"Not yet. I"m playing that one by ear."
My questions are like a machine gun. "Does she know you"re free?"
"Yes."
"Why didn"t she call me, then?"
"I told her not to. I wanted to surprise you, myself."
"So you chucked it all out of the helicopter into the sea?" He nods. "RIP Monsieur Chevalier."
"My father wasn"t called Chevalier."
"Really."
"Sophie and I changed our names when we were in hiding."
Another little secret. "Chevalier - Knight. Whose idea was that?"
"Mine, of course. At eight years old, I fancied the idea of being a knight in shining armor galloping on my steed. I was into Sir Lancelot."
"Well your wish came true. Because you are my knight in shining armor."
He holds my head in his hands and kisses me gently. "I"m glad you see me that way." Then he leans back on the pillow, stretching out his long legs but his head lands on my new toy. I burst out laughing. "Oops, what"s this hard purple thing?" he asks, inspecting the oval-shaped vibrator, the two halves meeting together like a cracked dinosaur egg.
I giggle. "That"s a gift from Daisy. She bought it today at the s.e.x shop. It"s a his and her" design. The man gets his half and the woman hers. It splits in two."
He breaks it open, switches it on and it rumbles in his large hands.
"It"s called the Zini Deux. We both get to use it together, apparently, at the same time. You do me and I do you."
"Well, this will be a first."
"I know, me too. I always a.s.sociated vibrators with lonely, sad women whose husbands can"t get it up but, apparently they"re big news these days, and very popular with couples."
Alexandre puts his arms around me and draws me close. "Oh, Pearl. You have no idea what"s been going through my mind in the last twenty-four hours. It"s been h.e.l.l. First, wondering what the f.u.c.k I was going to do about Laura, then finding her dead, the police, James, all that time thinking the evidence was going to come to light, and even if I got off scot free, I thought that it was over for my mother. Jesus, what a rollercoaster of emotions it"s been."
"I can imagine. I was going through the same. Thank G.o.d Mrs. Blake was so honest. She could have easily kept her mouth shut."
"They would have realized, sooner or later, that it was an accident."
"Yes, but you could have spent weeks, even months, worrying and waiting for that phone call from Laura"s attorney waiting for them to arrest your mother. And how do you feel about Laura being dead? That couldn"t have been pleasant, seeing a corpse with her head split open."
"I"ve seen a lot worse, believe me. But still, I did feel a sort of sadness. Sad that Laura ended up being that way. But I also felt a great sense of liberation, obviously, that she was out of our lives for good. I know that"s a cruel thing to say but it"s how I felt; how I still feel. It also brought home to me how much I treasure you."
He rests his head on my shoulder, breathes me in as if I were some deliciously scented flower, and we hold hands. This is a quiet moment for us both. Peace at last. We both slip our bodies further down the bed and, entwined in each other"s arms, fall into a deep sleep.
Am I asleep? Awake? Alexandre"s licking my nipples softly, making me moan. My eyelids flutter open and I remember that he really is here beside me. I lazily stretch out my hand and feel, not the Weapon of Ma.s.s Destruction but the Tool of Creation, hard as a rock. Ready. With my eyes half closed, I inch my way down the bed and take him in my mouth, licking, sucking, wrapping my lips about him I feel a desperate hunger for something and someone who so nearly got taken away from me.
He"s groaning, "Oh, yeah baby. Oh yeah, that feels so f.u.c.king good. I was thinking about you when I was arrested."
I drag my nails lightly over the delicate skin of his b.a.l.l.s and he moans, his hands threading through my hair. I"m still half asleep and realize that we haven"t even kissed h.e.l.lo properly, we were so busy talking in the early hours, and then fell asleep. I walk my way up the bed with my hands until our faces touch. I can feel his hardness against my mound and I"m lying on top of him now. He smells so good.
"It was like an eternity," I tell him in a whisper.
"I know."
