I PREFER YOU

Hannibal pulled his lover into his arms and lowered his sleek head to hers. He was gentle, tentative at first, exploring her mouth with his. Occasionally, he captured her lip with his teeth and tugged gently, before returning to the tender caress of his lips on hers.

For her part, Clarice was shocked by the tenderness of the contact, so soft and gentle. Hannibal moved his tongue across her lips, lingering at the separation, pressing and probing but not entering. Realizing he was not leading, but was instead waiting for her permission, she allowed her lips to part and welcomed his entrance.

Hannibal's hand traveled to her throat, his fingers widely spanning her neck, his thumb supporting her chin, stroking very softly. Skimming his fingertips along her jawline he memorized her bone structure as he cupped her face with his right hand. His left hand traveled over the curves of her body, memorizing the slopes and planes of her frame, riding the high arch of her hip before settling comfortably at the small of her back.

"May I draw you closer to me, Clarice? I've long imagined the sensation and wish to feel how your body fits against mine."

She whispered her assent in his ear, the heat of her breath warming his skin as he gathered her tightly to him. The moment their bodies came together, his muscles flexing as he pressed her form to his, he released a deep hum of satisfaction. Enfolded within his embrace, their bodies comfortably clasped as he swayed with her, again, committing to memory the sensations as his body pressed against hers. Realizing he was aroused, a gasp escaped Clarice's lips.

"It is just as I imagined. We fit quite well, don't you agree, Clarice. It's as if you were made for me, and I you."

"Um-hum, perfect…you're perfect," she purred against his cheek, capturing the meat of his earlobe, gently grinding the flesh between her teeth.

A deep rumble rolled in Hannibal's throat as he repeated her name, grasping her hips, pulling her to him as he groaned his need for her, "Clarice…my Clarice…"

Overwhelmed by her own desire, Clarice's knees weakened at the sound of his rising passion. Feeling the dip, Hannibal pulled her even more tightly to him.

"Feeling faint, my Love? You have that effect on me as well. I am heartened to find you equally stimulated."

She spoke quietly against his cheek, her voice a whisper, "You're so much more than I expected…"

His voice low, he avowed, "You are everything to me, Clarice. You are All."

Years of imagining, waiting, hungry, starved, she grasped for his head and pulled him close pressing his lips tighter to hers.

Hannibal's tongue stroked gently within her mouth, exploring, teasing, dancing, swirling his around hers. His passion was building but not wanting to frighten or offend, he did not give in to his forceful nature. He understood that Clarice Starling was not submissive and any attempt by Hannibal to press his dominance, would be met with equal dominance. Not that he found the prospect displeasing. In fact, quite the opposite, still, he kept his aggression in check. She was not a woman to manhandle. And though he believed she might enjoy a more vigorous approach, he would not make that assumption or act upon it without her prior consent. She was finding her way in all of this and he would allow her that time. Clarice was his love, and he would not misuse her body or in any way abuse her trust.

"You are so soft, Clarice…so very soft and so lovely. I cannot tell you how long I've envisioned this moment. Shall I be bold and wonder aloud if you've rested in the dark in this very room, imagining that your hand was my own as you closed your eyes to thoughts of me?"

Be bold, Clarice…tell him. Tell him and ask him.

"Yes, I've thought of you…of your hands…your body. Did you think of me, too? Of me…touching you…late at night?"

Remembering long nights more than satisfied to have thoughts of Clarice as his only company, he nipped and tugged at her lips with his teeth, biting gently enough to swell, but not to draw blood. He placed kisses along her jawline and spoke his words even as he mouthed hungrily at her throat.

"Have I thought of your hands, your body on mine? Yes, Clarice…late at night…every night."

Clarice slipped her hands around his neck, gently stroking his hair as she conceded.

"Not every night, Doctor Lecter, you've had lots of lovers, I know."

Hannibal lowered his head, kissing her shoulder, nipping playfully as he considered the impressive musculature of her anterior trapezius muscle. He spoke softly as he placed love bites from the cap of her shoulder up the firm ridge of muscle. His voice rumbled against her ear, vibrating low.

"Every night, Clarice. I want you to know I have taken no one to my bed since that night on the Chesapeake and while it's true, I've had many sexual partners, you are my first lover."

His hunger for her overtaking his patience, Hannibal dragged his teeth along her neck, biting far more aggressively than had been his intention causing her to flinch. Concerned, Hannibal checked the site. No blood, but there was a small welt rising. He kissed the area repeatedly.

"Have I hurt you?"

