** August 2000 **
Later that evening at the reception party, whilst their family ate, drank and danced, Hannah Morales sat at the far end of the table that was close to the musical set.It was an escape she needed after the ceremony and interacting with the invitees and to stay away from Austin. They might be married now, but she still deserved her free time. Especially as she pictured herself later tonight being intimate with him. And every other night after that.But her escape didn't last long because a voice sounded through the speakers, calling up the bride for the cutting of the cake and to have her first dance as a couple.Hannah acted as though the announcement didn't concern her. She hoped to get another five minutes to herself. But the MC spotted her and soon, she was joining Austin at the buffet table which carried a three-tier wedding cake and some macaroons.Hannah Morales met Austin behind the table with a forced smile on her face. Everyone had gathered round the table to witness them cut the cake.The MC did the basics. Austin placed his hand over Hannah's and on the count of three, the knife was piercing through the cake and applause filled the room. Then, everyone cheered, encouraging Austin to feed Hannah a slice of cake.Austin sensed Hannah's uneasiness and tried feeding her with a fork. But the crowd booed. They wanted more. They wanted mouth-to-mouth sharing.Hannah Morales didn't want that. She didn't want the crowd to see the look of disgust on her face once their mouths touched. But Hannah’s gaze locked with her mother's and she knew there was no escaping it. So, she braced herself. Closed her eyes and after counting to ten, it was all over.It wasn't long before her father was pulling her to the dance floor and then, he was handing her to Autin.Ed Sheeran's Perfect came through the speakers. The newlyweds swayed to the sound. Austin pulled in and wrapped his arm around her. Hannah forced a smile on her face when her gaze landed on her mom who had teary eyes.Then Austin was pulling away from her. He placed a quick kiss on her lips and Hannah wrinkled her face."Can you stop acting as though you're repulsed at the thought of being with me?" Austin Jenkins leaned in and whispered in her ears, then he pulled back and flashed her a smile. To any other person, it seemed like a romantic gesture.Hannah frowned. "What do you mean?""It's just, I couldn't help but notice the look on your face whilst we were at the altar and your reaction throughout. I understand I am not your ideal choice for a life partner, but come on, I'm not the worst either. We're friends, Hannah"The hurt in Austin’s voice didn't go unnoticed. Remorse cursed through Hannah's body. He was right. All along, she thought she was doing a great job at hiding how she felt about their marriage. It never occurred to her that maybe he didn't want to marry her either."You're right. I'm sorry I made you feel that way" she apologised."It's okay. I understand where you're coming from. But, give this marriage a chance Hannah. Give us a chance. Give me a chance to make you happy"As he spoke, all Hannah could do was smile at him. He had a point. Marrying him wasn't the most horrendous thing to have happened to her. And they were friends."I'm sorry, Austin. I'll try" Hannah convinced.They continued to sway to the rhythm of the sound. Gradually, the dance floor became crowded. Next to them, were Hannah’s parents and Austin’s parents. They smiled at their kids. A smile which they reciprocated.Then Austin spoke. "Whilst you were hiding..." Hannah Morales cut him off with a questioning stare."Don't pretend. I know you were hiding, but that aside. I spoke with your mom and she said something that had me thinking. She asked me to look after you and love you. She said you are like a white rose, so fragile and innocent it, does that mean that if you’re not loved adequately, you wither and die?”Somehow, Austin’s question sent shivers down Hannah's spine. Not in a pleasing and pleasurable way, but also not in a terrifying way. She couldn't figure out what he meant by that question. Was he expecting a reply?That paranoid side of Hannah Morales pondered on his words. Right up to when they were pulling away from each other, biding farewell to everyone and got into a silver Chevrolet classic that had the words 'just married' on the license plate to a destination unknown to her for their honeymoon, Hannah thought about it over and over again.Part of her wanted to ask him what he meant because his words terrified her. He may have referred to her as a white rose; pure and innocent, but he also referred to her as weak; and that didn't settle right with her.Of course, Austin Jenkins noticed the change in Hannah's behaviour, so the young girl