They passed villages, historic white-washed buildings and villas, clinging off steep cliffs above an underwater crater. Santorini, Greece is essentially of what remained from one of the largest volcanic eruptions to ever occur in recorded history; and the most sought after place for a romantic getaway. The entire island overlooked the nearly clear sapphire sea and black sand beaches as Camelia's curious eyes scan the dramatic views in her sight as Stefan expertly maneuvered the SLS Mercedes he rented once they reached the airport.
"This place is stunning!"Â Camelia exclaims, peering out passed the windshield and into the distance watching the beautiful sunset make it's descent.
Stefan glanced away from the road and smiled at her. "Not as stunning as you. . .Is it safe to say you liked the surprise?"
"I love it."
Stefan turned the car onto a pleasant street littered with beautiful homes. "Here we are, Mrs. Steel." He said squeezing the car into a narrow parking alley.
She never thought to ask, assuming they were going to a hotel, they stopped in front of a house.
The charming villa was luxurious with unique architectural design, blending the classic Greek with Italian influences in a Mediterranean style. Camelia looked at the rose bushes cluster in the corner as she unlatched the gate into the tiny but well-tended front yard. A flowing waterfall enchanted the corner of white the house.
Stefan found the keys and opened the door. Catching her by surprise he bent down, put his hand behind her knees and swept her up into his arms. Camelia wrapped her arms around his neck. He strode into the threshold and nudged open the door with his knee.
Stefan sets her down once they enter.
The first thing she noticed was the center of the large room, a table had been set for two. The napkins were folded into hearts. Three candles in long stemmed holder of varying heights provided a centerpiece. The candles were lit, the room lights lowered. Next to the table was a cart holding a bottle of champagne cooling in a crystal ice bucket.
Surrounding the table were flowers, hundreds of themâbouquets of vases, roses and tropical exotics. The scene was choreographed for seduction.
Camelia spun to face him. "You had all this arranged?"
"It's our honeymoon after all, I wanted tonight to be memorable." He said, stepping behind her close enough for her to feel the heat of his body. "Besides, I notice you didn't eat much. I'm having dinner delivered. Would you like to look around and freshen up? There's a bathroom around the corner and another in the master suite."
She nodded in acknowledgment to his suggestion. Stefan pulled her by the hand and led the way, reaching a set of double doors. He flung them open with a flourish and stepped back so Camelia could precede him into the suite. She took a few steps, then froze, gulping heavily.
The room was beautiful and elegantly decorated. A great king sized bed draped in white satin lay against the wall with a pair of mirrored night stands. A matching dresser and mirror stands against the wall opposite the bed.  A sitting area was tucked in a corner framed by an expansive view of the ocean. The bedroom showcased a private plunge pool passed the sitting area.
"I'm going to get our luggage and see if the champagne's chilled yet." He said tactfully, leaving her staring at the king sized bed. She finally noticed rose petals forming a large heart in the center of the bed. A bed they were going to share very shortly.
Camelia rushed into the marble tiled bathroom. A large soaking tub was in the corner with a large see-through glass shower stands opposite the large bathroom. His and herâwhite plush robes hang from hooks. Swans made of towels were wrapped artfully on the vanity.
Camelia clung to the vanity as though she might crumple to the floor without its support and closed her eyes. This was her wedding night, her honeymoon. They were married. Stefan was her husband, she his wife. She shouldn't feel anxiety, shouldn't feel this dizzy with nerves.
It wasn't that she didn't want Stefan to sweep her off her feet and carry her to his bed.  She feared the pain she knew would come once their bodies joined. Would he be tender? Would he give her time to adjust? Would she be good enough for him with her lack of experience?
She was neither unsophisticated nor naive. She'd seen movies, she'd read romantic novels.
The girl that stared back at the mirror looked apprehensive. She bought a red nightie just for him amongst other lingerie.  Would she look sexy? Would he like it? Camelia bit her swollen lips looking throughly ravaged by his insistent kissing.
