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Impromptu Attraction Ch. 02

By: sunny55235



The car slowly backed out of the driveway, leaving the neighborhood for the main road that would eventually lead to the interstate. Julia turned to her boyfriend in the driver's seat. "How do you think it went?" she asked.

Ben smiled. "I think it went very well."

They were making their way back after a weekend at Ben's parents' house, and Julia had been nervous about meeting them for weeks. In the three months that they'd been dating Julia had met Ben's sister on several occasions, but this was the first time she had met his parents.

"They're very nice, I'm just never sure if parents like me or not," Julia confessed. 

Ben gave her a quizzical look. "How many boyfriends' parents have you met?" he asked.

She started counting in her head. "Well, technically this is my fourth time. But the first two were before either of us could drive and it doesn't really count if you meet them by getting a ride."

Ben considered this as he merged onto the interstate. "So that's two boyfriends before you were sixteen?"

Julia blushed. "Two whose parents I met anyway."

"Right, now I'm suspicious. Would you mind telling me all about your sordid past while I have you trapped in a confined space?" He tried his best to ask the question with a straight face, and very nearly succeeded.

Julia feigned exasperation before detailing her past relationships. "Well, first there was Colin in eighth grade. He asked me to go to the Valentine's Day dance with him, so naturally I just met him there. At some point his parents called my dad and offered to give me a ride home afterwards."

"Sounds very romantic," Ben said with a grin.

"Oh yes, we were the talk of the eighth grade the next day. Technically we dated for a few weeks after that, though we never actually went out anywhere together." Julia thought for a moment before continuing. "Boyfriend two was to the spring dance. Same situation as the first one really: carpooled to the school, shared a few very awkward slow dances at arm's length, then claimed to be dating for a while without actually going anywhere."

"You were a very popular thirteen-year-old," Ben said.

She ignored him and continued. "Boyfriend number three was Alex, freshman year of high school. I was a freshman, he was a senior, it was all very scandalous."

Ben couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice when he replied, "I can't believe the two of you aren't still together, you sound like such a nice couple."

"It was more a case of him not wanting to go to prom without a date and me not being picky as long as I got to go. We were in the same Spanish class and he asked me to go with him, so we did the whole taking-pictures-in-front-of-his parents'-fireplace thing."

Ben considered this before asking, "You were a freshman in the same class as a senior?"

"Like I said, I wasn't picky as long as I got to go. He was a nice enough guy and we went out a few times, but there wasn't much interest there."

"OK, so three boyfriends by your freshman year of high school. All dance-related I might add, should I be worried about that?" Ben was doing his best not to laugh, and failing miserably.

She rolled her eyes, but continued. "I went on a few other dates in high school, but never more than once or twice with the same guy," Julia continued. "Got to college and dated a few guys, nothing very serious. Then my junior year I went out with a guy named James for about a year."

"Then what happened?" Ben asked.

"I met his parents and they absolutely hated me," Julia said. "And I had no idea until he broke up with me a few days later."

"He broke up with you because of his parents?"

Julia shrugged. "Now you know why I was so nervous about this weekend."

Ben took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You have nothing to worry about." He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. "They said of all the girls I've ever brought home, you're their favorite."

She gave him a worried look. "How many girls have they met?"

"Well, you're only the second. But the point is you're their favorite," he finished with a smile.

"Go on," Julia said, a little relieved, "let's hear about all your paltry affairs."

Ben cleared his throat, and Julia settled in for what she was expecting to be a long list. "Let's see, there was Becky in the seventh grade. We were together for about three hours before we decided to see other people."

Julia burst out laughing. "Three hours?"

"Hey, that's a long time when you're twelve. We flirted all during Social Studies, I asked her out at the beginning of gym class, and we were very happy together during lunch. But things got a little rocky during recess, and by English we thought it was best to go our separate ways."

"And you made fun of me for my school dance relationships," she teased. "So three hours in the seventh grade, what else?"

Ben thought before continuing. "In high school I had a summer girlfriend two summers in a row, but that was pretty much it."

"Really? I'm surprised you didn't get out more," Julia said.

"I was on the swim team and ran track, so I didn't have a whole lot of free time. That and I was kind of a nerd and most girls didn't talk to me," he admitted. "But over the summers I was a lifeguard at a pool, so I dated one of the other lifeguards." 

"Sounds sexy," Julia said, imagining him in his swim trunks. "Ever have to save a damsel in distress?"

"It may sound sexy, but it really wasn't. And the only person I ever had to dive in the pool for was a middle-aged man with a hairy back." Ben shuddered at the memory.

"But more importantly, you managed to be a nerd who played two sports," she laughed. "Prom date?"

"Went with a group, but I had the last laugh. Once all the girls got there and realized their dates wouldn't dance with them they all came and danced with me. I don't think I sat down all night," he said with a smile. 

She made a mental note to go out dancing with Ben sometime. "OK, that takes us through high school, how about college?" she asked, then immediately wished she hadn't. Ben's face turned serious, and he let go of her hand and put it back on the steering wheel. He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke.

"I met a girl at the end of my freshman year, and we were together for three and a half years before we broke up." Julia waited for him to continue, watching his expression. She had never seen him look upset, but a strange look had crossed his face.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. It was a while before he answered. 

"She met someone else," he said simply. "Except she didn't wait very long to start dating him, so they were together for about a month before I found out what was going on."

Julia was stunned. Ben was the sweetest guy she had ever met, and she couldn't imagine why anyone would ever cheat on him. Just the thought of it made her angry, but she decided to keep her opinion to herself. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Ben sighed. His face had relaxed back to his normal expression. "Could have been worse. At least I hadn't proposed to her like I'd planned."

Julia felt sick that someone had done that to him. She knew that if it hadn't happened then she might not be with him today, but she still felt horrible for him. "Girls are bitches," she said.

Ben laughed and took her hand again. "Not all of them."

The rest of the drive passed quickly, and before long they were parked in front of Julia's apartment building. They spent an increasing number of evenings a week together, alternating where they stayed and who was in charge of cooking dinner. Every morning Ben would drive them both to work, and each day seemed to bring them closer together.

They climbed the stairs to Julia's apartment and settled in on her couch. She sat on his lap, resting her head on his shoulder before asking him one last time how he thought the weekend went.

"Let me put it this way," he replied, "they're well on their way to being as much in love with you as I am."

Julia's heart skipped a beat at his words. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "You're in love with me?"

"Yes, I am." His reply was matter-of-fact, without the slightest hesitation or doubt. Julia was still searching for a response when he leaned forward and gave her a long, soft kiss.

She sighed as he trailed his lips down to her neck. His hands circled her waist before creeping up the back of her shirt, playing across her soft skin.

Without another word they undressed each other, taking their time and paying attention to every part of each other's bodies. Ben seemed to kiss every inch of her skin, sending shivers down her spine in the process. When his lips made their way between her legs she moaned with pleasure, and he used his tongue to bring her to her first orgasm.

Eventually they would move from the couch to the bed, where they made love at a slow, gentle pace that lasted late into the evening. He drove her over the edge more times than she could count, and he held off as long as he could before allowing his own orgasm to take over. They spent the night curled up in each other's arms, and Julia had never felt as content as she did when she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning they got up and ready for work as usual. They had gotten used to spending nights in each other's apartments, and each had a growing collection of clothes in both places. Julia was glad the weather was warming up, and as they drove to work the March sun shone brightly.

While their relationship was still considered a secret in the office, it was a fairly well known one. If anyone asked why they tended to arrive at work together they would say they were carpooling, but few people paid that close attention to them. Just in case they spent their days avoiding each other to prevent any suspicion, and no one seemed to notice their relationship was flourishing.

The same could not be said about the magazine where they worked. Circulation and subscriptions had gone way down since the new editor-in-chief began work in December, and the prospects for the future were not looking bright. The optimistic estimates calculated that they would be bankrupt by the end of the year, while others predicted they would not last to the end of the summer.

As Ben and Julia took the elevator up to their floor, they gave each other one last kiss before stepping out into their office. They immediately sensed the buzzing tension, and soon found the source. They each had a memo sitting on their desks about an emergency staff meeting set for later that morning.

"Hey honey, did you have a nice weekend? Mine was just fantastic!" Julia heard Marilynn's voice over her shoulder before she finished reading about the meeting. Monday mornings were usually greeted with a recap of her coworker's escapades with her latest boyfriends, who tended to be at least thirty years her junior. Today was no exception, and Julia politely listened to a story full of thinly-veiled innuendo and knowing looks.

"How was your weekend, do anything exciting?" Marilynn eventually asked after she caught her breath.

"Met the parents," Julia said with a smile.

Marilynn beamed. She was the only one in the office to officially know about Julia and Ben, and for once she managed to keep a piece of gossip to herself. She glanced over her shoulder at Ben before giving Julia a big hug.

"Are you worried about this meeting?" Julia asked. She had only been working for the magazine for six months, but this was the first time an emergency meeting had been called and it sounded serious.

"They'll either tell us we're screwed or we're saved, but I guess we're about to find out." As she spoke their coworkers started moving toward the conference room, and the two of them joined the small crowd congregating there.

The staff was small enough to fit around one table, and everyone took their seats when the editor came in. The normally relaxed atmosphere was tense, and they all sat in silence waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat and addressed the group.

"There's no gentle way to say this, so I'll just come out and say it: we're in serious trouble," he began. No one was surprised by the news, but it still wasn't very comforting to hear it from the boss. "Sales are down, some of our biggest advertisers are pulling out, and at this rate we'll be out of business in a few months."

The room was still silent, so he continued. "I'm not going to pretend this has nothing to do with me. I've made a few costly decisions, and it's ultimately my fault we're going under. Big changes need to happen, and they need to happen fast. That said, I'm resigning as editor as of the end of the day tomorrow."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth a flurry of questions erupted from the staff. The most prominent was who would take over as editor, and everyone was asked for silence for the explanation.

"I've made some calls, and I have good news. It seems the best person to get us out of this mess is the one who kept us out of it for so long. Starting Wednesday, Mark will be back as editor-in-chief."

A roar of approval went up from the staff, and a round of applause spread through the conference room. Everyone was overjoyed to have their fearless leader back at the helm, and excited chatter filled the room.

Only three people sat frozen in their chairs.

Julia sat in stunned silence at the news. In the past three months she had barely thought about Mark, and the feelings she used to have for him. It had been easy to keep him out of her mind when she didn't see him every day, but that was about to change.

She looked over at Marilynn, who was giving her a sympathetic look from across the table. Marilynn knew how Julia had felt about Mark, and seemed to understand the impact the announcement had. Julia gave a weak smile before casting a sideways glance at Ben.

He was sitting very still, looking down at the table while everyone around him talked excitedly. Ben was usually quiet, but his complete silence amid all the commotion made her uneasy. She had never told him about her feelings for Mark, but from the looks of it he already knew.

The meeting came to an end and everyone filed back to their desks. The tense atmosphere had been replaced with a buzzing excitement, but Julia still had a sense of dread. She sat at her desk and tried to make sense of her feelings.

The first three months she had worked in the office, she had been completely infatuated with her boss. She had never acted on her feelings, and was devastated when he left the magazine to get married and settle down in a different country. That was when her relationship with Ben started, and she had been falling in love with him ever since.

While she was happy with Ben, she didn't like the way things had been left with Mark. She had no idea what she would feel when she saw him again, and she wasn't the only one.

"You OK with all of this?" Marilynn asked. She had made a quick circle of the office looking for gossip before coming to Julia's desk.

Julia glanced across the aisle, relieved to see Ben wasn't there. "I'm happier now than I've ever been, I can't see myself giving that up," she answered. "Besides, he got married. As far as I'm concerned that's the end of it."

Marilynn hesitated. "Actually, he didn't. They broke up, so now she's staying in Europe and he's coming back here."

Julia sat down heavily in her chair, taking a moment to process the information. Her former fantasy was returning, and he was single. Her mind raced at the implications, and panic started to rise in her. 

She remembered all the times she had fantasized about him, all the dirty thoughts about what she wanted him to do to her. She thought of how devastated she had been when he left, and how she had regretted not telling him how she felt. Then she saw Ben sit down at his desk, and her mind raced in a different direction.

She thought of everything they had been through, and everything they meant to each other. She remembered how Ben had taken care of her when she needed it the most, and how he had unknowingly picked up the pieces when Mark left. She remembered how happy she was to be with him, and how less than an hour ago she never could have imagined anything getting between them.

She was still unsettled by the news of Mark's return, but she started to calm down. She breathed a sigh of relief and gave Marilynn a confident smile. "Thanks for the concern, but I think I'll be just fine."

Marilynn seemed satisfied with the response, and gave her shoulder a squeeze before leaving. Julia glanced back at Ben, and saw he still had the same downcast expression on his face. She had made up her mind: whatever she had once felt for Mark, it was no match for how she felt about Ben.

She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote him a short message, then crumpled it up and threw it across the aisle to him. As soon as Ben unfolded the note a huge grin spread across his face. He looked around the room, and when he saw everyone else was on the other side of the office he crossed the aisle to Julia's desk. He gave her a deep, passionate kiss before whispering in her ear, "I love you, too."

Julia's face flushed as Ben returned to his desk, and she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. The excitement from that morning meant her emotions were on high alert, and her body was following right after. 

She felt like going outside and running laps around the building to ease some of the tension. Actually what she really felt like doing was dragging Ben straight to bed to work off the stress, but she would have to wait for that. Or so she thought.

A few of the writers felt bad about their reaction at the meeting that morning, and had decided to take the boss out to lunch as an apology. The whole office was invited, and at noon nearly everyone grabbed their jackets and headed for the elevator. 

Julia was expecting a call and declined the invitation, and when she saw that Ben was also staying behind she got an idea. As soon as the elevator doors closed she stepped out of her cubicle, told Ben to follow her, and headed down the hall.

