Don't Forget Me (4 page)

“You seem on very good terms with the security guard, Mr. Brooks…”

“I make a generous annual donation and I often come here to reflect… But you’re still shivering…”

“Yeah, the rain soaked me through,” Stella whispered, her teeth chattering.

“ Wait, let me give you my shirt, my jacket is wet…” said Donn, using one hand to undo the buttons of his shirt with a sensual deftness and the other to soothe an increasingly tense Stella, who found herself shrinking from his erotic, feathery touch and the sight of him undressing before her.

“Breathe, Stella. Relax.”

His shirt now open, he pressed her tightly against him and walked her backwards till she was pinioned against a wooden cabinet. He then slowly eased off his shirt and gently wrapped it around her, letting it fall open on her breasts.

“But you can’t walk around shirtless,” she protested, while thinking what a shame it was to conceal such a perfectly sculpted chest behind a shirt. Donn smiled, with self-confidence, and put his jacket back on.

“I’ll survive… It looks beautiful on you, for sure. I should give you a different shirt to wear every day.”

“You have so many?”

“Enough.”

“As many as the girls you change every day?” she taunted him, the memory of what Vuk had told her reverberating in her mind.

Donn’s eyes widened, momentarily baffled.

“Ah… gossip and rumors,” he smiled and frowned at the same time, before continuing: “Well, you know how it is, one never stops searching for something… I’m not the romantic type, Stella.”

“And are you still looking?”

“I am looking into your eyes, waiting for them to say ‘yes, kiss me’.” With a fluid movement, Donn took her in his arms and lifted her onto the table behind her.

He saw her lips part coyly, then more eagerly at the demanding and expert touch of his mouth. He sucked her lips, paying particular attention to the lower one. He pressed his mouth voraciously to hers and abandoned himself, sliding his tongue into her mouth, savoring her sweet taste. They table rattled under their bodies as they were swept away by tides of passion..

He looked down at her, his eyes brimming with desire and possessiveness. In an instant, he opened her legs and ran his hand up her thigh, lifting her flimsy dress and pressing his body firmly against hers. He bit her lip, almost to the point of pain, and raided her mouth with his tongue. A hand slid through her locks and down her back, grasping her bare bottom, sending waves of excitement through her.

Stella groaned with pleasure, and Donn sighed, doing his best to stifle his deep breaths. He slid his thumbs into her bra cups, moving them downward, exposing her breasts which had been hidden by her push-up. He cupped them with both hands, squeezing them together. His forefinger teased one of her nipples, and he took the other in his mouth, making Stella’s very core erupt with pleasure.

“Hey, you, stop right there! How many times do I have to tell you that you can’t come in. The library is now closed to the public. Come back tomorrow!”

It was James shouting to someone whose rapid footsteps could be heard approaching the couple. Donn lifted his head from Stella’s breast and glanced at the door, infuriated. He covered her breasts and planted a kiss on her lips.

“Here comes trouble…” he whispered, pulling away from her, his brow furrowing.

“She’s in here, I know she is! I saw her car in the parking lot… And her friend told me this is where she last saw her!”

“Holy hell, it’s Vuk! I recognize his voice,” said Stella, shocked. She rested her hands on his chest. Donn stiffened at her touch.

Resigned, Donn put his arms around her, and gazing into her eyes, he lifted her gently off the table as if she was a priceless crystal vase and set her down, continuing to hold her close to his body.

“No! You’re quite mistaken, young man. There’s absolutely no one here, I’m telling you. Now, about face and quick march to the exit. Stop… stop right now, or else!”

Hearing the commotion and wondering what would happen next, Donn and Stella looked at each other searchingly, when Vuk, his face creased with worry, burst angrily into the room.

“Take your hands off her, Mr. Brooks. Let her go! Now!” Vuk roared, the fierce glint in his green eyes and the fiery yellow flecks in his irises signaling his wrath and fury.

Donn waved the security guard away, never taking his eyes off Vuk or his arms from around Stella.

“Don’t worry about him, James, thanks all the same.” The guard exited the room and the atmosphere turned icy cold.

“Stella, careful! He thirsts for your blood.”

Determined to protect her, Vuk walked across to them, his eyes radiating a mesmerizing fire.

“Even so, I would never have touched her in
that
way, without your permission” Donn replied, irritated. He frowned, darkness clouding his face.

“Vuk, cool it! I’m fine, he hasn’t hurt me,” Stella said, flustered. Vuk seemed to ignore her. His expression was harsh.

