A Woman Lost (3 page)

“Maddie and I are moving back home,” Peter casually blurted out as he reached for a roll from the middle of the table.

I looked at him, curious. “Oh? I had no idea.”

He had been living in California for the past five years. I only saw him for the occasional holiday, and even that seemed excessive. During all those years, I had not visited him; nor did he visit me.

“We want to be closer to family now. We’re hoping to start our own family soon.” He raised his glass to our mother.

I looked at my mom, then at my laconic father, then back at Peter. Poor girl. Poor kid.

Then a thought crossed my mind. Could I seduce Maddie?

The waiter came over and took our food order. While the others ordered, I took in Maddie’s charms. Madeleine. Captivating. A name befitting such a magnificent creature. Her beauty could rival the Greek goddess Circe. How did Homer put it in
The Odyssey
? Circe was the most beautiful of all gods. Yes, Maddie could rival this goddess.

Seducing my brother’s fiancée would normally be a repulsive thought to me. Yet, I wasn’t repulsed. Did Maddie cast a spell on me? What would my mother say? I bet it would be priceless.

Chapter Three

I held the steering wheel with my left hand and dialed Ethan’s phone number with my right. I hoped no cops were around, but it was after ten at night on a Monday, so there wasn’t much traffic on the highway.

“She’s gorgeous.”

“What?”

“She is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Lizzie, who in the hell are you talking about?”

“My brother’s fiancée. Ethan, she’s hot. No, wait. Hot is too vulgar for Maddie. She’s a goddess who should be fed grapes while reclining on satin sheets.”

“Then why in the hell is she with your brother?”

I could tell I had woken him up; he wasn’t coherent yet. Maybe he had taken the sleeping pills by accident. “Beats me. I still think he’s a total ass. Are you already in bed? You didn’t give your wife sleeping pills, did you?”

“No. I didn’t have to. Are we still on for Saturday?”

“Yeah, I’ll give you the full report then. Good night, my sissy of a friend who can’t tell his wife that it’s over.”

“Bitch.”

I smiled and pressed my foot down on the gas pedal. I wanted as many miles as possible between me and my family.

* * *

Back in my own bedroom, I leaned down and kissed the top of Sarah’s head.

“How was dinner?” Her voice sounded like ice that had started to crack but had refrozen instead.

I kissed her crown again. “I survived. Sometimes I forget just how much I despise those people.”

“What’s she like?” Sarah was in bed, lying on her side with her back to me, flipping through the TV channels.

“She seems nice. Cute, funny, charming‌—‌like all of the other women Peter has dated. How was your night?” I stripped down to my underwear and bra and climbed into bed behind her.

“Pretty quiet. I worked on some reports.”

She smelled of lavender. “Did you take a bath? You smell good.”

“Yeah. I had a stressful day.”

“I’m sorry.” I kissed her neck, felt her body respond as I worked my way up to her ear. She pressed her body closer to mine. I ran my hand down her body and slid it back up slowly. Sarah’s breathing became heavier. Rolling her onto her back, I kissed her lips, slowly at first, then passionately as if our lives depended on it. I climbed on top of her, slowly rubbing one hip between her legs. She arched her back and moaned.

“You’re so sexy.” I gazed into her chocolate-dark eyes and brushed the hair off her face. Then, I leaned down and kissed her again. Her neck. Her nipples. All the way down her stomach. When I reached her lower stomach, she moved her pelvis urgently, arching her back. I quickly peeled off her pajama pants. When I tasted her, she moaned again. My lips moved over the inside of her right thigh, then her left. The thrusting of her hips told me she wanted more. I wanted her to want it, so I continued to kiss her thighs. Then I found her clit‌—‌darted my tongue across it. She dug her nails into my shoulder as I took her in my mouth. I slid my fingers inside her, thrusting them in and out of her slowly, tasting her simultaneously. Sarah’s hips thrashed more urgently. There was no holding her in place. It took some work to keep my tongue lapping at the right spot, but I knew she couldn’t come unless she was gyrating like mad.