Shaking her head to rid herself of the doubts clouding her head, she soaps up her hands and taps her cheeks with cold water trying to calm down. Wiping her hands on the hanging towels, she sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly to calm her nerves, turning towards the door.
You can do this, she told herself.
In the living room, Stefan tipped the caterers who'd delivered their dinner and wondered what was taking Camelia so long. His nervous bride was hiding in the bathroom. A small smile lifts the side of his face in amusement as he remembers the way her eyes kept flickering to the bed. The fact the bathroom didn't have any windows through which she might escape was reassuring.
At last he heard the creak of the door opening. He greeted Camelia with a soft smile to ease her worries and promised himself he would do anything he could to lighten the tension emitting from her. He pulled a chair out for her.
"You're just in time, the food arrived."Â He said, indicating the table laden with various dishes.
Camellia offered him a smile as he took the seat opposite her. Stefan filled their flutes, then held his up in a salute to her.  The reflected flame of the candle gave the pale Amber liquid the look of liquid fire, matching the fierceness in his eyes.
"To our promising future."Â He said.
Their glass clinked together. Camelia swallowed half her glass.
"Camelia."
She raises her eyes to his watchful ones.
"The set of your shoulders are stiff and you look like your scared to be eaten by some wild beast. I need you to relax. I don't like seeing you so tense. I will be gentle and make sure you enjoy the experience. There's nothing to fear from me. You trust me, don't you?"  He asks, when she looks away, not quite meeting his gaze.
"Yes, of course I trust you, it's just Iâ". She abruptly cuts off her sentence.
"Just what?" He prompted. "Look at me, Camelia." He commands.
Their eyes lock. "I'm scared of the pain, Stefan! I'm afraid I won't be good enough for you! I'm afraid thatâ"
He frowns and held up a hand to silence her.  She stops, looking flushed and embarrassed.
"You're afraid you're not good enough? Have you looked at yourself?" He asks, trying to contain his frustration. Stefan eyes her up and down. "You're so sexy you would be able to have any man panting on his knees like a dog. You could literally charm the skin off a snake's back. You're a sexy little tease and you don't even know it." Shaking his head. "If only you knew what one smile from you does to me. Hearing the sound of your voiceâgets me harder than a rock in a split second. You better believe you are more than good enough for me. Do you understand?"
"Yes." She whispers.
"Good, now try these. I don't like that you haven't eaten all day." He offers her a jumbo shrimp nestled on a bed of shaved ice.
Camelia takes it from him as he eyes her. She chews and forces the shrimp meat down her throat. He picked up the champagne bottle and refilled the flute she'd almost emptied.
Once they sampled almost everything on the table, Camelia pushed her plate back. "I think I'm done."
"You haven't sampled the Greek style baklava." Stefan prompted.
She wet her lips with a shy flick of her tongue, she shook her head. "I . . . can't."
He set down his glass and reached forward and enfolded her small hand between both of his, elbows on the table. Holding her hand close to his lips, he studied her face.
He spoke quietly, his voice husky. "Shall we make this a wedding night to remember?"
*****
"Shouldn't we close the blinds?"Â She asks timidly.
Her breathing is shallow and quick, Stefan watching her chest with a rushing hunger he'd never felt before. His eyes dart up to her eyes and see the desire and fear in her expression.
"Someone might see."
"The view overlooks the sea, Angel no one will see. Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment, Camelia?" He asks searching her eyes. Her cheeks flush a rosy pink, her gaze weary yet understanding. "How much I want you?" Her lips part as she inhales. Stefan's towering height and bulging wide shoulders trap her.
Reaching up, he touches her bottom plum lip with his thumb and slowly caresses her upper lip outlining the plump pair. Her breath hitches as her eyes begin to dilate in desire.