When they got to the door of the ladies' room, Ben stopped and gave her a confused look. "I don't think I'm supposed to go in there."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Speaking as 50% of the people who use this room, I say its fine." She quickly glanced around to make sure no one was there, then grabbed the front of Ben's shirt and pulled him in.

She backed him against the door and kissed him, pressing the full length of her body against his. She could feel his body responding beneath her, and as their lips parted she brushed her hand against the front of his pants. He groaned his approval, rubbing his hand up and down her leg.

She locked the door, then with a coy smile sunk to her knees in front of him. Before he could protest any further she got his pants and boxers down around his ankles, and she heard him gasp when she took his stiffening member into her mouth. Julia ran her tongue up and down his shaft, lightly grazing her teeth against his skin. She glanced up to see him leaning heavily against the door with his head tipped back, clearly enjoying himself. 

She took a deep breath before taking his entire length in her mouth, watching as his eyes opened wide. The tip of his cock pushed into her throat, and he gripped the edge of the sink for support. She tightened her lips as she moved him in and out, pressing her tongue hard against him. His free hand rested on the back of her head as she picked up the pace, her head moving faster and faster. As his grip tightened, she slowed down again and got back to her feet. 

He pulled her against him, probing her mouth with his tongue as his hand slid up her skirt. He seemed surprised at how wet she had become, and pushed her underwear aside to slip a finger deep inside of her. She let out a small moan as he rubbed his thumb against her clit, working a second finger in and out of her dripping pussy. She gasped for breath as she leaned against his hand, and buried her face in his neck to muffle the sounds of her first orgasm.


Impromptu Attraction Ch. 02



Her head still spinning, she sat on the edge of the sink and pulled her skirt up past her thighs. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close to her, letting out a sigh as he slid his cock into her waiting pussy. His fingers tangled in her hair as he kissed her, rubbing his tongue against hers while building up a steady rhythm with his hips. Her shoes clicked together as she crossed her ankles behind his back, keeping his body close and his thrusts deep.

He leaned his face forward and kissed her chest through her shirt. She pulled the buttons open, then let out a moan when his hands found her breasts and pulled them free from her bra. Her pulse raced as he ran his tongue over her nipples, taking each into his mouth before leaning up to brush his lips against her neck.

His breath came in heavy pants as he picked up the pace, lifting her body up off the sink with every thrust of his hips. Each of his movements was met with an appreciative whimper, and she clung to his neck to keep upright.

Every sound they made echoed against the tile floor, and Julia bit her lip to keep quiet. His thrusts came harder and faster, his breath heavy in her ear. Her mouth opened wide in a silent scream as an orgasm washed over her, and her muscles were still clamped down around him for his release. 

They leaned heavily against each other until they caught their breath.

"I could get used to this you know," Ben said with a smile as he helped her down off the sink.

"You'd better not," she replied, "I'm sure there's a policy somewhere about inappropriate use of the restrooms."

They finished adjusting their clothes, but before they left Ben cleared his throat to speak. "Look, about Mark," he started. She tried to interrupt but he was determined to go on. "I know you had a thing for him, and if you'd rather be with him I'll understand. I promise I won't get mad, just tell me that's what you want and I won't stand in your way."

She waited until he finished before wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him close to her. "I don't want to be with him," she said, looking up into his eyes. "I want to be with you. I love you."

He leaned down and gave her a long, slow kiss before saying he loved her too.

She unlocked the door and stuck her head out, checking that the coast was clear for Ben to slip out back to his desk. Julia stayed a few more minutes to fix her hair, and double checked that nothing looked out of place when she headed back into the office. 

As she sat down to wait for the call she was still expecting, she was determined to keep her mind off of Mark, and to focus on everything she loved about her relationship. She counted up all the times she and Ben had said they loved each other, and decided to see how long she could keep a running tally in her head.

She lost count by the end of the day.

When they arrived at work on Wednesday morning, the excitement in the air was palpable. The staff was happy about the prospect of turning a profit again, but also to have their fun-loving boss back. Another emergency staff meeting had been called, this time to officially pass the torch back to Mark. They all gathered in the conference room, awaiting his grand entrance.

His arrival was met with thunderous applause as his employees welcomed him back to the office. When Julia saw him she felt her heart leap into her throat. She tried to clap along like everyone else, but her movements felt slow compared to her pounding heart. When he began speaking, she took in his appearance.

Living in Europe seemed to have agreed with him, and Mark appeared leaner and more tan than when he left. The expensive-looking suit topped off the image, and Julia couldn't escape the fact that he looked good. He spoke with confidence and charisma, and the whole room hung on his every word.

Mark's speech ended with a pep talk about turning things around, and everyone left the conference room feeling more confident about the future. Mark stood at the door and shook everyone's hand on the way out, and when he got to Julia he held her hand a little longer than everyone else's.

"Good to see you again," he said to her, and when she didn't respond he gave her a wink. Julia blushed bright red, and hurried out of the room before anyone could see. She rushed to her desk and pretended to be on the phone so no one would bother her while she calmed down.

The rest of the day passed without ceremony. Julia made a few calls to clients specifically telling them Mark was back as editor, and she was pleased with the positive response she got. Several of their advertisers had dropped their support after Mark left, but simply having him back instilled confidence in their clients. 

All the tension and stress about the magazine losing money was slowly fading away, and the office was back to its usual laid back attitude. At the end of the day, Julia and Ben left work in high spirits.

They had planned to devote their entire evening to basketball. They were in the midst of March Madness, and Julia's first ever attempt at filling out a bracket was off to a rough start. They ordered a pizza and ate it in front of the TV, and once they finished Julia sat with her feet propped up while Ben lay with his head in her lap.

While she stared at the TV, Julia tried to straighten out her thoughts. Seeing Mark for the first time had brought back a lot of her old feelings, but they seemed to wane as the day went on. She managed to convince herself that her feelings would pass, and lots of people had crushes and never act on them. At that moment there was nowhere else she would rather be, and her doubts about who she wanted to be with had faded. 

She was absentmindedly running her fingers through Ben's hair when the phone rang. He jumped up to get it, but didn't talk long before hanging up. Julia looked back and saw his worried expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My dad, he had a heart attack," Ben said as the color drained from his face. "They're taking him to the hospital, I have to go."

Before Julia could say anything he rushed into his room and threw some clothes into a bag. She followed him in, feeling completely helpless. He finished packing and threw his bag over his shoulder. He promised to call her with any news, gave her a kiss and was out the door.

Julia sat back on the couch, not sure what to do next. It was a little late to go back to her apartment, so she decided to spend the night there. Ben's bed felt cold and empty without him.

The next morning she awoke to her phone ringing, and was relieved to hear Ben's voice on the other end.

"He's doing OK," he said. "It wasn't nearly as bad as they thought, but they'll need to keep him here for at least a few days." Ben sounded like he had been up all night, and as she hung up Julia told him to get some sleep. She took a quick shower and got dressed, then headed to the office.

The phone didn't seem to stop ringing all day. Word had gotten out that Mark was back in charge, and advertisers were jumping at the opportunity to be a part of the magazine again. Julia finally got a break just after one in the afternoon, and rushed out to eat lunch before the phone rang again. When she got back, she was surprised to find Mark waiting for her.

"Just thought I'd stop by and say hello," he said, sitting on the edge of her desk. "I understand my replacement wasn't very popular with our clients, have things started to pick up?"

Julia answered his question by pointing to a stack of paperwork from that morning. They talked some more about work, and after all his questions were answered an expectant silence fell between them.

"Must be hard coming back here after you exciting life abroad," Julia said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her heart was beating fast, though she was pleased that is wasn't pounding in her ears like it had the day before. She was looking forward to her crush wearing off so Mark would not have this effect on her at all. 

"Oh I don't know, there are some advantages to being back here," he replied. "For one thing, the women are much more beautiful." He put his hand on her shoulder before standing up and leaving her cubicle.

Julia stared after him, not sure what had just happened. Was he hitting on her? As she tried to make sense of the exchange the phone rang, and she spent the rest of her day fielding requests from clients.

After work Julia made the short journey to Ben's apartment to bring in his mail. She used her spare key to get in, and changed into a pair of sweats before heading to the gym around the corner. The two of them had started taking a boxing class together, and while she enjoyed the exercise it felt strange being there without him.

When her class ended she went back to her apartment and made herself dinner. Even her own place seemed quiet and empty without Ben, and she had never realized how little she had been there lately.

Before the end of the night Ben called her again, and she was happy to hear him sounding more like himself. His father was making good progress, and Ben said he would be coming back in a day or two. Julia fell asleep looking forward to seeing him again.

That night Julia had an unexpected dream. She was naked at work, which was common enough in her dreams, only this time she was lying in the middle of the conference table. The office was quiet and appeared to be empty, so she slowly moved a hand between her legs. 

She started tracing small circles around her clitoris, barely touching herself as she moved her finger across her skin. She could feel herself getting wet with the touch, and began pressing a little harder. Her excitement grew with each pass of her finger, and before long a puddle was forming beneath her on the table.

She slipped a finger inside of her, then easily pushed in two more. Julia arched her body up off the table to get a better angle, penetrating even deeper into herself. She worked her fingers in and out of her wet pussy, rubbing her clit with the palm of her hand as she did.

She glanced across the room and realized she was not alone. She was startled to see Ben standing by the door, intently watching her playing with herself. As he watched he had started stroking his stiff cock, running his hand up and down his shaft without taking his eyes off of her. 

At first she was embarrassed to be caught, but when she saw how much Ben seemed to enjoy watching her she continued to work her fingers in and out of her pussy. Before long she was wondering if she could get him even more aroused, and decided to give it a try. 

She started playing with her breasts, gently brushing her hand against her skin. She slipped her wet fingers out of her pussy and rubbed them over her nipples, slowly circling her way around them. She leaned down and ran her tongue against her nipples one at a time, sucking and gently biting each of them. 

She looked over and saw his hand moving faster around his shaft, and seeing him get more excited made her love being watched. She slipped her fingers back into her pussy, matching him stroke for stroke.

With her attention on Ben, she didn't notice a third person in the room. Another body was shifting towards her, but she was too focused on Ben to realize it. Suddenly Mark appeared on the table in front of her, and without hesitation pushed her hands aside and slammed his hard cock into her. 

Her surprise was quickly replaced with desire as he set a fast pace. She cried out with pleasure, all her attention drawn to Mark's body pounding against hers. He raised her legs onto his shoulders, penetrating deep into her. The sound of their bodies slapping together mixed with her own moans, and she struggled to keep her breath.

Mark was completely focused on fulfilling his own desires and kept his hands firmly around her ankles. He leaned forward so her legs were pressed against her chest, his cock penetrating even deeper into her. She rested her feet on his shoulders as each thrust lifted her off the table. 

She could feel herself nearing an orgasm, her body tensing up in anticipation. Before she had the chance to come he flipped her over onto all fours, grabbing her hips and taking her from behind. His rough strokes were completely different from what she was used to, and she felt her orgasm building again. 

She had completely forgotten about Ben until he was kneeling in front of her with his hard cock still in his hand. He had been watching the two of them together, and climbed up onto the table to join them. She grabbed his cock and ran her fingers up and down, squeezing his shaft with her hand while she squeezed Mark's with her pussy.

She took Ben's cock in her mouth while Mark continued to pound in and out of her. As her lips moved up and down his shaft she was moving her hips to meet each of Mark's thrusts. Ben cupped her breasts in his hands, gently pinching her nipples between his fingers. 

She was on the brink of orgasm, her body tensed for her release when a garbage truck outside her apartment window brought her crashing back to reality.

She woke up in a cold sweat. It had been a long time since she had dreamed about Mark, and she was worried about how aroused the dream had made her feel.

The next day started like any other: Julia and Marilynn met with a few clients, and talked to countless others over the phone. As far as they were concerned everything was back to normal, and after only two days Mark had been able to completely turn the magazine around.

What wasn't like any other day was the number of times Mark came to talk to Julia. When he worked there before he had barely spoken to her, but all day he was stopping by with little questions for her. Each visit was accompanied by a pat on the shoulder or a touch on the arm, and each time she couldn't help being reminded of her dream from the night before. 

By the end of the day she was almost annoyed with how much she was seeing him. She had to stay late because of all the interruptions, and his conversation varied from tedious and flippant to verging on inappropriate. At the end of the day he called her into his office. He shut the door behind her, and before she had the opportunity to say anything he started talking.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I know office relationships can be tricky, especially between superiors and subordinates, but frankly I don't care." He gave the same charming smile he always gave when he wanted something. "So what do you say?"

It took a moment for Julia to realize what he was asking, and even then she had no idea how to respond. She chose her words carefully before answering, her heart pounding. "Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm seeing someone."

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her. A few months earlier she was ready to ask him the same question, and would have leapt at this opportunity with both feet. Now she was incredibly uncomfortable in the office and started edging toward the door. 

Mark's smile never wavered. "I'm not going to let a little thing like that stop me. When I see something I want, I go for it."

Julia opened her mouth to reply, but never got the chance. He pulled her against him and clamped his lips over hers, shoving his tongue into her mouth. She tried to push him away, but her arms were trapped under his strong grip. After struggling to break free he finally let her go, and stood back with the same smug smile on his face.

"How do you feel now?" He asked.

There were any number of ways to express how she felt. She could have told him he had his chance but was too late, that she was over him. She could have threatened sexual harassment charges, a restraining order, and making sure he lost his job. In the end, she went with her first instinct and did what came naturally.

She punched him right in the nose.

He doubled over with pain as she stormed out of his office. She was relieved to see nearly everyone had gone home for the evening, and she grabbed her bag from her desk and headed for the door without looking back.

Julia was out of the building before she looked down at her hand. The knuckles had turned bright red and she would probably have a few bruises, but on the whole she was pleased with herself. 

After the countless hours thinking and fantasizing about Mark, she would have expected to feel something when he kissed her. But her only reaction was how wrong it felt, and how much she would rather be kissing her boyfriend instead.

She had proven to herself once and for all that she was completely over Mark, and the feelings she'd had were nothing more than infatuation. She couldn't keep from smiling, and felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She set out at a leisurely pace in the direction of Ben's building.

