A Winter Moon

by S. J. Smith

  “Dessert?” Anthony asked as we walked along Madison Avenue, my hand laced together with his. He looked at me hopefully and I smiled and shook my head.

  “I’m too full from dinner…but we can go back to my place and watch a movie?” I suggested, Anthony perked up and he nodded eagerly.

  “Yeah that sounds great. I promise not to put the moves on you,” he said and I laughed.

  “Okay, but if we end up having sex it’s my fault right?” I said and Anthony laughed.

  “Definitely, with a body like that it would be entirely your fault,” he said and I giggled.

  “You’re one to talk,” I said. Anthony grinned and struck a bodybuilder pose. I shoved at his shoulder and he continued laughing at me as we neared his car. Anthony had his driver pick us up in front of St. Patty’s to head back to my place. I realized, as we neared my building that Anthony hadn’t so much as kissed me yet. I wondered if he was that much of a gentleman. Or maybe he was just not that attracted to me.

  When we got out to head up to my condo, I noticed Anthony was less chatty than he usually was. I had already grown accustomed to his never-ending wit and funny observations. By the time we were standing outside of my front door I stopped before opening it and turned to lift an eyebrow at him.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. Anthony bit his lip. He seemed unsure and that was saying something because Anthony Rhodes was never unsure, he was one of the most confident guys out there. “If you changed your mind about coming in I understand…you don’t have to pretend or anything,” I said with a sigh and made to go inside on my own. Anthony grabbed my hand and he pulled me against him in one swift movement.

  I landed against his chest with a soft thud. He lowered his head and his lips met mine. They were soft and warm, and he kissed me slowly and tenderly, and I hadn’t been expecting it at all. Anthony did a good job of proving me wrong and throwing me off balance. His hands went from wrapped around my shoulders and waist to push into my hair and I slid my hands up to rest against his strong chest.

  Anthony broke the kiss and pulled back a fraction so he could look into my eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that all day…and I was hesitating to go inside because I know what will happen and I don’t know if you want it to or not.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at his expression.

  “Come in, Anthony,” I said and pulled him inside behind me. He shut the door and locked it, I barely had time to turn on the foyer light when he had me pressed against the front door, his lips sliding over mine. Anthony pushed my coat off of my shoulders and shrugged out of his coat and managed not to break our contact. Anthony then picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed my fingers into his silky hair.

  Anthony broke our kiss and asked, “Where can we go?”

  I pointed to the left and he went down the short hall to the living room. He sat down on the couch so that I straddled him. His hands immediately slid down to squeeze my ass in his hands, and his lips slid down to suck on my neck while I rocked impatiently against his erection that I could feel poking through his jeans. Anthony’s hands slid up underneath my sweater and I shivered when his fingers brushed my back. He unclasped my bra and then pulled both sweater and bra over my head and tossed them to the floor.

  Before I had time to react, his mouth was on my brown nipple and he had taken my breasts in his hands. I gave a soft moan when he pulled my nipple in between his teeth while he pinched and rolled the other in between his fingers. Anthony suddenly pulled away a fraction, so that he could pull of his sweater and undershirt. I was entirely distracted by the sight of his strong chest and arms.

  Anthony smiled, pleased that I was admiring his body. He tapped on my thigh, and my eyes snapped up to meet his. “We need to get naked now,” he said.

  I smirked and stood up so that he could all but tear his jeans, shoes, boxers, and socks off in that order. When he was completely naked my eyes drifted down to the impressive erection stretched towards his belly button. He was big, both thick and long. I wondered briefly how he played basketball or even walked with that.

  Anthony pulled me closer to him and undid my jeans while I kicked off my boots, then he pulled down my pants and panties all at once so I could step out of them. I climbed onto his lap once more and his fingers slid in between my folds to rub against my clitoris. My hands tightened their grip on his shoulders, and then his mouth met mine again. Anthony moved his tongue against mine and I got lost in the electric sensations he was making me feel.

  One second I was straddling him and kissing him, and the next I was pressed into the couch cushions and he was kneeling in between my legs, spreading them apart with his firm hands.

  My eyes met his wild blue ones and I saw an earnest tenderness there that I hadn’t expected. There he was throwing me all off balance yet again.

  *****

  Anthony

  Tiffany was giving me the sexiest look when I knelt down in between her legs. Then her delicious scent hit me and all I wanted was to make sure she felt good. My cock was throbbing, but I didn’t care, I wanted to see her lose herself and climax because of me. I held her legs open and lowered my head to her slick folds where I slid my tongue out against them and lapped up her sweet juices. Tiffany’s fingers tightened in my hair and she arched her back. I had access to more of her and slid my fingers into her wet core. I thrust them against her G-spot and she registered her pleasure with a loud, feminine moan. I flicked my tongue against her clit and swirled it around while continued to drive her crazy with my fingers.

  “Anthony…” Tiffany said my name pleadingly and the sound of the sigh in her voice made my cock jump. I needed inside of her or I was going to explode. I was so close to coming that I knew as soon as I pushed inside of her all it would take was a few pumps. I picked up the tempo of my fingers and Tiffany cried out as she started to tremble and shake, and then she was falling apart at the seams as her orgasm rocked through her.

