Lessons From a Younger Lover (18 page)

No sooner had the door closed to their luxury stand-alone cabin than Gwen was in Ransom's arms. Only this time, she was the initiator. He lifted her off the ground and walked them to the wall, where he pinned Gwen's back against it and plundered her mouth with his tongue. Supporting her with his body and the wall, he took one hand and ran it underneath her hiked-up dress, trailing a stiff finger along the wet folds of her desire before putting the finger to his mouth and licking it sensually.

Gwen was in a sexual frenzy unlike any she'd ever known. She pulled at his shirt, popping one of the buttons off the fabric. She wanted to feel all of him everywhere, and hated that there was cloth between them. But pinned against the wall as she was, Ransom was in total control.

“No,” he whispered breathlessly. “We've waited too long to hurry this moment.”

“But, Ransom…”

“Remember long and slow? That's how this evening is going to be.” Ransom walked over to the iPod unit he'd brought with him and turned it on. A melodious, almost haunting voice immediately filled the room, singing about lessons and learning.

Ransom reached for Gwen and began a sensual slow dance. There were no words spoken between the two inevitable lovers, just the encouraging words of jazz singer Al Jarreau:
“teach me tonight.”

The song ended and for a moment, the two simply held each other. Finally Ransom broke the silence. “Come bathe with me,” he said.

At most, Gwen was hoping for a two-minute shower. Normally a lover of luxurious baths, tonight she was in no mood for one. Ransom held her hand and led the way to the bathroom. Once there, Gwen's eyes widened. The tub was lined with white votive candles that accented the steam rising from hot, soapy water.

“When did you do this?” she asked.

“I've got connections,” he whispered, reaching for the hem of her dress. Ransom pulled the dress over Gwen's head and placed his mouth on her nipple. He trailed a strong finger down the crevice of her backside and pulled her closer. Gwen tried to breathe and slow her heartbeat. But there was no use. This man had her about to hyperventilate!

“Ransom, please…”

Ransom quickly took off his clothes. He leaned down and tested the water. “Perfect,” he said. He stepped into the large Jacuzzi tub and pulled Gwen along with him. He sat down and leaned back, enfolding Gwen in his arms. He immediately continued his assault, licking a trail around her earlobe, teasing her neck with kisses, fluttering his finger along the folds of her desire.

Gwen tried to turn and kiss him.

“Hmm, just enjoy,” he said.

Ransom reached over for a sponge and gel that were positioned on the side of the tub. He lathered the sponge and began to wash Gwen's body. His fingers followed everywhere the sponge went…everywhere. At one point, he got out of the tub, but directed Gwen to stay inside. From the side, dripping wet, he continued to wash her legs and feet, all the while staring at her as if she hung the moon. Gwen worked on simply breathing.

Finally, he lifted Gwen out of the tub and enveloped her in a towel. He patted her skin gently, until she was dry, and then quickly dried himself off. Before exiting the bathroom, he reached for a tube on the vanity.

“Edible lotion?” Gwen asked hopefully.

“I love a student who remembers previous instruction,” Ransom replied.

Once he'd laid Gwen on the bed, Ransom's focus became more intense. He took the lotion and, starting with her toes, began to lick the skin he'd just dried, causing Gwen to become wet all over again. He caressed each toe, massaged her feet and ankles, calves, and thighs. He spread her legs wide and stared at her for a long moment.

“You're beautiful,” he said simply.

Gwen began to tremble. With a look of love boring into her eyes, Ransom took some of the lotion and lightly touched her nub. Gwen thought she would explode. She began to squirm, wanting to feel the pressure of his hand on her, inside her.

“Not so fast,” he whispered, as he gently massaged her, ran his fingers along the length of her, until she began to blossom. Soon his tongue replaced his finger, and Gwen thought she'd lose her mind. Still he was light, feathery, licking and then blowing on the wetness. He kissed one thigh, and then the other, ran his tongue up to her navel and back, massaged her breasts with his hands, softly touching…

“Ransom!” Gwen cried.

Ransom chuckled. “Okay, Butterfly.” With that he plunged his tongue deep into Gwen. She squealed in delight, even as she tried to move away. The pleasure was too much, she couldn't take it. Ransom grabbed her thighs and held her firm, setting her on fire with each nibble, each thrust of his powerful swordlike tongue. Just as quickly as the assault began, it ended.

