Lost in Translation

"It's funny you should bring this up. I was thinking about this very thing after you got out of the pool."

She smiled playfully and said, "Oh. It seemed to me you were thinking about something else. At least when I kissed you anyway."

"Okay, in my defense, let me say that no guy could not react that way. Not when a woman as beautiful as you is in his arms. He'd have to be some kind of unfeeling sociopath not to respond the same way I did."

"So does that mean you love me?" she asked as she took another sip.

"Love you? You can't be serious. I barely know you."

"Fair enough," she said. "Then define love. You say you've been in it. You've been married. You've lived with someone. You've rented it. Sorry—you've rented sex. But with all that experience you should at least be able to tell me what it is. So go ahead. What is love?"

He stared at her and found himself having trouble focusing. She was so damn pretty it was distracting. And so damn young. Petersen knew he couldn't define love and he also knew he had no earthly idea why this beautiful young creature would take any interest in him let alone a physical interest. He understood the loneliness part. Her boyfriend abandoned her in a city where she couldn't speak the language so having a father figure around to spend time with made sense. But what was with the kissing? Was she just a tease? Was she really that cruel underneath the beautiful exterior? It made no sense whatsoever outside of those possible explanations.

"I'm waiting," she said as she lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I don't really know what love is. How's that for honesty? People say they're in love all the time but then they somehow fall out of it or cheat on the one they love or it just dries up and blows away. So...I don't know. Maybe love is a feeling or an action or maybe both. What do you think?"

"Hey, I'm asking the questions around here," she said with a smile. "But since you asked me." She looked into his eyes in a way that caused the same stirring he'd experienced in the pool. Her smile was amazing and her eyes were incredible. "To me, love is a catch-all word we use to explain chemical reactions in the brain. We see someone we like, we meet them, get to know them, and at some point, we 'love' them. But all that means is our brains are sending us signals that we want to be with that person. It could be for an hour..." She smiled as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Or maybe for a night or maybe even longer. Personally, I see no reason to get married with possibly the exception of wanting to have children and raise them with someone. But why try and commit to something for life when the odds are it won't last that long? Why not just...love the other person until your brain stops sending you those signals and move on? Just shake hands and part company. Why get all angry and feel hurt when it ends? Why not be thankful for the time you had together and go your separate ways? Where did this whole 'til death do us part' thing come from in the first place?"

"Wow. That's impressive. When I was your age I couldn't have come up with anything even close to what you just said and at my age, I can't argue with you. I'll offer that lifetime commitments are religiously based and that things like adultery and fornication are condemned to keep a man and a woman together until death. But since I don't believe in any of that, there really isn't any reason beyond maybe a tax advantage to getting married over living together."

"You're smarter than you look," she told him trying to be very serious.

He replied in an equally serious tone and said, "Depending on how smart I look, that might just be a compliment."

"You look smart enough," she coyly.

"Smart enough for what?" he asked trying to play along but not sure of the rules.

"Smart enough to understand that our brains are telling us we want to be together," she told him.

"I see," he said. "But just for an hour, right?"

Chelsea laughed and said, "Not necessarily. Maybe an entire night."

"Oh, I see," he said again not knowing what else to say.

"Who knows?" she said as she finished her cigarette and crushed it out. "My brain has stopped sending me signals I want to be with Rob and since we both live in New York..."

"Are you proposing?" he asked her as she took another sip of wine.

Chelsea nearly choked as she tried to swallow and pulled a napkin in front of her mouth to keep her from spewing all over them. "Oh, my God!" she said. "Did you not hear anything I said before?" Her smile told him she was being playful, but he was clearly missing something. "Look," she said. "I like you. You make me laugh. You're also smart and you know how to have fun." She looked him up and down in an exaggerated manner and said, "And for an old guy, you're still kind of cute. So what I'm saying is I might not find it horrible to maybe spend some time with you when we get back home."

"Until your brain quits sending signals that it wants to spend time with me."

"You were paying attention!" she said. She clapped her hands and said, "Bravo!"

"And you'd like to start spending that kind of time with me tonight."

