| Part 4 �Ok, look,� Chris said. �Do me a favor. Just tell me who this Hector guy is!� He wanted to gesticulate. The fact that his hands were tied to the bedpost was getting to be extremely annoying. Maria finally detached the price tag from the knife and let it drop to the floor. She opened the knife and swept the blade back and forth six inches above Chris' body as if she were buttering a loaf of Italian bread. Then she straightened her back and lifted her chin. �Hector Garcia Lopez is my grandfather. You sold him worthless stock.� �Worthless?� Chris said. �Honey, I don't think you really understand the stock market.� Maria pointed the knife at Chris' belly button. Twisting the knife, she spoke with painful clarity: �Don't mock me.� Chris' body shrank into the mattress, away from the blade. �No mock! No mock!� he said. �Puto!� Chris winced. �Just tell me the story!� Maria took in a slow, deep breath, then she exhaled with a sigh. �You promised him he'd make a fortune. He closed all his bank accounts and gave the money to you.� As if exhausted, Maria dropped back into the chair. She told Chris that her grandfather's pride had kept him from admitting he'd been cheated. The family had found out about his troubles only when the old man faced eviction from his apartment. �He'd even stopped taking his blood pressure medicine. He couldn't afford the prescription.� Maria looked up at Chris with tear-swollen eyes. �He could have died.� Chris said nothing and watched Maria as she began to cry. He glanced at the knife and saw she was holding it in her lap. Her grip was loose, as if she'd forgotten she was holding it. No wonder she was upset, Chris thought without actually accepting any of the blame. She looked so forsaken-so in need of comfort. He wanted to hold her tightly. He wanted to draw the misery out of her body and somehow take it into his own. Then again, he was afraid he might screw up and make things worse. He didn't really have much experience in soothing a woman's pain. Now, this was a very odd feeling. This desire to protect someone he saw as vulnerable. But what was it he wanted to protect her from? That line of thought was making him very uncomfortable. He twisted his wrists and ankles. �Maria,� he blurted out. �How about you put down the knife?� Maria looked up at him as if he'd just hatched out of a reptile's egg. She raised the knife in front of her. Her lips quivered. �What do you know about me?� she asked, her voice a barely intelligible squeak. Chris kept quiet and still. �Well, let me tell you. You don't know anything about me. You've never known anything about me.� She stood up and held the knife to Chris' face. Chris could see nothing but the distorted reflection of his own eyes in the blade. �If you knew the first thing about me,� Maria said, �you'd know that I could never hurt you.� Chris' heart was racing and he felt short of breath. It took a moment for the meaning of Maria's words to sink in. Maria lowered the blade and sat back down. She looked down at the floor, sniffling loudly. �Shit, Maria,� Chris said with a terrible attempt at a smile. �You know I tried damned hard to get to know you at Stuy.� No reaction. Maria continued to sniffle. �I even joined the fucking basketball team just to be near you.� Maria quit crying suddenly, but she did not look up. Chris decided to just let the silence play itself out. His hands felt numb. He clenched and unclenched his fists to try to restore circulation. With some effort, he bent his head so he could look down between his legs. Damn it. No woman has ever seen me this small. Maria set the knife on the nightstand and walked into the bathroom. When she flipped on the light, Chris could a sliver of her reflection in the full-length mirror on the closet door. Maria blew her nose with a loud honk. There was a sound of running water followed by the muffled rattle of a towel being taken from a rack. Then there was a long moment of silence. It appeared to Chris that Maria was not moving at all. Chris inched up a bit on the bed and found that this made his wrists much more comfortable. Finally, Maria snapped off the bathroom light and walked back into the room. Her eyes were still a bit puffy, but in all other respects, she appeared composed and calm. Somehow, she looked even more beautiful with her hair disheveled and loose than she had when it had been smoothly brushed. With a grin, Maria drew the wine from the chilling bucket and set it on the bed against Chris' hip. He shrank away from the icy bottle. �Hey, that's cold!� Maria lifted the bottle and laughed. �I can see you're not the gallant type of man who'll sleep on the wet spot.� With the knife, Maria slit the bottom of the foil and removed it from the bottle. She set the bottle on the nightstand and swapped out the knife's blade for a corkscrew. �Are you okay?� Chris asked. �Never better,� Maria replied with a lopsided smile. She inserted the corkscrew and uncorked the bottle with a strong pull. She half-filled one of the two wineglasses and sat down, raising a toast to Chris. �To our futures,� she said and took a sip. �Mm. You're right-this is too cold. It'll probably be very nice once it's had time to warm up, though.� She set the glass back on the nightstand. Chris looked at her with concern. �Is your granddaddy doing okay now?� �Oh, he's fine,� Maria said, combing her fingers through her hair. �He's back on his medication. My parents are taking care of his rent.