Chapter Forty-Six
Forty-Six
Mary and Quaddra made love in the house’s entrance hall before moving it to the living room table.
By the time they finally made it to the bedroom, upstairs, they were both sore, a little bruised, and completely out of breath, but that didn’t stop them from going at it for a third time…
and this time, Mary took the lead… at least for a little while.
Not because she wasn’t satisfied with how Quaddra had fucked her.
On the contrary, she’d never been so satisfied in all her life.
She took the lead because from a cowgirl position, she could look at Quaddra and how he reacted to her touches, her kisses, her scratches and her hip thrusts.
And Mary could look at him all day long.
His body was like an athlete’s – fit and trimmed but not overly muscular, and the intense chemistry that exploded between them every time their bodies touched was something that Mary had only ever read about in romantasy books. It just couldn’t be real… could it?
‘Oh my god,’ Mary whispered, finally rolling off Quaddra before collapsing onto the bed sheets by his side.
They were both glistening in sweat. Mary was trying hard to catch her breath, but failing miserably.
She didn’t even know if she was done climaxing yet or not.
Her legs were still shaking and what she could feel flying around inside her stomach certainly weren’t butterflies… more like a fleet of supersonic jets.
‘That was just… spectacular,’ Quaddra whispered, just as out of breath as Mary. ‘And also incredibly loud.’
Mary’s gaze reverted back to him. ‘What was?’
He locked eyes with her. ‘The screams.’
Mary frowned. ‘What screams?’
Quaddra frowned back, trying to read Mary’s expression. ‘Are you joking?’ It didn’t look like she was. ‘The one just now was one.’
Mary’s body was still shaking. ‘Who screamed?’
‘You did.’ Quaddra’s breathing was starting to normalize. ‘Very loudly… a few times.’
‘No, I didn’t. Did I?’
Mary wasn’t joking. She really couldn’t remember screaming.
Quaddra nodded again as he smiled. ‘Loudly. I thought you’d pulled a muscle or something.’
Mary smiled back. ‘I pulled a muscle all right… just not one of mine.’
Their smiles turned into laughter.
‘So,’ Mary sounded intrigued. ‘Quaddra… is that like a European name?’
‘Nope.’ He made that ‘pe’ really pop. ‘Just as weird as it sounds, really.’
‘I wouldn’t call it weird.’ Mary chuckled, trying to sound breezy. ‘But certainly different… quite cool actually.’
‘Thank you,’ Quaddra said back. ‘I got it for my birthday – present from my parents.’
Mary laughed. ‘Wow! So how many times have you used that line before?’
Quaddra shrugged. ‘When your parents decide to give you such an odd name, you’ve got to think of something.
Everyone I meet, if they don’t actually frown when I say my name, they usually go – “that’s a different name”.
I simply figured out that a funnier response tends to break the awkwardness a little. ’
Mary nodded. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’ She looked left then right. ‘What time is it?’
‘Late, I think,’ Quaddra replied, turning to check the alarm clock on the bedside table. ‘Yep, it’s coming up to three-thirty in the morning.’
‘Really?’ Mary flexed her torso up to check. ‘Jesus! How long have we been…’
‘For a while.’ The new smile on Quaddra’s lips was a proud one.
‘Hours?’ Mary asked.
Quaddra simply raised his eyebrows at her.
‘Oh God.’ Mary pushed herself into a sitting position. Her legs were still a little unsteady. ‘I’ve got to go.’
‘What, now?’
‘Yeah.’ She swung her legs off the bed, the tips of her toes lightly touching the varnished wood flooring.
Quaddra’s eyes darted to the window for a moment. Raindrops were running down it in fast and crazy patterns.
‘It’s raining,’ he told her, his tone soft. ‘Why don’t you stay?’
Mary shook her head and tried to get to her feet, but her legs weren’t quite there yet – not enough strength to hold her up. She sat back down onto the edge of the bed.
‘Mary, please…’ Quaddra also pulled himself into a sitting position. He extended his hand, allowing his fingertips to softly touch Mary’s left shoulder. ‘Stay. I can get you a cab in the morning, if you like. It’s late and it’s raining.’
