Here's the next installemnt of Annie and Auggie's Honeymoon. There will be at least one more part. I'm having a bit of fun writing this.
Mandy58 has once again made time to look it over and catch a few things. Many thanks to her.
Here's where I have to remind everyone that I really have no financial interest in Covert Affairs. I write these little stories for my and, hopefully, your amusement. As much as I wish that Matt Corman or Chris Ord would read one of my stories and use something in it as a plot point in the reel Covert Affairs, I know that's not about to happen.
Annie woke to the shrill cries of seagulls and the smell of salt water. She lay in the tangle of sheets with her eyes closed for a few minutes taking in the sounds and smells around her. It didn't take her but a few moments to remember where she was. Slowly she opened her eyes to the light pouring in from the terrace through the open French doors. It didn't take her long to realize that she was alone in the bed and she quickly scanned the room for the location of Auggie. He wasn't in the luxurious room anywhere, but the door into the spa-like bath was open. After untangling her legs from the sheet, Annie slipped into the bath for a few minutes. When she was through with her basic morning necessities, Annie slipped into her satin robe and padded onto the terrace. Once she exited the room she saw him. He was sitting on the settee where they'd cuddled the evening before. His back was to her and he was clad only in his sleep pants. He was hunched over, forearms on his thighs, with his phone in his hands and earbuds in his ears. Lost in thought he didn't hear her approach and startled slightly when she began to trace the outline of the tattoo on his back.
"Ah, good morning sleepy head," Auggie crooned as he removed the earbuds from his ears. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep all day."
Coming around to the front of the small piece of furniture, Annie almost knocked over the cup of coffee on the floor between her husband's feet. After giving him a less than chaste kiss, Annie asked, "Where did you get coffee this morning? Have you been out already?"
"Eh, no. I might be able to get this room down pat in a few hours, but the hotel in general I might not even get that down by the time we leave. There's this thing called room service. You just pick up the phone, tell the person on the other end what you want and it magically appears. I wanted coffee. I got coffee."
"Sorry, I'm just so used to being with you in familiar places. I forget sometimes that it takes time and concentration for you to get comfortable in unfamiliar places. And you can't just make a friend here like you might other places. Why didn't you wake me?"
"It's okay, darlin'. I got the coffee I wanted so it's all good. And you were sleeping so peacefully …"
"We are a partnership, Auggie. We help each other. You should have woken me," Annie replied sternly as she settled onto the seat beside her husband.
"I thought you needed sleep more than I needed coffee. If it had been something more important I would have woken you. Now drop it."
"Dropped," Annie said. "What's with the phone this morning?"
"Checking voice mail and E-mail just to have something to do. Glad I did. There's an E-mail from Mom. She's set us up with several … romantic … adventures – a sunset into moonlight cruise courtesy of Pierre and several treatments in the spa here. All we have to do is decide when. She's suggested several other things we might like to do. Or not. How do you feel about fishing? Maybe not so romantic, but it's something I wanted to do someday."
"Then we will get Pierre to take us out fishing. Spa treatments sound divine. I'll fish with you if you'll spa with me?"
"Of course. I will draw the line at getting polish on my nails though." A broad grin punctuated his final statement. "Now, there is something that I'd like to start your day off with."
"And what might that be?" Annie asked with mild curiosity.
"Come back to bed with me?" Auggie asked hopefully.
"Of course," Annie cooed seductively as she rose from her seat and started back inside. She was slightly surprised when Auggie took her arm, but didn't say anything. Once inside she closed the terrace door, but didn't bother to close the curtains. Just shy of the bed she stopped, turned to wrap her arms around her husband's waist and nuzzled his well-muscled chest playfully nipping at his skin.
Auggie responded by sliding his hands up her arms and began to slip the soft robe from her shoulders. Annie loosened her grasp on Auggie and let the garment slip to the floor. Auggie trailed his hands back up Annie's arms to her shoulders, her neck and then to the gently grasp the sides of her face. Tilting her head with light pressure on her cheeks with his thumbs, Auggie hungrily possessed her mouth with passionate kisses. For a few moments their tongues danced with mutual desire.