� �Well, I'm glad that worked out all right.� �Oh!� Maria touched two fingers to her lips. �There is something you can do for us, though.� She went over to the armchair, found Chris' suit coat, and took a folded piece of paper from the inside pocket. Then she picked up a black plastic ballpoint pen from the desk and sat on the bed, her hip against Chris' torso. �This could be a bit tricky,� she giggled, placing the pen in Chris' hands. �Just sign this stock over to me. I'll see my grandfather gets the profits. Then everyone will be happy.� �What!� Chris grimaced as if someone had just keyed his Ferrari. �Honey, there is no fucking way I'm gonna give away that stock to you or anybody else. Hey, how the fuck did you even know about it anyway?� �That's not important.� �Just tell me.� Maria pursed her lips. �You think everyone loves you at J. T. Marlin. Actually, you've ruffled a few feathers. I just smoothed them back.� �Shit,� Chris said, twisting his lips. �Honey, there ain't nobody messes with my paycheck. You are way out of line here.� �You haven't been listening.� Maria snatched back the pen. �I told you, I make the rules. You obey.� �Yeah, well this is a whole `nother ball game, Honey.� Maria tossed the stock certificate and pen in the direction of the desk chair. The pen bounced to the floor. Maria raked her fingernails sternly across Chris' firm abdomen. Chris drew in a hissing breath. �I can make you beg me to accept that stock from you,� Maria said quietly. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part 5 Chris shook his head and smiled. She's going to make me beg to give away money? �Don't even think about betting on that horse, Sugar, `cause he's not even gonna cross the wire.� Maria straddled Chris' knees and bent down to his groin. Lifting his still-soft penis with one finger, she took it entirely into her mouth. Chris was stunned, but his body did not hesitate to react. The soft looping of Maria's tongue touched off a riot of adrenaline in Chris' belly. Soon his heart was pounding in his chest, desperate in its haste to correct the lack of an erection. He felt himself swelling to fill Maria's mouth. Soon, she had only the uppermost part of Chris' penis in her mouth, but she never stopped moving and never once scraped him with her teeth. For one delirious moment, Chris thought Maria must be some kind of supernatural being-a demoness-with the power make him crazy with erotic desire, yet never permit him the fulfillment of an orgasm. If she was a demoness, he loved her-he worshipped her. And he only wanted more. Maria took Chris deep inside her mouth, and then she started humming the Stuyvesant school song. Chris let out a loud moan of surprise. He twisted his upper body against his restraints, and as a result, pulled a muscle in his neck. He winced and his eyes watered. Maria stretched out on the bed and cuddled up against Chris' side. She kissed the corner of his eye, drinking in a tear before it could fall. �Poor baby. That song always makes me cry, too.� Chris' cell phone rang. Maria giggled. �Darn it! Every freaking time!� She pivoted her feet to the floor and reached over to pick up the phone. �J. T. Marlin,� she announced in an overly melodious voice. �Dr. Velasic?� Maria raised an eyebrow at Chris, who frowned and shook his head slowly. �Mr. Varick is not available at the moment.� There was a pause. �No, I'm sorry, Mr. Varick is much too busy to speak to anyone of your ilk.� �Maria! Hang it up right now!� Into the phone, Maria said, �Excuse me, let me close the door to my office.� She snatched up one of Chris' socks from the floor and stuffed it into his mouth, giving him a wink. �There, that's better.� �While I've got you on the phone, Dr. Velasic, I'm afraid I have to pass along some very bad news about your account.� Chris screamed ineffectively into the sock and Maria swatted him lightly on the thigh. �Yes, it's lost quite a bit of value, actually. In fact, you've lost everything. There was only just enough left to cover Mr. Varick's commission.� Maria held the phone to Chris' ear so he could hear the stream of profanities that spewed forth. After a moment, she snapped the phone closed and set it back on the nightstand. She picked the sock out of Chris' mouth as if untying the ribbon of a birthday gift. �Maria, what the fuck! Velasic's a fucking whale! If you lost that account.... Jesus, Maria!� Maria massaged Chris' temples with her fingertips. �Hush, now. You're going to hurt yourself.� �But, Maria... Jesus!� Maria shushed him. �Calm down. It's only money.� Chris closed his eyes and sighed forcefully. �Only money,� Maria repeated. �And you know how to keep from losing any more customers.� �No fucking way,� Chris said, his eyes still closed. He felt Maria's hand touch his penis. She began slowly encouraging his diminished erection, and she whispered into his ear, �There is a way.� She held that position for a minute or more, breathing into Chris' ear and fondling him with her small hand. The bed bounced a bit as Maria changed position. Chris opened his eyes to find her straddling his thighs. With both hands, she held his penis up against her mons. She began to move her hips, rubbing him very slowly. Chris wanted to stay angry, but he felt the last of his resistance melt away. Maria's eyes were so serene. Her full lips were parted and her breath was unhurried. Despite her apparent calm, her cheeks were slightly flushed. That hint of emotion was a powerful aphrodisiac for Chris. All thoughts were washed away except for his desire for Maria. He felt Maria's fingers reposition him and apply some pressure. Suddenly, every tiny motion of her hips felt like the pluck of a cello string, filling him with erotic vibrations. What is she doing? He looked down and realized what was happening. Maria was rubbing his glans against the pearl button in the hem of her panties. Chris closed his eyes and opened his mouth to breathe. