Put to the Test Ch. 01

I managed to look over at her and met her gaze. "Of course. Once I am back among the living." I smiled.

"It has been a while since you had a woman." It wasn't a question.

I looked at the ceiling. "Yes. Over ten years." I kissed her forehead. "You had some things to tell me?"

Maria raised herself up and leaned on my chest looking me in the face. She had a habit of doing this, and retains it to this day.

"Peter, I love you." She said matter-of-factly.

I almost swallowed my tongue. I looked at her and frowned. "You what?"

She shrugged. "I love you. You do not have to love me back, but I thought you should know before you leave. I will love you for a long time, I think."

"Maria, I am fifteen years older than you. I am approaching middle age," I began. And at breakneck speed, I wanted to add. Hell, who was I kidding? I was in it already and up to my neck.

She thrust herself up and pulled her knees to her chest. "Why do you always bring that up? If you care nothing for me, just say so. I do not beg for your love. I just wanted you to know of mine." She laid her chin on her knee.

I reached out and touched her hair. "Maria, it is not like that."

She shrugged off my hand. She was hurt and angry. I seemed to do that to women.

"Maria?"

She continued to look in the distance, her knees locked even tighter against her. I could tell she was feeling foolish and hurt for loving this stupid Norte Americano. I slipped from the bed and knelt in front of her and took her face in my hands. Again I took her face and pulled it around until her eyes met mine. I could see hurt and defiance there. This was not a weak woman, but she had allowed herself to fall in love with a man who didn't love her. Or so she thought.

"Maria, I love you more than life. I have loved you since I first saw you that night in the club. Eu adore o. Compreenda? Eu adore o." I said.

She looked at me. She could read the truth. "Then why have you said nothing to me? You left me to think..."

My finger against her lips stopped her. "Because I don't deserve you."

"That is foolishness, Peter". She pointed out, quite accurately.

"Maria, you are young, vibrant and so full of life. I am older, a little less ...vibrant."

Despite herself, a small wisp of a smile creased her lips. "You were very full of life a moment ago."

I coughed. She had me there. "Yes, well, there is a bit more. Do you want to know why I never had a woman in the last ten years?" I began.

She shook her head. How could she not want to know? I ignored her and went on.

"I was married ten years ago. It wasn't the greatest of marriages. She was an engineer as I was and we worked well together. I think we confused a professional life with a personal one. We married and had a child. Over the next 3 years we grew apart; more distant than you can imagine. In our fifth year I had an affair; actually a couple. But one in particular! It was a mistake. My wife found out about it and raised a holy stink. I don't think she really cared about us; she was just upset because she thought everyone was going to think she was an idiot for having a husband who was playing around on her. She called the woman I had had the affair with and harassed her until she left town. Without going into a lot of detail, in the end four people got hurt: my wife, my lover, my daughter and me. All for nothing! The woman I was involved with thought I loved her. I hadn't. My wife was humiliated in front of her friend and family. My daughter and I still see one another but we aren't close; all because I couldn't keep my cock where it belonged. Ever since then, I have had nothing to do with women or much of anyone else. My work is my life."

She watched me closely. "And this makes you happy?"

I breathed deeply. "No."

She looked at me, perplexed. "I see. But that still doesn't answer why. You made a mistake; one you will not make again."

I looked to the floor and then back at her. "Something my mother told me once after the affair had come to light. My father had cheated on her for years and she never did anything about it. When the news of my affair got out she was my greatest prosecutor. She told me 'The sins of the father are visited upon the son. Once a cheat, always a cheat. I guess it was bound to come out in you. It's in your genes. You just can't help yourself, just like your father couldn't.' Maria, I never want to be responsible for causing that kind of pain again."

I couldn't look into Maria's dark beautiful eyes. I was ashamed of my admission. I was afraid of what I would find there, the recrimination, the accusation.

This time she took my face in her hands. "What is age? We all grow old. And what do I care for possessions? I learned from my time in your country that you measure too much of your lives by what you own. Can you take it with you when you die? I think not."

Her eyes now burned into mine. "Peter, your mother was wrong. I do not understand what you did then and I don't need to. But I think that the Peter who did that thing is not the man here with me now. He is not the man that I love, meu homem velho"

As unmanly as it is to admit now, my eyes welled with tears. I searched her face for a long moment as she steadfastly met mine. All I could find was love, acceptance, and beauty.

"Maria!" I gasped. I pulled her to me. Her breasts were full and pressed firmly against my chest. Her legs straightened and then locked around my waist. I could feel the firm smoothness of her thighs lock against me. Our mouths met and her tongue thrust against mine. My hand reached up, and filled with her long lush hair. She moaned into my mouth and pulled me even closer until we were one body, one person. Slowly my other hand worked around and filled itself with one full, rich perfect tit. My fingers worked against her nipple and felt it harden. My mouth left hers and found the side of her neck. I tongue licked at it and she sighed.

I moved up forcing her to lie back down against the bed. My cock throbbed against her mound.

I looked down at her. "Your 'old man', huh."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Maria, will you marry me? I need you." I had tried to stop the words from coming out but it was pointless. I wanted this woman from far away. I needed her as much as I need to breathe.

It took less than a heartbeat for her to answer. "Sim, meu homem velho. Yes. Yes. Yes."

I dived into her. This time I remembered it all.

We were married 6 months later. I never looked back. True, I am older than she is but she didn't care and neither did I. Of course, it raised an eyebrow or two at work. Most people said she had married for money. Some said for immigration status. Me? I knew why she had married me; because she loves me as I love her. I could never do anything to hurt her. I had hoped that my father was wrong. I was to find myself tested on our first anniversary.