What's Up, Pussycat?

by Louise Lyons

“Ungh!” He shuddered and clenched his fists. “You ask me now?”

  “Mm.”

  “I, uh, I, uh, like it both ways,” Karl stuttered, as I nibbled carefully along his shaft. “Fuck!”

  I chuckled, mouth full, then released him just long enough to comment. “Good. Me too.”

  Admittedly, Andrew had topped more than I had. He’d been the more dominant partner and I’d been happy with that, but he let me fuck him when I wanted to. I pushed the thought aside. I was with Karl. It was what he wanted that mattered.

  We switched position, Karl insistent that he get me off at the same time. He crouched above me, balls swinging in my face while he took me deep into his mouth. I stroked him, peering up at his smooth pink hole, wet from the lube I’d applied and the area around it completely hairless. Guiding his tip into my mouth again, I thrust into him with two fingers. Shuddering, he moaned around my erection and reached for the lube so he could touch me in the same way.

  Later, we lay in each other’s arms, talking softly to each other, exchanging lazy little kisses. It was perfect—everything I’d longed for when I let myself think about being with someone else. Surprising, too, given the way things had been between us in the beginning. I laughed softly, as I remembered Karl’s awful loud, teasing behavior.

  “You’re starting to give me a complex. You always laugh when we’re in bed.” Karl stuck out his bottom lip in a comic pout.

  “I do it on purpose. You’re way too cocky.”

  “You don’t like my cock?” He pouted more.

  I propped myself up on one elbow and met his eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

  “Wow. And the compliments keep rolling in.” His eyes danced with laughter. “Way to make a man feel wanted.”

  “You know I want you.” I nudged his hip with my swelling dick. “I was laughing because I remembered what you were like when I first got to know you, and how different things are now.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I was an idiot.” Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. “Thankfully I came to my senses. Fin…” His expression turned serious, and he stared into my eyes. “I’m falling for you. Fallen, maybe. I didn’t intend to say anything yet, but you know what I’m like, unable to keep my mouth shut. You’re everything I always hoped I’d find one day, and thought I never would. I—”

  “Shut up.” I pressed my fingers to his lips to stop his babble. My heart raced at his words and I realized it wasn’t only him who felt like that. I was falling, too. Fallen, maybe. “I feel the same. I never thought I would again. But somehow…” I let the words trail off and kissed him instead. I wasn’t quite ready to say those words. It seemed fast—maybe too fast—but it was right.

  * * *

  We stayed in bed, talking and cuddling, until rumbling stomachs drove us to the kitchen to find snacks. Karl found a bag of nachos, chili dip, assorted nuts, and a packet of Bombay mix. I’d never tried the latter and thought it looked like the contents of a vacuum cleaner bag, but the little beans and seeds and stick things tasted delicious. We had just put the remains of the snacks aside and leaned in for a kiss, when Karl’s phone beeped in his pocket. He glanced at the time as he pulled it out.

  “Oh, shit. It’s Maurice. We have a late rehearsal today.”

  “I know, but I thought it didn’t start until nine.”

  “It’s ten to nine. Sorry. Shit.” Karl catapulted off the couch and ran around, gathering up wallet and keys, then shoved his feet into a pair of shoes. “I’m really sorry. You can come with me. Or stay here? Or maybe you just want to go home.” He looked mortified, as if he’d committed some terrible crime.

  “It’s okay. It’s fine.” Smiling, I went to him. “Stop worrying. I could wait here. Watch some TV until you get back? It’s only going to be two or three hours, right?”

  “Yeah, at the most.”

  “Then I’ll see you later.”

  “Great!” Karl charged back across the room to give me one last kiss, then flew out the door, leaving me chuckling to myself.

  I picked up the remote control and flicked channels on the TV, searching for something interesting to watch. Karl had Sky TV with many more channels than I had, and I settled on a tennis tournament for a while, then switched to a gay German movie with subtitles. By the time it ended, I was yawning my head off, and Karl was back.

  “You’re back already?” I straightened up and stifled another yawn.

