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2. Illawarra Flame Ch. 16-18

By: inspirixis1



CHAPTER SIXTEEN

'How do you feel about oil?"

Tyler smiled. Did she really want to know how he felt about oil? No, they were at work, she must be talking about something else. 

'Crude oil," Maya clarified. 

'I don't know. I can't say I've thought about it very much."

'Well, Medevice is running smoothly, I want to start looking for the next big thing. I think there is money to be made in the oil field services industry. I've been looking into the software that the big players use and I think there's room for improvement, I think we could make a tonne of money."

'Okay."

'I want to send you to some workshops. I want you to learn the software and figure out how you could improve it. They're all in Houston though, so you'd have to travel."

'Maya...' Shit. He'd been putting this conversation off for weeks, he knew she wasn't going to take this well. 

'Yes?"

'I'm going to resign. I don't want to work here anymore."

'What?" Her eyes went wide with shock. 'Why?"

'It's not healthy Maya. I can't keep this up, I don't want to spend half of my life pretending that I don't love you."

'Do you have a better offer? What is it? I can try to match it...' 

'Maya, you're not listening to me. It's not about money, it's about us, I don't want to keep you and Nicholas a secret anymore. It's been months. I love you. I don't want to have to hide that."

'But I can't loose you Tyler, you're my best programmer."

Tyler shook his head, he couldn't believe she was prepared to keep on going like this. 'I'm sorry, I just can't do it anymore. This isn't sustainable in the long term, I can't be your equal at night and your subordinate during the day."

'Fuck." She looked like she'd just been punched in the stomach, she slumped in her chair and she had a lost look in her eyes. 

'Jessica can probably do it, she'll be better than me in the long run you know," he tried to reassure her. 

'Maybe in a few years, what am I supposed to do in the mean time? Send Graham?" 

They both knew that was a joke but neither of them were laughing. 

'I guess you'll have to hire someone new."

She looked up at him. 'Will you help me?"

His heart ached for her. Maya took her career so seriously, this was a big blow for her. 'Yeah, I'll help. I'll call around, see if anyone I know is interested."

She nodded. 'College friends, people you've met at conferences, I want to see anyone you've been impressed with. I can relocate them, I'll pay handsomely."

'Okay."

'You are supposed to give me two weeks. Will you stay for another two weeks?" 

'Yeah, fine." 

'Okay, I want you to drop everything to find me someone to replace you."

He nodded. She looked like she was back under control. She had a plan. 

She nodded her dismissal and he got up to leave. 

'Sasha...'

Tyler turned, surprised. She never called him that at work, using their pet names was against the rules. 

'I don't mean to replace you, I mean to replace your work."

He smiled. 'Yeah I know, it's okay."

Tyler was relieved. Ever since San Diego he'd known that he'd have to leave his job and he had been dreading telling Maya, but that had actually gone much better than he had imagined it would. 

He spent the rest of the day calling around people who knew what they were doing. He got a couple of referrals and ended up with a list of people who came recommended and had seemed interested. He forwarded their resumes to Maya and left for the gym. 

That night, when they were getting ready for bed, he brought up their Christmas plans with her. 'Can we go to San Diego for Christmas?" He asked. 

She hesitated. 'I was thinking of going back East." 

'But we had thanksgiving with your family, I thought maybe we could have Christmas with mine." 

'You want to have Christmas together?" She asked. She was measuring her words. 

'Well yeah, it's kind of a big deal for a kid Nicholas' age. I think it's important that we're all together on Christmas, don't you?"

It took her a little while to answer. 'I think it is important that he's with his family."

Tyler examined her face, she was wearing her neutral expression, he didn't know what she meant and she wasn't giving anything away. Was she trying to say that he wasn't Nicholas' family? 

'What do you mean?" He asked. 

'Well, he doesn't get to see his grandparents very often. I was thinking of staying in Massachusetts for a few days then going down to New York for a few days, getting both sets in."

'But he hasn't even met my parents, you haven't even met my dad yet."

She pressed her lips together and nodded. She was acting like his manager, calculating what to say. It pissed him off. 'And I'm sure I will, in good time."

'What the fuck Maya? You don't think I want to see my parents too?"

'Well you should go and see them then, I'm not asking you to give that up."

He was fuming, she didn't think it was important for them to be together on Christmas. 'What about Nicholas? What about what's best for him?" He asked.

'I told you, I think he should be with his family."

She was saying that he wasn't Nicholas' family. He buried his face in his hands, trying to deal with the blow she had just dealt him. 

'Who am I then Maya?" He asked, barely masking the pain in his voice.

'What do you mean?"

He looked her straight in the eye. 'If I'm not his father then who the fuck am I?" His pain was turning into outright anger. Who was she to tell him what his relationship with Nicholas was or was not? 

She looked shocked. 'Tyler, we've been dating for five months...'

'Who puts him to bed at night? Who taught him the alphabet? Who knows all the staff at his daycare? Who takes care of him when he's sick? Who is here for him every single fucking day of the week?"

Now she looked mad too. 'I never asked you to do those things Tyler."

He felt disgusted with her. He didn't need to be asked to do those things, that was the point. 

'You don't want a partner Maya, you want a nanny who'll fuck you." He spat the words out at her. 

She looked livid. He could see the veins in her neck bulging underneath her skin. Her jaw was clenched and her hands were balled up in fists. 'Get out," she ordered.

'Oh, very mature," he said sarcastically. 'Let's not bother to talk about our problems, let's just break up." He couldn't believe he'd let those words slip out of his mouth. He didn't want to break up with Maya.

She closed her eyes. She was standing very still. 'Is that what you want?" She asked through clenched teeth. 

He forced himself to swallow his pride. 'No. I want to talk about why you wont let me have any input in our life or how we raise Nicholas."

'Our life? Tyler, we're still individuals. There's still a you and there's still a me. There's no reason why you can't see your family over Christmas and I can't see mine."

Fuck. She really knew how to piss him off. 'So let me get this straight, we're not family?"

'Tyler...' She didn't seem to have an answer.

'Because for some reason I thought that what we were doing here was more than just fucking."

'Yes, of course...'

He cut her off. 'But you still don't think of me as family?" He was yelling at her, his anger taking control.

She just stared at him.

'What? Do you need a title? Do you need me to marry you?" He was being condescending, he wanted to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him. 

She still didn't say anything, but her eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched. 

'Fine. Maya, marry me," he said with hatred. 'Be... my... wife." He spat out the syllables. 'Is that what you wanted? Does that make us a family now?"

She glared at him in silence and he felt his blood boil.

'What? Not good enough? You need a ring?"

He walked over to the dresser and flung open his drawer. He got her ring out of its hiding place and threw it at her. 'There. Now do I get a say in our life? Or are we still just two individuals?"

The ring hit her in the chest and fell to the floor. She didn't move, she didn't even look at it, she just stood there with her arms folded, glaring at him. 

'Fuck it." He left. He walked away from her. He couldn't deal with her anymore. 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

Thank god the next day was a Wednesday and he didn't have to go in to work. He didn't want to face her. Emma was still on maternity leave so Wednesdays were pretty chill, even though she didn't help much with the kids it was still nice to have another adult around. Emma said she was feeling a bit better. She went out for a jog with Cassie and was smiling when she got back. 

'What are you smiling about?" He asked.

'I am so unfit. I just ran four miles and I feel like I raced a marathon."

'And that makes you smile?"

'Yeah. I was thinking that maybe I would run a marathon. It might be fun. Maybe I will take some extra time off work and train for one."

Oh thank god. Her medication was starting to kick in, either that or she was pulling out of this depressive episode, she was actually taking pleasure in something. 'Sounds good. Let me know if I can help." He tried to encourage her without being patronizing. 

Tyler wanted to get out of the house. He took Nicholas to the children's museum in downtown Denver, he offered to take Grace with him but Emma wanted to stay home with her. 

'There is an art studio session in twenty minutes, do you want to register for that?" The woman at the front desk asked.

'What is it?"

'Painting. It's pretty casual, we just require that you register because there are only 12 easels."

'What do you think Kolya? Do you want to do some painting?" He asked. 

Nicholas nodded up at him, excitement in his big brown eyes. 

They wandered around the museum until it was time for art studio. Nicholas held Tyler's hand. He was shy, he didn't like the groups of kids that were tearing around the exhibits, screaming and hollering while their mothers huddled together at the sidelines chatting. 

Art studio was more sedate. It was basically just a bunch of kids painting pictures at easels with a 'teacher' wandering around to encourage them. 

Nicholas was having a good time, Tyler could tell. He looked like he was concentrating so hard on painting, the focus in his eyes was absolutely adorable. He painted the things that little kids paint; his house, his family, his dog. 

Nicholas got it. Even if Maya wasn't able to come to terms with it, Nicholas understood. Tyler was in almost every painting. Of course you couldn't tell from looking at them, but when he asked, Nicholas pointed at the figures and told him, 'That's mummy and that's you and that's me and that's Cassie and that's our house." 

He signed each painting with a 'N' in the bottom corner, he was the only kid in the class who did that. 

Maya was dreading seeing Tyler. Thank god it was a Wednesday and he hadn't come to the office. She really hadn't wanted to go over to Sam and Emma's place tonight, but she had made a commitment to help with the children while Matthew was still young so she did it anyway. 

Emma actually stayed up while she was there. Previously she had always gone to bed after Maya arrived, but today she seemed to want to hang out. She was sitting at the kitchen island feeding Matthew while Maya got the dinner out of the fridge to heat it.  

'He's so placid. I guess he must take after Sam," she said. 

Maya turned to watch Emma with her baby, she was staring at him contentedly, the way that mothers do. 

'Is it very different when the child is genetically yours?" Maya asked. 

'Um... Honestly yes, I think it is, but everyone has their own experience, Sam might not agree with me."

'How is it different for you?"

'Well, I think that with a child who is your offspring you might take for granted the fact that when he looks at you he sees his mother. With an adopted child you find yourself hoping and praying that when they look at you they see their mother. It is scarier. You still do all of the things that a parent does, you still pour yourself into the child, but there isn't the feeling of assurance that you're going to develop the bond. But then when it happens it is so rewarding, I can honestly say that the first time Grace called me mommy was the best moment of my life." She looked up at Maya and smiled. 'And I've had a pretty good life."

