No Reservations

by Natalia Banks

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Don’t I? I’ve worked for the Phoenix men for almost two years, Miss Devonshire, two very sad, complicated years. Do you really think it’s fair to make their lives even sadder and more complicated?”

  Lorraine wasn’t sure what to say. She was offended, but she couldn’t deny that she wasn’t unreasonable to assume these things, and that she only had the boy’s well-being at heart, probably Griffin’s too.

  Am I wrong? Am I being childish and selfish and risking another big heartbreak for that poor kid when they leave, not to mention for myself?

  Strolling through Union Station was like stepping back in time, the turn-of-the-century architecture and huge terminal stately and elegant. Lorraine and Griffin strolled past the new little boutiques and craft carts, footsteps echoing off the high ceiling.

  Lorraine was distracted by her confrontation with Mrs. B., but she wasn’t ready to discuss it. And there were other things on her mind anyway.

  She asked inquisitively, “We don’t know very much about each other, do we?”

  “What would you like to know?”

  Lorraine gave it some thought, heels clacking beneath her. “How’d you make your fortune?”

  “My father worked his whole life, as a cook at restaurants around Los Angeles, coffee shops mostly—Norms, Ships, like that. Then he went into catering, craft service for TV shows, movies. He left a meager amount to me, and I had a good run. Between the stock market and real estate, I made a series of fortunate choices.” Griffin looked her over. “But I’ve done better since.” She smiled and nodded, but Griffin went on, “My turn: did you always want to be a librarian?”

  Lorraine broke out in a little chuckle, but it didn’t last. “No, I-I wanted to be a million things when I was young, I guess: princess, astronaut, tomb raider, the usual thing. But I actually could be a librarian, y’know?”

  “No, Lorraine, I don’t know. I see you, I don’t see a librarian. I see a princess, an astronaut, a tomb raider. Actually, you’d look pretty amazing in a Lara Croft outfit.”

  Lorraine laughed, slapping his chest and looking away, but only to hide her blushing.

  “Okay, my turn. You, um, you don’t have any…or rather, you must have had some women since, well—”

  “One or two,” Griffin said. “But they were empty experiences. Not flings, I’m not saying that; I don’t do that. But I just didn’t connect with them, not the way you and I do. And I need that, Lorraine. Believe me, I’ve got everything money can buy, and I could have anybody that money could by. That’s why that all means so little to me. I’ve already lost the most important thing in life. I know what truly matters, the only thing that matters.”

  “Love,” Lorraine whispered.

  “That’s right, Lorraine, love…true love.”

  They kissed again, long but slow and tender, their lips barely touching. They turned and walked on, but Lorraine couldn’t ignore the lingering sense of doubt, Mrs. B.’s angry assault, and all the numerous things that always seemed to be hiding in the shadows, waiting and ready to pounce.

  No, Lorraine, she told herself, you’re better than that; you deserve better than that. It’s all in your mind, all in your past!

  Griffin asked her, “Are you okay? You seem…preoccupied.”

  She wasn’t sure how far into it she was willing to get with Griffin. But there was truth nearby, and it was easy to recognize. “No, I’m…I’m really worried about Ashe. I mean, I know you’ve done everything possible, but…I don’t know if he’s just gonna grow out of this. God, I hope so.”

  “I’ve tried everything. These days, I’ve decided he’s got to come out on his own; I can’t pressure him.”

  “No, of course not, you’re right. I just feel so…so helpless, y’know? Like there should be something I could say or do, but…it’s just not there.”

  “I do know, believe me. All this money? I’ve got a Beatle’s personal phone number. But there’s nothing I can do for my little boy, my poor little son.”

  Lorraine slipped her arm into Griffin’s and leaned against him, a reassuring nuzzle to tell him that she understood, that she felt the same way, and that somehow they’d find a way to release Ashe from his prison of silent sorrow.

  And they’d find that together; it would be the only way they could.

  But suddenly Lorraine’s legs stopped in her tracks, freezing her in her place. Griffin took an extra step and turned, reading Lorraine’s horrified expression. “Lorraine, what is it? What’s wrong?” The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, her mouth going dry. “Lorraine?”

