Fire in the Snow

Risha rolled her eyes. "Google it, and watch some damn Spike Lee movies." Risha sighed, holding Martin's gaze steadily. "This is part of what I'm talking about. You're trying, but you're not there yet. You're not even close."

"Then help me learn. I believe in you, Risha," Martin said fervently.

"Martin, if I stay with you, you will hurt me," Risha said with some heat. "You won't mean to, but you will. I will sink my whole self into you, and I'll never get it back. Don't you get that?"

Martin looked out into the swirling storm outside the window, trying to connect her words with the feeling in his chest. It was not possible. His whole world had just been shattered. She was the one holding the sledgehammer, but she was also the one who could put it back together. If the visions, and the signs, and poem and meant anything, it had meant that.

Martin knew with all his strength that he needed her, and if he didn't have her, he would fall to pieces. He stared into that dark abyss and saw nothing on the other side.

Risha searched his face intently, signs of worry growing on her expression. Martin sat silently, struggling to understand. It didn't help that his thoughts were still a little shaky from the three shots of scotch. Or from the life-changing vision that he had just experienced. Everything felt uncertain now. It was just too much to process.

Risha stood up abruptly and walked over towards the windows. Martin ran his eyes up her smooth legs, over the curves hidden by the thick towel, and up to the black braids swaying on her head.

"Please don't ask me to stay, Martin," Risha's voice faltered. "I told you that I'm not strong enough."

"Risha--" Martin started.

"Please don't try to explain. Don't try to convince me. Don't tell me to stay!" Risha turned around, passion in her eyes. "Not with your body. Not with your words. You don't have to understand, but you have to let me go."

Martin continued staring at her.

"Please, Martin," Risha pleaded. Her breath came raggedly. "If you care for me at all, please do this for me."

A warm peace flowed from somewhere deep inside of Martin. He knew, with crystal clarity, that he needed her. She had ripped him open, and he would fall apart without her. But none of that mattered anymore. Risha was all that mattered. If he had to sacrifice himself to spare her, then he would do that without hesitation.

But there was one more thing that Risha needed before she left.

"I won't ask you to stay." The warmth flowed up from Martin's core and out his smile. "I won't ask you to be with me. You're free. Go and be yourself. That's all I'll ever want from you now."

Risha almost collapsed. She put her face in her hands--silver fingernails glinting in the light--and took deep, shuddering breaths.

"I won't ask you anything. I won't try to explain or convince," Martin continued, looking past her out into the snow. "But I will freely offer you one thing before you go."

Risha looked up warily, sliding her fingers down to grip the top of the towel.

"You still don't believe you're someone extraordinary, do you?" Martin asked.

"We're all amazing in our own ways," Risha replied smoothly.

"Risha." Martin said firmly. "I just gave you everything. There's nothing left to hide anymore."

Risha bit her lip. She shook her head. "No. Not really. I feel like I'm just a foolish girl trying to do something good, but always failing. I feel like I'm just a nobody that bigger people get to take advantage of. Everyone tells me I'm special, but, in the end, that's what I really believe." Her eyes shone as she looked at him.

"But I make you feel like someone special."

Risha closed her eyes painfully, and nodded.

"It feels special when I touch you."

"More than anything," Risha whispered.

"You can leave now. I won't say one more word after this, if that's what you want. But, just for tonight, I believe you need to feel extraordinary. Just for tonight, I will do everything in my power to show you how unbelievably amazing I think you are."

Martin opened his arms wide. "I can never repay how you've touched my life, but that is my gift to you for Valentine's Day."

Risha shook visibly. Her breast rose and fell raggedly.

Risha turned away abruptly and stepped towards the snow-flurried windows. The storm had settled into a heavy, but steady flow of fat flakes.

Risha looked over her shoulder at Martin. The towel slipped down her gleaming body and settled in a pile at her feet. Her eyes were deep pools. She ran silver fingernails down her bare hip.

Martin had seen war and riches. He had seen visions of fire and blood. He had seen the heights of power and the depths of human pain. In his heart, knew he might not survive long without her, but he could now die content.

This, right in front of him, was the most extraordinary vision of all.

