Blue Waters in Your Eyes

Levi laughed; that rich sound that warmed her heart and knotted her stomach. "None of those reasons are valid in my book. And you know full well I have nothing to hide." He rubbed her lip again. "What about you? What are you hiding? What secret activities are you now getting up to while I'm at the office missing you?"

Sybil shot him a coy look. "Nothing. I have no secrets either."

"Lies." He tipped her chin up. "All pretty women have secrets."

His head lowered again. This time, the kiss was deep and slow. His tongue slipped into her mouth. His hands moved down her shoulders to her breasts, cupping them through the nightgown she still wore. Pleasure arrowed to her stomach as his thumbs moved over the nightgown, dragging the silk across her nipples.

A small sound slipped past her lips. He must have heard it because he repeated the action, rubbing his fingers across her nipples again and again. The sensation echoed at the apex of her thighs, slick warmth building inside her with each motion of his fingers.

He kissed down her throat, pinching her pebbled nipples. "Are you getting wet, Sybinha?"

"Yes." She whispered the word, pressing her thighs together.

Sex had stopped hurting long ago. Now, she craved that feeling of being filled. Now, there was an empty hunger between her legs that was only satisfied when he entered her. But there was no time for that; he needed to leave.

She caught one of his wrists, restraining him. "It's already 7:30. You'll be late."

Levi glanced at the clock. "Damn it." His eyes returned to her face. "We'll finish this when I get home. Be naked and waiting for me in bed when I walk through the front door."

Sybil laughed, spreading her hands over his lapels. "Yes, boss."

She saw him to the front door, standing on the porch as he got into his Ford Mercury and waving him off as the car pulled out of the driveway. He would drive five minutes to the train station, get on the Hudson Line into Manhattan, then walk a short way to Molton & Kildare.

She lowered her hand when his car disappeared. This was part of the wifely routine, wasn't it? Waving your husband off at the front door?

She twisted her ring around her finger. Already, she couldn't wait for him to get home. This restlessness was worse when he was away. She was never restless in his arms. When he was holding her, she never felt low because all the new experiences were over.

Sighing, Sybil shut the front door and returned to the kitchen. Her footsteps echoed through the house. Unless someone dropped by to visit, she had the place to herself until noon when the maid arrived.

Employing a daily maid was something Levi had done to make sure she wasn't overburdened by housework. A maid came once a day to clean the house and work the laundry machine. A gardener came twice a week to mow the lawns and tend the trees. Sybil handled the cooking, the groceries and the errands. Cooking was a chore she enjoyed. Since coming to New York and experiencing different foods—especially those of Brasil and Portugal—she liked trying new recipes.

She finished her fruit salad, washed the dishes, got dressed for the day, and left the house on her bicycle. She was going to her twice-a-week calisthenics class. She didn't have to bike there, because Levi had taught her how to drive his older-model Dodge Sedan and she could drive it whenever she wanted to, but she didn't want to right now. Living in Manhattan had made her accustomed to walking places. Now that they lived suburban, it felt natural to bike around if her destination was nearby. Besides, she liked the open air at this time of year. Spring. She was getting to see daffodils and larkspurs brighten the world again.

At her calisthenics class, she worked up a sweat for two hours. The class broke up, then she biked home. On her way, she detoured to buy seasonal fruits and extra items for tonight's dinner.

She got back in time to let the maid in. The gardener was already mowing the lawn.

By 6:30, both maid and gardener had left. Sybil had showered and was in the kitchen, listening to the radio while she made dinner; duck with rice. She checked on the blueberry squares in the oven, hoping they'd finish baking in time for her to be waiting in bed for Levi.

She was putting them on a wire rack to cool when his car sounded in the driveway. Damn it. It was 7:40 and she hadn't made it into bed.

Sybil ripped off her apron and picked up the caipiroska she had waiting for him. His key sounded in the lock. The cocktail in her hand, she left the kitchen on quick feet and was calling out before she rounded the hallway corner: "Okay, I know I'm supposed to be naked and waiting for you in bed, but I was trying out a new recipe for arroz de pato that I think you're really going to like, and it was—"

She rounded the corner. And broke off, coming to a standstill.

Levi wasn't alone. There was another man beside him in the doorway. A man she'd never met. A man who had obviously heard every word she'd just hollered at the top of her lungs.

