Golden Crest

I gasped as his lips made contact with my belly button. I never knew that part of me was that sensitive. I slapped my palm against my mouth, hoping to stifle the loud moans that were sounding so strange to me.

Slowly and leisurely, he peeled all my clothing off me, then stared at me with hooded eyes. I shyly placed my hands over my breasts. I saw his lips stretch into a beautiful smile before he reached out and gently pulled my hands away.

I could’ve sworn I heard him visibly gulp. But alas, the thought was driven right out of me when he bent over, grabbed my breasts, and suckled on them.

Yeah, the tiny scream I was holding back escaped. I grabbed the sheets on both sides of me, arching my back as ripples and ripples of pleasure washed over me. I could feel his lips stretching into a smile against my skin.

He went from one breast to the other, nibbling and suckling like a baby starved of food. I involuntarily grabbed a handful of his hair in my desperate quest to control whatever entity had taken charge of my body.

He momentarily left my breasts, raising his head to the ceiling and moaning deeply. My eyes were shut the entire time, but when I heard him moan, I opened them and looked down at him. He had his eyes shut tightly, grimacing as if in pain.

I quickly pulled my hand from his hair, thinking I was causing him pain, but just as quickly, he grabbed me by the wrist and slid my fingers back into his hair.

“Don’t stop,” he said in a hoarse voice.

I gulped, nodding my head vigorously.

After that, I would say I lost my senses.

This man I knew nothing about drove me to the ends of the world and beyond. There was discomfort at first, but he was so gentle that the sharp pain left just as quickly as it came.

Afterwards, we just lay there, in each other’s arms, breathing heavily.

“Do you still think we’ll forget?” I asked, tracing circles on his toned chest.

“I hope not,” he said, staring at the ceiling as he stroked my hair.

“Me too,” I said, reaching out and touching his face. He lowered his gaze and looked deeply into my eyes.

“Let me show you something,” he finally said, and slipped out of bed in all his male glory. He walked over to where his suit lay, put his hand into the inside pocket, and retrieved a shining object. Then he walked back to me and hovered it over my face.

“Wow! It’s beautiful. What’s this?”

“Strangely, my grandfather felt it was the right time to give me the family crest. When things are falling apart, he felt the need to mount this pressure on me.”

“Why do you feel it's pressure? What does it represent?”

“He didn’t say. He just said I should hold on to it. But somehow, I feel like this comes with a lot of responsibilities.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I feel it?”

“Sure.”

As I stretched out my hand to hold the precious gem, a bright light shone from the window. It was so bright I had to squint, covering my face with the back of my hand.

“Mum! Wake up!”

“Huh?!” I yelled, jumping up from the bed. “I’m awake, I’m awake!”

“I’m hungry,” Jason cried out. “You’ve been sleeping for hours.”

“Baby, I’m awake now. I’ll go fix something for you very soon, okay?”

He nodded.

“Where’s Grandma?”

“She’s having a nap.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll be out shortly.”

I watched my five-year-old son walk out, his favorite Escanor toy tucked under his arm like a tiny warrior ready for battle.

I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes. I needed more sleep. Work and school were taking a toll on me. I was in my finals and exams were near. The stress level wanted to stifle the life out of me.

I reached out to take a glass of water from my bedside table when suddenly, the dream I’d just had came crashing in confusing whirls.

It wasn’t a dream.

It happened six years ago. The night I conceived Jason.

But the weird part was, for the life of me, I don’t remember the dream every time I wake up. It’s as if it’s a memory locked deep within my head that only unlocks in my subconscious.

I do remember waking up with a migraine the next morning and finding myself alone in the room. I do remember the disgust I felt at having sex with a complete stranger who had just had his way with me and left.

I had shamefully worn my clothes and was about to sneak out when my eyes caught sight of the gem I always saw in my dream. Apparently, the gem is the only thing I remember whenever I wake up from that dream.

I cringed when the thought of what I did crossed my mind. It will forever haunt me.

I was so desperate.

The gem looked like the solution to my problem.

I stole it.

But I was going to return it. My plan was to pawn it off alongside the wristwatches and gold cufflinks I took from the dresser, get the funds I needed, save my grandma, then work my ass off to reclaim everything.

Surprisingly, just the gem was enough to cover all medical expenses, making me wonder at the gravity of what I’d done.

“Mum!”

“Coming!”

I quickly brushed my teeth and rushed out to make lunch for my son, then prepared for work.