by Lia Lee
"No, I had no idea that my night was going to end like this," he said softly. "I had no idea that a beautiful woman who shone like a star was going to accost me, tell me in no uncertain terms that she was interested in me, and then take steps to show me exactly how interested she was after that. I would never dare dream that I would be this lucky."
His words struck something deep inside her, something that had not been rung in some time. There was something about him that told her that he was telling the truth. She could feel it, and suddenly, she wondered when she had last been with someone who had been so open and honest with her.
She licked her lips, suddenly nervous. He stepped forward so that their bodies were close enough to touch, and then with a sweetness that barely covered the deep well of passion underneath, he kissed her.
Charlotte wasn't quite sure what she had expected when she decided to take Aladdin home. She had known that she was going home with a gorgeous man, one who would hopefully be good in bed and as invested in her pleasure as she was in his. She had hoped for passion.
No matter what her expectations were, she had not expected this tenderness. There was passion there, plenty of it, but overlaid on top of all of that was a kind of tenderness that she had never quite sensed before.
She felt the brush of his lips over hers, making the soft skin there beautifully sensitive. She felt the way his tongue lapped against her lower lip, sending shivers through her body. One hand had come up to rest lightly on the small of her back, bringing her even closer. Now she could feel his excitement in the way his body responded to hers. It drew a deep groan from her, which she stifled just in time as the door clanged open.
"Oh! Good evening, Mrs. Kaminski!"
The old widow peered at the two through her thick glasses, frowning at them both. At the best of times, Mrs. Kaminski made Charlotte feel as if she were twelve and breaking all the rules. Right now, wearing a dress that showed off her generous curves and with her shoulder-length hair as wild as it would be on a windy March day, it was not one of those times.
"Well, I don't suppose you two are thinking about getting out of the stairwell anytime soon, are you? Some of us have places to be."
Mumbling apologies, Charlotte slid out of the elevator, bringing a bemused Aladdin with her. After Mrs. Kaminski stumped into the elevator and began her descent, Charlotte started laughing.
"Oh my god, that was terrible," she said, shaking her head. "She already thinks I'm a terribly immoral woman for living on my own and doing as I please. What's she going to think about me now?”
"I don't know what she has to complain about," said Aladdin. "We're coming in for the night. She's the one who has somewhere to be at one thirty on a Friday night..."
"You know, I would not have thought of that...."
Charlotte fumbled with the keys to her place, a task that was made harder by Aladdin wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. There was something about his height that ensured she fit perfectly under his chin. Before she opened the door, she pressed back against him, making him growl in her ear.
When she had the door closed behind her again, it took everything she had not to simply lead him to her tiny bedroom.
"All right, I just want to set down the rules."
He raised his eyebrow.
"I know if you tell me to stop, I'll stop, and I know that I'm not going to make you do anything that you do not thoroughly enjoy...."
Charlotte stifled a soft shiver at the promise in those words, but she made herself speak clearly.
"Look, I think I can tell you honestly that I like you, but this is all we are going to have. This is a one-night stand, and we're going to have ton of fun, but after it's over, we're going to go our separate ways. You're not my boyfriend, and I sure as heck am not your girlfriend. If you can't agree to that, we had better just call it quits now."
Aladdin nodded thoughtfully.
"So in some ways, this is like an arranged marriage, only it is arranged merely for a single night."
"Er, I guess so? Basically, I just want to make sure that we are on the same page as far as expectations go. I don't want any surprises and I don't want either of us to be disappointed. Can you agree to that?"
"Yes, I can." Aladdin tilted his head to one side, regarding her curiously.
"Do you have any questions?" she asked a little desperately. She was beginning to feel as if she were a teacher lecturing a particularly stone-faced classroom.
"I do, as a matter of fact."
"Go on."
"When can I touch you?"
She realized suddenly that there was a coiled tension to him, something that had been poised to spring as soon as they walked into the apartment. She had been the one who put a halt to it, but now she had the power to release him. Once she knew that, she didn't hesitate.
"Now," she said. "You can touch me now."
With a deep growl, he crossed the floor between them with a truly astonishing speed. Charlotte was shocked at how quick he was for a man his size. In a matter of seconds, she was in his arms, crushed against him as he claimed her lips in a passionate kiss.
"I have wanted to do this from the moment I laid eyes on you," he murmured into her ear. "I thought about running my fingers through that gorgeous hair of yours, seeing everything that this blue dress hid."
"Do it," she said challengingly. "You said you were going to make me beg, so let's see you do it."
She caught a glimpse of a white grin that was as sharp as a knife before he caught the lower neckline of her dress in two fists and yanked sharply. Under his strength, the fragile material gave way as if it were tissue paper, hanging in shreds from her shoulders. The feeling of being suddenly exposed and bare made her sharply catch her breath. Now he could see the lacy ivory underwear she wore underneath, the color glowing against her golden skin. He didn't need to know that it was the last pair of clean underwear in her drawer.
