16 comments/  69362 views/  112 favorites

Turning of the Stars Ch. 01

By: Panthem



"Coconut milk. Caprino fresco. Arugula- what the hell is arugula?" Anna muttered to herself under her breath as she scanned the rest of the list. 

She didn't know what half of the items were and her frustration was building. Her boss at the bookstore had waited until the last second to give any thought to this extensive list of refreshments their visiting author had requested and now it was up to Anna to try to hunt it all down. 

A sigh escaped her lips as she pulled her long hair up out of her face into a sloppy bun, climbed out of the car, and walked quickly toward the upscale grocery store that she hoped would stock some of the more obscure items. 

Anna made a whirlwind rush through the aisles, picking out what items she could from the list as she went. She couldn't imagine what on earth he was going to need all this food for; he was only going to be at the store for a couple of hours. If Anna had been in charge she'd have told him in no uncertain terms just where he could shove his arugula. She giggled and hoped an arugula was some kind of bizarre cucumber. 

Of course, if she had been in charge this "author" probably never would have been invited to the bookstore. According to Claudia the guy was the son of a celebrity, which is why she'd wanted him to do the book signing so badly. She hoped it would bring in a large audience who would then stay to buy something and remember the shop next time they needed a book. 

Anna had never heard of him, hadn't read his book, and couldn't care less who his father was. Claudia, on the other hand, was even more spacey than usual with excitement over his visit. 

"Blood oranges, ugh that sounds disgusting. Star fruit (make sure it's ripe)," she read off the list, making a face. She asked a produce clerk and to her surprise he immediately pointed her toward a small cart with exotic fruits on it- including star fruit and blood oranges. 

Anna stared at the fruit blankly. She picked one up and turned it over, looking for some sign that would tell her whether it was ripe. Glancing at the time on her phone she groaned and decided that she didn't have time to worry about it so she just grabbed four of the star fruits at random and was piling oranges into her arms. 

"Excuse me, miss?"

Anna jumped and dropped most of the fruit onto the ground, the oranges rolling in all directions.

"Dammit! What?" she snapped, dropping to her knees to try to corral the oranges before they got too far away. 

She reached up under the cart to retrieve an errant star fruit and sat back up trying to straighten her dress with one hand and hold on to the fruit with the other. At this point she was beyond frazzled and whoever it was still hadn't spoken so she looked up ready to snap. 

Instead her mind went completely blank when she looked up into the most amazing green eyes she'd ever seen. For a moment she just sat there, frozen, until the eyes smiled at her and broke her momentary paralysis. 

"I didn't mean to bother you," the man said, squatting to help her gather oranges. "But I noticed you were buying star fruit and the ones you picked don't look very good. They're kind of expensive so I just thought..." He shrugged as he trailed off, pointing vaguely at the fruit cart.

"Oh! Yes, please. I'm totally out of my element here; exotic fruit isn't really my thing. Which ones should I get?"

She couldn't help staring some more as he stood and bent over the cart to get a better look. His nose was slightly crooked, like it had been broken at some point, and his full lips gave the impression of a smirk even when relaxed as they were now, but somehow those things made him seem even better looking. Especially the lips. 

Taking her time picking up the rest of the fruit, Anna had a perfect vantage point from which to appreciate how sharp he looked in his perfectly tailored black dress pants and crisp white button up. 

He wasn't her type at all; most of the guys she'd dated were more the dirty jeans and hemp necklace types, but she cocked her head, admiring the way the slacks accentuated the rounded curves of his ass in a way that dirty jeans could never hope to aspire to. 

The man carefully picked out several star fruits and oranges and set them in her basket as Anna stood and dumped her armful of fruit back on the cart. 

"There you go. Are there any more exotic fruit purchases I can help you with today?" he asked with a grin and a wink. "Since that's not really your thing."

Anna suppressed a simpering giggle and told herself to get a grip. 

"Actually, if you know where any of this other stuff is I would be forever in your debt." she said, pulling out the list and skimming the remaining items. She handed the list to him and saw his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "I know, it's pretty ridiculous, huh? I don't even know what half of it is," she spilled in a rush, eager to assure him it wasn't her list.

"So why are you buying it?"

"Because some self-involved blowhard with an inflated sense of entitlement decided to push his weight around and demand the most obscure groceries he could google." 

The man let out a hearty laugh and Anna couldn't help laughing along with him, grateful to finally have someone to complain to about her ridiculous errand. 

"The bookstore I work for is having a book signing this afternoon and the 'celebrity author' sent us this 'list of demands'," she explained, rolling her eyes and making air quotes with her fingers to accentuate her point. 

The man chuckled again. "Really? He wants all this stuff just to snack on?"

"I know. It's crazy, isn't it? As if our tiny store has the budget for this sort of thing."

"Yeah, that would be crazy. I tell you what though, I can round up the rest of this stuff pretty quick. Why don't you go over to the café and order for us so we can have a cup of coffee together before you go."

Anna's jaw dropped. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, I would love to," she assured him, taking another quick glance down at his lips and back up to his eyes. "But I'm really in a hurry."

"Please? You said you'd owe me forever. I'm willing to let you off easy with one cup of coffee." 

Anna bit her lower lip as she debated with herself. It wasn't a terribly difficult choice. "Alright, but one cup of coffee isn't sufficient repayment. I'll still have to owe you my first-born child or something. I guess Mr. Fancypants can wait a few more minutes for his coconut milk." 

"I'm certain he can," her savior said with a wide grin. "I'll just be a few minutes, would you grab me a coffee with cream?"

"Sure."

Anna unsuccessfully tried to wipe the grin off her face as she set off toward the café. She ordered them both coffees and sat down to wait for...crap, she hadn't even asked him what his name was, how was that for superficial? She rolled her eyes and allowed herself to be excited anyway about having coffee with cute guy. 

It had been longer than she cared to think about since she'd been on a date, and she'd never gone out with a guy like him. It wasn't that he was all that good looking, though he was, but he had a predatory air about him that made her weak in the knees and there was something in his eyes when he looked at her made her feel...tingly.

He was standing not far away down the nearest aisle, head bent to a box of what looked like crackers. Apparently Carr's Water Crackers were with the snacks, not the beverages like she thought. Her eyes traveled slowly up his body, taking in his the way his shirt stretched tight across his broad shoulders, his dark hair curled against the olive skin on the back of his neck, and those beautiful green eyes. Eyes that, at the moment, were looking right at her. 

She flushed, embarrassed to be caught staring, but covered pretty well, she thought, by smiling and pointing at his cup of coffee. He nodded at her and held up one finger, tossed the crackers in the basket and wheeled it to a cash register. Just as she was getting up to pay she saw him speak to the cashier and point to her. The young girl nodded quickly and began ringing up the items as he strolled back towards her. 

"I think I found everything," he said proudly as he sat down in the chair across from her.

"Wow, thank you so much. I can't tell you what a huge help that is."

"It was no problem, really."

"Claudia will be thrilled. That's my boss, she's trying to bend over backwards to impress this guy, lord knows why. Well, I do know why, it's because she's trying to boost publicity and get people in the store. You know, lure them away from all these chain stores that have popped up lately. It's working, I guess, we've had a lot more traffic since we announced the signing."

"So who is this guy, anyway?"

"Heck if I know, I can't even remember his name." She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "Some bored dilettante who thinks he can write books? I think they're some kind of self-help instructional something or other."

"Sounds pretty boring."

"Oh, I don't know. I suppose it depends on who he hired to write it for him."

He chuckled and nodded as he reached for his coffee. As he brought the cup to his lips his shirt pulled against the muscles of his arm and Anna caught sight of a tattoo peeking out from under the rolled cuffs of his sleeve. She smiled to herself, thinking maybe this guy was more her type than she thought.

"But enough about Mr. Fancypants, we haven't even introduced ourselves. Anna Webster." She held out her hand. The hand that took hers was warm and gripped her firmly for a moment before letting go, brushing his fingers along the palm of her hand as he pulled back. Anna shivered and blushed again, covering her confusion with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Anna, I'm Grant," he said, smiling back. "So that must be a pretty cool job working at the bookstore, the occasional Mr. Fancypants notwithstanding."

Anna chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I love it most of the time. It's small and quiet. There's an unlimited supply of books, which is great. And I like helping people discover something new to read, especially if I can turn them on to something I love."

"Do you...turn people on a lot?" he said with an innocent face.

Anna snorted at his innuendo, but chose to take his question at face value, "I do actually, you wouldn't believe the number of people who wander into a bookstore with no clue what to buy."

"Probably close to the number of people who walk into grocery stores with no clue what to buy."

"Touché," she said, grinning at his little dig. 

He smirked, but before he could reply the cashier approached their table and asked how she wanted to pay for the groceries. She was talking to Anna, but looking at Grant as she spoke, smiling widely and batting her perfectly made-up eyes. The girl was young, but pretty with stylish blonde hair and tight jeans that made Anna feel downright frumpy in her embroidered peasant dress and sandals. For the first time in ages she wondered whether she should buy some lip gloss or something. 

She shoved the bookstore's credit card in the girl's face and the girl shot her a withering look as she took it and sauntered off with another glance over her shoulder at Grant. Anna noted with satisfaction that he paid the girl no mind.

"So what do you turn people on to? What do you like to read?" He leaned his elbows on the table and took another sip of his coffee.

"Oh, I'll read anything and probably enjoy it." Anna's eyes lit up as she spoke, as if she were telling him about old childhood friends, which in a way she was. "But my favorites are the old stand-bys, Thomas Hardy, Alexandre Dumas, Mark Twain, Jane Austen of course..." she continued, placing her hand over her heart.

"Of course." He nodded, amused by her enthusiasm.

"And in the last few years I've discovered lots of newer authors: Douglas Adams, Stephen King..."

"They're not exactly new authors, are they?"

"They were new to me."

Grants eyes widened in surprised. "Were you living under a rock?" he asked in disbelief.

"Almost," she laughed, used to that response. "I grew up on a commune. My parents were both teachers and had lots of books, but nothing new since they moved 'off the grid' as they called it in the early 70's. I left when I was eighteen; that was three, almost four years ago. I got the job at the bookstore and I've been working there ever since. Corrupting my soul with capitalism as far as they're concerned," she said with a grin, half joking.

Anna looked up at the cashier who was handing her the credit card and her receipt. She signed her name and tried to hand the receipt back to the girl, who was grinning like a fool at Grant. 

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" she asked him, leaning on the table next to him.

"I don't think so," he said kindly as he took the receipt from Anna, handed it to the dazed-looking girl and thanked her, effectively dismissing her.

Anna sipped her coffee to cover her smile before asking, "So what about you? What do you do?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story and I think you're in a hurry. I guess that means we'll have to see each other again so I can tell you all about it."

"Oh," Anna said, a bit shocked at his response. And then, "Oh!" as she looked at her phone and realized how late she was. Jumping up from her chair she exclaimed, "Shoot, I have to go!"

"I bet Mr. Fancypants won't show up on time either. He's probably off picking up some poor unsuspecting chick, thinking the party won't start until he gets there."

Anna laughed and nodded in agreement as she gathered her things and grabbed the basket full of bagged groceries. "That's probably true, but I'm more worried about my boss. Poor Claudia is probably flipping out right about now. I should get back to help her out."

"Let me help you with the groceries." He walked with her to a shiny red sport car and looked at her in surprise. 

"This is your car?"

Anna understood his confusion. Claudia's Corvette looked more like something the busty blonde checkout clerk would be driving. She tugged at her dress self-consciously and had a fleeting desire to grow larger boobs.

"No, this is Claudia's little fountain of youth. I don't have a car so she sent me to get groceries in this."

"Ah, that makes more sense." He nodded in understanding as he helped her load bags into the trunk.

"Thanks again, Grant. I don't know what I owe you, but I owe you, big time."

"I'll think about that and let you know," he said in a light voice, but the look in his eye was anything but teasing.

Anna's heart skipped a beat and her mouth went suddenly dry. "I'll be looking forward to it," she said in a rush before she lost her nerve, then quickly turned and got in the car. 

She was halfway back to work before she realized she'd never given him her number. 

...

"You forgot? How can you forget to give your number to the super hot guy hitting on you in the grocery store?"

"Keep your voice down," Anna hissed, looking around to see if anyone had heard. The small open space at the front of the store was packed with people, mostly women, but fortunately none of them were paying any attention. 

"Seriously, Anna. What were you thinking?" Claudia asked, only slightly moderating her volume.

"Well, first off he didn't remember to ask me for my number so maybe he didn't want it. But I was thinking about getting back here with all this ridiculous crap." She rolled her eyes and gestured at the items she was carefully arranging on decorative plates. "So you wouldn't have to deal with Mr. Fancypants throwing a temper-tantrum because you didn't have his ripe star fruit here waiting for him."

"Mr. who now?" Claudia asked lifting one eyebrow and smirking.

Anna picked up a copy of the author's book from a table nearby and read, "Mr. Grantham Roderick," off the cover in the snootiest voice she could conjure. She tossed the book back on the table as Claudia giggled. It bounced and the cover flopped open onto the table. Anna reached to close it and froze. Her hand came up of its own accord and her fingers touched the picture of the author on the inside flap. 

"Holy crap," she whispered breathlessly as the pieces fell together.

...

Grant grinned widely to himself as he sipped another coffee. He'd come to the grocery store to get a couple of things for the book signing, just in case the owner of the bookstore hadn't been able to find them, but apparently today was his lucky day. Talk about killing two birds with one stone, not only did he get to have coffee with a gorgeous woman, he got to make sure he had everything he needed. 

He was looking forward to seeing her again, and not just because he wanted to see her reaction when she figured out who he was. Hopefully she wouldn't be too upset with him, he hadn't meant to be deceptive, he'd just really been enjoying having a normal conversation with a normal woman. It wasn't an opportunity he had very often. 

Of course, the fact that she was beautiful didn't hurt, either. The second he'd seen her standing there glaring at the fruit cart as if it had somehow personally offended her he knew he had to talk to her. She'd looked so comfortable in her skin...her perfectly creamy skin that he was dying to run his hands all over to see if it was as soft as it looked and her honey-colored hair coming loose from its bun hanging in messy tendrils down her neck. 

And sweet baby Jesus, when she bent down to pick up those oranges and her dress pulled way up her thigh and he could suddenly see straight down the loose neckline to her little white cotton bra, his throat had closed up and he thought he was going to make a fool of himself staring at her without speaking. 

He wasn't sure how he'd gone off on this particular mental tangent, but he was enjoying daydreaming about how her breasts would probably fit perfectly into his cupped hands when suddenly he was startled out of his reverie by someone plopping down in the seat across from him. He looked up and was surprised to see the girl from the check out grinning at him.

"I knew I recognized you, you're Grant Roderick! My mom is, like, a huge fan of your dad. I had to google your picture to be sure, but you are so much hotter in person. I remember seeing those pictures of you on ET a few years ago when you were dating-"

"Thanks, I'm sure my dad appreciates your mom being a fan. I'll let him know. I'm sorry, but I need to run. I'm in kind of a hurry," he said as he rose to leave the table.

"Are you sure you need to go so soon?" The girl leered at him and lifted her eyebrows suggestively. "I'm on my break and there's a family bathroom in the back with a locking door."

Grant stared open-mouthed at the girl, who couldn't have been more than sixteen, and tried to come up with something to say that wouldn't be too rude. "Um, no, I'm, ah, running late," he managed to stammer out before turning and walking quickly away, barely suppressing the urge to run.

...

"Please, Claudia," Anna wailed once they'd reached the refuge of the manager's office, "I can't face him! Please, just let me go home before he gets here. I'll work extra hours for the next month, just let me go."

"Anna, you know I can't do that. I need you here to cover the floor. And besides, he obviously let you go without getting your number because he knew he'd see you here."

"No Claud, you don't understand. I said terrible things about him."

"What did you say that was so terrible? Do you even know anything about him? Wait, please don't tell me you haven't read his book."

Anna gave her a guilty look.

"Oh my God, Anna! I gave it to you a month ago when I got him to agree to the signing."

"I just didn't get a chance, I was so busy with midterms. And the title was lame. Tales from the Dark Side? I mean, come on."

Claudia rolled her eyes in exasperation, but explained. "Okay look, the short story is that he's the son of Donald Roderick. You wouldn't know, but he was a famous actor back in the day. Anyway, poor little rich boy grew up famous, opened a club called The Dark Side, rode the whole downward spiral of the rich and famous, got his life together, and a while back he opened a restaurant called Daybreak that's been wildly successful. The book is mostly stories about the club and his crazy years, peppered with recipes for the amazing dishes they serve. I asked him to make one of the recipes for the signing and he agreed. He offered to do two actually, a dessert and an appetizer. That way we can distribute a little bit to each person in the audience."


Turning of the Stars Ch. 01



Anna spoke through fingers pressed over her lips, "Oh my gosh, I called it a list of demands. I called him a blowhard. I can't believe he let me say those things. Why didn't he tell me? He just stood there letting me make a fool of myself!" Her increasingly angry tirade was interrupted by the phone on Claudia's desk. 

"Hello?" Claudia said into the mouthpiece. "Okay, point him toward the break room and we'll be there in just a sec. Thanks Jesse." She hung up the phone and looked at Anna. "He's here. Come on, let's go apologize," she said with a smile to soften the command.

Anna groaned inwardly, but followed her friend without argument. She knew there was no way she could leave with all these customers here and honestly part of her, the part that wasn't completely mortified, was aching to see him again despite the fact that it had only been about forty-five minutes since they'd parted ways in the grocery store. She took a deep breath as they walked up to the break room door.

Claudia turned and looked at her. "You ready?" she asked kindly.

Without waiting for a response Claudia opened the door and pushed Anna in, closing the door behind her. Anna turned and looked at the door in shock before slowly turning back around to look at Grant, who was sitting in a chair grinning widely at her.

"Figured it out, did you? I wondered if you would once you saw my name," he said with a chuckle.

Anna flushed beet red and could hear her pulse beating in her ears. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, embarrassingly near tears.

Grant jumped up and rushed to her, concerned. "Oh no, no no. Please don't be upset," he said, reaching for her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Really, there's no need to feel bad. I thought it was funny."

Anna couldn't look him in the face. She kept her head down hiding behind a curtain of hair. "I am, though. I shouldn't have said those things, I didn't mean them." She paused before looking up into his face. "That's not true, I did mean them, but I would never have said them to you if I'd realized who you were." 

"It's okay, really." He squeezed her shoulders in what was probably meant to be a reassuring way, but his firm grip sent a shiver down her spine. "I should have told you when I figured it out."

"Yes, you should have," she said reproachfully. "When did you figure it out?" 

"When you handed me the list. I wrote it. I wrote it all by myself, even, so I get points for that, right?" He grinned that heart-stopping grin at her and dropped his hands.

"I called you a blowhard."

"Well, if you want to be accurate you called me a self-involved blowhard with an over-inflated sense of entitlement. That was my favorite part." 

"Oh god," she whimpered, burying her face in her hands. 

"Anna." She jumped at his warm fingers on her wrist, gently pulling her hands away so he could look her in the eye. "I am sorry. I should have said something."

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have been so rude and judgmental." 

"So we're even?" he asked hopefully.

"Not exactly," she said with a tentative smile. "I still owe you for helping me in the grocery store."

"Oh yeah?" He took a half step toward her, suddenly filling the room with his presence. "You owe me for helping you find the most obscure groceries I could google and then demanded you buy for my personal consumption?"

Anna laughed and nodded. "You offered to help before you knew. It was really sweet of you."

"Well, in that case I won't bother to confess that I only approached you because I got all hot and bothered at the sight of a beautiful woman surrounded by exotic fruits. They may not be your thing, but they are very much mine."

She flushed and looked down again, smothering the second simpering giggle of the day. What was wrong with her? She peeked back up at him again to gauge whether he was teasing her or not. Though he was smiling, once again his expression belied his light tone. His eyes bored into her intensely and he seemed almost expectant. 

Just as Anna realized that he might be about to kiss her there was a loud rap on the break room door. They jumped apart like two guilty school kids and Claudia came barging into the room.

"Hi, I'm Claudia Reynolds, I own this place" she said rushing in and shaking Grant's hand, all the while pretending not to notice the tension in the air. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person. Everything is all set up and ready to go, the only thing missing is you. And let me tell you, those natives are starting to get restless. You'd better get out there and show your stuff before they start tearing down walls looking for you." 

Anna bit her lip to keep from laughing. Claudia had a talent for making even the most innocent statements sound vaguely sexual and Anna had yet to figure out whether she did it on purpose. At sixty-five years old she carried herself like a woman of twenty-five and was an unapologetic flirt so it was very likely she did.

"Should I undo my top three buttons to appease them?" Grant asked playfully.

"I think shirtless is the way to go. That's my general rule for life at any rate." Claudia replied, winking at him shamelessly. "Now let's get this show on the road."

Despite Claudia pushing him out the door, Grant turned and pointed to Anna. "You still owe me," he said threateningly. "Don't you go anywhere."

...

Anna collapsed on the old dusty couch in the reading area and closed her eyes. The books had been signed, the star fruit with mango orange sauce prepared, the author photographed with flocks of swooning women. Claudia was thrilled with the turnout as well as the sales and was currently helping Jesse ring up the last few stragglers while Anna took a minute to put her feet up before starting cleanup. The bounce of the worn springs jolted her as someone sat down next to her on the couch.

"That went well, right?" a male voice said, sounding too close to her ear.

Anna's eyes flew open to see Grant leaning back with his feet propped next to hers on the table. 

"I mean, it was my first book signing so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it seemed like it went well." Though he sounded confident, Anna noticed that he glanced at her nervously as he asked the question.

"Absolutely," she assured him. "It was great, the food was wonderful. You were very entertaining and you, um, have a lot of ardent fans." 

She smiled in delight at the blush that crept up his neck.

"Nah, they were just here for the food," he said with a smile to cover his embarrassment. "Speaking of which, I'd really like it if you guys would come out to the restaurant this evening for dinner. It would be on me, of course, as a thank you for having me." 

Anna looked over at Claudia, who was standing behind the cash register watching them with a huge grin on her face. When she noticed Anna looking she held her hand up like it was a phone, theatrically mouthing, "Give him your number" while Jesse, the cashier, tugged on her sleeve frantically to try to get her to stop. Anna bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"I'm sure Claudia and Jesse would love to go. I'm supposed to close tonight. I don't work in the morning so I don't want to dump the cleanup on somebody else."

"I'll help you clean up."

"What? No, I-"

"I don't want to have dinner with Claudia and Jesse. I want to have dinner with you. They're just a convenient excuse." 

Her heart thumped, "Oh-"

"Hold that thought." He jumped up off the couch and walked over to talk to Claudia who smiled, then nodded. Grant turned to look at Anna with a mischievous grin.

"Anna!" Claudia called across the store. "Let's just do a quick cleanup tonight. I can get the rest in the morning."

...

Grant rushed in the back door of the club and headed to his office, hoping not to run into anyone before he got there. He'd taken the entire day off to go to the book signing so they weren't expecting him, but he knew if anyone saw him he'd be called away to put out some fire or another and he didn't have time for it. 

Fortunately he made it safely to his haven and quickly stripped, glad to be free of the constricting clothes. Dress clothes always felt like a costume, a false front, and while he could be a master of false fronts when he had to be, he still hated the way it made him feel. Fake. Dishonest. He grabbed a clean pair of jeans from his closet and barely had them pulled up when the door to his office flew open and a young woman with short black hair barged in.

"I thought that was you I saw trying to sneak in the back," she said as she barreled into the room.

"Jesus, Corie, don't you knock? Two seconds earlier and you'd have gotten the full monty," he said as he buttoned his pants.

"Oh yeah, like it's my fault you're prancing around naked in your office. Lock the door if you're gonna pull some freaky shit like that."

"I should never have installed those security monitors behind the bar. You were looking for me weren't you? That means there's something wrong," he said as he pulled a dark green t-shirt on over his head. "Look, I'm kind of in a hurry-" 

"I know it's your night off. I'm not gonna hold you up. I just wanted to tell you we didn't get our delivery tonight. We're completely out of Amber Bock now."

"That shit head, he's late again? I'm heading over to the restaurant in just a sec, I'll send someone back with a keg."

"Thanks. Hey, how'd the book thing go? Was it as horrible as you thought it would be?"

"No, it was good. It turned out to be a lot of fun, actually. Very...productive," he said with a crooked smile on his face.

"Well, that's good. I guess," she said, shrugging. "Alright I gotta get back to the bar. Don't forget the beer."

"Later," Grant said absently as he started transferring the contents of his pockets from his discarded pants to his jeans. 

He was looking forward to dinner with Anna. Her coworkers too of course; Claudia was a riot and Jesse seemed like a sweet girl. But mostly he couldn't wait to see Anna again. He grinned at himself and tried to remember the last time he'd felt this strange combination of anticipation and nerves. 

The closest thing he could remember was the nanny he'd had a crush on when he was thirteen years old and just starting to get interested in girls. To his eternal surprise she'd responded favorably to his clumsy attempts to come on to her and ended up being his first sexual encounter. 

She'd also been his last nanny, fired when his dad came home early one night and discovered them together in the swimming pool. Naked. It was less than a month later when he'd sent Grant off to boarding school rather than hire a new nanny. That was when he began to suspect that his dad had been less concerned about his 'lost innocence' than he had been that Grant had gotten to the girl first. 

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the negative feelings. This was nothing like that, anyway. That had been childish infatuation and this was much more. He could hardly look at Anna without wanting to touch her. Her intelligent brown eyes were in a near-constant state of twinkling amusement at whatever secret thoughts were going through her head and her full red lips were just begging to be sucked and nibbled. In fact he could think of several of her body parts he'd like to suck and nibble. 

He gave himself a mental whoa-there-big-fella. That train of thought was dangerous and he couldn't very well walk in the restaurant with a hard on, no matter what kind of hurry he was in. He ran his hands through his hair and looked around to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything and then peeked out the door to make sure no one was in the hallway before sneaking stealthily out the back, across the alley, and into the back door of the restaurant's kitchen. 

The bustling atmosphere calmed and energized him at the same time and he had to suppress the urge to take charge and ask how things were going. He knew he didn't need to; he had total faith in his head chef and manager to run things properly. Instead he waved casually at the busy kitchen staff and walked out into the restaurant where the low murmur of voices and tinkling of silverware told him things were going just fine. 

The dining room was dim, with orange lights hanging low over the dark wood tables, meant to mimic candlelight in a rustic atmosphere. He'd initially been going for a casual feel for the place, but the food was so upscale that the clientele it attracted ended up giving a much more fancy air to the room especially when it was busy, which it definitely was right now. He smiled when he saw one of the booths at the edge of the room available and quickly went to ask the hostess to hold it for him. 

"Hi Melinda, have you assigned table fourteen yet?" he asked the well-dressed older woman at the front door.

"Well hi there, I thought you had the night off, what are you doing here?" 

"I came to see you of course," he said with a wink. 

"Oh stop it," Melinda said with a laugh, waving her hand dismissively. 

"I'm also treating a few friends to dinner. Can you hold fourteen for me? I'm expecting three ladies to show up soon."

"Sure thing."

Grant thanked her and rushed over to the bar before he forgot to send Corie her beer. Of course once there the new bartender, Eric, had a million questions for him about the liquor inventory and he got wrapped up in business, looking up only when he heard Claudia's now-familiar raucous laugh. 

...

Anna had to admit that it was probably one of the best meals she'd ever had, which wasn't surprising given that it was probably the nicest restaurant she'd ever been to. It was certainly the most expensive and she would have felt woefully underdressed compared to the rest of the diners if she hadn't been sitting with the owner, who was himself dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. 

When she'd seen him walk out of the back of the restaurant in his casual clothes she'd practically drooled all over herself. Apparently it wasn't the pants that had made his butt look so delicious earlier because it was just as appealing in jeans. 

For the first time she was able to see more of the tattoo she'd had a peek of earlier and it was a real beauty. The tribal flame pattern started half way up his forearm and stretched to just above the neck of his t-shirt, but instead of being filled in with solid color it was filled with intricate fine lines in swirls and geometric shapes. Her eyes were drawn to the unique design and she had to keep reminding herself not to stare too hard. 

To her relief Anna made it all the way through dinner without making a fool of herself by using the wrong fork or spilling her wine. She even felt something like relaxed as they teased Grant about the woman at the bookstore who'd handed him a thong and asked him to sign it. 

Just as Anna ordered another glass of wine, Claudia stood and announced it was time for her to head home. She shot a significant look at Jesse, who immediately jumped up claiming that she, too, was out past her bedtime. They both thanked Grant for a wonderful meal and before she realized what was happening Anna found herself alone in the booth with him. There was no escape, having just ordered another drink, so she smiled nervously and complimented him again on his restaurant.

"Thanks, it kind of morphed out of the club. I opened that side of the business first and had the food as an afterthought. But I really got into developing a unique menu and then people started showing up earlier and earlier in the night to eat so it seemed like a good idea to just go ahead and do a restaurant too."

"Well, it's definitely something you should be proud of. It's really quite an accomplishment."

"Oh," Grant said, pleased. "Thank you. No one's ever put it that way before, but I guess I am pretty proud of what we've done with the place." His look of gratitude that made her blush and she covered by taking a large gulp of wine. 

"Would you like to see the club? It's right next door."

"I'd love to," Anna said with a smile. "Can I bring my wine?" 

"Of course."

Grant rose and took her hand, holding tight as he lead her through the restaurant and out the front door, waving goodbye to Melinda as he went. There was already a line on the sidewalk outside the club, but they walked past all the people and right up to the door. A tall black man stood by the entrance. He had the broadest chest Anna had ever seen, tightly encased in a black t-shirt with the words 'Dark Side' across the front in gray. The man nodded at Grant and they clasped hands in a brief shake.

"What's up, G?" he said in a gravelly voice. 

"Hey Brody, how's it going?"

"Can't complain."

"How's Marie and that precious baby?"

"I don't think I'll ever sleep again, but other than that we're good."

"Brody, this is Anna. Anna, my friend Brody. He's worked here since I opened the place and we like to say that we don't need security because we have Brody."

The man looked at her and nodded politely. "Hi there, Anna."

"Nice to meet you Brody," she said and held out her hand. He took it with surprising gentleness and one corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile as he shook it.

"L-1, alright man?"

"Yep," Brody said as he opened the door to let them in.

The music hit Anna like a wall as they walked into the darkness. There was a short corridor opening right onto the dance floor where a couple dozen brave souls were moving to the beat. Another large man, this one with pale freckled skin and long red dreds, but in the same black t-shirt, stood at the end of the hall collecting the cover and checking IDs. 

"Hey, Derek."

"Hey, boss."

"L-1, got it?" Grant said as they walked past.

"Sure thing, man." Derek nodded and glanced at Anna as he stamped the hand of a buxom brunette wearing little more than a handkerchief over her chest.

As they came out of the hallway Anna could feel the bass thudding in her chest. It was dark, with lights scattered around the edges of the room and a low stage at the opposite end where a DJ stood in a small booth. They walked along the edge of the writhing dance floor and through a wide stone archway into a smaller room, the main feature of which was an enormous L-shaped bar. 

Grant looked around, taking stock as they crossed the room. There were people scattered in booths and at tables; a group in the far corner playing pool. The girl behind the bar gave Anna the impression of an unusually cute porcupine with her spiky black hair and multiple facial piercings. She popped open a beer and set it in front of a man sitting at the bar, then turned and smiled at Grant as they approached, the smile wavering when she glanced at Anna. 

"Back so soon?" 

"I was having withdrawals. How's it going?" 

"Not bad for a Thursday."

"Did that delivery show up?"

"No, he called again and said he'd be here in half an hour. That was about an hour and a half ago."

"That asshole. It's almost 10 now, I guess he's not gonna make it tonight. I'll have a talk with him when he shows up tomorrow. Hey, this is Anna. Anna, this is my friend Corie. She helped me get this place up and running and now she's my right hand man." 

Anna smiled and said hello, noting the way Corie's jaw tensed at that last bit.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Grant asked.

Anna held up her empty glass and said, "Another one of these? It was some kind of white wine. I have no idea what, but it was good."

Grant's face brightened. "I've got something I think you'll like. I'll be right back." He turned and walked around the bar and into the cooler set into the wall behind. 

"So, where'd ýou meet Grant?" Corie asked her with a flat expression.

"At the grocery store, of all places."

Corie raised one eyebrow, a thin red hoop rising with it. "Uh huh." 

Anna was trying to figure out an appropriate response to that when Grant reappeared with a bottle in one hand, grabbed her hand with the other, and said, "Come with me." He dragged her away turning suddenly and pointing the bottle at Corie. "Hey Corie, L-1." 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 01



"Okay," Corie said, looking curiously at Anna.

Grant led her down a corridor and opened a black door. He flipped on the light as he pulled her inside and she could see a black leather couch and a small, sleek black table with a laptop on it. In the back stood an enormous fish tank that spanned almost the entire wall. 

"This is my office," he said as he closed the door behind them. "I keep a little stash in here." He grinned and winked at her as he opened the closet door revealing a small minibar. He opened the bottle of wine, poured two glasses, and handed one to her as he joined her at the fish tank.

"They're beautiful," Anna said peering through the glass at a bright blue fish gliding past.

"I spend a lot of time staring at them. It's relaxing."

"I bet. Kind of like a campfire," Anna smiled at the idea and took another sip of her wine. "Mm, this is good."

"I'm glad you like it. It's a Chilean Pinot Grigio."

"I have no idea what that means. I don't drink wine very often. Or anything, really, other than the occasional beer." 

As she spoke she realized that this was probably the most she'd had to drink in quite a while, three glasses down and working on a fourth. She set the glass down on the table next to her, making a mental note to slow down. 

"So I guess you're a pretty busy guy, running-" 

He cut her off as she turned, pressing his lips to hers only for a moment then pulling away to look her in the eyes. With his breath still teasing her skin she was barely able to register the thought that his lips felt just as good as they looked. She had to have more; her body was already leaning toward him. The second her lips met his, his hands came up to the sides of her face, pushing her long hair back with his fingers. 

His mouth opened on hers, sucking her bottom lip in gently and tasting it with his tongue. Anna sighed and opened her mouth, leaning into him as he deepened the kiss. She ran her hands up his arms, feeling his biceps tense as his palm glided down the back of her neck, gently stroking the delicate skin with his fingers. Anna shivered at the sensation and Grant slowly pulled away. 

"I've been thinking about that all day. I couldn't stop wondering how it was going to feel when I kissed you. I couldn't even concentrate on talking to you."

"How did it feel?" Anna whispered, breathless. For her part it felt like someone had knocked the breath out of her and she was having a hard time thinking clearly, struggling to maintain enough control to ask the questions that were hanging in her mind.

"Pretty damn good."

"Can you concentrate on talking now?"

"I can try," he said, staring at her slightly puffy lips. God, she was gorgeous. And her skin really was as soft as he thought it would be. He started to lean in for another kiss.

"What does L-1 mean?"

Grants eyes snapped up to hers and he smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "It's just a security thing."

"Oh." She paused for a moment, wondering whether to ask the next question, then decided to go for it. "Do you- or did you or whatever, have a thing with Corie?"

He looked surprised at that. "No. She's worked for me for a long time. She's a good friend, but nothing more than that."

"Okay. I don't mean to pry, I just...I didn't want to step into the middle of something."

"Well, there's nothing to step into the middle of. I'm not seeing anyone right now. It's been a while, actually."

"Me too."

They stared at each other for a moment, the only sounds the gentle bubbling of the tank and the distant thump of the bass. Anna broke eye contact first to reach for her wine and take a large gulp. 

"Anna."

It was just her name, but something about the way it sounded coming from his lips made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She looked at him just as he brought his lips to hers in another breath-stealing kiss. Anna steadied herself with one hand on his hip and the hand holding the wine glass draped over his shoulder. 

His arms wrapped firmly around her and she gave herself to the kiss, mindless of anything other than the gentle insistence of his tongue. She could feel the warmth spreading between her legs and she rubbed her legs together without thinking, pressing one thigh against him where she could feel the hardness under his jeans. Grant groaned and ran one hand down to cup her bottom, pulling her closer and spearing his tongue deep into her mouth.

A sharp rap at the door preceded the door bursting open and for the second time that day Anna and Grant jumped away from each other guiltily, only this time Anna's wine sloshed over Grant's shoulder soaking the front of his shirt.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," she gasped as she set her glass down, looking around frantically for something to mop up the mess.

"It's alright," he said softly, touching her on the shoulder, before shooting an irritated look at Corie who stood in the doorway looking contemptuous.

"What? I knocked this time," she said, unapologetically.

"Do you need something?" 

"Delivery is here. If you're done with the catch of the day, I thought you might want to talk to him."

"Watch it, Corie," he snapped angrily at her.

Corie rolled her eyes and stalked out, pulling the door shut behind her. Anna looked at Grant curiously.

"What was all that about?"

"That was about Corie not knowing when to mind her own damn business."

Grant went back to the closet and yanked opened a drawer, pulling out one of those black club t-shirts and tossing it on the couch. He pulled his wet shirt off over his head and wiped his chest dry with it. Anna's jaw dropped and knew she was staring, but couldn't tear her eyes away. The swirls and licks of the tattoo on his right arm mesmerized her and she thought she was beginning to pick out words and maybe images in the lines. There was another tattoo on his left pec, a column of words she couldn't make out, and his nipple on that side was pierced with a silver barbell. 

But none of that distracted her from noticing how well defined his chest and abdomen were. He wasn't a big guy, but he looked strong, the muscles of his arms and shoulders rolling under his skin as he moved and the deep groove between his chest muscles indicating he did more than just throw Frisbee and skateboard for exercise.

When he turned to grab the dry shirt she saw yet another tattoo, this one a huge black dragonfly whose body spanned the length of his back just a few inches to the left of his spine, the intricate design of the wings wrapping around his left side up under his arm and barely reaching the edge of his back on the right. 

Anna just stood silently and took him in, feeling distinctly let down as he pulled the fresh shirt on over his head. 

"I'm sorry, Anna. I really need to deal with this guy. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Please, don't be sorry. Take care of your business. I'll be here," she gestured toward the tank and smiled. "With the fish." 

With the fish? What the heck was she talking about? A little wine and one shirtless hottie and she'd turned into a complete idiot.

He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and walked back to her. He bent and gave her a quick kiss, darting his tongue out to tease her lower lip, before turning and walking quickly out of the room. 

Anna sighed shakily and collapsed back on the couch, her mind racing. A slow smile crept across her face at the thought of his hands on her body, his lips on hers. It may have been a while, but she had messed around with her share of guys and never had kisses alone sparked such heat in her, making her instantly want more. She'd certainly never considered dropping her panties and screwing a guy the day she met him, but she had to admit the thought had crossed her mind more than once today.

"Catch of the day," she murmered to herself, her smile fading. Somehow she didn't think that had anything to do with the restaurant. She shouldn't be too surprised that Grant had a different woman every day, she'd only spent part of one day with him and she'd seen countless women throwing themselves at him. And wasn't that exactly what she was thinking about doing?

Sure, he acted like he was interested in her, but that's probably what all the girls thought. That smile, those eyes, the charming smirk...yeah she was an idiot, obviously he was a player. The smart thing to do would be to walk out right now with her dignity intact, but good lord if she did that she'd never get to run her hands over that skin, those tattoos. Just the thought of leaving made her whole body tense up in protest. 

She sighed, leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes, images of all those fawning women at the bookstore dancing in her mind. 

...

Anna was laying face down in the sand at the beach, the waves gently lapping at her cheek. From far away she could hear someone calling her name. 

"Anna. Anna!" 

She opened her eyes to see a blurry face in front of her. As Grant came into focus Anna sat up with a gasp, wiping the dampness from her cheek. "Oh my god, am I drooling?"

"And snoring. Don't forget snoring," he replied with irritating cheerfulness.

"Oh god!" Anna jumped up off the couch knocking Grant backwards. She swayed sickeningly and fell back on the couch. "The room is spinning."

"Are you all right?" Grant asked, suddenly concerned.

"I think I had too much to drink. How long was I asleep?"

"I was gone about fifteen minutes. Are you sure? You only had a few glasses of wine." He felt her forehead and cheeks, the slight touches making her feel even more flushed.

"I know, I'm a lightweight. I told you I don't drink much."

"Let me get you some water." He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle. "Here, drink some of this. Do you want me to call you a cab?"

"Um-" Anna quickly calculated the cost of a taxi as she took a sip of water. "I don't live far away. I was planning on walking home."

"You can't do that."

"Oh, can't I?" Anna said, looking at him indignantly. 

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not going to let you walk home drunk and alone through a shitty neighborhood."

"Not going to let me? Are you kidding?"