She took his mail up the four flights of stairs to his apartment, and was startled to find him there sitting on the edge of his bed. He sat with his head in his hands, his glasses on the bedside table. 

Julia rushed over to him. "What happened? Is your dad OK?"

He didn't look up, and kept his face covered as he spoke. "He'll be fine, they're sending him home." 

She was relieved at the news, but there was clearly something wrong. She sat beside him on the bed and put her arm around him. "What's the matter then?"

He flinched at her touch, but didn't respond. She waited for him to speak, and again he answered her without looking up. "I stopped by the office on the way here. I would have said hello but you were...busy."

Julia realized with horror that he must have seen her in Mark's office. He had seen Mark kissing her, and jumped to a perfectly logical conclusion. "Wait, I can explain."

"You don't have to explain anything," he said.

"No, you don't understand. He kissed me! I told him I had a boyfriend, but he did it anyway! And when I tried to pull away he wouldn't let go!" As she desperately tried to explain, she realized how it must have sounded. 

For the first time Ben looked up at her. Dark circles had appeared under his bright blue eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. But on top of that there was a deep sadness she had never seen before.

He studied her face carefully before looking away. "I can't do this," he finally said. "Not again."

"Please, if you'll just listen," she began, but knew he had already made up his mind.

After a long silence he finally said, "I think you should go."

She waited, hoping he would say something else. He continued to sit still, staring blankly at the floor. She tried one last time to make him understand. "Do you know what I did after he kissed me?"

A pained expression crossed his face, and he put his head in his hands again. He didn't say anything, so she continued. "After he kissed me he asked how I felt, and I showed him. I gave him a bloody nose and possibly a black eye, so he won't be kissing me ever again."

He hesitated, then slowly raised his eyes to her face. Without another word she held up her hand for him. The redness had faded, but a few faint bruises had appeared across her knuckles. He stared at it, his face relaxing. He took her hand in his before leaning down and gently kissing her fingers.

"I'm so sorry," he began. "I should have believed you, but I just-" he paused and looked into her eyes. "You punched your boss in the face?"

She responded by throwing her arms around him.

They held each other for a long time, Ben continuing to apologize as they did. Finally she silenced him with a kiss, holding his face in her hands as their lips parted. All the tension and fatigue seemed to melt out of his body, and he kissed her back with enthusiasm. 

She leaned him back on the bed before climbing on top of him. While he had only been gone a few days, she had missed him more than she had realized and was going to take full advantage of having him back. She straddled his waist and kissed him again, exploring his mouth with her tongue.




Impromptu Attraction Ch. 02



She had wanted to take her time, but it wasn't long before impatience and longing took over. Julia had his shirt off in a flash, and her own was soon to follow. She ran her fingers down his chest, dragging her nails against his skin. 

Ben leaned up and gently kissed her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers as he did. She responded with an appreciative moan that made him double his efforts. She could feel the wetness between her legs growing, and loved how his body felt beneath her.

With one hand he managed to get her skirt off, and before she knew it Julia was straddling his face. She gripped the sheets as his tongue traced her skin, letting out a sigh each time he grazed her clitoris. 

He slipped a finger into her wet pussy, moving it in and out in rhythm to his tongue on her clit. He continued until her gasps and moans grew more insistent, then shoved his tongue deep inside of her. This sent her over the edge and she held the back of his head as her first orgasm washed over her.

She made quick work of his pants and boxers and added them to the pile of clothes on the floor. His cock was already completely hard, but she gave it a few strokes as she climbed back on top of him. She lowered herself onto his stiff member, watching his eyes shut and a smile cross his lips as she did. 

She leaned forward to kiss him, grinding her hips against in the process. His hands went to her waist as she slowly rocked back and forth. He moved a hand between them and rubbed his thumb in small circles around her clit, his eyes never leaving her face. She began using her knees to raise and lower her body, making short, quick thrusts. 

As she moved faster on his cock she could feel an orgasm building, and she tightened her pussy around him. Her muscles clamped down around his cock as she came, and he seemed to enjoy the sensation. She didn't have time to catch her breath before he drove her over the edge again. 

He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist so her body was flush against his. He waited until she was breathing normally and her heart had stopped racing before giving her a deep, passionate kiss. From then on they took a much more relaxed pace, paying close attention to each other's bodies.

Ben rolled Julia onto her back, spreading her legs wide apart. He entered her slowly, filling every inch of her as he pushed his hips forward. He raised her leg over his shoulder, whispering how much he had missed her while kissing her neck.

She closed her eyes as he moved faster, moaning when his hand again found her clit. She felt her body tense as she got close to another orgasm, and he thrust deep inside of her until she came. She struggled to catch her breath as he moved faster, his cock pounding in and out of her wet pussy. His hands were all over her body, responding to her moans as they grew louder.

They were both out of breath and exhausted when a final push brought Ben over the edge. Hearts racing, they lay in a tangled heap on the bed with the sheets twisted around them. 

Once they recovered, Ben laid his head on Julia's shoulder. "How's the hand?" he asked, putting his glasses back on to examine her fingers.

"Not too bad, I think those boxing classes paid off," she replied with a grin.

They lay together in silence for a few minutes before he asked, "Think you'll still have a job on Monday?"

"Guess I could be charged with assault, but then again he could be for sexual harassment." She considered this before continuing. "Look at it this way: if he fires me he'll have to give a reason, which means he'll have to tell everyone he got beaten up by a girl." She giggled.

"I don't think his ego could take that, especially right after getting fired and dumped."

"Is that what happened?" Julia had never asked for any details about why Mark was back, but she had never expected that.

"That's what I heard. Lost his fancy new job, so his girlfriend dumped him and he came crawling back here. Lucky for him his old job was available." It seemed to be a struggle for Ben to stay neutral on the subject.

"That explains it. I was wondering why he was suddenly interested in me, guess I was just a rebound to stroke his ego." She was relieved, and hoped this meant Mark would leave her alone.

"Or maybe he genuinely likes you."

Suddenly she felt sorry for Mark. He had been at his most vulnerable and she had embarrassed him even more. She remembered how her own fear of rejection had kept her quiet about her feelings, and how devastated he must be if he had feelings for her. "I should apologize," she said, getting up from the bed to find her phone.

"No you shouldn't," Ben replied. "He needed to be unapologetically punched in the face, and if you apologize then I have to punch him."

She hesitated, but the look on Ben's face changed her mind. She didn't resist when he pulled her back into bed, where they stayed for the rest of the weekend.

On Monday morning, Julia and Ben made their way to the office as usual. When the elevator got to their floor they gave each other a kiss, and then walked into the office hand in hand. Marilynn was the first to greet them as they came through the door.

"What's this, even more exciting news for the office?" she said, looking proudly at the couple. When they asked what she meant, she continued in a hushed voice. "Apparently Mark got mugged on the way home from work on Friday. A group of guys beat him up and took his wallet, just look at his face!"

They looked behind her into Mark's office, and sure enough there he sat with a black eye. Mark looked up and stared at the two of them holding hands. He and Ben eyed each other closely, but when he turned his glance to Julia he quickly looked back at his computer. 

Marilynn gave them a confused look, sensing there was more to the story than she knew. She waited for a response, but her phone started ringing before she got one. She left with a shrug, and a look that said she would get to the bottom of this. 

Ben gave Julia a kiss on the cheek, then settled in at his desk. Julia stepped into her own cubicle and sat down, crossing her fingers for a normal and uneventful day of work.

*

Special thanks to CWatson for all the editing and advice.



Impromptu Attraction Ch. 03



"You've been holding out on me!" Julia jumped as Marilynn's voice echoed around her cubicle. She had been sitting at her desk, minding her own business when Marilynn snuck up on her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, swiveling her chair around to face her coworker.

Marilynn lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. "Why didn't you tell me you have two men fighting over you?"

Julia let out a heavy sigh and slumped in her chair: so that's why everyone had been acting so strangely. It had been a week since her boss had unceremoniously revealed his attraction to her, and she had hoped the news would not spread to the entire office.

Unfortunately, all day Monday she had gotten the sense that her coworkers were watching her. While heading toward the copy machine outside of Mark's office she had felt like there were eyes following her every move, and as she glanced around she swore half of the staff writers ducked their heads below their cubicle walls.

By Wednesday people had started to abruptly finish conversations as she entered the room. When she went for a cup of coffee she found a group of columnists standing around the break room in sudden silence, all avoiding eye contact. As soon as she left she could hear them speaking in hushed tones behind the door, and she fought the urge to listen in.

Now it was Friday, and Julia felt like there was a big secret going around that only she didn't know about. Even the freelance writers who only turned up once a month seemed to be in on it. They all seemed to be keeping something from her, when in fact she knew more than anyone else.

"Who says anyone is fighting over me?" she asked, hoping the rumor was confined to a few people. Marilynn's grin made her heart sink.

"Everyone! I must have heard it from ten different people." She didn't wait for a response before continuing. "Apparently when Mark first got back he asked around to see if you were seeing anyone, and since no one knew for sure about you and Ben they all assumed you were available."

"And now that they know about me and Ben, they all assume there's some competition going on?" Julia shook her head. For an office comprised primarily of men, there was an awful lot of gossip spread around. She sighed again, "Why didn't anyone just ask me?"

"Oh honey, you know that's not how things work. When you hear a story about someone you talk about it with everyone else." Marilynn gave her a patient smile. "Still, I'm not sure why everyone is assuming Mark is so interested in you. No offense, but asking if someone is single doesn't mean-" she stopped short when she saw the guilty look on Julia's face.

All week Julia had been debating about telling Marilynn what had happened between her and Mark. She had thought saying anything about it would just inspire wild rumors, so she had kept quiet about him kissing her (not to mention her punching him in response). 

Now that wild rumors were already spreading, she wondered whether telling Marilynn would make any difference. With reluctance, Julia told the whole story.

For perhaps the first time in her life, Marilynn was speechless. Julia could almost hear the gears clicking together in her friend's head as she processed the information. Finally she managed to say, "To be honest, I'm jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" For the life of her Julia couldn't think of a single enviable thing about the situation.

"The only two guys in the whole office I haven't been able to seduce, and you have them both at your beck and call!"

Julia stared in disbelief, a thousand questions coursing through her brain all at once. She was well aware that Marilynn had a hobby of picking up younger men, but had no idea she was honing her skills so much at the office. 

She picked her most prominent concern and asked, "When exactly did you try to seduce my boyfriend?"

"Oh relax. It was years ago, back when he first started here." Marilynn gave a reassuring smile. "He was so sweet and innocent, I just wanted to take him home and do bad things to him."

Julia leaned over and looked at Ben, who was talking intently on the phone barely ten feet away. She was having difficulty picturing him as completely sweet and innocent after some of the things they had done together.

"Used all my best tricks, but he didn't seem interested," Marilynn continued. "Never completely gave up until you came along, now he's a lost cause." She gave a wistful sigh, but otherwise didn't seem too disappointed.

"And Mark?" Julia asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer.

Marilynn gave her a patient look. "I only go after the available ones, and as long as I've been here he's never been single." She paused before adding, "Until now that is."

Julia saw a familiar gleam in her coworker's eye. "That's assuming you don't believe all the rumors going around of course."

Marilynn patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry hon, it'll all work itself out. I'm sure by the end of the weekend everyone will forget the whole thing."

As Marilynn turned to leave, Julia again glanced across the aisle to her boyfriend's desk. Ben was still sitting with his phone pressed to his ear, furiously scribbling into a notebook. She wondered how much of Marilynn's report he had heard, and what his reaction would be when he found out the whole office was talking about him.

Things at work the past week had been tense. Ben was doing his best to let things go, but that didn't stop him from keeping a close eye on Mark whenever he ventured anywhere near Julia. 

Mark was doing his best to pretend nothing had happened at all, and was avoiding Julia whenever possible. Even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching her.

Despite all the tension at work, Julia was relieved that her after-work life had not been negatively affected. She and Ben had barely left his bed the past weekend, and had spent every night that week together. Ben would never admit it, but Julia had a feeling the extra attention she was getting in the bedroom was a subtle way of reminding her where she belonged.

She was brought out of her reverie by a familiar hand on her shoulder, and smiled up at Ben as he leaned against the edge of her desk. "Busy day?" he asked.

"It's been interesting if nothing else," she began. "I didn't know Marilynn tried to get you into bed with her."

"Neither did I," he replied after a long pause, a worried look crossing his face. "Recently?"

"When you first started working here." Julia laughed. "Don't tell her you didn't notice, she might try to compensate."

Ben still looked mystified, but shrugged it off. "So that's what the two of you were whispering about."

Julia hesitated, debating about whether to tell Ben about the rumors. While she didn't want to upset him, she thought it was better for him to know. As she gave a condensed version of her conversation with Marilynn, the smile faded from Ben's face. By the time she finished he was sitting perfectly still, staring blankly at the floor.

"I wondered why everyone was looking at me funny," he eventually said. "They must expect me to fly into a jealous rage any second."

She gave him a reassuring pat on the knee. "It's just talk. As long as no one actually involved is saying anything then there's not much we can do but wait for it to blow over."

They heard a noise from the aisle and both turned to see one of the young photographers standing there. He was still in college and Julia had never heard him say more than three words at a time, but he seemed determined to speak to them.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said to Julia in a meek voice, "but I just wanted to let you know that I don't care what Mark says. I think you're better off with Ben than with him." As soon as he finished talking he hurried down the hall to his own desk, leaving the couple in silence.

They stared after him, neither sure what to say. Up until then Julia believed all the rumors were caused by idle speculation, but now it appeared Mark was fueling the fire.

Eventually Ben spoke. "As long as no one actually involved is saying anything, eh?" His face stayed passive, but she could hear the anger building in his voice.

Julia still couldn't think of anything to say. She was getting angry too, but had no idea what she could do about it. She was still deep in thought when Ben stood up.

"This has gone on long enough," he said, then walked out of Julia's cubicle in the direction of Mark's office.