"Yeah, but in a good way. Don't stop."

Surprised at the pleasure she derived from that brief twinge of pain, Clarice lifted her chin to further expose her throat. She released the slightest whimper as his canine teeth continued to etch thin red lines across her alabaster skin.

Hannibal clutched at her throat, biting gently into her flesh, sucking lightly, livid marks generated by the attention as Hannibal Lecter marked his lover as his own.

"You are mine, Clarice. Now, everyone will see you have a lover who finds you delicious."

Clarice clamped her mouth on his throat just above the neckline of his collar, bit down and sucked hard. Holding the pressure steadily, she mouthed at his flesh, raising a deep purple welt as her lover growled his approval. Drawing back to admire the marking, she proudly pronounced, "Now, you're mine, too."

"I've been yours, Clarice, but I'm happy you're now willing to accept me."

Long years of celibacy and their own pent up need for one another crashed around them, driving their heart rates like drumheads as they struggled to express their desire with no more than one lover's lips upon the other.

Clarice, emboldened by her partner's lust, ran her hands up and down his leg from his hips to his thighs teasing the flesh with her fingernails. She tantalized him by rubbing the heels of her palms just outside his groin, pleased at the control he conceded as a soft groan escaped his throat.

He clutched at her body, reaching around her hips to grip her buttocks. He lifted her off the ground and dove with her into the large chair, covering her body with his own as he pulled her legs over his hips and pressed his weight against her.

"Can you feel my need of you, Clarice?"

"Yes…yes, I can feel…all of you."

Hannibal's breath quickened, his heart raced as he kissed her deeply. To Clarice, it seemed so idyllic, then, suddenly and without warning Hannibal lifted his face and pulled back. He was positioned between her legs, poised on his knees in front of her. Seeking closeness, he rested his head on her chest listening to her heart pound against the wall of her ribcage. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the beat of his own heart, manipulating his until their heartbeats aligned, waiting until both returned to a normal rhythm. Hannibal slowed his respirations, waiting this way for several minutes until he forced himself to pull away from her, stood and stepped back from the chair.

Hannibal turned his back to Clarice, his hands firmly clasped behind his back. He would need his mind to be clear, it was by necessity he maintained his distance in order to assert this point.

"Clarice, you have a decision to make and I need to be clear. I want you now, more than I want to draw my next breath but if after tonight you have no intention of sharing your bed with me, I must take my leave of you now. There are limits to my self-control when it comes to you and I have definitely exceeded my capacity in that regard. I want to be with you not only tonight, each and every night hereafter. If you want to be with me as well, I shall stay. If not, you must tell me to go. Now. You alone must decide."

Shocked at the sudden loss of his body, her mind clouded with passion, her lips still swollen, tingling from his touch, she sought his eyes, needing his clarity.

"If I tell you to go, what will you do then?"

He did not turn, nor did he pause as he spoke dispassionately, "I will disappear from your life and it is doubtful we will see each other again. Too much has passed between us, Clarice. I would not be able to trust myself as a gentleman if we did. It is up to you my Love. I will honor your decision either way."

Clarice stood from the chair and approached Hannibal from behind, slipping her hands under his arms, smoothing them continually across his chest. Feeling the increase in his heart rate, the muscle pounding against his ribs, she rested her cheek on the center of his back, listening to the rhythm of his heart and deepened sound of his breathing.

She spoke her heart, "I want you to stay with me. I need you to stay with me."

"Clarice, not just tonight? Always?"

"Always…"

His shoulders lowered, his ribs collapsing with his deep sigh of relief, he turned within her embrace and scooped Clarice up in his arms.

She smiled as he hefted her against him, his arms and this position, so familiar.

"It's nicer to be carried without a bullet in my body."

Hannibal smiled as he carried her to the bed, placing her gently on her side, "Yes. I prefer the absence of carnivorous boars circling my feet as well."

He deftly placed a knee onto the bed, lifted himself over her and took his place beside her. Removing his shoes, he did the same for Clarice placing tender kisses on the tops of her feet.

"As I have told you before, you have very shapely feet my Love."

Stretching his body, allowing Clarice room to cuddle against him, Hannibal Lecter wrapped his arms around her and pulled his love to him. Enjoying their bodies aligned, he rested quietly, wanting to slow the process. She placed her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his voice rolling within his body as he spoke.

"I want to be the first and last man you ever make love with, as you will be the first and only woman I make love with."

First man…? How could he know?

