I will never again underestimate the value of uninterrupted sleep. For most of my life I lived with night terrors, the result of my traumatic early childhood, and I learned to function on very little sleep. When Anastasia literally stumbled into my well-ordered, controlled existence, all that started to change. She's not only the love of my life, my wife, and the mother of my child, she's also my healer. With her in our bed, my sleep rivals that of baby Teddy. She's the guardian of my soul, a protective angel, standing with sword drawn, keeping the demons at bay every night.
I've had four mornings now of waking up at my normal time. No spectral visitors, no piano notes, just a gradual awakening to the glorious sensation of my wife next to me. Yesterday she woke me up in a most delicious fashion, her mouth wrapped around my cock; I, of course, reciprocated. Slow, sweet lovemaking ensued and since it was Sunday, we followed it up with a leisurely day of domestic activity at home. Knowing the next few weeks would be extremely demanding, we revelled in unscheduled indolence.
Feeling recharged, I'm ready to start the busy work week. Taylor's back today and Ana has interviews lined up for the nanny to accompany us to South Africa. The prospects have already been vetted by my security staff so we'll be making a decision tomorrow after we both interview her final candidate. Since we're leaving next week, it narrowed the field to people who could start on short notice.
We've both got so much to do what with wrapping up minor projects and ensuring coverage while we're out of the country, that the week flies by. This shipping deal is crucial to my company and there are so many things that have to align for me to pull it off. I've run my staff ragged, having them go over numbers, prepare documents, and line up meetings and conference calls. I've been a bear to them but as another testament to Anastasia's influence, I do feel somewhat guilty about it, something I never felt before she entered my life.
Having been there with my parents as a teenager, I remember quite a bit of the country but visiting as a tourist and going there as a businessman are two radically different things. The closest South African consulate is in L.A. and much as I hated to use up the time, I flew down there for a few hours to try to grease some wheels. I've had Andrea hook me up with members of the South African community in Seattle. When doing business in a foreign country, I've learned that the smallest cultural faux pas can trip you up and ruin the deal.
Finally, zero hour has arrived. Our itinerary is set, Stefan has filed the flight plans, and we're ready for takeoff. Carmela, our nanny, fits right in with our family. She got the seal of approval from me, Ana, Gail, and most importantly, Teddy. During the second interview, when Ana put him on the floor, he crawled right over to her and when she picked him up and put him on her lap, he snuggled right in. I have to admit, I felt a pang of jealousy at that moment. When I talked about it later with Ana, she said she felt the same way.
My spectral visitor hasn't shown up since that morning she gave me my sperm donor's name. With each passing day I grow less anxious about an appearance by her. Since we'll be out of the country, I'm almost positive I'll be guaranteed two weeks without the possibility of her haunting me. Even though I've been sleeping through the night, before I drift off I have the tiniest bit of trepidation that I'll hear her voice again.
We had dinner with my parents last night and look forward to seeing them in Johannesburg next week. My mom found a pediatric conference to attend and my dad is going to contact some litigation associates there. I may need some advice from him so I'm glad he's able to make the trip.
We left the house in the capable hands of Gail and Taylor. She and Ana had a tearful goodbye this morning, with Gail barely able to let go of Teddy, while Taylor and I stood around, shuffling our feet. I mean, it's only for two weeks and we'll be in constant contact via Skype. Plus Sophie will be staying with them until she starts school next week, so Gail will have plenty of opportunity to express her mothering instincts.
We'll be traveling for almost two days so Ana and I've brought along plenty of work. Once we're at altitude I'll be able to contact my office over our secure satellite connection. We'll take frequent breaks for family time and (I hope) for fun time in the bedroom in back.
When we get to Johannesburg, besides being happy that we're not on an airplane anymore, we're also glad we brought along cool weather clothing. It's winter in the southern hemisphere and while the temperatures aren't as cold as some places in the States, it's surprisingly chilly, compared to where we came from.
Johannesburg will be our base; Andrea arranged for a rental house that has plenty of room for everyone, including a music room with a grand piano, just like home. It even has a room where Sawyer can set up a temporary security center. Although the house comes with its own extensive monitoring system, Luke will set up an extra layer on top of that.
I have a shitload of meetings with government officials and company heads. Johannesburg is close to Pretoria so I'll spend most of my time in those two cities but I need to visit the shipyards in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Anastasia will be working from the house, although due to the time difference she'll have a lot of free time as well. She'll spend some of that touring with Carmela and the baby. I'll probably only be able to join her for one or two of those trips, unfortunately.
One of the things I'd like to do with her while we're here is explore the club scene. She's been reluctant to check out the Seattle scene with me for a couple of reasons. One is that she's terribly afraid of running into someone she knows; the other is my extensive experience with those clubs. Here, however, the chances of running into someone she knows are virtually non-existent, and I've never been to any of the clubs here, seeing as the last time I was here was with my parents.
I've always wanted to show Ana a high-end club with a plethora of theme rooms. We've not done much role-playing and it would be interesting to see what, if anything, floats her boat. I'm hoping we'll have the opportunity to explore that at least once during this trip. It will have to be sooner rather than later, as I doubt we'll be able to get away once my parents arrive.