Maya continued to prepare the dinner. She wondered how Tyler felt about Nicholas. She hadn't really worried about it before last night. Of course there was that period when he'd had said that he didn't want to be Nicholas' father but once he had told her that he was over that she had put it away in the back of her mind. 

Tyler was a good father figure to Nicholas, and that is how she had viewed the situation, father figure. But last night he had been so upset, 'If I'm not his father, then who am I?" He had asked. 

What was the difference between a father figure and a father? And which one did she want Tyler to be? He'd made it clear that he wanted to be the latter, but what did that really mean? 

She guessed if she was going to marry him that was something that they should figure out. That is, if those were his intentions, she wasn't sure after last night's fight. She wasn't quite sure of anything. 

She had thought that he was just being mean to her when he had said those words. There was such venom in his voice, such hatred, and he was glaring at her as if she were the devil herself, but then he'd produced a ring and she didn't know what to think. Obviously he wasn't serious when he'd proposed last night, but he had a ring, which showed some intent, didn't it? She could have explained it away if they had been at his house, then it could have been a family heirloom, or something left over from his previous relationship, but it was at her house. He had been hiding a ring in his drawer at her house. 

It was beautiful. After he left she had picked it up and put it back in the box in his drawer, but when it became obvious that he wasn't coming back she took it back out and examined it. It was an oval cut blue sapphire with small white diamonds descending a thin white gold band. It was decorative but it wasn't gaudy, it sparkled softly, it was beautiful without being flashy. She loved it. She wished that she had found out about it under better circumstances.

She hadn't realized that he was that serious about their relationship. He had told her that he had dated his last girlfriend for five years before asking her to marry him. She had figured that it would take him a long time to make his mind up, but here they were after just a few months and he had a ring. 

Honestly, it delighted the shit out of her. Even the sensible part of her brain, the part that usually told her to slow down, was happy with the idea of marrying Tyler. The question was, was Tyler still happy with the idea of marrying her? 

It was almost seven thirty, they would be home soon, she was starting to get nervous. She didn't know how she should act. They'd gotten into the routine of eating with Sam and Emma on weeknights, it was going to be weird to sit through dinner with them having all of this unfinished business between them.

'Are you okay?" Emma asked. 'You seem quiet."

'Yeah, I'm just not looking forward to seeing Tyler. We had a fight last night."

'Oh, that's what his problem was today." 

Maya shook her head. 'I don't know how you do it Emma."

'Do what?"

'You and Sam. You're the prefect couple. How do you do it?"

Emma looked at her for a few long seconds. 'Sam is the most important person in the world to me. He always comes first."

That didn't seem realistic to Maya. 'But what about the children?"

'Of course the children have needs and I will always see to them, but Sam is more important than them." 

'But what about you, what about what you want out of life? Your career?" 

She shook her head, 'Sam is more important than that." 

'Emma, I'm sorry but that sounds like a recipe for disaster. When you put your life in somebody else's hands like that you are just asking to be used." 

'You think he uses me?" It was just a question, there wasn't any offense in her tone.

'No."

'That's because I am the most important person in Sam's world. Could I use Sam? Yes. Would I ever even consider doing it? No. I don't think you really love somebody until you give them that power over you."

Maya felt uncomfortable. What Emma had said came dangerously close to what Tyler whispered to her when they were snuggling together. 'You are my sun," he had told her, 'you are the most important person in the world." Did she have that power over Tyler? Had he already given that to her? 

She thought about all of the things that he did for her. He looked after Nicholas, he followed her stupid rules of how to behave at work, he was resigning from his job so that they could be together. He wanted to spend Christmas with her and Nicholas. He had bought her a ring.

It all fell into place in her brain. Tyler had given himself over to her, and she hadn't reciprocated. She didn't treat him like he was the most important. She had slept over with Julia instead of going home to him. She had told him that she'd prefer to spend the holidays with her family instead of him. She had told him that he wasn't her family.

Fuck. What had she done? 

She felt the panic rising in her chest. What if Tyler wouldn't forgive her? What if he decided to pull the plug? 

'Maya? Are you okay?" Emma asked. 'You look like you just saw a ghost."

'Um... yeah, I'm okay." She heard the front door creak open and Cassie trotted through the kitchen to greet Tyler and Sam. Maya's heart was in her throat. How could she make this right? 

Sam walked into the kitchen. 

'Hi," he said to Maya. He was grinning. He went to Emma and put his arms around her and kissed her. 'Gray told me that you went for a run today."

'Yeah, it just about killed me," Emma replied. 

Sam looked overjoyed. 'Are you my fat wife?" He teased her as he grabbed at her thighs in a playful way. 

Emma laughed. 'As opposed to who? Your skinny wife? I didn't know you had one of those." 

'No, you're right. I only have one wife, a perfect wife." He kissed her again, but this time it wasn't a hello kiss, it was clearly something more. 

Maya tried to ignore them by busying herself with setting the table. Where was Tyler? It was killing her. All sorts of unpleasant thought were running through her head, was he purposefully avoiding her? What if he never wanted to see her again?

'Where's Gray?" Emma asked.

'He went to the pool. He wanted to get some extra miles in."

Maya's heart sank. He was avoiding her. 

Grace and Nicholas came into the kitchen, they had been playing in the adjoining room. 

'Daddy, daddy, daddy...' Grace badgered Sam until he picked her up. 

Nicholas looked around. 'Mommy where's Tyler?" He asked suspiciously.

'He's at the swimming pool."

Nicholas looked upset, his brow furrowed and he stuck his bottom lip out. 'But why?" He complained. 

'I don't know baby, I guess he wanted to go for a swim."

Nicholas looked dangerously close to throwing a tantrum, he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. 'But why?" His voice rose in pitch as if he was about to let his anger loose.

'Nicholas, stop. Tyler's not here, that's just the way it is."

Nicholas squeezed his eyes shut and stomped his foot. 'I want Tyler!' He screamed.

Yeah, he wasn't the only one. 'Nicholas...' She said it like a warning. 

Nicholas started stomping his feet in earnest. His hands were balled up in fists and his eyes were squeezed shut. 'I want Tyler!' He screamed again. 'I want Tyler, I want Tyler, I... want... Tyler!' 

Matthew started crying, the racket of Nicholas' screaming unsettling him. 

Shit, not again, he hadn't thrown a tantrum in ages. She walked over to him and picked him up, his legs kicked at her and his fist swung wildly. 


2. Illawarra Flame Ch. 16-18



'Ahhhh," he screamed at the top of his voice. 'I want Tyler! Ahhhhhh!'

Nicholas' fist connected with her breast and she felt the searing pain spread over her chest. She walked out of the kitchen and took him upstairs to the bathroom. She sat him on the toilet and stepped back out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. 

She was crying, the pain in her breast only exacerbating the pain in her heart. She'd fucked up. She'd fucked up badly, and not only was she going to pay for it but Nicholas was going to pay for her stupidity too. 

She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, tried to calm down. She had to get a grip, she had to go back downstairs. Emma and Sam were down there, probably wondering what was going on. She tried to push it all down, regain some control, but there was too much. The tears just kept on coming. 

'Maya?" She knew who it was before she opened her eyes. It was Tyler's voice, she felt everything unravel inside her at the sound of him. 

He was hugging her. Tyler had his arms around her. She felt his wet hair against her cheek.

'I thought you went to the pool?" She asked. 

'Yeah, I didn't feel like doing a weights session today, I went to the pool instead. I'm sorry I'm late."

That just brought on another wave of tears, why was he apologizing? She should be the one apologizing to him. 

She put her arms around him and hugged him closer. 

'Please don't leave me Tyler," she sobbed. 'I need you, don't leave me."

He pulled away from her and she looked into his eyes, silently begging him to stay. 'Maya, what are you talking about? I'm not leaving you. I'm never going to leave you, that's what I've been trying to tell you."

'You're not?"

'No." He stroked her face, wiping her tears away. 'I will never leave you Maya, I can promise you that right now."

The relief was like a warm blanket on a cold night. 'I'm sorry Tyler, I haven't been fair to you. You're right, we should be together on Christmas, we should go and see your family."

He smiled. 'Really? You'd do that for me?"

'Of course. I'll do anything for you."

His smile turned wicked. 'Anything?" He was trying to lighten the mood. 

She resisted the urge to let the conversation degrade into a game. 'Yes," she said seriously. 'I will do anything for you Tyler. Anything you need."

'Maya, you're what I need." He kissed her, a long slow kiss that made her whole body tingle.

When he pulled his lips away from her he asked about Nicholas. 'He threw a tantrum?"

'Yeah, he was screaming for you."

Maya saw the emotion flash across Tyler's eyes, 'For me?"

Maya nodded, never letting her eyes stray from his. 'Yeah he was yelling, I want Tyler."

She watched as Tyler closed his eyes and breathed deeply. She knew he was holding back tears. Tyler had a physical response to emotions, he cried. She supposed that some people might find that a turn-off in a man but she loved it, she loved it that he felt things so deeply. When he opened his eyes again he was back in control. 

'I'm sorry about last night," he said. 'I said some things that I didn't mean... I did some things that I shouldn't have."

'It's okay. It was my fault, I wasn't thinking clearly."

'Can we just forget about it?" He asked hopefully. 'Can we pretend I didn't do that?"

He was talking about his unconventional proposal. She nodded.

'Let me have a do-over Maya. I want to make it special for you. I want to plan something special."

She smiled. He wanted to marry her. 'I'm not going to argue with that."

'Okay, good." He kissed her on the forehead. 'I'm starving, let's eat." 

'You go ahead, I'll bring Nicholas down."

After he walked away she took a moment to gather herself. Wow, that had gone really well. Tyler was amazing, he had let go of his anger, he had come back to her, kept up their routine even though he had every right to abandon them. She couldn't believe what a bitch she had been to him, she resolved to never do that again. From now on Tyler came first, from now on she would think about him first whenever she made decisions about their life. 

Nicholas' eyes lit up when he saw Tyler sitting at the dinner table. 

'Where have you been champ? We've all been down here hanging out," Tyler said as he lifted Nicholas into his lap. 

'Upstairs," Nicholas responded. 

'Did you throw a tantrum?"

Nicholas nodded solemnly.

