By:
Phaedra Phelan
PG
Rated
E-mail:
PrissyBNY@aol.com
Summary:
It is 2002 and Remington makes a sudden trip to
Disclaimer: This “Remington Steele” story is not-for-profit and is purely for entertainment purposes. The author and this site do not own the characters and re in no way affiliated with “Remington Steele,” the actors, their agents, the producers, MTM Productions, the NBC Television Network or any station or network carrying the show in syndication, or anyone in the industry.
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It was
in May of 2002, and Remington and Laura were totally occupied
with their children and the agency. The older children had assumed
many responsibilities and this made the load quite bearable and
Laura felt that she had found a very comfortable balance between
work and family. Of course having Esperanza as full-time help
made it much less complicated than it would have been otherwise.
But, like so many career women of her generation she seemed to
be succeeding in her determination to ‘have it all.’
The twins, Rhett and Reade, at nearly
a year and a half were extremely active and their presence at
the office made for constant excitement, whereas all of the other
children were in school. Usually Esperanza picked up the twins
from the office in the early afternoon and then picked up Tabby
from school. The older children were able to come and go to school
on their own now. Jonathan and Ileana had married in March of
this same year and the rhythm of the household had changed somewhat,
but all was going well nonetheless.
After the toddlers left the office,
it was a time for Remington and Laura to get together with a cup
of tea and discuss the business of the day, the clients they had
seen, the strategies that might work to resolve the cases before
them. This day was no different as Remington made a pot of
“This tea is wonderful . . . nice
and hot.”
“And so am I, love,” Remington
said staring hungrily at her, and reaching to stroke her thigh
at the same time. “The most difficult thing about working
with you is looking at you all day long, and building up such
a ‘head of steam,’ as it were, that at times I find
my mind completely distracted from matters at hand.”
“Drink your tea, darling,”
Laura said, smiling coyly at him.
By now Laura knew her husband well, and
it never ceased to surprise her that Remington continued to find
her alluring in spite of the passage of time.
“I shall drink my tea, but I beg
you to understand my plight this afternoon. Before we go home
to greet our active brood, can’t we steal a few precious
moments? I’ve been watching you all day<i—/i>the
way the silk of that skirt falls against your flank, the swaying
of your arse as you walk away from me, the way your bare thigh
shows in the slit of that infernal dress when you take a step.”
“A simple green silk knit dress
has created all this?” Laura said as she gazed into the blue
depths of her husband’s eyes.
Remington touched the point where the
dress crisscrossed her breasts with just the tip of his index
finger.
“It’s much too sexy for the
office, darling, if you want me to be able to focus on work. You
must know that I find wrap dresses incredibly sensual . . . a
bit of lovely freckled chest with a suggestion, a hint of tantalizing
cleavage, glimpses of thigh always possible . . . everything.”
“Well, I will have to be more careful
in the future . . . so that you can keep your mind on your work,”
Laura said coyly, well aware of the effect that she was having
on him.
“Not to worry. I love the stimulation.
I will be eternally grateful to Diane von Furstenberg for her
contribution to women’s couture.”
Laura touched his lips with her fingers
and then let her hand rest on his thigh.
“Laura,” he sighed. “Have
mercy on me. Please. Tell Mildred we’re in conference . .
. for the rest of the day . . . no more clients this afternoon,
I beg you, love. I am finding myself extremely discomfited here.”
Remington pursed his finely sculptured
lips to kiss Laura gently, and, when she accepted his somewhat
tentative kiss, he kissed her tenderly again and then again on
her face, on the length of her slender neck, in the space between
her collarbones, and at the point where a bit of the fullness
of her breasts pushed up from the crisscrossed neckline of her
dress. His face flushed deep and his nostrils flared as his excitement
intensified, but he did not put his arms around her. He took his
time, wooing her as if it were the very first time for them, giving
Laura time to catch up with him and want him as much as he wanted
her.
“I’ll tell Mildred to hold
our calls,” Laura whispered, overwhelmed at this point by
the advances of her amorous husband. She reached for the phone
by the sofa and called Mildred, as Remington tugged gently at
the end of the sash of her dress with one hand. The dress came
undone and the soft silk fell away from her.
“Lovely, the ease with which all
is revealed,” he whispered as he stared hungrily at her body
and then drew her close.
Laura was left clad only in the briefest
of lingerie, and when Remington released her freckled breasts
from the confinement of her lacy sheer bra, he fell upon them,
kissing them over and over.
“I’m intoxicated, darling,”
he murmured.
Realizing that Remington was useless
for anything but her complete attention at this point, Laura helped
him shed his clothes, while he continued to kiss and caress her.
When Remington moved into position over her, Laura<i—/i>as
excited as he at this point<i—/i>gripped his hips,
and pulled him deep inside her, moaning softly as the sensation
of joining overwhelmed her.
“I never . . . never get . . . used
to this, Remy.”
“I never do either, darling. It’s
always . . . always like the first time, babe. Babe . . .”
Late afternoon shade enveloped the office
and wrapped them in shadows as they found their pace and lost
themselves in the connection that pleasured them so. When Laura
began to shake and tremble helplessly in ecstasy, Remington groaned
and held her tightly so that she could receive the full force
of each passionate thrust.
“God, woman, I need you today!”
Remington murmured. “I need you. I love you . . . love you
so.”
Remington was consumed, single-minded,
climbing to the apogée, using his wife so powerfully that
she gasped and lost vision, in rapture with him. They slid off
the sofa, bumping the coffee table and upsetting the tea service
in the process, sending tea in all directions, but they ignored
it as they made love with abandon on the Oriental rug in front
of the sofa.
When the climax swept over both of them,
it had been nearly an hour since Remington first began to woo
Laura. Mildred and Alessandra had locked up the office and gone
for the day. They respected the ‘do not disturb’ from
their employers for what it was and left quietly with a knowing
wink in the direction of Remington’s office.
Remington drew the afghan from the sofa
to cover them as they lay joined together.
He never rushed Laura at times like this. He understood
her need to gradually come back to herself.
He loved her special soft beauty in the afterglow, a somewhat
altered state when she lost all her feistiness and tendency to
be combative and finally became just his woman. Legs wrapped around him,
holding his flesh in hers, loving him with words that he only
heard her utter at moments such as this, she practically purred
with contentment. At times Laura could be extremely aggressive
herself sexually, and he found that terrifically exciting. But
at moments like this, when she was totally helpless in his arms,
reveling in simply being a vessel for his joy, involuntarily clasping
him again and again with her warm parts, cherishing him deep inside
her, Remington was often moved to tears.
“Rem, my sweet Remy . . . hold me,
baby, hold me tight.”
“Yes, I . . . will hold you . .
. all the days of my life. You are
. . . so . . . indescribable . . . so beautiful . . . marvelous.”
Remington kissed her tenderly upon her
lips and cheeks, smoothing her damp hair from her forehead.
“We . . . we made a . . . mess .
. . the tea service?”
“These moments with you were worth
a thousand tea services—to see you like this, love. Satisfied,
I dare say?”
Laura nodded and snuggled even closer
under him.
