Resurrection

She stood in the bathroom, looking into the mirror as tears and cold water dripped down her face. Scooping up some more icy wetness into her hands, she splashed her face again but the burning of her tears and humiliation was not relieved. Down the hall, she heard the sounds of her husband’s regular breathing as he slept on, unconcerned, unaware.

‘How could he DO this to me…again…?’she whispered to the stricken woman looking back at her from the mirror. Her chest was tight with still more tears unshed and her dark eyes were rimmed with red from the ones that had already fallen.

Closing the door, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and stared at herself. Still naked, as she had been under the covers when her husband came to bed, she whispered aloud:

“OK, lady, time for some truth. Let’s take an honest inventory.”

She wasn’t young any more, that was true. Neither was she old. Her body still had the hourglass figure of her girl hood – if perhaps not quite so thin. Her breasts were no longer pert and had lost some of their firmness, but they were still full and her nipples were well formed. Running her hands over her stomach, she acknowledged that the hard flat belly of her youth was a thing of the past, but she honestly couldn’t say that she was flabby. The dark patch of curls at the top of her thighs was still thick and softly curling.

Finally, she examined her face. She was pretty. She wouldn’t go so far as to say beautiful, but she was definitely attractive, with her large dark eyes, high cheekbones and short, wavy hair. When she smiled, she knew that it was a warm smile.

‘Then why doesn’t he want me?’ her heart wailed in silence.

Suddenly the home that they shared felt like it was about to cave in on her. The walls drew closer and she was having trouble breathing. All she could think was to get away! Blindly, she grabbed at the jeans and shirt that has been dropped on the floor a mere hour before, not bothering with bra or panties or even shoes and ran silently down the stairs, pausing only long enough to grab her car keys before fleeing that house, that man and the rejection she felt they both held for her.

She hadn’t had a plan when she left, she wasn’t even really thinking as she drove, but she found herself pulling up in front of Jack’s house. The entire street was dark – it was well past bedtime for most people – but a light burned in his study.

The same feelings that had driven her from her own home drew her to that welcoming light and the friend who lived within. Her hand was on the doorbell, ringing, before she even realized she had left the car. She heard his footsteps on the tile floor and felt, rather than saw, him peep through the window.

Seeing her, he opened the door immediately and drew her into his home.

“Li,” he said, his voice full of concern, scanning her attire and bare feet, pacing the cold tile floor. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

Hearing the tender concern in Jack’s voice, she stopped and looked him square in the face. They’d known each other for years – forever, it seemed at times – and he’d always been there for her. Just like he was at 1 AM this warm spring night. Her panicked flight was halted at his doorstep and the tears suddenly began to flow again, uncontrolled. Although questions burned in his mind, Jack simply put his arm around her and led her into his study, sitting her down on the old leather couch. Stopping only to grab a clean snifter and pour a couple of fingers of brandy into it, he sat next to her on the couch.

“Drink this,” he told her, placing the glass in her hands, helping her lift it to her lips. Still shaking, she put the snifter to her mouth and drank the entire contents down in one gulp.

“Whoa…take it easy,” he warned her too late, but the liquor had produced the desired effect. Her uncontrolled sobs slowed to little hiccupping sounds as her head dropped to her chest.

“Lianne,” he said softly, taking her chin in his hand and lifting her face to look at him. “Please tell me what’s happened?” horrible images whirled around in his head as to what could have put her in such a state.

Their eyes met and there was something in hers that told him that this wasn’t the same woman he’d known since she was a girl. There was anger growing behind the tears, an anger that was veiled in hurt. Without a word, she sprang to her feet, standing before him. Arms akimbo, legs spread with bare feet firmly planted in the soft rug before his fireplace, she was a sight.

“Jack – you’re a man,” she began, her voice thick from all her crying, but he could hear the hard edge in it. So he bit back what would have been his usual quip and waited for her to ask him what men knew that she didn’t.

