Home Hearth
The next day, the couple traveled to Colorado to visit his mansion in the wilderness.
"I built the place myself on pay from my first movie. It took forever to get it just right, with all of the appliances and amenities that I wanted. But as you can see, it was well worth it." Raina had to agree. The place was large and spacious as if the owner didn't know what to do with all the empty rooms. That first impression was quickly overcome as the genius of the floor plan was revealed. Tyr Anasazi wanted a family, a large one from the looks of it. Which made sense for an orphan. There were four individual suites on the second floor, each with its own sitting room and bathroom. But the crowning achievement was the master bedroom. Besides being huge and decadent in its luxury, the bath and shower there could have fit four people his size. Carefully removing her shoes, Raina took a running leap at the made bed and jumped on it like a little kid.
"Holy crap, Tyr! This bed is what I'd imagine bouncing on a cloud would feel like! Everything is so soft!" She was grinning ear to ear and Tyr fell in love with her all over again. Lorraine Rutherford was the perfect blend of woman and child. Being around her reminded him of all that he wanted to protect in the world. Her smile, her innocence, her heart. His heart was physically aching. It was so full of love at the moment.
"I'm glad you like it," he managed to choke out. The girl stopped her mad giggling and looked at her boyfriend seriously for a moment. Slowly she approached him, wiping a tear off his cheek. After a while of just smiling at him, she took his hand and kissed it.
"Come jump with me," she said invitingly, sounding very young. Tyr took a shuddering breath and scooped his woman up, tumbling them both into the bed where the two proceeded to have a pillow fight with the mountain of pillows on the bed. It took someone clearing their throat several times to grab the couple's attention.
"Is this how you treat Egyptian cotton?" the African woman standing in the doorway said with mock severity.
"I'm sorry," Raina said immediately, climbing down from the bed like a scolded child. Tyr remained where he was, holding his breathless woman in his arms before she could get away from him.
"Yes," he said firmly, a smirk on his face. "After all, I'm the one that paid for it." The woman he was addressing grinned at that, her proud features softening into something fond.
"Oh, mbwa Mwitu, you've made a mess of your bed. It'll take a while to get it back in order. And to you, I extend welcome, child. Amani iwe juu yako siku zote za maisha yako. I am Quddissya Torrens, the housekeeper. Your man pays me handsomely to keep the place in order when he is away and when he returns."
"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Torrens. I'm Leslie-"
"No, Sweetling. There's no need for that, Ms. Rutherford. I know who you are. Tyr often speaks of his Sunshine. You've been hiding so long behind that fake identity that I think you've forgotten how to be yourself." Lorraine teared up at the frank admission.
"I lost everything the last time I was me," she admitted in a shaky voice.
"And you are gaining it back with alacrity, I trust?" The girl sniffled and nodded, smiling at the puzzling woman that she was still trying to get a read on. She cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump forming there.
"That greeting just now… I didn't… Swahili?"
"You have a good ear. It means 'peace be on you all the days of your life'. I am determined that your mbwa Mwitu - your wolf - will learn some Swahili in time. Come, it's time for a late lunch."
The group left the master bedroom, headed for the kitchen. Lorraine was curious about her new environment. It was so much better than what she had done with her royalties from the movie. Most of her money was tied up in investments recommended by her old director. She had no head for business, but thanks to Jonathan Ester, she was a very rich woman. She could have chosen to live in a much more spacious and comfortable house, but she'd been waiting for something all this time. She froze mid-bite when she realized what she was doing.
"What's the matter, Sunshine?" Tyr asked curiously. He and his housekeeper had been carrying the conversation for the past several minutes while his girlfriend spaced out.
"I was just… I was… It's nothing."
"You don't strike me as a woman who does anything without a great deal of thought, Sweetling," Quddissya smiled at her newest charge. "You've been very quiet. We just want to know what you're thinking about." The girl in question blushed but answered gamely.
"I was just… thinking about how easy I made it to slip out of my life these last few years. I have a house. I have a car. But the bulk of my fortune is liquid in case I need to run. It never occurred to me that I was setting myself up like that. It was a little bit shocking, that's all. Sorry." With that, she continued her meal while the two gawked at her. "What?"
