The Turns Life Takes - Julian/Eve - Chapter 7
by yhh
"Come in," Eve called out, trying to catch up on her emails that had been
sent while she was on maternity leave. Looking up from the computer, Eve
saw no one so she stood and much to her surprise she saw Endora. "Angelpie,
how did you get here?" Walking around her desk, she swept the little girl
into her arms and showered her with kisses much to the delight of Endora.
With sushi in hand, Ethan-Martin walked through the door. "Hi, Aunt Eve."
"Ethan-Martin, hi sweetie," Eve greeted her newest visitor. "What do you
have there?"
"Susi," he replied.
"Sushi, sweetie. It's called sushi," Eve laughed.
Nodding his head, Ethan-Martin agreed with his honorary great-aunt. "Susi,
like I said."
A Crane through and through with Theresa's determination to be right thrown
in to boot. "Who brought you here?"
"Daddy," he responded, as if the answer was painfully obvious.
"Did someone call for me?" Julian asked, walking into Eve's office with
a wicker picnic basket. "Good afternoon, Dr. Johnson."
"Dr. Russell, as you well know. And what are you all doing here?"
"We came to bring you lunch."
"That's so sweet, but- -"
"You haven't eaten yet, the dumpy, unattractive nurse informed us to the
fact."
"Jul- -" Why bother trying to reprimand him? Some things about him would
never change and although she hated to admit it he was right that particular
nurse had a face only a mother could love. "I would love to have lunch with
you guys." Clearing space at the table in her office, she helped Ethan-Martin
into his seat.
Pulling out her chair, Julian assisted her and placed Endora in her lap.
"Thank you, sir," she said.
"My pleasure," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
Trying desperately to distract herself, she turned to Ethan-Martin. "What
treats did you bring for lunch?"
"None," Julian answered. "I'm working on my son's taste in foods. He wanted
to bring peanut butter and jelly and those greasy, disgusting things called
potato chips. How did the FDA ever approve those things?"
Eve watched Julian unload caviar, foie de gris, and other items out of
the basket. "Julian, what are the kids supposed to eat?"
"This food. Eve, darling, if you don't teach them culture now, they'll
never learn it and end up like TC." He couldn't help adding that last part.
"Julian," she warned.
He grinned at her. "Besides the children love caviar."
She raised her eyebrow.
"I do, Aunt Eve," Ethan-Martin assured her. Holding out his hand, his
father handed him a slice of French bread.
Eve stared in amazement as Ethan-Martin spread a healthy dose of caviar
on the bread and gave it to Endora.
"Tank you," Endora said.
"You're welcome, Dor," he answered, getting another piece of bread and
repeating the process.
As the children happily ate their bread and caviar, Julian smiled triumphantly.
"Shall we eat?"
Nodding Eve dug in. The last time she ate like this was when she had been
with Julian. She had once tried to create new memories with these delicacies
that she had learned to love with TC, but he had literally gotten sick to
his stomach when she told him exactly what he was eating. That had been the
first and last time, she'd attempted to feed TC anything he couldn't easily
and instantly identify.
"Do you remember the last time we ate like this?" he asked as the children
left the table to play.
She nodded. She could instantly remember, the night before it occurred
to her that she might be pregnant. They lounged in bed, laughing and talking,
and just enjoying being with each other. He had truly been her best friend
and closest confidante. With him by her side, she had felt powerful, like
nothing could touch her. She'd been upset when he made her get off of him
so he could go to the kitchen, but when he came back with the caviar and
champagne all had been forgiven. And it wasn't so much the food as it was
the fact that he fed it to her and followed each feeding with a kiss that
became more and more heated. And finally, the caviar would eat up places other
than her mouth.
When she had left, she found herself craving caviar. Her son had loved
the taste, but it was difficult to buy on her waitress salary once she left
Boston for the anonymous New York City to get away from Julian. Every once
and a while she would splurge and treat herself. But the treat always led
to memories of him and to a night full of erotic dreams and never ending
tears.
"I never ate caviar again after that night. It seemed wrong, sacrilegious
even, to enjoy it when you weren't by my side to partake of it also," Julian
informed her, holding out a cracker spread with caviar.
Gazing into his eyes, Eve was transported to a time when life was simpler
when it was just her and Julian. She opened her mouth and gently bit into
the cracker, nipping his finger in the process.
Feeling her lips on him, Julian worked overtime to suppress his moan.
He couldn't afford to startle her or scare her off. He closed his eyes and
let the sensation run through his body. He was in heaven as he finished feeding
her the caviar. How could he have ever given this up? She touched him in
ways no one ever had or ever would. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that
Eve was lost in the sensuous haze as he was as he dipped his finger in the
caviar and fed it to Eve.
Ever so slowly, Eve sucked the Bulgarian dipped finger into her mouth
and swirled her tongue around it, getting every little drop and taste of
it and him that she could possibly get. She shouldn't be doing this. She
was playing a very dangerous game by encouraging Julian. But over the last
2 months, she felt her defenses crumbling as the man she always imagined
Julian could and would be emerged. He was attentive and loving towards Ethan-Martin
and Endora. He never made them feel less than important, yet at the same time
he always made sure she was right there next to him and with him. They felt
like a family. This was the family she could have had. This was what she'd
dreamt about when she was pregnant with their son. This was- -
"Mama, Daddy hurt?" Endora asked, staring at her father's finger in her
mother's mouth.
Quickly removing Julian's finger from her mouth, Eve left the passionate
moment with Julian and returned to the present. "Uh- -"
He thought he had worked on this kid's timing. It was atrocious. Seeing
the fear and panic rising in Eve's eyes, he knew it was time to retreat.
"Yes, Daddy hurt himself, but now I’m all better. So let's clean up and then
we can go to the park."
"Yippee!" Ethan-Martin yelled, scrambling to the table to help clean-up.
Distancing herself, Eve walked back to her desk leaving the kids and Julian
at the table. She couldn't let herself be sucked back into Julian's web.
She was free. And that freedom had cost her, her son. She wasn't going to
allow herself to get caught again. She- - Wait did- - Eve looked up to find
Julian staring at her.
She saw the question in his eyes. Did Endora call him daddy? They still
hadn't explained Julian's connection to the toddler yet. Should they risk
it and ask? Julian gave her his tentative approval. "Angelpie?"
The curly head toddler turned to her mother.
"Did you call Mr. Julian, Daddy?"
"Of course," Ethan-Martin answered. "She's my sister, like Fancy and Cassie."
"Who told you that?"
Exasperated the young boy looked at the two puzzled adults and put them
out of their misery. "No one. We've got the same noses and eyes as Daddy,"
he declared and went back to playing.
Julian took a closer look at his daughter and saw what his youngest son
was talking about. They all indeed did have the same nose and shape of eyes.
He grinned, catching Eve's gaze.
Eve shrugged. Out of the mouths of babes.