by Anna Heskin
Another fire call jolted me out of my mental funk. I ran out and joined the rest of the station. With Lieutenant Benjamin off work, I got in my truck and drove to the scene alone. The address the dispatcher gave sounded familiar. I pressed the accelerator harder when I realized the emergency was at Ali’s shop.
“Don’t be here, don’t be here,” I chanted as I saw the billowing black smoke from two blocks away. The fire engine was still a couple minutes behind me. I jumped out of my truck, glanced at the flames shooting off the roof, and nearly got tackled by an older woman.
“Someone. There,” she said in broken English, pointing toward the store.
“Someone’s in there?” I said.
“Yes,” she nodded.
I broke out in a cold sweat as nausea hit me. Could it be Ali in there?
As the commander, I rarely performed hands-on duties, so I didn’t have my protective gear. I grabbed the white helmet I did have in the truck.
I heard the engine sirens a block away. Should I wait for my unit to arrive and let them attempt a rescue? If I go in, I could die. If I don’t go in this very second, and Ali is in there, she could die.
Love won out. “Fuck it!” I shouted to bystanders as I kicked open the door and ran into the building with my shirt pulled over my face. The heat coming from the roof above was intense, and the smoke stung my eyes. I got about ten feet inside the dining area and couldn’t handle the heat anymore.
“Ali! Ali! Anyone in here?” I shouted. The bitter taste of smoke filled my mouth and my lungs protested the intrusion.
Goddammit, I might die. My crew should be in here any second. I don’t see anyone and can’t get deeper into the shop.
As I ran toward the exit, a piece of the roof fell into my shoulder, knocking me to the floor. I clung to consciousness as the soles of my feet felt like the shoes would melt.
“Chief! What the fuck?!” one of my men shouted as two of them pulled me to my feet. They helped me to the sidewalk where I stumbled to the ground, coughing.
“There might still be someone in there,” I choked out. I crawled a safe distance away and kept an eye on the roof as my unit checked out the premises. It wasn’t a big shop, so they should’ve been able to sweep it quickly.
A minute later, the first firefighter came out. “There’s nobody in there, sir. The smoke wasn’t too thick for us to check every room.”
The other firefighters stepped out, one of them with a cardboard cut-out of a woman under his arm. “Was this the person?” he joked.
“Shit, I wonder if that old lady glanced in the window and saw that shadow,” I muttered.
As my crew doused the fire, I regained my strength enough to resume my role as the commander. When they had things under control, I walked over to my truck to have a quiet moment to try calling Ali again.
My heart stopped when I saw Ali standing on the next block, watching her store burn to the ground. I didn’t know whether to hug her or go pummel her landlord.
7
Ali
A lump stuck in my throat as Derek approached. I had already bawled my eyes out at the sight of my beloved shop burning to the ground.
“Derek, look at you,” I said. “You’re covered in soot. What happened to you?”
“Don’t worry about me, Ali. You’re the one with the tragedy today.” He rushed up to me and took my breath away with a tight hug. “Oh, dear God, Ali. I thought you were in there.”
My breathing entered panic mode. “You ran in there? Because you thought I was in there?”
“Yes,” Derek said. “An old woman said she saw someone in there. I was first on the scene. You’re not dying on my watch.”
Tears formed in my eyes as I stared into his soul. At that moment, I did not doubt the man loved me. “I didn’t go in there today, like you asked.”
“Really?” Derek asked. “You didn’t return my calls or texts.”
A twinge of guilt ran through my gut. “I was pissed and needed time to cool off after you went all Mr. Fire Safety on me.”
“I would not let my woman work in an unsafe environment,” Derek said.
Once again, warmth washed over my body as he said I was his woman. “Derek, you were right about your concerns. I’m sorry I ignored your messages today.”
“Never doubt me,” Derek said.
His powerful words made me weak in the knees. “I won’t. I’m sorry.”