“Darling, it was good for you when
you were in exstase just now?”
“Silent firecrackers, exploding
all around . . . and I just wanted to give you more. Could you
tell that I wanted to give you more, Remy?”
“Yes, but you had given it all to
me, old girl. When you capitulated, it was far beyond just ‘coming.’
After you climaxed . . . I felt it the moment you surrendered
. . . when you melted in my arms. You simply melted, darling.
Your hot flesh clinging to mine . . . giving me all that it is
possible for a woman to give to a man, allowing me to take from
you what only you can give to me.”
“I used to think that the ‘need’
part in needing a man had to do with the release, but from that
very first time with you . . .”
“In that motel years ago . . .”
“The Downtowner Motor Inn. . . I
will never forget that place . . . where you made me a complete
woman, when I found myself in that marvelous free fall of surrender
for the first time in my life.”
“That night, what we experienced
. . . was quite amazing.” Remington’s voice caught in
his throat as he remembered.
“We
both cried that night, too,” Laura said, tears flooding her
eyes at the memory of their first time.
“Why did you cry?”
“I’d never let my psyche be
laid bare with a woman before, Laura. When it was over . . . I
always turned away . . . closed up, when my flesh was relieved
and I was assured that hers was relieved as well.”
“Really? You never told me that
. . .”
“I know. But it’s true. God,
Laura, all my life I had missed the most intimate moment that
I could share with a woman . . . feeling that I dared not let
anyone see how vulnerable and needy I was. And suddenly I had
found it with you. I was completely laid bare and didn’t
care, holding you afterward, crying like that. When I felt you
let go and become totally mine like that. . .”
“Remy . . .”
“I discovered that there was something
beyond mere physical satisfaction, something quite mystical and
ephemeral and yet as real as the ground we stand upon.
A supreme moment of giving and receiving beyond orgasm,
an indescribable moment, Laura.”
“I guess we were both like virgins
in a sense, love,” Laura whispered. “You, a man of the
world, letting your psyche be known intimately for the first time,
and me, letting myself surrender for the first time.”
“Yes, darling,” Remington’s
eyes turned cobalt as he stared at her. “Laura . . .”
his voice went hoarse as his passions ran hot again.
“It’s getting late. Mildred
and Alessandra have probably left.”
“I hope so.”
“I . . . I guess I’ll clean
up this mess,” Laura said in reference to the broken tea
service.
“No, lie here. I’ll clean it
up, love, when it’s time.”
“And it’s not time yet, is
it?”
“Not just yet, Laura . . . not just
yet.”
* * * * *
Predawn Saturday morning Remington and
Laura were sleeping soundly in each others arms. They had been
very glad for this workweek to end as it had been especially fatiguing
to both of them. The case had been demanding physically as well
as intellectually and in the final analysis had reached a somewhat
depressing and inconclusive solution for their client, a Mr. David
Solomon, who was looking for his missing wife, whom he thought
had met with foul play. She
turned up half way across the country in
Suddenly there was the sound of the phone
piercing the quiet of their bedroom, and Remington, wakening from
a very deep sleep, struggled to find the phone next to their bed.
Laura was instantly awake, perhaps due to her maternal instincts
being keenly honed to listen for any sound of distress from her
children.
“What is it?” she whispered.
Remington shook his head. “It’s
Uncle David.”
“Yes, Uncle David. I’ll come
on the first plane. No question about it. I’ll call later
to confirm the schedule. Assure Aunt Chlöe of our love and
concern.”
“What happened?” Laura asked
anxiously after he had hung up the phone.
“Chlöe, Aunt Chlöe has
fallen suddenly ill . . . quite ill. It’s lung cancer, like
Daniel. They don’t hold out much hope, Laura.”
“Dear God . . . I am so sorry.”
“They give her a few weeks or a
couple months at most. She is asking for me.”
“Then you will go.”
“Darling, I want you to come with
me.”
“I would love to, but what can I
do with the twins. They’re still nursing mornings and nights.
In this case you are going to have to go on. And come back to
me as soon as you can.”
“I don’t want to be away from
you for even a day. You realize that. This will be the first time
we’ve been apart since those terrible events in
Remington still trembled uncontrollably
when he remembered his brush with death on September 11, 2001. He often awakened in a
nightmare sweating and panting in fear and now Laura stroked his
hair and forehead, trying to calm him.
“Darling, I know what you’re
feeling, but we have to move on. We can’t let the fear of
what ‘might happen’ paralyze us. There is family business
to take care of, and you have to go. I don’t want to put
you on a plane to go anywhere, but I have to let you do this.”
“I love you, Laura . . . so much. Help me, darling. Give
me courage to step on that plane and leave you and my children
here,” Remington pleaded, dropping his head upon her breasts.
“I suddenly feel quite melancholy, darling. Please give me
what I need. I’ll be so very lonely in that bed at Uncle
David’s without you.”
“Remy . . . Remy . . . my darling
Remy. . .”
Remington drew Laura into his arms and
kissed her tenderly. He smelled her, tasted her, and suddenly
his desire asserted itself powerfully and the kiss became intensely
passionate, searching and plumbing the depths of her mouth.
“Take
care of me, Laura. Please
make love to me till my legs are so weak that I will sleep all
the way to
Neither of them heard the door to their
bedroom open and then close just as quickly.
* * * * * *
It was the following afternoon when Remington’s
flight to
“God, woman, this is very hard for
me,” Remington murmured between kisses.
“I can’t even follow you to
the gate with security being what it is. This is terrible.”
“If I have to be away more than
a week, promise me that you will pack up the twins and come to
me, Laura. You will leave the other children with Maria and bring
Esperanza with you and come to me, agreed?”
“Yes, I’ll come. I’ll
have to come. I’ll be frantic with you away in
Remington’s arms tightened around
his wife, and they were both oblivious to the people walking around
them as well as their children, as he kissed her hard again on
her mouth. When they came up for breath, Laura caressed her husband’s
face with her fingers, smoothed his thick dark hair. It had streaked
a swath of silver from front to back right after
“You are going to have to let me
go, Remy.”
“I know,” Remington said, his
nostrils quivering as he seemed to literally inhale her before
finally releasing her. He turned and walked quickly away from
her to the escalator that led to the gates with hardly a trace
of a limp from his injuries of the previous year.
Laura was quiet and pensive as she walked
with her girls back to the parking lot.
They got into her little black Mercedes SUV and headed
home.
“Mom, can you tell us about it?”
Cassie asked.
“About it?” Laura dragged herself
back to the moment from her thoughts of Remington.
“About sex, Mom,” Chlöe
said. “About you and Daddy. We saw you and Daddy. When we heard the phone
so early in the morning, we got frightened.”
“We thought something may have happened
to someone in the family,” Cassie said.
“So we got up and came to your bedroom.
We forgot the rule and opened the door . . .”
“Without knocking,” Chlöe
added. “It was me.
I’m sorry, Mom.
You and Dad . . . Dad was on top of you, between your legs,
pushing real hard, and you were both groaning and grunting.”
Laura felt her face flushing as her daughters
recounted the experience and she remembered those early morning
moments.
