JanesPrize (5 page)

Jane shook her head. “I’m very ordinary.”
But her heart swelled with pleasure at the thought he found her beautiful.

“No, your hair is the most perfect shade of
honey. I love the way it curls around your ears.” As he spoke his free hand
drifted over her head, down to her neck.

“Your eyes are the best kind of blue. Not
too dark, not pale like some. Just like the summer sky outside the window. Your
skin is so soft I could stroke it all day.

“Your ears are set exactly right, your
throat is a delight.” She swallowed under his caress.

“I have no words to describe the perfection
of your breasts.” He squeezed each one gently so that the nipples puckered.

She stood unmoving, her breath caught in
her throat, as he unfastened her pants and drew them down to the floor. She
wore a wisp of lace no larger than a thong. It was already soaked with the
moisture seeping from her.

“We’ll get rid of this.” He pulled her panties
down, exposing her mound and vulva to the warm air of the room. He placed his
curved palm over the curls at the base of her belly.

Steam rose from the bathtub, the warm, damp
tendrils curling around them like a magic mist. Pierce reached out with one
hand to turn off the faucets.

“Ready when you are.”

Fortunately he kept an arm around her as he
guided her to the tub. His wandering hands and seductive words, and knowing
what he would do in a few minutes, had made her legs grow weak and shaky. She
doubted she could have stood on her own.

The warm water lapped at her breasts as she
lowered herself into the bath and leaned against its high back. She closed her
eyes and inhaled the steam. A few seconds later she heard Pierce’s whispered,
“Let me in.” She moved forward, the water churned and he slid in behind her.
Wavelets slopped over the side as she shifted to make room for him.

He settled her on his lap, his legs
straight underneath her bottom. His hands found her breasts again and he
nuzzled her neck. She leaned her head back on his solid shoulder.

“Lift your bottom up,” he whispered. She
rose slightly and felt his thighs open under her just enough so his legs
supported her as if she were sitting in an easy chair.

“Feel down between your legs.”

Her fingers found his cock, already large
and seeking.

“Put me inside you.”

She was soft and swollen, eager for him.
She guided him into her. With a sigh he thrust farther in until she was
attached to him as if by a magnet.

He rubbed his flat palms over her breasts.
“I love squashing them. I could play with them all day. But we need to think
about you. Where do you want my hands?”

“Everywhere.”

“Here?” His fingers parted the lips of her
vulva and found her clit. She arched. “God yes.”

“Not here?” His hand moved back to her
breast and squeezed her nipple.

“That too.” Her breath came fast and hot
now as he worked first her clit then her nipple, all the while pushing his cock
deeper and harder into her.

One final touch on the nub of her clit was
what brought her to climax. He held her tight against him as she bucked and
shuddered in his arms. His groans sounded in her ear as she rode him and milked
him with her wild movements until she felt the last massive thrust, so deep, so
hard that she thought she would cleave in two.

They lay supine with his arms around her
until the water began to cool. When it was too cold for comfort Jane stirred
and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed the towel she had brought with her, a
tiny inadequate thing. She had never thought she would need a bath sheet.
Pierce rose from the water and came to stand in front of her.

“Give me the towel.”

He took it from her and rubbed her dry
around her breasts and her back then down her legs.

His hands slid down her ribs and he sank to
his knees. He pressed his face against her mound and she gave a tiny,
involuntary thrust of her hips as he clasped her thighs.

She felt his tongue thrust between the lips
of her pussy and moved her legs wider apart. His arms went around her hips and
he seized the cheeks of her ass in each hand. He held her prisoner while his
tongue and lips ravaged her cunt. She grabbed his hair in both fists and held
him hard against her. Unbelievably, Jane Chartraine, who used her vibrator once
or twice a week and thought she was sexually aware, found herself carried away
in a mindless climax for the fourth time in less than twelve hours.

“I’ve been thinking,” Jane said an hour or
so later as they sat on the wide porch, munching on granola bars and sipping
lukewarm Coke. She swallowed the last crumbs and took a muffin. Another thing
she’d learned was that sex gave her a tremendous appetite.