  Tony Gardner had hardly changed in the three years since she’d met him. He wore the same cocky smile, walked with the same loping strut. He was walking directly toward them, completely oblivious to her.

  Lorraine turned, instinctively hiding her face from him. “That’s the man who attacked me that night; Jeremy chased him off. Gardner, Tony Gardner.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Lorraine nodded.

  “I mean, are you absolutely certain?”

  Tony walked past them, paying Lorraine no mind at all. “I am, Griffin, I’m certain it’s him.”

  “Okay, stand back.” Griffin handed Lorraine his smartphone and said, “Call the police.”

  “Griffin?” she barely had time to process his request.

  Griffin walked up to the man from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. Tony turned, but Griffin gave him no time to react. He grabbed Tony’s hand and gave it a good, sharp twist. In a single, swift motion the guy was on his knees, yelping in pain.

  “Hey, man, what the hell’re you doin’?”

  “You’re Tony Gardner?”

  “Who wants to know?”

  “I’m making a citizen’s arrest,” Griffin declared in a calm but serious tone.

  “For what, man? I didn’t do nothin’ to you!”

  “Not me,” Griffin said. “Her.”

  Tony looked over at Lorraine. “Oh shit,” he muttered.

  “Yeah,” Griffin said, “those are my thoughts exactly.”

  Another hard wrench had Tony squirming on the floor. “You’re breakin’ my fucking arm, man!”

  “No, I’m not,” Griffin said. “I’m snapping the tendons.” Another hard twist and Tony screamed out in pain, and yet another produced a loud crack. “Now I’ve broken your arm.”

  Two uniformed police officers rushed up, backed by blue-suited transit security officers. “What’s going on here?”

  Lorraine rushed up behind them. “This man on the floor attacked me three years ago in the parking lot of Sables dance club. His name’s Tony Gardner.”

  “That ain’t true, man!”

  One officer asked him, “That’s not your name?”

  “No, I mean, it is, yeah, I’m Tony Gardner. But I never seen this chick before in my life!” They cuffed him and he shouted in agony. “Stop it, that hurts! Jesus Christ!”

  They dragged him to his feet and pushed him toward the exit, one officer turning to Griffin and Lorraine. “We’re gonna need to get a statement.”

  “Of course,” Griffin said, turning to Lorraine. “You are going to press charges, right? Guy like that can’t be left to run around the streets attacking women.”

  “No, you’re right, of course.” The old fear had returned, a feeling of helplessness that sickened her stomach and made her fingers tremble on her hands. But things had changed; Lorraine had changed. Griffin had changed her. She felt strong in his presence—capable. She’d stood up to Albert and Carmen, and she was finally ready to stand up to the man who had done her so much damage, and could have done so much worse. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and said, “Let’s do this.”

  Chapter 10

  The police questioning had been thorough, and reliving that night wasn’t easy for Lorraine. But with Griffin by her side, she felt ready to finally face that awful event. And talking through it had robbed the attack of a lot of its mys
tery and power over her. This was no longer a brush with death, and the dark side of humanity. It was an unfortunate thing that could have been much worse. Instead of feeling victimized, Lorraine felt lucky, even blessed. And knowing that the attacker was finally in custody and would likely stay there brought Lorraine even greater comfort. He’d lost his ability to attack her again—his hold on her imagination. It was like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and Griffin had lifted it.

  Once they arrived back to the spacious penthouse suite Griffin had all to himself, Lorraine was eager to show her gratitude. Something about the intoxicating experience of being with someone so powerful and masculine, the dim and flattering lighting, being in this beautiful and luxurious environment was really starting to turn her on. Lorraine took the lead and unzipped his pants slowly and seductively, pushing him on to the plush king-size bed. She bit her lip and slowly undressed, teasing him with a strip tease. Her creamy, ivory skin stood before him. Crawling over, she hovered over him on her knees and took as much of him in her mouth as she possibly could. She hungrily slathered his cock with her saliva, warm and slick and unending in a stream of licking and loving. Lorraine smashed it against her face and her face against it, that long, unbending rod pressed into her chin and cheeks and eyes, her eyelashes teasing its veiny surface, creating little twitches and flinches in that railing rod, making Griffin moan for more.