"What do you mean 'slip out of your life', Sunshine?" Tyr asked in concern. Raina looked at him strangely, then finally cottoned onto what he was worried about.
"I'm not talking suicide, Honeybear. My life is very good and very settled right now. I just meant that moving down here would not be a major chore like it would have been back in Philly. My life could easily fit into this one; I have very little in the way of permanency. It took seeing what you've built here to realize that I have no permanent plans for my life. I work and I come home to my empty house. Sometimes I curl up with a good book at the local library to change up my routine. I crochet blankets to make money I don't need since Sunshine was and still is such a huge success. But what you've built here is a huge, permanent deal. It's clear that you are ready for a family - a big one. You're settled into this life of yours. You even have servants to provide for you when you come back from your filming shoots! I was just marveling that I'm not overly attached to my life like you obviously are." Both Quddissya and Tyr were staring at her strangely by the time she finished her speech and she flushed at the attention.
"I-I… I didn't mean to get all cerebral on you," the woman apologized. "I was just-" Tyr hushed her with a finger to her plush lips.
"So, may I assume that you are thinking of moving in with me?" he asked with a charming smile. His girlfriend flushed again and ducked her head. "No, little one. Don't hide your face from me. We've talked about this before, my lovely one. I want you to always see me." With that, he raised her head with a finger under her chin. Her face was a study of shame and mortification. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Sunshine. I want you here with me. Safe with me. I'm glad that you are putting serious thought into the proposal I was going to make." Her smile was lopsided as she stared at him, beautiful brown eyes shining with love for her man.
"There's still the matter of closing out my life up North and figuring out how to migrate my investments back to the States. I trust my investment banker up in Calgary. I don't-"
"Then you should keep your investment banker in Calgary. You can always do remote consultations online to keep up with your current investments. I'm more concerned about finding you a new job in the middle of nowhere. I know how much you enjoy nursing. There are a few hospitals around my place, but they're all at least an hour away. You should look into them; I obviously haven't needed to use their services, but I hear that they are exceptional. That's where I would-" Her video chat program started alerting her to a call just then. The two backed away from each other and Raina pulled out her phone.
"Sorry," she whispered before answering her call. "Hello, Poppi! I was just-"
"I have a script that I want you to look at."
"Poppi! You know that I don't-"
"It's from that Villeneuve fellow whose movies you like."
"Poppi, you know good and well that I don't act anymore!"
"It's a romantic action movie. You'd get to act opposite Keanu Reeves."
"Poppi!"
"I know, honey. I know that you are terrified to be in the limelight again. But I looked over the script and I think it's a good fit for you. The writers really capture your essence and they said that they wrote it with you in mind. The chemistry leaps right off the page and best of all, there are no sex scenes to worry about."
"Really? Not one?" Lorraine asked, her interest peaked despite her reservations.
"None. I talked to the director myself. There's one 'fade to black' moment near the end and that's all. I know that you would never undress for the cameras. There are stunts and action sequences throughout the film and you're falling in love with Keanu through it all. That's it. You know that I wouldn't bring a script to you after all this time if I didn't think it could work for you. You're still such an athletic little girl and I believe that you can do this, honey. Will you at least look at the script? Please? For me?"
"Poppi…"
"Please? You don't have to agree to anything. Just read it cover to cover. If it doesn't speak to you, I'll never bring it up again. Oh, and Reeves wants to talk to you about it before you make your final decision."
"Poppi!"
"What? He left his personal number on your copy of the script and begged me to pass it on to you. He is desperate to work with you on this project. He said that he believes it would be good for both of your careers. He seems sincere."
"He's an actor, Dad! Of course, he sounds sincere."
"This is different, little one. Trust me, he is serious about this. I think he might even have a little crush on you."
"I don't know, Poppi. I'm not looking for fame. The last time I-"
"I know, honey. I know better than most what you've been through. And you know that Mama and I would never bring up bad memories like this without a really good reason. I believe in this vision. The director is dying to have you specifically on set in Québec. Just look it over, Sweetie. It's a really good script."
"Alright, I'll come by and pick it up in two weeks after my visit with-"
"No need. I'll have it FedEx'ed to you in Granite, Colorado tomorrow. You can review it and even talk to that 'yummy' man of yours about it."
