2 comments/  13262 views/  5 favorites

A Fresh Love Ch. 01

By: temptedlioness



I sit nervously in the waiting room of the office, staring at the floor and pulling my bottom lip, most likely ruining my lipstick. The receptionist with too much make-up chews her gum loudly, probably checking Facebook, and it's really grinding on my nerves. I think she's Sophie, the woman who called me to make the appointment, but she didn't introduce herself and I'm feeling much too distracted. I've already been waiting here for 15 minutes and it's making me even more anxious. I feel like I'm exposing myself. I felt the eyes of strangers drilling in to the back of my skull as I walked into the building. On the train ride in, I was so sure I would meet someone I know and then they would ask me why am I wearing business clothes and what am I going into the city for and then I would have to tell them and I really hate small talk. I tell myself to calm down; I'm making myself crazy. Just breathe. 

 A door opens and two men emerge. My heart is in my mouth, and I know I'll be going in soon. I don't pay attention to them as they banter, shake hands and one man leaves. Stay calm, stop pulling at your lips and stop staring at the floor. 

 "Bianca Gold?"

 My eyes dart up to the doorway, and I finally pay attention. Shit. This is the man who is interviewing me, who I could possibly be working with? I can barely look at him. He's tall, broad shouldered with dark hair, grey-green eyes, strong jawbone... the man is a walking cliché. His charcoal trousers sit just right and his shirt is snug across his chest. I smile and walk as gracefully as possible towards him. He extends his right arm and smiles warmly. His hands are large and strong.

 "It's nice to meet you, I'm James Smithfield. Come into my office." His voice is deep and smooth. 

 We walk through the doorway James just walked out of, and it leads into the office space. He turns left and opens another door and he motions me inside the room, closing the door behind him. The office has a desk with a chair on both sides and a brown leather couch against the right side wall. I don't know where to sit, I've lost whatever confidence I had just looking at this man and now I seem to have lost all sense of myself. I look nervously at him and wait for him to take the lead. He sits in his office chair and I follow suit, sitting at the opposite side of the wooden desk.

 "What can I get you? Tea, coffee, water?" he asks.

 "Coffee, black, no sugar. Thank you." My voice is gravel but somehow, it comes out.

 James picks up the phone on his desk "Two black coffees please. Thanks, Sophie"

 James smiles at me, his eyes wrinkling slightly in the corners. He must be in his 40s, but I don't spy a wedding band. Jesus, Bianca! Get a hold of yourself; you're here to try and get a job and not to salivate!

 "So, Bianca, tell me about why you're applying for a job as my PA?"

 "I've worked in sales for most of my career. To be honest with you, I applied because I want to use my hands on experience in sales and marketing to learn the support side of the role." I say, aiming to sound confident while James' eyes threaten to make me melt. "Maybe one day take your job." I joke to try and break the ice.

 "You would be more than welcome to it." James laughs. "May I take a look at your CV?"

 Finally, a chance to draw my eyes away from him, I reach down to get the manila folder with my CV inside. As I sit back, James' eyes haven't left me and I smile nervously at him. I slide the folder across the desk and our fingers brush as he takes it from me. It's just a moment but my knees go weak. Another smile from James and I am thankful that Sophie chooses this moment to come in with the coffees. I was right; she was the one behind the desk. I thank her and bring the warm mug to my mouth, savouring the comforting aroma and take a large gulp to calm myself. James picks up my resume and begins to read. 

 "Your history in sales looks great, especially for someone of your age. So that's a good start. And, you joke, but this role has the potential to develop into more as L&L Foods continues to grow." 

 He asks me the same standard interview questions about my working life so far and he seems to like what I have to say. James doesn't take notes or read his questions from a prepared sheet, and he doesn't once break his gaze. It's an easy but intense conversation. I feel like I have the job in the bag, but what would I know? I can feel the interview coming to a natural close, and thank goodness because I feel tired, but I've spent the better part of 45 minutes watching James' smile and I don't want it to end. 

 James stands up and walks around to this side of the desk and leans against the edge. "Thanks, Bianca." God, my name sounds sexy when it rolls off his tongue "I'll be in touch."

 "If you need anything else, I'm not working full time right now so I'm just about free whenever." I say, almost hopefully.

 James leans down and takes hold of the strap of my handbag, lightly brushing my leg as he brings it up to give to me. He offers a hand to help me out of my seat and we are standing so close that the freshly laundered scent of him goes to my head. I smile and step backwards, almost tripping over my heels to break this tension. He still holds on to my hand, and leads me towards the door.

 "Thank you for coming by. I hope we'll speak again soon." He says, just before he opens the door to his office, and the way he says it makes it sounds like something more exciting than just a call back for a second interview.

 I am caught like a deer in headlights. I don't know how to respond, and suddenly the door is open and the real world is back around me.

 "Me too. I mean, thank you for seeing me today." I splutter. We're still holding hands, and I shake his awkwardly and step away to leave.

 "One final question," James says as I'm a few feet away "When would you be ready to start?"

 That, I didn't expect. "Pretty much right away, if you need me. Monday?"

 "Right, well I think I might be needing you by then. I'll be in touch." He repeats, and waves goodbye.

 Leaving the building in the city, I practically power walk to get to the train station. I'm shaking, I'm flushed and my mind is racing with thoughts that need to be dealt with at home. What the hell was that about? He seemed like a nice guy and it's not that ridiculous a thought that he may find me attractive is it? Or did I imagine the whole thing?

 I get inside the house, flick off my heels and head straight for the bath. I turn the water on as hot as I can handle, get undressed and look in the mirror. I evaluate every lump and bump, running my hands over my hips. Like every woman, I pick at imaginary flaws, but the way James was looking at me has left me feeling perfect.

 I sink slowly into the heat of the water and turn off the tap. My thoughts drift as I lay in the hot water and it's no surprise to me when I start to think about James Smithfield. James' face, his smile and what he would look like out of those clothes – they all slowly come to my mind and my body responds. I run my hands across my breasts and pinch my nipples until they harden and I ease my touch, gently running the tip of my fingers around them before pinching them again. I moan softly. Yes, this is what I need, and I need it so bad. 

 I close my eyes and I'm instantly transported to my time in his office. James' hand brushing my leg, but this time he does take hold of my handbag. His hand snakes up my skirt and half way up my thigh and his fingers lightly tickle my skin. He gets onto his knees and swivels the chair towards him. Both hands reach under my skirt, hitching it up to my waist and exposing me. He takes a firm hold on my ass and moves my body forward so that my legs are spread, one on either side of his body. He begins to nibble my left knee, and I convulse slightly, but he continues and moves up slowly up my thigh. The tension is almost painful and I can feel myself getting wet. He reaches the hem of my underwear, and his teeth pull at the edges. His kisses move across my pubic bone and down, and he stops and nuzzles into my crotch, his nose rubbing my throbbing clit. I groan and push against his mouth and he inhales deeply.

 "You smell so good...I want to taste you" James moans. His voice vibrates through me, and I am more than eager to feel his tongue. With one hand, he pulls aside my panties, brushing against my sensitive lips as he does so. He holds my gaze as he lifts his other hand and sucks his finger before slowly feeling the length of my slit and pushing inside me. I cry out and arch my back, thrusting my whole body towards him.

 I'm lost in my daydream. I have two fingers buried deep inside and another two rubbing my clit. I am so close to coming. I can feel everything tightening and then...

 ...And then my mobile rings. I try to ignore it but the harsh sound has cut through my fantasy. I dry my hands and pick up my phone. In my annoyance, I don't even check the number when I answer.

 "Hello?" I answer breathily.

 "Hi Bianca, it's James Smithfield, from L&L Foods. Have I caught you at a bad time?" His voice sends a pulse through me.

 "No, not really. I was actually just thinking about our meeting earlier."

 "Really? So was I." 

 I know it's not in the same way I was, but in a flash an image of James behind his desk with his cock fisted in his hand has me arrested.

 Silence hangs.

 "Is there something else you needed?" I ask. 

 "No. I was actually calling to offer you the job, if you're still interested."

 "The job? Oh wow, yes! Thank you." I knew I was in with a chance but I wasn't expecting the call today. My excited voice echoes around the tiled walls.

 "You're welcome...where are you?" He asks, and I can hear the smile in his voice.

 "I only got home 20 minutes ago so I was just relaxing in the bath. I didn't expect a call so soon."

 "Lucky you." he says with a laugh that sends a thrill right through me. "You said earlier that you would be able to start on Monday. Is that still the case?"

 "Absolutely. Thank you, really. I look forward to starting!"

 "No, thank you. You're the perfect candidate for the job. I look forward to working with you. I'll see you at 9am on Monday then."

 "I'll see you then. Bye"

 "Bye" he says, almost a whisper.

 I sink back into the bath and pick up where I left off with renewed vigour.

 ***

 When mum gets to my house on Sunday evening, she immediately notices the difference.

 "Oh my baby, you look wonderful!" She says as she cuddles me tightly. She laughs as she hands me the bottle of Veuve that she brought. "I think we have a lot to celebrate!"

 In the dining room, Lily has set the table and started placing dinner on the table. Maxine, my mum, loves my best friend and roommate Lily and her face lights up when she sees her. It's almost as if Lily is a second daughter to her. 

 "Maxi!" Lily runs to mum and hugs her tightly.

 It's only halfway through dinner that the topic of conversation gets to my new job. I try to tell mum as much as I possibly can, conveniently leaving out any mention of James. She is absolutely shameless in her hunt to find me a man.

 "Yes, it is very exciting, isn't it, B?" Lily says with a wink. 

 Mum looks back and forth between us. "What was that all about?"

 "Nothing, it's just my new boss, James. He's incredibly handsome. He looks like Superman. He's probably married or something though, they always are, aren't they?"

 Mum's eyes light up. "Do you have a picture of him somewhere?"

 "Mum, please. Where am I going to get a picture of him from?"

 "Maybe from The Facepage?" Lily and I howl with laughter. Mum's technological talk is always adorable.

 "Actually, that's an idea." Lily says as she wipes tears from her eyes. "I'm going to look him up on LinkedIn!" She dashes out of the room and comes back in with her laptop. 

 It could be the mix of too much wine, champagne and nerves but I suddenly feel too hot.

 "Are you blushing?" Mum is shocked. "B, are you nervous about working with him?"

 "Kind of, mum. He's really handsome, but you know how I am with men." Mum smiles at me and rubs my arm for comfort.

 "What's his last name again?" Lily asks.

 "Smithfield."

 "Right." She types away. "There's only one and...Oh. My. God." She sighs dramatically and turns her computer to face us.

 Everything inside me tightens as James stares at me from the computer screen. Of course his professional photo is perfect. I know I'm blushing and I hide my face in my hands. The hand that was rubbing my arm is now gripping me.

 "Oh Bianca, Jesus. No wonder you're nervous about tomorrow. Who wouldn't be?" Mum drools.

 "Lily, please turn it around, I can't look anymore." I beg through my fingers.

