CUDDLY

A Story for a Dark Night
By Dee Lloyd

             The minute Sam left the shelter of the hospital buildings, the biting northeast wind hit him full in the face. It was going to be a long cold walk up Bay Street to The Embers Hotel but the closer bars were always full of university students. He couldn’t face their exuberance tonight. Shoving up the back of his collar, he shrugged a little deeper into his leather jacket, hoping that would keep the chill drizzle from dripping down his neck. It didn’t work.

             Lord! He was tired. Tuesday nights were usually slow in Emerg at the General; but, for some reason, tonight all the crazies had come out. The grand finale had come after one gang of kids got their hands on some automatic weapons and decided to eliminate as many of their rivals as possible. For the last four hours, Sam had tried to piece the torn bodies of half a dozen twelve-year-olds back together. Not all of them had made it.

            He was so sick of the smell of blood… and of failure. He needed company. Yes, cheerful, uncomplicated company and a stiff drink.  By this time of night, there should be a lot of relaxed cheer at The Embers. If he was lucky, there might even be a friendly, woman to share a few laughs with. He tried to dig through the fog of depression to find a bit of his usual optimism. Yes. Maybe it would happen. He sure would love to finish up this depressing night with a good-looking blonde cuddled up to him! 

            That hope kept him striding through the black night. The city seemed unnaturally quiet tonight. The only sound to break the silence was the swish of tires of a few passing cars. The wet pavement and the occasional patch of fallen leaves glistened under the dim light that seeped through the rain from store fronts and street lights. Then, finally, one trail of sodden leaves caught the red glow from The Embers’ sign. He’d made it.

            A big red banner reading “GRAND OPENING! Under New Management,” was attached to the brick wall above the door. That sign hadn’t been there when he’d dropped in two or three weeks ago.

            Sam hated to think of The Embers changing. He hoped the new owners could maintain the free and easy atmosphere of the bar. But he didn’t hesitate. He was ready for a good time. Was he ever!

            He blamed the damp wind for the shiver that slithered up his spine as he pushed open the varnished oak door.

            The air was wonderfully warm and smelled of good food, liquor and a blend of expensive perfumes. He always marveled that so many people could laugh and talk without creating an unpleasant din in this solidly-built old hotel.

            Everything looked almost the same. The new lighting fixtures didn’t seem to emit as much light as the old ones but the place hadn’t changed apart from that. The piped in music was unfamiliar but not unpleasant.  Although some of the customers relaxing in the old comfortable red velvet wing chairs at the low lounge tables were familiar, Sam was in no mood to make conversation with them. He headed for the relative anonymity of a perch on a tall leather stool at the mirrored bar.

            He was relieved to note that the new owners had not replaced Dan as bartender. Although he and his dad’s cousin did not have a particularly friendly relationship, Sam was always glad to see him. Dan caught his eye, reached for a glass from the rack above his head, and waved him down to an isolated seat at the far end of the bar. His bourbon on the rocks was in front of him as soon as he sat down. 

            As he took his first deep swallow, he closed his eyes to revel in the burning of the liquor sliding down his throat.

             “My goodness,” a soft voice murmured. “You must come here often.”

            The smiling blonde who somehow was already sitting on the next bar stool sipping a half-finished glass of wine could have come out of his dreams. He must be more wiped than he’d thought not to have noticed her right away. Her brown eyes were warm and friendly, her nose straight and a little short, and her mouth a bit on the generous side. From what he could see of her body, it was generous, too. In her fuzzy, scoop-necked white sweater, she looked wholesome and sexy as hell.

            He took a deep breath, then smiled back. “Often enough. But mostly, I get special service because the bartender is my cousin.”

            She leaned forward. Her angora sweater almost grazed his arm. 

            “Yes,” she murmured, looking deeply into his eyes. “I should have seen the resemblance right away. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Square chin.” She smiled that ingenuous smile again. “He’s good-looking, too.”

            Sam had difficulty pulling his eyes away. This woman was something special.

            “Sam Faber,” he said, reaching for her hand.

            “Hi, Sam. Call me, Cuddly,” she replied with a husky little laugh that he found unusually appealing. “Alicia sounds so formal.”

            Now if that wasn’t an invitation, what was? And she hadn’t taken her hand back either.

            “I’d love to, Cuddly.” He began to make lazy circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. “Can I buy you a drink?”