“D’you hear me, Mr. Brooks?” the young man roared again as he closed in toward Stella.

“Yes, I do indeed. Although I believe you owe me a little more courtesy and respect. Do not be deceived into interpreting my politeness as weakness… it would be a grave mistake on your part…. “

He gave him a withering look, his eyes becoming tender again when he turned his gaze to Stella. She was clearly on edge. He decided to let Vuk get away with it this time.

“See you next time, Miss Whitely.” He looked at her with desire, his pupils dilating.

“Mr. Brooks, thank you for sheltering me from the rain and for the beautiful tour of the library by night. You know, it fascinates me too.”

Donn softly caressed her face, lightly touched her lip and planted a burning kiss on the corner of her mouth. With a huge effort, he released her slowly to Vuk, who, almost dizzy with relief, pulled her to his side and scooped her off the ground. Tossing Donn a menacing look to underscore his ‘hands-off’ warning, he noticed with annoyance that Stella was wearing his shirt. He impulsively pulled it off her and slammed it down on the table, never once taking his eyes off the older man. He grabbed Stella’s hand and pulled her close to his chest. He put his arm around her protectively and, heads together, they walked out of the building to his pickup, which he’d hastily abandoned on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance to the library. They got in the pickup, heading to the parking lot where Stella had left her Corvette.
Otherside
by
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
blasted from the stereo.

“Here we are.” Vuk stopped the pickup close to the car park entrance. He ran his fingers through his damp hair. He turned the volume down and slipped off his brown-leather jacket with a slinky cat-like movement.

“Look, take my jacket, you don’t want to get drenched again.” He wrapped it, still warm from the heat of his body, quickly around her shoulders.

“Vuk, you don’t have to give me your jacket, really. My car’s right there,” she said, feeling his hands burning as he pulled the jacket tightly around her, tugging the leather to cover her up.

“I don’t need it. I’d rather you have it,” he said, his eyes turning into soft pools of golden light.

“Vuk, those eyes,” she sighed, fascinated, almost mesmerized by their hypnotic glow.

“I know.” His eyes were glued to her mouth.

With great effort, he released her from his embrace and his eyes immediately returned to their normal shade of green.

“Thanks for the lift…” she murmured softly. She bit her lip and gently stroked the hand grasping the gear lever, covering it with her own. She slipped the leather jacket he had placed on her shoulders onto the seat, opened the door and got out of the pickup.

Vuk saw her go, shivering under the rain and the black overcast sky.

“No, I can’t let you go like that!” he exclaimed impulsively. He took the jacket from the seat beside him, got out of the pickup and hurried after her as she headed to her Corvette.

“Stella, wait!” A warm, hoarse voice emerged from the desolate, rainy landscape behind her. Stella swung round, leaning against the door, and saw Vuk standing in front of her with a bright yellow glare in his eyes, his hair wet and unkempt, falling against his face. She nibbled at her lip. He was so handsome. He covered her with his jacket under the rain and kissed her on the forehead.

“Vuk, you’re drenched,” murmured Stella, shivering from the cold. She stroked the raindrops on his face and buried her fingers in his soaking hair.

“I wanted to make sure you were all right, babe.” He took her chin and brushed the hair from her face, holding it to one side with a hand on her head. With a groan he threw himself on her lips and kissed her passionately, feeling the cool raindrops form rivulets down their faces and around their interlocked lips. He hugged her to him, savoring her avidly wherever he could, his kiss intensifying, and he pressed himself against her, his tongue reaching the far corners of her mouth. He pressed her against the Corvette and let his hands rise up her body, pushing her dress up till he reached her bare buttocks. He squeezed her hips and stroked the sides of her breasts, then moved back to her neck, holding her nape with a grunt while he continued to ply her with imperious, penetrating kisses. He sucked the raindrops from her lips, drawing them one by one into his mouth, while he closed his teeth over her fleshy lips, feeling them tremble from the cold. He withdrew reluctantly, half closing his eyes between one kiss and another, and leaned against her forehead, breathing deeply. Their clothes were completely drenched.

Vuk opened the door on the driver’s side and helped her in. He moved to the other side of the car and got in beside her with a swift, lithe movement. He ripped apart his dripping t-shirt, baring his chest, and pulled her towards him.

“Come here, Stella, I want to warm you up.” He drew her to his muscular chest and warmed her with the heat of his body, a burning heat that slowly calmed her shivers.

