by Bliss Devlin
One of Katie's neighbors opened his door, a bulging garbage bag dangling from his hand.
He grinned at her, gave her the thumbs-up, and tiptoed past, heading downstairs.
After Andras finally left, Katie found her apartment strangely empty. She connected her iPod to her speakers and turned it on, but even her favorite music didn't make her place seem any less lonely.
Too restless to read or watch TV, she puttered around for a while. She returned phone calls, spoke to Amanda, dusted, and folded laundry, everything delaying the inevitable moment when would have to go to bed alone.
She told herself that her reluctance was due to the fact that she'd been spending so much time sleeping over the past few days.
She even cleaned out her fridge, ruthlessly culling the moldy strawberries and slimy brown lettuce that had fallen victim to her unexpected absence, then put together a shopping list.
Finally, reminding herself that she needed to be at work tomorrow, Katie put on her favorite pajamas and went to bed.
And found herself tossing and turning restlessly, despite the fact that it was way past her usual bedtime. Everything just felt wrong without Andras there.
"I am pathetic," Katie said out loud, staring up at the shadowed ceiling. "Pathetic."
It didn't help. She wished she was still in his bed, curled up against him, hearing his soft breathing...
She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a gentle knock on her front door.
12:30 a.m., she thought, glancing at the lighted numbers of her bedside alarm clock. Who on Earth--?
Katie didn't dare hope as she got up and tip-toed over to the door. She put her eye to the peep-hole...
...and saw Andras standing there.
Fumbling a little with the deadbolt, she managed to get the door open.
Then stood there, just staring at him, unable to believe he was really there.
"I didn't wake you?" he asked.
She shook her head.
Andras smiled, and said quietly, "My bed misses you, Katie. May I come in?"
She nodded and stepped aside to let him through. As he passed her, she saw he was carrying a small overnight bag, and a pair of dark pants folded over his arm.
His wings appeared, silhouetted in the dark room, as he dropped his glamour.
She followed him to her bedroom, and saw him put the bag down, then fold the clothes he carried over her chair.
"I--" Katie found it hard to speak. She tried again. "I couldn't sleep, either. I, uh, missed you, too."
He looked at her, considering.
"Good," he said, finally, sounding satisfied. "Then perhaps we shouldn't sleep apart in the future."
She stared at him. Spending every night together sounded great as far she was concerned, but this felt sudden.
"Ah," he said, sitting down on the edge of her bed, and looking sinfully sexy in his favorite worn jeans and bare chest. And wings. "Forgive my manners. Katie. May I sleep here tonight, beside you?"
"Of course," she said. "I'd really like that. Can I get you anything?"
His smile this time was as seductive as melted chocolate, warm and rich. "Just you, here, in my arms."
Andras took off his jeans, and Katie looked at his long, muscled legs and firm ass with appreciation. He slipped under her covers and arranged his wings carefully before he curled on his side.
She hurriedly shucked off her pajamas and joined him, and then everything felt right again. He propped himself up on one elbow and bent to kiss her with unhurried thoroughness, his other hand resting on her hip.
It was nice, and she felt desire begin to stir between her legs. He didn't make any further moves though, just continued to give her those sweet, intoxicating kisses.
Katie moved closer to him, feeling his bare skin cool against hers, and felt his arousal pressing against her.
"Do you want to--?" she asked.
"I'd love to," he murmured, punctuating each word with a tiny kiss, "but your aura tells me that you're not yet fully recovered. Perhaps tomorrow."
"But, you're hungry—" she began to protest.
He interrupted her with another deep, slow kiss. "Mmmm, right now, I'm just enjoying the way you taste," he murmured, pulling back just far enough to talk, "and the feel of you in my arms, where you belong. I can wait."
He gave her one last languorous kiss, then settled himself against her. "Go to sleep now, Katie. We both have to be at work in the morning."
