Chapter 61: Bonding

Gustave and I drove back to the hotel and were really hungry. We took a walk in the cool night air, around the hotel, until we found a fire pit in the back yard. We sat around it and found some food to roast. The fire was nice and warm on my skin because I was starting to feel a little chilly.

"You know that is rabbit meat, right?"

"What?!"

I pulled the stick away from my face and looked at it in horror. I was eating a cute, furry little rabbit? It couldn't be! Once I managed to glance over at Gustave, he was smiling naughtily at me, and then it looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh.

"Sicilee, I am only kidding. It is boneless chicken wings. Your face when I said that, it was funny."

I smacked Gustave lightly on the arm and laughed. We finished our rabbit slash chicken, and then went back into the hotel. I had booked two rooms with an adjoining door in the middle so I could have some privacy, and also because I thought Lucius would appreciate having his own room. So far he had interviewed a local for his article, and had been enjoying the various markets in town. I was really glad for the room arrangements because as soon as the door shut behind us, Gustave's hands were all up in my business, which I of course thoroughly enjoyed and reciprocated. Suddenly, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. If I had sex with Gustave, and fell in love with him, I'd be sealing his fate. I still wasn't sure how I felt about him other than he made me feel safe and I loved spending time with him.

"Gustave? Can I ask you a serious question?"

Gustave and I were both panting from the intensity of kissing each other so passionately, but he managed to respond to my question. We went and sat on the bed.

"Oui, Sicilee, you can talk to me about anything."

"Even if it's something really strange? Like out of the ordinary? You won't run away or hate me forever?"

"Non, Sicilee, I could never hate you. What is it, mon cheri?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Gustave looked at me and noticed I was having a hard time with what I was going to ask him, so he moved closer and put his arm around me. I felt safer already.

"My family name has a curse attached to it. Any man I fall in love who has a child with me dies. I was in love once with a man named Austin Meringue, and he fell prey to the curse. However, he is still alive in a different world because a vampire saved him for me. I can bring Austin back if I fulfill a mysterious task that I know nothing about except that I have to have lots of children, all with different men. I still love Austin very much, and I want to be with him again."

"Is your last name Zenteri?"

I was shocked by Gustave's question. I hadn't told him my last name the last time I was here, had I? How did he know that?

"Sicilee, the Zenteri name is a famous one here in France. There is a fairy tale based on the stories of the family with that name. An evil witch banishes her granddaughter from the kingdom for falling in love with a vampire. The vampire gets murdered and the granddaughter is cursed to roam the land as a promiscuous woman forever. Eventually she finds a man who doesn't judge her for her actions, breaking the curse, and they live happily ever after."

That is so weird. The fairy tale Gustave told me wasn't exactly the same as the truth, but it was similar. From what I know, Alexandra and Vincent were living in Simerica when all of that happened. Had Eleanor killed someone else before Vincent? I know that my ancestors were originally from France so I suppose it was entirely possible that she wreaked havoc here before moving to Simerica.

"It sounds like that fairy tale was loosely based on my life. I'm the promiscuous lady who's been cursed to roam the lands forever."

"How many children do you have, Sicilee?"

"Twenty."

"Am I the father to any of them?"

"No, but I am scared if I have sex with you, that I won't be so lucky this time. I don't want to lose you as a friend, and I'm sorry I can't be in love with you because I'm in love with Austin."

"He is a lucky man."

Gustave grinned at me with mischief in his eyes and smile. I wondered what he was going to do. I was so relieved he wasn't upset with me. He put his hand on my hip and rubbed me suggestively.

"You know, Sicilee," he said as he kissed me, "you don't always have to have sex to get pleasure."

Gustave laid me down on the bed and climbed on top of me, keeping his hand close to my hips. He started kissing me hard like he had when we first came back to the hotel room. He continued to rub my hip and then he slowly moved his hand under my skirt, removing my underwear. I felt like I was on fire as he touched me in between my legs. I kissed him harder than I ever thought I could as his fingers danced around that sensitive area. I started unbuttoning his shirt as fast as I could.

He stopped kissing me momentarily to toss his shirt onto the floor. I opened the clasp on the front of my shirt and grabbed his neck, pulling him towards me again. He kissed my chest and then moved his way back up to my mouth. I hoped he hadn't forgotten about my bareness down below and his plans to pleasure me. I was so turned on by his tongue and his very large muscles that when he put his hand on me under my skirt again, I shivered at his very warm touch. He waited until I was desperately breathing for air and then I felt him satisfy the burning sensation between my legs with two of his fingers. He slid them slowly in and out, always managing to push in a little deeper than before.

I wondered if he was burning just as much as I was since the bottom of him was nowhere near me. He was keeping it away from me as a courtesy to me I'm sure since he had pretty much agreed not to have sex with me in the traditional sense. I rubbed his chest slowly, tickling his bare skin. I undid his jeans and plunged my hand quickly into his underwear, grabbing him and moving my hand up and down. He started moving his fingers to match the intensity of my hand on him, so whenever I wanted him to go slower, I just moved my hand slower. When I was finally ready to be done, I let him know with my hand and he responded just as I expected him to. We laid there for a few minutes, hearts beating in rapid succession. I stood up because I wanted to take a shower before going to bed.

"Sicilee, wait."

"What is it, Gustave?"

"I want to join you in the shower if that is all right?"

I pulled him up towards me and kissed him to tell him yes.

As I stepped into the shower, I made sure the water was nice and warm before I signaled for Gustave to come in with me. The shower stall was really small, so we had a little bit of a hard time maneuvering around in the shower. He took the problem into his own hands when he lathered me at the same time as himself. I felt like the water made him so much hotter. After we rinsed off, we went to bed. Gustave snuggled me all night. I was lucky to have such a good friend in him.