Chapter 9
When Wanda woke, the sun was streaming across her and she was astounded to see Art sitting on the edge of the bed. Before she could speak, he let her know that he had read her puzzled expression.
"It's all right, darling. I've phoned Sam Gold and told him you won't be at school today. Coffee's ready and as soon as you give me a kiss, I'll bring you a cup."
Wanda kissed him with wild abandon and curled up against him like a happy kitten. For just a moment, she wanted him to make love to her, then the ugliness of the night before came back to her and she understood why she couldn't permit that.
"Easy darling," his gentle voice was soothing. "You're home now and safe. Everything's all right." As he spoke, his right hand moved soothingly over her back.
In a little while, things were indeed all right for her. They chatted while Wanda prepared breakfast for them and he leaned against the kitchen door.
"Hey," he smiled, "that's a pretty wild floor show you provide here. A real swinging way to start the day."
Wanda paused for just a moment until she saw him looking toward the window of the apartment opposite. She laughed too then.
"You mean the tireless twins?" she asked. "Were they at it again this morning?"
"They sure were," he chuckled. "You mean it's a regular feature like Captain Kangaroo?"
"Even more so and definitely not for kiddies."
"Oh, I don't know about that. Here we are making a big fuss about spending all that money for sex education in high schools. Just think what the kids could learn from sitting in on a session like that."
"Kids hell," she retorted, "think what I could learn from them."
"Not my wife," he quickly countered. "That sort of thing is like a bikini. A man likes to see someone else's wife in one and the skimpier the better, but that's where the line gets drawn."
"Sourpuss," Wanda frowned, "I was thinking of inviting myself over there in the morning just to make the show more interesting."
"I'll give you all the interesting shows you want, baby," he looked menacing. "As a matter-of-fact, if you'll just put down those dishes, the curtain may go up right now."
"Ease off, darling," she laughed. "Play is postponed until I have a doctor check me over for bugs and things. There's a limit to the kind of gift I want to give my husband."
Although she said it with a smile, Wanda wasn't smiling inside. It brought back last night's episode. She had fully recovered from the terror of it, but the dirt and the chance of infection was still very much with her. All of a sudden, she needed another hot bath.
After breakfast, while Art worked on yet another cup of coffee, Wanda called her doctor. When she told him what had happened, he agreed to see her right away.
Art wanted to drive her there, but she refused his offer with a kiss on the cheek.
"It's the old bit about falling off the horse, darling," she explained. "Thanks for all you've done, but I have to get back in the saddle right away before I start developing mental blocks."
The basement garage had never frightened her before, but this morning, Wanda found it an eerie place of unreal light and strange seemingly moving shadows. She gritted her teeth, called herself seven different kinds of fool and climbed into her car.
Driving to the doctor's office, she kept telling herself that she was going to have to get over it. I can't go through the rest of my life waiting for another couple of kids to grab me and rape me all over again.
Although the doctor was angry with her for not reporting it to the police, he was patient and gentle. There were tests and rinses and a needle just to be sure.
After it was over, he assured her she could stop being afraid of consequences.
"As a matter-of-fact, my dear," his bright eyes twinkled, "having done all I can for you from a purely physical point of view, I'm going to give you some advice for the mind.
"When you leave here, you should phone some nice, gentle, ardent man and tell him to get away from his office for a while. When he arrives, smile at him and let nature take its course."
"Doctor Branson, what a naughty fellow you turn out to be," Wanda pretended horror.
"Naughty hell, Wanda," he snorted. "I've just given you the best advice in the world. Let's see Medicare top that."
Wanda got up to leave then. At the door, she stopped and turned back to him with a smile.
"Oh, by the way Doctor," her eyes gleamed. "Just to put your mind at ease, I won't have to make that phone call. He's waiting for me at my apartment."
"Get out of here you sexy wench," he frowned, "I have my respectable patients to look after."
Walking back to her car, Wanda felt clean and refreshed again and more than ready to take her doctor's advice. Long before she reached the apartment building, Wanda had stopped thinking of it as therapy, but looked forward to it for much more basic reasons.
When Art met her at the door of the apartment, she threw her arms around him and almost knocked him over.
Whether he knew what she had in mind or not didn't matter as he gathered her up in his arms and carried her to the still rumpled bed.
"What kind of a girl do you think I am?" she asked with a laugh as he began to take her dress off.
"I have no idea, madame," he answered seriously. "But as soon as I get these clothes off you I intend to find out."
Wanda had no intention of even attempting to fight him off. Instead, she saw the belt of his dressing gown hanging just in front of her. Reaching out quickly, she jerked and the robe fell wide open.
Under it, there was nothing but man, good man, her man.
"Yum yum," she commented in a dreamy voice.
"So that's the way you want to play is it, lady? Well I'll give you yum yum."
He threw the robe off and, naked, advanced menacingly toward her. He intended taking her dress off right away, but when he caught her in his arms, they kissed for a long time instead.
Only then did he start on the dress. Wanda gave him all the help she could. It fell away then and he reached for the twin peaks of her bra. Instead of taking it off immediately, his hands cupped the mounds and his lips grazed over the warm white flesh between the cups while her fingers tangled in his hair.
The bra came off quickly then, and his mouth feasted on the sweet twin offerings she arched toward him. When her sighs became almost cries, Art moved down her body until he reached her panties.
Again she raised her body and he stripped them away quickly to bare her anxious womanhood. Before she could guess what was going to happen, he had parted her thighs wide and his hands cupped her warm buttocks as he drew the fragrance of her body to him and buried his face. She cried aloud just once as his mouth found and claimed her. His hands kept urging her toward him but they didn't need to. Her own body pressed to meet him, demanding more and more of the delight he gave her.
She cried loudly once more and he held her shuddering body, then he moved over her and her body opened for him in a different way. They came together quickly and their love-wet bodies moved in beautiful unison.
He crushed her as it finished for both of them and her fingers dug into his back so that he could crush her even more.
Art wanted to move his weight off her then, but she refused to release him. Lying together, their bodies still united, they talked of love and each other and a wonderful future.
When they did get up, Art found a half bottle of sherry which he carried back to the bedroom with two glasses. They agreed it had been an inspired idea.
Laughing, Wanda told him of the advice the doctor had given her.
"I'm going to have him nominated for a Nobel Prize in medicine and humanity."
"I'll second that nomination, sir," Wanda held up her glass and tried to look serious.
It was time for work then, although neither felt at all like ending their love holiday. They bridged the transition with a leisurely lunch during which they chatted a lot.
After that, Art made a phone call. Over Wanda's frantic protests, he arranged a full time bodyguard for her for the duration of the campaign.