“What’s that?” Pierce lounged in a cane
rocking chair looking strong and handsome and not the slightest bit weary. A
tiny flicker in her abdomen responded to the thought that he would be ready to
make love to her again by nightfall. She dragged her mind back to the present.

“The reason I’m here is because the owner
wants to prove there are no ghosts.”

“Right.”

“Because he thinks the house won’t sell if
it’s haunted.”

“Right again.”

“So we prove it’s haunted and he’ll be more
inclined to let you have it!” she finished on a note of triumph.

Pierce smiled. “That has possibilities.”

“Of course it does. When I film tonight,
you stand so that I catch just a glimpse of you, maybe in the big mirror.”

“No more than a flicker. But enough to see
the shape of a person.”

“Perfect.”

That afternoon Jane left the history
lessons and taught Pierce something of modern life so he could offer a
plausible story as the latest Newland offspring. He was a quick study and had a
wicked sense of humor. Jane found herself laughing until she cried at the
stories he told in his turn of his life on Earth and beyond it.

She wiped her eyes. “I had no idea ghosts
could get up to such things.”

“Why not? We’re human after all. Why would
we leave our personalities and all our faults behind?”

Around six o’clock she looked at her watch.
“Tell you what,” she said. “Let’s go pick up a pizza. It will give you a chance
to see the town and knowing how to order a pizza is a life skill that will be
useful.”

She drove carefully, trying not to swing
around the curves or stop too abruptly but even so, for the first couple of
miles, Pierce hung on to the grab bars for dear life. He saw her glance at his
white knuckles.

“Sorry. I had a car but it traveled not
much faster than a galloping horse.”

“I understand. Try to relax. It’s very safe
at this speed.”

She drove around the town of Cove Bay and
Pierce recognized a few of the old streets. There were even a couple of stores
that he remembered, even if they had changed name and function.

They picked up the pizza and cold sodas and
consumed them back at the house in the warm dusk. Pierce was enthusiastic about
the new taste sensations.

“Tell me some more about your life,” she
said as she picked up another slice. “What did you do, besides taking your
cousin to baseball games? Did you have a job?”

“I had a job. I was expected to go into the
family business when I left college.”

“And did you?”

“Eventually.”

She waited while he selected another slice
of pizza. “But first I wanted to see something of the world.”

“Where did you go?”

“Europe, of course. I did what they called
the Grand Tour in the nineteenth century. Major capitals, good restaurants,
cruise ships.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

He shook his head. “No, I was disappointed.
The sites were glorious of course and I had all the money I needed but I felt
there was more. I hooked up with a group of people who were planning to open
schools for boys in the slums in major cities. We rented buildings, bought
books and hired local teachers.”

Jane watched the emotions flicker over his
face.

“I even taught for a few months back here
in the States, not that I was much of a teacher.” He wiped his lips on a paper
napkin. “After a while I decided I could do more good by making money and
channeling it to the organization. So that’s what I did. I came home and joined
the family business. The difference was I now had a motive for making lots of
dough.”

“Did you make a lot?”

He laughed. “I made a pile and sent half of
everything to the schools. That was the problem.”

“Problem?”

“With my stepmother. She didn’t agree with
what I was doing. Said I was wasting her boy’s inheritance.”

“That’s why she killed you.”

“Yup.” He tossed the soiled napkin into the
empty pizza box.

Jane sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be sorry. If she hadn’t
poisoned me I’d have lived on, probably died at a ripe old age and never met
you.”

“True. I wonder what happened to the
schools you supported.”

“One day I’ll try to find out.”

Jane resolved to help him when she had
internet access but at the moment she didn’t want to embark on the explanations
that would entail. It was nearly ten and she got out the video camera.

“I thought of something else,” she said.
“I’ll rub a little Vaseline on the lens so that it looks all misty and slightly
out of focus. They’ll know there’s something there but not quite what it is.”