“What do you girls want to know? Laura attempted to be casual
in her demeanor.
“We knew that you and Dad have sex,
but it was so . . . wild . . . so intense . . . seeing Dad on
you like that,” Cassie said. “Is that the way it
is for everybody?”
“No, I don’t think it is that
way for everybody. But your father and I . . . we love each other
. . . very much.” Laura’s voice broke for a moment.
“Were you groaning and crying out
because it was . . . nice?” Chlöe
searched for the right word.
“Yes, it was very
. . . nice, very passionate.
We couldn’t help the sounds that we were making. We
wouldn’t have wanted you children to hear.
Having sex is a very personal and private thing . . . not
something you would do in front of someone else.
You caught us in a very private moment and I apologize
that we were not more discreet.”
“So it didn’t hurt?” Cassie
said.
“No, darling, it didn’t hurt
at all. When you have your man,
and you know that he really is your man, you can’t help making
those sounds that you heard.”
“So is that orgasm?” Chlöe
asked innocently and with total sincerity.
“Um, well, orgasm is what happens
at the most intense moment of intercourse.
It is a kind of signal between your brain and your body
that it is perfect . . . complete. There are contractions
in the pit of your stomach that you can’t control and you
sense that you are giving yourself completely to the man that
you love. You trust
him completely at that moment and in your brain there may be bright
flashing lights or colors. The
man has this when he ejaculates . . . when his penis releases
his semen. He can’t control himself
either. He may call the name of
the one he loves or call on his God, or even swear at moments
like that.”
“Dad shouted ‘God Almighty,’”
Cassis said simply.
“And you just said, ‘Yes! Yes!”
Chlöe added.
“You were having orgasm?” Cassie
asked.
“Um . . . yes, otherwise we would
have heard you open the door.
It was a very special moment because I knew that your father
was going away for a couple of weeks and that I would miss him
very much.”
“We were conceived at a moment like
that, weren’t we?” Chlöe asked for verification
more than as a true question.
“Yes, it was a beautiful moment
just like that,” Laura stated softly.
Laura was thankful to be driving in traffic
as her daughters interrogated her on this most sensitive subject.
“Mom, you really do like to have
sex with Daddy, don’t you?” Chlöe stated really
as a fact.
“Why, yes, I really do, girls. Your father is wonderful. When a man and a
woman have a life like it is with your father and me, and beautiful
children as well, there is nothing more important.
I hope that when each of you girls finds the love of your
life, you will experience all the love and passion that your father
and I have.”
* * * * * *
During the long flight to
Suddenly Remington was wide-awake, his
body rejuvenated from the lassitude he’d felt earlier, his
mind alive with thoughts that cluttered his mind and would not
let him sleep despite the comfort of the British Airways sleeper
seat.
This flight had reminded him of that
fateful time in September, 2001. That was the only other long
trip he had taken without Laura since their marriage, and his
hands still trembled when he remembered the terror of that day
when the towers fell.
So much had changed since then. He recalled
his feelings when Laura came to him in that
Thoughts of his children rushed in upon
him. Jonathan and Ileana had gotten married and settled into life
together. At fourteen Cassie and Chlöe were on the cusp of
womanhood. The raven-haired girls with their father’s blue
eyes were becoming very shapely, practically the image of their
beautiful Aunt Harriett. At nearly twelve his son Michael was
facing puberty, all gangly legs and arms, his parts suddenly growing
so rapidly that he was quite self-conscious about what to do with
himself. Remington had found it necessary to devote some time
to helping him cope with his newly developing manhood. More often
than ever Michael retreated to his room with his violin, seeming
to find release for the new and intense feelings he was experiencing.
This only aroused the curiosity of Harry, his younger brother,
who tried to follow his older brother everywhere that he went.
Harry looked like Remington had spit him out, with his finely
sculptured features, blue eyes and black wavy hair. He was thin
as a rail at this point, but it was obvious that he was going
to be as handsome as his father one day, that in a couple more
years, puberty would be poised to hit him just as hard as his
older brother. And Tabby, his baby girl, going to kindergarten,
was just as he would have imagined Laura as a little girl . .
. freckled with long chestnut hair, just moving into that charming
period of childhood between being a toddler and pre-pubescence.
Now there were just Rhett and Reade to go to the office with them
each day. At the age of eighteen months they were beautiful and
healthy toddlers, still climbing into their parents’ bed
to find Laura’s breasts early every morning and turning to
her again every night before sleeping.
Remington’s pulse quickened as he
visualized those freckled breasts that he loved so<i—/i>
changed from the delicate breasts he had uncovered when they first
began to find each other in those early days. Now they were generous
and full in contrast with her still slender waist, their nipples
fully developed from the years of breast-feeding their children,
their rosy areolae stretched and shining when her breasts were
full. Remington smiled, remembering the years before they had
children when Laura was sensitive about the smallness of her breasts.
There was no such sensitivity now. She knew that he needed to
lie in her bosom nearly as much as her children did.
Remington turned restlessly in the large
seat and tried to focus his mind away from his wife. He would
have to do without her for the next week at least and mooning
over being away from her wouldn’t help him at this point.
When Remington landed at Heathrow in
“I’m glad you could come, Remington.
We have someone . . . a nurse with Chlöe all the time now.”
“You should have called sooner.
I would have come immediately. You know that.”
“Certainly. But Chlöe would
have none of it. She didn’t want to disrupt your life
. . . you and Laura, your children, your work in
“And you’re what now . . .
nearly eighty? You old dog, still havin’ a regular go at
life, I gather.”
“A woman like Jacqueline . . . she
keeps me going, son. I just wish I had met her years ago. It seems
that our time together has been so short. And now, seeing Chlöe
stricken simply reminds me of my own mortality.
I’m enjoying life much too much to be ready to sign
off at this point.”
“I appreciate what you mean. When
I was young . . . in my twenties, I would never have imagined
that at fifty I would still be panting after my woman like a young
buck in rut. Then I look at you and Jacqueline and I wonder if
these urges will ever calm.”
“Not if you’re healthy, not
if you’re with a healthy spirited woman, son.”
Remington grinned and shook his head
in agreement.
“The passion isn’t going anywhere,
Uncle David. People say that sex with one person can become dull
or boring. But I think that I suffered so for the need of her
for those four long years at the beginning that I will never get
enough of her. I still want her as much as the first day I laid
eyes on her. I never dreamed that I would ever find the ultimate
satisfaction with just one woman. And since 9/11 and that close
brush with death, my appreciation for life has only deepened. When those buildings were
falling around me, my only thought was that I would never see
Laura or my children again.”
“That was a very dark day . . .
when we had no idea whether you were alive or dead.”
They both fell silent in contemplation.
“Son, Chlöe . . . sent for
you for a reason. She has a task for you. Hopefully you will be
able to accomplish it.”
Remington’s face registered a question.
“No, I will leave this matter to
her to discuss with you. That is as it should be. She still has
all her faculties . . . is perfectly lucid. They say that when
it comes, it will come very suddenly.”
