Shattered Perfection (19 page)

She may have known her way around my house for whatever reason, but I was not about to let her go gallivanting around like she owned the place.  I placed the box on Vance’s chair, not wanting to risk messing up his organized chaos any more than I already had in my search for his car key.

I exited the office to find this stranger standing in the doorway to our bedroom, staring in at Vance as he was sleeping.  Good thing he wasn’t sleeping naked as he normally did, I thought.

“What do you think you’re doing?”  I asked.  “I told you to wait for me in the living room.”

“I just wanted to see if he was okay.  It’s not like him to not come into the office, even if he’s sick,” she said innocently.

I closed the bedroom door quietly and ushered her back down the hallway, so our talking wouldn’t disturb Vance’s rest.  Once we were back in the front of the house, I turned to her and said, “You could have easily asked after his well-being.  I don’t understand why you felt it was in any way appropriate to make yourself at home in my house.”

“I’m sorry, Mimi.  I guess I just do feel at home here, after all the time I’ve spent in this house.  I didn’t mean to offend you.  Please tell Vance I hope he feels better soon.  I’ll—He’ll be missed while he’s gone.”  She offered me a weak smile before turning to the door and letting herself out.

I didn’t know what she meant by feeling at home in my house, but I wasn’t going to put too much thought into it just then.  I resolved to discuss it with Vance when he was awake and feeling more rested.  Instead, I set about making him a nourishing lunch.

Just as I was taking a fillet of red snapper out of the oven, Vance came into the kitchen yawning and scratching his stomach.  He smiled at me, looking much better than he had this morning.

“Mmmm, that smells good, Mimi.  Is that for me?”  He asked.  “I sure hope so, because I feel like I could eat everything in this house.”

“It is.  I also made you a green salad and some pasta in olive oil to go with it.  I’ll have it plated for you in no time,” I said with a smile.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” he inquired with a frown, looking around and seeing only enough for one.

I shrugged nonchalantly.  “I had a sandwich earlier, but I’ll sit with you while you eat.”

We took our places at the kitchen table, and he dug into his food with gusto.  It was obvious he was grateful for a home cooked meal after weeks of takeout.   “My god, Mimi.  This is delicious.  I can’t tell you how tired I am of Chinese, Pizza or anything that comes out of a cardboard or Styrofoam container.”

“You know, I was thinking about that.  I could always start making dinner and bringing it to you at the office.  That way you’d be eating better and we’d at least have the opportunity to see each other for a few minutes.  Surely you could take twenty minutes or so to stop and eat.”  I suggested. 

He paused, his fork halfway to his mouth before setting it back down again.   I could see the wheels of his mind turning as he thought the idea over.  “I might not be able to do that every night as some days are just too crazy, but that just might work two or three nights a week.  You don’t think that would be too much work for you, though?  I don’t want you going to too much trouble.”

“Are you kidding me, Vance?  I would do just about anything to have some time with you.  Besides, I’m just as tired of having sandwiches for dinner and eating alone.  I miss cooking for the both of us.  I think it would actually be fun having a picnic of sorts in your office.”  I smiled encouragingly at him, liking the idea more and more.  I wished it had occurred to me earlier.

“Great!” he said enthusiastically.  “Let’s start doing that as soon as I get back to work.  Now I have something to look forward to.  That will help me get through the long days.”

“Speaking of work,” I said as he went back to eating.  “Some woman named Tiffany dropped off a box of files for you.  I left it on the chair in your office.”

He stiffened slightly.  “Tiffany came by?”

“Yeah, I thought you asked for someone to bring you some stuff.”

“I did,” he said as finished his meal, wiping his mouth with his napkin and tossing it on his plate.  “I just didn’t think it would be her.  Did she say anything?”

I paused for a moment, wondering if I should bring up her odd behavior and her implications that she and Vance were close at some point, close enough that she had spent a good amount of time in our house.  Apparently I paused for too long.

“What is it, Mimi?  What did she say?” he asked, sounding more than a little concerned.

“Well, she did say that you would be missed, but mostly it’s not so much what she said, it’s how she acted.  She was very comfortable in the house, and made it a point to let me know that she was.  She did say that she had spent a lot of time here in the past.  Also, when I went to put the box of files in your office, I asked her to wait in the living room.  When I came out of the office, I found her standing in the doorway of our bedroom, staring in at you while you slept.  It was kind of creepy.”

“What did she say when you caught her?”

