Lavender Is a Harsh Mistress Read online

  She kept her eyes focused on the wall and her mind on the meeting.

  After four steps she felt the rippled abs on his stomach and moved her hand down to his erection. She willed her hand to quickly run along his penis and grab the keys and the keyring and didn’t look at him.

  “You know darling you really shouldn’t torture me like this. I have got to make this meeting!”

  “Torture you! What did I do? Here I am trying to be a Shining Knight, helping a damsel in distress and I don’t even get so much as a kiss.” She hurried out of the room and down the hallway. She made it as far as the elevator before coming back into the condo.

  By the time that she entered the bedroom she was almost entirely undressed.

  “I can’t believe how easy it is for you to have so much sexual control over me. But I must admit that I love it. I had better call and cancel the meeting.” Marcus walked over to her and stood behind her. He started kissing the back of her neck and undoing her bra and took the phone from her. “Don’t worry about canceling your meeting, I already did that.”

  The coolness that was October, had shifted into what was now a cold November. The green leaves of summer had defied nature and were still hanging off the trees and cluttering the ground.

  They refused to wither away and die and hung around and battled thru the cold until November’s third week. Amanda and Marcus spent Thanksgiving with his grandmother and her “friend.” The friend’s name was Darryl Speer and every chance that Marcus got he pressed her on what kind of friend was he. He was acting like his grandmother was his teenage daughter and had invited her first male friend over for dinner. Amanda couldn’t help teasing him and giggling as they drove back home. Seeing this side of him only made 218

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress him more endearing to her.

  Amanda looked out of the large living room window and was captivated by the soft feathery falling snow as it settled over the city. She could see the people and cars having trouble as they tried to navigate thru it, Carney came up behind her.

  “What do you and Marcus have planned for Christmas?”

  “My parents and my sister are coming up. But knowing him I am sure that he will think of something.”

  “Mandy isn’t the snow beautiful? This is how I always thought that a holiday like Christmas should look like. By looking at you I can see that you are really happy, even a blind man can see that. I can see it in everything that you do. The way that you talk when you are around him. The way that your eyes soften when someone says his name.

  Even the way that you walk when you are around him.”

  “Come on Carney, the way that I walk! I always walk the same all the time.”

  “Oh no you don’t. When he is around you walk differently and you don’t even know it.”

  “Different like how?”

  “Like this.” Carney turned around and walked toward the door and put extra emphasis on her hips and her rear end. Making them sway from side to side provocatively, Amanda started to howl with laughter.

  “Oh stop it I would never walk that way in a million years”

  “I might be over doing it a little but not by much.” Carney walked back over to the window.

  “I even know when Marcus is coming home and I think that it’s cute.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Easy, you start flitting around the place and putting everything back into it’s proper order and giving me the eye to get the hell out. Because your man is coming home and you want him all to yourself.”

  Amanda gave Carney a tap on her hand. “That’s not true I would never put you out and Marcus likes you a lot. You can spend as much time here as you like.”

  “I know that, but you and Marcus are still new to each other, the two of you should be alone. I can see that he is getting more comfortable 219

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress in sharing his space with you.”

  “What do you mean sharing his space?” Carney sat down on the couch.

  “Men have to have their own space because there are times that they have to spread out their arms and not touch anyone or anything.

  They don’t want to see anyone or talk to anyone because deep down most men are loners, they can’t help it they are born that way. Think about it Mandy, when a woman falls for a man she can never get enough of him. She wants to be around him all of the time. She can’t get enough of his voice, or looking at him, or touching him, I don’t mean just sexually. I mean just rubbing shoulders with him as they sit and watch a movie. As women we all crave that because we can’t help it, that’s the way that we are born. When Marcus played that football game with Manny, that was just a way of him carving out some space for himself, his own space. But here is where you are lucky. I can see where he is starting to like sharing a lot of that space with you. With a lot of men it takes much longer, sometimes they never share it at all.”

  “What makes you say that he likes sharing his space with me?”

  “Because I can see how he is starting to act around you. He will never tell you this but he’s smitten by you as much as you are smitten by him.” Amanda came over to the couch and sat next to her friend.

  “Carney did you ever meet someone that you thought might be the one?”

  “Yes I did. I mean it has to happen to every woman at least once, right! I never mentioned it before because I still don’t know why I didn’t make it happen.”

  “I was just asking, you don’t have to go into detail if you don’t feel like it.”

  “Ahh what the hell, that was five years ago. He’s most likely married now with eleven children. I met him in the city of Lisbon. I had a layover flight and he did also. So he comes over and sits down at my table. I took one look at him and I really didn’t mind if I missed my flight. He was pretty handsome, not beautiful like your Marcus but he looked pretty good, with brown eyes and dark brown hair and was sporting a perfect Mediterranean tan. We talked for over two hours and had diner and a few drinks. The next thing I remember 220

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress was waking up in bed with him the next morning.” Amanda’s mouth shot open in shock.

  “Carney, say that you didn’t!”