"Bed?" Auggie whispered desperately.
"Foot to your right," Annie whispered back between open-mouthed kisses.
Sliding his leg to the right until it rested against the side of the bed, Auggie found and grasped the hem of Annie's nightshirt and then with one quick motion pulled the garment up and over his wife's head. He dropped it on the floor uncannily close to the robe.
Annie hooked her thumbs in the waistband of Auggie's sleep pants, and he did the same with her panties. There was nothing slow or seductive about the rapidity of the removal of the last bits of clothing. Within seconds they stood naked before each other fueling the desire in the other with seductive caresses. Although it was far from the first time they had coupled, nor the first since they'd become married, there was a very base carnal lust in the way they caressed each other. When Auggie picked Annie up and tossed her on the bed he wasn't exactly gently, nor was he exceedingly rough, but it was clear that he was in command of the situation; that he wanted what was his in the most carnal of ways.
An all-too-brief half-an-hour later the newlyweds lay in each other's arms crosswise of bed and quite sated.
"One hunger satisfied," Auggie eventually announced as he caressed Annie's hair. "Now the need for food is making itself known. Shall we shower and dress and then pop down to the town for a bite?"
"Mind reader," Annie replied and giggled a bit. "I was just thinking the same thing. The restaurant here is quite nice, but a bit stuffy. A nice walk into town sounds good," Annie said as she sat up and climbed out of bed. On her way into the bathroom she announced, "I noticed a nice little place that seemed like it catered more to the locals than the tourists down by the docks. Want to see what it's all about?"
"Yeah, I guess," Auggie said as he got up off the bed. "Now go get showered and dressed," he added.
They strolled into town and found the café. Inside was plain, but very clean. At a round table in the corner a small group of charter boat captains and hands lingered, chatting, over coffee and tea. Annie noted that Pierre, the captain of the small yacht that brought them to the island was among them. She nodded a brief greeting as she and Auggie entered and found a table. Both had croissants with lots of butter and strawberry jam, and Auggie added a bit of scrambled egg with his café au lait. When they'd finished, Pierre was still chatting with his cronies. Annie caught his attention and he came over to their table. They made arrangements with him for a morning of fishing the next day, and the sunset into moonlight cruise for the night before they were to leave if the weather held out to be suitable. The rest of the morning found the couple exploring the many shops in the town of Gustavia. The locals were very pleased when Annie spoke to them in French.
After a quick bite of bread, cheese and wine at another of the local establishments, Annie and Auggie found themselves back at the hotel in the spa for a full service treatment – massage, facial, manicures and yes, Auggie even allowed a pedicure. Even though he would never admit it to Annie, Auggie enjoyed the attention heaped upon him. While lying on the massage tables just feet apart, Auggie delighted in the sighs and soft moans of pleasure coming from the next table as the masseuse ministered to Annie. The soft music, the scent of the massage oil, and the feel of the woman's expert hands massaging his every muscle lulled Auggie into a state of relaxation that he had not felt in far too long.
After the massages ended, as Auggie was putting the robe provided by the spa back on, Annie couldn't help but admire the way her husband's muscles rippled under skin now glistening from the massage oil. The suppleness of his skin accentuated every firm muscle beneath it.
"You're staring again, Mrs. Anderson," Auggie said as he snugged the robe's belt around his mid-section.
"Caught red-handed," Annie replied and smiled. "Sometimes I can't believe my eyes when I look at you. You are damn near the perfect specimen of a man; and I can't believe that you belong to me."
"And when I feel you beside me, I can't believe how lucky I am to have you. Sometimes I just wish that I could reciprocate with the staring."
"Sometimes I think you are," Annie said softly. "You are very good at making eye contact with whomever you're with. Often the only thing that gives you away is the white cane. As long as we've been together, I sometimes forget; and, once in a great while, when I remember I get a pang of regret."
"You regret what?" Auggie asked cautiously.
"Regret that you can't see."
"Yeah, sometimes so do I. But, now it is time for us to get dressed and continue this unwinding from the wedding stuff. I would like to go for a leisurely stroll along one of the beaches this place is famous for. How about you?"
