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Against the Wall Ch. 01

By: annanova



Hello. Just a quick warning, this one starts out really slowly. I felt it was necessary to build up to Anna and Brad's eventual reunion. Since he has appeared in two previous stories and I've not specified them as chapters, it is somewhat up to the reader to decide which one this follows. It can easily follow either 'Picture This' or, 'Don't Make Me Wait Too Long'. If this is the first story of mine you've decided to read, no worries; it'll still make sense. This is something that's been cooking for a while and I wanted to write it before hockey season ended for Brad's sake. Does it count that the play-offs are going, even if neither team here is still playing? As always, many warm thanks to my marvelous editor, the handsome and talented stevieraygovan. His suggestions add so much.

*

"Hey, Brad, the boss wants to see you before lunch."

The owner of the voice was gone before Brad could look up from the mess of code he was verifying, not that that would necessarily have helped him to identify the speaker. He'd been sent to one of his company's out-of-state offices on a three-month assignment and still hadn't learned all the names yet. Glancing at his watch, he realized that lunch was sneaking up on him which meant he needed to see Mr. Carlson right away.

"Great," he grumbled, rising from his chair. "Who screwed up what, and how serious is it?"

His group of five technicians had at least a dozen projects they were juggling, and three of them were crucial. Somehow, the walk to the boss's office seemed to take longer when there was trouble brewing.

"Mr. Carlson?" He knocked on the open door. "I was told you wanted to see me."

"Brad, yes, I do. Will you please come in and have a seat?"

His tone was too cheerful to indicate trouble, so Brad relaxed as he took the seat across the desk. A consultant's job was always interesting, and since he was internal to begin with, he already knew all the protocols. Carlson likely only wanted to touch base, but he couldn't afford to be complacent.

"How is the Henderson project coming along?"

"It's fine, sir." Surely that wasn't what he'd been called to the office for since it could have been covered in an e-mail. "I was just reviewing some of Tony's code for it, and after a little tweaking it'll be ready well within their timeframe."

"Excellent, that's just excellent. I knew you'd be able to get things in order and help us with the clean-up. Your team seems to think highly of you, young man."

"Thank you, sir. They're a good group and really know what they're doing. It's a pleasure to work with them."

Mr. Carlson leaned back in his chair, nodding. "I'm pleased to hear you say that, son. I'm sure you know there were a few concerns when we brought you up here, but you've more than proved my faith in you."

Sure he was blushing he started to stand, intending to thank the older man for the chat when Carlson raised his hand, signaling him to remain.

"I did have another reason for talking with you, Brad."

His confusion must have been apparent because Carlson's tone became avuncular in his reassurances. "I know we have you here on a long-term assignment, and it's hard to be away from family for so long."

He started at that, but the boss continued. "I know you're a single man, but you're still in a strange city where you barely know your coworkers. The home office gives us a certain amount of latitude in providing employee incentives." Opening a desk drawer, Carlson withdrew an envelope, passing it to him. "We maintain a club box at the arena and frequently supply employees and clients with tickets to events. Why don't you take these and go to the game on Thursday?"

Floored, Brad stammered, "I couldn't possibly accept these, sir. I --"

"Nonsense. These are mine to do with as I please, and I want you to have them."

There were six tickets in the envelope.

"Mr. Carlson, am I expected to take my whole team to the game?"

"Did you want to?"

"It would be a good way to thank them for their hard work."

"It would, and I applaud you for thinking of it. You've got something else in mind though, young man. I can see it on your face."

"Damn," he thought. "Anna's always saying how well she can read me. Am I really that easy?" Shaking his head, bemused, he looked at Carlson. "You're right, sir. As it turns out, my girlfriend is flying in tonight, and I'd like to be able to take her to the game. I don't think she's ever seen a hockey game live."

The sound of laughter filled the office. "Well, son, I happen to know that two of your men out there aren't hockey fans. Still, if they do want to go and if the rest of your team are able to change their plans and would like to bring another person, let me know and I'll get you the extra tickets."

"That's extremely generous, sir. Thank you. I'm sure the guys will appreciate it, too." Brad stood, shook the boss's hand and left the office with a smile.

It didn't take long for him to determine the code he'd been studying before his chat with the boss was clean and ready for input so he decided to head to lunch. In his first week, one of the accountants had told him about a great Vietnamese place a few blocks away. Thinking that a bowl of pho was what he wanted, he made his way out of the office.

For the short walk, his mind was filled with thoughts of Anna. He'd told Carlson she was on her way, which was probably a mistake. Not that the older man would object; it was just that after more than a month apart, his thoughts tended to involve her soft and slender body being very naked.

By the time he reached the restaurant, he felt calm enough to sit down and eat. He was looking forward to his redheaded lover's arrival and wondered if she would really want to see much of the city. She had meetings with a couple gallery directors lined up, so that would keep her busy during the day on both Thursday and Friday, but he was unsure how much sight-seeing they would have time for over the weekend. If he was honest with himself, he knew damn well that he'd be perfectly happy never leaving the comfort of the suite he was in as long as she was there.

After lunch, he returned to the office feeling better about things with work. For the rest of the afternoon things went smoothly, allowing him to finally think about taking his team aside to let them know about the tickets Mr. Carlson had given him. Knowing he had six tickets and wanted to use one for Anna, he had no idea how things would fall out for the remaining four.

With one hour remaining in the workday, Brad sat down with the five members of his team. They spent twenty minutes catching up on their various projects when the announcement was made. "Well, guys, Carlson's really pleased with the way things are going. He wants to thank us by giving us tickets to the box for Thursday's game."

He was amused by the discussion that followed his news. Carlson had told him that two of the men, Stan and George, were not hockey fans and weren't interested in going. Tony also declined, stating he had recently taken a client to a game in the company box, but he'd be happy to meet up afterward since he already had tickets for the same night.

For some reason, Brad decided against mentioning his intention to bring Anna to the game. Instead, he handed a pair of tickets each to Joe and Mark, telling them that he was looking forward to seeing them at the game. They agreed to meet with Tony after the game at a bar which was a couple blocks from the arena. With only a few more pieces of business to take care of, it wasn't long before he was back at his desk, locking things down and heading home.

Since he was on a three-month assignment, the company had set him up in one of those "home away from home" deals. It was nice enough; he had a kitchenette and living area with a separate bedroom, but it wasn't home, and Anna had talked him into putting in a real garden that year, pointing out that it would be a great way for him to be sure she'd spend more time at his house. Planting a few tomatoes and some mint was fun, it just wasn't a lot. Sure, he'd never really felt like spending the time to do anything more than that, and he actually liked mowing the huge lawn. However, if it was going to keep her around, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Thinking about her plans for their garden and how they were going to have to be put on hold brought her back to his mind. She should be landing soon, he thought with a smile. Just as he was imagining the feel of her silky hair in his hands, his phone rang.

"Hello."

"Do you have any idea how much I miss you, baby?" purred the voice at the other end of the line.

"If you miss me half as much as I miss you, tonight should be a lot of fun," he chuckled. The thought of holding her soft body next to his had become nearly overwhelming in the last few days.

"Yeah, there might be a problem with that plan."

He could hear the regret in her tone and knew it was bad news.

"What's happened, Anna?"

She sighed, explaining that the storms which had swept through the area the night before had canceled and delayed flights left and right. By immediately volunteering for a flight leaving the next day, allowing the airline to move panicked travelers, she had been granted a seat in business class and a $250 voucher toward a future trip.

"I want so much to be there tonight, Brad, but the way things are at the airport right now, I wouldn't get in until some ungodly hour of the morning, and I can't do that to you. Plus, there's all the stress of traveling like that, so you know I'd be grumpy and tired for two days afterward." Her disappointment was clear, even over the phone.

She was met with silence.

"Babe, are you still there? Are you going to be okay with this?" she asked gently.

"Anna, I'm sorry," he sighed regretfully. He couldn't help but think about how much she had changed his life; how much better he felt as a man, as a person, with her. "I know this isn't anyone's fault, I'm just... I really miss you. Hell, I really need you, and I was hoping to be able to spend the night.... God, I just need you here, hon."

"Believe me, I had a few ideas of my own."

"Do you know what time you'll get in tomorrow?" he wondered, trying to shake off some of his disappointment.

"Let me check." The clicks on her laptop keyboard were audible over the phone, and he smiled, thinking of what her graceful fingers were capable of doing to his body. "Brad? I should be landing at about 12:30."

"Do you -- "

"Need you to pick me up?" she finished the question for him. "As much as I love the idea, I can take a shuttle from the airport," she said quickly. "If you leave my name at the front desk, I can drop my stuff in your suite and then head out to see Tom at the Blake Gallery."

"You've got a meeting tomorrow? I thought that was Thursday."

"No." She smiled so warmly, he could feel it over the distance. "Blake was always for tomorrow. Fortunately, he was able to move things around to accommodate my change of plans. I've got a meeting Friday afternoon with the director at The Life Gallery which is going to be more exploratory."

"What do you mean by that?" he wondered.

"It's going to be more like an interview. I'll put some samples together on Thursday and have that ready," she explained. "Their show will be in a couple months and, from what I understand, is being called 'On the Street,' or something along those lines." 

"Ah." It was kind of a silly thing to say, but he felt a response was needed. "Which show is going on at Blake?"

She was excited about the show; it was clearly evident in her voice. "This one is showing religious architecture. I've got some great shots in it too."

"Sexy lady, all your pictures are great," he proudly told her. Taking a calming breath, he asked, "Are you sure you don't need a ride?"

"You're sweet to offer, and I love you for it. I don't want to take you away from your job, knowing how busy you are right now. Besides, I don't think it'll take that long, so I'll just meet you at the hotel afterward."

"Shit. Babe, you know I'd be more than happy to take the afternoon off to be with you."

She giggled, loving the way he could take a simple word like 'shit,' and give it a couple extra syllables. "I know, sweetie, and I'm dying to see you, too. If you think about how long it'll take me to get to the gallery and have my meeting, it would be silly. Besides, I'll probably be back to the hotel about the same time you get in from work."

His sigh allowed her to feel his desire, his need for her, over the miles. "I know you're right, Anna. It's just like I said before, I really miss you, and I was looking forward to holding you tonight."

"I love the idea of spending the night in your arms." Her want was pure in that simple thought. "Please, can we do that every night I'm there?"

They talked a little more about his day, and he remembered something. "Babe, do you have anything going for Thursday night?"

"There's nothing showing on my calendar. What do you have in mind?"

"Mr. Carlson's really happy with the way things are going with my guys, so he gave us some tickets to the company's Club Box for the game on Thursday."

"That's fantastic! What game are you talking about?" Anna was a baseball fan, and all she could think was that it was going to be a very cold night.

Chuckling at her mild confusion, he reminded her it was also still hockey season. "I don't really follow this team, and I don't remember who they're playing, but the goalie here, Mike Thomas, is my favorite player, and I'm pretty excited about going. Heck, that's probably why I didn't really pay attention to the tickets; I'm that thrilled about being in the box."

"Do you think they'll let me bring my camera?"

"I wouldn't know, but I can find out for you."

It was her turn to laugh. "No, it's okay, don't worry about it. I don't need to have my camera with me all the time."

He asked what she'd been doing, and she told him about getting things ready for the trip. Their shared disappointment at having to delay her arrival was still obvious, so he reminded her that they'd have plenty of time to enjoy their reunion. Eventually they had to end the call as neither was getting any closer to eating and both knew they would need their strength the next day.

After hanging up, Brad looked around his little suite, noticing once again how empty it was. Sure the designer tried to make it seem homey, but without Anna's warm laughter or soft touch it could never have that level of comfort. He looked through the refrigerator, hoping for something to attract his attention and take his mind off his disappointment.

Tired of being alone, he didn't want to be in the room anymore. Grabbing his coat and key, he decided to take a walk in the hopes that the cool night air would clear his mind. After about half an hour, he realized he wasn't sure where he was, not having paid any attention to where he was going. He knew he wasn't far from the lake since the wind was stronger there, but that didn't mean much when the shoreline was almost as long as the city limits. There was a diner across the street so he headed over, thinking he could get a quick bite to eat and gain his bearings in order to return to the hotel.

"I wonder what Anna's doing."

