The Liberation of Kate Shaw Ch. 07

To my patient readers: Thank you so much for all your feedback and letters of encouragement. I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter done, but I appreciate you hanging in there with me.

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The alarm clock woke me up at five in the morning, and I groaned as I rolled over and hit the snooze button. Next to me, voice muffled by her pillow, the sleepy shape mumbled something as she turned over on her side, her back to me. I moved closer to her, the warmth of her naked body against my stomach as I slid my arms around her and pulled her close. She snuggled in to me, sighing sleepily as one of my hands moved up her flat stomach to her breast and began stroking it. She moaned, pressing her body more tightly into me as her nipple became erect, and I could feel wetness gathering between my legs as our breathing deepened. I kissed her shoulder and she turned over to face me, fitting her body into mine and burrowing her head down under my chin. I held her against me and kissed the top of her head, the clean scent of her hair floating around me.

"You're supposed to get up now," she said, kissing the hollow of my throat.

"I know, but I'd rather do this," I said softly, my eyes closed as I felt her lips on my skin.

"You're going to be late," she murmured, her lips and tongue moving on me.

My breathing sped up as she worked her way down to my chest, and I gasped as her warm mouth enclosed my breast and began sucking gently on my nipple. Her other hand was gently caressing my other breast, teasing the nipple erect. I put my hands on her head and pushed myself into her, moaning at the feel of her tongue swirling across my nipple.

"Oh, god," I said, turning to lie flat. She looked up at me, smiling, then slid on top of me and kissed me slowly before sliding back down my body. She moved her mouth back and forth over my breasts, sucking and teasing until I could hardly breathe.

My hands were in her hair as she lowered herself down my body, kissing me all the way down. I spread my legs wider as she moved in between them, feeling her warm breath on my wetness as she hovered there with her mouth poised over me. I reached for her head to pull her down on to me, but she pushed my hands away and slowly opened me, exposing my throbbing clit. She blew gently on me, and just as I was about to go crazy I felt the tip of her tongue begin gently probing me. I tried to move closer to her, but she pulled back and held me down firmly.

"Don't move," she whispered. "If you move, I'll stop."

I groaned, forcing myself to lie still, and soon felt her tongue on me again. She was spreading me open with one hand and her tongue moved in delicious circles on and around my clit. My hands were clenched in the sheets as I struggled to keep still, my moans becoming louder. She started to move her tongue faster, then slid two fingers inside me and began to slowly move them in and out. I arched my back helplessly as I felt her fill me up, the pressure of her tongue and her fingers sending shivers through my entire body. My hips began to move of their own accord and she matched their rhythm with her fingers and tongue until I exploded, feeling myself tightening around her fingers as I came in a sudden rush. My body relaxed and my breath came raggedly as I lay there, spent, trying to open my eyes. She gently slid her fingers out of me and moved up to hold me as my breathing began to slow down.

"Oh my GOD," I gasped through a dry mouth. "That's a hell of a way to be awakened in the morning!"

She smiled her feline smile, which I knew meant she was extremely pleased with herself. She was practically purring as she stretched languidly next to me and draped her leg across me.

"So, shall I return the favor?" I asked, kissing her forehead and touching her breast.

"Mmmm," she said, smiling lazily and pushing me away. "Just what I would love, except that you need to get up and get moving. You're REALLY going to be late now, my love."

I sighed deeply, then made a massive effort to sit up and get out of bed. I stood up and looked down at Kelly, her naked body perfect in the early morning light. She had an impish look in her eyes, and as I left to get in the shower, she called after me, "I'll be glad to take you up on your offer tonight, though!"

When I was ready to leave, she was sleeping soundly, curled up on her side like a kitten, with her hand tucked under her chin. I felt such an overwhelming love for her that it nearly buckled my knees, and I whispered, "I love you" in her ear as I gently kissed her goodbye.