‘I can’t,’ Mary lied again. ‘I really have to go.’
‘Please,’ Quaddra tried again. ‘I’m a very quiet sleeper. I don’t snore… I don’t toss and turn… and I don’t steal the covers… you won’t even notice that you’re sleeping by my side.’
‘I doubt that very much,’ Mary said, her eyes quickly peeking at the good stuff again.
Quaddra laughed before continuing. ‘If you prefer, you don’t even need to sleep next to me. I have a guest room.’ He paused and bit his bottom lip while his right eyebrow arched. ‘I have three, actually. You can take your pick.’
‘You have three guest rooms in this house?’
Quaddra nodded.
‘How many bedrooms do you have in here?’
‘Umm…’ He took a moment. ‘Nine.’ He still didn’t sound too sure. ‘I think.’
‘Wow, that’s impressive,’ Mary said, finally getting to her feet. She immediately began searching the bedroom floor.
‘What are you looking for?’
‘My clothes.’
‘They’re in the entry hall,’ Quaddra informed her, a cheeky smile playing on his lips. ‘Right by the front door.’
Mary paused for a second before she nodded back. ‘I guess we just couldn’t wait, could we.’
‘Hey, I was ready to offer you a drink… have a seat in the living room… maybe shoot the breeze for a while… show you the house.’ The smile didn’t leave his lips.
‘Um-huh. I bet you were.’
Quaddra’s eyes took in Mary’s whole figure as she turned to face him again. Her skin was still glistening with sweat. ‘God, you really are breathtaking.’
‘Don’t you start that again.’ She moved towards the door.
‘Where are you going?’
‘To get my clothes.’
‘You’re really not staying?’
Mary shook her head. ‘I can’t.’
As she got to the bedroom door, her balance wavered just a touch and she slammed her right shoulder against the doorframe.
‘Whoa, are you OK there?’ Quaddra asked, quickly getting to her.
‘I’m fine,’ Mary said back, before explaining. ‘When I get nervous, I get clumsy. I drop things… I bump into things… it’s just the way I am. In fact, I’m clumsy even when I’m not nervous.’
Quaddra smiled mischievously. ‘Are you saying that I make you nervous?’
Mary gave him a look that could suture an open wound.
‘Alright.’ Quaddra took a step back, but that didn’t stop him from trying one more time.
‘Hear me out here, OK? Why don’t we have a drink and wait for an hour or so?
Maybe the rain will have stopped by then.
I didn’t get a chance to show you my bar…
or my wine collection. I’m sure we’ll be able to find something to your liking. ’
‘No.’ Mary firmly shook her head. ‘No more drinks tonight… but I’ll take a glass of water before I go, if that’s OK?’
Mary was clearly determined not to stay. Pushing any harder, Quaddra knew, wouldn’t be a good move. ‘Of course.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll get it for you.’
Quaddra took Mary downstairs and into the kitchen. As he pulled the fridge door open, the light from inside illuminated part of his naked figure.
Mary paused, her eyes taking in every inch of his body. ‘I’m going to go get my clothes,’ she quickly said before desire took over again.
In the entry hall, Mary scooped her dress from the floor and slipped it back on before reaching for her shoes.
Quaddra brought her the glass of water and while Mary drank it down in large gulps, he collected his underwear and trousers from the floor and quickly put them back on.
‘Thank you,’ she said, returning the glass to Quaddra.
They locked eyes one final time.
‘Me asking again,’ Quaddra said, ‘won’t make you change your mind, will it?’
‘No.’
Quaddra nodded. ‘OK.’ He reached for his tuxedo jacket and retrieved his phone from the inside pocket. ‘At least let me call you a cab.’
‘No, it’s OK. I can call one myself.’ She slipped into her heels and threw her shawl around her shoulders.
‘OK, hold on,’ Quaddra lifted both hands at her. ‘Give me just five seconds, OK?’ He pointed upstairs. ‘Please don’t leave before I’m back. I promise that I’m not going to try to keep you here. Five seconds… please?’