  “It’s one in the morning. I was worried you’d think I was too long.”

  “I barely noticed you were gone.” I shot him a grin, and switched off the TV.

  “Yeah, right. I bet you were watching the clock the whole time, counting off the minutes and missing me like crazy.” He grasped my hand and tugged me to my feet. “Coming to bed? I’m exhausted.”

  Ten minutes later, we snuggled up in Karl’s satin sheets, barely having the energy for a few lazy goodnight kisses, before we drifted away.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When I opened my eyes, daylight filtered between the curtains and the smell of coffee reached my nostrils. Karl sat on the bed, holding out a steaming mug. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

  “What time is it?” I sat up and took the mug from him.

  “Nine. Do you have to rush off for your work?” He gazed hopefully at me, and I shook my head.

  “It can wait till later.”

  He scooted over to sit beside me and we drank our coffees in silence. I excused myself to use the bathroom and clean my teeth. When I returned to the bed, Karl was lying on his back under the covers, hands behind his head. An obvious bulge under the satin sheet indicated his arousal, and my pulse quickened. I hurried to join him, both excited and nervous that we might fuck for the first time. After we’d fingered each other, I hadn’t stopped thinking about it; wanting it.

  Karl turned to face me and took my mouth in a heated kiss, sliding his hands down my body. I liked that his hesitancy had disappeared, just as mine had. I stroked my hand down his back to his ass and pulled him closer. His dick rubbed against mine and I groaned into his mouth. He broke the kiss and hummed his approval, before ducking his head to nibble along my neck.

  “Want you,” I gasped.

  “Which way?” He nipped at my ear and I shivered.

  “Fuck me.”

  “Oh, yes.” Warm breath rushed out onto my neck, and he rolled us over, his weight pressing me into the mattress. “Like this?”

  “Yeah.” I slid my legs apart under him, tugging him tighter against me. “Have you got condoms?”

  “Yeah.” He groped for the bedside table and fumbled in the drawer as he kissed his way around my neck and shoulders. When he dropped a foil square and a tube of lube on the mattress, I picked up the condom and ripped open the packet. “Eager, much?” Karl teased.

  “I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

  “So have I.” He lifted himself up and uncapped the lube. I willed myself to relax as he coated his fingers. As keen as I was to have him inside me, it had been a very long time.

  He prepared me slowly with one finger, then two, while I squirmed impatiently under him, and stroked his cock until he told me to stop or he’d blow his load before he even got the condom on. Reluctantly, I took my hand off and rested my hands on his hips instead. He took his time, considerate and careful not to hurt me. But eventually, I couldn’t wait any longer. I squeezed his sides. “I’m ready.”

  “Okay.” He withdrew his fingers and picked up the condom. “If you want to stop—”

  “I won’t. Let me do that.” I took the condom from him and rolled it onto his dick with a shaky hand. His erection twitched at my touch, and he groaned.

  “God, I want you so much.”

  “Me too.” I gripped my legs behind the knees and pulled them up in readiness. Karl shuffled into position and guided himself, carefully inching into me. I breathed out and pushed up against him, wincing as he breached me. The discomfort was only slight as I stretched to accommodate him.


  “Okay?” He held still and met my eyes, trembling in his effort not to move.

  “I’m fine. Fuck me, Karl. I won’t break.”

  He bucked his hips, a shallow thrust that I barely felt. Gradually, he fell into a steady rhythm that I matched, my erection rubbing against his stomach as we moved together. The sound of our gasps and groans, and the creak of the bed filled the room. I forced my eyes open to look up into the face of the man I realized I loved, and found him gazing down at me with the expression of an adoring puppy.

  It didn’t last long. We held on as long as we could, but we were both desperate, aching and trembling. Karl’s dick pulsed inside the condom, and I shot my load onto my stomach and chest without even getting my hand on it. Boneless, I let my legs fall back onto the mattress, and Karl slipped from me with a sigh. He knotted the condom and tossed it into the waste bin beside the bed, then stretched out beside me and snuggled close.