Derek embraced me hard once again. “I’m not losing you again, Ali. You’re not disappearing or dying in a fire.”
I detected a tear in the corner of his eye but that could’ve been irritation from the smoke. “Are you mad at me?” I asked.
“No,” Derek said.
I pointed at the wreckage where Derek and I had sex the night before. “Do you think it’ll take long to rebuild?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Derek said. “I recommend you lease a different space which isn’t owned by a negligent landlord.”
“Good idea,” I said. “I’d like to stay in this neighborhood. If I find something else, I can get back open sooner.”
Derek gave me the first smile I’d seen since our last orgasms together. “Hey, speaking of plans, can I take you on a proper date?”
My heart fluttered in my chest. “I’d love that.”
“I’m not off until Sunday,” Derek said.
“Any day is fine with me. I don’t have a shop to run for a while.”
“I need to rejoin my crew over there. Are you sure you’re okay now?” Derek asked.
“Yes. Call me later. I promise I’ll answer. Sorry again for thinking you were an asshole for calling the fire marshal.”
Derek glanced at the destruction, then back at me. His eyes told me he was right. I couldn’t argue. We exchanged a brief kiss before he returned to work.
Late that night, Derek called me as promised. “Hey,” I said. “I don’t know if I can wait several more days to see you.”
“Let’s take this easy at first,” Derek said. “You’ve hesitated twice this week already. I don’t want to scare you off.”
“I’m good now,” I said.
Derek chuckled. “Can you handle the schedule of a firefighter?”
“Of course,” I said. “I spent the last fifteen years without you. I can spare several 12-hour shifts per week.”
“See you on Sunday, Ali.”
“What are we doing for our first date?” I asked.
“Do you own hiking shoes?”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Umm. Yes?”
“Good. You’ll need comfy hiking clothes too.”
“I have those. But I’m not climbing mountains with you or anything. That’s more my sister’s jam.”
“We won’t be hiking far, I promise.”
“Okay. You know you have more fitness in your pinky toe than I have in my body.” I enjoyed several brisk walks and a couple easy yoga sessions per week but shuddered to think what the fire chief did to get his body.
“It won’t be any more strenuous than last night,” Derek said. A tingle jolted from my pussy and I longed to repeat our smoldering session.
“Ahh, last night. We sent that dump of a building out in style,” I joked. It felt good to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.
“Hey, random question,” Derek said. “Where is your father now?”
“He died five years ago.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Derek said. He sounded sincere, despite the fact my father was responsible for my disappearance, which tore apart the young Derek’s heart.
“We made our peace,” I said.
“Are you okay tonight?” Derek asked. “You’ve been through a rough day.”
“No, I’m all right. Thanks to you, I wasn’t in the building when it caught fire. Plus, you thought you might be saving my life by running in there. Thanks for that too.”
“Well, I couldn’t let my woman die as I stood outside.”
“I love it when you talk like I’m yours,” I said.
“Because you are.”
We spoke for a couple more hours that night, catching up on each other’s life. My hesitations about Derek melted with each passing minute.
The weekend ushered in gorgeous weather for our date. On Saturday, I enlisted the help of Rachel to buy active clothing.
I stared at the selection at the huge outfitter store. “Rach, how am I supposed to choose? You’re the outdoor junkie.”
“What are you doing with him tomorrow?”
“All I know is I need hiking shoes and comfy clothes. He said it won’t be strenuous.”
Rachel smiled. “Sounds like a sexy picnic or something.”
“That would be amazing,” I said. “What can I get here that would be considered sexy and blow his mind?”
“Sis, it sounds like you could wear a trash bag and give him a hard-on.”
I realized Derek’s cock was hard more often than not during the moments I’d shared with him so far. “You’re right, Rach.”
“Let’s find a nice short-sleeve top, and a long-sleeve layer you can put on if it gets chilly wherever he takes you.”
