“All right, Jeremy, I believe you,” she said, trying to control her emotions that were fairly boiling just beneath her calm exterior. “But you yourself have just admitted to me that you are a womanizer. I can’t believe you didn’t encounter at least several women like the one who sent that e-mail to your colleague. I’m sure they were decent women, women who would have been overjoyed to link their lives to yours in an enduring relationship. I’ll bet anything that in the heat of passion you promised them you would be faithful, and at the moment you said it, I’m sure you sincerely believed it. Yet, when another gorgeous creature came into your life, you were smitten by her, and thought that she would be the woman of your life. And then you jilted that lady in favor of your newest conquest. Am I right or wrong?”

“Yes, you’re right, Gloria,” Jeremy conceded honestly. “You can see through me like a laser beam, and that’s one of the reasons why you fascinate me so much. But things are different now. In every woman I have fallen in love with before meeting you, I was always searching for the same ideal. I left them all because none of them represented my ideal. You embody it. You are the first and only woman I have ever met who is the fulfilment of my dream. That’s why I’m in love with you. That’s why I believe that we are destined to be together, even though you are married to a man who I respect. This thing is bigger than both of us, Gloria. I believe in destiny. Our destiny is to be passionately in love with one another. We can’t avoid it.”

For one split second Gloria felt like throwing herself into Jeremy’s arms and living this adventure of wild passion. Dominating herself with all her strength, however, she replied: “You’re telling me this, Jeremy, because right now you’re fixated on me, and you’re idealizing me. I’m not denying that you love me for my qualities, and I’m flattered and honored that you do. But you’re  attracted to me because I’m unattainable. For the first time in your life, you have fallen madly in love with a woman who is resisting you. All the other women you have been crazy about just plopped into your lap and then into your bed. You never had to fight to possess them. With me, you’re living a real drama. I’m the only woman who hasn’t given herself to you without a struggle. With me, the stakes are much higher, so, of course, the others no longer matter. Since I’m fighting tooth and nail to remain faithful to my husband, I’m much more exciting than any of the other women you have desired.”

“Listen, Gloria,” Jeremy replied in accents of ardent passion, “I’m not denying that there is an element of truth in what you are saying, but the fact remains that you are the ideal woman for me, and I want to spend my whole life making you happy. Please believe me,” he entreated, “I’ll do anything to prove my love for you. Ask me to jump out of the window, and I’ll do it right on the spot.”

With those words, he threw himself at her feet, wrapped his arms around her waist, and began kissing her body as though devoured by an insatiable hunger. As though she had just drunk a very potent liquor, Gloria found herself nearly swooning. Jeremy rose from his kneeling position and began kissing her on the mouth with his burning lips, all the while groaning with lust.

Just then, Corey entered the kitchen and saw his friend and his wife in an impassioned embrace. They were so possessed by the fever of passion that they hadn’t heard his footsteps. The minute he began to speak, though, he shattered the dream in which they had just plunged.

“Gloria,” he called out in a hoarse, anguished voice, “How could you have betrayed me like this? I didn’t deserve this. I believed in you the way a worshipper believes in his God. And Jeremy, why are you doing this to me? Don’t you have any sense of honor or even shame?”

“Corey,” Gloria cried out imploringly, “I haven’t betrayed you. Don’t believe this for one minute. These appearances are deceiving. Jeremy was overcome with passion. I have been trying to resist with all my might. He just couldn’t stop, and for a moment he swept me up in the current with him.”

Without uttering another word, Corey left the kitchen and went upstairs to their bedroom. A few minutes elapsed during which time Jeremy and Gloria just stood where they were face to face, shaking with lust and embarrassment. Then, suddenly, a shot rang out. Gloria screamed.

She rushed up the stairs ino the bedroom and found Corey severely wounded. She lunged at the telephone and called 911. By that time, Jeremy had torn up the stairs and entered the bedroom, too. He froze when he saw his friend lying on the floor, moaning in pain.

“Jeremy,” Gloria declared in a solemn voice, “Our relationship is over now. I don’t know whether Corey will survive, but this much I do know. I will never be your lover.”

The ambulance came within minutes and transported Corey to the hospital with Gloria by his side, overwhelmed with grief. Jeremy followed in his own car. Fortunately, the bullet had not lodged itself in Corey’s heart. He would survive. As for the torrid passion between Gloria and Jeremy, it was over almost before it had begun.

The End.

“The Ice Queen” had been on every Wednesday at 9am EST. If you’d like to catch the past episodes please go here to start from the first episode. For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

He tells me he loves me, she thought, yet he carries around with him an e-mail from another woman. She is, or was, his mistress. And judging from the way she writes, she must be a person of uncommon decency and sensibility. She’s the furthest thing from a slut. She loved him, was devoted to him, and yet he ditched her when the initial excitement wore off. I can feel her pain from the way she writes to him. Poor lady! Doesn’t Jeremy have any feelings? Is love for him just one conquest after another, like a hunter bagging trophies and then bragging about them?

