| Chapter 25 Satine hadn�t recovered from her spell that morning. She had regained just enough energy to eat some breakfast before pitifully asking Christian to carry her back to bed. She lay asleep now, with Christian in the next room. Situated in a large arm chair, he was reading Shakespeare�s �As You Like It�. Unable to write, he thought surely the words of his hero, the master of love, would be able to inspire him. Yet, he was so consumed with worry for Satine that he could barely focus on the words on the page in front of him. He gave a deep sigh and leaned back. All he could think to do was sit and wait until Satine needed him. ************ Satine gasped when she saw Christian sitting in a nearby chair; he wasn�t alone. A woman, with her jet black hair rolled into a bun, was straddling his waist. She was rocking her hips against his and let out a sinful cackle as his head tilted back in raw ecstasy. Satine thought her heart would break as she watched what was going on in front of her. Christian cupped the woman�s rear and pressed her slim body to his. He kissed the pale skin of her chest and it was now her turn to let out a deep moan. The woman finally turned around, and upon seeing Satine, smiled wickedly and consumed Christian�s lips with hers. All this registered and Satine realized the woman was Nini. �No!� she tried to cry, but couldn�t find her voice. She tried to run to him, to pry off Nini�s long, skinny fingers, but she couldn�t move. Her blasted illness had stolen all her strength. When she tried to let out a scream, all that came out was an exasperated cough. Satine fell to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably, �No,� she kept trying to say. �No�no�no�� �No!� Satine screamed, tears falling down her cheeks. She sat up in bed and Christian soon came bounding through the bedroom door. He placed her in his lap and stroked her hair as she wept and clung to him. �I love you,� she whimpered, practically begging for the same words to come from him. Startled at her outburst, Christian lifted her chin and softly kissed her lips. �I love you too, darling. I love you so much.� Still trembling, Satine tried to control her sobs, but she could only cling to Christian tighter. She knew that she might have to leave Christian, but the thought had never occurred to her that he might leave her. And why shouldn�t he? He was dashingly handsome and there were hundreds of beautiful girls that could give him all the love he would ever need. Seeing Satine with her head nestled against his chest and attempting to stifle tears made him ache inside. He frantically thought of something to make her feel better. In a few moments, an idea came to him. �Satine, do you want to go for a walk along the beach? I think the fresh air would do you a world of good.� Satine nodded and slowly stood up and made her way towards the tall vanity. She stripped off her nightgown and searched for a simple dress that she could put on. Christian was too filled with anxiety to become aroused by her soft white skin and the way the bright sun tickled her perfect curves. Soon, Satine had selected a blue dress and slipped it on. Christian handed her a soft sweater and a straw sunhat and the two were on their way. ************ Once outside, Christian and Satine took a pleasant walk to a calming little cove beside the beach. They were now quietly resting in each others arms in a bed of white sand. Christian was full of questions about Satine�s outburst and thought that maybe she had calmed down enough to ask about it. �Satine?� he asked, running a finger down her cheek. �Mmm?� came her reply. �I was just wondering, and you know you don�t have to tell me if you don�t want to, but why were you crying before? Do you want me to call the doctor? I can get him here as soon as possible if you�re in pain.� Satine shook her head. �Then what is it? Please tell me, I will do everything in my power to make it better,� he said, stroking her face. �I�m just scared,� she whispered, closing her eyes. �Oh, Satine! Don�t be afraid, I will always be right here beside you.� He smiled and gave her a light squeeze. �Come what may�� he gently breathed against her ear. She fought the delicious sensations and stared back at him. �No Christian. Not come what may. Come what may was when I was healthy. When you had a woman that could give you what you needed to be happy. It was when you married a woman that could make love to you and satisfy you completely and fulfill your deepest desires.� She felt her breath catch in her throat but fought the urge to cough and swallowed the pain. She finished bitterly, �Come what may doesn�t apply when you�re married to a disease-ridden whore-� Christian, with gentle firmness, had pressed two fingers to her lips to prevent her from continuing. He simply stared at her, his mouth hanging open slightly. �I-I don�t know what to say,� he whispered. �Other than that is not in the least bit true. Just seeing you satisfies me. Hearing you say my name, your soft fingers grazing my arm, even the sound of your breathing makes me satisfied.� He took her porcelain face in his hands and continued, �I love you Satine. Just because we can�t physically profess our love for a few months, doesn�t mean that I can�t be fulfilled.� Tears was forming in her lovely blue eyes and he brushed them away with his thumb, �And come what may has no exceptions, my beautiful Satine. Nothing, nothing, could ever change the fact that I will love you until the end of time. And I swear that to you now, on every word and every action that you have ever said or done, to make me the luckiest man alive.� Not giving Satine a chance to protest, he began to sing softly, My life will never be the same �Cause girl, you came and changed The way I walk, the way I talk Now I cannot explain The shy smile that Christian always had when there was something up his sleeve came through as he placed his hat on his head, leapt up and began to add sleek dance moves to the words he was proclaiming. These things I feel for you But girl, you know it�s true Stay with me, fulfill my dreams And I�ll be all you need Ooh, it feels so right I�ve searched for the perfect love all my life Ooh, it feels like I Have finally found the perfect love this time Satine couldn�t contain the smile forming on her lips. Not when her innocent poet had transformed into a deliciously sinuous alley cat just to show that he loved her. You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give The rarest love, who�d think I�d find Someone like you to call mine You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give The rarest love who�d think I�d find Someone like you to call mine Christian rolled his hips and walked over to Satine and stared up at her adoringly, In time, I knew that love would bring Such happiness to me I tried to keep my sanity I�ve waited patiently And girl you know it seems My life is so complete A love that�s true, because of you Keep doing what you do He plucked a nearby wildflower and placed it into Satine�s long hair before proceeding in what had turned into a full blown performance. With a flick of his wrist, he had his hat tilted so that it was just hovering above his eyes, casting mysterious shadows across his face. Striding back over to his makeshift stage, he continued. Ooh, it feels so right I�ve searched for the perfect love all my life Ooh who�d think I�d find Such a perfect love that�s awesomely so right You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give The rarest love, who�d think I�d find Someone like you to call mine You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give The rarest love who�d think I�d find Someone like you to call mine Satine�s eyes grew wide and she let out a small giggle as Christian kicked off his shoes so that he was in his bare feet. He hunched his shoulders, once again adjusted his hat and seemingly began to glide backwards on his toes across the sand. With small drops of perspiration forming on his forehead, he gave a sexy laugh and crooned, And girl, I know that this is love I feet the magic all in the air And girl, I�ll never get enough That�s why I always have to have you here �This one is for the beautiful woman who stole my heart,� he dramatically blew a kiss before making Satine�s cheeks flush bright red, as he grabbed his crotch, thrust his hips forward and let out a high pitched squeal of �Yow!� before finishing. You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give The rarest love, who�d think I�d find Someone like you to call mine You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give For the end of his song, he held Satine tightly in his arms and panted, The rarest love who�d think I�d find Someone like you to call mine Satine nuzzled his ear and kissed his cheek. �Thank you,� she whispered. �I needed that.� �Anytime darling,� he purred. He tilted his head and let his hat fall off and roll down his arm, catching it in mid air. Loving to see her smile again, he gently pressed her back to his chest and they peacefully watched the vibrant oranges and pinks of the sunset as it dipped into the sea. Songs Used; "You Rock My World" Michael Jackson |