  I watched as her eyes registered a bit of shock and then went liquid as the ecstasy crashed through her in wave after wave. I smiled and then pushed her down along the couch and positioned myself over her. With one leg on the couch and one leg off, I stretched one of her legs and rested it against my chest as I slid into her slowly. She was still clenching and so tight inside. I sank completely into her. She felt amazing, so snug and warm and perfect I had no words.

  I trailed kisses up and down her calf as I pumped into her slowly. I didn’t want it to end too soon. The frantic look in her eyes returned as we both rode higher towards orgasm.

  “Faster please Anthony,” she whispered and I didn’t need any more encouragement. I leaned forward a bit and pressed down on her lower belly before I picked up my pace and slid even deeper into her. Tiffany completely unraveled then; the room was filled with her desperate cries for me not to stop.

  And I didn’t stop until she was shaking with another orgasm underneath me and my own release was spurting into her. I grunted as I came, and my back bowed with the intensity of pleasure I felt.

  Somehow we ended up on the floor, she tucked securely against my chest, a few tremors still going through her as my cock twitched inside of her. I had to blink a few times so my vision could right itself, and take a few deep breaths. I had never experienced anything like that with anyone else. And there had been a lot women over my years in the league.

  I knew then that Tiffany was definitely the woman for me. Right then I thought I could be with her forever. What I had just experienced with her, I could get nowhere else. Tiffany looked up at me and I smiled down at her.

  “You’ve just ruined me woman,” I said and she giggled then pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

  “Good, then you’ll never be anywhere else,” she said and I hugged her tighter against me and we made out like a couple of teenagers.

  * * *

  We spent every day together until Tuesday, locked up in her apartment. Neither of us minded one bit. Come Wednesday though, we both had to get back
to work and reality. I honestly didn’t want to share her with the world yet. I had stopped by her condo after getting dressed at my place. She smiled when she opened the door and I had grown to recognize the smile as especially for me.

  “What are you doing back here? You should be getting ready for the game and at the arena already,” she said, pulling me inside. I bent down to give her a few kisses more than necessary.

  “I know, but I wanted to see you before the game just in case you were busy during,” she rolled her eyes at me and laughed.

  “You have to be focused on the game, not looking for me in the crowd okay? We’ll see each other after the game anyways,” she reminded me and I nodded before I kissed her again. We hadn’t left her foyer and I was content in keeping her in the cozy bubble we’ve just created for ourselves.

  “Fine, we’ll ride to the game together. Wait here while I get my bag,” she said and I of course followed her up to her bedroom. “I said to wait for a reason!” Tiffany said as I picked her up and went to plop her down on the bed.

  “We have time, we have time…the game doesn’t start for another two hours,” I said and lowered my mouth to her neck. We made love.

  *****

  Tiffany

  The last couple of weeks have been spent with Anthony and little else. We were infatuated with each other. I loved spending time with him and he hardly allowed much time to go by without our being together. The news of our relationship could hardly be kept a secret because of that, and soon it was all over the tabloids: Anthony Rhodes was dating the New York Reds PR director Tiffany Lincoln.

  Meanwhile, a big game was coming up for the Reds. It would guarantee whether they made it into the playoffs or not.

  Anthony was uncharacteristically nervous about the game and he had been spending more and more time at practice. I didn’t mind though because it afforded me time to get actual work done and to take care of myself a little. I had just come home from the gym and jogged up to my bathroom for a shower. I had run out of body wash and reached into the cabinet under the sink to grab the extra. My hand brushed against the pink cardboard box of tampons, I paused and then pulled the box out from under the sink as well.

  “When was the last time I had my period…?” I said to myself. I counted back the weeks and double counted. I was two weeks late.

  My veins infused with ice and my heart sped up before I dropped what I was holding onto the vanity counter and bolted out to get a home pregnancy test. I jogged to the nearest drug store and stood in the feminine care aisle for what felt like hours staring at an array of pregnancy tests I could take.

  “How late are you?” The voice startled me out of my daze and I turned to see a little motherly old lady standing next to me with a cart full of stuff to stock shelves. She wore a blue vest and a name tag that read ‘Nancy’. Her white hair was pulled into a bun and her brown eyes seemed kind.

  “About two weeks,” I said and she grabbed a pink box and handed it to me. Then reached for another one.

  “Just to be sure darling. Good luck,” she said before she continued on down the aisle. I didn’t even get to thank her before she disappeared around the corner. I went to pay for the pregnancy tests and then hurried back to my place. There was a game in about an hour and Anthony really wanted me there since they’d be playing their rival Miami again, and we had met at a Miami game. He’d know something was up if I was late, and he had the uncanny ability to see right through me if I told even a white lie. I went back to the bathroom and read the instructions on the back of the box and googled how to take as accurate a home pregnancy test as possible. I went back downstairs to get a disposable plastic cup and then went to do my business. After I had a decent enough sample I dipped the two differing pregnancy tests into the cup and then set them down at the edge of the sink before I got rid of the cup.

