not even tarnish the shine on their relationship.
In the afternoon, Jane had taken her next door to meet Maggie and her ‘Bonded’, Travis. Maggie was an artist, and she had dreamed of the much younger Travis all her life. It wasn’t until the technicians had uncovered a replica of New Atlantis three hundred years in the past, and Maggie had been sent back to investigate, that she discovered that, while she had been dreaming of Travis, he had been dreaming of her. People said they had a ‘shared soul’, whatever that was.
Her first sight of Travis was a shock. She had never seen a black man, except as a slave to some of the ton in London. And he was as black as polished ebony, and probably the most exquisitely handsome man she had ever seen. Every plane of his face and bald head was perfection. And his beautifully shaped lips were almost feminine. But his muscular body left no doubt that he was all male. It was quite a shock when he spoke. His deep, baritone voice was accented with a Scottish brogue.
Maggie had shown her into her studio where there was a mural in progress. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. If she had any doubt that she was in some future world, then just staring at the three dimensional images that danced on the canvas as almost living beings, removed that doubt. And when Travis showed her his first experiments in ‘orchestrated colour’, a mix of colour and dance he created in the space around him, she was awestruck.
As Jane prattled on happily as they return to their villa, Liv kept seeing the man’s near naked body undulating in graceful, but truly erotic ways, as the coloured air wrapped itself around him. It woke her newly uncovered sexuality, and made her want Rene in her arms, moving against her, as that man had moved through the air, and caressed the waves of colour. Although Travis was probably more handsome than her Rene, he was far less sexually attractive to her. Only Rene made her yearn for his touch.
By the time the sun set behind the island’s mountain peak, the frenzied activity had abated. Everything was ready for the morning ceremony and wedding breakfast to follow. After that, Jane would be going home with Julio, and Liv and Rene would have the villa to themselves. They would have their honeymoon there, and the following week, Rene would resume his work, with Liv assisting as she could.
‘Nervous?’ Jane asked as she sat down at her side on the overstuffed sofa in the ‘living room’. Classical music was playing on the entertainment system, a phenomenon that she was still slightly in awe of. The lights were dimmed, and two candles sat glowing on the ‘coffee table’ in front of them. Rene was elsewhere in the house, ‘checking data’ on his ‘Tablet’.
‘Yes, very. But excited, too. Jane… could I ask you a personal question?’
‘Sure. What is it?’
‘It is about your ummm intimate relationship with Julio. Did it… um…. hurt when he entered, when he consummated the union the first time?’ Her face was on fire, she could feel it. But no amount of embarrassment was going to stop her asking this vital question. Her sisters had told her it hurt. Some of them said it always hurt a little. Augusta said it only hurt the first time, and after that it was nice – somewhat pleasurable. She wasn’t sure which would prove to be the truth for her. Her ignorance of such significant matters was deeply disturbing.
‘It hurts a little the first time, but the pleasure makes you forget the pain pretty quickly. The important thing to remember is that you take it at your own pace. Don’t try to go faster than you are ready for. Rene won’t try to force you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. He will take his time. Forget any talk you’ve heard about sex being dirty or sinful or bad. Nothing you and Rene do together, that gives you both pleasure, is wrong. Just trust your body. We are animals, after all, and sex is instinctual. Let your instincts guide you… I knew the theory – I’d studied sex education at school. But the reality was nothing like what I expected. It was much, much better. Rene loves you more than life. Trust him.’
‘Do you think we are doing the right thing? We have known each other for such