 "Fine." She says, stealing one last, and very unsubtle, look at the picture on the screen before shutting her laptop closed.

 Before mum or Lily can start at me, I get up and clear up the table. I really wish we hadn't looked at that picture. I was happy with my clear head. I make tea, cut up cake and put it all on a tray to take into the dining room and when I enter, Lily and mum are whispering quietly to each other. There's no need to ask what they're talking about, so I don't even bother commenting. Thankfully for me, the rest of the evening goes with out mention of the coming day and I get to relax and enjoy time with my favourite women. When mum decides to leave, it's only with the promise that I will call her tomorrow to let her now how my day went. I take myself up to bed and fall to sleep feeling incredibly nervous, but contented.

 ***

 I wake up much earlier than necessary and with a wine-induced headache on Monday morning. I get in the shower and wash my hair, shave my legs and wash myself down. My nerves have me on edge and I don't know how I am going to get through the day working beside James. I just hope we end up having nothing in common, or that he has a few warts I didn't see before, anything so I won't be attracted to him anymore. Honestly, the warts would have to be pretty bad to turn me off. 

 I dress with care, putting on my usual make up and spraying my favourite perfume. I pick out a bright yellow pair of lacy French knickers and matching bra because I read somewhere that yellow is the colour of confidence, and I need as much of that as I can get. I wear a dark full skirt, cut just above the knee and a short sleeve black blouse, buttoned up to just above the V of my cleavage. I look in the mirror. My outfit is professional, and a little sexy. A pair of black t-bar heels and I'm ready to go. Provided the train is on time, I should be at work in 20 minutes, getting me in 10 minutes earlier than necessary which will make me look dependable. God, I'm nervous. 

 I walk into the building only slightly less nervous than last week. Sophie is sitting at the front desk, popping her gum. She looks up and her smile is so warm that I could almost be fooled into believing that it's not my first day.

 "Bianca, great to see you again. James asked me to send you through when you arrive. You ready?" She says cheerily. I briefly wonder if she gets the jitters in front of James as well.

 "Sure." I say with the biggest smile I can manage with my stomach looping like mad.

 Sophie leads me through to James' office. With out knocking, she opens the door and there he is, just as perfect as last week. His hair is slicked back, his suit jacket and tie are on and smooth and his face is freshly shaven. Best of all, he looks happy to see me. As he stands up to greet me, Sophie whispers to me "Good luck on your first day."

 James walks towards me, his body language open. He extends his right hand to shake hands and as we do, his left hand rests upon my right. 

 "Bianca, how are you? It's great to see you." He says with rich warmth that I could fall into.

 "I'm great, thank you James. How are you?" I smile at up at him through my lashes. 

 "Brilliant. Take a seat on the couch. I want to go through a few things with you regarding the position, and then we'll set you up in your office and get underway! Can I get you a coffee? Long black, right?" He remembered my drink from last week, and he's still clasping my hands.

 "If a flat white is possible, I'll have that. Otherwise long black is fine, thank you."

 I sit to the side of the couch and watch James strides to his desk and picks up the phone to ask Sophie to organise our coffees. He's insanely distracting. He comes back and sits down on the other side but the couch is cozy and our knees knock, sending a shock through me that James doesn't appear to notice. 

 "Right, are you ready to get started?" He's so friendly today and I feel instantly at ease, and I begin to feel that my suspicions about us not getting along will go unfounded.

 James takes me through some examples of his typical day and as he talks, he touches me lightly on my hand or shoulder, each time he lingers a little too long. Sophie walks in with our coffees during one of these moments and he withdraws his touch quickly, only to resume soon after she leaves. I listen intently, relishing every moment I get to look at him when he's not looking at me. I take in the curve of his neck, the stretch of his jacket across his back and watch his long thick fingers as he talks animatedly about the job. That final thought distracts me for the longest amount of time and I need to shake myself out of my daydreams. 

 "I think it's time to show you to your office. It connects through mine so you will have to come in through here each morning. Don't worry about that though, I'll be expecting you now. Sorry to keep you so close but it's the design of the office. Besides, you will be under my directorship for some time so it's best we work in spaces close to each other." He says, hardly sounding sorry at all and the smile that flits across his face fuels the fire that's burning in me. 

 He stands and looks down at me as I stand, trying to be as lady like as possible, conscious of the length of my skirt. He walks to a door in the wall beside his desk that I didn't notice last week and opens it, ushering me inside. My new office opens up in front of me. It's smaller than James's but large enough, and besides, it's the first office I have ever had. The same sizeable and stylish worn wooden desk with chairs as I saw in James's office is in here, and the couch as well. A window behind the desk looks out onto the city landscape and the walls of the office are lines with some rather bland abstract art. James closes the door behind us and is standing just a little too close to be professional.

 "So what do you think?" He says with an almost strained voice. His warm breath flutters against my neck, raising the hairs on my arms. 

 I take a step forward, turn around and smile. "It's really great, thank you."

 "These paintings on the wall, feel free to get rid of them. They were from the person who was here before you, Luke. You will pretty much be picking up where he left off. His logins are at your desk. Take a seat, I'll bring another chair around and we'll go through the things he left."

 It turns out that Luke only left a few weeks ago and James and I go through all of the unread emails together. He explains all of Luke's client files in detail, making sure I know exactly what's going on, and it's clear that his expectations of me are high. The hours fly by and it's only the rumbling of my stomach that alerts me to the fact that it's time to eat lunch. I blush deeply at the sound. 

 "Don't worry, I'm feeling exactly the same myself." James laughs, and my embarrassment dissipates. "I've set aside the day to help you settle in so I have nothing to rush for. Shall we go out for lunch, and maybe a cheeky beer?" James winks. 


A Fresh Love Ch. 01



At my slight nod, James is up and opening the door for me and we head out of the office and onto the street. We're round the corner of the building and hit Chinatown. James bypasses a whole row of restaurants with pretty young Asian girls showing us their menus and leads us inside a small and crammed restaurant. We're told the wait will be 10 minutes so James grabs us each a Tsingtao beer.

 "You like Chinese food, right?" He asks after his first sip of beer, a look of concern crossing his face.

 "It's a little late for that question, I think but yes, it's actually my favourite." I answer and James relaxes visibly. 

 We make small talk for a few minutes before being waved to a table. As soon as we sit down, James rattles off a few dishes to the waiter and turns back to me. Once we're settled, our conversation becomes relaxed and easy. He bombards me with questions about where I grew up, what I like to do on weekends, my favourite books and I am unable to get a question in at all. I take the moment when our food arrives as the moment to strike in.

 "So long have you worked at L&L?"

 "Too long!" James laughs. "Actually, I started working for them as a sales rep ten years ago when L&L was just a handful of people, and just worked my way up the ladder as the company grew. That's how I met my wife, actually."

 My stomach flips. Suddenly all that flirting and touching made me feel queasy.

 "Wow. Good job then?" It's hard to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, so I settle for deadpan instead. "Does your wife still work for the company?"

 "Ex," He says, swallowing a mouthful of beer, "Ex-wife. I finalised my divorce more than a year ago. And no, she left not long before we separated." James offers me a thin smile.

 "Oh shit. I'm so sorry." I'm so relieved that it takes everything I have not to get up and dance on the tabletop. 

 "Don't be, I'm not. She cheated on me and it was my choice to leave. We don't have kids and that made things easier, I guess. Worked out for the best. Anyway, let's not spoil a perfectly lovely lunch. Think you can handle another drink before we finish?" James grabs a waiter that walks by and orders two more beers.

 "Are you trying to get me drunk on my first day, Mr Smithfield? You'll give a girl a bad reputation, you know?" I toy. I'm back in full on flirt-mode.

 "I would love to give you a bad reputation." He says with a wolfish grin. I stare at him in silence as dirty thoughts run through my head. He interrupts them with a counter question. "And what about your love life? Any serious boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands?"

 "An ex boyfriend." I play with my chopsticks. "Honestly? He wasn't a nice guy. He never hit me, but you know, other ways. I ended it a few months ago, about 4 years too late."

 Silence hangs over us. The only person who knows the depths of the relationship between my ex and I is Lily, and here I am about to spill my guts out to a man I barely know. 

 "That's some heavy shit." I look up at James and his brow is furrowed with concern.

 "Yes. Yes it is. Relationships can be needlessly complicated." 

 James scoffs "You're telling me! I've tried dating since splitting with my wife but it's hard to start from the beginning again, especially with a woman my age."

 "Your age?"

 "I'll be 46 in a few months. The women my age have kids, or want to act like they're 18 again. It's too much baggage for me."

 "I'm pretty sure you'll find someone when it's right." I say as my heart drops again. He's made it crystal clear he doesn't want someone nearly 20 years his junior. I feel utterly ridiculous.

 "I think we both will. There's someone out there who will want to give you everything." James flashes me a killer smile and the thought of exactly what he could give me makes me squeeze my legs together.

 As we drain the last of our beer we're shuffled up to the register to pay the bill and despite it now being past 2pm, the restaurant is still busy. James and I are chatting in the queue and I wonder if other people think we're a couple. The thought both warms and terrifies me. 

 When we get into the building, James and I are the first to get into the elevator. He leans against the back wall and I face him as we chat, trying to keep my distance in the confined space as the lift fills to capacity after the lunchtime rush. One more person wants to squeeze in, and James reaches around my waist and pulls me closer to him to make more room. When the elevator doors close, he still doesn't loosen his hold on me.

 The sexual tension between us is electric. 

 "You can feel that too?" He whispers softly in my ear, his breath once again raising the hairs on my body. I nod against his cheek. James pulls me slightly closer to him, a smile playing on his lips. "So what can we do about that?"

 I tremble in his arms, in anticipation but also in fear. I'm so tightly wound that when the elevator dings for our stop, I nearly jump out of my skin. I can hear James laugh softly behind me as I power walk back to my office and close the door behind me.

 I put my head down on the desk and take a few deep and steadying breaths before I decide look after some house keeping. I order business cards and a new diary and lay out the things I want to speak with James about tomorrow. I pick up my bag to leave and when I open our adjoining door, James is sitting at his desk, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, his tie loose and the top buttons of his shirt undone, revealing a light smattering of dark hair on his chest. I'm completely disarmed by how sexy he looks.

 "You off then?" He says with a smile.

 "Yeah, I don't really have much to do. I'd better save something for tomorrow, huh?"

 "I'm sure I could find something for you to do." He says, leaning back in his chair.

 Everything he says seems to be laced with sexual promise and it's only my first day here. How long can this go on? For a couple of seconds I wrestle with myself as to whether or not I should say anything, and I break.

 "James, it's my first day. If you think there is something that might get in the way of us having a productive professional relationship, please let me know. I would hate to settle down only to have to leave." I hope I'm not being too presumptuous.

 "I think we can have a very productive professional relationship." He stands up and walks towards me. He stands just inches away from me, and the smell of him is intoxicating "When you told me you were single, I said there was someone out there who wants you. In case I wasn't clear, I was referring to myself. I'm sorry if I misunderstood this situation."