“It was that way with Daniel. One
minute we were talking. I turned away to pour us a brandy, and
when I turned back to him, he was . . . gone.” Remington’s
voice caught in his throat. “I haven’t spoken of his
death for quite a while. I think of it often enough, but . . .
you truly have become my father in the full sense of the word.
I dare say that you know that.”
“I dare say, son,” David Chalmers
replied simply.
They arrived at the
Jacqueline came down the stairs to meet them. Even though in her late seventies she was still radiantly beautiful in a simple cream-colored cashmere sweater and tweed slacks.
<i“Chere/i> Remington,” she said as she embraced
him and then turned to her husband, catching his hand in hers.
After Remington had put his bags in the
guest bedroom that he and Laura had shared on previous visits,
he made his way to Chloe’s room. Chlöe was propped up
on two white lace-trimmed pillows. She was quite pale, but her
hair was elegantly coifed and she had put a touch of color on
her cheeks in expectation of her nephew’s visit.
“Hello, Aunt Chlöe,” Remington
said.
“My favorite nephew . . . you look
so handsome, my darling boy.”
Chlöe reached for him and they embraced
warmly.
“Sit here, on my bed,” Chlöe
said, patting the spot next to her on the side of her bed.
“You . . . how are you feeling?”
“I guess that you know my news has
not been good. That is why you are here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I am at your service. I will
do whatever I can. You know that.”
“Yes, I believe that, Rem. I wanted
to see you and tell you the rest of the story of my life, the
part that neither you nor my brother know anything about.”
“You don’t have to reveal your
secrets to me, Aunt Chlöe. You have lived a long and productive
life. I don’t doubt that you have lived that life to the
full.”
“That’s what I love about you.
No pretenses needed. I have lived my life keeping up all the pretenses,
dear boy, but now there are loose ends that need to be attended
to before . . . before I die. I need your help.”
“I understand. But you will have
to tell me what it is you want me to do.”
“I went away to
“He understood your position I gather,”
Remington said.
“Yes, thank the Lord for that. I
gave birth in January of the same year that you were born in
Remington pursed his lips, attempting
to absorb this revelation from his aunt without noticeable reaction.
“You didn’t tell the father,”
he stated simply.
“That was a different time, Remington.
He never knew that he was the father. His family, wealthy, patricians,
would never have accepted me with respect. I took it . . . stiff
upper lip and all. It was my mistake. I took responsibility. I
stayed in
“And your son?”
“I gave him up for adoption. I had
no choice in that day and time. My only stipulations to the nuns
were that he be adopted by persons of Italian background and also
that they reveal my identity to him if, after becoming an adult,
he desired to know his birth mother.”
“You never heard from him?”
“I heard from him twenty-five years
ago. He sent this letter to me, from
Remington sat quietly, head bowed and
Chlöe gently touched his dark hair with a trembling hand.
“Aunt Chlöe, don’t you
know that the most important thing you can give to someone you
love is exactly what you are giving me now . . . your caress,
the touch of your hand upon my head. When I was a lad, this
is what I wanted. I hungered so for affection. I needed this.
And I never had it. I still find myself like
that wee lad sometimes, craving the touch of the mother I never
knew, wondering what her voice would have sounded like, what she
would have smelled like.”
Chlöe held her arms out and Remington
fell upon her bosom as they embraced tenderly, both of them in
tears. A long moment passed before
they were able to compose themselves and continue.
“I am so sorry, dear boy. Our generation
made so many mistakes, some of them quite unforgivable. But I
want to embrace my son before I die.”
“Where is his father? Have you kept
track of him?”
“He still lives in
“Does this mutual friend know about
your son?”
“No, she only knows that Sergio
and I had an affair. I
could not burden anyone else with that knowledge.”
“You know that I will need to know
the identity of this mutual friend,” Remington stated as
a matter of fact.
“Yes, I realize that.
I have that information here for you with the rest,”
Chlöe said, pointing to the folder on her bedside table.
“Chlöe, has it occurred to
you that this man is entitled to know about his son?
These are different times.
Do you really think it is fair to keep such knowledge from
a man?”
Chlöe’s eyes filled, and Remington
knew that his aunt had never stopped loving the Italian who fathered
her long lost son.
“Dear Rem, do what you think is
best. I trust you.”
“So
this is all the paperwork I will need on Sergio . . . and his
father.” Remington made every effort to keep his tone even,
matter-of-fact, but he felt his emotions overwhelming him again.
“I’m sorry, my darling boy. Please forgive me if you
can.”
“I forgive you, Aunt Chlöe.
I just don’t think you realize how much a young lad alone
in the world wants someone of his own flesh and blood. When I
found you and Uncle David, it was as if I had found myself. When
I see my children now, I see you . . . your features, your strength.
I see him, and . . . Daniel and I know where all of that came
from. Uncle David tells me that my girls, my twins, look like
my mother did, and when I look at them, I imagine that I am seeing
her.”
Remington took his aunt’s trembling
hand and kissed it.
“Thank you, Remington,” Chlöe
whispered softly.
“I see that this is going to entail
some further travel and at least a couple of weeks. I shall have
to send for Laura. You understand my situation.
I truly need my wife, Aunt Chloe. She’ll bring the
twins and Esperanza. They are still nursing.”
“I will love to see them. Have them come right away.”
Remington took leave of his aunt and
went to go over the paperwork Chlöe had given him and also
to make arrangements for Laura to come to him.
He was stunned when he looked at the name of the ‘mutual
friend’ of his aunt. It was Constanza DiGregoria,
the soprano with whom he had been involved so many years before.
<i She has to be the same woman
. . . a vocal coach at La Scala. That would fit in with
where she would be in life at this time. Lord,
life plays some interesting games with us. That woman . . . her
passion, her hunger was unbelievable . . . for food, for sex,
for excitement. I thought that the relationship with her would
simply be for financial gain on my part, never imagining that
I could be excited by a body like that, no matter how beautiful
the face. How wrong I was! Once I was on her that first time I
was lost in that mountain of perfumed flesh, breasts, belly. God!
Just rememberin’ it now still arouses me in spite of all
the years that have passed! I realize I am only human,
but Laura has so completely dominated my passionate thoughts for
all these years . . . it’s surprising that thinking about
an Amazon of a woman like Constanza would be so stimulating.
His mind was in overdrive as he tried
to analyze and absorb the information his aunt had shared with
him, but then thoughts of Laura kept crowding in and finally overwhelmed
him. He was missing
her, and it was the most painful kind of need, the kind that would
resolve itself only when he saw her face again. Finally he put his head
back and gave in to his loneliness. It was just past
Laura knew when the phone rang that it
was Remington.
“Hello, love.”
“Darling, it’s you! How was
the flight?”
“Long and lonely.”
“I know. I’m trying to keep
busy here. It is so difficult with you away.”
“I miss you, Laura. I can’t
do what I have to do here without you.
Bundle up the twins and Esperanza and come to me, darling.
Aunt Chlöe has a son who was born the same year as I was.”
“She has a son!”
“An indiscretion from her college
days in
“Do you have an idea as to where
he is?”