She drifted off to sleep shortly thereafter, still gently aroused, and realized how happy she was that he was here, curled up next to her, his breath gently moving her hair.
* * *
Katie floated up from a sensual dream about ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off. And realized that her comforter had been pulled away and that her legs were spread wide.
She made an abortive attempt to move. Andras' large hands held her thighs apart with effortless strength while his wet, wicked mouth aroused her with slow caresses.
Katie made an involuntary sound as his tongue moved with a maddening pressure too light to satisfy her. When she tried to silently encourage him by squirming, he raised his face and laughed at her frustration.
"Good morning, beautiful girI," he said. And then began to move away, the jerk.
"Please..." she begged, arching her hips while curling up and trying to reach for his dark hair to drag him closer.
Andras shook his head, deftly evading her questing hands.
"That's not fair," she complained. She let her head drop back onto the pillow, frustrated and throbbing with the sweet ache of arousal. She felt just fine, and more than ready to take advantage of the fact that she had her boyfriend right here.
Except he was being a sadistic tease. Why else would he start something he clearly had no intention of finishing?
Andras confirmed her guess with his next words. He chuckled, and said: "I want to take you out on a date tonight. Think of this as priming the pump with a little sweet anticipation."
"And a snack for you?" Katie asked shrewdly. She hadn't missed the fact that his mouth had been warm, along with his hands on her legs.
"Perhaps."
He ducked the pillow she lobbed at his smirking face, and laughed out loud.
"But I did make coffee," he added, which might have been an apology, except he looked smug rather than sorry.
He offered her a steaming mug, nice and strong with just the right amount of milk, and she instantly felt more charitable.
"Okay, so you're definitely a keeper," Katie said, after the first blissful sip. "Even if you're a horrible tease."
"I'll make it worth the wait," Andras promised, reaching over to her nightstand for a second mug. He took a swallow, and continued, "I'm picking you up after work tonight. Wear a skirt or dress, and no panties."
"Sounds intriguing," said Katie, wondering how on Earth she was going to be able to concentrate on work today.
* * *
When the seemingly-endless work day finally ended, Katie had just enough time to take a quick shower and put on a bit of eyeliner and lipstick before Andras arrived.
He strolled into her apartment with a leopard's lazy grace, and eyed her appreciatively.
"Lift up your skirt," he commanded, dropping onto her sofa.
"Inspection time?" she countered, tartly, trying to hide the thrill she felt at his order.
"I have something for you," he replied, showing her the small, discreetly-wrapped package he'd brought. "But only if you don't make me wait." He flicked his fingers at her imperiously.
Katie stuck her tongue out at him, but obeyed, slowly raising the hem of her summer dress.
"Higher," he said, when she stopped just at the point where he could see that she was indeed wearing nothing underneath her dress.
She obeyed, and he moved off the couch, and knelt at her feet.
"Open your legs, love," he said, grasping one ankle and urging her legs apart. "Like that, yes, good."
&nb
sp; As she stood there with her skirts raised high, Katie wasn't sure what Andras was planning, but she knew she was turned on. Had been all day, actually, ever since he had awakened her this morning.
Wondering what he had in store for their date had made it nearly impossible to concentrate on the backlog of work that had accumulated during her absence.
He opened the package and showed her something that looked like a large butterfly, with flexible silicone wings
"Have you ever tried one of these?" Andras asked, holding it up to show her.
Katie saw short, thick dildo sticking out of the narrow middle of the whatever-it-was, and there was something else next to it, a tiny patch of soft silicone spikes. She shook her head.
"I want you to wear it. I think you'll like it." His hands moved deftly, and moments later, the dildo had penetrated her and he was tying laces attached to the wings.
It fit like an abbreviated bikini bottom, tied around her hip, snugly holding the dildo in place inside her, the spikes pressing intriguingly against her clit.
Andras sat back on his heels, and admired his work. "There's a remote," he told her, and she gasped when the dildo—and the cluster of spikes—sprang to life between her legs.