 We stand in silence, staring at one another. I'm relishing the tension crackling between us. I just want to throw myself at him, but I have to be firm.

 "Whatever, James. I really want to have a career here and I don't want anything to get in the way."

 "I'm not going to get in the way of your career, but I think I'm going to have a hard time with my self-control around you. Tell me that you're not interested in me, tell me that you don't feel something."

 I say nothing. The truth is that I am interested, very interested. I look down at my knotted hands. He takes a deep breath before speaking again. 

 "That's what I thought. Now go home, before I do something stupid." His arm is around my waist as we walk to the door of his office. "I can assure you that I won't affect your career, but I can't speak about what happens outside the 9-5." He promises, and my knees almost buckle beneath me.



A Fresh Love Ch. 02



To say that James is attentive is an understatement. We keep the door to between our offices open and talk constantly, I never feel at a loss for words, and I never feel uncomfortable, despite our endless flirting. In fact, the attention is so welcome that it's a challenge not to cave. My heart flutters each time I hear his voice, each time he smiles at me. Everything that he says is so suggestive, I feel as though I can hardly hold myself together. When I get home from work at night, I start fantasising about James. I fantasise about him at work, hoping that one day he will come into my office and lock the door behind him. I'm starting to feel a little creepy to be honest. 

To celebrate the end of my first month, James and a few people from the office take me out to lunch at the pub on a Friday afternoon. Apparently there is no expectation that we need to go back to the office afterwards, but I still feel the need to make a good impression so the plan for me is one drink before I head back to the office at 4pm to put in an hour. Not only do I feel uncomfortable drinking at work functions, but I also fear my behaviour around James once I have a drink in me. So I sit with Brenda from Accounts and Sophie, nursing one beer for as long as possible, but Sophie notices the dreg contents of my first bottle and takes the liberty of buying me a second. I had thought that my plan of not sitting near James was a brilliant one, but even though I can't see him, I can feel his eyes on me, the hairs on my neck standing at his attention. At about 4pm, people start heading home and I pick up my handbag and say my goodbyes. Sophie urges me to go straight home, but I make excuses about having work to do and as I stand to leave, James follows close behind. 

"James, are you off too? That's not like you." She asks. I hear a slight begging in her tone, and it sends a surge of jealousy through me.

"You're right, it's not but I want to make sure Bianca has everything wrapped up for the weekend." James clips.

We walk back to the office in relative silence and when I sit down on my couch, James follows me in and sits beside me.

"So what are you working on?"

"Oh, nothing. I just don't feel comfortable being the new kid and skiving off work. I know everyone says it's fine but I want people to know that I'm serious, give a good impression." I say. "What do you need to help me with?"

"Nothing work related." James places his hand on my knee and gently slides one finger under the hem of my skirt. "But maybe you could help by joining me for dinner tonight?"

"Um, I don't think that's a good idea." I stumble with laboured breath.

"I'm going to disagree and say it's one of my better ideas. Why not?"

"Look, maybe next week. Let me just think things through, ok?"

"I can handle that. How about I make us some coffee and then I can give you a ride home?" James is almost pleading. I am arguing with myself inside. I turned down dinner; I could at least give myself, and James, this one thing.

"Ok, fine. I mean yes, a lift would be great. Thank you."

James smiles at me and I instantly miss the feeling of his hand once it's gone. I slump back into the chair when he leaves the office, heart racing at million miles and hour. I'm angry for not allowing myself something that would probably make me very happy, even for just the night. I've made my decision now and I have too much pride to go back on that.

By the time we finish our coffees and head out of the office, the traffic is absolutely shocking. As we inch forward on the Harbour Bridge, James turns to me.

"If you'd just said yes to dinner, we would have missed all of this. Tomorrow morning's traffic would be a lot easier to deal with." James takes my hand and places under his on the gear stick.

It takes everything I have not to sigh with delight. 

"Well," I start breathily, "you wanted to spend time alone with me, so here you go. This is as good as you're going to get for now, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, there's plenty of room in the car to make this better." James offers me a small wink. A nervous giggle falls out of me. I glance around the Range Rover and a heat rises inside me. It's a large car, and the darkness in James' eyes is telling me that he wouldn't think twice to take us to a shadowed car park if I agreed to it. I turn away and stare out the window. 

As we come off the bridge, the traffic starts to move and I direct James to my house. He pulls up out the front and I can see the lights are on. Lily must be home.

I turn to him in my seat. "Thank you so much for the lift. You're welcome to come inside, I can make us some dinner."

"Are you asking because you feel obliged, or are you asking because you like me?"

"A little of column A, quite a lot of column B."

"I don't want you to feel obliged, I don't want you to have to worry about anything. I won't come inside tonight, but next time I will." The compromise was gentlemanly, but the look in his eyes was anything but.

"You're doing this on purpose to make yourself irresistible to me, aren't you?"

"No. I'm doing this to make myself irresistible to you." James unbuckles his seatbelt and leans towards me and I don't back away until it's too late. James has his hand at the nape of my neck, his palm warm and comforting. He dips his head and inhales, running his nose up the length of my neck and across my jaw. I moan as he kisses me tentatively. 

I lean against the car door, my head spinning, and I stare at James as he smiles at me, my breath coming in short, shallow spurts.

"You need to know that if you don't get out now, I am going to turn this car around and take you home with me."

I just about orgasm in my seat, I hardly think I could handle a night with him. I grab my bag and step out of the car.

"Thank you again, James. Have a great weekend."

"You just turned me down, but I'll try. I will see you on Monday morning." James winks again. 

I close the door and James waits until I wave to him from the front door before he drives off.

***

I get into the office on Monday morning and James isn't at his desk. I'm surprised that he isn't here before me, but relieved that I get a few extra minutes with out my stomach in knots. Not that it means much, because he has been the only thing on my mind for days.

I turn on my computer and check my diary for the day before I decide that I am really going to need a coffee to get started. As I head out of my door, James walks through his, two coffees in his hands. He places one on his desk and hands me the other mug. 

"Thank you! My knight in shining armour! I didn't even know you were here." I say as I take my coffee from his hand and lean against the edge of my desk. "How was your weekend?"

"It sort of went down hill after I got rejected by this gorgeous woman on Friday, but I got some work done, so that's something." He has a look of overacted sadness on his face and I can't help but burst out laughing.

"Don't worry James," I slap his arm playfully "She's not worth the effort."

He goes from joking to sombre in an instant.

"Believe me when I tell you she is." His gaze is so intense that it feels like a fire is ripping through me. 

My shaky resolve, already at the bare minimum, breaks.

I put my coffee down and push away from my desk. Our eyes lock and I step towards him until we're merely inches apart. His smell is overwhelming.

"Bianca, what are you doing?" He whispers.

I lean in and plant a kiss on his cheek. James breathes heavily and wraps an arm around my waist, placing his hand on the small of my back and I feel electricity flow through me. I kiss him again, closer to his mouth this time, the stubble on his cheek scratching deliciously on my lips. The pressure from his hand increases, pushing our bodies closer. He sighs in my ear and I know he's struggling to control himself. I kiss him softly once more, on the corner of his mouth, skimming my tongue delicately on his lips. James digs his fingers into my skin and I know that if I don't back away now, we could end up on the floor. I take a step backwards but James retains a firm grip on me, moving his hand from my waist to my wrist.

"Come home with me tonight." He begs, pressing my hand against his growing hardness. Muscles deep inside me clench and my head spins. Knowing that I can make James feel this way, the power of it is intoxicating. 

"Not tonight," I say with promise, flexing my hand. James groans loudly as he erection twitches. He moves my hand to kiss the sensitive skin on the inside of my wrist. "We need to be able to function for work tomorrow. And I hoping I won't be able to after you're done with me." I'm shocked at myself for saying that. I had never dreamed in a million years that I could say something so provocative.

"If we didn't work together, I wouldn't accept that as an answer. We would both take tomorrow off work and use it to fuck on every surface in my apartment," My breath hitches at his words "but since we do work together, that won't be possible. Incidentally, I hope all your weekend plans are cancellable. You will come home with me on Friday and you won't be leaving until I'm done with you." He says as he nibbles the spot on my wrist he was kissing.

I can feel the heat building between my legs. "I really need to get back to work, James."

"I really need to get to work on you." He whispers lasciviously.

With my free hand, I slap him playfully on the arm and he lets go of my wrist.

"Get out now. I don't want my boss to fire me for slacking off on the job."

As he opens the door, he laughs softly "Oh no, I wouldn't fire you, but you would be punished." 

He doesn't even turn to look as he closes the door behind him, leaving me completely breathless and with an unbearable heat between my legs that I need to do something about. If I go to the bathroom, it will be too obvious but what would James think if he walked in and saw me? I know exactly what he would think and what he would do and fantasising about his reaction cements my decision. I lean against the wall beside the door, so at least he if opens it for any reason, I'll be hidden. I need release but I need to do it quickly. I reach under my skirt and my right hand under the waistband of my panties. I'm so wet, I easily push two fingers deep and it takes everything I have not to groan, but I need more. I replace my right hand with my left and use my right hand to rub at my clit. My muscles tighten with pleasure and it doesn't take long for an orgasm to rip through me. I gasp for air as quietly as I can, and I can't help continuing to rub myself through each wave that hits me, prolonging my pleasure. I want more but I took enough risk doing this for a couple of minutes, I don't know if I could spare more time. I put myself together quickly and clean my fingers using tissues and sit back down at my desk.

***

I get into the office early on Friday morning; I just have too much work to do. The office is completely empty and it's nice to have this time to myself to focus.

In the kitchen, I switch on the coffee machine and wait for it to start up. I take a coffee cup from the cupboard above the machine and place it on the bench, close my eyes and rest my head on the cupboard doors. I hardly slept the night before, so excited about James' promise for the weekend, and I feel ruined this morning. I must zone out for a few seconds because I don't hear the footsteps. The deep whisper in my ears is what brings me back and makes me open my eyes.

"I think you can start making your coffee now." James says. His hot breath against my neck sends shivers down my spine. 

He stands behind me and reaches forward to make my coffee. I can feel his hardness pressing into my backside. Everything clenches. He knows exactly what he's doing to me. He runs his hands up the length of my arms and rests them on my shoulders. His voice is pleading.

"Bianca, can you feel what you do to me?" he pushes up against me. 

I barely manage more than a whimper but that's enough for James. He turns me around to face him and holds me close and hard, our hips pressed together. He runs the tip of his nose along the bridge of mine and we breathe each other in. He has a hand placed at the back of my neck, waiting to pull me in at a moment's notice. My heart is pounding in my ears and I have never felt so desired. I'm ready for him now. And then he kisses me with a great urgency. With one hand now in my hair and the other on my hip, he pulls me tighter, groaning audibly into the kiss and I lose my composure. I grab fistfuls of his hair with both hands and thrust into him. I need to have him; I've never felt so hungry. Suddenly, James pulls away. His eyes are narrowed in on me, his hair is a mess and he's now wearing some of my lipstick.