“Vuk…” She could not utter any other word. Her heart beat accelerated. Stella surrendered herself into the warmth of his arms, entranced by the drops of rain chasing each other haphazardly down the car window, the lulling sound of his heartbeat. Her fingertips gently caressed his bare chest and she let the growing heat of his body melt the pillar of ice that had formed inside her. Her eyelids closed, relaxing into the moment and its exquisite contrasts.

Vuk hugged her tighter still and let his body pump out such heat it seemed to sear and scorch the chilly autumn air that had invaded the car.

“You warming up yet, Stella? Now I’m sure you’re not going to freeze to death…”

Smiling, Vuk stroked her hair, cupped her jaw and raised her chin to plant a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

“I choose you, Stella. And you?” He slowly detached his body from hers and got out of the car into the still-pouring rain, his handsome chest framed by his torn tee-shirt.

She watched him through the rain-splattered window dodging puddles as he ran to his truck, her eyes tracking him until he blended into the opaque fog of gray rain. Suddenly, gripped by an icy chill, she shook her troubled head as if to free it of the doubts and emotions at war inside her. With a deep sigh, she sparked the engine and turned on the stereo. The music started;
I’ll Follow You
by
Shinedown
. She nosed her Corvette out of the parking lot, not realizing Vuk was still watching her intently from behind the windshield of his truck. He seemed to be there waiting for her.

Warner’s secret

D
onn remained a
fixture in Stella’s mind as the days that followed blended, one into the other, his shadow seeming to have taken up permanent residence. Then, one day as Stella left The Pats, she paused to look at a black Bentley Continental GT parked across the street. She watched it carefully. It seemed to be the same car she had seen passing on South Border Road that very afternoon, when she was running towards her Corvette.

Then, distracted by the vibration of the cell phone in her jeans pocket, her eyes shifted from the car and widened in disbelief as she saw Jason’s caller ID on the screen.

“Jason, is that really you?”

“Hey, Stella, God, it’s great to hear your voice.”

“How are you?”

“Good, now that I’m talking to you…”

“I miss hearing your voice sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Well, maybe a bit more…”

“I couldn’t help thinking of you before, seeing the rain outside the window…”

“Jason, you sound weird, are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, I just ache so bad from missing you so much.”

“Are you at home?”

“Yes. I guess you’re not, I can hear street noises. Tell me exactly where you are so I can picture you in my mind.”

“I’m outside The Pats, waiting for Scott.”

“We spent so many evenings there, remember?”

“Sometimes it seems easier to try to forget; remembering is too painful.”

“Are you trying to forget me, Stella? Oh God…” he groaned. “Please don’t forget me.”

“I wish I could forget you, Jason, but I can’t, no matter how hard I try… I get the feeling, from the way you talk, that something or someone has forced you out of my life.” Stella chuckled wryly.

“Pretty much… Look, I know I owe you an explanation, and as soon as I can I’ll pay that debt, but to call things complicated right now would be a gross understatement.”

“Yeah, right, like how many times have I heard that before…”

“Hey, Stella, don’t say that…”

“Jason, it’s been a year already!”

“Stella, promise me you’ll wait for me.”

“I don’t know, Jason, I’m confused…”

“Please, Stella, don’t hang up without giving me an answer. It’d tear me apart…”

She didn’t know what to say. She took a deep breath. Something drew her eyes to the other side of the road. In that instant, she saw Donn climb out of his Bentley. He headed straight for her. She turned pale.

“Donn is here,” she gasped to herself. Her breath ceased. She couldn’t tear her eyes from him, her heart beating wildly. She felt a lump in her throat. His eyes burned with an eerie light, as if hiding a dark secret.

“Stella, please…” Jason’s voice dwindled to a tinny echo as Stella’s eyes tracked Donn.

“I’m sorry, Jason, I need to go now,” she said, enraptured by Donn’s blues eyes as he crossed the street with a breathtaking smile.

“He’s come here for me!” Stella whispered to herself. She felt her body quiver deep within its core, her face registering her surprise.

“No, Stella, wait, let’s talk some more…” he tried to keep her on the line.

Donn caught up with her in front of the tavern door, watching her with bold eyes that didn’t miss a beat. He was breathtakingly handsome. He was wearing a blue t-shirt that perfectly complemented his sky-blue eyes, jeans and a pair of sports shoes.

“Hi.” He bent down and kissed her on the lips.