“What’s wrong with me? Am I so repulsive, so undesirable that even my own husband won’t touch me?”

It was probably the last thing he’d expected her to say. He’d been smitten by her, in one way or another, for most of his life and he was the last man on earth to tell her that there was something “wrong” with her. He didn’t know what her husband’s problem was, but looking at her, silhouetted in the firelight, with her shirt crookedly buttoned, her pale skin showing at her breasts and her hips, Jack did the only thing he could have done.

Standing in one fluid movement, he folded her into his arms and took her mouth as his own. She didn’t resist – she was too shocked – so he pressed the moment, moving slowly and softly against her lips, the tip of his tongue caressing the edges where her smile should have been.

He felt the progression in her mind and body. One moment there was no response and then the next, like the first pink rays of dawn there was a warming. Her arms, hanging limp at her sides in her surprise, began to lift towards him and he held his breath, waiting for her touch.

Her hands on his chest hesitated and then gently pushed him away.

Standing inches away from her, he could feel his heart pounding as they looked intently at one another.

“I’m not going to apologize,” he said softly, his voice hoarse with restrained passion.

It was all that he could do to keep himself from reaching out and pulling her back to him. She was still so close that he could smell the brandy on her breath as well as tasting it on his lips from their kiss. Still, he would not force the issue. At this point, if she chose, they could ignore it and go on as they always had – the best of friends.

And that was the last thing that he wanted.

So, he watched her face, the emotions washing over it like a tidal wave and he knew the precise moment when she decided, even before she moved. There was first a brief moment of surprise, of wonder and then peace.

Lianne stepped back into his arms and sighed as they surrounded her. It was a sigh of release, years of hurt and rejections washed away in a moment. Tipping her face back up to him, Jack didn’t say a word, merely gazed into her eyes for a moment, reading them. When his mouth descended once again her lips were soft and pliant, waiting for him.

He couldn’t remember when arousal had taken him so quickly. He felt himself almost instantly growing hard with long denied desire. It was as if she could taste that hunger in his mouth, her own response heated and eager. Her parted lips welcomed his tongue into the hot recesses, to be met by her own, caressing, stroking, suckling. Lianne moaned with pleasure as his hands traveled down her back, cupping her bottom and drawing her more closely to him. She gasped against his mouth as she felt his hard erection pressing into her belly before he felt her smile against him and begin moving her hips.

His own moan couldn’t be suppressed. Needing to feel her skin against him, he grabbed the neck of his tee shirt and pulled it over his head as she, of the same mind began fumbling with the buttons of her blouse.

Covering her hand with his own, he told her, “Let me.” Lianne looked up at him, dark eyes heavy lidded with passion and waited. His own hands trembled as slowly, one by one, he released the tiny buttons of her blouse, letting his fingers trails across her skin as each was undone. Rather than pulling the shirt from her shoulders, he slipped his hands under the thin fabric and caressed her ample breasts softly, tenderly. His manhood throbbed at the tiny whimper of pleasure she made when his thumbs found the already hard nubs of her nipples. Her eyes had never left his face.

“Jack,” she whispered, “I’m so scared….”

He stilled his hands, not knowing what she’d been through, not knowing if he’d struck a respondent chord that raised bad memories. He kissed her lips gently and asked “Why? I’d never hurt you. Ever. I couldn’t.”

Her eyes left his face and she looked at the fire. “I…I…” she tried and failed to speak. There was a silence between them as he waited for her to gather the courage to say what she needed to say.

It spilled out in a rush once she did.

“I don’t know if I can please you.”

He couldn’t help himself. The laughter that burst from him was wonderful, even as it puzzled her. Drawing her tightly into his arms. “Honey, you have no worries there!” and then looking down into her face he said more softly. “You never have. I’ve wanted you like this for more years than I can remember.” Pressing himself against her, he continued, “Can’t you tell?”

