The Fourth Life: Chapter 13 (adult)

The kids had long turned in for the night, and the last of the cars was pulling away.  Todd and Blair were at the door, waving off the guests.  She was in her red halter gown, and he was in a black vest and pants, with a red silk shirt.  As soon as Ray Martino drove off, the final guest to depart, Todd turned to Blair and kissed her mouth, deep and urgent, like he had been away from her for another eight years.


She melted into him, crossing her wrists behind his head, and letting her hands hand behind the nape.  Pulling back from her, he said, "Are you happy?"


She said, "Of course."


He took her hand and lead her up the staircase.  


As they moved toward the master bedroom suite, they both thought back to highlights of the evening:  Todd, standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for Blair to make her entrance;  Blair looking to him as he extended his hand;  A small crowd gathering below the stairs, in the grandest foyer she could remember, waiting for them; Viki toasting to their life together, John calling out "here here!" when she was done; Ray Martino congratulating Todd for moving forward and taking hold of his own life in front of all of the guests, including Bo and Nora Buchanan;  Nora waxing apologetic in her own condescending way;  Hope stepping on Shaun's toes to dance with him;  Sam blurting out, "Dad, what's an anniversary?" during their dance, and blaming Jack for putting him up to it, after the crowd laughed;  Sister Rebecca Katherine saying a benediction over the meal, that blessed the family for all years to come; the food being extraordinary and Todd tipping the caterers $500;  Addie crying. and scaring Blair, when she saw her new bedroom, bringing the baby upstairs to sleep; Todd reacting emotionally to the book that Blair had made for him; Timothy passing the book around to everyone; Shaun and Vivian hitting the hot tub with Todd's vehement encouragement after she arrived late, complaining of physical exhaustion; Blair being cajoled into singing "Unforgettable" with Todd christening the new house with a bottle of vintage; Starr clasping her hands and breaking down when once again, her father made his feelings known to everyone present in a beautiful speech, putting it eloquently, only the way Todd Manning could.


In the bedroom, she turned and said, "That was the most amazing evening."


"It was," he said, taking his shoes off, one at a time.  He removed his vest, and tossed it on the side chair.  She still could not help but be in astonishment of their suite.  The ceiling was inlaid with graduated layers of depth, the center-most section having a ceiling fan and giving the room an almost cathedral effect.  All beiges, tans and creams, it was decorated in Todd's minimalist style, only the way he could see things.  One whole wall was made of slanted, huge panes of glass, from floor to ceiling,angled and light sensitive to block out heavy sun.  Each was grace with billowing fabric, draped halfway to the floor, to create a curtained look, if they wanted it.  One of the panes opened out, via an electronic control, to create a pseudo-door to their private balcony, overlooking the mountain.  A pedestal bed, large sitting area with a simple desk, a prominent fireplace with a u-section sofa, two side chairs by the glass and a small bar embellished their room.  Attached was their bathroom, which, in creamy white marble, had an oversized and deep hot tub, requiring three steps up to get into, also with a glass-paned view of the sky.


She brought her attention back to him.  He was unbuttoning his red silk shirt, revealing his sculptured chest and abdomen.  She felt her desire for him stir, and she walked to him, losing her shoes as she went.  She undid the halter strap behind her neck, revealing red and black silk lingerie underneath, and stepped out of her gown as she walked.  Putting her hands into his hair, and bringing his mouth to hers, she said, "I want you inside me so much right now."


"I promised to never let you down, Mrs. Manning,"  he said, putting his lips on hers and licking at her tongue.  She met his advances with her own.  She slid her hand down his beautiful torso and undid his pants, letting them fall to the floor.  Immediately, she brought her hand to him, and felt his hardness, waiting.  Without warning, he lifted her, and she, knowing so well the various scenes of their passion dance, wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing into his mouth with deliberation.


Swept like a whirlwind, she found herself on the bed, cushioned and welcoming to her back, with him pressing himself over her, intense and wanting, both of them panting through kisses and touches.  She said, "Now, please, don't wait, Todd."


He obliged, peeling off her panties in one pull of his thumb, and touching her softness, to find and ready her.  Not needing much of either, he opened his eyes to hers, and delved into them as he slid into her, both of them letting a sigh escape, noses touching.  Everything about him brought her closer to her end:  his beautiful shoulders, though covered now in scars and marks; his broad chest and tight stomach, also donning a few disfigurements, but worked diligently to bring him deeper into her; his mouth back on hers, desperate; the movement of his body pushing into hers; his beautiful face and familiar scar; and his sounds, few as they were, that sent her spinning into a climax around him.  Within moments of her cries, he sped his motion and pulled her tighter to him as he finished and whispered, "yes," which she echoed softly.


