Distractions (7 page)

He turned me around to face him,

backing my rear to the edge of the

dresser, and then reaching behind my

neck to pull me closer in a deep kiss.

His tongue parted my lips and claimed

my mouth with an urgency as his hands

pulled my hips into his groin.

“I want to know what it’s like.” His

voice was deeper than I had heard

before. His teeth gently nipped along my

jaw and my neck, making me delirious.

“Shepard, I don’t have a condom.

And here now? Don’t you want it to be

special and take your time?”

He stopped and stood eye level

with me.

“I have waited long enough and we

don’t have much time. I want it to be

you, and I can’t think of a better way to

start the New Year. It will give a

completely new meaning to the ‘stroke

of midnight’.” The devilish look from

the bathtub returned.

“I just don’t want you to regret it –

regret me.” This was a lot to process. I

had never taken anyone’s virginity

before. Hell, I’d only been with one

other person. It had been so long that I

felt like a clumsy virgin myself.

“Never, Violet. I couldn’t ask for it

to happen anymore perfectly.” He

looked at his watch and said, “We have

three minutes to midnight.”

A mad fury of fingers started to

unbutton, unzip, slide off and remove

clothing until we were both naked and

tangled on the mattress. Shepard had a

small strip of condoms in his suit coat

pocket that he laid on the nightstand.

“You’re

pretty

ambitious,”

I

smirked while ripping a tear in the foil

packet with my teeth.

“I came prepared,” he replied

Reaching down to his already

hardened shaft, I stopped one last time

and asked if he was sure. Simply

nodding his head, I gently slid the latex

material down his impressive length.

Shaking from nerves at what was about

to take place, this moment could not be

reversed.

It was hard not to be excited with

him. Both of us were taking short

shallow

breaths,

waiting

for

the

countdown to start. As I held him at my

entrance, I teased him by squeezing my

muscles around the head. He rested his

hands upon my hips, his eyes taking in

my body before settling back on my face.

His irises had dilated in anticipation as I

trembled above him. Rubbing soothing

circles with his thumbs on my hips, he

reassured me. This is what he wanted

and calm began to wash over me.

The countdown could be heard by

the guests just on the other side of the

door as they shouted loudly along with

the projection screen and microphone in

the den.

With each shout, I gradually and

slowly lowered myself down a little

more.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1…

I gritted my teeth and closed my

eyes as he stretched me within, causing

soft moans to erupt from my throat.

Shepard held his breath tightly as I took

him inside of me all the way. The

partygoers were screaming wildly,

“Happy New Year”, while Shepard and

I stared silently at each other, focused on

the feeling of being connected.

“Are you okay?” The concern was

all over his face as he watched me

wince in slight discomfort.

“I should ask you the same thing,

but I am fine; it has just been a really

long time.” I used my knees to slide back

up, drawing another gasp from him. “I

want you on top; you’re in control here.”

He flipped over along with me until

he was nestled between my legs and

propped up on his elbows. Using my

hand once again to guide him to my

center, I used my other hand to

encourage his hips forward.

“You can go faster if you want, you

won’t hurt me.” I could feel the muscles

in his back and shoulders tense up,

knowing what he was thinking. His

mouth came over mine and pressed hard

for a short moment. I studied his face as

he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw

while, driving deeply into me. Never

had I seen anything so beautiful. A

spectrum of emotions washed over his

face as he took in the new sensations.

My hands involuntarily went to his hair

and threaded through the dampening

strands. Sweat started to bead on his

chest and drip down onto mine. I could

taste the salt of his skin with each brief

kiss he gave.

His breathing began to tell me he

was coming close, so I tightened around

him and whispered permission to “let

go”. With one final kiss, he was like a

prized stallion breaking for the finish

line, grunting hard and giving everything

he had to this moment. His hands pulled

the sheets into his fists for stability

while I dug my fingers into his

shoulders. Primitive noises poured out

of his lungs as he found release, looking

at me wildly from above. He stilled for

a few moments before collapsing on my

chest as I closed my own eyes in bliss.

Nothing was spoken for several

minutes as our breathing regulated. I

reached down in between my legs as

Shepard began to withdraw to ensure the

condom came out as well. Not being

familiar with what to do, I gently slid it

off of his very sensitive cock and tied it

into a knot.

“Um, thanks?” He scratched his

head, unsure of how to act.

With a little sarcasm and a smile I

replied, “You’re welcome?”

I shuffled off the bed to throw the

condom away and check my now

awesomely ruined hair and makeup.

While I wiped the runny mascara away

from my eyes, Shepard, still naked, came

up behind me, wrapping his arms around

my waist as he kissed my shoulder. I

held his arms close against my chest as

we took in our reflections.