But there was more than just anger in Gloria’s heart. At first she didn’t want to acknowledge its existence. Being extremely lucid, however, she was forced to admit that she was experiencing a particularly ugly emotion for the first time in her life: jealousy. Although she pitied the mistress Jeremy had so obviously ditched, Gloria was hostile towards her and all the other women with whom he had enjoyed affairs. However irrational her feeling was, Gloria wanted to be the only woman in Jeremy’s life, even though she knew that this was wishful thinking. The Ice Queen has melted, she mused sadly, She’s now nothing more than a big puddle of hot water. Shame on me! What’s going on inside of me? I can hardly recognize myself anymore.

Gloria was entering a frightening, new emotional territory. The calm, cool, even-tempered character she thought was no longer existed, and a much more complex individual had emerged. Her heart, tormented by her passion for Jeremy, was pulling her in one direction. Her mind was pulling her in another. Her heart was functioning as though nothing mattered except Jeremy. It was acting like a vampire inside of her. It was feeding off her flesh, and, consequently, was dependent on her for its existence. Yet it was carrying on as though it enjoyed a completely independent life. Gloria’s heart had created within her a craving for a man and a feeling of jealousy that, from a purely rational point of view, was totally without justification. Even though she had never experienced anything remotely resembling passion for her husband, Corey, she cherished, admired and honored him as a human being. She wanted at all costs to remain faithful to him. So why should she care one way or another who Jeremy loved or didn’t love? Why should it matter to her in the least whether he had made one conquest or piled up hundreds of conquests? Why should she be jealous of his former and present mistresses when she had every intention of being a faithful wife to her husband? What difference did it make whether he received one e-mail or hundreds of e-mails from women who he had loved and then dropped? As a human being, Corey was morally superior to Jeremy. He deserved to be loved. He deserved her undying, unconditional support. So why was her heart drawing her into this abyss of madness? Why was she letting the irrational part of her dominate her rational part?

Her emotional turmoil became so intense that she was gripped by panic. Is my attraction to Jeremy out of control? Will I become the kind of woman I used to trash? Who will help me? I desperately need help!

The telephone rang and jolted her out of her anguished frame of mind. It was Jeremy, asking her about the sheet of paper on which he had done his calculations. Gloria’s heart sank. Contradictory emotions raced through her brain at the speed of lightning. Should she feign ignorance? Should she express outrage? Should she pretend to be completely indifferent? Before Gloria could decide on a course of action, Jeremy informed her that he would be back at her home within the next half-hour, and urgently requested that she wait for him.

True to his word, Jeremy appeared exactly on time. While waiting for him, Gloria had some time to collect her thoughts and regain at least a semblance of self-assurance. She made up her mind that she would take the bull by the horns and confront Jeremy. I have to lance this abscess of jealousy, she thought, otherwise I won’t know a moment’s peace.

As Jeremy entered the vestibule of Gloria’s home, his beguiling smile turned to an expression of consternation the minute he saw how angry she appeared.

“Gloria,” he asked with earnest solicitude, “What’s the matter? I’ve never seen you in this state before. What’s happened?”

Trying her utmost to dominate her boiling mass of emotions, Gloria replied: “Jeremy, I wonder whether you bothered to see what was on the other side of the sheet on which you drew up your estimates.”

“What in God’s name are you talking about?” he asked, puzzled.

“There is an e-mail on the other side,” she answered, her voice vibrating from the sheer intensity of the emotion that was invading her.

“An e-mail?”

“Yes, a letter from a woman whose heart you broke, shortly before you made your impassioned declaration of love to me. In my vocabulary this is called hypocrisy.”

“My dearest Gloria,” Jeremy replied laughingly, “Allow me to allay your anxiety. That e-mail wasn’t addressed to me. It was addressed to a colleague of mine. I needed some scrap paper in a hurry, so I picked it up after he left it lying on his desk. I may be the biggest womanizer on the face of this earth, but you’ll never be able to accuse me of hypocrisy.”

It was Gloria’s turn to be flabbergasted.

To be continued…………..

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

Her resolution was put to the test almost immediately. Corey received a call shortly after breakfast. It was Jeremy. He would be coming over within an hour to discuss an exciting idea Gloria had discussed with both of them about a glass sculpture that their business would mass-market. Gloria was dumbstruck. Not because she hadn’t expected Jeremy to come, but because the news nearly shattered the fragile calm she had succeeded in imposing on her agitated heart.

“Why does he want to discuss my idea here rather than at the office?” she asked Corey, while trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

“He’s got a heavy agenda today, darling,” Corey replied, unaware of the turmoil his wife was enduring. “He’ll be out of the office all day, so it made more sense for him to drop by early before his other engagements. He assured me he doesn’t expect you to be the gracious hostess and make him breakfast. He just wants you to describe your fantastic idea in detail.”