CHAPTER IX: SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY

~~~~~~~~~~~

February 14th, 2019.

Persephone Heights Apartments, Suite 1402

Washington, D.C.

12:07 a.m.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Risha stood naked in front of the storm and shivered.

She tried to ground herself to her breath but it fled away under the heat in her belly. Martin stood up slowly. A kind of calm she had never seen before flowed out of him.

The change in him was a marvel. Her head was still spinning with the revelations about his visions. Not long ago, she had been sitting and watching the laundry, fuming over how Martin had treated her. She had been trying to meditate, grasping slowly but surely for the diamond sense of centeredness at her core.

Just when she had reached that perfect balance of connection with all reality, from breath to body to mind, the truth had hit her like a hammer.

He had followed a vision to find her.

Everything flowed from there. She could read his every emotion. Her mind was diamond. Her heart could touch his. Every part of him was open before her. His revelations about his visions shook her, but she kept seeing deeper and deeper, all the way into the true pain behind his confusion.

The whole time, Martin had been looking at her like some kind of goddess. He was in awe of her. When he poured out his heart to her, and broke, weeping as if his heart would break, she felt her power flowing through her like lightning. Her power to know someone, and, this time, to use that power to set someone free.

Martin strode up to her. Risha looked up at him over her shoulder and shuddered.

A single finger touched lightly on her neck. It traced the curve of her muscles down to her shoulder. Sensitive nerve endings tingling along its trail.

Risha sighed and closed her eyes. Her belly quivered with fear and desire. Her mind searched for some sort of escape.

His lips were on the other side of her neck. A little moan slipped out of her. She saw the snow swirling mere feet away, just as the thoughts were beginning to swirl in her brain. Soon she could not go back. Soon there would be no way out.

Risha turned and placed her hand on Martin's chest.

"You don't have to do this," Risha said, looking up at him intently. She was acutely aware of being completely naked before him.

"It's not an obligation, it's a gift." That bright light was shining out of him now.

Risha stepped back until she was almost touching the wall of windows. "This changes nothing about what I said. I can't be with you, Martin."

There was heat growing behind the light. "You can leave right now. I won't stop you." Martin took a step forward.

"Once you start touching me, you know I'll lose control of myself." Risha felt the cool windowpanes touch her shoulder blades and backside.

"You want to lose control." Martin pressed in closer.

"You're still broken. You'll hurt me," Risha whispered. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"Maybe in the long run. But not tonight. At least for tonight, you set me free."

"Just for tonight..." Risha's last avenues of escape were slamming closed one by one.

"Tonight, you are the center of my world. Tonight, you can let go completely while I take you to your limits, and beyond. Tonight, you could be extraordinary. Just for tonight, you could be mine."

Risha sighed in the back of her throat. Martin moved his lips inches away from her ear.

"Last chance to return the gift."

The smell of fresh pistachios filled the room. Risha remembered the feel of a wiry man's arms groping at her body. She remembered the dead eyes of the woman with the crying baby. She thought of all the men and boys who had used her and left her broken-hearted. Fear and anger surged up to mix with her pounding desire.

Risha reached out with silver fingernails and roughly turned Martin's face towards hers. Intricate strands of green and golden-brown filled his eyes. With all her strength, she tried to find the lies hiding behind Martin's sweet words. He met her gaze unflinchingly.

The smooth, cool glass supported her naked body. Her bare breasts quivered with each breath.

Risha delved into his soul. All she found was devotion. Pain and darkness hung back around the corners of his heart, but the center was free and clear. There was peace, acceptance, and something else. An overwhelming love and desire for every part of her body and soul. It pounded with an unstoppable power.

She remembered the taste of pistachios and kulfi on her lips when Martin had asked her to join her in the snow. She remembered the joy of her own smile.

Risha melted away.

"Take me," she whispered.

Martin's mouth smashed into her. His body pressed her against the glass. Hands grabbed her roughly by the wrists and jerked them high above her head, pinning them against the windows. The edges of dress shirt buttons scraped across one breast.

Risha groaned into Martin's tongue. It filled her mouth, pushing and probing. She writhed her body against his shirt, longing to feel his skin.