smiled at him."Where are we going? My mom refused to give me a hint about our honeymoon destination"It was Austin’s turn to smile. "It's meant to be a smile, but when you give me that look.." he grumbled and Hannah cajoled him some more with her smile and baited her lashes."Ahhh...It's somewhere you love and have always wanted to visit" Austin breathed out.The smile on Hannah's face slowly disappeared. "We're going to Boracay?"Austin Jenkins nodded frantically and grinned. Mentally, Hannah grumbled but maintained a look of surprise on her face.She never thought she'd be spending her first night as a married woman in her dream vacation spot with a man she didn't love. How on earth was it supposed to be memorable for her when she'd spend most of her time trying to act right around him?"You're mom told me you've always wanted to go there, so I figured I'd surprise you with that for our honeymoon. I can't wait to experience all that with you" Austin took Hannah's hand in his and brought it to his lips.Mentally, Hannah facepalmed. She told herself she would make an effort and give Austin a chance. So why the hell was she reacting as though she just heard her parents doing the dirty?So, with another smile on her face, Hannah Morales said; "I can't wait either"If only Hannah Morales knew, that saying yes and giving Austin Jenkins a chance will cause her the most traumatic experience of her life, she would have apologised whilst at the altar and bear the consequences.Because just like he had said, she would soon become that flower that will wither and die.-----------** August 2001 **It has been exactly one year since Hannah Morales and Austin Jenkins tied the knot. She'd kept her promise to Austin and given him a chance, and the young man on his part proved his worth to her. He showed her love and treated her like a princess. At some point, Hannah's friends became envious of her because of how well Austin treated her.When Hannah lost her dad, she fell into a deep pit. It was a hard pill to swallow as one minute they were celebrating Easter together, the next minute he was coughing and he dropped to the ground. He was rushed over to the hospital and that was when the doctors informed them that he'd kicked the bucket. Hannah Morales could barely process the news. Her father was more healthy than a nineteen-year-old football athlete, so how on earth was he dead?Hannah had to step in and be there for her mom who was having a hard time coping with the loss of her husband and her personal ATM. If anything, Hannah needed her mom to deal with the pa
Fear and hope had Hannah’s good eye riveted on Austins’s chest. She counted. One, two, three… to fifty. There was not one rise or fall. Not one breath, not one beat. Austin’s eyes were open, but Hannah could no longer see the hard, brown that seemed to always look right through her.The phone felt heavy in her hand. Or perhaps that was the guilt weighing down on her. She should have called for help. She should have done something. Right? The problem was, it wasn’t only guilt she felt. There was something else there.An unmistakable feeling of freedom. A sharp, shooting pain caused Rebecca to gasp. Adrenaline began to wane agony set in. As the prickly fingers of unconsciousness began to pull her under, Rebecca quickly sent a text to the first person she thought could help, right before her eyes closed and she dropped to the ground.****"Welcome back" the voice of a young woman with chestnut hair, probably in her late twenties greeted Hannah Morales as her eyes fluttered open and she w
**Now**"Three! Two! One! Happy New Year" the cheers, and clanking of forks against glasses as well as the fireworks that shot up in the sky made thirty-nine-year-old Hannah Morales believe that the coming year held the best wishes for her.As she joined in, screaming 'happy new year' and hugging those closest to her, she knew in her heart of hearts that this year will be a good one. She looked up to the sky, dreamingly staring at the combustible device producing a striking display of light and loud noises that created a sparkle in her eyes."Happy new year Hannah" she whispered to herself and brought her glass of champagne to her lips. She smiled to herself, looking one last time at the display before following the small group that began walking back into the mansion. As she watched several couples smiling, some kissing as they walked back in, Hannah Morales felt her chest tight. It was such a pity that she could not experience something like this. "No, no, no. We're not doing tha
Hannah Morales couldn't get her eyes off the young blonde. That brief encounter with her felt like a second in paradise and the older woman found herself wanting to relive that.Standing amid her group of