Jealous of the women in his past, she challenged his assertion, "What do you mean, the first woman you make love to? There's no end to the women crawling out from under rocks to discuss your lovemaking prowess. Or are the tabloids, websites, Internet blogs and endless interviews all the figment of deluded and desperate imaginations?"

Hannibal chuckled at the hint of envy in his lover's voice.

"Possessive already, Clarice? No matter, I am possessive of you as well. And yes, I have seen and heard the accounts and they have been, for the most, part accurate. Barney has teased me to no end about it. Some women are not as modest as you, Clarice. I stand by my statement. I have had sex with many, many women but I most certainly never made love to a single one of them. Sex and lovemaking have little in common. Sex has been, for me at least, recreational and honestly also something of an experiment."

"What do you mean by that? What kind of an experiment?"

"Simply that I enjoy the company of women and to that end, I have made an effort to learn how to physically please them. I can infer from the accounts that I have had some modest success in that area. For my part the physical release was all I have sought. You however are quite dangerous for me, Clarice."

Thinking Hannibal was inferring she might turn him in, she defended vociferously, "I am not!"

He pulled her tightly to him as he explained his meaning.

"Yes you are. With you, I find that I am emotionally out of balance in your presence and that loss of equilibrium makes me vulnerable. I cannot stop the utter onslaught of feelings, the tides of emotions that overwhelm me when you are near. I have had no experience with this level of intensity and therefore have no way to judge whether or not I am prepared for the combination of physical and emotional stimuli. It may, quite frankly, overwhelm me and I find that prospect both exciting and worrisome."

"What do you mean exciting and worrisome?"

"Emotions can be untidy things; my ability to detach has allowed me to elude those entanglements. With you, I cannot detach. For the first time in my life I have absolutely no control over those emotions and as such, I will not be able to avoid those feelings. I am curious to see whether or not this fledgling experience will consume me. As I said, you are the only person on this earth who has the ability to overwhelm and overpower me Clarice. I wonder? Am I equal to the task?"

Clarice pulled her body on top of Hannibal's. As the weight of her body pressed against his she could feel that he was obviously stimulated. In this position, he could not hide his physical response to her. She grinded her hips against his, playfully illustrating her awareness of his hyper-stimulated state.

"If this is any indicator, I'm sure you are more than equal to the task."

Smoothing his hands over her back, settling on her bottom her gripped gently, shifting his hips to one side, denying direct contact.

"My apologies my Love, but a man cannot control certain autonomic responses."

Clarice scooted back over him, not allowing him to shield his arousal from her. She locked eyes with Hannibal his maroon irises seemed to spin around his pupil's like lava emptying into a deep black pool.

"I don't remember asking you to control anything, actually, the opposite is true. Before we…well, I'd like ask you a question about all of the other women? Would you answer, even if it's a little personal?"

"I don't mind if it's personal, but I won't name the women, it would be too indelicate. After all, a gentleman does not kiss and tell."

As he finished the sentence she patted her hand on his chest.

"That's it exactly, it was reported that you never kissed any of them. Is that true?"

Expecting something far more salacious, curious, Hannibal tilted his head at a slight angle and questioned, "Why do you ask?"

Kissing the tip of his nose before responding, she answered, "I was curious. You seem to enjoy kissing and you're very, very good at it. I wondered why you would refrain from something you enjoyed for so long."

Before responding, Hannibal lifted his head and captured her lips, lingering. He answered the moment his lips left hers.

"I enjoy kissing you, Clarice because I am in love with you. It isn't something I have shared with casual sexual encounters, as it is far more than a physical expression of affection. More a joining of souls…a melding of the minds, so to speak and as such it is much more intimate than it seems on the surface."

Clarice was less than confident. She had not had a relationship in years and never one of this intensity. Whether it was directly or indirectly Dr. Lecter had seen to that. There were constant jokes that if you took Clarice to dinner, Hannibal would have you for dessert. Needless to say no one asked.

"Yeah, I guess…men haven't exactly been beating down my door, so…"

Seeing her upset Hannibal's lips interrupted her melancholy.

"Until you, I had not found a woman I desired on that level, but I do desire you, Clarice."

Hannibal bent to her lips again and Clarice acquiesced. She sighed and the soft gentle sound drove Hannibal from her lips to search for the soft skin on her neck and up to her ear.

Hannibal whispered, his voice husky and raw, "I promise, Clarice, if you allow me this I will be the most attentive lover you have ever had."

"That won't be difficult." She answered sarcastically.

The edge to her response caught his attention.

"Do you doubt my sincerity or my ability, Clarice?"

