Shakespeare's Valentine Pt. 07

Her tone made me ask: "You had your doubts?"

"At the time? Maybe. After we, um, parted ways? I had another look at it, and yeah, I'm pretty sure it was contemporary. I mean, I didn't have it appraised or anything... Point is, when he gave me the thing, he told me that he loved me, and that he'd waited years to meet a woman he could give it to, that it meant so much to him..."

"Oh, shit!"

"Dai, Sweetheart, none of this is your fault. You had no way of knowing..."

"No, but..."

Not continuing that sentence; not going on to say what I wanted to say about how I had meant what I said, and that I really had waited to find somebody to give Rebecca's jewelry to, and all the rest of it, was one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life. I needed Cherri to understand that I was different from the slimeball who'd cheated on her with a teenager, that men were not all, by definition, manipulative fuckwads, that...blah, blah, blah.

It was tough, but I managed it. I figured out, just as I was drawing breath to pour out all my excuses and explanations, that this was not my cue. This scene wasn't about me. I closed my mouth, and then said:

"Sorry, Cher. Go on."

212.

"By the time the little fuck was declaring his love and devotion, he knew a little more about my background than you do. In fact, now that I think about it, that may be one of the reasons I don't like to talk about my past all that much. Hmm. Maybe I should ask Janice about that."

"Janice?"

"My therapist. You'd like her. She's a big fan of yours."

"I look forward to meeting her. Go on"

"Yeah, okay. He knew that I did not have a warm relationship with either of my parents, that I had been raised mostly by nannies and housekeepers, and that I...um, tend to...idealize, or maybe I mean romanticize parents and...ugh, you know, parental figures like teachers, or mentors, or..."

We said it together: "Directors."

She smiled: "Yeah, or even affectionate if slightly snarky Native American artisans. You have to understand, my response to all this wasn't logical. But all of a sudden, here's another mother who provides bracelets, in exchange for which I'm supposed to bind myself to a man who says he loves me, and God help me, I looked at the cuff you'd given me-I was holding it myself-and, I swear to God I watched it turn into a shackle, or a handcuff or something. I saw it happen. And I knew you wanted me to try it on, because of course you did. You'd just given your girlfriend a beautiful piece of jewelry for Valentine's Day, which she'd gushed over, so why wouldn't she want to wear it? But just in that instant...I couldn't. I just...I needed my head right, which meant...space, time, maybe both.

"Cher..."

"Uh uh. Let me finish."

I closed my mouth, and thought, but didn't say: whatever you need, Love. Whatever you need.

213.

"I don't even remember getting to my bedroom. The next thing I knew I was face down on my bamboo sheets sobbing like...like I'd maybe just lost my last chance at...something. And that might have gone on for longer than it did, except that I needed to turn my head to breathe. When I did that, I saw on the bed next to me, not a foot from my face, my Valentine's Day present, a beautiful silver cuff set with polished stones. Not a handcuff. Not a shackle. I just stared at it for a while, letting the colors in the bands distract me from whatever it was that had hurt or scared me so much. Eventually some part of me began to process the last few minutes, and then the last few hours, and the last few days, weeks, even months. And it occurred to me this...little breakdown probably had to happen. I thought about crying a little more, and then I thought about Marissa."

"Wait, Marissa, Third Witch Marissa?"

"Yeah, she treats me kind of like an older sister, or maybe a cool aunt. Anyway, I thought about how, if I walked down the hall to the place she and Debbie share with tears streaming down my face, she'd make me a cup of some disgusting herbal something, and do a tarot reading for me. Then I thought about Regina. That woman is a fucking rock star, by the way."

"Couldn't agree more."

"Talented, gorgeous, smart as a whip, practical. And we're friends. Good friends. I just wondered why it took so long. And I thought about Sam."

I left that one alone.

"Sam, who was gonna beat you up if you hurt me. Sam, who used to have a thing for me."

"Still does, a little."

"I know. Big dork. He could do so much better."

"No," I said, "he couldn't."

"Even Kal." There was something close to wonder in her voice. "Poor, gorgeous, ripped, limited, insecure Kal. You know we didn't speak to each other, except on stage, for that whole Midsummer/Richard season? And we were married to each other in both fucking plays!"

"Wait a minute...oh, he was Edward! Right."