"No. You're having a hard time even standing up, don't pretend I'm the one being unreasonable here." 

They glared at each other for a moment before Grant relented and said gently, "Let me drive you home. Please?"

Anna studied him, noting the sincerity in his eyes. Was he playing her? Did she care? Drunk or not, she knew she wanted him. Why shouldn't she bring him home? Sure, she'd never had a one night stand before, but there was a first time for everything, right? He'd be good, after those kisses she had no doubt about that. And if she was the catch of the day why shouldn't she get something out of it? She smiled at him as she made up her mind. 

"Sure. I'd appreciate that."

He took her hand and helped her stand. After a moment she steadied herself and he led her out of his office and out a back door into the alley behind the club. They walked a short distance to the parking lot and stopped at a black car. Grant unlocked the door and helped her sit, then walked around and climbed in next to her, the engine roaring to life.

"Where to?"

"The corner of 16th and Forrest."

"That's not close. You weren't really going to try to walk that far were you?"

"Not until Claudia and Jessie abandoned me. I was planning on catching a ride."

They both fell silent as he drove the few miles to her street. She pointed out the old house her apartment was in and he pulled up, got out, and walked around to open the door for her. He guided her up the walk, steadying her with a hand on her lower back, and opened the front door for her. Anna pulled her keys from her purse and led the way to her apartment. She turned and looked at him as she unlocked the door.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked with a smile that looked more confident than she felt.

"I would love to," he said. "But I don't think I should."

"Oh," Anna said, shocked. She flushed with embarrassment, wondering how she had misread the situation. Maybe the drooling had turned him off. She flushed even deeper at the thought and turned to go inside as she stammered out, "Okay, well, thanks again for dinner."

"Anna."

She looked up at him, mildly surprised that he was suddenly standing very close.

"I want to kiss you again."

She stared at him, confused, as he reached up and trailed his thumb lazily down her cheek. Anna could see flecks of brown in his green eyes and wondered how she hadn't noticed them before.

"Is that ok?" 

Anna nodded and once again he claimed her with his lips, his hands resting on her hips. Just as she was getting caught up in his spell again he broke away and looked her in the eyes. 

"I'm gonna call you tomorrow."

"Okay," Anna breathed as she nodded and backed into her apartment.

He waited until he heard the locks click into place before he turned and walked away, cursing softly to himself.

...

Anna peeled her dress off and threw it down on the floor of her room, confused and disappointed. The combination of pent up sexual energy and frustrated annoyance had her pretty wound up despite the quickly waning wine buzz. She climbed into bed, not bothering with pajamas, and took a deep slow breath in an unsuccessful attempt to relax. 

Grant was hard to get a read on, one minute she felt like the center of his attention, the next she felt like she was only one of a million balls he was juggling. And Corie's comment about being the catch of the day made her feel taken advantage of, even though he'd refused to take advantage when she offered. He'd promised to call, but once again she realized too late that he hadn't asked for her number. 

She shook her head at the darkness and sighed once again. Ten minutes later she was still lying awake trying to calm her mind and relax her body. Meditation was, apparently, not going to rid her mind of thoughts of Grant kissing her and the way her body had responded so strongly to him; the way it was responding right now to the mere memory of him. 

Finally the nagging itch between her legs grew to the point that she could no longer ignore it. She bit her lip and quietly slid her hand down her belly and into her panties. One finger slipped inside and wasn't surprised to find that she was wet and ready. Her mind eagerly recalled the image of Grant wiping his chest off with his shirt, the taste of his tongue stroking hers, the hot touch of his hands on her face and she was just hitting her stride when a sudden buzzing startled her. Her eyes flew open, her hand slid reluctantly away from her skin and with her other hand she reached into her purse on the side table, digging for her phone. 

She snatched the phone up and flipped it open without looking, assuming it was Claudia calling to check on her. "Hello," she answered sounding slightly breathless. 

"Hey there," Grant's voice sounded in her ear, sending a thrill of excitement through her body.

"Grant? What- how did you get my number?"

"I stole your phone and called myself from it while you were asleep. I even took a picture of myself and saved it with my contact info just in case you forgot my name again."

"Wow, that's...kind of creepy," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, I've been working on my stalker skills."

"It shows."

"I wanted to say goodnight and I, ah-" He fell silent for a moment. "I had a very hard time walking away from you tonight. I just wanted you to know that."

"Oh," she said, feeling strangely relieved. "So why did you? Walk away, I mean."

"We just met and you'd been drinking and I guess I just didn't want you to feel like I was taking advantage. I'm not really looking for a one night thing, Anna. I want more than that."

His words echoed her earlier thoughts almost eerily and she closed her eyes to absorb them. He wanted more. Did she want to give him more?

"Anna?" 

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Was that creepy?"

"No, not at all. I guess I'm kind of surprised. I was under the impression I was the, um, catch of the day," she said, hesitantly.

Grant cursed softly and let out a slow breath. "I was wondering if you picked up on that."

"Yeah."

"Look, I told you it had been a while since I'd been involved with anyone and that's the truth. But I used to be...different. I used to pick up a lot of women, hell I didn't even have to pick them up they were just always there for the taking and I took them without a second thought. I'm not like that anymore, but people who've known me for a long time sometimes have a hard time remembering that."

"Like Corie?"

"Yeah, like Corie. Not that I blame her, she's protective of me. A lot of women still come to the club looking for me. I know that sounds kind of egotistical, but it's the truth. It doesn't have much to do with me really; they're just looking for a hookup, a cool story to tell their friends. So Corie kind of runs interference for me. I think she suspects that one day I'm going to give in to temptation and slide back into my old life again. All I can do is keep trying to prove that's not going to happen until she trusts me again."

"Should she?"

"It's been about two years since- well, since I stopped all the shit I was doing. I mean it, Anna. I'm not that guy anymore. Hell, I don't know if I ever really was that guy, it just seemed like that was how I was supposed to act. That's how everyone expected me to be all my life. For the last year or so I've been trying to figure out who I am aside from all that. The restaurant has been a big part of that."

"I get it, I went through something like that when I left home. Like an identity crisis. I had to learn who I was separate from them. I'm still working on it."

"Yeah, me too."

"I was lucky, I guess, I was on my own and I got to just completely reinvent myself. No expectations or obligations. No proving myself to anyone." Anna rolled onto her back and pulled the covers up, her old mattress springs creaking beneath her.

"Are you in bed? Should I let you go?"

"I am in bed, but you don't need to let me go."

"Hold on, I need a minute to imagine what you look like in your jammies."

Anna laughed. "Try again, no jammies here."

"Damn, are you trying to get me in an accident?"

"Are you driving?"

"Yeah, I'm almost back to the club. I'm not gonna make it if you keep talking like that, though. So tell me what you're wearing."

"Well, there's nothing much to tell." Anna heard him exhale on the other end and smiled at her own boldness. "I still have my panties on, but the rest of my clothes are on the floor."

"I am such a fucking idiot. Why am I in my car right now?"

"Because you're a gentleman."

"That's right. Fucking morals. I, ah...can I ask you something and if you don't want to answer you can just pretend I never asked?"

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"What were you doing right before you answered the phone?"

Anna felt heat infuse her chest and face as she remembered exactly what she'd been doing.

"Because you didn't sound like you were just laying in bed to me."

"I- I was-" Anna stammered.

"Were you playing with yourself?"

She was quiet for a long moment and he thought she wasn't going to answer. He was about to make a joke and change the subject when he heard her whispered yes.

He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Were you thinking about me?" he asked, hoping like hell she gave him an answer he wanted to hear.

"Yes."

"Mmm, babe, if I was there right now..." He trailed off, the promise and the threat in his words apparent.

"What? What would you do if you were here?"

He fell silent again and Anna wondered if she'd gone too far. She didn't know where that had come from, she'd just said it without thinking, wanting to play along with him but unsure exactly how. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 02



Anna barely made it in time to catch the three o'clock bus. She'd gotten caught up writing a paper at the library and didn't realize it was getting so late. Fortunately the driver saw her running and stopped to wait for her because the next bus didn't come for another half hour and she was going to be fifteen minutes late as it was. 

The whole way home she was kicking herself, knowing she wouldn't have time to shower or get ready. And she really needed a shower, especially after that sprint for the bus. She wished she had Grant's number so she could at least call and let him know. It wasn't until she was five minutes from home that she remembered he'd put his number in her phone for her. 

She quickly searched her contacts, pulled him up, and burst out laughing at the picture he'd taken of himself next to his aquarium making a fish face. She pressed the call button and smiled apologetically at the woman sitting next to her, who clearly thought she was crazy.

"Hi there, gorgeous." His voice washed over her making her feel warm all over. "Running a little behind are we?"

"Crap, I guess that means you're already there. I'm sorry, Grant. I'll be home in five minutes."

"No worries. I'll see you when you get here."

"Alright."

Anna's seat mate was relieved when she finally stopped bouncing her legs nervously and pulled the wire to get the bus to stop. She walked across the lawn, scanning the street for Grant. There was no sign of his car and she wondered if he'd decided to leave and come back later. In that case, she decided, she might have time for a shower before he got back so she hurried inside and unlocked her apartment door. By the time she ran to the bathroom, pulled off her jeans and tank top, and started the shower running she heard a knock on the door. 

"Shit," she spat out, grabbing a large towel and wrapping it around herself. She looked out the peephole and saw Grant standing there looking positively edible. "Shit, shit, shit," she whispered and he looked up at the peephole with a knowing grin.

"What was that, sweetheart?" he asked with a laugh.

Anna cracked the door and peeked out. "I'm not ready yet."

"That's alright, I don't mind waiting."

She hesitated and then opened the door, clutching the towel closed tightly at her chest. "I'll just be a minute, I need to hop in the shower real quick."

"Take your time." 

She turned and headed toward the bathroom, feeling his eyes on her back. After showering in record time, especially impressive given that she shaved, Anna dried off and looked around the bathroom in dismay, realizing she hadn't brought any clothes in with her. Her apartment was the opposite of large and she knew she would have to walk right past Grant to get to her bedroom. Lord, he'd probably think she did it on purpose. Shaking her head, she wrapped the towel around herself again and stepped bravely out into the living room.

Grant was standing just a few feet away, bent over examining some pictures she had sitting on her bookself. He looked up at her, taking in her rosy cheeks, tangled wet hair, and towel clinging to her damp skin; she watched his eyes darken and narrow. 

"I'm sorry, I'll just be another minute. I need to change," she said quickly, pointing past him toward her bedroom.

His gaze slid down and back up her body before meeting her eyes. For a brief moment his eyes seized hers in a predatory stare and she instinctively took a step backward, not breaking eye contact. He moved toward her and her heart pounded in her chest, but she wasn't afraid; she wanted this, she wanted him. 

Then he smiled and it broke the spell.

"Changing is probably a good idea. Togas are, like, so 3rd century."

"I don't know, I hear they're all the rage in Rome," she quipped, her voice wavering only slightly.

He chuckled and turned back to the pictures as she walked around behind him toward her bedroom. She glanced over her shoulder, catching his eyes on her again. He grinned and winked, but the shadow of that earlier gaze remained in his eyes and she shivered again as she closed the door behind her. 

Anna looked at herself in the mirror, wondering what he'd seen that made him stop. After their little tryst on the phone last night, she'd been confident about his interest in her, but once again he had her on edge wondering what he was thinking. 

She never really thought much about her appearance, being comfortable in the cute range and not aspiring for anything more, but something about Grant made her suddenly wish she was closer to the beautiful end of the spectrum. 

Dropping her towel she turned sideways, evaluating her flat tummy and small, but perky breasts. Her hips were a bit wide, giving her a slightly pear shape, but she was fairly toned so that never bothered her much. Leaning in she looked at her eyes, bright and brown with only a few tiny laugh lines just beginning to appear. Not too shabby, she thought, but maybe he had different standards. After all, he could have almost any woman he wanted.

Anna dressed quickly, thankful she'd laid out an outfit earlier that morning; her favorite flowy blue cotton skirt and a white camisole. She didn't know where they were going or what they were doing, but hopefully she'd be dressed for anything. And he'd been wearing faded jeans and yet another t-shirt, a navy blue v-neck one this time, so she supposed she would do. After a final once over in the mirror she headed back out feeling only slightly self-conscious.

Meanwhile Grant was mentally running through all the presidents in chronological order in an effort to calm himself. He was shaken by his physical response to Anna and was chastising himself for nearly losing control. She'd taken him by surprise suddenly standing there nearly naked and wet and looking at him like she wanted him to just reach out and snatch the towel right off her body so he could drag her to the floor and... 

Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, no that wasn't right, he was forgetting someone. He sighed deeply. "Fuck it," he muttered to himself and walked to the window to hopefully find something to distract him. 

When she emerged from her room Anna saw Grant standing at the window with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He turned to look at her and smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes and she could tell he was feeling anxious about something.

"You ready?"

"Look, if I took too long and you need to be somewhere, it's ok. I'd understand."

"What? No, absolutely not. I don't have to be at the club until nine so we have the whole evening."

"Okay. So what do you want to do?"

He smirked and shot her another one of those looks that stopped her in her tracks, but said in a lighter tone, "I haven't been down to the riverfront in ages. We could go down there and walk around if you want."

"Sounds good." 

Anna slipped on her sandals and grabbed her purse and sweater and they headed out the door. 

"Oh wow! You have a convertible." Anna's delighted smile lit her face. "I've never ridden in one before."

"You rode in this one last night."

"I wasn't paying attention to your car last night," she said, rolling her eyes. "I was too busy trying to stay awake long enough to tell you where I lived. Can we ride with the top down?"

"If you like."

Anna's enthusiasm was infectious and Grant couldn't help smiling back at her as she bounced up and down in anticipation. He planned to just open her door, but at the last second had to lean in for a quick kiss before she sat down. She smelled so good he lingered a moment, lifting his hand to feel her still-damp hair. She smiled shyly at him as she sat down, her skirt sliding up her legs, and he closed her door reluctantly. 

"Aren't you worried about your hair?" he asked as he climbed in his side and pressed the button to start the top folding back into itself.

"I pretty much never worry about my hair, why?"

"Well, it gets kind of windy with the top down."

"Oh, I'll just put it up then." She dug a ponytail holder out of her purse and twisted her hair up into a loose bun. Grant just stared at her.

"What?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "You're just...you're very different from most of the girls I've known."

"How's that?" she asked.

"You say exactly what you're thinking. You're not trying to be anyone other than yourself. You just took a shower and got dressed in less than twenty minutes. No makeup, no blow dryer, no primping, you look gorgeous without even trying."

Anna blushed and didn't know how to respond. Gorgeous was not an adjective she'd ever heard applied to herself and she wasn't sure whether she believed him.

"Thanks," she finally said, to break the uncomfortable silence.

He just smiled and started the car. Anna buckled her seat belt and sat back for the ride. Her first boyfriend back home had had a poster of a woman riding in a convertible on the wall of his room and she'd wanted to ride in one ever since. The woman in the picture had been half standing in her seat, her hair blowing in the breeze and her arms up in the air with an expression of pure joy on her face. She looked free and Anna had envied that feeling at the time. 

"It's kind of loud with the top down, so I'll just turn up the radio if that's alright," Grant looked at her for approval and she nodded. He turned up the volume and music blasted through the speakers. 

Anna looked at him, surprised. "You like soul?"

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know. Not Sam Cooke, that's for sure. You're full of surprises."

"You have no idea," he said as he pulled off.

Anna didn't have much time to wonder what he meant, she soon found herself busy wondering how the woman in that poster could possibly have been enjoying herself so much while facing hurricane strength winds and bugs in her teeth. The ride was more pleasant as they got closer to downtown and the traffic slowed, but she was still slightly relieved when they pulled into the parking lot.

They spent the afternoon walking along the riverfront and browsing the little shops and kiosks that dotted First Avenue. As the sun went down the lights of downtown started coming on and the doors of the bars and restaurants started opening, music spilling out into the night. 

"Are you hungry?"

"A bit, that ice cream is holding me over."

"We could get a little something. I know a good Italian place near here."

"Okay, let's eat then."

He led her to a small cafe with a few tables out front and along the alley between the buildings. Small oil lamps on each table cast a yellow glow on the scattered couples and small groups seated there. The mouthwatering smell of fresh pizza permeated the air and Anna's stomach rumbled.

"Hungrier than you thought, huh? You're in for a treat. This place has a Margherita pizza that is like a little slice of heaven."

"Sounds delicious," Anna replied and she sat down at one of the alley tables while Grant went inside to order. He came back out with two glasses of ice water, which Anna gratefully took.

"When you said Italian I thought you meant something fancier."

"Oh," he said, taken aback. "We can go somewhere else if you want. I'm sure the pizza's not made yet."

"No!" she protested, putting her hand on his forearm. "No, I didn't mean that at all. I'm kind of relieved actually. One fancy restaurant in a week is enough for me."

His hand covered hers and held it there. Anna gazed at his thumb gently stroking her skin and wondered how such an innocent touch could send electric currents though her entire body.

"You're not a big food person, huh?"

"Hm? Oh, ah, I love to eat. Especially good food, and you had some really good food. But we always ate very simply back home and I guess that's just what I'm used to. I pretty much eat the same things over and over. Beans and rice, scrambled eggs, salads, fruit, easy things like that."

"Are you vegetarian?"

"Not really, but I don't eat meat often, the occasional chicken or fish. I don't cook much in case you hadn't picked up on that."

"I'd love to make you dinner one night. I really enjoy cooking, but I don't actually get to do it much anymore."

"You own a restaurant, but you don't cook?"

"I get in the kitchen at the restaurant maybe once or twice a week to help out, but that's not the same as making a meal at home. I used to do all the cooking there, but it got to be too much. Trying to take care of the business side at the same time distracted me and the food was suffering. Fortunately I hired a phenomenal chef that I knew from culinary school who's been great."

"You went to culinary school?"

"Yeah, several years ago. I wanted to open a restaurant right after I graduated, but my dad, well let's just say he was less than supportive and I was pretty young at the time. He still had a lot of influence over me. So I just never got around to doing anything with it until I opened the club. I was just dabbling, playing around there, but people really liked it, so I got more serious about it."

"That's so cool. You had a dream and you went out and did it, even though it took a while."

"Yeah, I guess so." He shifted in his seat, unused to compliments of that nature. 

"So what's your favorite thing to cook?"

"Now there's an interesting question." Grant thought for a moment. "I guess I like to work with fruit. It's so simple, but it's fun to come up with new ways to use it. Most of the things I make are pretty simple, actually, I just make them with quality ingredients. I like to surprise people and usually end up surprising myself in the process. Like the star fruit dish I made for the book signing. I was playing around with making different sauces with coconut milk and fruit juices, trying to make a sweet and spicy curry entrée, but it was so good without the spice I ended up using it for a dessert."

"I never thought about food being creative before, but it seems like sort of an art for you."

"That's exactly how it feels sometimes." He smiled at her, pleased that she was able to put her finger on it so quickly. "But enough about me, tell me about school."

"I'm getting my degree in English Literature and a minor in Business Management. I may end up with a double major by the time I'm done, I'm not sure. I've actually been enjoying the business classes a lot more than I expected. I'd love to own my own bookstore one day."

"Sounds like you have a dream, too. You'll get there eventually."

"I hope so. Its slow going doing it all part time, but every little bit is progress."

They were interrupted by the arrival of the pizza, which turned out to be just as good as promised. They lingered over dinner, talking and laughing. Anna finally got a chance to look closer at the tattoo on his arm, leaning in and tracing the lines with her finger. It turned out there were images and words hidden in the lines, he told her he added to it periodically when significant things happened in his life that he wanted to commemorate.

"What does the one on your chest say?"

"It says, 'human folly does not impede the turning of the stars.' To remind me that no matter how bad I screw up, in the grand scheme of things it's not so big a deal."

"Tom Robbins," Anna said with a smile. 

"You know him? I wasn't sure if you'd stumbled on his stuff yet."

"I love his books. Claud turned me on to him a while back."

"That's from Skinny Legs and All, it was the first of his books that I read. Once I read it I couldn't stop until I'd read them all." 

"I was the same way. I love his catchy little one-liners. That's how I recognized it, I used that exact phrase on our quote of the day board at the book shop a few months ago."

"Oh yeah?"

They talked books for a while and Anna was impressed that he was able to keep up with her. She smiled to herself, thinking how wrong her first impression of Grant had been. For some reason she'd assumed he was more of a video game guy than a book guy and she'd been willing to overlook it because she liked him otherwise. But once again she had to admit to herself that she'd made unfair assumptions about him.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I'm realizing what a snob I am."

"Believe me, I know a snob when I see one and you are far from it," he said wryly.

Before she could ask him what he meant their check arrived and they got up to go.

"We have time to walk down by the river again if you want." 

"That sounds nice."

They headed back toward the river and strolled along the walkway a while before pausing at a landing overlooking the water. The lights of the city danced on the surface of the water, turning what was normally a brown muddy mess into something beautiful. Anna stepped up on the bottom rail and leaned way over, trying to see how far up the river she could see. She felt his hands close on her waist and turned her head around to smile at him.

"Am I making you nervous?" she teased.

"You should get down."

"I'm holding on. I'm not going to fall."

"Come on, Anna."

She turned in his grasp, carefully placing her feet so she was facing him standing on the rail, his head level with her chest. His hands tightened on her waist and his face was tense.

"Seriously? Am I freaking you out?"

"No, I just...wish you would come down."

Anna took one hand off the rail and brushed a curl back behind his ear, leaving her hand resting on his neck. 

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"Maybe a little."

Anna giggled and leaned toward him, waiting until she felt his arms tighten around her before stepping down off the rail and sliding slowly down his body. He held her close, the tightness around his eyes and mouth relaxing. 

"Full of surprises," Anna murmered.

In reply he dropped his head down and kissed her fiercely, his tongue relentlessly invading her mouth. She kissed him back just as aggressively, confident that this time it would lead to more. He backed her up against the railing and pressed himself against her, one hand tangling itself in her hair. 

He gently pulled her head back and lowered his mouth to her neck, placing wet kisses along the soft underside of her jawbone. She slid one hand down into the back pocket of his jeans, finally getting her hands on the ass she'd been longing to squeeze since she first looked up at it from the floor in the grocery store. 

Turning her head toward him she caught his ear lobe, sucking it into her mouth, nibbling and licking. His sharp intake of breath encouraged her to bring her knee up between his legs, resting her foot on the bottom rail and rubbing her thigh against his obvious erection. She felt him make a low noise in his throat and suddenly he stepped back, breathing heavily. He held her at arms length, his hands on her upper arms and his head down. Finally he looked up at her.

"We should head back to the car," he said in a hoarse voice. "I need to get to work soon."

"Come home with me before work."

"I can't be late."

"Okay. You could come over after," she said, almost embarrassed at her own boldness, but he seemed to want her as much as she wanted him so she went for it.

Grant's jaw clenched and he shook his head. "I can't. Not tonight."

Anna didn't speak, just nodded. She was afraid she'd either burst into tears or scream in frustration if she opened her mouth, so she just let him take her hand and lead her back toward the parking lot. They walked in silence, tension lying like a lead blanket between them.

"You're mad at me," he said, more statement than question.

"No, I'm not mad."

"What then? I can tell it's something."

"Well, I'm embarrassed that I keep making an idiot of myself throwing myself at you. And I'm confused. I mean, you're sending some pretty mixed signals. One minute you act like you want me and the next-"

Before she knew what was happening Grant yanked her off the sidewalk into a dark recessed doorway. He stepped up so close she could feel his chest brushing the tips of her nipples and looked straight into her eyes as he spoke.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 02



"Let me be very clear," he said, his voice low and heavy with intent. "I want there to be no doubt in your mind that I want you."

He grabbed her hips and pulled her to him, pressing himself against her, letting her feel the hardness against her belly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"If wanting you was the only factor in this situation I'd have fucked you last night when you invited me inside. Or on the floor of your apartment after your shower this afternoon; don't act like you didn't want me to because I know you did," he said, cutting her off again and pressing closer, backing her against the brick wall. 

"Hell, if wanting you was the issue I'd pin you up against this wall right here," he lowered his head so he was whispering right into her ear. "I'd tear your panties off and make you scream my name."

Anna shuddered, her neck flushing and her breath coming short. She felt dizzy and her hands came up and splayed against his chest to steady herself.

"You like that idea, don't you?" 

He darted his tongue out and pressed it against the pulse point under her jaw, slowly moving up to behind her ear. Anna's mind was whirling and she couldn't think, let alone speak.

"Would you let me fuck you right here?" he whispered, moving his hips against her.

She trembled as he brushed his hand up the front of her thigh and ran his thumb along the elastic of her panties at the top of her leg. He exhaled slowly.

"You would, wouldn't you? God, I could do it, too. I could do it in a second," he murmured, almost as if he were talking to himself.

His thumb snuck under the elastic and caressed the joint just under it, tantalizingly close to where she was aching for him. Anna clenched his shirt in her hands and whimpered. Suddenly nearby voices startled her out of the trance. She pushed against him and looked around, panicked. 

"Grant, stop. There are people coming."

"I guess you'll have to try to be quiet, then."

He angled his body so she couldn't be seen from outside the doorway and snaked his thumb further in, running straight down her crease without penetrating. He could feel her wetness seeping out from between her lips and took a deep, steadying breath. 

Anna bit her lip to keep from crying out as he ran his thumb back up and down again, pressing harder this time, barely slipping inside her. A group of noisy drunks passed by the open doorway, oblivious to them. 

"Do you really want me to stop?" he murmered in her ear, repeating his slow, teasing touch.

Anna shook her head and without warning Grant moved his hand up and slid it back down the front of her panties, slipping one finger deep inside her. Anna let a cry escape and pressed her face into his neck to smother it. Grant tightened his grip on her waist with is other arm and plunged his finger back inside her, eliciting another muffled groan. He slid his finger out and slowly circled her clit with it before plunging two fingers inside her. 

"I want you to come for me again. I want to see it this time," he murmered, his lips brushing her ear. He slid one knee between hers, forcing her to step her legs apart a little further.

Anna was too caught up in the moment to be mortified, though somewhere deep inside her she knew she should be. Someone could look in at any moment and see them, but that only heightened her arousal. And he knew it. 

Her fingers were digging painfully into his pecs and he felt her breath coming in shallow gasps against his neck as he stroked her clit again with his fingertips a few times then penetrated her once more. 

This time he slid his fingers as deep as they could go, his palm pressing right up against her clit as he fingered her. Anna burrowed into him, opening her mouth against his collarbone and sucking hard to keep from making noise. Her hips were rocking against him in silent encouragement, grinding herself against him and spreading her wetness all over his hand. Very slowly he drew his thumb in to strum her clit.

"Come for me, Anna," he demanded in a low voice.

And she did. Clinging to his chest she shattered into a million pieces. Her eyes squeezed shut and her knees gave out, but he held her weight, pressing her firmly against the wall and tightening his arm around her waist. His fingers continued to plunge into her in time with the clenching of her muscles, prolonging her climax until she thought she might pass out. 

He withdrew his hand as her breathing slowed, gently drawing his fingers up over her clit eliciting a final shudder as he slid his hand out of her panties. She stayed there with her face buried in his neck for a moment, trying to get control of herself.

"You're killing me," he muttered. 

Anna looked up at him with an expression of disbelief. "I'm killing you?"

Grant took advantage of the fact that she was looking at him to kiss her again, gently this time, feeling her breathing slow and her body relax. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

"Yes, you're killing me. I have to go to work now and act like I can concentrate on anything other than all the other things I want to do to you."

"You're sure you can't come over after work?"

"Believe me, I would like nothing better. Please don't think it's because I don't want to be with you. I can honestly say I've never wanted any woman quite like this. I can barely control myself around you. And it's not just wanting to fuck. It's you. I want you."

"Ok, you want me. I believe you. Then what's the problem? Why do you keep backing off?"

"Part of it is that I want to do it right. I told you I didn't want just one night with you and I don't want our first time to be a quickie on the floor-"

"Or in a dark doorway?"

"Or in a dark doorway," he said, shooting her an unamused glance. "I just want to do this right, for once."

"That's sweet, Grant," Anna said, placing her palm against his cheek. "You're turning me into a crazed ball of raging hormones, but that's really sweet."

He laid his hand over hers, holding it there, but not meeting her eyes as the color rose in his face.

"Yeah well, there's a less sweet reason, too," he paused a moment, unsure how to continue. "The truth is that I slept around for a long time and I was really stupid about it. Most of the time protection wasn't on my radar. I've avoided thinking about it until now, but I didn't want to risk it with you. I went to the doc this morning to get some tests done and I'll get the results on Monday."

Anna was silent for a moment, considering his words. It was actually a relief to hear that there was a solid reason. As much as she liked the idea of him wanting to make their first time special she'd had a hard time believing that was the real reason for his hesitation. She pressed gently on his cheek and leaned to look at him so he couldn't avoid making eye contact.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"It's not exactly something I'm proud of."

"Don't be embarrassed. Your past, even the parts you aren't proud of, is what made you the person you are now. And I kind of like the person you are now. So far, anyway. And I appreciate you getting tested, it's a smart thing to do no matter what."

"Thank you." 

"It was my pleasure. Literally."

He snorted and pulled away, taking her hand and continuing toward the parking lot. 

"So Monday, huh? That's a whole two days away. What on earth will we fill all that time with?" 

"Oh I'm sure we can come up with something. Work and sleep will take up at least a few hours each."

"I do have to work tomorrow. I do double shifts at the bookstore on Saturdays so I'm there until nine."

"Bummer. I have to be at the club at nine, so I guess we're safe from temptation at least until Sunday. Oh wait, I have to cook Sunday afternoon, my chef has the day off. But I could come torture myself with your presence for a little while in the morning."

"You really know how to flatter a girl."

"Is that a yes?"

"What time?"

"Not too early, I'll be up late the next two nights. Would ten work?"

"Yep. I'll make breakfast for you."

Grant eyed her skeptically. "I thought you said you couldn't cook."

"No, I said I didn't cook. But breakfast happens to be my specialty. Um, assuming you like eggs."

"I love eggs. And I'd love for you to make me breakfast."

"Well ok, then."

They rode home in a companionable silence, Solomon Burke singing softly in the background. Anna felt like she was glowing inside, probably in part the after effects of the amazing orgasm he'd given her. 

She'd never done anything remotely like that before. She didn't consider herself to be either a prude or overtly sexual, though she also didn't have much of a frame of reference for comparison. She knew most people considered her naïve, but she wasn't totally innocent. She'd had a few lovers and of course she read a lot, so even though there were plenty of things that she had no personal experience with, she felt like the naïve label was misplaced. 

At any rate up until now her sexual experiences had been pretty basic. Mostly fumbling around in the dark, on a bed, with whoever her boyfriend was at the time. But this; this was something different and she couldn't quite put her finger on it other than to say that he made her feel different than anyone else had. 

Now that she knew she had a similar effect on him she was ready to explore where that might take her. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling the dampness of her panties and thought to herself that Monday couldn't come soon enough.

...

Grant jumped at the knock on his door, his knees almost knocking the little table over. He looked up blearily from the computer and stretched his back, calling out for whoever it was to come in. Corie walked in and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, so you wait for an answer to your knocks now? I guess that means you learned your lesson," Grant said, in attempt to wipe the stern look off her face.

"We need to talk."

He rolled his eyes and tried to joke again, "You know those are four words every man dreads." Corie just stared at him stonily, her lips pursed so hard her mouth looked like it had been carved into clay with a fingernail. Grant shrugged and gave up. "So talk."

"What are you doing?"

"Payroll," he said, gesturing at the laptop

"You know that's not what I mean, what's up with this little groupie you picked up at the grocery store?"

"She's not a groupie and it's none of your business," Grant said, thoroughly unamused by now.

"They're all groupies. And it's my business when it starts to affect the way you run this place. Hell, you've only known her for a few days and already you're showing up to work late with goddamn hickies on your neck," she said with an expression of extreme distaste. 

"You were half an hour late last night and then you had to go deal with whatever the fuck's going on at the restaurant so you didn't get here until after ten on a Friday night. I had to skip my break and Brody didn't get his until nearly eleven-thirty. It screws everything up when you're not here when you're supposed to be here-"

"You're right, I'm sorry about last night. I'm really sorry you didn't get a break. I shouldn't have been late and it won't happen again. Why do I feel like I'm talking to my boss right now?" It was Corie's turn to roll her eyes, but before she could say anything Grant continued. "But Anna isn't a groupie and I'm not turning back into an evil troll."

Corie sighed and flopped down on the couch next to him. "I'm not trying to be a bitch. I'm just all stressed out and you're acting weird. And hickies are gross."

Grant put his hand up and strained unsuccessfully to look at his own neck. "I didn't even know it was there," he murmered.

"Yeah, well, we all did. What the hell, who gives people hickeys? Was she trying to stake her claim or something?" 

"Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to hear the story behind it. And seriously, she's not a groupie. She had no idea who I was when I met her. Not a clue. She grew up on a commune, never watched television, never heard of my dad. She still doesn't know anything about me other than what I've told her."

Corie shot him a strange look. "Have you told her-"

"No," he said quickly. "It hasn't come up." He was quiet for a moment, knowing what Corie was thinking and not wanting to acknowledge it. "It's just been so cool having real conversations. Not having to dodge awkward questions or give explanations."

"So what do you even know about this girl, other than the fact that she's out of touch and has the sucking power of an algae eater?"

"You know what? You'd like her if you'd give her a chance. She doesn't bullshit, you know? Just lays it out there and you can take it or leave it. I feel like I can be myself with her. I don't feel that way with anyone else. Well, other than you."

Corie rolled her eyes again and got up from the couch, heading for the door. "Whatever, just please try not to be late again. It's hard to keep everyone else in line when they see you do it."

"Are you having problems with anyone in particular?" he asked, concerned.

"Not really. I mean, Brody's been spotty, but with the new baby at home that's understandable. And the new cocktail waitress is obnoxious as hell, but I only need her until Maria is ready to come back to work. But you know most of these guys are cool, I'm just being twitchy."

"You're not happy unless you have something to be twitchy about. It's one of your many charms."

"Whatever," she said and started to walk out the door.

"Hey, why don't you leave early tonight," he said before she disappeared. "I'll cover the bar after midnight to make up for your break last night." 

"Score! Thanks," she said with a smile.

Corie had been working hard lately and he wanted her to know he appreciated it. Plus he wanted a break from paperwork and he always liked working the bar, it was fun. He understood why Corie enjoyed it so much, he just wished he could talk her into taking the manager position he kept offering her. 

He knew she could run the place on her own, she'd done it before and she pretty much carried out all the duties of a manager as it was. But every time he offered the promotion she just said she preferred bartending. It was too bad, he was going to have to hire someone to do it since he couldn't keep up with running both places for much longer. Especially if he couldn't resolve these inventory issues. 

...

"So you didn't do the dirty?"

"No, not yet." Anna was reluctant to say more, she already felt a weird sense of loyalty to Grant.

"That's crazy, Anna. Jeez, anyone can look at the two of you and see you're dying to get in each other's pants."

"Yeah, well. We are I guess. I'm a little nervous, though."

"Why, do you think his dick is too big for you?"

Anna ignored the comment and continued, "You've seen some of the guys I've dated, right?"

"Um, yeah. I've smelled them, too. You have a thing for hippies," Claudia said, making a disapproving face.

"There's nothing wrong with hippies," Anna said to her friend, rolling her eyes. "But it's not just that. I don't really know how to explain it, it's like up until now I've been with...dudes, you know? Just regular guys and they were nice and I liked them and we had okay sex. But Grant is..." She paused, searching for the right way to say it. "He's so virile and sexual and...I guess I'm just a little afraid that I'm not going to be enough for him. Like he's out of my league, do you know what I mean?"

"No, I don't know what you mean. Anna, you are beautiful and funny and kind and you might try to hide it, but I know you've got a filthy mind in that pretty little head of yours. You're thinking too much about it. You just need to let go of those inhibitions and get a piece of that ass while you can because men like that are surprisingly hard to come by. And if you don't want him, you can just pass him right along to me. I've got a few things I'd like to teach him."

Anna made an apologetic face at the young man who just walked up to the register and started ringing him up. Claudia was, fortunately, quiet until he walked away.

"Are you seeing him tonight?"

"No, he's working late, but I'm making him breakfast tomorrow."

"Does that mean he's sleeping at your place?"

"No," Anna rolled her eyes and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe I should read some of his book tonight."

Claudia looked at her speculatively and said, "Maybe you should hold off reading his book for a while. Get to know him first, you know?"

"Why? Is he a horrible writer?"

"No, not at all. Nevermind, it was just a thought."

The afternoon passed quickly, the store was much busier than usual and the time flew by. Anna wondered on more than one occasion what Claudia had meant and by the time she cleaned up and closed the shop she was itching to get home and start Grant's book.  

Claudia drove her home, dropping her off with more admonishments to "jump on the horse and ride him" and Anna laughed all the way inside. She ate a quick dinner of leftover beans and rice, changed into her favorite old worn tie dyed t-shirt and snuggled into bed with Grant's book. 

Three hours later she was still reading. It was surprisingly good; full of stories about wild parties and close calls, but written with a self-deprecating, cynical humor that made it clear he wasn't trying to glorify the playboy lifestyle he'd grown up with. She was just about to start the last chapter when the buzzing of her phone startled her out of her skin. She looked at the screen and was surprised to see a text from Grant.

"you awake?"

She smiled and texted back, "yes caught up in a good book"

"can I interrupt?"

"can you control yourself?"

"I can try"

"come on then" 

Anna leapt out of bed and changed out of her old baggy t-shirt into a set of silk pajamas shorts and top that Claudia had bought her for last Christmas. This was the first time she'd had occasion to wear them. She brushed her hair and teeth quickly and was standing in the middle of the living room scanning for things to clean up when she heard the knock. She peeked to make sure it was him and pulled open the door.

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Hi. This is a surprise."

"I know, I'm sorry," he said, bending to give her a peck on the cheek. "I just thought I'd take a shot on you still being up."

"You caught me on an odd night. It's way past my usual bedtime, past yours too by the look of it."

"Yeah, it was kind of a long night."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Well, have a seat, can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks." 

He flopped down and leaned back against one arm of her salvaged brown couch stretching his legs out along the front of it. Anna looked at him curiously. He really did look tired and she got the feeling there was something else wrong. She sat down facing him at the other end of the short couch and nudged his calf with her foot.

"Why'd you come over?" she asked him when he met her eyes.

"I wanted to see you."

She reached her hand out to him and when he took it she pulled him toward her until he was leaning against her, resting his head on her shoulder. They wrapped their arms around each other and lay there in silence for a few moments.

"Thanks," he said, his voice muffled against her neck.

"For what?"

"I needed a hug."

"I could tell." She paused a moment before adding, "Are you worried about the tests?"

"How did you know that?" he asked, looking up at her without lifting his head.

Anna shrugged. "I would be. It's pretty nerve-wracking."

"I didn't think it would bother me so much, but it does. I feel guilty. I should have done this a long time ago. All those times, if I thought about it at all I just thought about me, figuring if I got something, fuck it. I wasn't even thinking about whether I already had something and was passing it on to somebody else. Pretty damn selfish."




Turning of the Stars Ch. 02



"Yeah, it was."

He lifted his head this time, raising his eyebrow at her.

"What? It was. I'm not going to lie. That doesn't mean you're a bad person, you just made selfish, self-destructive choices. Lots of them, apparently. But the important thing is that you're making different choices now."

"I guess so."

"And no matter what the results of those tests are, you're just going to have to do what you gotta do and get on with life."

He sighed and put his head back down; his fingers absentmindedly playing with the hem of her pajama shirt. 

"You make it sound simple."

"It is simple."

"Did you put these on just for me?"

"Are you changing the subject?"

"Yeah. So did you?"

"Maybe."

"Why Anna, I believe that is the closest you've come to being dishonest with me since I met you," he said with a grin. "You know what I have to do now." 

Before she could respond he slid his hand up to her ribs and started tickling her, causing her to buck and hoot in protest. She laughed and tried to squirm away, but ended up caught underneath him, his weight pinning her down. 

"No fair! You're bigger than me," she gasped.

Grant shifted his weight so he wasn't crushing her, bringing himself suddenly face to face with her. They stared intently into each others eyes for a moment and then very slowly he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled into his kiss and he pulled back.

"What?"

"I thought you said you'd control yourself," she whispered. 

"I said I'd try. This is me, trying." He kissed her again, gently, holding his weight off of her and letting her set the pace. Anna slid her hands up over his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck, opening her mouth to invite him in. She explored his mouth with her tongue, sucking and nibbling at his lower lip. They lay there kissing for a long time, entwined in each other's arms, slow and unhurried. 