"Bianca, are you sure about this?" 

I respond by pulling him back towards my body and it's the only answer he needs. His mouth is back on mine, but now he is running a hand up my thigh and between my legs. Just as his hand cups my sex, he stops and pulls away, keeping his hand in place.

"The stock guys are going to be in soon. Come out with me tonight, we'll see what happens."

I nod in agreement and James moves in again and kisses me. "I can't wait." I mumble against his lips. He sighs at my words and slowly, teasingly removes his hand from between my legs. 

We finish making our coffees and head back to our office in silence. The moment James closes the door, the only thing I want is to kiss him but I have no confidence in making the first move so I keep walking towards my office.

"Just a second." James stops me "We need to make a plan for tonight, something so people don't think we're leaving together."

"Ok, well what are you thinking?"

"I leave first, just after 5:30pm and head to the Old George pub. If you leave a few minutes later, no one will think anything of it. And the Old George is far enough away that it will reduce our risk of seeing anyone from the office." James walks towards me looking awfully proud of himself.

"How long have you been thinking of that plan?"

"I hatched it on Wednesday, hoping you wouldn't change your mind." He leans in and kisses me again, less intense than before but I quiver to my core. I don't know how I am going to make it through the day, knowing what is coming tonight.

"I wouldn't get cocky if I were you James. You aren't going to get what you're hoping for." I say as I go through the door to my office. My words are completely hollow but for a split second I worry that he might believe me.

"Yes I will." James flashes his killer smile at me and I turn into a puddle. I slam the office door shut behind me.

Despite being over run with work, the day drags. I am sick with nerves, so I don't even bother going out for lunch. Instead, I lie down on the couch in my office and try to get my head together so I can finish the day with some feeling of satisfaction, but even rest eludes me. Just after 5:30pm, James sticks his head in the door.

"I'm going to head out now. What's your drink of choice?"

"Vodka on the rocks, thank you."

James leaves with a smile and the butterflies in my stomach increase 100 fold. I send out my last email and start shutting everything down when my desk phone rings. It's a client, calling for an update on their sales performance. We talk business for a few minutes but the conversation runs over, so that 20 minutes later I'm hanging up the phone and running out the door.

I head towards the Old George. I'm so nervous; this is my first date in months. And it's the first time I've been with a man who has made me feel desirable, and I've never even allowed myself to hope that could be possible. Now here I am. Walking through the door of a bar to meet my boss to begin a sexual relationship. As I stride through the doorway, a heavy hand grabs my forearm. I'm so much on edge that I miss the bouncer. Not only do I love being carded at 27, but also this gives me an opportunity to look around and find James. I spot him in the corner just as I am getting my licence back. He's smirking at me, and his gaze is making me unsteady on my feet. I walk over to him and I'm surprised I don't trip. He stands to greet me and as I reach him, and he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me close. 

"It's nice to see you, but it's 6:07. You kept me waiting." His breath is warm in my ear and it sends chills through my body, making my skin prickle. I pull away from him slightly, to get a grip on myself.

"It's nice to see you too. I'm sorry for running late." I say breathily. 

He hands me one of the two drinks sitting on the table as we sit down. "So tell me what took you so long, then." James says, and takes a sip of his drink.

While I'm speaking, James gently moves a hand up my thigh. My body responds and I slide closer towards him, moving his hand further along its path. I try to wriggle upright but his hand clamps down and holds me in place. He moves closer, and his breath is in my ear again.

"Bianca," he says my name and I bite my lip to hold back a whimper. His lips graze my ear as he continues to whisper, "let's not drag this out. You can let me take you home, or we can stay here all night. Either way, I. Will. Take you." Between each word, he kisses my neck. And then his hand is holding my inner thigh and I turn to look at him and we are nose to nose. He's so close to touching me, right where I want him to, and if he touches me I will give myself away, if I haven't already. I'm hot and I'm throbbing.

He quickly removes his hand from my leg and I almost slump in my seat. He begins to play with my hair but I'm aching to be touched again. 

"You've barely said a word, Bianca."

"Well, I walked in, you started talking and then you turned into a sexual predator. I didn't have time to speak." I say incredulously.

"You haven't seen sexual predator, yet." There's a glint in James's eyes and my breath catches in my throat.

"Hmm, that's a great word 'yet'. So much promise, and the possibility of so much dissapointment." 

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of disappointing you." 

As he speaks, James moves his hand and cups my head. Slowly, he pulls me in for a kiss. Our eyes lock and our noses touch gently. My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest that I am surprised he can't hear it and I'm sure I stopped breathing 15 seconds ago. And then his lips are on mine, soft at first but building. His tongue parts my lips and seeks out my own. His other hand is stroking my outer thigh, climbing higher until it reaches the waistband of my panties. He slides his fingertips across my hips and suddenly he's cupping my sex. His kisses become deeper, more urgent and he's starting to bite on my bottom lip. This is going too fast, but I am powerless to stop. 

"You're already wet for me. I'm taking you home." James growls in my ear. 

He removes his hand from under my skirt and his other hand moves to my own. He picks up his drink and downs the remaining whisky in one go and motions for me to do the same. The liquor courses through me, making me warmer than I already feel. James stands, tugs at my hand and pulls me outside. Before I even have a chance to gather my wits, he's hailed a taxi, pulled me into the back seat and given the driver an address that I didn't catch, and then his attention is back on me. Now I'm against the door of the cab and James is pushing up against me and he's kissing me, harder and more urgent than before. He moans my name, kissing down my neck and my chest; his hands are on my back pushing my chest towards him. His left hand cups my breast, and this only makes his kisses harder. And then his mouth is gone and the cab is slowing down and finally stops out the front of a Victorian Era looking building. I open the door and escape the heat of the taxi, taking in the cool night air and trying to get my head together. I look over at James as he gets out of the cab and I feel a pull deep inside me. He's confident, he's so handsome and goddamn, I just want to see him with out those clothes on.




A Fresh Love Ch. 02



James walks past me, taking my hand and leading me up the steps of the building.

"Is this your house? I didn't realise there was so much money in organic kale." I say, poking my tongue at him.

"In this area? No, it's not a house. I believe it used to be but it's apartments now, and yes I do earn a good living in our line of work, but not too many job perks...until now." He says with a smile.

We enter the building and there is a stairway directly in front of us that leads up to the apartments. James takes my hand and leads me up to the first floor. Adrenaline got me here, but the fear is starting to take over. I wait with jelly legs as James unlocks the door to his place and pulls me inside. He slams the front door shut and immediately pushes me against the door. His lips are back on mine and he's scrambling for the hem of my dress, lifting it up around my waist and pushing his body on to me. His erection presses against my throbbing core, slicing through my fears with complete desire. His hand is at my back, unzipping my dress and he tugs at the thick straps, pulling my arms out and letting the dress fall to the floor. He takes a step back and looks at me and at that moment, he looks like a predator about to pounce on his next meal. The intensity of his glare and my shyness overwhelm me and I move my arms to try and cover what my lace bra and pants won't. James quickly takes my wrists in his large hands and holds them above my head.

"What's wrong?" He leans in to my neck as he speaks and nuzzles with warm breath into my skin.

"I'm scared and nervous. Really nervous."

"I don't want you to be afraid, but if you cover yourself up again, I am going to have to tie your wrists up, do you understand?" He threatens. His words are menacing but his voice is tight with desire and thought of him tying me up almost makes me crumble. "Good. Now, I can barely contain myself so I am going to take you in to the bedroom and I'm going to fuck you," His strained voice makes me sigh "and I think that's going to be ok with you."

James hits a light switch on the wall and his apartment comes in to view. It's as large as a house, but I don't have time to look around. I follow him up a set of stairs, he takes off his shirt, throwing it carelessly on the steps and I can hear him unbuttoning his trousers. I can't take my eyes off his back and broad shoulders but then I'm at the top of the stairs, standing in his loft style bedroom. I don't have a chance to take anything in before James pushes me on to the bed and turns his back to me. I move back against the headboard and watch as he slides his trousers down his legs. I groan audibly at the sight of his naked body and he turns around slowly to look at me. He's divine. He's toned, but not overly muscular, and dark hair lightly covers his chest and tapers down into a delightful trail leading right to his long and thick hardness. I shuffle awkwardly on the bed as I feel myself pulsing with desire. 

I suddenly feel in too deep. I wouldn't know what to do with that even if I wanted to. James is probably expecting a lot more out of me than anything I am able to give. Maybe I just need to stop thinking and let James take the lead, go with his flow. I am always free to leave.

I look up and James smiles wickedly at me, but it quickly fades.

"I don't want to spoil the moment you're having, but this is important. I'm clean and I've had a vasectomy. What about you? Otherwise I will have to wear one of these, and I really don't want to." He says, holding up a condom.

"Yes, I'm clean, but I haven't had a vasectomy. Is that going to be a problem?" Trying to break the never-ending circle of thoughts in my mind with humour.

James laughs as he crawls onto the bed towards me. He's a hunter and I'm his prey, but I know that I want to be caught and devoured. Suddenly my bra is a steel cage and I need to get out. He's on me, one arm around my back undoing the bra with great urgency and the other on the front clasp, tearing it off my chest. He cups my breasts and twists each nipple deliciously. It sends a thrill through my body and I thrust my hips up to meet his. In an instant, he loops a finger through the crotch of my panties, brushing the swollen lips of my sex as he does, and pulls them down and off my legs. He bites his lip and he moves back up my body until our noses touch. I can feel his hardness press against me, and slowly, inch by glorious inch, ease inside me to the hilt. I moan from the pain, and from the pleasure. I feel so completely filled with James. My face is buried in neck, and his in mine. The sensation of his stubble against my skin, the smell of his aftershave and sweat and feeling him inside me pushes every other thought out of my head. I'm lost in him. He holds me close and tight, not moving, just relishing me the way he feels inside me. And then he begins to move, slowly thrusting in and out of me and I can barely keep my breath. It feels incredible but it's pushing me to tears.

"Ah! That hurts!" I cry out and James stops his thrusting, but it only makes me eager for more. "No, no. Please don't stop!"

James's face flashes with animal lust and he pulls my hair. 

"Do you like it when it hurts?" 

I don't know how to respond. I feel like I ought to be afraid but I can't deny how incredible James feels inside me. A whimper is my only response. 

"Mmm, good. I'm going to make you scream." James growls warmly into my ear.

He begins to thrust again, this time harder, deeper and faster. I bring my hips up to meet his with each push and then I begin to crumble.

"Oh yes, come for me. You feel so good." James purrs. 

I feel the pull deep within and my blood rushes. I bury my face deeper in to his neck as my orgasm shudders through. He holds me close, rocking me gently through the waves crashing over me. As soon as my body calms, he is relentless; grinding into me even harder than before. I am more sensitive and I can feel myself building again. Deep inside, my muscles tighten and this spurs James on. He grabs my leg and wraps it high across his back, pushing so deep that tears well up in my eyes. And then I fall to pieces as he thrusts once, twice and bucks his hips as he comes, clutching desperately at me. He collapses into my breasts, his grip easing. Sweat glistens at his brow and he closes his eyes.