"Turn around." He demands. "I want you out of this dress." Slowly he helps her turn around when she didn't obey and kissed her exposed shoulder with open mouth kisses, nuzzling neck, while caressing his fingertips down her arms. "I want you so badly." He breathed.
He reached for the fastening of her dress, and began working down the zipper hidden by a row pearls and stones. Exposing her skin inch by inch he slid the dress passed her shoulders, then her waist and hips. She shivers as he kisses and sucks her exposed skin. The dress lay like a great puffy, white cloud around her ankles. His hands found a white lacy virginal bra underneath and unclasps it, letting it fall down to the floor in a whisper. His chest was hard and hot against her bare back.
"How did you know where to find the zipper?" She asks breathlessly feeling goosebumps rise on her arms and travel passed her belly and down her legs.
Stefan chuckles behind her.
"I'm a man, Camelia. We know these things without trying to think. Turn around for me my beautiful flower."
She could hear him breathing heavily, felt the soft, massive evidence of his throbbing need grind against her backside. Arching her head back, his fingers lightly caress the sides of her breasts as she moaned with want.
"Wait! I have a red nightie bought for you that I wanted to wear for tonight."
"You can wear it some other time."
Reluctantly, she obeyed, keeping her dark long lashes lowered as she stood exposed to him. Although he had seen her naked on more than one occasion, it was different this time. She was completely at his mercy.
The next scene begins in the "Pleasures Of The Flesh" scene 1. It contains mature content.
Camelia smiled softly as she stared. Tears misted her eyes briefly. Once upon a time he was only a fantasy man, her knight and now he was a dream come true and the perfect reality.
"What is it?" He asks capturing her hand and kissing her palm.
"I was just thinking about when I was younger and how I would fantasize about you, never thinking we would ever get this far."
"There's something I must confess, Camelia." He murmured, placing her hand against his heart.
She said nothing and waits searching his eyes.
"From the first moment I saw you in your father's study, I knew that I loved you." Camelia looked taken aback. Stefan smiled ruefully and nods more to himself than for her seeming lost In thought. "Something inside me felt an unexplainable connection to you outside the terraceâthe night of the auction. I bonded with that mysterious lady in red, felt an unexplainable shift happening inside me and when I saw the real you something clicked. I may have not known what it was or how to explain it but all I know was you satisfied my soul."
Clamping a hand over her mouth, she stared at Stefan with wide eyes. Those blue-green colored eyes she loved so much.
"So what your admitting to me is you loved me in that short span of time without really knowing the real me?" She asked in a small voice, longing to believe.
"The heart knows no time."
He leaned down and kissed her and she closed her eyes. Camelia was the first to break away to catch her breath.
"Did you have any dirty thoughts about me or the lady in red?" She asked in a whisper against his ear trying to suppress a giggle. A shudder wracked through his body.
"A man needs more than the pleasures of the flesh." He trailed his fingertip along the line of her jaw and down her throat and whispered. "But I won't lie. That red lipstick you wore that night set my blood on fire. I wanted you, all of you wrapped around me, in my bed like nothing I've ever felt."
His confession lifted her ego to new heights and she smiled tenderly.
"Do you know I kept every single card you sent me?"
Stefan went very still, surprise flaring in his sea colored eyes.
Camelia nodded. "I would read them often throughout the year and daydream about you on my bed." She confessed. "I had you on a high pedestal. Call me silly, but those cards helped me fall helplessly in love with you. You grew in my heart and in my mind."
"Well, that was never my intention. I sent them to a little girl to remind her that I cherished our friendship." He admitted with a little smile. "Never in a million years would I have thought we'd end up together. Funny how fate works. So much time passed between then and now, we've been through so much, had every obstacle placed in our way, yet in the end we made it. Perhaps we're Star crossed lovers."
Her eyes widen. "You believe that?" It's true they were miserable when they were not together. Camelia always felt somethingâa part of her was always missing.