He knew he was in for a long night.

~*~*~

Hanging up the phone, Anna felt like crying. Brad's assignment was only half over and they were both already miserable about having to be apart. Not for the first time, she wondered if she shouldn't have gone with him anyway. She knew it was for the best that she had stayed behind; they had started talking about moving in together, so there were still some relationship issues being worked out, and he was going to be busy with the job. There was also her belief that it would have made him look less professional if she had accompanied him. Besides, she had enough going on with her photography, planning the garden and... well, there had to be something else she was doing.

With a heavy sigh, she decided to stop second-guessing herself and cranked up some of her dance music instead, hoping that some serious sweat therapy would clear her mind. She might even feel like eating later.

She knew she was in for a long night.

~*~*~

Wednesday morning began with a truly obnoxious ringing. He fumbled around on the bedside table, cursing the invention of the mobile phone, telephones in general and alarm clocks in particular. "What is it?" he grumpily demanded, having opened his cell phone.

"Good morning, handsome."

Her voice was better than a shower and a pot of coffee at that moment. Suddenly awake, he smiled and sat up in bed. "Anna, where are you?"

"I'm on my way to the airport. I hope you slept better than I did, and I hope you don't have anything planned for us tonight."

"Does that mean you have plans?" he smiled even more, thinking appreciatively of her creativity.

She laughed at the eagerness in his still sleepy voice. "Nothing I'm going to talk about right now. Even if I was alone in the car, I wouldn't tell you what I'm thinking since I was hoping to surprise you with some of it."

"It's just the cab driver, babe. It isn't like you're ever going to see him again."

"Actually...."

He heard a deep voice in the background which sounded vaguely familiar. "Okay, I'm not awake yet. You're going to have to fill in the blanks."

"Andy says to tell you good morning and, if I have this right, 'to get your ass moving.' He also says he isn't going into specifics on that, but you should have a good idea what he means."

She sat back in the car, listening to the brothers' laughter. Her own brother had been a menace to everyone around him, and the day he left had been the happiest of her life. The affection between Brad and Andy made her jealous sometimes. She had been too busy running from her brother for any amount of good feelings. Andy made up for that by warmly accepting her into his younger brother's life.

"Babe, tell that joker I said to mind his own business. Then you should tell him I owe him for taking you to the airport."

"I will. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"You're all I want from home. Once you're here, I'll be fine."

Sniffling a bit, she told him, "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I've missed you, Anna, more than I can really say." His simple honesty carried over the line and touched her heart.

He heard the sound of his brother's voice again and then her gentle tones over the phone, saying, "We're almost at the airport now, so I should let you start getting ready for your day. I didn't call too early, did I?"

"No, you didn't call too early," he said. "Don't you know how much I like waking up to your voice?"

"You are really racking up the goodwill points here," she sighed happily. "I hope you have a good day at work, Brad. I'll see you tonight."

"Safe flight to you, and I'll call you if I leave any later than five."

Turning the phone off, he smiled and threw the covers back. It was going to be a very good day.

~*~*~

At the very least, it was going to be a very busy day. Upon his arrival at the office, his entire team and all the receptionists noticed his smile. Word spread like wildfire, and even though official word on the reason behind the smile wasn't coming out, he still took a lot of teasing for it.

The Henderson project was nearing completion. He spent most of the morning combing it over with Tony until both men were satisfied that it more than met the client's needs.

Some of the guys asked if he wanted to join them for lunch. Agreeing, he checked his watch and realized with a start that Anna's flight was due at any minute.

"Hey, what's the weather doing?" he asked.

"Clear as a bell," Tony replied. "It's a little cold, but what else is new?"


Against the Wall Ch. 01



Kylie's friends were waving her over toward them frantically. If she didn't know them like she did, she would have thought the place was under attack or something. Making her way through the crowd, though 'crowd' was putting it nicely tonight, she slowly made her way to her friends' table. 

"What's up guys?" They looked at each other bashfully, then back to her. Ok. "Guys? Somebody want to speak up?" She looked at her four friends sitting around this table. She couldn't help smiling at the way they were acting. They sure kept her life interesting. 

"Well we were just wondering about something." Andrea Cavanaugh was the first to speak. 

"Yes..." 

"We were wondering if you were holding out on us, is what they are all trying to say." Danielle Fischer, my oldest friend of the four. 

She laughed. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"Sexy mystery man over there. Who is he?" Bridgette Harrison said pointing in the direction said mystery man was standing.

"Jesus B, can you make it any more obvious?" She smiled at Isabel Harrison, Bridgette's sister, and the shy one of the group. Her and Bridgette couldn't be more different, which made all of them wonder how they fell from the same tree. 

"Guys, just cause I own the place, doesn't mean I know every person that enters through those doors or that I make every patron of the joint sign in at the door."

"Yeah, but you so could," Danielle stated. "I mean look at him."

"Yes, very true, but I'm not a dictator here. I need people to come back, not chase them away." And then she did look. Holy hell. Who was he indeed? He was one of those things you just couldn't stop looking at. 

"C'mon Ky, you could use your powers for evil just this once. You know go over there, request ID or something, make up some line about how someone complained he looked suspicious or something. Be creative," this of course coming from Danielle.

"Danny, really? The man looks like he walked straight out of a Calvin Klein add. Who in their right mind is going to say he looks suspicious?" Scratch that. He looked like a freaking god. A Greek god. She was still casting side glances his way, when she noticed some chick had sidled up to him. A fake boobed, platinum blonde, leaving nothing to the imagination kind of chick. He look completely uninterested though, surprising me, but then again he could just be playing hard to get. 

"Oh, so you have noticed?" Bridgette pointing out her mistake in letting them know she noticed him as well. They all laughed. 

"You are attached, remember," Isabel said.

"I do remember. It's not a crime to look. Just to touch. And I am just looking." Isabel looked at her suspiciously then. 

"Geez, Is. Give the girl a break." Bridgette nudged her sister. 

"I know coming from me, that is not so reliable, but Josh is a good guy. He's good for me. I like him, and I'm trying to not screw that up." She looked back at Adonis. He was definitely the type to make someone screw everything up, make someone want to screw everything up.

"Right. Well, now that that is settled, do us all the favor and go find out who the fuck he is." Danny had all the subtlety of thunder. 

"Since when do you need me to find out who any guy is for you?"

"Since my 'handler' is sitting over there at the bar with one eye on me at all times." 

She looked at Isabel. "You're not going to berate her too?"

"Nope. She isn't trying to reform. There's no hope for her. There may still be some for you." She looked towards the bar where Danny's boyfriend was sitting next to hers. She smiled, knowing full well there was no hope for herself either. Especially when Adonis over there met her gaze. It felt like a volcano erupted inside of her. He turned her on in all the right places with just one look.

"God dammit. Just do it. For all of us. Because you know damn well Isabel you're just as fucking curious as the rest of us," Andrea said. Isabel just rolled her eyes in response. 

"C'mon. Please. Just this once." Bridgette pleaded. She was curios as hell herself, so she had already decided that she was going to go investigate, but she wasn't going to let them know that. They didn't have to think she as giving up on her reformation already. 

"God girls. Could you be anymore desperate," Isabel asked. "Just go already Kylie. Please. If for nothing else, then for my sanity." Perfect. They all thought she didn't really want to or care. Now it was fine if she went over there and did her thing. 

"Alright guys. Fine. Just. This. Once. Period. Returning customers is my motto remember." With that, Kylie turned to Mr. Adonis. She took a deep breath, prayed to the heavens that she wasn't about to screw her life up all over again, and took a step in his direction. 

********************

He walked into Outrageous with an completely closed off mind. He heard the rumors about this place, heard the things that went on. To put it simply, it was a gentlemen's club, and owned by a woman nonetheless. But he had to admit he was curious. His club's competition was exactly that, some serious competition. So here he was, not so much under orders, as on his own accord though. However, it was going to be more like hitting two birds with one stone. Investigating the drugs and investigating the competition. He really hadn't known what to expect, but this really wasn't at all what he had in mind. It was truly outrageous.

Yet it was classy. How you could combine the two was beyond his grasp, but she had managed. He like the ambiance right away. It was apparent to him that the rumors he had been hearing were farfetched and way off. He wasn't going to deny that some would find it trashy and defiling, but he was not one of them. In fact, he found it intriguing. The place carried an air of mystery and anonymity. 

He made his way to the bar and motioned to the bartender. The bartender was dressed in a short skirt and a black, belly-bearing halter top. Many of the others sauntering around were as well. In contrast however, were her shoes. She was wearing Crocs. Never before had he seen such an oxymoron. He knew bartending/witnessing, that sort of thing was very strenuous and it wasn't for the faint of heart, but to put it simply, it was funny. It sure put a smile on his face. 

"What can I get ya?"

"How bout a Heineken and your name?"

"How bout just the Heineken and you can keep your face in tact?" She was no-nonsense. I guess you had to be here if you weren't interested in the clientele. Good to know. This one had morals. Did any of the others?

"I was just asking. Only curious. I had the best of intentions. I swear." He made and 'x' motion over his heart.

"So just the beer then?"

"Just the beer." He smile to himself as she went and got his beer. "How much do I owe you?"

"Your first one is on the house. Haven't seen you around here before, so I'll give you the lowdown. My name's Heidi, I'm the bartender on call, and on Thursday thru Friday 8 until 3. And that's all you'll ever know about me. But, since you seem pretty decent, I'll let you know if you're ever here don't order your drinks from Mandy. And that's all I got for ya." With that she walked away to see to the other customers. 

Alright Then. He was really beginning to like it here. He spotted an empty table to stand at and made his way over to it. God, the crowd in here was so thick. If only the club he worked for attracted this many people, not that they didn't have a steady intake. But to have this, that would make his job end a hell of a lot quicker there. 

He probably wasn't even at the table for all of a minute when a fake blonde more or less attached herself to his arm. 

"Hi there."

"Hello."

"Wanna buy me a drink?"

"Why would I wanna do that?" He had to ask nicely. This girl was oozing take-me-home-and-fuck-me. That didn't necessarily mean he was interested. He was just here out of curiosity. He wasn't looking to score. 

"Well, there are two reasons," he gave her an arched brow to indicate he was listening, "first, because a lady should never be without a drink. Second, a drink leads the way to you knowing my name." Wow. Ok.

"Well then. Let's get you a drink." He didn't want to hurt this girl's feelings, so he waived over one of the waitresses. "Can you get what ever the pretty lady here wants. And make sure Mandy makes it. Thanks." He handed her a ten and gave her a wink. "Keep the change."

He watched as the waitress walking away, wishing he could do the same. He scanned the crowd looking for anything suspicious. Anything to clue him into the drug dealing rumors floating around town. Nothing. Instead, he found a sexy, all natural blonde beauty at a table with her friends. She seemed unapproachable for some unknown reason. But in the next instant when she smiled, it lit up her face, and transformed her into some social butterfly. One of her friends at the table pointed his way, and he laughed to himself. 

God, he wished this girl would go away. She was talking incessantly, and it was getting harder and harder to pretend to be listening. Not that she wasn't hot, but this other girl, this other girl had captured his attention. She wasn't flaunting herself. She wasn't scanning the crowd for available men. She was with her girls having a good time. And when she looked his way, he thought his dick went instantly hard, but that was just his imagination. Wasn't it?

He couldn't be sure of what color her eyes were, but he knew they were mesmerizing and beautiful, just like her. And she was beautiful. Stunning in fact. She was wearing tight jeans that clung to her ass and thighs in just the right way. Her top showed enough cleavage to show she had some, but to leave a man wondering at just how much, and showed just enough skin to make a man want to run his hands all over it. 

She turned away all to fast for his liking. Which meant, he had to turn back to the current pair of legs in front of him. He tried to keep his eyes focused on her face, but they kept getting distracted by the hugs tits she was sporting. But somehow it wasn't enough to distract him from the bombshell a couple tables away. 

Then she was there. Like an illusion straight from fantasies he knew this woman would cause. "Hey baby. I thought I lost you." She slid her arm across his back and let it sit on his waist. He felt his dick stir in ways the woman in front of him never would. But, he was lost. What was she playing at here?

"Huh?"