Knowing this wasn't leading to more allowed both of them to keep their desires mostly in check, but when Grant's hand slid up her shirt and began gently teasing one sensitive nipple Anna couldn't stifle her moan of pleasure. Her hips arched up against his and he clutched her tight, his restraint nearly breaking when she wrapped on leg around her hip and rubbed herself against his thigh. He broke the kiss and pulled back sighing heavily, resting his head against her chest, listening to her heart beat slow down. 

He laid so still that after a few moments Anna thought he'd gone to sleep. She was just beginning to wonder whether she should wake him when he looked up at her. 

"It's late,"

"Yeah."

"Do you, ah, want me to go?" he asked, the uncertainty clear in his green eyes.

"Might as well stay, you're supposed to be here in a few hours anyway." 

A wide grin spread across his face and he kissed her cheek then sat up, pulling her up after him. He followed her into her bedroom, making a concerted effort to keep his hands to himself, and watched with a smile on his face as she climbed onto the bed and flopped down on the far side. He went to move the book sitting open on the pillow and froze when he picked it up. 

"I didn't know you were reading this."

"Yeah, I got sucked right in. It's really good, Grant, you're an excellent writer. Certainly proved me wrong," she said with a grin.

Grant gave her a weak smile, acknowledging the compliment. "You haven't finished it yet?"

"No, I'm just starting on the last chapter."

"In that case there's something I should probably go ahead and tell you," he said, grimly.

"Okay." 

He sat down on the edge of the bed, setting the book on the bedside table. He looked nervous again, stressed, and she wondered what on earth he was about to say. Grant looked her in the eye and took a deep breath.

"I wrote most of that book in prison." 

Anna sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees while she tried to think of something to say. Grant looked at her nervously, trying to gauge her reaction by her face, which was oddly blank.

"I kept kind of a journal, writing down funny stories and memories or whatever just to keep myself sane. And I wrote down recipes, things I wanted to try to make once I got out. Prison food sucks."

She still hadn't spoken and he realized he was babbling so he shut his mouth.

"I'll go if you want me to," he said quietly.

"No, you don't have to go. I'm just sort of surprised, I guess. What, um, what did you go to prison for?" 

"Assault and attempted homicide."

"Oh."

But they dropped the attempted homicide charge on appeal."

"Oh."

"It was a few years ago, I was only in there for a year before they let me out early."

"Oh."

"Come on babe, you gotta give me more than that. I can't tell if you're appalled or impressed."

"Neither," she said, shooting him a wry look, "Like I said, I'm surprised. I know I don't know you that well, but you don't really seem like the assault and attempted homicide type."

"Yeah well, I told you I used to be different. Although to be honest if it happened now I'd probably do the exact same thing. That asshole had it coming." 

Anna raised her eyebrows at that, unable to imagine a situation in which anyone could deserve to be nearly killed. Grant's remorseless attitude surprised and disappointed her. 

"I should have said something before."

"No. It's not like you should have to walk around with it tattooed on your forehead or anything."

"The dates are right here," he said, lifting his sleeve and pointing to one of the licks of flame on his bicep. Sure enough, now that he pointed it out she could see the numbers swirled into the pattern of lines. 

"So you got out a year ago? Right before you started the restaurant."

"Yeah, I had to throw myself into something and that seemed like a good thing to absorb myself in."

Anna wanted to ask another question, but hesitated because she wasn't sure she really wanted to hear the answer. After a moment she took a deep breath and went for it.

"So what happened? What did he do to deserve...whatever you did to him."

Grant ran his hand through his dark curls and sighed deeply, unsure of how to answer. This wasn't a conversation he'd had to have with anyone else. Most people knew, or thought they knew, what he'd been convicted of since it had been splashed all over the news at the time. He finally settled for telling her as much as he could without giving away other people's secrets. It was only slightly more than she'd have been able to get from the news had she had a television.

"It was a drunk asshole from the club. He got out of line, he hurt someone I cared about, and I went after him. I beat the shit out of him, but I wasn't trying to kill him."

"Jesus, Grant, what did he do?"

Once again Grant didn't know what to say, but he looked her in the eye and said as honestly as he could, "I'm not trying to be evasive. If I were the only person involved I'd tell you everything, but I can't do that. All I can do is ask you to trust me when I say that I had a very good reason for what I did."

He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and he held his breath waiting for her answer, well aware that it would be completely reasonable of her to ask him to leave and never contact her again. He couldn't believe how nervous he felt, how badly he wanted her to accept him. 

His heart was pounding as they stared into each others eyes across the bed for what seemed like ages before she finally held her hand out to him for the second time that night. He took her hand and exhaled in relief, feeling like he'd dodged a bullet. He leaned across the bed and pulled her to him, lying back against the pillows.

"Take your shoes off at least," she admonished before he got too comfortable. "Convicted felon or not, I won't stand for uncivilized behavior."

He laughed and let go of her to kick his shoes off the side of the bed. 

"You should take your shirt off too, while you're at it."

"Oh yeah? You think you can control yourself if I do?"

"I can try," she said with a grin.

He sat up and pulled his shirt off while she lay there watching, wondering to herself if she was being an idiot. His having been in prison didn't bother her nearly as much as the violence of the crime that put him there. Her gut was telling her she could trust him, but Claudia had said on many occasions that she was too trusting and that just because she was honest and straightforward didn't mean other people were. 

Still, Grant's behavior toward her had been nothing but kind so far, so for now she decided to accept him at his word. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to be on her guard.

"You know I don't think I've ever slept with a woman without sleeping with her first," he said as he reached across her toward the lamp.

"Well then this should be an enriching experience for you- Holy crap, did I do that?" she exclaimed, pointing to a dark mark just above his collarbone.

"Why yes, that would be your handiwork. Thanks, by the way, I got a couple of compliments on it at work," he said as he turned off the light.

He lay back down next to her, wrapping his arm around her and she settled into him comfortably.

"Sorry about that. I don't think I've ever given anyone a hickey before."

"Nah, it was my fault for having such amazing fingers."

Anna blushed in the darkness, remembering what he'd been doing when she was sucking on his neck.

"I can't believe I've got you in my bed shirtless and I'm about to fall asleep," she murmered.

"Don't worry babe, if I have my way you'll have plenty more chances to have me in your bed shirtless," he replied, but Anna didn't hear. She was already asleep.

... Anna woke with the sun warming her face. The unfamiliar feeling of having someone else in her bed disconcerted her for a moment, but she smiled when she opened her eyes and found herself still in his embrace. She tried to gently extricate herself without waking him, but as she slipped out from under his arm he rolled toward her and tightened his grip, mumbling in his sleep. 

Her body relaxed into his arms and she lay there watching him sleep for a while, his features relaxed into boyish innocence, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. At some point in the night he'd taken off his jeans and he was laying next to her looking good enough to eat in nothing but a pair of thin blue cotton boxers. 

The novelty of having a man's body at her disposal was too much for Anna and she couldn't help reaching up and tracing the lines of his tattoo on his arm, over his shoulder and up onto his neck. Her hand drifted down to his chest, the coarse hair tickling her fingertips, the skin surprisingly soft, belying the hardness of the muscle just underneath. 

She leaned in and brushed her lips against the mark she'd made on his neck, inhaling his scent and relaxing against him. Slowly she became aware of a hardness pressing against her hip and she looked up at his face to see a grin spreading across it. Grant opened one eye and peered down at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"S'alright. I don't mind being woken up like that at all," he said groggily, tightening his arms around her.

"You don't have to get up yet, it's still early. But I'm going to get started on breakfast."

"No."

"No?"

"Don't go yet," he said, brushing her hair back from her face and leaning down to kiss her. 

Once again the world slipped away and she lost herself in his arms. Their hands roamed each other's bodies, exploring. Anna discovered that the slightest brush of her fingers against his nipple ring made Grant shudder all over. She pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him, returning to the soft spot on his neck that she loved to kiss. 

"It occurs to me," she said with a smile, "that I owe you."

She blazed a trail of kisses down the center of his chest and looked up at his face. His eyes were half-closed, but trained on her as she bent down and flicked one nipple with her tongue, hardening it instantly. She moved to the pierced nipple and pressed her tongue flat against it, licking it then sucking it into her mouth. 

The metal was warm and she wiggled the balls of the barbell with her tongue, eliciting a jerk and a sharp exclamation from Grant. She looked up in alarm, afraid she'd hurt him, but he put his hand on the back of her head and gently pressed her back down. As she played with his nipples she slid her body down between his legs and she could feel his erection pressing hot against her belly, having freed itself through the opening of his boxers. She wiggled against him and felt his hand tighten against her head.

"Anna," he groaned in objection.

"I owe you one," she said, "Trust me."

She slid the rest of the way down and was momentarily astonished at what she found. He was only slightly longer than average, but much thicker than she was used to and for a split second she heard Claudia's voice echoing in her head asking if she thought his dick was too big for her. 

She suppressed a giggle with difficulty, wrapping her hand around him and sliding it down to the base. She ran her tongue from her hand all the way up the length of him and then took just the head into her mouth, sucking gently as she ran her tongue in circles around the tip.

"Oh, fuck," Grant moaned as he pushed his head back against the pillows and fisted her hair in his hand.

Anna crowed inwardly at her ability to turn him into mush. She'd been told by more than one ex-boyfriend that she was really good at this and apparently she still had the knack, despite lack of practice. She pulled her head back and released suction with a gentle pop as she squeezed him rhythmically with her hand. Again she ran her tongue around the tip before sucking him back into her mouth. 

"Jesus, Anna."

Grant's hips came up pressing himself further into her mouth and she opened wider to accommodate him, sucking harder and swirling her tongue around and around. She pulled back until just the head was in her mouth and then quickly plunged back down, taking him as far back into her throat as she could. Grant groaned loudly and for a brief moment held her there by her hair, pressing her down and causing the tip of him to slip further into her throat. She instinctively tried to swallow and her throat closed against him causing her to gag a little, but she recovered and Grant instantly let go.

"Goddamn. I'm sorry, babe, I'm sorry," he said breathlessly, clutching the sheets to keep from grabbing her again.

"It's alright," she whispered. 

To prove it she once more slid her mouth down his length, pressing herself down this time and taking him even further than before. Her eyes watered and her throat muscles constricted against him, but now that she was prepared she was able to suppress her gag reflex and slide him in far enough that her lips brushed the fingers of her hand. She squeezed as she slowly sucked and pulled back to the tip before swallowing him again. And again. Grant was making inarticulate noises and she could already tell he was getting close when he reached up and gently pulled her head back.

She slid her mouth off and replaced it with her other hand, pumping him hard with both fists. He arched back against the pillow and she closed her fingers over his head as he exploded, shooting hot liquid into her hand. Anna continued to stroke him firmly as he came, watching his face relax and gentling her touch as the climax faded. 

"Jesus," he muttered. 

"I'll be right back," she said, grinning to herself as she pushed up off him. 

Anna felt inordinately pleased with herself as she walked to the bathroom and rinsed her hands and mouth. Though she'd known she was good at that she'd never actually enjoyed it before, but this time it was almost as satisfying as if she'd had an orgasm herself. Standing up from the sink Anna caught her reflection in the mirror and froze. The woman in the mirror had a smug, confident look on her face. Her lips were slightly swollen and reddened and her cheeks were flushed pink. She looked downright sexy. 

Anna walked back into the bedroom, suddenly aware of the sway of her hips and the way her hair cascaded over her shoulder and between her breasts. Grant was still lying exactly where he had been when she left. She laughed and flopped down onto the bed next to him. He looked at her with a huge grin on his face. 

"Damn, woman, where did you learn to do that?"

"I took lessons."

"From whom?" he looked at her skeptically and she laughed again, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I'm kidding, it's just a natural skill I happen to possess."

"Well you're amazing. I can't say I've ever had a bad blow job, but that was above and beyond."

"Does that mean we're finally even?"

"Yeah, I think I might actually owe you now. Especially after the way I grabbed you," he turned to look at her, serious now. "I really am sorry, it's just been a really long time. Not that that's any excuse, but it won't happen again, I promise."

"That's too bad, I kind of liked it."

Anna blushed, hardly believing she'd said it. If it had been anyone else she might never have admitted it, but she had a feeling Grant wouldn't judge her or think less of her. She was right. His eyes narrowed, glittering green, and his tongue snaked out to wet his lower lip, sending a shiver of anticipation down her spine. 

"Oh yeah?" he said in a low voice. "Like it a little bit rough, do you?"

"Maybe a little."

He grabbed her wrists and rolled over so she was suddenly pressed beneath him, her hands pinned next to her head. Grant stared into her eyes as he gently squeezed her wrists, measuring her reaction. Anna's eyes fluttered and her breath came in short, rapid gasps through parted lips, but she didn't break eye contact. He could feel her nipples hard against his chest and he knew without asking that it was turning her on.

"Do you like this?"

Anna bit her lip and nodded, pulling at her arms to test him. He tightened his grip slightly, and pressed his semi-hard dick against her through the thin satin pajamas. 

"And you liked it when I made you swallow my cock."

Anna felt a rush of moisture between her legs and she closed her eyes, unable to meet his gaze as she nodded. She felt the rasp of his stubble, prickly against her neck, tickling and slightly painful at the same time. He moved along her jawbone and up toward her ear, then followed the same path with his tongue, cooling and soothing the same spots. When he got to her ear again he took her lobe in his mouth and sucked gently on it.

"It's alright," he whispered in her ear. "I liked it, too."

Very slowly he trailed his lips down her neck and breast, teasing her with his breath before taking one impossibly hard nipple in his mouth. Anna jolted, arching up against him as he sucked. It felt like every nerve in her body was ignited. His hips were rocking against her and the delicious friction of the damp satin between her legs was taunting her, teasing her into wiggling against him, trying desperately to feel more of him.

"Tell me what else you liked," he said as he moved his head over to the other breast, all the while rubbing against the wetness he could feel soaking through her pajamas. 

"I um, I like it when you tell me to come for you," she stammered, blushing again.

He sucked her nipple deep into his mouth, stabbing and teasing it with his tongue as he dragged it back out. Anna was hardly breathing, the rocking of his hips against her driving her to fever pitch as he looked up into her eyes. 

"What else?"

"When you said- oh god," she gasped as Grant rose up face to face with her again, his entire body pressing hard against hers and the head of his dick sliding against the wet fabric over her clit. Just as she felt the first rush of orgasm approaching he backed off, pulling his hips away. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 03



Anna was in the back shelving a new shipment of books when she heard the bell ring indicating someone had come in the store. She knew Jessie was out front and would take care of whoever it was so she was too surprised to do any more than squeak feebly when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind and lifted her off the ground, spinning her halfway around before setting her back on her feet. 

"Surprise," a familiar voice said quietly in her ear.

"Jesus Grant, you scared the crap out of me. You're lucky I didn't use my self defense tactics on you. I took a class in college you know."

"Mm, you'll have to show me some of your moves sometime," he said, nuzzling her neck. 

Anna laughed at the tickling sensation and turned around in his arms to see that he had the beginnings of a neatly trimmed beard growing. With the baseball cap he was wearing she'd have hardly recognized him if he hadn't had his arms wrapped familiarly around her. "What are you doing here? I've been waiting for you to call all day."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just got the call myself." A huge grin spread across his face. "I had to come give you the good news in person."

Anna smiled and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing hard. 

"I'm in the clear, someone up there must like me," he muttered into her hair.

"I'm so happy for you." When she finally managed to pull back to look at his face he was still smiling and she couldn't help leaning in for a kiss. She came up for air when she felt the wall against her backside and looked up, surprised to see he'd moved her without her noticing. They were hidden between two tall bookshelves, but Anna wasn't going to take any risks. "You know we can't do it here, right? Jesse's out front."

"Is that the only reason we can't do it here? Because of Jesse? If so, I'd be glad to give her a few bucks to run out and get some lunch or something. I know there's a couch here somewhere."

Anna pushed against his shoulder weakly, unwilling to admit the attractiveness of the idea. "Shut up. So what's the plan? Do you work tonight?"

"Yes, but I've been in my office all morning getting the paperwork caught up and I'm about to go back and take care of some things at the restaurant. So I just need to stay long enough tonight to give everyone their breaks and then I can leave. We usually close early on Mondays anyway. I'll probably be free by eleven." He looked at her hopefully. "That's not too late, is it?"

"No, I don't have to be at work until one tomorrow so I can be up late."

"Good. Because I plan to keep you up very, very late," he said menacingly, punctuating his words with sharp nips to her neck.

Anna felt her body respond, arching off the wall and pressing against the length of him. She turned her head and captured his lips with hers, pressing her tongue into the warmth of his mouth. They parted only when the ringing of the bell over the door startled them both back to reality.

"Hey Jess, where's Anna?" Claudia's voice rang out in the quiet store.

"She's in the back. Um, she has a visitor," Jesse said, raising her voice in a warning tone.

Grant grinned and swept his thumb across Anna's lower lip to wipe the moisture off, then stepped away from her and turned toward the opening between the bookshelves. Anna tried to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes before following him.

"Claudia, nice to see you again."

"Hey there, handsome. I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away for long. What are you doing here? Or do I need to ask," she said smiling widely and winking at Anna as she came into sight from around the bookshelves.

"I had to see you again, of course," Grant said as he leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. 

Claudia laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Such a charmer, no wonder Anna is under your spell."

"Is she now?" Grant grinned and looked at Anna who was flushing visibly and pretending not to have heard. "I'd have guessed it was the other way around. I'm even growing this beard for her, but she hasn't said a word about it."

"Oh lord, son, don't listen to her on matters of fashion, she'll turn you into one of her smelly little hippy boys if you let her."

"Not likely. I draw the line at listening to the Grateful Dead and I'm pretty sure that's a prerequisite for hippies."

"You guys realize I'm standing right here, don't you? I can hear you." 

Claudia and Grant burst out laughing and Jessie gave Anna a sympathetic smile. 

"I should head out before I cause any more trouble. I've got some business to take care of anyway," Grant said with a wink at Anna. "Will you walk me out?"

"Sure. I'll be right back," she said to Claudia.

"Take your time. Nice to see you again Grant, come by any time."

"Will do. See you ladies later."

Anna felt a momentary flash of self-consciousness knowing her friends were watching when he put his hand on the small of her back as they walked out together; and again when he leaned in to kiss her on the sidewalk. 

"The beard looks really nice," she murmered when he pulled away. "But you didn't have to grow one just for me. I was just teasing you."

Grant shrugged and ran a hand across the hair in question. "I like it actually. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. People don't recognize me with it."

"I almost didn't," she said with a grin. "Of course usually when strange men grab me from behind I strike first and ask questions later. You got off lucky."

His grin faded and he looked her directly in the eye. "I certainly did," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Anna felt herself start to blush again and spoke to cover it. "So do you want to come to my place tonight after work?"

"I can do that. Or if you want to come by the club when you get off you could hang out for a bit and then we can go to my place as soon as I'm done. Whichever you'd be more comfortable with."

"Okay, I'll do that. I'll see you a little after nine?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you then." He planted a chaste kiss on her cheek before turning to get in his car.

Anna walked back inside, bracing herself and blushing in advance for the teasing she knew she would have to endure from Claudia.

"Oh my lord," Claudia said in an awed tone. "Why didn't you tell me he has an XK8?"

Anna stared at her blankly; whatever Claudia was talking about it was not what she'd been expecting.

"A Jaguar XK8, Anna! That one's an older model, I think late nineties, and it looked kind of beat up, but still it's possibly the sexiest car ever built. Please tell me you know what I'm talking about."

Anna shook her head hesitantly. "Are you talking about Grant's car? It's a convertible, but I'm telling you it is way over-rated."

Claudia just stared at her open-mouthed. "Luxury is wasted on you," she said, shaking her head sadly. 

...

Anna caught a ride home with Claudia and considered asking her to wait a few minutes and drive her to the club, but didn't want to explain why she was gathering things for an overnight stay. It wasn't too late and it would only take twenty minutes or so to walk there, so she said good night to Claudia and went in alone to change. 

Her heart was beating fast in anticipation; it had been doing that on and off all afternoon. She kept getting these graphic mental images that stopped her in her tracks in the middle of mundane tasks. Even Jesse, who usually was very mild mannered, had gotten annoyed with her distraction this afternoon. 

Fortunately she'd shaved in her bath the day before so all she had to do was take a quick shower and grab her toothbrush. She hesitated when she went to put on her dress, wondering if the halter top would be appropriate for the club, but it was a warm night and she had a decent walk ahead of her so she bit the bullet and put the dress on, glad for once that her breasts were small enough to get away with not wearing a bra. Just as she was gathering her things to head out she got a text from Grant.

"Take it. It's already paid for." 

Anna had no idea what he was talking about and shook her head, figuring he'd sent a text to the wrong person. The heat hit her like a wet blanket and she groaned thinking about how hot and sweaty she'd be by the time she made it to the club. And then she saw the cab waiting on the street. Her phone buzzed again.

"Don't be mad."

She shook her head at his presumptuousness and had only a moment of irritation before acknowledging to herself that she was too relieved to be upset. When they arrived at the club she gave the driver a generous tip and climbed out. 

Standing at the end of the short line in front of the club she felt awkward and wondered if there was something she should be doing with herself while she waited, but before she had much time to worry about it she heard her name.

"Anna?"

She looked up and saw Brody, the man Grant had introduced her to, standing at the door. She smiled and waved and he crooked his finger indicating she should come to the front of the line.

"Hi Brody," she said as she approached. "Nice to see you again."

"My pleasure," he said with a smile. "Go on in, you don't wait in line. You're L-1."

Anna paused a moment in the doorway. "What does that mean?" 

"It's a security level. L-1 is open access. No lines, no covers, everything is comped. Usually it's just employees and their families, a few investors. But the boss says you're L-1 so you're L-1."

"Oh," she said, slightly confused about why she'd been accorded that status. "Well, thanks again. Have a nice night, Brody."

"You too," he said, holding the door for her. 

Brody signaled to the man taking the covers, a different man than the one she'd seen there before, that she was to be waived in and she was grateful that she didn't have to deal with the awkwardness of explaining to him who she was. "I'm the girl your boss is gonna be screwing later," just seemed way too classy.

Anna walked in and felt instantly out of place alone in the club. She walked quickly past the dance floor and into the bar area. Despite her previous coldness, Corie was a familiar sight and therefore welcome. Anna sat at the bar and waited until she had a free moment to ask for a drink. Ten minutes later she was still waiting and ended up having to wave to get Corie's attention when she could see that no one else was waiting to be served.

"Hi, how are you?" she said when Corie finally approached.

"Can I get you something?"

"Oh, um, yeah, can I get a Yeungling?"

Corie set the bottle of beer in front of her without a word and walked away. 

Anna rolled her eyes at Corie's back and turned to survey the room. It wasn't crowded at all, just a few people here and there. She considered knocking on Grant's office door, but didn't want to disturb him if he was busy. Her eyes landed on the pool table and she decided to go watch the game going on. 

She sat by herself at a table nearby, but not close enough to be in the way. Three men were taking turns playing nine ball in pairs, putting quarters down on the rail to claim the next game. The men were obviously friends, but talked to each other as if they were life-long rivals and Anna found herself chuckling more than once at their insults. After about fifteen minutes of watching and nursing her beer Anna dug in her purse for two quarters and set them on the rail. 

...

Brody texted Grant to let him know that Anna had arrived, but he'd been called over to the restaurant and couldn't get away. Right after his manager cut half the serving staff there had been a late-night rush of people coming in from a nearby theater that just let out so Grant had gone over there with Janette, the new cocktail waitress, to help out. 

He chose her because he was already familiar with the restaurant, having worked there as a server before moving over to the club to cover for Marie during her maternity leave. Corie was right about her though, she was pretty obnoxious and he found himself wishing he'd just gone alone, spending so much time fending off her inept attempts to impress him that it made him feel counter-productive.

At any rate he was too busy running food, busing tables, and making a mental note to contact the manager of the theater to get a copy of their schedule to think much about it, but he knew Anna must be over at the club waiting for him. By the time the rush was over and he made his way back to the club he was a little concerned about whether she would still be there and if so, how mad she'd be. 

He shouldn't have worried, as it turned out, when he walked into the bar area his eyes were immediately drawn to Anna laughing and playing pool with Frank, Robbie, and Dan, three of his regular customers. They definitely weren't the typical club types, having long passed the retirement age for such activities, but they had started coming to The Dark Side for the food when it first opened and still came in, on nights when it wasn't busy, to play pool and get beer from Corie who, to her reluctant delight, they called the best bartender in town. 

Anna was bent over the pool table taking a shot as Grant approached and the smile she gave him when she looked up and noticed him sent a shockwave through his body. The dress she was wearing left her shoulders and a large expanse of her back bare and the effect on him was powerful and immediate. He came to a stop several feet away to give himself a moment to regain control and suppress the urge to pull the tie at her neck just to watch the dress fall away from her breasts. 

Anna chose that moment to walk around to his side of the table and bend to take another shot. His imagination helpfully supplied a mental image of her bent over the pool table in front of him with that dress pushed up on her back and her panties yanked down around her ankles. 

When he finally tore himself away from his pornographic thoughts he watched in astonishment as she proceeded to knock in the five ball, then the six. Then she chalked her cue and muttered something as she bent and carefully lined up the cue ball to knock the seven into the nine which rolled all the way across the table and land in the corner pocket.

Robbie, Dan, and Grant all burst into a simultaneous, "Oh!" when the ball fell in, while Frank stood silently shaking his head in disbelief. Anna smiled and gave her cheer squad high fives and then turned to Grant and waved hello.

"Looks like you just got your ass handed to you, Frank," Grant said with a smile. Frank flipped him the bird. 

"Watch out for this one, Grant, she's a hustler." Robbie maintained a comically straight face while he spoke. "I'm just lucky you came along before she got her chance at me."

"Hey now," Anna objected. "If I was a hustler I'd be walking away richer. As it is I'm down a whole fifty cents."

"That means you'll have to come back and try to make your money back another time," Frank said with a grin. 

"Maybe next time I can give you lessons." Anna handed her cue to Dan, who once again burst into laughter at his friend's expense.

"I knew you had it in you." Robbie clapped Anna on the shoulder and turned to Grant. "She's been nothing but sweet and almost apologized for whipping poor Danny here on her first game. But now that she's walking away she starts on the shit-talking."

Grant gritted his teeth and the sight of Rob's hand on Anna's bare skin, but he knew the man was harmless so he suppressed the urge to knock his teeth out. Instead he smiled and said, "I guess that means I should get her out of here before she brings one or more of you to tears."

"Yeah, take her away while my dignity is still intact," Robbie said, winking at her.

"Thanks for letting me hang, guys. Have a good night." 

"See you guys later." Grant slipped his arm around her possessively and smiled as they walked away. "Now, I know the CIA didn't teach you to be a pool shark. Where on earth did you learn to play like that?"

"Imagine a bunch of bored teenagers on a farm looking for any excuse to get out of their parents' houses for a while. We spent a lot of time in the community center and there was a pool table in there," she said with a smile. "Do you mind if I stop at the bar and buy those guys a pitcher? They were so nice and didn't mind at all when I busted in on their game."

"Of course." As gorgeous as she looked tonight he wasn't surprised in the least that the guys hadn't minded her joining them, though he wisely didn't voice those thoughts. He waved to get Corie's attention as they approached the bar. "Dan and the guys' next round is on the house."

"Alright," Corie called from the other end of the bar.

He turned to see Anna laying down a ten dollar bill on the bar and shook his head. "It's on the house."

"I said I wanted to buy it. I'll pay for it." She walked away from the bar leaving the money.

He stuck the ten in the tip jar and caught up with Anna at the door to his office. "Has anyone ever told you you've got a stubborn streak?" he muttered as he unlocked the door and walked inside.

Anna followed him in and was just opening her mouth to speak when Grant turned and pushed her back against the door, closing it and lowering his mouth to hers at the same time. Whatever she had been about to say evaporated from her mind as he pressed against her, his hands sliding over her body, his tongue demanding entrance. 

Her hands came up to tangle in his curls and the last coherent thought she had was that he'd clearly been holding back up to now. She'd thought his kisses had affected her before, but this unrestrained version of Grant was a whole different ball game. He filled her senses, overwhelming and confusing her, making her weak in the knees and breathless.

Grant reached around her to lock the door and then pulled back and looked at her intently as he brought his hand up around her neck and grabbed the dangling string of her halter top. Her eyes were glued to his face while he slowly drew it downward between her breasts, his fingers trailing along her skin as he went. 

Anna felt a slight pop as the knot at her neck came loose and then the cool draft as the fabric covering her breasts fell to her ribs. The combination of amusement, satisfaction, and intense lust was so apparent on Grant's face that he might as well have just spoken it out loud and it made her tremble with anticipation.

His fingers found the delicate skin on the sides of her breasts, stroking up and down a few times before letting his thumbs drift down to tease the undersides. He watched, fascinated, as the skin around her nipples puckered and wrinkled to hard tips. 

Anna's breath was coming in shallow gasps and when he once again circled her areola without closing in on her nipple she let out a frustrated moan. The sly smile it brought to Grant's face told her that had been what he was waiting for.

He looked up into her eyes with the smirk still on his face and she only had time to notice that his eyes had darkened nearly to black before he brought his lips to hers and covered both breasts with his hands, kneading them gently as he brushed the tips with the rough skin of his palms. 

Anna gasped into his mouth, and his tongue pushed deep into hers, stroking her in time with his hands. She barely had the presence of mind to think, but instinctively pulled his shirt out of his pants and started to slide her hand inside. Grant grabbed her wrist and lifted her arm above her head. 

"Uh uh, I've got some business I need to take care of before we get to that," he said with a crooked grin.

He lifted her other arm and held both wrists with one hand, leaving his other free to attend to business. He teased her nipples with light pinches and tugs as he kissed her lightly, nipping at her lips, refusing to give in to her attempts to capture his mouth with her own. Anna stomped her foot in frustration and he chuckled darkly, pressing close with is body and rubbing his prickly chin along her jaw line. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 03



"Impatient, are we?" He pulled back long enough to glance at her flushed face.

"You're driving me crazy."

"Good."

Grant walked backwards toward the couch, sat down and pulled her towards him with both hands until she knelt straddling him on the couch. Anna thought briefly about asking what happened to not wanting their first time to be a quickie and then decided she didn't want to risk him changing his mind so she kept her mouth shut- or if not shut, then at least quiet. She bent her head to kiss him, rubbing her cheek against the soft prickles of his beard before tasting his lips. 

With one hand on the back of her neck he slid the other up her leg under her dress, resting his palm on her hip bone while he stroked the sensitive skin just to the inside with his thumb. Anna shuddered at the delicate touch and felt him grin against her lips. 

He pulled away and started kissing and sucking his way down her neck. She knew where he was going, but it was still a shock when she felt the warm heat of his mouth close on one nipple and suck it deep inside. Her thighs clenched around him and he drew her sharply forward with the hand on her hip, bringing her in contact with the hard length of him. There was only a thin stretch of damp cotton separating Anna's most tender spots from the rough fabric of his jeans and the sensation made her draw in a sharp breath.

Grant's head snapped up immediately, looking into her eyes. "You alright?"

Anna could do nothing more than nod wordlessly, moving her hips against him to show that nothing was wrong. He returned his attention to her breasts and held her hips gently as she rocked against him, letting her do what felt good to her. One hand drifted down between her legs, pressing her panties into her wet cleft as he rubbed little circles against her clit. When she started to move faster and make little mewling noises he looked up to watch her face flush as she approached climax. 

Just before he knew she was about to come he pushed her hips away, twisting both their bodies to let her fall back on the couch next to him. Ignoring the look of outraged surprise on her face he grabbed her panties at the hips and slid them down and off. He looked back up into her face as he slid his hands back up the inside of her thighs, pushing her legs wide. 

They stared in each other's eyes as he slowly bent his head to her wet center and dragged his tongue straight up from bottom to top. When he got to the hard nub at the tip of her crease her eyes rolled up and her head fell back with a deep moan. Gratified with her response, he did it a few more times, slow licks from bottom to top, teasing her entrance with the tip of his tongue as he went. 

When her hips started jerking with each stroke he didn't let up, but pulled his tongue away just before he got to her most sensitive spot. He was rewarded with one of her sexy little whimpers so he did that again too and was surprised when Anna arched up, pushing her hips up to press herself against his mouth. 

At that point he gave up all pretense of teasing her and sealed his mouth against her, sucking her clit roughly between his lips and stabbing at it with his tongue. His fingers bit into her thighs as he pressed her legs even wider, giving him access to more of her sweet folds. He plunged his tongue inside her, gratified to hear her exclamation of surprised pleasure, then dragged it back out to continue his attention to her clit. Back and forth he went, never staying in one place quite long enough to push her over the edge, but never backing off enough to let her relax. 

"Grant, please!"

Her legs were trembling and he could feel the tension in her body. He decided he'd tortured her long enough and intensified his attack, dying to taste her as she came in his mouth, mentally willing her to come for him. Suddenly her whole body went rigid, she threw her arms over her face and he heard a muffled keening coming from the direction of her head. He slowed, but continued to suck and lick for several more minutes until he felt her gentle hands on his head, pushing him away. 

"Grant," she whispered his name with such raw need that it sent a shiver down his spine and made the hairs rise on his arms. With a sudden pang of guilt he realized he'd let the situation get out of hand. He'd just thought to tease her for a few minutes to give them both a taste of what was coming later, but she'd been so sexy and so incredibly responsive he had gotten caught up in the moment. 

Anna tugged on the collar of his shirt to pull him up level with her and he could see the same need he heard in her voice reflected in her eyes. It made his breath stop short and for a long moment he just held his breath, coming very close to just giving in to what they both wanted so badly. With his cock protesting firmly against the inside of his zipper he shook his head and lightly kissed her lips, barely touching her for fear he wouldn't be able to stop. Climbing gingerly off the couch he crouched on the floor next to her.

"Will you feed my fish for me?"

"What?" she asked, a look of such sweet confusion on her face that he felt another sharp tug of guilt.

Grant brushed the hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "Will you feed my fish for me?"

Anna looked at him as if he had two heads and he could see the fog of desire clearing from her eyes. "That better be a euphemism for something really dirty."

"I have to go give Brody his break and then we can leave. Thirty minutes, tops. Will you feed my fish so we can go as soon as I'm done?"

Anna's mouth dropped open in silent outrage and Grant watched the color creep up her chest and neck. She recovered her voice by the time it reached her face.

"You asshole." Anna punched him hard on the arm. The fact that he was distracted by the way her breasts jiggled with the impact was not lost on her so she sat up and pulled one side of her top up, making a futile attempt to cover herself as she untwisted her dress and tried to gather the strings to tie them. He reached up to take the strings, thinking to help her, but she batted feebly at his hands and shot him a withering look. 

"I can do it," she snapped. 

Grant sat back on his heels a moment and watched her struggle, but couldn't stand it for long. He lifted up and took her hands in his, stilling her movements, before leaning in and kissing her gently on the lips. He felt her soften against him and let go of her hands to grab the strings and tie them behind her neck.

"I'm sorry," he murmered against her lips. "But I promise," he said, placing another kiss at the corner of her mouth. "I'll make it up to you." He kissed her jaw. "Very soon," he finished, with a kiss just below her ear.

"You better," she said, without heat. "That was a dirty trick."

Grant smiled, relieved that she wasn't really angry. "I've got a whole bag full of tricks, babe. That one was nowhere near as dirty as some." He stood up to leave, but as he was heading toward the door something caught his eye. With a graceful scoop he grabbed her underwear off the floor and dangled them between two fingers. When she reached out to take them he shot her an evil grin, stuffed them in his pocket, and walked out.

Anna sat dazed for a moment, unable to focus her racing thoughts. Their little adventure on the couch had been amazing, but she felt a pang of irritation at him that he played with her like that and she had to wonder if he'd done it on purpose. Whether he'd known what she was thinking and hadn't set her straight or if he'd gotten caught up just like she had. After a few minutes she realized she was staring at the fish and remembered his request. 

"I should let them starve, that'd teach him a lesson." Before the words had even left her lips she felt guilty. "Just kidding, fellas," she said into the opening at the top of the tank. While she was sprinkling the flakes into the water a sly smile spread across her face; she was going to have to get him back for this. 

Anna giggled to herself, unsure whether she'd be able to pull off her little plan, but either way she'd have fun trying. Despite feeling a little awkward about not having any underwear on she decided to go sit at the bar and have another beer while she waited, figuring that getting ignored by Corie would at least be more entertaining than watching the fish eat. Maybe. 

She was happily surprised to see Brody sitting at the bar and joined him. He ordered them both another beer, saving Anna the trouble of having to get Corie's attention, and they spent the rest of his break looking at pictures of his new baby on his phone. 

For such an imposing man, it was plain to see that at only six and a half weeks old his daughter had him wrapped around her little finger. And his wife even more so. Anna noticed the look on his face when he showed her the picture of his wife holding their then-newborn baby and felt a sympathetic swell in her heart for the love she could see in his eyes.

Finally he stood up and tucked his phone back in his pocket. "Well I guess I ought to get back to the door. Thanks for humoring me."

"Not at all," she said sincerely. "You have a beautiful family. I'd love to meet them."

"I'm sure you will," he replied. "Marie is coming back to work in a few weeks. I get the feeling you aren't going anywhere."

"Oh, ah, well-"

"G's a good guy, you know."

"Is he?" Anna asked, genuinely interested in Brody's opinion.

"I trust him. And that's saying something."

Anna nodded, absorbing his words. Somehow they did make her feel better. After Brody left she turned back to the bar to finish her beer. She didn't have long to wait and had just put the empty bottle back on the counter when she felt a warm hand on her bare shoulder and turned to see Grant leaning on the bar next to her, grinning.

"Hey there, gorgeous. You ready to go?"

"Actually, I think I lost something and I don't want to leave without it. I wonder if you've seen it." She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "It's a little pair of white cotton panties with a tiny bit of lace around the edges. Does that ring any bells?"

"That seems awfully careless, how does one lose such a thing?"

"Bar fight. They were lost in the scuffle."

"Bar fight, huh? Maybe the winner took them as evidence of his victory."

Anna's eyes narrowed at that but Grant just grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows, sticking his hand in his pocket to finger the item in question. 

"Or maybe he took them because he wanted to see how he looked in lace."

"Oh nice," he said with an amused snort. "Let's get the hell out of here. I can't wait to get you home."

They said their goodbyes and walked out to his car. As she climbed slowly in she lifted her leg high and gave her dress a surreptitious tug so it slid up her thigh nearly to her hip. She glanced up at him and knew from the look on his face that he'd gotten a good view. He swallowed hard and turned away, closing the door.

"So do you want to come to my place or would you feel more comfortable at yours?" he asked, climbing in the driver's side and starting the engine.

"Your place is fine." Suddenly she felt nervous so to cover she focused on her little revenge scheme and put her hand on Grant's thigh, squeezing as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"It's not far, only a couple of blocks. I bought it right after I opened the club, more as a place to party than a place to live. But I'm hardly ever there, so it doesn't matter too much."

"Oh hey, I forgot to tell you, Claudia is in love with your car. She was gushing about it all afternoon. Apparently it's a very sexy car."

"Oh yeah? I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm trying to impress the ladies."

Anna squeezed his leg again, moving it a bit higher up this time. "I don't think you'll need to rely on the car for that," she said grinning at him.

Grant raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you drunk?" 

Anna burst out laughing. "No, I'm not. What, I can't call you sexy without you thinking I'm drunk?"

"Hm," he said suspiciously. "Well, you tell Claudia any time she wants to take it for a spin she's welcome. This was my sixteenth birthday present from my dad. It may be sexy, but it's also a really good car so I've never needed to buy another one."

"I'm warning you, if I tell Claudia that she will take you up on it at the first available opportunity."

Grant laughed, "I'm sure she will. She's not the type to hold back."

"You're right about that," Anna replied, nodding. Taking a page from Claudia's book she slid her hand up a little bit more so it was resting in the crease of his leg and began absentmindedly massaging his thigh with her fingers as she stared innocently out the window. She didn't stop until he shifted in his seat and placed his hand over hers, stilling her fingers. A few seconds later he pulled to a stop in front of what looked like a warehouse.

"That was fast."

"Told you," he said, and then leaning across the seat he was suddenly kissing her, one hand in her hair, the other pulling her hand more firmly between his legs. When Anna felt the bulge there she couldn't resist running her fingers down it and then her palm back up, reveling in the low groan her actions elicited from deep in Grant's throat. She pressed her tongue into his mouth and squeezed harder, caressing him with her hand and leaning into the kiss until Grant had to pull back to catch his breath.

"Fuck. Let's get inside," he said hoarsely as he opened his car door. 