After Corey left for the day, Gloria tried to brace herself for what she was sure would be a very stressful situation for her. Jeremy meant danger for her, and both of them knew this through a kind of intuition that enables potential lovers to figure out their relationship without having to say a word to one another. She was determined to remain cordial, yet composed and business-like. Her determination, however, melted away as quickly as snow under a fierce heat the minute Jeremy entered her home. It was all she could do to maintain her composure, at least outwardly. With his long experience in dealing with ardent women, Jeremy could perceive at once that Gloria’s heart was undergoing another seismic shock. Out of gallantry he pretended not to notice anything.

“Well, my dear, since I’m in a rush as usual, let’s get down to work right away. We can sit down at the kitchen table and discuss your idea there. That place will be perfectly fine with me.”

Trying her utmost to dominate her emotional upheaval, Gloria said in a voice criss-crossed with tremors: “As I told you last week, Jeremy, I have an idea for a glass sculpture in the form of a little girl trying to grasp a balloon that is just about to fly off, as though she wanted the balloon to sweep her upwards with it into a world of beautiful dreams.”

“Gloria, you’re a genius,” Jeremy exclaimed. “Not only are you one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, you are also one of the most talented. I would have given anything to fall in love with such a little girl once she became a full-fledged woman, if, of course, she had your adorable personality.”

On hearing these words that were an indirect declaration of love, Gloria blushed the deepest red of her life while her heart seemed to be melting in ecstasy.

“Perhaps, then,” she murmured as though in a dream, “I should add a little boy companion in the sculpture. That way, the two of them would try to soar upwards towards the same ideal.”

“Gloria,” Jeremy cried out, “That’s absolutely fantastic. Do it! Your sculpture will become a bestseller in the art world. Could you sketch it for me, right here, right now? While you do the sketching, I’ll figure out the production cost and retail price of the sculpture.”

Although her whole being was vibrating intensely, Gloria managed to exert enough self-control to sketch in the little boy striving to latch on to the same balloon, his body almost floating off the ground, just like the little girl. As soon as Jeremy completed his calculations, Gloria showed it to him. He was so enthralled by her artwork that he kissed her passionately on the mouth. Both of them turned a flaming red.

Half-intoxicated already by the erotic passion that was gripping her, Gloria could barely hang on to her virtue. If Jeremy had kissed her one more time, she might have succumbed right on the spot. She remembered at that very moment the advice of a prominent expert on sexual relations she had once read in a magazine: “Don’t ever let yourself be cornered in a situation where you are sexually aroused by a man with whom you don’t intend to have an affair, because if you paint yourself into a corner, you’ll never get out of it. You’ll give in, no matter what you say or think.”

Summoning up all her strength, Gloria made a heroic effort to resist the yearning of her heart and body. “Jeremy,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion, “I won’t deny that I am very attracted to you, but I intend to be faithful to my husband. This scene must never happen again.”

“Gloria,” he replied softly but enticingly, “When two people are destined to be overwhelmed by passion for one another, no declaration of principles, no high moral intentions will do any good. Passion sweeps you away just like a tidal wave engulfs a surfer. This is what is happening to us right now. You know you’re the woman I want to love. You’re the one I had been looking for all these years during all my adventures, flings and affairs with other women. We’re meant for one another. Unfortunately, there’s Corey, your husband and my friend, standing between us. That’s where the tragedy starts. I respect you and him far too much to take advantage of your vulnerability, but sooner or later, you and I will be lovers. This is our destiny.”

As he finished these words, he grabbed his briefcase, planted another burning kiss on her lips, and left the house.

For a few minutes after Jeremy left, Gloria just stood there as though struck by lightning.

To be continued…………….

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

By the third month of their marriage, Gloria’s anxiety and anguish were beginning to take their toll. After living blissfully on a romantic cloud for two months, even Corey started noticing the tension within her. Even though she did everything possible to please him, including trying out sexual positions to which her modesty secretly objected, the mirage was beginning to evaporate, and Corey sensed that something was very wrong.

“Honey,” he said to her tenderly, “Something is bothering you. It’s eating away at you. I’m your best friend. You can tell me. You know I’d do anything to make you happy.”

Gloria smiled at him sweetly, and hugged him as tightly as she could.

“My dearest Corey,” she answered, “Sometimes when I think about my responsibilities as your wife, I feel overwhelmed. Just give me time to sort myself out.”

Corey was satisfied by her answer. And it was true that in a very short period of time Gloria had become a tremendous asset for Corey’s business. She was the most charming hostess imaginable, and presided over many dinner parties where important business deals were clinched. In addition, she created new concepts for jewelery design that would eventually make the Wright and Mason enterprise one of the most important of its kind in the country.

