CHAPTER 4
"Jesus Christ, Mads! You need to call the police!" shouted Em. It was Friday at 3:30 and we were in my office, blowing off the rest of the day together...just like old times, only we didn't have to hide out in the womens locker room now. I had told her about the slashed tires and the hang up phone calls and true to form, she over reacted.
"I'm sure the CPD has more important business to take care of than slashed tires, Emily. Besides, dozens of tires must get slashed in this city every day and nothing's happened in over a week now. Let's not make more out of this than it is," I said, choosing not to tell her about the man in Roma's who had been inquiring about me last week.
"But what about the phone calls? Have they stopped?" she asked, sipping on the last of her Diet Pepsi which she had been nursing since before lunch.
"Not entirely. I had two or three of them here today," I said.
"On your office line? Holy shit, Mads! At least tell me that Matthew knows about that," she said.
"No, he doesn't. I see no reason to sound the alarm just yet, Em. Besides, Matthew is off this weekend and I've barely seen him since he started picking up extra half shifts. Nothing is going to ruin the next two days for us...especially something that's nothing," I said.
"Why is he picking up extra time?" she asked.
"He's trying to build up more vacation time for when we take our honeymoon," I said.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"We don't know yet. We haven't really talked about the location," I said.
"You got a lot of wedding stuff done this week?" she asked.
"The church is booked and the hotel is booked for the reception. We have a meeting with the events planner on Tuesday afternoon. It's slowly coming together," I said, happy to turn the conversation to something else.
"You're glowing," said Em, smiling at me.
"So are you, Morrison," I said, returning her smile.
"I'm not the one getting married," she said.
"Not yet," I said. Em promptly wrinkled up her nose and blew raspberries all over my desk. Just then, the phone rang. I felt all the blood drain out of my face as it continued to ring.
"Nothing, huh? If you could see your face right now, you'd know this phone thing isn't nothing," said Em. I picked up the phone and answered it.
"This is Madeleine Coventry. How can I help you?" I said, sounding more tentative than I intended.
"You can help me by coming home and letting me take you to bed," said the voice of my handsome fiance. I breathed an inaudible sigh of relief and mouthed the word "Matthew" to Em. She gave me the thumbs up sign.
"But I'm not sleepy yet," I said.
"Oh, we won't be sleeping," he replied in a low sexy voice that made my knees tingle.
"Can't I have dinner first?" I asked, teasing him.
"Oh, you'll be eating...trust me," he said. I started laughing uncontrollably and as I looked across the desk at Em, she was making a gagging motion with her finger. I quickly covered the mouthpiece of the phone and blew raspberries at her.
"We're still on for tomorrow at David's Bridals at 2:00 and for brunch at Big Jones on Sunday, right?" I said to her as she got up to leave my office.
"Wouldn't miss either of them, babes. Talk to you later," she said, blowing a kiss at me before closing the door to my office behind her.
"You're blowing raspberries at the idea?" asked Matthew, sounding confused.
"No! Sorry...I was talking to Em. I'd never blow raspberries at the thought of blowing you," I said, sounding brazen and giggling again.
"You filthy, filthy girl. You kiss your father with that mouth?" asked Matthew, sniggering. I could picture the sexy little grin on his face.
"Oh, you love it Lieutenant! Speaking of my father, I'm going upstairs to visit him for a few minutes before I head out. I'll be home by 5:00," I said.
"OK, baby... give my love to your Dad and hurry home," said Matthew.
"I will. See you soon, handsome," I said before hanging up. I shut off my computer, gathered up my things and headed upstairs to see my father. He was sitting in a chair and reading the Chicago Tribune. He looked as pink and robust as a newborn baby.
"Hey, baby girl…how are you doing, honey? Planning that wedding to your handsome fireman?" he asked.
"Yep...got the church and reception booked, but the more important question is how you're doing, not me," I said, leaning down to give him a kiss.
"Doc says I should be out of here by the middle of next week, so I guess I'm doing good," he said.
"That's great, Daddy...and I've set up home care services for you, too...just in case," I said, holding my breath.
"I don't need any…." he started to say before I interrupted.
"Don't argue with me. It's a done deal. Do it for me, OK?" I said, holding up my hand to him.
"OK, baby girl...for you," he said reluctantly.
"Thank you. Matthew's off this weekend, so I have to get home now. Do you need me to pick anything up for you?" I said.
"No, baby girl...I'm all set. You go home and spend the weekend with the man you love," he said.