“In
“I’ll put her on it . . . and
have her book my flight to
“Yes, love. I am just out of sorts
without you. And traveling on a search for Sergio without you
is just not an option.”
“May I tell you a secret, Remy?”
Remington simply sighed like an adolescent
into the phone.
“I knew as soon as your plane took
off that it was a mistake to let you go alone. I love you too
much to be apart from you like this. Do you know that?”
“Yes, darling, yes. And I love you.
That’s why I’m miserable here without you, aching for
you like a randy teenager.”
“I’ll be there soon, Remington.”
Remington put the phone down and sat
in quiet reflection in the luxuriously appointed bedroom that
seemed so empty without Laura there to share it with him.
There was a knock on the door and Remington
welcomed David Chalmers.
“I dare say Chlöe told you
what she would like you to do.”
“Yes, she did. You knew about Sergio?”
“Not until just a few weeks ago.
I had no idea. We were all distracted by Daniel’s escapades
during that period. I remember thinking that Chlöe had fled
to the Continent because of our family’s embarrassment over
Daniel’s misadventures.”
“I sent for Laura. I can’t
deal with this without my woman. I dare not expose myself to the
kinds of situations I might encounter. Plus I need her mind, her
intuition, if the fellow is difficult to find.”
“I understand completely. She’s
bringing the children?”
“Just Rhett and Reade. She’ll
bring Esperanza along. Esperanza’s aunt, Maria, will stay
with our other children. They’re accustomed to her and know
that she won’t put up with any foolishness. I would leave
them in the care of Jonathan and Ileana, but I fear they are too
busy honeymooning to keep up with that brood.”
“Their marriage is proving to be
good for them? They are so young, Remington.”
“Surprisingly, yes. What they experienced
together matured them far beyond their years apparently. They
were both so badly burned.” Remington just shook his head,
remembering that terrible time.
“She is scarred badly?”
“Yes, but we don’t notice it
at all now that she is with us all the time. And from the way
that Jonathan pants after her it’s obvious that he sees nothing
but beauty when he sees her. The whole experience has brought
him full force into manhood.
Now Ileana wants to start a family.
Actually I’m sure that Jonathan wants the same thing,
but he is trying to push it off for a while, to give her time
to get completely healed from that terrible experience.”
“I’ll wager he loses that one.
When a woman wants to carry for a man, she usually manages to
win that one, wouldn’t you say?” David Chalmers smiled.
“I’d say so. That has been
my experience.”
“And that’s wonderful, isn’t
it?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Your children have proved to be
quite a blessing, haven’t they, my boy?”
Remington paused for a moment, unable
to answer his uncle as his emotions overwhelmed him.
“Yes . . . yes, they have. I cannot
imagine life without them now. And yet there was a time that I
could not have imagined myself as a father . . . or Laura as a
mother, for that matter.”
“You both have proved to be gifted
. . . not just at procreating, but in parenting as well,”
David Chalmers said with a chuckle.
“I dare say. And I hope that we
are finished. Nine children, counting Jonathan and Joanna are
enough family for anyone in this day and time.
And I fear that they are becoming much more of a challenge
as they go through adolescence and into adulthood.”
“My one regret with my life is that
I did not have children. At the time I thought that I was the
wise one. I had lost your mother to Daniel and I felt that there
would never be another woman that I would love that way. There
were so many opportunities, but I let them pass me by, using women
to simply satisfy my carnal urges but avoiding commitment, much
less marriage.”
“There was never anyone else that
you were serious about after . . . my mother?”
“Actually there was a woman that
was my . . . partner . . . lover, for want of a better word, for
more than twenty years. Sybil. She worked for MI5
just as I did, and we both convinced ourselves that working in
the field of espionage would not make either of us a good candidate
for marriage. She was always there for me as I for her, but we
never made it legal. She did not demand fidelity of me and I certainly
could not demand it of her. Sybil succumbed to ovarian cancer
the year before I came to
“I’m terribly sorry,”
Remington said softly.
“When Sybil fell ill, I realized
how much I wished that we had been married. I wanted to bring
her here and care for her, but she would have none of it, insisting
on facing her trial alone. It was a damn shame, son.
I realized then how much I loved her and how much we had
missed by not carrying our relationship all the way.”
“And then you met Jacqueline,”
Remington said quietly.
“And I knew that I wanted to be
with her. I was an old man already, but I knew that I had to have
it all. I wanted to go to bed with her at night and waken in the
morning with her for the rest of my life. These years have been
the most personally fulfilling of my life.”
“You have been blessed.”
“And you and Laura are part of that.
You are the son I always wanted. And your children are my grandchildren.
When I met you back in 1988 and you had just found that your Laura
was pregnant for the first time, I was thrilled to see the two
of you. She was just a slip of a woman with the figure of a ballerina
and now, when I see her, still ravishingly beautiful, but full-breasted
from nursing her children, capturing all of your attention as
she does, I am incredibly happy for both of you.”
Remington just nodded, unable to put
his personal feelings in words as his uncle clapped him on his
shoulder, before rising to leave.
“I think I need a drink, Uncle David.
I just cannot bear being alone right now.
I hope you and Jacqueline don’t mind my intruding
upon your company this evening.”
“Not at all, son. We should visit
with Chlöe a bit before her sedative takes effect for the
night. By then supper should be ready. Come along.”
* * * * * *
The next two days seemed like an eternity
as Remington waited for Laura and the twins to arrive in
Laura’s British Airways flight landed
a few minutes early but nevertheless Remington was there, waiting
for Laura and his children to come through the security area at
Heathrow Airport. When Laura saw him, and
her face lit up in the dimpled smile he knew so well, Remington
ran to her, catching her up in his arms the minute she stepped
off the escalator.
“My God, woman, you’re a sight
for sore eyes,” he whispered as he hugged and kissed her.
Esperanza was just behind Laura with Rhett and Reade in tow. Remington
took each boy up and kissed each one soundly before they started
off to collect baggage.
When they finally got loaded into two
cars<i—/i>one for Remington, Laura and the twins, and
the other for Esperanza and the luggage<i—/i>they were
off to
Remington leaned to claim the kiss that
Laura offered him.
“I missed you, Laura.”
They each had a child on their lap, but
they kissed and kissed, literally drinking each other.
Remington sat back and tried to let his
passions calm. The
sight of Laura and anxiety for the comfort and relief that she
would give him only stimulated and aroused him further.
He tried to adjust his position so as to lessen the intensity
of the sensation in the pit of his belly, but to little avail.
By the time they arrived at the house
in Mayfair the children had fallen asleep and Remington and Laura
carried them up the stairs to the room adjoining their own where
the crib that David and Daniel Chalmers had shared as little ones
had been put up to accommodate them. Chlöe’s nurse
told them that Chlöe would be sleeping for at least a couple
more hours and Uncle David and Jacqueline were in town for some
shopping.
“This gives us a bit of time to
‘recharge our batteries, doesn’t it?” Remington
said. “Esperanza
can set things up for the boys and take a nap herself. I’m sure she has a
bit of jet lag as well. Then
we can all get together for dinner in a few hours.”
