by Sj Hooks
“Of course,” I promised, easing my hold on her. “Whatever you want.”
"So what did your mom say after I left?" she asked after a little while. "Do I even want to know?"
"She wants you to come to their Fourth of July garden party," I blurted out.
That was definitely not the way to ask her. I am an idiot.
"She what?" Julia asked slowly, leaning back to look up at me. "A garden party? Do people even have those outside of the movies?"
I sighed. "Every year."
"Wow," she said. "Your family is like from a different time."
"So…what do you think?"
She blinked. "About what?"
"The, um, party. Do you want to go?"
Oh, real smooth. What happened to romancing and wooing her?
"Are you going?"
"I have to," I admitted.
Now ask her properly, and do not say “um.”
"Um, Julia—"
Moron!
I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. Why was I so nervous? The worst thing that could happen was that she would say no, and it wouldn't change anything between us. But deep down, I knew that wasn't true. I wanted her to come with me, if not as my girlfriend then at least as my date. If she turned me down now it would be painfully clear that we were just sex-buddies in Julia's mind, and it would break my heart a little.
I took a deep breath and tried again, holding her hands in mine.
"Julia, I would be honored if you would accompany me to my parents' garden party. It’ll be boring and formal, but if you're there with me, I won't even notice. You're smart, funny, and beautiful and I love spending time with you. Please come with me?"
"OK," she said with a small smile, reaching into the bag for a cookie.
"Holy shit—really?"
I clamped my hand over my mouth, not accustomed to the sound of myself swearing and not comfortable with it. At least, not outside the bedroom. During sex it was oddly gratifying and something of an aphrodisiac for some reason.
"Sure." She shrugged. "If it means that much to you, I can schmooze with a few WASPs over cocktails. Plus, I'd like your mother to get a better impression of me."
My lips were on hers instantly and my hands were buried in her hair. She made a surprised sound but kissed me back after a few seconds. When she parted her soft lips I slid my tongue into her mouth. She tasted like chocolate from the cookie and I couldn't get enough of her. I groaned when her tongue massaged mine and I felt her hands on my shoulders pulling me closer. After a few minutes, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her three times; my way of saying “I love you.”
"Thank you," I whispered.
"No problem.” Her smile was radiant. "I should get back to work."
"Yeah, you should go study," I agreed. "I'll come get you when dinner's ready."
She sighed and leaned in for another kiss. "You're too good to be true, Mr. Worthington."
"That's Professor Worthington to you, Ms. Wilde," I growled playfully, grabbing her backside.
"Oh God," she whispered. "Don't start. I have to study. Maybe we can do something tonight."
"Sorry," I murmured. "Go. I won't distract you anymore."
She stood up and grinned. "Puh-lease," she said, motioning to me with her hand. "Just knowing that you're out here is more than enough to distract me. But I'll go anyway and try not to think about your fine ass or any of your other attributes." She smiled over her shoulder and walked out, hips swaying sensually with each step.
And she thinks that I'm a tease?
I kept myself busy and tried not to think about Julia sitting in my office in her short skirt. When she took a shower before dinner I did my best not to imagine her naked body, warm water cascading down it. And during dinner I made every effort not to think about her lips wrapped around a hard, throbbing part of my anatomy, even though it was nearly impossible whenever she took a bite of her grilled chicken. She ate it with her fingers and licked them repeatedly, much to my pleasure and torment. The entire meal seemed like a long session of foreplay, and when Julia suggested a movie after dinner, I knew that I had no intention of actually watching it.
“Do you like vampire movies?” I asked, holding up my DVD copy of The Hunger.
“I’m not really a romance kind of girl,” Julia replied, shrugging. “But I’ll try anything once.”
“You will? Anything?”
She laughed, reaching for the movie. “Does that surprise you?”
“No.” I sat next to her again. “I like how open-minded you are. And this isn’t strictly a romance. You’ll see. ”
She smiled at me before turning her attention to the cover. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “David Bowie is in this movie.”
“Uh, yeah, you like him?”
“Like him? I love his music!” she exclaimed. “How have I not watched this before?”
“I, uh, don’t know. I guess it’s not that well-known amongst you young people.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “OK, old-timer. Educate me. What’s it about?”
“It’s about a very old vampire who takes human lovers, who get to live for a long time as her consort. But after a few centuries, their time is up, and she has to find a new human as her companion.”
“So what happens to them?” she asked. “They just die?”
“Let’s watch it,” I suggested. “Visually, it’s a beautiful movie, and the score is fantastic, too.”
She looked up at me, smiling. “You’re very different from any other guy I’ve ever been with, you know?”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Very.”
I returned her smile, elated. Julia quickly became engrossed in the movie, whereas my focus kept shifting to her. After holding back for a full fifteen minutes, I finally leaned over to kiss her neck, placing my hand on her naked thigh. As the movie progressed, my advances became more insistent. I wanted her to enjoy the movie, but I couldn’t keep my hands off her. Eventually, Julia turned away from the screen, looking amused by my advances. But since she didn't object, I saw no reason to stop. I smiled and trailed soft kisses down her neck.