  We stayed that way for a while, cuddling in companionable silence, until I remembered I still had congealing come on my chest. We shared the shower, washing each other and fooling around until the water ran cold. Karl made breakfast, and I hung around as long as I could, not wanting to leave his company until the last possible minute. But I had two articles to write, and eventually, I had to go home.

  It surprised me how difficult it was to say good-bye. I didn’t want to leave him, even for a few hours, or a day or two, or however long it was before we could find some free time again. We stood kissing by the open door, lost in each other, until the cold filtering into the hallway made Karl shiver, and I reluctantly pulled away.

  “You’ll catch your death.”

  “Yeah.” He took a step back, eyes sparkling as he watched me sidle out of the door onto the narrow path that led to the road. I beamed back at him, then forced myself to look where I was going rather than risk tripping on the uneven stones and falling on my ass. I gave him one last wave, then thrust my hands into my pockets and walked away, my smile still splitting my face in two.

  I’d never thought I could be this happy again. Two years ago—even one year ago—I’d wondered if I’d ever be able to feel anything besides loss, and pain, and despair. It still hurt. It would always hurt, and I’d always miss Andrew like part of me had died with him, but now I had something new. Something wonderful that made me smile again; made me love again. It had barely been any time at all since we started seeing each other. We’d had, what, one proper date? But New Year’s Day had turned into a whole day together. That had been the start. Then our first date, a whole day and night, more or less. We spent a lot of time together, just not at different times.

  “I can’t be in love with him yet. It’s too soon,” I muttered, as I unlocked my door and let myself into the house. “How do you tell, anyway?”

  Attempting to push my thoughts aside, I made coffee and settled down with my laptop to write the articles I had scheduled. What should have taken me a couple of hours, took the rest of the day. I couldn’t concentrate, my mind filled with Karl, and how I felt, and how it had been having sex—no, making love—with him. Every time I moved, the slight soreness in my ass reminded me of how amazing it had been. How I didn’t want to let him go afterward. And I couldn’t help comparing it to what I had with Andrew. But then I berated myself over and over for doing that.

  Eventually, I went into the bedroom where the one photo of Andrew remained, and I talked to him. I’d always been able to talk to him about anything, however hard it should have been. This time was no different. I knew what he’d say if he could answer me, and it was exactly what Carol had told me.

  “I think I might love him,” I whispered. “We’ve only actually been together a little over a week, but I got to know him before. It almost seems like he was waiting for me to be ready. I’m happy again. I never thought I would be. I hope you can be happy for me, too. I know you wouldn’t have wanted me to mope around forever.” I gazed at the photo for a long time, and the tension slowly left me. “I’m always going to love you, and I’ll never forget what we had.”

  Eventually, I placed the photograph in the drawer and smoothed the bed covers, where they’d creased as I sat on the bed. I left the room with a smile on my face.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Are you sure this looks all right?” Karl frowned and fretted, as he untied and knotted his tie for the third time.

  “It’s fine.” Laughing, I pushed his hands away and straightened the knot. “No one’s going to be looking at you, anyway. The grooms will be the center of attention.”

  Karl released a long-suffering sigh. “I wonder what Maurice is wearing?”

  “Something sparkly, probably. Come on, we’ll be late.”

  As neither of us had a car, I’d hired one for the weekend. Maurice and his fiancé, Jeff, were getting married at a hotel in town, but the reception and evening “do” were at the house they shared. Karl and I didn’t want to rely on others for transport, or pay a fortune for a taxi, and Maurice’s house really was in the middle of nowhere. Of course, one of us would have to stick with a single glass of champagne, but I didn’t mind not drinking.

  I drove us to the hotel and an usher directed us to where we were to sit for the ceremony. The hall in the hotel was decked out with purple and white flowers and ribbons, and a group of musicians in purple suits stood in one corner, quietly playing classical music. We took our seats, and found James and Abby sitting on the same row. I’d kept in touch with James, but hadn’t seen him for a few weeks, and I hadn’t had the opportunity to tell him Karl and I were together.