“Er… Hi.” Stella blushed and moved the cell phone from her ear. She closed her eyes and felt an intense desire run through her, all-pervading, right down to the pit of her stomach. She opened her eyes again and reddened under Donn’s penetrating stare.

“Donn, what are you doing here?” Her voice grew colder, her expression revealed a hint of awkwardness. Donn was there in front of her, in flesh and blood, while Jason was holding the line and listening to her.

“I’ve come to see you, it’s obvious isn’t it?” He looked at her impassively, his gaze becoming circumspect.

“Stella, who’s Donn?” she heard Jason calling out crossly on the phone. Stella’s face grew redder still and she struggled to find words.

“Mmm… no one,” she mumbled hesitantly, unable to mask her unease. Jason noted the tension in her voice, wracking his brain to remember where he’d heard that name before.

“No one? Are you seeing someone else already?” His voice was full of anguish.

“What if I am…? It
has
been a year, Jason.”

“Stella, please tell me what’s going on!” Jason said, writhing in torment. Donn’s hands gently stroked her cheek, and his thumb reached for her lips.

“Goodnight, Jason.”

“No, wait! Stella! Don’t cut us off!” he protested, only to hear her abruptly sever the connection. Stella’s head lowered and Donn gently lifted her chin so he could look her straight in the eye. A contented smile spread across his face.

“Well, I’ve been called many things, Stella, but never ‘no one’. How humbling. Do you really find me so bland and inconspicuous? Should I be making a greater effort to court you?” he asked her with an ironic smile, trying to divert her gloomy thoughts.

“No, you do more than enough, Donn. I’m sorry, but the bar just closed, it’s a shame you got here too late.”

“Yes, I realize it’s late and that the bar’s closed…”

“Are you still playing cloaks and daggers with me, Donn?”

“It’s as good a way as any to get your attention, Miss Whitely.”

“Nice wheels,” she commented.

“I know.” Donn looked at his impressive motorcar and smiled. “I’ll take you home. Would you like to drive it?” Stella’s eyes widened in surprise, her lips in an electrified light smile.

“Sure! But I need to make sure Scott’s ok before you whisk me off.” He watched her go back into the bar, a pensive expression on his face until she reappeared a few minutes later. He led her to his Bentley with his hand delicately placed on her lower back. With a flourish, he offered her the key, his eyes never wavering from hers.

Stella stroked his arm, running down to his wrist, and then his hand, softly tracing his fingers until she reached the keys. Donn held the key tight. He could not resist the maddening urge to kiss her, pressing his body against hers.

“Shall we go?” whispered Donn, with a warm tone. He opened the door on the driver’s side and guided Stella into the seat. He raised both hands to rest them on the roof of the car and leaned in suggestively, looking down at her, desire burning in his eyes.

“You grace it like it was made for you, Stella.”

“It’s a dream come true to drive this car,” Stella raised her head to find his breathtaking eyes gazing at her.

“And my dream is to be with you, my angel… But aren’t you forgetting something?” Donn bent forward, the promise of a kiss in his eyes deepening the seed of desire he’d sowed in her.

“Am I?” she asked faintly.

Then, she felt him gently slide the seatbelt over her shoulder. She stiffened instinctively as he drew it across her breasts, flattening her body against the back of the seat and arching her neck back to press her head into the headrest. She felt something surge inside her, and she arched her body toward him and let her lips skim the mouth that was now hovering over hers.

Their breaths intermingled as once again a flash of desire shone in both their eyes. Stella bit her lip and Donn pressed his tongue against her mouth, sucked her lip and penetrated the rear of her mouth, caressing every part of it.

“Do you bite your lip on purpose?” asked Donn, watching her sternly, breathlessly. He felt the need to bite that lip too.

“Sorry,” murmured Stella, hesitantly.

Donn looked at her cautiously, impassively, and continued to draw the seatbelt across her body, sensing how aroused she was, feeling her quiver as he let his thumb graze the top of her frayed denim shorts, until a loud metallic click announced that he had locked it in place, bringing them both crashing back to earth.

“You lead the way, I don’t know the road to your house, and anyway I’d rather stay behind you …” he said.

He stepped back and softly closed the door, his body moving with languorous grace to her Corvette. Sparking the engine, he let it warm up first as he greedily inhaled the scent of the noir perfume he had smelled in her hair. He let his eyes fall to the passenger seat and the shirt she had left there. Picking it up and holding it tightly in his fists, Donn closed his eyes and put it to his nostrils, inhaling her scent, intoxicated. Unable to stem his curiosity, he opened the glove compartment that held Stella’s things, a jumble of CDs, an iPod, lip gloss, a gauzy scarf, car documents, sunglasses, invitations to parties, make-up, hair elastics, hand cream, a bottle of her perfume and a digital camera.