"Thank you" I whisper through heavy breaths. 

"Don't thank me. I'm not done with you yet." James looks up at me as he speaks and there is promise and desire in his eyes. He stretches up to give me a swift kiss.

"How about a cup of tea and the grand tour then?" I ask, after my recovery.

"On one condition: no clothes. I want to get the eyeful I've been waiting for since you first sauntered into my office."

I flush. He wants to watch me walk around naked? I saunter?

He slowly pulls out of me and as we clean ourselves up, I fight the urge to cover myself with my hands. James doesn't even disguise the fact that he's staring and it makes me self-conscious. He walks over and pulls me close to his warm body.

"Don't be shy, you're beautiful. I want to take in every part of you. Besides, this is very exciting for me. I've never slept with a porn star before." He says lustily as he gently caresses the smooth lips of my sex. "This is very nice. I'm very eager to taste you". 

He kisses me deeply, smacks my behind lightly and motions for me to follow him downstairs.

His apartment comes in to view when I reach the bottom step. It's huge. A living area with a fireplace opens up to the left, and in front is a large open plan kitchen. Folding doors lead out to a paved garden the size of a tennis court. I turn to look at what is underneath the bedroom but heavy, engraved wooden doors close the space. I follow James in to the kitchen and admire. Filling the kettle, getting the mugs, pouring the milk.

"It's a nice place you have here," I say as I admire everything. "Did your ex design this?" 

"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask." He says seriously, hands running through his hair. "This is my bachelor pad. My sister is an interior designer and was nice enough to help me. Now come over here and drink your tea. It will give me a chance to molest you a little more." He grins cheekily.

I take a couple of steps closer to him and he grabs my hand and spins me tight against his body, my back against his chest. He nibbles my shoulder and his fingers lightly tickle between my legs. I groan, somewhere between desire and happiness. He's so playful and I can't help but relax. I am almost disappointed when he lets go of me to move to the couch in front of the fireplace. He sits and pats his knees for me but I take the space beside him. He frowns comically and grabs my ankles and throws them over his knees. He's making every effort to make me feel comfortable and it's working.

"Doesn't that hurt?" James asks, gesturing between my legs.

"What do you mean?" I don't understand, he wasn't that rough.

"Getting waxed, doesn't it hurt?"

"Oh! No, I don't get it waxed, it was lasered. I mean, that hurt enough, but it was what my ex wanted so that's what I did."

"What about what you want?" James frowns.

I don't know how to say that what I want didn't matter for so long, I can only shrug.

We drop in to silence and drink our tea. James runs his fingers along my legs, across the bridge of my foot and begins to massage each toe. Just sitting with him here feels normal, which might be weird for a one-night stand. Oh shit. One night. I have to go. I can't stay here. I drain the last of my tea and shift my body to get off the couch, but James grabs my legs.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

"It's late James. I need to go home. Thank you for the tea, and everything else." I say as I continue to struggle out of his grip.

"Tomorrow is Saturday. Are you working?"

"No, but -"

"Then you don't have to leave." he cuts me off.

"No, I do. I don't think I should stay. I don't want to impose on your weekend and I don't have a change of clothes."

"I told you earlier this week that all of your plans should be cancellable, and I cancelled all of mine, I am not done with you. That means you won't be needing any clothes." He takes a hold of my wrist and kisses, nibbles and sucks on my fingertips. "Besides," he says in between each finger "I want to know more about you and how am I going to do that if you leave now? We've barely said three words to each other tonight. How about that tour, huh?"

With out letting go of my wrist, he stands and pulls me up with him. 

"From this vantage point you can see the kitchen, the garden, the bedroom is a loft and the bathroom is up there as well, this is the living area and behind those doors is a little bit of personal indulgence." We walk towards the doors and James smiles at me as he opens them.

The room is like my dream come true. It's large and the walls are lined with shelves that are filled with books on one side, DVDs on the other. There's a huge and plush sofa that fills much of the room and one armchair. The wall I'm facing is dominated by a flat screen TV. James is looking at me, waiting for a reaction.

"Well, I think we have this in common at least." I say reassuringly as I walk along the walls, scanning the book titles. "So when can I move in?" I joke as I throw myself into the armchair. I look up at James and his face is deadpan. "James, it was a joke. It means I like the room." He smirks at me, fooling me all along.

"If this were your room, it wouldn't look like this. I would have something else in mind." James is pacing the room, moving towards me as he speaks. "After all, I would be keeping you here for my own personal pleasure. So this would be more like a sex dungeon." He says cheekily and he kneels down at my feet. 

The words, the dark looks and his breath against my thighs is all too much to handle and warmth starts to course through my body. James runs his large hands up and down my legs, grasps the backs of my knees and pulls me forward from the chair, holding my legs apart and exposing me entirely. The shock and the deep shyness of having my womanhood spread open in front of this man is nothing that the dim lights of the room can hide. But when I look down at James, he's staring at me hungrily, breathing heavily and his cock growing. I sit in silence. Partly in shock, but mostly because the way he's sitting there is turning me on immensely and I don't want to take his attention away from whatever he's about to do next. 

James's hands are sitting on my hips, his thumbs rolling and working their way to my pelvis, lightly brushing up and down the outer lips of my sex, his face inching closer until his nose is touching me. I can hear him breathing deeply, smelling my arousal.

"James, stop." I stumble, trying to shuffle back on the chair.

James keeps a firm hold on me and his breath plays on my skin when he speaks.

"Why?"

"I don't...I mean, my ex never..."

James rocks back on to his heels and looks incredulous.

"Are you saying he never went down on you?"

"He said he hated it, I don't know. Isn't it gross?"

"What?" James let out a shock of laughter. "Are you kidding me? Are you saying that in all the time you were together, he never once, not once?" I shook my head and James suddenly turned serious "Trust me when I say I want to taste your pussy. I've wanted to taste you since the second I saw you. When I'm done talking, I'm going to bury my face in your cunt and I'm going to make you come with my tongue, my fingers, my nose. And you're going to love it."

With every word, I get wetter. I relax in his hands as my response.

With out preamble, James spreads the lips of my sex with his thumbs and begins to suck at me. His tongue rolls firmly over my clitoris. Each back and forth weakens me a little more. I twirl my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me and as I do, his tongue slides into me and presses on my g-spot. James groans and grabs my hips tightly and nuzzles deeper. As his tongue probes, his nose pushes against my clitoris and I can't help but grind against his face. I can feel another orgasm building and I open my eyes and glance down at James. His eyes are fixed on mine, heavy with lust and that's all it takes for my climax to take hold and course through me. James continues to gently lick and kiss my vagina, now swollen and tender, prolonging my ecstasy. James releases the footrest of the chair and climbs on top of me. He runs his nose up my neck and over my lips, his skin is moist and kiss salty from my climax. 

"Can I thank you yet?" I whisper. 

I feel James's smile against my skin. 

"Not quite." He says, burying a hand in the hair at my neck. His hardness is pushing against the inside of my leg; his grip in my hair is getting tighter. "I seem to recall you liked it when I hurt you." he threatens and then he's up, pulling me up with my hair and bending me over on all fours on the carpet. My body is still recovering from my last orgasm, and somehow ready again for the next.

James' hands are placed on both cheeks of my buttocks, his hardness resting in between my legs, teasing me deliciously. I can't help but push back against him, eager to have him inside me again, but he pulls away each time. We play these same little actions out a couple of times, me trying harder each time. Suddenly, James has a hand cupping my chin and he's right in my ear.

"Do you want me to fuck you? Is that what you're trying to get me to do?" he growls.

My desire is making me needy and I hum my positive answer. His other hand is between my legs and he pushes two fingers inside me. I'm slightly embarrassed that I'm so wet I offer no resistance at all, but it's obvious that it excites James and it seems he's read my mind. 

"Oh Bianca, I wish you knew how good that feels for me." He whispers in my ear. 

He's continues to slide his fingers in and out of me gently, but it's not enough for me and I begin to thrust harder. James admonishes me and removes his fingers.

"Your impatience is giving me an ego boost you know," he whispers "And I don't know how much longer I can resist that."

"Please," I beg, "Don't resist it. Just fuck me. Please fuck me, James."

"That's much better." He says and he finally gives me what I need. He glides inside me easily but as he does that, he also pushes the two fingers into my mouth. I don't resist, incredibly turned on by how dirty he is and how animal I feel.

James is leaving no part of me untouched. He rubs my clit as he pumps deeply into me, causing my legs to shake as yet another orgasm threatens to undo me. If I come again, I don't think I could recover but I can feel James tighten as well. My legs weaken and buckle as my orgasm rips through me, and I slide forward on the carpet, unable to maintain my balance. James's thrusts are so deep inside me that as he starts to come it pushes me forward and he follows, until I am flat on the carpet with James on my back, each tight thrust making him cry out and finally collapse, his weight pushing down on me. His breath is hot in my ear. Slowly, he rolls onto the carpet to lie on his back. He brushes his hand lightly up and down my back and through my dizzying haze, I take my time to drink in the sight of him in the dim light. His stomach rising and falling with each breath, his long straight legs, slightly softened penis lying in a bed of dark curls, every inch of him is divine. When I finally turn my gaze to his face, he's looking at me so seriously that a laugh just slips out of me.

"Are you ok?" I ask, worried about the answer.

"I'm fine. I'm just concerned about you" He replies, sounding truly worried. "I'm sorry, it's just that we've barely had a full conversation tonight and I've already taken control of you during sex when you may not even like it. It seems like your ex was the controlling type and I don't want to pick up where he left off, but your reactions to everything I do, god, they really turn me on. I know that's a hollow apology, but there it is." He stares deep into me, a mix of shame and concern.

"James, it's fine. I mean, it's more than fine. This has been great, really. Besides, there's a world of difference between you and Brad. I've really enjoyed everything tonight, and, once I recover, I would really like more." I'm hoping I don't come across as eager as I feel, but it seems my worry is for nothing.

"Really, Bianca? You want more like this?" he asks enthusiastically. I nod in response. "Oh god, you're going to give this old man a heart attack." He jokes, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek but I pull away.

"Do you have enough time to write me into your will before you die?"

He laughs at my joke, coming towards me for another kiss but holding my hips so I can't get away, not that I would want to. He's right though, he is quite a bit older than me. Is that wrong? If I saw Lily with a man nearly 20 years her senior, I would definitely advise against it, but here I am and the only thing that concerns me about the age gap is that I will come across as a stupid little girl. I pause, wondering how I can now get out of this.

"Is everything alright Bianca?" James asks.

"I'm just thinking about the age difference, that's all." I whisper quietly.

"What about it?"

"Just thinking how young and stupid I must seem to you. You probably brought me around here thinking you could get your way, and I proved you right."