He was already halfway down the hall before Julia stood up, peeking around the wall to watch what was happening. She could see Ben and Mark exchanging terse words, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. After a short exchange Mark got up from his desk, threw off his suit jacket and followed Ben out into the hall.

Mark was loosening his tie and Ben rolling up his sleeves as they made their way toward the elevator. Ben gave her a confident smile as he walked by, pulling off his glasses and assuring her they would be back soon. Julia watched in bewilderment as they left: were they actually going to fight over her?

She stayed rooted in place as the elevator doors closed, wondering if she should follow them. In the end she sat down in her chair, thinking it would be better if she didn't know exactly what was happening.

It was nearly an hour before they got back. Julia had spent the time alternating between pacing in front of her desk and unsuccessfully trying to get some work done, all the time ignoring the urge to go to the window to see what was going on. By then it was almost five, and the office was slowly shutting down for the weekend.

When the elevator doors opened, Julia was surprised to hear the sound of laughing. She stood up from her desk as Mark and Ben came by, talking and joking like old friends. She took in their appearance and was instantly glad she had not gone to watch. 

Mark's shirt had a smear of mud across one shoulder, and Ben's pants were covered in grass stains. Overall they both looked a little worse for wear, but in good spirits.

Julia was even more surprised when Mark started apologizing to her. She stared in amazement as he asked for her forgiveness for the previous Friday, and she could only nod in response. Satisfied with the exchange, he clapped Ben on the back and went down the hall to his office.

Julia sat heavily in her chair, still stunned into silence. It was a few minutes before she heard Ben's voice asking if she was ready to go. She looked up and saw him looking a little more put-together, standing with his bag over his shoulder and a casual smile on his face. Mechanically, Julia gathered everything into her own bag and followed him to the elevator.

It wasn't until they were in Ben's car that she found the words to speak. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

Ben chuckled as he pulled out of the parking lot. "We settled things," he said simply.

"I don't understand, what does that mean?" Julia asked.

"You never spent much time around guys growing up, did you?" he asked, and when Julia shook her head he continued. "Guys and girls have different ways of dealing with things. When girls are upset with each other they go for months at a time without speaking, then hate each other forever from then on. Guys don't really do that. We have our own way of dealing with problems."

"Which is?"

After a thoughtful pause, Ben answered. "We fight it out, and then the winner buys the loser a beer."

She let this statement sink in before asking, "You two got into an actual fight?"

"Sort of," he replied. "I don't think either of us threw a punch, so it was more like wrestling than anything."

She stared at him, putting it all together. If what he said was true, that meant her boyfriend and her boss had just spent the past hour rolling around outside of their office building before going to a bar. "Are you crazy?" she finally asked.

Ben laughed. "What can I say, it works. That's how my cousins and I settled things when we were little." He paused before adding, "Except the beer part, that comes later. But other than that, same system."

"And all guys do this?" she asked in disbelief.

"Maybe not all guys, but a lot of them."

Julia was still turning the information over in her head. "So that's it? Just like that, it's over?"

Ben pulled the car up to the curb outside of Julia's apartment. "Now don't you wish you were a guy?"

For the first time that afternoon, Julia smiled. She had to admit this was a much better way of dealing with problems than she was used to, and she might be tempted to give it a try next time. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted, and was looking forward to going into work without facing the same tension as the past week.

"Are you coming up?" she asked, glancing toward her building. The two of them were spending the evening apart, both feeling like they had been neglecting their friends lately. Julia had made plans for a girls' night with her former roommate, and Ben was hosting the monthly poker game he and his friends had been having for years.

"I'd better not," Ben answered, glancing at his watch. "I told everyone to be there at six, so I should get going."

Julia checked the time before giving him a suggestive smile. "I'd say you have a good fifteen, maybe twenty minutes before you really have to go."

He barely thought about it before turning off the ignition. "They're always late anyway," he said, climbing out of the car.

They practically ran up the stairs to Julia's apartment, and were already locked in a passionate embrace by the time she got the door opened. They managed to drop their bags and kick off their shoes before tumbling onto the couch.

They fumbled with their clothes while keeping their lips locked together, their tongues probing each other's mouths. Ben's hands roamed all over Julia's body, caressing her skin as her clothes came off little by little. He moved his lips down to her neck as the last of their clothes fell to the floor, and from there trailed his tongue down to her waiting breasts.

She gasped as his tongue found her nipples, and moaned in approval when he took each into his mouth. She responded by reaching for his stiffening member, rubbing her fingers along his shaft. His hands continued to move over her skin, making their way down between her legs. He smiled when he found her wet and ready for him.

He pulled her onto his lap, easily sliding his full length into her wet pussy. They both let out a sigh as she began moving her body up and down, and she gripped the back of the couch for support. He leaned forward to take her nipples into his mouth again, and she doubled her efforts at riding his stiff cock.

He tugged the elastic band out of her ponytail, running his fingers through her hair as it fell around her shoulders. He pulled her in for a deep kiss that made her forget about moving her body on his, and for a moment they focused entirely on their lips and tongues pressed together.

He wrapped his strong arms around her and laid her onto her back. She propped her head on the arm of the couch as he began moving his cock in and out of her, building to an intense rhythm. 

He reached between them to brush his thumb against her clit, causing a shiver to run down her spine. He persisted with her clit until her muscles clamped down around his cock, her body quivering as she came.

She threw her leg over the back of the couch, letting out a moan as he penetrated even deeper into her. She began lifting her hips to meet each of his thrusts, their skin slapping together with each stroke. She closed her eyes as she felt another orgasm building, her heart pounding.

Her back arched when she came again, her body tensing as she muffled a scream. The sensation made Ben's thrusting more insistent, and he let out a low moan as his own orgasm followed hers. They lay together on the couch trying to catch their breath, neither in any hurry to move.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, and Julia froze when she looked at the clock. "That'll be Stacy," she said, and started grabbing for her clothes. She called through the door that she would be right there while the two frantically got dressed. As Ben was tying his shoes, she opened the door to her friend.

They exchanged greetings before Julia offered an explanation. "Sorry about that, I was just changing," She gave Stacy a hug, hoping her flushed face wouldn't give her away. Stacy gave her a skeptical look, but didn't say anything. "Oh, and you haven't met Ben," Julia added.

Ben stood up from the couch. "Very nice to meet you, but I'm just on my way out." He wished them both a pleasant evening, gave Julia a kiss on the cheek and headed out to meet his own friends.

"Now I see why you've been so busy lately," Stacy said as soon as the door closed. "He's cute, but why are his clothes so dirty?"

Julia rolled her eyes. "Long story, we can discuss it over drinks."

They started the evening at a cocktail lounge before moving on to dinner, and from there settled into a cozy bar with overstuffed chairs and mellow music. They spent the evening reminiscing about the old days and catching up on recent events. Julia filled in all the details of her relationship, and Stacy happily shared her experiences as a newly married woman. 

The two had been roommates all four years of college, and had managed to not only get along with each other but stay close friends. By the end of the night they were asking each other why they didn't get together more often, and were making plans for their next meeting.

Well after midnight Julia returned to her apartment, prying her feet out of her heels and wishing the drinks had been strong enough to make her forget her blisters. 

She tossed her jacket and purse onto the couch and got ready for bed, pulling on one of Ben's work shirts before slipping under the covers. She debated about calling to ask how his night had gone, but fell asleep before she had made up her mind.

She didn't stay asleep for very long. An hour after she dozed off, Julia awoke to an unpleasantly familiar sound. She sat up in bed and listened again, hoping she had imagined it. 

Her heart leapt as she heard the sound of tiny nails scurrying across laminate flooring. She steeled her nerve, then reached for the lamp and flooded the room with light.

For as long as she could remember, Julia had been terrified of mice. They had infested the alley behind her house when she was growing up, and taking out the trash had always been a nightmare. As she grew up she had done her best to avoid them, but lately her building seemed to be swarming with them. With Ben's help she had safeguarded her apartment as best she could, but it had obviously not been enough and this was the third time one had gotten in. 

She stared as the little rodent continued its journey across her bedroom, and was horrified when a second scurried after it. As soon as they were safely on the other side of the room she jumped out of bed and ran out to the living room, slamming the door behind her.

She kept a close eye on the door as she weighed her options: she could set some traps and try to get rid of the mice, sleep on the couch and hope they stay in her bedroom, or leave completely and deal with them in the light of day. 

Her mind was made up when she heard tiny claws scratching at the door, and she wedged her feet back into her heels before grabbing her jacket and purse and heading out.

She managed to hail a passing taxi, and gave the driver Ben's address. He leered at her through the rear-view mirror the whole ride, and while Julia was glad her jacket was long she wished it was just a little bit longer. 

Soon they arrived and she was climbing the stairs to Ben's apartment, and then standing outside his door. She considered using her spare key to let herself in, but decided to knock instead. 




Impromptu Attraction Ch. 03



As she waited for him to answer, she suddenly felt very foolish for coming over in the middle of the night because of tiny animals in her apartment. She flushed with embarrassment as the door creaked open and she saw Ben standing in the doorway, wearing a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

His expression fell somewhere between surprise and confusion, and she hung her head before speaking in a small voice. "There were mice in my apartment, can I sleep here tonight?"

After a pause long enough for Ben to get his head around the statement, he let out a laugh. "I was expecting something more along the lines of, 'I'm naked under my coat,'" he said, taking in her outfit. "But that works too, come on in."

He gave her a hug as she walked through the door, then hung her jacket over a chair while she pulled her shoes off. She looked around and saw the table was still covered with cards and empty beer bottles. "Good night?" she asked.

"I ended up twelve dollars richer, which I believe made me the winner." He yawned, flipping the lights off as they headed for his room. "How about you, good girly time?"

She filled him in on the highlights of her evening before they crawled into bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow Ben was fast asleep, snoring lightly as Julia's eyes were still adjusting to the darkness. In the light streaming in from the streetlamp outside the window she watched him sleep, a sense of calm washing over her as she did.

Julia took inventory of the events of the day. On the negative side, she had to flee her apartment in the middle of the night. But on the positive she had gotten to spend time with an old friend, and had a boyfriend who loved her and was willing to fight for her. All in all, not a bad day.

Julia was glad to be out of her apartment, but even happier to be spending the night curled up next to her boyfriend. She pulled the covers up around them before laying her head on his chest, letting the steady beating of his heart put her to sleep.

Spending the evening with Stacy had obviously had a strong impact on Julia's subconscious, though she would never have predicted the dream it produced. 

The dream started at a frat house their first weekend on campus, and they promised to stick together and look after one another. They spent the evening meeting lots of new people and drinking copious amounts of cheap beer, and at the end of the night they staggered back to their room feeling happily drunk.

The next part of the night started off innocently enough: congratulatory pats on the back for getting phone numbers, and several hugs of gratitude for keeping an eye on each other. This led to a poorly aimed kiss on the cheek, and from there everything escalated.

They took turns going down on each other, each using her tongue and fingers to bring the other to orgasm. They licked and sucked each other's nipples, rolling around on the floor in every imaginable position until they were out of breath and exhausted. 

While she dreamed, Julia could almost feel the waves of pleasure washing over her, and when she woke up the next morning she couldn't help but feel aroused.

As she opened her eyes she found Ben lying next to her with his hands behind his head. He had taken off his t-shirt and pants and was lying beneath the sheets in his boxers. He was staring at the ceiling with a smirk on his face, and as she laid her head on his shoulder she asked what the look was for.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile.

Julia sighed. "So I've been told. Why, what did I say?"

His smirk turned into a wide grin. "I'm not sure what Stacy was doing to you exactly, but whatever it was you seemed to be enjoying it."

Julia's jaw dropped and her face turned bright red. Her dream came flooding back to her, and she could only imagine what she must have been saying. She turned her back to Ben and buried her face under the pillow.

"Something you'd like to share?" Ben asked with a chuckle, sliding his arm around her waist.

Julia's muffled voice came from beneath the pillow, "No thank you."

After a thoughtful pause, she heard Ben's voice again. "Aren't you even going to tell me about it?"

She shook her head, still hiding her face. "Please?" he asked gently. As he did she felt his hand creep up the bottom of her shirt, stroking the soft skin of her stomach before moving up to cup her breast. 

She sighed as he grazed his thumb across her nipple, barely making contact with her skin. With each pass he applied more pressure until he was gently rolling her nipple between his fingers.

As he moved to her other breast her mind went back to her dream, and how it had felt when Stacy was doing the same thing to her. She pictured Stacy straddling her body, leaning down to flick her tongue across Julia's hard nipples.

Ben's hand moved down her body, and without thinking she parted her legs for him. As his fingers played against the soft material of her underwear she pulled her head from under the pillow. "You really want to hear about it?" she asked.

"Very much," he answered, kissing the back of her neck.

His fingers kept rubbing against her as she spoke. "In my dream, Stacy and I may have done a little...experimenting." Her breath caught in her throat as Ben's hand moved beneath her underwear.

"Go on," he said, tracing slow circles around her clitoris.

"It started off just kissing," she began, her pulse racing, "but then we started touching each other."

She could feel Ben's heavy breath against the back of her neck, and the dampness between her legs was spreading. Ben dipped a finger into her wet pussy before moving it back to her swollen clit. "We took off all our clothes," she continued, "then she got on her knees and shoved her tongue up inside me."

Ben groaned softly, and she could feel his stiff cock pressed against her leg. She enjoyed the effect she was having on him, and continued her story. "After she made me come we got on the floor and she sat on my face so I could do the same for her."

By then Ben's finger had gone from gentle strokes around her clit to sliding in and out of her wet pussy. She let out a whimper as he slipped a second finger into her, the palm of his hand pressed against her clit. Her mind went blank as she enjoyed the sensation, and he had to remind her to continue her story.

"While she was sitting on my face," Julia continued breathlessly, "she bent over and ran her tongue all around my pussy."