"Wow! I'm impressed. You really are a smart man!" she told him. "But I want you take me dancing again first. But don't let me get drunk this time, okay? Sex isn't as good when I'm drunk and well...with a guy your age, you can't afford to have any kind of impairment whatsoever."

Her smile was killing him and his brain was telling him he should stand up and run like hell but his little brain kept screaming, "She's a free piece of ass you moron! Take her upstairs and fuck her brains out!" And then his big brain stepped in and tried to mediate the situation. It told him, "Listen. She's young, attractive, and willing to have sex with you. You're not going to marry her, but you weren't looking to get married anyway, right? Just don't let yourself fall in love with her. If you can avoid that one little pitfall, then go have some fun. When it's over, it's over. She's not married so no harm, no foul, dude."

"Right!" he said out loud responding to himself.

Chelsea assumed he was agreeing with her and said, "Good! Then no drinking for either one of us tonight."

Petersen did some asking around at the front desk and got several locations. He settled on one that didn't seem too seedy then hailed a cab for them. It wasn't the Rai, but as far as night clubs went in Moscow, this one was better than most. It was loud, smoky, and overpriced, but Chelsea was having fun so Petersen endured the four hours they spent dancing to some of the worst music he'd ever heard.

On the way back to the Ritz, his ears were still ringing from the noise and he was enjoying the quiet of the taxi. Chelsea slid over very close to him and said, "Thank you for taking me there. I know that wasn't a lot of fun for you."

"My pleasure," he told her pretending it was no big deal.

She took his hand in hers and strummed her fingers over his as she said, "When people get married, they stop doing that kind of thing for each other." She looked up at him and said, "I know you didn't enjoy that. I saw you put your ear plugs back in. But you did it for me. But if you married me, you'd never go somewhere like that because you'd feel like you had me and I'd feel had and then get resentful and..."

"And then your brain wouldn't want to be with me anymore and you'd..."

"Exactly," she said as she raised up to kiss him. "So why spoil a good thing, right?"

"I can't think of a single reason to do that," he told her.

"Good. Then let's go fuck, okay?" she said as she slid her tongue into his mouth as the taxi pulled up to the front of the hotel.

Petersen tipped the driver and Chelsea took his hand as they headed up to his room. When they walked inside, he flipped on the lights and Chelsea turned them off. "We don't need those on," she said as she stood on her toes and kissed him.

Within a minute both of them were naked and Chelsea was sitting on top of him in the middle of the bed with her arms and legs wrapped around his upper body. His cock was hard and fully erect and pointing up at her face. She pushed against it as she raised up and down letting it pleasure her as her clit pressed against it. "You feel good," she whispered in his ear as she kept grinding against him as they kissed.

Chelsea pushed him and he fell onto his back while at the same time she pulled her legs behind herself leaving her face centered over his crotch. "Mmmm. Perfect," she moaned as she took him deep inside her mouth.

Petersen propped himself up on a large pillow so he could watch his young lover work her magic. She was obviously very experienced and Petersen was the beneficiary of that experience. He groaned softly as she took him deep inside her warm mouth swirling her tongue as she lowered herself onto him. She continued using her tongue on the way up then paid special attention to the head of his shaft before letting it pop out of her mouth. She then took just the tip inside her mouth as she swirled her tongue around it while using her lips to suck with the just the slightest up-and-down motion.

"Fuck!" he cried out softly.

"You like that?" she asked him looking up with a smile.

He didn't reply. He just put his hand behind her head and pushed her down on his steel shaft until she had his full length in her mouth. He held her there until she began to gag and let go, but Chelsea stayed there until staying was impossible. She came up gagging and gasping for air leaving thick streams of saliva everywhere. "I love your cock!" she said as she fought for air before going back down and for a repeat performance.

When she came up the next time, he roughly rolled her over causing her to shriek with pleasure. "Mmm. Me like!" she said as he got on top of her. He kissed her and kneaded one of her breasts firmly with his hand. "Oh...sshit!" she cried softly. "I love that." She put her hand behind his head and pulled his face in close as she offered him all of her tongue. He could taste Kristina as clearly as if she were there with him and it was almost enough to send him over the edge. He broke their kiss and lowered his head onto her large, brown areola and began swirling his tongue on her nipple the way she'd done to the head of his cock.