"Turning a movie into a makeout session? God, Stephen, this is like high school," Julia chuckled.
I snorted. Obviously, my high school experience differed greatly from Julia's.
"What?" she asked, placing her hand on the back of my head.
"I never did this in high school," I admitted.
"You never had sex?" she asked, massaging my scalp gently.
I looked up at her. "Julia, I never even kissed a girl until college."
"Why not?”
I shrugged. "I was so shy and nervous that I probably would have vomited if a girl even touched me back then."
"Poor baby," she said softly, brushing her lips against mine. "Well, feel free to make up for lost time with me. If you’d like, we can pretend that we're seventeen again and all alone in your parents' house.”
"R-really?” I gulped.
She nodded and smiled before turning back to the movie. I stared at her, trying to wrap my mind around the scenario that she had created at the drop of a hat. She certainly looked the part of a seventeen-year-old, wearing a short denim skirt and a T-shirt with no makeup on her face. She was gorgeous and why she wanted me, I couldn’t understand.
I wasn't about to let that stop me, though. The fantasy she offered was far too enticing to pass up. But I did feel unsure about how to do this sort of thing—role-playing, I supposed. I had played a bit of Dungeons & Dragons in high school, but I found myself woefully unprepared, regardless, and hoped this experience would be very, very different!
“So, uh, should we make up characters and stuff?” I asked.
Julia looked at me again, pressing her lips together. She was trying to keep from laughing.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “That was a stupid question, wasn’t it?”
Julia placed her hand on my cheek, gazing into my eyes. “No,” she whispered. �
�Not stupid at all. But I don’t need to pretend to be someone else when I’m with you. I’m Julia and you’re Stephen. That’s more than enough.”
Oh my God.
“For me as well,” I assured her. “I don’t want anyone else.”
“So what do you want to do?” she asked.
“Be with you. Touch you and kiss you, maybe…seduce you, while you watch the movie?”
Flashing me a sexy smile, she nodded.
“And I…” My face heated.
“What?” she asked. “Tell me.”
“I, uh, I like the idea of pretending we’re seventeen. I never got to experience anything like that. Is that…is that OK? We’ll be Julia and Stephen in high school?”
“Baby, of course it is. We already talked about fantasies, right?”
I nodded, remembering when Julia had dressed up as a schoolgirl and how, at first, I’d felt like a pervert for liking her in that outfit until she explained it to me.
“Well, this isn’t any different. It’s just a bit of fun. Besides, I think seventeen-year-old me would have liked seventeen-year-old you.”
I snorted. “I was such a loser.”
“Stop that!” she snapped. I recoiled slightly and she reached for me, a look of contrition on her face.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t like it when you put yourself down like that. I guess…it reminds me of how I used to be.”
I gaped at her.
“We were probably a lot alike,” she continued. “Bookish and shy, and not good with the opposite sex.”
“What happened?” I asked. “With you, I mean. You’re not like that now at all.”
Her features hardened for a moment. “Another time,” she said. “I don’t want to spoil our night, OK?”
“OK, I’m sorry.”
“Just kiss me,” she whispered. “But only with your mouth closed. I’m a good girl, after all. I’m not ready to go all the way, even if you are the cutest boy in school.” Her eyes sparkled with humor and I grinned at her, liking her segue into the fantasy.
“But I’m captain of the chess team,” I whispered, moving closer to her. “And I’m in the Latin club.”
“That’s so hot,” she breathed. I laughed against her lips before claiming them with mine in a slow kiss.
“Open your mouth a little,” I encouraged. “You like me, don’t you?”
“Yes…”
The moment her tongue touched mine, I forgot about taking things slowly and pulled her into my arms. Before long, I had convinced her to take her clothes off and found myself kneeling on the floor between her parted legs.
“Stephen, I’m not sure if we should do this,” she panted. “I’m—I’m not that kind of girl.”
“Yes, you are,” I said, running my hands over her breasts and stomach before spreading her thighs. “You need my mouth on you, don’t you, sweetheart? I promise, I’ll make you feel so good.”
“OK, as long you don’t tell anyone in school.”
“I’d never do that. Besides, they’d never believe I ever got this lucky.”
Julia smiled at me as I pulled her to the edge of the seat, wasting no time showing her just how good I wanted her to feel. She seemed to forget all inhibitions whenever I did this to her, and tonight was no different. Soon, she was pulling my hair, shouting expletives as my tongue swirled and lapped at her. Making her come was still one of my favorite things in the world. Each time it happened, it healed a part of my flawed sexual history. Also, it was incredibly arousing.
"Oh God, oh God," Julia chanted, slumping backward against the couch as I rested my head on her thigh.
"Aren’t you glad you said yes?” I asked, a bit out of breath. “No one has ever made you feel this good, have they?"
"No, only you, Stephen.” She opened her eyes, looking straight at me. "I mean it," she added softly.
She really means it.
I could see that she was talking about the real me and our game was forgotten instantly. I had never felt more proud of myself and I was completely overcome with love for her. Quickly, I moved up and kissed her. I poured everything I felt for her into the kiss.
"Julia," I moaned. "I want you so much."
