Даниэла Стил - All That Glitters

“We could do that too, you know, start eating at restaurants.” They’d been eating the meals Theresa left for them for two months, and sometimes Sam brought in burgers or pizza. Coco didn’t care what she ate. She nodded at his suggestion, but he could see that she didn’t really want to go out for dinner. She watched movies with him at night now, which was a good distraction.

On Friday, Ed’s secretary called her again, and said he would come by for her at seven-thirty. She said they were going somewhere informal this time, and Coco felt awkward refusing, so she didn’t.

She sent Sam a text that she was seeing Ed again. She wore black jeans and a sweater, and Ed took her to a small cozy Italian restaurant. She had a nice time with him, and he called her on the weekend afterward to see how she was. She was sounding better, and more like herself. She went for a long walk in the park with Sam both days. The weather was still warm and it felt good to be out in the air. She felt like an invalid who was slowly recovering from a terrible accident.

Sam had to have dinner with his family on Sunday night, and he’d been home for Shabbat when she had dinner with Ed on Friday. She was surprised when shortly after Sam left on Sunday, the doorman rang and said that Mr. Easton was on his way up.

“Is everything okay?” She looked surprised when she let him in.

“Fine. I was just thinking about you, so I thought I’d drop by. Is Sam here?”

She shook her head and smiled. “I gave him a night off.”

“He’s certainly a faithful friend,” Ed commented. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and jeans, and looked years younger than he did in a suit. He had a good haircut, and smelled faintly of cologne. She was wearing jeans and a sweater too, with her long dark hair down her back. She looked startlingly pretty, and as usual was unaware of it.

“We’ve been friends since I was nine and he was ten,” she said about Sam. “He’s like my brother.”

“You’re not in love with him?” he asked and she smiled.

“No, we’re just friends.”

“I shouldn’t be,” he said as they sat down in the small den her parents had loved to use, lined with books, with a fireplace. “But I have to admit, I’m relieved to hear it. I thought maybe he was your boyfriend.”

“Not at all. Why are you relieved?” she asked innocently, and he moved slightly closer to her on the couch, and put an arm around her casually. She didn’t feel threatened by it. He was a familiar figure to her now, more than ever, like Sam, except there was something subtly different about the way Ed looked at her, and she wasn’t sure what it meant. He had been very attentive to her ever since her parents’ death, and taken his role as trustee and advisor very seriously. He looked into her eyes then before answering.

“You haven’t noticed anything, Coco?” he asked gently, speaking softly. “I didn’t want to crowd you while you were getting over what happened. I’m falling in love with you, more every day. I have a hard time staying away from you, and not showing up here every night.” She looked stunned, and before she could react, he kissed her, and felt her body with his strong sensual hands. No man had ever touched her quite that way, or made her body come so alive at his touch. She was breathless when he stopped kissing her, with his hand still on her breast.

“I didn’t…I didn’t realize…” She didn’t know what to say. She had never thought of him that way, and suddenly she didn’t want him to stop. She felt both safe and aroused at the same time. He kissed her again, and then they were lying on the couch together. She’d had sex before, but not often, and it had never felt like this. She felt drunk from his touch. “What are we doing, Ed?” she asked in a small voice. “Marielle?” He was a married man.

“We’ve been over for years. We stayed together for the children, and now we have an arrangement. We have an understanding. For all intents and purposes, I’m a free man.” She felt better when he said that, and only mildly guilty when she abandoned herself to him. He smelled wonderful, he was so handsome, and he knew exactly how and where to touch her. She had never thought of him this way before. Even before he took her clothes off, she could sense that he was an expert lover. And then suddenly, they were making love, and she felt as though she were flying through space with him. He drove her to the edge of ecstasy and then pulled her back, then led her to the edge again, he played her body like a finely tuned instrument. When it was over finally, she knew that something extraordinary had happened between them. She lay in his arms smiling at him, and he kissed her again, more peacefully that time.

“I’ve never felt for any woman the way I feel about you,” he said with raw emotion in his voice, ran a finger down her belly again, and touched her irresistibly. And then it all started again.

They made love until midnight, and then wandered into the kitchen naked, and ate ice cream. It was odd being with him that way, but he made it seem normal and natural. And then he led her to her bedroom, and made love to her one more time.

“I’ve wanted you for so long, Coco,” he said, admiring her afterward. “Sometimes I think your father wanted us to be together, which is why he made me your trustee. It’s almost like being married to you,” he said. “Maybe one day that could happen too. I may be old enough to be your father, but I don’t have fatherly feelings for you, most of the time.” She wondered what her father would have thought, if he would have been pleased, or shocked. He wouldn’t have made Ed her trustee if he hadn’t trusted him completely, which gave some sort of benediction to their union, and made it almost sacred, with her father’s blessing.

“I don’t care how old you are,” she said in a soft, sensual voice. She was dazzled by him, and totally at ease with him. He had introduced her to things she had never done or felt before.

“When can I see you again? I’ll come by for lunch tomorrow.” She nodded, and he finally tore himself away from her at two in the morning, and kissed her longingly again before he left. There were stars in his eyes too.

He came back the next day at lunchtime, and they locked themselves in her father’s office so Theresa wouldn’t walk in on them, and made love on the couch for two hours before he had to go back to the office. It felt crazy and fun and wonderful and exciting. His passion for her was almost frightening at times, and overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, and then gently left her on a beach of softest sand afterward. He was masterful with his tongue and hands.

“I’m so glad you’re not in school,” he whispered to her.

“So am I.” She giggled like the young innocent she was. She wondered about his wife at times, but he said it was over between them, and she believed him. He was an honorable man and she knew he wouldn’t be doing this with her if he had a viable marriage.

He lived up to his plan of taking her out to dinner twice a week, and showed up every day at lunchtime. He arrived one night at midnight, after Sam had left, and spent the night with her, which proved to her that he really did have an understanding with his wife, or he couldn’t have spent the night. She never doubted it for a minute. And it was convenient that Sam had recently stopped staying with her at night.

She told no one about what they were doing, although Sam questioned her a few times. But she was careful not to let anything show to him. She didn’t want Sam to know. He had been odd about Ed since her parents died and suspicious of him, almost as if he was jealous.

“Are you okay? You seem so distracted sometimes,” Sam commented. He assumed it was part of the grief process but it worried him.