Rooted to the spot with the cocktail glass in her hand, Sybil blushed to her hairline. Why oh why couldn't the floor open up and swallow her whole? Sadly, the floor did no such thing. Her face like scarlet, she turned to her husband. "I...I had no idea you were bringing company over."

Levi looked more amused than anything. "I'm sorry, Sybinha. I didn't know either. Not until 4o'clock. There was no time to call ahead, and you usually make enough dinner that there are leftovers. I thought it would be alright."

"Oh, I, um, yes. Of course it's alright." Sybil's face was still burning. Never again. Never again would she begin speaking to anyone until they were in the same room as her and she could actually see them.

She looked at the man beside Levi. He was young. 21, maybe. He had light brown eyes and clean-cut brown hair.

Levi made the introductions. "This is Ken Kildare, a nephew of Joel's. He started at the firm earlier this week, and we were introduced this morning when Joel assigned him to the ChemTech team. Ken, this is my wife." Levi's eyes rested on her face, his voice softening as he said that last part.

Ken Kildare stepped forward with a smile, reaching for her hand. His eyes flicked over her figure. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Castanheira. Rumor has it you used to work at Molton & Kildare too, but Mr. Castanheira here swooped in and snatched you right out from under everyone's nose."

Still fighting embarrassment, Sybil accepted Ken Kildare's outstretched hand. She forced herself to smile at him. "It's not Levi's fault. I'm the one who let him snatch me."

Both men laughed. Levi turned to lock the front door.

Ken Kildare held onto her hand. "I'm sorry to barge in on you like this. I hope I'm not imposing, but I've never worked in law before. I have so much to learn from your husband before a meeting with the ChemTech reps tomorrow. That's why he invited me over tonight. So he can have a little more time to get me up to speed."

"You're not imposing." Sybil pulled her hand out of Ken's grasp. "It's just like Levi said; there's enough dinner to go round. Somehow I always make too much for two and we end up with leftovers."

Levi, finished locking the door, faced them again. He took the caipiroska from Sybil, dropping a kiss on her lips. "Thanks," he said. His hand rested on her hip a moment—a subtle promise for later that night.

She gave him a quick smile of acknowledgement. "You can take Mr. Kildare to your study. I'll call you when dinner's ready." She glanced at Ken. "What cocktail would you like, Mr. Kildare?"

"A gimlet would be nice. And please call me Ken. It makes me feel like my father or my uncle whenever I'm called 'Mr. Kildare'."

"Ken it is, then."

He flashed her another grin before following Levi down the hall.

Once the study door closed behind them, Sybil covered her face with her hands, reliving the embarrassment of what she'd hollered out before realizing Levi wasn't alone. Imagine yelling that to the hearing of a complete stranger. She might as well take out a page in The New York Times to announce she would be having sex with her husband tonight.

Cringing, she went to make Ken Kildare's gimlet.

The men were already down to business when she went in with the cocktail. Documents were spread across Levi's desk, and they were talking. Ken thanked her profusely when she handed him his drink, smiling at her again. She told him he was welcome and returned to the kitchen. After assembling the main dish, she fixed her hair and changed into a nicer dress.

She served dinner a half hour later, staying quiet for most of the meal because their ChemTech talk took up all the airspace. It reminded her of those days when she'd been Levi's secretary and they'd be the ones talking shop over dinner. But now, she felt excluded because she was out of the loop about client details.

The rice was well-seasoned and the duck was tender, but Sybil pushed hers around her plate. She had expected to have Levi all to herself so they could talk about whatever they wished. She hadn't banked on there being a 3rd person taking up all his attention with a discussion she no longer had a share in.

There was an eventual lull in their dialog. Ken glanced across the table at her, then said to Levi: "I think we're boring your lovely wife, sir."

Sybil looked up quickly. "Oh, I'm not bored at all. I'm never bored when the topic has to do with Molton & Kildare. I was just thinking."

The dialog resumed. The men lingered at the table, still talking after dinner was over, so Sybil decided to leave them to it. After clearing up in the kitchen, she returned with the platter of blueberry squares. She laid it down for them and said goodnight to Ken Kildare. With only a look, she let Levi know she would be waiting up for him.

