Catching Caitlin (7 page)

His member twitched
inside me, slamming against the roof of my mouth. I steadied it with my lips,
holding him tight.

Then I sucked, sucked
like I was trying to drain him dry. If I sucked hard enough, I could coax out
his seed, drain him and swallow it. Leave him begging for more.

He didn’t give me a
chance though, and after a moment of sucking him down, he pushed me away. “I’ll
be the one to decide when this little game is over,” he said. He ordered me to
climb up on the bed.

I smiled, and he grabbed
me by the hips, and picked me up. He threw me against the mattress, making me
bounce slightly.

Before I could regain my
bearings, he was upon me. His left hand held me down against the sheets, while
he cupped and fondled my breast.

I squirmed under his
touch, my skin electrified with energy. I breathed hard, his tongue piercing
me. “More, more.”

He pushed down from my
breast.

His hand moved between my
legs, and he kissed me there. I closed my eyes, and let myself dissolve into
him. I gasped, grabbing the sheets in two fistfuls. I pulled against them,
threatening to undo the entire bed.

He drank me up, greedily
and with a sense of thirst. I wrapped my legs around his head and held him into
me, and he choked for a moment, before I let go.

After he caught his
breath, he whispered to me. “You surprise me, Cay.”

“It’s been longer than
you think,” I said. I grasped his hair, tugging on his scalp, wishing I could
control him. That I could feel like I was controlling something. He ignored me,
moving down the line of my body. I let out a gasp when he grabbed my legs and
spread them. That vulnerability was face-reddening.

His breath felt hot on my
lips, and I could barely anticipate him moving in closer. He let out a deep
sigh, before he dipped down and ran his tongue against my clit again. I
squirmed against his mouth, which seemed to only incense him more.

He squeezed my thighs and
held me down against the sheets, his tongue caressing me in ways I hadn’t
experienced in years. I felt hot sparks as I moved against him, shutting my
eyes to stop the room from spinning.

“I want you, I want you
to have me, Hugh,” I whispered. He kissed me again. I was letting him do
whatever he wanted with me, but I felt this sense of urgency, this kind of
hurried frenzy in him. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t question it either.

He put his arm around me,
and picked me up, placing me on top of him. While it felt like I might be able
to wrest some control from him, he was still in command.

Catching his breath, he
grabbed his chest. He stood up. “Now I’m gonna fuck you like the dirty girl you
are.” He opened his dresser drawer and pulled out a condom. He split the
package and rolled it over his cock, almost as if it were second nature.

I closed my eyes,
waiting.

I opened my legs for him,
beckoning him to come closer. He squeezed my hips, dragging me away from the
bunched up sheets and hanging my ass off the edge of the bed.

I felt his cock twitch
against me, as he threaded it between my thighs.

He placed his hand on my
shoulder, pulling me close and lifting me into the air. I moaned, touching his
hand with my cheek.

He slid his cock into me,
his shaft filling me up. I wished it could be skin on skin, but I was glad he
didn’t go that far. He guided my body over him with his hand, squeezing my
shoulder and pulling me toward him.

I gasped aloud, and
squeezed the sheets. They untucked themselves at my mercy. Hugh groaned as he
slid himself deeper into me, our bodies meeting together for the first time in
years.

I couldn’t stop myself.
As he stroked his cock inside me, he moaned. He clawed at my body, catching my
breast and making me gasp in pleasure.

I grabbed his hand and
put it on my neck. He squeezed, and groped the air out of me. As he did, his
speed picked up, his hips meeting mine every second.

“Oh shit, Caitlin! You
like it when I fuck you raw like this? Huh?” I gasped, a breath of air escaping
my lips.

A growing wall of heady
warmth spread inside me, curling around my insides and expanding outward. My
arms grew limp, and I couldn’t stop from lifting myself off the bed. I wrapped
my legs around his waist, digging him as deep into me as he could go. “Hugh!
I’m going to—” I felt everything grow dim, my vision losing itself. I didn’t
know if it was from him choking me, or just the intensity of it all.

He groaned, his body
language changing. I could tell he was about reach his limit.

“Fuck!” he cried out,
thrusting one last time into me. My eyes grew wide, and I stared at him. After
a couple, hard, climatic seconds, he let go of my neck. He pulled out of me.

I gasped for air,
wheezing. I soothed my neck, rubbing it.

