Chapter 7: Awake and Alive
Roger slowly opened his eyes and felt a damp washcloth on his forehead. He turned his head, but stabbing pain kept him from doing anything else for the moment. When the pain resided, he opened his eyes again and moved just his eyes to the person sitting next to him, watching over him. She was an older woman, her blond hair streaked with gray, her face wrinkled with worry and life. Yet her blue eyes still held a life force rare for anyone who had grown up outside one of the domes.
"Don't move, you've got a slight concussion."
Roger reached up and touched the bandage on his forehead that covered a cut. "Who are you?"
"Mariel."
Her voice was sharp and cautious, just like the rest of her thin body. Roger found himself filling with respect for this woman who had revealed nothing about herself but obviously knew more than she should about him.
"Where's Charisse?"
"Sleeping in the next room. After I got her warmed up she fell into a regular sleep and has been so ever since."
"Where are we and how long have we been here?"
Mariel helped him sit up, putting a pillow behind his back. "You're in my home, and you have been since your machine took a fall, which was about seven hours ago. It's getting close to dawn."
Roger confirmed her information by glancing at his watch. He looked back up and found her searching his face with her piercing blue eyes carefully.
"Thank you for your help."
She nodded, "Abel went too far kidnapping that girl after attacking that party with so much force."
He stiffened, "You're a part of Abel's renegades?"
"No. I was, and still am on paper, Abel's wife. After our son died, he became consumed with finding out what happened, but when he started stockpiling weapons and making plans to take matters into his own hands, I...I left."
"And moved outside the city?"
Mariel nodded, "This cabin is my sanctuary from that city, that cesspool of human despair. I can hear everything here, see everything, appreciate everything that others take for granted."
Roger recognized the look in her eyes, the kind that made his own soul respond in kind. The urge to be free of the confines that kept the people in Paradigm. He felt his headache ebb slightly and reached out, touching Mariel's wrinkled hand.
"If you don't mind I'd like to see Charisse now."
She nodded and stood up, "It's the door to the right of this one. I'm going to run a few errands but I'll be back during the morning. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge."
With her last offer of hospitality she left him alone in his room to slowly test his body and rise from the bed. Roger noticed that the room was Spartan in it's decoration, the single bed made with white sheets and blue blankets and the windows covered with dark blue curtains that curbed any light from leaking through. Nothing covered the walls, and the hard floor was covered with a plain blue carpet. He opened the door and turned right, another closed door meeting him. He knocked gently and waited for a reply.
"Come in."
He opened the door and came face to face with Charisse. Roger couldn't keep a smile from his lips as he noticed she was wearing nothing but a cotton bath towel wrapped around her middle. Her hair was wet from her shower and hanging down her back, a few drops of water still clinging to her shapely legs. Charisse held the towel shut tightly around her body, but smiled at him. Her face was free of make up, but it made her even more enchanting, proving that her beauty was quite natural.
"I'm so glad you're well."
"It's good to see that your up."
She nodded, her eyes slightly haunted, "You came for me, and I can't thank you enough."
"I wouldn't be any sort of gentleman if I left you there."
Charisse moved closer to him, the scent of soap and her skin filling his senses, her hair reminding him of spun cinnamon sugar that fell around her shoulders in damp curls. The thought of finding out exactly what was under that towel was beginning to distract him as much as her close proximity. She reached out with the hand not holding the towel around her form and touched the bandage on his forehead, frowning at it angrily.
"That should have never happened."
Roger let a smile touch his lips at her concern. "I gladly took this one for the team. But only because the rest of the team is so attractive."
Charisse chuckled and let her fingers trail from the bandage down his cheek to his shoulder. Roger stepped forward, closing the gap between them and leaned down, gently kissing her. Her hand moved up behind his neck and held him to her, her eager mouth slowly opening his, her tongue sparking fire along his lips and inside his mouth. He touched her cheek with one hand, the other running down her bare back until it met damp towel and continued downward until his fingers conformed to the curves of her hips.
She reached up with her other hand, using it to unbutton his tuxedo shirt and he felt the towel slip to the ground beneath his fingers. While pressing her naked body against himself, Roger moved them both to the bed, kicking off his shoes as they fell onto the mussed blankets. He leaned his head down and kissed her throat and collar bones gently while Charisse unbuttoned his shirt completely and pulled it out of his pants, stripping it from his arms and dropping it to the floor.
Roger moved lower and pulled off his pants while his lips roamed her soft breasts, eliciting moans from her that only encouraged him to keep doing what he was doing. Soon his nude body was pressed heavily against hers on the bed, skin against skin, sweat covering them both in a thin, slick coating filled with their intense passion.
Slowly and gently he slid into her, fully appreciating how hot and tight she felt around him. Charisse wrapped her legs around him and whispered gently in his ear to encourage him, her voice so close to his brain more enforcing than all her moans of pleasure. When Roger finally felt her orgasm around him, he gave into the release that was almost to the precise point of pain and felt her sigh in what was almost relief mixed with the slow ebb of her own intense pleasure.
He rolled off her and held her spent body to his own, his hand caressing her arm gently as she moved her body close, so as much skin as possible was touching. They basked in the afterglow silently, and Roger wondered what would have happened between them if he hadn't had to save her. Suddenly she leaned up and kissed his mouth gently, the sweet lips against his almost chaste, and his doubts drained away.
