The Darkness PT 2 {WIP}

I smiled slowly at Adam, "Hi! Let me just put a few things away. It'll be just a few minutes." I explained.

He crossed to me and just hugged me. I relaxed immediately. It was comfortable. There were no big warning bells like there had been with Jeff. Adam was like the comfortable old jeans you slid into on a Saturday afternoon. I stacked and organized my desk, verified my computer was shut down, and rechecked for any urgent voice messages. He wandered around the office, browsing the various art work and displays on the wall. I watched as he did. He was tall at five foot eleven with blond hair and blue gray eyes. He had broad shoulders as well, but most any man who entered into my life did. He wasn't built as well as Jeff, but he was handsome in a very rugged way. Women usually threw themselves at him when we were out. I remembered that very well. I rose from my desk. "Ready."

"Good." He held out his hand and casually linked his fingers with mine as he led me from the building. He hailed a cab with the ease of a local who had done it in his sleep, and we climbed in quickly. I listened as he quietly gave the driver the destination, "Sukkothai, on 23rd." He settled back in the seat and smiled lazily at me. With a tilt of my head, I returned the smile. He'd managed to remember my favorite restaurant.

As the cab pulled in, I slid past him and stepped out while he took care of the fare. I waited patiently on the curb. We entered the restaurant, and I suddenly was assaulted with the realization that I would need to remove my shoes. It was my favorite restaurant, but it was Thai and it required that you remove your shoes at the enterance. I hoped the lighting would conceal the bruises at my ankles. I slipped the shoes off of my feet and hoped Adam hadn't noticed the yellow, purple and blue hues of my skin. We were ushered quickly to the pitted table and I sunk gratefully into the pillows. He settled beside me, as he always had here, and slid an arm around my back for support.

We settled into a comfortable discussion about our lives, what we had been up to, where we were going with work. It was light. It was easy. It was exactly what I needed. The server brought us our meal, and I stretched to reach the dish placed across the table. The sleeve to my blouse slid up, revealing the yellowish and purple hues of the bruise around my wrist. Adam's hand lifted and settled on my hand, drawing it back so he could study it closer. I swallowed my heart which had seemed to leap to my throat suddenly.

"Who did this, Stephanie?" he asked. Not what happened. Not when. He reached for my other arm, and even through I tried to pull away, he grasped it and slid the sleeve up far enough to reveal the matching marks there. When I didn't respond, I got a very firm, "Who?"

"It doesn't matter, Adam. Not anymore." I whispered, my eyes suddenly filling with the tears I had yet to shed. He lowered my hands to my lap and just reached and slid his arms around me, drawing my head to his shoulder.

"Why doesn't it matter anymore, Stephanie?" he asked softly.

"Because it doesn't. It was a mistake, and it is never going to happen again." I answered back.

"Did he injure anywhere else?" he asked. I hesitated. He sighed heavily. "Stephanie? Where? What else did he do to you?" he asked.

I sighed heavily. "My ankles." I opted at this point not to share the raw welts still raging along my inner thighs with him.

"He cuffed you that tightly?" he whispered against my neck. I shivered and nodded. Adam just sighed. His body tensed. I could tell he knew there was more, but he simply slid back and kissed my forehead. "I'm so sorry. That is not how it should be."

My green eyes were still watery and full of tears as they lifted to his. I didn't need to voice the question, but I forced it from my lips anyway, "It's not?"

He smiles softly and shook his head, "No. Not in the least. Restraints are meant to heighten pleasure, not inflict pain. I didn't know that was something you were ever interested in, Stephanie." He studied me intently a few moments. "Is it something you are still interested in, or did he kill that in you?"

I looked away, studied the people in the room for a few moments and thought about his question. I had called him, hadn't I? Here was my opportunity to ask if he would or could do what Jeff had failed to do. I brought my gaze back to his and then lowered it to my lap. My fingers toyed with the napkin there. "Yes."

"Yes, you are still interested? Or yes, he killed that interest?" Adam asked.

"I am still interested," I barely whispered. I lifted my green eyes to his. He smiled and brought his hand to my fidgeting hands in my lap. He settled it over mine, stilled them.

"I could show you, but it would mean you would need to trust me. I imagine, given what I see tonite on you, that would be a huge step for you. You will need to think about it. Ok?" I merely nodded in response. "Tonite, we're just who were were before. Nothing more." He reached up, brushed my hair back, leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I am so sorry he hurt you, Stephanie, really."

And so, dinner continued. I worried less about the bruises as we talked and renewed our friendship. I enjoyed being with him. At the end of the evening, I tucked my feet under me as he rose above me. I was kneeling at his feet, looking up at him. He gazed down at me as he offered a hand to help me rise, and for a fleeting moment our eyes met. His darkened to a deep sea blue, the color of the ocean as the sun sets, and my body responded immediately. And I knew, instantly, that this was where I should be. I settled my hand in his, and he helped me rise. His hand slid from mine, and settled at the small of my back as he guided me towards the door.