Several days after their conversation, Corey and Gloria were invited by Jeremy to attend an exhibition of horse jumping where he was the featured horseman. Gloria did everything in her power to conceal her emotion as she watched Jeremy negotiate the high jumps with his prize steed. They sailed over every obstacle as though endowed with some supernatural power. Before every jump, Jeremy would look in Gloria’s direction, shining his irresistible smile on her, as though seeking in her very presence the inspiration necessary to perform. Gloria noticed that he was wearing her favorite color, cobalt blue. This made her heart beat even more rapidly. As Jeremy and his horse were attempting the final jump, a small child wandered inadvertently in their path. He reined in his horse in a heroic attempt to avoid trampling the child. His horse reared with such violence that it threw Jeremy to the ground. The crowd let out a horrified gasp. Gloria screamed. Jeremy lay on the ground, motionless. “Oh my God,” she cried out, “Is he still alive?”

Completely oblivious to Corey’s presence, she rushed with some of the other spectators to the spot where Jeremy had fallen. Fortunately, Jeremy was not unconscious, nor were his injuries serious. As an experienced horseman, he knew how to fall. When he opened his eyes. the first person he saw was Gloria, her face racked with sorrow. Jeremy was so moved by her compassion that he managed a faint smile. In its silent way, this smile was an outpouring of love and gratitude.

Corey reached the scene soon after Gloria. He remarked how distraught she appeared.

“You must really like Jeremy, dear,” he said kindly, “You look absolutely devastated.”

“Well, yes,” she replied, trying her utmost to control her emotions, “He has been a wonderful friend to both of us, and I know how much you appreciate him as a business partner.”

Jeremy was transported into the clubhouse where a doctor examined him thoroughly. Everyone present heaved an immense sigh of relief when the doctor announced that nothing was broken, and that within a few weeks Jeremy would be his normal, daredevil self again.

That night, Gloria was unable to sleep. Her heart was gripped by anxiety. Corey had noticed her anguished reaction after Jeremy’s fall. To make matters worse, Jeremy was now fully aware of her feelings towards him. I can’t recognize myself anymore. I used to see myself as a calm, collected person able to dominate my emotions. I even prided myself on being able to summon them up whenever I wanted them. Now I’ve become their plaything. And Jeremy! Have I really fallen in love with him? Is my passion now so strong that I can’t do anything to hide it? Will I betray myself more and more as time goes by?

Gloria’s first, instinctive reaction was to want to run as far away as possible from Jeremy in order to remain faithful to her husband. She quickly rejected that idea, however, as cowardly. Besides, she had become an essential collaborator in their business. In fact, she was going to meet Jeremy the next day to discuss a brilliant artistic venture she had imagined.

I can’t even ask Corey, my husband, the man I respect and honor more than anyone, to help me, she mused bitterly. He must never know about my feelings for Jeremy. He loves me so much the shock would devastate him. It might even destroy him. What must I do? What must I do?

To be continued……………

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

Despite all of her efforts, however, Gloria could not refrain from casting sideways glances at Jeremy. Every time she looked at him, almost against her conscious will, the erotic fire already lit in her heart seemed to ravage it more and more. Jeremy was seated at a nearby table with an extremely pretty young woman, Jessica Lord, anxious to monopolize his attention. He, too, could not help looking at Gloria as though fixated by some unspeakably beautiful vision. The more he stared at the bride, the more his companion became agitated and resentful.

“Sometimes I wonder, Jeremy, whether you regret not having married her yourself,” Jessica declared petulantly.

“Oh, come on, Jessica,” he retorted angrily, “You’ve been reading too many Harlequin Romances.”

“No, I haven’t,” she shot back, “You can’t see yourself as I see you. You can’t take your eyes off her. You’d better start showing some interest in me, otherwise the groom is going to get very suspicious.”

“O.K., my sweet jealous-puss,” he replied teasingly, “Let’s dance.”

Immensely relieved that Jeremy was finally paying a little attention to her, Jessica flashed her most ingratiating smile, and fairly melted in his arms as they began to dance.

Corey and Gloria also moved onto the dance floor and began whirling around. Corey noticed that his new wife had an unusually ardent expression on her face. He noticed, too, that she was clinging to him as though seeking protection from some obscure danger.

“Are you all right, honey?” he asked anxiously.

“Of course I am,” she asserted in as firm and convinced a tone of voice as she could muster. “I’m so happy to be with you, and I want to be with you forever,” she added with as much enthusiasm as she could generate, as though trying with all her might to exorcize the attraction she was feeling for Jeremy, an attraction she almost didn’t dare admit to herself.

As they were dancing, they passed by Jeremy and Jessica. Again, almost despite herself, Gloria’s gaze alighted on Jeremy. Again, a surge of erotic energy raced through her body. She and Jeremy exchanged a red-hot glance of passion. Corey noticed nothing. He was so enamored of his bride that the world outside had practically ceased to exist. Jessica, however, noticed everything, and was furious.

“You’re falling in love with another man’s wife, if you haven’t already. And she’s been married for only 5 hours now, if my calculations are accurate. What the hell is the matter with you? Have you lost your senses? And do you think I enjoy being humiliated like this?”