“Violet, you are the most beautiful

thing I have ever seen.” He kissed my

shoulder again before resting his head

and breathing deeply.

“Are you okay, really?” Watching

to see his response, I became fearful at

his down expression.

“Do you care about me, Violet?”

I flipped around quickly to take his

face in my hands.

“Do not ever doubt that for a

moment.” I was tempted to drop the L

word, but it was too soon. I may have

felt it, but I knew better than to speak it.

He seemed satisfied with my

answer. Once again giving me a deep

kiss, he went to get my dress and

undergarments before readying himself.

When we rejoined the party, it would be

obvious to Jack and Adam what

happened. I just hoped they wouldn’t be

too pissed it happened here. After we

were both dressed, Shepard laced his

hand in mine and led me out into the

crowd after locking the door. Things

were starting to get even wilder, but for

us, it was all winding down. He never

took his hands off of me for one moment

the rest of the night. Jack and Adam

smiled but never said a word. Since he

didn’t have anything to drink, Shepard

asked if we could leave a little after two

in the morning.

Walking into my house, Shepard

shut the front door and backed me up

against it.

“Would it be wrong to ask for

more?” He immediately began to nip at

my neck and chin.

“You will be insatiable; I can

already tell.” I giggled at his eagerness.

“Only for you, Violet, only for

you,” he said. And with that, the next day

and a half was spent in bed, beginning to

makeup for all the years he waited.

Chapter 6 -

Breaking Even

I never once expected that the very

thing that would get me out of bed every

day was right next door the whole time.

The lab remained closed for several

weeks as the city forensics team was

hard at work, determining what really

took place that terrible night. The

university thought it would be a good

learning experience for the criminal

justice students, so they were allowed to

assist with the investigation. Personally,

I couldn’t stand to go near the building

as it was a constant reminder that there

were things they would never discover.

A few weeks after Shepard went

back to Vanderbilt University, I finally

had the strength to plug in the hard drive

that the Doc gave me. I didn’t need to

open a file; I already knew what it

contained. Every note, trial, investor,

supplier – you name it – was on that

drive. It was his complete work

compacted in a three by five inch metal

device that fit in the palm of my hand.

The memory stick was another story.

There were two files: one with my name

and the other was simply labeled

Instructions
.

The first file was a letter the Doc

wrote, detailing the turmoil he had

encountered

since

announcing

the

discovery. He thought something terrible

was going to happen, but he had no idea

it was coming so quickly. The second

file was a process for auctioning the

research.

My mind froze. Every neurological

process ceased before I even read the

instructions. The pieces started to fall

together – why I ran samples for a year

despite the find confirmed a hundred

times over. I was an insurance policy. I

could alter the gene with my eyes

closed.

He set me up
.

I could not go to the police because

I would become a suspect. There would

be no way for me to prove I had nothing

to do with his disappearance.

The bile rose out of my stomach,

emptying the contents across the

bedroom floor. Managing to make it to

through the doorway and roll over the

edge of the cold porcelain bathtub, it

began to lower the fever I felt rushing

through my bones. This doesn’t happen,

does it? Can a person escape one crazy

life just to find herself sucked into

another? Everything ran together in a

collision of consciousness, rendering me

unable to move. The smell of vomit

started to creep into the room, reminding

me that I could not avoid it forever.

As uncertainty threatened to pull me

under, the slender thread of stability

remained anchored within my heart.

Shepard would be calling soon. From

hundreds of miles away, his voice

chased away the darkness and encased

my soul in comfort. After Shepard left,

Jack emailed me a photo taken the night

of the party where Shepard was standing

behind me, arms wrapped around my

waist and lips nuzzled against my neck.

We were basking in the glow of the

stolen moment, a secret only we knew

captured forever on film. I kept it on my

phone and printed a copy to keep on the

nightstand. Shepard was the last thing I

saw before sleeping and the first thing

upon waking – a constant reminder that

this time, I was not alone.

In order to keep myself occupied, I

began planning a surprise trip for us to

go away during spring break. He

continuously chattered reminders of how

he would be back soon, occasionally

whispering naughty things he had in

mind. I loved how my cheeks would

blush like a schoolgirl. I dreamed of

warm weather, tropical drinks and ocean

adventures with Shepard by my side.

Once he confirmed he had a passport, it

was a matter of hitting the purchase

button.

No one would know who we were

or where we came from. We would be

two ordinary people, if only for a week.

I checked the itinerary relentlessly at

work, scoping out tourist information

from each port of call. A cruise sounded

so lovely and offered the most