"I told you I was going to the bathroom, but I guess you didn't hear me, and left me to fend for myself. I guess I'll have to punish you later." Then she winked. His dick was getting harder by the second. She turned toward the other girl. "Babe, who's your new friend?"

"We didn't actually get to that part, did we?"

"No. We didn't. So, the name's Michelle."

"Well, Michelle. Our bed is kinda full already, so we're not really looking for another occupant." She pasted on a smile. Holy cow. I didn't know what to say, but Michelle sure did.

"Bitch."

"Actually it's Kyliee, and if you could please make your way to the exit it would be much appreciated, so I didn't have to make a scene.'

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what the fuck I should do?"

"Sweetie, I'm the owner of this fine establishment, and if you don't get your sleezy little ass out of here, I will call the cops inside to arrest you for underage drinking." Holy shit.

"Oh, well--," she made a dash for the exit, crying as she went. 

"Do I need to kick you out as well for buying a drink for an underage girl?" 

"Fuck. I had no idea. Look I was just being civil. I've never been here before. I wanted to make a good impression."

"Well, two things I do know. I know you've never been here before, and you definitely did not make a good impression with my bouncers. But, you definitely made some impression on my friends over there." He turned to look back over at her table to see her friends quickly look away trying to seem like they weren't being nosy and staring. Epic fail.

"Dominic Joseph." He stuck out his hand indicating she should take it.

"Kyliee Madison." She made no move to take his hand. "And maybe you should be more careful next time who you order drinks for."

"You're right. I should." He was slowly recovering his wits after this woman had taken him completely by surprise. But he was quick on his feet, and he was so not letting her get away with controlling this situation as well as the last one. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Can I buy you a drink Kyliee Madison?"



Against the Wall Ch. 01



"I don't understand how you people live like this," joked Brad, a heavy emphasis on his drawl. He grabbed his jacket and walked toward the stairs with his team. "It's just not normal to be this cold."

The four men left the office in laughter, which continued throughout lunch. He knew he was feeling more at ease with his team when his phone buzzed and he didn't hesitate to check it. Waiting for him was a text, which read:

"Don't you just love a smooth landing?"

Hoping to cover part of his reaction, he reached for his iced tea and took a healthy swallow. No such luck; Joe noticed his slight blush and immediately asked, "What's up, Brad? It must've been some good news to get you looking like this."

At a loss for a decent cover story, he admitted only that the text was from a woman, and then prayed his cock would return to normal before lunch was over. Fortunately, the food was delivered, distracting the guys from asking any further questions. They passed the rest of the hour eating and talking about the next night's game.

Back in the office, it was all he could do to keep his mind on the work. Knowing that Anna was in town and that she had something in mind for them that night had him on edge. He'd been thinking of a way to respond to her enigmatic text when the answer came to him. The fact that she was probably still in her meeting made it even better. 

Pulling out his phone, he fired back with, "Smooth landings can be very nice. I think it can be fun when they're slightly hairy, too." He closed his phone with a chuckle and went back to work, imagining the look on her face when she read what he had sent.

With less than an hour left in the workday, Stan came in to report that there were wrinkles in one of his projects. It wasn't as pressing as the Henderson account, but it still needed to be taken care of quickly. Sighing to himself, Brad walked with the other man to a work area where they went over some of the details that were complicating things.

There wasn't that much to do, but it was going to be enough that he would be late in leaving the office. He sent off another quick text to apologize for the delay, hoping she wouldn't be too upset.

~*~*~

His suite never looked so good.

It was nearly seven that night by the time he finally made it back to the hotel. Kicking off his shoes and looking around, there was no immediate sign that he wasn't alone. With a disappointed sigh, he set down his coat and computer bag before wandering into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of wine. He reached into the cupboard before realizing there was a bottle of his favorite red on the counter with two glasses next to it.

The bottle was uncorked.

Whirling around, he nearly ran to the bedroom door, coming up short when it opened before he could reach it.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to make it, baby."

She stood sideways in the open doorway, leaning sultrily against the jamb, the soothing sounds of "Watermark" behind her. Soft red hair was framing her face and highlighting the lacy, emerald green negligee that did nearly nothing to cover her body. He took in her form-fitting bodice, offering light support to her tantalizing breasts, while the short skirt hugged her firm hips. Since the skirt ended three inches below the luscious curves of her ass, her legs -- god, those unbelievable legs -- were on full mouth-watering display.

He pulled his shirt off while taking the final two steps to her.

"I was getting lonely, and you didn't call," she teased, her eyes laughing.

Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her easily. "I was beginning to go crazy without you," he murmured, nibbling at the junction of her neck and shoulder. "Another day and I might have." Tracing the tip of his tongue up the side of her neck to just below her left ear, he paused to add, "Nice choice on the music, by the way."

"I guess I got here just in time," she smiled. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned in to nuzzle his nose. "And thank you," she whispered. "I thought you might remember that."

His mouth covered hers in a ravenous, crushing kiss. Her lips parted, allowing their tongues to meet in a highly charged dance. Holding her slender body to his, he walked into the bedroom and quickly found an Anna-sized bare spot on the nearest wall. Before she could say anything, he had her pressed to it and started kissing his way down her neck.

Using his weight to keep her against the wall, he freed his arms and began caressing her curves through the lace that pretended to cover them. Her body felt so good after five weeks. He wanted to enjoy her for the duration of her time in town.

With his attentions on her waist and hips, she took advantage of the moment to pull herself up his torso. They never broke their kiss despite all her movement. While she was busy, one of his hands explored the back of her thigh, drawing her leg up and hooking it over his hip. Once she was opened up, he slid a couple fingers along her slick lower lips.

A gasp of surprise and pleasure escaped her lungs. Thinking she had a pretty good idea what was on his mind, she pulled her other leg up before rolling her hips to him and rubbing her hungry pussy against the large, firm cock she knew to be hidden within his pants.

Since they had a week ahead of them to enjoy and fully explore each other, he decided to worry about any lack of foreplay later. It had simply been too long since he'd been with her, been in her, and he had to change that. After a moment of fumbling with his belt buckle, his pants and boxers were soon on the floor, and he speared his throbbing erection into her warm, wet depths as if there was a homing beacon involved.

Her half-moaned, half-cried, "Yes!" told him she'd been more ready than he'd thought. As he began stroking the velvet walls of her pussy with his rigid shaft, he cupped a breast, bending to kiss it. Growling lightly, he teased her through the lace while his hips continued pumping his cock into her. He nuzzled, licked and nibbled his way around the full breasts swaying enticingly before him. Feeling her soft hands on his neck and shoulders, he glanced at her before taking a nipple between his teeth and worrying it.

She thrilled at the sensations flooding her body. After five weeks, she felt like his thick cock would split her in two, yet it was perfect at the same time. They had both known any job-enforced separation would be difficult, but they hadn't dreamed that their reunion would be so sweet, especially since he still had another six weeks to the assignment.

"I've missed this so much, baby," she whispered lovingly in his ear.

"Have you?"

"Oh, yes," she breathed. "You feel so good inside me, Brad."

"You're so tight... so wet and so tight," was his groaning response. "I can't do this again. Don't make me be without you this long again."

Tightening her thighs' grip on his waist, she was able to raise herself a little higher before resting her shoulders against the wall. With some of her weight off him, he could spread his feet a bit and create a more stable base. His wider stance allowed him to thrust into her with more power, and he knew that was what she wanted.

He watched her clutch at the wall while raising her face to the ceiling, crying out her joy and passion. She firmly rolled her hips, her pussy convulsing around him. Suddenly he growled, his cock a piston pounding into her again and again before cumming in great spurts deep inside her body.

His knees already buckling after his orgasm, he quickly turned to find the bed, dropping them both in a sweaty tangle. They lay together, kissing and caressing for a few minutes before she sighed, "I'm sorry, baby, I need my leg back."

With a gentle laugh, he rose so she could retrieve her tingling leg. Once she was free, they crawled toward the head of the bed and collapsed on the pillows. Tracing his fingertips over her cheek and across her lips, he whispered, "I'm so glad you're here. It's almost unreal that you're finally here," before pulling her in to form her body to his.

"I am too; I missed you."

Suddenly he remembered, "Hey how was your meeting this afternoon?"

A tired smile flitted over her lips. "It was great, thanks. I'll have five spots in the show, for sure, with a chance for two more."

"Five sounds like a lot already. That's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's really good. For a gallery of this size, it's pretty unusual."

"Any pictures I'll know?" He kissed her forehead.

"As a matter of fact," she burbled, "there's one from our trip to Belize, one from the tour you gave me of Houston, and the rest are from some of my other trips."

Their conversation was peppered with soft kisses. Telling him about the other pictures chosen for the show, Anna slid up his body enough to cradle his head on her breasts, ready for his eventual crash. Her arms wound around his shoulders, and she snuck a hand up to caress the back of his head.

He yawned then and apologized, "I'm sorry, beautiful, I'm -- "

"I know," she murmured and kissed his forehead. "I know."

~*~*~

An hour later, a strange cramp in his right arm woke him up.

Carefully disentangling himself from his sleeping lover, Brad climbed from the bed and headed for the bathroom. When he emerged, he looked back at the beautiful redhead with a smile. He had missed her more than he realized, although it surprised him that only five weeks was apparently enough for his arm to forget how to sleep under her neck.

The thought came to him that neither of them had eaten yet, unless she had stopped after her meeting at the gallery. Leaving her to sleep a little longer, he walked naked into the kitchen to see what he had for a light dinner. "Still nothing," he thought. "Delivery it is."

Hearing movement in the bathroom, he picked up the phone and called a nearby Thai place he'd discovered, ordering a few simple items. With half an hour before the food would arrive, he returned to the bedroom where he found Anna lying on her stomach, her feet pointing toward the door, her head resting on her folded arms.

She glanced over her shoulder, her face partially hidden by her hair. "You left me alone," she murmured, teasing him a little.

"I'll never do it again," he replied, walking toward the bed. Kneeling at the edge, he stared into her green eyes, getting lost in their depths before adding, "I thought you might be hungry, so I ordered some Thai food."

"That sounds great." She started to roll over, wanting to see him more directly.

His hand shot out to take hold of her left calf before she could move too far. "No, please, Anna, don't move. Let me just... oh, god, let me look at you like this."

Her smile softened. "Okay," she whispered, lying back down. "If that's what you want."

"I want to memorize you," he breathed.

Still on his knees beside the bed, he took hold of her ankles and began rubbing her feet. Her earlier movements had tugged the hem of her negligee up, allowing him to gaze along her legs to the rising swells of her soft bottom. The lace didn't begin to obscure much of her body; even so, it was nice to see the bare flesh before him.

Honoring his request to remain still, she wondered what he was going to do; then she felt his hands close around her ankles. That simple touch told her she was in for a night she would never forget. Even without that knowledge she was willing to wait, wanting to see what he would do after having started things so aggressively.

He left his hands on her ankles until he had his breathing under control. Once he felt he'd be able to last longer than ten minutes, he whispered his hands up her legs, drinking in the warmth of her smooth skin and toned muscles. Moving slowly, he adjusted his angle, allowing his mouth to follow the path his hands were setting on their way to her knees.

She hissed, flinching when he licked the back of her knee. Remembering how ticklish she was, and not wanting to be kicked, Brad skimmed his hands down her calves whispering sweet nothings. Once he felt she was calm again, he resumed caressing her with his hands and mouth, taking his time exploring the length of her shapely legs.

The gentle and consistent pressure of his touch soon had her sighing in pleasure. Those sighs only encouraged him to more fully claim her legs. His motions continued up her firm thighs; his hands and mouth enjoying her soft skin, until he reached the hem of her lacy negligee.

He flicked his tongue along the line where the back of her thigh met her ass, reveling in her gasping moan. When she again tried to roll over, he held her hips and murmured, "No, Anna, not yet."

His hands roamed the exposed length of her thighs, pressing more firmly to let her know he was still there. With five weeks of enforced celibacy behind them, he allowed himself to enjoy the unique style he was using to massage her legs. He used longer strokes, followed by a series of nibbles. When he shortened his reach, he kissed her legs afterward. Her body responded to every new sensation by relaxing more and more, her legs easing apart.