Quaddra standing shirtless in front of Mary, with his arms, pecs and abs still gleaming with perspiration was a sight to behold. Mary could feel her nipples starting to harden under her dress once again.
‘OK.’
Quaddra dashed away.
‘What have I just done?’ Mary asked herself.
Seconds later, Quaddra reappeared carrying a long overcoat.
‘Please take this,’ he offered it to Mary.
‘Oh no, it’s fine,’ Mary replied. She didn’t reach for the coat. ‘The rain isn’t that heavy.’
As if on cue, right then, lightning lit up the sky outside, quickly followed by a crack of thunder.
They both turned to look at the window.
‘I think the rain disagrees with you,’ Quaddra said, still holding out the coat. ‘Just take it, Mary, please. It’s raining… it’s cold outside… and all you have is that shawl.’
Another lightning bolt. Another crack of thunder.
Once again, Quaddra seemed to have read between the lines, picking up on Mary’s hesitation.
‘If you’re worried about you having to return the coat back to me,’ he shook his head, ‘you don’t really have to.
Keep it… throw it away… or better yet, drop it at a homeless shelter.
It’s a good coat… warm. Let someone who needs it more than us have it. ’
Mary thought about it for an extra second before finally giving in and reaching for the coat.
It was certainly too big for her, but it was warm and it would no doubt keep her dry.
As she put it on and buttoned it up, she saw the label on the inside and her eyes widened.
It was a Tom Ford coat, which was probably worth at least five thousand dollars.
‘Can I say something else before you leave?’ Quaddra asked. There was a sliver of sadness in his tone.
Mary held his stare.
‘I’m not going to pretend that I know what you’re thinking,’ Quaddra began.
‘I wish I did. I thought that after everything that happened tonight, we had at least gotten over that initial “awkward” hurdle, you know?’ He smiled, clearly thinking back to the events of that evening.
‘Because you have to agree that this was one crazy night.’
Mary smiled back. ‘It was.’
‘But you’re still acting like you don’t trust me.
’ He immediately lifted a hand at her. ‘Which I can totally understand. Like I said before, trust is earned and it takes time – and if I had been through everything you’d been through…
everything you told me… I wouldn’t trust anyone so easily either.
I have no problem with earning your trust, if you give me that chance.
But you rushing out in the middle of the night, during a thunderstorm, after all this…
’ Quaddra gestured at the entrance hall.
‘…it tells me that maybe, all this, was just a huge mistake for you. It tells me that maybe you regret being here with me.’
The pause was deliberate, to assess Mary’s reaction. She gave him an almost imperceptible shake of the head, but said nothing in return.
‘For what it’s worth, Mary,’ Quaddra continued, his voice unwavering, ‘to me, this wasn’t a mistake at all.
Far from it. Tonight was the best night I’ve had in…
’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t even remember the last time that I felt the way I felt tonight…
the way I’m feeling right now. That’s why I want you to stay. I don’t want this to be just this.’
Silence.
Quaddra seemed to get the hint. He nodded at the impasse between them.
‘If this is really what you want, then I promise you that I won’t chase you…
I won’t drop by Betsy’s workplace again with another gift, or an invitation.
If that’s really how you feel about tonight, you don’t have to worry.
You won’t hear from me again, but please, before you throw that coat away, or hand it in to a homeless shelter, check the outside pocket. ’
Mary frowned at him before placing her hands inside both pockets. There was a folded piece of paper inside the right one.
‘That’s my cellphone number,’ Quaddra said, as Mary unfolded the note to look at it. ‘If you change your mind…’ He shrugged. ‘Text me… call me… send me a nude… whatever.’
Mary half smiled, half laughed at the joke. She really did like his sense of humor.
‘Seriously,’ he continued, taking a tentative step closer to Mary, his magnetism still strong enough to hold her in place, ‘I’d love to see you again… anytime. To me, this could be a lot more than just this.’
Just as Quaddra moved in to kiss her one last time, another crack of thunder exploded outside, loud enough to make Mary finally snap out of his spell before he was able to kiss her.
‘I’ve really got to go,’ she said, taking a step back, turning around and exiting his house.
And just like that, their crazy night was over.