Smoothing her fingers across his clavicle she lowered her head, and spoke softly, "I'm sorry. It isn't that at all, it's just that I'm nervous. That was uncalled for but…this is really embarrassing."

Embarrassed? Hannibal was initially confused but processed her reaction quickly. He lifted himself, leaning on his elbow to better she her expression as he questioned.

"Clarice? Forgive me for being so indelicate. As I stated earlier I do have my suspicions, but I would like to hear it from you. Exactly how many men have you taken to your bed?"

Self-conscious, she hedged, "Do you mean this particular bed?"

Hannibal gripped the cap of her shoulder with his left hand and squeezed gently, rubbing his thumb continually over the curve in an effort to calm, and comfort.

"Do not toy with me, you know precisely what I am asking you. Am I your first lover Clarice Starling?"

Burying her face against his chest to avoid the burn of his eyes, she spoke against his body.

"Yes. Yes… you are."

Hannibal kissed the top of her head. He purposely maintained a softened quality to his tone to lessen her anxiety.

"Don't be concerned, Clarice. I had suspected as much."

Her face still pressed against his body she questioned, "How?"

"Barney works at the hospital where you were taken after our encounter. You refused to be tested for rape."

Wondering why he would have made the leap, she responded quickly, "That doesn't prove a thing. I knew you wouldn't rape me."

Hannibal leaned away from Clarice and reached for her chin, lifting her face to his that their eyes might meet. His maroon orbs glowed like blood-red rubies. She couldn't take her eyes off them.

"Of course I wouldn't but they didn't know it, Clarice. You could have stopped a great deal of conjecture had you submitted yourself for testing. It was more important in your eyes to protect the knowledge of your chastity than it was to stop any of the innuendo involved with a possible sexual relationship between us."

She attempted to lower her head, but his grip on her chin held her face fast to his. She shifted her eyes, his gaze too intense. Upset, agitated, she argued, "I don't care what they think. I don't have to prove a damned thing to anyone."

Hannibal released her and rolled away, resting on his side with his back to Clarice. "You're correct. You don't have a thing to prove, least of all to me."

She reached for his shoulder and pulled him to face her.

"Please look at me. I need to know if you're angry with me that I'm still…still a …"

Virgin! What the hell is wrong with me? I'm so mortified I can't even say it!

"Virgin, Clarice. Why do you choke on it so? It isn't profane. Why would that upset me?"

"I don't know. It just seemed like as soon as I confirmed it, you didn't want me anymore."

"Is that what you're thinking? That isn't it at all! I simply don't want to benefit from your vulnerability. It isn't a ring, Clarice. I can't give it back to you if you change your mind."

"I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions. You don't have to patronize me."

Hannibal raised his voice slightly. "I'm not patronizing you!"

There was a flash not of anger but of frustration in Hannibal's crimson eyes and Clarice was taken aback momentarily. Hannibal saw her flinch and reached to hold her. He whispered softly into her ear.

"You don't understand me, please, Clarice, I'm not upset that you…waited. I would have expected no less of you. You are a warrior. You would never succumb to the petty dalliances of lesser men and I would like to think you were waiting for me. Trust me when I say that I would be honored, so very honored but if I am to have you tonight, Clarice, if we are to share this together, understand that it must be the first of many nights. I am far too territorial for it to be any different. I will not share you. You have to be certain that I am the man you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Clarice placed her head on his chest once more. His heartbeat, so strong, so steady, comforted her.

"I'm sure, more sure than I've ever been because I was waiting for you. From our very first moments together all those years ago, you were imprisoned but I was captive. It is you. It has always been you."

Hannibal kissed the top of her head then rolled her from his body, facing her.

"It was much the same for me, Clarice. You have haunted my dreams…you are the only woman I have ever truly desired…now…your decision... Yes or no, Clarice?"

"Yes…Yes."

Hannibal reached for her waist, released the button on her jeans and lowered the zipper. He raised himself onto his knees and tugged gently as Clarice raised her hips to allow him easement. Slipping his hands over her hips, sliding them between her skin and the garment he smoothly guided the fabric down her legs and bending each, coaxed them from the jeans. Placing the clothing to the side, he kissed her knees and gently lowered each leg to the bed.

Next, her blouse, as Hannibal released the fabric and placed tender kisses on the exposed flesh. Opening the garment he slipped her arms out, kissing her collarbone and neck, teasing alternately with tiny bites. His lips at her pulse point confirmed to him the heightening of her heart rate.