"I love you too, Daddy...don't forget that. Call me if you need anything and I'll see you on Monday," I said, kissing him on the cheek again.
"OK, honey. Oh...and Madeleine?" said my father as I was walking out the door. I turned around to see him folding up his paper, then take off his glasses and set them on the nightstand next to the bed.
"Yeah Daddy? Did you think of something you need?" I said.
"No, honey...I just wanted to tell you that I am so proud of you. You are one hell of a woman and Matthew and I are very lucky fellas," he said.
"I'm the lucky one….and you're prejudiced, Daddy," I said.
"True... but I still meant every word. After your Mama died, I didn't know how I was going to manage, but you stepped right up and took care of everything...including your old Dad...and you're still doing it eight years later," he said. I thought I could see tears rolling down his cheeks now. I walked back over to where he was sitting and squatted down next to him.
"Well...you've always taken care of me. It's my turn now," I said.
"I know you don't think so, but your Mama would be proud too," he said, cupping the side of my face with his big hand. I stood back up slowly and looked down at him.
"I have to go, Daddy. Remember...call me if you need anything, OK?" I said. As much as he wanted me to acknowledge what he had said, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. She wouldn't be the least bit proud. She would pick apart everything I had done over the last eight years and tell me how I could have done it better. I kissed him again and walked out of the room quickly before he could turn my obvious ambivalence towards my mother into a discussion I didn't want to have.
I drove home feeling slightly guilty that I left my father's hospital room so abruptly. Talking about my mother and our relationship had always been a touchy subject. It would be difficult talking to my father about my feelings. He adored my mother. He thought the sun rose and set on her and it would break his heart to know that my feelings towards her were not the same as his. As I pulled into my driveway and saw Matthew's truck, I could feel all my tension suddenly melt away. Despite the fatigue I still felt, I ran up the stairs of the front porch and unlocked the front door. As I stepped inside, the living room was dark and I could see the dining room table had been set, complete with lit candles and music was softly playing in the background.
"I'm over here," I heard Matthew say from behind me. His voice was soft and low, much like it had been on the phone earlier. I turned to see him sitting on the couch. There were two glasses of wine on the coffee table in front of him. He was barefoot and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. As I walked towards him, he slowly stood up. He was so beautiful, he took my breath away.
"I'm sorry I'm late, but..." I started to say, but he placed a finger on my lips and shook his head slightly, telling me that no words were necessary. He cupped my face in his hands and looked into my eyes.
"Welcome home, baby," he said before brushing his lips across mine and slowly but completely covering my mouth. His hands moved from my face to my neck and pulled me in closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Every nerve ending in my body came alive as his tongue gently wrestled with mine. My hands held onto his back and I could feel his muscles flex as he moved his hands down to my waist and around to the small of my back. My fingers found the buttons on his jeans and began to slowly undo them.
"I thought you were hungry," he said in that low sexy voice.
"Oh, I intend to eat," I whispered as I pushed his jeans down past his hips. He pulled his shirt over his head and I gently pushed him down on the couch. He was already semi-erect as I licked up and down the length of him. He let out a soft moan as I pulled back his foreskin and let my tongue swirl around the tip of his penis.
"Oh Christ...Maddy...I…" he said in a whispered voice. I lifted my head to look at him. His blue-green eyes were wild with passion and surprise and his breathing was already labored. I put my knees between his legs and leaned in close to kiss him. He took my mouth hungrily, sucking on my tongue and biting at my bottom lip. I pulled away from his mouth and moved down to his chest, playfully biting and licking his nipples. He arched his back slightly at the feel of my teeth on his skin. I kissed down his torso, moving painfully slowly towards the desired target. He was fully erect now and I gripped him firmly in my hand. I licked the glistening drop on the head of his penis while stroking him slowly up and down. I had complete control over him now and it made me feel powerful and totally desired. I moved my mouth to his testicles, flicking my tongue over each one. His hips rose up slightly as I moved my mouth over the delicate skin.
"Fuck…." he said, almost inaudibly.
I took his full length in my mouth, still holding the base of his penis tightly. His hands held the back of my head, gripping my hair as I sucked up and down on him, slowly at first but getting faster with each movement. He was moaning loudly now as my head bobbed up and down and my fingers squeezed his penis and testicles. His body went rigid and his grip on my head tightened.
