by L. B. Dunbar
“If any of it isn’t the right thing, we can get what you still need.”
“It’s…it’s perfect. Thank you so much.” She leaned forward and kissed me chastely on the cheek. She was hesitant, as Fleur had already caught us several times, including the very obvious kiss from yesterday.
She slid a box to me, and bit her lip nervously.
“It isn’t as great. I mean, you are Lansing Lotte. What do I give a superstar?” She laughed nervously.
I carefully opened the thin awkward box, slipping the item out one end. As I slowly unwrapped the tissue paper, I held a frame in my hands. It was a black square, filled with a collage of black and white images of the band. Of Arturo and I on stage. Of Tristan and I battling with guitar. Of Perk and I laughing. It was a blend of photos arranged in a way that it told a story: The Story of The Nights. I stared at it for a long time, a surge of memories taking over, and the room grew very silent.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I could feel Lila’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t look up at her. My own eyes grew liquidy and I had to blink several times to clear them. When I did look up, Lila was working her lip so hard I was afraid she would draw blood.
“It’s beautiful, Lila. How did you do it? Where did you get all these pictures?”
She laughed a little before answering, “The Internet.”
It broke the tension. We both looked over at Fleur, who was holding in her hands the princess nightgown costume I had given her and the plastic shoes to match. Her eyes were drooping and Lila said it was time for bed. I needed another minute to collect myself. Lila must have sensed that because she took care of Fleur without asking me for help.
We looked young in the pictures: Arturo with his longer waves, wet and wild. a dark shadow on his face at different times. Me, clean, and lean next to him. Tristan with his model good looks and sandy brown hair slicked back to curl at his neck. He’d ripped off his shirt in most cases, and his large dragon tattoo covering one side of him was exposed and hungry over his heart. Perk, with his shaved head and big body, eyes closed as he belted away at the drums. We were a unit. A band of brothers, like the soldiers would say. Like Shakespeare once said. We were more than a band; we were brothers. I realized for the first time in months, I missed them. Deeply.
Lila returned to the living room and sat in front of me on the floor.
“Was it too much? Or do you not like it?” she asked softly.
“I…I love it, Lila. Honest. It’s amazing.” I hoped she could tell from the sound of my voice that I meant it, and more. There was more to say to describe my emotions about the band, about the thoughtfulness of making the collage, but I didn’t have the words to describe it.
“I have something else for you,” I said sheepishly. I reached over and pulled another small garment box out from under the blanket Lila had wrapped around the base of the tree.
“Lansing. You’ve already done enough,” she giggled.
“Well, this is more a joint gift, really. For you. And me.”
She raised an eyebrow at me as she slowly unwrapped the holiday paper and immediately saw the label on the top. La Perla.
Her eyes opened wide as she removed the box top and unfolded the tissue paper. She slowly pulled out the silky material of a bright red nightie and the matching lace undies.
Her eyebrows rose again as she looked at me.
“Was it too much?” I said repeating her words, “Or do you not like it?” I laughed. I could tell by her smile she did like it. I was about to like it, too.
I leaned back on my hands, stretching out my legs as Lila stood holding the material in her hands. I expected her to go change and come back to me, so it surprised me when she pulled her sweater over her head.
“Lila?” I swallowed as her flat stomach was exposed, showing me her creamy white skin and a hint of hipbone. I had more than a hint seconds later when she slipped her leggings down and off. Standing in front of me in her black panties and bra were enough for me to be fully hard and aching in my jeans. She slipped the red nightie over her head and did some twist with her arms to remove the bra and slip it out the side. I didn’t get a peek at what was underneath, but I knew what was there. I had been dreaming of her in and out of that gift all day.
She stepped out of her black undies and slid on the lace ones, dragging them slowly up her sexy legs.
“Lila,” I groaned. I wanted to touch her but I didn’t want to ruin the show. I quickly folded up onto my knees, lunging for her, but she moved out of my grasp.
“Uh, uh, uhn…you next,” she said. She reached for her camera, which had been carefully laid under the tree and slapped on a new attachment. Within seconds, she was snapping images of me, blinding me with the flash.
“These better not make the Internet,” I laughed as I reach for her again, on my knees, but she outmaneuvered me. She continued to snap but the flash was off.
I stood and removed my own shirt, pulling the material from my waist slowly upward. I dragged the sweater over my head. When I looked up at her, she had frozen with the camera in mid-air. She wasn’t holding it to view and it appeared as if she was stuck raising it upward. I smiled slowly and she blinked. It was like she snapped out of her thoughts and she finished lifting the camera to her face.
“You are a fine specimen, Mr. Lotte,” she said, as the camera clicked.
“So are you,” I said, my voice suddenly sounding like I’d smoked a cigarette.
She took a step back as I took a step toward her. I unbuttoned the top button of my jeans and I heard her intake of breath before another click of the camera.
“No wonder all the ladies throw themselves at you,” she sighed, as she took another step back while I moved forward. I unzipped my pants and let them slide open. Lila slowly lowered the camera from her face for a moment, as she took in the dark hair and long length suddenly exposed. I wasn’t wearing underwear in anticipation of that moment. The moment when she hit the table with the back of her legs, she was trapped between it and me.
