Autumn and Summer

by Danielle Allen

  “I do want you. So bad,” I admitted, my voice wavering.

  “I don’t just mean this,” he corrected as he continued stretching me out. Immediately, we moaned in unison. With each inch, he filled me, and the unadulterated pleasure my body felt weakened me.

  Once he was completely in, he held himself still. I clenched my muscles, the wet heat clamping down around him. He sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth. “You feel even better than I imagined,” he said hoarsely.

  Knowing that he imagined being inside me caused me to tremble. Grabbing my hair from the root, he started moving, slowly at first. He’d pull almost all the way out, before slamming into me again. The ache deep inside of me became unbearable as his strokes became less controlled. The sound of skin slapping together reverberated through the air as he increased his pace.

  My breathing became more labored and ragged as he pounded into me, and I gripped the railing so hard that my knuckles turned white. I stiffened against him, my back arching, my muscles tensing, and my body shaking. He climaxed immediately after I did. I was having difficulty catching my breath from having the most intense orgasm I'd ever had.

  Gasping, I woke up with a start. My comforter and sheet were pushed off of the bed. A thin coat of sweat covered my face and my body was on fire.

  “Oh shit,” I mumbled as I looked around the room.

  What was that? I wondered, even though I knew full well that it was the most vivid wet dream I’d ever had in my life. I just need to get laid. That’s it.

  Not knowing what to make of it, I took a cold shower and then grumbled my way through my conversation with Autumn over coffee. My mood only slightly improved when Autumn described my lunch companion as a musician. I could do a musician, I thought as I quickly dressed in jeans and a ruffled black top.

  Running late, I dashed out of the house and drove to a popular bar, right outside of DC called Phoenix Rising. When I got out of the car, I looked around realizing that only two other cars were in the parking lot. Across the street, there was an outdoor mall that I’d never been to before.

  I wonder if they have any camera stores in there, I thought, craning my neck to see if I could read the name of the shopping center as I walked toward the entrance of the bar. After the week I’ve had, I should treat myself to a new toy. And if this date is a bust, the mall will make it so it wasn’t a waste of gas!

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door quickly and looked around. The bar was simple, but modern. A man behind the counter was wiping down glasses and putting them away. A woman was walking into a back room talking about deliveries, and the only other person was standing near the stage. When I let the door go and it slammed behind me, he turned around.

  “Summer?” he questioned in a gritty voice that made my sex-deprived body react. He was a few inches taller than me, tanned, and sexy. His shoulder-length black hair was pulled into a ponytail. He wore a white shirt with the first few buttons unbuttoned, which would look lame on anyone else, but he was pulling it off. Or maybe the hint of a tattoo that peeked out when his shirt moved was just sexy as hell.

  “Jared Leto?” I asked, walking to meet him halfway.

  He laughed lightly. It was husky and sounded almost musical. “Not quite, but close. I’m Ethan Hill.” Extending his hand, he continued, “And you’re Autumn’s friend, Summer.”

  “Yes, I am.” I shook his hand firmly and smiled. Nice job Autumn, I thought as I got a close up look at Ethan. He was slim with lean muscle and a big smile. Very nice job.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Did you want to eat first or did you want to play?”

  My brows furrowed in confusion. “Play? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The best way for you to get to know me is for me to show you what it is I like to do and teach you.” He lifted his eyebrows and repeated, “So what do you want to do first—eat or play?”

  This could be fun. Or reckless. Either way, this could be exactly what I need to clear my head, I thought as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited patiently for a response.

  “Let’s play,” I announced decidedly.

  “Good choice,” he said as he turned and headed back to the stage. “Follow me.”

  I checked out the bar as I followed closely behind him.

  “Sit here,” he commanded, pointing to one of two stools.

  “We’ve known each other for two minutes and you’re already trying to boss me around? Clearly, you have no idea who you’re messing with,” I called to him as he walked backstage. I sat on the stool and looked around. The man and woman I saw a couple of minutes ago were nowhere to be found.