"I believe anything is possible in this point of my life. Had my grandfather never forced me to accompany him to your birthday, I would never have met you, and your father wouldn't have reached out to me to help him. Had these random events not happened, we would have never bonded the way we did under different circumstances."
He gathers her into his arms, stretching beside her, arranging the covers over them. Cradling her, he stoked her hair as she rested her cheek against the warmth of his chest.
For once in her life she felt at peace.
"Sleep, Princess."
She slept with a private smile of happiness.
*******
The next morning Camelia woke up to the sounds of movement in the ensuite bathroom. She winced slightly from her sore muscles and the fading throb in her center and sauntered towards the sound, wrapping the wrinkled white bed sheet around her body. Stefan had a bath drawn and overflowing with a large puddle of rose petals on the surface. The steam brought out the rich aroma of the roses including other distinct essential oils that were added like vanilla and lavender to the bath water.
"Stefan?"
He turns, wearing only his boxers, his chest and arms on full display. His hair was sticking up in different directions probably due to her tugging and running her hands through it countless times during their lovemaking the night before.
She flushed.
"You're awake." Smiling at her. "Come." Reaching for her. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling rather good. Except for feeling a little sore." She admits.
"I've drawn up a bath, it'll help with the soreness."
Camelia's face turned redder than a cherry tomato.  Stefan tugs at the sheet until she lets it go, standing completely naked in front of him.  His heated stare sizzled over her skin and she avoided making eye contact as he assisted her into the tub.
Camelia sighed in luxurious contentment as she sank deeper into the bathing tub of black-veined marble big enough for the two of them. The smell affected her mood, easing her anxiety and discomfort. She felt relaxed and invigorated at the same time.
"A girl can get used to this. It's better than any spa I've been to. You get an A+ for effort, Mr. Steel." She teases.
Stefan sat across from her, resting his head back, his eyes closed, his arms slung over the rim of the tub. At her words, he opens his eyes and sent her a slow lazy smile. "Luxury has its advantages, Mrs. Steel."
"I never knew you could be so romantic." She lifted her crossed ankles and rested them on his muscles thigh.
Beads of water sparkled on his bronzed skin. Stefan grasps her ankles and yanks her towards him.
"You know how you can repay me?" He asks, positioning her on his lap in a straddle, her chest flush with his own.
She reached up to stoke his neck and touched the velvety softness of his short brown hair. She heard the soft sound that escaped his lips, heard his heart pounding inside his body pressed against her.
"How?" She asks in wonder, their lips a mere inches apart.
"By wearing that little red nightie you said you bought for me." He says, nipping her lips playfully. "Tonight."
"Deal."
He gripped her, curling his hands around the back of her neck. When he leaned down, she welcomed his kiss with a hunger as he crushed her, coaxing her lips wider apart with hard, driving kisses, his tongue lunging deep into her mouth and sealing their deal.
He kissed her endlessly, running both his hands down her sides to her hips. She pressed both palms against his bare chest. He clasped her bottom, hauling her up closer against him, as if to make sure she felt the solid mold of his erection jutting against her stomach.
"I won't take you again until tonight, my love. But I must warn you, I won't be gentle this time."
A shiver of delight ran up and down Camelia's spine at his spoken promise.
"In the meantime, I want you to touch me."Â He maneuvers her right hand onto his thick erection and lays his head back against the tub, closing his eyes.
A hearty groan sounds deep in his throat at her hesitant touch. For once she seemed to have no shame, stroking him, exploring him. Her restless stroking of his body drove him to peaks of pleasure he had never felt before.
The urgent primal sounds he made danced over her nerves endings. He grew hotter and harder and throbbed with need.
"To hell with waiting, I can't take this anymore." He says between clenched teeth. "I need you now!"
With a surprised squeal coming from her, he lifts her and stands, pushing her against the wall, caging her with his arms, their legs submerged in the hot water. Rose petals clung to Stefan's wet body, over his shoulders, chest, and legs.
"Wrap your legs around me, Angel."Â She obeyed his command feeling a rush of excitement building in her core.
