Chapter 18: Just In The Line Of Duty
Chapter 18:
Luis walked into his room to find Sheridan sitting on a chair in the corner deep in thought. She didn’t even hear him as he entered the room. He quietly walked over to the chair and crouched down in front of her. Luis took Sheridan’s hands in his own and gently squeezed. She looked at him. Her eyes expressing great sadness. He looked back with his big brown eyes and an encouraging smile. “Hey you,” he said gently. he sound of Luis’ voice, the look in his eyes and the warm smile on his face gave Sheridan a sense of comfort and peace she’d never known. A tear fell onto her cheek. “Oh, Luis,” she whispered. with a heartrending tone.
“Hey!” Luis said in a very passive voice. “It’s ok, Sheridan. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you like this again.” Luis gently gathered her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as he did this, never wanting to let go. Sheridan felt safe and protected. “Luis,” she whispered, as she became lost in the feeling of his muscular embrace, “I really don’t deserve you. You have done nothing but prove over and over again what a wonderful man you truly are and I... For a few minutes there, back in the cabin... I thought it was you. I didn’t want to believe it, but it was so real and surreal at the same time.” Tears were now flowing down her cheeks. “I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted anything to do with me again.”
“Sheridan, what are you saying?” Luis asked in surprise. “Don’t you understand, Luis?” Sheridan implored. “For a few minutes I doubted you. I again thought you were using me.” Luis smiled as he lightly caressed her back. “Sheridan, from what I understand, that impostor was good enough to fool my own mother. I can’t blame you at all for thinking that was me for awhile. I saw his face. It was eerie! The only thing that’s important here is that you questioned it. You decided to confront him this time.” Luis took Sheridan’s chin in his hand and gently raised it so her eyes met his. “Sheridan, you knew in your heart it wasn’t me, didn’t you?”
Sheridan gazed into Luis’ eyes. She felt a sudden warmth overtake her body as his eyes remained fixed on her own, showing nothing but love. “Luis, I knew in my heart that the man I made love to last night, was not the man who said those hurtful remarks. But this man, with your face and your voice, knew we had just made love.” Sheridan was beginning to sob as she relayed to Luis what she heard the impostor say. “He said he almost felt sorry for me, that I wasn’t really like the rest of my family and that I was good in the sack too. He then started laughing, a long, evil laugh.” Sheridan said her voice trailing off in sobs.
Luis was hurt beyond words as he watched the pain and sadness in Sheridan's eyes. “Oh, Sheridan, I am SO SORRY you had to hear him say that,” Luis said compassionately. He pulled her close to him and held her close to him. “I’m sorry for acting like a blubbering idiot, Luis,” Sheridan apologized. “It’s just that...” “Shh, Shh,” Luis whispered softly into her ear. “It’s all right Sheridan. I understand. Just realize this. It will never happen again, do you hear me?”
“You’re right Luis,” Sheridan said as she wiped tears away from her eyes. “It will never happen again, because I am going to make sure my Father stays out of my life for good. He and Julian both. They won’t get away with this, I swear they won’t.” Sheridan had a look of determination on her face right now that made Luis smile. He knew that look only too well and knew when pushed into a corner Sheridan would push right back. “There’s the spirit, Sheridan,” Luis said with a faint grin. “I’m going to confront both of them and tell them what they can do with their meddling ways,” she said confidently.
“You can do that later Sheridan,” Luis said. “Right now, you need some sleep. We both do.” You’re right of course,” she agreed half-heartedly. Luis pulled Sheridan to her feet and held her close. “Now, why don’t you get ready for bed and then I’ll tuck you in?” Luis said playfully. Sheridan laughed slightly when Luis said this. He always knew what to say to make her feel better and the thought of Luis ‘tucking her in’ certainly made her feel better. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all night,” she grinned. “Aw, that’s too bad Sheridan,” Luis frowned. “I thought I made you a better offer earlier tonight.” He stared at her with fire in his eyes.
