Friday, October 30, 2009

#fridayflash: Compulsion

This week's #fridayflash is the final installment of a three-part story. While each has been written so it can be read as a stand-alone piece, you might want to read Immersion and Emergence before you read Compulsion. On the other hand, you might just like to dive straight in!

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By Lily Mulholland

Tom stretched like a cat and thought he might start to purr any minute. A pleasurable shudder hummed through his body as he remembered last night. He rolled onto his side and brushed Caroline’s cheek with his lips. She’d called him five minutes after he’d walked her home from the restaurant and asked to see him again the next day. He cleared his afternoon meetings and they’d spent the afternoon and evening feasting upon each other and rediscovering the unbridled bliss that awaits two perfectly compatible lovers.

He had wanted to dive deep inside Caroline as soon as he’d spotted her drinking champagne in the theatre foyer. He had noticed the empty seats around her and took his chances that no one else would arrive to claim their seat just before the play started. She’d disarmed him with her smile and he wanted to know everything about her. And after she had wept in his arms yesterday afternoon he wanted no other man to have her. She’d started sobbing, her face contorted and turned in on itself, as they fucked for the first time. He stopped, thinking he was hurting her somehow, but she’d managed to convince him, despite her distress, that she was fine and he kept going long enough to bring them both to a frenzied climax. When she’d composed herself, she told him that it had been two years since she’d made love and the built-up stress had opened like a floodgate as she’d started to orgasm. He was amazed he could have such an effect on her and that she was so open to him. He felt so protective. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. He did let her go, but only so that they could get inside each other again. And again. He was exhausted, but in the nicest possible way.

‘I have to go,’ he said. ‘I have an early meeting today and I can’t put it off, as much as I’d like to. That, and I think I need the rest,’ he said, smiling at Caroline.

‘When can I see you again?’

‘Well, I’m back next Tuesday. Shall we have dinner?’

‘I’ll cook for you. I want you here,’ she said.

He kissed her deeply, his dick betraying him and rising again to the occasion. He tore himself from Caroline’s lips and made a dash for the shower before he changed his mind.

Caroline stood on her tiptoes to kiss Tom’s cheek as he left. He bent down and buried his head in her neck and her hair. He took a deep breath and inhaled her scent. It drove him crazy.

‘I’ve got to go. See you Tuesday night.’

She watched him walk to the lift and closed the door gently.

***********

It was a beautiful day. The sun was lighting up the new leaves on the oak trees that were the knockout feature of the park. The red tiled roof on the rotunda took on a new lustre and the pathways cut through the verdant grass like shiny white snakes. Children were playing, couples were strolling and all Tom could think of was Caroline.

She was extraordinary. He’d never met anyone like her and could feel himself falling for her in a way he’d never thought possible. He longed to feel her smooth legs wrapped around his back again as he pushed deeper inside her tight, warm flesh.

‘Tom!’

He was jolted out of his reverie by the sharp tone. He looked up and Clare was standing in front of him, hands on hips, blocking out the sun.

‘Sorry. What is it?’

‘In case you haven’t noticed, it’s going to rain. We have to get the kids into the car before they get soaked.’

He looked up at the sky. She was right. She was always right. The gorgeous day was being swallowed by a dangerous sky and they were about to be chased out of the park by a sudden spring deluge. He jumped up and started tossing the picnic things into the basket and shaking out the blanket.

Clare and the kids were already at the car when Tom saw Caroline. She was in running gear but was standing as still as a statue on the grass near the rotunda, shoulders slumped, looking toward him. He was paralysed.

‘Tom! C’mon!’

It was Clare calling for him to hurry. As he gathered up the basket and blanket the skies opened and heavy rain pummelled the skin on his head and arms. He looked over to the rotunda. Caroline was gone.

He turned and headed for the car. The drenching rain washed the tears from his cheeks but not the sudden grief that tore at his heart.

20 comments:

  1. Ouch. It's going to take more than sex and champagne to set this right.

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  2. Well part of me is SO sad that this man is grieving for the woman that became his world in such a short period of time, and that her world has crashed. The other part of me is ANGRY at him. What the hell! He cheats on his family and CRIES? I'm not angry at her.

    Wait a minute. It's a story. Why am I getting all worked up?

    It was wonderful. It was, ahem, very vivid language, eh? But am no prude, hehe.

    No way Tom-who-wants-his-cake-and-eat-it-too could ever fix this.

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  3. Oh, the *cad*! I am as outraged as Marisa.
    I hope grief keeps tearing at him, and all.

    "She was right. She was always right" made me chuckle :) and I now feel like a traitor to my gender!

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  4. I love the unapologetic smutty words. Excellent conclusion.

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  5. The dog! He should be cast...oh, yeah. Marisa already pointed out it was just a story. Great conclusion! You have me fired up!

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  6. Loved it. The language captured the mood and like others have said I felt both sadness for the man and distaste at the fact that he had cheated on his wife.

    As the women have their knives out I'd like to offer some defence, but there is none. Hope the children are okay, though.

    (Oh, and there might be a theme this week (for those avoiding Halloween), as mine touches on the same subject. :) )

    Leigh.

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  7. Betrayal hurts, doesn't it? Pain ripples out from it in all directions. There's no escaping it. But dang, it makes for great story material. Very nicely done.

    Jeff Posey

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  8. Oh my first comment didn't go..A great closer to your series Lily.

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  9. Great closing. I like the male voice in this. I feel bad for the poor wife, and for Caroline too, of course. Men!

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  10. He had me fooled. Passion and dissapointment are a powerful mix. How little we know the inner life of some.

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  11. Really mad!!!! laughing.....wanted it to work out so they could keep on getting descriptively tangled in the sheets.
    would go on and on but can just say ditto to Marisa! But damn! she waited two years and then got whacked in the heart/head like that.
    [this may have touched a teeny tiny nerve....lol...um...good job....]

    Karen :0)

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  12. Aww man, what is this, punishment for complimenting your happy ending last week? :P

    It was really well done, though, especially the transition into his other life with his wife.

    What a douchebag he was!

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  13. Excellent story, as is evident by all the people worked up about it. I love how you try to bring compassion to this character who doesn't deserve it. Great closing chapter to your trilogy.

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  14. Ahhhrgg... So you ripped out hearts out after all! Just knew it was too good to be true. I realy feel for Caroline. Him, not so much.
    ~jon

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  15. What! what!!! Seriously! omg, jerk! I...I...I'm speechless. {breathing] Well, very good job creating a man we love to hate. Ug. Hope he gets run over by a bus in your next installment (are you taking requests?) :-)

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  16. Oh, this guy is an equal-opportunity betrayer, isn't he? Very nicely done.

    Chance, not something we have any control over. The chance that Caroline would be jogging at just the right (wrong) moment - devastating.

    There's a good structure to this tale. You pull the elements together very well. A cad, for sure. But a very satisfying read.

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  17. Thanks so much for the comments (mostly hilarious!). I really appreciate every one of them. Never trust a tomcat, I say :)

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  18. That got me right in the gut. I wish I could write something this effective but all my love stories either seem to have time travel or werewolves...

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  19. She should have known it was too good to be true. Great story, good ending. No-one believes in fairy stories, do they?

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  20. Ah, the humanity of love, misguided or otherwise. Well expressed, Lily. Too bad for all of them, especially the children.

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I love reading comments so please do leave one! I would also appreciate your constructive criticism - life is a learning journey and I'm enjoying learning a lot about my writing.