“Jessica, dear,” Jeremy replied with a cool that nearly felled her, “I don’t normally go after barely married brides, especially if they happen to be married to one of my best friends. You’re very insulting. It seems that you’re doing everything in your power to break off our relationship.”

Agahst at the thought of loosing the man she had coveted for so long, Jessica was overcome with remorse. “I apologize sincerely,” she answered in a sad, chastened voice. Yet she couldn’t help thinking that Jeremy was smitten by Corey’s new wife.

Towards the end of the evening, Jeremy approached Gloria and Corey, and requested the honour of dancing with the bride.

“If I could answer for my wife,” Corey declared, beaming, “I would say with pleasure. But I think I should consult her first. What do you think, darling? Can I trust this lady-killer to behave decorously with you?”

“Of course you can,” Gloria replied, trying to hide her embarrassment while betraying herself by blushing. “I’ll make sure he behaves. My classmates didn’t call me the Ice Queen for nothing.”

Jeremy grinned delightedly. “Your wife has a very quick wit, Corey.” Then, turning to Gloria, he shone upon her his most beguiling smile. “Shall we dance, my dear?” he asked suavely.

“Certainly,” she replied. Gloria was surprised by the tremor of excitement she could perceive in her own voice.

As Jeremy glided with Gloria around the dance floor, a murmur of approval and astonishment arose from the wedding guests. Here were the two most beautiful people at the reception, and two of the most stunningly attractive people they had ever seen. The two danced as though they had been ordained by Providence to link their bodies in sensual, graceful movements. Jeremy felt he was dancing with a ravishing creature from another planet. Gloria’s lightness of step, elegance, and sense of rhythm were such that she seemed to transcend the law of gravity. She appeared to be floating. She had always been an excellent dancer, but tonight, swept along in the arms of a man who wasn’t her husband, she outdid herself. Gloria sensed that something unimaginable even twelve hours before was happening to her. She was a planet that had finally been drawn into the right orbit and was circling around the right star. When the music stopped and Jeremy thanked her admiringly, Gloria wished she could have danced with him forever.

At 1 a.m. the newlyweds said goodbye to all their well-wishers and retired to their honeymoon suite at the Royal Plaza Hotel. Although the evening had been a long one, Gloria’s heart and mind were still throbbing as though possessed by a fever. Corey was convinced that he alone had aroused Gloria’s ardor. And during their lovemaking that night, she did nothing to dispel his illusion.

To be continued……………….

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

One of the guests figuring most prominently on the list was Corey’s business partner, Jeremy Mason. Gloria had not yet met him because he had left for an extended trip to the pacific rim just before she had encountered Corey that fateful day in their elegant store. Jeremy was attending to the import-export business the two men ran jointly along with their jewelery venture. Jeremy’s reputation, however, preceded him. According to all the reports Gloria heard, he was a lady-killer. Just about every woman who met him was dazzled by his presence. He fairly oozed erotic energy. He personified excitement and adventure. He moved with the lithe, conquering  grace of a panther, yet never aroused in them a feeling of fear. He would flash them such a charming smile that each woman was convinced he had singled her out for a privileged relationship, if only for several minutes. Once excited by his tantalizing smile, it was difficult for them to stop drooling over him. In fact, they would persist in deluding themselves that they could win his heart until he would very sweetly, but firmly, inform them that they were pursuing a mirage.

Aside from his talent for love-making, women were intrigued by all the other aspects of his life. Jeremy was one of the most successful businessmen around; he wrote a syndicated financial column that was widely respected. He was a daredevil pilot, rode an ultra-powerful, flashy motor cycle, tamed supposedly untameable horses which he raced himself, and could have even competed in the Olympics on the American swimming team had he wanted to make a commitment to the sport. Several months before Gloria met Corey, rumors were flying that Hollywood was interested in signing him up as a new matinée idol who would appeal to an audience of women still relatively young, but on their way to being classified in the mature category.

Gloria knew all this but was not inordinately impressed. No man had ever succeeded in igniting an erotic bonfire within her heart. Why should Corey’s business partner be any different? Besides, she was deeply attached to Corey, even though she still could not feel any ardent passion for him. As her husband, Corey would be her best friend for the rest of her life, and that was more than enough to ensure her happiness. Indeed, Gloria had just about reached the conclusion that all this talk about passion sucking a person into a whirlpool was just that: talk, and nothing else. She was just about convinced that such emotions existed only in romance novels and were peddled relentlessly to keep the book industry going. When Corey’s friends warned her that being a married woman would not necessarily protect her from Jeremy’s roving eye, she laughed off the warning. I know how to handle men, she thought, I’ve kept some really hot and sexy ones at bay during my four years at university. Why should Jeremy be any different? Besides, you don’t succumb to passion unless you want to. I don’t want to because I have never felt it and probably never will. Maybe my classmates were right when they called me the Ice Queen.