Lianne’s dark head bowed, resting her forehead against his chest, but not moving away from him, not taking the delightful pressure of her belly from his aching manhood. When she looked up at him again, there was a tentative smile on her face.

“This changes everything between us, you know,” she said softly, her arms reaching up around his neck.

His head was bent, his lips already tasting the soft skin of her neck when he responded in a whisper near her ear. “Not for me. For me it’s always been like this with you.”

He felt the shiver that went through her and knew from the way she clung to him that it was one of pleasure. Suddenly, there’d been too much waiting, too much patience. With her acceptance came an urgency to them both. His hands, once again under her shirt, pulled it from her body, his mouth descending to capture the bud of her nipple between his lips. She gasped as his teeth gently pulled at it and buried her hands in his hair, holding him tightly to her chest. He wanted to laugh with the sheer joy of having her with him, but there was no time – his need for her superceded everything else.

He suckled at her breasts like a starving man, while his hands found the clasp and zipper on her jeans, sliding inside and feeling her bare skin. They slid around her hips and cradled her round bottom, kneading the firm flesh and reveling in her moans of pleasure at his attentions.

When her small hands moved to his jeans, he found himself holding his breath. For so long he dreamt of what it would be like to have her delicate fingers wrapped around his swollen member, it was next to impossible to realize that it was about to happen. His mouth left her breast and he stood to stare into her eyes as he felt her released the button and then slid the zipper down. He didn’t even try to suppress the groan as his erection was given some relief from the constraint of his pants, only to be followed by a low moan as she lightly ran her hand along his length.

“Damn, Li..yes…”he whispered. Her eyes, which had been lowered in concentration, flashed back to his and seeing the heat in his, she felt bold. Watching his expression, she slid her hand past the waistband of his briefs and touched him. Grasping him in her small hand, she gently rubbed her thumb across the head, slick with precum, stroking him firmly until he could barely stand.

Placing his own hand over hers, he moved it away, explaining to her puzzled expression, “Sweetheart, I don’t want to have it over to soon…”

She blushed, but seemed pleased to know how excited he was, feeding his own heat. Without a further word, Jack pushed her jeans past her hips and watched as they fell to the floor, leaving her naked before him. Framed in firelight, she took his breath away.

“Lianne – you are so lovely…”

When she dipped her head to look away from him, he caught her chin and made her look into his eyes once more. “Yes. You are. You’ve always been.” When she started to shake her head, he folded her tightly into his embrace and found her mouth again, letting his kiss try and convince of the truth in his words. Her response was like fine wine, intoxicating as her tongue hungrily sought his, entwining and plunging in an ageless dance. Her breasts were crushed into his chest and he could feel the hard nubs of her nipples against his skin. As much as he wanted to make this first time together memorable, he knew he wouldn’t last long.

Bending down, Jack swept her up into his arms, rewarded by her surprised laughter as she wound her arms tightly around his neck. His mouth found hers again and kissed her deeply as he carried her into his bedroom, down the hall. As he lay her down on his bed, she clung to him, her mouth hot and hungry upon his. With difficulty, he pulled himself away and stood up. In the darkness, he could see her delicate outline on the bed, waiting for him. With a little time to plan, he would have filled the room with candles, burning a soft light throughout the room. Instead he improvised, reaching into the bathroom and flipped the switch. The light from the open door poured out onto the bed, like a soft spotlight onto Lianne’s waiting body. He decided that if this were a dream, it was the best one every – one from which he never wished to awaken.

Then he heard her voice, soft and familiar, but with a rough edge of passion that lit him on fire.

“Jack, please…come to me…”

Slipping out of his jeans and briefs, he stepped over to the bed, about to lie down next to her when she rose to her knees. Crawling to the edge where he stood, she reached out and touched his naked erection. It was almost too much and he groaned his pleasure at the caress. She glanced up at him with a mischievous smile on her face and it hit him hard – warming his heart to see the change in her. Lianne didn’t give him much time to think about it, though. Settling back onto her heels, she cupped his sac with one hand while she stroked his shaft and began to place soft kisses along it.