He climbed up next to me,
his cock still encased in rubber, proof of his climax inside it.

“Are you okay?” His voice
was much softer now. I nodded, getting one last hack out.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay.” I
relaxed my body, throbbing waves still glowing inside me. “That was incredible.
I’ve never been able to get someone to choke me again.”

“Again?”

I caught his eye. “Only
one other man has ever dared to choke me, and he was terrifying.”

He looked down over me,
letting his hand travel across my skin. “You aren’t,” I added. I was still
shaken from our first reunion after so long, but my mind immediately taunted
me. Who was the woman in the picture?

He stood up off the bed.
“I’m going to take care of this,” he pointed at the condom. I nodded, my
thoughts far away.

Before he could disappear
behind the bathroom door, my impatience finally got the better of me.

“Who is the blonde woman
in the picture I found at your office?”

He stopped and looked at
me, bewilderment in his eyes. I looked away. “The picture is in the back left
pocket of my jeans.”

After the bathroom door
closed, I heard him rustling in my clothes.

He came back into the
room, stark naked, holding the picture. He sat down on the bed, and looked at
me.

“This is my wife.”

“Y
our wife,” I repeated.
“Not your mistress?”

“No, not my mistress.
That’s my wife,” he said. His voice was firm.

“Then why was it hidden
in your desk at work?” I tried to keep my voice civil, but I was kind of
rushing through a bunch of emotions at once. It was hard to keep calm. “Why are
you still wearing your wedding ring if you’re married? I need the truth, Hugh.”
I pointed to his finger.

“She’s dead.”

I fell silent.

He sighed, running his
hand through his hair. It was only slightly damp. His posture slackened, and he
collapsed on the bed. Our heads were adjacent but not facing at each other.

“She died three years
ago, in a car crash.”

I was struck. My chest
tightened and I inhaled sharply. “I’m— I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s not your
fault. It’s mine. I was driving at least. We were heading back from her parents
house, and it was late in the night. We came across a deer in a mountain pass,
and I swerved to dodge it, but like all deer accidents, it isn’t the one you
miss.”

I wanted to comfort him
but I felt paralyzed. I couldn’t move.

“The deer rolled up onto
the windshield, crashing through it. I was fine, but only because all of its
weight landed on her.”

“God that’s horrible.” My
hand went to my forehead. I turned over to face him, giving myself the courage
to caress his chest. “What was her name?”

“Her name is Marcia,” his
voice cracked, but he maintained his composure. “The damnedest thing is, her
parents offered for us to stay there for the night. We wanted to get home
though, we were trying to have a family...”

He went silent. “I had no
idea, Hugh.” I wanted to say something more, something that might help.
Something that would make him feel better.

“You couldn’t have.
That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it — it still takes a lot out of me.”

He squeezed his left
hand, curling his fingers around his gold band. I touched him, holding my hand
against his back. What could I possibly do to ease him?

I climbed up out of bed,
and went into the kitchen. Maybe water would help, it usually helped me.

I filled a glass with
cold water from the tap, and went back into his room.

He was curled up on the
bed, having barely moved. I handed him the water.

“Here, drink this.” I put
the glass in his hand, and he took it. He lifted the glass and drank it all in
one go. “Do you want to talk about her...? Will it help?” I wanted to help, but
at the same time, I felt sick. I felt like I didn’t belong here with him, that
I might just be some kind of replacement to him. Was I? Was that the only
reason he picked me up in Maine?

“I don’t know. I felt
like I haven’t talked about her in ages.”

I curled up on his chest
and listened to his heartbeat. The rush of blood made it all so much more real.

“We met in college,” he
began, uneasiness in his voice. “We both had this filler history class
together... Medieval history.” He smirked a little, which made me feel better.
“I actually thought the class was really neat though.”

I breathed, my own heart
rate starting to match his.

“I sat across the room
from her and the first thing I noticed were her dimples. They showed every time
she talked, smiled, or laughed. By this point, I’d had a couple of flings, but
I could tell this was different.”

He leaned down and
breathed into my hair. He planted a kiss on my head. “It was like when I met
you.”

I was surprised to hear
that, but I didn’t want to interrupt him. Besides, at this point, I was so
confused by my feelings, I felt a mixture of anxiety and helplessness filling
my chest. My fingers tightened into fists, shaking slightly.