She ran her fingers through his hair, and within minutes, he was asleep against her breast.  She let it stay just as it was, wanting nothing but for him to find the peace he deserved after the beautiful and incomparable gifts he had given her that night.  She brushed his hair with her fingers, and was happy to have him there against her, peaceful, finding sleep easily and forgetting.    


She whispered to his slumbering ears, "If you only knew, Todd Manning, how much I love you, nothing could ever hurt you again."


Morning seemed to linger, and they were greeted by the bright sun, having forgotten to bring the curtains down before making love.  He stirred first, still half on top of her, and her hand was still tangled gently in his hair.  He looked up at her, and saw her, softly breathing, head to the side, mascara smudges below each eye.  He kissed his way down her belly and slowly began to lick the insides of her right thigh, and she woke up, first swatting at him, unaware, and then pulling his head in closer to her with realization.  "Mmmm, what a way to wake up," she moaned softly, now fully awake and feeling all of his licks and sucks on her body.  


He said, "That's nothing, " he slid down the bed and centered his mouth over her, tonguing and pulling gently on her flesh with his lips.  She squirmed with rapture, and her breathing elevated, her sounds becoming more intense and audible.  He worked at this until she was begging him not to stop, and of course, he didn't, until she called his name in a whisper over and over, with a decisive "yes!" as she ended.  He let her bask in the pulsing warm feeling she had, before he moved up and took her, and rolling her in his arms, put her on top of him, her knees on either side, and brought himself to sitting.  Hands in her hair and rubbing up and down her back, he pushed himself through her.  She used her legs to move up and down over him, until he threw his head back and sighed, letting go inside her.  They fell back onto the bed both out of breath, and he said, "Time for new sheets."


She said, "This feels so good, Todd.  Just being here, with you like this.  I love this house.  Look at the sky."


"Yeah, look at what those birds just saw."


She playfully hit him, and then said, "You are a fantastic lover, Mister."


"You make it easy, Blair, always have."


She took a strand of his hair and pushed it back over his shoulder.  Her eye, even though she did not want to, caught sight of the larger scar on his shoulder.  It was perfectly straight, a definite, precise rectangle.  She rubbed it with her thumb, and her fingers touched the one on the back of his shoulder blade; the one that he had received as she watched.  He had closed his eyes, and she studied it, longer than usual.  Feeling a rush of nausea, she had to get up and run to the bathroom.  He called after her, "Blair?  What's the matter, Babe?"


She leaned over the toilet and heaved.  Whatever was left of the previous evening's event came forward.  He appeared at the door, naked and glorious.  She looked up, feeling less than attractive, her black and red bra still on her, somehow.  She said, "It's nothing...I...was..."


He said, "You were looking at my scar again.  The one on my shoulder.  Tell me."


She could never hide anything from him, no matter how hard she tried.  "I just felt sick, all of the sudden, when I touched it." She fumbled, confused, "I'm sorry."


"Don't be sorry for me.  I've never seen you throw-up over this."


"I never have."  She stood up.  "I guess there is something to be said for not looking at it so much," she tried to play it off as less important than it was.  If she were honest, she'd scream out her horror about it and recount again what she had seen, as it had haunted her every day since.  But, she contained it.  She found herself before the large panes of glass, overlooking their backyard, and, further, the woods and mountainside.  Then she said, "Why didn't I notice that helipad over there?"


"Eh, forgot to mention it."


"Okay, you want to explain now?"


He smiled, "We can't be having our kids take an hour to get to school, or us to take an hour to work.  I've hired my own pilot and bought our own helicopter.  That is, until I get my license for it.  I had a landing pad created on the top of The Manning Building, too.  The kids can be ushered to school from there.  Working on one on top of the building where the penthouse is as well."


She smirked, "You are crazy sometimes, Mr. Manning."


"The only way to be.  If you try and be not-crazy, you crack."  He said, and she knew he was serious.  He went behind her, and put his arms around her waist, and sniffing her hair, rested his chin on her shoulder.  "I love you, Blair."


"I know.  That's the greatest thing you've given me."


"You've given me more.  Your heart, the kids, the baby.  Everything good I am comes from you."


"I would love to take credit for that, Todd, but....most of it you've done on your own."  She walked to the sitting area.  On the coffee table was the book she had made.  "Remember this?  Did you actually look at it?"  she opened it, and thumbed through.


He said, "Sort of.  I promise to look at every page.  It just....overwhelms me, Blair."  


She touched his cheek, "I know," she paused, "I love you," she said, airy.


He said, "How I got to deserve this, I don't know, but it's what I base my life on now."


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