They rehearsed a couple of times and Jane
wiped out their first try as too jerky and posed. By the third or fourth attempt
they got it right and Pierce materialized in the mirror as a very
realistic-looking ghost.
Could a ghost be realistic?

Chapter Five

Jane reveled in the warmth of Pierce
against the length of her back. When they’d finished filming they had settled
into her narrow cot, speaking little, touching gently. Love that night had been
sweet and tender. They had both been tired, nerves strained by what had
happened to them. Their bodies came together as much for comfort as from lust.
After they lay like spoons, one of Pierce’s hands cupping her breast and the
other flat on her stomach. Every so often his muscles gave a tiny twitch as he
sank into sleep and her body responded with a ripple of desire.

She closed her eyes. She had to get some
sleep if she was to keep her wits about her tomorrow when she took Pierce back
to her town. But her brain wouldn’t quit.

For a day and a night she’d tried to be
blasé about spending time in the house, and then forced herself to take meeting
a ghost in her stride but she had to confess that her nerves were more than a
bit frayed. As for Pierce, she had no idea what mental and physical strain was
involved in coming back to the world after you’d been dead for decades.

As she lay in Pierce’s arms and listened to
his even breathing, she racked her brain for anything she’d ever read or heard
about ghosts. Of course there weren’t too many examples of one coming back to
life and taking his place in the world. Was that because it never happened? Or
because the ones who did it were so clever they slipped into a new community
with barely a ripple? Stephen King had some pretty horrifying stories about
people coming back to life, but when they returned they were evil and
terrifying, not drop-dead gorgeous and hungry for sex.

From what he’d told her and what her mother
had said, Pierce had disappeared eighty or so years ago. His body had
rematerialized and there was nothing wrong with it as far as she could tell. In
fact, it was absolutely, smashingly all there. But did that mean he would continue
his life cycle as he should have done all those years ago? Would he age like
any other human? Or would the process accelerate because he was already
ancient? Or would he stay young and virile, frozen in time while she gradually
grew older?

The thought made her draw a deep breath.

“Can’t you sleep?” Pierce’s voice murmured
in her ear and his hand on her abdomen moved to her thigh. A trail of sparks
followed along her nerve endings.

She muttered something about being close to
dropping off.

“I can put you to sleep.” He kissed her ear
and then she felt the tip of his tongue trace the edge of her lobe. His fingers
tightened on her breast and she felt his cock swell against the cheeks of her
bottom.

Immediately a rush of moisture spread
between her legs. Pierce murmured in contentment and pushed two fingers between
her thighs, searching for her clit. He found it and nipped the soft flesh
between his fingers then began to stroke gently, rhythmically. Jane gave
herself up to the delicious sensations in breast and pussy.

The pressure of his hand made her arch
against him. He held her firm while continuing to pleasure her.

At last she could take no more. The heat
built up in her belly while the relentless rubbing on her clit sent more
flickers of fire deep into her. The wave began low down and spread up through
the lips of her vulva, burning everything in its path until she cried out and
arched again in his iron grip.

“Is that better?” he whispered.

She could only nod, still feeling his cheek
against her hair.

“Best sleeping potion there is,” he said.

She was already drifting, her body
completely relaxed, her head empty of any nagging thoughts. She felt him settle
against her again and she slept.

Something woke Jane very early the next
morning. She and Pierce were still folded together. He had been with her now
for almost two nights and a day. So far so good.

One ray of dawn light penetrated the gloom
of the room where the drapes had not been completely closed. She lay for a
while on her side watching it spread a golden glow over her backpack and their
discarded clothes.

Her body ached with a delicious throb
between her legs when she moved but her head was clear as a bell.

A noise outside brought her fully awake.
She slipped out of Pierce’s embrace, dragged her T-shirt over her nakedness and
walked to the window to peer out. The sun was still behind the trees on the far
side of the lawn but it promised to be a glorious day. The patrol car edged
past the house once again. They were certainly faithful but they hadn’t caught
the intruder. Of course, strictly speaking, Pierce wasn’t an intruder since he
belonged to the house. She supposed the law firm hadn’t considered that
possibility. She smiled to herself as she stretched her arms over her head and
turned back to the bed. Pierce lay on his side, eyes open, watching her with
the same small grin curving his mouth.