She attempted to take another shot of me, but I was too close and I was able to block her view with my hand over the lens. She tried to twist away from me and ended up with her back to me as she protected her camera.
“Put the camera down,” I demanded in a rough voice, I hardly recognized. Lila did as I told her and she stilled when she felt me press up against her, from behind. The hint of silk brushing against me in my open jeans set me free and I sprang forth to rest against her. It was slow torture to feel the soft, smooth material tickle my hardness. A torture I relished as her hips made the slightest press back and her ass met my pleasure.
“Lila,” I choked. “I have other plans for this table, as well.”
Her hands were braced to support her as she bent over the table, and I felt her shiver at my words. I slipped my hand around to her flat stomach and caressed the delicate fabric until I reached her breast. She moved forward, forcing herself into my hand. I felt how ready she was for me in the sharpness of her nipples.
“You want me. Like this, don’t you?”
Lila didn’t have to answer. I felt it in her body, which responded to mine as if we were one. Last night had been the single most amazing experience I’d ever had with a woman. I wanted to feel the sensation again. And again.
I slipped the material over her hip with my other hand and my fingers caressed through the lacy material of the undies, eventually dipping between her folds. She was drenched and I slid a finger easily in and out of her. She tipped her head back to rest on my shoulder as she arched her back, forcing her ass into me again. She was pure sensuality in the way she moved. I was trying to take my time to enjoy each sigh, each squirm, each shiver, but I couldn’t hold out.
I slipped the panties to the side, and slid myself into her. She moaned as she bent forward over the table, and I pushed inside her to the hilt. It was a different angle and I held still as I had the night before, letting her adjust to me. She was tight, very tight, and I loved the sensa
tion of her warmth wrapped around me. It occurred to me, too late, that I had again gone bare with her. I hadn’t been bare with anyone before that I could remember. I didn’t count Elaine and our one night, as I didn’t remember that night clearly. I was selfishly glad I didn’t remember, because nothing would compare to how I felt in that moment, in this woman, who moved her hips upward in a signal to take her.
I met her movements as I dragged myself to the edge. She thrust back to force me forward and we began again a rhythm like we had the night before. It was a bit more unrestrained, a bit wilder, but we again moved as if we knew where the other was going to go and we matched that movement. I was getting close, but I also wasn’t ready for it to be over. I wanted to see her. That look of pure fulfillment. Her mouth opened slightly, her eyes looked upward, and she made a noise from the back of her throat as she said my name, as if she wanted to scream but knew she couldn’t. Not with Fleur in the next room.
I felt her tense and I pulled out of her.
“No,” I heard her groan, as she leaned forward enough to rest her head on the tabletop.
“Have I made you greedy?” I laughed as I flipped her over. I lifted her to sit on the table. Pulling her legs open with enough force, I slipped into her without missing more than a minute of separation. I was damp from her as I slid inside again, and she moaned as she threw her head back. She rested on her hands, while I lifted her legs up over my hips.
“Lansing,” she said, in that way. I held her hips as I speared forward, thrusting while she thrashed in response. She again met me as I felt we sparred until she finally went still, gripped my hips in return and held onto me. I felt her milk me, clench around me. and her warmth flooded over me. I held her against me, as if I could not get deep enough inside her to feel the sensation, and I lost it myself. That time I didn’t pull out in a rush, but let myself pulse in her, while she continued to surround me. She felt limp in my hands and she lay forward against me.
“I’m not done,” I said, as she moaned and lay back on the table. “This is what I bought the table for. A feast.” I pulled out of her and met her center with my mouth. She jerked and then relaxed, as her body took over and gave into the pleasure again. She tasted like us, and I was gluttonous. I wasn’t ever going to be full enough from her.
I lay sprawled out on the table. My limbs limp as my arms spread to the sides. My legs dangled off the table. I understood where the nickname Lady Killer came from. I felt drained of all my blood. I could feel Lansing kissing my hipbones, rubbing his nose along the lines of me, and mumbling something about, “not enough.” I had never in my life experienced what he had just done to me. He took me and then went down on me. It shocked me that I let it happen. Lansing Lotte was an intense lover. He overwhelmed my senses. He overwhelmed my body. And he overwhelmed my heart.
His attention toward Fleur. His gifts to me. His overall kindness was too much. I didn’t know what to think of him. All I knew of rock stars was slowly melting away, getting washed out with my memories, and I wasn’t sure what to do about him. My mind had trouble reconciling with my body, that didn’t care who he was as long as he continued to make me feel like I felt now. Spent. Satisfied. Loved.
That was it. I felt loved. I felt worshiped. I felt honored. He had not taken from me, but given to me. He bought me the table, determined to have me on it. He bought me the nightie, assured that he would see me in it, and have his way with me. He bought me the coveted camera attachments that led to the playful position. I didn’t want to think for one minute he was buying me. I wanted to believe he was caring for me. At least for the moment.
He gently tugged me upward. I felt like a rag doll as he scooped me off the table, carrying me like a bride to my room. We sank down on my bed and the duvet folded over me as Lansing curled into me and slept.