“Oh, don’t you worry Luis,” Sheridan said in a sultry voice. “I certainly haven’t forgotten where we left off earlier. I also fully intend to pick up from there.” She grinned at him with a raised brow. “Unfortunately we aren’t alone anymore, so it will have to wait for another time.” Luis gave Sheridan a seductive look. “I have news for you Sheridan,” he said. “We will soon have the house all to ourselves for the rest of the day. Mama is going to work and Theresa and Miguel are going to school. None of them will be back until late tonight.” “Really?” Sheridan asked in a low voice. “I guess I’ll really enjoy you tucking me in then.” Luis now was the one to blush. Sheridan kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going to get changed,” she said. “Need some help?” he asked with a sly grin. “I think I can handle it Luis,” she laughed. “I’ll be right back."
Sheridan disappeared for a few minutes as she washed up and changed her clothes. She slipped into oversized nightshirt and returned to Luis room. She didn’t see him immediately. She called his name, then suddenly discovered where he was. He had fallen asleep on the bed while Sheridan was gone. She smiled to herself. “It looks like I’ll be the one tucking you in today Luis.” She gently pulled the blanket up and covered him. “Sweet dreams, Luis.” She smiled and lay down next to him. Sheridan watched him for several minutes until she finally drifted off to sleep herself.
Julian Crane walked into his private sanctuary holding his head in his hands. Julian was used to his nightly decanter of brandy, but last night he’d emptied at least three decanters and was feeling the effects of it. He sat at his desk and buried his head on the desk. “What a nightmare,” he groaned softly to himself. “That’s it, it was all a nightmare.” He formed a tiny smile on his face as he tried to convince himself his conversation with his Father the night before hadn’t happened. Suddenly he was shocked back to reality by the loud ringing noise of his private line. Julian jumped and groaned sharply at the sound of the phone. He nearly broke the phone as he banged the button in an effort to stop the noise. “Julian Crane here,” he snarled “and this had better be good.”
“Julian!” Alistair barked, “is this how you greet your Father?” “Father, I didn’t realize it was you,” Julian said, his tone completely mellowed. “Of course you didn’t Julian. That’s the problem with you,” Alistair sneered. “Julian, listen. We have a problem and I expect you to fix it.” “And what problem might that be, Father?” Julian asked sweetly as he looked at the phone with daggers in his eyes. “That incompetent impostor you hired screwed up last night,” Alistair reported. By now Sheridan knows everything. Try reading the morning paper Julian! It’s filled with a wealth of knowledge. And this morning’s paper is filled with STORIES ABOUT OUR FAMILY!! JULIAN YOU MUST PUT A STOP TO THIS NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME?” Alistair shouted.
Julian cringed in his seat. “Yes Father, Julian answered, sounding like a little boy being scolded. “See to it that the press comes to a halt and all evidence linking us to the Luis impostor is destroyed,” Alistair continued. “I’ll take care of it immediately, Father” Julian agreed confidently. “Yes, Julian. See to it you do,” Alistair said with bitter sarcasm. “And Julian, if I were you I would expect a visit from your sister Sheridan sometime today. I imagine she’s angry right now and will feel the need to blame her family. You must convince her WE had nothing to do with it.” “Yes Father, Julian said. “I’ll convince Sheridan her family had nothing to do with the Luis impostor.”
“Good. See that you do.” With that Alistair terminated the call. Julian hung the phone up and rolled his eyes to the back of his head. He headed out to the foyer to collect his morning newspaper and see what damage had been done to the mighty Crane Empire today. “It worked perfectly,” Luis laughed. “I have Sheridan exactly where I want her. She’ll do anything I ask her to do right now!” His laugh echoed in her head. The look on his face was sinister. She felt sick to her stomach and tears started trickling down her face. Sheridan was in shock as she listened to the man she loves admitting he was just using her.