Ransom calmly got out of bed and walked over to the nightstand.

What is he doing?
Gwen thought, but couldn't speak. She lay back on the bed, closed her eyes, and tried to stop shaking. She heard a cork pop, heard the bubbly being poured into glasses.
He wants a drink…now?
Gwen opened her eyes, turned onto her side, and her eyes opened wider. Ransom stared at her as he dipped his deliciously formed member into the glass.

His instruction was simple. “Come have a sip.”

The rarely imbibing Gwen hurried to his side like an alcoholic at happy hour. She hesitated for just a moment before closing her eyes and trying to take him full into her mouth.

“Slowly, Butterfly, we have all night.” Ransom pulled himself away from her, dipped himself into the glass, and nodded slightly.

Gwen tried again, slower this time. She was new at this, but could already tell she liked it. He felt so good, hard and soft at the same time. Instinctively, she ran her tongue around the rim of his circumcised shaft. Ransom hissed. Gwen smiled, and did it again. This time it was she who dunked him in the glass. Ransom had said she'd want more to drink later. He'd been right!

After several moments, Ransom rolled on a colossal condom and climbed back on the bed. He placed Gwen in the very center of it, and once again began his oral assault. He replaced his tongue with his finger and found her G-spot. Gwen climaxed immediately, and while she was still shaking from the ferocity of her release, Ransom spread her folds and entered her. Slowly, at first, he proceeded inch after glorious inch, pulling out to the tip and entering farther, deeper each time. Finally, after allowing her body time to relax and expand to accommodate his size, he pushed himself to the hilt and began the age-old dance of love…long, slow movements, as he'd promised. He loved her in a dozen different ways, loved her so good and so thoroughly that Gwen cried. She was experiencing the pleasure of total sexual fulfillment for the first time in her life. And when at last he joined her in release, and Gwen came for the final time, the jolt of pleasure was so intense that her whole body stiffened as if paralyzed…and she got a crick in her toe!

Ransom bounded up the three steps to Gwen's front door and tapped lightly on the screen. “Anybody home?”

“Daddy!” Isis jumped from the couch and unlocked the door for her father. He came in, lifted her up off the floor, and gave her a big bear hug and kiss.

“How's my princess? Did you have a good day?”

Isis nodded. “We had fun today at school. Miss Gwen has this big map of the United States that covers the floor, like this big.” Isis ran in a circle to demonstrate the size of the rug shaped like America. “And it has all the states on it and we played a game to learn where they were.”

“Sounds great, baby. Miss Gwen sounds like an excellent teacher.”

“Your father's a pretty good teacher too,” Gwen said, wiping her hands on her apron as she came from the kitchen into the living room. She walked over to Ransom and gave him a light hug.

“Ooh. Y'all hugging, y'all boyfriend and girlfriend.” Isis giggled as she walked around them chanting, “Miss Gwen likes my daddy, Miss Gwen likes my daddy!”

Gwen and Ransom looked at each other. They had talked about how to discuss their relationship with Isis and had decided that aside from the initial conversation they'd had with her, where they had indeed said they were “friends,” they thought it best to just let the situation unfold organically. Gwen keeping Isis after school allowed the three of them to interact daily during the week, and for the past two weekends they had also done activities together. They thought Isis had accepted their friendship as a casual one, much like the one Ransom once had with Carol. But obviously the little cherub was picking up on a different set of vibes.

Gwen looked at Ransom with a “say something” expression. Ransom shrugged, gently grabbed Isis's arm, and said, “Quit running before you hurt yourself.”

Isis looked between Gwen and Ransom, her large brown eyes twinkling mischievously. Gwen saw the curiosity in those eyes and knew a more explanatory talk was in order, otherwise Isis might take her little sing-song ditty to the playground tomorrow.

Gwen knelt down to Isis's eye level. “Yes, Isis, I like your father. What do you think that means?”

Isis giggled again. “It means y'all gonna kiss, like this”—Isis made smooching sounds—“and then, and then y'all gonna get married!” She started skipping around the room. “Miss Gwen likes my daddy, Miss Gwen likes my daddy!”

