Chapter 10. If the shoe fits

Anthony usually went to bed naked. She had really hoped that after the events of that evening, he would put on some shorts or something. She sensed him lifting the covers and slipping under them, so no such luck. She had to repress the urge to turn toward him because of how wonderful he smelled. He stayed on his side of the bed, said nothing, and didn't even attempt to approach her.

Not surprising at all.

Unless he felt the need to work on his long-term project to father a son, in which case he would move toward her, touch her, and caress her, he typically stayed on his side of the bed. Anything to avoid loving her. They had no sexual relations that Theresa started. She had given up trying because she had learned early on that any attempt at such intimacy was typically rejected and her flimsy self-esteem didn't handle rejection well.

Ironically, tonight was the first time in a long time that she was actually tempted to approach him after she explicitly prohibited him from touching her. She rolled into a ball and clenched her fists, trying not to think about the alluring naked male flesh that was lying next to her. She could tell he was awake from the rhythm of his breathing, and he could tell she was awake because she was clearly too tense to be sleeping.

His impatient voice broke through the pitch blackness,

"Just go to sleep for God's sake. As I promised, I won't touch you"

She tensed even more at the sound of his voice, and he sighed.

She knew exactly what he meant when he mumbled, "If you can't sleep, I have the perfect solution for your insomnia.".

She gritted her teeth and said, "You're not helping things," and he chuckled softly.

"Well, if neither of us can sleep. ".

We haven't stayed in bed long enough to drift off. She hissed, "Just keep quiet"

In his most patronizingly logical voice, he murmured, "You know you're being ridiculous, right?".

Normally, she would go completely crazy hearing that voice.

She turned to face him and, struggling to see his profile in the dim light, said, "I don't care how ridiculous you think I'm being"

With one arm tucked beneath his head, he was on his back. He turned his head to look at her when he felt her roll over. In the dark, all she could make out were his eyes' whites.

"This is what I want"

Extending one tender hand to caress her face, while saying

"I don't believe that for a second. Elizabeth, sex has always been good between us. It's the one thing that has never been questioned.It's the only damn thing that makes this marriage work."

She grumbled defiantly, "It wasn't working for me.". She could tell he was tense because that hurt his masculine ego.

"You weren't acting those responses." He firmly stated

"No, I wasn't. You're really, really good"

She nodded, realizing too late that her voice lacked any semblance of authority.

"It's simply not enough for me any longer. ".

She was aware that she needed to proceed carefully when he asked bluntly,

"Am I not enough for you anymore?".

"That wasn't exactly what I meant. ".

"Oh?".

"Tony, you're purposefully being slow"

Okay, so that wasn't exactly the right response, either. He was so close to her that she could almost feel his breathing.

"Theresa, it would probably be best if you kept your mouth shut."

"You're purposefully misinterpreting me in this situation" She started.

"Not one more word." He issued a caution.

"But-"

He was straddling her hips as she suddenly found herself on the flat of her back. She struggled to get rid of him as she gasped and wiggled.

"I told you." He growled

She pushed futilely at his hot, naked chest while yelling, "Get off me!"

"No."

He pressed harder against her, shifting his hips until he was wedged between her reluctantly separated thighs. She was only separated from his hips by her thinly fabrics panties and her silk pajama had ridden up to her waist. Her inner thighs' delicate skin felt his bare flesh rubbing against it, and she felt herself reacting by moving with him and yearning for more contact. He moaned and buried his face in her neck, his lips grazing her neck as they moved up over her jaw line, her chin, and skirted past her mouth before finally brushing over her cheek and grabbing one delicate earlobe in between his teeth. The flame that had begun a slow burn in her stomach was effectively put out by her blatant refusal to open her mouth.

He wouldn't budge, so she said firmly, "This is not what I want."

She tried to push him away with all her might.

He crooned in her ear, "Yes it is"

She said frantically, "If you do this, it will be against my will."

He suddenly froze before stepping away from her and returning to his side of the bed.

"And you know what that's called!" She exclaimed.

He sounded horribly offended, but Elizabeth wasn't about to let him get the better of her.

"You would accuse me of something so reprehensible?".

"If the shoe fits"

"What does that mean?" He growled.

"There was no use of force in what just happened, some damned ambiguous idiom that doesn't apply to this situation at all"

"You restrained me and resisted my requests for you to let go of me. That is a pretty blatant demonstration of force" Elizabeth stated.

He remained motionless and silently furious instead of responding. Elizabeth was human and petty enough to give herself a mental high five after once more succeeding in tearing down his masculine pride. After that, they hardly ever spoke, she eventually dozed off in a restless state.