We hailed the cab, and he looked to me for my address. I provided it and we once again settled in for the ride. He slid an arm around my shoulder, and I nestled into the crook of his arm and sighed softly. He turned his head and kissed my forehead again. When we arrived at my apartment, he insisted upon walking me upstairs. At my door, I suddenly grew tense and nervous.

His hands slid over the tender bruises on my wrists as we stood in the foyer of my apartment. I looked up at Adam, suddenly feeling much smaller than my five foot five. "This happened here, didn't it?" he asked.

All I could manage to utter was simply one word, "Yes." He just shook his head and dropped my wrists. He wandered around, glancing at the decorations I'd selected for my space. Finally, he turned to me. "It looks exactly as I had always imagined you place would look." I realized then I had never invited Adam to my home before.

I walked around the apartment as he made himself at home. "Want a beer?" I asked.

"Sure. That would be great!" He parked himself on the couch and flipped the television on. I hit the play button on the answering machine as I set about getting his beer. There was the usual daily message from my mom. And just as I lifted the open bottle into my hand and started crossing the kitchen, his voice across the machine.

"Oh, Stephhaniiiieeeeee....." he cooed. I dropped the beer bottle, and it shattered on the floor. I was frozen in place, my heart thundering in my head, echoing in time to his voice. "Answer the damn phone. I am tired of chasing you. You can't run anymore. I made that clear the other night. Call me back. NOW!" The last word was barked out, a definate command. He wasn't gone! I swallowed hard.

"Stephanie?" Adam's voice brought my head whipping back around to the kitchen entrance. "Was that him? The one that hurt you?" he asked as he stepped over the glass, through the beer. I couldn't answer. He swore under his breath. He gathered me in his arms and picked me up, carried me to the couch and settled me there beside him. He talked to me, calmly. He promised Jeff would never be able to hurt me again, that he would make sure of it if I would let him. When I was coherent enough to finally respond, Adam merely told me to stay put and went in search of a broom and mop. He cleaned the shattered bottle and beer up, retrieved another, and returned to me on the couch. He leaned back, stretched out an arm, and pulled me to rest against his shoulder.

I dozed off there, for how long I do not know. I awoke at around 4:30 am with a stiff neck curled up like a kitten in Adam's arm. He had rested his chin on the top of my head and gone to sleep as well. He'd pulled the chenile blanket that I kept on the back of the sofa over us. And the television flickered with a religious program of some sort. I shifted and tried to slide slowly from his embrace. His eyes popped open immediately. "Are you ok?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's 4:30 in the morning, Adam. We both dozed off. I'm sorry."

He smiled. "It's ok." I stretched slowly. I didn't want to wake completely up. In fact, what I wanted, really, was to curl right back up where I was and go back to sleep. But he couldn't possibly be comfortable like that.

"Um...I am going to go stretch out in my room." I stammered. He looked disappointed. I lowered my head. I had put him through so much already. One date with me, I would probably never see him again after tonite. "You can use the phone to call a cab. Or you're welcome to just stay. It's up to you."

"If it's ok with you, I'd like to stay and make sure you are still ok. I didn't like the tone of that call. Or your reaction to it." I nodded and rose from the couch. He followed. I was too tired to change, to even undress, so I just drew back the covers on the bed.

We both crawled in, and again he offered up his arm. I curled against him. And with another kiss to my forehead, fell quickly asleep. I dreamed that night, the original dream. Of the dark man hovering over me in my room. But this night, I was not frightened of that darkness. This night, I didn't awaken suddenly. I saw the pleasure mingle with the pain. I saw how it should be. And I wanted that, desperately. Even in my sleep, my heart, my soul, my mind, my body cried out in unison for that. And beyond my dream, the man that held me, cradled me and watched me dream. He was thankful that I rested more peacefully now than the fretful, violent dreams that had stalked my earlier rest. And he, too, fell asleep.

At 6:30 am, the shriek of my alarm clock awoke us both. I reached over him to bat it into snooze mode. He whispered in my ear, "Call in sick with me."

-------------

Call in sick with me. Call in sick with me. Call in sick with me. The words echoed in my mind over and over. It couldn't be that simple, could it? I snuggled back into the warm confines of his arms and didn't answer him. Instead my mind drifted to the bruising on my wrists and ankles.

His voice suddenly penetrated my thoughts as his fingers drifted over my wrist, caressed the purplish and yellow bruise, "Stephanie, it's ok if you say no. There will be other days, other nights." His simply reassurance comforted me, relaxed me. And I stretched over him, reached the receiver to the phone.