“Oh god, Li…” he moaned, his hand on her head, caressing her dark curls.

As if spurred on by his pleasure, her lips traveled to the head, tongue snaking out to lick the precum glistening there. His knees quaked as she sucked him into her mouth, tongue swirling around that sensitive head. His fingers clenched in her hair as his hips began to move against her, pumping slowly as she took more of him into her mouth. The sight of her kneeling there, her lovely naked body on his bed, her dark head buried in his groin was nearly enough to send him over the top. But there was so much more he wanted to do with her this night.

Gently, reluctantly, pulling away from her sweet torture, he pressed slightly on her shoulders to get her to lie down on the bed. Kneeling between her legs, he felt her tremble as his fingers stroked the slick, hot slit he found there. His mouth found those hidden lips, licking and biting softly, feeling his cock throb at the sounds of her pleasure. He sank his tongue deep into her, suckling of the sweet juices there before moving to the swollen little marvel that would bring her to such pleasure. He wasn’t disappointed. Her clit was hard and swollen and very, very sensitive to his tongue. While his fingers toyed with her, penetrating where he soon wanted to place himself, his mouth suckled and tongue flicked until he felt her rise against his face and heard the low keening moan that accompanied her climax. Her first with him.

He didn’t move until she was done, enjoying each spasm that shook through her, enjoying the taste of her pleasure. Finally her hands were gently stroking his hair, calling his name, tugging at him and he moved to join her on the bed, cradling her into his arms.

Her hands stroked his face, feeling the wetness from his loving her, kissing him slow and deep.

“Never…”she whispered. “…never like that before…”

He shifted, leaning over her with his weight on one arm. “I promise you – it will always be at least that good.”

She searched his face for a moment, so many implications in that one simple statement. At last she smiled.

“I believe you.”

Despite his earlier sense of urgency, he now was filled with a sense of timelessness. Slowly, he positioned himself between her parted legs, his swollen manhood meeting the wet heat of her womanly core. They’re eyes were locked on one another, smiles on their faces and he began to press himself into her. Not even inch-by-inch, but mere fractions of inches at a time, he slid easily past her lips, touching the entrance to her body. Her eyes closed briefly as he passed this threshold and he held himself still until she opened them again. The smile was still there, mixed with heated passion, in the dark wells of her eyes and he moved himself more deeply inside of her, feeling her tight warmth surround him.

It was exquisite torture, this slow pursuit. Where every instinct told him to move his hips against her in a rapid search for their mutual pleasure, this seemed to heighten the threshold for them both. As he felt himself deeply impaled in her body, she began to move.

Slowly at first, tentatively until it was more than he could bear. Jack found her mouth again, kissing her deeply as his hips began to thrust deeply into her, his tongue penetrating and pumping into her as hard as his cock was. He could feel her hands on his back, caressing, then scratching lightly, then clawing at him as he felt and heard the moans of her climax. Feeling her spasms milking at him was more than he could stand and he thrust hard into her, a roar of purely male pleasure escaping from his mouth into hers.

It seemed forever that they lie together, luxuriating in their sweat and exhaustion. She was the first to speak.

“I need you to know that I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Li, I know, really…”

She placed a finger on his lips to stop him. “I mean it, Jack. There’s never been anyone other than him.” Her face hardened and what passed for a laugh was bitter. “Not that he’s ever really been there.”

This time he placed a hand over her mouth to stop her.

“Listen to me.” He gently stroked the side of her face. “I don’t know where we’re going to go with this…but in here – with you and me – let’s leave the world outside, ok?”

Lianne looked at him and slowly her smile returned. Kissing the palm of his hand, she nodded and once again they lay down, snuggled in each other’s arms. As she drifted off in her first deep sleep in too long, she realized that the future was a blank page to her now. It was as if she’d been dead and had somehow, miraculously, returned from Hades.

And life was starting to look good.