"So beautiful," he murmured. "So beautiful..."
Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her straight to her bedroom. Her double bed creaked under their combined weight, but she couldn't care, not about anything except what this man was making her feel.
With a surgeon's precision, he spread apart the rags of her dress, revealing her form to his hungry hands and mouth. As she shivered with anticipation, he began kissing her, starting with her mouth before moving to the point of her chin, her neck, and her shoulders. He passed his hands along her skin, grazing gently over the areas covered by her underwear until she started to press herself upwards into his hands.
"You're still clothed," she panted. "Don't you think you should join the party?"
"Say please," he said with a grin.
"I'm not begging," she scoffed. "I'm not that easy."
"I'm not asking you to beg. I'm just asking you to be polite."
Well, that was certainly good logic, and she did want to see what was waiting underneath that well-tailored suit.
"Please, Aladdin, won't you take your clothes off for me?"
"There, now was that so hard?"
In a single fluid motion, he quickly got up from the bed and started to shed his clothing. She watched hungrily as it all hit the floor, revealing a body that was lean and muscular, resembling a swimmer’s physique. He was tan all over, and her hands ached to stroke his sculpted chest, his long limbs. Aladdin didn't stop until he was entirely naked. She could see that he was fully aroused now, and though it should have made her blush, all she could feel was a hot desire and a strange pride for having aroused him.
"Thank you," she found herself saying, and he laughed.
"Well, I suppose we will teach you manners yet," he said, climbing back into bed with her.
This time, there was the elegant sensual slide of body against body. She could feel the coarse hair of his legs against her smooth ones, feel the beginning of a five o'clock shadow rubbing against her shoulder.
She wound up on her stomach, with Aladdin kne
lt between her slightly spread legs. She wondered if he would take her now. Instead, he unhooked her bra, kissing the spot that had been covered before. He kissed his way down her spine to the curve of her buttocks. There, he nipped her firmly with those sharp white teeth. She cried out in something between pain and pleasure, pressing herself deeper into the mattress even as she raised herself toward his touch. She started to ask him for more, but then she bit her tongue. She would be damned if she begged the way he said she would.
Almost as if he understood exactly what she was thinking, he pulled away enough to roll her to her back. With a quick motion, he flicked away her bra, leaving her firm, round breasts quivering with sensation. He bent his head to one hard peak, then the other, laving them with his tongue before brushing them with the sharp edge of his teeth.
She thrashed against him, but she still would not give way. She refused to beg, even if her entire body longed for more of what he had to give her.
Charlotte thought that he must be done teasing her when he tugged her panties down and tossed them to the floor. She could feel how aroused she was, almost smell it, and that was before he passed the heel of his hand over her mons. He pressed lightly, letting her feel the pressure and warmth of his touch against her most sensitive flesh. Involuntarily, she pressed back against him before catching herself.
"Going to beg yet?" he asked with a grin.
She glared up at him. In a way, she knew that she was only working against herself and getting what she wanted, but her competitive streak had been awakened.
"Not likely," she shot back. "I'm not sure I've really been impressed yet."
His laughter filled the small room.
"Well, let's see if we can fix that."
With a quick motion, he was resting between her legs, his hands pressing her thighs farther apart. She groaned, knowing that he could look at her most private parts and wanting him to.
He stroked her intimately for a moment, sliding his hand along her spread flesh. Then, firming his grip on her thighs, he lowered his mouth to her.
The first touch of his tongue electrified her, making her want more. She tried to press herself more firmly up against him, but his hands kept her still. Instead, all she could do was thrash helplessly as he started to run his tongue up and down over her yearning flesh.
She wailed when his tongue slid against her clit. The moment she made a sound, he pulled it away, only returning it when she was still. He lapped at her with a single-mindedness that was arousing in and of itself.
Before she knew what was happening, she could feel the first hot flames of climax running along her legs, igniting a fire in her belly. She started to cry out, perched on the very peak of her pleasure...
Then Aladdin stopped.
"What!"
Her eyes flew open, landing on his satisfied face.
"Beg," he growled.
Somehow, she managed to shake her head wildly. Aladdin's only response was to shrug.
"So be it."
He started tonguing her again, making pass after pass over her clit. She knew what he was doing this time, and she tried to find her climax before he stopped.
She would not have given a stranger credit for knowing her signals, but again, right before she tipped over the edge, he backed off.
"Beg," he said again.
"Not on your life!"
Twice more he brought her to the edge of climax and then stopped. By then, she was a writhing mess, clutching the sheets for some kind of stability.
Finally, just when she was on the edge of coming, he pulled back again, and this time, something in her mind broke. Before he could even ask his question, she was wailing.
"Please!" Charlotte cried. "Please, please let me come. Oh god, please, I can't take it anymore. Please!"
Aladdin was silent for a moment. For a horrible second, she thought that it wouldn't be enough. She thought that he would simply refuse again, starting the cycle of almost unbearable pleasure over again.