Ben had heard enough. In one fluid motion he flipped Julia onto her back and buried his hard cock deep in her wet pussy. They both moaned as he moved his hips, his fingers tangling in her hair as he brought her face to his. He gave her a deep, insistent kiss as she squeezed her pussy around him.

They both forgot about the story as they focused on their bodies colliding together. Ben pressed his lips against her neck as his hips set a driving pace, causing her to writhe in pleasure beneath him. Her fingers dug into his back as she succumbed to her first orgasm, her pussy clamping down around his cock.

He slowed their pace to a teasingly gentle tempo, making steady, shallow strokes in and out of her wet pussy. She begged him to go faster, raising her hips off the bed trying to get him deeper into her. 

In a slow, deliberate motion he leaned in, sliding the full length of his cock inside her. His eyes locked on hers, and he paused before resuming the vigorous pace from before.

Julia raised her leg to Ben's shoulder, letting out a whimper as his cock entered her even deeper than before. She shuddered from an orgasm as his fingers played against her clit, and he didn't slow down as she tensed and moaned from another. With renewed effort she squeezed her muscles around his cock, and knew Ben was nearly spent.

After a few more pounding thrusts, Ben's eyes clamped shut as his orgasm came crashing over him. He collapsed on the bed next to Julia, neither able to speak. He pulled her close, kissing her on the forehead as they recovered.

"I take it that never actually happened between the two of you," he said once he'd caught his breath.

"Sorry to disappoint, but no." Julia smiled. "Why, any exciting experiences with your roommate?"

Ben laughed. "Nothing like that, no. Which is probably a good thing considering he's been dating my sister for the past five years."

They lay together in a comfortable silence, listening to the birds chirping outside the window. Finally Ben asked, "How do you want to deal with your mice situation?"

Julia sighed. "To be honest, I might just move out. Even if I get the ones out of my apartment they're all over the building. And on top of that the pipes leak, and it's noisy, and I'm paying way too much in rent."

Ben considered this. "Any idea where you'd go?" he asked.

"Guess I'll just have to look around," she said with a shrug.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like," he said.

"Thanks," she answered, "I might have to take you up on that. Took me forever to find that place, who knows how long it'll be to find another." A thought popped into her head, but she dismissed it immediately. It was something she had thought of earlier in the week, when they had been together every night. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. After all, they had only been dating three months; he would think it was way too soon.

After a thoughtful pause Ben said, "You could always just..." he hesitated."I mean, you're here all the time anyway."

"That's true," she agreed. She stole a glance at his face. Was he thinking what she was trying not to think?

"And it's close to work," he continued.

"Also true. And since you drive me to work already, it would really be saving you a trip." She was doing her best to keep the excitement out of her voice until she knew for sure what he was suggesting.

"Not to mention it would cut the rent in half." 

She considered this before adding, "And it's on the fourth floor, I'll bet most pests only get as far as the second."

He smiled at her. "Julia, would you like to move in with me?"

She returned the smile. "I'd love to," she answered before giving him a kiss.

Julia called her landlord, who was thrilled to hear she wanted to break her lease. He confessed the building was about to be bought by developers and he was going to make a lot of money, so he happily let her out of her lease and gave her back her full deposit.

By Saturday night they were boxing up the contents of Julia's apartment. She normally hated packing and thought moving was the most tedious task imaginable, but with Ben it was significantly more fun.

"Explain to me why you have eight different kinds of lotion," he had said while taping up the box from her bathroom. She had responded with a thorough description of how each bottle was important and why no one kind would be enough. His eyes had glazed over halfway through the explanation, and he just shook his head as he hauled the box downstairs to his car.

"You have an entire drawer full of pajamas and I've never seen any of them," Ben had laughed as they went through Julia's dresser.

"That's because your shirts are much more comfortable," she had replied with a sweet smile.

They kept a careful watch to make sure no furry creatures were making their way into the boxes, and after several trips in Ben's car they called it a night. The next morning they discussed their progress over breakfast.

"You just had to live in a building with no elevator, didn't you?" Julia teased over scrambled eggs and toast. She had woken up feeling sore all over, and had happily exchanged back massages with Ben.

"It's not so bad, you'll get used to it," he replied. "It's only a pain when you're carrying heavy things up the stairs, like furniture or groceries. Or people."

Once everything was boxed up, they surveyed the sparse furniture left in Julia's apartment. They both agreed most of it would fit nicely with the scant furnishings in Ben's apartment, but still had to make a few decisions. "How attached are you to your bed?" Ben asked.

"The bed I put together myself that came with a free mattress? I think I can part with it," she replied. "The couch too, it was cheap when it was new and I got it second hand. And on top of that, I think we broke it on Friday."

They wedged a few tables into the backseat of Ben's car and strapped the dresser to the roof, and between the two of them managed to get everything up to the fourth floor. By the end of the afternoon they were both exhausted, and after one last look around Julia's apartment she locked the door and they headed to Ben's building.

"When do I carry you over the threshold, is that when people move in together?" Ben asked when they got to the door.

Julia smiled. "No, that's when people get married." The comment hung between them as a thoughtful pause grew to an awkward silence. They both looked at the floor, desperately thinking of something to say to make the moment pass. Eventually Julia cleared her throat and said, "I can just walk in, that's fine."

They looked around the room, surveying the clump of furniture and the stacks of full boxes. "Where would you like to start?" Ben asked.

"Kitchen?" Julia said. "We can get that out of the way before we have to cook anything."

They carefully unwrapped the dishes and put them in the cabinets with Ben's eclectic mix of plates and glasses. Julia sat on the kitchen counter to reach the top shelves, and in no time they had everything put away.

"Where to next?" she asked, about to climb down to the floor. Ben stepped in front of her and put his hands on her waist, gently nudging her back onto the counter.

"No rush," he said as his arms circled her waist. He gave her a soft kiss, barely brushing his lips against hers. She cradled his face in her hands, pulling him in for a much deeper kiss.

As his hands inched up the back of her shirt she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him close against her body. She felt a stirring at the front of his pants and couldn't keep from giggling.

"You spent an entire weekend hauling boxes up and down stairs, you can't possibly have the energy for that." she said.

"Does that mean you don't?" he asked, his lip drooping into a playful pout.

She smiled, absentmindedly running her fingers through his hair. "I'll see what I can do." She pulled him in for another deep kiss before hopping off the counter, then backed him up against the refrigerator and sank to her knees in front of him.

He groaned as she started to slowly brush her soft lips along his shaft, squeezing her hand around the base as she did. She kissed every inch of his cock before pressing her tongue to his skin, hearing his breath quicken as she did. She flicked her tongue all over his cock, then switched to longer licks over his entire length.

She rubbed her tongue against his head and started working her fingers up and down his shaft. She squeezed his stiff member as her tongue circled his skin, building her pace from soft and gentle to firm and fast. She looked up and saw him watching her intently, and she held his gaze as she wrapped her lips around his cock.

He writhed beneath her as she pushed him deeper and deeper into her mouth, her fingers still firmly encircling him. When his cock hit the back of her throat she took a deep breath and kept going, pushing him further in until her lips were down to the base of his shaft.

She pulled her head back, squeezing her lips around him as she did. She slowly moved her head forward and backward, her lips sliding up and down his length. 

Julia began picking up speed, pulling him in and out while he moaned in pleasure. She used her fingers to add more pressure, and his hands went to the back of her head as her mouth moved faster on his cock.

She heard his breath quicken and felt his body tense, and kept her hand and mouth moving at a fast pace. He let out one final moan as he came, the hot liquid spilling around Julia's lips and down her throat.

"You're going to get spoiled, aren't you?" she asked as she wiped her mouth.

Ben grinned. "I think I'm OK with that."

On Monday morning, Julia awoke with a smile on her face. She had always enjoyed waking up with Ben beside her, and the thought of doing that every day put her in a good mood. After a quick breakfast the two of them got dressed for work and left their apartment for the office. 

When they pulled into the parking lot, they noticed Mark's car sitting in its usual spot. "He's here early," Ben remarked. Normally Mark was one of the last to arrive, and they began to wonder about what it could mean. Soon they had an explanation.

Before they stepped out into the parking lot, they saw Marilynn's bright yellow convertible come to a screeching halt next to Mark's car. Two figures emerged: one was definitely Marilynn, but they couldn't believe who the passenger was.

"Is that...?" They took a closer look, and confirmed it was Mark.

"Isn't that the same thing he wore on Friday?" Julia asked, spotting the mud on his shirt before he pulled his jacket on.

They stared in silence as the figures entered the building, and as the doors shut they burst out laughing. "What do you think, ex-husband number five in the making?" Ben asked.

Julia shook her head in amazement. "He survived an entire weekend with Marilynn, that must be a new record even for her."

They waited a few minutes before getting out of the car and crossing the parking lot to the building. They got onto the elevator all smiles, confident they would not be the main topic of conversation that day.

*

Special thanks to CWatson for all the editing and advice.



Impromptu Attraction Ch. 04



They sat on opposite sides of the couch in silence, neither saying a word to each other. A magazine sat open on her lap, and as she flipped through the pages she could feel his frustration rising.

"I hate you so much," Ben said suddenly, staring straight ahead. Julia didn't even look up from her reading at her boyfriend's outburst. She had gotten used to this type of talk from him, and it came as no surprise to hear him say it.

"Just go away and leave me alone," he continued. Julia did her best to ignore his comments as she started reading a new article. She was halfway through learning about "This Summer's Ten Must-Have Accessories!" when Ben's raised his voice again.

"Why won't you just die?" he asked.

Julia glanced up. "If they're zombies, aren't they already dead?"

Ben kept his eyes glued to the TV screen, but a smile played at the corners of his mouth. As his fingers flew between the buttons on the game controller he said, "Why won't you just die again then?"

Julia smiled and went back to her reading. In the month since they had moved in together, the two of them had established a typical Sunday evening: cooking a big dinner together, cleaning up the inevitable mess in the kitchen, then spending an hour or so on the couch reading and playing video games. There was something strangely comforting about watching Ben blow things up on the screen, and Julia always looked forward to this cozy time.

Lately they seemed to be spending more and more time in their apartment, often trying to make little improvements to it. As a result Julia had discovered how much Ben enjoyed building things, and how handy he was for small projects. That weekend had been no exception, and Ben had spent a few hours happily constructing a new bookcase for their bedroom.

Over the course of the month they had rearranged the furniture in every room at least twice, and all the walls were now painted a different color than they were when Julia moved in. Overall they had settled in together nicely, and Julia couldn't think of a time when she had been happier.

The telltale music signaled that the zombies had won. As Ben turned off the TV Julia flung her magazine onto the table, then laid her head on his shoulder. "Had enough?" she asked.

"For tonight," he replied, pulling off his wire-rimmed glasses to rub his eyes. He put his arm around her, and she happily snuggled in closer to his body.

They sat in contented silence until Ben's phone started ringing. He got up from the couch to answer it, stretching his arms as he went. "Hello?" he asked, but barely had the word out before the voice on the other end began speaking.

Julia could tell by his long silence and the bemused look on his face that he must be talking to his sister. Alison was a force of nature; she was one of those people who never minced words and got straight to the point, especially over the phone. While with other people this quality could come across as pushy or rude, Alison managed to have the rare ability of being universally liked by everyone who met her.

"Congratulations, whe-" Ben began, but Alison cut him off before he finished his question. She also had the uncanny ability of knowing exactly what you were going to say and answering your questions before you even got the chance to ask them.

Julia watched as Ben scrambled for a pen and paper, frantically jotting down notes. He occasionally got a word in edgewise, but for the most part he seemed to be diligently taking instructions from his younger sister.

"She's right here if you'd-" he began, and glanced around at Julia still sitting on the couch. He scribbled down a few more notes, then passed the phone along.

She braced herself before putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she asked tentatively.

"Julia!" Alison's singsong voice rang over the line. "So nice to talk to you. Exciting news, I've just gotten engaged and I would just love it if you would be one of my bridesmaids! The wedding is going to be coming up soon so I'll need to go ahead and order everything for you. I've picked out the dresses and I've already ordered yours, I just wasn't sure what size shoe you would need so thought I should ask." Alison took a breath, her first of the conversation. "So, what size shoe do you wear?"

Julia's mind reeled. "Seven?" She couldn't prevent the statement from coming out as a question: she felt like she was taking a test she hadn't studied for and was starting to second-guess her own shoe size.

"Perfect! That's what I thought it was but I wanted to be sure. I'll put the order in right now, and I'll have some extras in different sizes in case they don't fit. You don't have to worry about a thing, I'll take care of everything and it'll all be here for you when you arrive. You'll be paired up with Ben since he's one of the groomsmen; you two are going to look so cute! Anyway I should get going, lots to do. This is going to be so much fun!" The line went dead.

It took a few seconds for Julia to realize the conversation was over, and as she put the phone down she tried to process all the information that had just been thrown at her. Images of deer in headlights came to mind. "So, Alison is getting married?"

Ben chuckled. "So it would seem."

"Did you already know?" She suddenly remembered Alison was dating Ben's former roommate and wondered if he had run the idea of marriage past Ben for his approval.

"I talked to Christian a few days ago and he said he was going to propose, but didn't say when." Ben answered. "I knew it had to be soon though, it's impossible to keep secrets from Alison for very long."

"How long has she been engaged?" Julia asked, trying to sort through all the other questions swirling around her head.

"Oh, about twenty minutes," Ben replied. He was looking over his page of notes and digging around in his work bag. Finally he pulled out his calendar and started flipping through the pages. "Did she happen to mention when the wedding is?"

"Just that it's soon." Julia considered this. "What's soon for her?"

Ben found the right page in his calendar and started counting up the days. "Eight weeks from yesterday," he replied.

Julia raised an eyebrow. "That seems awfully fast."

"Don't worry, it's not what you think. She's just very efficient," Ben said, circling the date before tossing his calendar back in his bag. "That and she's had the entire thing planned to the last detail since she was twelve years old."

"But still, two months to put together an entire wedding?"