  To try and calm my nerves, I took a shower and went to get dressed for the game before the timer went off for me to check them. My heart literally stopped beating in my chest for two whole seconds. Both tested positive. The room kind of started to spin around me and I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do next. I was…I was pregnant. With Anthony’s baby no less. How was I going to tell him? What would he think? Negative thoughts started coming. What if he thought I did it on purpose, that I wanted to trap him into a relationship or something? I paced around the bathroom and started to freak out a little bit.

  Then my phone rang and I lifted my hand and saw it was Anthony. I answered on the third ring and I could hear sounds of the arena in the background.

  “Hey baby, did you get in yet?” he asked and I had to clear my throat before responding.

  “Uh no my workout ran a little over and I’m just about to leave my place now,” I said. Someone in the background called Anthony’s name.

  “Okay baby, I gotta go, but I’ll see you when you get here,” he said and I nodded before the line went dead. What was I thinking? Tell Anthony? He had his career to worry about, he was two games away from the biggest of his career that season. I couldn’t throw him off balance by telling him that I was pregnant.

  I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and then I cleaned up the bathroom before I went to the arena to watch Anthony play.

  *****

  Anthony

  I had just left Tiffany’s place and she seemed a bit weird. She’d been acting strange ever since the Miami game and I wondered if it was because I was spending more time practicing and training. She kept assuring me that I was fine and urging me to focus on the game more, but I knew something was up. I had to nearly beg her to come to tonight’s game. Yeah it was important that we win, but I wanted her there for when we did win. When we had a moment alone later, I would put my foot down and ask what was wrong.

  I pushed worry about Tiffany to the side as I got to the arena and focused on the game. I hurried and changed into uniform and then went out onto the court to do pre-game warm ups and stretches and exercises. I noticed Tiffany get to her seat right behind mine on the bench and flashed her a smile. She gave me a weak one in return and I was about to go and see if she was okay when the coach called the team off the court. Tip-off was about to start. I kept my eyes on her and she mouthed at me to focus and gave me two thumbs up. I relaxed a little when she started acting like herself and I focused on what the coach was saying.

  “Anthony, you’re gonna be in and out of the game every quarter, stay hydrated, guys this is just another W we’re gonna get, don’t let anything get to your heads…” the coach gave his pep talk and then the other team was being announced onto the court. After the National Anthem was sung I jogged out onto the court with the other four starters and soon the ball was tipped. I boxed out my defender and caught the ball. The crowd cheered, reaching new deafening levels and I tuned them out to focus on the court.

  The first half of the game was good. We kept up the pace and moved the ball constantly I was always open for making a bucket. By the time half time came around we were twelve points up in the game.

  “We gotta keep the momentum going, don’t lose your heads now boys!” Dawson was keyed up and shouting nonsense as he paced around the locker room at half time. “We’re doing great guys, don’t take those easy shots for granted and only shoot for threes if you know you’re going to get them. That’s how we get behind is trying to show off. Keep up the pace; they’re ten steps behind us and we want to keep them that way.”

  The guys were all pumped up for the second half and we had a good comradery walking back out onto the court after half time.

  Before half time was over I got to give Tiffany a kiss and she whispered in my ear, “Good luck baby,” before I was yelled at to keep my head in the game. The second half of the game was a bit tough as the other team got it together and matched our pace. They were slowly, but steadily closing the lead as their defense worked overtime. I had to beg the coach to put me in the game so I could help the team keep a decent lead.

  It was the fourth quarter and th
ere was only a minute left on the clock which was entirely too much time. The other team was only down by five points. All they needed was a three and to get fouled and we’d either go into overtime or depending on where they picked up the foul they could win by a point in free throws. Everyone was looking to me to further our lead, but I wasn’t feeling my three point shot that night.

  “Come on Anthony, shoot the three!” Dawson passed me the ball and I shook my opponent and created space for myself to shoot, I stepped behind the three-point line and let the ball go. It felt as if the entire arena quieted until we heard the swoosh of the ball passing through the net. The crowd went wild, but we still had a whole thirty seconds to keep playing. The other team called time out and our coach put the rookie Rogers in the game.

  The other team had possession of the ball, but just as they were passing it to their point guard Rogers stole the ball and powered it down the court, I ran alongside him, happy as hell and he tossed the ball up for an alley-oop. I dunked it into the net just as the final buzzer went off. The crowd went nuts. We had secured our spot in the playoffs. I hugged Rogers tight and the team ran onto the court as we celebrated. Just as everyone ran away from the bench though I had an unhindered sight to Tiffany. She was holding a bottle of water and dropped it just as her legs gave out and she passed out and fell to the floor.

  “Tiffany!” I yelled over the crowd. A few of the guys registered the horror on my face. I didn’t know what to think.

  “Oh shit, go get her man!” A few of the guys who noticed ran over with me and a couple of the medics on the court moved us out of the way so they could examine her.

  “We gotta get her to the hospital, she has a pulse, it just seems like she fainted,” they were saying and I stood and watched while an ambulance stretcher was brought out and Tiffany was loaded onto it. Her eyes were still closed and her chest was only moving a little.