Christine led the puppies back into the loft feeling a strange mix of excitement and terror at the thought of seeing Erik again. Coffee with Claudette had gone well, and Christine had started to think of the woman as a friend, rather than one of Erik's errand girls. It seemed that Claudette was warming up to her as well, and this made Christine glad. She didn't want to be thought of as a project to be worked on- she wanted to make a real connection with the other woman and at the same time, learn all that she could about Erik.
"The man is very private- if he's gone so far as to invite you to live in his home, it shows he cares for you. Much more than any of his other women, and don't pull a jealous face! He detests infidelity in himself and others, you are the only one there is," Claudette gabbed in between sips of her mocha.
They'd found a Starbucks café with outdoor tables and had reclined comfortably in the sun as the dogs rested at their feet. Christine listened intently, still in a state of disbelief that a man so wonderful had chosen her to share his life with.
"I know Erik is wonderful…but, I think I've ruined things already, Claudette,"
The redhead paused, "What do you mean?"
Christine took a deep breath. "I, ah, approached him last night."
"Approached? Christine, I cannot help you if you do not explain yourself better,"
She shifted in her chair, uncomfortable under Claudette's intense scrutiny. "I got into Erik's bed, naked, and waited for him to come find me,"
Claudette smiled. "Ah, I see. He is masterful, yes? I haven't known him," she reassured quickly, off Christine's glare. "I've heard things. Wonderful things, from my sister. I introduced them, you see. Adele Landry is my half-sister."
Christine's eyes widened, "You- what, really? I had no idea!"
Claudette shrugged. "We share the same father, an American. He stayed with Adele and her mother here, while my mother chose to raise me in France. It was nothing torrid, our father is a wonderful man. He visited me at least five times a year, and had me stay the summers with Adele. He couldn't be happier that I live here now,"
Christine smiled, "Now that I think about it, I do see a resemblance," she said, taking in Claudette's delicate cheekbones, bright eyes and striking hair.
Claudette winked, "We are beautiful, no?"
"Very!"
"Erik thought so, but I promise you I was never with him. I am an employee, and thus I am untouchable to him. Adele was never able to keep secrets when we were together. Sisters talk, you know?" Claudette winked. "She told me things about Erik. What he likes, what he doesn't. He's very particular, was he angry when he found you in his bed?"
Christine felt a little uneasy talking about Erik. "Um…this stays between us, doesn't it?"
Claudette nodded. "Of course, Christine. This is between women only. Erik is not a woman, he will hear none of it."
Christine took a deep breath. "Okay, thank you. He wasn't angry with me, we started kissing, but I said the wrong thing and he got upset. I went into the guestroom and he was gone by the time I woke up this morning."
"You must speak with him as soon as possible. Tension is not good, not when you've only just begun."
Christine ran a hand through her hair. "I know…how can I fix things? You don't understand. I've never been in a real relationship before, and I'm at a loss. I don't know how to handle this! Erik is experienced, and he expects things that I just don't know how to do."
Claudette rolled her eyes, "You're putting too much thought into this. He will know when the time is right, as will you. When the time comes, you will know what to do- it is only natural. I advise honesty; Erik abhors lies, among other things."
Christine felt determined to talk to Erik the moment she saw him; when they'd first met, she'd done everything in her power to expect the worst of him, she'd resisted his kindness and tried to dismiss his every word. She knew him better now- even when she'd offered herself to him fully, he'd refused.
Perhaps he might not have refused if she had not implied her being there as a form of repayment, but Christine decided that it didn't matter. 'Today is a fresh start, I have to find a way to make things better!'
Christine unleashed the pups and let them wander the apartment. Their scent-hungry noses lead them off in different directions and she was glad to see that they were being well-behaved and not chewing on anything other than their doggy toys.
She didn't know when Erik was going to be home, but it was well past lunch and it didn't look as if he'd come back while she was out with Claudette. Christine shrugged to herself and thought to have an ice-breaker ready and waiting when Erik came home.
'Well, they say that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and God knows Erik's cooked for me plenty of times. But he's not the only one with skills in the kitchen…'
Christine was alerted to his return by the pups' happy barking. Erik stepped through the front door and was greeted by King and Snow jumping up on his thighs. "Hey, hey, no jumping," he scolded lightly. The pups seemed to understand, and sat at his feet. Erik scratched them behind the ears, "There, much better,"
He stood and crossed to the kitchen, thrilling inside to find Christine setting the dining room table. She had changed her clothes from the jeans and sweater into a long skirt of white lace and a scarlet camisole. He also noticed she was barefoot and had painted her toenails a deep grape-soda purple.
He smiled as she turned to face him. "Hello, Christine."
