A Beauteous Flower Ch. 08

"Hiya, Gina. Come state tu e Franco?"

"Bene. E te?"

Daniel looked in Madison's eyes and took her hand.

"Multo bene, graci."

She wasn't sure what Daniel had said, but his look made Madison's heart go boom all over again and his warm smirk melted her jealousy away. The woman shot a sly look at Madison and smiled a wink at her.

"Vuoi il tuo solito, Daniel?"

Daniel looked at Madison.

"How do you feel about pepperoni?"

Madison made a face.

"I don't like pepperoni pizza."

"Well, what do you like on your pizza?"

"Just cheese."

Daniel nodded and ordered in English.

"One large cheese pizza, Gina, as fast as you can. And I'd like lemonade. Madison, do you want anything to drink?"

"Just water, please."

"Bene," nodded Gina who did not write their order down. Instead, she turned and called in loud Italian to the torso of a man in the kitchen behind the counter. He wore a white chef's shirt and a red and white checked apron, and he nodded and turned to work the pizza dough. Daniel gave Madison a confidential look.

"This place is one of the hidden gems around here."

Madison soaked up the sound of Daniel's voice. She wanted him to talk to her some more, so she asked an obvious question.

"How did you find it?"

"I live around here. Just a few minutes up the road."

"You do?"

Madison was instantly interested in Daniel's home, and she had a thousand questions at once, but once again he artfully slipped the punch and changed the subject to Madison.

"You'll love this pizza. It's the best."

For the next fifteen minutes they simply held hands. Their silence seemed easy and natural, and Madison took the opportunity to make some moon eyes at Daniel. She had so lost herself in Daniel's dark eyes that she barely noticed when the large cheese pizza settled on the table.

"Bon Apetite."

"Graci, Gina."

"Prego."

The smell of fresh pizza made Madison's stomach growl noisily again. Gina winked at her again and pinched her cheek.

"Tu mangi, bella."

Madison smiled gratefully and filched her first piping-hot slice of pizza. She nibbled her first exploratory bite so as not to burn her mouth, and Daniel was right. It was a great pizza, perhaps because she was ravenous, and it tasted fantastic. Especially so since she shared it with Daniel. Daniel nibbled a piece off the his slice and chewed it pensively. Madison, on the other hand, attacked her first slice, and soon she reached for a second piece as Daniel continued to munch thoughtfully. A few minutes later he graciously looked away when she reached for a third slice. That gratified her and eased her worry that he would think she was a pig.

Meanwhile Daniel patiently worked his way through his first piece between sips of lemonade to wash it down. After her third slice, Madison fairly guzzled down her water and when she finished it, she was still thirsty. She looked towards the kitchen to ask for more, but neither Gina, nor the man was in sight. Dejectedly she looked back at her empty water glass, but in its place, she found Daniel's glass of lemonade. Daniel gazed innocently out the window and contemplated his next bite, so Madison took a drink of lemonade to quench her thirst. Now, Madison's stomach felt as warm and full and satisfied as her heart did. She reached across the table and interlaced her fingers in Daniel's free hand. While he chewed, he gave her a smirk and swallowed.

About an hour later Daniel held the passenger side door open and helped Madison into the cab. Once she was settled, he handed her the box that contained the remaining slices of pizza and walked around to the driver's side. Madison surreptitiously watched him go in the side mirror and decided that Daniel's ass was as delectable as the pizza. Right then she decided that she didn't want to go home yet. That wasn't entirely accurate. In truth, Madison didn't want to go home until she had satisfied her wild desire to pound Daniel into a mattress until it left a permanent impression. She nearly giggled out loud with this deliciously dirty thought but stopped herself when Daniel climbed into the driver's seat and fired up the truck's engine.

"Don't take me back to my apartment," Madison ventured before he put the truck in gear.

"Hmmmm?"

"I don't want to go home," Madison said a little too anxiously and honestly, but then she recovered and shot him a sexy glance.

"Not yet, anyway," Madison purred.

Daniel turned to her.

"OK," he ruminated. "You want to see a movie or something?"

Madison did a secret smile, flipped her hair, and crossed her legs seductively.

"How about 'or something'," she offered in her best "come get me" voice.

Daniel raised a studious eyebrow at her.

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. What then?"

"I want a tour of your house," Madison told him in a heavy whisper as she leaned towards Daniel on her palms and squeezed out cleavage between her arms. "You said you lived near here."

