Cupid's Kiss Ch. 05

Harold stared at Aphrodite, the goddess of love and felt his satiated penis rise to life again. Her luscious body was covered by transparent gauze like dress which left showed more than it covered. Her creamy breasts were topped by large red nipples that reminded him fresh cherries and the blazing mound demanded his undivided attention.

He licked his dry lips and tried to focus on the issue at hand and not at the voluptuous vision emanating such raw sexual energy that he wanted to overlook his instinct to grab his daughter and Melissa and get the hell out of the cabin.

Pushing his daughter behind him, he crossed his arms across his chest and stared at Aphrodite bravely and yet a part of him felt like a hare in front of a hungry mountain cat.

Clearing his throat he said "I think an introduction is in order. Yes, I am Psyche's father and you are?"

Dismissing him with a cold look, Aphrodite said to Psyche, "The number you stated was correct and I am surprised that you were able to finish the task. Now for the second one, you have to get me wool from the sheep that graze near the stream down the hill."

Then she smiled and her eyes seemed to harden as she stated "Further more, the wool has to be from the males and not females. Easy task and I will see you tomorrow night."

Harold was not used to being dismissed and spoke up "Hey Lady, before telling my daughter what to do how about talking to her father?"

Aphrodite's beautiful face seemed to cloud over with anger and her hair came alive like angry hissing snakes. She approached Harold, gliding across the floor as if not touching it. As the distance between them reduced, he felt his hackles rise and his heart began to race. He stood his ground and reminded himself that he had faced enough bullies since his childhood and she was just another bully trying out the intimidating tactics that he was familiar with and had incorporated in his persona.

Folding his arms, legs apart, he refused to budge and faced her like a fearless lion willing to subjugate an angry lioness. She moved close enough to breathe on his face and struck her venom with the precision of a cobra "You are a fine father to talk about parenthood. You, who had taken your own daughter to bed."

A deafening silence fell in the room. A gasp escaped from Psyche and she stuttered in a little girl voice "What is she talking about Daddy?"

Harold clenched his teeth and spoke to Psyche without taking his eyes off the all knowing eyes of Aphrodite "She is lying to you darling, nothing ever happened between me and your sister."

Walking back towards the mirror, Aphrodite touched the jewel that opened the portal and before flashing through it she said to Psyche in a soft deadly voice "Ask him what was so devastating that drove your mother to take her life."

With that she left the room with the same blinding light that indicated her exit.

Blind rage engulfed his being and he picked up a chair to shatter the mirror. Lunging towards it he was about to throw it when Psyche held him back and took the chair away from him.

His shoulders drooped and he no longer seemed like a man who could take on the world – just an old man who was about to face up to a dark and buried secret from his storied life.

He stumbled and then sat down on Psyche's bed heavily. Rubbing a shaking hand across his temples he began to speak "Your mother was such a fragile woman, not only in appearance but also emotionally."

Psyche stood over her father and asked his stooped figure "What has that got to do with Cybil?"

He raised a pleading hand and said "Please listen to me. I've already lost one daughter and don't want to lose another."

Psyche nodded and turned and looked at Melissa who was tip toeing out of the room and said "Stay Meme, I want you to hear all of it as my psychiatrist."

Melissa felt a bit uncomfortable but decided to be a silent audience and not judge Harold by her own past experiences. She leaned against the wall and listened to Harold's confession.

Psyche sat down next to her father and said "You better explain yourself Dad."

Crossing his legs Harold began to talk "Your mom was delicate both physically and mentally. But as a young man I did not know how ill she really was. Her fragile beauty coupled with what I thought to be an intriguing brooding quality had enthralled the callow youth that I was. Your grandfather had tried to warn me about her mental condition but I was in love. Ah - young love blinds the best of us. Our marriage was happy till the honeymoon and then paranoia set in. She thought I had affairs with anything that wore a skirt, from chamber maids to the women who worked in my firm."

He sighed and held his head in his hands and continued gruffly "I tried my best to be a good husband. But she began to lose touch with reality. Her psychiatrist wanted to admit her in an institution but my selfish love wouldn't let her go. I continued to share her bed despite her taunts, sullen silences and threats of suicide. Was it love or lust for a female body?"

Getting up from the bed he began to pace around the room, picked up a photo frame stared at blindly and continued "By the time you girls were teenagers our marriage was over. She was no more than a ghost, flitting around like a lost wraith in her own home. You do remember that don't you sweetheart?"