“That she only wanted to make sure that you were okay, because you never take time off from work.  What is it with this woman, Vance?  Who is she?”

“She’s an associate at the firm.  We used to be friends, even went out on a few dates, so she’s been over here before.  Nothing was ever serious between us, but we stopped seeing each other when I met you.  She wasn’t very happy when I told her I had met someone else, but we ended things on friendly terms.  We’ve maintained a polite, professional distance since then, which is why I’m surprised she’d be the one to bring the box,” he explained.

I had a feeling there might be a bit more to the story than he was letting on, given the way he stiffened when I mentioned her name, but I didn’t press the issue.  If he was telling me there was nothing there to be concerned about, then I wasn’t.

“Well, she left easily enough.  In hindsight, I think she just wanted me to know that there had been something between you two before, no matter how small it was, maybe hoping I’d be jealous.  Some women are like that.  What matters to me is that you’re mine.  I don’t care about what came before me.  All I care about is what happened after we met.”  I said with a smile.

Vance leaned in and kissed me on the lips, then whispered against them, “You.  You happened after we met, Mimi Ashcroft, and I’ve never been the same.”

I insisted Vance return to bed after he ate his meal, even though he was adamant that he couldn’t sleep anymore.  I told him I didn’t care, he needed rest and I was going to make sure he got it.  After I cleaned up the dishes from his meal, I returned to the bedroom and changed into a camisole and a pair of soft jogging shorts and joined him in the bed.  We spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling and quietly chatting.  I was pleased that Vance seemed to forget all about the box of files waiting for him in his office.  He needed to have at least one day with no work on his mind, and I needed this time with him, reconnecting and sharing affection with him.  It felt good to be with him again, and the frightening events of the night before last were just a distant memory. 

We talked and laughed, and made plans for things we wanted to do, places we wanted to go when the deal he was currently working on was over.  He was particularly excited about the idea of a trip to Lake Tahoe, insisting we rent a cabin, and spend the time sequestered there, just the two of us with peaceful, snowy scenery as our backdrop for a romantic weekend.

“Wouldn’t you want to get out and do something, at least?”  I asked, nestled comfortably in his arms.

“Mimi, there are four things to do in Tahoe in the winter time.  Ski, gamble, drink and fuck.  I vote for spending our time drunk, naked, and fucking as much as possible.  If we absolutely, positively have to go out, I suppose we could have dinner somewhere, but I was thinking our luggage should only consist of our toothbrushes.”

I giggled happily.  “Well, if we go with your vote, we should probably bring along more than our toothbrushes.  At some point, we will require nourishment of some kind, and I don’t think the restaurants will appreciate your choice of attire.”

“Then it’s settled.  We will go to Tahoe with toothbrushes, tequila and toast the only things weighing us down.”

“Sounds like a plan.  Although, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll pack a little bit more than just toast to eat.  You know, in case we get snowed in, or something,” I said reasonably.

“Oh, all right, but we’re going to work on your sense of adventure,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

The following day, Vance slept in late, which made me happy.  I was afraid he’d be up at the crack of dawn either itching to get at that box of files, or worse, insisting he needed to be back at the office.  While he was sleeping, I made a large breakfast of eggs, French toast, fresh fruit, and coffee.  I put everything on a tray and brought it to the room.  He stirred as soon as I entered.  As I set the tray down on his nightstand, he cracked open an eye. 

“What is that fantastic smell?” he asked.

“Oh, do you like it?  It’s my new perfume.  I call it Eau de Breakfast.”

“I think the only way it could smell better is if it were the only thing you were wearing,” he said suggestively.

“Still a pervert and a dork, I see,” I teased.

He sat up in bed with a yawn.  “And sadly my dear, you are just a dork.  Eau de Breakfast.”

I laughed and handed him a fork before placing the tray on his lap.  Just then, the doorbell rang.  I stood and admonished him.  “Now I want that plate cleared by the time I get back.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” he said through a mouthful of food.  “This is heavenly.”

I opened the door and was astonished to see Tiffany standing there holding a bakery box.

“Hello, Tiffany.  I’m surprised to see you here.  Is there something I can do for you?”  I inquired politely, even though I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew what she was up to.

“Hi, Mimi.  May I come in?”

Against my better judgment, I stepped back and allowed her to come inside.

“I thought you’d be at work, so I brought Vance some breakfast.”  She held up the box and shook it slightly, while giving me a big smirk.  “I got him his favorite.  Raspberry jelly.”