Daniel's face darkened a bit.

"Tonight?"

"No, next Thursday," Madison teased gently. "Of course, tonight!"

Daniel chewed his lip thoughtfully.

"Well...."

Madison began to get a little impatient with Daniel's reticence and knit her brow. Couldn't he understand that she wanted to spend the night with him? Was he dense, insecure, or just plain cruel?

"Daniel, are you going to make me be obvious?" she asked in a slightly peevish tone.

Daniel turned and looked out the windshield as if he contemplated something. Madison felt petulant. She had basically just thrown herself at Daniel. Was he seriously thinking that invitation over?

"Alright," Daniel said quietly. "But I have to warn you my house is kind of messy."

Madison giggled in relief and anticipation.

"Trust me, I don't care."

Daniel nodded once and smirked at her.

"OK, then. And you can meet my roommate."

Madison's heart sank. Daniel had a roommate? Then Madison's jealous bone flashed again. What if his roommate was a woman?

"Roommate?" she asked with an edge of pique.

"Yeah. Gandalf. My cat Gandalf."

Madison breathed an internal sigh of relief. She didn't particularly like cats, but that was OK. Madison wanted Daniel all to herself tonight and she didn't want another human around while she endeavored to lay it down porn-star-style on him. With that decided, Daniel put the truck in drive and pulled out onto the blacktop road and Madison settled back in the seat with a contented sigh. At that moment, things could not have been better.

*****

Madison awoke slowly and blinked. Sunshine streamed into the room through the East facing French doors and alit on the king-sized bed. She was naked, but the flannel sheets and big thick comforter in addition to the sunlight made her feel snug and warm. Madison hadn't intended to fall asleep, but a night of enthusiastic sex coupled with the high emotions she felt while she cavorted with Daniel had left her drained. At some point, wrapped in Daniel's warm embrace, she drifted off to a deep, comfortable sleep. That had never happened to her before. Usually when she spent the night with a man for the first time, she didn't sleep at all. She took it as a good sign that she felt comfortable enough around Daniel to sleep. Where was he?

Madison bundled herself in the maroon comforter, sat up and looked around. The room was large with beige carpeting, cherry stained walls, and a high ceiling. A large stone hearth faced by two leather armchairs dominated the west wall and a bureau, a chest of drawers and a bookcase full of leather-bound books completed the furnishings. The windows and the French doors were adorned with tasteful maroon curtains, which matched the wallpaper runner near the ceiling. All in all, it was a pretty space done in a simple and elegant taste. It lacked a woman's touch, but a girl could definitely get used to this. She stretched luxuriously and glanced at the clock on the wall. 9:45 AM. The only thing absent was Daniel and Madison wondered where he was again.

As if in answer to her question, Madison heard a muffled "thunk" from outside. About thirty seconds later another "thunk" sounded. Curious, Madison clutched the maroon comforter around her, walked over to the French doors and peeked out through the curtain. A small balcony overlooked Daniel's back yard and there, by a small cabin, was Daniel.

His back was to her as he stooped and selected a log from a pile of wood. He wore a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of heavy boots. He had on leather gloves, and after he set the log on a big stump, he hefted an axe at his waist. Madison watched as he swung the axe in an arc, brought it down on a block of wood and split it in half with the force of his blow. Daniel kicked the two halves over to messy pile, grabbed another block of wood and split it with another smooth stroke. He made it look so effortless.

Madison couldn't help but smile at this deliciously masculine display of muscle and prowess. She had never seen anyone split wood before, but Daniel did it well and looked great while he did it, even more so when he stopped to wipe the perspiration from his brow with his forearm. Madison felt her toes tingle and she wanted to stand there and watch Daniel all day.

After he split a few more logs, Daniel buried the axe head in the large stump and scooped up the split logs into his arms, turned and strode back toward the house, where he was lost from view underneath the balcony. Madison heard the back door open and then Daniel's boots clomped across the kitchen floor and mounted the stairs.

Madison decided she didn't want Daniel to know she spied on him, so she dashed across the room and threw herself on the bed. There she arranged the comforter over herself, and plopped her head on the pillow like she was still asleep. As the sheets settled over her, they wafted the mingled aroma of their first night together, a heady mixture of Daniel and Madison's sweat and pheromones and sexual juices. Madison got a savory tingle up her spine at the memory of their final bout of love as she straddled Daniel, and she suppressed a giggle. She had to be quiet if she wanted Daniel to think she was still asleep.