“I’d rather he take me to his bed and keep me warm with his body,” I said. My cheeks flushed pink with the memory of his cock pumping his cum deep inside me.
“I don’t need to know the sexual thoughts of my older sister,” Rachel teased with a grin.
That’s cool. Maybe she didn’t hear me with my vibrator the other night.
“Rachel, I hope you find a good man someday too.” At twenty-five, she was eight years behind me, plenty of time to rectify her single situation.
Rachel nudged me with her elbow. “If only I’d gone to church camp.”
8
Derek
The anticipation of the big date made me toss and turn Saturday night. I crawled out of bed early and loaded the gear in my truck. After a light breakfast, I drove to Ali’s house to pick her up.
“Good morning, stud.” Ali greeted me in the driveway, holding a giant thermos of coffee.
“Hey gorgeous,” I said. Ali’s curves looked delicious in her hiking pants and layered jacket.
“Do you drive this truck everywhere?”
“Yep. I am the chief.”
Ali threw her backpack behind the seat and climbed in. She rubbed her hand on my crotch. “What? You’re actually not hard right now.”
I laughed. “Haven’t you seen that boner pill commercial? If it’s been over four hours, seek medical attention? It’s not normal for a cock to be awake 24/7.”
“True,” Ali said. “I’d like to keep that thing healthy.”
“You’re waking it up,” I said, blood rushing to the area after her touch.
“Get out now,” Ali said in mock desperation. “Get us to our destination.”
Time seemed to crawl as I drove through the city and got onto northbound US 36. “I hope you love where we’re going,” I said.
“Where would that be?”
“A secluded park in the foothills northwest of Boulder,” I said. “I discovered a good picnic area a short hike from a trailhead.”
“Sounds lovely,” Ali said. Just looking over at her gorgeous smile, shiny hair, and sexy curves turned me on. I didn’t care too much where we spent time together.
I found the bumpy, rocky road that led to the trailhead. After putting the truck in four wheel drive, we made it to the small parking area. As I hoped would happen, ours was the only vehicle in the area.
After a half-hour hike, we arrived to the planned picnic spot overlooking a lush valley. Majestic peaks stretched toward the sky on the horizon.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Ali said.
“You’re beautiful.” I smiled as I retrieved our lunch from my pack.
“What did you bring for us?” Ali asked.
“You’ll see,” I said. After laying a blanket on the ground, I set the food containers down and opened them.
Ali scanned the lunch spread with a slight look of confusion. When the significance of the menu dawned on her, she lit up. “Wait a sec—this is all food we lived on at church camp, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I beamed. “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ants on a log, yogurt.”
“Where’d you find the yogurt in a tube? I didn’t know they still made it.”
“I had to make several calls. Found it at an ethnic grocery, of all places.”
“I love this,” Ali said as we dug in.
“I wanted to celebrate our beginnings,” I said. The sunlight glistening from Ali’s hair mesmerized me. She nearly sat in my lap as we ate our lunch.
After we finished eating, Ali laid back and stared at the blue sky. “I was nervous about having an outdoor date but I’m glad we did this. It’s gorgeous out here,” she said.
“I have another surprise,” I said.
“Oh yeah?”
“I need you to stay here while I get it ready.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just behind those trees, twenty yards away. Just lay there, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay.”
I took my pack behind the small grove of aspens for privacy. After five minutes of furious activity, I had everything set up.
“Take my hand,” I said to Ali when I returned to our picnic blanket. As we arrived to the spot, her eyes grew large.
“Is that—”
I nodded.
“You didn’t stop at just the church camp food.” Ali said, still staring at the tent I erected.
“That’s right,” I said. “This is the exact color and style of tent you and I first made love in.”
“Derek, I hope you’re taking me in there right now.” Her sexy eyes were dead serious.
“Yes. Right now.”
We unzipped the door and settled into the tent. Without the distraction of an icing bowl, our clothes came off in under a minute.