Hannibal sat back on the bed and leaned against the headboard, still fully clothed, he granted himself a moment to admire her body, but, Clarice, in her undergarments alone, looked away.

Reaching for her chin, Hannibal redirected her eyes to his.

"Please, stay with me, Clarice. There is no shame in this."

Her eyes remained lowered.

"I'm not ashamed…I'm…"

"Are you feeling vulnerable, my Love? There is no need. You have nothing to hide from me. You have nothing to fear. Look in to my eyes and you will see only my love for you. Never turn from that."

Hannibal slipped his hands around her back and removed her bra. His heart raced as her breasts gently bobbed free, peaking from the chilly night air blowing in from the open window.

"You are magnificent, Clarice. You rival Venus."

"You've seen it before, Doctor."

"In a clinical setting, yes, but as your surgeon I would never allow myself the luxury of lingering over your form. I assure you, as you suspected I did not linger and though it was more difficult than I can tell you, I was a consummate professional. However, I will spend this entire night lingering over every luscious inch of your body, I assure you."

Hannibal loved foreplay as the teasing aspect sated his sadistic side in a socially acceptable way. Coaxing women to the cliffs of their ecstasy and drawing them back stalling the attainment of it? That was delicious to him. He whispered his warm breath across her stomach and trailed his tongue across her hypersensitive skin.

Clarice reached for his shoulders and pulled Hannibal to her.

"I want to feel you, on top of me."

"You are far too petite, Clarice. It may be uncomfortable."

"I can handle it."

"Yes, of that I am certain."

Hannibal wanted nothing more than to oblige her every want. He lay his body over hers, planking with his elbows so as not to weigh too heavily on her small frame. He began to kiss her neck, trailing down her breasts, reaching her stomach tracing his tongue along her abdomen, drawing with his moisture the outline of her toned physique.

He slipped his hands beneath her undergarment and dragged them slowly down the length of her legs gently lifting each knee as he moved the fabric. Hannibal traced a finger along her leg as he liberated her from the last bit material preserving her modesty. Demurely she turned her legs over, closing them to him.

Hannibal was touched by this shyness and not wanting to overwhelm her began to place tender kisses along her abdomen. He reached up, rolling his palms over the peaks of her breasts, his body afire from the heat of her flesh. She moaned softly and arched her back to further his touch.

"More, Clarice?"

Breathless, she whispered. "Yes...more."

Hannibal continued to move downward. Clarice's face flushed when she realized he would not stop at her abdomen. He traced his hands lower and slipped his right hand between her legs, lifting and gently separating them. A deep sharp inhalation and her breathing caught in her throat. She didn't notice the trapped inhalation. Hannibal did and it made him burn for her.

His hand drifted below, his mouth following, searching her tender flesh. He could hear the exhalation easing from her body as she acquiesced to his touch. Hannibal lapped gently at her skin, making it wet and slick to his touch all the while, his fingers rolled over her, searching her pleasure.

Clarice shifted against his hand, allowing access to him that would have shocked her only moments prior. His gentle but insistent probing caused Clarice's breathing to shallow and quicken.

As her passion built, Clarice clawed for Hannibal's shoulders. Her sensitivity caused her ecstasy to peak too fast. Hannibal wanted her arousal to build slowly so that her orgasm would be stronger. He moved from the heat of the flesh between her legs and nipped at the soft skin on the inside of her thigh.

Clarice moaned her disapproval. She reached for his shoulders. "Don't stop now…please…more."

"You would like more of what, my Love? Be specific. I need to learn what pleases you."

"Your mouth…again…please."

"My pleasure, you are delicious. Is this your first experience with this kind of intimacy, Clarice?"

"It's… my first… everything…please…please…Doctor…no talking…not now."

"As you wish," Hannibal cocked his head to the side and smiled shamelessly as he ran his tongue across his lips still moist from his attention to her. "…I live to serve."

As he lowered his head Clarice captured it in her hands, running her fingers through his hair, raking and stroking it.

Aware that Clarice was now comfortable, Hannibal allowed slightly more of his aggressive nature to show through. Reaching for her knees, he separated them forcefully, though not painfully so, further exposing her to him. He breathed deeply gathering her scent then, with the speed and agility of a lion capturing its prey moved to again claim her with his mouth.

Clarice gripped fistfuls of the bed linens, and writhing to his touch, sighed her approval. Hannibal aggressively returned to that which had driven her arousal. She sighed in pleasure as his teeth nipped at his target, teasing at the flesh, now swollen with desire.