“I asked her out, and
found out she was a year older than me. She never thought she’d be with a
younger man.” I clenched my eyes shut. “...And the next thing I knew, we were
engaged. It was junior year of college, and right after she graduated with her
degree, we got married.”

He sniffed, his voice
returning back to normal, no longer threatening to break. “I was happy. I
graduated soon after her, and started working for Silver Energy. They had hired
me on from my previous summer internship. Then that Thanksgiving, we had the
accident.”

“Hugh...” I sat up,
trying to catch his eyes. He only briefly looked at me. He was still rubbing
his wedding band.

“That’s why I still wear
my wedding band, because I still think about her, I still think about it. I
wish I didn’t have to, I wish I could stop — but I can’t.” He finally looked at
me, and his pain was deep. He looked scorched.

“I’d understand if you
wanted to go home. You probably don’t feel right being with me anymore.”

I nodded slightly. I
caught a glimpse of that darkness that was in him and it frightened me. Maybe I
thought that he would be a glimmer of hope in my life. But he was just as
messed up as I was...

“I don’t know Hugh, I
don’t know if I should stay. It’s hard...”

“I know. I know...” He
leaned into me, his hair sweeping up against my chest. I twisted my fingers
through his hair, while I stared at the far bedroom wall.

After a moment, he spoke
again, his voice vibrating through me. “I’ll get the plane ready for you
tomorrow morning. I’m sorry I brought you here, Cay. I guess I don’t really
know myself.”

I looked away, toward the
kitchen. “Now I feel like you’re making me go. I didn’t say I wanted to.”

“I don’t know,” he
muttered. “It feels like that’s what you want to do. Sleep on it if you want.”

I perked up a little,
lifting him off me for a moment. “Maybe we both could use some sleep. Do you
want me to get you anything? Do you have any junk food?”

“Junk food?” He sat up
and gave me a funny look.

“Maybe not with a body
like that...” I murmured.

“No, I was saying that
sounds great. I have some rocky road in the freezer.”

I was already halfway
through the kitchen as the words left his mouth. I found the half-empty tub of
ice cream and carved out two small bowls for us. When I came back to the
bedroom, he was already passed out, his face smashed up against the pillow. I
guess he was more drained than I thought.

I slipped his legs under
the covers and joined him, hoping the morning would bring us both some peace.

***

I
kept my eyes shut after
I woke up. I could feel the heat and bright light from the sun, but I wanted to
savor the last few moments of my rest. I still felt a little mixed up about the
whole event, dead wives and grief.

I finally opened my eyes
and squinted at the sunlight. The light was scattered in bright lines, dust
danced in the beams.

My pillow was wet. Tears?
I must’ve been crying.

I could hear Hugh as he
clamored around the kitchen, opening drawers and cupboards in a hurry. The
fridge cracked open several times. He must’ve started cooking, because a
sizzling smell wafted into the bedroom.

I couldn’t remember if we
decided I was leaving or not. I wanted to stay, as ridiculous as it sounded.
The worst part was I knew better. I knew he couldn’t let me into his life if he
was still grieving over his wife. Maybe I thought I could help him? Help bring
him around?

I felt heartless and
heartbroken at the same time.

Hugh pushed the bedroom
door open and moved to my side of the bed. His hand was on my shoulder, his
touch exceedingly gentle. “Cay, do you want some breakfast? I made us some
grub.”

That was all I needed to
hear. I threw the sheets off myself and sat up a little too fast. I squinted
against the bright sunlight pouring into the room. I leaned over to grab the
ice cream bowls, but they were already gone.

“Did you take the ice
cream this morning?”

He laughed. “I actually
ate a bowl. Well, I should say drank.” He seemed to be in a lot better mood,
which cheered me up too.

“That’s good, I almost
decided to eat them myself.” He grabbed my hand and helped me up. His touch was
still reassuring and gentle.

He had breakfast sitting
out for us on the breakfast bar: steaming sausage patties and scrambled eggs. A
little fork sat next to each plate, which were waiting for us on the island in
the kitchen.

He pulled a stool out and
waited for me to sit. “It should be good, it’s always been my home remedy after
drinking the night before, no matter how little. Sausages always help. I think
it’s the spiciness.”

“Mmm, sausages. The
grease is what does it for me,” I said. I dug in, my fork scraping against the
plate. I was completely shocked by how hungry I actually was. The sausages were
spicy, a little searing flavor to them that made me have to keep dancing them
around in my mouth.