Anna steeled herself while she waited for him to walk around the car and open her door, then stood, brushing her breasts against his chest as she moved past him. She trailed her fingers across the front of his jeans and tucked two fingers in his pocket, walking backwards and pulling him with her toward the front door. Suddenly she pulled her fingers from his pocket with her panties pinched between them and looked at him in surprise.

"Oh, there they are! Always the last place you look," she said with a shake of her head, then turned and ran toward the door with a shriek as Grant tried to swipe them out of her hand. 

He chased her to the door where he caught her around the waist and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder as he reached around her to unlock the door. His other hand slid up to caress one hard nipple through the fabric of her dress and then the hand with the keys plucked the panties from her grip as he kicked the door open. He tossed both the underwear and the keys onto a table by the door as they walked inside.

"I don't think you're gonna need those for a while," he said, menacingly into her ear, then spun her around and started kissing her again.

Anna could feel herself getting swept away again, the fog descending as they kissed. His hands felt like they were everywhere at once and she could feel herself responding almost against her will. Her thighs betrayed her, rubbing together of their own accord and heightening the unfamiliar, but not unpleasant sensation of being completely bare under her dress. Before she lost all control she forced herself to pull back and take a breath.

"Grant," she murmered.

"Yeah, baby?" he asked, nuzzling the spot behind her ear.

"Do you have anything to eat?" 

Grant froze. "What?" came his muffled reply.

"I'm hungry, do you have anything to eat here?" 

He straightened and looked her in the eye. "You're hungry?"

"Yeah."

"And you want to eat right now?"

"Yeah."

He took a deep breath and blew it out through his mouth. "Okay then. Let's get you some food."

Anna had a hard time suppressing a giggle as he took her hand and led her to the kitchen, but her surroundings helped distract her. What had looked like a warehouse from the outside was, in fact, a warehouse on the inside as well. It had been thoroughly refinished and decorated with sleek, modern furniture scattered throughout the open spaces. 

Dark wooden beams spanned the overhead space supporting dropped ceiling panels that cut the building's height in half, but still left impressively high ceilings over the majority of the place. But the most noticeable feature was the huge wall of plate glass windows opening to a deck overlooking the river. Downtown was visible just downstream and the lights from the buildings twinkled on the surface of the river.

"Wow, what a gorgeous view!"

"Yeah it is," he said glancing up. "But between those windows and the twenty foot ceilings this place is hell to heat and cool."

He led her to the kitchen, which was exactly what she'd have expected for a chef's kitchen; wide open and filled with state of the art equipment. Grant opened the stainless steel refrigerator and evaluated the contents for a moment before pulling out a block of cheese, a jar of olives, and a small bag of grapes. He set those on the counter and then pulled a piece of pita out of a bag and popped it in the toaster oven. Turning back to the counter he began slicing the cheese and placing it carefully on a large plate. 

Anna was fascinated watching him move through the kitchen with mindless ease, totally focused, no movement wasted, quick and efficient even as he arranged food on the plate as if it were a work of art to be presented in a museum. She almost hated to interrupt, but her plan was working pretty well so far and she wanted to see how far she could take it. 

She stepped forward as he opened the jar of olives and when he went to pour some into a small bowl she slipped her hands under his t-shirt to find his warm skin beneath. She smiled to herself when he sloshed the olive juice onto the counter, but continued to run her fingers lightly along his stomach, just above the waistband of his jeans.

Grant continued to entice olives out of the jar with a fork, acting nonchalant, so Anna stepped up her game. She ran her lips softly down his neck, exhaling gently and stopping every few seconds to nip at his skin and place little suckling kisses here and there. He was so warm and soft under her fingers and lips and he smelled so good that she was startled when he set the olive jar down loudly on the counter; then had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

Grant reached over to take the pita bread out of the toaster oven and Anna took the opportunity to run one hand up his exposed side and around to brush against his nipple. She forgot about his barbell, however, and when she flicked it with her fingers he jumped and spun around quickly, dropping the pita on the floor. 

She stepped back, thinking for a brief second that he was angry and then his eyes narrowed into that animal look that always sent shivers down her spine. He stalked toward her, pushing her up against the island in the middle of his kitchen and looming over her, placing his hands on the counter top on either side of her. She was bent back slightly off balance and had to put her hands behind her to steady herself. 

"Is your revenge sweet?" he asked with a slight smile.

Anna laughed nervously and bit her lip. "I don't know. I haven't tasted it yet."

He lowered his head with a groan and kissed her savagely, his hands wrapping around her waist and bending her over further. Anna had to throw one arm around his neck to stay upright, bringing her breasts flush against his chest. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and with him pressed firmly against her from lips to thighs she thought she might spontaneously combust. 

Finally he broke the kiss. "Are you really hungry?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Anna couldn't hold out any longer. This was as far as her plan went and she was more than ready to give in. "I can wait."

With that Grant reached one arm under her and swept her up, carrying her out of the kitchen over his shoulder..

She tried not to move, afraid he would drop her, especially when he started up a spiral staircase that seemed too narrow for one person, let alone one person carrying another. The staircase opened into a small loft dominated by a huge bed sitting low to the ground. Grant put one knee on the bed and tipped Anna onto her back, leaning in over her and kissing her before she had a chance to catch her breath. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 03



Her hands slid up under his shirt again, touching as much of his skin as she could while she pushed the shirt up and off. Grant pulled back to help her get it over his head and held himself off her as she trailed her fingers down his naked chest, tracing the letters of his tattoo and carefully avoiding his piercing. 

She continued downward across his stomach, following the trail of course hair with one finger. Anna looked up into his eyes as she popped the top button on his jeans, then surprised him by skipping the zipper and sliding her hand inside. 

She wrapped her hand around him, fingers stroking the soft skin as she squeezed the length of him with her hand. Grant drew a sharp breath and closed his eyes, clenching his jaw to maintain a grip on his restraint. Anna smiled, determined to make him break it. She slid her hand down further and cupped his balls, gently squeezing and rolling them in her hand before running her hand back up to the tip where she ran one fingertip across the opening there. 

Grants eyes opened and he lunged down toward her, kissing her roughly and trapping her hand between them. She continued to massage him, as much as she could reach with her hand pinned, and Grant groaned and reached down to pull her hand out of his pants.

"If you want me to last long enough for us to get naked you're gonna have to stop that," he said through gritted teeth. 

"Then let's get naked," Anna replied simply.

He raised an eyebrow and pulled away, grabbing the bottom of her dress and pushing it up to her hips. Anna lifted first her hips then her upper body as Grant peeled the dress off her and threw it to the floor. She lay back, expecting him to lie on top of her, but instead he reclined next to her propped up on one elbow. He trailed his other hand down her side and across her belly as he stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

He lifted his eyes to hers and smiled slowly. "Not a goddamn thing." His eyes drifted back down to follow his hand as it came up between her breasts and across her shoulder, stroking her neck with his thumb. "This is the first time I've seen you naked." 

"No, its-" she began and then stopped herself, thinking back. 

"Oh trust me, it is" he said, his voice thick in his throat. He ran his hand slowly back down her other side and over her hip. "Believe me, I'd remember this. Seeing you naked on my bed like this is the sexiest thing I've ever laid my eyes on."

Anna laughed nervously and put one hand on his cheek, fingering the short hairs of his beard. "You are a silver tongued devil, aren't you?"

Grant's hand never stopped moving on her skin as he spoke. "You aren't the first person to call me that, although you may be the first one to mean it as a compliment."

"I like it when you whisper sweet nothings to me, even if I don't always believe you," she said with a smile, meaning it as a joke.

Grant's smile disappeared and he looked her in the eyes again. "I mean every word I say to you. I know I can bullshit with the best of them, but babe..." He shook his head slowly trying to find the right words. "When I told you that you were different, that I want more with you, it wasn't bullshit, Anna. I meant every word." 

Anna flushed with heat and felt her heart beating in her throat as his words reached the part of her that desperately needed to hear them. Grant saved her from having to figure out how to respond by leaning in and kissing her softly but insistently, as if trying to convince her of his sincerity with his lips. It worked. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, enjoying the soft warm skin of his stomach pressing against hers, the tickle of his springy chest hair against her breasts. 

He rolled away again, this time to shuck his jeans off his legs, kicking them off the bed. "And when I say I want to fuck you so bad it hurts," he said rolling back on top of her, pressing her into the soft bed. "When I say your body drives me insane." He groaned as he settled his erection against her hot wet flesh and grinned with satisfaction at the desperate noises she made. "When I say I'm gonna make you come around me over and over," he said, punctuating his words with frustratingly gentle movements of his hips against her, driving himself crazy even while he was trying to push her to the edge. He stilled his movements and took a shallow breath, opened his eyes and looked into hers. "I mean that, too." 

He'd planned to draw this out longer, to make it last hours, take his time with her and show her that she was worthy of being worshiped. But now that he had her here, open and wet and waiting for him, he knew he couldn't wait. It had been long enough; days of waiting and wanting and teasing and holding back and he couldn't stand it anymore. When he looked at her he could see that she was ready, too.

Anna held her breath and continued to stare into his eyes as she felt the blunt tip of him pressing against her opening. When he hesitated she reached around with her hands and grabbed his ass, pulling him toward her, and they moaned together as he sank inside her. Once he started there was no hesitation whatsoever; he didn't stop until she felt their bodies connect at their roots. 

They both froze for a moment with him buried deep inside her. Grant's head dropped against her neck and she could hear him whisper something that sounded suspiciously like 'Adam Jefferson,' but before she had a chance to ask who that was he began to move. 

She felt him barely pull out then quickly thrust into her, repeating the motion a few times before she started lifting her hips to meet him in rhythm. He gradually increased the pace, pulling out a little further each time and pushing back in a little harder. Anna's legs came up and wrapped around him, her fingers still digging into his ass cheeks. 

Grant braced his elbows on either side of her and pushed his upper body up, thrusting deeper with his hips. From that angle he could see her breasts shake with the impact and he couldn't help stilling one with his hand, taking the hard nipple between his fingers and pinching it roughly.

"Yes!" Anna gasped and lifted one arm to brace herself against the wall above her head, holding herself in place as he continued to push into her. "Do it again," she pleaded.

"Like this?" Grant rolled the hard nub between his fingers, watching Anna's face carefully as he increased pressure and speed. She moaned her approval. He pulled on it, first gently, then harder, letting it slip out of his fingers with a pop, reveling at the way she responded by squeezing his cock tighter inside. 

He bent his head and took the other nipple into his mouth, sucking it deep before nipping it sharply with his teeth. The effect on Anna was amazing, she threw her head back and tightened her legs around his hips, pulling him deeper inside. Her breath was coming in sharp gasps and he watched her face flush with impending orgasm for the second time that night. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of that sight. 

Anna let out a sharp cry of pleasure at his rough treatment, but he didn't let up even as he felt her muscles start to clamp down on him as he stroked her deep inside. Her mouth fell open and her breath stopped. Her body went still against him, but he could feel her muscles inside squeezing and contracting around him and he moved in time with them, driving into her harder and sucking and pinching her nipples tightly as she came. 

Anna opened her eyes when she felt his soft kisses along her jaw. She could feel him hard inside her, stretching her wide even when he was still. His hands moved gently on her body, one resting behind her neck and the other smoothing the skin of her hip and thigh where her legs had fallen open after her orgasm. She turned her head and met his lips with hers, their tongues seeking each other out. 

Anna's hands roamed his back and shoulders, feeling the taut muscles roll under his skin as he moved. It took her a moment to realize he was moving at all, he was going so slowly. She drew a shaky breath at the feel of him moving in circles inside her, not pulling in or out, just going around and around, his pelvic bone grinding against her clit, driving her steadily toward another orgasm. She opened her eyes in surprise and looked up at him, catching him with a satisfied smirk on his face. 

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," was all she could manage and she felt surprised to even get that out as he pressed against the inside of her thigh with his hand, opening her wider and pressing more firmly into her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she turned her head to one side as she felt the beginnings of another orgasm in her belly, but she felt his thumb stroking her cheek, pushing her back to face him. 

"Look at me," he said, gently kissing her chin. 

She looked up into his eyes and he kissed her lightly on the lips. She felt exposed and vulnerable with him looking at her so intensely, but it was impossible to ignore the sensations building in her belly as he moved relentlessly, purposefully against her, the darkness in his eyes and clenching of his jaw evidence of his own barely restrained pleasure. 

Anna had a moment of frustration that he could have such powerful control over her body, as if he knew what she liked better than she did, but it was forgotten as she cried out with the impact of the first wave of climax. She heard him hiss as her fingernails dug into the soft flesh on the back of his shoulders, though she could do nothing to stop herself.

"That's it baby, squeeze me tight," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Goddamn you feel so good."

Anna rode the waves of pleasure, anchored in place by his eyes and his hands gripping her body, all thoughts of vulnerability tossed out the window by overwhelming physical pleasure. The muscles of her body clenched and released involuntarily, trying to escape and hang on all at the same time. 

It seemed to go on forever, his steady unceasing movement pushing her over the edge repeatedly. As he slowed and the sensations finally subsided she pressed her forehead against his and kissed him again, wanting him to know what he'd done for her and wanting to give him back the same, but having no breath left to tell him. She drew her hands up and clasped his face on either side as she kissed him, pouring all her unspoken words into it. 

When she finally pulled back she looked up to see that his eyes were closed. She ran one thumb over his eyebrow and he exhaled shakily. "I think-" he began and then shook his head and opened his eyes. He smiled at her and she felt the warmth of it rush through her body. 

"You think what?"

"You're amazing," he said and kissed her again.

Anna was pretty sure that wasn't what he was going to say, but she also didn't think it was a good time for conversation. Talking wasn't going to make him feel as good as he'd just made her feel. She starting writhing under him as he kissed her, restricted in her motion with the weight of him resting on her, but she could feel his body responding, his fingers once again digging into her thigh and his breath hot against her cheek. 

"Come for me, now," she whispered as she kissed along his jaw. 

He buried his head in the crook of her neck and groaned. Again, he'd wanted this to last longer, but he couldn't stop. All the pent up sexual energy of the last few days hit him at once and the flood of it burst the dam he'd built to hold it back. He slid his arms up under her and anchored himself with his hands on her shoulders, pulling her body down to meet him as he impaled her again and again, her loud exclamations egging him on. 

His body took over and he could hear her encouraging him, but the words were incomprehensible to him. All he could feel was her, wet and tight around him, pulling him deep inside as he drove into her over and over. Then suddenly he was there, thrusting erratically and pouring his climax into her as she contracted around him in another orgasm of her own. 

His movements slowed as the roaring in his ears died down and he looked down at the woman beneath him, sweaty hair tangled around her face, swollen lips gasping for air, and all he could think was that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. And that he loved her.

...

They lay tangled together among the sheets for a while, Anna softly dozing in the aftermath. Grant was too wound up to sleep, but he didn't want to let her go so he just lay there holding her close to his side, their fingers entwined on his belly, as he tried to get a handle on his racing thoughts. The sex had been amazing, he knew it would be; no surprise there. But that kiss she'd laid on him had shaken him to the core and his response to it had shocked him. 

He counted the number of days since they met. Five. It was ridiculous, you don't fall in love in five days, and yet here he was. And there was no doubt in his mind that he loved her. He'd never been in love, never pretended to be or even thought he might be, but to the extent that he'd thought about it he figured it would be a gradual process, a slow descent. He certainly didn't believe in love at first sight. 

Though he'd recognized that he felt differently about Anna from the beginning, he figured it was a matter of where he was in life. He was successful, settled, building a new life. And when he happened to meet this gorgeous, smart, sexy woman who actually treated him like a real person and not a target or acquisition, he was in a place to appreciate her and want to at least give a real relationship a try.

But that kiss. There was nothing gradual about it, it was like he'd been sucker punched or knocked off a cliff. Or both. By the time it was over he knew he there was no going back. His first instinct had been to tell her immediately, but fortunately he'd checked that urge. Having been on the receiving end of mid-sex confessions of that nature he knew it never ended well. And now that he'd had time to think he remembered their uncomfortable conversation in her kitchen the day before and didn't want to push her again. 

As surprising as the realization was, he was even more surprised that he was okay with it. More than that, he was happy about it. He loved her and for whatever reason that didn't scare him a bit. It should. He should be flipping out right now, trying to figure out how to get her out of his bed without letting her down too hard, but getting her out of his bed was the absolute last thing on his mind. 

He looked down at the woman in his arms and smiled. She'd certainly turned the tables on him. He was used to being the one pursued and now he was chasing her. Though he had no doubt he would catch her in the end, it would be an interesting ride to get to that point. He lifted his hand from hers to brush an errant strand of hair back off her face and her eyes opened.

"Good morning sunshine," he said with a smile. His heart gave a thump when she smiled back at him and he wondered if she could hear it. 

"It's not morning yet," she said pulling away and looking over her shoulder at the windows. 

"Stop being argumentative and kiss me." He bent his head to her and felt her giggle as he pressed his mouth to hers. After a moment he pulled back and gave her a speculative look. "So were you really hungry or were you just fucking with me?"

"A little of both," she said, laughing at the suspicious look on his face. "I had to get you back somehow. 'Will you feed my fish?' was the least sexy thing any man has ever said to me post-orgasm. Or possibly ever."

"At least I'm memorable."

"Oh, you're memorable alright." She wiggled her eyebrows lewdly and lifted the sheet off his hips to peek underneath.

"Thanks, that soothes my fragile male ego quite nicely."

"Good. Does that mean you're gonna feed me?"

"I suppose, but only if you promise continue to make positive insinuations about the size of my dick."

"It's a deal," Anna laughed as she rolled away and began looking for her dress. She finally found it in a crumpled heap and wrinkled her nose at the idea of putting it back on. Almost like he read her mind, Grant crawled up behind her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling the dress out of her hands. 

"Don't," he said simply, nuzzling her neck.

Anna smiled and cocked her head to one side to give him better access. "I'd feel weird walking around your house naked."

"You won't look weird," he muttered against her hair.

"I wanted to go check out your deck, can I borrow one of your t-shirts or something?"

"Sure." He forced himself to calm down. At the rate he was going she wouldn't eat until breakfast.

He tossed her a shirt from his closet and ably suppressed the urge to tackle her again at the sight of her bare ass peeking out from under it. He threw on some clean boxers and they went downstairs together. Anna went out the sliding glass doors onto the long deck and stood at the railing looking down at the river until Grant came out carrying a plate loaded with snacks and two glasses of wine. 

"You should have called me, I'd have helped." Anna took the glasses from him as he set the plate down on a small table. 

"You know I own a restaurant, right?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think I might have heard that somewhere. I still could have helped."

"You can help by eating this food. You'll need your energy." He sounded innocent enough when he said it, but gave her an evil smile that made her think that maybe walking around with no underwear on was a bad idea.

They ate and drank and laughed for a while before ending up in each other's arms, Anna leaning back against him on one of the reclining deck chairs looking up at the stars. His legs were dangling off the sides of the chair while hers were curled up under her. She was trying to point out the constellations to him, but he wasn't paying much attention. At the moment his face was buried in her neck and she could feel his dick swelling, prodding her lower back.

"And Orion is right there." She raised her arm to point and jumped when Grant's hand slid around to cup her breast, flicking one sensitive nipple with his thumb. Making a valiant effort to ignore his caresses, she continued. "You can't see all of him, though, not like you can at home. Too many lights here."

Grant looked up at the note of sadness in her voice and slid his hand off her breast onto her belly. "Do you miss home?"

"Sometimes. Parts of it. I miss my family. Occasionally I miss the predictability of it, the reliable routine. But I don't miss being there. It was so small and everyone knew everyone's business. For a bunch of old hippies they were surprisingly closed-minded about some things and there was a lot of politics going on. If you can even call it that, more like a bunch of bored people gossiping and scheming and wielding their disapproval like weapons. And if you didn't fit into their plan, their collective idea about how you were supposed to act it was like...well, let's just say most people made it a point to fit in."

"Did you fit in?"

Anna smiled. "I used to. I was a good kid; well-behaved, did my chores, never caused problems. They all expected I'd grow up to be a good wife and mother and be content to garden and have babies for the rest of my life. When I started to question whether that's what I really wanted, suddenly I wasn't such a valuable member of the community anymore."

"Was it because you went to school?"

"That wasn't the only issue, but that's when it came to a head. I just wanted to know what else was out there and I didn't understand what was wrong with that. I still don't. But they saw it as tantamount to treason and I got turned into something of a pariah. Even my dad was angry with me for a while, though my mom always stood behind me. By the time I graduated it was so bad I had to get away. I felt like I couldn't breathe, the weight of their constant disapproval was oppressive."




Turning of the Stars Ch. 04



Anna woke up with the sun, not many hours after collapsing into exhausted sleep in Grant's bed. The warmth of his body soaking into her back and his arm draped comfortably around her waist nearly lured her right back into sleep with a smile on her face until memories from the night before started flickering through her mind like a demented movie projector. 

'Do you want me to play with your clit like I'm playing with your nipples?'

Her eyes flew open and her cheeks burned with...something, was it embarrassment? Shame? She didn't know, but suddenly sleep was unattainable and she was overtaken with the need to get away. To think. To assimilate. She carefully crept out from under his arm and slid to the edge of the bed. One glance back at his sleeping face and she was blushing again. How could she possibly ever look him in the eye after last night? 

'You're doing so good, baby. I'm gonna make you come so hard.'

Lord help her, just thinking about it had her burning up inside. The memory of that frighteningly intense orgasm had her up off the bed, snatching her dress off the floor and going in search of someplace to hide. 

She found the bathroom downstairs and carefully avoided looking at her reflection in the mirror as she pulled her dress on. After pulling her tangled hair back into a knot and quickly rinsing her face off she sat down on the closed toilet for a moment to think. The pounding of her heart was so loud in her ears she had the irrational fear that Grant might hear it from all the way upstairs. 

What on earth was wrong with her? As intense as it was she'd enjoyed every second of last night. Grant had shown her a whole new level to sex that she'd only suspected the existence of before. It was like he had some kind of sixth sense, he knew exactly how to get what he wanted from her and she'd responded to it on every level, physically, mentally, emotionally. Like he had absolute control over her.

She couldn't breathe. She had to go. She could call him later and explain over the phone, once she figured it out herself, but right now the thought of seeing him and looking in his eyes had her stomach all tied in knots. The creaking of the bathroom door made her cringe, but the place was silent as she padded softly to the front hall where she found her purse and, to her renewed embarrassment, her discarded panties. She paused at the front door to stuff them in her purse.

"You're taking off, huh?"

Anna jumped and whirled at the sound of Grant's voice from above. She looked up to see him leaning against the wooden railing of the loft, looking down at her with an expression so cold it gave her chills.

"Oh! I thought you were asleep."

"I could say the same for you."

"I just, um, I have...work today."

"Yeah, you told me you had to be at work at one," he said with a sardonic glance at the decorative clock on the far wall. It was six thirty. 

"I'm sorry Grant, I was going to call-"

"Save it. I've used that line before." He stood up straight and ran his hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "You don't have to explain, believe me I get it. You wanted a good fuck, that's what you got."

"No, that's not-" She started toward the stairs, meaning to talk to him, try to explain as best she could why she had been sneaking out.

"I have to give you credit though, you really put in some time. You've been trying to get me to stick my cock in you for what, almost a whole week. That's dedication. Most girls give up after I blow them off the first few times."

Anna froze. Her jaw dropped and tears pricked her eyes. Part of her couldn't believe he really thought that about her, but another part felt the shame of knowing that on some level he was right. She had wanted him since they met and he knew it. How could he not the way she'd thrown herself at him? But she thought he'd been drawn to her, too. The idea that he'd been trying to blow her off was humiliating to say the least. 

"At any rate, you don't have to sneak out with your panties in your purse like a used-up whore. Give me a minute to get dressed and I'll drive you home." With that he disappeared from view. 

Anna's tears evaporated with anger and shock. A used-up whore? Potential comebacks swirled around in her head, none of which made sense, so she turned without saying a word and stomped out of the door, slamming it behind her. She made it almost to the sidewalk before she realized she was barefoot. 

Going back in there wasn't an option. Neither was walking all the way home with no shoes on. Claudia would come get her if she called. It would be galling, but Claudia wouldn't give her too hard of a time. She pulled her phone out of her purse and almost cried when she realized it was dead. Looking up and down the street she noticed a gas station at one end of a long row of warehouses and headed for that, hoping the last pay phone on earth might exist in its parking lot.

...

Fuck her, then. Let her walk home. He'd watched her creep through his house trying get out without waking him up and he'd felt like more of a fool with every passing second. What had he been thinking? She was no different from all the others, just a better actress. Which was ironic because he'd screwed several actresses. 

But he was the idiot who let himself believe she was different. He was the dumbass who let himself fall for her and now he was going to pay the price. And what a price, it felt like someone had torn a hole in his chest.

Insulting her had given him little relief; it just made him feel guilty on top of being angry and hurt. When he'd made that crack about blowing her off she'd looked like he'd slapped her and even though he knew it was probably all just an act it still made his chest ache to think that he'd put that look on her face. Especially since it wasn't true. 

All along he'd been the one pursuing her, pestering her for more, and she'd been holding back. Holding out. In hindsight it was obvious she'd only been after one thing and realizing it made him feel like a fool.

'Are you asking if I want more than sex? Because I might have to wait until we actually have sex to answer that.'

"Son of a bitch!" He kicked at something on the floor at his feet, sending it sailing across the room to slam into the wall. It was a shoe. Anna's sandal. Surely she'd noticed she didn't have them by now, if she was going to come back for them she would have done it already. 

As stubborn as she was she'd probably walk all the way home barefoot before she'd come back in here after the way he'd talked to her. The anger drained from him and he slumped against the wall. He couldn't let her walk home without her shoes.

...

She was halfway to the gas station when he pulled slowly alongside her, driving on the wrong side of the road.

"Get in the car, Anna."

She clenched her jaw and walked faster, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of a response.

"I'm not going to let you walk home."

That was too much to ignore completely so she settled for flipping him off without looking.

"Fine, but at least take your shoes."

She stopped and glanced at the car just long enough to see him dangling her sandals out the driver's side window. She snatched the shoes without looking at him and turned her back, trying to balance while she brushed the debris off the bottom of her foot. 

She teetered while slipping the second shoe on and would have fallen if a strong hand hadn't caught her elbow and righted her. As soon as she was balanced she yanked her arm away and started walking again, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, coming around to stand in front of her. 

"Look, I'm sorry I called you a whore. Please just let me drive you home."

Anna stared at the bits of broken glass and fast food garbage littering the sidewalk and debated with herself. She was angry and hurt and, oddly, still afraid to look him in the eye, but she really didn't want to drag Claudia out of bed this early. If he was willing to give her a ride home she'd take it. But she wouldn't let him talk her out of being angry and she sure as hell wasn't going to accept that pitiful excuse for an apology.

"Fine." She turned and got in his car without looking at him once.

Anna stared pointedly out the window as they pulled away from the curb, but after a few minutes it was clear he wasn't going to try to talk to her. A brief glance out of the corner of her eye told her he was staring straight ahead, a resigned expression on his face. And maybe a little bit hurt. Okay, a lot hurt. Her heart clenched as she realized how he must have felt seeing her leave without saying goodbye. 

Her resolve was breaking and she tried to hold on to her anger, but the words were out before she had even decided to say them. "I really was going to call you."

He shot her a what-the-fuck-ever look, but didn't speak. 

"I was. Look I don't really know why I was leaving, but it's not what you think. I wasn't disappearing for good, I just got kind of freaked out...about last night." She could feel his eyes on her, but still couldn't meet his gaze. The pounding of her heart filled the silence, but she didn't know what else to say.

"Did I hurt you?"

Anna looked up at the concern she hear in his voice, catching his worried glance. "No," she assured him, placing a hand on his leg. "No, nothing like that." She started to pull her hand away, but he reached down and covered it with his, holding it in place. The soft warmth of it soothed her and she found herself staring at his long fingers where they twined with hers. 

"It was just so intense and I've never done anything like that before. I didn't know how to act afterward. After the things I did...the things I let you do to me...I felt embarrassed."

She wasn't telling the whole truth and she knew it. She'd realized while she was walking that this wasn't really about the sex, or at least not just that. Their late night conversation had come back to her, the things she'd told him about her family and why she left home and that's when it hit her that she wasn't running from the sex, she was running from him. 

Since she'd met Grant she'd felt something that she hadn't felt in a very long time- insecure. About her appearance, her judgment, her choices. It would be so easy to put the blame for that on him, but she knew it wasn't really his fault. She felt insecure because she actually cared about what he thought about her. And she cared about what he thought about her because she cared about him. A lot. Too much. She didn't want anyone telling her how to act or how to feel, but the way she felt about him...she found herself wanting to do what he wanted her to do, to be what he wanted her to be. That was what had scared her.

The idea of letting him, or anyone, inside the safe little bubble she'd constructed for herself since she'd been on her own was terrifying. She'd promised herself when she left home that she wouldn't waste her chance to become her own person, that she wouldn't let other people's opinions and expectations shape her own choices any longer. Then she'd gathered her sense of independence around herself like a protective cloak and gone out in the world, hacking a path for herself as she went. She couldn't throw it away now. 

The car swerved to the curb, then stopped and Grant turned in his seat to face her. She risked a quick look at his face and when he caught her eye she found she couldn't look away. Those green eyes pinned her in place with their intensity. 

"Embarrassed?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She had the feeling he didn't quite believe her. The silence stretched between them until Grant leaned toward her, releasing her hand to rest his arm across the back of her seat. 

"Embarrassed about what we did, or embarrassed that you liked it?"

"I don't know." His stare disconcerted her. It was clear he knew she was keeping something from him and felt a powerful urge to to tell him the whole truth, but stopped herself. Instead she gave him as close to the truth as she could get. "I'm not looking for someone to control me."

His eyes widened in surprise and he drew back a bit. "Anna, I'm not trying to control you. I know better than to think you want to be told what to do when, oh I don't know, say you're holding a knife wrong or you're trying to walk the city streets barefoot."

Anna rolled her eyes and started to turn away, but he caught her chin in his hand and leaned in close enough that she could feel the heat from his body in the chilly morning air. So close that if she leaned just a few inches toward him she'd be kissing him.

"What we did last night had nothing to do with me controlling you." His eyes darkened and his voice dropped low as his fingers began to move absently against the soft skin of her cheek. "You were so hot, the way your whole body responded when I touched you, when I whispered in your ear, when I moved inside you. Surely you know what that did to me."

God, he was so close and he smelled so good it made it hard to concentrate on what he was saying. She couldn't stop staring at his lips and when he darted his tongue out to moisten them her breath caught in her throat. His hand fell from her chin and caressed its way down her arm, sending a shiver down her spine. 

"Babe, I may have been telling you what to do, but you were the one in control. And I loved every second of it." 

"I did too," she whispered, breathless.

"I know." 

And then he was kissing her, slow and gentle at first then more insistent when she started kissing him back. His hand came back to her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin as he stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue. Anna shivered again and leaned closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 

"Come back home with me. Please." 

Anna rested against him for a moment, thinking. She could do this, right? She could be with him, spend time with him, sleep with him and not completely give herself up to him. She'd done it with other guys, she could do it with him. Ignoring the little voice in her head warning her that Grant wasn't like other guys, she took a deep breath and pulled back to look him in the eyes. 

"I don't ever want you to talk to me like that again. I realize that I hurt your feelings and I'm very sorry about that, but that doesn't make it okay for you to say whatever mean things you want and expect me to just forget about them when you decide you aren't mad at me anymore."

"I'm sorry. I acted like a total asshole."

"Yeah, you did."

"I guess I was trying to hurt you back, but...god, I don't ever want to see that look on your face again, let alone be the one who puts it there. And not that it makes it any better, but you know I didn't mean it, right? I never tried to blow you off."

"Well I don't know, but-"

"How can you not know? Hell, I've been throwing myself at you all week. I put my own number in your phone, I molested you on a public sidewalk, I showed up at your house in the middle of the night. I'm pretty sure I'm the one acting like the crazy stalker here."

"I guess when you put it that way maybe I should be concerned for my own safety." Anna gave in to the grin trying to spread across her face.

"You absolutely should be." His answering smile warmed her. "Now let's go have some breakfast."

...

"I think I've figured it out, or at least figured out what the problem is, if not why. Whoever is taking it only takes one or two bottles at a time, maybe once or twice a week, and it's never the same kind of liquor. A bottle of Jack here, a bottle of Cuervo there, no one notices because the quantity is so small. But it's been going on for months so it's adding up." 

Grant shook his head and looked up from his laptop to meet Corie's concerned eyes. "It hasn't caused a significant enough monetary impact for me to notice, if Eric hadn't picked up on the inventory discrepancy there's no telling how long it would have gone on before I figured it out."

"Eric is the new bartender?"

"Yeah."

"Were there any other personnel changes?"

"No, I just hired Eric because I liked him and he had experience and I figured it wouldn't hurt to flesh out the staff. The disappearances actually petered off a few weeks before he started. Whoever is doing it still works there, I think. It's not happening at the club, so it's someone who doesn't do crossover. Or maybe they're just afraid you'd notice."

"I would notice," Corie said, absently flicking the rings her lower lip with her tongue. "I do an inventory check every night and keep track of spills and returns and everything. I count it all."

"See, and they should be doing that at the restaurant too. It's my fault, I was so caught up with everything else I wasn't paying enough attention to the bar over there. But as soon as I figure out who's behind this I want you to train the bartenders at the restaurant to do inventory your way. For now I'm going to act like I haven't noticed so I can try to figure out who's responsible."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? The liquor is going somewhere, what if someone's selling it or giving it to kids? You could get in trouble if it comes back to you."

"Eric is monitoring it for me at the moment. Nothing has gone missing in the last couple of weeks that we can tell. I just don't want to make it obvious I've picked up on what's happening. If I scare them off I'll never find out who's behind it. In the meantime I'll just have to spend more time at the restaurant until I figure it out. There goes my night off."

He rubbed his face wearily, disappointed that he was going to have to call and cancel his date with Anna. They hardly got any time together that wasn't late night hours and he'd really been looking forward to actually taking her out tonight.

"You know you could just wank one off real quick and it would achieve pretty much the same effect as a night with your little groupie."

Grant's hand dropped and he glared at her, thoroughly unamused. "Really? Still? Almost a month and you haven't stopped with your snide comments?"

"Oh come on, you used to have a sense of humor." 

"That shit's not funny. It wasn't funny to begin with and it's really getting old."

Corie's eyes widened in surprise, then a look of understanding swept over her features. "Holy shit," she said with a laugh.

"What?"

"You're in love with her."

"Shut up." He closed the laptop and stood up to indicate their conversation was over as far as he was concerned. Corie didn't pick up on the hint.

"You are, aren't you? Admit it."

"So? What if I am?"

"Wow. That's just...wow. That was fast."

Grant agreed. And he didn't even tell her he'd known for a couple of weeks now. For some reason it made him feel silly and he knew for sure that Corie would laugh if he told her he realized it the first time they'd had sex so he settled for a non-committal reply. 

"Yeah." He walked over to the fish tank and picked up the jar of food.

"So what does Anna have to say about that?" Corie asked, leaning back against the couch, sending the clear message that she wasn't going anywhere.

"She doesn't know."

"Good. Don't tell her yet."

Grant looked up from sprinkling food into the water, suddenly interested. "Why not?"

"It's too soon, she wouldn't believe you and it would totally freak her out," Corie said, in a tone of voice one would use to talk to a small child. 

"You think?"

"Yeah, dude, she's not the kind of girl that's out trolling for a husband. She's got her shit together and she's doing her own thing. You move too fast and you'll scare her off for sure."

"So now you admit she's not a groupie?"

"Oh please, I only call her that because it bugs you so much. I mean come on, she's been around enough that even I can see she's not like that. She's pretty cool, actually."




Turning of the Stars Ch. 04



"Good," he said, inexplicably relieved that she'd said so. "So, how long do you think I should wait? I mean, what would be a reasonable amount of time?"

"Hell Grant, I don't know. No one's ever said it to me. For all I know I could be totally off base. All I'm saying is if it were me and I'd only known you a few weeks I would definitely think you were bullshitting me."

Grant nodded; Corie was just confirming what he'd already suspected. It was killing him not to tell Anna how he felt, but he knew she wasn't ready to hear it. He could tell she was still holding back from him, reserving a part of herself. 

He was well aware that she still didn't quite trust him, and he could admit that was probably a wise move on her part, but it didn't make it any less frustrating. The potential for a real, lasting relationship was there within his grasp and he suspected that if he could just break through whatever the barrier was that she'd put up they would be home free. But he also knew that if he pushed her too hard she might run, like she almost had that morning.

He'd known then that she wasn't telling him the whole truth about why she'd gotten scared, but since she was usually so bluntly honest about everything else he figured that he owed her a little leeway. And to be honest with himself he had to admit he was just so relieved to find out that she hadn't been playing him that he'd have probably been willing to accept pretty much any excuse she could come up with.

She said she'd been embarrassed, but he didn't think that was really it. She'd been afraid of what he was going to think about her, whether he was going to judge her or disapprove of her. And whether he was going to hurt her or try to manipulate her the way her family and friends had. He needed to find some way to show her that he wasn't going to do that to her; that she could be herself with him and he wasn't going to take advantage of her trust. 

A slow grin crept across his face as an idea came to him. Maybe he couldn't prove to her in one grand gesture that she could trust him, but he had an idea where he could start. And if nothing else it would certainly be fun. But not tonight, he had some business to take care of tonight. He'd have to get started tomorrow and see what he could get lined up.

"Okay, I'm out of here. I don't even want to know what you're thinking about right now," Corie said, hoisting herself up off the couch.

"No, you definitely don't," Grant said with a wide smile.

...

Anna was ringing up a customer when she heard her phone buzzing. She spared a glance and smiled when she saw that Grant had sent her a text. She quickly scanned the fifteen paperbacks the woman was buying without paying attention, noting only that the same shirtless, kilted man seemed to be on the cover of every single one of them. As soon as the woman had paid and turned away she snatched up her phone to read the text.

"I've got something for you"

"is it big and hard?" She giggled at her little joke.

"Hell yes. But I got you a present too."

She was only mildly annoyed with herself for having a huge grin on her face at the idea of him buying her a present. 

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"Nope. Can I come over tonight?"

"Of course." She thought a moment and added, "can I get a hint?"

"it's not jewelry"

Anna rolled her eyes at his unhelpful hint. Her curiosity was piqued, but she knew better than to ask any more questions. He wouldn't answer them, after all. The thought of him coming over tonight brought another huge grin to her face. She'd hoped he would, but never could be too sure with his crazy schedule. When he'd cancelled their date the night before she'd been intensely disappointed, though she understood that he was busy.

She took advantage of the time between work and Grant's arrival to catch up on some much-needed studying. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind. Between work, school, and studying she had been trying to fit in seeing Grant as often as she could and she was really burning the candle at both ends. 

Even one of her professors, her major advisor unfortunately, had noticed and had marked her down on her last essay. Of course she'd still gotten an A, it just wasn't her usual A+. It had been bothering her quite a bit, but she thought if she could just make it through finals it would be summer break and she'd have more time. 

For the first time since starting school she was taking some time off for the summer. Usually she filled the season up with as many classes as possible and had been able to knock out quite a few required credits that way, but she'd decided to take at least one, maybe two summer sessions off to have a little extra time to spend with Grant. 

When she'd mentioned taking time off to her advisor last week he'd seemed disappointed and tried to talk her out of it. He'd been one of her biggest supporters since she'd started school and she wanted him to understand that she needed a little time for herself, but he didn't seem to get it. She told herself it was her decision to make, not his, but still his comments had bothered her and she found herself thinking of them randomly. 

"Are you seeing someone? Is that what this is about?"

"Well, yes I am seeing someone, but that's not what this is about. I just want to take some time to do something that isn't work or school for a little while. I've been working really hard the last few years and I'm ready for a little bit of a break. It's only a few weeks over the summer."

"I had a seminar on Women in Contemporary Lit scheduled for this summer that I was hoping you'd sign up for."

"That sounds interesting. I was only planning to take the first summer session off, maybe the second too. If it's later in the summer I'd love to take your seminar."

"I just don't want to see all your hard work go to waste, Anna. You're a great student and you have so much potential, I don't want to see you throw it away."

"Come on Dr. Jennings, I'm not throwing anything away. I'm just taking some time off."

"I understand. Just remember that momentum is important. And I have to say, your performance in class hasn't been up to your usual standards, so maybe that's a factor in my opinion."

"I agree, I haven't been as focused lately. That's one reason I think a break will be good for me, so I can come back refreshed."

She'd stood her ground, but he'd knocked a little of the wind out of her sails and made her question her motivation. Was she tossing school aside to spend time with Grant? Sort of. But not permanently. She deserved some time to have some fun and de-stress and she was not going to feel bad about taking it. Or at least she was going to try not to feel bad about it. 