"That's the lowest setting," he said, with that smirk she both loved and feared. "Let's see how you do in public once I start playing with the control."
"P-public?" she squeaked, as he unexpectedly turned the toy back on again.
"Why yes," he answered smoothly. "I promised to take you out on a date, and I've made reservations at Ad Astra." At her panicked look, he smiled. "Don't worry. They have a live band tonight. No one will overhear if you lose control and moan."
"You jerk." But she was grinning as she said it.
"If you can keep yourself from climaxing until we return to my place, I'll be at your command for the rest of the evening."
"Which means," Katie said, as he rose to his feet, and bent to kiss her mouth. "You're going to be relentless, aren't you?"
"Of course. I think we're both going to enjoy our date very much."
* * *
Ad Astra was a popular restaurant located in a former factory. Two stories high, with rough brick walls, retro-industrial décor, and a loft that overlooked the vast expanse of the main dining room, the place was packed to the rafters with young, affluent techies drawn to its excellent Pacific Rim fusion food and a live jazz band.
Andras hadn't lied when he had told her that the restaurant would be too noisy for any of their fellow diners to hear her involuntary sounds.
What he hadn't mentioned, the rat, was that instead of being seated in a private booth—or even a private table--they were elbow-to-elbow with their fellow diners.
In fact, Ad Astra had no private tables at all in the downstairs dining room. Long communal tables circled the perimeter and snaked down the middle of the huge room. There were occasional gaps so that customers could squeeze in and out of their seats, but no hope of private conversation—or private anything else.
Katie's dismay must have shown as she slid onto the long banquette that lined the wall. Andras coolly took his place opposite her, reached into his pocket, and turned on the vibrator as the pierced and tattooed server came to deliver menus and take drink orders.
Afterwards, Katie couldn't remember what she said or ordered.
Andras cheerfully tried to make conversation, which involved shouting to be heard over the wailing saxophone and steady rhythm of the drums, not to mention the fact that everyone else was shouting, too.
And all the while, he steadily manipulated the controls of the thing that clung to her private parts, as she gritted her teeth and tried desperately to pretend she wasn't being deliciously violated by what felt like a voracious alien from a science fiction porn flick.
She couldn't help the occasional moan, which she tried to disguise as pleasure at the food she could barely taste, and Andras smirked triumphantly every time she was forced to squeeze her eyes shut at the bursts of intense sensation.
Katie's own moment of triumph came somewhere between the appetizer plate of deliciously flaky flatbread served with a curry dipping sauce, and the main course of spicy seafood (served with a scoop of basil sorbet to clear the palate), when she realized that the toy just wasn't quite powerful enough to actually push her over the edge of climax.
Along with that realization came the notion that she might actually win the bet with Andras, and have him at her mercy for the rest of the evening.
Oh, the things I want to do to him...
She tried to hide her reaction from him, and play along, but when push came to shove, she just wasn’t a very good actress. She saw the moment when he realized the truth, as well, and she grinned at him.
The teasing sensations between her legs died away. She pouted at him. Don’t stop now, she mouthed, fairly certain that he could lip-read her. You'll ruin the mood.
"I'm going to be sorry, aren't I?" he shouted back.
Katie was certain that her answering smile was every bit as wolfish as the one he liked to use on her.
Andras insisted that they order dessert and coffee, drawing out the inevitable moment when they would return to his loft, and she would have him at her command.
At least he was a good sport about continuing to skillfully torment her with his little toy, keeping her aroused and ready for the next part of their date.
They didn't talk a lot when they finally escaped the din of the restaurant, and Andras retrieved his BMW from the valet. Katie's ears were ringing, and Andras looked a little...
Wow, was he actually nervous?
Oh yeah. This is going to be fun.
She let Andras stew in his own juices until they arrived at his loft, just putting a possessive hand on his knee as he drove and smiling at him occasionally.