“Wow, that sunlight filtering through the roof brings back memories,” Ali said, her back on the ground.
“It’s my turn to look toward the sky,” I said. “I want you to ride me his time.”
We both needed to consume the other in the worst way. There was no time or need for much foreplay. I was already hard, and a quick check with my fingers confirmed she was dripping wet.
Ali raised up on one elbow and pushed me onto my back. She straddled me, her slippery pussy lips sliding along the length of my cock as she dragged her hips back and forth.
“Use that sexy body to show me how you feel,” I said.
Ali grabbed my pecs and squeezed hard. With a slight adjustment of her hips, the next time she slid across the end of my cock, she lined it up and let me slide into her, hands-free. A moan escaped both our throats at the same time.
I grabbed Ali’s full tits as she began to bounce up and down, sliding her tight pussy up and down my throbbing cock. A grin spread across her face. “Do you think you can last longer than our first time?”
“Doubtful,” I moaned. “There’s no condom in the way this time.” I could feel every inch of her tight, warm pussy—every slippery motion, every spasm in her walls.
“Sometimes, I’ll want you to come quickly. This is one of those times,” Ali said. She began to slide up and down as fast as her hips could move.
The sunlight disappeared, and every shape became a shadow as all my blood flowed to my midsection. Moments later, my cock swelled and began to unload into Ali. I buried my face in her tits as the involuntary spasms spread up to my abs, causing my upper half to raise off the floor. My toes curled as my cock relieved itself, one spurt at a time.
“That’s so hot,” Ali said. With my cock still throbbing inside her, I reached down and stroked her wet, swollen clit. Sweet moans escaped her throat as I rubbed her with abandon.
“I want to feel you come around my cock,” I said. Her fingernails dug into my sides as I got my wish. As her sweet pussy pulsed and squeezed my cock, it went from semi-flaccid back to hard. I thrust my hips upward, needin
g more stimulation.
“Are you fucking me again?” Ali asked as she came down from her orgasm. Unable to answer, I closed my eyes and moaned. A minute later, I was coming again, albeit a tad weaker than the first time.
“I didn’t know I could do that,” I said as I rubbed Ali’s thighs.
“What? Multiple orgasms?”
“Yeah.”
“Me neither. I mean, I knew women could,” Ali said.
“See what you do to me?”
Ali stretched out and cuddled me with her sexy curves. “You’ve proven several times you love this body. And it’s yours.”
Epilogue
Ali
Three years later
I set my wedding band in my apron pocket before sticking my hands in the dough. Derek and I got married in a small ceremony in the mountains. Secluded elevation wasn’t involved in my original ideas of a dream wedding but my time with Derek endeared me to the outdoors. It didn’t hurt that my younger sister claimed to be the queen of the hills.
An order of six dozen cinnamon rolls needed filled for a business lunch later in the day. I pulled an earlier batch out of the oven. “Would you like to help me ice them, sweetheart?”
“Yes, Mommy,” our sweet daughter Emily said.
“Okay. We need to wait a few more minutes for them to cool first.”
My original cupcake shop reopened at a new location. The area proved to be more lucrative than my original spot. On that morning, I worked on the cinnamon rolls because a trusted employee handled my store.
Derek didn’t begrudge the fact I couldn’t carry on his genes. He loved me for me. Last year, we expanded our family and adopted a precious two-year-old. She loved to help me in the kitchen. I allowed it, as long as my workload didn’t require my full attention.
“Em—I heard a truck outside.”
“Daddy!” she squealed.
I could hear Derek putting tools away in the garage. He quit his job with the fire department to spend more time with his family. A big insurance company paid him full-time money to be a part-time consultant, helping rural clients mitigate the risks of losing their property to wildfires.
“There are my two angels,” Derek said as he entered the kitchen. After giving Emily a hug and a peck on the cheek, he grabbed me and kissed me with authority. “I have great news,” he said.