Later that night as she stared blankly at her accounting textbook Anna found herself reflecting on the conversation once again and it occurred to her that she was letting Dr. Jennings do the same thing to her that she was so afraid of letting Grant do- influencing her choices. Maybe it wasn't just him after all. 

Maybe it was normal and to be expected that you would take into account the opinions of people you cared about, people who had influence over you, when making decisions. Claudia was another person she had to acknowledge she allowed herself to be swayed by, though for whatever reason it had never occurred to her to be worried about Claudia having undue influence over her. The more she thought about it the more she realized it was just a matter of choosing who you let influence you and moderating how much influence you let them have. 

She shook herself from her circular thoughts, forcing them to stop chasing themselves around in her head, and focused on her accounting homework. If she did well enough on this assignment she wouldn't have to take the final and that would be one less thing to worry about. She let her mind relax into the straightforward ease of numbers and equations.

A loud knocking roused her from sleep. Disoriented, she sat up and for a moment wondered why she was on her couch. Then she saw her accounting book lying open on the coffee table and remembered she'd been studying, waiting for Grant. She jumped up and opened the door and there he was, grinning at her and looking impossibly sexy for as late as it was in his jeans and black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. 

"Did I wake you?"

Anna ran a hand through her hair and acted nonchalant. "No, I was just...doing...something productive. Dammit, I can't be witty at one in the morning."

Grant laughed and stepped inside, tossing his duffel bag on the floor next to her couch. "That's alright, I'm not here for wit." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him, taking in her scent with a deep breath. "I'm so sorry about last night, babe. I hated to have to cancel on you."

"It's alright. I was disappointed, but I understand."

"It won't always be like this, there's just been some crazy stuff going on that I've been trying to deal with."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Maybe later. Shit, I feel like the only time I see you is the middle of the night. I don't want to waste what little awake time I have with you thinking about work."

"I know what you mean. I've been having a hard time not falling asleep in class lately."

He pulled back and looked down at her, concerned. "Do you have class tomorrow? I can go if you need me to."

"No!" Anna blushed at the forcefulness of her reply. "I mean, it's okay. No class on Tuesdays."

"Then I'm going to have to keep you up for a little while longer," he said lowering his mouth to hers. His hands worked their way up under her gray cotton tank top as he kissed her, following the curve of her spine to her shoulder blades then back around to the front. Just when she thought he was getting to the good stuff his hands fell away and she groaned in disappointment.

"I come bearing gifts." He bent and unzipped his duffel bag, pulling out a small white gift bag with tissue paper peeking out the top. 

"And it's not even my birthday. What'd I do to deserve this?"

"Well, to be honest I'm a selfish bastard and it's just as much for me as it is for you."

He handed her the bag and she reached into it with a puzzled look on her face, pulling out a long red silk scarf. 

"This is pretty, thank you." It was pretty and she draped it around her neck, enjoying the slide of silk against her skin, but a little confused about why he'd buy her a scarf in early summer. When she lifted her eyes to his face and saw the sexy little smirk on his lips the pieces fell together and a powerful rush of arousal hit her out of nowhere.

Without touching her he took the ends of the scarf in his hands and pulled her toward him, close enough that she could feel the warmth emanating from body.

"You know what I want to do." His voice had dropped a few notches in volume and tone and his eyes darkened and narrowed, all trace of the teasing smirk gone. The look that replaced it was dangerous, predatory, and for just a second she wondered if she'd gotten herself in over her head.

A nervous laugh escaped her and she looked into his eyes, comforted to see a hint of warmth there. It was still Grant. Her Grant. And he wanted to tie her up and do...god knows what to her, but just the thought of it made her tremble with anticipation. She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"You're getting wet just thinking about it, aren't you?" Without waiting for an answer he pulled her tight to his body, sucking her bottom lip out from between her teeth and slipping his tongue into her mouth.

He was right. With no underwear on under her pajama pants she could feel the dampness seeping out between her legs, damn near coating the inside of her thighs. And they hadn't even done anything yet.

"Come on," he whispered, taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom. 

Still a little stunned by the turn the evening had taken, Anna followed and then stood passively while Grant slid his hands up her sides and pulled her tank top off over her head. Her nipples, already hard, tightened almost painfully under his gaze. Then his hands were smoothing over her hips, pushing her pants off, and she couldn't keep still any longer.

She fisted his shirt and pulled him close, pressing her lips to his, sliding her hands up the hard planes of his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard, grabbing a handful of ass cheek with one hand. 

The sensation of being held by him when he was fully clothed and she was completely naked was surprisingly arousing and she couldn't help rubbing herself against him like a cat, his soft cotton shirt teasing her nipples and the rough denim of his jeans doing delicious things to her lower body.

After a few minutes he stepped away, holding her by the shoulders, his breath coming heavy. "You're testing my self-control, babe. If you don't stop this is gonna be over before it starts. Come kneel on the bed for me."

Her face warmed at his words and she did as he asked, grateful when he climbed up behind her and nuzzled her neck comfortingly. He trailed his fingertips lightly down her arms, sending goosebumps skittering across her skin, until he reached her hands and pulled them together behind her back, wrapping the silk scarf around her wrists. 

"Do you trust me?" he whispered from just behind her ear.

The question surprised her and she didn't respond right away. His hands slid back up her arms to her shoulders and she felt the warmth of his breath on her neck as he let out a soft sigh.

"Do you trust me not to hurt you?" 

"Yes." She didn't even have to think about the answer to that one, she knew without a doubt that he wouldn't hurt her...physically.

"Sit," he commanded, pulling gently on her hips until her bottom rested against her heels. "You say stop and I'll stop whatever I'm doing. You say untie me and I'll do it. Okay?"

As she nodded she could feel him tugging at the scarf on her wrists and then one warm hand pulled up on her foot, slipping the soft silk under it and around her ankle. He repeated the process with the other foot and she felt a few more tugs before everything went still. 

Her heart sped up as she tried to move her arms and could feel the pull against her ankles. When she tried to move her feet she realized he'd tied them together as well. Her hands closed around the knots of fabric and she could tell that they were relatively loose, but the way her hands were pinned she wouldn't be able to get out of them without help. 

He was still behind her, presumably watching her tug on the restraints. The thought sent another shiver of desire through her body and she was about to look over her shoulder to see what he was doing when she felt his hands on her arms again. 

They slid up and over her shoulders as he pressed in close to her back, one hand continuing up her neck to bury itself in her hair, the other drifting back down her arm. A gentle tug on her hair exposed her neck to him and his lips traced feather-light caresses just under her jaw.

"I've got you where I want you now," he murmured against her skin. His free hand slipped from her arm to her ribs and the tickling touch of his fingertips on the delicate skin below her breast brought on another bloom of goosebumps. A dark chuckle reverberated from him into her and he nipped sharply at her neck. "At my mercy."

His hands drifted over her body, circling her waist, smoothing down her stomach, flattening along the tops of her thighs; random enough to keep her on edge, while he continued to kiss, nibble, and suck on her neck and shoulders. 

"The first time I saw you I wanted to run my hands all over your body, your skin just looked so perfect and soft." His tongue flicked her earlobe and pulled it into his warm mouth. 

"And then you bent over to pick up those oranges and I could see these." Warm hands cupped her breasts, lifting them slightly, his thumbs stroking the delicate skin on the sides, her nipples jutting out begging to be touched. "You were kneeling there at my feet and my cock got so hard I was sure you were gonna notice and run screaming."

"I didn't notice," she said breathlessly. "I was too busy checking out your ass."

"Mm, flattery will get you everywhere." 

"Oh god," she gasped as his fingers finally closed on her aching nipples, plucking and rolling them, making her squirm. He was rougher than usual and her body responded in kind, nerve endings all over her body waking up to buzz with anticipation. He clamped down hard and pulled both nipples until her small breasts were stretched to their limits and then let them pop free, sending a jolt of burning pleasure straight through her body to the aching place between her legs and her hips rolled instinctively, trying to find relief.

"Is there something you want, babe?"

"Touch me."

"I am touching you, don't you feel it?" A sharp yelp flew from her as he gave each nipple a hard tweak. Her back stiffened and she almost lost her balance before he pulled her back against his chest. His thumbs soothed her nipples in gentle circles and her head fell back to rest on the top of his shoulder.

"Do you want me to touch you somewhere else?" 

Anna's eyes drifted closed as the fingertips of one hand trailed down her belly, making a little loop around her bellybutton before heading lower, tickling the petal soft skin of her outer lips. The way she was sitting forced her knees apart so she was already open for him, but he only teased the edges, playing with her. Driving her crazy. 

"Here, maybe?"

"God, yes."

His head dropped to her shoulder and he groaned. "Fuck, you are so wet," he muttered, as if he were making an aside to himself. "You want my fingers in your pussy?"

A noise somewhere between a moan and a snort erupted from her.

"What?"

"I don't like that word."

"Pussy? You don't like pussy?" He used his fingers to spread her open wider. "What's not to like?" She could hear the smile in his voice, but was too muddled to be amused. 

"I like pussy. I like your pussy. I like the way it gets so wet for me my fingers glide across your skin." He demonstrated, sliding his two fingers up and down her sensitive inner lips, making her body hum with electricity.

"And I like the way it's so tight and hot inside." The two fingers slid deep inside, pumping her once, twice, three times before pausing again to play at the entrance. Anna groaned in frustration and tried to move against his hand, but didn't have enough room to maneuver.

"And I like the way it tastes so sweet when you come on my tongue." The fingers slid up to make tight circles on top of her clit and her eyes rolled back in her head as the sensation swept through her body. Suddenly his fingers were gone and she moaned in disappointment as the looming wave of climax that had been threatening flat lined, leaving the muscles of her thighs and belly trembling in its wake.

"Taste how sweet you are." His voice was so quiet she wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't been close enough to brush the whorls of her ear with his lips when he spoke. She felt his fingers slide across her bottom lip, slick and warm, and she only paused for a second before darting her tongue out to flick them, then moving her head forward to suck them into her mouth.

He fisted her hair again and his mouth came down hot and wet against her throat as his fingers stroked her tongue. They slid out and were quickly replaced by his mouth, licking at her bottom lip then plunging into her mouth to find any lingering remnants of her juices. Another couple of nibbling kisses and suddenly he was gone, leaving her back cold.

Walking around to the other side of the bed, he stood facing her. His chest was heaving and his eyes raked her body up and down. With her hands behind her, jutting her breasts out toward him, and her knees splayed, spreading her open to his gaze, she felt extremely vulnerable and had to suppress the urge not to squirm. She couldn't cover herself even if she wanted to.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 04



"Are you gonna keep your clothes on all night?" She meant for it to sound light, but her nervousness made it come out more like a shaky plea.

"You want me to take them off?"

She nodded and he climbed up on the bed kneeling in front of her. "And what do I get in return?"

After a moment's hesitation she swallowed and met his eye. "Anything you want. I'm at your mercy, remember."

The groan he let loose vibrated her lips as he grabbed her face and crushed his mouth against hers. Anna could only hold on for the ride, leaning in toward him to try to make it last as long as possible until finally he tore himself away.

"I want you to wrap those pretty lips around my cock and suck on it." 

He was unbuttoning his shirt as he spoke, her eyes locked on the widening expanse of skin and, once he pulled it off his arms, those delicious tattoos that never failed to get her juices flowing. Not that they needed any help at the moment.

When he started unbuttoning his jeans she let loose a little whimper of anticipation and when he pushed them down over his hips she was gratified to see that he was just as turned on as she was. 

"Like what you see?"

"Yeah," she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his throbbing erection.

"You want a taste?"

She met his eyes and nodded, a faint smile on her face. He sat long enough to work his jeans off and then kneeled in front of her again, pulling her head toward him for another kiss. Anna tore away from his mouth, leaving a damp trail down his neck as she headed for her goal. 

After a few deft flicks of her tongue against his tight nipples and several hot moist breaths tickling the trail of hair below his belly button she finally let her lips brush the head of his cock. Without her hands to hold it in place, it jumped and lurched away, eliciting a low chuckle from Grant. 

"You'll have to get a better handle on it than that."

Anna dragged her tongue up the entire underside of him before flicking it across the tip. With a coy glance up at his face she acted like she was going to close her mouth on it, but let it slip away at the last second. 

"Oops." She giggled and then repeated her little tease, barely closing her lips around the head of his cock before letting it slide from her mouth.

"You need a little help?"

"I think I might." 

The next instant he held his dick in his fist, his other hand gripping her hair almost painfully. He dragged the hot tip across her damp lips and she could taste the vague salty flavor of him.

"Open," he ground out, his voice sounding painfully strained.

Anna looked up at him, a thrill of excitement and intense arousal shooting through her as he took in his eyes narrowed to slits, the muscles of his jaw working furiously as he looked down at her. She let her mouth slowly drop open, exhaling a slow hot breath across the hard length of him.

Just when she thought he was going to slide it into her mouth he bent to whisper in her ear. "Do whatever you have to do to get my attention if you need me to stop. Bite me if you have to." She nodded and he pressed her head back down.

And then the taste of him filled her senses as he filled her mouth. He didn't push too far, not at first, just enough for her to swirl her tongue around and give him a few encouraging sucks. She moaned against him and he thrust deeper, pressing against the back of her throat for the briefest of seconds before pulling her back with a tug of her hair. Before she could protest he was pressing her down again, deeper this time and for a few seconds longer. 

He continued like that, letting her adapt until she got to the point where her throat swallowed instinctively around him and just as she'd start to wonder if he'd ever let her breathe again he'd pull her back up to let her lick and suck on his head for a while. Far from being frightening, every time she felt that breathless feeling it set off an aching burn between her legs and in the tips of her nipples. After several minutes of this she was sure that the slightest touch would set her off and struggled against her restraints wishing her hands were free so she could do it to herself.

Her wiggling must have tipped him off because he reached under her with his free hand and started pinching lightly at her nipples, then pulling them hard in rhythm with the bobbing of her head. The hot wetness between her legs was spreading and some part of her mind wondered if there would be a damp spot on her comforter, but mostly all she could think about was the aching need deep inside her. She intensified her efforts in the vague hope that if she gave him enough pleasure he'd return the favor sooner rather than later.

"Fuck, babe, you have to stop." He pulled her away, slipping himself from between her lips as she tried to capture him again.

"Just do it," she said, her voice hoarse.

"What?"

"Just do it. I want you to."

The hand in her hair tightened its grip and she'd have sworn she saw his dick swell even more. The purple head bobbed just inches from her lips and she licked them in anticipation, completely unaware of the effect her gaze was having on the man it was attached to.

"What do you want me to do? Tell me." 

Something in his voice made her look up and meet his eyes, astonished to realize how close he was to losing control. His face was a picture of barely restrained desire, but the restraint was the part that impressed her, touching some hidden place inside her. 

She'd actually been surprised he'd pulled back to begin with and looking in his eyes she knew without asking that he wouldn't do it unless she said the words. Not just for the pleasure of hearing her say it, though she was sure that was part of it, but also so he'd know for sure that it was what she really wanted. Even though he had her tied up, at his mercy as he said, he wasn't going to do anything she didn't want him to do. 

Oh, but she wanted to do this. She let her tongue drift across her lips again as she stared up at him, enjoying the way his nostrils flared and his eyelids fluttered. When his low rumbling groan hit her ears she couldn't make him wait any longer.

"Come in my mouth."

He lifted his hips to her already open mouth and she felt the heavy head slide over her tongue as she tried to seal her lips around him. At this point he was just holding her head still while he pumped himself in and out of her mouth at a steadily increasing rate.

It didn't take long before she felt his thrusts become erratic and she leaned forward, trying to take more of him, moaning around him in encouragement. When he came she didn't even notice the string of expletives he let loose, all her concentration was on trying to take what he was giving her. After a few more jerky thrusts he stilled and Anna gave him a few more little sucks before letting him slide out of her mouth and sitting up, stretching her back and settling on her heels. She watched as he struggled to catch his breath and eventually he looked up and met her eyes.

The expression on his face was priceless. It was like he didn't know whether to be amused, irritated, or satisfied, but under it all there was still a smoldering desire that sent a thrill through her body. She was fully aware that it was her turn now and he didn't look like he was about to disappoint her.

"You derailed my plans."

Anna just smiled, thoroughly pleased with herself. 

"You look awfully smug for someone who's hog tied and about to be teased until she's begging me to let her come." Her smile faded as her breathing and heartbeat sped up and she couldn't help squirming against her restraints just a bit in anticipation. "And now that you so graciously helped me with my self-control issues I think I can hold out for quite a while before I give in."

His mouth came down on hers, licking the remnants of his release from her lips and the corners of her mouth. The intriguing idea that he could probably taste himself in her mouth distracted her from his movements and she was on her back before she realized what he was doing. He'd positioned her so her head was resting on a pillow, relieving some of the pressure on her arms which were still tied behind her back, her hands resting just above the swell of her buttocks so that her back was slightly arched. Her knees were bent and rested flat against the bed, unable to come together because of the way her feet were tied together and anchored to her hands. 

With her legs splayed open and her limited range of movement she felt like a frog ready to be dissected. A feeling that only increased when she noticed the way Grant was looking down at her as if he was about to attack a particularly helpless prey. He let the fingertips of one hand trail down the center of her body before falling away just as they reached the tight curls covering her mound and then he followed the path they made with his lips.

His head hovered just inches above her wide open lips and he blew gently across her wet flesh sending shivers up her spine, but not relieving the ache in the least. Her thigh muscles clenched as she tried in vain to close her legs. Warm breath flowed over her as he chuckled at her attempt to hide herself from him.

Anna glared down her body at him, his evil grin making her catch her breath once again before he lowered his head and proceeded to nip sharply at the skin of her inner thighs. She watched as he moved randomly around her legs and belly, never getting close enough to even tease her with the idea that he might touch her where she wanted it most. His little nips were painful only for the briefest of seconds, but as the sensations added up she felt like her whole lower body was tingling. 

Finally he brought his head back to linger over her wet center and let his breath play across her again. Every muscle in her body tensed, waiting for the touch, the kiss, the lick, the bite, whatever he was going to do she just wanted him to do it. Now. She looked down again and saw his head bowed over her, shoulders hunched as he held himself still, dark curls obscuring her view of his face.

Until he looked up at her and winked. Without a word he climbed off the bed and walked out of the room. Anna's breath left her in a rush and she hadn't even known she was holding it. Disappointment and irritation at being left hanging warred with confusion as she wondered where the heck he was going. As the minutes passed, probably not nearly as many minutes as it felt like but still, the confusion began to win out. Surely he wouldn't just leave her here like this. 

Would he? 

A burst of panic hit and she pulled violently against the restraints, biting her lip to keep from calling his name. Just as she was about to give in and call for him he walked back in the room holding the duffel bag in one hand and digging around in it with the other. He looked up at her and the smile faded from his face when he saw the fear on hers. He dropped the bag and climbed onto the bed, looking down at her. She thought he was going to say something, he even opened his mouth to speak, but then he leaned in to press his lips to hers in a soft kiss. When he pulled back he had that mischievous grin on his face again.

"Don't think you're getting off that easy, I'm not done with you yet."

Anna laughed in nervous relief, but it was interrupted by a gasp when Grant tweaked one nipple hard. Her rebuke was cut off by another sharp pinch to her other nipple, pulling it to a hard peak. He lowered his head and took it between his teeth, flicking it with his tongue and setting off a fluttering sensation in her belly that made her forget all about her moment of panic. He pulled back again to the point of pleasurable pain before letting the swollen bud slip from his teeth. Anna gasped and panted as he continued, back and forth from one nipple to the other, licking, sucking, and biting until she was squirming under him, desperate for relief.

His hands didn't sit idle as he tortured her with his mouth, they drifted over her body with frustratingly gentle caresses; fingertips trailing up her thighs and down her belly, never quite getting close to her aching center. When he trailed one finger up the crack of her ass, veering off at the last second to trace the crease at the top of her thigh she finally cracked. A low moan erupted from her, trailing off into barely intelligible words.

"Please please please, Grant, I need...I need..."

"Tell me what you need."

"Touch me, please, I can't stand it anymore."

Two fingers traced the edges of her outer lips and her body froze, waiting for them to move inward, but they remained just out of reach, slowly traveling up and down through the slippery fluids slowly leaking from her body.

"You never answered my question."

"What?" Anna fought through a haze of pleasure to try to remember him asking her a question, but couldn't quite grasp what he was talking about. She opened her eyes to see him hovering over her body with one hand braced against the bed at her hip and the other still teasing her between her legs. The dark look in his eyes was softened only slightly by the hint of a smirk touching his lips as he gazed down at her. 

"I asked you if you wanted my fingers in your pussy. I want to hear you say it, Anna."

Her breath caught in her throat, but she saw his erection throb between his legs as he spoke. Somehow knowing that he was as affected as she was alleviated a large portion of the embarrassment she might otherwise have felt. Her eyes fixed on his as she whispered the words. "Yes, I want your fingers in my pussy-"

Her voice was cut off abruptly by a cry of pleasure as he buried two fingers inside her. There was nothing slow or gentle about it, just a sudden feeling of fullness as he pressed as deep as he could go before pulling them slowly out and plunging them back in again. His eyes remained locked on hers as he worked her body, maintaining a running dialogue the entire time. 

"You like that? You like my fingers inside you?" He wiggled his fingers deep inside her to illustrate his point. "You want me to do it harder?" Once again he demonstrated and on the second thrust her back arched up to meet his hand as it slammed into her. "Yeah, you like that, don't you, you like to fuck my fingers." He repeated the hard thrusts a few more times before slowing down again. 

He kept on talking as he stroked into her, continually altering his pace and carefully avoiding touching her clit so that she couldn't quite achieve the orgasm she felt like she was on the brink of. "You liked it when I fucked your mouth too, didn't you? When I got rough and shoved it in there and made you swallow it?" Another deep punishing thrust accompanied those words and Anna pulled against her restraints, desperate to grab his hand and grind it into herself to reach completion. 

Grant's smile widened and shook his head as he let his fingers slide out to play at the entrance to her aching tunnel, the pads of his fingers tracing her inner lips lightly. "I've got you at my mercy, remember? And I could do this all night long. Do you like being tied up while I play with your pussy?" She moaned out a yes and he stroked deep once again, murmuring something beyond her hearing, but she thought she heard the words "good girl" in there somewhere.

Anna gasped the word yes over and over in time with his thrusts, finding herself grateful that he didn't seem to expect any more of a response since her brain and mouth were no longer working together. All she could think about were those two fingers and those two eyes and that constant stream of erotic taunting. Her face grew hotter and hotter, the blood pounding hard in her ears, and through it all she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. He pinned her in place with his gaze as he spoke, making sure she heard every word.

"You want more, though, don't you? I know you do, you keep getting wetter, trying to fuck back against my hand. You want me to make you come, is that it? Do you want to come?"

"Yes, yes, yes." She was so close, so close just a few more and she would be there.

"Oh I'm gonna make you come, babe. But not yet." He stared intently into her eyes as he slid his fingers out of her gasping core. She squeezed her eyes closed and wailed in disappointment as she felt the climax ebb away once again. Then she froze. His fingers had slid just a few scant inches to press lightly against the tiny puckered hole in back. She held her breath as he made tiny circles against it, rubbing her copious juices into the delicate skin.

"Tell me again. Do you want to come?"

He held her breath and kept her eyes closed, a million different impulses warring within her. "I...I..." she stammered, unsure what exactly he as asking her and unsure what her answer would be in any case. She wanted to say yes and no at the same time, wanted to simultaneously pull away and press back against his searching digit. Her entire body ached for release, she just wasn't sure if this was the way she wanted to achieve it.

"Anna," he said, his voice dark and heavy with intent as his finger pressed more firmly against her. "Do you want to come?"

She gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes tighter and whispered her answer. "Yes."

Without hesitation the finger popped through the tight muscle and eased inside her. It was a strange sensation, not necessarily uncomfortable as well lubricated as she was, but strange. After a moment he began to work the finger barely in and out and she gasped as the pleasure swelled once again. As distracted as she was by this new sensation and with her eyes closed she didn't notice what else Grant was up to until she heard a buzzing noise and her eyes flew open just in time to see green eyes glittering down at her and a mischievous smile cross his face as the tip of her clit was suddenly lit on fire.

At least that's what it felt like as her body exploded with white hot heat the second he touched her with the vibrator. His finger slid deep inside her dark hole and the vibrator pressed firmly against her wet flesh, but to her it all blended into wave after wave of intense pleasure washing over her, continuing well past the point of comfort as Grant continued to hold the vibrator against her clit, not letting her come down until she was gasping for air and trembling all over. Finally, when he felt she couldn't take anymore, he set the toy down and then slowly slid his finger out, his mouth twitching in satisfied amusement at the little disappointed whimper she made when it popped free.

Grant reached underneath her, rolling her to the side just enough to pull the knots loose and begin to unwind the scarf. He freed her arms and legs and moved the limp limbs into more comfortable positions to relieve the stiffness of her muscles. Anna let him manipulate her body, unable to assist or resist. Her mind was still working, however, and she couldn't help thinking that as amazing as it had been, the entire time the orgasm continued she'd been aware of missing something, her body clenching at the aching emptiness deep inside her that was only teased by his wiggling finger.

Eventually she became aware of firm hands rubbing the muscles of her arms, the warm, hard body pressing along her own soft curves, and especially the throbbing stiff member prodding her hip. She rolled toward him settling herself more firmly against him and heard the low rumble of his satisfied groan as he shifted himself to lay between her legs, his erection laying heavily against her sensitized folds. She shivered as his lips brushed hers, pressing gently for only a second before drifting over her cheek and resting against her ear.

"Did you like that?"

She rubbed herself against him in response, trying to capture his thick head and pull him inside her, but her thighs were still trembling from exertion and she couldn't quite get herself in the right position. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 05



Anna lay comfortably reclined, her head resting on Grant's firm thigh and her feet propped up on the arm of the black leather sofa. They were both staring at his laptop as he scrolled through his inventory records and Anna explained how to get the program to generate a series of graphs to track the ordering patterns of the various kinds of alcohol over the last several months. 

"Why didn't you tell me you were a computer genius? I'd have asked for your help a long time ago."

Anna snorted in amusement. "Far from it, I just happened to have done a project comparing inventory software for my business management class last semester and I remembered that one had lots of fancy features. Once you know a program can do something figuring out how to do it is usually not that hard."

"Yeah well, I've been using this program since I opened the restaurant and never figured out how to do this so you still count as a computer genius in my book. I actually tried to do something similar by hand a few weeks ago. It was a total pain in the ass and the results weren't nearly as easy to read. This is perfect, if I'd been doing this on a regular basis the thefts never would have gone on as long as they did without me picking up on it." 

"Hindsight's twenty-twenty." Anna shrugged and looked up to watch his face as he studied the screen. After a few minutes he felt her eyes on him and looked down at her, leaning back and resting one hand on her belly. "If I'd known you were having problems I might have thought to suggest it sooner." 

"I know, but until this week we barely had time to talk about anything, let alone my work issues." He smiled mischievously down at her and moved his hand to her thigh, sliding the hem of her dress steadily higher. "Plus I have a hard time remembering I even have work issues when you're around."

"Do I need to leave?" Anna grinned back, her heart beating a little faster as his fingertips moved toward the inside of her thigh. "I'd hate to cause problems now that my semester is over and I have nothing better to do than hang around and distract you from all the very important things you need to do."

"I've got something very important I need to do right here."

Her laugh faded suddenly as his fingers found their way under the elastic of her panties and traced the length of her slit. Anna's hand came down over his as she glanced over to the door to make sure it was locked. Her fingers tightened on his wrist as one finger dipped inside to tease her opening, capturing the seeping moisture and spreading it upward to coat her clit.

"Mmm, we shouldn't do this now." Anna's body sent a different message as her back arched up and she pulled his hand tighter against her body. 

"No?" he asked, maintaining a light touch as his fingers continued to tease her. "Should I stop?" His finger froze in place, which happened to be resting right on top of her clit. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smile as Anna slid her hand down until it was covering his through her panties. She used her fingers to guide his, pressing them more firmly into her, sliding up down over her sensitive bud. 

"Yes, you should. You're supposed to be working." She pushed his hand further down and pressed against his knuckle with her middle finger, a jolt shooting through her as she felt his finger disappear inside her. 

"This seems to be working pretty well." His taut tendons moved rhythmically under her palm as he began stroking in and out. When he added a second finger Anna rolled the top half of her body toward him, burying her face in his plaid button up and moaning into the tight muscles of his stomach as he worked his fingers into her hair and held her in place.

She could feel the throbbing deep inside and knew he was hitting that spot again. The one that always made her come so hard and fast. The rational part of her brain sent up one last hope that no one would knock on the door because at this point she wasn't willing to let go of Grant's hand no matter who was standing outside listening. Then his thumb found her clit and the rational part disintegrated altogether as it was battered by the waves of pleasure that overtook her.

"I love to watch you come."

She let loose a muffled wail and pressed her forehead tight against his body.

"I love to hear the noises you make and feel your pussy tighten around my fingers."

She dragged his name out in a long groan as the climax slowly faded and she relaxed against him, still clasping his hand. 

"God you're gorgeous," he whispered, brushing her hair back from her cheek and tracing her flushed cheek with his fingers. His hand slipped from between her legs, eliciting a tiny moan of displeasure, and she glanced up at his face a little self-consciously. He stared into her eyes as he lifted his hand to his mouth and closed his lips around his two middle fingers, sucking the glistening juices off.

Anna couldn't help lifting herself up and pressing her lips to his, sliding her tongue into his welcoming mouth. There was something about tasting herself on his lips that not only got her hot, but made her feel like they were physically connected in an intimate way. Sometimes she wondered if other people could smell her on his breath and for some reason she like the idea. It felt like a form of possession; like she was marking her territory. Grant groaned as she clasped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss, her nipples hard against his chest. Finally she pulled away and gave him a satisfied smile.

"Thank you for your prompt payment; please let me know if there is any further business consulting I can do for you."

His face broke into a wide grin and his chest shook under her as he chuckled. "I will be sure to do that."

"How late are you gonna be tonight?"

"A couple more hours, do you want to wait? I can call you a cab if you don't."

"No, I'll hang out. This place is kind of growing on me."

"It has that effect on people," he said with a proud smile. "Let me see if Corie wants to take her break early and then maybe I can get out of here sooner rather than later."

"Sounds good." With a final kiss she moved so he could get up. After he left she spent some time looking over the graphs trying to come up with an easy way to compare the employee schedule with the fluctuations in purchasing in attempt to get some kind of clue about who might be responsible. After a while her brain felt fried and she stretched and decided to go sit at the bar and people watch. 

It was still early, so it wasn't crowded yet, but that was her favorite time to be here; when there were just enough people to be entertaining, but not enough to be overwhelming. Anna sat down at the end of the bar and scanned the room, but her gaze was naturally drawn right back to Grant. She loved to watch him bartending; his friendly nature and ingrained flirtatiousness made him a natural. At the moment he was chatting up a couple of tipsy ladies as he mixed them colorful drinks. He winked at them as they dropped a wad of cash in the tip jar and she couldn't hold back a giggle. 

He looked up in time to catch her amusement and gave her a slow secretive smile that sent shivers down her spine and told her without a doubt that he was thinking about what he planned to do later when he had her alone. She found herself mildly jealous of the towel he was wiping his hands on as he walked over to where she was sitting.

"Hey gorgeous," he said, leaning forward to rest his folded arms on the bar in front of her. 

"Hey yourself." 

"You want something?"

"Oh I definitely do," she said in a quiet voice with an innocent smile on her face. "But for now I'll settle for some water."

He chuckled and turned to get her drink. Anna's perusal of Grant's ass as he reached for a water glass was interrupted by Corie's arrival. As she walked behind the bar she nodded and said hi to Anna; it was the extent of their communication but it was miles ahead of where it had been a month ago so Anna considered it progress. Grant slid the water across the bar to her and spoke to Corie for a moment before walking around to stand next to her, surreptitiously poking her in the ribs.

"I've got to run over to the restaurant for a bit, do you want to come?"

"I'll wait here," Anna said, squirming away from his fingers and trying to keep a straight face. She may have been getting comfortable at the club, but the restaurant's upscale atmosphere still made her feel out of place and she preferred not to go there unless they were eating. "I'm not hungry and you need to stop using me as an excuse to slack off." She batted his hand away and gave him a sharp look. 

"Ouch. Fine, no need to get abusive I'm going, I'm going." He grinned and winked, but as he turned to walk away he ran into a tall woman standing right behind him, nearly knocking them both off their feet. He reached out to steady her and Anna noticed his back stiffen. 

"Grant, darling, hello!" the woman exclaimed, grinning widely and wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him on the cheek. "I knew you had to be around here somewhere. I almost didn't recognize you with all this...hair." She gestured toward his beard with a distasteful look on her face. 

She was slightly taller than him, probably because of the heels she wore, and extremely beautiful. Her red hair was short and elegantly coiffed and she wore what Anna assumed must be a designer dress the way it fit her slender body so perfectly. 

"Celia, what a surprise," Grant said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

"Yes, I know. I just happened to be in town and I thought I'd come by and see you. It's been so long and I've missed you." She gave him a pout that should have looked ridiculous on a woman her age, but somehow she had just enough of a teasing smile mixed in that it came off sexy.

"Yeah, it's been a while. How's Brad?"

"Oh you know him, just lazing his way through life living off his father. It's a pity some of your ambition didn't rub off on him." She put a hand on his arm and winked when she said the word 'rub,' which set off alarm bells in Anna's brain. It was a bit of a relief when Grant stepped back and rested his arm across her shoulders.

"Celia this is Anna Webster...my girlfriend," he said with a glance at Anna. It was the first she'd heard about being his girlfriend, but she didn't argue. "Anna, this is Celia Matheson, an old family friend."

Celia's mouth dropped open in a perfect impression of surprised pleasure. "Oh my goodness, you have a girlfriend? Well, I never thought I'd see the day."

"Nice to meet you." Anna held her hand out and Celia extended her arm to clasp Anna's fingers limply.

"Of course," she replied with a condescending smile before turning back to Grant. "And what a beautiful young lady she is!"

Anna raised her eyebrows at Grant and he shot her a quick apologetic look. He glanced at the time on his phone and sighed. "I'm really sorry ladies, but I've got to run over to the restaurant for a few minutes. Celia, if you'd like a drink I'll get Corie to bring you one. It's on the house, of course."

"Well aren't you sweet!" she gushed placing a hand on his chest and leaning into him just a touch too closely. "I'd love a Dewar's on the rocks."

"Coming right up," he said with a tense smile. He leaned in to brush kiss across Anna's cheek and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'll be quick." She smiled up at him to let him know it was alright and he walked away.

Celia smiled brightly at Anna. "My goodness, a girlfriend. You, my dear, are quite a surprise." Corie appeared with a drink and gave Anna a strange look. It was the closest Anna had seen Corie come to being sympathetic and that somehow made her nervous. "Let's grab a table and get to know each other a bit." Celia's tone didn't allow for refusal and Anna was curious to know more about this old family friend so she went along without argument.

They found a booth along the wall and sat down together, chatting politely about the warm weather. Celia seemed nice enough so far, but Anna hadn't been able to shake the nervous feeling especially after Corie shot her another alarmed look when they walked away from the bar. She started to understand when in the middle of her explaining some of the more amusing aspects of how she and Grant met, Celia abruptly changed the subject.

"I tell you what, darling, you've succeeded where dozens have failed. Possibly hundreds," she said with a laugh. "You landed quite a catch with that young man." 

"Yeah, I think he's pretty amazing." She was unsure where this was going, but agreed so far.

"I mean he's young, successful...rich." 

Anna wasn't sure how to respond to that so she kept her mouth shut and just smiled as Celia looked at her expectantly. 

"Not bad to look at either. Especially when he takes his shirt off, am I right?" She laughed and placed her hand on Anna's forearm. "And that ass! Good lord, no man has a right to look that good when he's walking away."

Anna's instinct was to jerk her arm away, but something between the ingrained drive to be courteous and a sick sense of curiosity kept her sitting there, wanting to hear what else the woman was going to say. 

"But aside from all that, he's so engaging. He's always been like that, such a charmer." Celia leaned in close and continued in a conspiratorial stage whisper. "You know what I mean, I'm sure. I saw him giving you that look, you know, the one that makes you feel like you're the only woman in the room, like you're someone special. And the way he always seems to know exactly the right thing to say; exactly what you want to hear. It's quite a talent he has." 

Anna felt frozen in place and hoped she didn't look as weak as she suddenly felt. Intellectually she knew that this woman was trying to manipulate her, but she'd apparently hit a raw nerve and Anna was struggling to keep a straight face so at least she wouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing she'd succeeded. Celia was still talking, but Anna only tuned in to hear her finish.

"...so obviously any young woman in your position would be lucky to snag him."

"My position?" 

"Well, yes." She looked Anna up and down as if evaluating her worth and didn't hide the fact that she found her wanting. "I mean, you said you work in a bookstore?" Her tone was the height of condescension and Anna felt the shock wearing off to be replaced with anger and was trying to figure out a suitably insulting reply. Fortunately Corie chose that moment to appear with a glass of white wine and another whiskey on the rocks. 

"I thought you ladies might need a couple of fresh drinks." 

Anna looked up in surprise at Corie's falsely cheerful voice, but wasn't quick enough to prevent an entire glass of white wine from falling into her lap when Corie tripped stepping up to their booth. She jumped up and tried to brush it off her skirt while Corie apologized and fussed over her. "Maybe you should just go clean it up in the bathroom," she suggested.

"Oh. Oh, yeah I probably should," she said, finally catching on. Neglecting to excuse herself, it wasn't like she could tell Celia it was a pleasure to meet her because it wasn't, Anna rushed to the bathroom and sat in the stall with a wad of paper towels, blotting absently at her skirt for a while as she came up with all manner of things she should have said to Celia, ranging from clever to scathing. Why did she always come up with these things after the fact? Then again, Celia had clearly been trying to get a rise out of her so maybe it was better not to have said anything at all.

She wasn't even all that upset about Celia's insinuations about her motives, it was the things she said about Grant that hand her hands trembling. Good grief, it seemed like things had just settled into a comfortable place between Grant and her and now this. Was she really so insecure that she let a perfect stranger shake her confidence in their relationship? Unfortunately the answer was yes and that pissed her off. Her instinct was to discount anything Celia said, since she was so clearly a manipulative bitch, but being a manipulative bitch didn't mean she wasn't right. She appeared to know Grant pretty well and Anna couldn't help wondering what kind of relationship they'd had 

Finally she decided she'd been hiding long enough. She steeled herself and walked boldly out into the hall. She paused in front of Grant's office door to knock gently, but there was no reply. She suppressed the surge of irritation she felt at Grant abandoning her, it was totally irrational and she knew it. He was working and she knew he couldn't spend the whole night with her. With a deep breath she walked confidently into the bar prepared for battle. Neither Celia nor Grant was readily apparent so she took a seat at the end of the bar, hoping to avoid notice. A moment later Corie approached with a Yeungling, offering it silently. 

"Thanks." 

"She's gone." 

"Good." 

"She's always a bitch, it's not just you. I think she was pissed you got away, she called me an inept child and said she didn't understand why Grant still kept me around."

"Wow, at least when she insulted me she was pretending to be nice."

"Yeah, she stopped pretending with me a long time ago and we settled comfortably into open hostility. I haven't seen her in ages, but apparently she isn't mellowing with age."

"Well, I appreciate your help." Anna gave her a tentative smile and Corie returned it. "I'll send you the dry cleaning bill."

Corie's grin widened, her piercings glinting in the dim bar light. "I'll pass it along to Grant." They both laughed and Anna began to see why Grant was friends with this girl, but the bar was beginning to fill up and she got called away by people demanding drinks. 

Anna downed her beer, paying very little attention to her surroundings as her mind raced around in circles trying to process her conversation with Celia. She was surprised to look up several minutes later and realize how crowded it had gotten. It was pure chance that she happened to see Grant enter the far end of the room. Rather than try to get his attention and wait for him to wade his way through the crowd to her she decided to head toward his office and meet him there. 

"Hey babe," he said as he approached. "I'm sorry I had to run off like that."

"You could have warned me." 

"Oh god, what did she say?"

"You don't want to know."

He gave her a sympathetic look as he unlocked the door and ushered her inside. As soon as the door was closed behind them he pulled her into his arms. Anna felt herself start to melt as he ran his hands up and down her back and kissed her jaw. Before he made it to her lips and she knew she'd be lost she spoke.

"How do you know her?"