  “Ok, I will say that I didn’t, but I did! He was a different sort of guy.

  He was into the home building business and had his own company and was doing pretty good. I could see that he was going to be successful and that he was passionate about his work. He was a simple and honest man and we spent five weeks together. He didn’t care about what kind of work that I did. But told me in no uncertain terms that if anything serious developed between us I would have to give that up.”

  “What did you say about that?”

  “I considered it for a little while then I realized that it just wouldn’t work. I am not cut out to get married. For me to get married I would have to find a man with the patience of Job, and the understanding of Jesus Christ. Then after being married for a few months he’d need a good psychiatrist. So we decided to part and just be happy for what time we did have together.”

  “Did you ever see or call him?”

  “No, I was tempted to call a few time but I never did. That’s enough about that, lets go into the kitchen and fix ourselves something to drink before I get any more depressed.” Amanda left her drink on the table and started to clean up and put everything back in place.

  Carney quickly finished her drink and grabbed her coat.

  “Mandy, oh Mandy you are starting flitting again, he must be on his way home.” Amanda caught herself as she stacked the coffee cups away.

  “Oh dear I really am!”

  “It’s time for me to go.”

  “Carney you don’t have to go.”

  “Oh no! Far it be for me to steal a minute of time between you and your man! Let’s have lunch on Wednesday, see you.” Twenty minutes later Marcus had just passed the den, when Amanda rushed out of the pool area and gave him a hot passionate kiss. She kept her arms around his neck an
d his hands settled on her backside.

  “Look Kid, how is Amanda Fashions supposed to remain a top company if the boss takes off anytime that she likes?”

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  “I take off because I know that I have the best manager in the world running the place.”

  “Are you referring to moi!!! “ Amanda turned her eyes away and looked at the wall.

  “No I was thinking about someone else.” Marcus pulled her closer to him and squeezed her backside harder and she returned her eyes to looking at him again.

  “Ok! Alright! Not so hard, of course it’s you, now let go a little.”

  “No not until you kiss me again and say that you are sorry for hurting my feelings.” She quickly kissed him and apologized for hurting his feelings. Marcus tried to push his luck.

  “Can this manager get a raise?” She licked across his lips with her tongue.

  “He can have whatever he wants.”

  “Put on your coat and lets go for a walk in the park. It’s looks beautiful under the freshly fallen snow.”

  “That’s it! That’s all that I have to pay for hurting your feelings?”

  “That’s all that you have to pay for now!”

  “In that case I had better hurry and get my coat.” When they got outside a bright full moon had replaced the falling snow. It’s light made the snow sparkle as if the entire park was a wonder land. All of the trees, benches and surroundings looked like they were made out of marshmallows. Marcus pulled her onto a virgin patch of snow.

  “Come on let’s make snow angels.” Amanda took a minute to catch her breath.

  “A snow angel, how?”

  “How? You have got to be pulling my leg. You don’t know how to make a snow angel?” He stepped back and looked at her in amazement.

  “You must have been really neglected as a child, just watch me.”

  “He fell backwards into the snow and started to flap his arms and legs.

  “You see a perfect snow angel. Give me your hand to help me up.”

  As soon as he took hold of her hand he pulled her down onto the patch of snow and rolled over on top of her. For a few minutes they laid still as she looked up into the heavens and was held prisoner by the moon’s brightness. She brushed some of the snow out of his hair.

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  “I thought that you were going to show me how to make snow angels.”

  “I was, but then I remembered that devils are more fun.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and nibbled the tip of his nose.

  “I thought that devils were supposed to make things hot. If they are, then why am I so cold?” Marcus slowly ran his hands thru her hair and looked into her eyes for a few seconds before he answered.

  “I could make things hotter if I had some help.” Amanda now stopped nibbling on his nose and gave him a tender kiss.

  “Well Mr. Peterson, if you take me home and warm me up a little. I will give you all the help that you need.”

  Amanda’s family was spending Christmas with her and Marcus. Her family arrived on Christmas Eve, and were waiting for him to come home. Amanda had already shown them around the apartment and like everyone else they were all in a state of awe.

  Amanda and her mother and sister were sitting around the pool, while her father was being held spellbound by all of Marcus’ tropical fish. Marcus opened the pool room doors and Amanda quickly ran to his side and took his hand and walked him over to her mother and sister.

  “Marcus, this is my mother Eileen, and my sister Sarah. My brother couldn’t come because one of his children is sick.”

  “It’s so good to meet you Mrs. Wilcox, and you Sarah. I do hope that you treat our home as if it were your home also. I insist that you take it to heart when I say that everything is at your disposal.”

  “Marcus my father is admiring all of your fish, let me take you to meet him.” Marcus gave her a kiss on the cheek and she almost blasted off into orbit, at his show of affection in front of her family.