  “Hey, Fin,” he said in a low voice. “How are you?” He shot a quick glance at Karl and raised his eyebrows.

  “Great, thanks.” I grinned, and slid my hand into Karl’s. “Surprise!”

  “No way!” James’s eyes widened.

  “I know, I’m the last person you’d imagine Fin dating.” Karl squeezed my hand firmly.

  “How long?” James asked.

  “Since New Year’s Day.”

  “Wow. I know you got to be friends in London, but...”

  “We didn’t see each other for months,” I told him. “Then we ran into each other in a coffee shop and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “Wow,” James repeated. “Well, I’m happy for you both.”

  We chatted a little longer, then turned to face the front as everyone fell silent. The musicians began to play, not the wedding march, but an Elton John song that I assumed was Maurice and Jeff’s special song. A moment later, Maurice and Jeff walked into the room arm in arm, and made their way to the front where the registrar waited. The couple wore identical white suits, Maurice with a purple necktie and handkerchief, and Jeff with green. I’d never seen Jeff before, and was surprised to discover he was considerably younger than Maurice, probably by around twenty years.

  Karl glanced at me and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I didn’t tell you Jeff was a toy boy. They’ve been together since he was about twenty.”

  “Ssh.” I elbowed him, and he fell silent as the registrar began to speak.

  “We are gathered here—”

  I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be standing up there in front of a crowd of family and friends, saying my vows on my own special day. A long time ago, Andrew and I had talked about it being a possibility in the future, but we hadn’t gone as far as getting engaged. We’d been happy living together, knowing we’d always have each other.

  Now I had Karl. Would I want that some day? Maybe. Probably. I’d recently met his mum and sister, and Karl reported later that they both loved me. Needless to say, he hadn’t met my parents. I’d told my mother about him on the phone, and she’d changed the subject as soon as she could. She just didn’t want to know anything about my love life, even though it was clear to everyone how happy I was.

  I glanced at Karl from the corner of my eye, just as he glanced at me, an adoring expression on his face. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing—im
agining us standing up there with a registrar one day in the future. I gave his hand another squeeze, and paid attention to the ceremony.

  When it was over, and Maurice and Jeff were pronounced husbands, everyone brought out phones and cameras to snap the happy couple. An official photographer lurked, and when the friends and family had finished with their pictures, some staged poses were arranged, some inside and some outside the building. Then everyone returned to their cars to make the journey to Maurice’s house, where he’d announced a team of catering and waiting staff were ready to spoil us with a delicious meal.

  Karl and I sat on a table with James and Abby, and Annette and her boyfriend, Rick. I hadn’t seen Annette since the end of Cats and she seemed different—nicer. It was clear Rick doted on her, and perhaps love had changed her. We all chatted together throughout the evening, and after Maurice and Jeff had their first dance to that Elton John song again, other couples joined in.

  “Shall we?” Karl gazed at me hopefully, and I nodded. We’d only danced together one time, when we went clubbing a couple of weeks after we started dating. It had been a rare night off from the theater for Karl, and we’d gone to a local gay club. Karl was a regular before we got together, but although I enjoyed dancing with him, it wasn’t something I’d want to repeat too often. I didn’t like the volume of noise, and the constant attempts to grab at us from other men. It wasn’t something I’d ever done with Andrew.

  Stop comparing. I shook myself and slid my arms around Karl’s neck. I much preferred dancing to whatever romantic tune the musicians, who’d followed us from the hotel, were playing.

  “I love you,” Karl murmured, just loud enough for me to hear above the music and talking.

  “I love you, too.” I tilted my head back to meet his lips, as he bent to kiss me. It wasn’t the first time we’d exchanged the three little words. We’d hung on for about another ten days after that day I realized how I felt. Then I hadn’t been able to stop myself blurting it out when we were snuggling in each other’s arms, right after I fucked him for the first time. He confessed he’d been in love with me since we spent the day together on New Year, and although he’d hinted at falling for me, he’d been too nervous to say it before me, in case he scared me away.