Grant sighed and gave her a kiss on the ear. He let her go and walked over to the fish tank. As he sprinkled food in the top he gave her the short version. "I've known her since I was a teenager, her husband was a friend of my dad's and I went to boarding school with their son, Brad." He looked over at her and Anna nodded, waiting for more. 

"She was also one of the original investors in the club. She had just gotten divorced when I was trying to get this place going and she was trying to piss off her ex, figuring he was sure to hear about her throwing his money away on me either from my dad or from Brad. I knew why she was doing it, but an investor is an investor and I wasn't about to turn down her money. I think it was a surprise to her that we did so well with it. She was actively involved for a little while, but it was my plan all along to be the sole owner so I paid her off with interest several years ago, right before I got arrested. I haven't seen her since."

"Did you fuck her?" Anna asked, shocking herself not only with her language, but also the tone of bitter accusation she could hear in her own voice.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 05



Grant slowly set the fish food down and turned, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his hip against the table. "Yes," he replied, unapologetically. 

Anna swallowed and nodded, clenching her jaw. She stared down at the carpet and hated herself for wondering how often Grant had looked at Celia as if she were the only woman in the room. 

"Babe-" 

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be dramatic. I know you're busy, we can talk about this later." She turned away and started toward the door. 

"No, let's talk about it now. What do you want to know?" he asked, sounding irritated. He waited a moment for her to respond, but when she didn't turn he shrugged and continued. "She'd been trying to get in my pants since I was about sixteen, but the idea of screwing my buddy's mom skeeved me out. A few years out of high school when I wasn't hanging around with Brad anymore I ran into her at a couple of parties and we hooked up a few times. Once she had the excuse of being my business partner she'd come in town every so often to check the place out and we'd fuck. It was never anything more than sex."

Anna turned back to him, shocked. "You slept with her when she was still married?"

"Believe me, I'm not the one that violated the sanctity of that marriage. They were doing a great job of that long before I came along. Don't look at me like that. Listen, I'm sorry she was sprung on you, but I never made a secret of my past. I was honest with you about it from the beginning. I don't understand why you're suddenly acting like I've done something wrong."

"Why did you tell her I was your girlfriend?"

That threw him off. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. "Aren't you?" he asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know," she said quietly, unable to meet his eye. "We hadn't talked about it and I wasn't sure if you just said it for her benefit or..." She trailed off, unsure what her own point was.

Grant pushed himself off the table and walked to her, reaching out to touch her cheek. "I said it because I wanted it to be clear to her who you are to me. And that's...that's who you are to me. But if it makes you uncomfortable I won't say it again." 

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable." Anna leaned her cheek into his hand and he moved in a little closer. She looked up into his eyes and the sincere look she saw there both reassured her and reminded her of Celia's words.

"Good, because I really liked saying it. I am sorry you got railroaded into talking to her. I know she can be kind of a bitch. I should have made her come with me or something."

"No, it's not your fault."

"Will you tell me what she said that upset you?"

"It doesn't matter." Anna shook her head, trying to convince herself. She still felt like she was on the verge of tears and it made her mad; she didn't like feeling so emotionally fragile and she especially did not like crying.

Grant bent his head to kiss her briefly. "No, it doesn't matter. She doesn't matter, she never did." He kissed her again and as she melted into him once more she started to believe that it really didn't matter. Then Grant pulled away and whispered something. It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did her whole body stiffened.

"What did you just say?"

He looked her in the eyes and said it again. "I love you."

Anna pushed him away and took several steps backward. "Don't do that. Don't use that." She couldn't seem to formulate a complete thought.

"I'm not-" 

"You are, and it's not fair. You're just telling me what you think I want to hear. But I don't want to hear that," she said, wiping away the angry tears that finally spilled over onto her cheeks. "I can't believe you can even say it with a straight face." She turned back to the door and yanked it open, but Grant's hand shot over her shoulder and pushed it closed again.

"Anna, stop."

"Let me go," she said angrily, her hand still on the knob.

"No!" His hand was immovable on the door. "Listen to me, please. I'm not bullshitting you or manipulating you or whatever it is you're thinking, I just-" He paused for a moment, groping for the right words to make her understand. "I wanted you to know."

"Just let me go, please," she whispered.

Grant dropped his hand and took a step back. He felt like his heart was in a vice clamp as he watched her walk down the hall without looking back and when she disappeared into the bathroom his frustration broke.

"Goddammit!" He punched the door and it bounced back against the wall before slamming closed. 

Anna cringed when she heard him yell and slam the door. She pressed her fingers tightly against her eyes to stop the tears, knowing it wouldn't be long before some drunk woman stumbled in to pee or puke or fix her makeup. She splashed her face with cold water, took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. What the hell was wrong with her? This was just not like her to get so emotional. 

On one hand she thought she had probably over-reacted and was mostly to blame for the argument, on the other hand she was seriously appalled that he'd tried to say he loved her just to make up to her. Those were not words she threw around lightly and she felt like he'd stolen something from her by using them so cheaply. The tears threatened again just thinking about it, but instead of crying she kicked the metal bathroom stall. It made a satisfyingly loud noise that for some reason made her feel better. 

The worst part was that he'd actually looked like he meant it. 

Did he mean it? Or, like Celia said, was he just that good at telling people what they wanted to hear and making them believe it? Why did this all have to be so confusing? None of her other relationships had made her feel so unbalanced, why did this one have to be so hard? Well, the truth was it didn't. It didn't have to be this hard because she didn't have to stay here and deal with it; she could walk away at any time. After checking to see how much extra cash she had on her she dug her phone out of her purse and called a cab.

Anna took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. Her heart gave a thump when she saw Grant a few feet away leaning against the doorjamb of his office, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He was staring at the ground, but looked up at the sound of the door and their eyes locked. 

"I don't want to do this now." She was glad to hear that her voice only wavered a tiny bit.

"I'm not waiting to pounce or anything, I just didn't want you to leave without telling me. If you can wait I'll be done in an hour and we can go somewhere and talk." 

"I'm just going to go home. You're working and I...should just go."

"Can I come by later?"

Part of her, a really big part if she was being honest with herself, wanted to say yes, but she forced herself to hold back. "Not tonight."

"Anna-" The word itself was a plea and he cut off the rest of the words that were trying to pour out; apologies and assurances and all the other things he knew she didn't want to hear right now. He pulled one hand out of his pocket to reach for her, but changed course when he realized what he was doing and ran the hand through his own hair instead. 

The confusion and pain was clear in his eyes and her heart clenched in sympathy. She had a fleeting moment of amazement that she could hold such conflicting emotions inside all at once. Before she could think too much about it she walked to him and put a hand on his cheek, leaning in to press her lips to his briefly. 

"I'll call you," she whispered then walked away toward the front of the club.

...

Grant let his head fall heavily back against the door frame as he watched her walk away, only slightly mollified by her parting kiss. "Fuck," he muttered to himself, unlocking his phone and hitting a button. He put the phone up to his ear and walked back into his office just as Brody's gravelly voice came on the line.

"Sup?"

"Anna's on her way out, will you make sure she gets a cab?"

"Yep."

"Can you cover it? I'll get you back before you leave tonight."

"Not a problem."

"Thanks." 

"She alright?"

He hesitated a split second before answering. "She's pissed at me."

"Not a surprise."

"Fuck you," he said, a hint of a smile touching his lips. 

"No thanks. And don't worry; I'll take care of your girl."

"Watch yourself, I don't want to have to come kick your ass."

"Yeah, I know you're scared of me."

"No, I'm scared of Marie."

"True that, I am too." 

The Bluetooth picked up Anna's voice faintly telling Brody goodbye. The tightness returned to Grant's chest and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, wondering how the hell he was supposed to fix this. Brody recited Anna's address, presumably to the cab driver, and Anna spoke again, louder this time.

"No Brody, I've got it."

"It's taken care of."

"I don't need it taken care of, I can take care of it myself," she snapped angrily.

"Take it up with my boss," Brody said, sounding amused. "But don't be too hard on him. He's not so much an asshole as he is an idiot."

"Shut the fuck up, man," Grant muttered.

A few seconds later Brody spoke into the receiver again. "That's no way to talk to a man trying to put in a good word for you. Trust me G, I know how to deal with an angry woman. Admit fault, beg for forgiveness. That's all there is to it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Later." 

Grant hung up and sighed. Admit fault? Was he at fault? Probably. He never should have left Anna with Celia. It was like throwing a lamb in with a wolf and crossing your fingers that it wouldn't get eaten. God only knew what she'd said, but he had a pretty good idea of the gist of it. Celia hadn't been too happy with him when he'd cut off their relationship, both the sexual one and the business one. Yet another reason he should have known better than to leave them alone together.

And he knew he'd gotten overly defensive about having slept with her, but the way Anna had looked at him made him feel like a piece of shit. Hell, he was a piece of shit, that whole thing with Celia had been fucked up. He knew it at the time and he knew it now, he really couldn't blame Anna for thinking so as well.

The thing that killed him though, was that he'd finally told her how he felt and she didn't believe him. That wasn't his fault...was it? 

Okay, so maybe the aftermath of an argument about him screwing some other woman wasn't the most romantic scenario for a confession of love. He'd just wanted to reassure her that she was important to him, that none of the other women in his past, Celia included, meant anything to him compared to the way he felt about her. But he could see how she might have gotten the impression that he was bullshitting her. The only question now was how to convince her otherwise.

...

The next several days passed in a slow-moving blur. Anna got up, went to work, came home, and spent the majority of her time moping. She didn't even have school to distract her since the semester ended, so she had all the time in the world to go over and over her conversation with Celia and her argument with Grant; alternately congratulating herself and chastising herself. 

Sometimes she felt like she'd changed so much in the last couple of months that she didn't know who she was anymore. She'd been doing so many things that were out of character for her; drinking more, hanging out at a club, taking time off school, and she didn't even want to think about the direction she appeared to be heading with her new tastes in sex. 

Of course it was way too late to not think about that, the silk scarves, stolen moments on public sidewalks, filthy words whispered in her ear would pop into her head at the most unexpected moments, igniting the fire inside her. But without the prospect of being with Grant in the near future she didn't want to fan the flames. 

She missed him so much it hurt and she would catch herself about to call him or thinking about something funny she wanted to tell him later...and then she'd remember. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. Maybe waiting until she was sure? It seemed like she should know, one way or the other, what to do; like if she was really supposed to be with him she should be certain and the fact that she had doubts was reason enough to think it wasn't meant to be. At some point she knew she had to resolve the situation. It wasn't fair to keep him hanging like this, but she kept hoping something would happen to make up her mind for her.

He'd left her alone that first day, waiting for her to call like she said she would, but when she didn't he started calling her. She felt terrible not answering the phone, picturing him on the other end of the line hoping that this time she would pick up, but she was afraid that if she spoke to him she'd just run right back to him without really thinking it through. It was hard enough just listening to his messages, which grew increasingly despondent the longer she went without answering them. 

The last one was the worst. She made the mistake of listening to it in the break room at work, unable to wait until she got home to hear his voice. But this message wasn't him telling her how much he missed her or begging her to call back like the others had been.

"I love you, Anna," he began, his voice sadly resigned. "I probably should have waited until circumstances were different to tell you so, I realize that now and I'm sorry about my shitty timing. But I'm not sorry that I told you and I sure as hell am not sorry about feeling it. Loving you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I know you don't believe me right now, but if you give me the chance I'll prove it to you over and over again. Just...give me the chance, babe. Please."

She'd broken down into tears right there in the break room, burying her head in her arms on the sticky table and sobbing until Claudia came in and wrapped her arms around her. 

"I don't know what to do, Claud." She sniffed and blew her nose on a tissue Claudia handed her. "I don't want to hurt him, but I don't want to let him hurt me either. How do I know for sure I can trust him?"

"You can't, honey," Claudia had said, looking at her with sympathy in her eyes. "You can't ever know for sure with anyone. You just have to listen to your gut and have a little faith that the potential for happiness is worth the potential for pain."

"That's really not helpful at all," she said, rolling her eyes. 

"Well that's all the sage wisdom I've got," Claudia snapped. "If you just want me to tell you what to do then I'm gonna tell you to stop being such a coward. Grant is a good man and I have no doubt he is in love with you. Anyone looking at him can see it. Even you could see it if you weren't so scared to death to admit that you're in love with him, too."

Anna just stared in shocked silence as her friend ranted away.

"It's not him you don't trust, it's yourself. You know the truth. Stop thinking so hard and listen to your gut. Then get the hell out of here and go apologize to your man." 

Claudia stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Anna shell-shocked and gaping at her back. Then she closed her eyes and tried to block out everything except what her conscience was saying to her. No ego, no shades of the past, no fear or worry; just that little voice inside that was being drowned out by the noise of everything else.

When she opened her eyes they were still filled with tears, but she knew what she had to do. 

...

Grant sat in his office with his head in his hands trying to massage away a headache. This week just kept getting shittier and shittier and it was only Friday. The weekend rush was just getting started.

He'd just gotten word that the restaurant was going to be audited. Normally this wouldn't be anything more than a nuisance, but given the inventory discrepancies and other problems he'd been having, it was not a good sign. The timing couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

Liquor purchased for resale in bars and restaurants was taxed differently, since the bulk of the tax would come from selling it by the glass. Apparently someone at the IRS was under the impression that he was pulling some kind of scam, using the restaurant as a front to buy liquor at the lower tax rate and then...he didn't even know what they thought he was doing with it. Reselling it maybe?

At any rate it was quickly becoming clear that the whole situation was on the verge of blowing up in his face and he was now under serious time constraints for figuring out what the hell was going on. Fortunately, thanks to Anna's help organizing the purchasing and scheduling records, he already had an idea of who the thief might be and had Eric keeping an eye out. If he could catch them in the act maybe he could convince them to roll on whoever had set up this whole ridiculous scheme. With a deep sigh he stood up and walked over to his fish tank, staring blankly into the water.

And finding out about the audit wasn't even the worst part of his week, not by a long shot. Anna still wasn't returning his calls and he was at a loss for what else to do. He was trying to give her space to work out whatever was going on in her head, but it was driving him crazy. He missed her so much; his need for her so strong it felt like a physical ache in his stomach. The fear that he was going to lose her was overwhelming and everything in him screamed at him to go find her and make her listen, but he was afraid chasing her would just make her run faster. 

A tentative knock on the door shook him from his thoughts. His first instinct was to stay quiet and hope whoever it was went away, but he could hear the noise level ramping up out there and knew it was getting crowded. Despite his personal problems he needed to stay available. 

"Come in." He heard the door open, but didn't turn around.

"Hey."

He whirled around at the sound of her voice, half suspecting he was imagining it. When he saw her standing in the open doorway he had to stop himself from rushing to her and wrapping his arms around her. 

It had been less than a week since he'd seen her, but it seemed like she'd gotten more beautiful. She was wearing a little sleeveless embroidered dress that clung tightly across her chest and flared out to flirt with her thighs, showing significantly more leg than usual. It was clear she'd just showered because her hair lay in damp waves over her bare shoulders. He was willing to bet she had no clue how incredibly sexy she looked right now and fleetingly wondered whether she had walked all the way from her apartment dressed like that, but wisely did not ask.

"Can I come in?" 

"What? Oh, yeah of course," he said, suddenly realizing she was just standing in the doorway while he leered at her like a perv. "Come in, sit down. Do you want a drink or anything?"

"No thanks." She closed the door behind her and leaned against the arm of his couch, but didn't sit down. 

He swallowed hard and forced his eyes up to her face, trying not to trace the outline of her breasts against the stretchy fabric of her dress or calculate how many inches of bare skin lay between the bottom of her dress and the junction of her thighs. When he met her eyes he noticed that she was chewing at her bottom lip like she was afraid to start talking. It made him nervous.

"I'm really happy to see you." It was a lame line, he knew, but he was fishing for some kind of hint about why she was here. The corners of her mouth came up in a little smile and he started to relax a bit as she walked toward him, stopping just inches from his body. 

He could smell her shampoo, a clean fresh scent that always reminded him of summer rain, and when she looked up at him it took every scrap of self-control he possessed to keep from pulling her in for a kiss. The desire was clear in her eyes and he knew that she was feeling the same need he was, but he also knew they needed to talk and he was afraid that if he kissed her the next step would be pulling her to the floor and fucking her like an animal.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 05



"I miss you," she whispered, reaching out one hand and wrapping her slender fingers around his forearm. Her hand slid down until it got to his and he laced their fingers together tightly, still staring in her eyes as he pulled her closer until she was leaning into him.

"Me too." He rested his forehead against hers, feeling like a huge weight had just been removed from his chest. "God, me too. I'm so glad you're here."

She tilted her head up and pressed her lips against his, sparking an instantaneous fire in him. His mouth opened and sucked her bottom lip inside, the taste of her so sweet it made his head spin. Her hand squeezed his where they were locked together while her other hand threaded through his hair, sending chills down his spine as she pulled his head closer to deepen their kiss. He finally pulled away with the intention of saying something; he wasn't sure what it was going to be, probably another lame apology, but she beat him to the punch.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" She spoke almost under her breath and he wasn't quite sure if she even meant for him to hear her, but her words and the way her lips brushed against his as she said them settled his lingering doubts about why she'd come. Before he could respond she was kissing him again, pressing her body all along his as her tongue explored his mouth. 

Her uncharacteristic aggression sent his blood racing and he let her take control for the moment, elated that she was here in his arms and that she still wanted him. The hand that wasn't clasping hers smoothed over her hair and down her back, resting for a moment on the soft roundness of her ass. He bunched her dress up in his hand until he could feel her bare skin, smoothing his hand over her cheek and down between her legs.

"What the fuck,' he said raggedly, tearing his lips from hers. "Where are your underwear?"

She blushed as she looked up at him and giggled, the blend of innocence and erotic intoxicating him. "I told you I missed you." 

Suddenly all he could think about was being inside her, feeling her warm, tight body wrapped around him. All his noble thoughts of talking and resolving their issues evaporated as he locked one arm around her waist and slid his hand further between her legs, the smooth bare skin teasing him as much as he was teasing her. One finger slipped inside and he moaned at how wet she was already. 

"Oh, babe," he groaned, sliding his finger out and then plunging it back in as she gasped and jerked against him. His mouth came down on hers hard and his arm tightened around her waist as he played with her slippery folds, teasing and pinching, barely dipping inside.

She tore away from his kiss to pull his shirt off over his head, pausing for a moment to run her hands slowly over his chest and shoulders. Her hands settled on his elbows and she pulled him toward the couch. "Show me how much you missed me," she demanded, her voice husky with need. She popped the top button on his jeans and tore open his fly, shoving his jeans down over his hips just far enough to free his erection before pushing him back on the couch and climbing on top of him.

He was too turned on to be shocked; too ready to feel her slide down the length of him to argue, not that he would have in any case. Momentarily speechless, he pushed the skirt of her dress up so he could watch as she positioned herself above his straining cock. A sharp cry exploded from her mouth as she impaled herself on him, grinding down as hard as she could. 

"Fuck! Yes, Anna, goddamn you feel so good, babe." He wrapped one hand around her neck and used the other to guide her hips to exactly the right spot as she lifted up and came down against him over and over, pulling him deeper inside with each stroke. 

Grant pulled her dress down as she lifted herself up and her breasts popped free from the top, bouncing as she slammed herself down onto him again. He quickly closed his mouth over one taut nipple, capturing the other with his fingers and she paused for a moment, arching into him and lacing her fingers into his hair.

"Harder," she whispered, clenching his hair painfully in her hand and pulling him close. He happily complied, twisting the little nub in his fingers as he clamped his lips down tightly on the one in his mouth and started flicking it with his tongue. With a loud moan she started moving again, her hips making little circles against him and rocking back and forth as she used his body to pleasure herself. 

"Jesus Christ," he hissed, watching her through narrowed eyes as she rode him to orgasm. She felt so tight it damn near hurt as her muscles clamped down on him and her whole body shook with pleasure. He pulled her head close so he could kiss her as his hips rose to meet her stroke for stroke. Her moans and grunts of pleasure were transmitted directly to his mouth and he savored them, enjoying every second of her bliss. 

He felt his own climax start to build, but he held it back, wanting to see her come again. He dropped one hand to tease her swollen clit with his thumb as he pushed his rock hard cock up into her as hard as he could.

"Oh god, Grant," she cried out, hanging onto his neck to keep her balance.

"That's right, babe. Say my name again," he demanded, pressing his thumb against her clit in tiny wet circles.

"Grant, you feel so good. I...I...oh god, I need you." 

His cock exploded at her words and his consciousness narrowed until it included nothing but the place where their bodies were joined. He had the presence of mind to slide his forefinger in and pinch her clit until he heard her cry out and come with him, milking him until his body was spent and he collapsed back against the couch, cradling her on top of him.

"Anna," he whispered, lifting his hand to her cheek. Her eyes met his, their liquid brown depths pulling him in and stripping him bare. How could she doubt for a second that he loved her? The way her eyes penetrated him to the core, surely she could see the truth.

"Your phone," she said, still breathless.

"What?"

"Your phone. It's been ringing for a few minutes."

"It has?" As soon as the words left his mouth there was a banging on the door. "Shit."

"Grant!" Corie's voice sounded through the wood. "I know you're in there, either open the door or answer your goddamn phone!"

"Fuck. I'm sorry, babe." He looked up at her apologetically and gingerly lifted her off his lap before shoving his rapidly deflating dick back into his jeans and buttoning them.

"It's alright." 

He pulled his shirt on over his head and glanced back at her to make sure she was ready before he opened the door. She wasn't so he waited a moment while she straightened her dress and smoothed back her hair, then nodded at him. 

"What the fuck, Corie?" He wasn't embarrassed, Corie had seen him in much more compromising situations than this, but irritation at being interrupted came through clearly in his voice.

"I know, I'm sorry, but Craig's been trying to get hold of you. Eric caught your thief."

"No shit," he said, paling at the news.

"Yeah, you need to get over there," she said, shooting a quick glance at Anna. "You might want to turn your shirt right side out first, though."

"Call Craig for me, tell him I'll be right there." He closed the door and put his shirt on right before kneeling in front of her. "I'm so sorry babe. I have to-"

"Go. It's okay."

He sighed and leaned in to kiss her again, reaching up with one hand to cup her cheek.

"Wait, what is this?" She grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm straight. He watched her face as she stared down at the tattoo on his forearm, knowing full well what had caught her attention. There was a lick of flame that hadn't been there before, surrounded by slightly puffy red skin. Embedded in the design was a series of infinity symbols that formed themselves into an A if you stared at it for a few seconds. He swallowed hard, waiting for her reaction and when she finally dragged her eyes away to meet his he was relieved to see that she seemed more surprised than upset.

"I'll be back. Don't leave." His lips brushed hers and then he was gone.

...

Anna sat on the couch in a daze, staring at the fish as they swam in lazy circles. She couldn't even begin to try and interpret that tattoo right now, there was so much else to think about. Physically she felt as satisfied as she could possibly be, but things hadn't gone quite according to plan. They never did when she and Grant were together. Sex had actually been part of the plan, she'd just meant to say the things she needed to say before they got to that point. But then that look in his eyes had just been so...hungry. She knew he wanted her badly and she could see that he was holding himself back and for some reason the combination of those two things just completely overrode her self control.

And then real life intruded. She tried not to let herself feel irritated. It wasn't Grants fault, it wasn't Corie's fault. He was working and she showed up unexpectedly, knowing it was possible he would be busy. She had actually wanted to wait until the next day, but Claudia talked her into coming tonight, not that it was a tough sell. She really did understand that he needed to go and she was glad that he was beginning to figure out what was going on with the restaurant, it was just that she was nervous about talking to him and now that it had been put off she had more time to stew about it. She decided to go out to the bar and have a drink while she waited for him to return.

Within a few minutes of standing at the bar a tall, good-looking man approached her offering to buy her a drink. He was dressed nicely in khaki slacks and a blue button up and looked slightly out of place. His blond hair was long enough in front to fall into his eyes and he smelled strongly of cologne.

"No thanks, I'm here with someone." She cringed at her unnecessary explanation as it was coming out of her mouth. 

"Then he's an idiot. If you were here with me you certainly wouldn't be standing by yourself."

Anna clenched her jaw, irritated at his insinuation. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't want a drink, thank you."

"Alright, let me know if you change your mind," the man said with a grin.

Anna nodded, pointedly looking away. When she looked back the man was gone and she sighed in relief. She waved at Corie who came over with a beer. 

...

Grant stormed in the kitchen door, startling one of the line cooks into dropping a plate of scallops. He hesitated for a second before deciding that it was more important to find out what was going on with his inventory than to help clean up the mess.

The manager's office was in the back and that's where he headed, knocking sharply before opening the door. Inside was his manager Craig and Janette, the cocktail waitress who had, until very recently, been filling in for Marie at the club. They were sitting on opposite sides of Craig's desk and as soon as he walked in Janette turned her mascara streaked face up to him.

"I didn't do anything wrong," she sobbed.

"Eric said he caught her stashing bottles in the ladies room," Craig said.

Grant dropped into the chair next to Janette, noting the way she glared at Craig when he spoke. Then her face morphed right back to pitiful innocence as she turned back to him. "Is that true?"

"Of course not."

"Craig could you go get Eric for me?"

Grant gazed at her as she pouted unattractively, silently begging him to take mercy on her. As soon as Craig was gone he got right to the heart of the issue.

"Did someone pay you to steal from me?" 

Janette turned a sickly white and stared in disbelief for a few seconds before hesitantly shaking her head at him. 

"You're lying. Tell me the truth, tell me who paid you off and I won't call the police and have you arrested. I know you aren't behind this, Janette. I honestly don't give a shit about you or the missing liquor, but I need to know who paid you off." 

She remained silent, biting her lip and staring at the floor until Eric came in. He was tall and lanky with close cropped blonde hair, the only outward sign of anything out of the ordinary about him was the large open spacer the size of a nickel in his right ear. Grant knew the crisp long-sleeved white button-up hid a body covered in intricate artwork only because he'd first met the guy in the lobby of their tattoo artist's studio.

He stood up and shook Eric's hand, impressed all over again at the strength of his grip. For a skinny guy he was incredibly strong. 

"Hey man, how's it going?" he drawled in his south Georgia accent.

"Could be better," Grant replied gesturing with his head at the woman silently crying in the chair next to him. "What went down tonight?"

"Well, you told me to keep an eye on her so when I saw her coming out from behind the bar carrying her purse I decided to see what she was up to."

"That perv followed me into the fucking bathroom. I should sue for sexual harassment."

Both men ignored her and continued their conversation. "She went in the ladies room and I went in behind her and heard what sounded like her moving the lid off the back of the toilet. I waited until she came out of the stall just in case, but when she saw me she tried to keep me out. I got past her and when I looked in the back of the toilet I saw two bottles stashed in there."

"He pushed me," Janette whined pitifully.

"You scratched the shit out of my neck, let's call it even," Eric said, leveling his gaze at her. 

"So are you trying to say you didn't put those bottles there?" Grant asked, noting the red welts on Eric's neck.

"Yes. I mean, no. Okay look, I took those bottles tonight, but it's the first time I've done it. You guys are trying to pin more on me and I don't know what you're talking about."

"I've tracked the disappearances and they line up with your schedule, Janette. They trickled off the whole time you were subbing for Marie at the club. If I include all the missing bottles from the last six months it adds up to quite a large sum of money altogether. I'm giving you one more chance to tell me who's really behind this before I have you arrested."

He saw Eric's surprised look out of the corner of his eye, but stayed focused on Janette. She pursed her lips and seemed to debate with herself for a few minutes before shaking her head. Whoever it was must have either paid her a great deal of money or threatened her in some way. 

"Fine." He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the police. 

...

Anna checked the time on her phone again. She was surprised at how crowded the club had gotten in the last hour. It was hot and people were packed like sardines all around the bar so she gave up hope of getting another drink any time soon. 

She was bored and unsure what to do with herself, but didn't want to leave either. She wandered aimlessly for a while, walking the perimeter of the dance floor letting the base thump through her body and watching the sweaty people rub against each other. Eventually she found herself back in the bar looking for an opening to order another drink. 

"I don't suppose you were looking for me, were you?" 

Anna jumped at the voice sounding so close to her ear and turned to see the blonde man from earlier in the evening standing uncomfortably close. "No, not particularly," she said apologetically, taking a step back. 

"You're still alone," he pointed out unnecessarily. "Why don't you let me get you that drink now?"

Anna debated for a moment and then decided it couldn't do any harm. It was just one beer and she didn't feel like fighting her way to the bar. She shrugged and said, "Alright, if you insist. I'll take a Yeungling."

The man grinned like he'd won the lottery and Anna felt a pang of guilt. She almost called him back to say nevermind, but he disappeared into the crowd before she had the chance. She bit her lip in consternation, wondering whether Grant would be upset, and then rolled her eyes at herself. It was just a beer. And maybe there was a tiny part of her that thought he deserved to be a little jealous of her every once in a while. Turnabout being fair play and all. 

She wandered over to watch the ongoing pool game. No one she knew was playing, it was way too crowded for Dan and his buddies to be there, but the two men that were playing were good and she was just starting to relax and enjoy herself when the blonde man appeared at her side with a beer. 

"Thank you so much, I really wasn't looking forward to trying to fight my way to the bar." 

"No problem at all," he assured her. "I was happy to run into you again."

"Look, I don't want to give you the wrong idea. I appreciate the drink, but I'm still here with someone else. I'll pay you for the drink if you want, I just-"

"Please," he said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively. "It's just a beer."

Anna smiled back and turned back to the game, taking a deep drink. "These guys are pretty good, I wonder if they're betting," she said to make conversation. She wondered how long she was obligated to stand there with him before it was socially acceptable to walk away. 

"I don't know, but I noticed that one of them's drinking and the other one isn't, so if anyone is taking bets my money is on the sober guy. You should never drink when you're playing for stakes."

Anna laughed and nodded, taking another drink. "I guess that means I shouldn't get in on the game."

"No probably not," he said with an odd smile. A few minutes passed and he spoke again, "So where is this guy you're here with?" 

Anna thought she detected a hint of disbelief in his voice and felt another flash of irritation at him. His eyes raked over her, making her feel intensely aware of how little she had on. She hadn't planned to be hanging around in the club tonight and only wore the little dress for Grant's benefit. The way this man was staring made her want to pull the smocked top up and pull the hemline down while she mentally cursed herself for not wearing any underwear. She thought maybe if she finished her beer she could find an excuse to shake him, so she took another long drink before giving him a vague reply. "He's here somewhere. Busy I expect." 

"Hm." 

Anna was sure now that he didn't believe her. And his cologne was starting to make her feel slightly nauseous. She looked at her half-empty beer and decided she didn't mind being a little bit rude. "Thanks again for the drink," she said with a terse smile. "I need to run to the ladies room." 

Anna turned and walked away, thinking she maybe did need to go to the bathroom. She wasn't feeling very good all the sudden and the crowd and the heat weren't helping. She stumbled through the crowd, keeping her eyes on the floor to make sure she didn't trip. It seemed like the floor was uneven, though she'd never noticed it before.

She finally made it to the bathroom and fell inside, her head spinning. Only now there wasn't the excuse of the loud music and close-packed bodies. She sat down on a toilet, set her beer on the floor next to her, and put her head in her hands, trying to breathe deeply. It didn't seem like she'd drunk that much, but she couldn't really remember and it was giving her a headache to think so hard about it. Someone walked in the bathroom and loud female voices echoed through the small space. They were talking to her and suddenly she realized she was sitting on the toilet.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she stood up, catching herself on the stall door before she fell, then moving out of the way so the girl could get in the bathroom. She stood there, clinging to the wall for a minute. 

Grant. She needed to find Grant. Grant would help her. Grant loved her. She loved Grant. So much it made her chest hurt to think about him sometimes. She smiled to herself and giggled at the thought, only vaguely recognizing a hint of hysteria in her own voice.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 05



"Dude, I want what some of what she's smoking," a heavily made-up woman said to her friend as they walked out the door.

That made Anna giggle some more and she forgot what she started laughing about. Oh! Grant. She needed to find Grant and tell him that she loved him. That's what she was doing. If the room would stop spinning for just a minute she could find his office. His office. It was right outside. She just had to make it outside into the hall and then she could find Grant and tell him...something. Something important.

She stumbled to the door, swiping at the handle twice before her hand finally landed on it. She pulled it open and saw that someone was standing there. She smiled, happy that Grant was waiting for her, but then she smelled cologne and realized the man had blonde hair. Grant didn't wear cologne. Grant didn't have blonde hair. She stared at him for a moment, wondering why he looked so familiar.

"You don't look like you feel good," he said in a friendly voice. "I bet some fresh air would make you feel better."

She stared at him, trying to remember where she knew him from. Then he was next to her, putting an arm around her and helping her walk. He was going to help her find Grant. 

"Thank you," she said, or thought she did, she couldn't be sure. She pointed at Grant's office and started to move that direction, but her knees buckled and he was holding her up, dragging her toward the back door. She turned her head back and looked at the office just a few feet away, but she was going the wrong direction.

Then she was outside and the door between her and the office slammed closed. For the first time she felt a pang of fear. Adrenaline coursed through her and instinct made her dive at the door, but something stopped her. Someone was holding her around the waist, pulling her backward. 

She felt dizzy and couldn't remember how she got outside, but someone was holding her up and kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and felt Grant's hands on her body, groping at her breasts.

Her eyes snapped open. There was the door. She was outside. And those weren't Grant's sure, confident hands, those hands were clumsy and rough and that awful sickly sweet scent was filling her head, making her want to throw up. One questing hand slid up her thigh and she jerked as it cupped her naked flesh. The man behind her chuckled darkly.

"Oh, ho, ho what do we have here? You are making this way too easy."

Anna tried to twist away, slapping feebly at the hands and making noises meant to be words. "No, stop," she said, or tried to. "I have to go."

One of the hands clapped over her mouth, silencing her, while the other arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her off her feet. They were headed toward the back end of the alley that opened into the parking lot. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she needed to stop it before she got too far away from that door. Instinct kicked in and she started kicking and flailing her arms. 

The man spun her around so she could hold her still and the motion overwhelmed her along with his cologne. Everything went gray and her stomach heaved, emptying itself all over him and splattering on her as he jumped back. 

"You stupid cunt!" he screamed and backhanded her, knocking her to the ground. 

The next moment all hell broke loose. The door to the restaurant slammed open and someone came running out, hurtling toward the blonde man, knocking him down, slamming fists into him. 

Grant. She found him. Anna smiled, she needed to tell him something, but she couldn't remember what. Her smile faltered when she saw his face twisted into a mask of rage. She could hear a woman's voice and noticed a small person pulling on Grant, yelling at him. Another large man came running toward them from the other end of the alley.

Anna's eyes drifted closed, but she could still hear voices floating in the air.

"....have to stop..."

"...crazy mother fucker..."

"...take care of your girl, I'll deal with him..."

Someone was touching her face, saying her name. Grant. Anna opened her eyes and there he was kneeling next to her, his face back to normal, his gentle hands smoothing the hair out of her face. Anna smiled up at him and he smiled shakily back at her. There was something she needed to tell him. Something important. 

"I was looking for you..." she said, trailing off, trying to remember. 

She must have said something wrong because Grant's face fell. He looked so sad. She reached up and touched his cheek, shaking her head. She didn't want him to look so sad. If she could just remember what she was supposed to tell him she knew he would be happy. 

And then his arms were around her, pulling her close, and he was lifting her, making the world spin again. She closed her eyes and let her head fall onto his shoulder, surrounded by the smell of him. She was safe. She was sleepy.



Turning of the Stars Ch. 06



Anna opened her eyes and then immediately squeezed them shut again to avoid being blinded by bright lights. The harsh smell of cleaning products invaded her sinuses and she rolled to her side, burying her face in a starchy pillowcase. 

"Anna." a familiar voice said. "Honey, are you feeling sick again?"

Anna tried to decide whether she was feeling sick again. She didn't think so. She tried to figure out where she was. She didn't know. She tried to identify the voice. 

"Claudia." Her voice sounded strange to her own ears; raspy and weak.

"Yeah honey, it's me. Grant called me."

Grant. "Grant! Where is he?" Anna tried to sit up and felt like someone had knocked her in the head with a frying pan. Everything went blessedly dark once more.

When she opened her eyes again, a nurse was bustling around the room and Claudia was sitting on the bed with her, wiping her face with a cool cloth. They'd lifted the top part of the bed so she was in a semi-upright position and could see the room better. 

"I'm in the hospital," she croaked.

"Yes. Do you remember what happened?"

Anna tried to think. She'd gone to see Grant; to apologize and...she blushed as she remembered what they'd done on his couch, but that didn't explain why she was in a hospital. "There was...a door? I don't know," she said, getting frustrated. "I can't remember. Please just tell me if Grant's okay."

"Of course he is, hon. He's fine. He's talking to the police right now."

Anna's eye shot wide, but she caught herself before sitting up this time. "Is he in trouble?"

"No, he's just giving them a statement."

"Am I okay? Why am I here?" She directed the question at the nurse.

"Yes ma'am, you're gonna be just fine. Someone put a strong sedative in your drink. Probably Rohypnol, but we won't know for sure until we get the lab report back. Fortunately we didn't have to pump your stomach because you pretty much emptied it out on your own. And you have a few bruises, but nothing too bad."

"I don't remember anything," she said shaking her head slowly. "Can you tell me what happened, Claud?"

"I don't really know all the details, Anna. You should talk to someone who was there. Grant will be back soon."

Anna nodded. She wanted to see Grant; needed to see him. She put her hand to her face to push her hair back and winced in pain. Prodding her cheek gingerly with her fingers, she felt the extent of the bruise. It wasn't too bad unless she tried to open her mouth wide.

The door opened and Anna looked up to see Grant and Corie walk in the room along with two uniformed police officers. She sat up a little straighter and tried to brush her hair back into a ponytail with her fingers.

"Miss Webster?" one of the officers asked. He was very tall and broad-chested, a good looking guy with cheerful blue eyes that looked at her with concern. 

"Yes." Anna was trying to make eye contact with Grant, but his eyes were locked on the floor. He seemed unnaturally calm, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest, the only sign of stress the tight fists he had stuck under his arms.

"I'm Officer Cooper, this is Officer Standen. We won't bother you too much tonight ma'am, but we need to ask you a few questions." 

"Okay. I'll try to answer." She was having a hard time concentrating on what the man was saying. Her mind still felt foggy and she was wondering why Grant wouldn't look at her. 

"The questions are of a sensitive nature, we can have everyone else leave first if-"

"No, it's okay. I want them here."

"Are you sure ma'am?"

"Yes," she said, confused about why on earth she would want her friends to leave. They knew better than her what had happened tonight.

"Alright," he said, clearing his throat. 

"Do you know the man that you left the club with tonight?" the other officer asked. He was an older man with graying hair and a no-nonsense attitude, but his interruption earned him a glare from his younger, taller counterpart.

Anna snapped to full attention. "I left with someone? I don't- I can't-" Suddenly the potential implications of having been drugged began to dawn on her and she instinctively drew the sheet up to her chest, clenching it tightly in her fists. 

"It's okay if you don't remember, ma'am. Just say that."

Anna couldn't speak for a moment, paralyzed by the realization that she might have been raped. Her eyes darted from face to face, looking for the answer to a question that she was afraid to ask out loud. The only person whose eye she could catch was Corie, who looked directly at her and almost imperceptibly shook her head no. She took a deep breath, reassured, and focused back on the cop.

"I don't remember, but I wouldn't have left with anyone even if I knew them. I was waiting for Grant," she said, glancing at his face for some sign of acknowledgement. He didn't look up at her, but she saw him wince. Surely he didn't think she would have voluntarily left with someone else. Is that why he wasn't looking at her? 

"Right." The cop said and she looked up at the odd tone to his voice. "Have you had unprotected sexual intercourse in the last twenty-four hours?"

Her eyes flew automatically back to Grant, who looked intensely uncomfortable, his jaw muscles working furiously as he stared hard at the floor. "I, um- why do you need to know that?" she asked, blushing feverishly. For a moment she wondered if she should lie, unsure whether she would be getting Grant in trouble, but quickly realized how silly the thought was. It wasn't illegal for them to have sex. 

The younger officer cleared his throat again and stepped forward as he spoke to her in a lowered voice. "The doctor ran a rape kit when you first arrived. You were conscious at the time, though you may not remember. There were quite a few minor vaginal lacerations and the lab came back positive for semen, but only from one donor and no spermicide or lubricant from a condom. If you had voluntary intercourse recently we can be reasonably sure you weren't raped."

"Oh." She swallowed hard. "Yeah. I did, yes." 

