As soon as we entered, he morphed into the perfect host and made
himself busy taking my bags out of the way. He said please sit down, get
comfortable, take off your shoes. That sort of thing. He offered a
drink. I sipped slowly, grateful for the distraction and looked at the
view. He turned on music and joined me on the sofa. Was this his normal routine?
He sat beside me close. He pulled me to him, closer. He swallowed my
eyes with his. He took the drink out of my grip. We kissed passionately
for several minutes. Then he led me hurriedly to the bedroom still
kissing me, me kissing him, he kissing me in a furious manifestation of
lust. Misgivings? What misgivings? Doubts? What doubts? I
was on fire but still noticed the 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton
sheets, silk duvet, hand-carved teakwood bed. Custom drapes, recessed
lighting, brass lamps. I thought of my dumpy apartment. I thought of my
mother’s dumpy apartment. I thought of all the cautionary tales of
dallying or marrying above your class like Forever Amber, Vanity Fair, and Edith Wharton’s Undine Sprague in Custom of the Country. And then I thought of My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman. And then he expertly brought my arousal to new heights…and I finally stopped thinking.
We made love with an intensity and earnestness that ripped away the
outer world as we created a tempest of sensual pleasure. Later, in an
exhausted heap, we lay close and he became gentle rubbing my arm and
kissing the top of my head. He spoke softly, assuring me, “Aurora, I
love you so. Don’t worry about anything, darlin’. You’ll come to love it
here. You’ll see. You belong here with me. Look at me.” And he looked
deep into my eyes and said, “Your eyes are so beautiful. They remind me
of a deep clear lake and you should live near lakes,” he whispered. “I
could get lost in your eyes,” and he kissed my eyelids and I began to
accept the truth of his love. Kissing my mouth gently, he breathed these
words, “Your mouth is like a wildflower in bloom and you should live
among wildflowers. I could kiss your mouth forever.” And then he ran his
fingers up and down my arm while saying, “Your skin is as soft as the
yellow rose of Texas and I will cherish the gift of touching it for the
rest of my life. You were meant to be here, Aurora, here with me.”
I believed him. I did belong here… with him…with Jake Stein…Mrs.
Jacob Stein. Here in the blistering heat and bats’ haven. Here where
cedar trees pollinate all year and make allergy doctors wealthy. Here
where mild salsa is an oxymoron. Because Jake was here. And we kissed
and kissed and got lost in each other’s souls.
And then suddenly, he jumped up. “It’s time to get dressed for
dinner, darlin’,” he said. “Now listen, Aurora honey, don’t pay any
attention to anything my mother or sisters might say. Sometimes they can
be a little narrow-minded and they get carried away. For them, the sun
rises and sets on Texas. So don’t take it personally whatever they do or
say or if you get the impression they think all New Yorkers are crass
heathens.”
I took a shower, blew my hair dry and could almost feel horse’s hoofs
smashing my face as a mighty river bore down with a sudden force
carrying me away forever.
Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.
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