'I thought we'd talked about that. I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do that anymore?"

Nicholas nodded again. 

'You had a little relapse?" The way that Tyler asked it was half way between a question and a statement. 

There was no way that Nicholas could have known what a relapse was but he looked at Tyler and nodded. 'Uh-huh," he said. 

'Did you apologize to your mother?" 

'Sorry mommy."

'What did you have?" Tyler prompted. 

'I had a little relapse." Nicholas' eyes were so somber, so serious. 

Tyler looked up at her, his top teeth biting down on his bottom lip in a cheeky smile, his eyes sparking. 'What do you think mommy? Can you forgive and forget?"

Maya was trying not to laugh. 'Okay, so long as it doesn't happen again," she said in her most serious tone.

That night Maya made good on her promise to kiss every freckle on Tyler's body. It took her a long time. She found freckles where no freckle should exist. He had freckles on the soles of his feet, the insides of his thighs, on his scalp, in the crack of his ass, on his balls, and he even had two freckles on his penis. Of course those ones got a fair bit more attention than the others. 

She thought that she had gotten better at giving Tyler oral sex. He certainly seemed to enjoy it. At first she had been nervous. She wasn't very experienced. Hamid was the only other man she'd been with. 

She hated thinking about sex with Hamid now, it made her shiver with repulsion, it made her feel embarrassed. It had only ever been fast with Hamid, he had used her for his gratification and then left her, if not physically then emotionally. Once they were married they did sleep in the same bed but they didn't sleep together. 

It had been that way with regular sex, and it had been that way with oral sex. He would kneel over her chest and jerk himself off, expecting her to lay there with her mouth open. Every now and then he would plunge it into her mouth and tell her to suck. He had a preference for ejaculating on her face. Warm globs of sticky semen would slide down her cheeks and into her hair. 

The last few months of their relationship, when she had been obviously pregnant, that was their entire sex life, him jerking off onto her face. It made her feel ugly, but she had guessed that she probably was ugly, she was huge, there was another organism living inside her, her body was little more than a host. Now she could see that she had been used. 

When they had been camping with Sam and Emma, Emma had been seven months pregnant and they would disappear for hours at a time. Sam would ask Tyler to look after Grace and Zach and they would take off, not to be seen again until the next meal when they would return, rosy cheeked and joyful. Somehow Maya doubted that Sam was jerking off onto Emma's face. It was plain as day how much Sam loved Emma, he adored her and cared for her. He respected her. Maya suspected that their sex life was based on mutual satisfaction. 

Now Maya was trying to become a good lover for Tyler. She wanted to satisfy him, she wanted him to feel adored and taken care of, the same way that he made her feel. 

They were on her bed and she was swirling her tongue around the head of his cock while she pumped his shaft with her hand. She had learned that he liked it if she alternated between this and taking him deep into her mouth, letting his thickness pass across her tongue and squeeze into the back of her throat. She couldn't get him all in, he was too big and her gag reflex was too strong. That didn't stop her from trying though, it was a side project of hers. 

Tyler was moaning while he watched her, before long he was pushing gently on her shoulders. 'Baby, you're getting me too close...'

She resisted his hands and sank his cock deep into her throat.

'Ah... Maya... You're going to make me...'

She pulled back so that her lips were barely off the end of his cock and looked up at him. 'I want to taste you Tyler...'

She pumped him hard and bobbed her head over him rapidly, taking him in as deep as she could bear.

'Oh fuck... Ah...'

Maya looked up at Tyler's face. She liked to watch him orgasm. His brow was wrinkled, his eyes almost shut and his mouth gaping open. She saw his pleasure flash over his eyes, that look so close to one of anger. He groaned and his is body stiffened. His cock bulged in her mouth and pulsated in her hand, in an instant she felt his thick warm fluids pass over her tongue and pool in her mouth, she wasn't good enough to get the timing right so that she could swallow as he was giving it to her. She eased the pressure of her hand around his shaft but continued moving her mouth over him, back and forth, softly now. 

She swallowed and it gave her a perverse sense of comfort. A part of Tyler was inside of her, she had just ingested him. 

'Oh god baby...' Tyler was lying flat out on the bed and his hands fell over his face. He always did that, he tried to hide his face when he was having strong emotions. 

She climbed up on top of him and cuddled into him. After a moment she felt his arms around her. His heartbeat was slowing, returning to its slow rhythmic thump. Tyler had a disturbingly slow resting heart rate. 

'Was that good?" She asked. 

'Mm... I'd say more like fabulous." She felt his words vibrate through his chest. 

'What is your favorite?" 

'I like everything with you Maya."

'No but what's your favorite? What do you fantasize about?"

He didn't answer. She lifted her head and looked up at him. 'What? You can tell me."

He looked unsure. 'I... I don't think you want to hear it."

All of a sudden she knew. 'It's Emma isn't it?" Her voice was small and defeated. 

Tyler's eyes shot open wide and she felt his whole body tense. 'God no! Jesus Maya, that's sick. Emma is like a sister to me, and no, not in the same way that she is a sister to Sam."

'Oh. Sorry, it's just that you two are so close."

He relaxed again. 'No, it's nothing like that... I... I like dominating you." He looked ashamed of himself. He wasn't making eye contact, he was looking at the ceiling. 

Maya felt her pussy tingle. 

'I don't want to hurt you," he continued, 'I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to, but I like holding you down... I like it when you can't move."

Maya's breath caught in her throat. God that sounded so sexy.

'I knew you wouldn't like it. I'm sorry baby, just forget about it...'

'No," she cut him off. 'It sounds good. It sounds hot." Her voice was deep, just thinking about Tyler holding her down was getting her worked up. 

'Really?" He looked at her, surprised. 

Maya bit down on her lip and nodded. 'Do you think you could... you know, try... like now?"

'Are you serious?" 

'Uh-huh."

Before she knew what had happened Tyler had flipped her over and was on top of her. He was so big. He easily had a hundred pounds on her, perhaps even more. His enormity only added to her excitement. It was weird, since she had found her feet again she wasn't the sort of woman who let anybody walk over her. She liked to be in charge. But there was something so arousing about the thought of allowing Tyler to take her like that. 

'I don't want to hurt you," he repeated. 'You have to tell me if you want me to stop." His words were serious and reserved but she could see the eagerness in his eyes, the lust. 

'Okay."

'Promise me."

'Okay, I promise. I'll tell you if I want you to stop." She reassured him. 

He gripped her leg. 'Can we do it this way?" He asked as he lifted her leg and pushed it up straight towards her. 

'Uh-huh, just give me a second to stretch." She grabbed her leg and pulled it down to her chest slowly, feeling the muscles in her hamstring stretch out. Tyler's hands roamed over her body. She still had a bra and panties on and his fingers edged their way under the fabric to find her pussy. He stroked over her sensitive clitoris on his way down to her entrance. 

'Oh shit Maya, you're already wet." His voice was unsteady with excitement. 'I haven't even touched you and you're wet for me."

She released her leg and brought it back to the bed, lifting her hips so that he could remove her underwear. 

'We need to lose this too," he said as he slid his hands underneath her and went for the clasp to her bra. He tossed it to the side.

He leaned down to her face and kissed her. He was showing an amazing amount of restraint. His eyes were level with hers when he said, 'I love you Maya. I love you so much."

She looked into his eyes for long seconds, until she couldn't stand the suspense anymore. 'Sasha baby, tell me what you're going to do," she urged.

'I'm going to hold you down."

Her heart was beating quickly. 'And?"

'And I'm going to fuck you."

She moaned. 

He took her arms and pinned them above her head by her wrists while he pushed her leg up beside her head. 

'Wait, let go," she said. 

He complied and she hooked her arm around her leg to hold it in place. She brought her wrists back together for him to hold. 'Okay."

He smiled at her wickedly. Now he had her two arms and a leg pinned using just one hand. She smiled back but it didn't last long, it was lost the moment that she felt his warm solid cock pressing against her entrance. She was so wet that there was little resistance, but even after months of his cock it was still a shock when he pushed himself inside her, when he invaded her body in that way that only he could. 

'Oh baby...' She moaned as he stretched her out, his cock seeming to burn a new path through her body, filling her up with his hot need. 

His weight forced her down into the mattress, his grasp firm around her wrists. She could feel his breath on her lips and his forehead pressed against hers. She was completely immobilized. It was so erotic. 

'Okay?" He asked.

'Uh-huh."

He pumped her slowly but firmly. She felt his moans against her chest as his lungs reverberated. He kissed her long and deep, his tongue filling her mouth in an act of possession. She had to breathe through her nose and it almost scared her how lightheaded she felt, her lungs expanded and contracted rapidly to try and keep up with her body's needs. 

When he pulled his lips from hers she was panting. 'Sasha, I thought you said you were going to fuck me?" Her voice was rough and lustful. 

A deep rumble came from Tyler's chest, it sounded almost like a growl, almost like an animal. He pounded into her pussy and the pleasure radiated through her body, pins and needled prickles her palms and the soles of her feet. 

She could smell the chlorine from the pool rising off the heat of his skin. His big hand encircled both of her wrists and pushed them down into the bed, his grip on her unyielding. Her pussy was glowing hot with the beginnings of an orgasm. She tried to rock her hips to increase the friction, there was the tiniest bit of room down there and she had one leg that she could move. 

He must have felt her efforts because he growled again and shifted his weight so that her hips were immobilized. He switched the hand that was holding her wrists and used the other one to press her free leg down onto the bed. 

Oh fuck, he was really taking control from her, it was such a weird feeling. One part of her wanted to buck against him, to tell him to stop and push him away, but the rest of her wanted to give in to him. She wanted him to own her. For this time that they had together tonight she wanted him to be in charge, for him to take whatever he wanted from her. All of her preconceptions about who she was and what she should be fell around her. For this time it was simple. She was Tyler's woman.

The heat in her pussy swelled, its edges twisting and reaching out into her gut and down the backs of her legs. She didn't try to move against him.

'Harder Sasha," she panted. 'Hold me harder."

He pushed down harder on her leg at the same time pressed his forehead down onto hers to trap her head. Now she was completely pinned and all she could do was to shake against him and whimper as her orgasm exploded and a thousand sparks of pleasure flew through her nerves and all over her body. 