Slipping his hands under the hem of her wispy negligee, he began to massage her hips, releasing the tension caused by the stress of the last couple of days. Gradually, her thighs came further apart; as they did, he slowly pulled her toward the edge of the bed causing the lace barely covering her body to ride up and gather just below her full breasts.

Once her legs were draped over the bed, Brad took his second favorite position between her sleek thighs and inhaled deeply. Her fragrance blew him away; no matter that he was actually making love to her regularly, every time he caught a whiff of her arousal, he wanted to bottle it. He fanned his fingers over the smooth globes of her ass, placing his thumbs at the junction of her ass and thighs, gently kneading.

He started by dropping light kisses up the top of her left thigh, across each cheek, then down her right thigh before running his tongue along the edge of her dripping labia. Pulling back, he brought his hands up again, resuming his massage of her gorgeous curves, focusing on her heavenly cleft.

Clear memories of one of the first massages he gave her came flooding back. Using them, he started lightly rubbing his thumbs along her vulva, between her slit and inner thighs. His attentions were just what she'd been missing over the past several weeks, and she sighed to show her arousal. With the quiet sound echoing in his ears, he continued the massage, moving his thumbs around as much of her mound as he could reach. 

She jumped and moaned when he got to the area above her pubic bone, which he took as his signal to press his mouth roughly against the length of her slit, sucking at her juices. Knowing how sensitive she was becoming, he used the tip of his tongue to write his full name on her clit, drawing forth the anticipated cry. With his lips, teeth and tongue as his tools, he worked at tantalizing her further; tugging, licking and flicking at her labia, he brought her to the edge before withdrawing.

Strangely, he had started to feel guilty about forgetting something. Before he could wonder what it was, Anna had rolled over to sit up and kiss him, placing her palm on his twitching cock and holding it flat against his lower abs.

He stood and gently pushed her back to the bed. She smiled at the brush of his cockhead against her clit, moaning happily when he pressed just the head into her waiting opening. He held himself there for a moment, and she flexed her pelvic muscles against him, knowing how much he loved it; how much they both loved it. "Please, Brad," she breathed, "I need you inside me."

Leaning over with his hands on the bed at her waist, he looked into her eyes to see the burning fire there. He slowly moved forward, sending his thick cock deep into her clutching pussy. Once he was fully seated, he paused again, thinking that no matter how good she tasted, being balls-deep inside of her was his favorite position between her thighs.

Somehow he slipped an arm beneath her waist and, placing a knee on the bed, tugged her to a more central position. She laughed at the sudden movement and the fact that it didn't manage to dislodge his steely shaft from the moist glove of her pussy. When she felt he was satisfied with how they were laying, she pulled him in to hold his body against hers.

Nuzzling his nose, she murmured, "I love you so much, baby," before tenderly kissing him.

"I love you, too," he whispered, "more than you know." 

With another soft kiss he began to withdraw his cock, stopping only when the head remained wrapped in her silken grip. Reveling in her warm body and happy expression, he paused long enough to reflect that he must be the luckiest man in the world and pressed back into her warmth. He made love to her in long, slow strokes.

Feeling her hands exploring his chest, he realized he was missing the same freedom. Brad reached for her negligee's straps, tugging them down her arms to expose her heavy breasts with their enticingly rosy nipples. He cupped them, kneading the pliant flesh before bending to suck as much of one as he could into his mouth.

He loved playing with her gorgeous mounds and knew she loved it too. Five weeks was a lot of time to make up for, yet he was determined to do his best. One nipple still in his mouth, he teased it with his tongue and teeth. Maintaining a gentle grip, he pulled his head back, extending the nipple until she gasped.

Repeating the same teasing play with her other nipple, he tugged a little harder, eliciting a slightly pained moan from her. Without releasing her, he took advantage of her distraction, thrusting hard into her pussy three times.

"Oh, yes," she cried, "keep fucking me, Brad!"

She reached for the headboard, pressing against it for leverage. Rolling her hips to his, she sent a pleasant reminder that she had missed him, too.

Withdrawing a hand from her breasts, he sent it gliding along her side until he got to her thigh. He slipped his hand under her leg, pulling it up and opening her to him even more. A few long, slow strokes and they both fell over the edge, soaring and floating, into another orgasm.

He glanced at the clock, noting that their dinner should be arriving before much longer. Lying on his side, wedged against her, he placed his hand between her breasts, admiring their pinkish glow. Her eyes were locked on his until he slid his hand to her belly and bent to nuzzle his way from one deeply red nipple to the other.

Licking the valley of her cleavage, his hand continued down, finally coming to rest upon her mound. Gently stroking her soft curls, he pulled up in surprise. "Wait, what was that you texted me about a smooth landing? I thought you said you shaved this off."

"Are you saying you'd like me to?"

"No, I like you this way. I'm just a little confused."

She bit her bottom lip and chuckled a little. "The plane had a smooth landing today. That's all it was about, silly."

"Ah," he agreed, "and here I was attributing it to your beautifully dirty mind."

"That's fair," she teased. Her warm laughter made his heart happy.

They lay together, kissing and caressing, until he looked at the bedside clock. "Dinner should be here shortly, babe."

"Does that mean we actually have to get out of bed?" Her pout made him laugh, so she added, "Fine, we'll get up for dinner."

He watched her roll from the bed at the same time the knock came from the other room. At the sound, the playful side he admired so much in her rose to the fore. She looked over her shoulder to catch a familiar glint in his green eyes, and she skipped into the living area.

Despite his increasing curiosity, he stayed in the bedroom, listening to the voices at the door: one very feminine and assured, the other masculine, yet halting and somewhere between nervous and awestruck. After what felt far too long, she was standing in the door again, and his heart nearly stopped.




Against the Wall Ch. 01



Anna had picked his dress shirt up off the living room floor and put it on to accept delivery of their food, however, she had fastened only the two buttons just below her breasts. The shirt covered her, but still left plenty of visible skin. There was a beautiful gap exposing the inner globes of her breasts and, depending on how she moved, a fleeting glimpse of her swollen pussy was possible.

"Should I ask?" he wondered.

Her grin only widened. Dropping the food next to the bed, she spun, flaring the hem of his shirt and flashing her tempting ass to his view. Again, she skipped from the room.

Wondering what she was doing, Brad stood, grabbed the food and moved to join her in the living room. He met her halfway back to the bedroom with the tray she'd set the wine and glasses on.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Do you not want to eat in bed?"

He slipped his hand under her chin, cupping and raising it so he could gently kiss her. "No, I'd rather eat out here. Thai can get a bit messy, so if we spill any we'd have to sleep in it later." Looking her over, he added, "Besides, I'd like to enjoy the view of you in what just became my favorite shirt a little longer."

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," she laughed, the warm sound filling his head and heart.

Sitting at the small table, they ate their meal, occasionally feeding each other small bites. They talked about the dozens of things that had filled their days over the last several weeks: family, work, hobbies; the small things that come together and form the base of a relationship. With two glasses of wine apiece, the busy day each had had and the pleasant exhaustion that follows good sex, they were soon ready for bed again.

They worked together to clean up after dinner and when they were done, held hands to return to the bedroom.

"I really love how that shirt looks on you, Anna," he whispered. Standing with his back to the bed, he raised his hands to her shoulders and slid them under the fabric, pushing it to the sides. "You look better without it, though."

"Thank you," she replied, leaning in for another kiss.

He slipped the shirt from her shoulders, guiding it down her arms. They laughed at the realization it was still held together by two buttons, yet it fell to the floor when she gave a slight hip shimmy. Wrapping her slender body in his arms, he held and tenderly kissed her before sinking to the bed.

"Do you have much on tap for tomorrow?" he asked between nibbles on her neck.

She worked the fingers of her left hand into his hair while murmuring, "Other than your game, no. I'll be working on some pictures and getting things ready for Friday." Still kissing while they scooted back on the bed, she asked, "What will your day be like?"

Finally laying his head on the pillows, he pulled Anna to his side and nuzzled her ear. "I'll have to work to keep my team on task since most of them will be excited about the game." He moaned at the feel of her fingernail scraping over his left nipple. "I don't want them to leave a bunch of stuff for Friday since we'll already have plenty to do then."

"That makes sense," she whispered, idly running her fingers through the soft hair on his chest. "Brad?"

"What is it, babe?"

"I've missed you like crazy."

Rolling to her, his voice husky, he whispered back, "I've missed you, too."

Minutes later, they were once again making love -- slowly -- wanting to make it last until finally they fell asleep in each other's arms.

~*~*~

The morning alarm seemed less harsh than it had twenty-four hours earlier. They awoke easily, spooned together, his hand cupping her breast.

"I want to wake up like this every morning you're here," he mumbled, sleep still clogging his voice.

"That works for me, as long as you're not going to be late for work."

He looked at the clock and groaned. "Damn, I meant to set that a little earlier."

"We'll have time another day." When she sat up to face him, her smile was warmer than the morning sun.

Climbing out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom. A few minutes later she came back, asking if there was anything she could start for breakfast while he showered.

"I'm pretty sure all I have right now is toast and coffee," he laughed.

"That's easy enough to fix." He could see she was thinking before she continued. "If there's a store nearby, I can pick up a few things during the day."

"Someone at the front desk can tell you how to get there." He kissed her before heading into the bathroom to prepare for work, calling over his shoulder, "I can find my way, but I have yet to figure out how to describe the route."

Her laughter echoed in his ears even after he closed the bathroom door and started the shower. It amazed him that no matter how cold the weather had seemed the previous day, having Anna there suddenly brought all the warmth of home to him.

"Have you ever noticed that there's always a spot on your back that you miss?" She slipped into the shower behind him, an extra washcloth in her hand. "No matter how flexible you think you are, you just can't get everything." 

The idea floated through his logical mind that he really didn't have time to shower with her. Then the lathered washcloth was on his back, guided by her firm, gentle hand, and time didn't matter.

"While I'd like to wash all of you, babe," she murmured, "I know you need to get to work. We can take care of that this weekend."

When she was satisfied his back was thoroughly clean, she hopped out of the shower, dried her legs and swept from the bathroom.

Hot coffee and toast were waiting for him in the kitchen once he was dressed. They sat over their small breakfast, setting a plan for that evening. "I should be able to come back to pick you up for the game," he told her.

"It would be nice to go together. I'm sure I could get there, but finding you in all those people could be hard." She smiled before adding, "Besides, I'd like to be able to meet some of your team while it's still fairly quiet."

Although he'd attempted to put the moment off, he needed to leave for the office. "Call me if you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Brad," she teased. "I'm sure I'll be able to figure out how to get to the store and back." With one last kiss before he left, she whispered, "Although, there might be something else I'll need around lunchtime."

He groaned, pulling her to his chest then suddenly letting go of her in surprise. "Why are you all wet?"

She simply grinned.

Halfway down the hall, it dawned on him that all she was wearing was one of his favorite old t-shirts. He turned back to see her standing in the empty hallway, still waving, and realized that she had neglected to completely dry off after she left the shower. With his shirt sticking to her in all the best ways, he had never wanted so much to call in sick.

Watching him disappear into the elevator, Anna turned back to their suite. She knew she had a lot to do in order to prepare for that night. First thing on her list was a shower of her own. While it had been fun scrubbing Brad's back, she hadn't wanted to stay, knowing that they'd be unable to resist the many temptations offered by the other's slick, soapy body.

"Get to the shower, girl," she moaned.

Hours later, she was dressed in her favorite run-around jeans and a dry shirt. After her shower, she'd run through some pictures that could be used for the Blake Gallery's suggestion she might be able to add extra pictures. Knowing that dinner would be after the game, she'd also made a list of some basic groceries to pick up and a few things she knew he'd probably be hoping for during the week.

Normally, she'd continue to work on the pictures, but with lunch looming it was a better idea for her to eat first. Pulling on some walking shoes, she grabbed a light coat and her purse, making sure she had the extra key Brad had left, before heading to the front desk to ask about the nearest grocery store.

He'd been right; the store wasn't far away, but it was nice to have clear directions from someone who knew the area. Making her selections quickly, she was soon out of the store and returning to the hotel where she put things away, unpacked her bags and prepared a light lunch. Once she'd eaten and cleaned up, she looked through the pictures she planned to present at the Life Gallery the next day then grabbed her camera, as usual, to take a walk.

