Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll Page B
Authors: Jonathan Carroll
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary, Love Stories, Occult fiction, Body; Mind & Spirit, Reincarnation, Shamans, Women artists, Screenwriters, Vienna (Austria)
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cheated on each other too many times."
"That's not so nice, but it's one of the dangers of living today.
Everything is open and easy, and you don't have to put much time in to get all those exciting things our parents told us came only after hard work and a lot of real love. I think our generation is still getting used to the fact that sex has been relegated from the main course to an appetizer on the menu. It's too bad, but it is. We just have to accept that and move on."
"But you said you're interested in me. Doesn't my being divorced make you skeptical about my staying power?"
She walked over and put her hands on my shoulders. "I'm skeptical, I'm scared, I'm excited. You don't get killed one day and then fall for someone
the next. But that's what's happened, isn't it, Walker? What can I do, put on a crash helmet and duck?"
I leaned forward and just barely kissed her lips. She kissed back, but then her body began to tremble all over. Her mouth moved into a smile beneath my own.
"I'm sorry I'm shaking. It's been so long since I did this. It's been so long since I _wanted_ to kiss someone."
I took her full into my arms and stopped the words with a real kiss. Her fingertips pushed on my shoulder blades. I could feel her breasts against my chest. I ran my tongue slowly down the line of her jaw to her throat. She shook harder, flattened both hands against my back. Her throat was soft and warm. When she swallowed, I felt her Adam's apple move beneath my tongue. She smelled of hours-old perfume and a human heat that made me want to shove my hands under her clothes, touch the skin it cooked from. Our kissing became less tender, more bold and wet.
She kept shaking, but it was all one with our moving then, so I ignored it.
I turned her so her back was to me. Kissing ears and hair, I slipped both hands under her sweater and ran them slowly up a slim rib cage to her breasts. She put her hands over mine, not so much to stop as join them on their first, tentative move across her body. Surprisingly, she began to hum.
It got louder the longer I touched her. Then she sang in a quiet, deep voice, "'Now is that gratitude, or is it really love?'"
"Is this passion, or are you giving a concert?"
She turned and faced me, smiling. "Do you know the rock group, Oingo Boingo? That's their song. It's exactly how I feel right now. What you're doing makes me so hot.
Is that because it feels good, or because _you're_
doing it?"
"Both, hopefully." I started pulling her sweater up and off. As soon as it was off and tossed on the floor, the quaking of her body increased. Looking me in the eye, she quickly shrugged off her undershirt. She wore no bra. Her breasts were large and I wanted to kiss them. But bared so quickly, I was suddenly afraid even to touch them. They didn't seem the same ones I'd held in my hands an instant before, when her black sweater and white shirt acted as stern chaperones.
Sitting down on the floor, she untied her shoes and took them off. "Come sit here with me."
As soon as I did, she started unbuttoning her pants. But before she could go further, I pressed her gently back onto the floor. The carpet was dark brown. It lit up her pale skin like a lamp. She smiled at me, put her arms up, and wiggled her fingers.
"Come hug me."
2.
Several hours later, Nicholas Sylvian called.
"Walker, where's Maris?"
Page 25
"Right here, Nicholas. What's the matter?"
"Good. Her asshole boyfriend Luc just called me. Said he knew she was in Vienna and wanted to know how to reach her."
"Christ! What'd you tell him?"
"I told him to fuck a bird. I don't know anything about where she is. Do you?"
"What'd he say to that?" Maris slid closer to me in bed. I turned the receiver so she could hear, too.
"That's the problem. He said he was coming to town tonight to find her.
Called me a shithead, and said if I didn't tell him where she was, he was going to _get_ me!" He laughed. I heard him light a cigarette and blow out
smoke.
"Where
"That's not so nice, but it's one of the dangers of living today.
Everything is open and easy, and you don't have to put much time in to get all those exciting things our parents told us came only after hard work and a lot of real love. I think our generation is still getting used to the fact that sex has been relegated from the main course to an appetizer on the menu. It's too bad, but it is. We just have to accept that and move on."
"But you said you're interested in me. Doesn't my being divorced make you skeptical about my staying power?"
She walked over and put her hands on my shoulders. "I'm skeptical, I'm scared, I'm excited. You don't get killed one day and then fall for someone
the next. But that's what's happened, isn't it, Walker? What can I do, put on a crash helmet and duck?"
I leaned forward and just barely kissed her lips. She kissed back, but then her body began to tremble all over. Her mouth moved into a smile beneath my own.
"I'm sorry I'm shaking. It's been so long since I did this. It's been so long since I _wanted_ to kiss someone."
I took her full into my arms and stopped the words with a real kiss. Her fingertips pushed on my shoulder blades. I could feel her breasts against my chest. I ran my tongue slowly down the line of her jaw to her throat. She shook harder, flattened both hands against my back. Her throat was soft and warm. When she swallowed, I felt her Adam's apple move beneath my tongue. She smelled of hours-old perfume and a human heat that made me want to shove my hands under her clothes, touch the skin it cooked from. Our kissing became less tender, more bold and wet.
She kept shaking, but it was all one with our moving then, so I ignored it.
I turned her so her back was to me. Kissing ears and hair, I slipped both hands under her sweater and ran them slowly up a slim rib cage to her breasts. She put her hands over mine, not so much to stop as join them on their first, tentative move across her body. Surprisingly, she began to hum.
It got louder the longer I touched her. Then she sang in a quiet, deep voice, "'Now is that gratitude, or is it really love?'"
"Is this passion, or are you giving a concert?"
She turned and faced me, smiling. "Do you know the rock group, Oingo Boingo? That's their song. It's exactly how I feel right now. What you're doing makes me so hot.
Is that because it feels good, or because _you're_
doing it?"
"Both, hopefully." I started pulling her sweater up and off. As soon as it was off and tossed on the floor, the quaking of her body increased. Looking me in the eye, she quickly shrugged off her undershirt. She wore no bra. Her breasts were large and I wanted to kiss them. But bared so quickly, I was suddenly afraid even to touch them. They didn't seem the same ones I'd held in my hands an instant before, when her black sweater and white shirt acted as stern chaperones.
Sitting down on the floor, she untied her shoes and took them off. "Come sit here with me."
As soon as I did, she started unbuttoning her pants. But before she could go further, I pressed her gently back onto the floor. The carpet was dark brown. It lit up her pale skin like a lamp. She smiled at me, put her arms up, and wiggled her fingers.
"Come hug me."
2.
Several hours later, Nicholas Sylvian called.
"Walker, where's Maris?"
Page 25
"Right here, Nicholas. What's the matter?"
"Good. Her asshole boyfriend Luc just called me. Said he knew she was in Vienna and wanted to know how to reach her."
"Christ! What'd you tell him?"
"I told him to fuck a bird. I don't know anything about where she is. Do you?"
"What'd he say to that?" Maris slid closer to me in bed. I turned the receiver so she could hear, too.
"That's the problem. He said he was coming to town tonight to find her.
Called me a shithead, and said if I didn't tell him where she was, he was going to _get_ me!" He laughed. I heard him light a cigarette and blow out
smoke.
"Where
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