Tyler wasn't finished yet though. He was still slamming her hard, groaning and panting on top of her. She felt weak, she was gasping for air and her heart was racing. After her orgasm her pussy was just barely taking the abuse of his pounding cock. She though for a moment that she should ask him to stop, cruel as that would be, but she didn't want him to stop, she wanted his cum inside her, this close to him she wouldn't just see him cum she would feel everything. 

She tried to breathe in the confines of his embrace. All she was getting was Tyler's breath. She was breathing in what he was blowing out. He kissed her again and she felt her head swimming. She was trying to breathe deeply through her nose but she couldn't get the volume she needed. Her mind was folding in on itself, she couldn't think of anything but the sensations that were coursing through her body. 

He paused for a second and she felt him shift and the hand on her leg was replaced by something heavy and blunt, it must have been his knee. 

'Okay?" He asked.

'Yes." She used the opportunity to suck in air. His knee was heavy, she was going to have a bruise tomorrow but she didn't care.

She moaned as he started moving again, hammering her pussy mercilessly, bringing that special pleasure back to her center. His free hand came to her breast and toyed with it. He squeezed it hard and pinched her nipple, sending waves of pain across her body. She knew it was pain but all her brain was registering was pleasure, pleasure so intense that she thought she might pass out. She tried to cry out but his mouth moved on top of hers and all that escaped was a straggled moan.

'Oh fuck Maya... are you ready?" She hardly recognized Tyler's voice it was so low and husky. 

'Ah... Ty... Oh...' She couldn't focus, her whole body was consumed by Tyler. She wasn't Maya anymore, she was Tyler's woman, she was whatever he wanted her to be.

His hands clamped down around her wrists and breast as he grunted and his body stiffened, his hips straining to force his cock deeper inside her. She felt his heart hammer rapidly in his chest and he let out a groan from the depths of his body. She tried to look into his eyes but his face was too close for her to focus, but she could feel it, she could feel everything. His stomach clenched. His cock swelled and pulsed inside her as he released his seed to her eager pussy, bathing her in her reward. 

Tyler breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath, trying to make the world come back into perspective. Apart from her rapid breaths, Maya was motionless below him. He picked his head up off hers to look at her, his heart locking onto her image. Her eyes were in a distant dream, her cheeks were flushed red and her round lips parted slightly. 

He could see her crooked bottom teeth. 

He couldn't believe she had let him do that to her. Moreover, she had been into it. She had cum, he had felt it shake through her body. It had been so fierce. He'd never felt anything like that before. 

He propped himself up and released her wrists and moved his knee off her but she didn't move. He gently brought her arms back to her sides and swung her leg back down to its natural position below her hips. 

He kissed her gently. 'Baby, are you okay?" He was starting to get worried, she was unresponsive, maybe he had gotten it wrong, maybe she hadn't enjoyed what he'd just done. 




2. Illawarra Flame Ch. 16-18



'Mayechka baby, talk to me. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" 

Her eyes blinked and she sighed his name, 'Sasha...' 

There were red marks on her wrists from where he'd been holding her. He hadn't meant to hold her that tightly. He picked them up one at a time and kissed them softly. His heart was racing. He'd fucked up. He'd hurt her. He'd asked her to tell him to stop if she wanted him to, he didn't think she had told him to stop. He hadn't heard it if she did. 

'Sasha, that was... intense."

'Intense good or intense bad?" He asked nervously.

'Good... Oh god, so good baby."

He blew out a deep breath, he hadn't realized that he had been holding it in. Relief passed over him and he felt his muscles relax. 

He rolled off her and propped himself up on his elbow to look at her. She was still looking at the ceiling dreamily. 

'I thought... it was different than I thought."

'What do you mean?" He asked. 

She turned her head to look at him, her eyes focusing on his for the first time. 'I thought it would be fucking. Like animalistic, you know? But it was very human. It was... it wasn't making love, it was love."

He understood. Maya was a strong woman, it was a big deal for her to submit to him like that. She had given him the ultimate gift, she had given him herself. 

'Can I tell you something that will probably make you feel uncomfortable?" She asked.

'Of course, you can tell me anything Mayechka."

'When I was with Hamid he used to do things to try and dominate me, but it was totally different. He didn't ask me to surrender myself, he expected me to. I didn't feel like I was giving him my body, I felt like he was taking it from me."

She was right, it did make him feel uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to hear about was her sex life with her ex-husband, but he listened, he tried to be supportive of her. 

'He made me feel ugly and insignificant."

Tyler's heart constricted in anger. That worthless motherfucker, how dare he do that to Maya? To sweet, beautiful Maya. 

'But it is so different with you Tyler." She reached a hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. 'You make me feel so loved, even when you're taking me roughly I know that you love me. I am so glad that I found you."

Tyler closed his eyes. He was dangerously close to tears. All of the emotions of the day crashed around him, anger, fear, bliss and most of all love. The hand on his cheek slipped into his hair and he felt her lips on his. She was kissing him gently, quietly. 

He kept his eyes closed even though he knew that tears had slipped out of them. 

'Open your eyes baby," she said softly. 

He complied and looked into her grey blue eyes. 

'I love you Tyler." She was speaking softly. 'I love you and I want to share my life with you. I want us to have one life together, to be a family."

Those sentences only took a few seconds to say, but Tyler couldn't imagine a more perfect few seconds could exist. If he went senile in his old age and he retained nothing else he hoped he would still remember those few seconds. 

She pressed her naked body against his and kissed him again. He pulled her to him and wrapped her delicate body in his arms. His Maya. Soon he wouldn't have to work with her anymore and then he would ask her to marry him. 

He was so mad at himself for letting her see the ring, for being so mean to her about it. He would make it up to her. He didn't know how he would do it but he was going to do something that would make her jaw drop, something that would make her feel like a princess, like the most special person on the face of the earth. In twenty or thirty years time when Nicholas brought his fiancée home he wanted Maya to tell the story of how he proposed and he wanted her to smile and laugh and reach for his hand.

'Sashka?"

'Mm?"

'Want to move in together?"

'Mm... yeah, let's do that."

 THE CHRISTMAS BONUS

'What's going on?" Tyler asked, nodding towards Maya's office. Her blinds were drawn. Her blinds were never drawn.

'She's doing the end of year performance reviews," Graham replied.

'Oh. Did you do yours yet?" 

'Yeah, it went well. She's going to send me on a training course to do undercover recruiting, like a talent scout, you know? I'll have to sit through the whole course, but if I find anyone that looks promising I'll bring them in to interview. She needs help with recruiting, being that she knows shit all about programming. She said that she wanted to send me to a couple of basic courses next year, see what sort of talent is floating around at the ground level. '

'Mm." Tyler nodded his head to indicate his interest, trying to suppress his smile. Maya was so sneaky, she'd sent Graham back to basic training but she'd found a way to do it that made him feel good about himself. 

'She's giving out Christmas bonuses. Phil never did that. Much as I hate to have a woman tell me what to do, I have to admit that she's a good boss."

'Yeah, I know," Tyler agreed.

'Did you hear that she has a boyfriend?"

Tyler tried not to react, although he couldn't help the tension forming in his shoulders. 'Really?"

'Yeah, some guy called Sasha, Donna overheard her on the phone with him last week. Lucky bastard." Graham shook his head. 'I would give my left nut to tap that," he said, motioning towards Maya's office with his head. 

The comment made Tyler's chest contract with anger. Their boss was beautiful, no, gorgeous, but that didn't mean you could talk about her like she wasn't human. Coming from Graham it was a particularly disgusting, it sent shivers down his spine. 'Aren't you married Graham?"

'Yeah, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her," he said with a wink.

Tyler shook his head. Asshole.

He spent most of the day cleaning out his desk and writing out instructions for Luis, the guy Maya had hired to replace him. It was a weird feeling. He had been working at CommuTec for three and a half years, and he didn't have a new job to go to. He figured he'd spend a few weeks in San Diego with his family after Christmas while his sister was having her operation and then worry about finding another job. 

Donna, the receptionist, had organized a going away lunch for him. It was nice, he was going to miss the office. Maya stood up and made a little speech. She held the attention of everyone in the room, her grey blue eyes sparkled with confidence, completely at ease with the power she held. She thanked him for his hard work and dedication and said that he would be missed and then she asked Donna to say a few words, 'because I haven't been here very long and I don't know Tyler very well," she said. Donna was beside herself with excitement, addressing the entire office was not her usual job and she loved every second of it. 

At 3:30 Maya called him on his office phone. 

'Can I see you please?"

Her office looked strange with the blinds drawn, Maya had an open door policy, which meant that her glass box of an office always had the blinds open. Today was the first time he'd seen them drawn since she started working there six months ago. Two sides of the glass box, the ones that looked out to the rest of the office, were now covered. The remaining walls usually displayed a wide vista of the Rocky Mountains, but today the snow was falling heavily enough that the view was obscured. It looked like they were going to have a white Christmas. 

She was cleaning off her desk when he came in, putting papers away in her filing cabinet. Her attempt at Christmas cheer included a string of foil accordion-style ornaments that was taped to the acoustic ceiling tiles (no doubt Donna's doing) and a red scarf that she had worn in this morning and was now discarded on the hat stand by her door. Maya was your classic no-bullshit boss. 

'Hi Tyler, take a seat," she said without looking up. 

He did as he was told. He waited as she finished up what she was doing, her long slender fingers walking through the hanging files and storing the papers away efficiently. Her thick brown hair was pulled back loosely and secured with an old fashioned metal clasp.

She got up and walked around to his side of the desk and slid herself up on it so that she was sitting facing him, but was significantly higher than him. Tyler watched her bare feet swing a few inches from the floor. 

'I have some bad news."

He looked up at her face. 'Oh?"

'I was unable to secure a Christmas bonus for you."

'Oh, Okay." It didn't really upset him. He'd had a good year, and so long as he had enough to be comfortable, which he did, money wasn't really that important to him. 

'I'm sorry," she said, and she really did look sorry. 'I complained to upper management about it but they were unyielding. Bonuses are for continuing employees only, and you had already given your notice, so...' she turned her palms up to the ceiling and shrugged her shoulders. 

'It's okay, I'm not upset about it," he assured her. 

'Sasha...' 