The tip of my tongue flickers on his lips. He gives me that half-c.o.c.ked smile, the dimple in his cheek making me remember why I was so smitten the second I laid eyes on him in the coffee shop. Light is pouring through the open parts of the drapes; it must be almost midday. A beam of sun is lighting up his head and I notice shimmers of auburn highlighting his dark hair, which usually looks almost black. He drapes his arms about me, squeezing me against his muscular chest. He gives me an Eskimo kiss" rubbing noses gently but what is going on down south is far less innocent.
"I"m trying to control myself, Pearl," he breathes into my mouth. He parts my lips with his tongue and moans. I feel his c.o.c.k flex against me. His kiss is pa.s.sionate but br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with need and love. I return it with equal fervor, my tongue sliding along his, stroking, flipping under and over and out until our tongues tangle almost into a s.e.xual feast.
"Where"s that egg thing?" I whisper.
He cups my a.s.s and I feel his erection tight against me. "Really, you want to have a go?"
"Why not? We"ll have to try it at least once, or Daisy will be disappointed. Speaking of Daisy, she and Amy must be up and about."
"I heard them leave a while ago," he tells me in a low voice. "We"re quite alone and I put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door."
He leans over and takes the big purple oval from the bedside table and holds it up. He smirks.
"Pull it apart. Let"s see how it works." I take one half from him and switch on the lowest setting. Even on low" it"s still very buzzy. "This fits you right here," I say, cupping his b.a.l.l.s with it. But it seems as if it"s too ticklish for him because he jiggles about.
"Let"s see what happens when we light you up," he says. He switches on the hers" half and pushes it underneath me so it cups around my form perfectly. The sensation is different from anything I"ve ever tried, not so unlike the shower head; intense, unrelenting. I slide further down his chest, back to my last position with my face resting on his erection and I begin to sweep the base of his c.o.c.k with my tongue as vibrations ma.s.sage my c.l.i.t. I press another setting for me and it pulsates in waves. I look up at Alexandre and see him observing me, biting his lip as I run my tongue along his length. He simultaneously, from his half, must feel the vibrations on his b.a.l.l.s.
"I need to see more of you, baby," he says sitting up, taking his half from me and switching it off. "We can do me another time. Right now, I want to concentrate on you. On your back."
"What?"
"Do as I say. Roll on your back."
He gets off the bed, pulls me by the legs so my b.u.t.t is on the edge of the mattress. He grabs my ankles and hoists me up so they are resting on his shoulders. "Hook your pretty feet around my neck."
I do as he says. He"s standing before me, a veritable vision of beauty; the Greek G.o.d again. That delightful V so prominent with the marble statues, but unlike their little fig leaf offerings I observe Alexandre"s ma.s.sive centerpiece, smooth and proud. His pecs flex as he maneuvers me into position. He wants to see all of me. I curl my toes about his neck and lift my arms above my head. The last time I did this he impregnated me, but now he brings the vibrator and presses it into its rightful position. It feels amazing almost too intense. I buck back a touch and he gets the hint; he switches it down a notch and I"m writhing about this feels great.
"Open your eyes, baby," he commands, and I do. I observe him, as with one hand he holds the gadget against me, and with the other he grips his c.o.c.k. "In a minute, I"m going to come all over you." His index finger is ma.s.saging between my b.u.t.t crack as he holds the Zini in place with his large hand. It"s zapping my c.l.i.t and vibrating at my entrance relentlessly. Meanwhile, I focus on his erection, tight in his fisted hand as he pleasures himself. I"m thrashing about, thrusting my hips at him, controlling the waves of pleasure by either pulling back a touch or grinding my hips forward.
"Lick your fingers and play with your nipples, Pearl." I do, and his hand works faster, jacking his c.o.c.k with racing speed. I tug at my nipples and feel a rush of electricity shoot between my legs. Mixed with the intense vibrations, it feels amazing.
