Late at night I'm takin' you home
I say I wanna stay, you say you wanna be alone
You say you don't love me, girl you can't hide your desire
`Cause when we kiss, Fire"

Bruce Springsteen/Fire

Jan heard a knock on the door and opened it with no fear. She liked being in a place that she can leave her door unlocked and not worry about intruders or crazy stalkers. Standing there was Simon, looking even more jolly then he did in the store. "You look amazing, my dear." he said to her, admireingly. She had her auburn hair framing her face and was wearing a stunning cobalt blue dress. "I hope I am not too dressed up for where we are going?" she questioned him. "Not at all. Jan, you have to remember that here it does not matter what you wear or who you are. You can truly be yourself without fear," he answered, "and I think that you would be beautiful with your face full of cold cream in an old tattered robe." Oh yes, he is definitely a charmer, she thought to herself, but it had been so long since she had been 'charmed' that she didn't mind at all. He had something hidden behind his back and she tried to peek around him to see. He giggled at her and handed her a dozen white roses. Her favorite. She gasped with pleasure and carefully took them out of his hands. Just a coincedence she thought to herself as she filled a vase and started placing the flowers into it. Suddenly a thorn pierced her finger and it began to bleed. "Ouch!" she exclaimed putting her finger in her mouth to try to ease the pain. Simon rushed over and took her hand in his. Once again Jan felt that tingle coming from his palm. "Here, let me see." he said, concerned. He held her finger up and seemed fascinated by the red liquid coming from her. "I'm sorry, it has been a long time since I have seen blood. We don't shed blood here. After you have been here a bit, you won't either." He took her hand and placed the finger under cold water. She felt a bit tired and dizzy. "I think I am hungrier than I thought" she told him as he put a bandaid on the wound. "Well, let's go then." he told her, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her out the door and into the darkness of the night.

The restaurant they went to was packed but of course there was no waiting for a seat. It was a beautiful night so they decided to pick a table outside. It had a lovely view of the ocean and she could hear the waves crashing on the beach. It reminded her of Phil. She couldn't help it, the ocean always did that to her. He ordered a sparkling wine for them and toasted to their new found friendship. They talked about books and earth and many many other things. She felt completely at ease in his company and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him. They gorged themselves on lobster tails, caviar and lucious chocolate cake. The staff seemed to know him and greeted him with 'Hello, Simon', 'have a good day at the store, Simon?' He was so congenial and so entertaining. At one point, he reached over and took her hand in his; just a nice friendly gesture that felt right for the moment. There was that tingle again, she thought to herself. She couldn't understand it but then again this was the first person that she had touched since being here so maybe everyone gives off that sensation. Suddenly she felt very tired, all the food catching up to her. "I think maybe we should call it a night, Simon." she told him. "Oh, please just a quick walk on the beach? I love to be near the water." he pleaded, "It will make you feel better to walk off our dinner."
"Maybe you're right" she said, "besides I am really having a great time." He smiled at her and lead her from the restaurant down to the beach. Taking their shoes off they proceeded barefoot onto the sand. He had his arm around her and pulled her close as they walked. They were quiet at first as they walked, lost in their individual thoughts. Jan could almost hear Phil's voice in the waves, but only for a second. She was too wrapped up in this night to think of anything else. As they walked she picked up beautiful shells, something she always loved to do ever since she was a child. As she bent down to retrieve a beautiful blue starfish, she recoiled backwards. "What is it?" Simon asked, concerned. Jan did not say anything but bent down again and stared into the sand. Yes, she thought to herself, this is the spot! There in the sand was a drawing of a spaceship and a man, the remnants of a sand castle nearer to the water. He had been here! She was so excited that she did not notice Simon step on the picture, destroying it. "No!" she hollered. "What is it Jan?" Simon asked, looking down at what he had just done. She couldn’t begin to explain to him what this childs simple drawing meant to her so she just sobbed. He was confused, he did not know what he did. He took her in his arms to comfort her and she leaned into him. "Hush now, Jan, it's okay." he soothed, "I am sorry if I did something wrong." She realized how silly she was being, getting upset over his error wasn't fair to him. "It's alright, Simon, I am sorry I overreacted." she told him. She looked up into his eyes and felt herself being sucked in to them. She felt weak kneed and nervous. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. Surprising even herself, she returned the kiss. His lips were soft and sultry, and he tasted of old books and saltwater. He backed away for a moment, leaving her wanting more. It had been so very long since she had been kissed like this. Not since Phil had she felt this kind of stirring inside of her. His lips touched hers again and this time he hesistantly probed between them with his tongue. She responded in kind, letting herself become carried away by his kiss. He hugged her to him tightly, so tightly she almost couldn't breathe. She could feel his hands traveling over her back, lower and lower. He was lifting the back of her dress now, his fingers running beneath the lace of her panties, touching her flesh. She allowed this too, almost feeling powerless to stop him. His will was very very strong, and her need was just as strong. He stopped kissing her and began nuzzling her neck, taking little nips of her flesh. His hands had found there way between their bodies and his fingers touched her moist sex. She closed her eyes and gasped, it felt so good. She wanted him so badly, her desire was almost palatable. He whispered in her ear, "Let me make love to you right here and now. It is not something anyone will pay attention to. Sex is not something we have to hide here." While his words played through her mind, his hands were expertly tugging down her panties and unzipping the back of her dress. It seemed the more he touched her the weaker she felt until she could not stand up anymore. He helped her lie down on the sand, then he stood and began to undress himself. She watched as if in a dream. It has been so long, she kept repeating over and over in her head, so very long. The tide was coming in and a gentle ripple touched the tips of her outstretched fingers. Simon, naked now eased himself down on top of her, removing her dress in one quick motion. Being naked under the moonlight brought back memories, memories she tried to fend off. Simon eased himself inside of her so fast that she gasped in both pleasure and pain. The water which had run between her fingers now seemed to flow inside of her through her pores. She heard the waters voice pleading with her, 'don't do this, he is using you, don't be used like this.' It was Phil's voice. Simon pounded into her roughly, bringing her attention back fully to the moment. He whispered in her ear "Forget him, he is long gone. His voice is an illusion, just a memory. Give yourself to me." His tempo increased, making her cry out in ecstacy. She could feel her release building, the fires inside her body rising to a feverish pitch. Still the waters screamed to her, "Stop this now! Do not become his. Listen to my voice and stay with me. Don't be caught by his spell." She tried to hush them but they wouldn't stop, they only became stronger… clearer. "It's me Jan, it's Phil. You know it is me. He is…" But the words dropped off as her orgasm carried her away. Simon followed right behind her, depositing his essence inside her body. Her hands gripped his back as she seemed to float away under him. They lay there panting, fulfilled. He helped her on with her clothes and dressed himself as well. She was so tired all she wanted to do was sleep, but Simon had other ideas. He led her back to her hotel room, pinned her against the wall, and had her again, and again, and again. At one point she cried out 'No more' but he wouldn't let up. She was caught in his web, lost in a night of sexual conquest. By morning he was gone, the imprint of his head still on the pillow. And Jan was his.

Part 14