She didn't glance back as she left, but she still knew that Ken Kildare watched her walk away.

Levi came up to their bedroom two hours later.

Sybil set her novel aside and turned off the reading lamp. "Is he gone?"

"Yes." Levi closed the bedroom door. "I'll make sure to call ahead before I bring anyone here again. Just so nobody else ends up getting an earful."

She groaned, hiding her face again. "Oh, don't remind me. I wanted a crater to open up and swallow me whole."

Levi laughed.

Despite her embarrassment, his amusement cheered her. She loved this man's laughter. She'd never get tired of simply listening to him laugh.

He hung up his suit jacket and came to the bed. Sobering, he sat and looked across at her. "Don't think I didn't see how you felt about having company tonight. I'm sorry, but it was necessary before tomorrow's meeting. It was either bring him home with me or stay late at the office with him and teach him there."

"He really doesn't know anything?"

"Very little. And with ChemTech being one of the more important accounts, I'd rather he didn't say or do anything stupid at the meeting."

"So he's only being brought into the firm because he's Joel's nephew? What's his job title?"

"Legal Assistant. But are you surprised? Joel can bring in whoever he likes."

"Nepotism at its finest. You know, I've never liked Joel much. But why bring his nephew in now?"

"He feels obligated." Levi unbuttoned his shirt. "From what he said, Ken has a High School education but isn't trained in anything else." Levi put his shirt over the armchair. "My impression is he's bright enough to learn what he needs to. It's not guaranteed he'll stay long term, but he's here for now."

There was a short silence. Sybil wondered if she should mention the way Ken held onto her hand when he'd thought Levi wasn't looking. And all those foolish grins. Ken Kildare was probably as harmless as other fellows his age, but maybe she should still say something. Just so Levi knew.

"Levi?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your opinion of this Ken? Not about how bright he is, but your opinion of him. Do you think he's decent?"

Levi half-smiled. "Is this your way of asking if I noticed how he kept drooling over you like a lackwit? Because I noticed. I'm cutting him some slack. He didn't cross the line and he's a young boy. A child."

Sybil picked at a loose thread on her pillowcase. "He must be a couple years older than I am. If you see him as a child, how do you see me?"

"As my wife," he replied, as though telling her that rain was wet. He reached for her, touching the sleeve of her nightgown. "I'm sure I remember telling my wife to wait for me naked. Raise your arms, Sybinha."

There was an edge to his voice as he said those final four words. It made her stomach tighten. Silently, she raised her arms.

Levi took the hem of her nightgown and drew it up, the fabric skimming her body. He pulled it over her head and flicked it away, but didn't touch her yet. He spent time looking at her naked body. The seconds ticked by into a minute.

Sybil waited, keeping her arms at her sides, making no move to cover herself.

Heat pooled in her stomach and settled between her legs where moisture was forming. Her nipples tightened. His eyes lingered there, watching them stiffen to points. Neither broke the silence. As he watched her, she watched the growing bulge in his slacks.

At last, his eyes went from her breasts to her face. Holding her gaze, his hands came down on her shoulders. He urged her backwards, applying firm pressure until she was lying on her back and he was above her.

His body lowered onto hers. His mouth was on hers. She parted her lips to make way for his tongue.

"I wanted you all day. If you were still my secretary, I'd have bent you over my desk."

Their first few times together, it had shocked her that such a sophisticated man could have such a filthy mouth once the bedroom door closed. Now, it didn't shock her so much as it excited her. She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding into his thick golden-brown hair.

"You'd have loved that, wouldn't you Sybinha?" His tongue twined with hers. "You'd have loved it if I fucked you on my desk."

"Yes," she whispered into his lips.

He cupped her breasts, palming the globes, passing his fingers over the nipples. It got more slippery between her legs. Levi bit his way down her throat. She knew where he was headed even before he latched onto one distended nipple and drew it into his mouth, sucking. More waves of pleasure came. Yet it was a pleasure that didn't satisfy. It made her crave more. Intensified the hollow ache between her legs that she needed him to fill.

"Levi..." She clutched him. "Touch me more..."

He did. His hand moved to the apex of her thighs, slipping between her legs. It rested on her mound as he continued sucking at the nipple in his mouth.

Anticipation made Sybil spread her legs wider.