"Bianca, are you kidding me?" James laughs softy. "Are you serious? When I first met you, not once did I think 'Yeah, I could easily have my way with this dumb girl.' No! My first thought was actually on how I was ever going to get through an interview with you with some modicum of self-control. I could feel this tension between us and I thought it was just your nerves. When you started, I knew that wasn't the case. I knew I had to make a move; I wanted to have fun with you. And we had fun didn't we?"




A Fresh Love Ch. 02



"Well, yes, of course. But now you've had your fun, and on Monday we'll be back in the office again, and who knows when another woman will walk in and take your fancy."

"Every time you open your mouth, something ridiculous comes out. I'm 45, Bianca. I'm not interested in chasing young girls, I just happened to chase you. And now that I've had you, I want more. I don't particularly want to let you go home in the morning. I want you to stay here and talk to me. I want to learn about who you are. And then I want to have my wicked way with you a few more times and do it all again on Sunday morning." He says with a wink. "Alright then, missy. Up you get. I'm taking you up to bed." He says, getting to his feet. "If that plan is going ahead tomorrow, we're both going to need all the sleep we can get." 

He extends his hand and helps me up to my feet and leads me up to the bedroom. When we get into bed, James doesn't spoon me. Instead, both lying on our backs, he has my hand in his again. I feel so contented and for the first time in a very long while, I feel beautiful and sexy. I drift off to sleep; thinking how much can change in such a short time.



A Fresh Love Ch. 03



The sunlight pouring in through the slanted window of the bedroom wakes me gently, but it's the smell of coffee that gets me out of bed. I feel fresh, like I've had the best sleep of my life. I look over at the alarm clock. It's 8:49am, no wonder I feel fantastic. I take stock of the room in the light. It's simply furnished, no mess and no clothes lying on the floor. My clothes have gone. There's one large and fluffy dressing gown draped over the foot of the bed. It's far too big but it's all I can find so I put it on and head downstairs. I find James downstairs making coffee in the kitchen, completely naked, his back to me. My eyes travel across his broad shoulders, down to the light tan line on this waist and goddamn it, even his legs are fantastic. It's not just the body, but it's the stance, confident and relaxed. I take a seat on the stairs and just watch him. He turns with the coffee mugs in his hands and his smile lights up again.

"Enjoying the show?" he says twirling slowly, giving me a very good look.

"Very much so. I would pay money if you sold tickets." I joke, trying to keep my composure as he walks towards me.

He stands at the foot of the stairs and hands me a mug, my eyes level with his waist. Filthy thoughts begin to run through my head and I bite my lip in spite of myself, trying to hold back thoughts that are threatening to become words. But I've given myself away.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm set in my ways now that I'm old. Let me have my coffee first, then a shower, and then we can do whatever it is you want to do." James says, leaning forward into a deep kiss. Whatever I want to do, and with him? It's an offer I would be crazy to turn down.

We drink our coffee between kisses. James is more affectionate towards me than I would have expected and more than I have ever experienced. He's always smiling when he looks at me, plays with my hair and is constantly keeping parts of our body in contact. I can't tell if he's naturally affectionate or if he's got something to prove. 

"You're awfully sweet, you know? Not that I've had a one-night stand before, but I would not have expected kisses and coffee." I say hesitantly.

"One night? Is that what you think this is going to be, or is that all you're going to give me?"

"I just assumed, you know, and then we would go back to work...and that's it."

"If that's what you want, but it certainly wasn't my intention to leave this as a one time only event."

"Really? Well, what was your intention then?"

"Nothing, really. Just to see where this goes. I was hoping you would want the same..." I can tell James is struggling to keep the disappointment from his voice. It's like a light in the dark for me.

"Oh James, I'm sorry. I just assumed that I was too young for you and that's this was all you wanted. I guess your sentiment has just taken me by surprise a little." Inside, my heart is leaping. 

"Again, if you don't want to see what will happen, you don't have to, it's ok."

"It's not that...but ok. Let's see where this goes. If we're going to try dating, I'd like to make one request, if I could?"

"Anything."

"If we try this, you're trying with me only and I with you. Nobody else, until such time as this stops working out."

"Jealous woman, are you?" 

"I don't know about that, but my ex cheated on me constantly, and it would be nice to have you to myself. Also, how can you see if a relationship is going to work out if you're not going to give it your full attention?"

"I agree to that. I'm a jealous man, though. The downside to dating someone so beautiful, I guess. Jeez, that's tough". He laughs. 

I'm hit by a wave of butterflies at his confession. It might sound crazy, but I've never had someone jealous over me. The idea that someone would feel so strongly for me that they would be almost territorial is thrilling.

"You like me?" I blush at him.

"I really like you." James says quietly, and he's playing with the lapel of the dressing gown, sliding it down my shoulders to kiss my bare skin. A gentle sigh escapes from me. "I think that's enough talking for now." James says, softly.

"You realise that you're the one who wants to do all the talking but then you stop me?" I ask.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of time for that...after." James smiles at me softly and leans in to kiss me deeply. 

He pulls away slowly, takes our coffee cups and places them on the bottom step. He takes my hand, stands up and leads me up the stairs to the bathroom. It's cavernous. White tiled walls and polished concrete floor, with a sunken wooden bathtub, wooden shower doors and wooden sink. The design is beautiful and I'm momentarily distracted. James clears his throat dramatically, indicating that I should be looking at him, rather than the interior decorating. While I've been looking around, James has turned the shower on and light steam gathers. He stands by the door and extends his arm inside, showing me in. I take the robe off and step into the shower, he follows me in and closes the door, continuing his steps and backing me against the wall. He places his hands against the tiles at either side of my head and leans in to kiss me. His mouth is eager, his tongue exploring my mouth and my body melts into his. James wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. Our bodies are talking to one another, responding to each touch. Holding me tight, James shifts my legs apart and pulls me down so I am straddling his thigh. The pressure against my sex is too much and I begin to grind on his leg, trying to get some satisfaction from this feeling that's been building since I woke up. I groan deeply into James's mouth as slowly he slides his index finger inside me and pulls me tight so I'm almost sitting on his hand. His palm presses against my clitoris and I can't help myself; I thrust against him. 

James breathes into my ear and it makes every part of me clench. "More?"

I nod vigorously. James pushes a second thick finger inside me, taking me almost to the point of pain but it's exactly what I want. I close my eyes and give in completely, bucking and grinding against his fingers wildly. The sensation is overwhelming and as my knees weaken, James presses our bodies against the shower wall for support. I open my eyes to kiss him and his face is looming in front of me, strained desire clear in his eyes. He's biting his bottom lip and I know what he wants. I lean in to kiss him, giving him permission. He deftly removes his fingers, manoeuvres me off his leg and pushes into me, filling me up completely. I'm so close already that it takes only a few heavy thrusts before I come in a shuddering orgasm. James continues, pushing deeper and harder through each wave that hits me and I feel like I'll lose my breath. His nails dig into my back and he's almost growling into my neck. He crushes me against the wall and he comes, melting into me. Together we sink to the floor and James pulls me into his lap and I rest my head against his shoulder. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, basking in my satisfied glow. James taps my arm lightly.

"Hey, come on. Let's wash and get out, we can't waste all this water."

He shifts so I have no choice but to stand up and I get beneath the showerhead. The feeling of the water cascading all over me, flowing down my stomach and the tenderness between my legs, is incredible. While I'm standing there, James reaches for the soap, lathers his hands and stands behind me. Starting at my neck, he soaps across my shoulders and down to my arms, back up to my armpits and then over my chest and under my breasts. Cupping each one he pulls and pinches at the nipples softly before gliding down my body and slipping a hand between my legs. He caresses me gently as his other hand slips between my cheeks, washing and exploring me.

"When's it my turn?" I ask.

With out a word, James removes his hands and turns around. I reach for the soap and get to work, mimicking every move he made on me. He melts under my hands and I can feel him giving me control. So this is how it feels: powerful and addictive. When I feel I have washed enough, I move him under the showerhead and rinse him clean.

"How does breakfast sound to you?"

"Nothing sounds better, right now." I say.

"Stay in the shower, wash your hair if you need to and then come downstairs. Feel free to grab a shirt from the second drawer in the chest, but no underwear. That's a rule." He says lustily and gently tickles between my legs.

I do wash my hair quickly after James has gotten out of the shower and spend another minute or two just letting the water rain on me before I decide to get out. In the bedroom, I dry myself completely and go in search of a shirt. There's muffled shouting from a nearby apartment and I wonder briefly if it's an argument or a movie being played too loudly. I find a tattered yellow t-shirt that sits just on my hip bones and slip it on before wrapping my hair in a towel and heading downstairs. As I walk down the stairs, I see that James isn't in the kitchen but the yelling has gotten louder and it's coming from the direction of the entertainment room. I can hear James but there's a female voice as well, someone must be here. So many thoughts rush through my head. Who is she? Why is she here? How long has she been here for? And worse. I can't stand here so I go towards the room and open the door. James, wearing only a towel, and some woman are standing in the centre of the room and in the middle of a shouting match and they don't even notice me at first. The woman is tall, supermodel thin and supermodel gorgeous with auburn hair that flows around her, but her face is ugly with anger as she screams. It's James who notices me as 

I stand in the doorway, naked from the waist down and frozen, staring and he stops yelling as soon as he sees me, his face deep with concern. She whips her head towards me and snarls.

"And who the fuck is this?"

"None of your goddamn business. Now give me the key and get the fuck out of my house." James says and holds out his hand.

She pulls a key out of the pocket of her shorts and aggressively shoves it into his open palm. Stalking towards me on her way out of the room she stops and assesses me, looking me up and down and clearly unimpressed with my state of undress.

"And how much is he paying you, sweetheart?" She says with a sneer.

"Don't you say a fucking word to her," James shouts and she looks at him with a hateful smile "and get the fuck out before I push you out myself."

With that awful smile still plastered on her face, she leaves the room and with in a few seconds we hear the front door slam. We stand and stare at each other, both of us waiting for the other to speak. When James still says nothing, I turn on my heel towards the bedroom. I need to get dressed and leave. I just don't want to be here anymore if he isn't going to talk to me.

"Bianca, please wait." He begs as he runs and grabs me by the elbow.

"What?" I turn and give him what I feel is probably my coldest stare. 

"Bianca," James runs his hands through his hair "that was my ex wife, Amanda. She came here because she had a fight with her boyfriend and she obviously thought I would be alone for a shoulder to cry on. She was waiting for me in the kitchen when I went downstairs and I told her to leave right away, then we started fighting. I'm sorry. I really am."

I thaw. "It's not your fault. You didn't know. Why did she have a key, though?"

"When I first moved here, I gave her a key in case, you know, she wanted to make things work. Obviously that didn't happen and I figured she would never use it." He offers me a thin a regretful smile. "Breakfast?"

"Funnily enough, I'm really not hungry anymore."

"I'm starving myself, and getting hungrier just looking at you..."

"James, I should go." I say hesitantly. 

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. Come on, don't let her ruin our day. Let's just go back to 10 minutes ago, the shower, the promise of a delicious breakfast served to you by a naked handsome older man."

I look around the room in confusion. "Where is he?"

