Maggie's Five ...the first in a LOVE story by Sandra Fitzgerald Page B

plunging, dragging my heart along
for the ride. This is so wrong. I can’t believe I thought it would
be okay even for a moment.
    “ Sorry, I think I’ve made a mistake.”
    “ Separated then,” he states like he has me all figured
out.
    I’m such an
idiot. I called him, got in a taxi and came to him, this arrogant
foul-mouthed conceited… whatever he is, he’s not a fraction of the
man Brendan is.
    Was.
    “ Nope,” I call over my shoulder, walking away.
    He catches up to
me easily. “Come on Maggie. You’ve gotta give me something
here.”
    “ Why?”
    “ Why
the fuck not?” he counters, stopping me with his hand on my arm.
When I don’t say anything, Red steps in front of me and tilts my
chin so he can look into my eyes. I don’t know what he sees in
them, but it makes him frown.
    He takes another
pull on his cigarette, holds it in and cups my jaw, carefully
blowing the smoke over my mouth and nose so I have to swallow it
down. It burns my sinuses and makes my eyes water and makes me to
cough.
    “ That’s a shit hand you’ve been dealt there sweetheart,” he
whispers matter-of-factly than presses a soft kiss on my
lips.
    Initially I
freeze, shocked by his brazenness. When he gently moves his soft
mouth over mine, I feel my body respond and start to kiss him back.
I’ve had so much to drink that I know I’m not thinking clearly and
know this is probably not a good idea. I’m pretty sure I’m going to
regret it when I sober up… but his mouth feels so nice against mine
and I really miss kissing. I really miss kissing Brendan… God he
gave good kiss.
    If I close my
eyes and relax, I could pretend, just this one time. Red shifts in
closer so our chests are pressed together and brushes his tongue
over my mouth, wanting to deepen our kiss. I hesitate and he must
feel me stiffen, having second thoughts, because he wraps his arms
around my waist and presses into me, licking my mouth again, then
sucks in my bottom lip. I can’t help myself. I close my eyes and
open for him – for Brendan. Just this one time, I
promise.
    I feel his lips
move over mine, his tongue in my mouth brushing against mine. And
it’s so soft and so nice it makes my pulse hitch and heat pool
between my legs.
    Red leans away
slightly, looking at me with eyes as dark as the night. Watching me
as he takes another drag of his smoke, he flicks the butt to the
footpath when he’s done. He holds it in as he starts kissing me
again, caressing it into my mouth and lungs. He holds me firm,
sealing my lips to stop me from exhaling before I absolutely have
to cough it out. I’ve never been much of a smoker - even as a
teenager I couldn’t inhale without dry reaching by the time I got
to the end of the cigarette. I turn my head away and hoarsely expel
the tainted air, digging my nails into Red’s arm when I
stumble.
    “ Come
on sweetheart, let’s go,” he murmurs, sliding a hand around my
waist and lowering it, keeping it there as we walk. His tight hold
on my butt makes me feel tacky and I want to ask him to move it,
but I don’t.
     

Chapter 7
    I’M LYING FACE down on the couch in my
living room, drooling into a cushion. Seriously hung over and
feeling really, really sick. The sun’s shining through the front
windows burning my skin, and given the fact that it rises from the
back of the house, it’s got to be late in the afternoon. I’ve slept
the day away and don’t remember coming home last night, or was it
this morning?
    My stomach
bubbles, reminding me of some of the details I knew I’d be upset
about sober. I close my eyes, praying for sleep when my gut lurches
into my throat. I roll over carefully to not upset my head more
than my belly and land on my knees. The floor feels unusually soft
and uneven. Looking down I notice the rest of my couch cushions
have been scattered around the floor, to catch me if I fell. It
must have been Red’s doing. God I hope it was.
    Crawling on my
hands and knees, I make it to the downstairs