  Marcus had ordered the same dinner for Christmas that he’d ordered from the Victoria Club before. Amanda felt like a true conquering heroine as she exchanged glances across the table with her mother and father. She was happy that they had been held so spellbound by Marcus. From the minute that her father and Marcus talked football and argued over their teams, they were like long lost buddies. When dinner was over Mr. Wilcox and Marcus settled down over a game of checkers as the women cleaned up and then went to sit around the pool. Sarah led off with the first inquiry.

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  “Mandy, he can’t be for real. This place can’t be for real. How did you do it and where did you meet him?” Amanda told them everything about how he came to work for her and how they got together.

  “Amanda, me and your father were wondering if you were going to keep your own apartment?”

  “Of course Ma, I still have it”

  “What I mean is just in case....”

  “Ma don’t worry he’s a great guy, he really is.” Her mother waved her arms around in the air.

  “How is he able to afford all of this if he is working for you? A place like this in Manhattan, must easily cost between five and seven million dollars.”

  “Don’t worry about that Ma. I assure you that whatever money he has he came by it honestly. Don’t worry about anything and just believe me that things couldn’t be better for me.” Sarah cracked open her last lobster.

  “Are you in love with him? Because if you aren’t I am.” Mrs. Wilcox chided her daughter.

  “Be quiet girl, can’t you see that she is, and you are already a woman married with children. Can’t you see that is why I am asking her these questions?” Marcus stuck his head in the door.

  “Anybody want to join me and Mr. Wilcox for a swim?” Amanda and her sister jumped at the idea but her mother wanted to browse around Marcus’ books in the library. Amanda led her mother into the library and she and Sarah went into the master bedroom.

  “Sarah I think that I have a bathing suit that will fit.” The two sisters were sitting and putting on their bathing caps and talking.

  “Mandy this is the most beautiful four posted bed that I have ever seen, I just love it’s coloring. Does it get used much?”

  Amanda playfully gave Sarah a tap on her cheek.

  “That’s none of your business, and it gets used plenty. Look why didn’t you spend Christmas, with Larry and the kids?”

  “We just needed some separate space to ourselves and decided that he would take Christmas and I would take New Years.”

  “Is everything going to be alright?”

  “I think so but just in case it isn’t. Would it be alright if I came up here with the kids and stayed at your place?”

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  “Of course you can, just pick up the phone and call me. Now lets go for that swim.” Amanda and her sister got out of the pool and were relaxing in the Jacuzzi, her father and Marcus were taking laps around the pool. Sarah was still engrossed in looking at the pool and at the Jacuzzi, and wondering how Marcus had the plexiglass dome built to cover everything.

  “Mandy just between you and me is he some sort of long lost Sultan?”

  “Come on now no more talk about how he lives and his money. Ma already put me thru that ringer.”

  “Alright, how did you ever get rid of Patrick? I can say this to you now, but how did you ever even let him touch you?”

  Amanda relayed the way that she broke up with Patrick and her sister’s reaction was the same as Manny’s. Their loud laughter echoed around the entire area prompting Mr. Wilcox to admonish them.

  “Hold it down girls, it’s Christmas Eve.” Sarah toned down her laughter as she watched Marcus get out of the pool.

  “He should be one of your male models sister, he sure has the body for it!”

  It was only a
few minutes before Christmas Day arrived, and Marcus had everyone gathered in the living room. Amanda and her family were glued to the window as a stiff December wind pushed violently over the city.

  Mrs. Wilcox pointed toward the Empire State Building.

  “Look it’s lit up in green and red for the holidays. Looking at the city from here gives you a feeling of peace and joy. Maybe not forever but at least for tonight.” She then turned her eye and marveled at the tree.

  “Marcus where did you get that giant tree? I have never seen one so big before and so beautifully decorated. It looks like it has every ornament on it in the world.”

  “We found it on a tree farm upstate and we hired a company to do the decorating.” Marcus checked his watch.

  “Alright everyone onto the couch it’s almost time.” As they took their seats Amanda noticed how excited he became the closer and closer that the minute arrived. He seemed to be like a child that couldn’t wait until the magic started. He looked at his watch and 225

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress started to count down the seconds.

  “Five four, three, two, one, Merry Christmas, everyone. He raced over and scooped up all of the gifts that were under the tree. He gave one to each of them and demanded that they open them right away.

  He had brought the women an eighteen carat gold diamond studded locket with a gold eighteen carat necklace. Amanda’s father sat on the couch unable to talk as he looked at his Rolex. Mrs. Wilcox tried to protest.

  “Marcus there is no way that we can accept these gifts. They are far too expensive.” Marcus took her hand and sat down on the couch.

  “Of course you can Mrs. Wilcox and you must. You see giving you these gifts is nothing compared to the joy that your daughter has given me. That is why you must accept these gifts as a token of my gratitude because in the exchange I have definitely gotten the best of the deal.” The only thing left for Amanda’s mother to do was to give him a kiss on his cheek. Now it was Amanda’s turn to give him his gift. She presented him with a platinum set of cuff links with a black pearl in the middle. She was glad to see that he was happy and surprised.

  “Where did you get these?” She put a finger to his lips.