Quickly I punched in the numbers to my office before I could change my mind, dialed the extension, and left the necessary voice mail. I tilted my head up just as I was completing the voice message, and he smiled down at me. I stuttered, and my heart seemed to skip a beat. As I finished, he took the phone and made his call. Then we nestled in, and I closed my eyes and we dozed back off to sleep.

A few hours later, I awoke to his gentle voice calling me from the sleepy hazy world. "Stephanie?"

"Hmmmmm?" I shifted lazily in his arms, curling tighter against his warmth. He was trying to unentangle himself from me. I rolled softly away as I realized this and watched as he rose from the bed. He stood and stretched and then padded across the room to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I rolled again and slowly rose from the bed. I was still dressed and caught a horrible glimpse of myself in the dressing mirror across the room. I was horrified. Just then the bathroom door opened. He chuckled at the look on my face.

"It's not as bad as you think it is," he said as he crossed the room unbuttoning his shirt.

I opted to play stupid. "What isn't?"

"The way you look. I think it's incredibly sexy."

I stood there, watching him slide his shirt off his shoulders and hang it from the bedpost. "Oh," was all I could muster in response. He crossed to where I stood and turned me back to the mirror.

His hands slid to my waist and held me there as I tried to turn away, forcing me to face the image of myself that I was so horrified with a few moments ago. He lifted one hand to my hair and lightly ran his hands over it. "This, hair rumpled, mussed look, is especially sexy. Knowing it looks like this because it was crumpled against my chest all night, makes it especially sexy to me." His hands slid over my wrinkled blouse, tracing the creases in my sleeves. "Each crease in this blouse represents a part of you that was pressed tightly against me last night while you slept in my arms." His hands slid over the outside of my hips to follow the lack of the clean press of the crease in the slacks. "And the fact that the neatly pressed crease in your slacks is missing says you've forgotten to be proper, and that, I find incredibly arousing."

He whispered those last words against my ear. And I shivered, leaning back against his bare chest. His gaze had maintained contact with mine in the mirror the entire time, just as it did now. Somehow, I found this more intimate than that of a face to face. I could see everything his hands were doing to me. I could follow every caress his fingers made over my body, and I watched my breasts respond. I watched my body respond. And I knew, without a doubt, that he watched it as well.

Then he smiled and lightened his hold on my waist. He lowered his lips to kiss my neck lightly and playfully. "You need to shower, and I need to shower as well. I'll be back in about an hour?" I nodded, and he smiled. He kissed my temple and turned. He gathered his shirt, tossed it on, and headed towards the front door. "Stephanie?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Come lock it behind me," he commanded. I followed, letting him out and locked it. I leaned against the door and sighed softly. I listened to his footsteps fade down the hall and watched as he disappeared up the street. Then I headed off to shower and change, wondering just what Adam had in mind for the rest of the day.


I showered and stood baffled in front of my vast wardrobe debating what to wear. Should I go casual or dressy? Blushing, I turned and glanced into the full length mirror as the thought of greeting him naked crossed my mind. Time ticked quickly, and I jumped as the knock sounded at the door. I reached for the thick white cotton robe and drew it around my bare form tying it tight as I headed to the door. I peeked through the little hole to verify it was indeed Adam and then opened the door.

Adam swooped in looking refreshed in a fresh pair of jeans that hugged his hips and a tshirt the showed off the muscles along his arms. I sighed audibly as I shut the door. "Lock it, Stephanie," he commanded. I did as he asked and turned. His gaze swept over my robe and lingered at the belted tie, the still damp hair. "An hour wasn't enough time for you? I'm sorry."

"No. It's ok. I didn't know what you had in mind, and I was just having a little bit of trouble motivating today."

He stepped towards me, forcing me to look up at him. He slid his arms around me, and he leaned down and let his lips slide over mine lightly. "I can make some definate suggestions."

Again, I felt myself turn at least four shade of red. He chuckled and turned me towards my bedroom and followed me. He reached into my closet and withdrew out a pair of jeans and a low scoop necked blue tshirt out. I watched silently, somewhat stunned. I had expected him to more or less suggest a more lewd suggestion, but here he was casually picking my clothes out for the day. He proceeded to my dresser where he opened drawers until he located my bras and panties. He slowly withdrew a pair of white thong satin panties and a demi cup bra to match.

He turned and settled into the chair in the corner of the room and flipped the television on and idly flipped through the channels. The message was silent but clear. I turned my back to him and untied my robe. I donned my panties and bra, suddenly shy. I don't know why I was suddenly shy. Adam had seen me naked countless times before, but suddenly we were on different ground. I let the robe fall from my shoulders and settled my breasts into the bra. I turned and slipped the tshirt over my head, and then slid the jeans up and over my hips. As I buttoned them, I walked across the room and slowly slid into his lap.