Christmas Day passed in a lazy blur. My body was on a satiated high from the nights before. My intimate areas tingled with the remembrance of what Lansing and I had done, and how, and where. I smiled to myself, but I had a foreboding feeling that we were in a time bubble. Our few days of holiday celebration and seclusion were going to end soon, but I didn’t want to think about that. I knew that with the first of the year would come some changes for Lansing and the band. That meant he would be walking away from me. I tried not to focus on it in the early minutes of the holiday morning. The world seemed quiet for New York City. I wanted to breathe in the peace I felt for the time being.
I heard Fleur softly say my name, knowing I would hear her. I smiled thinking of my sweet girl. Christmas was for children and she epitomized the season with her enthusiasm. Lansing increased that excitement. He was like a big kid himself at moments, singing holiday songs and dancing with Fleur in the living room. I was getting ready to wake him as I thought of his childish nature when a hand slid down the silky material to rest on my hipbone. Immediately, I was reminiscent of the night before. The way he rubbed the material slowly up my thighs and over my stomach. It was as if he was massaging me with the soft fabric. I’d never be able to wear something silky alone without recalling the sensation of him teasing me with it.
I felt the material slowly rising, dragging torturously over my sensitive skin until his fingers brushed bareness. I tried to lie still, but my lower body had other plans and I pressed gently into his hardness behind my ass.
“Good morning,” he muttered into my hair, as his hand continued its travels over my side. He was headed for dangerous territory, and I needed to stop him before Fleur lost her patience.
“Good morning,” I giggled. “Time to get up.”
“Oh, I’m up, alright,” he mumbled again, and his fingers traced a trail directly to my waiting center. With the force of his fingers in my wet folds, he tugged me back against him and I sighed.
“We have to get out of bed,” I groaned, as he caressed me tenderly, working my dampness to a full on flood of moisture.
“We will. In five minutes. Just five more minutes.”
“You think that’s all it will take?” I giggled skeptically.
“I don’t even need that long,” he breathed against my ear.
“We don’t have time for this,” I said on a moan, as he played me with his talented fingers.
“We do,” he said, kissing my shoulder and rotating me to get at my mouth.
“We don’t,” I attempted as he took my lips with his.
It was crazy, my mind raced, as I knew that Fleur was waiting.
“Stop thinking,” he said against my lips.
I tried to relax, but I couldn’t get there.
“Lila,” he strained, “Please.”
I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do. He was the one with his hands on me, but we needed to let Fleur begin her Christmas.
“That’s it,” he said and he was between my legs with his. He slid inside me and the shock made me wince with pleasure.
“I have your attention now,” he said as he looked down at me, holding still inside me as he balanced on his elbows over me.
“You already had my attention,” I muttered.
“I didn’t, and I want it. All of it. All the time,” he said, as he slowly moved.
“We only have like three minutes.”
“That’s all I need…for now, that is.” His rhythm picked up quickly and my body traitorously responded in kind. He was moving rapidly, holding onto the edge of the mattress for leverage as he hammered into me. I was giving it back just as fast paced. I felt my pleasure hit me like a tidal wave. I washed over him as he spilled into me. He pulsed and I clenched as I felt his heart rate accelerate under the pressure.
“That was too fast,” he sighed against my neck, “but I had to have you, before I shared you the rest of the day.”
“Share me?” I questioned, pushing him off me to look at his eyes.
“I’ll always have to share you with Fleur. I don’t mind. But I want to have moments for just us, and right now I stole one.”
I didn’t know how to respond.
>
“We should probably talk about some birth control, though, before there is more than us,” he tried to sound light, changing the subject. But I knew the panic would be in him to have another child on the way, and that kind of situation would be something straight out of a soap opera. I wasn’t on the pill. What was the point when you weren’t having sex? It was an awkward time and position to have that conversation. I was saved when Fleur said my name a bit more adamantly.
“Time for Christmas,” Lansing said, pulling out of me rather quickly and looking around my room for something to wear.
“I might have left my pants out there.” He looked at me with mock horror and then burst out laughing. I wasn’t sure I saw the humor in that, or the fact that we’d just had a quickie resulting in a stressful one sided conversation. An old feeling was sinking into me and I literally shivered hoping to shake it off.
I slipped on yoga pants and traded out the nightie for a t-shirt in order to head for the living room and grab Lansing’s pants. I let Fleur finally escape her room and she ran for the tree, stopping short when she saw the doll and the stroller. She immediately jumped up and down with the baby in her hands, then placed it in the stroller and began pacing through the rather empty apartment.
“That’s it,” Lansing said with a laugh.
“That’s it,” I said, shrugging.
“Hmmm…I think I see something else for you from Santa.”
I looked at him, questioningly, as he tilted his head toward the tree. Standing before it, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when Lansing came up behind me and pointed into the branches about half way up the evergreen. With a shaky hand I reached for the square present under a large bow.
“What’s this?” I asked quietly. From behind me, he replied to open it and find out.
I unwrapped it slowly. I could feel nervous tension coming off of Lansing as he waited behind me, his chest brushing against my back.
Inside was a bangle bracelet with two charms hanging off the center. One moon. One star.