Ben settled back onto the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table. "She's always wanted to get married in June, and she doesn't have nearly enough patience to wait an entire year. Besides, look what she's accomplished in under half an hour."

"That's true, she said she was ordering shoes and had already gotten dresses." Julia resumed her spot on the couch next to Ben. "Did she tell you she wants me to be a bridesmaid?"

He nodded. "She said she was going to ask you, but I didn't figure it would be much of a question."

"Wonder why she asked me, she must have hundreds of people she's known longer than a few months."

"I'm sure it's all part of her grand plan," Ben said, wrapping his arm back around Julia's shoulders. "Maybe she just didn't want you sitting all by yourself in the audience. Also, she likes you."

Julia couldn't imagine there was anyone Alison didn't like, or at least anyone she actively disliked. She shrugged, then laid her head back on Ben's shoulder. "Did you just call the wedding guests 'the audience'?"

She was still puzzling over everything as Ben pulled her onto his lap, but her thoughts started to melt away as his lips pressed against hers. When his hands cupped her face she was barely thinking at all, and by the time he swept her into his arms and carried her to their bed all her attention was focused on him.

She fumbled with his clothes while keeping their lips locked together, their tongues probing each other's mouths. Julia's hands roamed all over Ben's body, caressing his skin as she pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. While she tugged at his pants, he moved his lips down to her neck and seemed in no hurry to get either of them undressed: his attention was focused entirely on kissing her.

His lips touched every inch of the sensitive skin of her neck, making her pulse race. She started to squirm under his deliberate movements, anxious for him to explore the other parts of her body. He ignored her attempts to make him go faster, and when she tried to pull her own clothes off he pushed her hands away. 

"So impatient," Ben whispered with a chuckle. As he spoke she felt his hand creep up the bottom of her shirt, stroking the soft skin of her stomach before moving up to cup her breast. She sighed as he grazed his thumb across her nipple, barely making contact with her skin. With each pass he applied more pressure until he was gently rolling her nipple between his fingers.

Finally, and with agonizing slowness, he began to lift her shirt up over her head. Julia savored the feeling of his bare skin pressing against hers as he wrapped his arms around her body, his fingers tangling in her hair to pull her in for another deep kiss. She closed her eyes as his lips moved back down her body, making her skin tingle in anticipation.

She gasped as his tongue circled her nipples, and moaned when he finally took each into his mouth. Anticipation had heightened her senses, and the feeling made her whole body shiver. She reached down to remove the rest of her clothes, and this time was met with no resistance.

They were both lying naked on the bed, Julia still enjoying Ben's tongue playing across her nipples. She reached for his stiffening member, rubbing her fingers along his shaft. He responded by moving his hands over her skin, making his way down between her legs. He smiled when he found her wet and ready for him.

He dipped a finger into her wet pussy, barely penetrating her before moving up to her swollen clit. Julia moaned in approval, her fingers gripping his cock as his gentle strokes became more insistent. When he slipped a finger all the way into her wet pussy her breath caught in her throat, and Ben looked up to watch her face as he played with her.

She let out a whimper as he slipped a second finger into her, the palm of his hand pressed against her clit. She was doing her best to keep her own hand running up and down his hard cock, but her concentration was wavering. She could feel her first orgasm building with each movement of his hand, and her body was more responsive the closer she got. With one last pass of his hand she cried out, and her eyes flew wide open when she came.

Ben lay beside her, kissing her softly after she had caught her breath. She kissed him back with renewed vigor, and Julia rolled him onto his back before climbing on top of him to straddle his waist. Without hesitation she slid his cock into her waiting pussy, each letting out a sigh as he sank all the way into her.

He rested his hands on her waist, watching her intently as she moved her body up and down. As her pace quickened he began moving his hips to meet each of her thrusts, his fingers finding her clitoris as he did. Julia moaned and shuddered from the sensation, another orgasm building within her.

He wrapped his strong arms around her and rolled her over onto her back. She propped her head on a pillow as he began moving his cock in and out of her, building to an intense rhythm. He reached between them to brush his thumb against her clit again, causing a shiver to run down her spine. He persisted with her clit until her muscles clamped down around his cock, her body quivering as she came.

He slowed their pace back to a teasingly gentle tempo, making steady, shallow strokes in and out of her wet pussy. She begged him to go faster, raising her hips off the bed trying to get him deeper into her. In a slow, deliberate motion he leaned in, sliding the full length of his cock inside her. His eyes locked on hers, and he paused before resuming the vigorous pace from before.

She closed her eyes as he moved faster, and moaned when his hand moved back to brushing against her clit. She felt her body tense as she came close to another orgasm, and he thrust deep inside of her until she came. She struggled to catch her breath as he moved faster, his cock pounding in and out of her wet pussy. His hands found her breasts once again, and he teased and pinched her nipples as her moans grew louder.

Ben pressed his lips against her neck as his hips continued their driving pace, causing her to writhe in pleasure beneath him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper with each thrust. Her fingers dug into his back as she succumbed to her last orgasm, her pussy clamping down around his cock as she came. His own release came soon after, and he collapsed on the bed beside her.

They lay together in silence with contented smiles on their faces, both too exhausted to speak. Without a word Ben put his glasses on the bedside table, then reached for the lamp and bathed the whole room in darkness. Julia laid her head on his chest, listening to the gentle sound of his heartbeat as it lulled her into a peaceful sleep.

The next day at work, Julia and Ben arranged to take a few days off at the end of June. The bachelor party was scheduled for the Thursday before the wedding on Saturday, so they planned to go up that morning and stay through the weekend. Within the hour of getting the vacation time, Julia had a visitor in her cubicle.

"I hear you and Ben are taking some time off in June, doing anything special?" Something in Marilynn's voice said she already knew the whole story, but wanted to hear it first hand from the source.

Julia gave the smile she saved just for Marilynn, which included a healthy mix of patience and indulgence. "Ben's sister is getting married, so we're going up for the wedding."

"And you're both in it, right?" Marilynn asked. Julia nodded: clearly the office rumor mill was in full operation.

Marilynn fixed her with a calculating look before a devious smile crossed her lips. "I suppose it's only a matter of time then."

"Until what?" Julia asked, puzzled.

Marilynn checked over her shoulder to make sure Ben's desk was empty before whispering, "You must be expecting him to propose any day now."

Julia's jaw fell open, her look of puzzlement replaced with astonishment. After several attempts at speaking, she finally managed to say, "Why would I be expecting that?"

"Oh come on, his younger sister is getting married?" Marilynn began. 

Julia interjected, "She's only a year younger!"

Marilynn wasn't fazed. "She asked you to be in the wedding? Even if he wasn't thinking it before he certainly is now. Weddings always give people ideas you know."

Julia took a deep breath to ensure her response sounded calm and rational. "We've only been dating for four months, there's no way either of us is ready for that."

"You see each other all day every day, that's added up to a lot more time together than most couples," Marilynn said. "I figure you've been together the equivalent of a whole year by normal standards."

"By that logic you and Mark will be married by the end of the summer," Julia replied. Her coworker and her boss had been seeing each other on the sly for nearly a month now, ever since Marilynn added him to her list of office conquests at the political magazine where they worked.

Marilynn's smile never wavered, but she quickly turned the spotlight away from herself. "I'll bet he does it after the reception," she began, the excitement audible in her voice.

Julia responded with a groan and an eye roll, and swiveled her chair back around to face her computer screen. She heard Marilynn's heels click softly against the carpet as she went back to her own desk with a satisfied sigh.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, time seemed to pass quickly. The end of April was marked with a massive thunderstorm that knocked out the power, and Julia and Ben spent a Saturday night in a completely logical way: sitting on the floor playing a game by the light of their only candle, eating all the ice cream from the freezer before it melted.

"Your turn, truth or dare?" Julia asked as she scooped another spoonful into her mouth. A flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder made the question sound even more menacing.

Ben wiped chocolate from the corner of his mouth before answering, "Truth."

"Worst injury you've ever had?" she asked.

He winced. "Senior year of high school, last track meet of the year I tripped and fell flat on my face. Broke my wrist trying to catch myself, then landed on my chin and broke my jaw." He shook his head. "Had to go through graduation with it wired shut."

She grimaced, glad her worst injury was nothing more than some mild tendonitis in her knees. "I pick truth."

He thought for a moment, and then asked, "What do you want for your birthday?"

She laughed. "That's not for months!"

"Trying to plan ahead, I'm terrible at gifts." Julia knew for a fact this was a lie. A few weeks after they started dating he had given her a new coffee mug for Christmas, which still served as a coy reminder of their first kiss in the office break room.

"Fine. For my birthday, I would like a surprise," she said sweetly.

He grumbled something about her not being helpful, but laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him. "OK, I pick truth too," he said, polishing off the rest of his ice cream.

Julia scraped the sides of her own ice cream carton with her spoon as she thought of a question for him. "What's been the most embarrassing moment of your life?"

He sighed as he considered his response, and even by the dim light of the candle she could see the color rise to his face. Reluctantly he said, "I accidentally went to a key party one time."

Julia nearly choked on a chocolate chip, but her coughing was soon replaced with laughing. "Accidentally? How do you accidentally go to a key party?"

Ben shook his head, and a sheepish smile spread across his lips as he told the story. "A few years ago my friend calls and says he's having a key party and needs another guy to even out the numbers, so I said I would come," he began. "That's probably when I should have asked what a key party is."

Julia suppressed a giggle and told him to go on.

"When I got there everyone was putting their keys in a bowl, which I thought was to make sure no one was allowed to drive if they'd had too much to drink."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing as he continued.

"Everyone seemed really nice and it was actually a good party, but then at the end of the night my friend started calling people in to get their keys. And the next thing I know a woman walks up to me and says she has mine."

"Then what?" Julia asked, still wondering how this was more embarrassing than some of the other stories he had told her.

"I thought she meant she had grabbed my keys by mistake and was giving them to me, so I thanked her and headed out to my car," he answered. "And then of course she followed me and I asked if she needed a ride home, which I thought was strange since I had the impression she was married and had come to the party with her husband. Then the whole way there she kept making these little comments that at the time didn't make any sense, and then once we got there she was really confused about why I wasn't planning to go in with her, and then she explained the situation and..." his story trailed off.

Julia couldn't help asking, "And?"

He cleared his throat before answering. "And the silence that followed that was by far the most awkward and uncomfortable I've ever felt in my life."

They sat in the flickering candlelight, Julia mulling over the story in her head and trying not to giggle as the rain continued to pound against the windows. "Did you go in with her?" she finally asked.




Impromptu Attraction Ch. 04



"No. It just didn't feel right, even if her husband knew what she was doing. So I panicked and said I had to be somewhere early the next morning." He covered his face with his hands. "And then she asked where and I panicked again and said church."

"Church?" She barely got the word out before having to cover her mouth against the rising wave of laughter.

He managed to bury his face even deeper in his hands. "Where else do people have to be early on a Sunday morning? And then I felt so bad about it that I actually did go to church the next day."

By the time Julia finished laughing there were tears streaming from her eyes. Ben had lifted his face from his hands, and even had a small smile on his lips. "Your turn, truth or dare?" he asked.

"I'd better pick dare, I don't think I can top that story," she answered as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

The small smile turned into a wicked grin as he set his challenge. "I dare you to take off all my clothes without using your hands."

She frowned. "Can I finish my ice cream first?"

That effectively brought an end to their game. After a clumsy attempt to get his shirt over his head with her teeth, Julia gave up all pretenses and just pulled all of Ben's clothes off. Her own were soon to follow, and before long they were laughing and rolling on the floor together in the dying candlelight.

Ben was easily able to pin Julia beneath him, keeping her still long enough to gently spread her legs apart. Her mock cries of protest were immediately forgotten once his lips crept up the inside of her thigh, and she spent an enjoyable amount of time writhing beneath the movements of his darting tongue. By the time he moved his lips up her body she was gasping for breath, her face hot and flushed.

Before she could even pretend to object she found their positions reversed and Ben lying on the floor beneath her. She wasted no time in impaling herself on his entire length, sinking onto him with an appreciative moan. From then on she let him do all the work, raising his hips up off the floor to thrust deep inside of her.

Their moans and sighs mingled with the sound of the rain pounding against the windows, their bodies still moving together toward climax long after the candle burned out. After they had completely satisfied one another they fell asleep in a tangled heap on the floor, safe from the storm still raging outside their windows.

The month of May was a busy one at work, but amidst the chaos they managed to get a weekend away. It wasn't a relaxing vacation, but rather a visit to Chicago so Ben could meet Julia's father.

"What's your dad's name?" Ben asked once they were strapped into their seats on the plane.

"Mr. Daily," Julia answered. "That's what I would recommend calling him until he tells you differently anyway."

Ben smiled. "I think you're more worried about this weekend than I am," he said as the plane taxied to the runway.

Julia didn't deny it. "My dad tends to intimidate people, so he's scared off a lot of guys before. Some of them not even on purpose. That and he doesn't think anyone is good enough for me, so I'm afraid you have your work cut out for you this weekend."

"Is he really that bad?" he asked.

She tried to think of the best way to explain it. Julia's father was an imposing figure both in stature and personality. He was a head taller than the average man, and his broad build and booming voice always made a lasting impression. 

His job as an investment banker meant he needed a strong personality, and his hard work and cleverness had gotten him to his position at the top of his company. But despite his power of intimidation over other people, he was a total pushover when it came to his daughter.

"I'm his little girl, and I've been the only family he has left since my mom died," she replied. "He can't help being a little protective."

Ben nodded and took her hand, but still didn't seem worried. "I'm just looking forward to seeing your bedroom, has he kept it just the way you left it?"

She smiled. "We've only lived there since I was in high school, but as far as I know it's still the same. Not that you'll be seeing much of it though, you'll be staying in the guest room." As the plane left the runway, she crossed her fingers for a good weekend.

As it turned out, Ben should have been more concerned about the meeting. From the moment he set eyes on Julia's father he was under scrutiny, inundated with a barrage of questions about everything from his family to his job. Ben never faltered in his responses, but by the end of the first night he was exhausted and rattled.