"Dad!" she shouted in mortification.
"What?" he asked obliviously.
"He's sitting right here," she said forcefully, covering one side of her face as rich, deep laughter rang out from the man himself.
"Oh," Jonathan smiled at the look on the girl's face. "Sorry, honey."
"Ugh! You weren't supposed to say anything about that, Poppi. Now he's going to have a swollen head and it's going to be awkward!" She was still holding up her hand and trying to have a private conversation. That proved impossible when her boyfriend laughingly took her hand and kissed it before laying his head on her shoulder so that he was in the shot.
"We'll review your script as soon as it gets here, Poppi," he kissed his woman's cheek.
"I heard that you ran into a bit of trouble last month, Anasazi. It's good to see you up and about after that week-long coma. Lorraine was going out of her mind with worry."
"Poppi!"
"Was she now?" Tyr grinned against her ear. "According to everyone on set, she was perfectly calm and convinced that I was going to make it." The two men laughed at her embarrassment.
"Well, I wouldn't say that she was frantic, but your girl proved what a powerful praying woman she is. She had my wife believing, she testified so hard."
"That's my little soldier," Tyr murmured against her ear, reveling in her shiver. "So, tell us more about this script." Jonathan did. It was clear to anyone with ears that he was excited about it. The man packed all his enthusiasm into his explanation, obviously hoping to entice the woman.
"It sounds like a non-stop adrenaline rush, Poppi. When is there even time for romance?"
"Believe me, he works it in. I was surprised just how much romance and sexual tension he worked into the script. And it's so organic that one hardly notices it. So, you'll read it, right?"
"Yes, Poppi. I'll look it over as soon as it gets here," Lorraine promised her father figure. "I don't know why you're so hyped up anyway. I haven't acted in five years. It's very likely that I've lost the knack of it."
Esters looked his young charge over with compassion. "You are a very animated person, Lorraine. I highly doubt that you've lost the knack for acting. Just… Let me know when you've read the script. Talk to Keanu and your husband. Let me know-"
"He's not my husband," Lorraine gasped, her full-body blush starting to show through her honey-gold complexion.
"Does that look like a man who will be satisfied with less than all of you?" Jonathan asked. She could see the tender look on her suitor's face through the small window in the video chat but refused to acknowledge it. She stubbornly kept her eyes looking into the screen. Tyr Anasazi refused to be ignored, nuzzling her neck with a warm kiss. She shivered again, but still refused to look at him.
"You will need to use every bit of that stubbornness to resist Mr. Reeves' advances. He pours it on pretty thick in the script."
"He can 'pour it on' as thickly as he wants, I am not some prize to be won."
"That's an actual line from the script," Jonathan said excitedly. "Promise me that you will at least consider it, honey. This script was literally made for you!"
"Okay, okay, Poppi! I promise you that I won't reject it out of hand. I will read it over and talk to Tyr and Keanu before I make my final decision. I promise," she said in exasperation.
"Thank you, Lorraine. I'm looking forward to hearing from you about it soon. I think you'll be as impressed by it as I am." He looked over his shoulder suddenly. "Okay, my love I'm coming." Esters turned back to the phone quickly. "My presence has been requested in the bedroom, so-"
"Dad! That's gross," the girl laughed. "I don't want to think about my parents doing it!"
Jonathan laughed at her disgusted look. "Okay, honey. The script is on its way. It should reach you by tomorrow. Good night, children."
"Night, Dad. Have fun!" She giggled and signed off before he could respond.
"I didn't know that your Dad doubled as your agent, Sunshine," Tyr said, directing her face to his. She came to him willingly enough, still blushing.
"Since I disappeared out of my life, most directors know that Jonathan is their only link to me. Especially now. Besides, I never did enough movies to warrant an agent. I've been sent scripts before, but never one that Poppi was so excited about. I have to admit curiosity. And I do admit that I am flattered that Keanu Reeves is willing to work with some one-hit-wonder from five years ago." Tyr was caressing her neck and shoulders as she talked, relaxing her.