Cherri didn't notice me playing catch-up. "He asked-Kal actually asked-if he could hug me on opening, and when I said yes, he picked me up, (almost broke my ribs,) and whispered in my ear that he was never going to see a better Lady M."

"Didn't ask permission to hug me." I grumbled. Cherri didn't notice, which was fine. I'm not sure why I said it.

"When did I make all these friends? I mean, close of business, 2021, I didn't have friends. I had professional colleagues, some respectful, some hostile, most probably both. I had employers and employees, whom I tried to treat fairly. I had family, with whom I was on speaking terms, barely. I had-or I had had-lovers, of most of whom the less said the better. You know who I enjoyed spending time with? Librarians. Baristas. Counter workers. Mechanics. People I didn't have to know, and who didn't have to know me. And Dai?"

"Yeah, Cher?"

"I was fine with it. I'd decided that most people were humorless, self-involved, not to say selfish. Even now, I'm not convinced that I'm 100% wrong. And my needs were taken care of. I had a roof and food and clothes, and I had work, and it was work I knew how to do. I was not an unhappy person."

"No."

"But the thing is...I wasn't a happy person either. And now I am. For the first time in...maybe ever. And when I realized that, do you know what I did?

"I don't, Cher."

When I realized that, I sat up on the bed and took off all my clothes. And then I put on my Valentine's Day present."

214.

"You did, huh?"

"Yeah," my Lady said, and her voice was suddenly quieter. "I did. Wanna know why?"

"Uh huh."

"So ask."

Fair enough. "Cher, why did you take off your clothes and then put on your Valentine's Day present?"

"Couple of reasons. Sit back."

I leaned back on the couch, and Cherri stood up, took a step toward me, and sat down in my lap. Her arms went around my shoulders, as mine circled her waist. Her breath was warm on the side of my face as she settled herself, and she'd put on...

"Cher, is that a new perfume?"

"Maybe. Now, you asked me a question." Her voice dropped to a whisper. I could feel her lips disturb the air around my ear. I could also feel her behind squirming around on the tops of my thighs as she got comfortable, and I suspect that she could feel my cock starting to harden under the stimulation. Since our carnal improv session over the arm of my couch, we'd both been thinking about other things, but now it seemed that the love of my life was perhaps feeling amorous again. Just the thought of her naked body, never mind the scent of her cleavage, the sound of her voice, and the feel of her ass...well, if she hadn't felt me stiffening before, she could hardly miss it now.

"Hmmm..."

Yeah. She hadn't missed anything.

"...so you were asking why I took off every stitch of clothing, and stood in my bedroom, naked, in order to put on, for the first time, the beautiful bracelet the man I adore had given me for Valentine's day?"

"Was I?"

She giggled. "I guess there were a few reasons." And the teasing tone left her voice as she continued. "I was actually curious to see if I looked different, now that I'm...well, now that I'm happy, or contented, or at peace, or maybe just..."--she brought a hand to my cheek, and turned my face until she was staring into my eyes, our noses perhaps an inch apart-"now that I'm in love." She kissed me, softly, gently, an ingenue's kiss.

"And did you? Do you? Look different, I mean?"

"I think I do. I don't know if I could describe how, but I think love and happiness agree with me. And I've course I was naked. I've always thought I looked pretty good...naked. Don't you agree?"

She stood up, took a few steps away from me, turned back to face me, and began taking off her denim overshirt.

215.

My Lady had stripped for me before. She loved the effect her body had on me, and she'd often spice up her disrobing with dirty talk, telling me exactly what she planned to do with, or what she wanted done to, whatever part of her gorgeous form she was about to reveal.

This time was different, simpler. The overshirt fell away, leaving just the t-shirt and the yoga pants. Her movement was deliberate, unhurried, sensuous without being overtly sexual. Right. I reminded myself that Cherri did occasionally take her clothes off for reasons other than to have sex with me. Didn't love the idea, but I got my mind around it eventually. Was this one of those times? Maybe.

Cherri pulled the t-shirt over her head. No bra. She smiled as she watched me respond to the sight of her naked breasts. I had to put a certain amount of effort into keeping my ass on the couch, and my Lady seemed to enjoy the difficulty I was having controlling myself, and at the same time to appreciate the effort I was making. Finally the yoga pants came off. No panties. Naked, except for her bracelet.

216.