"That sounds like a very good idea. The brochure for this place says we are just a two-minute walk from one of the best beaches on the island. Let's go find it."
Within twenty minutes the pair were strolling barefoot at the water's edge the gentle waves lapping at their feet. Eventually, even though they had no towel or blanket with them, they sat on the sandy beach. The white sand was so fine that it felt like caster sugar. They sat there, gentle breeze ruffling wisps of their hair, for a good long while talking of many things: Annie's slight trepidations about the fishing trip in the morning, of plans for the rest of the week – an affirming long range plans for work and in their lives together – and of things that Annie described to Auggie. The sun was sinking lower on the horizon, and the shadows growing longer, when Annie finally stood up and brushed the sand from her shorts.
"The light's going to be fading soon," Annie told Auggie as she retrieved her sandals from where they lay on the sand. "I think it's time we started heading back to the hotel."
Beside her Auggie grunted an 'Okay' and rose to his feet. After brushing the sand from his own shorts, Auggie offered his folded cane in Annie's direction. "You need this to find our way back to the path back to room?"
"No, silly. There's still plenty of light for me to see my way back there; will be for some time, too," Annie replied and allowed a smile of amusement.
"I can hear you smiling," Auggie said and smiled himself. Before latching on to his wife's arm, he swept the sand at his feet and located his footwear. As they traversed the few hundred yards back to the pathway back to the hotel they discussed where to go for dinner. They decided to get the driver to take them to one of the islands other towns, St. Jean, to an island favorite 'the Hideaway.'
Back in their room the pair freshened up a bit, but did not change out of their very casual shorts and T-shirts. Within an hour they were seated at an oilcloth-covered table ordering pizza and beer and soaking up the laid back ambiance of the place. When they first entered the 'Hideaway', Annie noticed, a bit uncomfortably, that Auggie, with his white cane prominently displayed and acting as a bit of a bumper in front of him, came under a bit of scrutiny both by staff and other diners. Although she described their surroundings to him, Annie did not convey that bit of information to her husband. She didn't have to; he was aware of it anyway.
After they had been seated and placed their drink orders, Auggie leaned over to Annie and whispered, "I created quite a stir when we came in didn't I?"
A bit sheepishly Annie replied, "Yeah. I was hoping you hadn't noticed that."
"Well, when there is lively conversation, a few moments of silence and then hushed whispering, it's kind of hard not to notice. I'm blind not deaf, Annie." He added the last with a hint of irritation. Annie was not sure if he was irritated at her or the situation she had failed to mention. She did not have to wonder for long. "Get used to that, dear," Auggie said wearily a few moments later. "It comes with the territory. I thought you understood that."
"I try to put that sort of thing out of my mind," Annie admitted ruefully. "I've noticed it before when we were back in Illinois with your family, but not so much back in Washington. I guess that's because there we frequent places where you're known."
Auggie patted Annie on the leg. "It's okay, Honey. I got used to it a long time ago. Sometimes it upsets me, mostly I'm mildly amused. Tonight I'm more amused than upset. Let it go. Since I'm not upset you shouldn't be either. Now, since I'm pretty sure they don't have a braille menu here, what's on the menu?"
Annie briefly paraphrased what the eatery offered. They agreed on the wood-fired pizza and ordered that. They ate leisurely and savored what they giggled over as, to paraphrase Jimmy Buffet, 'pizza in paradise.'
Later in the evening an older gentleman approached the table with a tray with three glasses on it. He introduced himself as 'Andy, the proprietor' and pulled up a chair and sat down. Placing a glass of what they soon found out was local vanilla rum before Annie and Auggie; he took a sip of his own. For the next three-quarters-an-hour or so, he regaled the newlyweds with tales of the local history and bits of his own life. Both Annie and Auggie shared bits about themselves, too. A bit over two hours after arriving the newlywed pair reluctantly called it a night and staggered a bit as they walked to their waiting car.
The muse could use a bit of feeding by way of a review or two. Did you get what you wanted out of this 'chapter'? More is in the works, just not sure how long until it's posted.