Editor's Note: this submission contains blood and bloodplay content.
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Lenora dropped the wilted rose, open card, her purse and keys on the kitchen table as she passed. Her mind set on a momentary singular purpose; the wine bottle next to the kitchen sink. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Yeah, he was going to be a little riled, but she purposely put herself in this position. She needed to prove a point to him, or was it herself? Now there's a thought. No, she didn't want to look too closely into those dark corners. She pulled a wine glass out of a cabinet and poured herself a generous serving of cabernet. The evening sun cast elongated shadows throughout the room as it shone through the window. She held the glass up in the light and regarded the dark red liquid, it could almost be blood.
Her heels clicked on the wooden floor of the den as she went from the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs where she stopped. Taking a sip of wine, she looked up to see light spilling from the partially open bedroom door. Yep, he's waiting and she's purposely dawdling, needling him. The rose and card were sitting on her desk when she returned from lunch earlier today. The card simply stated that he was going home early, and the tacit implication was that he had expected her home as soon as she was done at work. But she had had earlier plans, and had gone ahead with them disregarding his innuendo. Needling him. She swallowed another sip of wine and then eyed the contents of the glass again and laughed silently, this will needle the teetotaler even more.
She mounted the stairs and climbed, stopping just outside the bedroom door. Why did she do this to him? To her? To them? Why? She took another deep breath. Because to her immortal shame, it made her pussy wet. She stared down for a moment to the triangle of light spilling out of the of the partially open door, not comprehending the fission of fear that snaked down her spine coupled with the intense state of arousal that she experienced by merely thinking of her husband. With resolve, she squared her shoulders, pushed the door open, and strode into the room.
Heels clicking as she crossed the wooden floor, she passed the bed and stopped at the window that faced west. Her intention was to look out at the setting sun rather than his face, but lost that advantage when he spoke.
"You're late."
The head of the bed was pushed up against the same wall as the door, which required her to turn her head and look over her shoulder to see him. Oh God, the sight of him took her breath away; he was so beautiful. He had changed into blue jeans and a burgundy tee shirt, out of the business suit that was his usual work attire. His long, straight black hair had been taken out of the cue that he normally wore; it fanned out, falling to just past his shoulders. The five o'clock shadow served to enhance the dangerous air that he normally projected. There was a half inch scar that barely missed the corner of his left eye, acquired during a childhood scuffle with one of his brothers. It shone, this evening, in stark white contrast to the normal olive tone of his skin - a definite indication of his miffed mood. If that wasn't enough evidence, the flare of his nostrils and tic in the jawline truly revealed that he was indeed irritated with her tardiness. "I worked late and then went out for a drink with Lexie and Susan." Her next thought was that she had perhaps pushed this a little too far and should have dialed down the rebellion a bit by, oh maybe, not having gone out for a drink with friends after work. She winced inside and then mentally shrugged, too late now.
He had been reclining on pillows, but had sat up when she entered the room. He narrowed his gray eyes and rested his gaze on her shoes. Snapping the book on his lap shut and setting it aside, he asked incredulously, in a low tone, "you wore 'fuck me' shoes to a bar?"
She curled her wine glass up to her chest and then looked down, regarding the four-inch black heels, turning an ankle one way and then another. She shrugged and toed a shoe off flinging it toward the closet with her foot, repeating the motion for the opposite side. Ah, relief. Those things hurt like hell.
"So, what kept you at work."
"A freshman asking for assistance with reference material for his term paper." She took a sip of wine. "Psychology. He came back a couple of times."
He emitted a sound from deep in his throat that resembled a growl. "Since when do librarians dress like that?"
"Like what?" she queried.
"I don't recall librarians dressing like that when I was in college."
She turned to face him, beetling her brows. "I don't know what you are talking about," she said, indicating her simple skirt and button-down blouse. She took another sip of wine. "The skirt is a modest length. Sheesh, the hem falls mid-knee."
"Turn around," he commanded. As she complied, he indicated the liberal slit up the back of the pencil skirt that hugged her curves. "From here I have an ample view of the pillars to the goddess's temple."
She spun around. "Evren, that is so cheesy!"
He recoiled in mock indignation. "What? Are you disparaging my religion?" Her response was an exaggerated eye roll, which caused him to narrow his eyes. "Alright it's cheesy," he relented, "but that doesn't change the fact that as we speak, there is an eighteen-year-old freshman alone in his dorm room playing five-on-one while fanaticizing about my wife's ass. I consider that worshipping at my private temple."