“What is it?” she asked, but she knew the
answer. She just wanted to hear him say it.

“I want to fuck you.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She took the
few steps to the side of the cot and pushed him onto his back. Hitching up her
T-shirt, she straddled him, her hands on his shoulders. “My turn,” she
whispered. “Leave it to me.”

His cock was already large and swollen,
jutting toward her like a gorgeous missile seeking a target. She positioned her
pussy over it and let her wetness brush over him. He gasped and seized her
hips, trying to pull her down onto him. She pulled back. “You have to let me do
this. Take your hands away.”

“All right.” His mouth twisted in a grimace
that looked like pain but he let go of her.

She rode him, laving him with her juices,
pulling away, sliding him into her slowly then retreating again only to ram him
deep inside her. Reveling in the power she wielded, she refused to let him
come, although he begged her and she felt her own climax building, cresting
deep inside.

He groaned and bit his lip, crying out when
she let him into her, moaning when she slid away. It was wonderful.

At last he could bear it no longer. Despite
her protests he seized her hips again and forced her onto his throbbing,
pulsing cock. It was steel-hard and hot, wet with their combined juices. As he
rammed into her she could hold back the tempest no longer and they shuddered,
shouted and climaxed together.

The heater had remained on during the night
so there was enough hot water for a bath and for Pierce to shave. Both were a
bit subdued as they washed, packed up Jane’s cot and ate the last of the food.
Jane made instant coffee right in the mugs with a kettle of boiling water.

Pierce watched with interest. “Sorry it’s
only instant,” she said. “We can stop off in town for something better.”

He picked up a mug and sniffed at the
steam. “Smells like coffee.” He took a sip. “Almost tastes like coffee.”

She passed him the sugar bowl. “You’ll find
a lot of things are made now to be quick and easy but we lose a lot of flavor
for the convenience. Some people buy organic.”

She explained what that meant as they
finished their scanty breakfast and rinsed the plates and cups. It was only eight-thirty
when Jane took a last look around. The water heater was shut down, all the
windows securely bolted, the garbage scooped into plastic bags for disposal. Is
this where there should be discussion about her taking him back?

She drew a deep breath. “This is where
things start to get interesting,” she said. “We have to convince the law firm
that the house is haunted and then establish your identity.” She couldn’t help
a little clutch of fear in the base of her abdomen. So much could go wrong. Not
only might Pierce find it difficult to become a legal resident of the present
year but she worried about what might happen when he saw all the gorgeous women
out there. He’d been hungry for sex and she’d been right at hand, willing and
more than ready for him. Sexual mores had certainly changed over the last
century. A good-looking wealthy guy would have to fight them off with a
baseball bat. Where would that leave her? Why hadn’t she thought of that?
Because she’d been dazzled by his charm and by his obvious desire. But that
desire might fade as soon as he realized she wasn’t the only one available to
him.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Pierce said.

She shot him a quick smile. “Nothing. Just
thinking about where we should go first.” She picked up the last bag of garbage
and the pack with the video camera. “Got it all mapped out,” she said
cheerfully. “Let’s go.”

Jane steered the car back toward town.
She’d arrived at the house late Tuesday afternoon and spent two nights filming
as she’d been instructed. Motherly Abigail had told her the offices closed at
noon on Friday so she had to return the camera on Friday morning. The shots
were all digital, timed and dated, so they had only the rest of Thursday to get
their story straight.