Then, with a husky laugh, he bent his head to her straining flesh, and he didn't stop until she had exploded into a million pieces. She felt as if she were unraveling, spinning faster and faster until she had been cast into the sky. She knew she was shouting, pulling hard on his hair, but she couldn't make herself care.
Finally, her pleasure started to ebb, leaving her limp on the bed.
"Now you," she said, speaking in a voice that now sounded deep and hoarse.
"Now me what?" he asked, and she didn't have the patience to figure out if he was joking or not.
"Condoms in the bedside table. Come on. I don't want to be alone in feeling like this."
He chuckled a little, passing a hand over her sweat-soaked skin.
"This would be enough for me, precious star, if that was what you needed."
He raised an eyebrow at the unopened box of condoms, but he pulled one out, sheathing himself with the latex. She had wondered briefly what a man like Aladdin might want, whether he wanted her standing up or bent over.
Instead, he crawled on top of her, resting his weight on his forearms as he pressed himself against her. She was slippery with her own pleasure, and Aladdin groaned as he slid against her.
"So beautiful, and so perfect," he murmured.
Before she could answer, he slid all the way inside her, burying himself inside her to the hilt. There was a brief moment of discomfort as her body adjusted to his size and girth, but then it was over, leaving nothing but pleasure in its wake.
"Feels so amazing," he growled. "So wonderful...”
She couldn't even respond. All she could do was groan as he started to move, pressing deep inside her with every thrust. Despite his desperation and the obvious need of his body, he refused to hurry. Suddenly, Charlotte realized that he wanted to make every moment with her count. He wanted to make sure that he was drawing every ounce of enjoyment from her, making the most of every second he had to spend with her.
When he finally reached his own climax, she reached up to wrap her arms around him. Even after everything that they had done, it was an intimate act, one that made her heart beat faster. As he shuddered above her, Charlotte clung to him, feeling as close to him as she ever had to anyone. She could find it in her to be saddened that it was over, that this was strictly a limited engagement.
After a long moment, he pulled away, padding to the small bathroom to dispose of the condom. When he was done, he only came as far as the doorway, leaning against the frame to watch her.
“What's the matter?” she asked, still slumberous from the pleasure they had given each other.
He smiled slightly, tilting his head to watch her as she remained sprawled on the bed.
“I confess that I don't know what the rules are now,” he admitted. “Do I pack up my clothes and leave without a word? Am I breaking the rules right now by talking to you?”
“You worry about rules far too much,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “You can leave if you want to, but I'd be happy to have you back in bed with me.”
The grin he flashed her was as bright as the sun as he crawled back into the bed with her. She rolled over on her side to allow him to spoon her. In a matter of moments, they were snuggled together as sweetly as if they had done this their entire lives.
“Don't get the wrong idea,” she cautioned him. “This is definitely a no-strings-attached, one-night stand. I'm just not rude enough to kick you out after everything that we have gone through. You made me feel...well, let's just say that it's been a long time since I've felt that.”
Or ever, her mind reminded her. She wasn't sure that she had ever had a partner like Aladdin before—one who had been so intent on her pleasure that his own came far after.
“I'm glad that I could please you,” he said gravely. “And do not worry, I will respect your rules. No attachments, no strings.”
“No more talking, either,” she murmured happily, snuggling closer to him. “You wore me right out. It's time for me to sleep.”
CHAPTER TWO
The next morning, she woke up alone with a vague idea that it didn't feel right to do so. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes, Charlotte thought about her previous night, blushing a little at the pleasure that she had received from Aladdin and what they had done together.
A quick inspection of her apartment told her that she was completely alone. He had apparently taken the rules seriously. For a moment, she allowed herself to be a little disappointed. She was the one who had set the rules, and the rules were in place for a very specific reason. However, there had been something about his smile, his laugh, and of course the pleasure he had given her that told her that she might not have minded having him around for a second or even third or fourth round.
It's probably for the best. After all, the last thing that either of us really needs is getting attached.
She was just starting to believe that when she saw a pink paper bag and a tall paper cup on her kitchen counter. She had not left any food there, but she instantly recognized the label. Mona's was a small bakery right around the corner, and it had some of the best donuts and coffee she had ever tasted. They were accordingly expensive, but whenever she had a moment, she made sure to pick up something tasty from there.
Almost hesitantly, she went to open the bag and found two lemon-curd donuts, along with a blueberry bagel and a small container of cream cheese. When she took an experimental sip of the coffee, she found that it was their best Guatemalan blend, still hot and delicious. Charlotte looked around for a note, but to her simultaneous relief and disappointment, she found that there wasn't one.
“Well, score one for the successful one-night stand theory,” she said out loud, settling at her tiny table to eat.
It occurred to her that it was late enough to call Viviana. When she checked the clock, she realized Viviana's flight should have landed hours ago, and that meant that it was likely a great time for a sisterly chat. It took her sister a while to come pick up the phone, but just when Charlotte was ready to give up, she answered.