"I love watching you, so wet, so hot, so beautiful when I f.u.c.k you, your p.u.s.s.y"s so tight around my c.o.c.k, your t.i.ts so s.e.xy..." He presses another b.u.t.ton and the rhythm changes to a pulse. I watch him grow even bigger, the crown swollen and full as his hand races up and down his thick length.
I push my hips forward and feel a spasm rip through the core of me. My legs are quivering like an out of control sewing machine. "I"m coming Alexandre."
"Me too," he shouts out. "Me too, cherie." Hot c.u.m spurts out all over my stomach. Alexandre is still holding the Zini against me it"s too much, I want him to stop...but then..."Oh my G.o.d..." Another wave rolls over me and I realize that I"m climaxing again. My body jerks as if I"ve been electrocuted; my c.l.i.t feels numb from the buzzing and he turns off the contraption. I slowly come down from my man-made o.r.g.a.s.m and wonder if this little gadget could get addictive.
As if reading my thoughts, Alexandre says, "I can see I might have compet.i.tion. We"ll have to keep this little minx of a machine under control." He kneels down below me and seals his mouth around my c.l.i.t, pressing his tongue against me, hard and flat. I still feel the buzzing between my legs even though it"s no longer there, like when you get off a boat and still feel yourself swaying. He flickers his tongue around my sensitive c.l.i.t without touching it, and starts sucking hard. I can hardly believe it. Yet another spasm tingles through me and I climax again. This is insane.
"Alexandre, oh my....oh my G.o.d." He"s growling into me like an animal eating its prey with his strong hands clinching my thighs apart, spreading my legs wide open. I"m shuddering as he lashes his tongue at my opening and I feel more contractions rolling through my core. All my energy has been stolen from my center as I slowly come down, moaning and whimpering like a dying person. There is nothing left of me. I am totally spent.
A wry smile spreads across my lips and I think about what I said to Daisy about multiple o.r.g.a.s.ms.
Sometimes G.o.d plays ironic tricks on you, and you have to laugh.
Chapter Nineteen.
Even I have to admit, I looked beautiful today. It is St. Valentine"s Day, the day of my wedding to Monsieur Alexandre Chevalier, also known as the knight in shining armor to a Pearl Robinson, now Pearl Chevalier.
Pearl Chevalier. Those two words roll off my tongue and take flight like tiny sparkles of snow-dust into the cool, Lapland atmosphere.
Pearl Chevalier.
All my wishes have come true and, as I look up at the sky above me and at the face of the man who is now my husband, I see that my wishes are still coming true every second.
Every millisecond is a moment to celebrate and cherish.
We are both transfixed by the swirls of color in the sky. I lie back in the open-air hot tub by our secluded log cabin. Bubbling water covers my shoulders and my feet are entwined with Alexandre as we gaze at the northern lights; nature"s firework display. The sky looks like a pastel drawing that a giant has come along and smudged with his thumb. Blues and greens are dancing through the heavens in great twirls and whirls; ribbons of paler light ripple through the colors, creating surreal shapes and forms.
"Tell me why the colors are the way they are again, baby?" I ask my husband (how I love that word HUSBAND).
"Well as you know, the real name is Aurora Borealis. The northern lights are basically particles that are hurled into s.p.a.ce after storms on the sun"s surface. They"re attracted by the magnetic North Pole, and the South Pole, and enter the atmosphere in a ring-like zone around the poles. We"re incredibly lucky to see this spectacle; it"s never guaranteed, you know."
"It"s breathtakingly beautiful."
"You are breathtakingly beautiful," he tells me, his green eyes not so different in color from the northern lights. "As much as I love you naked now, you looked ravishing in your wedding gown earlier. Simply stunning. I don"t think I"ve ever seen a more beautiful bride."
A grin spreads across my happy face, proud that the day pattered along so flawlessly. We didn"t need confetti because light snowflakes fluttered from the sky as everybody cheered. My white gown sparkled and shimmered. I sparkled and shimmered. Pearl, shimmering like my namesake.