~*~*~

Showing their tickets to the woman at the door had been the easy part. Even being seated in a company box, they still had to fight the crowd. "Is it always this crazy at the games?" Anna wondered. She'd been jostled so much already, she almost felt as if she was expected to strap on skates for the game herself. In a moment of desperation, she reached out with both hands, taking hold of Brad's coat clinging for dear life.

"Pretty much," he laughed. Taking advantage of his height, he could see what she was missing. "It'll clear out pretty soon and it won't be far then to where we want to be."

In the taxi he'd told her a little about what she'd find inside the arena, but even he was surprised at the level of hockey fanaticism here. It probably made more sense, considering there was a lot more of a history for the game here than there was at home.

He was thankful they'd had an easy ride in. They'd been able to talk about their days so far. She'd been excited about a park she'd found, and he warned her that she'd be meeting some of the guys from the office. He also let her know they'd be meeting another team member after the game for drinks at a nearby bar.

While she was glad he was making an effort with his co-workers, she took the opportunity to tease him about not wanting to return to the hotel right away.

"Oh, that's right, you have your meeting tomorrow," he pondered. "I suppose we don't have to meet up with Tony, if you're too tired after the game."

She knew he was teasing her. Going along with the joke, she laughed, saying, "No, that's fine. It sounds like Tony might be a lot of fun."

By the time they got to the box, Joe and Mark had already arrived. Joe and his wife, Diana, were a few years older than Brad and Anna, while Mark's girlfriend, Tanya, seemed to be a black-haired version of Anna. The two young women hit things off quickly. 

"Do you know anything about this game?" Anna whispered furtively.

"Are you kidding me?" was Tanya's response. "I grew up with it, but I'm already preparing to be another hockey widow."

They laughed and walked to the bar where Diana was nursing a beer, the men already talking shop.

"Are they always like this?"

Diana looked over her shoulder before answering. "Pretty much, although I think you can hold out hope for your man there, Anna."

The women talked about family and work for a few minutes before Anna took her leave, walking back to Brad.

"Hey," he wrapped an arm around her waist, accepting the beer she brought him. "Did you want to put your coat somewhere?"

"That would be nice," she agreed.

Finding the small closet, he set their drinks on a nearby table before taking her coat. Once he saw what had been under it, he nearly dropped it to the floor.

"I take it this means you approve of my wardrobe for the evening?"

"Very much. You look fantastic." He was striving for normal while he went about hanging up the coats. He mostly succeeded.

While packing for the trip, once Brad had told her they'd be going to the hockey game, she'd taken the time to learn who the visiting team would be. When she saw it was going to be his team, she rummaged through his closet to find the replica jersey of his favorite player and tucked it into her luggage.

Wearing it to the game hadn't even been a question. Of course, she was practically swimming in it, but that was half the fun. She was also wearing a pair of worn and faded Levis that he loved seeing her in, since they hugged her hips and ass casually and had a slight gap in the waist. Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear, "I'm not wearing anything under it."

The look on his face was priceless.

Half-listening to the pre-game announcements, they made their way back to the rest of the group where there was some good-natured ribbing about wearing the wrong jersey. It wasn't long before Brad found a way to wrap his left arm around her willowy waist during the conversation with their new acquaintances. Just before the call for the national anthem came, he slipped his hand through the gap at the back of her jeans, letting his fingers play with the top of her ass.

"Well, that's one way to show your patriotism," she teased him under her breath while the others were singing along.

Finally, the game was underway. She and Brad joked quietly about making their usual, goofy bets on the game, starting when she turned to him and whispered, "I bet your team can't score in the first period."

"You're on."

Although she'd watched televised games with him before, it was amazing how quickly it moved when it was live. Being in the arena was an incredible experience; hearing the fans, smelling the ice and still having no clue who was doing what to whom made the game completely different. She knew she'd never be a true hockey fan, yet she still appreciated the skill these men needed in order to perform at such an intense level.

Even more fun was sitting back to watch the halfway joking arguments between the fans in their box. It was accepted that she and Brad would be cheering for the visiting team, so when they scored with seven minutes left in the first period, there were some jibes thrown their way about a, "Lucky shot there."

"Hey, Anna, you sure you want to be wearing that Thomas jersey now? The man is obviously blind." Mark laughed at his own joke.

"Well, he's not currently on my team, is he?" she teased right back.

Once things quieted down in the box, Brad leaned to whisper in her ear, "I guess I won that one."

"Which means that I owe you a blow job," she murmured evenly, "unless you want to see if they'll tie it up before the end of the period."

"I might like the idea of going with a bet per period," he replied.

"Well then, the only question is when do you want to collect?" She smiled with a disarming innocence.

Just then, shouts from the stands drew their attention back to the ice where a fight had broken out. "Ugh, I hate this part," muttered Diana. She rose from her seat, looking at the other women. "Anyone care to join me in beating the rest of the crowd during intermission?"

After a hastily whispered, "Think about it," to Brad, Anna agreed to go with the other women in the hopes they could get in and out of the ladies' room without too much fuss.

The rest of the game passed too quickly. Things evened up, briefly, in the second period, but when the final horn sounded, Brad's team had won. He accepted high fives from his coworkers while Anna received some teasing sympathy from the ladies, who had figured out they had some bets going on the side.

"I hope you didn't lose too much," whispered Tanya.

"Nothing I wasn't ready to lose anyway. Really, we try to keep it light and fun," Anna giggled. "Our serious bets are during baseball season."

While the ladies were gathering coats, the men continued talking, and Brad's phone rang. "Hang on guys," he paused to check the caller ID. "It's Tony."

Five minutes later, plans confirmed and coats on, the group left the comfort of the company box. Joe and Diana said their good-byes, leaving in order to send their babysitter home. Tony had put his name in for a table at a nearby bar, so the rest of the group were heading over for a quick bite and a chance for Brad to tease them all about having lost to his home team.

Once out into the crisp night air, he wrapped his arm around Anna's shoulders, pulling her warm body close to his. "What did you think of the game?"

"It was fun," she decided. "I still couldn't figure out what was going on, but you're right, seeing the game live really does change it. I can't believe how fast it is."

"You'd never seen a live game before, Anna?" Mark was somewhat surprised by that revelation.

"No. Heck, I'd never been a fan before getting together with Brad, so why would I watch a game I don't understand?" she replied. "On the other hand, I suppose I should have expected it. I'm a big tennis fan, and I once got to see Roger Federer in a live match. It was incredible how quickly each point was played."

"Ooh," Tanya squealed, "I'll bet that was great."

"It was a blast. Brad's been after me for a few months to go to a game with him, and I have to now agree, it is better when you see it in person."

"Unlike baseball," Mark groused.

Brad laughed, saying, "It all depends on how your team is doing."

They found the bar and met Tony inside. He and his younger brother were both fairly happy-go-lucky sorts. The bar was one of their favorites, so they had suggestions for everyone on food and beverage orders. They were also well-known by half the wait staff and orders were met quickly.

Anna found Tony to be a good complement to Brad and was sure they worked well together. She remembered his name from a few phone conversations, so she made sure to spend some time talking with him, wanting to know what Brad was like at the office.

It was Tanya who finally noticed the time and reminded Mark that they both needed to get up early the following morning. Slowly, the party broke up, although there were a few last jokes about the game. Upon exiting the bar, they found a trio of taxis waiting for them.

"Who called for the cabs?" Mark wondered.

"We did." Tony explained, "It's something I like to do when I'm out with friends."

With a final round of thanks, jokes and hugs for Anna and Tanya, everyone grabbed their taxi to return home.

"That was fun, babe," Anna murmured, snuggling into Brad's side. "I'm glad we were able to go."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he teased, breathing in the still-fresh scent of her hair.

"How long before we're back at the hotel?"

"Should be about fifteen minutes, Miss," stated the driver. "There's still a lot of traffic about."

She looked up into Brad's eyes with an impish gleam that he had learned to be wary of. "It seems to me that I lost at least one bet tonight." Reaching across her lap and placing her palm flat on the front of his jeans, she wondered, "Do you suppose I'll be able to honor that in fifteen minutes?"

Before he could respond, she had the buttons open, his cock in her hand and was bending down to take it into her eager mouth.

To be continued.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed it, please vote or leave a comment. I will respond to private e-mails that have a valid address.



Against the Wall Ch. 02



While it wasn't my intention to have this long a break between chapters, setting up the cliffhanger in the back of the cab was planned. Suffice it to say, the action picks up considerably in this chapter.

As always, I owe many thanks to my friend and editor, stevieraygovan. He helps me take the germ of a story and make it the passionate tale you have before you. It's becoming quite funny how many times he'll say, "This needs to be changed," and we'll come up with the same substitute words.

© 2011 annanova, all rights reserved

When last we visited our intrepid redhead, she was preparing to make the cab ride back to the hotel one that Brad would never forget.

Having fished Brad's stiffening cock from his pants, Anna was eagerly bending down, ready to honor her side of their bet from the first period of the game. She had wagered that his team wouldn't score in the first, and they had. Of course, the score had evened in the second, so he'd have to repay her in their suite, but she was looking forward to giving the blowjob she had promised him earlier.

"Wait! What are you doing?" The panicked voice seemed to be coming from the front seat. "You can't do that here!"

She looked up, her hand still wrapped around the base of her sexy lover's cock. "What?" She was truly confused. "I'm not going to make a mess, and people eat in cabs all the time."

"No! You can't do that," insisted the driver. "You can't do sex in my car!"

"Fine, I won't. Pull over somewhere quiet, and you won't have to worry about your back seat." Anna wasn't too excited about this change in her plans, but she was willing to be flexible.

"Umm, what are you doing?" Brad's whisper was tinged with nervous energy.

She smiled, a lust-filled gleam in her warm green eyes. "I'm paying my debt to you, baby."

"Here?" he stammered. "Now?"

The driver brought the cab to a stop in front of a darkened shop, calling out all the while, "I told you, no doing sex in my car!"

Opening the door, she turned to look directly at the driver. "Relax, there will be no sex in your car. Wait here because we'll want a ride to our hotel once we're done." She stepped out of the cab and extended a hand to her tall, blond lover. "Are you ready?"

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" he asked, joining her on the curb.

"I know, but I want to," she smiled invitingly, pressing against him and directing their bodies to the recessed entry of the nearby shop. Once he was standing with his back to the wall, she purred, "I don't want to waste another minute when we could be enjoying each other instead."

She leaned in, hungrily kissing him while opening the fly of his jeans. Slipping her fingertips under the hem of his shirt, she flattened her hands and ran them up his torso, nibbling her way along his jaw and neck to his collarbones. He took hold of her hips, pulling them to his and spreading his fingers to cover her ass.

"I'm getting cold, baby," he teased. "What do you plan to do about that?"

"Funny," she teased back, "you don't look like you're getting cold."

Slowly bending her knees, she had begun a sinuous path down his body when he remembered something she'd said while tormenting him at the game.

"Wait." His voice was a low growl. "I want to be able to see you." He pulled her to her feet, then reached down; taking hold of the bottom of her shirt, he jerked it up over her head to hook it around the back of her neck. With her full breasts exposed to his appreciative eyes, he grinned wryly. "Okay, now you can start."

Part of her was surprised by the suddenness of his action; part of her was thrilled he was exposing her in such a manner. He'd always been... reserved? While he had no problem enjoying the sight of her body when they were at home, he was less certain about her semi-sheer blouses in public. She had no idea why he had unexpectedly decided to show her off there, knowing the taxi was just behind them, but she wasn't about to question it either.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her mouth to his in a vague whisper. Slowly moving her hands to his chest, she gave him a series of tender, wet kisses as she made her way down his body. His quivering sigh when she flicked her thumbnail over his right nipple excited her.

It was his turn to be amused when he heard a sudden, "Ouch!"

"What is it, babe?"

From her knees, she glanced up. "Tonight of all nights, you don't wear jeans with a button-fly?" she pretended to grump while gently caressing the underside of her breasts. "Damn zipper."

The beginnings of a smile melted into an expression of near shock when she closed in on him, kissing just below his navel and surrounding his rigid length with her soft, warm breasts. He choked out her name and relaxed against the wall, jerking his hips to her at the same time.

