Counterplay

“Why are you being like that?”

“You honestly don’t know?” Michael countered her question with his question, turning around and facing Lea. His questioning face towered over hers, brows furrowing. The little landing area on the top of the stairs leading to the door they have just walked out from suddenly felt unbearably small. She took a step back to create some space between them, and looked over her shoulder to see how much more backwards she can go. The moment she looked back he leaned to the front so when she turned her head back she shrieked almost touching his face with hers. Her hands grasped for the staircase railing behind her in panic, missing the highest ones and clutching onto the lower ones, the metal clanking as she fumbled with her fingers. One more step back and she was leaning against the railing which was dangerously low when you lean to it backwards while trying to escape from something in front of you.

“If I were you,” he murmured not detaching his eyes from hers, stepping towards her, “…I would not move.”

Both man’s hands gripped the railings firmly around the woman, pressing any remaining space between them out. Everything from their feet to knees to hips to upper body became a point or surface of meeting another person’s body. Craning her neck as much as possible to keep at least her head away from this man, she watched wide eyed when he paused his breathing for a second, tilted his head slightly and went in for a kiss.

“No! Michael, don’t do –“ For the first few seconds her cheek felt prickly from the stubble from his jaw, but then she sensed his lips on hers, robbing her of the speech.

She’s not so tough now, Michael thought with gloomy satisfaction. As if it was not enough she made a fool of him at work, she turned his empty hours into pure torture, teasing him in his mind’s eye like she basked in the limelight of his deepest and most private desires. The moment he saw her he was intrigued, because she seemed different, kind and approachable. Who knew she was such a cruel person inside. But the damage was done and there was nothing to do now but to wait until the flames he had for her die out on their own. Still, what if there was truth in ‘Fight fire with fire’? If he kissed her, if he held her, maybe she would like him then? Or maybe she would add the ‘potential rapist’ to the list of his poor features.

Some fuses did not work in the secluded country house, including the ones for heating. Michael cursed as he pressed them on and off for any sign of reaction. Having cursed once again, he went back into the brightly lit narrow hallway, where he found Lea sitting on the floor, back to a wall at the point furthest away from the door he stood in. She maximised the distance between them, he could see that. If her eyes were a weapon, she would have him at gunpoint. Her loose black hair was in disarray, her tight purple dress revealing her feminine form, her eye makeup smeared, and yet she was still beyond beautiful to Michael. He walked slowly not to alert her more, squatting in front of her when he came near.

“I’m cold,” she said, accusation on her face.

Without a word Michael stood up and checked the rooms for anything to keep her warm. The door to the left opened into the small bedroom, with a comfortable looking bed and inviting blankets on it. His mouth twisted downwards. A dream room for the two of them, but only if she had been willing to share bed with him. He’d keep her warm from here to eternity, if she only let him. He had committed such a grave mistake, and had no idea how to make it right. Sometimes he was inexplicably stupid in his actions. He took a blanket and closed the door behind him.

Lea was motionless, save for the shivers she tried so bad to hide. The strong white light revealed lines in her face and how tired and exhausted she was. Michael knelt in front of her and spread the blanket before tucking it behind her back, letting her sit on top of it and close it around her upper body as he backed away. For a fraction of second he was so close to her that he could have kissed her on her shoulder, but the moment was gone.

“There are rooms here, you don’t have to sit here on the floor,” he said slowly.

Lea did not dignify him with a response. Instead, she shivered again, readjusting her legs that were left uncovered. Everything from her ears to her thighs tucked under the blanket, but the legs and light grey high heeled velvet boots were shivering.

“My feet are cold. When I stop walking, my feet get cold quickly and there’s nothing I can do to make them warm again if I don’t start walking,” Lea said, pulling the blanket on her tighter.

Michael looked at her for a moment. Seeing and hearing no reproach, he took her left boot in his hand and unzipped it carefully. One more look into her eyes. She looked so weak. He removed the boot from her foot and took the foot in both his hands. It was stone cold.

Feeling warmth on her foot made Lea let out an involuntary sigh and close her eyes. She let her guard down for a moment. She had no idea what Michael had planned out for her, or how much this ordeal would last, but for the briefest moment she needed to relax, to get warm, to ignore this whole situation.

The man’s eyes wandered up the leg he was holding. A small foot, soft calf, knee, muscular thigh. A leg so different than his own legs, strong and delicate at the same time. The upper part of the thigh disappeared under the blanket, but Michael’s imagination was not stopped by it. What are her hips like, under the blanket, under the dress, under the stockings? If the rest of the body was like her legs… lean, firm and soft… she’s strong, but he is stronger, and it would be easy to rip all the clothes off her, carry her into the bedroom and search for her softest parts in that bed…

A thump on the chest broke his daydreaming pushing him out of balance. Lea has slid into something between sitting and lying position and after some tossing and turning she rested her other foot in Michael’s hands, too, thumping him in the process. Still holding both her feet he looked into her eyes. Blanket opened up across her chest allowing him a peek at her round bosom.

“Both my feet, up to knees. Not higher,” she warned. Her breasts heaving up and down, those legs he’d love to wrap around himself, dark eyes drilling holes into him – he would ravish her that moment if she just gave him a green light. But that’s not gonna happen.

“Just let me get more blankets.”

She nodded in approval, following him with her eyes. He returned with two blankets, wrapping himself in one before sitting with his back to the opposite wall. He removed her right boot and took both feet in his lap, against his stomach. She was still looking at him. It would be so easy to pull her by her knees, split them apart, climb on top of her and take delight in her naked flesh. Would she pant? Would she scream? Would she scream his name?

Lea’s eyes locked on his, Michael chased the violent images from his mind. Instead, he started massaging her legs up to the knees, just like she said, placing the third blanket over both of them. Lea wrapped herself into the blanket, lowered completely, and in a few moments her breathing changed. She fell asleep.

Michael took a moment to reflect on the surreal situation he was in. He is alone with Lea right now, and she is sleeping next to him while he is caressing her legs. Without any retrospective, it sounds romantic. However, the sad truth was it was anything but romantic. He forced a kiss on Lea as they were leaving work together earlier that day. To make things irreparably worse, he kidnapped her in his car and took her to a friend’s seldom used country house. The only reason they are on the cold floor now is because the terrified woman probably thought she would be safer from his advances if she stayed on a hard, cold, rough surface. What a mess.

Why could things have not been different? Why could it not have been the same current situation – her sleeping next to him – but on her own volition? Why could she not wish to be a part of his life, choosing to lie next to him, preferably in that bed, where they would make out, make love and giggle until they fell asleep?

Moments ago Michael was wondering if she would scream his name if he took her. How do I get out of this mess? Chances are I’ll end up in jail for kidnap. He started banging his head against the wall. Will she visit me inside? Will she scream my name inside? He smirked at his own stupidity and stopped banging his head. Sure. She’ll visit me every day. Keep deluding yourself, Michael, keep deluding yourself.