Captain of Her Heart

Alisa put the last of my things into her drawers and shut them with a snap of finality. She turned and looked at me, folding her arms across her chest. "That's where they stay."

"Yes, ma'am." I snapped to attention and saluted, bringing a smile to her face.

"You promise?"

I walked up to her, really looking at her for the first time. As I looked at her, I hoped that she was seeing the real me: a 5' 11" girl with dark brown eyes and silky short brown hair, B cups and slender hips. That was what I looked like on the outside but I hoped that she could see what I looked like on the inside as well, that she could see my heart and my love. She wanted me to make love to her and I was going to make sure that she knew she was loved. She blinked several times as tears pricked her eyes and I kissed her cheeks softly, letting my lips linger against her moist skin.

"I promise, Alisa." My lips touched hers and we kissed again. "With all my heart."

She moved close, seeking solace from me that I usually found in her. "I'm scared, Tawnya. I've never been in love before."

"Neither have I." I moved her back to the bed, letting my hands roam over her back, memorizing every inch. "But we'll do it together, right?"

Alisa's mouth covered mine and we fell onto the bed, fighting to control the kiss, suddenly, passionately, desperately trying to wrest the power from each other. She moaned beneath me and I released her mouth with a

smack

, glaring into her eyes.

"Right?"

"Right." And then as suddenly as it began, the struggle was over and she was lying beneath me, every inch pressed to me and her mouth opening under mine. I took over the role, grinding her into the sheets and rolling her nipples between my fingers. I got up, leaving her with wet lips and a pussy that ached for my touch. "Where are you going?"

"We have to get up early, remember? We have a flight in the morning."

"I know that but where are you going?"

"To the spare room." I knelt on the side of the bed, hovering over her and drawn to the perfect softness of her mouth. "I promised that I'd make love to you and I intend to carry out that promise to the letter."

"So come here."

"No." I moved out of her range so that her hands swept through air when she reached for me. "I will tell you when I'm ready. Not before."

Alisa sat up on the bed, staring at me as I headed for the door. "You're not … leaving, are you?"

"No, baby. I'll be right across the hall." I grinned at her, laughing when she flung herself into my arms. "I get it, Alisa." I whispered softly. "I finally get it."

We held each other, almost slow dancing for several minutes but we had reached an understanding that had moved past mere words. I had just made a commitment to her that transcended everything. She kissed me good night and I went to bed in the other room, falling into a dreamless sleep in which Alisa held me in her arms and kept me close.

*****

"This is absurd!" Annabelle Martins's shout could be heard outside the courtroom and echoed inside the spacious chamber as the doors crashed opened. Accompanied by her lawyer, she and Ryan came into court, cursing as they approached the judge's bench. She looked over and saw me, sitting at the plaintiff's table and screeched. "What the hell is she doing here?"

"Miss Martins, have a seat."

"My name is Annabelle

Simonsen

." She smiled, looking over at me. "My

married

name."

"But you are identified as Annabelle Martins in your formal identification papers so that is what you shall be referred to in this court." Judge Andrews barked, opening a manila folder and flipping through some papers. "Mr. Hilldale?"

My lawyer stood and offered the evidence that we had: the real will and other documents that had my father's signatures on them for Andrews to use for verification purposes. Annabelle snorted and complained but there was nothing that she could do. The new will that she'd presented was invalidated and the bank accounts were ordered frozen and transferred to me. His order included the CDs and various other financial documents and items that had been left to me. John Eddies was there from the bank with his own documents and everything was handled quickly.

The house was next and my lawyer accepted two sets of keys from both Annabelle and Ryan and made a great presentation of returning them to me. My stepmother's face grew red with anger and she sputtered curses to her lawyer who just shrugged. When my lawyer presented video from the storage place that showed her clubbing me while Ryan pulled me inside the room, the bailiffs moved forward and handcuffed her on fraud and assault charges. Ryan was next, led from the courtroom on charges of assault and finally, there was silence.

I wanted to share the victory with Alisa but she'd been called in to take a pair of flights to Atlanta and back and wouldn't be home until six. "So, what are you going to do now?"

I smiled at John. "If you can give me a loan, I'll head home and make this a fairy tale ending."

He put his arm around my shoulder with a grin. "How much do you need?"