"Ooooo!" she cried as he alternated between sucking hard and softly using his tongue. He moved to the other side and did the same causing Chelsea to gasp and say, "Mmmm, yes!" as his warm mouth took her other nipple inside it.

He kissed his way down her tummy until he got to the promised land. Wasting no time he gently inserted his tongue and found her engorged clit and went to work. Chelsea gasped and moaned as he pleasure her. "Oh...ssshit!" she gasped as a finger entered her wet pussy. "Two, please!" she begged as he continued working hard on her little nub.

He did as she asked and inserted a second finger. "Fuck, yes!!" she cried loudly as he worked them in and out. He began sucking on her clit while continuing to saw in and out of her very wet hole. As his lips sucked and his tongue lapped, Chelsea's body went rigid. "Jesus...FUCK!!" she screamed as she came hard.

Petersen couldn't help laughing quietly when she pushed against him so hard his nose ended up inside of her pussy. "Not funny!" she pouted. "I'm a screamer. Deal with it!" She pulled his head in close and said, "Now get back to work and make me cum again." She softened her tone and said, "Please?"

It only took about two more minutes before he heard her scream again. Her legs wrapped around his head making him feel like it was in a vice. He'd been with screamers before but Chelsea was in a league of her. "Fucking...god...damn!!" she screamed as she came.

She was flailing and grabbing wildly for him. "Get up here and fuck me! I need you right fucking NOW!!" she demanded.

He went to reach for a condom in the night stand and she pulled him back down on top of her—hard. "I said fuck me right now!!" she demanded. Her eyes were closed and her face had a look of quiet desperation on it as he sank his cock deep inside her.

"Fucking...yes!!" she screamed. "Fuck that pussy! Fuck it! Oh, fucking God!!" she screamed.

Petersen did his best to focus on not losing his shit as she continued to scream and swear and curse. She was truly unlike any other woman he'd ever been with. He was hammering her like nobody's business and in less than a minute she was screaming at the top of her lungs, "I'M GONNA FUCKING CUM! FUCK! FUCK! OH...FFFUCK!!"

Petersen stopped trying to hold back and let it all go. Chelsea continued to scream for a few seconds, then yelled a time or two before getting very quiet. She was whimpering as he finished coming inside her.

She was also panting and gasping for breath. "That...was...so...fucking...amazing!" she managed to say. "My God you know how to fuck!" she told him as she held him close. He was on top of her and still inside her when she told him, "That was the best fuck I've ever had."

"You weren't so bad yourself," he told her.

She pushed him off of her and said, "That's it? I tell you you're the best lay of my life and all I get is 'you're not so bad'? Are you fucking kidding me?" She was on top of him and said, "If you can get your old-man dick working again, I'll show you what a great fuck I am."

Surprising himself, Petersen was hard again and ready to rock and roll. Chelsea pulled out all the stops and almost literally fucked his brains out. When they were finished, Petersen was panting and said, "Jesus. Okay, you're the best piece of ass I've ever had."

Chelsea bit his lip and said, "That's more like it." She rolled off him and said, "I need a cigarette." She found her purse and pulled one out and said, "Are you gonna have a fit if I smoke in the room?"

He smiled at her and said, "No, but you're not smoking in my place in New York," as she lit up.

She slid in next to him and said, "What makes you think I still want to see you back in New York anyway?"

He put her hand on his still-hard cock and said, "This."

She laughed and said, "My brain is telling me that I love you."

He laughed and said, "I hope you're ignoring it."

"Don't worry. I will." She rolled over and kissed him and said, "But for now it feels kind of nice."

They made love again the following morning before Chelsea went back to her room. She called him a few minutes later and said very quietly, "Rob got back last night and he was pissed."

"What did you tell him?" he asked her feeling very concerned for her safety. "Are you all right with him?"

"I'm fine. He'd never touch me." She was quiet for a moment then said, "In fact, he'll never touch me again. I got him to admit he was fucking the giggly girl but I didn't tell him about us." There was another pause before she said, "Oh, shit. Gotta go. Meet me downstairs around noon. Bye."