"Eager, aren't we?" she crooned, teasing him just a little. "You want to be in my mouth, don't you?"

He felt her tongue tracing concentric circles on his tip and sighed, "Your mouth is like heaven."

"Thank you."

She peeked up to see him leaning his head against the bricks and knew he was anxious for her to continue. Still on her knees, she kissed his tip, causing him to groan again. They hadn't been together long, only six months, but it was enough that he was able to recognize her patterns and know that she was waiting for him to look at her.

He opened his eyes, tilting his head enough to take in the view; a smiling Anna, on her knees before him, her beautiful green eyes glowing mischievously while she lapped at his tip.

'What a spectacular image.'

Her words in the cab suddenly returned to him, and he chuckled. "Baby, still think you can do it in less than fifteen minutes?"

One corner of her mouth quirked upward. "Is that a challenge?"

"No. I'd never dream of challenging a woman who has my cock in her mouth."

"Since we're not in the cab, I kind of thought I'd take my time."

While that was worth considering, he pointed out that the driver had merely pulled over for them, and the meter was still running. Her response was to smile and press his cock toward his belly, licking the underside from root to tip, making him shudder.

Seeing the shiver run through his body, her smile grew. Knowing what he was anticipating, she instead pressed her mouth to his balls, humming happily before licking the thick bisecting vein.

"Oh... fuck," he muttered, nearly jumping out of his shoes.

It absolutely thrilled her to know she had surprised and pleased him. She simply loved sucking his cock. She especially enjoyed exploring new ways to savor it; new methods of treating her lover to an exquisite torture. Ready to move things along, she took hold of his cock at the base and brought it to her lips where she sweetly kissed the tip once more.

With his thick cock extended proudly, she took her time exploring the ridge around the head and thoroughly licking the shaft, getting it nice and wet. The sensations from her tongue moved Brad to reach out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face so he could better see her. His tenderness made her smile. Peeking up, she offered him an explicit demonstration of her lips painting circles on his cockhead, spreading pre-cum as if it were her favorite lipstick.

Her actions clouded his thoughts to the point he forgot about the waiting cab. With the seductive sound of the blues spilling from a nearby club enveloping them in a warm, erotic haze, they were no longer in the middle of a strange city. No, in his mind they'd been carried away to their own private Shangri-La.

Still watching him, she could see that he existed completely in the moment, living only for the pleasure they were sharing. Anna had one slender hand wrapped around the base of his shaft, holding him steady, while the other was slowly and steadily caressing the back of his left thigh. Wanting to increase their mutual enjoyment, she slowly parted her lips, taking in just his head. "Mmm," she sighed, her mouth full.

From somewhere beyond his mental reckoning, he watched her sweet lips encircle the end of his aching cock. Beginning to tremble, he tried to relax enough that he could remain standing without rushing the sexy redhead's actions. Entranced by the warmth of her mouth, he could feel the tip of her tongue lapping at his flowing pre-cum.

Her hands were already working their particular magic on his body. While her right hand moved up the back of his leg and toyed with the crease at the top of his thigh, her left started a slow, easy twisting motion at the base of his thick cock. At the same time, she was busy running her tongue all over his cockhead, caressing the ridges and teasing the sensitive patch under his tip.

Pulling back, she released him just long enough to whisper, "You taste so good, Brad."

He gasped as she took him back into her mouth. Leaning against the wall, he started moving his hips in time until her hand that had been caressing the junction of his ass and thigh crept up to skritch the bottom of that cheek.

"Anna...." He was breathing deeply, trying to be still for her. "Anna, I'm close."

In response, she grinned around his thickness before sliding along his length to his body. The long, graceful fingers she had wrapped around the base of his cock ceased their twisting motion and began slowly stroking that last bit she could just never fit. Even so, she had to fight her gag reflex when he reached the back of her mouth.

"That's amazing, baby" he groaned. He could feel his pending eruption building.

Whether he had warned her or not, she knew he was getting close. She thought of how much she loved this part; feeling him twitch and swell, knowing he was trying to hold out for another minute or two. Wanting to help him over the edge, she brought her right hand around to cup and tease his heavy balls. At the same time, she moaned around his cock, taking him into her mouth as deeply as she could; once, twice, glancing up to see his head fall back to the wall.

One more time and suddenly a strangled cry of, "Anna!" split the air.

She pulled back slightly so he could send a thick rope of cum to the back of her throat while his body shook. Her eyes were glowing happily; continuing to stroke his cock, she swallowed everything she could. She pressed a knuckle to the spot just behind his balls, and he kept shooting until he was shuddering with the effort.

Feeling weakened, his knees buckled, but she pressed her hands to his thighs in an effort to pass some of her strength back to him. Never releasing him, she let her tongue play around his softening cock until he couldn't stand not having her in his arms anymore. He took her hands, bringing her to her feet and into a heated embrace.

One hand wound itself into her long, red hair as he hungrily kissed her, roaming her mouth with his tongue. Through his haze he could feel the hard tips of her breasts crushed against his chest. Tugging lightly on her hair and drawing her head back, he wandered down her throat, nibbling and gently biting his way to her temptingly flushed nipples.

He teased her before removing his hand from her hair to wrap that arm around her waist. That gave him the leverage to lean her back enough to slip his other hand into the slight gap in her jeans; popping the button open, he thrust two fingers into her surprisingly wet pussy.

She gasped at his insistence, writhing on his hand and thrilling at the quick approach of an orgasm. The exhibitionism of sucking Brad off on the sidewalk had apparently excited her more than she had originally thought possible. Unfortunately for her, he was in a teasing mood because when she started to moan, he withdrew his fingers and placed them in his mouth.

"What are you doing? Why did you stop?"

Smiling around his fingers, he finished licking her juices before saying, "I guess I'm not quite as brave as you are." He took her hand and started walking toward the still-waiting cab. "Or, you can go with the idea that I just don't feel like sharing you with anyone."

He opened the door for her, and she realized what he meant when she noticed their driver watching her with a rather dazed expression, a thin layer of sweat having formed on his forehead. Brad climbed in beside her, giving the man a reminder of their hotel.

Once they were again en route, she relaxed into her lover's arms while he nuzzled below her ear. It wasn't until he reached to cup her breast that she noticed her shirt was still hooked behind her neck. "Are you having fun, babe?" she whispered.

"Yes, I am," he breathed. "It was a good game, don't you think?"

A seductively soft laugh rose from deep in her chest. "Yeah, it was better than I thought it would be." She twisted her head to nip at his chin before adding, "This game seems pretty fun, too."

He let his hand roam a quiet circle around the sides of her breast before brushing his thumb over her erect nipple. "I won't lie; I'm having fun with this game as well." His slow, deep drawl filled the cab, delighting her senses.

"Mmm, I like that," she purred quietly.

Still teasing her nipple, he looked up to catch the driver's eyes in the rearview mirror. He'd guessed the man was still sneaking peaks and figured that if he'd been the one preparing to go down on Anna earlier, instead of the other way around, there wouldn't have been any fuss about no sex in the cab. Shaking his head in amusement, he tilted his head forward and nibbled at her ear before whispering, "I know you do."

Her hand found its way to his thigh and started gently kneading it. Closing her eyes and letting herself submit to the sensations his ear-nibbles were creating, she asked, "Have you decided what your penalty is for losing the second period bet?"

"What penalty? My team won, silly."

"Yes, they did, but at the end of the first period we talked about another bet should the home team tie things up." The back of her head was resting against his shoulder. "It was too close to the buzzer, so we picked that one up in the second, and the score was tied before the end of the period." Awkwardly slipping her hand into his pocket, she gently squeezed him and added, "Therefore, you lost the second period."

His answering chuckle reverberated in her chest, causing her pussy to clench. "Very well, I'll have to come up with something before we get to the room."

"Sir, we're at your hotel." The driver's hushed voice briefly intruded on their shared reverie.

The parking lot lights were startling in their impact on the lovers. After a quiet ride, they'd nearly forgotten where they were and weren't fully prepared to be pulling in before the entry.

Brad took his time paying the fare, thanking the driver for waiting out their earlier detour. When his smile changed from friendly to bashful, he knew the man had been carefully watching Anna. Of course, it was hardly surprising; he certainly would've been watching if he wasn't already with the gorgeous redhead.

Before opening the door, he looked into her green eyes, seeing her excitement and desire blend with something he thought might be curiosity. He leaned in to kiss her, cupping the back of her neck in one large hand. Finally, he released the latch on the car door, reaching back to help her from the car once he'd exited.

Her smile was so bright, so gleeful, he was momentarily confused. Then he realized why he'd seen that curious expression on her face in the car; he'd left her shirt up.

"Is this part of your penalty?" she asked, the light tone making it clear she was teasing him. Sliding toward the door, her smile remained. When she saw the awe on his face, she bit her lower lip, touched by his eyes.

He gently pulled the shirt over her head, reluctantly covering her full breasts. "No, having you walk through the lobby more or less shirtless wouldn't be easy for me since every other man in there would be staring at you. But I'm not clear where it's a huge loss, since you'd still be with me."

"They'd all be jealous of you, Brad," she smiled, getting out of the cab. Rising to her toes, she kissed the corner of his mouth, flicking the tip of her tongue over the edge of his bottom lip. "Yes, they'd be jealous, and I'd be happy to let you show off."

She heard the car door close and felt a breeze on the backs of her legs. The rest of it was lost on her because suddenly his arms tightened around her waist, pulling her slender body to him and taking her mouth in a deep, nearly desperate kiss.

Not waiting, she thrust her tongue into his mouth, beginning a slick, heated dance. He moaned, sliding a hand down her back, clutching her jean-clad ass. That action ratcheted up her desire; she pressed her hips to his, rubbing firmly against his renewed bulge.

"Damn," he whispered, "I'm glad we didn't walk back here after... well--"

"I think we should go inside now, don't you?" She nuzzled his chin, wondering what he might be planning once they were back in their suite.

"Excellent idea," he grinned. Taking her hand, he turned them around and headed for the door.

The lobby was more populated than it might otherwise have been on a Thursday night. Between the sports fans in the lounge, area diners and a CD release party at a nearby blues club, there were probably a couple dozen people milling about, either coming or going. Several of them turned to watch, even whispering to friends, as the sexy redhead in the unbuttoned jeans walked to the elevators holding the hand of the tall blond man with the obvious erection.

The lovers never noticed. Even the ride to their floor was spent entirely focused on each other. Once he'd hit their button and the doors closed, he reached over to cup her face with both hands. Running the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, he gazed into her eyes, losing himself in their depths. His thumb reflexively pressed down on the center of her lip, then he leaned in to claim her mouth with a soft kiss.

It was the quiet throat-clearing of another guest that announced they'd arrived at their floor. He wasn't sure how she did it, but Anna strolled past the couple in the hall without a hint of embarrassment; she merely flashed a coy smile that had the other woman blushing three shades of red.

Following her rolling hips to their suite, Brad completed the plan he'd been considering since the hockey game briefly tied in the second period. He knew exactly how he was going to make good on his side of the bet, confident that she would be more than pleased.

She looked over her shoulder just before reaching their door. Leaning against the wall, she sexily cocked one leg while calling back to him in a husky voice. "You know, if you want to put this off until tomorrow, I'd understand. Work gets in the way sometimes."

"It isn't that late," he replied, wondering what she was up to. "It's only just after eleven o'clock, and we got enough done today that we won't have to scramble tomorrow." He slipped the card key into the slot and waited for the click. "Besides, I already know what I want to do."

The low growl of his voice and his strong arm around her waist pulling her to him was enough to make her tingle everywhere. They quickly entered the room, barely taking the time to set out the "Do Not Disturb" sign and lock the door.

Kissing him, she wriggled two fingers between his shirt buttons in the middle of his chest. With a little pressure from her thumb, she was able to pop the lower one open, which allowed her to play with the chest hair she found there. She tugged at a few strands, causing him to growl again.

"You know what that does to me, don't you?"

She rolled her hips forward, grinding against him. "Yes, I think I have a pretty good idea," she teased. His hands made their way to cup her ass; holding her to him, they kissed again before she whispered, "Babe, would you mind if I took a few minutes to get ready?"