As the weekend wore on Ben began to worry that he would never get along with Mr. Daily. Julia did her best to keep the conversation going, but her father remained cool and aloof when he spoke to Ben. Just before he lost all hope, Ben had a breakthrough: he looked through the bookcases in the house and noticed all the books on military aircraft. He called on everything he had learned from hours of listening to his grandfather's war stories and struck up a conversation with Julia's father, who was impressed and delighted with his knowledge.

In the end Ben was able to win him over, and Julia was thrilled to get the boyfriend stamp of approval from her father for the first time in her life. He still had a quiet word with her about his concern over their living together without being married, but overall the result was better than she could have hoped.

The return flight back east was much more relaxing, and as the pilot announced their final descent into Reagan National Airport their conversation was calm and casual.

"What made you go to school so far from home?" Ben asked.

Julia remembered the decision she made to move halfway across the country to go to college. Ben had gone to school barely two hours away from home, so she could imagine how difficult it must seem to him. "I had it down to two choices, but my dad always said I should go to the best school I got into. So that's why I became a Hoya."

Ben shook his head. "Couldn't just be the bulldogs could they? Had to be fancy."

She gave him a wry smile before saying, "That's big talk coming from a Nittany Lion."

The beginning of June brought with it lazy days of lounging around outside in the sunshine, and the arrival of an important decision: what class to take at the gym now that their boxing class had ended.

"How about yoga?" Julia asked, flipping through a brochure.

Ben was lying with his head in her lap, his legs dangling off the end of the couch. He gave her a skeptical look. "Not sure I'm bendy enough for yoga."

"I think the point is you do it to become more bendy," she answered with a smile.

He considered this, but was still not convinced. "I don't do so well standing on one foot either," he said, "so why don't we keep that as a maybe."

She continued through the list. "Swimming?"

"Sounds good, but we wouldn't really need a class for that, would we?" he asked.

"Those of us who don't know how to swim might," Julia said. She had always been embarrassed to admit it to Ben, who had been a swimmer and lifeguard all through high school and still regularly swam laps at the gym. "Unless you'd like to teach me that is." 

He grinned. "I had to teach a class of little kids once, think I can cope with anything after that. Compared to them you should be easy."

Julia imagined the prospect of getting private lessons from her boyfriend, who would be wearing nothing but his low-slung swimming trunks. "OK fine, you can teach me. Just don't make fun of me for being slower than you, not everyone has feet like big flippers."

Before they knew it the week of the wedding arrived. As the long weekend approached they made sure all the loose ends were tied up at work, which for Julia included a promise to Marilynn that she would call if anything exciting happened. She had gotten off easy: Ben had to spend a night at the office completely reworking the layout of that month's issue before taking it to the printers, the consequence of two staff writers missing their deadlines.

Late Thursday morning, Ben and Julia packed up the car and headed north. The wedding was in the small Pennsylvania town where Ben had grown up, and they had booked a room in the hotel where the reception was being held.

Julia spent the journey poring over the family tree Ben had drawn at her insistence. She was determined to learn the names of everyone in his family before she got there, but she kept getting stuck when she got to the cousins.

"No one is expecting you to know who everyone is, especially before you meet them," he reminded her.

"There are too many men in your family, I'm getting them all mixed up." Julia sighed. "This would be a lot easier if you had put pictures on here, I'm better with names when they have faces."

"Not to mention it's infinitely creepier if you know who everyone is before meeting them," he said with a laugh.

She decided to ignore him, and turned her cheat sheet over to go through the list one last time. "OK, so there are your grandparents on your dad's side, Grandma and Grandpa Wilson. Your dad has three brothers: Charlie, Brian and Carl. Charlie is married to Kristine, Brian to Rita, and Carl to Lisa. Charlie and Kristine have two sons: Peter, who is married to Liz, and Richard who is married to Mia."

Ben nodded, so she continued. "Brian and Rita have three sons: Eric, Scott and Danny. Carl and Lisa have one son named Brandon. Does that cover your dad's side?"

He shook his head in amazement. "I'll bet you got an A in Biology, you're very good at memorizing lists."

She smiled before continuing. "Your grandfather on your mom's side passed away, but your maternal grandmother is Grandma Rosie. Then your mom has a younger sister named Abby, who is married to Ted. They have two sons named Jeff and Luke."

She had gotten to the end of her mental list, and started counting in her head. "So that's grandparents, all four aunts and uncles, all eight cousins and two spouses, plus your parents and your sister who I already know. Did I leave anyone out?"

Ben changed lanes to pass the car ahead of them. "Don't forget Archie."

"Right, and your dog Archie who I also already know." She glanced back at her list, content with herself for learning all the names. "Is there anything I should know about anyone before I meet them?"

Ben took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before answering. "If I tell you one thing about each of my cousins, will you promise to relax?"

"Fine," Julia replied, digging a pen out of her purse to take more notes.

He started at the top of her list and made his way down. "You'll know Peter right away, he's about seven feet tall and usually has to duck to go through doorways."

Julia dutifully made a note of that as he continued. "Richard loves to play practical jokes but he only really knows one. At some point he's going to tell you an outrageous lie about me and try to get you to believe it, so respond as you see fit."

Julia wrote herself a reminder of this, and wondered what the lie would be. She decided to go along with whatever it was and see which one of them cracked first.

"Eric drives a very nice car, and he's extremely proud of it so he'll probably offer to take you for a ride at some point." Julia wrote "autophile" next to his name. She had already decided she would need to destroy her list once she got there in case anyone found it.

"Lately Scott only ever talks about his job, and it sounds like a very boring job so conversations with him tend to be dull." Ben continued.

"What's his job?" she asked as she underlined the word "boring" on her list.

"I have no idea, I've never been able to pay attention long enough to know for sure. I think he's kind of an accountant, but not exactly," he said. "Danny just turned 21, so he's probably going to be challenging people to drinking contests. Under no circumstances should you participate, he'll drink you under the table in under a minute."

Julia made the proper notation. She was starting to wonder if all families were like this, or if Ben's was particularly interesting.

"Then there's Brandon, who is probably the nicest person you'll ever meet." He waited for her to make a note of this before he continued. "Unfortunately he's in Switzerland right now, so he won't be joining us." She crossed the name off the list, content with one less to remember.

"So that leaves Jeff, who has entered his awkward teenage years and probably won't speak to you. And then Luke, who is seven years old and already a heartbreaker. Just don't let his innocent routine fool you, and watch where he puts his hands."

Julia looked over the notes she had made on her list, matching names with personality traits. "So basically your family is composed of a bunch of boring alcoholic liars, is that it?" she asked with a smile.

Ben laughed. "They're all very nice, just some of them can get a little carried away. But be warned: they're all excited to meet you, and they'll all want to dance with you."

Julia nodded; he had already told her about his family's collective enthusiasm for dancing, and she was prepared to keep up with them as best she could. She was still having trouble picturing Ben doing the same though: she had heard stories of his high school swim meets and how often he lost his balance and fell off the starting block, so the thought of him doing anything as coordinated as dancing was beyond her imagination.

"If you were on my list, what would I write next to your name?" She asked as she folded the paper and tucked it away in her purse.

"Nice guy, just don't try anything or his girlfriend will take you down," he answered with a grin.

Soon they were crossing the state line, and not long after they left the interstate for local streets. Their first stop was the hotel where they would be staying that weekend, and after they stretched their legs and unpacked their bags they made their way to Ben's parents' house.

They were barely inside the door before a hand attached itself around Julia's wrist and started pulling her toward the stairs. By way of greeting, Alison whisked her away to an upstairs bedroom to try on her bridesmaid dress and make sure her shoes fit.

There was no mistaking that Alison and Ben were related: they both had piercing blue eyes, and Alison's chin-length hair was the same thick light brown as her brother's. They even had the same warm smile and infectious laugh. But unlike Ben, Alison seemed to have an inner grace and poise that permeated every movement she made. She bustled around the bedroom, her words flowing as smoothly as the rest of her body.

"There shouldn't be any problems, but if there are I have a few people on hand who can fix them," Alison chirped as she pulled a garment bag from the closet. She unzipped it to reveal a silky dress in a deep pink, and tossed a shoebox on the bed beside it. 

Julia balked at the height of the heels she would have to wear, but slipped into the dress without any trouble. Meanwhile Alison busied herself around the room, keeping up a running dialogue the whole time.

She helped Julia zip up the dress and slip on the shoes before standing back and looking everything over with a critical eye. After scanning every inch, she gave a satisfied nod. "Perfect! I'll just go see how Benji is getting along with his tux, and then I'll introduce you to the other bridesmaids."

Julia, alone in the sudden silence, realized she had yet to say a word since arriving.

Once she was back in her own clothes, the dress safe in the closet, Alison took her outside where several people were mingling around a grill and a table of food, enjoying the summer sunshine. Julia just had time to say hello to Ben's parents and give his dog a pat on the head before being thrust into a small group of women.

"I'd like you to meet my maid of honor Claire," Alison began, indicating the shorter of the two. Her red hair fell just past her shoulders, framing her smiling face. 

"And my other bridesmaid Kim," Alison continued, pointing to a tall brunette with a slim build. "Ladies, this is Julia." Alison made the introduction and then immediately ran off to check on some other pressing matter, leaving Julia to get to know them on her own.

"You must be the new girl Ben has been seeing," said Kim, her mouth stretched into what was supposed to be a smile. Her tone made it sound like Ben was with a different woman every week and Julia could only nod in response.

"It's very nice to meet you, Alison has told us so much about you," said Claire with a genuine smile on her kind face. Julia liked her immediately, and asked how long she had known Alison. The two of them fell into comfortable conversation as Kim looked on warily.

"So, how long have you and Ben been together?" Kim interrupted, sweeping her unruly brown hair behind her ears.

"About six months," Julia replied. She got another warm smile from Claire, but only a smug laugh from Kim.

"So you two are still just getting acquainted then," Kim said. "I probably know him better than anyone else, so if you have any questions you should come talk to me." 

As she spoke her eyes wandered back to the house, and lit up with what she saw. She excused herself, saying she wanted to say hello to someone, and when Julia turned around she saw Kim making a beeline toward Ben. She threw her arms around his neck, and Ben flinched before gingerly patting her on the back.

"Alison's oldest friend," Claire explained gently, following Julia's gaze. "She's lived next door her whole life, that's how she knows them."

Julia was busy watching the body language. Ben was standing with his arms folded across his chest looking uncomfortable, his eyes darting around in a desperate search for someone else to talk to. Kim didn't seem to notice, and was instead taking every opportunity to touch Ben's arm as she spoke.

"I'm not sure he likes her very much," Claire added, and Julia was glad to see that someone else had noticed too. As they watched they saw Ben make his escape to help his dad with the grill; Kim pouted, then went inside the house.

"I seem to invite drama everywhere I go," Julia said with a sigh. "I just got here and already someone doesn't like me."

"I wouldn't take it personally. Before you came out she was asking me why I thought I'm the maid of honor instead of her."

Julia was perfectly happy to stay talking to Claire, who turned out to be Alison's best friend from high school. She had just finished her first year as an elementary school teacher, and had an endless supply of stories to tell. 

Neither of them knew who everyone else was, but between the two of them they were able to identify and compare notes on most of the other guests. Julia spotted a gawky-looking teenager standing by the house and correctly identified him as Ben's cousin Jeff, and Claire was able to introduce the groom's parents when they walked by.

Periodically Ben would come over and talk to them or introduce someone, but he would never stay long. Almost as soon as he came over to check in someone new would arrive and he would go over to say hello. Alison was also keeping him busy, and between greeting friends and family and running small errands he was never in one place for very long.

"Ben seems...different," Claire said thoughtfully at one point, twisting a lock of her auburn hair between her fingers.

"Mm, he's a little more of a social butterfly than usual. But then again he does know everyone here," Julia said with a shrug.

"It's not just that. He always struck me as being kinda quiet, but he seems to be much more outgoing now," she replied. "He seems so, well, happy."

Julia watched as an incredibly tall man snuck up on Ben and gave him an enthusiastic bear hug from behind. She laughed at Ben's vain attempt to flip his cousin Peter over his shoulder, and realized that her boyfriend did seem to be happier lately.




Impromptu Attraction Ch. 04



"You two aren't engaged, are you?" Claire asked hesitantly. The question snapped Julia's attention back.

"No," she blurted out. "Why?"

"I didn't think you were, but I just wanted to check." Claire gave an apologetic smile. "I thought I heard Alison refer to you as her future sister, so I thought I'd ask."

Julia made a mental note to talk to Alison about that; she was starting to get paranoid with all the people thinking she and Ben were getting married.

As the afternoon wore on Julia joined Ben in relieving his dad from the cooking duties. He introduced her to people as they went by, and by the time they left Julia was well acquainted with the rest of the bridal party and several members of both families. They said their goodbyes, grabbed Julia's shoes so she could practice walking in them, and headed back to the car.

"That Kim, she seems like a peach," Julia said as the car pulled out of the driveway. Ben groaned in response, and she couldn't keep from giggling.

"When we were little our parents would talk about how great it would be if the two of us got together. She really took it to heart and is still convinced we're meant for each other."

She couldn't resist a sarcastic reply. "Aw, how romantic. Look, I completely understand if you want me to back off. Really, who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

He gave her a sideways glare. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Very much."

He sighed. "Alison usually runs interference for me, I'll have to find someone else to do it if I'm gonna make it through the weekend."

"Don't sign me up, she already hates me enough as it is."

"Normally I would say it's all in your head, but this time I think you're right. She's already told me you're too short for me," he said. "Anything you do will be used against you at some point by the way."

"Whatever you say," she replied, "Benji."

They arrived back at the hotel and started getting ready for their respective evenings. Ben was gearing up for Christian's bachelor party; he was wearing the same black suit he had worn to their office Christmas party, which had been Julia's favorite ever since. Paired with a crisp white shirt, she couldn't help noticing how handsome he looked.

