"May I help you?" The clerk greeted them pleasantly.
"Yes," Louisa replied, but first she turned to her escort with a word of heartfelt thanks. The women hugged lightly. "Take care now," said the other, and cruised off.
Louisa gave her name to the clerk and requested her bags. So what, she'd sit in the airport for a while. That's what paperback novels were for. Just then Mark Wolfe spoke from behind her.
"You left so suddenly, Louisa, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," and she turned her attention to the bellhop who was bringing her bags.
"I wasn't satisfied with my room, may I please see the manager?" she asked him.
"Of course, right away, miss."
Louisa sidled down to the end of the long desk, hailing the manager to join her there. As quietly as she could, she said, "The grey-haired man to my left has been following me since yesterday. I'm trying to shake him off and get to the airport. Can you do anything about it without raising a fuss?"
As she spoke, she pressed the fifty into the manager's palm. It was the biggest single-denomination bill she had left. She'd broken her last hundred the day before, and wished she hadn't.
But it seemed to be acceptable. "Of course, miss." He turned and crooked a finger at the bellhop. "Karl. Kindly escort this lady to her taxi." Then he leaned closer to the uniformed staffer, saying something Louisa couldn't hear.
The 'hop nodded and hefted Louisa's garment bag. "Right this way, miss."
"I'll be glad to escort her," Wolfe spoke up. "If you could get my bags, also, please."
"Certainly, sir." The manager peered into his computer and tapped a few keys. "The name, please?" Louisa held her breath.
Wolfe gave his name. "With an 'e' on the end." He smiled at Louisa as if hoping to eat her for lunch. The manager shook his head. "I'm very sorry, sir, there's no record by that name."
"What!"
Louisa made a big deal of checking her watch. "Mark, I'm sure you'll understand, I can't wait. Can't afford to miss my flight." She smiled and gave a nod to Karl, who was her new best friend.
Karl beamed at the lady. He had no idea why she was such a VIP, and didn't care. He only knew his boss had promised him $20 for taking ten steps. Not bad for less than five minutes' work.
At the airport, Louisa was nearly three hours early for her flight. Luck was on her side; there was a plane leaving sooner and she was able to switch her ticket for a mere $200 surcharge. It was well worth it to get away from that slimebag.
As the plane left the tarmac, she reflected that Wolfe could still track her down. Oh well, she'd deal with it if it happened. Right now, all she wanted was Richard. The flight seemed to take forfuckingever.
Meeting him at the gate was like meeting Sol. Louisa had never been so glad to see anyone in her life! She thrust herself into his arms and without a word, burst into tears.
"What's wrong??" Her lover guided her to the nearest row of uncomfortable stuck-together chairs and sat her down.
"Slow down, slow down, you're not making any sense."
Nobody paid them any attention. People cry in airports all the time. Richard held her and soothed her until she ran down. When she seemed better, he said, "I think you should make a statement to the police."
"For what?" Her voice was bumpy with leftover tears. "All he did was feed me and follow me around."
But Richard was taking the long view. "I've read that gut instincts are usually right. Louisa, if you file a report, you might be saving some other woman from harm."
She nodded as his words sank in. "Okay."
"And the worst that could happen is you take up ten minutes of some officer's time. It's their job to decide what's important to follow up on and what isn't."
"Okay, okay."
They stumbled around the airport until they found the office. Some guy in a uniform asked Louisa approximately 387 questions. She gave them her conference materials, which helpfully contained Wolfe's contact information and photograph. After that they let her go.
Not too surprisingly, she fell asleep on the ride home. She woke at the sound of the big garage door grumbling open.
"Oh, baby, it's good to be home." Louisa yawned and stretched out her arms until the bones popped.
"It's great to have you home." He carried in her luggage and wrapped her in a powerful hug. "I'm so sorry there are jerks in the world."
She lifted her face to his kiss. "I am, too. Now stop talking and make love to me."
He was aching to do exactly that but thought of what she had just been through: "Are you sure?" He bent to close the difference in their height. His lips teased the line of her jaw.
"Don't make me beg."
At that he grinned. "You never have to beg, you know that."
They traced the familiar path to the bedroom. Richard sensed her need for tenderness. He found himself in the same mood, as well. Yesterday over the phone they had raged, but this afternoon was about reconnecting at a deeper level.
Something else twinged in Richard's breast. He wanted to comfort and protect her. As he slid the blouse away from her shoulders, he said, "I love you, Louisa."
Her heart hiccupped in her chest and her eyes welled. They embraced, somewhat clumsily in her half-off blouse. "It's okay. You're home, you're safe. You're with me now."
"I was scared."
"I know."
Tenderly he drew her down, nuzzling at her bosom and pulling away their clothing. Louisa was content to let him do the work. She followed him emotionally as well as physically, drinking in the comfort of his caresses.
Not unexpectedly, warmth flooded her system as her lover mouthed her body. He kissed her belly and hips and put his face in her mound.
"Ahhhhh..." she responded. "That feels so good, lover, don't stop."
Richard remembered the first night he had ever made love to her. That night his mission had been exploratory. Now he knew her perineum better than she did. He licked and lapped at the sensitive flesh, playing her body like an eighteenth century 'cello.
Her responding trills made a feedback loop to his own nervous system. He brought her along with his fingers and tongue until she clenched and squeaked. Her nectar splashed in his face.
"Mmmmmm," he rumbled, and opened his mouth to drink the honey. The taste of her fueled his desire. Louisa gasped and urged him up beside her. She swabbed his face with her tongue, tasting herself on his skin. Then she inhaled a shuddering breath as his cock probed her wet heat.
"Yesssss..." she groaned. Her eyes rolled back in her head. "Take me, I need you."
Inch by painstaking inch, Richard penetrated his lover. Louisa played with his body as he thrust. She licked her thumbs and coaxed his nipples to erection. Her calves worked a restless massage over his butt.
He worked his way in until he was buried to the hilt in her snug embrace. "I love you," he told her again. He studied her for a long moment, hearing her echo the words, and seeing the same in her eyes.
It was too much for him suddenly and he looked away, embarrassed. "I'm gonna cum!" His cock jerked like a rampant firehose. Involuntarily he groaned and closed his eyes.
The sluice gave Louisa a powerful rush. She arched her back, slapping her body against his. She swore and shivered; her nipples stood up, suddenly tight and almost painfully hard. Somewhere her voice said his name.
The cloud-high orgasm gripped her entire body, receded, and slammed through her again. All at the same time, she was lost and could never come back, and was squarely and securely home. She was exactly where she needed to be.
Gradually, the grinding collision bumped to a stop.
"You are one hell of a woman."
Louisa grinned. "I wasn't dancin' alone," she drawled. She laid her head on his shoulder. It occurred to her that the awful tension of the past twenty-four hours was gone. In the quiet cuddle she fell asleep.
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