He blinked and did a double take. That was his pet name, she never used his pet name at the office, it was against the rules. 

'I didn't think it wise to push the issue," she said, her eyes apologetic. 

He nodded. She was right, if people started asking questions it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that there was something going on between them. He thought that they had done a good job of keeping their relationship hidden while at work, as far as he knew nobody was suspicious, due probably to Maya's very strict set of rules on how they should interact in the workplace. 

No casual conversations. No pet names. No time alone. No joking around. No lunch together... The list went on and on and on, basically he wore an emotional straight jacket for nine hours a day, but he knew that it was necessary. Maya could lose her job if anybody found out about them, and he definitely didn't want that to happen. 

'But... I think I may have thought of a way to rectify the situation," she said with a sly smile.

He was confused. 'What do you mean?"

'Lock the door."

'What?"

'You heard me. Lock the door."

Tyler leaned around in his chair and flipped the lock on the door. When he turned back to her his eyes almost popped out of his head in shock. Her hands were at the front of her blouse, undoing the buttons. This was most certainly against her rules of engagement at the office.

'You see Tyler, I am in a position to extend certain privileges...'

He gasped in shock. He had fantasized about this a million times but never had he believed that it could actually happen. 

Maya's foot swung up to his lap and stroked up his leg to his crotch. In his fantasies this was the point where he would get up and fuck her brains out, but in his reality he was frozen. The slow methodical movement of her fingers mesmerized him, the glimpse of the lacy black bra she was wearing under her business suit and the gentle probing of her foot into his rapidly swelling groin region only serving to paralyze him further. 

'Oh, I think somebody likes that idea," she purred as her toes found his cock hard and rubbed up and down on it through his trousers.

Maya slid her blouse off her delicate shoulders and draped it over her computer monitor. Her round breasts bulged enticingly over the fabric of her bra and jiggled as she jumped down from her desk. 

She had one finger in her mouth as she stood in front of him, her eyes were leveled on his and half of her mouth turned up in an evil smile. Her finger left her mouth, passing over her round lips and snaking its way down her neck, between the little gap between her breasts, past her belly button and to the front of her business trousers. His eyes followed, in a trance, knowing what surely must come next, but not believing it. 

Her fingers moved the fabric slowly over the button and opened the zipper, he saw a little peak of the panties that matched her bra and his breath caught in his throat. She hooked her thumbs around the waistband and swayed her hips from side to side as she slid her trousers down, revealing her perfectly curved hips and long slender legs. 

Tyler's heart was hammering in his chest as she leaned down to remove her trousers, giving him a full display of the bulge of her cleavage. She stood back upright and turned to place her trousers with her abandoned blouse, revealing that her panties were actually a thong, the material disappearing between her pert little ass cheeks.

'Oh Maya," he moaned. 

She turned back to him and brought her finger to his lips. 

'Shh," she said softly, 'no noise. Talking is fine but no moaning or groaning okay?"

He nodded and she knelt in front of him. 

'Stand."

His heart was in his throat as he obeyed her. 

She reached around to the pedal on the office chair and pumped it to raise the height of the seat. 'Okay, sit."

He sat back on the edge of the chair, and she settled herself between his knees, her head now at just the right height for activities that were definitely on the banned list at the office.

He couldn't believe this was happening, it was so out of character for Maya. At work she was professional to the point of being robotic, and at home she was still borderline shy when it came to sex. He was having a hard time reconciling the saucy temptress in front of him with his Maya, the dorky Maya who unabashedly sang Michael Jackson's 'Bad' while they cleaned her townhouse last weekend, the shy one who had blushed when she touched his cock for the first time.

Her hands unfastened his belt and unbuttoned his trousers. She looked up at him as she lowered the zipper and reached in to release his cock. 

'Ohhh," she cooed softly as she began pumping his cock in slow torturous strokes, 'I think maybe someone has thought about this before?"

'Uh-huh," was all he could get out as he observed the amazing sight before him. It looked like maybe she was going to take him into her mouth. Oh god, please put it in your mouth, he begged her in his head. 

'So what comes next?" she asked, one side of her mouth curled up into a cunning smile.

'Ah...' He sighed. He was trying so hard not to moan. 

'Ass? You want to see my ass? That wasn't what I was about to do, but you're the boss today." She let go of his cock and rose to her feet, turning so that her taut little butt was right in front of his face. She was teasing him on purpose, he knew that but it didn't make it any less sexy. She turned her head to look down at him as she swung her hips slowly from side to side. 

Tyler bit down on his lip, trying to distract himself from the throbbing desire in his cock as he watched her hook her thumbs into the straps of her thong and edge it down over her cheeks in time with the sway of her hips. She leaned forward to push her underwear over her knees and he gasped when he caught sight of the lips of her pussy tucked away so neatly between her legs. They were hairless, completely hairless. That wasn't what they looked like the last time he saw them.

She continued to sway her hips as she lowered herself into his lap, his very erect cock rubbing up and down the crack of her ass. 

'Maya... what are you doing to me?" He breathed as he rested his palms on her hips, feeling her movement through his hands as well as his cock.

'I'm giving you your Christmas bonus baby," she whispered back. 

She widened her stance and altered the roll of her hips so that his cock slipped forward, between the folds of her smooth pussy. Oh fuck, she was wet. He could feel her moisture on his cock. She was wet and smooth and slick and warm, but she was just rubbing her lips over him, she wasn't taking him inside and it was driving him insane with desire. 

He leaned forward and kissed her between her shoulder blades as he moved his hands over the curve of her waist. He brought them to her back and unfastened her bra. Her hands came to her shoulders to remove it and toss it to the side.

'You see Sasha," she murmured, 'you are my best worker, and I believe that the Christmas bonus should be commensurate with performance." 

She continued rolling her hips over him and he allowed his hands to pass across her ribs to cup her small round breasts. They felt like heaven in his hands, so soft and supple. 

'So, I have just one question for you...'

'Yes?"

She turned her head to the side and looked him in the eye. 'Are you ready for your blow job now?"

The noise that escaped Tyler's lips was something akin to a whimper, although not nearly that manly. 

She smiled and lifted herself off him, twisting that fabulously lithe body of hers around to resume her position on her knees between his legs. 

This time she pulled on his trousers and he lifted his hips to let them slip away. She looked up at him as she started licking his cock, her tongue gliding up his shaft in long passes and twisting around the head. 

'Oh Sasha, you're all wet and slippery," she whispered, her lips so close to his cock that he could feel them moving and her hot breath pass over him as she spoke. 'You have my juices all over you."

She sank her mouth around him and he couldn't help but tilt his hips towards her, towards her hot little mouth that was starting to move over him eagerly, her round lips stretched wide to accommodate him. 

He stroked her face and she changed her angle so that his cock was plunging into the side of her mouth, making her cheek bulge beneath his hand. Oh god, she was amazing. She knew he liked that, to feel his cock through the side of her face. 

'Oh Maya...' he breathed.

She let him enjoy that for a few strokes and then she was back to bobbing straight up and down. He scanned over what he could see of her body. Her back curved gracefully down to the enticing swell of her butt cheeks, behind which he could see her feet tucked behind her, folded over one another at the arches. That was so endearing to him for some reason. She was so perfect. 

She continued moving over him, taking him deep into her throat for a few passes and then pulling back to concentrate her tongue on the head. She was getting him really close, he could feel the familiar tingle in his balls, the heat swelling there. He couldn't decide what to do, this felt so good, it would feel so amazing to cum in her mouth right now and he knew that she wouldn't be mad. But he wanted to pleasure her and he knew that there wouldn't be enough time for a second round. 

He pushed on her shoulders to separate her head from his cock. 

She looked up at him, confusion on her face. 'What's wrong?" 

'You're getting me too close baby."

She turned her head to the side, questioning. 'But I thought you liked it that way?"

'I do, but then there'd be none for you."

'But Sasha, this is your bonus, this is for you."

He smiled. That was exactly the reason he needed to give something back to her. 

'Mayechka," he said in a low voice, 'how on earth do you expect me to ignore your pussy after what you've gone and done to it?"

She smiled up at him. 'How do you want me?"

How did he want her? How didn't he want her? 

'Desk." 

She got up and slid herself back up onto her desk, leaning back on her elbows. Tyler rolled towards her in the office chair until he was between her legs. 

The chair was too high so he reached for the lever to lower the seat. He looked up at her and made a sound effect as the seat declined, the same way a child might.

She laughed. 'That was so sexy Sasha, I'm just dripping for you now." Light sarcasm peppered her words.

He grinned as he returned his attention to her newly naked sex. 'Yes you are baby, yes you are...'

He stroked his hands up her thighs and focused on her pussy. It was completely bear, not one strand of hair on the whole thing. He used his thumbs to stroke over her outer lips, smooth and wet with her desire.

'Do you like it?" She asked softly. 




2. Illawarra Flame Ch. 16-18



He looked up at her. She was gazing at him contentedly, she already knew the answer to that question. 'Maya there is only one thing on this earth that I like better than your papusa."

'What's that?"

'Your smile."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. 'You're so cheesy Tyler."

'Maybe, but I got what wanted, didn't I?" He grinned up at her. He loved making Maya laugh and she knew it.

He leaned in to her pussy and started lapping at her lips, savoring her sweet musky taste as he moved his hands up and down over her thighs. She was so soft and smooth, her pink skin delicate and alluring. He was going to put his cock in here soon. Before long his shaft would be rubbing back and forth against these pretty lips while he slid his cock in and out of this tight little hole that his tongue was passing over. While he was at work... He was going to fuck Maya, his boss, while he was at work. The thought sent a jolt of electricity to his cock. 

He licked around her clitoris, which was swollen and poking out, just begging to be touched. But he avoided it, teasing her the same way she had teased him. 

She was sighing and rocking her hips. He slipped a finger into her warm slick vagina and pressed up on her, searching for her g-spot, slowly sliding deeper until he heard that telltale gasp, that sharp intake of air that let him know that he had found her special place. He stroked back and forth over it in time with her hips, slipping every now and then a little deeper or a little shallower but always returning to her center. 

She was so wet. Her slippery fluids easily coated his fingers and dribbled down around her sweet little asshole. Tyler was struggling to hold himself back, his cock was straining for more action. 