  Coming back from behind the curtain with two guitars, he responded, “Even though you are sitting exactly where I told you to…” He winked flirtatiously. “You don’t look like the type of girl who can be bossed around.”

  My jaw dropped. “I will end this date right now,” I laughed.

  He chuckled, “I believe you. Autumn said you were tough.”

  I nodded in agreement. “And don’t you forget it!”

  He handed me a guitar and then pulled his stool right next to me. I inhaled and smiled. He smelled good—like fresh laundry. This is good, I thought. It doesn’t overwhelm my senses or make my heart beat out of my chest. Ethan just smells good. Safe. Completely unlike—

  “How do you know Autumn?” I asked, interrupting my traitorous thoughts. With one arm resting on the guitar, I ran my finger along the length of it and looked over at Ethan.

  “She developed a marketing campaign for me a couple of years ago. I needed to get this place to make money so I could focus on my true love—making music. And her marketing skills paid off. I was her first client, I think. She’s good. I liked that she was my age and blazing her own path.”

  Swelling with pride, I nodded. “Yeah, she’s awesome.”

  “How do you know Autumn?”

  “We were in the same kindergarten class. Within the first couple of weeks, we were learning about seasons and once the teacher pointed out that our names were both seasons, we became best friends.” Laughing, I added, “We formed a club that no one else could join unless they were named Spring or Winter.”

  He laughed, “Cute.”

  Very, I thought as he strummed the guitar.

  Once he found a chord that he liked, Ethan started singing about the four seasons. His voice was sexy. The grittiness had a melodic undertone that surprised me.

  “Wow, didn’t see that coming. Nice voice,” I complimented him. “Sing something else!”

  “Later. Right now, I’m going to teach you the chords I just played.”

  “I don’t have the musical capability to play an instrument,” I protested, laying the guitar on my lap.

  “When was the last time you tried?”

  “Seventh grade. Band tryouts. Mr. Peters pulled me aside and told me I was musically challenged and to try my hand at cheerleading instead.”

  “He sounds like a dick. But I could definitely see you as a cheerleader,” he said with a wink.

  I rolled my eyes. “He was definitely a dick, but he was right. I wasn’t very good. I did find out what I was good at though. Instead of cheering, I joined yearbook club and started taking pictures for them. I fell in love with it and eventually made it my career.”

  Grabbing the neck of the guitar and rotating it, he said, “Well, I’m not Mr. Peters and I want to see what you’ve got.”

  “I’m sure you do,” I said pointedly with an arched eyebrow, causing him to laugh. “Okay, what do I need to do?”

  Taking me through a quick lesson, I learned to pluck two chords. An hour and a half after I arrived, I was playing my two chords in time with his more intricate strumming. Listening to Ethan sing while we played was hypnotic. By the end, I knew all of the lyrics to “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon.

  Putting the guitar down, I said, “That was pretty awesome.”

  “So don’t let the Mr. Peters of the world
tell you that you can’t rock,” Ethan said, picking up both guitars and taking them backstage again.

  I feel a whole hell of a lot better than I did earlier, I thought, getting up from the stool. I can definitely understand how musicians get so much ass. I’m thinking about throwing myself at him just from the sound of his voice alone. And the fact that I’m clearly suffering from extreme horniness and then had a date with someone so sexy, that’s a win-win. Ethan is exactly what I needed to fix my mood.

  “And to think, I was going to walk out on this date because you were so bossy,” I teased playfully as I stretched. Raising my arms up high and standing on the tips of my toes, I inadvertently groaned loudly as my back cracked.

  Ethan walked from behind the curtain and I watched his eyes immediately zero in on the exposed skin of my stomach where my shirt was lifted. Instead of putting my arms back down, I took my hair out of the ponytail and shook it out. His eyes scanned my body as I continued fingering my hair. I could see the lust in his eyes and I smiled—I could tell he wanted me. I was turning him on and I liked it.