Her hips were moving so fast now, grinding into my face, so that it took everything I had not to stop. I loved that she got so fucking wet, literally pouring into my mouth as my fingers slid in and out of her so easily.

Her nails scored my back again and then she arched completely, her legs shaking. I stopped licking but kept my tongue against her clit to heighten the sensation of her orgasm. Slowly, her body began to relax. I slithered up her body and lay next to her, wrapping my arms around her.

“Feeling a little less stressed?” I whispered into her ear.

She laughed, her sexy bedroom laugh. “Yes, but I’m still mad at you.”

I kissed her head. “And you have every right to be. I was an ass, a self-absorbed ass.”

“At least you can admit it.” She pushed me onto my back and climbed on top of me, leaning in to kiss me. She whispered, “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t.”

“How early do you have to get up in the morning?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll skip my bike ride. What else do you have in mind?”

She smiled, but didn’t answer with words.

* * *

“Elizabeth?”

The clock read six in the morning. “Yeah, Peter, what’s up?”

“Apparently, not you. I thought you had an early class.” I could almost smell his smugness. My brother was the type who wanted others to know he was a very busy man. He would tie his shoelace without stopping, too busy to pause for something so insignificant.

“I think eight o’clock is early. Is everything OK?”

“Yeah. Maddie and I enjoyed having dinner with you. I have to take care of some stuff today and it will take all day. Maddie has never been to Fort Collins, so I was wondering if you would show her the town. How many classes do you have today?”

I rubbed my eyes. “My last class is at eleven. I can meet her after that.”

I gave him directions to my office and then hung up. Rolling over, I noticed Sarah was not in the room. I listened, and heard the shower running. When I wandered into the bathroom, there was no sign that she had heard the phone. In an instant, I decided not to tell her about my afternoon plans.

* * *

The classroom door opened and I watched as Maddie slid in and took a seat in the back row. Carefully stepping over the cord to the overhead projector, which displayed my lecture outline, not wanting to stumble in front of her, I asked, “Can anyone tell me what the word
defenestration
means?”

A sea of blank stares.

I chuckled. “Of course no one can! That would mean one of you actually
did
last night’s reading. I should give you guys a pop quiz on the material.” I paced back and forth in front of the class before settling behind the podium.

“Nah, you don’t want to do that. It would be more work than just telling us. You would have to think of questions, then grade them, record them, pass them out,” said Joshua, the most talkative student in the class.

“But, Joshua, you forget that teachers love work, especially historians. We love to read, write, grade‌—‌you name it. We love tedious stuff.” I glanced at my lecture notes to focus my attention on my class, and not on Maddie. “Defenestration means to throw someone, or something, out a window.”

“Are you going to throw one of us out a window?” joked Joshua.

“Don’t tempt me, especially after last week’s tests, which I have graded and will return after class.” I saw some looks of panic. Good. “But we are only on the first floor, so it wouldn’t be much fun to toss one of you out. Besides, I am not that strong.

“In 1618, some noblemen, upset after King Ferdinand violated their religious beliefs, went to the royal palace and threw two of the king’s advisors out of a window. The gentlemen survived by landing in a pile of manure. Yes, manure.” I stopped and looked out at the students. Some smiled. Others just looked like they wanted the whole thing to be over. I didn’t dare look at her. “This incident started what became known as the Thirty Years’ War, which goes to show how some wars came about by really inane incidents. But any one of you who has been in a relationship knows that most fights start over petty things. So, the next time your significant other gets angry when you yawn at the mere mention of his or her parents, and he or she flips out because you think they are dullards and what’s going to happen when you have children, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, just remember wars have started over such trifling matters. And remember what Winston Churchill said: ‘Those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.’”

I looked at my watch. “All right we’ll go into the details about the Thirty Years’ War next time. Remember to do the reading. You should have the novel
The Adventures of a Simpleton
read in its entirety. It will behoove all of you to read it. I am not going to say any more on the subject.” I walked over to the whiteboard, wrote the words Pop Quiz, and underlined them. “Now, if you want your tests back, come and get them.”