When her hips started moving at a pace that better reflected his own mood he started touching her clitoris. He wanted to bring her close before entering her, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to last very long. 

Her breathing had become deep and labored, she thrust her hips with an urgency that he recognized as the beginnings of her end. He slid his finger out of her and stood up. 

My god, she was stunning. She was leaning back on her elbows, her eyes heavily hooded with lust, her round little lips parted slightly. Her thick nipples stood up straight atop her luscious round breasts and she had a curve to her torso that could only be described as heavenly. 

He looked down into her eyes as he guided his cock to her entrance and pushed himself inside, the walls of her slick tight passage clamping around him. Warmth and wetness and the throbbing desire of the woman he loved enveloped him. 

Maya's brow furrowed, her eyes squinted and her mouth made the shape of an 'O' as he pressed himself inside her body. She breathed deeply through her mouth, he could hear the air moving in and out of her in time with his long slow strokes. 

She let her head fall back, exposing the skin of her long graceful neck to him. He leaned down and kissed her between her clavicles and up her neck and along her jaw line to her ear, all the while pumping her pussy deeply. 

'Maya honey," he whispered, 'do you like it when I fuck you on your desk?"

'Uh-huh." Now she was the one giving the shaky reply. 

'Do you like knowing that everyone is just outside the door?"

She panted a few times before she answered. 'Uh-huh."

'Do you want me to make you cum?"

'Yes...'

'Tsk, tsk," he admonished, 'where are your manners baby?"

'Please... please Sasha... make me cum...'

'And where do you want me to cum?"

'In my pussy... pump your cum into my pussy...' 

Oh how he loved to hear her say that, there was no better place in the world for his jizz than in Maya's pussy. 

He grasped her under her shoulders and ground his pelvis against her, pulling her against him, grinding deep inside her. Maya's fingers were buried in his hair, gripping onto his head roughly. Her breathing was ragged, he was pressed up against her breasts and he could feel her heart beating rapidly, almost as quickly as his own. He felt that familiar tingle in the base of his balls, that little warning bell that lets you know that you're getting close and then...

The phone rang. 

They both froze in fear. 

It rang again. 

She had to get it. If she didn't answer it somebody would knock on the door. 

It rang again. 

Tyler leaned over and picked it up. He could see the reluctance in her eyes as he pressed the receiver against her ear. 

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Yes?" Her voice was surprisingly calm. 

'Have Jessica take it, I am not done with Tyler's performance review." She was so authoritative. 

Listening to her give instructions was making his cock twitch with need. He started humping his hips again, causing his cock to slide in and out of her hot little hole. 

Maya's eyes flew open with shock, but it quickly melted into lust as Tyler leaned down and sucked on one of her perfectly formed breasts. 

'Well take a message... and tell him I'll call him back on Monday... I'm not taking any calls right now." 

'Yeah I'm fine... I just need to sneeze... you know that feeling?" 

Tyler wanted to laugh but the tension in his balls was commanding his attention. He pushed off his hands and back to standing. The desk was too low to fuck her properly like this so he picked up her hips and started to nail her like that. Her heels digging into his buttocks, her hips leveled with his, her shoulders and head still resting on the desk. Maya's eyes rolled back in her head and she moved the receiver away from her mouth so that she could breathe heavily. 

'Donna, I don't care if it's the president himself... I'm not taking the call," she bristled. She swung her arm back and hung up the phone. 

'Fuck Tyler... that feels good...'

'Shit... I think... I need to sneeze...' He warned her.

'Uh-huh." She nodded her head. 'Give it to me baby."

He shifted his hands so that he was supporting her hips with one arm and used his free hand to rub her clit. Her eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. He felt the walls of her pussy clamping around him as her stomach muscles tightened and her body curled up towards him, a whimper escaping her throat. He lengthened his strokes and let go, pouring his cum deep inside her, bathing her in his hot sticky fluids. 

He took a few deep breaths before he even tried to put her down. When he felt some blood returning to his brain, when some normal function had returned to his limbs, he carefully lowered her hips back to the desk and folded himself over her. He felt her arms encircle him, stroking over his back and up his neck. 

'Sasha," she murmured, 'how come you end up pleasuring me even when I'm the one trying to give you a bonus'

'Mm... It was a very nice Christmas bonus. I would take that over some stupid money any day."

She giggled. 'You should have seen your face when I took my clothes off baby, you looked like you were about to crap your pants. I wish I had a camera."

He chuckled softly.

'So... This is my performance review, how did I do?" He asked

She laughed again. 'How about 'exceeded all expectations'?"

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

Maya didn't really know what to expect of Christmas at Tyler's parents house, she had only ever had Christmas with her own parents before. There were a lot of things that were different. First off, the weather surprised her. San Diego was balmy, not the biting cold that she was accustomed to. It felt so weird to be wearing short sleeves on Christmas eve. 

Maya had been in the living room talking with Alex, Tyler's dad. It was strange to talk to him. Not because he was a strange guy, but because he looked exactly like Tyler. Or, she guessed that should be the other way around, Tyler looked exactly like his dad, just younger. 

But while Tyler had clearly inherited his good looks, their personalities could not have been further apart. Alex was introverted. He was an artist, and a quiet one at that. She had struggled to connect with him until she had asked him about music, and then it was almost impossible to get him to stop talking. They talked about their favorite composers and their favorite performers. Dvorak was his favorite, which was lucky because Maya loved Dvorak's works. Once they had established that, all feelings of discomfort were forgotten. He played her excerpts on his stereo, he disappeared downstairs and came back with a violin to demonstrate subtle differences in timbre for her. 

Tyler poked his head around the room divider every so often to check on her, but she didn't need checking on, she was having a good time. She liked his dad. 

She only went back to the kitchen because she felt bad that she had left Tyler alone with Nicholas for so long, but when she got there she could see that she needn't have worried. 

The kitchen table was covered in white plastic and huge slabs of gingerbread, white frosting and every Christmas candy possible. Josh was working on three or four different gingerbread construction projects at once, using all of the table, save the small area that Nicholas was working at. Nicholas was busily using the frosting to glue candy onto long thin gingerbread slabs.

'How's it going Kolya? Do you have enough candy?" Josh asked. 

'Uh-huh."

'Okay, make sure there's lots of candy on there, the chimney is Santa's favorite part. We need to make sure we have a kick-ass chimney on there or else he might not leave us any presents."

'Joshka, language," Tyler admonished. 

Josh looked at Nicholas and rolled his eyes. 'Your parents are so boring," he teased. 

Nicholas giggled. 

Tyler was leaning back in a kitchen chair sucking on a candy cane and watching Josh and Nicholas work. 

'You're not helping Sasha?" She asked. 

'I'm managing," he said, grinning. 'Looks good Josh, keep up the good work," he said in a generic way.

'Managing? More like spectating," Josh scoffed. 

'Aren't they one and the same?" Tyler asked with a cheeky grin. 

'Ouch, touché," she said in mock insult. Tyler leaned over and pulled her into his lap. 

'What on earth are you building Josh?" She asked. She just couldn't figure it out. He must have been building three or four different houses. 

'Tell her Kolya," he said. 

'It's our house mommy, the house we're going to move to." 

'Oh, I see."

'It has four levels and the roof is made out of cookies and Cassie has her own room." He was talking quickly, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

'How many fireplaces?" Josh asked. 

'Four... no five! Five fireplaces."

'And what else?"

'Um...' Nicholas couldn't remember.

Josh just smiled at him, waiting...

'Oh! Oh! Oh! And a tree in the middle."

Josh looked up at her. 'And a tree in the middle. It's pure genius. Three and a half years in architecture school and I couldn't have come up with that."

Maya smiled. 'You don't think that might pose a significant fire risk, with the five fireplaces and all?"

Josh rolled his eyes again and looked at Nicholas. 'Like I told you... boring!'

When Tyler's mom came home from the store she plunked shopping bags down on a chair for Josh. 

'Thanks mom," he said as he started pulling out boxes of cookies and more bags of candy. 

'It's quite the production, isn't it?" Maya asked her. 

'Urgh, you think this is bad? You should have seen it around here on Halloween when they were younger. Pumpkin guts everywhere. One year Josh made the most grotesque statue of liberty out of pumpkins. The neighbor actually asked us to take it down it was so disturbing. Unpatriotic they called it."

Josh chuckled, clearly very proud of himself. 'It was awesome."

'It was an abomination Josh."

That comment only made Josh look happier with himself. He was reveling in his mother's pretended disapproval. 

Josh started gluing together gingersnap cookies with the frosting while he had Nicholas separate the green candies out of a huge bag of sour patch kids. 

'What is that going to be?" She asked. 

'The trunk of the tree."

'Are you trying to stay with the gingerbread theme?" She asked in reference to the choice of ginger snap cookies. 

'No." He picked up a cookie and tried to break it between his thumbs for her, they were obviously tough cookies. 'High tensile strength. They're a good building material."

Hours later, when the tree had finally set, they all watched as Josh assembled his creation. It was amazing, she'd never seen anything like it before. It was straight out of a fairy tale, replete with the sorts of details that Maya would never have thought of. 

A twisted old oak tree was the centerpiece about which the house was built, curling with the gnarled arch of the trunk and its thick branches. There were four stories that were progressively offset from each other to achieve a sprawling fantasy. There were balconies of liquorice and wafer cookie sliding glass doors, candy cane ladders and a cobblestone path made of chocolate dots. Nicholas' chimney stood proudly from the roof, childish and clumsy yet oddly consistent with the rest of the dream.

The branches of the tree curved and extended outwards, supporting the house, and at the ends of the branches Josh used the yellow, orange and red sour patch kids as leaves. He walked around with a handful of sour patch kids in one hand and the icing piper in the other, adding them one at a time and stepping back to survey the effect each time. Every now and then he would change the placement or the color of a leaf. When he was finally done it was absolutely spectacular. 

Maya couldn't believe his talent. The frosted brightly colored leaves seemed to make the whole thing glitter, they kicked the fantasy of it up a notch. 

She was touched when he removed four clay figures from the oven. A little black dog with a white stripe down her nose, a man, woman and child. Josh let Nicholas place the figures around the house, he put them all together on the middle balcony. 

'Do you think it would pass the earthquake test?" Tyler asked. 

