Forgive Me Father For I Have Loved (45 page)

He knew what he was doing. Teasing her, working her up into a frenzy, slowly but surely. She glanced off to the side, taking note of the silver bucket of chilled non-alcoholic champagne with two wine glasses slid snugly against it. Trails of icy condensation trickled down the pale pink bottle, slowly trekking, mimicking the pace of his tongue gliding up and down her earlobe. Fastening his arms around her waist, he took her lips again, sucking her bottom one with due pressure, soon slicking his tongue into her mouth. Warm breath from his mouth entered hers, while she trailed her fingers down his back.

Dane reached down and slipped two fingers slowly inside of her, working them expertly on her G-spot.

Is this what long abstinence
does? He is so good...

And she meant that. Dane was an excellent lover—a man of high endurance, sensitive, considerate, dominating and skilled all at once. He made sure she was receiving pleasure as well, not stopping until she got what she needed, what she desired. He served her, and seemed to get highly intoxicated off her excitement.

“Mmmm, I think you’re ready.” He breathed harshly in her ear,

Reaching between their bodies, he gripped his shaft. She opened her legs wider for him, closed her eyes and braced herself as he entered her...

“Uh! Yes, this is what I needed...” He moaned, rising on his hands, looking down at her while she lost it. It didn’t take long—he’d worked her up in a long, torturous state, making her body bend to his thrusting command.

“You like it, baby?” He smiled at her, knowing she did. She patted him lightly on his chest, on his pecs that glistened with sweat. He increased his pace before she’d had a chance to respond.

“Yessss!” Her body tensed as the orgasmic waves drowned her in sweet relief. He drove deep within her, his mouth on hers, his tongue echoing the moves of his hips, until she tumbled down the mountain of delight.

“Mmmmm!” they moaned in unison.

And her body did his bidding. He was so rough, yet so tender, his thrusts demanding, strong...forcing her to submit.

“I’m going to make you have another one...” And before she could grasp what he’d said, he reached between them, thumbing her clitoris as their bodies pressed together, and finally, she lost it once again, in epic proportions.

“Oh God!” Gritting her teeth, she pushed her head back into the pillow. He kept steady on her, driving her mad, using his fingers as if she were piano keys, begging to be played, one solitary note at a time.

“Mmmmm! Dane!” He had her where he wanted, deep under his spell, and did just as he’d said...fall apart in his arms. She didn’t know where her passion started and blended into his, but she felt him responding and opened her eyes to verify her findings. He was staring down at her. Not gawking, not smirking...but love was written all over his face. A wave of pleasure overtook her. She screamed out as he lunged deeper within her, breathlessly, urgently. His low, throaty growl—masculine and raw—roused her senses. He was so close, and she wanted nothing more than to feel it inside of her. Finally, she got her wish as he mumbled incoherently, gripped her hips, and came inside of her, filling her with the fluid from his love.

Sated, he fell down on her and she buried her face in his neck, relishing the moment as his body relaxed and his breathing slowed to a crawl. She strained a bit to get a glimpse of him, a big smile on his now sleeping face. She didn’t dare disturb him, he’d earned the right to slumber and she knew that she, too, had better take the opportunity to nap, because Dane would be awake in about twenty minutes, ready, willing and able, to do it over again and again...

~***~

The following evening...

“Are you sure this looks okay? Maybe I should go back to the hotel and change into the red outfit! I think we may have just enough time.”

Rhapsody stood backstage in the huge auditorium, her nerves visibly in overdrive, and the words that rolled out of her mouth proved it. Dane had never seen her like this before. They’d been having a blast, but within the last hour, his cool, calm and collected wife had turned into a mass of gelatin right before his very eyes. She continued to toil in front of the mirror, doing double takes and messing with the curls in her hair. He’d taken her to the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe earlier that day to help her relax before her performance, but instead, she’d almost passed out of breath on the winding steps of the latter once they reached the top. However, it was well worth it as they observed the glorious view of the entire city. They’d stopped at a quaint café that served the best apple tart pastry she’d ever indulged in, and she resisted the urge to get another, believing it may force her tummy to poke out a wee bit too much.

“You look beautiful, honey.” He stroked her back protectively, while musicians whirled past them, stage handlers screamed to each other in French, and a performer on the stage sang his last song. “Now look.” He swirled her around to face him. “Everything is going to be just fine, better than fine. You’ve performed for big crowds before! No need to be nervous...you have this under control.”

“I know.” She smiled shyly. “But...this time, it isn’t just me, you know? People are depending on me. I’m a fill-in.”

“Fill in, shill in.” He shrugged and rolled his eyes dramatically, causing her smile to widen. “You were
born
for this. They are in for a real treat. Now,” he looked toward the slit in the curtain, from where a thin trail of light blazed through, “do you want me to sit back here, or take my seat in the audience?” He rubbed her exposed back, her long, silver form-fitting gown hugging every curve. She looked like a seductress encased in glistening ice and diamonds.

“Wherever you want, Dane. Just knowing you’re close to me is enough.” She winked at him, her features relaxing.

“Then I tell you what. I will sit out in the audience because my seat is pretty close to the front. That way, you can look at me in case your nerves get to you, but we both know how you are—as soon as you are out there, doing your thing, you will be fine.”

She hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him affectionately.

I knew that was where she wanted me to sit. I know you, baby...

He smiled a smug smile over her shoulder as he hugged her, kissed her once more and left to take his seat...

~***~

Dane steepled his fingers and leaned forward as the lights dimmed. He dusted the shoulder of his black tuxedo as he looked around one last time before the faces turned into mere shadows. His entire core heated, taking on the stress of five men. The damned place was overwhelming, but there was no way he’d feed into her fears. He now saw his original assessment was untrue. This was the biggest crowd she’d ever played in front of and though the words were unspoken, key industry players, music producers and managers with clout would be occupying the seats.