As I left to go to my rehearsal, I couldn't help reflecting on how my life had changed over the past couple of years. The day I had tried to find Jordan after the confrontation with Toby, she disappeared. For a while, Toby would call me, drunk, insisting that I tell her where Jordan was, but not even Peter and Jeffrey knew where she'd gone. Even the galleries where she would normally have photos hanging didn't know anything about her disappearance, and she either had her cell phone off or not with her. It was absolute torture for me. I couldn't eat or sleep, and I stopped doing concert appearances because I was afraid I would miss a call from her. I guess I went temporarily insane, and it was just my luck that I had people around me to take care of things while I pined away. Robert held down the fort at the music store, and my students were very understanding about my taking time off. I had Peter and Jeffrey stay with me for a few nights, after Toby showed up at my place drunk and ready to come in to search for Jordan, and they called or came by to see me often, clucking over me like a pair of mother hens.

Slowly, though, I began to heal and thoughts of Jordan came less and less often. I still had moments when I missed her and wondered where she was, but they caused me less pain as time passed. I was able to see friends, go out to eat, and generally begin living my life again. About a year after Jordan disappeared, I met Kelly through some mutual friends at a dinner party and it was as though a light in my brain turned on. We went out for coffee after the party and stayed up all night talking that first night, and I knew by how my heart felt when she called me the next day that I was ready to move on.

We'd been together nearly a year, and everything was as exciting and fun as it had been when we first met. Kelly was a veterinarian and shared a practice with two other vets, and although her career kept her as busy as mine did, we always seemed to find time to spend together.

I arrived at the recital hall and walked in just as it started to rain. As I sat at the piano and listened to the conductor give some instructions to the orchestra, I thought of Kelly lying naked in bed, rain falling softly outside as she slept. I wanted this rehearsal to be over quickly, because all I wanted to do at the moment was curl up around Kelly and hold her in my arms. Unfortunately, this particular conductor was notorious for milking every second out of a rehearsal, so I knew I was in for a long morning.

When rehearsal was over, I called to see if Kelly was still home, but the machine picked up so I figured she'd already left for her clinic. Shrugging into my raincoat, I stopped to talk to some of the orchestra members who were waiting by the stage door, hoping for the rain to let up soon. They invited me out for coffee, and I accepted eagerly, wanting to get to know these musicians better. They seemed delighted when I accepted, and as soon as the rain let up a bit we walked quickly down the sidewalk to a nearby coffee shop. It was called, to my delight, Celestial Beans, and although I'd not been there before, I knew it was a popular place among the musicians who had their studios and apartments nearby.

After we'd all shed our raincoats and ordered our drinks, we settled in at a large table and began immediately complaining about the conductor. It was amusing to me, the guest soloist, to hear how the "regulars" felt about their leader, and I found myself laughing until my sides were aching at some of their stories.

Conversation began winding down as the rain slowed, then Jacob, a young and talented cellist, said, "Hey, has anyone seen the latest show at the Washington Street Gallery?"

It seemed several of them had, and they fell into a discussion about the work on display. They all seemed to think it was brilliant, and just as I stood to excuse myself and get ready to leave, one of the women who had not seen the show asked who the artist was.

"A photographer named Jordan Stuart," Jacob said, oblivious to the way my face paled and I sat back down abruptly. "Apparently she's been overseas for a while, but now she's back."

"Over two years," I whispered hoarsely as I sat there, staring. I could feel my heart pounding and it seemed I could hear the blood rushing through my ears.

As if from a distance, I could hear Jacob continue, saying, "I guess there was some big mystery when she left, disappearing without a word to anyone, and the gallery is really playing that up. You know, 'Long lost brilliant artist returns home', stuff like that. I don't know about the big mystery, but I do know that the work she has displayed is like nothing I've ever seen before. If you haven't seen it, you really should go check it out."

There was a murmur of assent among those who had seen the show, then everyone began glancing at their watches and stood up to leave. I sat there, numb, and managed to thank them for inviting me out as they all left. None of them seemed to notice anything strange about me, for which I was grateful. The last thing I wanted to do was answer questions about why I'd suddenly gotten so quiet.

