..
“Are you hungry? There’s a pump in the kitchen. I
can boil some water for coffee.”
Jess got to his feet, throwing the trench coat aside.
"I'm sorry I don't have any real food."
“ I ’ m not hungry, ” he said, running his eyes up and down my body. He pulled at the collar of the
pea coat, taking in the green silk dress, his mouth slightly open, lips moist. “ Are you? ”
There was a
teasing note in his voice.
“ Not
really, ” I said.
“ Can
I ask you a question, Sabrina? ”
“ Sure, ” I said, the word coming out in a whisper. The heat of his
body and the smell of his skin were making me feel drunk, disoriented.
"Your
wings," he said, "where do they go? You know, when you're not using
them?"
"Oh,
there's an opening in my back. They fold in, under the skin."
"Can I
see?"
He moved
behind me, and before I could resist, he slipped the dress from my shoulders,
exploring my back.
I caught
the threadbare fabric of the dress before it fell to the floor, and then his
hands were on me.
"You
can hardly see it," he said, his voice full of wonder. "How is it
possible for something that size to fit here?"
"Well,
they're thin."
"But
strong?"
"Yes."
"Like
bat wings."
I laughed,
supremely conscious of my bouncing breasts. "Something like that, I suppose."
"Can
you open them up?"
"Are
you sure?" I said, turning my head.
Jess
nodded. His mouth was open, his greedy eyes on my exposed flesh.
"All right
then. Stand back."
I turned to
face him and released my wings. I stood tall, but held on to the dress at my
waist. I was bare underneath.
Jesse's
eyes widened. "My God." He stepped closer.
"Can I touch them?"
I swallowed
back the sudden lump in my throat and released a shaky breath. Without another
word, he reached out a trembling hand and stroked the silky feathers. My
nipples swelled, as if anticipating his touch.
"What's
it made of?"
"Silk.
Its structure is similar to spider webbing," I said, watching his hand,
"or so I've been told."
His hand
moved to my cheek, then travelled down along my neck until it rested on the
swell of my right breast. He cupped my breast and ran his thumb over my nipple,
but his eyes never left my wings. I let out a small moan, and he reached with
his other hand behind my neck and bent to kiss me.
I watched
his mouth move to mine, as if in slow motion. Realizing what was happening, I slapped
my left hand over his mouth. "No!"
He took my
hand and moved it between his legs. “ Yes. ”
I didn't
waste time. I let the dress fall, then worked at
getting Jess out of his pants while he peeled off his shirt.
I
contracted my wings.
"No!"
he said, his breath coming in short bursts. "Leave them."
He took my
hand and pulled me onto the divan. When
he grasped my hips and lowered me onto his pulsing need, I let out a cry of
pleasure. I bent down and kissed his ear. Again he tried to turn toward me, to
return the kiss.
I pulled
away and sat up tall, riding him, my wings spread wide. He watched me, taking
in the sight of me, and I felt an incredible surge of power flow through me.
Not the power of flying through the air or taking a bullet, but the power of arresting
a man's full and complete attention and adulation. It was a feeling I'd never
experienced, and the pulse of him sent me to a shuddering climax all too soon.
When it was
over, I let my wings fall, enveloping us in a silky cocoon.
****
We sat
before the dying fire, naked, drinking from a bottle of wine I'd found in the
cellar. I let my eyes roam over his glorious body, feasting without food. He
did the same.
I'd never
let a mortal, or any man for that matter, see me like this. Naked, exposed, my
wings released but drooping with fatigue.
"Why
did you join the war?" I asked. I wanted to know what chain of events had
led him to me.
"My
father was a soldier and his father before him."
"So
it's a family thing. Like me?"
He laughed.
"Yes and no. I was fourteen when the Twin Towers fell. My Uncle Steve was
in Tower