I’ll just bet you thought I’d be at work
, I thought to myself.  “Well, Vance has eaten, but I’ll be sure to let him know you dropped by.”  I said reaching out to take the box from her.

Just then a shirtless Vance came into the room, carrying the tray of empty dishes.

“Thank you, Mimi.  That was delicious.  I inhaled every—Oh, uh, hello Tiffany,” Vance said, looking extremely awkward.  I would have sworn I saw his cheeks turn slightly pink.  “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried you might still be feeling under the weather, so I thought I’d bring you something to help perk you up.”  She thrust the box at him, even though his hands were full of the tray of dishes, as her eyes moved avariciously over his naked torso.  He looked at me uncomfortably. 

“Uh, thanks,” he said, motioning to the tray in his hands with his chin. 

She dropped the box on top of the tray and followed him into the kitchen as he left the room.  I followed too, just to see how things would turn out.

“So, you seem to be feeling better,” she said.  “I guess you’ll be back to work tomorrow, then?”  She seemed awfully hopeful.

“I’m a lot better than I was yesterday, thanks to Mimi’s marvelous skills as a nurse.”  He looked at me and winked.  “But I think I’ll need at least another day before I’m back to fighting weight.  Maybe two.”

“Oh,” she said, her face falling.  She brightened again, her back straightening.  “I can take back the stuff you worked on yesterday, if you’re finished, and bring you more, until you’re ready to go back.”

“I haven’t even opened the box, yet.  I’ve been flat on my back, suffering Mimi’s tender, loving care,” Vance said suggestively.

Following his lead, I continued, “We appreciate you coming by, Tiffany, but I really do need to get Vance back in bed.”  Vance turned away and started piling his dishes in the sink.  I heard the sound of his strangled laughter covered by a poorly faked cough.

I took ahold of her arm gently and began leading her toward the door.  Vance followed along behind, an amused expression on his face.  We stopped when we reached the door, Vance opening it up and leaning against it while I guided her out onto the porch.

“It really was very thoughtful of you to follow up on Vance’s well-being, but I promise you, I have all of his needs well covered.  You can go back to work and rest easy.”  I smiled as Vance came to my side and slid his arm around my waist.

“Please give everyone at work my best, and let them know I’ll be back in a few days.  Take care, Tiffany.”  With that, Vance closed the door on her slightly bewildered face.

We both chuckled as we walked back to the bedroom and lay down in the bed, snuggling up to each other like we did the day before. 

“What is her deal?”  I asked.  “I’d never even heard of her before yesterday, and now she’s been here, two days in a row.  Today with your favorite pastries in hand.  At a time she thought I wouldn’t be home, I might add.”   Turning in his arms, I looked up at his face.  “Why didn’t I know raspberry donuts are your favorite?”

He burst out laughing.  “They’re not, Mimi.  I don’t know what gave her that idea.  We were in a business meeting a couple weeks ago and I had one, but honestly, that was the first one I’d had in years.  While I’m being honest, I have to say I was rather disappointed.  I’d thought it was strawberry.”

We laughed together for a few moments, then lay there quietly, enjoying the close proximity of each other’s body.  Vance began skimming his hand across my bare arm as he looked into my eyes, his own slowly filling with desire.  I smiled knowingly at him, feeling the stirrings of arousal begin in my own body.

“Don’t you have work you need to do?” I asked him teasingly. 

“Yeah, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem all that important right now.  I can think of far more interesting, more pleasurable pursuits.”

“Is that so?” I asked, running my own hands over his hard, bare chest, letting my fingernails lightly scratch against his skin.  He shivered slightly under my touch.

“Mmhmm.  Why don’t you let me show you what I have in mind,” he said as he rolled over on top of me and buried his face in the crook of my neck, licking along its length until he reached my earlobe.  He took the small bit of flesh between his teeth and bit lightly, causing goose bumps to break out over my skin and a delicious thrill to run through my body.  Wrapping my arms around his back, I held him tightly to me, as he brought his lips to mine and kissed me tenderly.

“I love you so much, Mimi.  It’s been so hard these last weeks, working so much and being away from you.  I feel like I have been slowly going mad being apart from you.   Nothing has been right, I haven’t been right without you.  Now that I have had time to spend with you, even just this little bit, I feel like I’m grounded again.  Like I was very ill and am finally well again.  If that makes any sense, at all.”