She was beyond beautiful. She was radiant. It almost hurt to look at her. Almost. I felt the beginning of tears at the back of my eyes. At the same time, my lips twitched, and I found myself smiling. Jesus, Brenner, get it together, said my brain. Nope, said my body, you're not in charge here; I'm giving the orders for now. I felt the muscles in my legs tensing. I had to stand up now. The space between us was unacceptable. I had to hold her, touch her, kiss her. I had to pick her up and carry her into her bedroom...or maybe we wouldn't even make it that far. We hadn't tried the floor yet, maybe...

To this day, I don't know how I managed it, but I stayed on that fucking couch.

217.

Cherri watched me respond to her: her beauty, her nakedness, and her...need to say something more, before we lost ourselves in each other's bodies. She smiled, took a deep breath, and when she began to talk, her voice was a little shaky, and she spoke a little at random.

"This is me now, Dai. This is me in love with you. This is me happy, and at peace...and for the first time, maybe, really looking forward to the next...thing, whatever it is. This is me...not lonely. I read a book lately, Doran's book, the RSC guy? Anyway, they were rehearsing...um, Twelfth Night, I think it was, and they were talking about definitions of love, and somebody said something like when you're in love with somebody who...loves you back, you're never really lonely. And you, you're...pretty much at the center of all of this. I love you, more than I know how to say. And I need you. And I need you to know...how much I need you. And look, I don't want to pressure you, which is a stupid thing to say, because that's exactly what I'm doing, but...it's just that we've known each other for...almost no time, and there's still so much we need to tell each other, but..."

I stood up. Didn't decide to do it; I just did it. I'd taken off my shoes and socks when we'd started cuddling on the couch, and now I peeled off my t-shirt, undid my belt, and stepped out of my jeans and underwear. I stood maybe two feet from Cherri, both of us naked. She stared at me, looking...conflicted. Like maybe she wasn't done talking. That was fine with me.

I said: "Cher, of course there's pressure, we're talking about making life decisions after a month's acquaintance. But...I mean look at your wrist. The pressure goes both ways, don't you think?"

"I...I mean it's stupid. That's what scared me so much a while ago, right? Thinking of this..." she raised her right arm so that the bracelet rested at the front of her breasts, "as some kind of a manacle, binding me to you, which is kind of what I want. Not to be-I don't know-chained together, exactly, but..."

"Cher, my Love, it's just a bracelet. It doesn't bind you to anything. The thing is...I mean, look at me. This is me in love with you. This is me happier than I've ever been, and I didn't even get a Valentine's Day present."

For a second she looked penitent, but only for a second. Then she half-laughed, half-scowled at me. "You're a complete bastard. You know that, right?"

"I'd be a whole lot more insulted if we weren't both standing here naked trying not to kiss each other."

"There is that."

"Cherri, here's the thing. I think we're scared because we're not teenagers. We've made lives for ourselves on our own terms, and the idea of...bringing a whole other person into those lives involves some risk, or at least some effort. But Cher, all the stuff you've just said? That's all true for me too. You're...my center. I need you every bit as much as you need me. I...just like my life so much more now that you're a part of it.

"Yeah. Me too."

"Cher, can I ask you something? It's just that I want you...or to be with you however you...shit, this isn't...look, you can say no, and it won't be a problem, but I was, I mean I've been thinking about...do you want to maybe get married?"

Well shit. I suppose that could have been more awkward, but I was having a hard time imagining how. I hadn't realized I'd been staring at my feet, until I felt the pad of a finger under my chin. I raised my head and found myself staring into a pair of beautiful warm green eyes. She didn't kiss me. Instead she wrapped her arms around my neck, pressed her naked body against mine, held on tight and whispered:

"Yes, please."

218.

After a bit, during which we neither of us moved, Cherri sighed, and said softly:

"Dai, I know things have changed some. I mean, now I'm your completely naked super hot, super slutty fiancee, but it is still Valentine's Day, which means I still get whatever I want, right?"

Who makes these rules? Still, as far as I was concerned, she was going to get whatever she wanted for the rest of her life, so I said: "Sure..."

"Good. Then please kiss me, and then take me to bed and make love to me. I need you inside of me, like right now."

219.

I kissed her, gently to begin with, enjoying the softness of her lips. She deepened the kiss, opening her mouth, and brushing the tip of her tongue against mine, but still gently, almost tentatively. My tongue followed hers into her mouth, exploring, caressing, and I felt as much as heard her soft: "Mmm hmm."