Feeling numb Psyche nodded and he continued talking "All girls love their daddies just like all boys love their mommies. I remember taking my little beauties on my laps on the swing in the porch and laughing the evenings away. You still loved me the right way but Cybil took the wrong road. She didn't want her boyfriends to be like me, she just wanted me plain and simple."

He sighed and turned to Psyche and said "Didn't you ever wonder why she never had any boyfriends? Why she used to hug and kiss me all the time?"

Psyche just shook her head and said "No Dad, I just thought she was very possessive about you. Now that I think about it as an adult it does seem a bit unhealthy especially when there were other women around she would get nasty."

Jamming his fists into his pants he continued in a low voice "I had stopped sharing your mother's bed a long time ago and started having small time affairs. Your mom knew about it and by then it didn't matter as she had been accusing me of it since we got married. And one fine day we had a blow out over it and I went out to a party and came back home roaring drunk. All I remember is lying in bed and waking up with your sister naked beside me and your mom standing over the bed screaming her head off."

"I tried to explain to her that nothing had happened, that it wasn't my fault but she wouldn't let me come near her and soon I was served with a restraining order and three days after that you, a mere fifteen year old, found your mother with her wrists slit."

Going over to his daughter, he bent down to her level, took her hand and placed it against his chest and said "You do believe me don't you? Have I ever laid a hand on you?"

Tears streamed down Psyche's eyes and she hugged her father and whispered "You have always been a good father. I finally understand why there was no contact between you and Cybil even at her wedding you were so distant."

Melissa stretched her legs and sauntered over to the nearby chair and sat down. She looked at the father and daughter hugging each other and remembered the awkward silence between Harold and Cybil when they both had landed up at the same time to meet Psyche. She had walked in on a painful moment when Harold had removed Cybil's hand from his arm and moved away from her as if he couldn't stand being around her. Melissa had seen his pain being reflected in Cybil's eyes before it was covered with cool reserve.

At that time her only concern was Psyche's mental condition and she didn't give much thought to that father and daughter interaction but now it all fit together like a fist in a glove.

Stretching her legs she said "Well Cybil will be coming over tomorrow."

Psyche and Harold broke away from their embrace and Harold spoke huskily "She will be coming with her husband. One way or the other we all have to get along."

Then he turned, looked at his daughter and said "You have some explaining to do missy."

As Psyche began to unravel her tale, Melissa's eyes began to droop and before she knew it she was asleep on a hard chair. Her head dropped to one side, her figure slumped. She was sure to wake up sore in the morning. When Psyche finished updating Harold about the circumstances, they finally looked at the gently snoring woman on the chair and Harold's concerned expressions gave way to tenderness.

Psyche looked at her father's wistful expression and wondered if there was something going on between Melissa and him. She didn't begrudge them the happiness that could come their way but at that moment she missed Cupid and wondered how he was doing.

Stretching her hands above her head she asked her father "Could you put her to bed? And don't get into it with her."

Harold gave her a sheepish look and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when Psyche grinned mischievously and said "I was just kidding dad. Doesn't matter to me if you guys have a hot torrid affair right here with me in another room, just make sure there is not too much banging and creaking."

Harold gave her a mock hurt look, picked up Melissa as if she was no more than a small child and carried her to her room.

Returning to Psyche's room he leaned against the doorframe and waited for his daughter to come out of the bathroom. When Psyche came out, he asked, the concerned father again "How do you plan to collect the wool? The Dals are very ferocious sheep plus with the mating season going on it's not going to be an easy task to fulfill."

Getting into bed Psyche fluffed up her pillows and before snuggling in she said "I don't know what I'm going to do but I do no what I'm not going to do which is shoot them and collect the wool."

Harold gave a silent laugh and closed the door.

A minute later Psyche opened her eyes and screamed "Dad I was joking don't go on a shooting expedition. It's illegal to kill those sheep."

Silence greeted her shout; she waited and screamed again "Dad!!"

"I heard you baby. Go to sleep. We will figure things out tomorrow morning," was the muffled reply of Harold who went into his room and got into bed without changing his clothes. Staring at the ceiling he felt relief and yet growing apprehension. He had crossed a major hurdle that could have destroyed his relationship with Psyche and yet he could lose her at the hands of Aphrodite. Tossing and turning in his bed he tried to come up with innovative ideas to get his daughter out of the situation and each time the ideas failed.

Despite his best intentions his eyes began to droop and he promised himself that he will stand by his daughter no matter what the diversions, whether Cybil or sweet sensuous Melissa.