  Lorraine bent her lips over her teeth and took in Griffin’s might and manhood with eager hunger, loving the salty taste, inhaling the unseen clouds of musk—refreshing and delightful in her head, her lungs, and her memory. Lorraine had come to love that cock, almost to worship it, and she didn’t think she could live without it.

  He pulled his big pulsing member out of her mouth, and she immediately took each one of his delicious dumplings into her mouth, letting it rest on her tongue before cradling the other. Griffin moaned his delight, hairy muscular thighs surrounding her smooth, supple face.

  Lorraine’s hand strained to squeeze his cock, pumping and licking and smashing it against her face, groaning her pleasure as she attempted to destroy it, to tear it off his body and swallow it whole. Griffin’s hips fluxed and bucked, pushing his mighty cock into her, insatiable, uncontrollable.

  “You’re so good,” Griffin moaned, “so good! You got it, baby, you own it! It’s yours, Lorraine, take it and have it, all for you! All for you, baby!”

  Lorraine wanted to answer, but her mouth was full, and she was intent on keeping it that way. Lick and suck and kiss, cradling those balls and giving them a little squeeze, she was in control in that moment, all of Griffin’s masculine energy in the palm of her hands, and at the tip of her tongue.

  He turned her around, pulling her back, his wet cock pressing against the small of her back. His hands returned to her wanting breasts, her nipples reaching out to greet his masterful fingers.

  Griffin pushed his huge head into Lorraine’s pussy from behind, her legs spreading to accommodate him. From behind it was a whole other sensation, and this was the first time any man had presumed to take Lorraine this way. Griffin felt even bigger, and every little shift in position delivered powerful bolts of orgasmic energy into her. Lorraine knew what she was facing, even if she couldn’t see it.

  She could feel every inch of it.

  And as that thick rail pushed into Lorraine, Griffin reached around, his fingers finding Lorraine’s twitching labia. Responding to his touch, she answered their unspoken greeting, pulling and twitching. The dual sensation was too much for Lorraine to resist, her orgasm already brewing within her. His fingers massaged her clit with the perfect pressure—circular patterns delighting and stimulating her nerves, her body beginning to quiver.

  Lorraine pressed her hands against the wall as Griffin pushed in farther into her hungry pussy, his gigantic cock slowly grinding against her tender pink clit. Lorraine pushed against the wall, Griffin pushed in behind her, and Lorraine relished the feeling of that gliding pole, slick and thick—every inch delighting and arousing her more and more. Lorraine clamped down, her lips pressing against the sides of Griffin’s grinding cock—pushing and tilting and circling in a brilliant blur of cocksmanship.

  Griffin rasped into Lorraine’s ear, “You want more? You want it even deeper, even more?”

  “Yes,” Lorraine barely said, “God yes, please yes!”

  Griffin slipped that cock in just a bit deeper, an odd, chaotic waggle sending waves of pleasure down Lorraine’s legs, her toes curling, her feet rolling on her legs.

  “You’re so good,” Griffin said, “you feel so good, baby, so tight and so good; the best I’ve ever known, Lorraine!”

  Griffin pushed that big throbbing hammer deeper into Lorraine from behind, her face finding the wall, her cheek pressing against the flat, hard surface. In and out, ’round and ’round, she was being crushed between a cock and a hard place, that unforgiving wall pushing back against her, giving her no respite at all.

  And she didn’t want any.

  Griffin’s hands slipped down from her hips, down to Lorraine’s inner thighs, pulling them farther apart, lifting her just a bit as he pushed in even deeper. Her feet lifted up off the floor, and she leaned harder against the wall, weight and momentum pressing against her, inside of her, grinding and shaking and shifting and fucking her until Lorraine’s heart felt like it was ready to burst.

  Lorraine pounded the wall, her flat palm clapping and slapping as she pounded her lust out in a series of dull thumps.