“That sounds good to me, love,”
Laura smiled with amusement as she watched her husband arrange
‘private time’ for them.
Remington led Laura by the hand into
their bedroom and stared at her another for just a moment gathering
her into his embrace and kissing with his open mouth, tasting
her as he claimed her once again as his own.
“Laura, I’m in such pathetic
shape. Darling, please need me
as I need you today.”
“I do . . . desperately,” Laura
whispered and took him by the hand.
“Then . . . then what are we waiting
for? I fear that I cannot endure another moment, Laura.”
“Come, darling.
I’ll take care of you.”
They frantically undressed one another. There was no need for wooing,
for foreplay. They were both completely ready to come together
and Laura simply lay on her back, opened her arms and thighs and
gave herself to him.
“Laura!” Remington cried out,
as he searched for, found his place deep inside her and locked
into it. They immediately found their synchrony, both of them
running quickly to the brink of complete ecstasy and then plunging
over. In just a matter
of minutes they were at the apogée, seeing streams of pink
and white-hot lights together, as it swept up both of them.
“Lord, help us!” Remington
groaned in agony for his release.
As Remington’s pelvis jerked in
spasms that projected powerful spurts of semen, Laura surrendered,
giving him her soul as he rocked her in his arms. Remington rolled
onto his back, holding her on his chest as she quivered and trembled,
her teeth chattering, caught up in a protracted climax.
“Remy, Remy . . . I missed . . .
you so much . . . so much.”
“Not half as much as I missed you,
darling.”
Laura looked into Remington’s languid
blue eyes and knew they weren’t finished at all.
“Remy, we don’t do separation
well, do we?”
“Not at all, love.
Not at all.”
Remington kissed Laura upon her forehead
and her temples and then their open mouths met and they gave themselves
to the kiss, drinking it deeply as their passions surged powerfully
again.
“I thirst for you, Laura, so much,”
Remington murmured, his lips searching for hers again, finding
them and seeking to quench his desire to taste of the inside of
her mouth.
They took their time reaching for the
summit, savoring every moment of their connection.
Laura fluttered and shook as Remington made love to her,
whispering to her his deepest sensual thoughts, wooing her to
fever pitch, and, in the process loosening her tongue to say things
that she normally kept in the deepest recesses of her heart.
“Remy!” Help me, Remy!”
Laura moaned, losing control as powerful contractions seized and
gripped her pelvis. She nipped Remington again and again near
his collarbone, sending him into an orbit of pleasure mingled
with pain that literally blinded him momentarily.
“Dear God!” Remington cried
out in rapture, then lapsed into incoherence, babbling helplessly,
gripping her hips tightly as he gave her his essence in thrust
after powerful upward thrust.
Laura lay upon him but she felt as if
she were in a free fall of rapture, her capitulation complete.
“Laura, Laura, I . . . love you
. . . so,” Remington whispered as they sank into the afterglow.
“I’ve ached so . . . for you. Thank you for coming
to me . . . today.”
“Umm, me too.”
Laura was dazed and Remington cherished her in his arms,
kissing her tenderly again and again, as their passions gradually
ebbed and they fell into a deep sated sleep.
It was late afternoon when Remington
awakened with Laura still on his breast, her thick chestnut hair
strewn over his chest. When he adjusted his position,
she stirred and murmured his name and clung to him.
Remington lay watching her till she finally stirred again
and looked into his eyes.
“Been awake long?’
“Not long, but long enough to enjoy
lookin’ at my woman in my bed,” he said rakishly.
Laura shivered. “It’s cold.
You didn’t even give me time to find a nightgown to put on.”
“English houses in February,”
Remington said simply. “And
I’m glad you gave me the pleasure of sleepin’ au
naturel with me this afternoon, lass.
You’ll find your long cotton nightgown soon enough.”
His nostrils flared as he remembered the earlier moments they
had shared.
“Are you satisfied, Remy?”
Laura asked him smoothing his hair with her hand.
“For the time being.”
Laura stretched like a cat and threw
back the covers as Remington stared at her transfixed.
“I’m glad I came.”
Remington nodded his agreement and took
her hand and kissed it on the inside, inhaling the scent of her
skin.
“I’d better see about the children.”
“That is why we have Esperanza along
on this trip, darling. I am sure that she has matters well in
hand. Just lie here with me for
a while longer. Then
we can shower together and get dressed to go down to see the family.”
“And you want to?”
“I want to look at you for just
a wee while longer, love.
I’ve missed the sight of you in the worst way.”
Laura propped herself up on the pillows
and basked in the heat of Remington’s stare in spite of the
slight chill in the room. When she shivered, Remington
moved close to her and drew the down-filled silk covers up around
them both, cocooning with her, cuddling, nuzzling nose to nose
and stealing tender kisses all the while.
“Do you know that the girls came
into our room that last night before you left?”
“When we were?”
“Yes, when we were in the throes
of . . . um . . . ”
“Ecstasy.
My God! I hope
they weren’t too shocked.
It becomes very difficult as the young ones grow up . .
. to keep this part of our life from them.”
“It seems that we were quite a picture
. . . complete with sound effects.
They said that they shut the door immediately, but the
‘snapshot’ had already been taken.”
“Good Lord! They saw me on you like
that. I was . . .”
“Your backside was in full view
I believe. They mentioned that the
covers were thrown back and that you were very . . . active.”
“I hope that we have not damaged
them for life, darling. Knowing
that we have sex and seeing us have sex are two entirely different
things. What did you say?”
“I answered their questions? It was all that I could
do. I hope that they understood
that we were simply loving one another.”
“Then we must view it as a part
of their education.”
“Yes, I explained it along those
lines. I told them how wonderful
it is to give yourself to the man that you love, how carried away
you can be in that moment.”
“Let your man carry you away again
now, lassie,” Remington whispered as he drew Laura closer
and she melted in his arms again.
* * * * * *
It was time for supper when Remington
and Laura finally made their appearance to the rest of the family.
Esperanza had brought the twins down after their nap and they
were exhibiting normal toddler curiosity as they explored the
parlor of the Chalmers home.
“You look lovely, my dear,”
David Chalmers said as he embraced Laura warmly.
“Cherie, we are so happy you are
here. Your poor husband has been
so, so . . . <i>triste,</i> needing you,”
Jacqueline said, kissing Laura on both cheeks and hugging her.
David Chalmers smiled knowingly at his
nephew. He saw the evident relief
in him after entertaining his wife for the afternoon.
Yes, Remington fairly exuded masculinity as he stood with
his arm around his beautiful wife’s waist, his blue eyes
focusing upon her and her alone.
They went in to have dinner together,
a happy occasion, but somewhat muted because of their awareness
of Chlöe’s health situation. The food was excellent
. . . a succulent roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, lightened
with fresh steamed baby carrots and whole string beans prepared
by the Chalmers Welsh cook, Sandra. Sandra was a portly woman
with a no-nonsense approach to English cuisine, plus a knowledge
of French cuisine that pleased Jacqueline as well.
Laura ate heartily, nearly as heartily
as Remington.