Against the Wall Ch. 02



"You look fine."

"Thank you. I was thinking more of taking out my contacts and brushing my teeth. I mean, if it's okay with you." She gave him a smile filled with love. "Since I'm sure that whatever you're planning for me is going to be wonderful, I'd kind of like to do the little things now, so we can just tumble into bed later."

Her smile could light up a black-out, he thought. "I know what you meant." Kissing her forehead, he added, "Yeah, take a few minutes and do what you need to do, but I don't want you changing your clothes."

"You're sure about that? I mean, I have other sexy negligees for your enjoyment."

Remembering the night before, he grinned widely. "I know you do, and they're all amazing, even the ones I haven't seen." He held her hands, bringing them to his lips and kissing her palms. "I've got something in mind, Anna, and I believe you'll love it. Please, trust me on this."

Staring into his green eyes, she found herself swimming in their warmth. "I do," she breathed. "I trust you completely. You know that, don't you?" Leaning forward, she placed gentle kisses on his knuckles before slowly drawing her hands from his. "Give me five minutes, okay? And I promise... I'll leave these on."

With a nod, he let go of her hands. Watching her walk into the bathroom, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. No matter that they'd been friends for a little over two years before they started dating, he sometimes still couldn't believe that she was with him. Even more incredible, after six months, she was getting ready to move into his home.

'What the hell did I do right?' he wondered.

Brad straightened out a few things in the main area before heading into the bedroom where he turned down the bed and removed his shoes and socks. Listening carefully, he decided he still had some time before Anna was going to be ready. He opened the closet, pulling out a bag he'd prepared the previous weekend in anticipation of her visit.

In the living area, he started by closing the sheers, leaving the curtains open, and turning off the lights. He looked around the room, trying to decide where he wanted to end up sitting, then lit a few vanilla-scented candles.

While he busied himself setting up the room, he found himself once more pondering the improbability of his hooking up with the sexy redhead. "You could have any man you want," he'd said once, shortly after they started dating. "Why would you choose me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she'd wondered, as confused as he was.

"Look at us, Anna. We're so... different. You're slim, beautiful, outgoing, and I'm... not."

"What are you saying? I'm not supposed to love you, to want you, because -- "

"Babe, you're not from around here."

"Oh, that's such a lame cop-out."

"Let me finish." He waited for her to acknowledge him. "Around here, the girls that look like you always end up with the jocks, not the shy guys." Sitting across from her, he'd finally spilled his fears. "Anna, every time we make plans, I live with this fear that you're going to come to your senses and tell me you've decided to see someone else instead."

She stood straight, crossing her arms over her chest, clearly showing her frustration. "But I never considered myself one of the 'beautiful' girls. I was always 'the smart girl,' the one who tended to hang back while everyone else paired off. Baby, please, if I were truly so shallow as to leave you for a 'jock,' I highly doubt someone like you would have been willing to give me the time of day. You know me better than that."

Rising, he grasped her elbows, saying, "No, please, I don't mean to imply that you're shallow." He blushed, adding, "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at expressing myself sometimes."

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

There was a chair behind her. Guiding her into it, he sat across from her on the coffee table, never letting go of her arm. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before looking into her eyes. "I think you remember my telling you that I'd always been flattered when you used to flirt with me at work. Even after you left, I had a great time talking with you whenever we'd run into each other around town or when you'd call with tech questions.

"That time you called me, after your blog had been hacked, was the best night of my life. Then, the next morning, there was just that little voice in the back of my head, telling me that it wouldn't last, or that I didn't deserve you, or--"

"Brad," she sighed, "I thought we talked about this." She uncrossed her arms, gracefully slipping her hands into his. "There should be no question of not being worthy, for either of us." Leaning forward, she kissed the corner of his mouth, whispering against his lightly whiskered cheek, "I love you, Honey."

He tried to speak, but she wouldn't let him. "Even when we were working together, you could always see when I was having a bad day. Yet it's not about the little things. You're a wonderful, generous, intelligent and very sexy man. You make me laugh at myself; you make me feel-- "

"Oh, this is beautiful, love. You've been busy."

The gentle voice behind him came as a surprise, forcing him from his reminiscing. Turning to face her, he smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

She continued to look around the room, admiring the romantic touches he'd prepared. "Wow, you really paid attention in the Scouts, is all I have to say. You were ready for anything, and I love it."

"Well, I'd planned some of this, just thinking it would be nice to have around once you got here." He blushed a little at her praise, pleased that she liked what he'd tried to do. "There's more I've got for you, but I'm saving some of it for another night."

Her warm, soft smile was the highlight of his evening. Even behind her glasses, he could see her green eyes dancing. "You, sir, are amazing," she murmured, moving to embrace him.

Taking her into his arms, he placed one hand behind her head, pressing her cheek to his chest. They stood breathing easily for several minutes before he bent to kiss the top of her head.

"I, umm, changed my mind about one thing..." he started to say.

She giggled a little, having known he would. "Let me guess," she teased. "You want me to lose the jeans."

"Yup." He growled lightly and nibbled her earlobe. "I was going to undress you, but looking at you right now... I want to watch you take them off."

The light danced in her eyes as she reached for the remaining buttons on her jeans. "Wait a minute. How does this work out to being my prize for winning a bet?"

He adopted a goofy 'Busted!' expression. "If I don't have to take your jeans off, I can get to the stuff you're going to enjoy more quickly?"

"I don't know about that," she laughed. "Maybe I enjoy it when you undress me."

"Well, since this is about your... enjoyment, I guess I'll have to go with my original plan." He drew her back into his arms, kissing her neck and jaw before reaching her lips. His hands wandered down her body, caressing and scratching before slipping under the waist of her jeans to squeeze her shapely ass.

Moaning into the kiss, she flicked her tongue over his bottom lip and against his teeth. He sucked the tip of her tongue into his mouth, teasing it with his own, and pulled her hips to his, rubbing their bodies together. His passion rising, he withdrew one hand from her jeans, entwining those fingers in her thick red hair.

His cock hardening, he tugged on her hair to bring her head back, exposing her graceful neck. Seeing the pulse in her throat, he bent to lick it before sucking lightly. "I love you, Anna," he murmured, kissing down the column of her neck.

She could barely remember how to breathe, let alone form words.

With a sly grin, he released her hair, nibbling his way down her chest, teasing her already diamond-hard nipples through the soft cotton of the old jersey. Her breasts seemed to have a mind of their own, rising to the warm, wet torment he was providing. He opened his mouth wide to take in as much of her breast as he could, closing on her and sucking. Since they were protected by the shirt, he pulled back until he had just her nipple and bit down, gently chewing the sensitive tip before taking her other breast and repeating his loving actions.

"Brad!" She gasped; one hand on his shoulder, the other around the back of his head.

From his knees, he pushed the shirt up enough to trace a wet circle around her pretty navel. He could already smell her arousal, and he had yet to open her jeans. Surprisingly nimble fingers popped the button before sliding the tab of her zipper down. Becoming impatient, he jerked her jeans over her hips, pushing them down her long, lean legs.

Stepping out of them with a light laugh, she knew that her tall lover would relax a little once the jeans were on the floor. She could feel an intense heat already building within her core. Half tempted to tell him she didn't care about the bet and he should just strip and fuck her, the gentle pressure of his tongue on her clit nearly brought her to her knees.

The jeans cleared her shins, and his plan was set. When she ever so gracefully pulled her first foot from the denim, he glanced up to see the perfect, deep pink lips glisten and wink with her movements. Tossing her jeans to the side after she withdrew her second foot, he skimmed his hands up her thighs to take hold of her hips and swiped his tongue the length of her dripping slit.

He thrilled at her moan when he touched the tip of his tongue to her excited clit. Raking through her wet folds again, he peeked up and recognized from her blazing green eyes that he needed to move his plan to the next step.

Getting to his feet, he paused, playfully biting her nipple again on the way to her mouth. She fought a scream when he bit, but threw herself into the passionate kiss.

His need to feel her smooth, soft skin was overwhelming. His hands floated under her borrowed jersey, exploring her back and sides before coming to rest on her heavy, firm breasts. Running his knuckles beneath their weight, he breathed into her mouth, "God, I love these."

"They love your hands," she sighed. "Your mouth, too... god, they love your mouth."

She was becoming anxious to press her body to his, to share the warmth of their bare skin. At the same time, there was something so exciting to her about being nude while he was still dressed; almost a sense of the forbidden. There were times that he had stripped her, teasing her for hours while he stayed in at least a t-shirt and boxers. It wasn't unusual for her to have extended orgasms those nights. Standing in his suite, she recognized his signals; they were headed for the stars.

She writhed in his grip, his hands moving toward her hips. Instead, he grabbed the hem of the jersey, yanking it over her head, throwing it behind him once it cleared her body. Gasping nervously at the sudden movement, Anna was beaming, her face glowing with excitement. In fact, she could feel her moisture collecting on her inner thighs.

His hungry gaze drank in the sight of the woman he loved, standing before him. Her nude body was already developing the light blush it usually held after she came.

"You're ready for anything, aren't you, Anna?"

He watched her white teeth eagerly bite the softness of her full, red lower lip. Although she was held speechless, he could read her body language clearly.

Unwilling to wait any longer, Brad cupped her face in his hands, tenderly kissing her for a long minute before moving to stand behind her. A frisson of nervous energy shook her frame, and she squealed at the touch of his hands just below her hips.

When he leaned in to kiss the junction of her neck and shoulder, she calmed visibly, leaning her head against his shoulder. Her body melded to his; with a small twist of her hips, she was able to position his rigid length within her deep crevice. Even through his jeans, the heat emanating from his cock amazed and excited her to the point that she was again ready to ask him simply to take her.

She turned her face toward his for a kiss, needing to feel that additional closeness. Smiling, he nibbled his way up her neck and along her jaw, finally meeting her lips. His arms wrapped around her waist; she responded by tilting her hips, wanting once again to rub her ass on his stiff cock.

A groan rumbled from deep within his chest, giving her the shivers all over. Releasing her waist, he brought a hand up to caress her cheek and neck while his other hand floated down to knead her hip and upper thigh. Still, he had to have more.

It seemed she read his mind. She leaned into his chest, her new posture allowing him greater access to nuzzle her ear and neck. He licked the sensitive spot behind her earlobe, then nibbled the ridge up the back of her ear, teasing her with a series of growls.

Slipping a hand around to the front of her leg, he realized that he still couldn't properly reach her inner thighs. Even if he could, he didn't want her to lose her balance once he really started. With a final, gentle bite on her shoulder, Brad maneuvered himself to scoop her up, carrying her to the sofa. Once he found a comfortable sitting position, he arranged her on his lap, facing the window.

He took his time, flattening his hands and using his palms to soothe her nerves. He could feel her breathing grow deeper and slower. With her relaxing on his lap, he resumed nuzzling her graceful neck, continuing to stroke her smooth thighs.

Unnoticed by Anna, he had set a small bag next to the sofa while she was getting ready. Moving carefully, he dipped his left hand into his secret bag.

"What are you doing, baby?"

"Licking your neck," he murmured. Hoping to distract her, he traced his tongue along her right shoulder and up to just below her ear.

Her breath released in a soft giggle when he pulled her back to lean into his chest. He ran his fingers along her inner thighs, opening them, still nibbling on her ears. Abandoning her thighs, he brought his hands up to cup her heavy breasts, unable to resist them for long. At his touch, she reached back to hold his neck. She turned her head toward him, seeking his lips, sighing when he explored her mouth with his tongue.

As their tongues played their slick game, Brad took his left hand from her breast and quietly groped next to his leg for the surprise he'd placed there. Before she could break the kiss to ask anything, she was startled by the whisper-light touch of a feather dancing erotically up her inner thighs.

Moaning, she wrenched her lips from his to see what he was doing. From nowhere, it seemed, he had pulled out a peacock feather and was using the brightly colored eye to tickle her sensitive skin. She muttered something he didn't catch, and they sat watching her lean thighs twitch beneath his loving strokes.

His right hand was still exploring every inch of her breasts. Hoping to distract herself from the tickling of her legs, she raised her hand to cover the one he had on her chest. She also resumed their tender, passionate kiss, squealing into his mouth when he drew the feather up her torso.

