I was worried about how vulnerable I’d felt earlier. I was agitated by the energy of the building, and yet so desperate to feel his touch. In the end, I decided to say nothing. Instead, I stood up on my top toes and kissed him gently on the lips.
“Thank you,” I whispered, bringing my lips back for a second kiss.
This time though, he was ready and kissed me back passionately.
We were combustible elements, alone in a 140-year-old castle with nothing but a bottle of Côtes du Rhône and some lit candles for company. Once we began kissing, neither of us wanted to break the connection, sinking onto the floor where we had been standing. My doubts quickly disappeared, replaced instead by unbridled lust.
William had managed to quickly remove my jacket and t-shirt, leaving only my bra covering my upper body. The cold air hit me and caused me to shudder. He ran his kisses down my neck and across my collarbone. He used his fingers to explore, eventually arriving at my breast and moving aside the lace of my bra. We both gasped as his fingers made contact with my nipple. The differences in temperature made the experience both excruciating and delicious. I was overheated, and William’s mouth and the air around us were cool as he explored my body. The sting of the cold was both unbearable and pleasurable. I shivered and moaned, bucked and arched. I felt inconsolable and insatiable. Our kisses were long, luxurious affairs. Cradled in his arms, my body felt strangely like one of his guitars, being played fret-by-fret, note-by-note, transformed into a beautiful song.
Somehow we’d managed to overcome the awkwardness of the evening and recover our connection to one another. I should have been content to stay that way for a long while, but for some reason a practical thought popped into my head. I hadn’t told William of my work with the Council. As much as I wanted this to turn into something more, I didn’t want to get too much farther in our entanglements without telling him. I had a nagging feeling that he would want to know. With regret, I broke our kiss and placed my hand between us. William looked down at my hand and smiled.
“Am I going to fast for you this time?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, but I think I need to tell you something before we get more, um, involved—it was the only euphemism I could think of at that moment. We separated and I grabbed my shirt, suddenly chilled by his absence.
“OK,” he said, cautiously. “You have my attention.”
“Do you remember when you told me that Elsa’s arrival was unusual, and that it probably meant I was about to do something important?” He nodded, an inscrutable look set on his face.
“You were right. She introduced me to an organization called the Council. Do you know it?”
William nodded, his face registering a hint of surprise. “I do, but finish your story first.”
“Not long after I started training with her, Elsa introduced me to Gabriel Laurent, the current director. He told me that it was rare for a human to have such acute skills and offered me a job. I told you I’m running a political campaign, but I didn’t tell you that it was Gabriel who helped me get the job.” His silence caused me to ramble on a bit. “Anyway, it seemed important to tell you about my connection. You say you know about them? I don’t know much about how life works for Others. Is the Council something everyone knows about?”
“You must be the first human to ever work for the Council, or at the very least, one of the few ever asked,” he said. “Congratulations, Olivia. It’s quite an honor.”
It didn’t sound as if he was thrilled. “Why don’t you like the Council?”
William did not reply immediately; he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “I suppose we could offer each other the same apology,” he said. “I also once worked for the Council.”
“Once, as in past tense,” I said. “You don’t now?”
“I haven’t been in contact for some time,” he said. “It never occurred to me that Elsa would lead you to them. I didn’t see that connection coming. It’s funny, I didn’t think that part of my past would come up for some time.”
“And now?” I asked, sensing that he was holding something back.
“Now, I suppose I should tell you a little bit more about myself,” he said. “But first,