Gloria and Corey’s wedding ceremony unfolded like a fairy tale. Corey was so elated at the thought of marrying such a beautiful, intelligent, and spiritually lovely woman that his joy made him appear truly handsome. As for Gloria, everyone agreed that she looked like the proverbial angel in white at the top of a Christmas tree. She projected an image of other-world luminosity and purity that had all the guests and even bystanders completely entranced. As soon as she emerged from the church with her new husband, hundreds of cameras started clicking away and continued for almost twenty minutes. Each time the wedding party tried to move down the steps towards the waiting limousines, there were always a few photographers begging for “just one more shot.”

The wedding dinner was held at the Green Gate Golf Club, undoubtedly the most sought-after place in town to throw lavish affairs. The bride and groom, followed by the other members of the wedding party, formed the reception line as soon as they arrived. As the various guests filed past her, Gloria greeted them with a charm and dignity that left them enchanted. Just as she finished hugging one of her cousins, a man she had not met before came up to congratulate her. The minute Gloria met his gaze she stood there, transfixed. He looked like the magnificent statue of David by Michelangelo miraculously come to life. He radiated virile strength and warmth. His smile was gentle and yet enticing. It seemed like an invitation to a thrilling erotic adventure. He didn’t have to identify himself. As soon as she saw him, Gloria knew it could be none other than Jeremy Mason. An excitement she had never experienced before shot up her spinal column and began throbbing through her body. My God,she said to herself, almost panic-stricken, I’ve never felt this sensation before for any man. I’m feeling for him what I should be feeling for my husband, and my husband is standing right next to me and I’ve been married to him for only the past few hours!

These thoughts flashed through her mind with lightning-like speed. Fortunately, Gloria was able to dominate her emotions enough to prevent anyone from noticing her inner turmoil and no one noticed except Jeremy. Being a connoisseur of women, he could tell immediately that his presence had just unleashed an earthquake within Gloria’s heart.

“May I kiss the ravishing bride?” he asked gallantly. “I have heard so much about you, Gloria. Corey worships the ground you walk on. I look forward to getting to know you, too.”

Gloria offered one of her cheeks, and he kissed it with a sensual gentleness that left her momentarily speechless.

To be continued……………….

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

Gloria was very impressed by the reception they received as soon as they set foot on the premise. Corey was obviously a very important person, because the head waiter welcomed them effusively and led them to the best table in the house. The other patrons in the room were even more impressed by Gloria. Jaws and utensils dropped as she, the very embodiment of grace and elegance, made her way with Corey to the place of honour in the restaurant where the head waiter invited them to sit. The astonished reaction Gloria produced was not lost on Corey. He was very proud to be escorting an absolutely gorgeous young woman who could make people literally stop what they were doing and just stare in amazement.

Throughout their lunch the conversation flowed effortlessly. Corey was simply astounded by the breadth and depth of Gloria’s mind. She could talk intelligently about any number of subjects: art, literature, music, religion or politics. What a witty, delightful companion she would be, he thought while admiring the nimbleness of her mind. Although Corey had drunk only one glass of wine, he felt fairly intoxicated by the young woman’s presence. Could I be falling in love already, and so quickly, after only a few hours after meeting her? This is crazy. I’m 42 and she’s barely graduated from university. I’m old enough to be her father, albeit a youngish one. What’s going on? These thoughts raced through his brain like an express train all the while that Gloria was telling him about her latest painting.

Gloria was far from feeling towards Corey the same outburst of passion that was overwhelming him. Nevertheless, after only a short time in his company, she found him immensely likeable, the kind of person anyone would want to have as a friend, and a friend to treasure at that. And so, when Corey asked her whether she would accompany him to the opening of a new play the following day, she gladly accepted.

From then on, they went out exclusively with one another. Corey even attended her graduation, and presented her with a splendid bouquet of roses, her favorite flower. Despite the difference in age between them, Gloria’s mother, Estelle, gave her seal of approval to her daughter’s first and only relationship. She always felt that Gloria showed maturity well beyond her years and would need a man considerably older than she was to appreciate her unusual qualities. Better an older man, she thought, even a much older one she can be proud of, than one of those immature, sex-obsessed jerks. If they ever get serious enough to want to marry, Corey at least will be a wonderful husband and friend. He treats her like a queen and, as a mother, that’s of utmost importance to me.

As they got to know each other better, Corey opened his heart more and more. He revealed to Gloria the disastrous relationships he had endured with several women. Corey was a born caregiver. He was outgoing and compassionate. The women he had fallen in love with were all weirdos, really damaged goods. They exploited his generosity and, not finding him exciting enough, eventually dumped him for more enterprising males. In Gloria he was convinced he had found at last the companion of his dreams, as sweet, unaffected and uncomplicated as she was intelligent. True, she did not seem half as aroused by his presence as he was by hers. But he attributed that to her innocence, and was convinced that with kindness and patience she would become a wonderful sexual partner as well. And so, after a whirlwind courtship lasting three months, Corey proposed marriage.