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Several times, he felt himself at the brink of orgasm. Each time, Maria somehow changed her pace to deny him release. �Give me what I want,� Maria said. Chris' heart swelled, but then he realized that Maria was only talking about the stock certificate. �Please, Maria. It's my life. You're talking about my life.� �Give me what I want.� Chris clenched his fists and pulled against his restraints. He wanted some pain to distract him from Maria's wild, erotic spell. The bedpost creaked once under the strain. Maria's expression did not change. She continued to tease Chris with tiny movements of the pearl against his wet glans. Finally, Chris had to admit that he was helpless. He would have to give in. Well, it's only money. �All right, all right! I'll sign!� Maria grinned. �Good boy.� �Please,� Chris said. �I need you.� Maria dismounted and bent down to peck Chris on the cheek. �I'll get the pen.� Chris groaned loudly in frustration. The position was awkward, but Chris managed to put a legible signature on the stock certificate. Bubbling with enthusiasm, Maria folded the paper into a neat little rectangle and slipped it into an inside pocket of her raincoat. �Ok, you got the stock,� Chris said. �You got what you wanted.� Maria stood near Chris' face and bumped the bed with her hip. �Well, there might be one more thing I want from you.� She slipped her panties down. Chris nodded. �And it's about damned time.� _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part 6 Maria tossed her panties on top of Chris' suit coat. She climbed onto the bed and straddled Chris once more. This time, when she nuzzled up to him, she was sliding the shaft of his penis inside her moist labia. Chris no longer minded the fact that he was bound hand-and-foot to the bed. Maria Alicia Lopez was making love with him. She possessed him. She was taking pleasure from her slave. Chris was in heaven. Maria raised up slightly and positioned herself above the tip of Chris' erection. She sank down slowly, taking Chris into her with a smooth, liquid motion. After so much long, torturous foreplay, the single movement of entering Maria's body nearly brought Chris to orgasm. Maria apparently understood and she kept absolutely still. Chris tried not to breathe. One twitch of Maria's vaginal muscles might tip him over the edge. He watched Maria's face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was just barely open. For probably the first time when making love with a woman, Chris wondered what she was feeling. He loved seeing her nipples hard and tight. He loved the way the muscles of her abdomen contracted, as if trying to hold him deep inside of her. He wanted to give her every pleasure he could. At present, he had very little choice in the matter. He relaxed his arms to ease the constriction of his wrists. Maria opened her eyes and began to move slowly, sliding Chris in and out of her. Chris watched Maria's face. Her dark brown eyes became more thrilling with each movement of her hips. Maria set her own pace, and her enraptured expression told Chris that she'd found a pace that suited her just fine. Her obvious arousal was as much a stimulus for Chris as her slick caress of his erection. In high school, he had always wondered what Maria looked like in the heat of passion. She looked like this. Chris was so lost in admiration of Maria that he didn't realize how close she was bringing him to orgasm. Chris felt his stamina waver. He groaned. Maria gasped and increased her pace. Chris knew he could not last much longer. Maria's mouth was open wide now and the press of her hips was becoming more forceful. The oak bed, solid as it was, began to creak in sympathy with her rhythm. Leaning forward, Maria enveloped Chris's face with her long hair. Chris could see nothing. He felt Maria's hard nipples graze his breast. He smelled the warm fragrance of her arousal. He heard her light, modulated moan very close to his ear. Suddenly, Maria's pace became erratic. Her moans became tiny, rapid gasps. The unexpected change was too much for Chris to bear. He arched his body up into Maria and groaned. After two seconds of insanity, he came. Maria took his lower lip into her mouth and held his body tightly until Chris' spasms subsided. For a long time afterwards, Maria lay on Chris' chest with her face against his shoulder. Chris was still inside her, warm and comfortable. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing seemed right. Maria spoke first. �Chris.� The sound of her voice was strangely thrilling. Then Chris realized it was the first time she'd said his name. He heard Maria sniffle. He looked down but could not see her face. �You okay, Maria?� Maria was silent for a moment. �Back in school, the basketball team...,� she said. �Didn't you care that everyone was laughing at you? The way you played?� Chris chuckled. �Shit, I was pretty thick-skinned. Still am.� Maria sniffled again. �It's just... I didn't know you joined the team because of me.