It had been a couple of weeks since Melissa made her proposal to John. He pulled the bouquet of red roses from the passenger’s side of the corvette and noticed Helena’s BMW parked in the garage. He knew the kids wouldn’t be home for a while since Rebecca would pick them up from daycare and school. Helena mentioned she was going to be working on another article today, he figured she wouldn’t mind some distraction.
He opened the door and laid his keys on the hall table. He could hear her typing on the computer in the office, which they shared. He walked through the French doors with a smile.
“How about a break?” He said softly, holding the roses in front of him.
She looked up at his voice and saw the roses. “John?” She said hesitantly.
He moved the flowers aside. “You expecting someone else?” He said with a raised eyebrow.
She moved from her chair and met him in the middle of the room. “No, just curious as to why you’re bringing me flowers in the middle of the day.” She said kissing his cheek.
“No reason. I just thought you’d enjoy them.” He said passing them to her.
“In the middle of the afternoon. What are you up to, John Koenig?”
John smiled and moved his hand around her waist. “Not a thing, I just thought I’d come home and spend the afternoon making love to my wife.”
“Oh.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her.
“Is that a problem?” He said parting from her.
She shook her head and smiled slowly at him. “No, just unexpected.”
“Good, now go put those in some water and meet me in the bedroom.”
“Yes sir.” She said.
He smiled after her, then retrieved a bottle of wine from the wet bar, opened it and grabbed two glasses.
She joined him in the bedroom, carrying a single rose with her. He had turned down the bed and poured them each a glass. She had a pretty good idea of what he was going to tell her, but she was enjoying his game. He touched his glass to hers and took a sip.
“The kids aren’t due home anytime soon, are they?” He asked.
“Not for a few hours.” She said looking into his eyes.
He gently touched her face and pulled her to him for a soft kiss.
Her hand moved to his shoulder to his neck.
“I seem to remember a lovely afternoon with wine and roses we spent in bed in New Orleans.” She said softly.
He smiled at the memory. “Me too.” He took her glass from her. “I couldn’t keep my hands off of you then and I still can’t.”
“Lucky me.” She said reaching up to kiss him.
His hands moved up from her waist and under her blouse as her caressed her.
Her hands slid down his chest and began to unbutton his shirt. His found the buttons of her blouse and they quickly undressed one another. He marveled at Helena as she stood before him. She’d been so concerned about the weight she’d gained with Sam. She’d worked hard to lose it with Mel’s help.
His hands moved down her bare backside and he pulled her to him, kissing her. He steered them both toward the bed. He pulled the covers back and she slipped underneath them and scooted over waiting for him. She moved into his arms and leaned against him.
“You know it’s nice not to have to hurry.” She said lightly.
He laughed as he stroked her arm. “Yeah, wondering when the knock at the door is going to come.”
“It seems we’ve always done that, on Alpha and now with the kids.”
He nodded and kissed her temple. “Maybe now, we should start taking some time for ourselves.”
She smiled against his chest and looked at him. “I’d like that.”
He moved down and rolled onto his side and faced her. “I’ll see to it.”
She smiled and touched his face looking into his earnest blue eyes.
He kissed her deeply, rolling her onto her back. She sighed as he moved down her body. He loved her slowly, taking his time in bringing them both to a shuddering climax.
Helena laid against John, her arm draped over him, enjoying the afterglow of their lovemaking. She traced a lazy pattern on his chest and looked at him. “You know, it’s not that I don’t enjoy being made love to in the afternoon, but why are you home?” She asked softly.
His eyes remained closed, but he smiled. “I resigned from the Commission today.”
“Today?” She repeated, placing her hand against his chest.
He opened his eyes and looked at her. “I thought that way, I’ll have an easier time transitioning to Alan’s team.”
Helena smiled and kissed him lightly. She knew he wanted to make the change, but he had to make the decision for himself. “I’m glad.” She said.
“Me too, especially if it means I can come home early and do this every so often.”
She smiled and their lips met for a longer kiss as his arms went around her.
She laid her head on his shoulder as his hand found her breast.
She smiled at his touch, then began to giggle.
He looked at her. “What’s so funny.”
“I can just hear Dad now,” She continued giggling, “when he finds out about the family business.”
John shook his head. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Helena stopped giggling and looked at John. “He won’t say a word. He knows you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. We’ve made that very clear to him.”
A smile crossed John’s face slowly. He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “I love you.” He said softly.
She caressed his cheek and kissed him.
“How much time do we have left?” He asked as his hands moved over her again.
The movement brought a smile to her face. “Plenty.”
Dorothy Burton
November 2001