At home we have the playroom for indulging in kinky fuckery but here we'll have to improvise. I wanted to bring along a bag of toys but she was uncomfortable with that, worrying that it might end up in the wrong hands. So we'll either have to buy some toys here or re-purpose some ordinary items into some extraordinary (kinky) functions. I still think it would be a neat idea to conceive our next child here. If it's a girl, we could name her Pretoria. On second thought, I think Ana might shoot me if I suggested that. I have to keep reminding myself she knows how to handle firearms.
Taylor hasn't stopped looking into the history of my sperm donor. He's sent me several reports since the incident with my visitor, each one ending with a need for further investigation. The last one I got before we landed, though, indicates that he believes Gary Lesourd to be alive. I'm rather shocked by this but since his reasoning and details are sketchy, I haven't shared this with Anastasia. I will when he fills me in with some more information but right now I just want her to enjoy this trip.
By the end of the week, we've settled into our surroundings. My negotiations are going well. I'm still waiting for more detail from Taylor before I tell her about his findings. Ana's taken one day trip but she's waiting for my parents to arrive before she goes on any more.
I've broached the idea of visiting a club so we'll be doing that Saturday night. My nervous wife has even bought a wig for the occasion; even though we're on the other side of the planet, she's still nervous about running into someone we know. That was her condition for agreeing to the visit and I told her any color but blonde. So Saturday night I have a date with a redhead.
When it comes time for our night out, Ana's quite anxious. I do my best to calm her down but honestly, I'm a little on edge myself. I'm not sure if it's because Taylor still hasn't filled me in yet on what he's learned or because I haven't been to a club in years. Whatever the reason, I rein in my anxiety and concentrate on making my wife comfortable.
"How do I look?" she asks as she comes out of the bathroom. I look up from the contract I've been reading and suck in my breath. She's wearing the same Joan Jett makeup that she wore the first time we went clubbing in Aspen. With the red wig she looks like a totally different woman. It almost makes me feel like I'm cheating on her.
"Oh, baby," I finally stutter, "Words just can't describe!" I can't take my eyes off of her. She's wearing a silver lamé halter-top dress, not quite as short as the one she wore in Aspen but short enough. My eyes take in the length of her body, scanning all the way down until they rest on her silver, diamond-studded, Jimmy Choo, fuck-me heels.
"You don't like it?" she starts to wail and I hastily try to correct her impression. "No, babe, I mean, yes, babe, I mean, I do like it, I do, I do. I'm just not used to seeing you like this. Come here!" I order her, holding out my arms, and she walks towards me, a little unsteadily at first but then she hits her stride. I never fail to be impressed at the way my wife has learned to carry herself in stilettoes.
I wrap her in my arms and inhale her sweet fragrance. The best scent in the world is that of my beautiful wife, whether she's just stepped out of the shower or she's just come out of her workout. Gliding my hand down her bare back, I delight in her flawless skin, just like when I met her.
As I embrace her I get an idea. I let go and walk over to chest of drawers. Digging in back, behind all my underwear, I take out a velvet box and open it. I put the silver balls in my mouth and work them over as I walk back to Ana. I lead her by the hand over to the sofa, where I sit down and take the balls out of my mouth. She knows the routine, so before I even finish saying, "Grab your ankles," she's already in position.
I slowly lower her panties, and for the second time in the last ten minutes, I catch my breath. Oh, her ass is so beautiful! I have to fight the urge to take her right here and now. Instead, I stroke her cheeks lovingly, savoring their firm, smooth feel. I reverently place a kiss on each perfectly-shaped globe. I behold her beautiful pink rosette, glistening with milky dew. My wife is already aroused! Gently inserting my middle finger, I massage her inner lips and then insert the balls. I hear a gasp and my already-hard cock twitches.
I smooth her panties back into place and give her a hard smack on the ass. She straightens up and when she turns around, my cock twitches again when I see the bright red flush on her face. Oh, we are going to have a fun time tonight!
"How are you doing, babe?" I ask.
"I think you already know the answer to that question, Mr. Grey. Let's just skip the club and I'll fuck you right now."
"Oh, Mrs. Grey, have I taught you nothing about the benefits of delayed gratification?" She gives me a pout and I tell her, "Come on, let's go. I don't want to be late for the kinbaku show." She gets her pashmina and we head for the driveway where Sawyer's waiting in the SUV.
On the way to the club I feel the anxiety return, not very strong but neveretheless it's there. When I look at Anastasia, she's biting her lip; I take her hand and give it a little shake. "Nervous?" I ask.
"A little," she answers.
"Babe, there's nothing to be nervous about. We're there to observe. Please just give it a chance. Think of it like an extension of the playroom. Once we've seen everything, if you want to leave, we'll leave. Okay?" I give her hand a soft kiss on the knuckles. She gives me a tentative nod and whispers, "Okay." Geez, it's almost like I'm leading her to her death.
Sawyer drops us off at the entrance. My only way of contacting him will be through the Clubmaster since cellphones aren't allowed inside. As we go through the doors I feel like I'm about to take a trip back in time. And when I look at my wife, she looks like she's about to take a trip to death row.
The Clubmaster greets us and takes us to a table on the mezzanine where we have an almost perfect view of the main floor and the stage. I order our drinks and when I look back at my wife, I can't believe the change in her expression. I take her hand and ask her, "You okay, babe?" She looks back at me, open-jawed and whispers three little words.
"Oh. My. God."