“Scrambled eggs are your
favorite right? I couldn’t quite remember...” He sat down next to me and
started eating.

I answered him with my
mouth full, “They are.”

I looked around the
kitchen again, the seashell backsplash, the red paint. The decorations and
ornaments. All her, still in his life. The wedding band still on his finger. I
swallowed hard.

“Are all these
decorations hers then?”

“Oh no, I helped pick
some of them out...” He grew a bit distant for a moment, and I regretted saying
anything. He came back with a smile. “I’m surprise you’re being so calm about
this whole thing.”

I touched his hand and he
lowered his fork. “I don’t know what else I can do. I feel torn inside, but I’m
doing my best.” He looked at me softly.

He paused. “I don’t even
know what I need, Cay. But I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. I don’t
want you to go.”

“Then I won’t. I don’t
want to go either.” I finished my meal, swallowing the last bit of sausage and
eggs.

He smiled. He finished
his meal in four more bites. I carried our dishes to the sink to wash them, it
was the least I could do since he had been feeding me. As I finished up, I
heard him slip out of the kitchen and vanish into his bedroom.

***

W
hen I went into the
bedroom it was empty. The shower was running. I knelt over my still-packed
luggage and pulled out some fresh clothes to wear. Some jeans and a light shirt
would do fine, considering how hot it looked outside.

I went out onto the
balcony, and checked the grill. He had cleaned it, I couldn’t believe it.

Did he only grill for
himself, or did he ever have friends over to cook for? I leaned over the
railing, staring down from the top floor of his condo.

The building was on the
edge of a small hill, so it looked a lot higher up than ground level. Barreling
down into sage and tumbleweeds. Purple and yellow specked the landscape, barely
giving a hint that the desert was filled with life.

Of course, if the balcony
was on the far side of the building, I’d be able to see the manicured and
freshly cut lawns surrounding the neighboring buildings. All the water wasted
on keeping up appearances. Wasn’t Nevada just grand?

I was so lost in thought,
I didn’t notice when Hugh came up behind me.

He slipped his hand
around my waist and pulled me against him.

“Caitlin...” he whispered
in my ear, his minty breath tickling my skin. I slid my hand over his arms,
feeling a bit tingly from his touch. “I’m glad you’re staying.”

He hung his head over my
shoulder, brushing his face against mine. His clean hair hung over his eyes. “I
have to run into work this morning, Scott wanted to see me.”

I nodded, and he stepped
back into the house. He was already dressed in a sharp blue-grey suit. I
followed him back inside, to the front door. He had a look in his eyes, a kind
of determination. Or was it that I was finally peeking at the real Hugh? Not
the super arrogant man who licked salt right off my glass when we met again?

***

T
he drive back to the
other side of Reno was quick and painless. I’m sure the black leather interior
would have been baked in the heat, but Hugh wasn’t the kind of person to leave
his car in the elements like that. He was pretty quiet during the ride, so I
just kept myself occupied with the passing world. I still couldn’t decide if
what I was seeing should be admired or rejected. Implanted tree after implanted
tree. What was the point?

We parked in his marked
space in the garage tucked under the Silver Energy skyscraper.
He said he
had to stop real quick, should I wait in the car?
After watching him walk about
a hundred feet, I groaned. I climbed out of his car, and hurried. He
acknowledged me with the beeping of his car locking.

***

W
e exited the elevator on
the Silver Energy floor, and I awkwardly let him go first. I followed him,
watching him and wondering if it was my imagination that he was being cold. As
we moved into the main cubicle office area, Hugh smiled at no one in
particular.

Scott saw us and grinned.
Meeting him for the second time, my impression of him was pretty much
solidified. He had the kind of air that made you want to impress him. Were he
to give you his approval, you’d feel satisfied. I felt like I had a sense why
Hugh liked him.

“Hugh and Caitlin, it’s
nice to see you two again.” He took both our hands and held them together. He
turned to Hugh, “Would you like to join me in my office?” He added as he turned
to me, “you can join us too if you’d like. No company trade secrets here.” He
crossed his hand over his heart.

I chuckled a little,
forgetting my bad mood for a moment. “That’d be nice actually, see what the big
boys talk about.

“Great,” Scott said. He
smacked Hugh on the shoulder and they walked to Scott’s office. I followed
behind them. Hugh hadn’t even protested with a look, he seemed fine with me
joining him.