For K., with the foolish, eternal hope that our paths cross again one of these days...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come with me."

He reached out to her. She placed her fingers in his
open palm. He wrapped his around hers, looking
intently into her eyes before she quickly lowered her
head. He reached out, brushed her hair behind her
ear, and gently lifted her chin. She tentatively
glanced at him before losing her nerve and looking
down again.

"It's OK. Follow me."

She smiled at hearing his voice. It renewed her...
calmed her. She looked up, and let him guide her
across the floor to the base of the stairs. Her
willingness to follow was total, and it surprised her.
The sensation of surrender was exhilarating. Her
anticipation was palpable to both of them: they could
both taste it in the cool evening air.

They continued up the wooden steps, turning into a
generous room just beyond the end of the staircase.
He led her to within a few feet of the oak and wrought
iron bed that occupied the center of the floor.

"There. Now stand still for me. Oh, and close your
eyes, too..."

She smiled again. They were not orders that he gave
her: just gentle, quiet requests, with which she
eagerly complied. Just as her lids closed over her
eyes, she noticed the pleased look of expectation on
his face. She could feel the same expression on her
own lips and cheeks.

She took a long, slow, breath. Her lungs were
refreshed by the crisp air. Having deprived herself
of her vision at his request, she became keenly aware
of her other senses. The polished floor was cool
beneath her bare feet. Her hands hung to her sides,
but he still had hold of her fingers. He was close
enough that she could hear him exhale, and feel it on
the back of her neck. He withdrew his hand, and she
felt him move away. In an instant, she was no longer
aware of the light through her eyelids. She strained
to hear more. Could she really sensing the beating of
his heart? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on
her in the still, invisible darkness?

The touch of his hands on her shoulders startled her
briefly, but before a full second had elapsed, she
calmed again as his fingers slid down her arms. He
wrapped both of her hands in his, pressing himself
close behind her, and placed a small kiss at the base
of her neck. A low murmur escaped from her lips.

His fingertips gradually found their way back up her
arms, but his lips remained at her nape. The warmth
of his breath contrasted with the cool evening air.
His fingers found their way back to her shoulders, to
the collar of her soft cotton dress.

He was meticulous as he undressed her. She felt the
evening air against her newly exposed skin as he
unhooked each button. She waited with rapt
anticipation for him to discover that she wore nothing
beneath her soft flowery dress.

The dress fell from her waist, and landed in a soft
mound at her feet. She could feel his approving gaze,
and imagined what his expression must be as he studied
her nude form. Her eyes burned, longing to see open
his face, and yet she managed to keep her lids closed.
Her blood was coursing.

Finally, after an eternity, he took her hand. "Come
with me," he murmured again. He led her a few steps
to the bed. She stumbled and giggled a bit as she
clambored blindly on to the mattress. She knelt
beside him, as he held her hands, kissing her fingers.
He continued to caress her delicate hands as he slid
slightly away. She tried to inch toward him until he
whispered "no, stay there." She stopped, still
kneeling on the bed. She was suddenly aware of the
the cool draft between her slightly spread legs, and
of the dampness between them.

She felt the mattress give as he stood, still holding
her hands. She leaned and stretched, not letting go,
as he moved around the corner of the bed. He stopped
just opposite her, on the other side of the foot board.
She leaned as far forward as she could reach, longing
not to let go, resting her forearms on the polished
oak.

He resumed kissing and caressing her fingers, slowly
stroking them in her hands, and brushing his lips
against their tips, until she felt him withdrawing
from her reach. Could he be sinking? Almost
disappointed, she lowered herself to her elbows and
reached through the bars until she found his hand
again. She could feel the sly smile on her lips as
she once again found his touch.

In an instant, the stillness of the evening was
interrupted by the sound of metal on metal. The icy
steel closed around her wrists. She drew a sudden
breath. The cool air pierced her lungs, and felt as
though it would rend her in two. Her mind and body
reeled, and her thighs smoldered... "You look
wonderful." She had no reply.

"You can open your eyes now, if you like." He had
disrobed quickly, and was now sitting beside her. She
rested on her elbows, her face buried in the mattress,
her knees still parted, and her ass in the air. He
traced his fingers up and down her spine, from her
neck to her ass and back again. Gradually, almost
imperceptibly, she opened her eyes. For the first
time she saw the lit candles encircling the bed, and
the cuffs that bound her to it. She could make no
sound. His touch was a torch on her back. Her body
hungered for more.

He brushed the hair off her shoulder, exposing more of
her impatient flesh. He leaned down to her, pressing
his lips to her skin. He pressed his face against her
neck, tasting her skin, inhaling her scent. He toyed
with her earlobe between his teeth, listening to her
soft gasps. His mouth made its way along her body,
down her shoulder, to the side of her breast, then
back to her spine. She glanced over her shoulder to
see him watching her. Their eyes locked, but he did
not withdraw his lips from her warm, tender skin.
Half a moan escaped from her mouth.

His lips and tongue trailed down her body... Over her
hips... Down her firm, round ass... Along the back
and inside of her thigh...

"Tell me what you want" he whispered between the
gentle embraces of his lips against her. She closed
her eyes again, tightly, struggling to regain control
of her desires. "It's OK," he said again. "Just tell
me...."

He slid the fingers of one hand between her legs,
while his mouth lingered at her ass and upper thigh.
"Is this what you want?" Her cunt was hot and wet
beneath his hand. A glancing touch to her engorged
clit brought forth a tremor, accompanied by a deep
moan. "Is this what you want?" he asked again.
Finally, she responded: "yes...."

She strained against the handcuffs as his fingertips
danced with her swollen clit, slipping back and forth
between the lips of her pussy. It was as though he
was aware of her every sensation, her every thought.
Her body gave way to his touch... Until he stopped.
"No...." she whispered. "Please...."

"It's OK. I won't be long." His withdrawal seemed to
last forever. She glanced over her shoulder again,
her eyes pleading. She watched as he lay on his back
and began to slide between her legs. "Oh, yes...."
She instinctively opened herself, spreading her legs,
allowing him complete freedom.

The first touch of his tongue to her cunt was a bolt
of lightening. He wrapped his hands around her ass,
pulling her body down to him. He pressed his tongue
inside her, then quickly found her desperate clit.

In seconds, her body was bucking as she rode his
tongue. He sucked her into his mouth, raking his
teeth against her sensitive flesh. Her lust had taken
full control of her body as she anxiously fucked his
firm tongue. "Please don't stop... Please...."

The sensations finally overtook her, cascading through
her body, filling her. She was powerless. Her face,
cheeks stained by tears of passion, fell again to the
bed. Her thighs, coated by her sweet dampness,
shuddered as he withdrew from her.

She was unaware that he left the bed until she felt
her release from the steel cuffs. Finally free, she
didn't want to move. In a moment, he was back with
her on the bed. She turned, burying her face against
him now, grasping for him...