After they left I sat there for a long while, my head spinning. I was shocked at the effect hearing Jordan's name was having on me, because I thought this time I'd really managed to put all that behind me. It had been so long since I'd thought of her, yet hearing she was back in town without me knowing about it made my heart ache. I wondered how long she'd been back, and then found myself wondering why she hadn't tried to contact me. At that thought, I shook my head in exasperation and stood to leave. It was best if we didn't have contact with each other, at least for the time being. Kelly and I had a wonderful, steady relationship, and I certainly didn't need any complications from Jordan to mess that up.

On my way home, I tried to call Kelly at the clinic, but Lisa, the receptionist, told me she had just gone into surgery and would probably be in for a while. When I asked if it was a complicated case, Lisa lowered her voice sympathetically and told me that the patient was a beautiful Golden Retriever puppy. Its owner was a young boy who had come in with his parents, carrying the dog wrapped in a blanket. Apparently, the dog had been clipped by a car in front of the boy, who, according to Lisa, was still sitting in the waiting room, trying not to cry but scared to death that he was going to lose his dog. Lisa assured me she would have Kelly call as soon as she was out of surgery, and I sighed as I hung up and continued home. I knew this would be a rough one for Kelly, and that she would do whatever she could to save the puppy's life. I decided to do something special for her for dinner, so I drove on past our apartment building and headed for our favorite market to get things for dinner.

Once home, I did some minor cleaning, mainly tidying things up and putting things back in their places. Both Kelly and I are fairly neat people, but there are times when our schedules get so busy that we sort of leave things lying around. I picked up some music that I'd left lying on the floor around the piano, and carefully stacked up the medical textbooks and veterinary magazines that were scattered around Kelly's reading chair, trying not to lose her place in any of them. By the time she got home, looking exhausted but triumphant, I had candles lit and soft music playing, and the smell of lasagna wafted through the house. The look on her face when she came through the door was all the reward I needed, and after she dropped her coat and briefcase off by the door, she walked over to me and straight into my arms. I held her for a long moment, stroking her hair and back as she leaned on me.

"So, the brilliant doctor saved the patient?" I asked, kissing her above her ear.

"Well, it was touch and go for a while, but I think he'll be okay," she said into my neck. "He was stable when I left, and Jack knows to call me immediately if there's any change tonight." Jack was the attendant who worked at night, supervising all of the surgical patients as they recovered.

"How was the little boy?"

"Oh! Well, it practically took a crowbar to pry him off of me when I came out and told him his puppy was still alive. I had to sit him down and speak to him pretty seriously about the injuries and how long it would take to recover, but I think he understood that things are still fairly grave by the time we got done talking."

"Well, my love, come over here and sit down so I can feed you. You look dead on your feet," I said as I led her over to the table.

"Oh, Kate, this is wonderful. God, everything smells so good!" she said as she took her seat. I stood behind her and gently rubbed her shoulders for a moment, until she sighed happily and leaned back against me as the tension drained from her body. "You are so good to my, my Katie."

I smiled and kissed the top of her head, then went to the kitchen to bring the food in so we could eat. Kelly ate ravenously, telling me she hadn't even had time for lunch, and we chatted about other things for a while until we were both done eating.

"Honey, you go on and take a shower while I clean up," I said, standing and taking her plate.

"Normally I would argue with you and demand that you let me clean up, but I think you're right. I'm exhausted!" she said as she stretched and yawned deeply.

"Go on, then, baby," I said, rinsing off plates and loading the dishwasher. She came up behind me and hugged me, then kissed the back of my neck before she left to take her shower.

I finished cleaning things up, then walked into the bathroom and stripped. I stood looking at her, naked under the water, then opened the shower door and stepped in with her. She turned to face me, putting her arms around my neck and molding her body into mine. After all this time, it still amazed me how well we fit together. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling the muscles in her back tense as she moved in closer. We kissed, our tongues moving together as the kiss became more intense and urgent. I could feel her breasts pressed against mine, and I slid one hand in between us so I could touch her nipple, which was erect. She moaned into my mouth as I rubbed her nipple between my fingers, then I pulled away and gently turned her around.

