Circles framed her eyes as Alison cautiously descended the stairs. It was the wee hours of the morning before she could find any respite in sleep. If she wasn’t reliving the mind-blowing foreplay with Nick, she was thinking about her impromptu date with Martin. They took turns occupying her thoughts until she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
She’d been awake for several hours, but just didn’t have the nerve to venture out of her room for fear of encountering Nick. She paced her room while she pondered over her dilemma. This just couldn’t go on. Her aunt’s Will might have insisted that Nick stay on for at least another year, but she knew she couldn’t keep hiding from him and she certainly didn’t want any further love sessions with him. If you could call them that.
She needed Nick to stay as far away from her as possible. She just had to figure out how to accomplish that. Wilma would be back in a few hours, which would give her some type of a safety net, and Vanessa would be arriving in another day. Vanessa was far more experienced with men. She was sure she would have a solution for her situation.
She crept out the front door with the intention of putting her Mini Cooper into the garage, but it wasn’t there. She was certain no one stole it, which meant only one thing. Nick took it upon himself to move it. Alison was easy going about a lot of things, but people making merry with her personal possessions wasn’t one of them. She stormed, barefoot, down the gravel drive to the carriage house where the cars were kept and looked inside. Sure enough, her Mini Cooper was parked next to her great aunts’ fifteen-year-old Cadillac.
She spotted Nick working in the vegetable garden and stormed off in his direction. Without a moment’s hesitation or consideration that she was barefoot, she stomped in his direction.
Her voice pierced the air as she shouted, “Who gave you the right to move my car?” while burrowing through a patch of thick, tall grass that lay between the pristine lawn and the freshly tilled garden.
“Are you barefoot?” Nick asked incredulously as he leaned on the hoe he’d been using and shaded his eyes to see her more clearly in the mid-morning light. “Don’t you know where you are?”
“Don’t change the subject,” she bellowed. “I want to know what gave you the right to move my car. Do you think that just because you… you… well… last night gave you the right to help yourself to my things?”
“I thought I was being nice,” he mumbled.
“Where did you get my keys? Did you go into my purse for them?” she continued. “Don’t you know a woman’s purse is sacred territory?”
“I had no idea,” he said with stunned humility.
“Well, now you do,” she said before screaming and grabbing her ankle. “Ouch, something just stung me! Oh no! It was a snake!”
“Copperhead!” Nick roared.
He tossed the hoe he was leaning on and raced to her side with record speed. He swept her into his arms and onto the back porch of the guest house. Without hesitation, he placed her in a chair, pulled a pocket knife from his pants pocket, and slit her flesh where the copperhead bit her. It all happened so quickly, Alison didn’t have a chance to comprehend what was happening, let alone ask about it.
She watched as Nick knelt before her while he held her ankle in a position that allowed him to suck the venom from her opened wound and quickly spit it out onto the grass. Her head ached and she felt chilled, but she somehow knew that he’d gotten the poison out in time for anything worse to occur.
When he finished, Nick went into the kitchen of his little home and stood at the sink rinsing any poisonous residue from his mouth. After which, he returned with antiseptic and bandages.
“Do you see what I’m wearing on my feet?” he asked with a sharp tone. “I do my best to keep the lawn cropped close and free of snakes, but sometimes they sneak in; especially where the grass is still tall. Never ever come out here barefoot. Understand? That was a copperhead that bit you. They’re not abundant, but they’re around.”
“I didn’t know,” she muttered.
“If I hadn’t been there…,” he continued as he paced back and forth in front of her. “Do you understand?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t feel very good. I think I’d like to go back to the house and lie down.”
“Not a good idea,” he replied. “You’ll have to stay here with me until Wilma returns. We’ll need to keep an eye on you. I think I got the poison out, but, just in case… It’s better to be safe.”
“What happens if you didn’t get it all out?” she asked nervously.
“My real concern is whether you have an allergic reaction to any venom I didn’t get. I don’t believe the remnants of what’s left in there, if there is anything left, would do much damage other than a headache,” he explained.
“I feel dizzy,” she said.
“That’s normal,” he said as he wrapped her wound with a gauze bandage. “Put your arm around my neck,” he said as he bent toward her.
“Why?” she asked shakily.
“I’m going to take you inside, so you can stretch out on the sofa until Wilma gets back,” he said.
“I might fall asleep,” she admitted.
“As long as I can monitor you, you can sleep,” he assured her.
She heaved a sigh of relief as she clung to his neck. Her face buried deep into his muscular flesh as she took his musky scent deep into her lungs where she could savor it long after they parted. Memories of his love ministrations the night before floated through her mind as she relaxed against him. He moved with smooth surety from the porch into the living room of the quaint guest house at a much slower speed than when he rescued her from the snake.
“This is cute,” she said as she twisted her head to look around. “I think I like it better than the big house.”
“It has its charm,” he mumbled as he positioned her on the seven-foot-long, fifties era sofa. “I’m going back out to finish the planting. I’ll be in and out checking on you.”
“Really?” Alison said with a childish tone.
“Scared of a little bitty guest house?” he chuckled. “It’s daylight, for crying out loud.”
Something in his mocking tone struck a nerve. Rather than do the mature thing, she stuck her tongue out at him and rolled over so that her back was facing him. She scowled as she heard his deep chuckle as he went back outside.
Whether it was from the venom that might still be in her body, the stress of the events, or the fact that she didn’t sleep well the night before, she wasn’t sure. Whatever the reason, Alison was asleep almost as soon as the door closed behind Nick.