Martin shifted to grasp both her wrists in one strong hand. The other began undoing his buttons one by one. Risha panted as the chiseled lines of Martin's chest came into view. Wetness began to grow between her legs.

His lips were at her neck. Teeth and tongue sent shocks of sensation along the sensitive skin. Now his bare chest was gently sliding up and down her nipples. They hardened to meet his touch. The feeling on her breasts radiated out deep into her chest, and down towards her groin.

Martin's pants slid to the floor. She had not even noticed him fumbling with his belt. His manhood bulged against silky, tight briefs. He pressed against her belly. The fabric slid back and forth, moving ever downward towards her mound.

Risha writhed against the hand restraining her wrists. She bucked her hips forward, panting frantically. Wetness slipped against itself inside her slit.

Martin bit her collarbone. He kissed his way down her breast. The tip of a tongue circled gently around her erect ebony nipple. The tongue circled slowly, again and again, closer and closer. Risha grunted urgently in anticipation.

The tongue flicked away, and landed on the other breast, circling just as slowly. Risha shook her braids back and forth, moaning with increasing strength.

The tip of Martin's tongue landed softly on one nipple, barely more than a feather's touch. Risha shivered. Lovingly, the tongue licked circles on the top of her nipple, feeling every tiny wrinkle and bump. Electricity shot through her breast.

Now her hard nipple was in Martin's mouth. He sucked urgently. Pleasure burst out in waves. Her head swam. Her knees began to weaken. Martin's one hand squeezed hard, holding up her weight. Martin pulled with mouth and tongue, teeth biting into her breast. Her legs shook and lost the last of their strength.

With a deep rumble, Martin crushed her wrists painfully together and held her in the air with one hand. His bare bicep flexed and rippled with the effort. He bent his head and sucked and gnawed at her tingling breast. Risha groaned and cried out loudly.

For one more long moment, Martin held firm. Then he gently lowered her down to the floor. The wetness between her legs made a little trail behind her as she slid down the cool glass. The snow outside the windows blew and twisted wildly in the wind.

Blood rushed back into her hands as Martin released her. She knelt, panting slowly, on the finely polished floor. She watched, transfixed, as Martin's soft briefs slid down his legs. His hard shaft sprung free. Little bulges of veins ran up its smooth skin. A tiny drop of pre-cum glittered at the swollen tip.

Risha surged forward desperately. Brown fingers and silver nails wrapped around the warm shaft. Her tongue licked hungrily up its entire length, from the base towards the throbbing head.

The tip of her tongue dipped into the pre-cum, probing in to draw out every drop. She savored its flavor greedily. Martin grunted in a rich baritone.

His cock was in her mouth. She moaned urgently against its warmth, imagining its length sliding all the way inside her. The ache of emptiness throbbed deep in her pussy. A drop of liquid fell from her lips onto the clean floor.

He made love to her mouth. She took him in until he filled her throat. Her tongue licked out across the soft skin of his sack. She held there, half-gagging, sucking and licking, feeling the lack of air pounding in her head, until specks of black began to form at the edges of her vision. She pulled back, gasping for air, before throwing her mouth back on his cock. Martin groaned again, moving his hips gently back and forth as she tasted every inch of his manhood.

Risha whimpered, looking up longingly, as Martin pulled his cock away from her. He bent down and grabbed her chin roughly. He kissed her hard, grabbing her lip with his teeth. He spun her towards the windows. Her hands pressed against the glass as she knelt. A circle of mist followed her breath.

Martin knelt behind her. Warmth played with the tip of her opening. The ache inside grew until it was unbearable. Risha whimpered again, opening her legs, willing and welcoming Martin to come inside her.

The head of his cock slid circles around her wetness. Risha wanted to weep, to beg, once again, but all of her own will had melted away. She trusted him now. He would fill her, or not, touch her or not--Risha was completely helpless. High-pitched little sounds leaked out of her throat.

His warmth pulled away. Risha choked back a sob. She shook her hips back and forth, offering herself fully to him.

Slick wet muscle flicked across her pussy lips. Risha inhaled sharply. Martin's tongue slid over her outer lips, caressing every fold and curve. Pleasure and anticipation throbbed up Risha's body. The tongue slid between her lips, wetly playing with her opening.

The painful emptiness inside was tormented by the sensations. Risha tried to scratch her fingernails through the glass.

