A Blind Fall

chapter twenty four

The usual freshness of soap-smelling linens wasn't there, a spicy and musky scent instead flooded all her senses. Rolling on her stomach, she winced at the sudden ache in her lower body. Unsure she'd actually felt it, she moved her legs beneath the satin sheets, and as as her muscles flexed, she groaned painfully.

Begrudgingly, her heavy eyelids parted and she groaned some more from the intrusion of sun rays, through what seemed like a glass house. She was in a bed, a massive, masculine bed positioned amidst a glassy room with crystal chandelier and opulent furniture.

Struggling to sit up, ignoring the what she now understood to be soreness, the warmth infiltrating the room caressed her skin and she sighed contentedly. That it felt like tanning at the beach reminded her she was buck naked and she pulled the white sheets to her chest.

Darting her eyes about, lazily, she spotted her ruined pair of undies and all sorts of man clothes. Clothes she recalled to have been worn by a certain Mr Dang Right I'm Sexy, before some pheromones went amok and they were making out like school kids.

She slowly brought her finger to trace her sensitive lips and winced. They were ridiculously swollen and she definitely needed a mirror to know how much. A smile broke on her face and her eyes fluttered shut, as she relished a certain serenity that washed over her from the memories of the night before. Of course she knew she was too old to make a mountain deal out of the natural occurrence the previous night but, something in her heart awoke last night. Something intense and special, and she knew she'd never felt like that before.

It was dangerous to hope Oscar had experienced the same but what did it matter? She was no longer a Holy Mary and she definitely wasn't all about fantasies. It had happened. She'd been thoroughly made love to and nothing would make her regret that. And by Oscar?

She sighed audibly and relaxed on the velvety headboard, hands sandwiched between her thighs. Knowing she had to leave soon as she couldn't afford to act all clingy simply because a delicious man had done exactly what domineering men like him did to inexperienced women like her -ruin her for average men, if she was lucky and not ruined for all men- she snapped her eyes open and dangled her legs at the edge of the bed. Scooting to the edge, she planted her legs as steadily as she could on the warm, Persian rug and stood on her wobbly legs.

Scanning around for the bathroom, her eyes got distracted by the half naked manly figure standing at the balcony. A balcony, she realized she hadn't seen before, utterly engrossed in reminiscing the magical night before.

She stared. And then stared and stared again. And still, it was difficult to tell whether he was human or a sculpted, marble statue meant for adoration. The more she looked at him, the clearer the events from last night flashed through her mind. She remembered tangling her fingers through that messy hair while returning his kisses. She recalled the feel of his broad shoulders and defined biceps, the wonderfulness of his abdominal ridges, so taut and chiseled. She knew now the marks on his back were hers, her mind running back to how tightly she'd clung to him, clawing his back as he took her to a foreign land of nothingness, clouds and buoyancy.

Everything he'd done to her, with her, was engraved in her soul and there was no forgetting it. Looking at him now, bare back to her, left hand propped on his manly hip, right arm flexing as he held the phone to his ear, thick thighs and long legs accentuated by his grey boxers, she wasn't sure she wouldn't be stalking him around. What she was certain of, was that she'd be petty enough to ensure other females kept off. After all she'd actually never really fought for anything, why not him? He made her happy and for once Gabrielle truly, really wanted to be happy.

Biting on the corner of her lower lip, she seductively cat-walked towards him, softly enough not to alert him.

"Listen to me," she caught his words, standing a mere inch from him. "You can't come here. Yes, yes, I understand sweetheart," he continued in hushed tones as she listened on. "No, no, of course I love you and that's why I've told Nicholas to book you into the best hotel. Whatever you want. Just. Don't. Come. Here no matter what. I'll see you later."