“She has to eat for three,”
Remington explained when Laura realized that she was practically
inhaling her food. “She has a great appetite
. . . a great appetite.”
After dinner they all went up to Chlöe’s
room to visit with her. She
was elated to see Laura and the toddler twin boys, insisting that
Remington put them up on Chlöe’s bed so that they could
get acquainted with her.
“Children . . . are such a beautiful
gift. Look at these little boys. Remington, I am so proud
of you and your lovely Laura.”
She cupped Reade’s chubby cheeks
in her now frail hands and kissed him.
“You are still nursing them, Laura?”
“Yes, mornings and evenings. I think I will nurse them
now so that Esperanza can put them to bed and try to get them
on schedule for this time zone.”
Remington brought Rhett to Laura and
he eagerly took her breast as Laura rocked him in her arms.
David sat with his arm around Jacqueline on the Georgian
sofa in Chlöe’s bedroom and Remington poured port for
his uncle and aunt and for himself and settled into an nearby
reclining chair with his drink.
“I hope that you and Remington will
find my boy for me, Laura. I missed so much . . . what you have
now, nursing your son at your breast.”
Chlöe’s eyes filled with tears as she embraced
Reade in her arms and kissed the top of his head.
“We’re going to find your boy,
Aunt Chlöe. You have excellent information here, good leads.
We will not come back empty-handed,” Remington said resolutely.
“I think that we should start out
by going to the convent where you gave birth to him,” Laura
said gently. “They know who adopted
your son.”
“They swore to never reveal the
details to either party,” Chlöe said. “The only
one who could receive that information was to be my son, himself.”
“Yes, but that was a long time ago.
These days more and more adopted persons are searching for their
birth mother. We have the letter your son sent you to use as leverage
as well,” Laura said.
“Actually this convent is not far
from our place in Les-Baux-de-Provence. We could start out there,”
Remington said as he scanned a map.
“I’ll call Annette Presendieu
and tell her that we are coming . . . or perhaps it would be better
if you can call her,” Laura said, remembering her lack of
proficiency in the French language.
* * * * * *
The next morning Remington and Laura
left for
“What are you thinking, darling?”
Laura asked when they were finally settled into their flight.
Remington sat with his eyes closed, the
corners of his mouth turned just slightly upwards, as if he were
having a particularly enjoyable daydream.
His blue eyes opened wide in response to her query, and
there was no further question in Laura’s mind as to where
his mind was.
Remington took Laura’s hand in his,
brought it to his lips, kissed it, and then caught it to his chest.
Laura felt his heart beating.
“Laura, it’s all about us .
. . you and me . . . what we have together . . . our passion,
our children.”
Laura nodded. There was no need for further
words at this point.
* * * * * *
It
was late in the afternoon by the time they arrived at L’Orchidée
Noir. The twins were fretful
and tired of being confined for so long. Laura was thankful that
Esperanza was with them when they began to try to settle them
down after they had explored the second new environment within
just three days.
They were all happy to enjoy the excellent
meal that Annette Présentdieu had prepared, and to sample
the latest vintage of the estate caves. Laura, Esperanza, and
the little ones were still feeling the effects of jet lag and
went to bed early.
Remington took the visit as an opportunity
to spend some time checking the ledgers on the villa’s wine
production and the receipts from guests.
The place was making a consistent profit . . . even though
Édouard Présendieu spent much of his time in
Laura found Remington some hours later,
surrounded by ledgers in the study, shirt sleeves turned back
to reveal the dark silky hair on his forearms and hands.
“Wow, and I thought you hated paperwork!”
Laura teased.
She looked around the small comfortable
study. There was a French Provincial settee covered with red toile
fabric and stacked with pillows on the wall opposite the desk
and there were bookshelves lining a third wall.
“Darling, it’s the least I
can do. After all, this place is going to pay for college for
all Daniel’s grandchildren.”
“This is a lovely little room, isn’t
it?”
“Yes, it is,” Remington said,
glancing around the study and then fixing his gaze on Laura.
She was wearing a new rich brown silk robe, her hair down
on her shoulders. “But
you are the most beautiful thing gracing this room tonight.
Come here, please.”
Laura approached the desk and sat on
the corner of it, but Remington drew Laura down onto his lap.
“Now what have you been doing with
yourself, Mrs. Steele?”
Laura traced across his brow and down
his cheekbone with her index finger, ending finally with his finely
shaped lips. As Remington’s hands slipped around to cup her
firm hips with his hands, he inhaled the scent of <iJe Reviens/i>
from her bosom and the crisp silk of her robe rustled against
her skin, adding an auditory and olfactory aspect to the intense
visual stimulation assaulting his senses.
“I have been thinking about you,
love. This place makes me feel so . . . in the mood, Remy.”
Remington dropped his arms and sat back
in the desk chair to let Laura have her way with him.
He especially enjoyed those times when Laura took the initiative
with him.
“Take what you want, lassie. You
know that I am at your service,” he said as Laura unfastened
the blue and white striped cotton shirt he wore so that she could
touch his bare chest with both her hands.
Laura’s robe began to slip from
her shoulders, revealing her freckled flesh to his sight. Remington
gasped, his face flushing deeply, as the pressure in his loins
escalated sharply.
“Babe, I hope you have locked the
door. I wouldn’t want to shock Annette or Lucien.”
“It’s done, Remy.”
“Good.
I couldn’t bear for you to . . . don’t leave
me for a moment like this, darling.”
Laura knelt in front of him, removed
his shoes, helped him loosen and slip off the soft tan corduroy
trousers he was wearing right along with his silk shorts.
When Laura began to address his need
directly, Remington’s eyes first glazed over and then rolled
backward into his head. He saw stars as spasms jerked his pelvis
uncontrollably.
“Laura!” Remington gasped.
“Laura . . . woman!”
She climbed onto him, straddling him,
kissing his open mouth again and again as their flesh joined.
It was perfect between them
and it went on and on at full tilt when suddenly they were both
caught up in powerful contractions that propelled them from the
chair down onto the carpeted floor behind the desk.
“Lord! Dear Lord!” Remington
cried between clenched teeth.
Laura clung to him, trembling, surrendering
the initiative to him as he held her fast.
“Remy.
Help me,” she begged. “I need you so.”
Remington picked her up in his arms in no nonsense fashion, his blue eyes blazing. He knew how to take care of her. He carried her over to the settee, and got on top of her there.
“Is this what you need, lassie?”
“Yes, yes!” Laura saw stars as the power of his thrusts took her breath away.
It was quite a while before Remington and Laura were able to leave the study to go up to their bedroom.
“I would love to carry you up these
stairs, darling, but my legs are so weak from lovemakin’
that I fear I would not make it to the top.”
“Save your strength, darling. I’m not finished with
you yet,” Laura whispered.
“Umm . . .” Remington growled,
winking down at her as they paused before going up the stairs
arm in arm.
* * * * * *
The
next morning Remington and Laura got Lucien Présendieu’s
aging Peugeot coupe from the garage and, armed with a map, headed
for the convent where Chlöe had given birth nearly fifty
years before. It was
just on the outskirts of
As Remington tooled along the route toward
“You’re remembering, aren’t
you, Laura?”