My hands moved down her back to cup the cheeks of her behind, and she wrapped first one and then the other leg around my waist, just as I'd known she would. My cock stiffened below her ass, but I didn't stop to adjust our positions. She tightened her arms around my neck and held on, as I carried her into her bedroom, and kicked the door shut.

February in the northern Midwest: dark early. Just a hint of moonlight through the window; enough to make out the bed, and to lower my Lady down into the center of it. I took a moment to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. No color; the red bamboo sheets were a pool of black on which she lay, her naked skin picking up flashes of silver light as she moved, adjusting herself, getting comfortable, getting ready. Movement on the lower part of the pool, closer to where I stood. Her thighs parting.

I climbed onto the bed and moved toward her. My knee brushed her calf, and I lifted her long, shapely leg, ducking under it, but holding onto her ankle long enough to plant a quick kiss on her big toe. Cherri giggled softly, but the giggle turned into a little whine of anticipation as I made my way between her thighs, and rubbed the shaft of my cock against the warm wetness of her slit.

"Please, Dai, don't tease! I need..."

"Not teasing, Cher, just...I love how this feels. Here, you ready?"

"Uh huh, uh huh, ohhh...Daiii...

I began pushing into her, as slowly and as gently as I could. Cherri's breath caught halfway through saying my name. I didn't care. I was listening to her breathe. Trying to give her that occasional little orgasm she sometimes...mmm, yes! That sounded promising. Not quite panting; soft, shallow, almost soundless breaths as first the head, and then the shaft of my dick entered the tight, moist warmth of her pussy. More than warm! And more than moist; hot, wet, soft, and...pulsing, gently, to the rhythm of her breath, which I had just begun to hear, as our bodies came together, with my cock buried all the way inside her.

"Huh...uh huh...huh, huh, huhn, huhn, yuh huh-huhhn...huhhn, ...Ooohhh!"

Maybe a little more intense than usual? I hoped so. It had been a pretty intense day.

220.

After a minute or two, Cherri's breath evened out, and I began to move inside her. Gentle thrusts, just enjoying the feeling of her warmth along the length of my shaft. For a while, neither of us spoke. Then she sighed, moaned softly as I pushed into her, and smiled. I assume she smiled. I could hear it in her voice.

"Dai, ooh, Dai, my love...uh huh, just like that!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you, Cher, and...oooh!"

She giggled, and now there was a little tease in her voice. "What's the matter, Sweetheart? Are you having a little trouble..."--I felt the muscles of her vagina tightening around my erection, and the heat of her painting my cock as she moved under me-"focusing?"

"Fuuuck, Cher! That feels sooo good!"

She giggled. "I know it does. Feels good to me too. Do you really want to marry me?"

"Yeah, Cher. I really...uhh, I really do! Do you really want to marry me?"

"Mmm...yes! Move in me...slowly. Uh huh, uh huh...just like that! Fuck!" She was still for a few seconds as I thrust gently back and forth. "Umm...yeah! Oh my Thane, I think I have to marry you. How else...yeah, uh, uh, hooo...how else am I gonna guarantee myself a lifetime supply of goodnight kisses?"

My turn to giggle a little. "C'mon, my Lady, you don't have to..."

"And this cock! Oh, Dai, my love! I...don't even know how to tell me how fucking good you feel...inside of me! Don't stop! Please, don't you dare stop! Just keep...uh huh, like that, like that...oh fuck, I think I'm going to...fuck, Dai, are you close?"

I hadn't realized how close I was. "Getting there...Cher, can you...?"

"Fuck, I can...feel you, I think! Swelling inside me...Dai, oh fuck, Dai...kiss me when you cum? Please? Please...oh, fuck I'm close! I'm...right, almost...mmph!"

My lips found hers, and our mouths opened together. I pushed into her, as deep as I could go and my body froze as stream after stream of cum poured from my cock. At the same time, her body convulsed under me. And then, suddenly, randomly, we were in sync: her spasms, my pumping, and our kisses, keeping time with the inevitability of music, or the tide, or...didn't matter.

We held onto each other, and cried a little; for joy that it had happened, for grief that it had ended, and then for joy again, because we had the rest of our lives to spend together. It might even happen again.

To be continued...