Her flesh was compliant and smooth where he touched her as she wrapped her legs around his upper thighs sharing a desperate yearning for fulfillment, too consuming and yet too dangerous to endure.
******
After making love and bathing they had breakfast delivered to their bedroom. A small table was placed before the bed as they sat. An array of fruits, pastries, omelettes, cold cuts, olives, smoked salmon atop bagels, orange juice and steaming Greek coffee were included.
Camelia was dressed in one of the white robes, her hair wet and brushed passed her back. She ate with gusto, replenishing her strength.
"Once we're finished here we'll go out sightseeing and view the island. If you're up to it, of course." He offers, as he reached for a slice of almond biscotti from a silver tray that held their breakfast.
Camelia watched the play of sculpted muscle in his bare arms and chest with his simple movement. His ever watchful eyes never left her face. Washing the biscotti down with a sip of coffee, he waited for her answer looking at her over the brim.
She was completely engrossed with his pure masculinity. There was something about the way he held himself, the taut power he executed. He didn't even need to try, his dominate presence screamed man. She was amazed at the wetness of desire building in her core again.
"It's perfect." She said, finding her voice, flushing a furious shade of red before plopping a strawberry into her mouth to calm her reaction.
"Something wrong, Angel?" Lifting an eyebrow. "I didn't hurt you. . ." He hesitates for a second. "Did I?"
Camelia was sure if she voiced her thoughts they wouldn't leave the bedroom.
"No. I'm feeling fine." Offering him a reassuring smile and crossed her legs tightly.
"Good." Stefan frowns thoughtfully but he dropped the subject to her relief. She didn't know if she would able to resist his probing and reveal her yearning to make love again. "Change into something comfortable, we'll be out for a while. I placed our suitcases in the dressing room."
It was strange opening her suitcase and seeing the lacy edges of her underthings peeping out here and there. She began pulling out her clothing and arranging them on the hangers and shelves. Once she reached the end of her things she finds a bulging paper bag. She frowns, her lips parting, her brow lifting in concentration. She could not remember ever placing anything like that in with her things.
Then she noticed a little pink post-it note stuck to the outside.
It read: Innocent until proven naughty.
Her shoulders sag. She hesitates before opening the bag and peering inside. A second later, the paper scrunched under her fisted palms.
Sammy.
"Why that little..."
The little schemer placed the bunch of sex toys he bought for her bridal shower which she made sure to give back to him. That explained his wicked smile before they took off. Camelia took a deep breath and shook her head.
"Camelia?" Stefan calls out.
Oh no, snapping instantly into alertness.
She started to panic, listening to his footsteps fast approaching. It was too late for her hide the bag and stood, placing it behind her back.
Stefan's head pops around the corner.
"Yes?"
He frowns and narrows his eyes to the hands behind her back and enters the walk-in closet, noticing the way she fidgeted.
"What are you hiding behind your back?" Stefan openly asks, nearly demanding an answer.
"Nothing." She rushes out quickly.
Why did she have to grab the bag and hide it of all places behind her back? Why? She felt like a child getting caught doing something bad.
"Is it that nightie?" His eyes twinkle with interest as he strode towards her.
She shakes her head.
"Let me see."
She shakes her head again.
His naughty-boy grin surfaced. "Embarrassed, Mrs. Steel?"
He reaches for the bag.
"Don't." She rasped, closing her eyes as he practically wretched the bag from her tight grip.
Camelia stomps her foot in agitation and marches out of the closet, sitting on a bench at the end of the bed leaving him to open the bag alone. She crosses legs angrily and folding her arms over chest fuming with mortification.
Stefan slowly emerges, a slightly shocked expression on his face.
"Sex toys, Mrs. Steel?"
Camelia almost died as he pulled the out the handcuffs.
"These we can use."
Grasping the cuffs in his large palms, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Next he pulls out the blindfold, a fur glove, rope and a flogger inspecting them piece by piece.