The bedroom door opened, and Daniel clomped as quietly as he could over the fireplace with his armload of wood. Madison clandestinely watched him arrange the logs in the fireplace, stuffed newspapers around them and then light the firewood with a long match. Soon the fire crackled merrily and the scent and warmth of burning wood filled the room. Daniel rose and turned to face her, so Madison quickly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

She heard Daniel's boots tread across the floor towards her. Madison's heart fluttered in excitement, but she tried to keep up the ruse and turned her head with a sleepy murmur. Daniel paused at the bedside. His scent and presence loomed over her, and Madison's body involuntarily reacted because he was so close. She did her best to ignore the magnetism she felt in the moment.

"Still asleep are we?" Daniel asked quietly, but with a sly note in his voice. "Well, how about that."

Then Daniel put his large hands on Madison and began to tickle her right through the comforter. His fingers were strong, and she could feel their warm touch even through the thick comforter. Madison was deliriously ticklish and the fact that it was Daniel who tickled her was doubly stimulating. Madison let out a shriek of laughter and bucked her body on the bed. Daniel chuckled as he continued to work up and down her sides with his fingers. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he kept her pinned and continued to torture her with light tickles. Finally, Madison snatched enough breath for one scream.

"DANIEL! STOP, STOP, STOOOOOOOP! NO! NO, PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Daniel halted his tickle assault and smoothed her tousled hair while she panted for breath. Madison tried to summon up some anger, but she just couldn't get angry at Daniel today. He looked delicious, his touch was electric, and today she wanted every bit of him she could hoard to herself. After a few moments Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed and Madison looked up at him.

"Hey, you," he said quietly. "How is my Dear Heart this morning."

Madison glowed under his gaze. She was Daniel's Dear Heart. Her morning could not have gotten off to a better start if she did say so herself.

"Hey, yourself," she answered with her best smile.

Daniel smirked back at her, and an unladylike urge to mount Daniel and pound out another orgasm whirled through Madison's body. She just couldn't get enough of him. She puffed out her lips at him and he bent down and kissed her gently. Madison felt her heart go boom again and after a polite interval of kisses, Daniel pulled back.

"Do you have to work today?" Daniel asked. Madison was again struck by how solicitous Daniel was.

"Not today," Madison cooed as she vamped a pose on the bed. "Today, I'm all yours."

Daniel smirked at that, and Madison felt a tingle in her scalp and toes.

"Are you hungry?"

As a matter of fact, Madison was hungry, both for food and for more sex. For a moment she considered an initiation, but then decided against it. She considered that things were too fresh between them for her to be too forward, and Madison didn't want to scare Daniel off or offend his ego. Even though Madison was pretty sure he would not be offended if she took the lead sexually, things were too perfect this morning to take chances. Instead, she was noncommittal.

"I could eat," she allowed.

Daniel smirked again and stood up.

"OK, I'll cook you some breakfast," said Daniel with a sideways jerk of his head. "The bathroom is over there, if you want."

Daniel smirked his sideways grin at her and then headed off to cook breakfast. Madison watched him go and then decided that a hot shower would be a nice addition to an otherwise perfect start to the day. She slipped out of bed and sashayed bare assed across the carpet to the bathroom. Isolated from his neighbors by trees and distance, no one could see her except Daniel, and if Daniel wanted to see her naked, well, Madison didn't mind that at all.

Last night when Madison caught sight of Daniel's house as they drove up the long driveway, she was duly impressed. He owned a magnificent arc of a colonial done out in brown clapboards and white shutters with a large pool. Inside there were five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a spacious kitchen with granite counter tops, a living room, a family room, and a splendidly large dining room that featured a tray ceiling, a hutch and table, but no dishes or chairs. There were stained hardwood floors everywhere, stone hearths that contained the ashes of recent fires and a two-story foyer that contained a grand staircase. Not only was it isolated from the neighbors by many acres of woods, but it sat about a quarter of a wooded mile from a large lake. As Daniel toured her around, she decided that a girl could definitely get used to this house, with a few alterations of course.