I held her against me with one arm around her chest and one flat on her stomach. I held her breast in my right hand and stroked softly while I slid my left hand down her stomach and between her legs. She sighed and leaned back against me, spreading her legs wider as my hand moved down to find her clit. She gasped and moved her hands back to my hips, pulling me closer. We shifted together, and she opened her legs wider as I began to slowly move my fingers back and forth on her. I kissed the side of her neck and bit her shoulder gently as I felt her silky wetness, and she moaned loudly as her hips began to move back and forth. I was holding her open with two fingers while I made circles around her clit with my middle finger, then I dipped my finger inside her and began to move in and out. She gasped, then put one hand on top of mine and pushed me deeper inside her. This time I moaned at the feel of her around my fingers, and I could feel the muscles inside her tighten and loosen as she moved her hips back and forth. She slid her other hand down behind her and between my legs, sighing as she felt how wet I was. The warm water was falling on us like a gentle rain, surrounding us as we touched each other and moved with each other.

I couldn't take it any longer, so I turned her around and sat her down on one of the benches along the side of the shower. Kneeling in front of her, I pulled her hips forward, spread her legs, parted her with my hands, and buried my head between her legs. She put her hands on my head and leaned back, then put her legs over my shoulders and opened up wider. My tongue covered her clit as I licked her from the base to the top, and I could feel her legs tighten around me. I slid two fingers inside her and moved them in and out as I licked her clit, holding her open with my other hand. She was moaning louder now, the sound of her voice echoing against the walls of the shower. I sucked her clit up between my teeth, taking the whole of her into my mouth and sucking hard, then teased her clit by moving my tongue rapidly back and forth over her. Her hips were moving against me as she strained to pull me in deeper, and her legs tightened on my shoulders as she began to come. She tightened around my fingers and her hands clutched in my hair as she came in waves, and I sat and moved gently inside her until she covered my hand with hers and made me stop.

She leaned back against the shower wall, eyes closed, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. I moved up to sit next to her, taking her in my arms and holding her gently as she relaxed.

"Ohhhhh, Katie," she said, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I can't even open my eyes, honey!"

"Good," I said softly, running my hands along her arms and kissing the side of her head. "I want you to be relaxed so you can sleep tonight."

She chuckled. "I may have to sleep in here, since I don't have the energy to move."

"Here, let me help with that," I said. I stood up and pulled her with me, both of us laughing as she leaned on me for a moment, then I turned the water off and we both stepped into the steamy bathroom. I got a towel from the shelf and began drying her off, gently massaging her skin as she stood there and let me take care of her. After we were both dry, we crawled naked into bed and snuggled close together, my arms around her and her head on my shoulder.

"Are you tired, too?" she murmured softly, already half asleep as my hand moved softly along her arm and shoulder.

"Yes, love," I said. That was the last thing I remember, then sleep overtook me.

"Kate? Honey, are you all right?" Kelly asked, shaking me awake.

I sat up with a gasp, blinking at the light from the lamp Kelly had turned on. I looked at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning, and I was disoriented for a moment, not sure where I was. I looked at Kelly and finally was able to focus a little.

"What? What happened?" I asked groggily.

"You were dreaming, baby," she said, stroking my hair away from my face. "You must have been having a nightmare. You kept moaning and saying something, but I couldn't make out what it was."

I shook my head, trying to remember, and it all came back to me in a rush.

"What is it, honey?" Kelly asked, concern in her eyes at the look on my face. "What was the dream about?"

"Kel," I said, then stopped.

"What, Katie? What on earth is wrong?" she asked, sitting up.

"Kelly, I should have told you this earlier, but it totally slipped my mind once you got home."

"What?" she asked again, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Honey, I heard today that Jordan is back in town."

Kelly was silent for a moment, but before I could say anything else she reached out and took my hands in hers, holding them tightly.

"Oh, Katie, my god. When did you hear this?"

"When I was having coffee with some of the orchestra members after rehearsal," I said, looking down at our hands. "A few of them have seen a show she's got going at Washington Street."