“Luis, no! Tell me it’s not true?” she begged. Luis turned and looked at her. The demonic laugh became louder as his head shot back in his fit. “Oh Sheridan,” he said. “Why would you think I’d really love you? After all you are a Crane. Haven’t you figured out by now that I hate the Cranes? They destroyed my family and they will pay! I could never love you!” He continued to laugh evilly. “No! No! NOOOOO!!!” She screamed. “You can’t mean that! You can’t! I love you. How could you do this to me? How could you?” “Sheridan? Sheridan! SHERIDAN!” The voice became louder and louder until Sheridan slowly opened her eyes. “Sheridan, are you all right?” Luis asked with great concern. “Luis?” she said somewhat stunned, sitting up in bed.
“Sheridan, you were having a nightmare. Are you all right?” He asked again as he wrapped his arms around her. “Oh, Luis!” she cried as she threw her arms around him and held him tightly. “I was dreaming about that man. The one who impersonated you.” Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she held him as tightly as possible. “It’s ok Sheridan,” Luis comforted. “I’m right here and I’m never going to let you go. Do you hear me? Never, Sheridan. You’re stuck with me I’m afraid!” He smiled sweetly at her and gently kissed her forehead. Sheridan placed her head on his shoulder and sighed in relief. “I love you so much Luis,” she finally said. “I love you, Sheridan” he grinned as he caressed her head. “More than you can imagine.” Sheridan looked up at him, her eyes getting lost in his own. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry?” he asked in surprise. “For having a nightmare? Don’t be.” he said smiling. “I have an idea” he said with a mischievous grin. “What might that be?” Sheridan asked with curiosity.
“I think we should give your mind something else to think about. We need to give you pleasant thoughts right before you go to sleep so you dream about something pleasant rather than this,” Luis explained. “That sounds like a good idea,” Sheridan agreed. “Did you have anything specific in mind?” “Well, kind of,” he said. “Now first I want you to lie down and close your eyes.” Luis grinned at her with a raised brow. Sheridan smiled, unsure of his motives, but obeyed. She lay back down, not taking her gaze off of Luis. “Turn around,” he grinned as he motioned with his hand the direction he wanted her to be in. Sheridan repositioned her body as she wondered what he was up to.
Luis lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, her back against his chest. “Now close your eyes,” he said in a very deep voice. Sheridan sighed with contentment as her body became engulfed with a sense of warmth. She closed her eyes and she felt Luis hot breath on her neck. “I want you to someplace that makes you happy, Sheridan,” Luis whispered in her ear. “Someplace you always feel safe. Someplace that holds wonderful memories for you.” Sheridan smiled. The only thing that even came to her mind was Luis. Despite all their ups and downs, she always felt safe with him. She began remembering the good times they had together and how much she loved spending time with him. She again let out a soft sigh of happiness.
Luis was pleased with Sheridan’s expression. He knew she had thought of something to take her mind off of the terrible ordeal she’d encountered the night before. “You have someplace special in mind?” he asked in a tone that caused Sheridan to shiver. “More like a person than a place,” Sheridan replied softly. Luis felt a smile fill his face. “Anyone I know?” he asked as he began kissing her neck. “Could be,” she choked out in a whisper as the sensation of his kisses caused a huge lump to develop in her throat. “Well then,” Luis continued as he reigned kisses from her shoulder up to her ear, “think about being with this person in a place that makes you happy. “Maybe it’s a favorite city, a restaurant, a beach... It could be anywhere Sheridan. Can you picture it in your mind?”
Sheridan suddenly started fantasizing about what could have been in Paris had they only known the truth. Paris was the most romantic city in the world and she and Luis could have had so much fun together. Her mind then traveled back to the time she ran into him while jogging. She started imaging running with Luis along the beach, the two stealing glances from each other. She envisioned Luis shirtless with sweat glistening on his muscular body. Between her vision of Luis and the feel of his kisses on her neck, Sheridan was getting quite warm. “Oh I can picture it, Luis” she said in a husky voice. “We’re running at the beach.” Luis suddenly was beginning to feel warm himself as he remembered the same thing as Sheridan. “By any chance are you listening to music?” he asked.