The line went dead and Petersen laid back and stared at the ceiling. He felt like he was a character in one of his earlier novels. He laughed when he recalled how one of his jealous main characters had killed the man he found in bed with his wife. He felt reasonably confident he was safe, but when it came to jealous lovers one could never be sure.

He was sitting downstairs alone when he saw her—and Rob. She meandered around leading him past her table and dropped a folded piece of paper on his lap. He waited for a few seconds then opened it and read: "Hey, you! I'm flying back to New York today. I wanted you to have my phone number and address. Rob's staying for another week at least so I'll be at his place until I can find another apartment. I know I talk tough, but if you don't call me I'll be devastated.

PS. You really were that good."

She'd put a big smiley face at the bottom and signed it, "Luv, Chelsea."

He looked over her way and saw her waiting for him to catch her eye. She smiled and pursed her lips in the form of a kiss. He winked and smiled back before folding the paper and putting it in his pocket.

He fulfilled his obligations and did the book signing the next day. There were well over a hundred people who'd purchased his book who'd asked him to sign their copy. He knew Russians were voracious readers, but the number of copies his book sold over the next six months surprised both him and his publishers.

He sent Chelsea a text let her know when he'd be home. She answered him almost immediately and told him she had a family emergency and would be gone for about a week. Her father had been in a serious car accident and the entire family was expecting her.

Petersen landed at La Guardia the following evening and took a cab to his suburban home. He'd almost adjusted to Moscow time and now had to re-adjust to East Coast Time. He found his place exactly as it had been before he left so he opened a beer and sat down to text Chelsea. She told him her father was seriously injured but was expected to make a full recovery. That was the good news. The bad news was that no one else could stay and her mother had practically begged her to spend an extra week to help her care for her father.

Petersen told her he completely understood and wished her and her father all the best. They kept in touch several times a day as the two weeks endlessly dragged on. Chelsea hadn't had time to look for an apartment and Petersen had told her she was more than welcome to stay with him and had provided her with the address.

She thanked him and sent him a very sexy topless picture of herself along with a text that read, "Just so you don't forget what's coming home to you."

Petersen smiled as he sat there admiring her hard body, soft boobs, and beautiful face. He wasn't going to say out loud what he'd been feeling inside the last few days. He already knew how Chelsea felt about things like love and marriage and he was equally sure he knew whatever these feelings were, they would pass once they'd been together again for a few days.

She surprised him by coming home a few hours early so when he heard the doorbell ring, he was very surprised. When he looked at the security camera and saw her standing there, his heart skipped a beat. When he opened the door, it took him a moment to believe it was Chelsea was standing there in front of him. "Are you going to invite me in?" she asked.

He didn't reply. He just threw his arms around her and held her. She felt so small and helpless in his arms and those damn feelings exploded. He looked into her eyes and said, "I missed you so much."

"Me, too," she said as their lips met. "I missed you, too."

They brought her things inside and he asked about her dad, her trip, and if she had enough stuff to get by on. She told him her father was doing well, the trip was good, and she'd be fine for now. "Well, there is one thing I need," she told him as she sat in his lap. He responded immediately and she felt him through her dress. "Uh-huh. That would be the one thing I need," she said as they kissed passionately and deeply.

An hour later both of them were again in bed, naked, panting, and Chelsea filled with his seed. "So where's the patio around here?" she asked needing a cigarette desperately.

She came back inside and said, "It's freezing out there!"

"You could always quit smoking," he told her.

"Don't push your luck," she told him. "I'll agree to go outside as long as you agree not to mention that again."

"Deal," he said as she slipped into his arms before he took her back to bed to make love to her again.

"Oh, before I forget, I have an appointment early tomorrow morning," she told him after they were done.

"Anything serious?" he asked.

"Oh, no. Totally routine. Just need to get something checked. That's all."

It was around noon when she got back. She sat a large paper bag from what looked like a drugstore on the large granite island in the kitchen and said, "I might be a little bitchy for a while."