THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 64

         With soft music and chilled pinot grigio the two continued their dance in the darkened living room of Visconti's apartment until Kerri's yawn induced Visconti to glance at his watch. "Time for your beauty sleep, young lady."

Kerri nodded, feeling disappointed, yet reckless and impulsive. She placed her hand at the back of Visconti's head and pulled until his lips touched hers. She pressed her body against his. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight tonight," she whispered, then kissed him, with intent.

Visconti led Kerri up the winding staircase, into her bedroom and to the edge of the marble pedestal. He took her in his arms and whispered, "You sure?"

She pulled Visconti closer and kissed him hard. While they kissed, they struggled to remove each other's clothing.

He lifted her onto the bed, then lowered her head to one of the pillows. She flung her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. "I can't believe this is happening," she said.

"We've been given a second chance, Kerri. Never forget it," Visconti said, then made slow deliberate love to Kerri, taking her to physical heights she had never before experienced.

Kerri opened her eyes for the first time at eight-thirty. She stared out the window at a dark rainy day and grinned. The weather didn't matter. It could be snowing. She was happy again, a renegade from propriety and responsibility, preposterously, deliriously and utterly happy. Denying that her transformation was the result of a rebound, Louis's wealth and charisma, or the father figure he represented, her happiness was as certain as their proximity at that moment. Naked. No conditions. No representations. Now she was complete. At last she had found what had been missing from her life for so long.

Visconti opened his eyes and placed his hand on Kerri's shoulder. "Hi," he said with a broad grin.

She turned to face her lover, then allowed her head to descend to his chest. "Hi," she groaned. "You were fantastic."

"We were fantastic," Visconti countered, then stroked Kerri's cheek with his index finger. "Making love to you was better than anything I could have imagined. Visconti was contemplating a simple truth: he had, at long last found a woman with whom he wanted to stay after sex. "I don't want to live alone for one more minute. I've been too lonely, too long. I want us to live together, starting right now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, every delicious minute of it."

"I'm not sure," Kerri replied, feigning a worried frown.

"Why?" Visconti asked, his smile replaced by a pained grimace.

"How can we be sure last night wasn't just preparation colliding with opportunity?"

Visconti smiled, then reached behind Kerri's buttock and pulled her close to his body. "Let's make sure," he said.

Kerri responded, this time more assured. She took time to savor each sensation, to build a crescendo, straining to postpone the ultimate sensation.

When it was over, Visconti nibbled on Kerri's right ear lobe. "You sure now?" he whispered.

"Very."

"Then live with me?"

"On one condition."

"Name it."

"That you take me back to Miles's house on Sunday night."

"Why?"

"I want to wake up there on Monday morning and tell Miles and Andrea in person. I couldn't do it any other way. They've been too kind to me."