Gloria accepted unhesitatingly. Here was a man who she respected and admired. In her own quiet way she even felt a kind of love for him. But therein lay the problem. Did she love him as a father figure? Was he filling the terrible void left by her late father? Or could she see him as a real lover capable of arousing her to passion? Gloria was sometimes worried by her own unalterable calm in Corey’s presence. According to the experts, a woman was supposed to feel an electric current passing through her whenever the man she loved appeared. Why was this not happening to her? When Corey was near her, she felt a very tender affection for him, a profound contentment and peace. Should she not be experiencing much more? Other women in her place would be overwhelmed with desire and want to go to bed with him immediately. Why not her?

After much persuasion on Corey’s part, she agreed to have a pre-marital sex tryout. Gloria was convinced that her future husband was a man of honour and would never ditch her before they pronounced their vows. She was right; but her first sexual experience with him was not particularly memorable. Corey was wildly excited at the prospect of initiating a virgin and, despite his sincere attempt to be patient and considerate, got swept away in a tidal wave of passion. Gloria didn’t feel much of anything, but at least could take pride and pleasure in the knowledge that she had satisfied her man sexually. Once Corey’s excitement subsisded, he realized that his partner’s reaction had been rather lukewarm. He was, however, so much in love with Gloria that he convinced himself that time would be his best ally.  She’s modest and inexperienced, he said to himself, but in time she’ll respond to me the way I respond to her.

To be continued……………….

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

Estelle stressed that marriage was the ideal place for a woman’s sexual fulfillment. The love and loyalty of her husband would honor her. Sex would be a vital bridge that would link two loving individuals in body as well as soul. Because of its elemental intensity, sex would strengthen the bond between them. It would help them forge a friendship that would deepen and expand through time. Outside of marriage, however, sex could wreck havoc on people’s lives since there would be no commitment. Each partner would take what he or she wanted from the other, and then once they were satiated, they would dump one another and look for fun elsewhere. Or if one of the partners tried to remain faithful, the other would constantly degrade him or her by flaunting his or her new conquest in the other’s face. Estelle told her daughter about her cousin, Tom, who deserted his lovely wife and family in favor of a much older woman. That woman, Ann, was not half as attractive as Tom’s wife. In fact, she was a piece of moldy old cake. Ann kept two-timing Tom with other men, yet Tom never revolted. It was as though the man were under a spell and couldn’t free himself from the bitch’s power. Ann finally kicked him out of her life. Licking his wounds, Tom then tried to return to his wife but his wife refused to take him back.

“It served him right,” Estelle declared vehemently. “He was a selfish, irresponsible bastard. He didn’t deserve to have her. I wouldn’t have forgiven him either.”

Gloria went off to university in the fall and, as Estelle had predicted, her life improved markedly. Her self-esteem shot up, too. She did meet some very congenial people whose intellectual interests she shared. She was never singled out as some kind of  freak. Gloria had learned a valuable lesson during her time in high school. In her innocence she had revealed to her classmates at the very outset that she had never had any sexual experiences. She didn’t make the same mistake again at university. She kept her virginity a secret. When fellow-students asked her for details about her intimate life, she would give very polite but evasive answers. This way, she created an aura of mystery about herself. Many of her new friends were convinced that Gloria was a fascinating young woman capable of attracting men like a magnet. They viewed her as a kind of 21st century Marlene Dietrich, the celebrated Hollywood movie star of the previous century, all deftness and allure, a cool goddess promising everything and not necessarily delivering anything. Buoyed up by her new self-confidence, Gloria played the role to the hilt. Men tended to salivate over her while remaining respectful, because now she projected an image of unassailable self-assurance. One fellow-student, a lot more enterprising than the others, was brazen enough to invite her to sleep with him. Far from being scandalized, Gloria replied with an unflappable calm that fairly floored him: “Why should I? You’re not worth it. Besides, I don’t give out free samples.” It took the young man a while before he could recover from the wallop his ego had suffered.

Her four years of undergraduate studies seemed to pass in a flash. She graduatedsumma cum laude with an honors degree in art history. Gloria also showed considerable talent as a painter. Indeed, her professors in the Fine Arts Program were sure that she would make a name for herself in the world of art, and sooner rather than later. To reward her daughter for her superb academic performance, Estelle told her to visit one of the finest jewellers in the city, Wright & Mason, and choose anything that struck her fancy.

The morning she entered the store, one of the two owners, Corey Wright was making his rounds. He did not have the looks of a matinee idol; he was not what you might describe as drop-dead handsome. There was, however, an impressive dignity in the demeanor of this forty-year-old man. A warmth radiating from him seemed to fairly envelop the person to whom he happened to be talking at a given moment. And he was not bad looking at all.

Gloria had by now blossomed into a sumptuous beauty. Her regal self-assurance combined with an annihilating smile made heads turn everywhere she went. As soon as she entered Corey’s field of vision, he stopped in his tracks, forgot what he was saying to one of his employees, and stood there, mesmerized, like a religious believer who had just witnessed a miracle.

