,
encouraging him as he sought to explore her mouth. Heat rose between her thighs
once more, as she plunged her pelvis into him. And as she moved sensually over
him, she felt explosions of complete ecstasy erupting between her thighs.
Moments later, his grip on her tightened. And as she felt him spasm violently
inside her, her name rolled off his lips.

They collapsed to the bed. He
held her in a strong and protective hold, kissing her tenderly on her cheeks,
inhaling her completely intoxicating scent. Looking into her eyes, he said,
“You were amazing.”

“So were you.”

“We need to make this kind of
lovemaking a habit.”

She giggled at his words. “Since
we’ve taken it to that level, I’m healthy. All clear—apart from not being able
to have kids, of course.”

“Me, too. I was tested for my
insurance when I moved here. So I think it’s safe to say that next time we can
forgo these annoying little rubbers.”

“I think we should start
practicing now.”

“My, my, where do you get the
energy?”

They kissed again, wrapped in
each other’s sweet embrace. They fell asleep for a couple of hours before
making love again.

The following morning,
Mitch dressed, kissed Chella
lightly on her forehead and caressed her back. “Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“I’m going to the gym.”

“Have fun.”

“Go back to bed. I’ll lock the
door.”

“Bye, sweetie.”

After he left, she put the
additional safety lock on the door, pulled some clothes from her bag, and
headed into the shower. When she was done, she dressed and spent a little extra
time trying to put her hair in a tight ponytail on the top of her head. She
looked at her wrist, and even though she would need help putting the gauze on,
she was able to clean it and put on the antibiotic cream.

She headed to the kitchen to make
herself a cup of tea, but stopped dead in her tracks.

Aaron sat in the living room
armchair.

Chella’s stomach twisted. She
felt her world collapsing all around her with nowhere to run. No safe haven.
This was it—she was finally face to face with her fate.

“How long did you think you’d be
able to avoid me?” Aaron crossed a leg over his knee, fist supporting his head,
knife in the other hand. Compared to the pictures the police showed her a few
weeks before, he looked like he hadn’t shaved in weeks. And from the stainless
steel flask on the end table next to him, it looked like he still hadn’t kicked
his nasty drinking habits.

Chella was certain she could hear
her chest thumping.

“What are you doing here?” she
asked, trying to keep her tone calm, even. She surveyed the room. Both phones
were on his side of the suite. He was closer to the exit, and she’d never be
able to get past him. Her purse with her phone and Taser was on the floor,
eight feet away. If she could get to it, she stood a chance.

“Been looking for you for a
while. You’ve been getting smarter of late, finding crafty ways to elude me,
going undetected. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”

“What do you want from me?” she
asked, sweat accumulating on her palms.

“Everything you and your parents
took away from me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Looks like you and new little
boyfriend live quite the good life. A life I used to enjoy. Thanks to your
parents, I no longer have it.”

“I have no idea what you’re
talking about.”

Maybe if I inch slowly toward it
while I distract him with conversation, I might be able to get to it.

“Right. Play dumb. All you had to
do was have a stupid abortion—that’s all. But no. You had to fight me.”

“I would have raised the baby on
my own,” she responded, taking a tiny step in the direction of her bag.

“So my father could tell me to
live up to my responsibilities? Tell me one more time that I’m a big, fat
failure? Nah.”

“I never told your father
anything.” She inched her way toward the bag.

“But your parents did, didn’t
they? Between you and them, I don’t know who fucked up my life more.”

“This is not their fault—”

“Of course it is!” Aaron shouted,
banging his fist on the glass end table next to him.

The glass shattered.

Chella startled. Her heart
hammered in her chest.

The bag was three feet away.

“You all fucked up my life, so I
had to return the favor. Too bad you didn’t get killed in that crash, too.”

His words sent chills through her
body. She shivered. Goose bumps covered her skin. “What are you talking about?”

He laughed coldly. “I guess we’ll
never know, will we?”

She felt sick to her stomach. The
possibility that he might have had something to do with her parents’ death
shook her to her core.

“What can I do to get you the
hell out of my life?”

“What makes you think I’m going
to make it easy for you? You have to pay, and I’m going to make it slow and
painful.”

“So that’s it? You want to see me
in pain? Just spit it out. What the hell do you want?”

“You know, for a virgin, back in
the day, you used to be a pretty good fuck. I could have you on that fancy bed
right now.”

Oh God, please don’t rape me.

“You’ve been fucking that asshole
that left here a while ago?”

“Leave him out of this. He has
nothing to do with this.”

“See now, that’s where you’re
wrong. He does. I gave him a chance to back off and leave you alone, like all
the others, but he stuck around. He has my lifestyle and my girl.”

“I haven’t been your girl for
years.”

She stood above her opened bag.
The Taser and phone lay at the top, near the zipper.

Do I take the bag, run for the
bathroom and call the police from there? Or do I pick up the Taser and use it
to keep him away from me? Do I really want to get closer to him? I’d have to do
just that, because I’d never hit him from so far away.

She glanced at the door and
realized the additional safety lock was not on but the security chain was. If
she took the Taser out of her bag, she would be inviting a struggle. If she
took her bag to the bathroom, she might have the opportunity to call the police
and have him arrested. She had to make a decision. The wrong one could cost her
her life.

“I’ve warned you before. If I
can’t have you, no one will.” Blood trailed down his arm from the broken glass.

Sweat beaded at her temple.
“Whatever we had is over.”

“I don’t want any man touching
you or even looking at you. Don’t you understand? If I can’t have you, no one
will.” His voice rose to a shout. “I’ll kill you both if I have to!”

She snatched her bag and took off
toward the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she pulled out the Taser and
dialed 9-1-1.