“Actually I am. Tango music” she said as she heard it playing in her head. Luis was beginning to hear the same music as Sheridan. He continued sensually kissing Sheridan’s neck as he began to gently tug at her earlobe She inhaled sharply as her body responded to Luis’ arousing actions. “Where are you running?” he asked as he sucked on her earlobe. Her mind was whirling now. She was having difficulty concentrating, as the combination of Luis moist breath and tantalizing kisses was driving her mad. She regained the scene in her mind. Luis ran ahead of her and taunted her to follow him. She sped up, finally catching him in a secluded area of the beach. Sheridan lunged at him knocking him into the sand as she fell on top of her.
“I just knocked you over in the sand,” she uttered. “Now I’m on top of you laughing.” Sheridan faintly smiled. This was a daydream like no other she’d ever had. “So you’re thinking about me are you?” Luis said in a seductive voice. He continued his exploration of her earlobe and his hand began to move up and down her side. Sheridan gasped. Her heart was pounding. She saw herself smile at Luis. He gave her a sexy grin in return, one that melted her heart. She wanted to kiss him. She leaned in and kissed him fiercely on the mouth. She could feel the sand, as it stuck to their sodden bodies. “We’re both covered in sand now,” she said breathlessly.
Luis was beginning to increase the intensity of his kisses. His hand roamed Sheridan’s side, coming to rest on her thigh. He gave it a gentle squeeze and slowly moved his hand upward. Sheridan found herself becoming more and more caught up in her fantasy. Not only was she imagining a special moment with Luis, but she was living one at the same time. He too was sharing her fantasy as she was describing it to her. Her entire body felt alive in a way no one else had ever made her feel. As she imagined kissing Luis with raw passion, she felt his hand traveling up her thigh giving her even more pleasure than she could imagine. She quickly turned over to face Luis. He was too, breathless. His eyes filled with love and desire. Luis’ breathing was becoming shallow. As his hands continued their travels, he discovered Sheridan was wearing nothing underneath her nightshirt.
This caused a wave of pleasure to flow through Sheridan’s body and Luis face showed his approval. Sheridan leaned in and kissed Luis. She kissed him with everything she had in her, which caused Luis to moan instinctively. Sheridan quickly flipped herself on top of Luis and began to kiss his chest as she undid the buttons of his shirt. She lay succulent kisses on his muscular torso, which now caused Luis to feel his heart beat wildly. He too was caught up in the moment. He kept hearing that tango music in his head and suddenly bolted upright in bed. She was stunned as he quickly climbed out of bed and ran out of the room.
Sheridan was wondering what she had done to upset him. She didn’t have much time to worry, however when Luis came running back as fast as he’d gone. He looked at her with an ever so sexy smile as he slipped a CD into his stereo. “I thought a little music might be nice,” he said in a deep voice. He then climbed back into bed and pulled Sheridan on top of him, resuming the exact position they were in before he left. He raised his brow in an enticing manner.
Sheridan pulled herself up higher and this time kissed him on the mouth. She kissed him softly. Short sweet kisses. The cd player began to play and suddenly Sheridan recognized the familiar music. It was the tango music she’d been listening to all those months ago. She paused for a moment and smiled. Luis smiled back. The both returned to their kissing as they heard the tango music playing in the background.
It only took a second before they were both lost in each other. Luis deepened their kiss and Sheridan let out a soft moan. She frantically tried to unbutton the remainder of Luis’ buttons while he continued massaging her thigh. Sheridan and Luis were completely lost in their love for each other. Nothing else in the world mattered. They had each other, giving freely to the other all the love in their heart. The passion within them was unleashed and became more intense with each passing moment. As they listened to the tango music playing, they remembered the spark that started so long ago between them. That spark had now developed into a raging inferno, as Luis and Sheridan made love to each other. Somehow Sheridan had the feeling she wouldn't have nightmares after Luis inventive cure.
To Be Continued…