            The friction of his thumb on her hand generated an amazing amount of heat. He could feel it traveling like an electrical charge all over every inch of his skin. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant but the intensity of his response made him pause. He’d never really believed the reports he’d heard about unusually strong body chemistry between a man and a woman. Could they be true? He had come here looking for a warm woman but this attraction he was feeling for Cuddly was more powerful than he was prepared to deal with. He quickly released her hand. 

            She didn’t seem to notice his withdrawal but placed her hands on either side of his face and laughed up at him.

            “This is going to be such fun! I’m very glad you came tonight, Sam Faber.”

            He told himself to relax. He deserved to let go after the trauma of the shift he had put in.  As the background music of violins swelled and filled his mind, he felt the stress drain out of him.

            “Oh, yeah,” he said, smiling back at her. “ So am I.”

            And suddenly, his gloomy mood dissipated like smoke. He was completely happy to be there with her. All he could feel was building anticipation for what he knew would be one of the most exciting nights of his life.

            Cuddly’s warm brown eyes grew hotter and darker. Sam felt himself being drawn into their depths. 

            “I’m staying here at the hotel. Why don’t we have our drink in my room?” Her husky voice seemed to come from a great distance.

            Sam did not answer. Cuddly threw some bills on the bar, took his hand and led him through the archway to the hotel lobby. 

            Minutes later, he found himself half-sitting, half-lying on a quilted, purple satin chaise longue with Cuddly in his lap. But this room was like no hotel room he’d ever been in. It was a symphony of purple and ivory satin. Panels of the rich material covered the windows and lined the walls. The air was warm and heavy with the strong, sweet scent from the sprays of gardenias which filled crystal bowls on every surface.  He didn’t remember her lighting candles but the flickering light that danced off mirrored walls and ceiling came from dozens of tall, fat ivory candles that stood in wrought iron stands along the walls.

            Sam was wryly aware that his denim and leather were totally out of place. That hardly seemed important at the moment because he had his leather-clad arms full of soft, affectionate woman.

            Cuddly moaned softly as she pressed open-mouthed kisses along his jaw line. She zeroed in on his mouth. Her taste was sweet and tart…and intoxicating. Her sharp little teeth nibbled at his lips. 

            “Let me help you take off your jacket, Sam,” Cuddly crooned.

            The barrier of the jacket was gone in seconds. His shirt followed. The moment he felt the softness of her breasts and her hardened nipples through the thin layer of her sweater, Sam was lost. 

            Twinges of common sense told him that he, Sam Faber, should get his ass out of there as fast as he could. There was something wrong… much too easy about this wish fulfillment. But he had never been as quickly frantic to consummate a relationship with a woman.  Her voice hypnotized him; her soft body was a powerful magnet that he could not resist. Soon they were both naked and writhing on the large bed that had loomed in the background.

            No woman he had ever been with had wanted him this badly. Cuddly kissed and sucked and bit him. When he attempted to take control of the lovemaking, she pushed him gently but firmly onto his back and kissed her way down his body. He lay back and enjoyed her ministrations.

            She teased and tantalized him until he thought he would lose his mind. Finally, she allowed him to enter her. At the same moment, she bit deeply into his neck. The intensity of his climax was like nothing he had ever felt.

            When Sam awoke some time later, Cuddly was still in his arms. He tried to remember how he had convinced her to let him take her to bed. Almost everything leading up to the moment she had begun to remove his clothes was vague and misty. All he remembered clearly was how depressed he’d been and how glad he’d been to see the welcome in her dark eyes.

            “Hello,” she said, with an unsettlingly innocent yet knowing smile. “Are you all right?”

            “All right?” He beamed his best smile at her. She had to recognize the look of a well-satisfied male. “I couldn’t be better.”

            She sighed. “No, you couldn’t. You are definitely the best.”

            Slightly uneasy, he raised himself on one elbow to look down at her. She was truly a wonder… lush and sexy and beautiful. However, he was aware that she was totally in control of whatever would happen with them.

            “This isn’t over, is it? I mean we will see each other again?”

            “Oh, yes,” she said with a little twisted smile. “We will see each other.” She paused for a moment. “For a long, long time.”

            That was what he wanted to hear, wasn’t it? But he had to ask.

            “Why did you choose me?” He knew she had done all the choosing. 

            “That’s easy.” She pulled his head down and licked the side of his neck. “I couldn’t resist your scent.”

            The look on her face frightened him. “Scent? I don’t wear any scent.”

            “The blood!” she purred.

            He touched one of the spots where she had bitten him. 

            Oh, Lord! What had he done?