"Okay. That's not conclusive, you understand, so you'll need to talk to the doctors about taking the same measures you would have if you were raped, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes," she whispered. She knew she wasn't ovulating, she had always been regular and had been tracking her fertility carefully since she started sleeping with Grant so pregnancy wasn't a concern, but she would have to get tested for diseases just in case. Claudia's hand squeezed hers hard and she was grateful for it, but she couldn't help wishing it was Grant sitting next to her offering her some kind of comfort. Her eyes stayed locked on his lowered head, afraid she'd miss the slightest glance from him if she looked away.

"Alright. Now, did you voluntarily take any prescription or street drugs tonight?"

"No," Anna said, on the verge of tears. Why wouldn't he just look at her? "I just had a couple of beers..." Her voice trailed off as she had a sudden flash of someone with blonde hair smiling and handing her a beer. "Blonde hair," she said breathlessly. The two cops looked at each other significantly. "He had blonde hair and he wore really strong cologne."

"Is there anything else you can remember?"

Anna closed her eyes and tried to see through the fog in her brain, but eventually shook her head in frustration. "I'm sorry I can't." 

"That's alright. Between the witness statements and security video I don't think we'll have any problem with this one. Of course if you do remember anything or you have any questions at all, please give us a call," the young cop said, smiling gently at her before handing her a card.

"Thank you." 

The officers left and silence descended on the room, everyone waiting for someone else to speak first. Finally Claudia cleared her throat.

"Well it goes without saying that you have the next couple of days off, Anna. Jesse and I will cover your shifts until you're ready to come back."

"Thanks Claud. I'm sure I'll be fine in a day or two."

Corie's phone rang and she glanced at it before speaking to Grant. "It's Brody."

"Tell him I'll be there in a few." 

Corie glanced at Anna and back at Grant in surprise. "Are you-"

He lifted his head to glare at her and she cut herself off and shook her head before walking out the door, answering her phone as she went. 

"I need to go close up the club. Claudia, do you think you could take Anna home?" 

"No!" The sense of urgency, almost panic, in her voice surprised Anna. But not only did she not want to go home by herself, she had an irrational fear that if she let Grant out of her sight without speaking to him tonight she wouldn't ever see him again. "No," she repeated, a little calmer. "Claud, would you excuse us for just a minute?"

Grant looked up at her for the first time since he'd entered the room, the expression on his face completely unreadable. The relief she felt at finally having some kind of contact with him was tempered by confusion at the calm façade he was showing her. She could tell he was covering up some kind of strong emotion; she just wasn't sure what it was. They stared at each other, his eyes burning into her, while Claudia gathered her things and stepped outside.

Anna slowly sat up in the bed, feeling steadier now; physically if not emotionally. She felt the tears prick her eyes and gritted her teeth to try to stop them. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry. Can you please just be mad at me tomorrow? I need you right now." The words were barely out of her mouth before she burst into tears.

Grant was there the next second, wrapping his arms around her so tightly she could barely breathe, but she wasn't complaining. She buried her head in his neck and sobbed, releasing all the pent up worry and confusion as he gently stroked her back and hair.

"I'm not mad at you, babe, not at all. I'm just so sorry. You needed me and I wasn't there and I'm so sorry. I should have been there. This never should have happened," he said, the words spilling out of him in a rush. He pulled back and touched the bruise on her cheek gently, his eyes searching hers to reassure himself that she was alright.

"You're not angry?"

"Jesus, no. Well, not at you. I thought you were mad at me for leaving you alone. I'm so sorry I left you, babe."

She shook her head firmly, trying to show confidence she didn't quite feel. "Stop. It's not your fault and I'm perfectly fine and everything's okay," she said to herself as much as to him. 

Grant still held her like he thought she might disappear if he didn't hang on tight enough. "I thought-" he began, then clenched his jaw, silencing himself. He took a deep breath and started again. "God, I'm so glad you're alright."

"I don't want to go home without you. Let me come with you."

"I'm not gonna drag you back to the club tonight. Brody can lock everything down for me and I'll go deal with it in the morning."

"Are you sure? If you need to-"

"No. Fuck it. The whole place can burn down for all I care. You need me more." He brought his hand up to her face and kissed her gently on her un-bruised cheek. "I'll take you home to bed." 

Anna turned her face and caught his lips with hers, surprised at the emotion that flooded her when he parted his lips and kissed her back more deeply. Her body melted against his and she wrapped her arms around his neck, breaking the kiss only to lay her head against his chest as he held her close. With his hand on her cheek she caught sight of the new tattoo on his forearm.

"You did this for me?" she asked, touching his arm gingerly, carefully avoiding the puffy red skin.

Grant shook his head. "No, I did that for me. You changed me, Anna. Loving you changed me and I thought-" He stopped to clear his throat. "Even if you didn't come back, if all I got was the little bit of time we already had together, I wanted to make sure I always remembered how lucky I was to get it."

Whatever was left of her self-insulating bubble disintegrated into nothing. Her nature was to love with her whole heart, to trust completely. For the last few years she'd been denying herself, trying to force herself to keep people at arms length to avoid getting hurt, but she couldn't do it any more. Not with Grant. He'd chipped away at her defenses until she couldn't keep him out; didn't want to keep him out any longer. She was done second-guessing and mistrusting and trying to protect herself from falling too hard. It was way too late for that, anyway.

Her throat was tight with emotion and she couldn't speak, so with fresh tears in her eyes she pressed another kiss to his lips. Just as she pulled away there was a tentative knock on the door and Corie stuck her head in. 

"Grant?"

"Yeah?" He looked up without loosening his grip on Anna.

"You need to talk to Brody." Corie walked in and handed the phone to Grant who held it up to his ear.

"What's up?" Anna watched his face cloud as he listened. "What the fuck is going on tonight? No, man, I can't come up there."

"If you need to go-"

He cut Anna off with a shake of his head. "Can't they come talk to me tomorrow?"

"I'll wait in the car."

"Hang on," he said into the phone. "Anna, I told you I'd bring you home. That's what I'm gonna do."

"What's going on?"

"Somebody called in a bomb threat. They've evacuated the club. Thank god it was almost time to close anyway, there was hardly anyone left. Someone from the bomb squad wants to talk to me, though."

"Then you need to go talk to them."

"I don't want to leave you-"

"I can drive Anna back to your place and wait with her until you get there," Corie suggested.

Anna was momentarily shocked at her offer, but quickly shook it off. "That's perfect, thanks Corie. See Grant? I'll be fine. You go do whatever you need to do."

Grant looked at Corie for a moment, an odd expression on his face, then nodded. With a deep sigh he lifted the phone back to his ear. "I'll be there in a few." He hung up and wrapped his arms around Anna, pulling her head to his chest. "I'll be quick."

"Okay."

He kissed the top of her head and then turned back to Corie. "Thanks Corie. You guys be careful."

Claudia left with assurances that Anna was in good hands and Anna and Corie left as soon as Anna could stand up and walk, albeit shakily, on her own. They rode in silence to Grant's house, both worn out. The whole way there Anna kept getting whiffs of cologne and vomit from her hair, not a good combination under any circumstances, so once inside she went immediately to take a shower. 

She stripped off the scrubs the hospital had given her and stood under the hot spray for ages, letting it soothe her aching muscles and bruises. When the water turned cold she got out and put on some flannel pants and one of Grant's t-shirts. Corie was out on the deck smoking and as soon as she walked out to join her she could smell that it wasn't a cigarette. Corie jumped and tried to put the joint out, but dropped it on the deck. 

"Can I hit this?" Anna asked, picking it up. She didn't smoke often these days, but she had as a teenager and still indulged occasionally when she wanted to relax. Tonight she could definitely use a little relaxation. Corie nodded and watched curiously as Anna inhaled the fragrant smoke. She passed it back and closed her eyes, feeling that strange weight in her head as she exhaled.

"You don't strike me as a smoker."

Anna shrugged. "You don't know me very well." 

Corie nodded and they passed the joint back and forth, smoking in silence as they stared out at the river slowly slinking by below them. Anna finally spoke her thoughts. "Thank you for earlier. At the hospital. I was on the verge of a meltdown for a second there."

"That cop was an idiot. You didn't leave with the guy; he dragged you out the back door. I told him that, but of course he didn't listen. And I know he didn't rape you either, he didn't have time."

"How do you know?" 

"I saw you go by on the way to the bathroom and it was less than ten minutes later that I saw you guys outside. I have a security monitor behind the bar that switches to the alley camera as soon as the door opens. When I saw what was happening I called Grant and we were both out there within minutes." 

"God, if you hadn't seen-"

"I did see. There's no point in what iffing."

That was true and Anna fell silent for a while, thinking. "I feel like an idiot, the first time in my life I let a guy buy me a drink and I get drugged. It never even occurred to me that he might put something in it. I know people think I'm naïve, but I never really believed it until tonight."

"Being taken advantage of doesn't make you an idiot."

Anna snorted, the pot making her chatty and familiar. "You don't think he picked me because I looked vulnerable and dumb enough to take a drink from a total stranger?"

Corie shrugged. "Maybe. But he also could have picked you just because you were alone, or because you look like his ex-girlfriend, or because-" 

"Or because I was wearing a come-fuck-me dress with no underwear on." 

"Look, you can't do that to yourself. You could come up with a million things you could have or even should have done differently, but you're not ever going to make it your fault no matter how hard you try. Because nothing you did makes it okay for him to do what he did."

Tears pricked her eyes again and she clenched her jaw, swallowing them back. She understood the words Corie was saying and knew they were true, but it was hard to assimilate them with the way she was feeling. 

Corie pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and sat down on a deck chair. "Grant didn't tell you about me, did he?" It was more a statement than a question and she sounded surprised. 

"Tell me what?"

"That it was my fault he went to prison," she said, staring at the glowing tip of her cigarette. "He really didn't tell you?"

Anna sat down in a chair opposite her with a feeling that she knew where this conversation was going. "He told me that he had a good reason for what he did, but it wasn't his secret to tell so I would just have to trust him or not. And I decided to trust him."

Corie looked up at her and smiled. "Maybe you are naïve."

Anna started giggling and when Corie started laughing with her it made her laugh harder. Soon they were both wiping tears from their faces and trying to catch their breath. After several minutes they calmed down and Corie took another drag off her cigarette. 

"He's so fucking stubborn, I can't believe he would have just let you walk away rather than tell you. I told him he didn't have to keep it a secret." 

Corie took a few more puffs before continuing. "I was working one night and there was this guy sitting at the bar the whole night flirting with me. He was real clean cut, not my usual type, but he was cute and I was feeling sort of down on myself and he made me feel better." 

She shrugged and shook her head. "I made Grant let me go early that night and the guy took me to another bar. I wasn't really into it, but I wanted to hang out with him and I didn't want to do it around...at work."

Anna got the feeling Corie was leaving part of the story out, but she didn't want to interrupt to ask questions. 

"So we get to the bar and it was a really seedy place. They didn't even check my ID, and I always get carded 'cause I look like I'm twelve. Anyway, one drink in and I could tell something was wrong. I asked him to take me back to the club and he said okay and that's all I can remember. Grant found me passed out in the alley after the club closed. It was pretty clear what happened. My clothes were scattered all over the place like someone had just thrown them at me."

"Holy crap."

"Yeah."

Anna wanted to hug her or tell her she was sorry or something, but she knew Corie wouldn't appreciate a gesture like that so she just shook her head in disgust that anyone would do something like that to another human being.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 06



"You know the really shitty thing is that I probably would have screwed him, he didn't have to drug me to get in my pants." She laughed humorlessly and took another long drag on her cigarette. "Anyway, I came to when we got to the hospital and freaked out, refused to go in. So Grant took me home and cleaned me up and when I sobered up he told me what happened. He was furious and wanted to call the police, but he said it was up to me. I just wanted it to go away, forget it ever happened. If I'd known what he was thinking I'd have told him to call the police, but I didn't realize..." she trailed off staring into space. 

"And then I didn't know what he'd done until the cops showed up at the club to arrest him a week later. I tried to tell them what happened, but they wouldn't listen to me and I didn't have any proof anyway. Grant wouldn't tell them what happened because it was all over the news and he was trying to protect me from the media shit storm. I told him not to, I tried to talk to his lawyers and everything, but again I fucking look twelve years old so no one ever takes me seriously. I did finally get someone to listen, but that was after he'd been convicted; after the news died down a little. It was the lawyer who handled his appeal, got the attempted homicide charge dropped and talked the judge into putting a word in for him to get out early." 

"Well. I guess that's a pretty good reason to beat the shit out of somebody."

"Yeah. I mean, if it were someone else I'd think so. But it wasn't a fair trade. I'd have rather he not had to go through any of that. I'd go visit him in that place and just being there for an hour would have my skin crawling. I hated that he was stuck there because of me. It wasn't worth it." 

"He says it was a blessing in disguise, that it changed him for the better."

Corie stared into the darkness with a wry smile. "I believe that. And I'm sure he's right in a lot of ways. I definitely don't miss all the drugs and the women. He was getting kind of crazy with all that there toward the end. The day he got out I picked him up and asked him what he wanted to do first. I thought maybe he'd want to go out eat or sit outside at a park or something like that. But no, he made me take him straight to the tattoo shop and he got that dragonfly on his back. I thought it was a symbol of being free from prison, but he said it was to remind him that he didn't have to go back to being the person he was before. But still, when he got out it was like he was unsettled. Like he'd lost something and he was searching for it. I don't know, maybe he was searching before. Maybe that's what all the partying was about."

They were quiet for several minutes as they stared out into the darkness. Anna was tossing a question around in her mind that she wasn't sure she should ask. Finally she admitted to herself that she couldn't help asking. She needed to know.

"Do you love him?" 

Corie looked at her in disbelief. "You really are blunt, aren't you?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Corie was silent for so long Anna thought she wasn't going to answer. Just as she was about to change the subject Corie spoke. "How could I not?"

Anna knew exactly what she meant, but didn't say so. 

"It's been a while since I was IN love with him, though. I got tired of that. I mean, at some point I had to stop hoping; the constant disappointment was exhausting. I just wasn't on his radar, even when he was sleeping around. Not that I ever wanted him to see me the way he saw those girls. I'm like a sister to him; that's enough for me."

"You're his best friend." 

Corie nodded. "He's mine, too." She held up the roach inquisitively. Anna nodded and Corie lit it, then passed it. Anna took a drag and almost choked on a lungful of smoke when Corie asked, "Do YOU love him?"

After a brief pause while she caught her breath, she answered. "Yeah, I do." In the silence that followed, Anna wondered what had possessed her to tell Corie when she hadn't told Grant yet, but she figured honesty deserved honesty. 

"Good. He loves you too, you know."

"You think so?"

"No doubt. You know that thing I was saying about him searching for something?"

Anna nodded.

"He found it. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you."

"Celia said-"

"You can stop right there. That woman is full of shit."

Anna blushed hotly, glad it was dark and Corie couldn't see. "He told me they slept together. I thought maybe..."

Corie snorted. "I don't think they did much sleeping. She used to show up at the club every few months dressed like a high-priced whore, hanging all over him. They'd disappear into his office for a while and that was pretty much it. After a while though, she started coming more often, walking around like she owned the place; like she owned him. It got weird. We were all relieved when he finally saved up enough to buy her out, even Grant."

They heard the front door open and both turned to look at the same time. Corie startled her by grabbing her arm tightly. "Don't tell him what I said about...you know."

"I wouldn't."

"Thanks."

Grant came around the corner and they could see him inside looking around before he noticed the glass door was open. He came out on the deck and seemed surprised to see them out there together.

"Hey. I figured you guys would be sleeping," he said as he walked over and gave Anna a quick kiss.

"So I'm guessing there was no bomb or we'd have heard about it by now?" Corie looked worried, despite her words.

"No. They said it was a hoax. I don't know, though. It seems like a pretty big coincidence it happened the same night I caught Janette. I think there's something more going on, but the police don't seem to be all that interested. They were more interested in giving me a hard time for having to come out three times in one night. I might have Officer Cooper talked into believing me, but I don't think he can actually do anything about it without some kind of proof."

"Well, as long as the place is still standing I have to be at work tomorrow so I'm out of here. I'd like to get home before daylight." 

"Thanks Corie. I appreciate everything," Anna said.

"No problem. See you guys later." 

Grant turned and pulled Anna tightly into his arms, kissing her forehead. "You ready to go to bed?" he asked. He sounded casual, but she could feel him vibrating with pent up energy as he held her.

"Yes please," she said, kissing him softly on the neck and running her fingertips through his beard. 

He took her hand in his, brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, then shook his head with a half-amused chuckle. "Did she get you stoned?"

"Mmhm," she said going in for another kiss. He kissed her briefly, but pulled back before she was ready for him to. 

"Come on, let's go to bed. Corie's right, the sun will be up soon." 

Anna looked up, surprised to see a faint light on the horizon, then nodded her acquiescence as a sudden exhaustion rolled over her. Grant helped her navigate the winding stairs and she fell gratefully into his huge bed, snuggling into the pillows and watching him as he took his clothes off. She never got tired of watching him undress, his tattoos just as mesmerizing now as they were that first night. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed with her, lying on his side facing her, but not touching her. Anna ran a finger across the words on his chest. 

"Human folly does not impede the turning of the stars," she recited, looking into his eyes.

"Maybe not. But sometimes it sure does feel like it makes the world stop." 

To Anna's shock his eyes suddenly filled with tears and he quickly buried his face in the pillow to hide them from her. Her shock didn't last long, she reached for him, curling her arm around his shoulders and pulling his head into her neck, cradling him against her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and lay there perfectly still for several long minutes.

He sniffed wetly and his voice came, muffled, from her neck. "Fuck, babe, I saw you lying there and I thought I was too late. I thought-" He cut himself off, unable to say the words. "And if I'd been a few minutes later-"

"Don't," she said, interrupting his speculation. "You weren't. There's no point in what iffing."

He snorted mirthlessly. "I can tell you've been talking to Corie."

"She's a smart woman."

"Did she tell you?"

"Yeah." Anna didn't need to ask what he was talking about. 

"God, that was the worst moment of my life and it was like it was happening all over again tonight. Seeing her there...seeing you there. I should have been there for you, for both of you." He shuddered again, every muscle in his body tense. He took a deep breath and rolled away, wiping angrily at his eyes. "Fuck. I'm sorry. You're the one that ended up in the hospital and I'm losing my shit all over you."

"Don't be sorry," she said, then reached out and grabbed his chin, pulling his face so he was looking at her. "Don't be sorry," she repeated forcefully, not talking about the tears. "It wasn't your fault."

He nodded, but Anna could see her words hadn't convinced him. Maybe no words could. The anger and guilt and fear was plain in his eyes and he looked like he was wound tight enough to spring; his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists so tight his knuckles were white. There was only one thing she could think to do that might help him.

She pulled her shirt off over her head and leaned over him, pressing her lips to his. Her hands rested against his chest and she felt his heart speed up as she kissed him hard, their lips grinding together, teeth bumping against each other. She forced her tongue into his mouth and he groaned, his hands sliding up her back to pull her closer. 

Anna moved her hips against him, pressing her thigh between his legs to feel his hard length. And then out of nowhere his hands came up against her shoulders and pushed her gently away. He pulled back to look at her, breathing heavy and staring intently into her eyes as if searching for something. 

"I need you," she whispered, slipping her hands around his neck. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away, holding them clasped between his. Anna felt like there was something lodged in her throat and tried desperately to swallow around it. "I'm not...he didn't..." Oh god, how was she supposed to say this? "Corie said she saw me...he didn't have time...but if you think...I mean you can use a condom if..."

"No, I know. Corie told me."

"So what's the problem, it's not like I'm tainted or anything." 

He looked up at her with an expression somewhere between disbelief and anger. "Where the fuck did that come from?"

She felt her bottom lip tremble but held it back through sheer force of will. She was so done with crying tonight. When she spoke it came out as a whisper. "I get it, it's the same reason I took a forty-five minute shower." She rolled off his chest and tried to move away.

His expression softened and he sighed, wrapping an arm around her to pull her back to his side. He was quiet for several minutes before he spoke, but she could feel the tension still humming in his muscles. "I'm sorry. I'm just so fucking angry right now I feel like I'm about to explode. I'm seriously hanging onto my control by a thread here." He heaved another sigh and gently touched the purple bruise on her cheek. "I don't want to hurt you."

She pulled away from his hand and kissed his chest, moving up to his neck as she pressed her body against his. "You're not going to hurt me. I want you to fuck me, Grant. I need you to fuck me. Hard." He trembled all over and she felt the breath leave him in a rush. She tried to pull his head back down to her, but still he resisted, pulling back to look into her eyes. "Please?"

It was as if he'd been waiting for that one word, as soon as he heard it he rolled onto her, giving her back the rough kisses she'd given him a moment ago and more. Anna could only hold on for the ride as he ravished her mouth, sending shock waves of sensation all over her body. She felt his erection pulsing against her hip and moaned with desire. 

She did need him. As much as he needed this release she needed to feel him moving inside her, his hands on her, the taste and smell of him filling her senses, banishing all thoughts of a stranger's hands touching her.

She whimpered as he moved away, but he yanked her pants off and was back on her in a flash, his boxers gone and his dick hot and hard against her bare skin. Anna tilted her head up to capture his bottom lip in her teeth, licking and sucking on it. His hands tangled in her hair, pulling slightly to angle her head back further and there was a split second pause before he simultaneously buried himself in her wet heat and pressed his tongue deep into her mouth. He swallowed her exclamation of surprise, unrelenting as he penetrated her at either end, filling her with himself. 

He immediately began to thrust into her and she moved against him feverishly, trying to keep up with his frantic pounding. It quickly became apparent that she couldn't so she wrapped both legs around his hips and let him take complete control. He released her mouth to bite and suck at her neck, pulling her head back further to get more access. The hand that wasn't in her hair came up to grab her breast, squeezing the soft flesh and pinching tightly at her nipple. 

Anna's hands weren't bound, but she felt just as much at his mercy as if they were. The sensations assaulting her body pushed her quickly toward climax and her first orgasm hit hard. Her whole body shook and she pulled against his hold on her hair, the sharp pain shooting her up even higher into the stratosphere.

Grant didn't slow down when he felt her contract around him, if anything he sped up and pounded into her harder, only vaguely aware of her fingernails digging into his shoulders and the animalistic noises she was making. It wasn't until she came the third time and her legs clamped so tight around him they restricted his movement that he finally slowed, letting her come down long enough to allow her legs to fall away.

"Say it again," he said, his voice hoarse in her ear, his hips still rocking steadily against her. He hooked his hand behind her knee and pulled it up to his waist. Anna's mind was spinning. She was a limp, incoherent puddle of pleasure and she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Say it again," he demanded louder, thrusting hard and grinding into her mercilessly. 

"Fuck me," she murmured, beginning to return to her senses.

Grant pulled her head to the side and licked all the way up her neck from her collarbone to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "All of it," he growled and then snaked his tongue deep into her ear.

"Oh god," she gasped as the sensation took her breath away. "Fuck me hard. Please, Grant. Fuck me hard."

In one smooth motion he let go of her hair and pushed his body up as he thrust deep inside her. He pulled her leg from his waist and hooked it over his shoulder, sliding even deeper, completely robbing her of breath as he pounded into her. Grant watched through hooded eyes as she writhed and shook under him; words he'd never heard her use pouring out of her mouth as she begged for more. 

She screamed when she came, arching up off the bed and pressing against him, trying to take more of him inside her. Watching her in the throes of such intense pleasure pushed him over the edge and he thrust one final time before exploding inside her. As the tension drained from his body he let her leg slip from his shoulder and collapsed on top of her, cradled between her legs with her arms wrapped tightly around his body.

Several minutes later Grant smiled when he felt fingers gently playing with the curls at the back of his neck. "I know you probably can't breathe, but I don't ever want to move from this spot." He turned his head to bury it in her hair and took a deep breath, absorbing her fresh scent. 

She tightened her arms around him, holding him in place. "Breathing is overrated."

He rolled off her, ignoring her objections, and pulled her close to his side. "Maybe so, but I kind of like you alive so it's probably best if you keep doing it."

Anna laughed breathlessly and kissed his shoulder.

"Mission accomplished." 

"What do you mean?" she asked with a yawn, her eyes feeling heavy.

"I told you I'd make you scream my name. It took longer than I expected, but I knew it would happen eventually."

"Oh." She blushed, feeling oddly embarrassed. "I know I got loud, but I have no idea what I was saying."

"Well don't quote me on this, but it was something along the lines of 'fuck yes fuck me make me come oh god harder god yes Grant.' And by the time you got to that last part you were definitely screaming, so yeah. Mission accomplished."

"Shut up, I don't talk like that." She pressed her forehead against his arm, and covered her face so he wouldn't see her blush.

"That's what made it so damn hot." He pulled her hand away from her face and kissed her. "Don't hide from me."

"I blame the weed."

"Then I'll have to see to it you get high more often."

Anna laughed and cuddled close to him, kissing him on the shoulder. "You wore me out," she said with another jaw-cracking yawn.

"Likewise," he mumbled against the top of her head. "Been a long night."

"Mmhm." She closed her eyes and snuggled into him, expecting to fall right to sleep, but the events of the night kept running through her head. It felt like a million years ago that she'd showed up at the club to tell him-

Her eyes flew open. How could she have forgotten? She looked up to see if he was still awake, but his face was relaxed, his long lashes resting on his cheeks. Anna laid one hand gently on his cheek. "I love you too," she whispered softly. 

Anna wrapped her arms around the man she loved and buried her face in his neck. The last thing she remembered was his fingers trailing down her spine and his lips brushing her temple before she dropped into a deep sleep in his arms.

...

Anna was running for her life trying to escape the aftermath of a hurricane in the Florida Keys. She was so absorbed in her book that she didn't notice the bell indicating that someone had come in, and she almost jumped out of her stool when a man cleared his throat right next to her.

"I'm so sorry to startle you," he said with a charming smile that crinkled his blue eyes adorably. His softly graying light brown hair was slicked back, but a few strands had escaped and lay so artfully across his forehead Anna found herself wondering whether he'd done it like that on purpose.

She laughed nervously as she righted herself on her seat. "That's okay; I should have been paying more attention."

"I hated to interrupt; you appeared to be enjoying your book very much."

She turned the book over to let him see the cover. "Their Eyes Were Watching God. I highly recommend it."

"I'll certainly keep it in mind." He folded his arms and leaned forward on the counter, looking intently at her.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, the hairs rising on the back of her neck. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was. His smile was a little disconcerting, as if he knew a secret about her that she didn't know. 

"I sure hope so," he said as his eyes drifted over her body. She had the sudden urge to cross her arms over her chest, but then his eyes met hers and the familiar look of desire she saw there sparked a response in her own body. She knew instantly who the man was.

"You're Grant's dad," she gasped.

"Well, that's not how people usually define me, but it's true nonetheless. I am Don Roderick, and it's always a pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady," he said with a smile, extending his hand across the counter toward her. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 06



"Anna Webster." She took his hand hesitantly, feeling vaguely guilty as if she were doing something treasonous. To her surprise he lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them, winking at her as he did so. She quickly pulled her hand back, confused by the mix of emotions she was feeling. She could see where Grant got his charm, it was emanating from the man in front of her in a near-tangible wave and she couldn't help but respond to it on some level. 

"Why are you here Mr. Roderick?" she asked, her voice coming out a little more snappish than she meant it to in her attempt to cover up the odd sexual tension she was feeling. Now that she knew who he was, it was bizarre how much he reminded her of Grant when he didn't actually look him at all. 

"Please," he said with that same knowing grin, giving her the impression that he knew exactly what he was doing to her. "Call me Don."

"Why are you here, Don?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to meet the girl that I hear has stolen my son's heart?"

"No. I'd be more inclined to wonder how the hell you know who I am."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I can see why he likes you. Other than the obvious, of course," he added, his gaze raking over her again. This time she did cross her arms over her chest and lifted her eyebrow at him, though it just made him smile wider. He had a similar predatory look to Grant, though it was more wolvish and rather than being aroused by it the way she was with Grant, it made her nervous.

She grabbed her phone and slid off the stool, moving backward a few steps. On some level she knew the fear wasn't entirely rational, but the events of a few nights before were still so fresh she couldn't help it. "If you're just here to ogle me, consider it done and go away."

"I apologize. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said, sobering instantly. He straightened and stepped back from the counter with a look of concern. "I'm here because I heard about you through the grapevine, as it were, and I admit I was interested in meeting the young woman Grant was so taken with. But I also came because I thought you might be able to help me."

"Look, I know it might be hard for you to believe, but I care about Grant very much and I'm not going to do anything that would hurt him."

He looked stricken for a split second before a mask of indifference fell down over his features. "I can see that you haven't heard many good things about me. I suppose that shouldn't surprise me, but I assure you that it's not hard at all for me to believe that you care about my son. I happen to care about him, too. That's why I'm here. I've been trying to get in touch with him, but he doesn't answer or return my calls which leads me to believe he probably wouldn't hear what I have to say even if I did speak with him. I thought maybe you could get him to listen."

"Listen to what?"

"I've heard some concerning things regarding his business that he needs to know about."

"Could you be a bit more vague?"

He gave her a wry smile and nodded. "I'm sorry, I just don't know how much I should say to you." He looked conflicted for a moment and then shook his head and sighed. "Alright, here's what happened. I was at a party last weekend and ran into a family friend named Celia-"

"Oh yeah, I've met Celia," she said with a sneer.

He gave her an apologetic look. "Then you already understand part of what I'm going to say. She's always been a bit odd, but I'm beginning to suspect she's completely lost her marbles. She was quite drunk at the party and she said some strange things to me. One was that Grant was falling for a gold-digging book store clerk, but now that I've met you I don't believe that's the case."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I have a hell of a lot more money than he does and you weren't taking my bait," he said with a grin and another wink. "And I've been exposed to plenty of gold diggers in my day and I've never seen one that looked as low maintenance as you."

"Low maintenance, huh? I guess that's one way to put it," she said looking down at her favorite pair of jeans, torn on one knee, and faded red tank top.

"Believe me sweetheart, I mean that as a compliment. Most of the women I know put great effort into making themselves beautiful. You're gorgeous without even trying."

"So what else did Celia say?" she asked in an attempt to cover her blush. Grant had said the exact same words to her not too long ago.

"Like I said, I think she's lost it. She was ranting about you and about the restaurant and how Grant would regret forcing her out of the club. Then she said something about an investigation involving taxes and liquor sales. I wasn't really following, but I thought it might be important so I've been trying to let him know. I wish I knew more details, but she wasn't really making sense. She was drunk and seemed to think I would find it all very amusing."

"Okay, I'll tell him. Thank you, Don. I'm sure he'll appreciate your help."

"Well, I don't know about that. You might want to tell him what I said before you tell him who said it, if you know what I mean," he said in a weary voice.

"Is there anything else you want me to pass along?" she asked, trying to suppress the pity she was starting to feel for the man. 

"I, ah...I suppose you could tell him that I would like to talk to him if he wants to call me. And I'll be in town for a few days if he wants to get together."

"I'll let him know."

"I appreciate your help. It was lovely to meet you, Anna. I hope we can get to know each other better in the future. From what I've seen so far my son is a very lucky man."

This time his compliment seemed sincere and she returned his warm smile before he turned and walked out of the store. Anna reached for her phone and tried to think how she should tell Grant about what just happened.

...

"So she's doing alright then?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She took a few days off, but I couldn't talk her out of going back to work today."

"Good. Are you alright?"

Grant didn't answer right away, unsure of what to say and uncomfortable with the way Corie was looking at him. Despite the stress of the attack on Anna, the impending audit and the aftermath of the bomb threat, he was doing relatively well. He had to credit Anna with at least part of that. He'd heard her tell him she loved him that night and though she hadn't said it again yet, knowing it was true was enough for now. 

"Yeah, I guess I'm alright."

"Are you flagellating yourself?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Flagellating?"

"Yeah, beating yourself up, punishing yourself."

"I know what it means. Is that what you think I do?"

Corie shrugged. "You take the blame for shit you have no control over."

"Do I?"

"Yep, then you apologize over and over and refuse to let yourself be happy until you feel like you've done your time."

"You're full of shit."

"Didn't you tell me once you felt like you kind of deserved to go to jail for what happened to me?"

"I didn't mean-"

"And how many times have you told Anna you're sorry for being at the restaurant the other night?"

"Hell, I don't-"

"Shit happens, Grant. You can't be everywhere. You can't control everything."

"Okay, point taken."

"Good. Now you're not going to go hunt down that guy and kill him are you?"

He snorted at her and turned to grab the fish food.

"Those poor fish are going to pop if you give them any more food. You feed them any time you're trying to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. Now, I wasn't kidding. If you're planning something stupid I want to know."

He froze for a moment, surprised to realize she was right about the fish, then put the lid back on the jar and turned to face her. He opened his mouth to make a smart-ass comment, but the strained look on her face told him it wouldn't be a good idea. "No Corie, I'm not going after anyone. I did my fair share the other night."

"Yeah you did. Thank goodness Brody got there in time because I couldn't get you off him. You're lucky the police were right there and saw the state Anna was in. I'm pretty sure Officer Cooper talked the other cop out of arresting you along with that creep."

Grant heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head, suppressing the urge to turn around and feed his fish again. 

"So tell me what happened with Janette."

"Well, she's fired, but the police didn't have enough to charge her with more than minor theft since all the evidence I had was circumstantial. They let her go that night."

"She never said who was paying her off?"

"She never even admitted to getting paid off, though I'm sure she was after the way she reacted when I asked her about it. I've got to figure something out, though. This damn audit is hanging over my head like the fucking sword of Damocles. I've reported all the thefts now, but it'd sure be nice to have some kind of proof that it wasn't me, since that's what they seemed to be insinuating on the phone the other day."

"Did you end up telling Craig what was going on?"

"Yeah, I explained everything to Craig and to the police, but they suggested I keep a lid on it for now with the rest of the staff. I told Eric. He was there when I was questioning Janette so I assumed he probably figured it out on his own. I think he's alright though, he's the one who brought the whole thing to my attention so it's not likely he's involved."

"You knew him before you hired him, right?"

"Yeah. Not real well, he's kind of a hard guy to get to know. But I think he's trustworthy."

"So is he, like, a friend of yours? Where'd he come from?"

"I met him at Asa's shop." 

"Really?" Her eyebrows went up in surprise. "He has ink?"

Before he could answer, Grant's phone rang. He glanced at the display and quickly answered it. "Officer Cooper, what's up?" There was a long pause while he listened, his face growing pale. "No, they wouldn't have any reason to know each other as far as I know." He dropped onto the couch looking sick and Corie sat up, concerned. "Is she in danger then?" His head fell into his hand and he exhaled heavily. "I understand. Thanks for calling." 

As soon as he hung up he hit a button on speed dial, tapping his foot impatiently while it rang. When Anna's voice mail picked up he hung up and started rushing around his office, gathering his keys and wallet.

"What's going on?" 

"I have to go. I need to find Anna."

"Hold on, tell me what's going on."

"The guy who drugged her was in booking when they brought Janette through to release her that night. She freaked out when she saw him; it was obvious they knew each other."

"So that means-"

"What happened to Anna wasn't just a random attack. Whoever is trying to fuck me over is out to get her. Cooper said someone bailed the guy out this morning so he thought I'd want to keep an eye on her. And now she's not answering her phone."

"Try the bookstore's number, maybe she's just busy."

Grant nodded and dialed the bookstore. Claudia answered and told him that Anna asked her to come in so she could take the afternoon off. She hadn't told Claudia what was going on, just that she was heading to the club to see to Grant. 

He hung up the phone and looked at Corie with fear in his eyes. "She should have been here by now. I'm gonna go look for her. Call me if she shows up here." Grant tore out the backdoor and down the alley, nearly running headlong into a man in the parking lot. The man caught him by the shoulders and looked at him in surprise.

"I was just looking for you."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Grant asked, dumbfounded. "Actually, don't answer that. I don't have time to deal with you right now." He pushed his father to the side and moved around him to unlock his car. 

"Please listen, your girlfriend may be in danger."

Grant froze. When he turned around the expression on his face must have been fierce, because his dad took several steps backward and held his hands up as if to ward off a blow. "What have you done? If you've hurt her-"

"Jesus Christ, Grant! What have I ever done to make you think I would hurt anyone, let alone someone you care about?"

"Stop fucking around and tell me where she is!" The words exploded out of him as he stepped forward and came face to face with his father.

"I don't know where she is, but I know who might. I went and spoke with Anna earlier today trying to get a message to you, since you weren't answering my calls. I told her that I thought Celia was trying to sabotage your business; that she wanted to get back at you for buying her out. What I didn't tell her is that Celia seemed to be...obsessed. She went on and on about you; insulting Anna and ranting about your relationship with her."

Grant stared blankly at his father, trying to absorb all this new information. 

"I didn't want to frighten Anna with all of that and at the time I didn't think there was any immediate concern. But after I talked to her I realized how little I actually knew about what Celia was planning. I tried to call her to see if I could get any more information from her, but she wasn't home. Brad told me she was here in town checking on some investments. I went back to the bookstore to warn Anna, but she was already gone. I thought she might have come to see you, so-"

"Fuck!" Grant slammed his fist down on his car, denting the hood. "She was on her way here, but she never showed up. Celia wouldn't hurt her, would she?" He looked at his father hoping for reassurance, but didn't get it. 

"I don't know, son. I wouldn't have thought so, but the way she was talking the other night...I don't think she's stable."

"Jesus Christ." The realization that Celia must have had something to do with Anna being attacked hit him like a ton of bricks. She'd already hurt her once, he had to assume she would do it again. Grant rubbed both hands over his face and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself so he could think past the knot tightening in his stomach. It wasn't working. He dropped his hands and looked at man in front of him. "I don't know what to do, Dad."

"Stay calm. We don't know that anything has happened to her. What does she drive? We could go by the bookstore and see if her car is in the parking lot or by her house and see if she's there."

"She rides the bus. We could go by the bus stop."

"I'll drive you."

Grant nodded, mildly relieved to have some semblance of a plan. His dad was renting a brand new Porche and it was a testament to Grant's agitated state of mind that he didn't even notice, let alone roll his eyes at the opulence as he sunk into the luxurious leather seats. They rode in silence and pulled up at the empty bus stop a few minutes later. Grant was about to tell his Dad to drive by her apartment when Don stopped the car and got out. He picked something up off the ground and got back in the car, tossing a book on Grant's lap.

"Their Eyes Were Watching God," Don said. "She was reading that this morning."

"Oh, fuck."

"I think you need to call the police."

...

Anna was sitting at the bus stop reading when the shiny red BMW pulled up and honked. She glanced up, but the window was tinted and she couldn't see inside. She looked back down at her book, pretending to ignore the car while staying alert. It honked again. Finally she looked up and squinted at the window in an attempt to see inside. Then she smelled it. That cologne. 

The blood drained from her face and she stood to run, but he was standing right behind her holding his jacket open so she could see the gun tucked in his waistband. It had to be the same guy, his face was covered in yellowing bruises and there was an ugly scab across his bottom lip that made his sneer look all the more menacing. She heard the whine of the car window lowering behind her, but her eyes were fixed on the man in front of her. 

"Anna, so nice to see you again." Celia's voice sounded syrupy sweet, but Anna hardly heard her over the pounding of her heart. "Go on and hop in the back seat, honey. We're gonna go for a little ride."

She shook her head and tried to move away, but the blonde man grabbed her arm and spun her toward the car. Celia reached back and opened the door and the man pushed her in roughly before sliding in next to her.

"Wouldn't want you to try anything stupid back here alone, would we?" he asked, a malicious grin on his face. "Besides, you and I have some unfinished business."

"Peter, keep your hands off her. You had your shot at her the other night and you fucked it up. Just concentrate on keeping her under control. Let's see if you can do your job this time."

The man sneered at the back of Celia's head and then turned his sullen glare on Anna. She backed as far away from him as she could, pressing herself against the door on the opposite side. Her mind was racing as she tried to put the pieces together and figure out what was going on.

"So you two know each other, huh? That's...interesting." She was sure her voice would be shaky, but anger made it come out strong and hearing it made her feel slightly better. "What do you want from me, Celia?"

"We've got a little surprise party planned for your boyfriend." The last word was said with such scornful malice it sent a shiver down Anna's spine and when she recognized that they were heading toward the club her panic kicked up a notch. She couldn't let them hurt Grant.

"He's not there. He's not at the club today," she lied. 

"Oh, that's okay. He'll come running soon enough." Celia met her eyes in the rearview mirror and winked, then turned her attention back to the road, humming a happy little tune. It was then Anna knew there would be no reasoning with her. She could see in Celia's eyes that she wasn't all there. 