As she entered the bathroom, she noticed a crisp white towel and a plush white terry cloth bathrobe laid out on the counter next to the sink. Again, Daniel had proven to be a thoughtful man. Madison was also excited to find that the shower had a rain shower head with multiple body jets in the walls. It produced a veritable monsoon of water and steam quickly built up to warm away the early autumn chill. As the hot water cascaded down on her body, Madison began to have delicious fantasies about a shower with Daniel. Even if the rest of the house might need a little refinement in Madison's opinion, the shower didn't need any help at all. She settled in and enjoyed the sensation of hot water on her skin.

After what was probably an impolitely long, hot shower, Madison toweled off and put on the robe. It was too large for her, but it comfortably swaddled around her like one of Daniel's warm hugs, and it smelled of the dark spice cologne Daniel favored. Madison paused at the top of the stairs to take a few good sniffs of the robe's collar, and then floated down the stairs on a cloud of giddiness. The scent of breakfast led her to the kitchen and there she found at the table Daniel with a mug of coffee. Bent over his cell phone, he scrolled intently, and a second cell phone sat on the table in front of him. Madison posed in the doorway and put on her best smile.

"Hey!" she intoned brightly as she put one foot in front of the other to accentuate the curve of her hips under the robe. "Thanks for the robe."

Daniel looked up and flashed her a smirk. Madison's heart fluttered and she admired his straight white teeth and strong jaw.

"No problem. It's a little big for you though."

"Well, then maybe I should take it off," Madison teased while she allowed the robe to slip off her left shoulder. Daniel chuckled and patted the chair next to him. It gave Madison a moment of pique that Daniel had not jumped at the chance for more sex, but then again, they had all day together, so there was no reason to get upset. Madison sat down as indicated and pecked Daniel on the cheek. He hadn't shaved yet, so his stubble gave her lips a little prickly sensation, and he smelled a little extra manly due to his exertions at the wood pile. The scent wasn't offensive though. In fact, Madison found the whole package quite alluring. Daniel took her hand and caressed the back of it with his thumb.

"I made pancakes, sausage, and some scrambled eggs. You want some?"

Madison nodded so Daniel rose and went to the counter. He placed two pancakes, two sausages and a spatula full of scrambled eggs on two plates. He set the plates at their spots at the table and then went to a cupboard and took out a coffee cup.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, please."

Daniel brought Madison a warm mug of coffee and Madison noticed Daniel had placed cream and sugar for the coffee along with syrup and butter on the table. Daniel seemed to think of everything.

"Dig in," Daniel invited.

A long night of sex had built up quite an appetite in Madison and she fairly attacked the food on her plate. Daniel, it seemed, could cook and Madison appreciated it in full. Her usual breakfast was a cold bowl of Frosted Flakes, so this was a welcome deviation. A girl could get used to this too.

As she hungrily neared the bottom of her first stack of pancakes, Madison noted that Daniel had placed a pile of pancakes on spare plate within easy reach. As he had done with the pizza, Daniel worked his way through his breakfast at a pensive pace and kept his eyes on his own plate. That allowed Madison to guiltlessly indulge in two more of Daniel's delicious pancakes.

They ate in silence, but Madison kept up the flirtation. Her hands were busy with breakfast, but she kept her bare foot on Daniel's calf under the table and let the bathrobe slip off her shoulder again. Almost finished with her second stack of pancakes, Madison paused to take a few sips of hot coffee and enjoy the coziness of the moment. Daniel was exceptionally easy to be around, and she didn't feel self-conscious or nervous in his quiet presence. Everything continued to flow along with an easy grace and Madison decided that she could easily get used to mornings like this. She stole a look at Daniel. Yes, she could get really used to this.

Just then, Daniel's cat jumped up on the table with a quiet "mrrrp". Gandalf was a large cat with short gray fur and cobalt blue eyes. Madison paused with a forkful of pancakes halfway to her mouth. Madison had never liked cats. For that matter she wasn't a big fan of dogs either, but she liked them more than cats. Cats didn't listen, and they always just did what they wanted to do. At least a dog could be trained.

But what Madison really disliked about cats was their eyes. Cat's eyes had always creeped Madison out. Their steady gaze seemed to go right through her and see what was in her mind and heart. That made her feel uncomfortable, like the cats knew her deep, dark secret and quietly judged her for her. It felt like they knew about her and what she had done, and a chill skittered up Madison's spine as Gandalf fixed her with his impassive cobalt gaze.