"Well, you're not hard on the eyes, Sunshine. And your father's right, you are highly animated and professional. I would work with you again, and not just because I love you." He smiled and caressed her cheek to feel the heat coming off her face.
"I take it that you are both finished eating," Qudissya said with a warm smile, grabbing both of their half-eaten plates. The couple immediately protested, causing the woman to laugh. After eating, they went to the dojo and worked out after their heavy meals. Tyr insisted that they do some sparring afterward. They were both into it, attacking each other fiercely. Tyr flipped her onto the mat and pinned her down, laying out on her fully to hold her down. He was therefore surprised when she bucked against him, pushing against the side of his face and abdomen until he was forced to roll off of her. She flipped up into a crouch and attacked in a flash, kicking him in the side before backing off in a defensive stance. Tyr was caught off guard, glaring at his girlfriend before coming back into her space to attack. He was pulling his punches, and he had the feeling that she was too. The two were covered in sweat by now and only the sounds of grunts and exclamations when they attacked could be heard in the large room.
"Why, Tyr! You told me that you would never hit a girl," a new voice interrupted their fight an indeterminate amount of time later. The male turned to defend himself against this new assault and received a hardy slap to his shoulder for his trouble.
"Don't take me lightly," Raina panted heavily, backing away for the next assault. "Don't distract him," she said shortly to the newcomer, wiping her face on her arm. "I'm not a girl right now."
"Funny, you look like a girl to me," the newcomer, a younger woman from the sounds of her, chuckled. "I'll bite. What are you, if not a girl?"
"An opponent," she growled. Without waiting for an opening, she executed a scissor hold on her man, flipping him to the ground. Before she could get her legs from around his neck though, Tyr grabbed them and yanked her completely under him. The girl struggled, but he pinned her arms and legs before coming in for a kiss. Lorraine turned her head, but Tyr was persistent, kissing her chin, her ear, and any other target presented until she turned her glare on him. Fast as lightning, his lips were on hers and her struggles ceased as she hummed against him, forgetting everything around her at that moment.
"So much for not being a girl," the woman muttered darkly while standing over the couple. Lorraine tried to back away at that remark, feeling self-conscious at having someone watching them make out. Unfortunately for her, she was still being restrained by her boyfriend, who was fully committed to making her melt with his luscious lips and tongue. When she started squirming, he only increased his attack on her mouth until she forgot everything else. The girl moaned into his mouth, yet again trying to get her arms around him. Tyr released her arms and wrapped her in his embrace, massaging her tongue with his own. She whimpered softly at the motion, her arms already around his neck as she surrendered to his touch.
"Tyr! Will you get up already? You've clearly won the bout! You promised to walk with me along the river so that I wouldn't fall in! Come on!" she whined. A thump of impact against her man's shoulder elicited a growl from the man. Lorraine shivered on hearing the sexy sound. "Tyr!" the newcomer whined again.
"Leave me alone, Greg," Tyr ground out angrily at his friend, pulling back from his most satisfying kiss with his woman to date. Damn, that girl could fight! He'd been looking forward to possibly taking his woman right on the dojo floor, but that was out of the question now. Lorraine would never undress in front of another person. Pulling back from the temptation of her lips, he caressed her cheeks as her eyes popped open. She looked over at Greg for confirmation that his feminine voice was coming from a man and Tyr couldn't blame her for her slack-jawed stare. Greg, or Chantelle as he insisted on being called now that he'd started sex-change therapy, was a hairy five-foot-ten obese pale man with a beard and a handlebar mustache. Nothing about his appearance suggested that he was changing sexes but his heavily made-up face.
"You can stop staring now," Greg rolled his eyes at the girl, the glitter of his mascara thick enough to shine even in the dimly lit room. He gave his neighbor a flirtatious look. "I thought I told you to call me Chantelle, Tyr-Kun. And I really want to take that walk today. I've been simply lost without you here to go with me. Why do you have to work so much and so far away?"
Tyr stood up, dragging his woman to her feet with him. She'd stopped gawking at the man, but Tyr could tell from the look on the hairy man's face that he was going to hold her initial reaction to him against her for years to come. "I go where the work is, Greg. And if you wanted to walk along the Arkansas River so badly, we have other neighbors you could have asked."