� Chris felt a chill. He carefully considered Maria's words-the tone of her voice. Maybe she understood him now, at least a little. He wished he could believe that they were actually growing closer.. The gentle weight of Maria's body pressed him into the mattress. Even though she seemed like an inseparable part of his life right now, Chris knew that she might disappear forever in just a few minutes. He tried to quit reasoning and just savor this warmth and closeness for as long as it would last. Neither of them spoke. Chris lost himself in the unequal rhythms of their breaths and heartbeats. What were the chances that two such dissimilar people would find themselves sharing a moment of intimacy like this? Chris did not want the moment to end. As if hearing his thoughts, Maria looked up into Chris' eyes. Her expression was sad as she raised her hips slightly, uncoupling from him. She got up off the bed and picked up her panties from atop the pile of Chris' clothes. �Are you leaving?� Chris asked. Maria did not reply. She pulled her panties snug then reached for her bra. �I want to see you again real soon,� Chris said. Maria avoided looking at Chris as she dressed. �There's gotta be some paper around here,� Chris said. �Just leave me your number.� He hoped he didn't sound too desperate. Maria thrust her arms into the sleeves of her raincoat. She picked up one of her shoes, but could not seem to find the other. Finally, she turned to Chris. �Look,� she said, shaking the shoe, �we are not going to see each other again.� She crossed her arms and thought for a moment before continuing. �I appreciate what you did for my grandfather... the stock. I honestly do. But I can't forget what you did to him.� �Honey-� �Shut up,� Maria said. �You cheated him. You nearly got him killed. If you think this stock makes up for that, you're wrong.� �Maria-� �Shut up,� Maria said. She shook her head. �I would never be able to forget how you swindled my family. And you got away scot-free.� �So, what do you want? Community service?� Maria smiled contemptuously. �It's all just a joke to you, isn't it. You're the big, macho moneybags. Never had a bad day in your life.� �I had plenty of bad days.� �Right,� Maria said. �Well, somebody needs to just cut you down to size.� She found her other shoe under the foot of the bed. Balancing herself with a hand on the desk, she slipped on the flats. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she ran a hand through her hair. �Goodbye, Chris. Thanks for the stock. Really.� �Maria, wait. At least take one of my cards. It's got my home phone, cell phone. Look in my coat pocket.� Maria seemed to ignore him. She reached for the doorknob, but then she paused. She turned around and withdrew her hand from her pocket. She was holding the hotel card key. She made a little fanning motion with it and looked at Chris thoughtfully. Without a word, she came back to take one of Chris' cards from his suit coat pocket. A few extra cards spilled onto the carpet, but Maria didn't bother to pick them up. She put the card in her own pocket and walked out of the room without so much as a glance back at Chris. The sudden silence of the room filled Chris with a suffocating feeling of loss. Then he remembered the feel of Maria's body on top of him after they'd made love. Her warmth. The smell of her perfume. The smell of her body. Chris closed his eyes and snuggled into this new memory. And there might even be some hope for the future. After all, she had taken one of his cards. Chris' cell phone rang. �Shit!� Chris reached for the phone instinctively before realizing that he was still tied to the bed. �Shit!� he said again. But then he smiled. * * * * * Maria opened the door to the Hudson Room. Incredibly, the chaos inside had doubled since she and Chris had left. Most of the men looked so drunk, Maria felt sure they would wake up tomorrow with only vague memories of this bacchanalia. Searching the room, Maria found a group of three brokers who were currently without female accompaniment. Their eyes were glassy, their jokes conspiratorial, and their laughter unbridled. They were indeed a very messy knot of financiers. Perfect. She unbuttoned one more button of her raincoat. She wanted to be sure the men would be able to catch a glimpse of her bra. Maria stepped up to the group and gave them her most devastating smile. She was an immediate success. One made an unsteady move to put his arm around her waist, but Maria stopped him with a palm against his chest. �I'm not that easy,� she said, still smiling. Leaning in, Maria lowered her voice. �Are any of you men interested in... spanking?� Maria accepted their laughter as an affirmation. She produced the hotel card key from her pocket and held it up in between her index and middle fingers. With a pout, she said, �A sweet friend of mine in room 437 is just begging to be punished.� One man snatched the key and ran. He was followed quickly by the other two. They were like three dogs with one soggy soup bone among them. Maria left the room and headed for the lobby. Along the way, her short raincoat and bare legs elicited a variety of strong reactions from the hotel's clientele. Maria was happy and unashamed. She touched the breast of her coat and felt the small rectangle in the inner pocket. With all her heart, she believed that her life had just taken a turn for the better. -------------- The End |
|
by Virtual Void |
|
|
 |
 |
| 4-6 |