Still holding the feather, he used it to describe decreasing circles on her breasts, finally flicking it across her nipples. He loved watching her flesh break into goosebumps and teased a few more out of her, running the feather along the underside of her heavy breasts again. She twisted around to sit across his lap, wanting to kiss him more easily, needing to think of something other than that persistent tickling.

Not knowing why she'd moved, he allowed his free hand to roam over her lower back, offering support whenever she arched with his teasing. The feather floated up, dancing along her neck and jaw, over her lips and eyes and across her shoulders. Unable to resist the feel of her skin, he kissed everywhere the feather painted.

It didn't take long for the dual sensations of his lips and that damn feather on her body to shorten her breathing. He saw rather than heard her start panting, and carefully sent the feather skittering down to play between her legs again. Letting it drift above her inner thighs, he knew he was going to have to change things up, but still wanted to do one last erotic tease.

Returning her to her original position on his lap and easing her to lean against his chest, he nudged her thighs to rest along the outside of his legs. Taking advantage of her wider stance, he was able to draw the feather in the sweet crease of her thighs, tormenting the smooth valley between them. Her panting had become a faint mewling echoing in his consciousness, driving his desire.

Fully aware of all he'd put her through and grinning to himself over the sizeable damp spot on the leg of his jeans, he was sure she was more than ready. Still, he dropped the feather to that tantalizing patch of skin at the base of her slit, succumbing to his need to know.

She had always been incredibly ticklish. How she had managed to keep from falling off Brad's lap in a massive, kicking giggle-fit, she wasn't sure. Where he'd found the feather was another mystery that was driving her mad... then she felt it torturing her again.

"Babe, please, what are you doing to me?"

Her voice was faint, on the edge of breaking. Arching her back, she pressed against him, craving a firm touch to ease the heightened sensations of all the tickling.

He tilted his head to kiss just below her ear again. His plan had been to sweep the feather up through her pussy and get a better idea of how wet she was with it. However, her body was quivering so steadily, he was starting to wonder how much more she'd be able to take... and he did have more planned for her.

When he dropped the feather, she was momentarily puzzled, wondering what she was in store for next. Her body was on fire with the combination of his hands, one resuming its massage of her breast, the other cupping and gently squeezing her over-heated mound. She sighed happily, letting her head fall back to his shoulder, reveling in his touch.

If he really thought about it, he could probably come up with a time that her body had been opened to him the way it was at that moment. However, remembering when she'd been as completely tuned in to what he was doing was a different story. All he wanted was to share a new experience with her and try to expand his own horizons. He knew that he wasn't as outgoing as Anna was in a social situation, and never would be, but he did have a strong imagination. Everything that had been happening in their suite that night was a testament to it.

There wasn't a part of her body he didn't want to be touching. Ignoring the persistent ache of his swollen cock still entrapped by his jeans, he trailed his tongue along the elegant line of her jaw. His hands were busy; one with her breast, the other exploring the smooth skin surrounding her pussy.

She twisted her head, wanting to kiss him, craving that additional connection. Moaning hungrily at the brush of his tongue against hers, she pressed her hand to the one he had on her breast; with the other, she clutched at the back of his neck, and their kiss deepened.

At the same time, one of his fingers started circling her slit, skimming along the edges of her inner lips. Even knowing what he'd been doing to her, he was surprised by just how wet she was. Feeling her slight shudder, he broke their kiss to nibble the side of her graceful neck. He brushed his thumb over her clit, and she gasped. He slid one long finger into her waiting hole while giving her nipple a soft pinch, and she cried out.

Her nails dug into the nape of his neck in response to his nip of her lower lip. When he added a second finger and started rubbing the upper wall of her pussy, she wrenched her mouth from his. "I love your hands... I need your cock," she moaned, a hint of frustration in her voice.




Against the Wall Ch. 02



That was it. Taking his hand from her breast, he adjusted her position on his lap and unzipped his jeans. His hot, throbbing cock practically sprang out on its own, twitching in anticipation. He raised Anna's hips and speared himself deep into her silken grip.

"Oh!"

It was a mutual cry of desire and satisfaction. Her walls were immediately quivering around his thickness, and he was amazed he didn't blow at the feel of her ass against his belly. Gathering his senses, he reached around to massage her excited clit while thrusting into her with short movements.

She pressed back, encouraging him to take her even more deeply. His hands found her firm breasts again, kneading them and tugging at her nipples. Leaning into his hands, she took hold of his knees, gasping as her head fell back in exhilaration. The sinewy muscles of her thighs worked in sync with their mutual passion, allowing her to ride him. At the apex of her motion, she would pause and flex against his cockhead.

"Oh, god, I love that," he grunted. Still massaging her breasts, he pumped his hips up, enjoying the way her walls rippled around his heated length.

Anna surprised him by carefully pulling away. Before he could think of how to protest, she had turned around to tug his pants down a bit more and resumed her place straddling him, this time facing him. She grasped his cock, guiding it back to its slick sheath. Slipping down his shaft, she reached for his shirt and yanked it open, heedless of the buttons sent flying by her impatience.

"I love the way you feel inside me... the way you feel next to me."

She leaned forward to give him a deep kiss, her tongue tangling deliciously with his. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him to her in a passionate embrace, crushing her breasts to him. His arms surrounded her slender torso, and they sat still, cheek-to-cheek, taking notice of their heartbeats and quiet breathing.

They rubbed their noses together as they separated, each wanting to see the other. Her toned thighs began their flexing again, allowing her a gentle ride aboard his steely cock while she ran her fingers through the soft hair that covered his chest. His hands took hold of her hips to help them rediscover their earlier rhythm.

At his touch, she pressed forward with her legs, rolling her hips to take him at a slightly different angle. He slid his hands up her body to cup her breasts, nuzzling between them before laving attention on the heavy orbs and their rosy nipples. Knowing he was getting close, he wanted to distract himself even if only for a few more minutes.

Because his job had separated them for six weeks, the enjoyment he found from being buried in her snug warmth was enhanced by her loving moans and the way her gentle hands held him. Still, their happiness was somewhat bittersweet since she had to go back home while he had to stay for six more weeks. They did have another four days, and he was willing to do whatever was necessary in order for them to enjoy their time to its fullest.

She cried out when he thrust hard into her; she clutched his back when he sped the movements of his hips. Feeling his cock swell and twitch within her, she knew he was nearing his orgasm. Looking up, he caught her eye; the expression he bore of pure desire, of boundless love, made her breath catch in her throat. The combination of his look and the realization that he was pushing the limit sent shivers through her body.

Spurred by her lover's emotional glance, those soft, sweet pulses she so craved sharing with him began to grow deep within her core. She moaned, feeling their pressure increase, then breathed his name in wonder when he led her over the edge. He watched her, licking between her breasts, tasting her sweat while she kissed his forehead.

With the undulating wave of her orgasm traveling her blessed pussy walls, Brad remained motionless for a moment deep inside her warm, perfect embrace before thrusting twice more. When his release came, they both called out for the other, holding tight and fighting for breath.

The intensity of it all made her head spin. Taking her time to savor the exquisite sensations, she sat in his arms with her legs locked around his waist, and started gently rocking. She could hear his deep voice murmuring something through her mental fog, bringing her in for a safe landing.

"I love you."

Her soft sigh was music to his ears. She whispered, "I love you too, Brad. You make me feel so... cherished."

"You are." He scooted forward and stood, keeping her in his embrace. "I truly cherish you, Anna. I want to be able to show you how much, every day."

They kissed, sparkling tears trickling down her cheeks as he carried her into the bedroom. Propping one knee on the bed, he tenderly tucked her in and kissed her eyes before heading to the bathroom. When he returned, he slipped between the sheets, drawing her pliant body to his and continuing his earlier thought.

"Babe, I've never known another woman like you." His quiet moan at her subtle adjustments in the bed, moving up so she could wrap her arms around his neck, made her giggle. "Don't make me tickle you," he mock-threatened.

"Not worried about it," she mumbled. "You're too tired."

"I am, but I do want to say this..." he smiled, kissing her into silence. "There's just something about the way you look at me that makes me feel... invincible. You don't care that I don't look like --"

"Don't say it!"

"Fine, I won't. But you know what I mean, and I can't help but sometimes feel... absolutely blown away by the fact that you chose me." He held her, listening to her soft breathing. "Then I look at some of the guys at work and feel really proud that you chose me.

I love everything about you, Anna, right down to your funny accent."

She had to giggle at that. Playfully smacking him in the middle of his broad chest, she protested, "Hey, I don't have an accent! You do!"

Rolling her to her back, he pressed his mouth to the soft spot below her ear and growled, "From my position, you're the one with the accent, and I love it."

Literally glowing from his heartfelt words, she placed a loving hand on the back of his head. Nuzzling his cheek, she whispered, "I love you... so very much."

Not quite on top of her, he drew his hand from her hip to her breast, and bent to spend several minutes kissing along the tender line where it met her chest. Her subsequent moan caused new stirrings in his cock, which surprised him somewhat, considering the lengthy blowjob she'd treated him to earlier and the fact that they'd just shared some intense orgasms.

The insistent nudging against her thigh brought a smile to her face. She shifted her hips carefully and spread her legs, welcoming him back into her center. They made tender love once again before finally falling asleep.

~*~*~

Friday morning arrived with the sun shining through the curtains Brad had forgotten to close the previous night. Spooned together, he smoothed her hair around her ear, whispering his apologies for letting the light in at far too early an hour. However, he certainly didn't mind enjoying the warmth of her body in the morning.

She woke with a soft whimper, turning her face toward his for a kiss. "Good morning, my love," she whispered in a voice still creaky from sleep.

"Good morning to you too, Sleeping Beauty."

"Is it really time to get up?"

"Just about."

His hand was caressing her belly and the tempting area just below her breasts, occasionally creeping along her side to her hip.

"Then why are we awake?"

He leaned in to kiss her nose. "Well, I'm awake because I love seeing you like this."

"You love seeing me half-asleep, with bed-head and a rampant case of morning breath?"

They both laughed and he kissed her again. "I love seeing you anytime, anywhere, in anything."

"You're such a romantic," she teased.

"If that's true, and I'm not saying it is," he laughed once more, rolling back to his side, "it's entirely because of you, Anna."

She turned to face him, and they lay in the large, well-rumpled bed, simply holding each other. Each was facing a busy day; neither wanted to move. While making love was something they enjoyed sharing, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they weren't going to get started that morning. Instead, they chose to take advantage of the quiet of that last half hour before preparing for the day would become necessary.

Eventually the alarm sounded, and they left the comfort of the bed.

She wandered into the kitchen to start the coffee while he showered. Listening to the gurgles of the machine preparing the rich brew, she found herself thinking of the past two days. Logically, she knew she should be preparing for her coming meeting, but she could still feel Brad's touch. There was something about him that calmed her and allowed her to accept more of the nonsense around them as just that.

Rubbing moisture from his hair, he walked into the kitchen where he found her, an enigmatic smile on her lips. 

"What are you thinking, babe?" he asked, pouring his coffee.

Her grin widened. "Nothing really, just that we've got a whole weekend ahead of us, and I was thinking of things we might do."

A deep chuckle rolled through his chest. "Should I worry about anything?"

"No, but you might want to let me know if there's anything that you were saving to do while I'm here."

"All I've been thinking about is having you here." Wrapping her in a bear hug, he reminded her, "I trust you. As long as we're together, whatever you come up with for the weekend will be perfect."

They shared a gentle kiss before he remembered that he still had a full day of work ahead of him. "Good luck with your meeting, Anna. I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead. Your work is so good, how can they ever resist you?"

"Thanks, babe. I'll try to be irresistible." She smiled softly, kissing him again. "I hope you have a fantastic day."

Once he was gone, she returned to preparing her portfolio for her meeting and went online to check out the area. She remembered the music she'd heard while they'd been on their sexy detour coming back from the game. Blues? Jazz? Probably the blues, but she'd find out and suggest that for their evening... she might even let him call 'slowly swaying' dancing.

"Maybe I'll even blow him again, this time on the dance floor," she grinned mischievously.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Anna and Brad. Please take a moment to vote and/or leave a comment. I do respond to messages sent through Lit that include a working e-mail address.