Roger slowly opened his eyes and felt a damp washcloth on his forehead. He turned his head, but stabbing pain kept him from doing anything else for the moment. When the pain resided, he opened his eyes again and moved just his eyes to the person sitting next to him, watching over him. She was an older woman, her blond hair streaked with gray, her face wrinkled with worry and life. Yet her blue eyes still held a life force rare for anyone who had grown up outside one of the domes.
"Don't move, you've got a slight concussion."
Roger reached up and touched the bandage on his forehead that covered a cut. "Who are you?"
"Mariel."
Her voice was sharp and cautious, just like the rest of her thin body. Roger found himself filling with respect for this woman who had revealed nothing about herself but obviously knew more than she should about him.
"Where's Charisse?"
"Sleeping in the next room. After I got her warmed up she fell into a regular sleep and has been so ever since."
"Where are we and how long have we been here?"
Mariel helped him sit up, putting a pillow behind his back. "You're in my home, and you have been since your machine took a fall, which was about seven hours ago. It's getting close to dawn."
Roger confirmed her information by glancing at his watch. He looked back up and found her searching his face with her piercing blue eyes carefully.
"Thank you for your help."
She nodded, "Abel went too far kidnapping that girl after attacking that party with so much force."
He stiffened, "You're a part of Abel's renegades?"
"No. I was, and still am on paper, Abel's wife. After our son died, he became consumed with finding out what happened, but when he started stockpiling weapons and making plans to take matters into his own hands, I...I left."
"And moved outside the city?"
Mariel nodded, "This cabin is my sanctuary from that city, that cesspool of human despair. I can hear everything here, see everything, appreciate everything that others take for granted."
Roger recognized the look in her eyes, the kind that made his own soul respond in kind. The urge to be free of the confines that kept the people in Paradigm. He felt his headache ebb slightly and reached out, touching Mariel's wrinkled hand.
"If you don't mind I'd like to see Charisse now."
She nodded and stood up, "It's the door to the right of this one. I'm going to run a few errands but I'll be back during the morning. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge."
With her last offer of hospitality she left him alone in his room to slowly test his body and rise from the bed. Roger noticed that the room was Spartan in it's decoration, the single bed made with white sheets and blue blankets and the windows covered with dark blue curtains that curbed any light from leaking through. Nothing covered the walls, and the hard floor was covered with a plain blue carpet. He opened the door and turned right, another closed door meeting him. He knocked gently and waited for a reply.
"Come in."
He opened the door and came face to face with Charisse. Roger couldn't keep a smile from his lips as he noticed she was wearing nothing but a cotton bath towel wrapped around her middle. Her hair was wet from her shower and hanging down her back, a few drops of water still clinging to her shapely legs. Charisse held the towel shut tightly around her body, but smiled at him. Her face was free of make up, but it made her even more enchanting, proving that her beauty was quite natural.
"I'm so glad you're well."
"It's good to see that your up."
She nodded, her eyes slightly haunted, "You came for me, and I can't thank you enough."
"I wouldn't be any sort of gentleman if I left you there."
Charisse moved closer to him, the scent of soap and her skin filling his senses, her hair reminding him of spun cinnamon sugar that fell around her shoulders in damp curls. The thought of finding out exactly what was under that towel was beginning to distract him as much as her close proximity. She reached out with the hand not holding the towel around her form and touched the bandage on his forehead, frowning at it angrily.
"That should have never happened."
Roger let a smile touch his lips at her concern. "I gladly took this one for the team. But only because the rest of the team is so attractive."
Charisse chuckled and let her fingers trail from the bandage down his cheek to his shoulder. Roger stepped forward, closing the gap between them and leaned down, gently kissing her. Her hand moved up behind his neck and held him to her, her eager mouth slowly opening his, her tongue sparking fire along his lips and inside his mouth. He touched her cheek with one hand, the other running down her bare back until it met damp towel and continued downward until his fingers conformed to the curves of her hips.
She reached up with her other hand, using it to unbutton his tuxedo shirt and he felt the towel slip to the ground beneath his fingers. While pressing her naked body against himself, Roger moved them both to the bed, kicking off his shoes as they fell onto the mussed blankets. He leaned his head down and kissed her throat and collar bones gently while Charisse unbuttoned his shirt completely and pulled it out of his pants, stripping it from his arms and dropping it to the floor.
Roger moved lower and pulled off his pants while his lips roamed her soft breasts, eliciting moans from her that only encouraged him to keep doing what he was doing. Soon his nude body was pressed heavily against hers on the bed, skin against skin, sweat covering them both in a thin, slick coating filled with their intense passion.
Slowly and gently he slid into her, fully appreciating how hot and tight she felt around him. Charisse wrapped her legs around him and whispered gently in his ear to encourage him, her voice so close to his brain more enforcing than all her moans of pleasure. When Roger finally felt her orgasm around him, he gave into the release that was almost to the precise point of pain and felt her sigh in what was almost relief mixed with the slow ebb of her own intense pleasure.
He rolled off her and held her spent body to his own, his hand caressing her arm gently as she moved her body close, so as much skin as possible was touching. They basked in the afterglow silently, and Roger wondered what would have happened between them if he hadn't had to save her. Suddenly she leaned up and kissed his mouth gently, the sweet lips against his almost chaste, and his doubts drained away.