He parted her inner folds, rubbing the pads of his fingers over her opening. "You're so wet. Is it because you want me to finger you and fuck you? My cock deep in you. Is that what you want?"

"Yes," she choked out.

Levi moved his fingers over her slit, coating them in her cream as anticipation shook her body. Those fingers went up to her clit. Sybil's breath caught, her hands digging deep into his back as a tremor ran through her thighs. His fingers kept moving, stroking around her little nub, skirting it without touching it directly. Then he touched it when she wasn't quite expecting him to. Her hips bucked.

Many times, he'd made her climax with just one hand. Made her melt in release by moving his fingers a certain way. He'd do it again now. He'd taken her halfway there already.

His fingers dipped down to her opening, going between slippery folds to collect more wetness. He kissed back up her neck, thumb tracing around her clit. One finger slipped inside her, barely penetrating; hovering slightly inside as she clenched around him. He added a second finger, sliding both into her channel while his thumb edged closer to her clit.

Sybil neared the brink. His fingers massaged inside her, at a spot he could reach but she couldn't. She'd tried. It was a strange little spot that made her legs quiver and toes curl. Her hips instinctively moved with his hand, pleasure building until it couldn't build anymore. The orgasm swept through her. Her walls clamped down on his fingers, drenching them in more wetness. She held onto him, hips rising off the bed as she gasped. She passed the peak, then little aftershocks came.

She opened her eyes. Watching her, Levi withdrew his fingers from inside her and brought them to his lips, licking them clean of her juices. Then he kissed her to exchange flavors.

He pulled down his boxers as they kissed. His cock, already tenting the fabric, sprang erect when he got it off. He was hard, clear precum visible at the mushroom head.

Sybil wrapped one hand around the base of his erect, veiny shaft. She still found penises strange. It was strange how the organ itself got this hard, but the skin stayed soft. Strange how something this thick and long could fit inside her and feel so good. She stroked up the shaft, tracing the precum-slippery head with her thumb.

Levi took her arms and turned her over. Face-down on the mattress, his lips brushed the back of her neck. There was the pleasant weight of his body on hers. His hips moved, his cock head between her inner folds and against her opening. He pressed inside.

Sybil didn't move; just enjoyed his filling her, easing that hollow ache inch by sweet inch. She was wet but he still entered her slowly, until he was hilted and cushioned against her ass. She turned her head to the side, her cheek against the sheets as he withdrew and slid into her again. She gave an involuntary sigh. The friction was sweet. Another build to release was on.

One large hand slipped between her and the bed, closing over her breast. Levi put his lips to her ear. "Are you glad I'm fucking you?" He massaged her breast, kneading it and pinching her nipple between two fingers. "Are you glad I'm deep inside you?"

These were words that would make her blush at any other time. But right now, there was no shame. "Yes," she moaned as he thrust into her again. "Yes, I'm so glad, yes..."

He moved his hand from her breast, his palms at her sides as he thrust in earnest; driving in with long, deep strokes. Repeatedly finding a home in her. Grinding her clit into the bed. Sweat broke over her skin. Her lips opened, soft moans pouring out of her to mingle with his grunts. The pressure... the friction... the fullness... Too much to process.

Needing something to hold on to, she wrapped her fingers around the sheets, bunching them into her fists.

His deep strokes kept coming. Her muscles tightened again; anticipating. Her fists tightened around the fabric. She raised her hips to meet his. Matching him. Thrusting back against him. Moving together.

She closed her eyes again as a second orgasm came, her channel contracting around him even as he stiffened inside her. He throbbed, pushing deeper. A long moan came from him, then everything was warm and wet. She was filled all over again, a heavy yet mobile heat pooling in her lower stomach.

Before the wedding, they'd been careful. They would only have sex on certain days of the month, and even then he would withdraw. He would pull out and spill all that viscous seed away from her. It was only after the wedding that he'd begun spilling inside her body. He finished inside her every time now, no matter what day of the month. She liked it this way because it made her feel even closer to him.

When their orgasms passed, they relaxed together into the sheets. His cock was still in her, his arms wrapped around her waist. His lips were at her nape, pressing soft kisses into skin covered by a thin film of sweat.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too." Her head sank into the pillow with the first wave of post-orgasmic drowsiness. "Everything feels so nice with you."