"I want you, too, Stephen. Only you."
I ripped my clothes off with frantic hurried movements, desperate to be inside of her, and she welcomed me with the same eagerness.
"Oh God," I gasped. "You feel so good."
"Oh, Stephen, Stephen," she moaned.
"I love being inside of you," I panted and kissed her passionately. "I've never felt anything like this. Only with you, Julia."
"Only with you, Stephen," she gasped. I pulled her legs up higher and thrust deeper.
"I'll never get enough of you," I told her. "I want you all the time."
"Me, too!" she cried out as I delivered a particularly deep thrust.
I leaned on my left arm and moved my free hand down to touch her. She threw her head back and dug her fingernails into my shoulders while she clenched and gasped. I was delivering slow, deep thrusts that felt incredible and at the same time allowed me to go on for longer than I normally could have. But the feel of her orgasm made me frantic for release and I sped up my movements considerably. The pleasure grew to new, incredible heights and I looked into her eyes, startled and overcome by the emotion I saw there.
"Oh God, Julia! I… I…"
Love you!
I climaxed in a rush of sensation and blinding light that swept over me like a tidal wave. I could feel my pelvis still thrusting, but it wasn't anything I did consciously. I opened my mouth but all that came out was a guttural noise as I was pulled under.
I came to, panting and sweating on top of the woman I loved. I was sticky and weighed too much for her small body to support, but I could hardly move a muscle. She was breathing heavily and stroking my damp hair. I lifted my head to look at her and smiled. Her skin was flushed and covered by a thin layer of sweat, but she had never looked more beautiful to me.
"Stephen?" she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"Yes?" I brushed my lips against hers.
"That was the best…ever."
"Mmm."
"Only… " She hesitated and chewed on her bottom lip. I brushed her hair back and looked into her eyes.
"Tell me," I said softly. "What are you thinking?"
"We didn't just…fuck, did we?"
I shook my head slowly and my heart started pounding in my chest once again. I had a feeling where she was going and I was both terribly nervous and excited about the outcome.
"And we didn't just have sex, either, did we?"
I shook my head again and caressed her cheek.
"We…" She looked away and took a shaky breath. I saw a tear slide down her temple toward her ear, and made her turn her face to look at me again. She looked scared and vulnerable.
"Shhh. You don't have to say anything else, sweetheart." I kissed her lips softly three times and smiled at her. "It was wonderful," I whispered.
She nodded and blinked back a few tears, but she still looked afraid. I hated seeing her like that. I only wanted her to be happy.
"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered.
"How did you…"
I smiled and kissed her before nuzzling her neck. "I know you," I murmured.
She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. We lay like that for a long time with my body covering hers, being quiet together and breathing each other in.
"What was that song?" she whispered suddenly. "In the movie."
“Hmm?”
“There was a song playing earlier. Two women were singing. I think it was opera.”
I smiled, remembering the scene, which had played in the background while we were making love.
"Oh. It was 'Flower Duet' from Lakmé," I told her. "And you’re right. It is from an opera."
"What were the words? I didn't really hear them."
"It's in French." I raised my head to lo
ok at her.
"I know some French," she said. "I guess I was just too distracted to notice."
"You would have hurt my feelings if you had been able to focus on lyrics in that situation," I said, chuckling. I kissed her lips.
She smiled. "So what does it mean?"
"I don't remember all of it. The first lines are something like 'Under the thick dome, where the white jasmine gathers with the rose. On the riverbank in bloom, laughing in the morning. Come, let us go down together,' " I said softly as I stroked her cheek.
"That's beautiful," she whispered. "Do you have the song?"
I nodded and smiled.
"Can we listen to it?"
"Yes, but that means that I have to move from this position.”
"I'm thirsty, anyway," she said, smiling back at me. "And I need something so I don't get a mess on your couch."
My confusion must have shown on my face because she motioned to the place where our bodies were still joined.
"Oh, right," I mumbled and reached down to grab my shirt for her. Reluctantly, I pulled out of her and watched as she wiped herself and walked to the bathroom. I got up, turned off the TV, found the opera piece, and hit pause. Julia came back in holding two bottles of water and handed me one. I took a quick drink and placed both bottles on the table.
I turned on the opera piece and let the music and words flow all around us. Julia inhaled deeply and clutched her hands against her chest. Her eyes became distant and I was worried when I saw them fill with tears. But then she smiled, even though the tears streamed down her face. She stood completely naked in my living room while the music affected her in the most powerful of ways and I knew that I had never seen anything so spectacular in my entire life.
The piece ended and she took a deep breath, looking up at me.
"It's so beautiful that it sort of hurts my heart," she whispered. "Do you know what I mean?"
I closed the distance between us and cupped her face in my hands. "I feel that way when I look at you."
Fresh tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away to gaze up at me. She took my hand and placed it over her galloping heart.
"I feel it, too," she whispered.
I was completely overcome with emotion and was thankful that I was able to control myself enough not to start crying in sheer happiness. I bent and kissed her gently. Finally, I picked her up and carried her to bed, where I once again used my body to show her how much she meant to me; how much I loved her, adored her, and cherished her.