  “So are you ready to eat?” I asked softly, walking down the few steps off the stage. I looked over my shoulder and I caught him checking out my ass. I smiled to myself and just kept walking to the bar. He trailed behind me the entire way and I could feel his eyes on me.

  Climbing onto a barstool, I swiveled around to face him. “Are you ready to eat?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as he stopped right in front of me.

  “What do you have in mind?” Ethan’s voice dropped an octave. The huskiness vibrated through me.

  “You tell me.” I slowly blinked at him as I held his gaze.

  Reaching his hands out, Ethan’s fingertips grazed the skin on my arms. The roughness of his fingertips and the gentleness of his touch made everything from the waist down clench tightly.

  Leaning forward, Ethan’s lips hovered over mine. “How would you feel if I told you I want you for lunch?”

  “Try it and we’ll see.”

  He wrapped his hands into my hair and pulled my face so that our lips were almost touching. His breath tickled my face as we inhaled and exhaled in time with one another.

  Our eyes were locked and I waited to see what he would do. He tugged my hair back causing our lips to meet momentarily. A little noise escaped me and he took that as permission to suck my bottom lip into his mouth. I was surprised at how good it felt. We both hesitated, sizing each other up while in close proximity before our lips crashed into one another.

  Lifting me off of the barstool, he secured my legs around his waist and maneuvered to one of the couches in the back of the bar. Turning, he dropped down and I landed hard on top of him. Adjusting my legs to straddle him, I slowly rocked back and forth across his lap. Rotating my hips seductively, I started to feel like I would spontaneously combust. I needed a release. My body craved it.

  Feeling his hardness underneath me, I was spurred on. He leaned up and bit at my hard nipples. Running his teeth over the cotton of my shirt, I felt the heat from his mouth so precisely; it was as if his mouth was directly on my nipple. Each nibble had a direct line to every nerve ending in my body. My panties were soaked.

  Ethan grabbed my hips and forced me down harder against him. He looked up at me as he rocked my hips on him. The lust turned his brown eyes an even darker shade of brown. His ragged breathing let me know he was desperate to feel my wetness.

  I leaned down to kiss him and pulled away at the last second, teasing him. He groaned.

  I hovered over his mouth and licked my lips. My tongue just barely touched his lip before I backed away again.

  “Kiss me,” he grunted, thrusting his hips upward—hard.

  “Make me,” I countered softly. My voice was barely audible, but he heard me clearly.

  Grabbing my hair, Ethan forced my lips to his. Tangling my fingers in his hair, I moaned into his mouth as his hands explored my body. His fingertips stroked me like an instrument he was dying to play. Under my shirt, his fingers inched their way up my spine slowly and my mind was completely focused on where his fingers were going next. That is, until suddenly everything faded away and all I could see were clear blue eyes looking back at me.

  I opened my eyes mid kiss to try to shake the mental image.

  Closing my eyes again, I saw those same blue eyes but this time I could see more of him. I saw his perfect face with stubble lining his chiseled jaw. I saw his full lips and perfect white teeth. His tall, muscular frame with broad shoulders made my heart start pounding in my chest. He was sex personified.

  My eyes flew open and I focused on Ethan’s eyelids and long lashes.

  My eyes fluttered shut and I saw his full lips kissing all over my body. I saw his large hands cupping my ass and my breasts. I moaned as I imagined pressing myself on top of him, riding him.

  Xavier, I thought abruptly. My eyes flew open and I realized that while I was making out with Ethan, I was fantasizing about Xavier.

  Alarmed, I pulled away from the kiss.

  “Where are you going?” Ethan asked, leaning up to reach my mouth with his again.

  “Home,” I answered, pushing off of his lap. Fixing my top, I walked over to the bar and grabbed my bag.

  Ethan was still sitting on the couch, his eyes wide as he adjusted himself. “You’re going home? Now?”

  “Yes. Thank you for the music lesson.”