  “That’s right,” Griffin uttered in his deep voice , “let it out, baby, let it out.” Lorraine slammed the wall again, strength welling up in her that Lorraine scarcely recognized as her own. “I wanna hear you scream, Lorraine. All those years, hiding in that library, all that womanly power and energy building up in you, nowhere to go, no way to let it out…”

  “Yes…”

  “But now you’ve got a way, Lorraine, now you let it out! Scream it out, pound it out—”

  Lorraine screamed, “Yes!” and pounded the wall again, several times. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  “Tell me you love it!” Griffin exclaimed.

  “Yes, I love it!” Lorraine squealed.

  “And you love me!” Lorraine’s mouth opened, the words too big to escape from her quivering throat. “Tell me you love me!” Griffin bellowed.

  “I do,” Lorraine croaked out, “I do. I love you…I love you so much!”

  “You love my cock.”

  “I love your cock!” she moaned.

  “And I love you, Lorraine! I love your pussy, and I love your tits and your face and your heart and your soul! I have to have you, Lorraine, every part of you, all of you…forever!”

  “Yes,” Lorraine burst out in agreement.

  “And I will!” he said strongly.

  “Yes…yes you will…”

  Griffin pushed even harder, smashing his muscular body against hers from behind, almost crushing her between his solid torso and that flat, hard wall. Lorraine’s breasts pressed flat, a moan pushing out of her mouth as Griffin’s titanic trunk slammed into her, hips threatening to crack, lungs empty of air, cold sweat pouring down the sides of her face. And all Lorraine could think was, More, more, God, I can’t take anymore!

  Griffin swung Lorraine around, his throbbing cock still deep inside of her. With a passionate whirl, he threw her face-down onto the bed. He stood behind her, his strong burly arms wrapped around her little waist.

  Lorraine’s fingers dug into the sheets, pulling them in as her arms reacted instinctively to Griffin’s pummeling. Griffin shook his hips, Lorraine’s body spasming intensely with pleasure, jaws clamped shut from erotic tension.

  He slapped her hard on the ass, the smack echoing in the room and underscoring their mutual moans. Griffin slapped her hard again, the vibration of the strike ringing in her ears, in her crotch, her legs trembling.

  The bed rocked beneath them, Griffin’s sexy python pushing into Lorraine, dominating her from behind, poss
essing her. Lorraine’s throat tightened up, her eyesight going blurry and dull, a low hum in her inner ears. Lorraine felt as if she was dying, murdered by pressure and lust and passion. And at the same time, Lorraine knew she was being reborn, enduring the pain and wonder of entering the world as a new person, a perfect innocent in a complex theatre of suspense and passion.

  Lorraine’s orgasm was explosive, tearing through her like a flash flood, rolling in an endless river of her juices. Lorraine’s body shook with the power of it—muscles twitching and contracting all over her body. Her mind went blank, no room for thought; her body was all feeling, and it was feeling it all. There was no containing it, no restraining it, no comprehending it. Lorraine’s throat clenched, no room for breath. Life itself was pointless compared to that surging cum inside her, that perfect man intertwined with her. She was swollen with that moment, all time ceasing, life becoming death, all things colliding.

  Lorraine threw out another loud cry, the tears rolling down her cheeks as her body kept shaking, ready to break apart and then fall together again. Griffin’s powerful arms wrapped around her—the only force preventing Lorraine from exploding and flying into pieces in a volcanic eruption of orgasmic joy.

  He held her tight, squeezing, encouraging Lorraine’s greater thrashing—a rebellion against the bounds of Earth, of society, of everything Lorraine had ever known or would ever imagine.

  Her body finally stopped shaking, resting in Griffin’s amazing embrace. He softly got up only to dab a fresh towel over her sweaty skin—a soothing and comforting ritual that made Lorraine feel cared for, and special.

  Loved.

  Chapter 11

  The next day Mrs. B. took Ashe shopping so Lorraine and Griffin could see to various details relating to the upcoming rally that Saturday. The days were fast counting down, and the closer the day came, the more details kept popping up.

  Griffin said, “A permit? Do we…? What if we call it a public protest, that’s Constitutionally protected freedom of speech. They’re called the First and Eleventh Amendments. Look ’em up.” Griffin swiped the screen while Lorraine collected her purse.