James's eyes narrow and he launches at me, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me in to his body.

"That wasn't very nice." He says as he spanks and grabs my left cheek. A soft moan escapes me. "Oh god Bianca, please don't tell me you want me to do that to you." He breathes.

"Why?" I ask, hiding my face in his shoulder. I suddenly feel shy, fearing my natural reaction has turned him off.

James smacks my cheek lightly once more. "I've had more sex in the last 12 hours than I've had in the last 12 months and, right now, I need to eat and then rest. Later we can talk about spanking." He gets a hold of my chin and pulls me into a deep kiss. "Right, breakfast. I'll be on pan duties, I want you on toast and drinks."

We walk into the kitchen and James starts pulling out ingredients from the fridge: bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, it feels endless. Although after no dinner last night and our activities over the last 12 hours, I have worked up a very healthy appetite. I watch James as he throws slice upon slice of bacon into the pan. It's almost too good to be believed, that I would have a gorgeous man cooking breakfast for me but it's certainly something that I could get used to. While James cooks, I busy myself with toast and coffee, and in no time I am being served a full breakfast and I am famished. We devour our breakfast at the counter in complete silence, pausing only to take a drink of coffee. James finishes first and watches me as I struggle with the last few bites from my plate, take a sip of my coffee and lay back in the stool with a contented sigh.

"Not bad, Mr Smithfield. Not bad at all. Thank you so much." I say and I lean forward to kiss him.

"My pleasure. Back to bed?"

"Hmm, I think so. What did you have in mind?"

"Honestly?" James smirks and makes towards the loft, dropping his towel to the floor on the way and I follow. We get to the top of the stairs and James turns to me and holds me at arms length.

"Off." He commands and motions for me to remove the towel and t-shirt. His eyes are alight with a smile and I turn crimson under his gaze and look away. He takes my chin in his fingers.

"Hey," he whispers, "don't be shy. You're absolutely beautiful. I can't look at you enough." He pulls me in, kissing me deeply. His hands run lightly up and down my back and neck. I'm not used to this kind of attention and I feel deeply embarrassed. I step in towards James and bury my face in his chest. 

"Can I get under the covers now?" I whisper.

James doesn't argue at all. He can obviously sense my discomfort and doesn't want to push me any further. We get under the sheets and he wraps me up in his arms and kisses me, nothing else. His kisses are tender and his touch is so gentle, I become lost. We're wrapped up for so long but slowly James backs away, it's obvious he wants to talk. 

"Why are you so shy?" James asks.

"I don't know, I guess I just don't want you to look at me too closely."

"Why not?"

"Eventually you'll see what I see. My fat arse, my fat thighs. I don't want you to see that." I whisper. I'm so ashamed of myself that I can barely speak.

"I've been looking at you every day for a month, do you think I didn't know what to expect when your clothes came off? And here I am and I haven't been able to keep my hands off you. Are they the actions of a man who doesn't like what he sees?"

"I don't know, James."

"I know. Isn't that enough?"

"Maybe so, but I certainly don't look like Amanda either."

"So?"

"So, you'll compare me to her." I can hear my voice, and I'm whining like a child. I hate it, but I hate the way James is pushing me.

"Yeah, I am and she's coming up lacking, I can tell you." James grabs at my behind. "This," he says as he squeezes my right cheek, "is amazing, I want to bite it. These," he rests his hand on the top of my right thigh, slapping me gently, "I want to be between them all night. I've never looked at a woman and felt the way I do when I look at you. It's like there's an animal living inside me. Something about your shape, the way you move, it makes me feel so primal."

James's words stir me. "Really?"

"Really! I can't believe that you haven't seen that. All I want to do is look at you, and then fuck you, get you all undone, and then take up looking at you again when we're finished."

My shyness is becoming overwhelmed by something else. James is making me feel so desired, and it's such a foreign feeling that I hardly know how to react.

"Ok then, take a look." I say, lifting the bed sheets.

"No. I want you on top of me."

"On top? I can't..." I whimper, my shyness threatening to take over again.

"Then let me help you." James grabs my hips, easily overpowering me with his strength, and manoeuvres me above his body. His erection is growing against the inside of my thigh and the sensation is making me squirm. James takes one hand off my hip to throw the sheets off us. "I want to see everything."

I tighten at his words and James has awoken something in me. I want him to enjoy this, I want to please him and I want him to know how much I want this. I position myself above James and ease the tip of his erection inside me. 

"Slowly." James's breath is caught and his eyes are fixed on the connection between our bodies, lust clear on his face. He keeps his hands firm on my hips, stopping me from moving too quickly. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to not take him completely, and James can sense that. I can feel everything as James pushes his hips against mine and the sense of fullness is incredible. I rock gently and the feeling is so intense, I need to stop and I steady myself by placing my hands on James's chest. 

"Can you take that?" James whispers. I have lost all ability to speak and only moan in agreement. "Show me what you can take." His words make me clench and I moan once more. 

I grind against James's body and I'm completely adrift in this sensation. James takes my right hand off his chest and moves it between my legs, directing me to rub my clit. It feels like a thousand volts going through me, and I lose all control, thrusting my hips hard against James. He raises his hips, pushing deeper and I have to bite the back of my left hand to stop myself from crying out. He retains his hold on me, keeping our hips glued together as I come. My head is spinning and I feel like I'm seconds from passing out. James pulls me towards him, hugging me to his chest and kissing the top of my head. It doesn't take long for me to recuperate.

"I want to do that again." I murmur and push myself up.

"Hmm...will you turn around for me?" For some reason, this makes me blush deeply. I remind myself that it's no worse than what he's already seen and so I agree.

I get on all fours and slowly push James inside me. His hands are gripping my cheeks, spreading them slightly, and I feel so wicked. 

"Good girl." James groans quietly. I am spurred on by his words and bounce, slowly but building, onto him. James's hand leaves my right hip and he reaches around and places it on my sex, rubbing my sensitive bud with two fingers. 

The heat of my orgasm is about to move through me, my legs tightening and my breath becoming laboured, James fists my hair with his free hand and pulls me down onto his cock. The pressure of his hardness inside me and his fingers on my clit are heavenly.  

"Oh fuck." He groans softly, pulling me down harder with my hair as he pumps deep inside me. 

We stay still for a few seconds, James catching his breath. How has this earth shattering sex just left me wanting so much more? I wriggle a little in James's lap to try and relieve some of the pressure, but he misreads me and makes to shift me off his body. A soft moan escapes me as James slides out of me. I immediately lie on my side, trying to hide my face and hoping that James didn't hear me, but I don't get that lucky.




A Fresh Love Ch. 03



"Did you just moan?" James asks, sounding almost incredulous.

"I'm sorry." I murmur into my hands.

"Don't be." James says, pushing me onto my back and straddling my legs. "Let's satisfy you, shall we?" With out waiting for permission, James easily slides two fingers inside me, and I respond instantly, writhing against him, pushing deeper.

"More." I gasp. James complies and pushes a third finger inside me. I cry out and thrust into his hand in earnest.

"Come on, Bianca." James groans, "Play with your clit for me. Show me how you fuck yourself."

I do as he asks, but it's his words that really send me over the edge. Another orgasm rips through me but James doesn't stop to let me recover. He continues to pump his fingers into me and I feel like I'm going to scream. With his free hand, he grabs a pillow from behind my head and places it over my mouth. Wave after wave crashes through me and I cry into the pillow, holding it to my face with both hands.

"You can do this once more." James encourages me. I shake my head and moan in disagreement, but he doesn't let up. "You will, for me." 

James grabs my left knee and pushes it up to my chest and motions that I should do the same with my right. I brace my feet against his chest and take everything he can give me, despite how light headed I feel. And then he firmly places his thumb on my clitoris, and all my muscles clench deliciously. I'm falling apart in his hands and I can no longer hold myself still. My whole body shakes uncontrollably, I feel like I'm in shock. Gently, James removes his fingers, takes my feet off his chest and rolls me onto my side. 

"Come here." He whispers tenderly and he pulls me into his arms. "Now you can thank me." I can barely breathe let alone speak, but I kiss his chest.



A Fresh Love Ch. 04



I drift in and out of sleep, but I'm hardly ever truly conscious of what's happening around me, or where James is. I'm wasted, completely spent and I can barely open my eyes. I wake eventually, wrapped in a heavy white quilt and curled up in one corner of James's bed. I stretch my body out, cracking my back and ankles. I feel like I've run a marathon and I badly need some water. James wraps his arms around my shoulders and kisses the back of my head.

"How are you feeling?" He says softly into my skin.

"Really thirsty." I croak.

"There's water here when you're ready." 

James moves off me, giving me space to roll over and sit up. I move up against the headboard and he passes me a glass of water which I down, barely taking a breath. James is beaming at me.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You've been out for almost two hours. I think I did a pretty good job of tiring you out."

"You obviously have a great talent, if you do say so yourself." I joke, prodding at his ego.

"And you really enjoyed that talent too, didn't you?"

There's a familiar stirring in my body but I am far too tired to pay any attention to it.

"James?"

"Bianca."

"I'm actually going to go home now, ok?"

"Really?" He's not even trying to hide his disappointment.

"Yeah, I would really like to spend some time in my own place before I go back to work."

"Is that the only issue? You're not just trying to get away from me?"

In all the passion of the weekend, and in all the confidence James had in his pursuance of me, I never for a moment thought that he was insecure.

"Of course I don't want to get away from you." I say, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Problem solved then. I'll stay the night at your place."

"James" I sigh, "that's not entirely the point. Lily could be home, and if we spend another night together, it means that by the end of next week, we would have spent every day for two weeks together! Don't you want some space?"

"Oh, come on, what do you say? Take me home?" He flashes the most ridiculous puppy dog eyes at me and I can't say no. 

"Go!" I say, pushing his body from mine. "Let's get dressed before I change my mind." 

"Sucker." He jokes, quickly kissing my forehead before getting out of bed.

I'm dressed faster than James and I head downstairs to grab my handbag. I pull out my phone and there are two messages from Lily.

*Hi gorgeous, good luck on your date! Xx*

*Hi lady! I haven't heard from you yet so you're either in a ditch or a bed. Hope it's the bed xx*

I quickly type a message back to her. 

*Lils, no need to worry but I may need to buy a back brace! Heading back now, with James! x*

I hear him coming down the stairs and stand up to meet him. As always, he blows me away. He's wearing dark wash jeans and a plain white t-shirt, both of which hang on him perfectly. All I want is to get him out of them again but I'll have to wait until we get back to my place, and now I'm happy I agreed to that. He's holding something slung over his shoulder and when he walks passed me to get his wallet from the other side of the kitchen, my heart just about stops.

"James, no. Leave the suit here. You can stay tonight but you can't stay over tomorrow night as well. I'm sorry. I need one night alone." I blurt, but he needs to know that I need my space.

"Well, at least I know how you feel. This," he points to the suit bag "needs to be dry cleaned." He laughs as he walks back towards me. 

I mumble a pitiful apology.