Meanwhile, Claire had organized a group of Alison's friends to go out to dinner and drinks, and Julia had promised to come along with them. She slipped into a delicate green dress and pulled her hair back, then freshened her makeup before she slid on a pair of heels.

Ben raised his eyebrows when he saw her. "Wow, you look great."

"I was just thinking the same about you," she replied. "So, what's on the agenda for tonight? Strippers? Hookers? Drunken debauchery?"

"Yes to the first and third, TBD on the hookers," he said as he adjusted the cuffs on his shirt.

Julia shook her head and smiled. "Have fun, just be careful."

"Don't worry, I always use condoms with hookers," he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes and heaved an overly-exasperated sigh. He gave her an innocent look. "Oh, you didn't mean that kind of careful, did you?"

"Yeah yeah, just remember what you're coming home to," she said, giving him a playful shove.

"And what am I coming home to?" he asked, his arms circling her waist.

She fixed him with a sultry look before pulling him in for a deep kiss. Her body pressed against his as she backed him against the wall, her tongue probing his mouth while her fingers gripped his hair. She couldn't ignore the huge grin on his face as she sank to her knees in front of him, and while she stripped him from the waist down she wondered if this had been his plan for the evening all along.

He groaned as she started to slowly brush her soft lips along his shaft, squeezing her hand around him as she did. She managed to wipe the smile off his face as she kissed every inch of his stiffening cock, then moved on to pressing her tongue to his skin. Julia ran her tongue up and down his shaft, lightly grazing her teeth against him as his breath quickened.

She rubbed her tongue against his head and started working her fingers up and down his shaft. She flicked her tongue all over his cock, then switched to longer licks over his entire length. She glanced up to see him leaning heavily against the wall with his head tipped back, the smile back on his face. 

She squeezed his stiff member as her tongue circled his skin, building her pace from soft and gentle to firm and fast. She looked up and saw him watching her intently, and she held his gaze as she wrapped her lips around his cock.

She heard his sharp intake of breath, and couldn't help smiling: no matter how many times she did this, she was still able to take his breath away. She paused before starting to take his entire length in her mouth, watching as his eyes opened wide. 

He writhed beneath her as she pushed him deeper and deeper into her mouth, her fingers firmly encircling him. When his cock hit the back of her throat she paused before she kept going, pushing him further in until her lips were down to the base of his shaft. He did his best to grip the wall for support, but she could feel his knees starting to go weak. She slipped his cock out of her mouth just long enough to steer him to the bed, then resumed her position with his stiff member shoved deep into her mouth.

She pulled her head back, squeezing her lips around him as she did. She slowly moved her head up and down, her lips gripping all along his length. She tightened her lips as she moved him in and out, pressing her tongue hard against him. 

Julia began picking up speed, pulling him in and out while he moaned in pleasure. She heard his breath quicken and felt his body tense, and kept her mouth moving at a fast pace. She used her fingers to add even more pressure, and his hands went to the back of her head as her lips moved faster up and down his cock. 

She used every trick she could think of from every magazine she had ever read, and he groaned in approval. She could feel his body tensing and his breath becoming more ragged, and she knew he wouldn't last much longer. No sooner did she think that then he let out one final moan as he came, the hot liquid squirting past Julia's lips and into her throat.

He was still dazed as she helped him pull his clothes back on. "That," she said, "is what you're coming home to." He responded by wrapping his arms around her, then softly pressing his lips to hers.

There was a pounding on the door, and they laughed as a chorus of male voices called for Ben to hurry up.

"If I'm not back by noon tomorrow, you might want to form a search party." He grabbed his jacket, gave her a quick kiss and opened the door to a triumphant exclamation from the rest of the group.

Julia met up with Claire in the lobby, and together they made their way to a nearby restaurant. They easily spotted Alison and were introduced to a handful of her friends, and all settled down to a relatively quiet dinner.

After they finished eating they made their way to a bar across the street, and a collective cheer erupted as soon as they entered the building. Alison rushed forward to meet another group of her friends, and their party instantly doubled in size.

The rest of the evening got off to a pleasant start. Julia struck up conversations with several different people, who were all friendly and easy to talk to. For some reason everyone already knew who Julia was and had heard a lot about her, and she began to wonder what Alison had been saying about her.

While talking to one of Alison's coworkers, Julia's ears pricked up at the sound of her name. She turned to see Kim carrying on a very animated, albeit one-sided, conversation.

"She's only been dating him for a few months! I don't know why she's here tonight, much less why she's in the wedding." Kim's shrill voice cut through the blaring music, and Julia wondered how many people had heard the comment. 

She debated about how she should react, and considered her options: she could confront Kim now, or wait until they were in a more private setting and try talking to her then. She decided not to make a scene and to talk to Kim the next day, though she was already dreading that conversation. 

The bartender announced they would be closing soon, and the group started to gather their belongings. Several people were moving on to another bar that stayed open later, but Julia decided to call it a night. She made her way back to the empty hotel room and crawled into bed, falling asleep with her arms wrapped around a pillow.

Julia woke up at seven the next morning to an empty bed. Feeling groggy and disoriented, it took her a moment to remember where she was. Once she realized Ben hadn't made it back she had vague intentions of calling to check on him, but fell back to sleep before making her mind up.

An hour later she awoke to the alarm clock, and was amused to see that Ben had returned. He was lying face down across the foot of the bed, still fully dressed and snoring softly. She crept out from beneath the covers to get a closer look at him, and was relieved to see he seemed to be all in one piece.

Careful not to wake him, she pulled off his shoes and put them by the foot of the bed, then slipped his lopsided glasses the rest of the way off and laid them on the bedside table. She momentarily wondered why there was a glistening patch of bright purple in his hair, then turned on the coffee maker and slipped into the bathroom for a shower.

She had just finished rinsing the shampoo from her hair when she heard the bathroom door open. "Mind if I steal the shower?" Ben asked as he began taking his clothes off.

"Just can't wait another minute to wash away the shame?" Julia yelled over the noise of the water.

"Worse, I told Christian I'd pick his parents up at the airport so I have to leave in five minutes to make it on time." Julia heard the sink running, followed by the sound of Ben brushing his teeth. "And I've already stolen your coffee."

Julia considered what condition Ben was in and whether driving to meet someone's parents was the best idea. "I can pick them up for you if you're not up to it."

"I appreciate the offer, but I can manage. I had the least to drink of anyone last night, I'm not even hung over," he said after he finished rinsing his mouth out. "And don't you have to be somewhere this morning?"

Julia shuddered to think what would happen if she dared to interrupt Alison's plans for the day. "Right, I'll do your hair and you do the rest?" Ben climbed into the shower next to her, giving her a quick kiss before reaching for the soap. "What's that in your hair, anyway?" she asked.

Ben rubbed his hand on the back of his head, stared at the purple smudge it left behind and shrugged. "I don't think I wanna know."

Julia grabbed the shampoo and worked up a lather between her hands, her eyes trailing along his body. He had a few faint bruises on his shoulder, but otherwise he didn't seem to suffer any damage on his night out. 

Her eyes stopped when they landed on something strange on Ben's arm. It looked like he had several layers of plastic wrapped around his bicep, and when she looked closer she could see something on the skin underneath.

"Is that a tattoo?" she asked, trying to make out what it was.

He looked down at his arm and froze, as if noticing the plastic for the first time. Panic and confusion briefly crossed his face, then immediately vanished with a smile. "Ah, now I remember."

Julia started washing Ben's hair as he explained. "Christian's brother and best man, who is only two years younger than us, gave everyone a lot of grief about how old we all are and how we wouldn't be able to keep up with him. Then he passed out pretty early in the night, so we got our revenge."

He told the story of taking Adam to the tattoo parlor where he worked, and getting his buddies to give them all fake tattoos. When Adam woke up that morning (or afternoon, more realistically) he would have what appeared to be a real tattoo and vague memories of getting it done. Then if he asked anyone else if they had gotten one too, they could all reveal their matching arms.

"We also made sure to put a receipt in his wallet to make him think he spent an obscene amount of money getting it done," Ben said. "We're just curious how long it'll take him to figure it out."

"Won't he know it's not real if it's not sore?" Julia asked. She had just about gotten Ben's hair clean, but he hadn't made it easy for her.

"That's the arm he landed on when he fell out of the taxi, hopefully he'll mistake a nasty bruise for tattoo pain."

"And whose idea was this?"

He avoided her gaze. "It was really a group effort."

"I see. So if anyone asks me how I feel about your new tattoo I should say how nice it is that you all did something together?"

"That's the spirit," he said with a grin.

Between the two of them they got Ben clean in record time, and before he moved to step out of the shower he leaned down for one more kiss. Without thinking they parted their lips, their tongues rubbing together as the hot water was still cascading over their slippery skin.

"When was the last time you were on a flight that got in on schedule?" he asked when they finally parted.

"Never."

"Good," he said with a devious smile, "that means we have a few minutes to spare."

He kissed her again, one hand holding her face while the other pulled her tight against him. She could already feel his cock stirring between them, and she had a feeling the wetness she felt between her legs was not from the water. She wrapped her arms around him, running her hands over the muscles of his back.

With their lips still firmly together Ben cupped her breasts in his hands, gently pinching her nipples between his fingers. She moaned into his mouth as his fingers danced across her skin, her heart pounding in her chest. Julia reached between them and grabbed his stiff cock, squeezing her hand up and down his shaft as hot water continued to pour over their bodies.

Julia was so focused on their hands that she was caught completely by surprise when Ben lifted her up off the floor. His arms encircled her body and held her close to him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to keep herself steady. After finding a surprisingly comfortable position, they both let out a sigh as he guided his cock into her waiting pussy. 

Each of his movements was met with an appreciative whimper, and she clung to his neck to keep upright. Ben held on to her waist as he thrust his cock in and out of her, their bodies pressed tightly together under the running water. He leaned her against the shower wall for more support, and the cool tile sent new sensations across her body.

His thrusts came harder and faster, his breath heavy in her ear. She closed her eyes as she felt an orgasm building, her pulse racing and her breath quick. Every sound they made echoed against the tile, and Julia bit her lip to keep from making too much noise. The sound of their wet bodies slapping together was already making her wonder if anyone on the other side of the wall could hear them.

Her back arched as an orgasm washed over her, her body tensing as she muffled a moan. Her pussy clamped down around Ben's cock, which he was driving rapidly in and out of her. The sensation made Ben's thrusting more insistent, and soon he let out a low moan as his own orgasm followed hers. 

With shaky arms he lowered her back onto her feet, holding her against him as they caught their breath. As much as she would have liked to keep him naked in her arms all day, she snapped back to reality and reminded him about going to the airport. 

Grudgingly, Ben stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, then went into the room to get dressed. Julia followed, turning off the water before wrapping herself in one of the hotel's fluffy bath towels.

"So I'm going to the airport, meeting you back here this afternoon, and then going to the rehearsal this evening," he said. "What are you doing again?"

"Bridesmaids' lunch, then we're all getting our nails done." Julia said. She didn't mention her plan to have a talk with Kim, but still had that on her agenda.

Ben kissed her goodbye and hurried out the door, leaving Julia to get ready for her day. She dried her hair and pulled on her favorite skirt and top, then slipped into a pair of sandals and made her way down to the lobby. When she arrived Claire was already there waiting, and the two of them went outside to meet Alison.

It wasn't long before her car pulled up, with Kim already sitting in the front seat. Julia and Claire climbed into the back, greeted Alison and Kim and headed to a restaurant for lunch.

Throughout the meal Alison kept the conversation flowing, mostly about the wedding. She went over the details of what they were doing the next day, and Julia tried to keep her expression neutral when she found out how early they would start getting ready. She was happy to hear that her hair and makeup would be put in the hands of professionals, and was looking forward to the next day.

The whole time she noticed how quiet Kim was. Julia could have sworn that every time she spoke Kim was giving her a dirty look, but whenever she glanced over Kim looked away. She tried her best to ignore it, but decided to bring it up when she talked to Kim later.

After they finished eating they piled back into Alison's car and headed to the nail salon. "You're gonna love this place," Alison said, looking at Julia in the rearview mirror. "It's huge and has a fully licensed bar, and I've never been in there without some kind of catfight breaking out!"

When they got inside they were whisked away to all different parts of the salon, fitting into the few empty chairs still available. The place was huge and busy, but everything seemed to be running like clockwork. Julia settled back into the chair as someone brought her a mimosa, and she quite happily chatted to the nail technician and kept a lookout for catfights.

By the time Julia's nails were almost dry the crowd had thinned out, and the dull roar atmosphere was replaced with the buzzing of individual conversations. She was just pulling her hands out of the dryer when she heard a familiar voice, and what was becoming a familiar discussion.

"A few months they've been dating, and already it's like she's part of the family. Can you believe that?" Once again Kim's voice carried over all the other noise in a room, but she still continued talking. "I just don't know why she's here."

"The same reason you're here: because I asked her to be," Alison's voice rang out from the other side of the room. All eyes turned to her, then immediately over to Kim. An excitement started to rise among the other customers, and a sick feeling washed over Julia.

Kim immediately tried to backpedal. "Of course! I mean it's your wedding, I was just-" Her voice faltered as Alison approached her.

For a relatively small person, Alison looked incredibly intimidating. She seemed to be ten feet tall as she fixed Kim with a hard look and said simply, "Behave, or go home."

By then the entire salon was watching the exchange, and even complete strangers recoiled at Alison's words. Kim searched for a response before lowering her gaze and muttering an apology. She turned to Julia and mumbled something to her too, then immediately slunk out the front door.

The entire room was still frozen in expectant silence, unsure how the scene would progress. Alison gave them all a big smile before turning to Julia. "Need a drink?" she asked, and linked arms with her as she made her way to the bar. The rest of the salon patrons went back to their own business with a collective grumble of disappointment.

"She's not normally like this," Alison began. "Her boyfriend just broke up with her and she's going through a really rough time, so I think the stress is getting to her. But still, that's no excuse."