Hannibal was equally aroused and began to hum his pleasure within her as his mouth sought her release, the warm and deep vocal tones of his passion vibrated across her skin, heightening the pleasure for both.

Clarice squirmed under his touch, the airy sounds of her satisfaction encouraged his efforts as his lips and tongue moved over her body tasting her, drinking her.

Seeing to better his position, Hannibal rose up onto his knees as if praying and slipped his hands under Clarice's body. He lifted her hips and pulled her until the small of her back settled on his thighs. All the while nipping and teasing at the tender flesh between her legs, covering her as he mouthed hungrily at the most sensitive parts of her body.

Clarice lifted her hips to meet him, soft sounds of pleasure gently flowing from her as he gripped her bottom, holding her close to his face. Pausing a moment, he inhaled deeply, his chest expanding, his nostrils flaring to gather her scent.

"You're luscious, Clarice. So open to me, your scent is so lovely…"

He allowed his voice to trail off as he rubbed his cheek along her thigh, inhaling.

"It's not l'air du temp, if you're curious."

"Not your perfume, Clarice, your personal scent. Your arousal, like my own is thick in the air. As the scents blend, the combination is dizzying and your taste is…irresistible."

He lowered his head once more and stroked his tongue in long, gentle sweeping motions, tasting.

Her body tightened, her hips bucked reflexively from the sensitivity he created as his tongue passed continually over her hypersensitive flesh. He lifted his face, encouraging her passion as he clutched at her thighs, biting the soft muscles of her inner thigh.

"Relax, enjoy, my Love. Sing to me."

Listening intently to the patterns of her breathing as she sang her passion to him in soothing sighs and gentle moans, he made a mental note of the areas where he judged she was the most responsive to his touch. Hannibal lowered his head and coaxed her to her ecstasy. Before long he could feel those attentions overwhelm Clarice.

Hannibal's arousal was equally evident to Clarice as he pressed himself against her body. Wanting to maximize her pleasure, he reached for her breasts, the peaks tightening from his touch. Hannibal slowly increased the pressure as he pinched and rolled the stiffened tips.

"Pain and pleasure, Clarice, yes? You feel my tenderness, but you long for that sting, that edge. You are a warrior, you want it all, don't you, Clarice. Pleasure and pain, you hunger for both? You want everything from me, as much as I long for the same from you."

She writhed against his body, hers tensing, shifting to his touch, his taste.

She gasped, "Yes…yes…"

Clarice was breathless, overwhelmed by the flood of pleasure, the waves of passion tumbled over her, sending her body trembling, shaking, quivering against his. She reached for his body, her hand on his chest she could feel his heart pound.

He clutched at her flesh, barely containing his own want, his need evident as he held her tightly to him and rode out the undulating waves of her rapture.

Holding her, slowing his movements as her euphoria subsided, he gently kissed the insides of her thighs, allowing her orgasm to wane. Hannibal slipped her legs over his shoulders and lowered them gently onto the bed. He rested his head on her stomach and listened to her respirations.

She looked down and stroked his hair, sighing with contentment. She pulled him up to face her.

"That was…wonderful," she gushed.

Smiling widely, Hannibal assured, "Trust me, my Love, it gets better."

Hannibal kissed her tenderly then rose to sit at the edge of the bed. Clarice watched as he removed his shirt, reaching up, trailing her fingers through the greying hair on his chest.

When he reached for his belt, she stopped him.

"No, it's my turn to please you."

"You have already pleased me to no end, Clarice."

Smiling, she reached around him and unbuckled his belt pulling it through the loops and tossing it onto the chair across the room.

Hannibal stood up from the bed and Clarice sat on the edge in front of him.

"Clarice?"

"No questions…my turn."

She reached for his trousers slowly drawing the zipper down as she tugged slightly forward, careful not to catch his erection in the teeth of the zipper. Standing from the bed, she opened the clasp of his slacks and slid the fabric over his hips, bending low to allow him to step out of the garment. Tossing his trousers to the side, she paused before reaching for his boxers.

"You're the expert. Is there anything I should know? This is all new to me."

"Only that I was not born in this country, Clarice and as such I am uncircumcised. I hope that it does not put you off. Some women prefer a cut man."

Clarice reached for his silk boxers, barely containing him and, no longer embarrassed by their intimacy slipped the silken fabric down his leg, releasing him. Boldly, she regarded his body, running her hands up and down his chest, to his stomach, brushing her fingers down the length of him. She grasped his body and smiled.

"I prefer you."

Until the next chapter, my friends!
LH