friends, the older woman could barely pay attention to what they were saying as her gaze occasionally drifted to the younger woman. Her blonde hair, her sapphire blue eyes, the way her hands gesticulated as she spoke, everything about her was mesmerising to Hannah. Hannah's body response was too intense to be good for her. She tore her gaze from the younger woman, determined to stop thinking about the incredibly hot, tall androgynous woman. She couldn't care less how the black pants make her ass look. Or how the crisp, white button-up shirt was unbuttoned dangerously low, showing just the right amount of cleavage. Or how she envied the rings that were fortunate enough to be wrapped around her fingers. And she certainly wasn't thinking about rummaging her hands in that short, wavy b
“As expected, the party was exceptional” Rachel Fisher exclaimed as she rounded the huge mahogany desk that was in Hannah's office.“But unfortunately I didn’t stay long enough. If you catch my drift” she winked, making Hannah Morales cringe. Although Rachel stood three inches shorter than Hannah, she was more outgoing and spontaneous. She acted on impulse with whatever thought crossed her mind. So much so that Hannah had prepared herself to bail her friend out of jail whenever she received a call from an unknown number. Thankfully, that never happened.One would think that after years and given the nature of her job, Rachel Fisher will retire after living life to the fullest. But the years of pleasure made her thirsty for more. Her motto now was life begins at forty. “Yeah Rachel, I catch your drift” Hannah cringe internally, picturing her friend pressed up against the wall with God knows who slamming into her. Hannah Morales felt a little envious of her friend. How carefree she w
Hannah Morale's reply caught her by surprise. She took a moment to regain her senses, and when she did, she realised the gravity of the situation, and it didn't help that Serenity wore a smug expression on her face. But it didn't last, and her expression was back to stoic. Hannah Morales loved dominating, she loved being a mistress, and that was the reason why she spent more time in the club than she did at her apartment. It gave her a sense of purpose. It made her feel in control of her life after everything she'd been through in the past, and to spew out nonsense simply because she was in the presence of a woman - a literal goddess, was utterly insensible.Hannah's clients of the past were nothing compared to Serenity. While she had fun with them, she never felt any attraction for them. Before, during and after their session. She was yet to have a session with Serenity and the blonde was already making her nuts. Serenity Gils on her part knew Hannah was older than her, but she wasn
A coward. That was the word that could beat describe forty-year-old Hannah Morales. A scaredy pants who vehemently avoided going to her work site for fear that she may run into a certain blonde. A blonde who for the past few days, has lived rent-free in her thoughts. A blonde who served as a muse for every unholy thought she's had. Hannah Morales avoided going to the club. She's had Mavery- her assistant fill her in on everything that happened during her absence. And every time, her heart sank when she didn't hear the young girl talk about Serenity. Of course, she hadn't expected Mavery to mention her name, no. She wouldn't possibly know everyone who visited the club by name. Maybe a description. That was all she hoped to hear. But nothing came up.Like tonight. She'd just gotten off the phone with Mavery. She listened to the young girl fill her in on all the uninteresting details when in reality, she wanted to know if anyone matching the description of Serenity ask after her.Maybe
The tension in the room was palpable. Serenity Gils found it hard to believe that she had just let someone order her around. And what was even more absurd was the fact that she was majorly turned on because of that. Right then and there, she wanted to pounce on the older woman, pull out her dildo and fuck her until she could walk no more. Fuck her until the only thing that rolled out of her lips was 'more, Serenity. More'But her first time in this room, Hannah Morales made her understand that she would have to give up all control. She would have to submit. Something about Hannah's demeanour the first time they were in this room made Serenity understand that she had to give up all of that if she wanted to be with Hannah. And God only knew, how much she craved that.Hannah Morales cussed herself. She cussed herself for raising her voice at Serenity, because now she knew the younger girl was thinking of leaving. And she didn't want that. Hannah Morales was about to apologise to the yo