"Oh Jesus...baby...I'm...coming…" he said, as if he was warning me. HIs hips lifted off the couch and he let out a guttural sound as the warm salty fluid spurted at the back of my throat. I swallowed it eagerly, enjoying its earthy taste and the utter pleasure I had just given him. When he was finished, I pulled away from him and and picked up one of the glasses of wine from the table. My eyes couldn't meet his as I drank down half of it in record time. I suddenly felt shy and uncertain of myself. I had never done that with any man before and I was worried that I hadn't measured up to his previous experiences. I walked into the kitchen and poured myself some more wine, trying to get up the courage to look at him.
"Maddy?" I heard him say from behind me. I took a few more gulps of wine before turning around. I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say to him anyway. He was standing in the doorway of the kitchen with no shirt and his jeans still unbuttoned. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes. Never had I loved someone so completely before. It scared me just as much as it thrilled me...and now I had crossed over into unexplored territory and was scared all over again.
"Oh baby...don't cry. That was beautiful….and sexy as hell," he said, sounding somewhat shy himself. He placed a finger under my chin and tilted my face up to his.
"I've never...done that...with anyone before….it never felt 'right'...until now," I said, crying softly.
"And I've never...had that...before. I was never really comfortable being that intimate with anyone...until now," he said. We both stood there in disbelief. Here we were, both in our thirties, both with previous relationships and we were confessing the same secret.
"Is that true, Matthew? No one ever gave you oral sex before?" I asked.
"No...not even Hallie. Something inside me just wouldn't let go to allow it to happen. Sounds stupid, I know, because most men would sell their souls to the devil for a blow job," he said.
"I could never do that to any man I was with. It was just too personal and somehow, doing that would mean I had a deep connection with them...and I just never did. Are we both freaks?" I said.
"No, baby…it just proves we were meant for each other," he said.
"I have never loved anyone the way I love you, Matthew," I said, still quietly weeping.
"And I could never put into words how much I love you...at least no words that would do it justice," he said, his eyes welling up slightly. I wrapped my arms around his back and pressed my face into the side of his neck. His hands caressed my back as he held me. We stood there holding onto each other for several minutes in total silence. It was peaceful and perfect and intimate in ways no one else would ever understand.
"Go relax with a glass of wine while I fix dinner, OK?" he said as he handed me the glass. I nodded as I took the wine and walked back into the living room. I kicked off my heels and stretched my legs out on the couch as Matthew busied himself in the kitchen. I closed my eyes for a few minutes, taking a few deep breaths to center myself. I was roused by the sound of Matthew's voice telling me dinner was ready.
"No one does leftovers better than a firefighter," I said as I stared down at two plates of spaghetti bolognese.
"This is phenomenal, Maddy. Did you learn to make this in one of your cooking classes?" he asked as he shoveled in a forkful of spaghetti.
"Actually, I learned to make this from Stephen's father," I said.
"Really? Gage isn't an Italian name though," he said.
"Stephen's real last name is Gagliano….very Italian. He told me he had it legally changed when he went into real estate. He thought it sounded too 'Godfather-ish' and didn't want to scare off any potential buyers," I said.
"Did he actually have ties to the Mafia?" he asked.
"I'm sure he did, but he kept that part of his life well hidden from me," I said.
Matthew looked pensive while we finished our dinner. He got up and cleared the table without speaking, which unsettled me slightly, given that the topic was my ex-husband. I decided to go upstairs and change out of my work clothes and into something more comfortable. It was a warm early summer evening, so I pulled on a pair of bikini panties and one of Matthew's muscle t-shirts. I plugged in my phone and saw a text from Em.
"Did you tell Matt yet?"
I didn't bother to answer. Instead, I washed my face, brushed my teeth and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail before heading back downstairs. Matthew was back sitting on the couch watching the news
"Come here," he said, patting the spot next to him. I stretched out on the couch beside him and rested my head in his lap.
"Any plans for tomorrow?" he said, looking down at me and stroking my hair.
"Meeting Em at 2:00 to pick out dresses. Other than that, I'm all yours," I said.
"You could get married wearing this outfit," he said pulling at my underwear.
"Yeah, that would be really good for my father's heart," I said. I could feel myself dozing as Matthew continued to stroke my hair. I could vaguely hear him talking about a bad fire for Morningside before drifting off into a light sleep. I remember him carrying me upstairs and putting me into bed. As I rolled over, I thought I could see him pick up my phone and look at it before climbing into bed beside me. He inched up close to my back and wrapped himself around me.
"You're mine now, Maddy….and nothing is going to interfere with that….nothing," he said, as he kissed my ear, but I was too tired to question him. It would have to wait until morning.