"I know," the effeminate man pouted, looking at the taller man through his fake lashes. "But the others aren't as accepting of me as you are. They're more likely to stare at me like your girl there. Are you in the habit of picking partners that hate the LGBT community like she obviously does?"
"You don't know me to decide my preferences, Chantelle," Raina said, clearly trying to control her temper. "I happen to have a lot of LGBT friends. They usually dress and style themselves as the gender that they are hoping to become, not try to be both. The contrast in your appearance and voice stunned me momentarily. I apologize for staring. My mother raised me better than that."
"Are you sure? Because if your mother had raised you right, you wouldn't have been staring in the first place. And your friends are lacking in LGBT-ness from all evidence provided. You don't get to come in out of nowhere and tell me how to express my sexuality. Tyr-Kun doesn't seem to mind me presenting myself this way."
"Express your sexuality any way you want. But do not judge my friends right out the gate. You don't know me."
"Alright, that's enough," Tyr interjected into the growing argument. "Greg, you are not a woman yet. And you aren't making an effort to look like a woman. You look like a man wearing a lot of makeup and sounding like an anime chick. Of course, people are going to stare!" Greg seemed to deflate at that dose of reality. And like the compassionate soul she was, his girlfriend immediately sought to make it better.
"Just how dangerous is this river trek? Should I be coming along too just in case? I'm a strong swimmer and-"
"Oh no, honey. Tyr-Kun and I can handle it. We actually met when he pulled me out of the river last year. It was so romantic; here I was thrashing and bellowing for help, and then he comes in - my chocolate angel - and pulls me out of the water like a regular hero! He didn't ask for anything in return. Didn't take advantage of me while I was vulnerable. I promised myself right then and there that I would take control of my life, no matter what others thought of me. Starting with the biggest decision that I ever will make: to allow my sexuality to have its head. I changed my profession and went back to school. I'm in counseling for the change… My whole life is different now! I'm so happy. This is the me I was meant to be all these years!"
"I'm glad that things are going your way, Chantelle," the girl said with a happy grin on her face. "Well, I wouldn't want to get in the way of tradition, so I'll see you two when you get back." Tyr looked at his woman like she was crazy and Greg had this look on his face that told him that he was in for a studied deconstruction of his girlfriend.
"Lorraine… I came here to spend time with you," he said meaningfully. She smiled at him like the sunshine she'd been named after and ran her hand over his face tenderly.
"I know you did, Honeybear. And we will have plenty of time for hanging out after your walk. It sounds like your friend has been starving for attention since you've been in New Zealand. Go, have fun. I'll be here when you get back. I need time to unpack and shower the sweat off of me. I'm not going anywhere." With that, she kissed him on the cheek and left the dojo. The men watched her go silently.
"Hmph! I don't know about that one, Tyr-Kun," Greg said smugly. "I don't know that I would just let you go so easily."
"She knows that I will always come back to her," Tyr said arrogantly, marching to the door to get this over with. It was advisable to not walk alone near the Arkansas River. It could be dangerous, especially in Spring and Autumn. It was during the Spring thaw that he'd found Greg drowning in the river. Ever since the man/woman refused to go down the well-worn path without him. He'd actually been hoping to travel that path with his lady. But that would have to wait.
"...don't you think, Tyr-Kun?"
"Huh?"
"You were spacing out on me. Weren't you, you bad boy?" Greg said, bumping into him playfully.
"I was thinking about my lady. She would love this view."
"Ugh," Greg huffed dramatically. "Must we talk about that girl on our walk? It's bad enough-"
"Yes, Greg. I want to talk about my girlfriend on her first day in my place. In truth, I should be with her right now. This was going to be our walk after dinner tonight."
"You were going to… But… This is our path," the effeminate man whined angrily. "If you ask me, you need to get that girl out of your head and go for a real woman."
"Let me know when you find one," he said in annoyance, speeding up his long strides.
Greg couldn't help slowing down, tears flooding his hazel eyes. Why did he always do that? He was going through his gender-reassignment counseling as fast as he could! He'd been saving for years for full body plastic surgery. By the time he was finished transforming himself, little Raina would be a distant memory!