"B, don't worry about it." He's already started with a nickname. "I need a night alone too, once I'm done with you anyway. Come on, I'm driving." He smacks me on the behind as he walks passed and opens the front door for me.

I get into the car and sit down gingerly. I'm so tender between my thighs that even putting my underwear back on was almost too much. As we pull out of the driveway, I switch on the radio and find my favourite station, the golden oldies.

"Make yourself comfortable, please" James mocks. "And how old are you? Even my mom doesn't listen to this."

I pretend not to hear him and sing along to the song that's playing, something by David Bowie that I can never remember the name of. James shrugs and sings along with me and despite the plaguing discomfort about our age gap, I feel comfortable just being with him. I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. It feels great to be myself with out ridicule. 

We arrive out the front of my little house and as I open the front door and walk down the hallway, James gives me an impressed whistle. 

"How did you afford this place?"

"I didn't. My grandfather passed away about a year ago and left me with quite a bit in his inheritance. He was always bugging me to buy my own place so I thought this was the right thing to do with the money." 

I blink back hard tears, giving myself a headache in the process. The memory of my grandfather's passing still hurts. Not put off by my crying, James pulls me into his arms and kisses my head. For once, there's no hint of sexual desire, just a deep understanding.

"I know how hard it is. I lost my father a few years ago." He whispers.

"I'm so sorry." 

"Where do you keep your whiskey?" He says.

"In the liquor cabinet. You thirsty?" I wipe away my tears, so grateful for the opportunity to move away from topics that hurt too much.

"Parched."

He takes a hold of my hand and I walk him through the house and into the living room where I keep the liquor. My cabinet is something of a pride and joy for me. I picked it up, along with most of my other furniture, from a charity's second hand store but I've polished it up to mint condition. Dark wood in an art deco style with a mirrored counter top and stain glass doors, it was perfect for me the moment I saw it. 

I pull out two glasses and make us each an Old Fashioned. James kicks off his shoes and settles on the couch.

"Oh please," I offer sarcastically from the kitchen as I get ice "Make yourself comfortable." I poke my tongue at him.

"Really? You got it." When I come back into the living room, his shirt is on the floor. "Like this?" He undoes the fly of his jeans, drops them to the floor and steps out of them as gracefully as possible. He's gone commando. I nearly drop the jar of maraschino cherries.

"That is just about going to do it, actually." I finish mixing the drinks and then slip out of my own dress, ignoring the overwhelming self-conscious feeling that is threatening to take over me. A sly smile crosses James's face as I walk over to him. I hand him his glass and we drink to each other's good health.

"This isn't what it looks like." He says in a low voice as he snakes his arm around my waist and kisses me. His lips are warm and taste smoky. "If I have to spend all week fantasising about what you're hiding under your clothes, I want to spend as much time as possible with you like this." He slaps and squeezes my ass.

"You just spanked me and you're telling me that this isn't what it looks like? James, please!"

"I can't help myself, that's all." 

James feathers a few more short slaps against my skin and I can't help giggling like a schoolgirl, but I'm cut short. Keys rattle in the lock of the front door.

"Lily!" I shout, scrambling to grab my dress off the floor and stuff my underwear under the couch. "Lily, don't come in here yet!!" 

"What?" I hear her down the hallway.

"Lils, please! Just stop!" I beg. I can hear her laughing.

James and I are dressed in record time, albeit messily and clearly up to something. I step out into the hallway to greet her.

"Jesus B! Having fun?" She's still laughing.

"Yes, a lot. James is here, so just, you know, be cool."

She follows me in to the living room to meet James, who is, annoyingly, looking completely at ease with himself, as if he doesn't care that he nearly got caught. His shirt is on back-to-front and is fly is open but somehow he's still incredibly sexy.

"Lily, James. James, Lily." They shake hands and smile awkwardly at each other.

"Holy shit. You're hotter than your LinkedIn picture!"

I slap Lily across the arm and curse at her.

James's laugh echoes through the room. "You looked me up?"

Before I get a chance to explain what happened, Lily is in. "Oh yeah! She was raving about how handsome you are so I looked you up to see if she was telling fibs or not. Her taste has been pretty poor in the past. In the past." She winks at him.

"Alright, enough. James and I are leaving to get dinner. We'll see you later." I say, taking James's hand.

"We only just got here. Why don't we stay in for dinner? I'm famished." James says hungrily, yanking me back towards him. He's not exactly the king of subtlety. 

"It's ok guys, I was just dropping some things off and getting changed before heading out again." I'm afraid Lily is lying to give James and I some time alone, but she assures me she is going out with Leo, her brother and a couple of their family friends. 

I want to have a quick catch up with Lily before she heads out, so I ask James to mix us all a drink. Lily and I head up to her bedroom and as soon as she shuts the door, she pushes me playfully.

"You slut!" She laughs loudly. "You damn lucky slut! Tell me quickly, is he good?"

I swoon dramatically on to her bed. "I can barely close my legs. He's insatiable! And when I think we're done, he wants more. Oh god, I think I'm in love." 

"I bet. What's happening? Have you managed to do some talking in between all of your... activities?" 

"We're going to see what happens, like...exclusively. I think he might be my boyfriend, but I don't know if that the right term?"

"Well, get downstairs and find out. I need to get ready." Lily grabs playfully at my ass as I run out of the room.

I find James downstairs, putting the finishing touches on 3 drinks. I still can't get over how utterly perfect he is, and that I've just spend the last 24 hours doing all sorts of business with him. I'm not shy anymore, and I don't resist my urges. I wrap my arms around his waist and slip my hands under his shirt, caressing his warm skin and rest my head on his back. James sighs and takes places his hands on top of mine.

"I'm really glad you wore down my resolve." I say.

"So am I, not that you had much resolve to begin with." I blush at his words. 

"James, I want to ask you something, but it's awkward."

"Hey," James says as he rubs my hands "don't be shy. Ask me anything."

"Are we dating? If someone asks, can I say that you're my boyfriend?" I say quietly. 

"Boyfriend, huh? At 47, that's not a title I ever thought of having again." James laughs with a sigh. "Outside of the office, I would really like it if you did. At work, I think we should keep this quiet for a few months, if you don't mind. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about why I hired you."

My heart leaps. He would really like it if I called him my boyfriend. I squeeze him a little tighter. I feel like a lovesick teenager. 

"So then, what does happen at the office?" I ask sheepishly. I can't act cool, it's not in me.

James turns around and pulls me into his chest.

"What happens is that I am your boss and you are my PA. I know I'm a terrible distraction but what in the world do you think I pay you for?" I furrow my brow and pout dramatically.

"You're very amusing."

"Ok, ok. What do you want me to say though? We just act normal, the way we have been."

That is definitely something I can try to do. Lily comes down stairs to have a drink with us before she heads out and I walk to her to door when she leaves.

"Excellent work, B." She whispers as she leaves.

I walk back into the living room and James is relaxing on the couch, his eyes closed. He lifts his head as I approach him and reaches for my hands, pulling me into his lap. I rest my head on his shoulder and feel absolute bliss. Is this considered normal, this peaceful feeling that I've been missing out on? I feel like I have just wasted years when this is the romance I should have always had.

My throat tightens and I'm overwhelmed with loss. Warm tears sit in my eyes and fall heavily on to James' shoulder. I can't stop them now that I've started. I sob uncontrollably. To his never-ending credit, James says nothing. He just holds me tighter as I clutch at him desperately, holding on to the one thing that has brought me happiness in years. It's only once I've stopped crying that James speaks.

He lifts my head with his hand on my chin and looks me in the eyes. "Bianca, tell me what happened." His expression is calm and open. 

I open the floodgates and tell him everything about my ex, from the very beginning. I tell him about the abuse, about how the mental and emotional abuse hurt so much, sometimes I wished he would hit me. I tell him about the cheating, the constant put downs and the control. I tell him that I lost myself for so long and I'm only now realising who I am, who I can be, what I deserve.

"I know it's a lot James. I'm sorry to put that all on you, especially since this just happened, you and me." I apologise.

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you told me. I will never hurt you, do you understand?" James' hand is at the back of my neck and his gaze is burning with intensity. "I know you may not trust me yet, and I get that, but take me at my word. No matter what happens between us, whether we decide this isn't working or if we decide that it is, I will never do a thing to hurt you." 

I nod slowly. This is my chance to finally experience real life. Real love.

"Come here." James pulls me back into the warmth of his body. He plays with my hair and I sink lower, completely relaxing in his embrace. "Tell me, what do you usually get up to on Sundays?"

"I just chill. To be honest, I've just really enjoyed having time to spend on my own the last few months."

"I can leave, if you'd like?" James asks after a silence.

"Oh god, no. I didn't mean that! I'm sorry, stay, please?"

"I wouldn't have left even if you'd asked." James gives me a small squeeze and I feel like I'm glowing with happiness. "How about brunch? All the cool kids are doing now. And it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end."

Perfection.

I take his hand and lead him to my bedroom, locking the door behind me.

"Locking me in, huh?" James toys, taking off his shirt.

I nod silently but I'm taking in his body with a hunger that I thought had died down, at least a little.

"Will you let me out?" He whips his belt out of the band of his jeans.

I shake my head. The cotton of my dress whispers against my body as I take it off, but it's the leather of his belt that I want to feel.

"How terrible for me." His voice is ripe with sarcasm.

He steps out of his jeans, his erection proud and predatory as he walks towards me. James takes me in his embrace, one hand immediately reaching between my legs, but he removes it when I wince.

"Gentle, please."

"Gentle?" James looks at me inquisitively. "You haven't wanted gentle so far."

"You've given me quite the seeing to."

"So then what would you like?"

I flush and turn away to lie on the bed. James moves me so he's between my legs, his head between my knees, reading my mind, as always.

"What would you like?" He repeats.

"I liked what you did last night." I can't say it. I can't possibly.

"You mean last night when I fucked you hard on my living room floor?"

"I liked that, but that's not what I was thinking."

"Oh! Gotcha. You mean last night when we first got into my place?"

"You know what I mean, James."

"Do you mean you liked the tea I made you?"

"James, stop being like that. You know what I want. Please don't make me say it."

"You're going to or I won't do it."

"Please?"

"Only if you ask me, explicitly."

"How explicitly?"

"I want great detail, please." He smiles at me. 

"Ok. May you please go down on me?"

James laughs and I can feel his breath against my bare skin.

"That's not going to do. You can do better."

"Lick me, please."

James reaches out with his tongue and draws a circle around my knee. I cry out in frustration.

"Lick me, my...lick my pussy. Please."

"So polite, Ms Gold. How can I refuse?"

With his eyes locked on mine, James uses his tongue to draw one long, broad stroke along my slit, pulling from me a sound that couldn't be human. And stops.

"James!" Pure frustration makes my whole body tense up.

"You said lick. That's one. I'm just following orders."

"Damn it!" I cry. "I want you to rub your face in my..."

Suddenly, James plunges his tongue deep into me, taking my breath away, and he carries me away in pure ecstasy.