Although he kept a close eye on her, Nick was careful to avoid being around Alison for any length of time. He was furious with himself for the way he behaved the night before. He’d always exercised such control over his emotions and urges. What was it about her that unhinged him in such a shocking way? If either Elsie or Beth were alive, they’d take a switch to him; no matter what his age or size.He felt the connection the minute he saw her standing in the rain like a drowned creature. The pheromones purged from her in such a powerful way, he was amazed she could stay so aloof. It wasn’t until he wrapped her in his arms and held her close enough to detect her virgin scent that he realized she was oblivious and ignorant to their connection. She may sense the attraction, like any woman would with a man, but she wouldn’t feel the true impact of their connection until she’d opened her kundalini by making love.&nbs
Vanessa arrived just in time for dinner on Friday evening. She’d called ahead to give Alison an approximate time to expect her. This gave Wilma plenty of time to fix a nice dinner of roast chicken and rosemary potatoes. Alison assured her that she and Vanessa were cool with frozen pizza, but Wilma would have none of it.Wilma heard Alison’s father and great aunts discussing Vanessa and her influence on Alison on more than one occasion. The girls met in early grade school and remained tight friends ever since. Vanessa was raised by parents who were always too busy with their own agenda to pay much attention to what was going on in her world. Her body developed at a much faster pace than Alison’s did, which resulted in attention from boys at an earlier age. She’d heard Alison defending Vanessa’s actions by criticizing Vanessa’s parents for not providing the attention she needed to the point she sought it in other ways.
Alison was both nervous and excited as she finished her breakfast cereal. She and Vanessa rose early so that they would have time to explore the house and still take a late afternoon nap to assure they were fresh for their date with Martin at the county fair. Both girls loved fun events such as fairs and carnivals. Even though they hadn’t actually agreed to go, they knew they wouldn’t have turned down the offer.“Are you ready?” Vanessa asked as she entered the kitchen. “I’m so excited about exploring this place. I hope we can manage it all before I have to leave.”“It isn’t that big,” Alison said.Her friend looked at her and grinned, “It beats the heck out of our tiny two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta.”Alison smiled. Anything would be larger than their little five-hundred square foot apartment that was divided into such small rooms that they were lucky
The surprise on Alison’s face when Nick showed up to join them for the evening was a good camouflage for the hurt and rejection she also felt. She looked accusingly at Vanessa when Nick announced that she’d invited him to come along as Vanessa slipped her arm through his and snuggled up close. Nick didn’t seem to react to her gesture one way or another as he locked eyes with Alison. It was as if he was trying to send her a mental message, but she hadn’t a clue what it might be.She turned away and made a point of checking her image in the mirror near the door and collecting her things as Martin’s SUV came slowly up the drive. Without waiting for them or even looking back, she rushed out of the door to greet him.Martin hopped out of the vehicle and ran to the passenger’s side to open the door for her. She smiled brightly and thanked him as he helped her up into the vehicle. After the treatment she’d had from N
Alison was at a loss for words as she lay beneath her sleeping lover. Nick surprised her by falling asleep almost immediately. He’d left his manhood inside her after he’d peaked, and she was concerned about the consequences. It didn’t seem very romantic to bring up this fact, but, since she was a virgin and not on birth control and he wasn’t wearing a condom, it was something she needed to concern herself with.She could easily see how women lost their senses and threw caution to the wind during love making. Hadn’t she done just that? Not once during their time together had she even broached the subject of using protection. Her only concern was putting out the fire in her loins that built up to a point of being almost unbearable. Maybe if he’d pulled out of her before he’d reached his heights of passion, she wouldn’t be so worried. Now, she lay with the heaviest man on earth sleeping sou
When Alison awoke, Nick was still fast asleep next to her. Sometime during the night he’d managed to wrap his leg and arm over her in a possessive manner. Although confining, it felt nice.She slid from beneath his muscular limbs as gently as she could. She was still tender from their love making, but the bleeding stopped. A wave of relief swept over her as she remembered Vanessa’s fear that Nick might have torn her.Dressing as quickly and carefully as she could, she slipped out of the bedroom, taking one last look at the gorgeous man she left sleeping. With a satisfied smile on her face, she went to Vanessa’s room to see if she was awake.Vanessa’s face was buried in the pillow as she lay naked on top of the bed. “Did you come to ravage me?”“Are you talking to the pillow or me?” Alison teased. Vanessa rolled onto her back and stretched her sinewy body in a catlike manner, mindless of the
“Do you think we’re lesbians now?” Alison asked as she positioned her Mini Cooper into a parking spot at the local drugstore.“I know a lot of girls in college who have experimented and they’re not lesbians. We did less than they did, so… no… I don’t believe this makes us lesbians,” Vanessa replied. She turned in the seat to look long and hard at her friend. “I thought we agreed not to talk about it again.”“We won’t,” Alison said as she pretended to lock her lip and throw away the key. “I just needed to get that question off my chest. No more need to talk or think about it.”Vanessa got a devilish look in her eye as she slyly undid her seatbelt while pretending to adjust the radio. When she was sure she could move freely and quickly, she twisted around and took Alison’s clothed breast in her mouth while slamming her hand into her
Martin stood in the doorway of Alison’s bedroom with a scowl on his face. “That’s what he gets for trying to beat me through the gate.”Alison gave him a puzzled look, while Vanessa quietly scolded him that now wasn’t the time.He smiled meekly before going to Nick and inspecting his condition. “He’s too heavy for me to carry back to the guest house and he’s going to be like this for a few days,” Martin said with certainty. “I can, however, help make the room, bed, and him more presentable before Wilma returns. What excuse you give her for him being comatose in your bed is your business.”Martin rolled Nick back and forth so that Vanessa and Alison could pull the bedding off the bed and remake it. He slowly shook his head and closed his eyes at the sight of the blood and semen stained coverlet, but said nothing. Even so, Alison wanted to crawl underneath the bed and not come out.