Propelled by a force stronger thann his conscious will, Corey went over to the counter where Gloria was examining an exquisite broach and, in a voice melting with emotion, said: “Madam, you seem like such a lovely lady. I would like to get to know you better. Would you allow me to invite you to lunch?”

Although Gloria was startled by this sudden and totally unexpected turn of events, she was not in the least shocked or offended, because Corey struck her immediately as being a very lovely gentleman and completely sincere. Nevertheless, she was astonished to hear herself replying: “I’d like that very much. I accept with pleasure.”

To be continued……………….

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.

The girls in her school hated Gloria, because they could sense that if ever she gave herself a fighting chance she could have any boy she wanted. The boys felt a mixture of fascination and exasperation. She kept them all at bay, and yet because of it they never stopped trying to soften her up. From time to time, though, they would even make fun of her behind her back, because her aloofness wounded their masculine vanity. They would rationalize away her indifference towards them by spreading the word that Gloria wasn’t interested in sex because she was abnormal. Some went as far as to say that she was genetically messed up, a kind of glacial monster.

Gloria confirmed this impression at a party her class organized to celebrate their high school graduation. They were all gyrating lasciviously in the basement of a classmate’s house to music and words that were an invitation to intercourse. Some of the young people were already so aroused that it seemed only a matter of minutes before they would rip each other’s clothes off and begin copulating on the dance floor. Gloria just pretended to be dancing, detached as she was from the proceedings, although several of the young men tried in vain to get her excited by posturing seductively in front of her and exposing more and more of their flesh.

Suddenly, Elaine, the girl at whose house the party was taking place, cried out, “Hey, you guys, let’s see which one of you can ejaculate first. Line up against the wall. You might as well take off all your clothes because you’re half-naked already, and each one of us girls will kneel in front of each one of you and give you a short blow job, and then move on to the next guy in line.” Turning to Gloria, she said in a sweetly malevolent tone of voice, “Gloria, you can have the honour of starting. But you’ll have to undress just like everyone else. You’ve got such nice boobs, why do you want to hide them?”

Gloria felt so insulted and degraded by this remark that for the first time since her classmates knew her she actually blew her cool. All her pent-up anger suddenly exploded.

“Elaine,” she yelled out, “You and all your friends are a bunch of whores and the boys you want to pleasure are just a bunch of vulgar animals. Don’t think that they’ll like you more because you’re making yourself so available. Nobody likes a whore for long. I despise you all, I don’t ever want to see you again. Thank goodness I’ve just graduated. Now I WON’T have to see you again.”

With that, she rushed out of the basement, up the stairs, pulled her coat out of the closet in the vestibule, bolted out the front door and ran rather than walked home, tears of fury streaming down her cheeks, muttering as she ran, Those trash whores … Those trashy whores … And the boys are no better. They’re a bunch of greedy pigs. All they see in a girl are her sex organs. I’m so disgusted I feel like vomiting. There has to be more to life than copulating like beasts. Don’t they have any minds? Don’t they have any hearts? I feel as though I’ve been splattered with mud from head to foot.

Gloria was so dominated by her sense of outrage that she didn’t even notice when she went beyond her street. She kept walking for blocks and blocks on end, as though blinded by her rage. She finally realized that she was in another neighborhood. She turned herself in the right direction, fairly running now, and eventually found her way back to her home. When she saw the light burning on the front porch, she felt she had reached a sanctuary.

Although it was well past 1 a.m., Gloria’s mother, Estelle, had been anxiously awaiting her daughter’s return. She had always been worried about the peer pressure Gloria’s classmates tried to exert on her, even though she felt confident that her daughter was strong enough to resist. Estelle thanked her lucky stars that her daughter never seemed inordinately interested in sex, never surfed on the internet to seek out pornographic sites like so many other people of her age group. She sometimes worried about her daughter’s apparent indifference to young males or to men in general. However, when Estelle thought of all the unwanted pregnancies and abortions that were part and parcel of Gloria’s generation, she was very glad of it.

As soon as Gloria caught sight of her mother in the hallway of their home, she rushed into her arms, sobbing.

“Mother, I ran out of that party. It was becoming an orgy. They wanted me to take part in it. They wanted me to perform such a disgusting act that I don’t even want to talk about it.”

Estelle hugged her daughter lovingly and held her in her arms.

“Don’t even think of talking about it. It’s finished. It’s over. It’s ancient history now. You’re free from that crowd of pigs. You’re going to university in the fall and there you’ll meet some decent people. You’re exhausted. Just go to bed now, have a good sleep and tomorrow that horrible event will disappear like a bad dream.”

To be countinued………….

“The Ice Queen” is on every Wednesday at 9am EST. Please participate in the show by leaving comments and suggestions about the show or what you think it should happen next! Our author might consider your ideas for the next episode! For more information about the author Dr. Leonard Rosmarin and his book “Getting Enough” please visit here.