His tongue licked rhythmically up and down her pussy. The tongue pushed against all the nerve endings surrounding her nub. Risha's legs shook. The tip reached down to touch her clit. Electric tingles spread.

Suddenly his hard cock was at her opening again. Risha spread herself even wider. She flexed the muscles of her pussy, using every ounce of strength to draw him further in. He drew away when she tried to ram herself into him. An ugly, high-pitched whine ripped out of Risha. She held herself still, waiting entirely on his will.

Martin entered with maddening slowness. Her opening stretched ecstatically. Risha panted and grit her teeth, placing her forehead against the glass. He pushed another fraction forward. His cock throbbed. Her pussy stretched a fraction more. Millimeter by millimeter, she grew fuller and fuller. A moan built in her throat. It surged loader and loader as he pushed in further and further.

Martin grabbed Risha by the shoulders and slammed so hard that his balls slapped against her ass. Fullness and stretching and pressure just short of pain jolted through the depths of her body. The moan merged into a wail.

He slid out, emptying her desperately for one moment before crashing his full length back in. Pressure hit the top of her cervix, sending shockwaves through her womb. It was overwhelming. She craved it like an animal.

Risha tilted her hips and bent her back to take his full length as Martin pounded steadily into her, balls slapping against the lips of her pussy. Her arms failed her and she slid down to rest her face on the floor. Martin's cock pressed into her so deeply she felt it might split her in half. She panted with every thrust.

Arms lifted her up from her face-down bow and pushed her up, still kneeling, to rest her shoulders against Martin's chest. He tilted her head back to meet him, kissing her passionately as he slid in and out of her from behind. A hand caressed her breast, pinching a nipple. The other roamed down to stroke the head of her clit. The pressure inside her began to grow.

The warmth in her pussy pushed at a steady pace. The hand stroked rhythmically at her clit. Risha closed her eyes and melted into the sensations. Martin's hot breath hit her ear. The muscles of his chest flexed behind her. He pinched and tormented her nipple. They panted together.

The exquisite pressure of deep penetration continued to grow. Risha let out little cries. The tingling in her clit merged with the feel of the shaft pushing into her. She leaned forward, but found nowhere to go. She lay her face and against the cool glass, feeling its smooth surface with her fingertips. The snow an inch away created new worlds with its intricacy. Martin leaned forward and placed his head next to her. Their hot breath turned to mist on the window.

Risha's scream fogged the glass as her climax ripped through her. Risha clenched and shuddered as a wash of heat flowed through her body. Martin slowed his thrusts, still vibrating his hand on her clit. The orgasm kept building under his touch. Her pussy spasmed rhythmically against Martin's shaft.

Martin's body crushed her forward onto the glass. Her check rested on cold clearness. Her breasts made flat brown circles around her dark nipples. Her clit tingled under Martin's touch. Risha's cries became mist as Martin pulled another orgasm out of her body. A snowflake attached to the glass melted into a tiny stream.

Risha collapsed, shuddering, and Martin eased her backwards into his arms. The hard muscles of his body cradled her. His manhood still filled her with its warmth. She lay there, panting, and watched the snow swirl through the darkness.

The world tilted as Martin lifted her like a naked doll and carried her through the clean lines of his apartment. The soft folds of a comforter met her skin as he laid her gently on his large, gray bed. Antique wood dressers and a writing desk lined the walls. Two wide windows looked out into the falling snow.

Risha lay back and closed her eyes. The glow of her orgasm still pulsed inside. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton. Every muscle in her body released into full relaxation. She vaguely heard the wooden sound of Martin opening and closing drawers.

Something changed behind her eyelids. Risha propped herself up slowly on one elbow and looked around. A dozen different candles glittered in the otherwise dark room. Golden light played with shadows on Martin's body as he stood over her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Martin said with a small smile.

"To you, as well," Risha mumbled. Her brain was still not working properly. She dropped back down on the satin pillows, watching the play of the candlelight on the ceiling.

Martin lay down on the comforter and pulled her towards him. Their naked bodies curled together as he held her in his arms from behind.

The flames of the candles flickered. Risha noted how the pale hue of his arm contrasted sharply with the dark chocolate shade of her breasts. She ran a fingernail through the hair on his forearms. There was a little brown mole just below the bone of his wrist.