He unlocked his door and ushered her inside with a courtly gesture. Once he had closed the door, he dropped his glamour.
Magnificently bare-chested, his wings making him look like a fallen angel, he asked, "And what does my lady wish?"
Katie stepped close and gently pushed at his chest, pressing him against the wall, mindful of his wings. She kissed him hard, and he let her plunder his mouth.
"What did you have planned for me tonight? Were you going to tie me up? Make me beg before you let me come?" It was a safe guess. She loved it when he did that.
Andras nodded.
Katie smiled. "You said I'm in charge tonight?"
He nodded.
She pressed herself against him. "I want you to tell me everything you had planned for me, and then I'm going to do them to you."
He went completely still. Under her hand, which was still pressed to his chest, she felt his heartbeat accelerate, and his nipple stiffened under her palm.
"Do you need a safe word?" Katie asked.
She saw him swallow. "No. You know what I am. You can't possibly hurt me, Katie."
Katie stared at him, waiting.
"Fine." Andras sighed, and submitted. "Stamató̱. It means 'stop' in Greek."
She went up on tip-toes and kissed him again. "Good boy," she said, just to see him grimace. Oh, this was going to be fun.
"So, what was the first thing you were going to do me?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Kiss you senseless?"
"Mmmm, good idea," Katie said, moving her hands slowly up over the muscles of his chest, over the broad shoulders, and sliding them behind his neck.
Pulling his head down, she gave it her best shot, and was gratified to hear his breathing go ragged. She wasn't exactly feeling calm herself, and it felt good. Really good.
In fact she wanted to rub herself against him, skin to skin.
Well, why not? She was in charge here, wasn't she?
"Andras," she purred, stepping back. "Undress me."
He obeyed with slow, sensual movements, unzipping her dress and sliding it over her head in a smooth caress of fabric, then letting his fingers linger over the curves of her breasts as
he unfastened her fancy bra and removed it with a brush of his thumbs over her nipples.
She twitched her hip. "Take this off, too," she ordered.
Andras shot her smoldering look from his intense green eyes, and sank gracefully down on his knees. The dildo pulled out of her with a long, caressing glide, and he lifted the butterfly toy away from her in a way that dragged the hard length slowly over her clit.
Katie shivered and sighed at the sensation.
"That's nice," she told him. "What were you going to next?"
"Take off my own clothes," he replied, huskily, reaching for the button of his jeans.
Katie knew he was stalling, and that made it even better. Whatever he had planned for her tonight, it must have been interesting. And he wasn't sure about having the tables turned.
"And then?" she pressed, once he was nude and she had taken a moment to appreciate the view.
Andras hesitated, and Katie crossed her arms. Oh yeah.
"Upstairs," he said, in a carefully neutral tone. "I had a special harness I wanted to try on you."
She gave him a wide grin. "Goody. I did want to tie you up. Lead the way, lover-boy."
"Lover-boy?" he inquired, incredulously.
"For tonight, you're my boy-toy, remember?"
"I don't think you're going to let me forget," he muttered, and Katie giggled. He was cute when he was being a sore loser. Cute, and sexy as hell.
"I think I'm going to have to do something about that bad attitude of yours," she commented, as he led her through his loft, and up the stairs to his bedroom.
The look he shot her over his shoulder was distinctly apprehensive.
"Don't worry," she said sweetly, fighting the urge to skip up the stairs with sheer joy. "You have a safe word, remember?"
That made him laugh, a full-throated sound. "Ah, Katie my love, you are a joy."
"Let's see if you still think that in about, oh, a half-hour," she threatened, approaching his bed.
He stopped her, his face serious now. "Katie, before we continue, promise me one thing—put a condom on me. My semen has some interesting properties. You shouldn't be exposed to it before you're ready."
"Ready for what?" she asked, curiously.
He shook his head. "I'll tell you later," he promised. "It's definitely a post-coital conversation."