Her heart dropped to her feet when she saw Grant's car in the parking lot and fell another notch when she realized Corie was here too. The idea of involving anyone else in whatever was going on terrified her...though maybe between the three of them they'd be able to overpower these two. Half-formed plans had begun to materialize in her brain when Celia pulled into the alley entrance and the blond man, Peter, pulled her close and whispered in her ear.

"Don't try to pull anything stupid. Believe me, I will not hesitate to shoot you. I figure you'll stay warm long enough for me to get what I want out of you." His hot breath blew across her face as he laughed and she retched, as much from the overpowering scent of him as his words. He backed quickly away.

"If you puke on me again I swear to God-"

Celia opened the door, cutting off his angry tirade. "Oh goody, Grant's already here. Let's get this party started." Celia smiled excitedly at Anna as Peter pulled her to her feet. Celia tucked Anna's arm in the crook of her elbow and towed her into the alley with a cheerful expression on her face. To look at her you'd think they were about to have a friendly lunch together. 

"You're going to knock on the door, smile at the camera, and wave. That's all. If you try to run or give any sign there's anything wrong Peter will shoot you." 

Anna stumbled down the alley toward the back door of the club. It was a bright, sunny day, but she felt cold to her bones and she couldn't stop shaking. No doubt that was a normal reaction to being snatched from the sidewalk at gunpoint, but somehow that didn't make her feel any better. Celia and Peter arranged themselves on either side of the door and Anna knocked. She looked up at the camera and waved, hoping no one was watching the monitor behind the bar.

After a minute or two Anna started to breathe easier. Maybe they weren't in there. Maybe they were at the restaurant. Maybe this would ruin Celia's plans and she'd just leave. The door opened, cutting off her thoughts.

"Damn, I am glad to see you," Corie said as she opened the door. "Grant's gone to-" She trailed off as Celia and Peter stepped into view. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 06



"I'm so sorry," Anna whispered, tears pricking her eyes. Peter pushed her inside and stepped in behind her, gun in hand. 

"Celia, what a lovely surprise," Corie said casually.

"Shut up." Celia knocked the cell phone out of Corie's hand and stepped on it, grinding her pointy heel into the screen.

"What the fuck? I hope you have a hundred bucks to cover my insurance deductable on that."

"I told you to shut your mouth. Peter, make yourself useful and point the gun at this little bitch." 

Corie's eyes widened as Peter aimed the weapon at her and Celia ushered her backward down the hall. 

"Did you say Grant was gone?" Celia asked.

"Did I? I don't recall. He could be here somewhere, it's a big place."

"Look you little freak, while I would just love for you to give me an excuse to have Peter shoot you in the face, it would make quite a mess and this would all work much better if you would just do exactly what I tell you to do."

"I'll try, but I'm warning you I've never been great at doing what I'm told." 

"I'll start you off with an easy one, since I know your mental capacity is limited," Celia said with a smirk. She gestured to the storage room door with a perfectly manicured hand. "Go in."

Corie opened the door and they all filed into the room, closely packed with shelves full of boxes. "If you're here to rob the store room you should have waited a few days. I've only got three jars of olives left and I need at least one for tonight. Got a whole case of margarita mix though, if you want that." Corie casually pointed around the room. "And our delivery is coming tomorrow if you want to just-"

"Open the beer cooler."

Anna could see the muscle in Corie's jaw twitch and she hesitated just a moment before stepping over to the large walk-in cooler in the corner and pulling open the door. A wave of cold air hit Anna's feet and she shivered.

"Get inside." Celia tried to push Corie into the cooler, but she stayed at the entrance, blocking the opening. "Peter, hurry up and take care of them so you can go get the stuff out of the trunk."

"Oh, I'll take care of them. It'll be my pleasure." Peter leered at Anna and wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her toward the cooler.

"We don't have time for that. Just handcuff them in there so I can go make sure there's no one else here." Celia's impatience was clear in her voice. Peter nodded, but the way he looked at Anna as he pushed her toward the cooler made it clear he had his own plans for what was going to happen once the handcuffs were on.

"What's wrong, Celia? Are you too afraid to take care of me yourself?" Corie spat out. "I can't blame you. A rich bitch like you couldn't possibly-"

The slap echoed through the storage room, knocking Corie onto her ass on the cooler floor with a dazed look on her face. Celia grabbed the gun from Peter's hand before stepping carefully inside. She stood over Corie, that same detached look in her eye that Anna had seen in the car, as she smiled and pressed the pointed toe of her shiny red shoe into Corie's chest, pushing her back down on the floor. 

"You've caused me enough trouble over the years, you little slut. I know you were the one who talked Grant into forcing me out of the business. I tried to teach you your place. I tried to show him what a nasty little whore you are and somehow you pulled his strings and got him to beat poor Kenneth to a pulp. And then you let Grant go to prison for it. For you. As if you were worth a second of his time, let alone a whole year of his life. I don't know what kind of hold you have over him, but it's going to end today." 

Corie just stared up at her, completely dumbfounded, while Celia pointed the gun down in her face.

"No!" Anna screamed, pulling against Peter's hold. "Leave her alone!" 

"Isn't that sweet?" Celia crooned to Corie over the barrel of the gun. "She's sticking up for you. Do you think she'd still give a shit if she knew you've been fucking her boyfriend for the last six years? Really, she should thank me." 

"You bitch!" Anna cried. "I knew you were screwing him behind my back." Corie looked from Celia to Anna, the expression on her face clearly indicating that she thought the entire world had gone insane. "If she doesn't kill you I'll beat the shit of you myself." 

Understanding washed over Corie's features, but she quickly covered it with an indifferent shrug. "Hey, it's not my fault if you can't give him what he needs. I knew from the beginning your prissy vanilla ass would never be enough for him."

Celia smirked, clearly agreeing with Corie. "He is a man of eclectic tastes," she said fondly, the gun hanging forgotten at her side.

"Yeah, it didn't take long before he got bored with little miss bookworm and came looking for some real fun." 

Anna roared with an anger that was, in part, real; the result of a brief speculation about what Celia might know about Grant's eclectic tastes. She tried to focus on Corie as she twisted and pulled against Peter's grip. "Let me go, you bastard. I'm gonna yank that metal out of her face and stick it up her ass."

Celia looked back and forth between the two girls with a gleeful expression on her face. Finally she made a noise that Anna could only describe as a sadistic giggle and turned to Peter. "Lock them in together, let them duke it out."

Peter gave a disappointed grunt and shoved Anna through the door. She tripped over Corie's legs and fell on the floor next to her, looking up just in time to see the door slam shut. "Tell me there's a safety latch on the inside of that door," she said, scrambling to her feet. She held out a hand to Corie, who pulled herself up and nodded thanks.

"There is. Let's just hope they're too stupid to realize it. Give them a few minutes to leave the room and I'll try to open it."

"I thought she was going to kill you." Anna couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around Corie's thin frame, hugging her close. After a second or two she felt a couple of tentative pats on her back and released her, stepping back to see the uncomfortable expression on Corie's face.

"Yeah, I did too. I probably would have shit my pants if I hadn't been trying to wrap my brain around the fact that the crazy bitch got someone to rape me." She cleared her throat and met Anna's eye. "Thanks, by the way. For stopping her." 

"No, thank you. I know you were only baiting her to keep her from leaving that creep alone with us."

"Alright, well we're even. Just don't hug me again and we'll be cool." She said the words with a faint smile so Anna knew she was kidding...mostly.

"You think they're gone yet?"

"Only one way to find out." Corie pressed the button to release the door from the inside. For a spit second Anna's heart soared as the door swung open, but it stopped short. Through the two inches of space between the door and the wall they could see the chain of the handcuffs holding it closed.

"Fuck. I guess that guy's not as stupid as he looks." Corie pushed on the door, rattling it against the cuffs, but it didn't budge. "I'm afraid to make too much noise...oh, fuck it." She reared back and slammed into the door with her shoulder then doubled over and clutched at her arm, groaning in pain. "Goddamn, that was not a good idea."

"Are you alright?" 

"Yeah, it's fine." She bent and flexed it her arm to make sure. "If only I had some ice to put on it."

Anna lifted her eyebrows at that, but when she saw the tiny smile twitch at the corners of Corie's mouth she couldn't help smiling back. She had to admit, Corie's ability to joke was probably all that was keeping her from total panic.

"Fucking-A it's cold in here. Grant better hurry."

"What? Where is he?"

"He was out looking for you. As soon as I saw you on the monitor I sent him a text that you were here. I'm not sure how far away he was, but he's probably on his way now." 

The two girls took turns kicking the door while Corie explained what Grant had learned from Officer Cooper and Anna told Corie about her conversation with Grant's dad. The kicking, while completely ineffective at getting the door open, helped keep them warm and gave them something to focus on. But it was also loud and it wasn't long before they heard someone open the storage room door.

"Hey!" Corie shouted through the opening. "It's a little chilly in here. If you two are done with your diabolical secret plan you think you could go ahead and let us out?"

A shadow crossed the opening and a face appeared, but it wasn't one they expected. Piercing blue eyes looked in at them with utter surprise.

"What the fuck are you doing in there?" Eric asked, pulling on the door to test the handcuff's strength.

"Oh, ya know. It's a hot day. Thought we'd cool off, maybe have a beer," Corie replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't suppose you have a handcuff key on you, do you?"

"Please be careful, there are two people with a gun out there somewhere," Anna whispered. 

"Oh shit. Hold on a sec." Eric glanced over his shoulder at the closed store room door, dug in his black bartender's apron and pulled out a pen, unscrewed the end, and slid out the ink cartridge. 

"Great, he thinks he's fucking MacGyver," Corie muttered under her breath. 

Apparently she wasn't quiet enough because those blue eyes lifted to hers for the briefest of seconds and one side of his mouth came up in a crooked grin. He opened his mouth and Anna thought he was going to say something, but instead he stuck the cylinder in and bit down, pulling it through his teeth to flatten it at one end. Then he slid the flat end into the closed cuff to release the catch and the cuff slid open. 

"Oh hell yes." Corie whispered.

Eric pushed the freezer door closed to remove the cuffs, then swung it wide. The girls rushed out, but he stopped them with a finger over his lips. He peeked out the storage room door and then stepped into the hallway, waving for them to go ahead of him toward the back door. They were almost there when Corie froze and Anna ran into her back.

"I smell gasoline." She turned with a wild look in her eyes. "Shit, they're going to burn it down." She dodged around Anna, but Eric caught her around the waist with one long arm. 

"You're going the wrong way, sugar."

"Let me go, I have to stop them." She pushed against his chest trying to free herself, but he held tight and leaned down to look her in the eye.

"No. You don't. You have to get out of here before someone gets hurt." He nodded at Anna and she headed down the hall as he turned Corie and guided her toward the door. They spilled out into the alley just as a crowd of people came rushing toward them from the parking lot.

"Anna!" Grant shouted, rushing forward and catching her in his arms. She was still shivering from the cooler and his arms were so warm and tight around her she felt lightheaded as she clung to his chest. "Thank God. Are you okay? You're freezing."

"I'm fine, they locked us in the beer cooler."

"Who is it? How many people? Are they armed?" Officer Cooper fired off questions as he moved the crowd toward the parking lot and away from the door.

"Two. Celia and the man that drugged me. They have a gun, but I'm not sure who's got it now." Anna said around her chattering teeth. Somehow the warmth of Grant's arms around her was making her feel colder from the inside out.

"They're gonna set it on fire. You have to stop them." Corie's teeth were chattering too, and she was rubbing at her bare arms with both hands. Eric walked up behind her and draped his white button up over her shoulders. Corie pulled it around her and glanced back, but the thank you froze on her lips as she did a double take. Anna couldn't blame her, it was a striking sight. Nearly all the skin exposed by Eric's white undershirt was covered in colorful tattoos.

"Thanks McGyver," Corie finally said, her eyes still on Eric's arms. The arm Anna could see had a green and gold dragon curled around it, its face with a grinning mouth full of teeth about to leap off his shoulder.

"No problem, sugar."

Officer Cooper lowered his radio after reporting what he knew and herded the group back down the alley toward a line of police cars in the parking lot. "We're gonna get the EMTs to check you two out, just in case," he said to Anna and Corie.

Both girls protested, but no one listened and within a few minutes Anna found herself sitting in the back of an ambulance with Corie, both of them draped in silver thermal blankets while a couple of paramedics checked them over. Grant was just outside the open doors watching them with an eagle eye and Eric stood not far away talking to a police officer. They overheard him saying that he'd just stepped into the alley for his break when he noticed the back door to the club was open. Knowing it was unusual for the door to be left unlocked, he'd peeked in to investigate and that's when he heard banging that turned out to be the girls kicking the cooler door.

From the ambulance Anna watched the fire truck pull silently into the parking lot and not long after she saw two police cars pull out, one with Peter in the backseat, the other carrying Celia. She hadn't realized how afraid she still was until she saw them both disappear around the corner.

"Fucking crazy bitch," Corie murmured, surprising the paramedic taking her blood pressure.

"Can't argue with you there," Anna agreed.

By the time the paramedics were done with Corie and Anna most of the excitement was over, but the parking lot was still full of milling police and firefighters. The building was still a crime scene, so they stood in the parking lot giving what seemed like endless statements to the police. 

Anna and Corie were sitting on the trunk of Corie's car telling Grant about how Eric had jimmied the handcuffs open when Don walked up and clapped Grant on the shoulder. The similarities between the two men were more apparent when they were standing next to each other. She was shaken from her thoughts by Corie craning around.

"Hey what happened to that guy, anyway?"

"Who Eric? I don't know. I haven't seen him for a while. I guess he left when he realized he wasn't going to be working anymore tonight."

"I forgot to give his shirt back." Corie tugged at the collar of the shirt she was still wearing, pulling it up to her nose and sniffing it. Anna had to suppress a smile before she could answer.

"I'm sure he won't mind it you hold onto it for a while."

Don turned toward them and gave the two girls a bright smile.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Anna."

"Grant said you helped him look for me. Thank you."

"It was the least I could do, sweetheart."

"Watch it, Dad," Grant said, his eyes narrowed.

"What?" Don looked at Grant with such an innocent expression Anna couldn't tell if it was sincere or contrived.

Grant's suspicious look faded into something more like amused annoyance and he shook his head. "Just try to dial back the charm when you're talking to my girlfriend."

Don laughed and winked at Anna. "I don't think you've got anything to worry about with this one, but I'll try." He turned his gaze on Corie and smiled affectionately. "Corinne, it's good to see you again. I only wish it were under better circumstances. Are you okay?"

"Thanks Don, I'm fine. It's nice to see you again, too."

Don turned to talk to Grant and Anna lifted her eyebrows at Corie. "Corinne?"

Corie rolled her eyes. "Don't even think about it, he's the only one who gets away with calling me that. And that's only because he pestered me for years about what my real name was and I made the mistake of thinking telling him would shut him up."

They looked over at the two men talking and Anna noted with amusement that they both stood the same way, arms folded across their chests, heads tilted at the exact same angle. 

"It's good that they're talking again, right?" Anna quietly asked Corie.

"I think so. I've always liked Don. I can't help it, he's a nice guy. They butt heads a lot and sometimes it seems like he is trying to piss Grant off on purpose, but he's not a bad guy. Grant's too hard on him. This is the longest they've been angry at each other since I've known him."

"What happened?" 

"Nothing really, they're just two stubborn assholes. Don wanted to hire an expensive defense lawyer and Grant refused to let him. Don made a rude comment about how bad a conviction would look, Grant accused him of only caring about his career, they both blew up, next thing you know two years has passed and they haven't spoken to each other." 

"That's so sad."

Corie shrugged. "Yeah, it is. They may not get along, but they're family and they're lucky to have each other. " 

Anna looked at her speculatively, noting the envious tone to her voice. She felt a pang of regret. It had been nearly a month since she'd talked to her own family and she realized she missed them. The last time she called things hadn't been serious enough with Grant to mention him, but she had a sudden urge to tell her mother all about him and decided she'd have to do that very soon.

When the local news stations started showing up trying to get footage of the chaos Don left in hopes that it might put a damper on the paparazzi and the rest of them retreated into the restaurant, which had already been closed to customers for the evening. Grant had the remaining kitchen staff whip up some food and fed the remaining police and fire fighters, earning him the eternal goodwill of the city's finest.

Officer Cooper, who was quickly becoming one of Grant's favorite people, called and told Grant that the interrogations of the suspects were going quite well. Celia tried to blame Peter for everything, claiming he was the one with the gun and he made her drive to the bookstore to look for Anna so he could finish what he'd started a few nights before. When the police told him what she said Peter, who'd been uncooperative up to that point, started talking and didn't stop until the whole convoluted plan had come to light. He knew he could never afford the kind of lawyer Celia would be able to hire so he figured his best chance was to get the cops on his side.

He'd met her while he was working at her country club and they'd been sleeping together pretty much ever since. The whole time he'd known her, Celia had talked about this guy Grant and his club. When he'd opened his restaurant a year ago, she'd become fixated on hurting his business in the hopes that if she could get him desperate enough for cash, she'd be able to swoop in just in the nick of time to bail him out.

Celia had paid people, or had Peter come in town to pay people, to do everything from making false complaints to the health department to screwing up deliveries and when that didn't have the desired effect she'd come up with the scheme to frame Grant for tax fraud and report him to the IRS. When she'd asked Peter if he knew someone, preferably an attractive, easily controlled female, he would be able to convince to move to town and get a job at Grant's restaurant, he had immediately thought of his ex-girlfriend, Janette. She had a pill problem and was willing to do pretty much anything for cash. 

And then Celia had arrived in town the week before and found out about Anna. Peter claimed she'd gone batshit crazy about it. She said he had to get to Anna, told him to do whatever he wanted to do as long as he made sure to mess up her face in the process, and even provided him a handful of roofies to do the job. It didn't make much sense to him, but he knew better than to argue with Celia when she'd made up her mind about something. He claimed he never had any intentions of actually hurting her, though according to Cooper the police were taking that with a grain of salt.

When Janette and Peter both got caught and arrested on the same night Celia realized that not only was the entire plan unraveling before her eyes, it was happening in such a way that she was at risk of being exposed. In an act of desperation she'd called in a bomb threat, hoping it would distract the police and bring negative publicity to the club. The next day Janette called her in hysterics after seeing Peter at the police station and threatened to go to the police and admit to everything. That was when Celia decided to take care of the evidence along with the witnesses and came up with the plan to burn the place down and frame Janette for it. 




Turning of the Stars Ch. 06



Peter said he'd tried to talk her out of including Anna in the plan. He was convinced they'd have been able to pull it off without the added complication of snatching her from the bookstore and locking her inside, but Celia had been intent on making Grant watch the place burn down with Anna inside, a fact that Grant did not share with Anna when he related the story later. 

Don offered to bring Anna home when he left, but she wanted to stay with Grant, who was still waiting to be let inside his club. Eventually they were cleared to go in and look around. The damage was mainly confined to the club side of the building. The dance floor and lighting were a total loss, as were the electronics in the DJ booth. Peter tried to set the pool table on fire, but it just smoldered so there was only minor smoke and water damage in the bar area. Corie was pleased to find that the bar itself was perfectly intact, along with all the alcohol, but couldn't help pointing out that if she'd been trying to burn the place down she'd have just busted all the bottles and tossed a match at them; a statement that earned her an odd look from the fire chief.

Finally, when there was no one left to tell the story to and no more immediate decisions to be made, Grant asked Anna if she was ready to go. Completely exhausted and still in a daze, she agreed. She felt like she didn't quite come back to her senses until they walked through the door of Grant's place blessedly alone. 

"Are you hungry?" Grant asked, looking down at her with a concerned expression on his face.

"No."

"You haven't eaten all day, babe."

Anna sighed and pressed her forehead to his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm not hungry. I just want to curl up in your big comfy bed; preferably with you in it."

Grant's arms automatically enfolded her and he pressed his cheek against her hair. "You smell like smoke. Why don't you go take a shower while I make you something. Then we'll curl up in bed, I promise."

She nodded against his neck. Now that he mentioned it she noticed the oily smell of gasoline smoke clinging to her skin. She lifted her face for a quick kiss and trudged to the bathroom. Once she was under the hot spray it felt so good she just stood there, letting the warmth soak in. She was startled to awareness when the bathroom door opened and she peeked out the curtain to see Grant undressing. 

"I smell like smoke, too," he said with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry. I've been in here forever and I haven't even washed yet."

"That's alright, I don't mind sharing." Grant stepped into the shower with her and she scooted to one side so he could get under the spray. Anna bit her lip at the sight of him leaning back to wet his hair, the water running in rivulets into his face and down his chest, his arms raised to push the hair back from his face. When he looked up and wiped the water from his face their eyes met. Anna smiled and traced one of the streams of water down over his pierced nipple, making him jump. 

He gently pulled her hand away from his chest, turning her so she faced away from him and pulling her back under the spray. "Come on, let's get cleaned up." 

Anna suppressed a little swell of disappointment and reached for the shampoo, but he snatched the bottle from her hand and squeezed a dollop into his own palm. She turned and shot him an annoyed glare, but he just rolled his eyes and started rubbing the shampoo into her scalp.

"Oh," she said, turning back around. "Okay, that feels good."

"I know."

His fingers worked in little circles all over her head and she just closed her eyes and enjoyed it. Large dollops of foam fell at her feet as he started working the lather down her long hair, then piled it up on top of her head and scrubbed it all together. She shivered a bit and Grant moved, letting the water warm her. He reached up and adjusted the shower head so it hit her hair and she moaned as the soap rinsed away and her hair slipped out of its pile into long wet strands down her back. Grant turned her head gently this way and that to get all the soap out and when he finally let go she felt so relaxed she was slow to open her eyes.

He handed her the bottle of conditioner. "I don't know how to use this stuff, so you'll have to do that part yourself."

She laughed and moved out of his way so he could wash his own hair while she conditioned hers. "Did you buy my shampoo and conditioner on purpose?"

"Yeah." He looked up with one eye squinted to keep dripping lather out. "When you use mine it makes you smell like me. This way, not only do you smell like you're supposed to, my whole shower smells like you." 

They traded places and Anna rinsed her hair again while he washed his body. "Weren't you afraid that would make for extra long showers?" She grinned and pulled the soapy washcloth from his hands with little resistance, running it over his chest, down his arms, across the back of his neck, enjoying the slick feeling of the soap on his hard muscles. It didn't escape her notice that his body was responding to her touch and she moved closer, her breasts smushing against him as she reached around to scrub his back.

He put a finger under her chin and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently as she made circles over each firm butt cheek. He moaned softly into her mouth and Anna reached down to encircle his hardening shaft with her hand, but he stopped her. Staring into her eyes he shook his head and took the cloth from her, added soap and started washing her body quickly and efficiently. 

"What's wrong?" she asked as he pushed her hair over one shoulder and scrubbed her back.

"Nothing."

She looked over her shoulder at him and cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. He stopped washing and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her back against him. "I'm sorry. I'm self-flagellating."

Anna couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her. "That's a good word for it."

"Yeah, Corie came up with that one. I'm trying not to, but I can't help feeling responsible. Celia was trying to get back at me-"

"Celia is crazy, Grant."

"I know. And I know I can't always be there to keep you safe, but..." He shrugged, still holding her tight. "I want to take care of you now, since I wasn't there earlier." 

Anna turned in his arms so she could look him in the eye. "Look, what happened the last few days... I'm not saying I'm going to just forget it all, I don't think I could if I wanted to. But it's over. I want to put it behind me; behind us. We can't do that if you're falling all over yourself trying to make up for something that wasn't your fault to begin with. Does that make sense?" 

"Yeah, it does." He nodded. "Right. No more self-flagellation. If I feel like I need a whipping I'll let you administer it." Anna snorted and looked up to see the little smile on his face. "But you have to promise to forgive me if I get a little bit protective. I'm feeling kind of gun shy. Literally."

"It's a deal." Her smile faded and she wrapped her arms around him again. "I'm so ready to just be with you without all the drama. I'd already made up my mind before all this happened that I was ready for that and now..." She shrugged, unable to sum up in words the feeling of mortality, of the fragility of life, of the need to make the most of every moment that was suddenly so apparent to her. The only words she could come up with were the ones that, until now, she'd had so much trouble saying to him. "I love you. I need you to know that."

"I do know that. And I love you too." He whispered the words and held her so tight all she could do was wrap her arms just as tightly around him. Finally he let her go and she looked up at him. He cleared his throat and gave her a little smile. "Come on, let's get out before we turn pruny."

They finished their shower in what was left of the warm water and got out together. Grant disappeared into the kitchen and Anna headed upstairs to put on some pajamas, her eyes drifting closed the second she laid back on the pillows. She opened them a few minutes later when Grant set a tray loaded with food on the end of the bed. A loud rumble came from her stomach as the smells hit her and she suddenly realized how hungry she really was.

"Wow, this looks amazing. What is that, grilled cheese?" she asked, reaching for a wedge that was particularly oozy with melted cheese.

"It's smoked gouda with granny smith apple slices on buttered rye." Grant let the towel drop from around his hips and pulled a pair of boxers on and Anna tore her eyes away from him to take a bite of the sandwich in her hand.

"Oh my god," Anna moaned around a mouthful of food. "That's the best grilled cheese I've ever had in my life. I don't know how you come up with this stuff."

"Well, that one wasn't my idea. I saw someone do it on a cooking show once. But I'm glad you like it."

"I love it." She scooped a few blueberries out of a bowl with her fingers and looked up at him with a smile. "And you put almonds in the berries. My favorite."

"I know," he said, smiling as he plopped down on the bed next to her, his damp hair sticking out in all directions. Anna held the sandwich out and he took a huge bite, leaning back on the pillows to chew. 

"You should just move in with me and be my personal chef. I can pay you in blowjobs." 

Grant made an odd noise and sat straight up, his eyes watering as he tried not to cough half-chewed food all over the bed. Anna handed him a glass of water from the tray and tried not to laugh as he took a long sip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to choke you up."

"I'm alright," he gasped, wiping his eyes with a napkin. "You just caught me off guard." Grant grabbed a sandwich of his own, but just stared at it, picking at a piece of charred cheese with his fingers. "Actually, you kind of read my mind. I was thinking about asking you to move in with me here."

Anna froze mid-chew and stared at him, unsure what to say and unable to speak in any case with a mouth full of food. 

"I thought once you go back to school it might make things easier, you know? We'd be able to see each other more often, neither of us would have to live out of an overnight bag, maybe it would help you save some money for school." 

Anna gazed at him speculatively as she finished the bite in her mouth. "So you want me to move in because it would be convenient?"

"No, of course not." He shook his head, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "After what you said in the shower I thought appealing to your reasonable side would be more effective than just telling you that I want you here. Not just so I can look out for you, although that's part of it. I want to make you grilled cheese sandwiches when you're hungry and know you're home safe at night. But I also want to smell your shampoo in my shower and wake up next to you every morning." He lifted his eyes to hers and she melted a bit at what she saw in them; the uncertainty, the need, the love. "You don't have to answer right now. Just think about it, okay?"

"No."

"No?"

"I don't need to think about it. I want those things too."

"Really?" The pleasure that warmed his face sent a thrill to her heart and she felt like something clicked into place. This felt good. It felt right. 

"Really. Especially the grilled cheese sandwiches," she said with a teasing grin. "But you have to let me pay rent and help with the bills. I refuse to be your kept woman." 

"Does that mean you won't let me buy you a car?" 

Anna snorted and rolled her eyes, polishing off the remnants of her sandwich. 

"I wasn't kidding. Please, babe, you'd be so much safer-"

"No Grant, I'm not going to let you buy me a car." She shook her head at the sheer ridiculousness of the idea. 

"What if I bought myself a car and let you drive the jag?"

"That's the same thing! I don't want-"

"Alright, alright, we'll work something out. I don't want to argue right now. Right now I want you to know how incredibly happy you just made me." The look on his face echoed the truth of his words as he pulled her in for a kiss. 

Anna sighed as his lips slid gently over hers, her fingers lacing into his hair as his tongue swirled slowly into her mouth. When he finally pulled away she had to force her eyes open to clear the fog from her brain. "I love you," she whispered, the words still a little unfamiliar on her lips.

"I love you, too." He pressed his lips to hers briefly. "Now hurry up and eat because I don't know how much longer I can control myself."

"We could eat after," she said, licking her lips, her eyes drifting over his bare chest.

"Nope. Food, then sex, then sleep. It's the natural order of things." He took an enormous bite of his sandwich to punctuate his statement.

Anna laughed, but turned back to her food without argument. "You thought I was going to say no, didn't you?"

Grant smiled and shrugged. "I expected to have to do more talking you into it. I was afraid you'd think it was too soon."

"A week ago I might have." She stared down at the berries in her hand as she spoke; trying to take her own advice and not let the events of the last few days throw shadows on this happy moment. "But what would we be waiting for? I want to be with you now and I want to make the most of whatever time we have together." 

"Exactly what I was thinking."

They met each other's eyes and smiled, then turned their attention to finishing dinner. Anna downed an entire sandwich and a half and picked all the almonds out of the berries before she finally leaned back and put a hand on her full belly, groaning in satisfaction. Grant moved the tray to the bedside table and sidled up next to her, placing wet kisses down her neck.

"I don't know, Grant. You might have missed your chance. I'm so full now I can hardly move."

Grant nuzzled the side of her breast and chuckled. "We'll see about that." His lips brushed lightly over her nipple, his hot breath seeping through her shirt sending a deliciously warm tingle through her body. When he grazed the hardening nub with his teeth, pulling gently at it, her back arched in pleasure and her hand came up to grasp the back of his head and hold him in place. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Arrogant bastard," she murmured, the smile on her face belying her pretended irritation.

"Damn right." He bent his head to her breast again and Anna closed her eyes and tried to lie still just to see if she could. 

Grant moved slowly, sliding his hand under her shirt and teasing her with his fingers, eventually slipping her shirt up and over her head so he could taste her skin, savoring every sigh and shiver he pulled from her. As he traveled over her body, his tongue exploring the dips and hollows of her collarbone and neck, she marveled at his ability to make her crave his touch so badly. She tried to be patient, to enjoy the slow build-up, but the need for more was nearly overwhelming. She writhed under him, trying to urge him on or, at the very least, get some kind of stimulation by rubbing herself against his thigh. 

"Mm, you're moving again," he whispered against the delicate skin just under her ear. "You keep that up and I might think you want me after all."

"You know I do."

"Tell me."

Anna grasped his face between her hands and looked into his eyes. "I want you." She gasped as his hand slipped into her shorts and stroked her through her panties, his fingers pressing lightly along her slit until the thin cotton was wet through. 

"Yeah, you do." He kissed her slowly, his tongue penetrating, delving deep while his fingers continued to tease her with their light touch. 

Anna moved against him, her legs parting in a silent invitation. She ran one hand down his body and into his boxers, her hand circling the insistent hardness she found there, her lips curling up at his deep moan. "You want me, too."

"Yeah, I do." His voice was deep and raspy and sent another shiver down her spine. "Since the second I laid eyes on you and it's never let up." Anna moaned as his fingers found their way inside her panties. Her hand tightened around him and she stroked in time with him as he slid his fingers slowly up and down the length of her wet slit, tracing her inner lips and circling her clit. 

He dragged himself off her body and slid her shorts down, pulling her panties along with them so she was lying naked before him. His hands ran up the inside of her thighs, spreading her wider and she arched in anticipation, needing to feel him inside her. When he started kissing his way up her leg, she couldn't stop a disappointed little groan from slipping out.

"Patience, love," he murmured against the curls on her mound. Anna wasn't sure if the thrill that ran through her was from the sensation of his lips so close to her aching core or from the endearment that fell from his lips so naturally he didn't even appear to have noticed it. 

His tongue was everywhere except where she wanted it to be and he was moving so slow she thought she might actually scream. When the tip of his tongue finally parted her folds and slid slowly upward, flicking hard at her clit, she cried out in ecstasy. And when his lips closed over the swollen nub and started suckling she came almost instantly, her legs tightening around his head, holding him in place until she finally came down on the other side.

Anna found one of his hands and tugged on it trying to pull him up to face her, but apparently he wasn't done yet. His teeth grazed her sensitized clit over and over, slowly increasing pressure until he was biting and tugging it, making her legs tremble. She was so close, right on the edge when he stopped, his hand in hers and his warm breath tickling her tingling flesh the only clues she had that he hadn't just disappeared into thin air.

"Please," she whispered, squeezing his fingers in hers. She felt the bed shift and opened her eyes to see him lean over her, brushing her lips with a light kiss. "Oh no, no, no please don't stop."

His eyes twinkled with amusement and a mischievous grin flitted across his face. "But you sound so sweet when you beg, I can't help teasing you." 

Anna opened her mouth to complain, but all that came out was a shallow gasp as she felt the tip of him nudge her and start to slip inside. He moved torturously slow, sliding in a centimeter at a time. She pressed her feet against the backs of his thighs, lifting herself to meet him, aching for that moment his pelvic bone would grind against her clit and she could grab hold of the climax that was so tantalizingly close.

Grant made it clear he had other plans when he started pulling back out just before he made contact. Anna cried out and her hands clamped down on his ass cheeks, her fingers digging in hard as she pulled him back down onto her, into her, filling her completely. She felt the rumbling deep in his chest as he gave in and let her take what she wanted, pressing his hips hard into her as she rocked frantically against him. 

"Yes, yes, yes, oh Grant, yes..."

"Mm, then again that sounds pretty sweet, too." 

From far away she could her that his voice sounded strained, but she was too far gone to pay attention to what he was saying. The blood was pounding in her ears, her muscles clenched tight all over her body, her hands still clamped on his ass as white hot pleasure flooded through her. Grant started slowly moving in and out, sending pulsing waves of heat through her belly.

"That's it," he whispered. "Come hard for me, babe." 

She let out a strangled sob as she finally peaked, her body shaking and breath coming in heaving gasps. Her hands finally released their death grip on his ass and found his face again, pulling him close for a kiss. She slid her tongue into his mouth, moaning against his lips as he met her aggression and returned it. 

The kiss gentled as she came down. Her feet rubbed up and down the backs of his legs and her breath slowed while their tongues caressed each other. Anna trailed her fingers along the corded muscles of his back, occasionally using her fingernails just for the pleasure of feeling his muscles jump under her fingertips. He pulled his lips from hers to brush them along her jaw, nudging her head back so he could kiss and suck his way down her neck, his beard alternately tickling and rasping against her skin as he went.




Turning of the Stars Ch. 06



"God, Grant," she whispered, her voice still shaky from the aftereffects of the orgasm. "What you do to me...it should be illegal." 

He chuckled low in his chest and traced her collarbone with the tip of his tongue, generating a new bloom of goose bumps on her skin. "In some states it might be."

His eyes found hers as he started moving in her again, bringing a moan to her lips and a smile to his. She tried to keep eye contact, but as his thrusting grew faster and more powerful, her eyes drifted closed. For a while all that existed was the slowly building pressure, the aching need, the yearning toward completion. 

Her fingers danced erratically over his chest as he held himself above her, closing instinctively on the tight little nubs of his nipples. His low groan reached her through the fog of pleasure and she pinched tighter, rolling the pebbled flesh between her thumb and index finger, flicking the hard metal of the barbell on one side. She heard his breath coming in harsh gasps and she opened her eyes to see his eyes narrow and his mouth fall open in a silent moan.

The orgasm came slowly this time, creeping over her from the inside out so she had the time and presence of mind to watch him as he reached his peak, biting his lip for just a second before letting a stream of soft curses spill out. Through her pleasured haze she recognized the warmth of his seed deep inside as he jerked against her, pushing her climax higher. 

He relaxed on top of her, sliding his fingers into her hair as he kissed her again. She didn't even notice him rolling to his side and pulling her with him as he kissed her slow and deep, their breath mingling between them. Finally he pulled away and looked into her eyes, a small, satisfied smile on his face.

"Can I tell you I love you again?" he asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"As many times as you want." 

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

...

Grant woke the next day to find Anna already gone from his bed. The smell of coffee filtered through his panic, suppressing it, and he got up and threw on some jeans. On his way down the stairs he looked outside and saw his beautiful woman sitting cross legged on a deck chair, her phone to her ear and a mug of coffee in her hand. Her hair hung in a curtain down her back, shining golden brown in the morning sun, and the happy smile on her face was enough to make his heart burst.

She looked in at him and her smile widened, her fingers lifting in a little wave as he walked past the glass door on the way to the kitchen. Whoever she was talking to he figured he'd give her another minute of privacy while he got a much-needed cup of coffee. 

"No, he owns his place so I'm moving in with him." Grant heard her say as he walked out the door a few minutes later. He dropped a kiss on her head and they exchanged smiles as he settled into the chair next to her. "Well, I'll just let the lease go on my apartment and whatever I don't bring with me I'll donate. I got most of it from the Salvation Army anyway. It's the circle of life." 

Grant sipped his coffee and looked out over the river, a sense of contentment settling on him. It was a good feeling. For possibly the first time in his life he felt truly at peace. All the parties, the women, the work, none of it had ever filled that place in him that he'd been trying so hard to fill, but now...it felt like he'd come home. 

"No Dad, I'm not pregnant." She looked at Grant, rolling her eyes and shaking her head in exasperation. "Because I love him." She spoke into the phone, but her eyes were on Grant and the smile on her face was for his benefit.

Yeah, it was a good feeling. One he wasn't going to let go of any time soon, if ever. He made up his mind in that moment that there were some changes he needed to make in his life to make sure there was plenty of room for her. He'd been spreading himself too thin lately and it was time to take a step back and re-evaluate his priorities.

"Of course I'm going to finish school. This doesn't change anything other than where I live."

He looked up at the sound of her voice; the amused exasperation seemed to have turned to irritation. The smile was gone from her face and she was nervously rubbing the spot between her eyes with one finger.

"Anna," he said quietly. When she looked up at him inquisitively he held his hand out for the phone. She hesitated for a second, then nodded.

"Dad...Dad hold on. Grant wants to say hello." She looked distinctly nervous as she handed him the phone and he gave her a wink. 

"Hi, this is Grant."

"Oh, um...hello Grant." The man sounded slightly put out to be talking to him.

"Mr. Webster, I just wanted to introduce myself. I hate to do it over the phone, but it will have to do until we can meet in person."

"I suppose that's a good idea. Anna says she's moving in with you?"

"She is. And I understand why you'd be concerned. You don't know me and I imagine you worry a lot about Anna with her living so far away, but I want to assure you that I love her very much." He met Anna's eyes and gave her a little smile. "I know she has goals she's working toward and I'm not going to stand in the way of any of that. I'll help her any way I can, at least as much as she'll let me."

"Good luck with that. She's got a stubborn streak in her."

"Yes sir, I picked up on that real quick."

"I bet you did." He chuckled and Grant grinned, knowing he'd taken a step toward winning the man over. 

"You raised an amazing daughter, Mr. Webster. I thank my lucky stars every day that she came into my life."

Anna gave him a sweet smile and moved over to sit on the chair next to him. She laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him, and he sighed in contentment, forgetting for a second that he was on the phone.

"Well, thank you Grant. We think she's pretty amazing, too. And please, call me Richard. What?" Grant could hear a female voice in the background. "No, hang on." There was the distinct sound of the phone being dropped, then someone picked it up.

"Is this the young man my little girl is in love with?" 

"Yes ma'am, that's me." He couldn't help but smile; her voice sounded exactly like Anna's.

"She's told me all about you Grant. I hope at least half of it is true."

"Only the good half." 

She had the same laugh as Anna, too.

"Well, I won't worry too much. I know my daughter and I trust her judgment. But I did want to ask you a couple of questions."

"I'll try to answer them." 

"Do you love her as much as she seems to love you?"

"Probably more."

"Good answer. If that's true, why do you want to live with her instead of just getting married?"

That one gave him pause. He looked down at the top of Anna's head and thought for a long moment about how to answer. "I thought at this point I was more likely to get a yes to the former than the latter." 

"Oh. Well, you might be right about that. Last question. Do you think you can convince her to come home to visit?"

"I will certainly try."

"Thank you, Grant. I'm going to have to let you go now; we've been monopolizing the community phone too long and the line is growing."

"It was nice to talk to you Mrs. Webster."

"It's Grace."

"I hope we can talk again soon, Grace."

"Take care of my little girl."

"I'll do my best."

They said goodbye and Grant hung up the phone. Anna lay still against him and he just held her for a while, half wondering if she'd heard what her mother had asked. Finally she looked up at him with a smile.

"Let me guess, you charmed the pants off my parents. They both want you to call them by their first names and my mom wants you to bring me home to visit."

"That's pretty much it," he said turning on his brilliant smile and winking at her. Anna snorted and laid her head back down on his chest, snuggling against him as they looked out over the river.

"Grant?"

"Hm?"

"You'll get a yes to the latter one day."

Grant smiled and tightened his arm around her. "I know."