Josh laughed. 'Somehow I don't think this one is quite up to code." 

Nicholas cried the next morning when he found that 'Santa' had eaten his chimney. 

'But Kolya, that means that it was his favorite part." Tyler comforted him. 'Santa always takes his favorite part off the gingerbread house to eat. How else could he keep his strength up to deliver presents to all of the children?"

The chimney was quickly forgotten when he remembered the presents. Santa had brought all of the boys big plastic guns that fired foam balls. They ran around the house laughing and trying to shoot each other, two big men and a little boy. Nicholas was surprisingly good. He was quick. He seemed to anticipate the shot before it was fired, giving him time to dart out of the way. Tyler and Josh were like big cumbersome elephants in comparison. 

Maya watched as Nicholas crouched in hiding behind Alex's armchair.

'Where'd he go?" Tyler asked when he came into the room.

Maya couldn't help but smile. 'I don't know."

Nicholas jumped up from his hiding place and shot Tyler twice. 

'There he is," Tyler roared. 'You cheeky boy, I'm going to get you!' He picked Nicholas up and tickled him. 

'Daddy! Daddy! Let me go!' He squealed. 

Tyler stopped tickling him and for a few long seconds he hugged him to his chest before he put him down. Nicholas picked up the foam balls, reloaded them in his gun and ran straight from the room giggling, looking for Josh, completely unaware of the significance of what he'd just said. 

Tyler had tears in his eyes. Maya opened her arms to him and he walked into her embrace, laughing. They hugged in the middle of his parents' living room, laughing and kissing. 

'I love you Maya, and I love our son too." He told her. 

Two days later, Jacinta had her operation. It was a difficult experience for Maya, she wanted to be there for Tyler but at the same time she felt like she was intruding on a very private family ordeal. But Tyler asked her to be there, and so she was, no matter how uncomfortable it was. 

The operation was declared a success because they had implanted the electrodes without killing her. They wouldn't know if the therapy would work or not for three weeks, if not longer.

On the way home from the hospital that night Nicholas fell asleep in his car seat.

'Check to make sure he's asleep," Tyler said. 

Maya leaned back and tickled Nicholas under the chin but he didn't respond, he was out cold. 

'He's dead to the world."

'Okay, can we talk about him?"

'Yeah, what's up?"

'Well...' He seemed hesitant, like he didn't know how the words for he wanted to say. 'You don't have to say anything now, you don't have to say yes or no, but I want you to think about me adopting him."

'Adopting him?"

'Yeah, I'd like to adopt him."

'Oh." Maya was surprised. 

'Not away from you, in combination with you."

She immediately thought of the conversation they'd had when they were camping, the one where he voiced his fear that they might break up and she would take Nicholas away from him. 'You don't trust me?"

'No, it's not that, it's Nicholas. I don't want him to feel like I'm only around because of you. I want him to know that I am committed to him too. At the moment he doesn't care, but when he gets older I think he will. It's symbolic."

'Okay... I'll think about it."

There was a pause. 

'There's something else."

'What?"

'I want to put him in martial arts classes. I looked into it and I think we should put him in judo. Judo or taekwondo."

Again she was surprised. Tyler was such a gentle guy, why would he want his kid in martial arts classes? 'Really? I don't know. He already kicks and punches when he's throwing tantrums... I don't want him to think that violence is okay."

'Babe...' He shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat. 'Hamid wasn't very big, was he?"

'No."

'So Nicholas probably wont be very big either."

'No, I suppose not."

'Don't take this the wrong way Mayechka, you know I love Nicholas, but he's different. He's shy. He's smart. It isn't a problem now and I don't want it to become a problem later, when he's in high school dealing with bullies. I never had to worry because I was always the biggest, but Nicholas isn't going to have that advantage. I hope he never has to use any fighting techniques, but I think giving him the ability to fight back might give him confidence. It might make life as a teenager easier for him."

He had a point. Hamid had been the same height as her, which wasn't exactly short, but it also wasn't tall for a guy. But what Nicholas really had going against him was his body type. He was slender like Maya, with long limbs. 

'Okay, you're probably right," she conceded. 'You can enroll him in martial arts so long as it doesn't interfere with ballet." 

'Thanks babe. I think one day Nicholas will thank us too, although by the time he's old enough to realize that he might need to defend himself he will probably have so much teenage angst going on that we'll be the last ones he'll want to thank."

Urgh. Nicholas with teenage angst. There was one thing that Maya did not want to have to think about until she had to. 

After new years day Maya had to go back to work in Colorado. Tyler, being newly unemployed, was staying in San Diego for another two weeks and he wanted to keep Nicholas with him. She thought about it long and hard before she said yes. Two weeks was a long time, Nicholas had never been away from her for that long, but he was with his dad, it was better for him than going to day care. 

It felt so weird to refer to Tyler as Nicholas' dad, not bad, just weird. It was hard for her to remember. Tyler's family was completely accepting of it, as soon as they heard Nicholas referring to him as daddy they did too, no questions asked. Maya practiced in her head. She liked it. 




2. Illawarra Flame Ch. 16-18



She missed them so much when she was in Colorado alone. Of course she wasn't alone, she still went over to Sam and Emma's house and helped with their kids. She still ate with them almost every night. Emma was training for a marathon, she'd bought a treadmill that she put by the bay window in the front living room. When the weather was fine she went outside and ran for hours, when it was bad she stayed inside and ran on the treadmill. She was a running machine, all tight sinewy muscle. 

When Maya finally picked Tyler and Nicholas up from the airport Nicholas ran towards her with his arms outstretched. 

"Mommy! Mommy!" He yelled for her, his straight dark brown hair blowing back off his face as he ran. 

Tyler looked stoned. He had to take so many drugs to prevent motion sickness when he flew. It made Maya laugh to see him even more clumsy and uncoordinated than usual. 

There were a lot of changes that winter. They bought a house together. It was still walking distance from Sam and Emma's house, but it was in the opposite direction. It wasn't four stories high and it only had one fireplace, instead of the five that Nicholas had imagined, but it was nice. It was home. Moving in the middle of winter was a logistical nightmare, especially consolidating two households into one, but Maya had a front and a backyard for the first time since she'd left her parent's house when she was twelve. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. 

Tyler's adoption papers came through and he was officially Nicholas' father, at least according to the state of Colorado. He requested an official copy of the certificate that he gave to Nicholas to keep. 

Jacinta responded to the electrical therapy, but her improvement was slow. She opened her eyes when her brain was stimulated, and she could talk a little bit. She recognized her parents and her brothers and she could say their names but she tired quickly. After three months of therapy she still wasn't waking up on her own, she only woke when the electrodes stimulated her. Still, it was better than nothing and there was reason for hope, she was getting better, just slowly. 

Tyler started working at an investment company. He was writing programs that made automatic trades when market forces aligned. He seemed happy there, mostly because they had been extremely flexible with his work hours and vacation time. He only worked part time, twenty hours a week, but he had the option of going full time if he wanted. Maya doubted he would ever want to and that was fine with her. 

Nicholas started Taekwondo and he seemed to have a natural talent for it. They went to his first exam after just three months of lessons. She was nervous that it would be violent, but it was very calm and controlled. He performed a series of kicks and arm strikes and passed his first exam and was awarded an orange belt. She still wasn't that keen on it but he seemed to enjoy it, and she guessed that was what mattered. 

She kept him in ballet classes. He never complained about them but he also didn't talk about them the way he talked about taekwondo. She was a little disappointed that he didn't love it the way she did, but there was way too much else to be excited about so it wasn't much of a blow really. 

It was the end of April and Tyler still hadn't proposed to her yet. It was something that sat in the back of her brain. It wasn't that marriage was that important to her, she'd been married before and it wasn't even one hundredth as fulfilling as the unmarried life she had with Tyler, so she wasn't under any sort of delusion about what marriage meant. It's just that he had told her that he was going to do something special for her and it was driving her insane with curiosity to know what it was. 

Finally he dropped a little hint that she felt for sure must mean that he was going to propose. 

'Mayechka do you have anything on next Saturday?" He asked. 

'No." 

'Okay. Are you okay with Nicholas staying over at Sam and Emma's for the night? I thought we might have a weekend to ourselves."

She smiled. It was a hint. It was definitely a hint. 'That's fine, I don't mind if he stays over there."

Nicholas had become good friends with Zach, he would love to sleep over at his house. They were an odd couple, a 13 year old cool black kid and a four year old dorky half Indian boy, but all of the man time that they had together with Tyler had brought them together. She was glad. Despite the minor catastrophe with Tyler's guitar, Zach was a good influence. Nicholas got along fine with Grace too, they still played together and they took ballet and taekwondo together, but it was Zach who lit up his world. 

Tyler didn't mention it again, but a few days later she found tickets to the symphony for the next Saturday in the pocket of his pants when she was doing laundry. It was a Berlioz symphony. Honestly she was a little disappointed, she didn't like Berlioz that much, she found it a bit too verbose. It wasn't that big of a deal though, it was the thought that counted and going to the symphony was a good idea. It would be nice. 

That Friday was Zach's birthday, they were going up to Boulder to meet Sam and Emma and the rest of them for dinner. It was what Zach had asked for, he liked the mountains.

The sun had already set and the last whispers of blue were fading from the sky as they wound through the foothills. Spring was in full swing up here, there were daffodils by the road and other wildflowers that she couldn't identify. The silhouette of the mountains loomed large against the ever-diminishing sky. 

Suddenly the car started beeping and the check engine light flashed on the dashboard. 

'What's wrong?" She asked.

'I don't know, I'll have to check it," Tyler replied as he pulled off the road. Fortuitously he was able to pull straight into an overlook area. He popped the hood of the car and went to investigate.

Great. This car was less than a year old and already it was breaking down. She knew she should have bought a European car. Tyler was fiddling around under the hood of the car. Nicholas was sitting in the back seat giggling. 

'What are you laughing about? This isn't funny Kolya," she told him. 'We might miss Zach's birthday dinner."

That just made him giggle harder. 

'Hey babe, come and have a look at this... bring Kolya too."

What did he want her for? She knew nothing about vehicles. She got out of the car and got Nicholas out of the back seat. The air was cold. Nicholas passed her jacket to her without her asking, he was still giggling. Did she give him too much sugar or something? 