“Princess,” Ransom said patiently. “Come here, Daddy needs to talk to you.” He took Isis by the hand and led her to the couch. “Okay, here's the deal. Miss Gwen and I do like each other, but there are some people that aren't too happy about it.”

“Like Carol?” Isis asked.

Another look passed between Gwen and Ransom. Gwen marveled at Isis's astuteness and believed that Ransom had passed on the gift of intuition to his daughter.

“Remember how when you and Kari became friends, some of the other kids made fun of you?” Ransom asked. Isis nodded. “What did I tell you about that?”

“You said they were just jealous because they didn't have a best friend.”

“That's exactly right. And that's how it is for me and Miss Gwen. Some people are just mad because they don't have”—he nodded toward Gwen—“a best friend.”

Isis thought about his answer for a moment, and then asked, “Do best friends get married, Daddy?”

“Sometimes.”

“Good, because I would like Miss Gwen to be my new mommy.”

Ransom and Gwen were saved by the bell, literally, as little Tianna, a schoolmate who lived on the block, activated the door chime. “Can Isis come play?” she asked through the screen.

Isis jumped off the couch, her interest in Gwen and Ransom's relationship status and the future of said status thankfully diverted. “Ooh, can I go, Daddy?”

“Yes, Princess. But don't leave the front yard.”

Isis had barely gotten outside when Ransom grabbed Gwen and walked them back to the privacy of the kitchen where he kissed her, then burst into laughter.

“This isn't funny,” Gwen said between giggles.

“Miss Gwen likes my daddy,” he mimicked, running his hand across Gwen's bottom and nibbling her neck. “What Isis said about your being her new mommy…now there's an idea.”

Gwen had always wanted to be a mother. And if she could have a daughter, she'd want a smart, cute, rambunctious one like Isis. But as much as she loved Ransom, and the one-big-happy-family idea, she was fresh out of a ten-year marriage.

Ransom laughed softly, kissed her once more, and then let her go. “Dag, my girl got scared silent. It's okay, Butterfly. I'll wait for your answer.”

With Ransom now nibbling on her ear, Gwen tried hard to remember the question.

Ransom delivered another one. “What's for dinner? Something smells good.”

Gwen was glad for the change in subject. She had to prepare for a teachers' meeting the following day and couldn't be with Ransom later. “Mini pizzas,” she answered. “Can you guys stay for dinner?”

“Baby, I'm ready to eat right now!” He reached again for Gwen but this time she sidestepped him and went to the refrigerator.

“You're so bad,” Gwen said.

“Um hmm. And you wouldn't have it any other way.”

Ransom and Gwen chatted comfortably as he watched her prepare her pizzas, using English muffins for the crust, a shredded chicken topping, and lots of cheese. In a nod to Isis and the child in Gwen, she topped the creations with happy faces: black olives for eyes, a broccoli floret for the nose, and a slice of red pepper for the mouth. She placed the muffins on a cookie sheet, placed the sheet in the oven, and collected dishes and silverware to set the table.

When she came back into the kitchen and reached for the potato chips in the cabinet, Ransom came up and hugged her from behind.

“Why didn't you and your husband have kids?”

Gwen wriggled out of his embrace and took the soda out of the refrigerator. “It just never happened.”

“What, you were using birth control?”

“I was, but not for the last three years of our marriage. We tried, but I never got pregnant.”

“Maybe your boy was sterile.”

Gwen shrugged, put on an oven mitten, and pulled the pizzas out from under the broiler. “No, I think it's me. Probably just as well, considering what happened to our marriage.”

“You'd make an excellent mother,” Ransom said sincerely. “You're a natural.”

For some reason, Ransom's genuine compliment made Gwen teary. She hid her emotion by busying herself with putting the pizzas on a serving dish and grabbing parmesan cheese from the cabinet. Then she walked to the front door and called to Isis.

“Come on, sweetie, dinner's ready.”

Ransom smiled as he heard Gwen call to his daughter and then direct Isis to wash her hands. Isis obeyed, rattling on to Gwen, who walked with her to the bathroom to wash her hands as well. Gwen laughed at something Isis said, their voices less clear as they continued down the hall. Their camaraderie made Ransom happy, and a feeling of contentment bubbled up inside him. Not long ago he'd entertained the idea of a queen for him and his princess. And now, he was sure, he'd found her.