After spreading the exam books on the table, I stood back for the feeding frenzy. Maddie sashayed towards the front, and I felt my heart flutter wildly. I had thought she looked amazing last night, but today she was in jeans and a white T-shirt that didn’t suggest a good figure‌—‌they downright proclaimed it for all to see.

“Lizzie?” One of my students, Jill, interrupted my fantasy. “Can I set up a time to go over the test with you?”

She got a D, I remembered, and I gave her an encouraging smile. “Of course, Jill. I won’t be in my office today, but will you be on campus tomorrow? I can meet with you then. What time works for you?”

“I’m done at two tomorrow. Does that work?” Her head drooped in shame.

“Yes, I’ll be there. Please bring in your exam so we can go over it together.” I gave her a pat on the back.

I turned in Maddie’s direction and smiled, but a few more students gathered around, wanting to talk about the test results. I answered their questions patiently, all the while staring at Maddie out of the corner of my eye. If only my students knew what thoughts I was having, they might not think of me as a stuffy historian.

Finally, we were alone.

“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Gosh, don’t apologize. It was fun watching you with your students. They seem to like you.”

“The feelings are mutual. I adore all of them, even the smartasses.” I gathered the uncollected exams and placed them in my bag.

“Hope you don’t mind my barging in on your class.”

“Not at all. I hope you weren’t bored.”

“Did those guys really land in shit?” She chortled.

“Yeah, they did. There are some things that you just can’t make up.” Realizing I was staring, I said, “Do you mind if we stop by my office before we skedaddle?”

“Lead the way, professor.” She motioned for me to walk in front of her.
God, did she know how sexy she was?
I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. Then I led her outside. It was a little after noon and the campus was packed with students and professors, running to and fro.

Fall had come early, and I could smell it in the air, but it was still seventy degrees outside. Colorado was known for having the most days of sunshine during the year; today was no exception. To the west, the Rocky Mountain foothills were set against a brilliant lapis sky, scattered with clouds. The leaves were beginning to speckle yellow and red.

“Where did you go to school, Maddie?”

“I went to a small college in California. This campus is huge. I’m amazed by the number of students.” Maddie gazed around with her mouth slightly agape.

We walked past one of my favorite spots on campus, and she stopped to look. I watched her as she read the quote carved along the top of the bench. “If I have been able to see farther than others, it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants,” she said, her tone curious. Her eyes moved to the sculpture adjacent to the quote. It was a pendulum.

“It’s about the scientific revolution,” I offered.

“What does he mean?” She gawked at the glittering pendulum.

“It’s Newton. He’s exclaiming he would never have been able to discover gravity if it weren’t for all of the other scientists who paved the way for him. He’s giving credit to a long line of people who asked questions and who risked their lives by challenging the Catholic Church.” I paused and looked up at the pendulum again. “This is one of my favorite places on campus.”

“Because of the scientific revolution, or because of pendulums?” She smiled as she spoke.

“The revolution, in a way. You have to admire people who stood up to the leaders and said, ‘I think you are full of shit.’” I hesitated for a second, and looked away from her, up at the puffy white clouds. “I have personal reasons as well.”

Her eyes returned to my face. I could tell she was expecting me to continue. Commanding me to.

“I’m grateful to those who have advanced science and medicine. I have an illness.” I didn’t like sharing this weakness with people.

I noticed a flicker of panic in her eyes. “N-no … it’s not terminal,” I stammered. “But it’s an illness nonetheless. Before the medicine was developed, the outcome wouldn’t have been fun. Now, all I have to do is take a pill each night. Simple as that.”

“I didn’t know. Peter never said anything.”

“I never told them.” I never referred to Peter or anyone in my family as an individual. They were always a “them” for me. I glanced away from her penetrating stare and motioned which direction we should take to my office. “It’s not too much further,” I said.

She smiled, but a hint of sadness crept into her eyes.

We walked on, to my office.

* * *

“You’ll have to excuse the mess,” I said as we entered my office. “I can only work when surrounded by chaos.” Papers, open books, and journals were spread everywhere, including the floor and all available chairs.