Erik didn't seem upset or awkward at all; perhaps he'd reached the same conclusion to put what had happened the night before behind them, and to focus on moving forward. Christine felt relieved, and she walked over to him; Erik received her into his arms, embracing her and enjoying the deep curve of her waist. His hands remained on her hips and he kissed her, long and deep.
They parted, and Erik rubbed his exposed cheek against hers before drawing back. He reached into his breast pocket and removed an exotic tropical flower; its long petals were a burst of orange and red, beautiful!
She smiled, "Erik, it's so pretty!"
He gave the flower to her. "For a fresh start, Christine."
His meaning was clear, and she nodded her understanding. "I, um, I made dinner," she said, slightly nervous. What if he didn't like her cooking?
He paused, "Really? I've never had a woman cook for me,"
She smiled, "That's great! I want to be the first. I hope you like it, it's filet mignon and pasta with grilled vegetables in butter sauce,"
"It smells wonderful. I'm going to change, I'll be right back," Erik nodded to her before excusing himself.
Christine put his flower into a thin tube vase and set it in the center of the table. 'A fresh start, he read my mind! I don't even care about dinner, I just want to talk with him, I care about him so much…'
She finished setting the table and selected a CD for background music, then, she sat down to wait for Erik to join her. The wait was not long, just as the first song was entering into its second movement, Erik reentered the dining room and Christine was pleased to see him in a more casual sweater of forest green. She wondered if he ever grew tired with wearing suits so often.
He sat down across from her, "Christine this looks wonderful," he breathed.
"Wine?"
Erik handed her his glass, "Yes, please." He liked that she poured for him- he was not a chauvinist, but it felt wonderful to have a woman cook him a meal. It all felt so natural, so domestic, it pleased him very much.
He took a sip of the red, "Excellent choice, love, truly, the whole meal is wonderful."
Christine looked up at him and smiled, "It's nothing compared to your cooking," she said modestly, "I think I have a lot to learn from you,"
Erik nodded to the side, he knew what she was hinting at. "I understand," he reached across the table and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in reassurance. "Tell me what you did today,"
Christine took a bite and swallowed quickly, "Oh, I took the dogs on a walk and we went to a dog field in Central Park. I ran into Claudette,"
Erik raised his exposed brow, "And Frankie, I presume,"
She nodded happily, "Yes, that dog is huge,"
"I know. I bought him for her a few years ago as a welcome gift when she moved to the States,"
Christine raised her eyebrows and winked, "That's quite a gift, Erik."
"Yes, well, Claudette is quite a woman…I didn't mean that the way it sounded," Erik said quickly, catching himself. "I promise you, she's just a friend and employee, and always has been."
She winked, "If you say so,"
"I do say so!" Erik laughed. "I don't cross certain lines,"
"All right, all right, I believe you. She told me the same thing today, forgive me the need to double-check. I just wanted to be sure,"
He nodded, "Be sure. I think we need to talk tonight," Erik said, making mention of what they both knew was coming.
"I know," she said quietly. "Can we eat first?"
"I was hoping you'd say that. I haven't eaten today and I'd hate to leave it," he said, almost teasingly.
Christine agreed, and took another bite.
Erik set the fire to go, and Christine took her usual place on the sofa. He moved to sit beside her, and took the woman into his arms, holding her against him comfortably. They were silent for several minutes, until they were breathing in time. Erik might have been content just to remain silent with her, but he knew they had to have words; if only for clarification, if nothing else.
He was not so brilliant with words when it came to women; he let his body do the talking more often than not. Some things were better left unspoken in his opinion, but women were different. They were emotional, verbal. Christine would need his words for reassurance, and he had already promised to give her everything of himself.
Words should not intimidate him.
Erik stroked her hair and enjoyed her scent- honeyed vanilla and a bit of citrus perfume. She smelled of summer. His hands moved down the curve of her back and around her waist. He hated to break the silence, but for the sake of their future it had to be done.
"Christine?"
She'd been resting against him, almost purring in the pleasure of his sure touch. "Mmm?"
"You know I care for you, very much. I'm sorry about the way I acted last night,"
Her eyes widened at his words, "No, Erik…I never should have said that, I can't blame you for what you did,"
"I don't want you to feel that you owe me anything of your body- I can't deny I want you, but not like that," he said as he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
Christine shivered under his touch and Erik tried not to react to the pleasure on her face. He felt a heat rise in his body that had nothing to do with the fire. "Erik," she breathed, "I want to be with you, too. I'm…I'm just scared,"
He paused a moment, but then continued to stroke her face. His other hand rose to trace the line of her throat, moving down to her collarbone and down again to skim over the tops of her breasts. "I understand. You have no need to be afraid, I will not hurt you. Never. I've never been a rough man. When the time comes, I won't make you regret it,"
Christine's eyes had slipped closed in pleasure, and Erik felt another surge of desire for her, coupled with possession.
