Chapter 17

It was two weeks later when the exhausted women looked in awe at the ocean that could be seen from the living room window looking West. Both from the main house and the smaller, adjacent apartment ... that at least, in theory, was the one that Manuela and Alexa would be using ... the view was incredible. However, as there currently was enough space in this house and they had settled here, I did not say anything. Maybe I should have cared about it, but I really didn't. I just thought that it was a good thing that the previous owners left most of their furniture behind as I certainly was not in mood for shopping.

If I really thought about it, I was not really much in a mood for anything at all. Oh, I did take care of the all required things. I had managed to buy this house, put the old one on market, and arrange our move; but, there was absolutely no feeling in anything I was doing. I could operate very well and successfully and I could make good deals, but there was absolutely on emotion involved ... or maybe there was. I had to admit that the view over the ocean was really magnificent. I also had to admit that the dark brandy I was sipping tasted good in my mouth. The bitterness was elsewhere.

I sat there and stared the darkness for quite a long time without filling my glass. It would have been easy to get drunk, but it would not have changed anything. It would not bring Ana or Sofia back. It would not make Hanna believe that we still could be together. I stood up and carried my glass and the bottle to the kitchen. Once I had brushed my teeth I took a final look of the tempting open ocean in the distance before going to bed.

I was about to drift to sleep when I noticed a figure standing next to my bed and she was shivering. Manuela.

"Joel, please."

Only then I noticed that she was standing there naked her hand almost touching me. I could see her rapid breathing from her naked breasts towards the dim light coming from the western window. The animal part of me caught her scent, and suddenly I noticed that I was rock hard. She reached a bit more, and touched me with her fingertips.

After that I could not hold myself back any more but I pulled her on the top of me and kissed her breasts, her lips, her stomach and her pussy. Once I found that she was already wet I could not hold myself back but rolled her under me and spread her legs. And then I entered her with one slow but powerful stroke. Had I been gentle when I made love to her the last time, this was not now the case. This was a powerful act of having sex. I kissed her occasionally but mostly it was my hips doing the dance. Powerful, forceful dance with occasional intensive kisses. When I felt the change in her breathing, I picked up speed and when she clamped me between her legs and yelled, I started shooting. When I felt that my hands could not hold me any more I collapsed to her side.

I started crying.

Having sex with Manuela did not cure me at once, but gradually I started having some feelings. I can't remember what the first thing was, that made me smile again; but I think it was something small and silly.

The result was almost a total disaster, as when I smiled, Alexa started crying. Only then did it occur to me how worried they must have been because of me. They were living in a strange country, with strange habits, with only barely adequate language skills. They lived at the mercy of a man capable of killing, who seemed to be losing his mind. Apologizing led only to more tears. It took almost two hours before things were back to normal again ... whatever that meant in this household.

During the next couple of weeks, Manuela brought me back to the living. Only now, I also found out that at thirty-three, she was seven years my senior but, especially now that she had lost some weight, she still had a killer body. She had married at sixteen, and had Alexa when she was seventeen. She had become a widow when she was twenty-five. At that time, her parents had kept her and Alexa at home, and hoped that they could find some older boss for her to marry so that they could secure their own position. While playing with power they had lost the respect of their own family, and they had ended up the property of my old boss. He had occasionally used her services, niece or not. When her parents were killed, my old boss had taken them to live with him. The rest I already knew. Likewise, I told her about my life - all of it. Including my pending divorce.

I was not sure how Alexa felt about her mother and me getting close. In a way she seemed happy; but, there seemed to be something else, too. It looked a bit too much like jealousy. Now when I was able to notice other people, I knew that it was something that had to be corrected. It was a few days later, and after a discussion with Manuela, when I was about to have my discussion with Alexa.

She looked a bit nervous when one summer morning after breakfast asked her to follow me to the study, while Manuela started some domestic duties. Once we were seated I turned to her.

"Alex, as you have noticed, your mother and I are now in an intimate relationship. I assure you that I have no intention of hurting her."

"Yes."

Oh god, this was not going to be easy. I rolled my eyes. If I was going to have daughter why did it have to be an instant teenager.

"Alexa, please. You must understand that the society here, and our situation here, is quite different compared to the one we used to have."

"Yes. But you had no problems making promises to Sofia."

That still hurt and it probably was visible in my face, too.

"Then you probably also know that if I do something with you, and the authorities find about it, I'll probably end in jail. You'll be placed in foster care. As for Sofia, we would probably have needed to forge some documents that would have shown that she is already eighteen. When it comes to you, I'd like to remind you that a bit more than a month ago you were still a virgin, and intended to stay that way."

Now she blushed. I leaned forward and took Alexa's hands in mine.

"Alex, I know once that genie is out of the bottle, it is not possible to put it back; but, you are still young. You have at least two years left of school. You have time to make some new friends, and maybe date some nice boys at some point."