The Greener Field

The Eye of the Storm

Meeting Derek in the dining room as planned, Jess and Sarah had once again put their amorous intentions on hold. They settled in for a stormy night and some serious lovemaking back in the guest suite later.  It was true things had been on hold since Jess had come to California on business. And it was just that business Sarah began to seriously wondered about. Her trip to England was now giving her an up-close-and-personal look at one of Jess' wealthy associates and friends.

Derek's eccentricities were even further pronounced over the meal as he explained in great detail how he had hunted and killed the pheasants they were dining on that evening. All the while he kept up with his pastime of watching Sarah—her every move during the meal. The dinner was indeed exquisite, however, with Miss Beverley constantly attending to their needs and bringing in the several courses on a silver tray.

There was something very vintage British-rock-star about Derek's homely looks—his shoulder-length hair and his ex-druggie hard and pale complexion. Jess was very conversant with him, bringing up stories of their association which went back years and involved locales like Columbia and several places in the Caribbean. At several times during dinner, George, the groundskeeper entered the high-ceilinged dining room to tend to the fireplace in the adjacent wall. The last time he did this, he also closed the outer window shutters as they had become noisily distracting, banging away in the fierce winds outside.

Sarah was just relieved that the conversation never seemed to move over to her. This was a bit surprising as Jess did not dote on her to Derek, as she expected he might over dinner. Looking up at the wainscoted ceiling, she flashed back to the few times she had been dragged to the UK with her parents to attend the Ascot races with friends from Fairbanks Ranch in San Diego. For some reason the high, wooden painted ceilings of the hotels there, where she was invariably held captive with her nanny, all came back to her in Derek's 19th century estate house. Though the meal was delicious and the heady wine was offered to her abundantly, she still felt uncomfortable in the manor—not unlike she did upon first entering the house.

Soon it was time for desert and the uniformed housekeeper brought out an array of puddings and fruitcakes soaked in rum. This was followed by a lemon aperitif, which both Jess and Derek insisted to the point of an argument that Sarah imbibe a glass of .

Derek eventually wound down his stories of horses and hunting and rang the hand bell which had been visible all evening next to him on the table. With this sound, George reappeared instantly.

"Now George . . . as we all prepare to retire for the evening, please go up and make sure there's a roaring fire in our guest's bedroom. The storm will certainly rage throughout the night."

Sarah was just grateful this signaled an end to a very long day and a meal she did not entirely feel a part of as the two men seemed never to cease in their reminiscing. She also was beginning to feel strangely relaxed and a little giddy—perhaps from a mixture of the wine and sweet aperitif. Within only a few more minutes she was feeling warm and had an unfamiliar restlessness for being as tired as she was.

It was not long after this that Derek stood up from his seat at the table and thanked his guests for an enjoyable day and evening. Jess and Sarah, followed suit and as she stood up and navigated across the floor with some difficulty she felt Jess's arm around her and his soft voice comforting her that they would soon be up in their room.

Entering the warm suite with the amber lights low, Sarah felt finally emancipated from her host and she let Jess give her a warm kiss and embrace as they stood before the glowing fireplace. Her body seemed so sensitive to his touch. Just behind them was the king sized bed and she knew it would only be a few steps away that they would be making love as a precursor to restful sleep. It seemed somewhat strange as she looked in the mirror beside her and noticed she was already half undressed. Was it he that removed blouse and bra or was it she while waiting for him to close the shutters of the bay window. Her head was still spinning from the alcohol and she felt a tremendous desire to just lay naked and let Jess do as he would with her. As she watched him open the window briefly to secure the shutters against the storm, Sarah just allowed herself to fall back on the bed and soon she felt Jess near her removing the rest of her clothing while he himself got naked.