Christine.
She opened her eyes and stilled his hands; her expression held fire even as her voice was weak with the passion he'd awoken in her. "You're so confident? You think you're God's gift to women?" she smiled at him, challenging and teasing.
He laughed and kissed her, hard and hot, to return her challenge. He gently explored her mouth, biting her lips, his fingertips skimmed the sides of her body, causing her to shiver and gasp.
They parted and Erik laughed at her dazed expression and panting gasps. "God's gift to you, when the time comes. Until then, this must be enough to tide you over," Erik said, and kissed her again.
"Damn Erik," Christine muttered under her breath as she paced up and down the length of the guestroom. He'd gone off to his room an hour past, while she had retired to her own room. He'd kissed her deeply, teasing and tasting. He'd laughed at the desire he'd awoken in her and then denied her any sort of fulfillment. Erik had left her on the sofa, dazed with wanting.
He thought it was so funny, didn't he? Oh, ha-ha-ha, he's such a…oh!'
Christine had been up and pacing for near an hour, wearing one of the pretty night dresses from La Perla, and feeling vengefel against Erik for his teasing. Erik had done an evil thing to her; she was now frustrated, too excited to sleep, and yet she still remained too afraid of his prowess to beg for more. More of his mouth, more of his hands.
Damn that man!
She clenched her fists and glared at the two pups, who were nestled together in the doggy bed, staring at her as she paced. "You think this is funny too, don't you?" She asked.
King barked at her, once, and Snow only wagged her tail. "He's laughing at me right now, I know it," Christine said, spearing her fingers through her hair. She would gladly tear out her locks to be free of the torturous memory of his touch.
She'd brought it onto herself; she'd challenged Erik and he'd only met her challenge, going over and beyond her expectations. The thought had come to her to march right into his room and kiss him as fiercely as he had kissed her, to awaken his senses and then leave him in desirous torture for the rest of the long snowy night.
'Calm down- if Erik wants to play, then I'll play this game we've started. I've lost everything, it would be wonderful to win something for once!'
Feeling rebellious, and in the mood for throwing all caution to the wind, Christine opened her bedroom door and strode out into the hallway to find Erik.
He was not asleep when she found him, but up and perfectly alert, typing something into his laptop. He was simply sitting in the center of his bed, his gaze intent on the screen. Christine stared at him for a moment, noting with relish that he was shirtless. The arms that he'd held her with looked very different bare than when covered by shirtsleeves.
She must have made a noise, or moved enough to catch his eyes, for he turned to find her standing in the doorway. The sight of her caught his breath; she stood perfectly still, the pastel chemise nightgown draped over her body, creating a silhouette by the light in the hallway. As a dancer, her legs were long, strong and very alluring; he could not stop his eyes.
The exposed length of thigh, the flare of her hips, the curve of waist, the swell of breast…
"Erik?"
His eyes immediately snapped up to meet hers; her expression was amused and almost triumphant. Erik didn't understand why she would look at him in such a way- he wanted her to leave, the urge to sling her over his shoulder and bring her to bed was coming on very strong.
He wanted her, now. Erik suddenly regretted their heated kisses from earlier in the night- she had not been the only one left frustratingly unfulfilled.
With effort, he cleared his throat. "Yes, Christine? Is anything the matter?"
She looked down and bit her lip. Erik felt his pulse quicken and was grateful for the laptop that was hiding the evident arousal from her pretty eyes. Christine looked back at him and quickly moved forward to sit beside him on the bed. Erik closed the screen and turned to face her, concerned and yet somehow he was happy to have her with him no matter the circumstances.
Her fragrant blonde hair spilled over his chest as she pressed him onto his back. Erik felt his breathing change, more shallow, coming quickly. Christine laid her cheek over his chest, her hand clutching at his bicep. She was silent.
"Christine?"
She was looking down, hiding her expression from him. "Can I sleep with you?" She asked.
Erik brought a hand to touch her hair; the pale gold locks fascinated him. "I thought we would wait,"
He felt her shift against him slightly, shaking her head. "No, I didn't mean that. If you want me to leave, then I'll go," she said, moving to rise away from him.
Erik shook his head, "You know I don't want you to go," He reached for her and caught her about the waist. "I want you to stay," his hands skimmed over the flare of her hips and then rose to cup her face. "In fact, I insist."
Christine smiled and let herself laugh as Erik kissed her and brought her down to him again.