'What is it? What's wrong with the car?" She asked Tyler. 

'Oh, there's nothing wrong with the car. Come and look at this...' He reached for her hand and led her over to the railing of the overlook. It was a beautiful view, the city of Denver sprawled out below them, a million tiny lights blanketed the landscape. The sky was huge from here. A few bright stars shone through the early evening. 

Tyler put his arms around her. 'It's beautiful isn't it?"

She was confused. Shouldn't they be trying to fix the car so they could get to Zach's birthday dinner on time? 

'Yeah, it's beautiful, but what about the car?"

Tyler smiled. 'There's nothing wrong with the car Mayechka."

'But...'

She forgot what she was about to say when strands of fairy lights illuminated around her and she heard the sweet low hum of a cello. Tyler was smiling at her. 

She felt her eyes go wide as she realized what was happening. This was her surprise. 

'I hope you're ready Maya because you're about to get schooled," he said cheekily. 

He led her away from the railing and took her hand in his and then he did something that she would never have expected from Tyler. He started dancing. 

He was big and clumsy and occasionally just a little off beat, but he was perfect. She let him lead. She let him direct her body, turn her and dip her and stand on her feet. She giggled when he made mistakes and he grinned at her sheepishly. 

The music was perfect. It fit the mood exactly. It was an odd mixture of deep emotion and lightheartedness that felt like Tyler. The cello swooped and soared while two violins articulated a beautiful melody. She had never heard this piece before. She didn't even know the composer.

'Who is this?" She asked. 

'I wrote it for you Maya."

She was surprised. Tyler always made up his own tunes when he played his guitar, but nothing like this, nothing like a proper piece of music. 'You wrote it?"

He smiled. 'Well I wrote it and Josh made it better." He led her into a right turn.

'Josh? So he was in on this too?"

'Everyone is in on this baby... Hey, you need to concentrate this is going to get tricky," he warned. 

She laughed. She wasn't a ballroom dancing specialist, but she knew her way around a dance floor and this was anything but tricky. 

'Are you ready to be shocked by my raw talent?" He asked. 

He performed a series of uncoordinated steps and turns. 

She laughed. 'Was that supposed to be a reverse barrel turn?"

'It wasn't supposed to be a reverse barrel turn, it was one, Tyler style."

She liked the Tyler-style reverse barrel turn... no she loved it.

'If you liked that I think you are going to be very impressed by my grand finale." His eyes were sparking. She had a feeling he was having almost as much fun as she was.

'Oh really?"

'Really."

'Mm... just let me enjoy you for a moment first." He pulled her close into his body and she moved with him, looking up into his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her. 

He was so familiar now, the smell of him, the feeling of his arms around her, his lips on hers. She hoped that this would never end. 

The music swelled around them and he broke their kiss. 'Are you ready?" He asked. 

'Yes."

He stepped back from her, back into an open salsa position and smiled. 'Okay, here goes nothing...' he said as he squeezed her hands. 

She thought that he was going to pull another one of his silly moves. Another reverse barrel turn or something similarly ridiculous, but he didn't. He just dropped down onto one knee and looked up at her. 

Maya felt the smile on her face. She felt her heart swell and the tears in her eyes. 

Tyler looked up at her seriously. 'Maya, you make me so happy. I love you. Will you be my wife?" 

She nodded her head. She wanted to say yes but she was crying. 

'Yes?" He asked. 

'Yes." She croaked. 

A big stupid smile spread over his face, that smile at that she loved so much. 

'You'll really spend the rest of your life with me?" He was still down on his knee looking up at her, but now he was playing. 

She laughed. 'Yes."

'Until we're old and withered and one of us dies?"

'Yes." 

'Okay, good. I was hoping you might say that." He rose to his feet and hugged her. 

'Nicholas!' He called out. 'She said yes!'

A loud jangle pierced the air and she looked around to see Nicholas standing with the musicians with an enormous set of cymbals in his hands. He clashed them together twice more and a new piece of music started. It was a trumpet solo. It was joyful and cheeky and uninhibited. The notes rang out into the night air, it sounded like a declaration. 

Tyler still held her in his arms. 'I'm sorry it took me so long baby, I had to get a permit."

'A permit?" What was he talking about? You don't need a permit to get engaged. 

'Uh-huh... for this...' He turned her around towards the city and she watched as the sky burst into a million specs of red, followed by purple and orange and white. 

She gasped. 'You got fireworks?" 

They were synchronized perfectly with the trumpet and the clash of Nicholas' cymbals.

'Yeah, it was Gracie's idea."

She laughed. 'Gracie? Did everybody know about this but me?"

'Um... pretty much. You're not mad are you?"

'No! No, I'm not mad. I love it, it's perfect." 

She leaned back into him and watched the fireworks as she listened to his music. It was perfect. She couldn't have imagined anything better, more special, more Tyler. It was completely over the top in the most fun and endearing way. 

The crescendo of the trumpet and three final clashes of the cymbals denoted the end of the display. Thousands of white stars fell through the air, and then just as she was about to turn away there was one more, a red one that burst into the shape of a heart. 

She laughed. 'You are so cheesy Sasha," she told him. 

'I know, but you love it Maya." 

'Yes, I do," she replied as she rose on her toes to kiss him. 

She heard cheering in the distance, the sound of one of those noise-makers in a can that people take to sports events. 

'Who is that?" She asked.

'It's just Sam and Emma and their kids." He bent down to pick up Nicholas, who had appeared by their side.

'You were fabulous my boy," Tyler praised him. 

Nicholas beamed.

'Did you know about all of this Nicholas?" She asked. 

He nodded excitedly. 'We've been practicing for ages."

'And you kept it a secret all this time?"

He nodded again. 

She looked at Tyler, she was amazed. How had a four year old kept something like this to himself? 

Tyler shrugged his shoulders, as if he had read her mind. 'Kid knows how to keep a secret."

'Can we go and have hot chocolate now?" Nicholas asked. 

'What do you think mommy? Are you ready to get going?" Tyler asked her. 

'Um... Sure." She didn't really want to leave. She didn't want this dream to end, but there wasn't much left to do. The musicians were already packed up and leaving. 

Tyler went back to the car and did something under the hood and the fairy lights flashed off. So that's what he had been doing when they first got here. 

They got back in the car and drove only a few hundred yards up the road where Tyler pulled off to the next viewing platform. Emma and Sam's SUV was there and when she got out they all cheered. There were camp chairs set up and a table with food and the hot chocolate that Nicholas had been talking about. 

There were hugs and congratulations all around. 

'So you must have decided to hire a professional cymbal player then?" Sam asked, within earshot of Nicholas. 

'Nope, that was Kolya," Tyler replied.

'No way. We could hear it all the way over here, that had to be a professional." Sam was hamming it up for Nicholas, who smiled proudly. 

Emma had Matthew in one of those sling-style baby carriers under her coat and they hugged around the infant. 

'Were you surprised?" She asked. 

'Surprised? I was totally blown away. I thought he was going to ask after the symphony next week."

Emma laughed. 'That was my idea, to throw you off. Make sure you were totally off guard. You have no idea the fun we've been having with this Maya."

'You really thought I'd propose after Berlioz?" Tyler asked. 'You don't even like Berlioz."

'Well I don't know... Berlioz is okay." 

'Does Gray ever do anything just okay?" Emma asked with one eyebrow raised. 'Let me see the ring...'

Emma grabbed her left hand and looked over at Tyler is disbelief when she saw no ring. 

'Gray? Where's the ring?"

Tyler's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. 'Shit. I forgot." 

Nicholas and Grace started giggling. 'He said a naughty word," Grace said pointing at Tyler. They were over on the camping chairs with plastic mugs of hot chocolate in their hands. 

Tyler reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled it out. He bowed his head and looked up at her, biting down on his lip. 'Sorry."

'What are you apologizing for?" Emma asked. 'Just give her the damn ring."

Tyler took her hand and was about to slide the ring on her finger when Sam interrupted. 

'Wait! I want to see the real thing. You practiced enough Gray, you should be able to do this in your sleep by now."

Tyler smiled at her and dropped back down onto his knee. 

'Maya, light of my world, will you marry me?" He asked again. 

This time she found her voice right away. 'Yes," she said with certainty. 

Tyler slid the ring onto her finger and then kissed her hand, and then he stood and kissed her on the lips as everyone applauded. 

Zach handed them mugs of hot chocolate and she remembered his birthday. Poor kid, having his birthday usurped by them.

'Hey, happy birthday Zach," she said.

Everyone laughed at her. 

'It's not today," Zach said. 'My birthday is next Wednesday."

'Oh. So we're not going to Boulder?"

'We're going to Boulder," Tyler said, 'but they're not." 

After they had finished the hot chocolate they said their goodbyes and climbed back into the car. Nicholas was staying the night at Sam and Emma's, he seemed fine with the idea so she didn't make a fuss. 

Maya had all sorts of questions for Tyler. 

'You practiced?" She asked.

'Yep. I've asked Sam to marry me three times now."

'What did he say?"

'The first time he said no because he couldn't see me, so I got the Christmas lights and asked again. The second time he said no because I left the car door open and it started beeping half way through. The third time he said no because he already has a wife and he doesn't need another one."

She laughed. 'How did you get the car to start beeping when we were driving?"

He glanced over at her. 'Maya, I'm a computer programmer. What do you think controls all of these bells and whistles?"

'Okay. When did you write the music?"

'When I was in San Diego, Josh helped me." 

'And the musicians? Where did you find them?"

'They're from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. I just emailed the artistic director and asked him to pass on an email for me. It was surprisingly easy. Once you tell people it is for a marriage proposal they get all soft and mushy." 

'Okay one last question... When did you learn to dance?"

Tyler smiled. 'Nicholas and I took lessons when we were in San Diego, and then I hired a choreographer to make up a dance for your song. Nicholas is way better than I am, his body just knows what to do. He's going to sweep some girl off her feet one day. As you now know, I'm terrible at it. I was the worst in the class."

She laughed. 'Sasha baby, you were brilliant. It doesn't matter that you got some of the steps wrong, what matters is that you tried to make me happy."

'Did I succeed?" He asked as he reached for her hand

'You've outdone yourself. I don't think I've ever been happier in my life."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. 'Good. Me too."