“I understand, Vance.  You really haven’t been well.  I can see that now.  All that stress has really taken a toll on you physically.  I’m glad I insisted you take this time to recharge because you already look a world better than you have in weeks.”

“I’d wager I’m about to feel even better…,” he said.

I laughed.  “Didn’t you learn your lesson about making bets in Atlantic City with Pete?”

He chuckled.  “We can come up with something to make it interesting, if the bet alone isn’t enough for you.”

“Oh no.  I’m not making a fool’s bet, because you’re absolutely right. You’re about to feel much, much better,” I said before taking control and rolling him onto his back. 

I kissed him deeply, running my tongue over his lips before delving inside to let my tongue tangle sensually with his.  I slowly made my way down his neck to his chest, trailing my tongue over the grooves of muscle forming his pectorals as I worked over to one dusky nipple.  I wrapped my lips around the flat disc and sucked the tiny pebble between my teeth, causing him to gasp and arch beneath me.  His hands tangled in my hair, pressing me to his chest and I felt the bulge of his erection hardening beneath my abdomen.  I flicked the skin between my teeth with my tongue rapidly, before taking another long pull, making him tense beneath me again.  Finally I released him and began moving down his abdomen with more tiny kisses and licks over the taut flesh covering those rippling muscles. 

When I reached his waistband, I didn’t hesitate to slip my fingers inside and drag his pants down his hips.  He lifted up, eagerly assisting me in removing them, but I only pulled them down far enough to expose the full length of his pulsing cock and his firm, tightly drawn balls.  I studied his magnificence for a moment.  The sight of him hard and wanting had always taken my breath away, the notion that all that desire was for me was more than I could comprehend sometimes.  I had always felt humbled and unworthy of something so beautiful, so perfect. 

I took him in my hand and licked him from base to tip, in one long, slow, torturous swipe.  He groaned and jerked against me involuntarily.  “Shhh…,” I whispered to him.  “Just lay back and enjoy, my love.” 

I licked him again, pausing at the top to swirl my tongue around the crown, before encircling it with my lips and sucking hard.  I inched my way down slowly, allowing my saliva to thoroughly coat the length of his shaft, until my nose pressed against his pubic bone and the tip of his cock was firmly in the back of my throat.  I slid back up, letting my tongue dance around the length of him, eliciting another soft moan from him.  Gradually building up a steady rhythm, I cradled the heaviness of his balls in one hand, while my other hand joined my mouth in measured strokes over that gloriously hard piece of flesh.  I couldn’t get enough of the taste of him on my tongue.  I became aware of my own whimpering echoing in my ears as I bobbed my head over him, eagerly devouring his length with enthusiasm.

I pressed the flat of my tongue against his hardness, heightening the sensation, as I picked up my pace, my assisting hand gripping him tighter.  I worked myself into a sucking frenzy over him as I felt his hands wind into my hair, pushing me down and pulling me up, helping me with my movements, moving me into a faster tempo.

“Yes, Mimi.  That feels so fucking good.  I love your greedy little mouth and hands, sucking and stroking me like you can’t get enough.  Make me come, Mimi.  Take your prize, baby.  It’s all yours.”

Encouraged by his words, I re-doubled my efforts and worked my tongue over and around his shaft, the way I knew he liked it.  Letting it dance and swirl all around his dick with every stroke up and down, I reached my fingers just beneath his balls and began slowly massaging that bit of skin, gradually pressing in to put pressure on his prostate gland.  He spread his legs wide, and began thrusting his hips up into my mouth, fucking my face.  I let go of him with my hand and backed off with the strokes of my mouth, letting him take over.  His hands tightened in my hair as he sought his pleasure by using me.  I loved it when he did this, just took control and forgot about being gentle or anything to do with my comfort or pleasure.  I loved being an observer to him succumbing to his own ecstasy, especially if I was the cause of it.

His fingers curled into tight fists, pulling my hair at the roots as I felt the first spurts of his ejaculate coat my tongue.  His moan was guttural as he cried out to the ceiling, his back arching in a spasm of pure bliss.  I immediate dove down, driving him deeper into my throat as I sucked hard, milking him of every drop of his salty load.  Purring with contentment like a fat cat, I delighted in the flavor of his pleasure.  I licked him clean, not sparing any drop of his essence.  His hands came under my arms, dragging me up the length of his body to bring me to his lips for a long kiss.  He cradled my head in one of his large palms as he looked into my eyes lovingly, before a slow smirk took over his face.