Little Amy was clutching her basket of baby ivy and pink roses, and Elodie was holding my train, also dressed in her low draped back, Zang Toi gown, also pink.
The ceremony was in a chapel made of ice and just our close friends were there to celebrate. They are still here enjoying the three day party.
Alexandre"s mother is not the dragon I imagined, at all. She is charming. Tall and elegant and very quiet and una.s.suming. Alexandre"s new video partner has come; he couldn"t tear his gaze away from beautiful Elodie as she walked slowly behind me, making sure my gown was perfect. Amy"s eyes were shining like an eager puppy, and Daisy looked on, mopping her tears. Even Sophie cried. Alexandre was right she"s not as tough as she pretends to be; she and I have a lot in common, after all.
My father looked so proud of me, and Zang Toi was also pleased with his creation, making sure that not a hair was out of place and that my gown was fit for a princess. I was a princess, today. An ice princess. And Alexandre, my prince. He was dressed in tails he looked so chic, so elegant.
Alexandre"s deep voice stirs me from my reverie. "How are those babies doing? Do you think they feel the heat of the water? Do you think they feel the colors of the northern lights?"
"I think they"re swirling about in their own magical colors in there," I say patting my stomach.
"Well, I"m betting that our little boy and girl are feeling the vibe of happiness, no matter what."
"Monsieur Chevalier, the doctor said they couldn"t be a hundred percent sure of their s.e.x at this stage; that we needed to wait an extra week, or so."
"She said ninety percent, that"s good enough for me. Anyway, my instinct tells me it"s one of each. I"m never wrong. We have a girl and a boy cooking in that little oven of yours, I just know it."
"Is Louis still your number one boy"s name?"
"I think Louis Chevalier sounds perfect, as long as Americans don"t p.r.o.nounce the S."
"Yes, I like Louis. It sounds quite regal, actually. Louis Chevalier...I love it. I can"t decide between Angelique and Madeleine. I think Madeleine because it works in both countries."
"In America and France, you mean?"
"Yes, of course; they will both grow up bilingual, I"ll make sure of that. Madeleine. One of my favorite books, as a child, was Madeline"s Rescue about the little girl and the dog, Genevieve and their adventures in Paris. My mother read it to me over and over again."
"That was written by the artist Ludwig Bemelmans there"s a painted mural of his at The Carlyle Hotel."
"How funny. The Carlyle. I won"t forget that in a hurry, when you stormed out on me during breakfast."
He throws his head back and laughs. "We"ve had our fair share of dramas, haven"t we?"
"That"s for sure. We"ve really put each other through the wringer."
He strokes my leg with his toe. "But here we are. Together. Married, till death do us part."
"And two little ones on the way." I breathe in the cool, crisp air. "Madeleine it is, then. I"ll never forget how my heart broke in two that day. When you left me there weeping into my linen napkin, everyone staring at me. That"s when I realized how insanely in love with you I was. My whole world fell apart that day."
He grins. "Little did you know there was worse to come."
I raise an eyebrow. "And then I met Rex and I couldn"t choose between you both. I have to say, you had real compet.i.tion there."
"Yes, Rex became quite the traitor."
"Because I had him on my side, in my heart of hearts, I knew that I"d win you back."
"You never lost me, cherie. I was yours from word Go. All yours. I always have been and I always will be." His words are a sweet music to my ears.
"It was like a fairytale today, wasn"t it?" I say.
"It still is a fairytale. Look at that sky."
"Which of the reindeer was your favorite?"
"The pale one. The one with the soulful eyes," he says.
"I liked that frisky one that tried to nip my bottom. They looked so cute with their white ribbons on their ma.s.sive antlers. Wow, that was some ride sailing through the snow like that. We went so fast."
Alexandre looks up at the sky again. "What do you think they"re all doing now?"