He switched the camera on and began to scroll through her photos. His attention was caught by those dated over a year ago, the ones of her and Jason as they held each other tightly, looking intimately into each other’s eyes or kissing each other passionately.

He covertly slid the camera back where he’d found it when he saw the headlights of the Bentley reflected in the rearview mirror; he rolled down the window and waited for Stella to drive alongside.

“Hey there,” she said defiantly, jamming her foot on the accelerator.

“You do wonders for my car, Miss Whitely, it looks magnificent with you at the wheel.”

She blushed and stretched her lips in a smile.

“Why didn’t you already get a start on me?” she asked, curious, leaning her head on a side.

“I just wanted to see if you had a spirit of adventure!” he teased with a smile.

“Oh boy, you’re gonna wish you’d never said that,” she laughed and promptly floored the accelerator, leaving Donn blinking in astonishment. He quickly recovered and, crashing the gears, pressed his foot to the floor to race after her. She’s going way too fast, he thought, worried, deciding he’d better overtake her to slow her down, only to see her deftly pull even further ahead of him. He tried again to overtake her but at the last minute saw a car come hurtling toward him in the opposite lane. Fortunately Stella had seen it too and slammed on the Bentley’s brakes, giving Donn just enough room to swerve safely in front of her and escape an otherwise unavoidable collision.

He made her slow down and hit the road for home. They pulled up beside her house. Stella got out of the car, she was furious as Donn walked rapidly towards her.

“Damn it, Donn, are you out of your freaking mind trying a stunt like that?” Stella shouted, hitting his chest repeatedly, still trembling from fright.

“You should have warned me it I would have to risk an accident to get you to slow you down,” said Donn drily, feeling her blows land on his chest like soft caresses. He looked at her dismissively and Stella turned abruptly toward the house, tense and irritated by Donn’s sudden, but by now expected mood swings, which ranged from irascible to extroverted to disciplined and frustratingly impenetrable.

“No, Stella, wait!” He grabbed her wrist and suddenly materialized in front of her.

“You’re so fast! I didn’t even see you come past me!”

“Sorry. Force of habit.”

“No, it’s me that owes you an apology, I’m sorry Donn. I guess I got carried away, I was having so much fun driving your car… You wouldn’t have attempted that stupid stunt otherwise.”

He lashed out suddenly and kicked the side of his car hard. “There, now do you still think I did it for my car?”

“I just thought…” Stella started to say, stunned as she stared at the ugly dent in the Bentley, then flinching as he ploughed his fist violently into the rear windscreen, shattering it into a gazillion jagged pieces.“Need I go on, Stella? You were speeding up and I wanted you to slow down, nothing else.” Stella lowered her eyes, dejected. Her instinct told her he was telling the truth.

Donn placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face. Stella felt unnerved by his gaze.

“So you know where I live! Are you some kind of stalker?” She nibbled on her lip.

“Yep, and I’m a control freak, too.” The harshness in his tone made her stop biting her lip, but then his eyes turned tender again.

“So you’re trying to control me now, are you?” she whispered.

“Why do you ask, angel?”

He grabbed her hip. Stella, perturbed, refused to reply. Donn scrutinized her face, her embarrassment not escaping him.

He stopped in front of the entrance and drew her between his arms while he waited for a reply.

Meanwhile, Jason had just arrived from Boston by motorbike, suspicious of the man’s voice he had heard on the mobile, and was watching them from a distance. Donn had noticed him.

“I want to kiss you,” Stella confessed, hesitantly.

She blushed and bit her lip again. Donn raised his eyebrows for a moment and, taken by surprise, looked at her, nonplussed but sure of himself.

“You only have to ask, Stella… and don’t bite your lip!” he scolded her severely, before kissing her on the mouth, sucking her lips avidly and plunging his tongue deeply into her.

“Now go to bed, little angel, it’s late,” he murmured earnestly. He wanted to speak to Jason. He brushed her hair out of her face, lowered his hand down to her chin, then stroked her lips with his thumb and withdrew, not wanting to get too aroused. Stella went into the house and Donn turned towards Jason. He reached him in an instant and stared at him impassively.