  “You’re seriously leaving?” He stood up and followed me to the door.

  “Yes,” I said, opening the front door of the bar. I turned and waited for him to catch up with me. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I smiled. “Today was nice.”

  “I agree.” Ethan ran his hand down the back of my head and gave me a sexy smile. “Are you sure you have to run off?”

  “Yes.”

  “But things were just getting started.” He licked his lips suggestively as he pulled me close.

  Looking into his eyes, I simply replied, “No.”

  The light dimmed in his eyes a bit and I could see the disappointment in his face. “Well, I hope we can get together again sometime.”

  I kissed him chastely on his cheek. “I’m sure we’ll cross paths again soon.”

  “I’m not used to this.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Usually I’m the one that leaves them wanting more.”

  I winked and then walked across the parking lot. I could feel Ethan watching me and this time I felt dirty. Once I got in my car, I let out a deep breath.

  Before walking back into the bar, he waved and I waved back. The door closed behind him and I punched my fist against the steering wheel.

  “Dammit,” I muttered under my breath as I drove home. “Perfect. This is just perfect.”

  **********

  Chapter 12: Autumn

  This is perfect, I thought as I pulled a provocative summer dress out of my closet. The green and gold pattern was pretty but the deep V-neck was extremely sexy. This dress will definitely leave the right impression.

  I hung the dress on the door frame and then searched for my gold sandals. My phone started ringing and I barely heard it over the slow jams I was playing to get me in the mood.

  I’m finally going to meet Boris, I squealed in my head as I danced toward the phone. Seeing ‘Boris’ flash across the screen fanned the flames of a happy warmth inside me.

  “Hi!” I answered the phone as I took a seat on the edge of my bed. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “Is it too soon for me to tell you that I think about you all the time?” Boris responded smoothly.

  I put my hand over my belly as a flurry of butterflies erupted from within. “You are such a sweet talker,” I bubbled happily. “I can’t wait to finally see you work your charm in person. And thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.”

  He let out a short breath and in that hesitation, everything stilled.

  “Autumn,” he started, making me feel uneasy. “I have some bad news about tonight.”

  “What�
��s that?” I asked slowly, tucking my leg underneath me. I didn’t want to jump to conclusion but I could feel the heavy cloud of disappointment hovering over me already.

  “Someone in management dropped the ball and I have to be here to fix their mistake. So I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to reschedule our date tonight,” Boris apologized.

  The complete and utter letdown I felt was instantaneous, preventing me from speaking.

  “Autumn?” Boris called gently. “Are you still there?”

  Clearing my throat, I responded, “Yeah, I’m still here.”

  We were both quiet for a second before he spoke again. “From the bottom of my heart, I apologize. Getting to know you this week has been great and I don’t want to mess anything up between us.”

  I could hear the sincerity in every word and it almost made the situation worse. Forcing my voice to sound normal, but failing, I said, “I’m disappointed, but I get it. I know how important your work is to you.”

  “Listen, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since I heard your voice and asked you out on a date. I will make this up to you.”

  Lying back on the bed, I propped my head up on my pillow. “Okay,” I said despondently. “I guess I should go then.”

  It’s less than three hours before our date and all of a sudden, he calls it off. He said he’s been meticulously planning our date all week, and I’ve been thinking about this date nonstop since our very first conversation. And now it’s off. Maybe he got cold feet about meeting me, I thought warily. Maybe it was going too well. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up so high about this one.

  “Autumn Rochelle Jones.”

  “Yes?” A small smile played at my lips. He remembered my middle name, I noted silently as I recalled that I had only told him my middle name once and it was on the second night we spoke on the phone. We were talking about a bunch of random things until two o’clock in the morning, and we were both falling asleep on the phone when I mentioned it.

  “I want to meet you. I want to tell you my real name. I want to see the smile I hear in your voice. I want to see your face light up when we talk about our favorite books. I want to see your face when we disagree over movies. I want to see your face,” Boris professed.