Love and Murder on Rocky Neck

There had been nothing shy or timid about Christian's demeanor. Nora had just come downstairs after taking a hot shower. It was about 10:00 p.m., and she had been wearing a freshly washed white cotton robe, the belt tied loosely around her waist. She had gone into the kitchen to get a glass of wine, and as she walked through the doorway, she was immediately startled to see Christian standing over a cutting board he had placed on the kitchen table. On it were two lemons and two limes. He pretended to concentrate on cutting the fruit as Nora admired his lustrous, tan body. He was unannounced, unexpected, and practically naked. "Do you want lemon or lime with your martini?" Nora was frozen, as if she were in a dream. She stood motionless, quietly observing him in his almost-nude glory. He had pulled off his navy short-sleeve Ralph Lauren polo shirt and had thrown it on the table. He wore only a pair of well-fitting tan shorts, a brown leather belt, and he had taken off his shoes. His perfectly toned washboard stomach gleamed softly in the dim kitchen light. Nora found him incredibly hard to resist. As she approached Christian watched her, waiting for her to get within an inch of him. She finally reached him, and he dropped the knife he had been using and wrapped both of his strong arms around her waist. He leaned close to Nora, kissing her passionately, his tongue playfully teasing hers until she moaned uncontrollably, her pleasure evident. "I've got something for you, Christian whispered. "But first, let's have a drink." Nora knew then that her body and mind would not be her own unless she could somehow resist him. She was being so controlled by Christian's animal magnetism that she couldn't stop herself. They both tried to play it cool, but he was the first to pull away. Nora watched as he strolled to the refrigerator and opened the door to the freezer. He grabbed the bottle of Absolut Vodka, holding it up for Nora to observe. "I see you brought a belated housewarming gift," she teased. "No. That's not what it's for." Nora tried to remain calm, not wanting Christian to know how affected she was by him. He held up two martini glasses. "Hey, where'd you get those?" Nora questioned suspiciously. "I poked around while I was waiting for you to get out of the shower." actly how much poking around he had done. She watched as he expertly poured the vodka into the glasses then squeezed a piece of lemon and lime into each drink before discarding the citrus pieces into the sink. "You suck at cutting fruit." "Yeah, well, I've always had someone else to do it for me." "That's pathetic." Christian stirred the drinks and smiled brightly. He apparently was unaffected by Nora's attempt at an insult. "Yes, but don't you feel bad for me?" "No." Nora grabbed her drink and smiled back. She was nervous when she thought about what might happen tonight. "Did you know that I'm sort of dating Evan?" Christian seemed unaffected. "You can do better." Nora had to admire his confidence. "Really? And who would be better? Would that be you? Is that what you're thinking?" Christian smirked and leaned forward. He kissed Nora softly on the lips then held up his martini. "You tell me." He deliberately waited a moment. "Here's to getting liquored up on smashed fruit martinis. Or . . . Martinis a la Christian." "That's usually my line . . . I mean . . . the a la part." Christian took a deep sip. He searched the pockets of his shorts and pulled out a crumpled pack that contained about a half dozen cigarettes. Newport Lights, Nora noted. "There's no smoking in the house." Nora took a deep gulp of her drink and waited for his reply. "Then let's go outside." The night was starting to cool considerably and it was clear and very dark. Nora pulled out a chair and sat down, and Christian sat down close beside her. As Nora's eyes adjusted, she could see that Christian's head was turned. He seemed to be admiring her. "Sweetheart, you're hot. I've been dying to ask you out." Nora felt as nervous as a schoolgirl out on a first date with a boy she liked. She crossed her arms as the wind started to pick up. "I can see that you're shy, too." Before Nora could think about what she was doing, Christian was out of his chair and pulling Nora up onto the tips of her toes. "I'll warm you up." He held her forcefully and kissed her with the perfect amount of roughness and passion. Nora had wrapped her arms around Christian's neck and continued to return his strong and sensual kisses. "Let's go inside," said Christian. "It's getting cold." "I think you should go." He ignored what Nora had just said. He knew what she wanted. He grabbed their two drinks and headed for the kitchen. As he reached the kitchen table, he put down what was left of them and grabbed Nora's hand. He led her up the stairs. When they got to the top, Christian pressed Nora against the wall and grabbed her hips toward him. Again, he leaned down and started kissing her, this time leaving a soft, wet trail down her velvety, perfectly sculpted neck. "Stop, Christian . . . Stop." Nora was surprised by the agitated tone of her own voice. "Don't you want this? He asked, searching Nora's eyes for confirmation. "I think you do." "I know, but I . . . I can't. I'm sorry. You need to go." Nora felt that she needed to apologize. She hadn't meant it to get this far. She thought about why she was reacting this way. It's not as if Evan's declared his love, she thought. Why was she passing up this opportunity? They could have had a really great time, she had later reminisced. But she had said no. "Could I stay over any way? It's late, and I'm pretty buzzed." Nora thought that it might be worse to have Christian wandering the streets of Rocky Neck at this hour. "Okay. If you promise to behave, I'll even have another drink with you." Nora suddenly felt in control and knew she would be okay. "Cool. I'll go make us another one," Christian replied confidently. Nora was sure that somewhere in the back of his twenty-year-old mind, he had the hope that she would get drunk and succumb to his advances. "I'll come down, replied Nora. The last thing she wanted was for Christian to be spilling their martinis all over her handmade comforter. Nora followed Christian downstairs. She walked into the living room and made her way over to the stereo. She thumbed through her carefully arranged CD's and then chose some music while he made them another drink. Nora knew that she didn't really want one, but that ploy had been one successful way of usually getting men to think about something other than sex. More alcohol. This would somehow lead, the male species always assumed, to sex. Nora sat on the couch and pulled her knees beneath her while she waited for Christian to bring in their cocktails. Her eyes began to close as she heard the first song. She felt herself floating, struggling to fight off the fatigue . . .