Page 56 of Private Pleasures

“Is the sex enough for you, Red Rover? Is that all you really want?” he said softly, and his eyes suddenly met hers.

“What else is there, darling?” Nora replied.

“Don’t you want to be loved?”

“You love me very nicely,” she laughed lightly.

“No, damnit!” He was suddenly pinioning her, his hands imprisoning her wrists on either side of her head. “Not make love, and you know I didn’t mean make love. Love! As in emotionally attached. Nora, you’re all alone. Don’t you want to be loved? Do you even know what love is?”

“I thought I did once, but obviously I didn’t,” she told him.

“I love you!” he said almost desperately.

“You do?” She sounded surprised. “Why?”

“There is no real rhyme or reason to love, Red. It happens. From the moment I first saw you, I wanted more from you than just sex,” Kyle said. His green eyes were warm as he looked into her face.

“As I recall,” Nora reminded him, “when we first met you couldn’t keep your hands off of my tits. Did you love them first?”

“You don’t trust men, do you?” he sighed.

“Why should I?” she countered.

“After Jeff, I guess you shouldn’t, but what about all your friends on Ansley Court? Don’t they love their husbands?” Kyle demanded.

“Yes, I think they do,” Nora admitted. “I ask myself, what was wrong with me that Jeff could not love me till death do us part? And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with me, Kyle. What was wrong was Jeff. I may be good at a lot of things, but I’m obviously not a very good judge of men. He’s hurt me, Kyle. I did everything I was supposed to do, and frankly more, but he still didn’t love me. But I was too dumb to understand it. I know now that he picked me as his wife because I was the right kind of girl. The kind of a girl a man like him was supposed to marry. I did everything I should, but it still wasn’t enough. And our sex life? Only on my back. Eyes shut tight because he didn’t want me to look at him. No foreplay. Just hump, hump, hump until he was done. Then he would roll off of me. We would shower and go to bed. The second I got pregnant he wouldn’t touch me. And when I had my children it was several months after their births before he could bring himself to have sex with me again. Finally our sex life ceased entirely. When I asked why, Jeff just glared at me and made some remark about inappropriate questions.”

“What a fool,” Kyle told her, kissing her mouth softly. “He had no idea, did he, about the passion boiling inside of you?”

“He would have been shocked if he did,” Nora laughed bitterly.

“I love you,” Kyle repeated, kissing her again.

“You want me,” Nora responded.

“I have had you. Many times. In many ways. And in an astounding variety of positions, my darling Red. I could almost wish it wasn’t so, but I do love you. But you will break my heart to revenge yourself for being hurt, I’m afraid.” He rolled onto his back again.

“Will you leave me?” She struggled to keep her voice strong.

“No,” he replied bleakly.

“Why not?” His response had reassured her.

“Because I love you,” he said simply.

“You’re a figment of my imagination brought to life by whatever it is that created The Channel and keeps it going,” Nora said cruelly. “I could discard you. I could change you into a brute whose only pleasure is in pain!” she threatened him.

“Yes, you could, but then I wouldn’t be the kind of man you really want, or need, Nora. You don’t want that kind of man. You want a strong, sensitive man who will love you, my darling.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of,” Nora snapped. “Been there. Did that!”

“No, you don’t need a keeper,” he agreed. “You need someone to love you as well as make love to you. That’s the man I am.”

“I have a husband who has screwed practically everything with a pulse, Kyle. Now it’s my turn! I only wish he knew,” Nora responded angrily.

“Yeah, like that’s really going to make you feel better,” Kyle said tightly. “And any time you want to, baby, we can invade his dreams and show him how I can fuck you until you are screaming with pleasure. But I wouldn’t advise it. He might want you back. Do you want him back?”

“Never! The bastard betrayed me! Made a fool of me! If I could revenge myself in some way on him, I would, Kyle. I swear I would! I hate him for what he’s done to me! To our children!” And suddenly Nora began to cry. She wept bitterly in great gulping sobs for several long minutes, unable to stop.