Jane glanced at Pierce in the passenger
seat beside her. His window was down and the breeze ruffled his hair. He still
wore his tweed suit but he’d left off the starched collar and the tie. She
stole a peek at the smooth skin on his throat and her hand gave an involuntary
movement on the wheel as if drawn to touch it. She moistened her lips. His skin
would be like brown silk under her fingers and lower down, his abs would be
rock hard…

A car horn blasted her out of her fantasy
and Pierce yelped in alarm. She jerked the wheel to restore the vehicle to the
correct lane and let out a deep breath. A small sports car scudded past her,
driven by an elegant woman who made a rude gesture, obviously furious that they
had almost drifted into her lane. “Sorry about that.”

She felt Pierce’s hand on the nape of her
neck. He massaged the tender spot at the top of her spine and she shivered.
“You’re too tense,” he said. “Just relax.”

“On the contrary, I was too relaxed. Not
paying attention to the road.”

His eyes were on the cars around them as
the traffic thickened. “Extraordinary,” he murmured. “Would I be able to buy
one of these?”

“I don’t see why not, once you have a bank
account and can get a license.” The mention of the everyday necessities brought
her back to the stomach-churning problem of how to pass him off as a
contemporary man.

It was almost lunchtime on a warm day and
the girls were out in their skimpy dresses, enjoying the sun. Jane shot Pierce
a sideways glance. His eyes wandered everywhere, never stopping on one person
for more than a few seconds.

He shifted in his seat, his hand still warm
and comforting on her shoulder. “The skirts are very short, aren’t they?”

“Right.” She didn’t want to pursue that.

“Some of them are bare at the waist.”

“Belly buttons are fashionable, especially
with a ring.”

“You mean, right in the—” He pointed to
roughly where his navel would be.

“You got it.”

“Extraordinary,” he said again. Then he
looked at her. “You don’t have a ring in your belly button.”

“No, I’m not into those kinds of fashion.
I’ve never even considered it.”

“It might be interesting.”

At that moment she signaled to slide into
the lane to make a left turn and braked at the stop sign. “Where would you like
to go first?”

“Somewhere with a bed.” His fingers played
under her hair and another frisson snaked down to her belly.

“I could find you a motel.”

“Us.”

“What?”

“Find
us
a motel, whatever that is.”

The light turned green and she pretended to
concentrate on her driving. Her heart rate had notched up again. Damn, she was
conditioned to respond to every suggestion he made and she’d only known him for
two days. What did that make her?

She made herself focus on the here and now,
not what might be once they were in a motel room. “A motel is a hotel where you
can drive right up to the door of your room.”

“Clever.”

She drove a few more blocks and turned in
where a flashing sign announced “Vacancy”.

“Stay here. I’ll check you in.”

The teenager behind the counter at
reception wasn’t the slightest bit interested in her or her companion. Jane
gave a credit card, collected a room key and returned to the car. “I’ll show
you the room and then we should get you some new clothes.”

She had asked for a quiet room and the one
they were given was shielded by a stand of trees from the parking lot and from
the pool. She could hear some children shouting and splashing but couldn’t see
anyone.

Pierce took her bag from the trunk. She
placed a hand on his arm. “I won’t be needing that.”

Replacing it, he slammed the trunk closed
then followed her in silence into the room. He gave the fittings a cursory
glance, nodding when she pointed out the bathroom and explained how the shower
worked.

“The water will be hot all the time.”

Nodding again, he removed his jacket and
threw it on the queen-sized bed. The drapes were closed, making the standard
room dim and intimate.

She put the key on the dresser and stood
awkwardly, unnerved by his silence. “Is anything wrong?”

He flashed a grin. “Not as long as you’re
here.”

He began to unbutton his shirt and pulled
it from the waistband of his thick pants.

“What are you doing?”

“You said I needed new clothes so I might
as well be rid of the old ones.”

“That’s not what I—”

Before she could finish he shucked his
pants, slid his arms from the sleeves of his shirt and took a step toward her.

He took her in his arms and she lost all
the scanty willpower that remained to her. She took a moment to savor the feel
of his naked chest against her, the sensation of her breasts pressed hard to
him, the brush of dark hair under her cheek. His hand caught her chin and lifted
her face to his. His lips came down on hers, his tongue thrusting boldly into
her mouth.