“Yes, I am.
It was a special time. We conceived Michael here in France
. . . our first son.”
“Yes.” No more words were needed
just then.
When they arrived in
“Well, convents have changed a bit
haven’t they?” Laura said, as she observed the nuns
going about with their modernized dress.
“Yes. I’m sure this was a different
place fifty years ago when Chlöe sought refuge here.”
A nun modestly dressed in a street-length
grey habit came and led them into the office of the Mother Superior
and left them there.
“May I be of service?” The
voice belonged to an elderly woman who walked with some difficulty
to her place behind the desk and seated herself.
“I am Sister Maria Therese.” Her English was
clear but with a heavy French accent.
“My name is Remington Steele and
this is my wife, Laura. We are here seeking information about
my cousin actually. He was born here fifty years ago . . . to
my aunt. She was unmarried,
from
“And now you wish to find your long
lost relative?” The nun smiled.
“My aunt, who is terminally ill,
received a letter from him twenty-five years ago.
She did not answer that letter, much to her regret, and
now we seek to right that wrong.
Here is the letter that she received from her . . . son.”
The nun took the letter from Remington
and read it carefully.
“I know this young man. He was one
of first to demand to know the name of his birth mother. There
was a time . . .”
“I realize that there was a time
when you did not disclose this information.”
“Sergio has sent yearly donation
here ever since we gave him name of his mother. He
is fine man. Excuse
me, please.”
Sister Maria Therese turned her chair
to face a file cabinet behind her desk, opened one of the drawers
and took a worn file folder from it.
“This is all of file of Sergio Chalmers,
Mr. Steele. You make
copies on machine in outer office and return file to Sister Anna
there. I hope your
search will be rewarded.”
Remington and Laura, realizing that they
were being dismissed, rose and thanked the elderly woman.
When they were back in the car, they
shook their heads in amazement.
“I think that the sister is a woman
of few words.”
“Perhaps just a bit more talkative
that the monks of St. Costello, eh?” Remington said, reminding
Laura of their case during the early days.
“Well, we have all the information
here. Birth certificate, records
of Chlöe Chalmers, photocopies of checks from Sergio Montepoli
going back twenty-five years. There is an address on
the checks. He’s in
“Then I suggest we have a lunch
of the excellent bouillabaisse to be found in
Laura and Remington sat in the open air
at one of the <ibouchons/i> on the main thoroughfare
and enjoyed the hearty cuisine.
“It is just as good as I remember,”
Laura said.
“I wish that we had the time to
spend the afternoon at the <iResidence de Vieux./i> I think that was when you
acquainted me with ‘Lorelie’ for the first time.
An unforgettable experience, darling. You were ovulating
and you conceived.”
Remington winked at Laura and she felt
her cheeks flush.
“You still blush before me, love,
after all these years?”
“Yes, you still make me blush. I
never cease to be amazed at how it is with us, how much we need
each other. But then, when you speak
of it . . . I find myself suddenly shy.”
“I pray you never get bored with
all of it . . . me onto you all the time, never seeming to get
enough.”
“My mother had a friend when I was
growing up<i—/i>Mrs. Kovacs up the street three doors
from us. She was very
plain, even homely, but her husband came home for lunch every
day from the hardware store where he worked. One day I overheard my
mother talking about them on the phone with her sister.
She said that he came home for sex everyday at
“Did you want more than that?”
Remington knew the answer to that question, but he wanted to hear
her say it.
“Yes, I did.
But he already thought that I was wild and crazy. I didn’t dare tell
him. He would have thought I
was some sort of nymphomaniac.”
“
“Well, I didn’t know that there
were men like you, did I?”
“You forgot about Mr. Kovacs, eh?”
“You would give Mr. Kovacs a run
for his money, love.”
Remington caught her hand in his and
kissed it, slowing the Peugeot so that he could take the next
right turn.
“Where are you going? The route
is straight ahead.”
“To attend to my duties, darling.
We should not miss our opportunity in this beautiful locale.”
“You don’t even know where
we are, Rem.”
“We are in the countryside in the
south of
Remington turned the car into the next
road which was an even narrower two lane road overhung with trees
on either side. A sign indicated there was no outlet.
At the end of the road there was an abandoned barn.
“Well, this seems to be a good spot,
don’t you think?”
“Remy,” Laura tried to protest,
but the look in his eyes told her that it would be useless, and
she felt her flesh already preparing for him.
“I dare say there is more room in
this old Peugeot than in the
“Yes, I think so.”
Remington reached for her hand and, turning
it so that he could inhale the scent of it, kissed it again, and
then leaned over to kiss her cheek and then her lips as he found
the release that allowed her seat to recline completely. Remington
deftly unfastened her blouse and released her bra, kissing her
bosom as her skirt slipped above her thighs.
“Suppose someone comes along.”
“No
one will come through here.
Help me with my trousers, love.”
“You
are so . . . skilled . . . at this sort of thing,” Laura
murmured as he arranged himself over her in the narrow seat.
“Never
a dull moment, that’s my motto. I could not bear the thought
of your becoming bored with our sex life.”
“Remy! I . . . I . . .”
Remington positioned himself between
her thighs.
“I love you, woman.
Don’t you know how much I love you?”
“Yes, darling! Yes!”
Remington kissed her again and again,
first tenderly and then with increasing urgency till all else
was forgotten and Laura took him deep inside her and they made
love in earnest in the shaded glen.
Suddenly they felt something pushing
against the car.
“Remy, what’s that?”
“Umm, Laura,” Remington was
lost in the moment.
“Remy, please, something’s
pushing the car.”
Then there was a loud “moo”
that did penetrate Remington’s senses and he lifted his head
to meet the placid gaze of a huge white Charolais cow.
<i‘‘Viens,
viens,”/i>
a masculine voice boomed to his charges. <i“Excusez-moi,
monsieur,”/i> he sang out cheerfully in
retreat.
Remington and Laura began to laugh uncontrollably
as the voice of the cowherd and the sound of the cowbells receded
into the distance.
“You should have seen the expression
on your face when you saw that cow.” Laura continued to laugh.
“Well, it wasn’t your arse
that was exposed for the world to see.”
“You take a chance when you make
love to your wife in the broad open daylight,” Laura teased.
“But you have such a lovely bum.”
Laura patted him on his bare bottom and
pinched him playfully.
“I hope that means you haven’t
lost the mood, darling,” Remington whispered as his passions
gathered again and he bent to kiss Laura on her cheeks, her throat,
her breasts, wooing her once again. “They’re gone,
love. It’s just us.
Take me back. Take me, please,” he begged.
“Remy, I . . . don’t know. Remy . . . you’re
hopeless. Remy . . . yes,” she sighed, forgetting about everything
except the pleasure of connection as Remington came into her again.
* * * * * *
It was dark when they got back to
When the twins were finished and sleeping
in their arms, Remington eased them into their bed in the adjoining
room and then sat up late in to the night pouring over the material
they had obtained from the Carmelites in
(End of Part A)