Learning To Walk - A Soldier's Story by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 28

Sometime during the night, my dreams were interrupted by the feeling that I was being watched. It was both sudden and intense enough that I felt compelled to search the hallway outside my cell. The window of my cell door was smaller than shoulder width, about twelve inches square and lined with a steel frame that bore three one-inch-thick tempered bars. Squeezing any part of one's body between them was impossible, but if I got close enough, I could see for some distance in both directions. Maybe one of the guards was doing a cell check. But when I pressed my face against the bars, the only thing I saw was darkness. I was certain that someone was there, watching me from the cold emptiness that lay just outside the door of my cell. Maybe it was nothing, just one of the ghosts that had taken up residence in my mind, sneaking up in my dreams and tapping on my shoulder. My attention to the silent call that drew me to the darkness quickly fell away as I turned and leaned my back against the door. I let a sigh of exhaustion and paced to the back of my cell, putting my hands on the cold, painted brick wall as I tried to clear my thoughts. "Fuck," I whispered quietly.

Stepping back from the wall, I turned toward my cot. I needed to sleep and in spite of the nightmares I was having, it was the only chance I had to avoid thinking - about anything. But, there was someone there whose presence jolted me into speechless disbelief.

She was more beautiful than I remembered as she sat gracefully on the edge of my cot. Her long black curls flowed down her back as she beamed at me with a warm smile.

"You can't be here," I whispered.

I found myself torn between the fear of having crossed over into the psychotic and the maddening passion that suddenly overtook me. She got up and stepped towards me, wearing the same cocktail dress from the evening we spent in her father's guest house. Even by the dim reading light of my cell, Gloria shimmered like an angel in the sun. "Hey, soldier boy," she whispered. "It's okay. I'm here now."

She stepped in close and put her hands on my chest. "I told you I'd be there for you."

She pulled me towards her and gently kissed my lips. "I'm here now."

My hands quickly found their way around her waist as our eyes met in the darkness of a place that had suddenly fallen to nothing. The world had slipped away as our bodies melted into a fire that would soon burn out of control. I felt a fleeting twitch of boyish nervousness as my hands slowly made their way down to just above the hem of her dress. My attention was firmly held by the gaze of her deep, brown eyes as she quietly kicked off her shoes while teasingly licking her lips. She shivered slightly as my hands disappeared beneath the hem of her cocktail dress, only to discover that the dress was all she was wearing. Gloria bent her head back, taking a deep, momentary breath of arousal. I moved my hands up her body and slipped her dress off over her head as she raised her arms in an act of willing surrender. Again, putting my hands around her waist, my eyes slowly followed down the gentle curves of her body and back up to her eyes as she let her lips fall slightly open.

In a flurry of passion, Gloria began stripping my clothes off with such blind enthusiasm that several scratches had been left on my skin. Their sting was momentary as a palpable film of sweat welled up on my skin. With our bodies and souls laid bare, we made our way down to the cold, cement floor. We both felt the rush of arousal as we began to touch each other's concealed places. The heat of sweat and passion quickly blanketed us as Gloria wrapped her legs around my hips. Kissing her deeply on the mouth, our tongues collided with uncontrolled fury while she provided a guiding hand allowing me to gently push myself into her supple, willing body.

We became joined as a key in a lock while the rhythm of our bodies played out like a Toccata of raw passion that nearly matched the frantic pounding of our hearts. It had been so long since I had felt the arousing caress of Gloria's touch. Now, I was overwhelmed by it. Desperately, I tried to maintain my self-control, but Gloria would not allow me to pace myself as she grabbed me firmly behind my hips and pulled me in repeatedly. Her appetite knew neither mercy nor boundaries as our synchronized release became imminent. I felt my toes curl as a sudden outpouring of sweat coursed over my body and in the same moment, Gloria gave way to a divine rage of erotic chaos as her body arched up toward me, her fingernails gripping the cold concrete floor, and as the tigress leaped from the cage of Gloria's soul, her body's tension evaporated as she let her arms fall to the floor. Her breasts rose towards me and fell away while her breathing continued in its quickening state.

She reached her hands up and ran her delicate fingers through my hair. With a broad smile, she kissed me on the lips and drew her head back slightly, looking into my eyes. The connection between our souls was complete and we became lost in our own world. Outside the boundary of what had now become one, there was only a vast ocean of emptiness. Our souls had achieved a perfect pitch, dancing 'round together to an ethereal waltz of the moment. "My soldier boy," she whispered. She continued looking into my eyes. "I love..."