Rhapsody hadn’t uttered a word of it, but he’d heard her mother talking about it the day before their wedding. What endeared him the most was that his new wife didn’t seem as nervous about that aspect at all. The biggest concern was the fear of letting a friend down...but that was Rhapsody, just one of a million reasons he loved the woman so very deeply. He heard her practicing in the bathroom since they’d arrived. She said the acoustics in their hotel lavatory were magnificent and he never grew tired of her singing the exact same verses, over and over, trying to perfect them ‘just so.’

Finally, she floated onto the vast stage where at least twenty musicians lined up, all dressed elegantly. She stood in the middle, with the spotlight shining down on her, a platinum bumble bee clasp from her mother in her soft, shiny curls, and her bottom lip glossy—the deep, rich burgundy lipstick making them appear extra succulent. He tried to stave off any carnal desires and stay in the moment, but it was hard to do as he visually traced her plunging neckline, a pearl drop necklace pointing directly to the spot he often rested his head on after a marathon of lovely afternoon lovemaking sessions... And he’d made her weak at the knees that morning, too – it was truly breakfast in bed. Between kisses, passionate thrusts and laughter, they’d find themselves at each other all over again, almost unable to break free. He loved that their beautiful time of sharing one another was oftentimes peppered with comedy. He couldn’t recall one time they’d made love when a joke wasn’t shared, or something whimsical didn’t take place—they were so comfortable with one another.

When she gripped the microphone, he pushed the thoughts away and focused on her. Her brilliant wedding band and engagement ring created a rainbow prism that danced around under the illumination.

A cluster of women, background singers, stood a bit closer to her. Rhapsody lazily looked over at them and said, “Salut beauté!” causing the audience to burst out in applause.

She said it perfectly... ‘Hello, Beautiful!’

Dane had been working with her on her French. He was far from an expert, but he’d learned enough for his missionary trips in several parts of
Africa to get by.

“Je suis contente d’être ici.”

Great job, baby! ‘I’m happy to be here’

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes; dazzling him. She g
ripped the microphone and then her lips parted...

“Remember those walls I built...Well baby they are tumbling down...”
she belted out, and the audience cheered, suffocating the next few lyrics of Beyonce’s,
“Halo”
in their applause.

Dane listened intently to the song he’d heard a thousand times, yet tonight, it sounded brand new. The music carried her notes away, hitting them perfectly, while the background singers brought out the gorgeous tones of her voice. Awe-struck, he sat captivated by the entire show and fell even deeper under her spell. It felt as if the woman was singing directly to him, and he knew, that she actually was...

“...I can see your halo...”

More time passed, but he never wanted the song to stop, and neither did the audience as they stood to their feet and belted a thunderous applause that was almost deafening. Her voice gave the song new depth, new meaning, her special touch that made it vibrate deep within the audience’s souls, moved the room to at times zombie like silence—she’d stolen them, all of them...

You did it again, Rhapsody...you make people feel things they never knew were possible by your God given gift of song. That’s your present to mankind; you are a musical genius, a prodigy to the entire world.

He smiled proudly at her, catching her gaze. In response, she tilted her head slightly to the side, paused and blew him a kiss before she went into her next song...

She’s got it; she’s okay now...

You’ve got them in the palm of your hands, sweetheart...

~***~

A week and a half later...

“Boooo!”

“Hey baby!” Dane threw his hands up as the cool night air ruffled their hair. He walked backwards from her, the Eiffel tower glowing brightly behind him. “We’ve been here two weeks; we do have to eventually get back to reality. You act like I wouldn’t want to keep this majestic ride of ours going, you know I would, but you’ve got your work, and...” his voice trailed as he offered her a sympathetic smile.

Rhapsody sulked, then smiled devilishly before feigning anger again. “But I want to stay here forever. I don’t want this to be our last night here!”

Dane grabbed her in his arms, pinning her arms down to her sides. She pretended to want to be free as he landed a perfect kiss smack dab on the middle of her forehead.

“You act like we can never come back again. Of course we will be back. I’ll bring you here every single year if you want.”

“Will you?!” She smiled gleefully, the child in her reborn. “It’s just so beautiful here. The people, the food, they appreciate my music!...Did I mention the food?” She chuckled.

He ran his fingertips through her hair as it blew around under the darkened sky. “Yes, I will and yes, you did...” He kissed her again, this time on the lips...soft...perfect. Tracing her ears with his fingertips, he looked down in her beautiful eyes—eyes that looked back up at him with the same intensity.

“What?” she asked softly, her smile warm, melting him, shielding him from the chill.

“Sometimes I still can’t believe it.”

She smiled a bit wider, waiting for him to continue, to explain himself.

“We talk about anything and everything and sometimes my mind wanders. I try to not do that, but it does. I look at you talking, smiling, hear you laughing, and all I can think is, ‘How in the world did I get this lucky?’ I look at you, sleeping next to me...I put our hands together, my wedding band against your engagement ring, and... and I just can’t believe I’m married to such a beautiful person, such a
wonderful
person, with a heart like I’ve never seen. In some ways we are opposites, some people may find it confusing while others think it is beautiful. I don’t think we’re that different at all...”

She nodded in agreement, and a reddish glow spread across the apples of her cheeks. He loved that...

“I never knew I could feel like this about anyone. I just want to do everything for you, give you the whole entire world, if I could…Rhapsody, I love you!” His voice shook, no matter how hard he tried to control it, so he quelled it by kissing her again, and again...until their tongues glided back and forth against each other’s, slow, wet and warm.