"Those things aren't mine! That little monster sneaked passed me and put them in my bag! I'm going to strangle him as soon as I get back!"
"Samuel?" He guessed. "Perhaps. . . I should thank him for once." Stefan teased, his gentle eyes smiling down at her. He pulled one last item. The 18 karat gold vibrator. He holds it up and shakes his head. "As long as I'm alive and kicking you'll never need this." Letting the small little tube fall back into the bag.
Camelia bit her fist containing her scream of frustration.
Stefan releases a hearty laugh, the items he cradled in his arms falling relentlessly on the floor.
"This is not funny!"
*********
They took a helicopter ride, spotting everything from volcanic formations to whitewashed villages. They spent a great deal of time circling Santorini's top beaches while Stefan pointed out to her all the hideaway coves and secluded bays, he promised to take her where he could have his way with her without interruptions.
They hovered near the north end of the island, taking photos of blue domed churches in the Greek village of Oia. They drank in the beautiful rocky black cliffs rising up from the brilliant crystal blue water before they landed back on land.
It was an unforgettable hour long helicopter trip over the island that both Stefan and Camelia have now embedded into their memory and the first of many they were making.
They spend hours walking through villages and markets picking out souvenirs to remember their journey.
Camelia stopped by a stand, a little woman selling uniquely handmade Greek-style leather sandals, resembling what ancient Greeks used to wear. She quickly bought a pair replacing her wedges and bought several other styles for her sister and mother. They went from shop to shop buying fresh herbs and jars of Greek honey after they were told one jar would never satisfy their appetites. They sampled sesame bars which won over their tastebuds quickly.
A shop full of different blue eyes hung amongst four walls, as the merchant described they were believed to provide protection from the evil eye. Camelia purchased an array of them for their new home to hang. Stefan tugs Camelia behind him into a jewelry store encouraging her to pick out a hand-crafted gold bracelet decorated with Ancient Greek symbols and patterns.
After a full day of sightseeing, roaming the various surrounding villages, and having dinner overlooking the Vlychada port where they tasted the best seafood as the sunset went down, the day ended as nightfall settled before they went back to their rented villa.
Stefan deposits their purchases on the dining table as Camelia found a couch and sunk into the cushions, slipping off her shoes.
"What an amazing day." She says with a sigh tucking her legs beneath her and laying her head back. "I had a wonderful time."
"Tomorrow we'll set out to the harbor and rent a jet boat and check out the cliffs and beaches." Stefan calls from the kitchen as he opens the fridge to grab two bottles of water. He strides back and offers her one, sitting next to her and plopping his legs on the table.
"Come here." He orders, opening his arms in invitation.
Camelia smiles and allows her cheek to rest against his chest with a sigh. Stefan's warmth, his strength was soothing as he slid his arms around her.
"I'm so happy. This is the best time in my life. Thank you Stefan." She mumbled against his neck.
With her temple near enough to kiss, he pressed gentle kisses, nibbling kisses than lowered his mouth, trailing butterfly kisses across her cheek until finally he reached her full lips. He pulled her tightly against him, brushing the knuckles of his left hand back and forth across her cheek, then let his hand slide down, over her jaw, along her neck to her chest.
"Don't thank me, Angel. You're all the happiness I will ever need in this world."
Mature scene 2. Switch back to the "Pleasures Of The Flesh" book located on my profile.
_______________________________________________________________
Don't forget to vote everybody! Leave me a comment and let me know how you liked the last official chapter!
Next up is the Epilogueâthe finale! Give me a week or so to post it, it'll take me some time to write.
I know it's sad that this is ending, but all things must come to an end. It's been fun and hard all at the same time. I've been pushed beyond my capacity and challenged all the way through this journey. The first chapter I posted occurred last September. Can you believe it's been a year???
Tell me. . . What was your favorite chapter(s) in this story?
Thanks for all of your support!
-Shaz