Some fluff for a friend… (Ok some serious plot first…then the fluff)

XX

"Stop it with the showing off…" Lavinia's Aussie twang wheezed as she struggled down the path around campus. The morning's two miles carried them around the JAG School walkway and the UVA law school courtyard. At 6am it was humid but mild. The early sun giving glints and shadows beneath the branches of the trees.

The beauty of the setting lost on Lavinia.

"Can I help it if you're pants at running." Matthew taunted as he jogged backwards while chatting face to face. He had already passed the PT test for the course and he now saw it as his responsibility to train his partner in Advocacy Week to her equally successful pass. The first two attempts had not gone well. She needed to improve her time by well over two minutes and they still had to conquer the sit ups and push-ups.

"Not helping." But a smile crossed her face. Lavinia well knew that Matthew's heart lay elsewhere. It was written all over his lovelorn face every time he could not meet Mary as they were in serious prep for trial. His face would frown. Deeply frown. A wallowing, squishy faced frown that made her laugh despite herself. His pissy face, unfortunately for her, made him even more endearing.

"I can make it in the time." Tears of sweat streaming her face.

"That's not good enough, keep running." And he jerked his head back to show her the end of the walkway he had designated as the halfway point. "I'm going to stand there, you go around again, and as soon as you pass me take a deep breath and run harder."

So Lavinia did as advised. She passed Matthew and had run harder than ever, he fell in beside her to pace her to the end.

He spoke, not even winded, "We could do another mile, but today we have the campus march with bulletproof vests and backpacks so…." The patronizing tone wa unmistakable. "So we'll stop as I don't want to completely put you in hospital."

Lavinia groaned and drew out her water bottle.

"Wanker…" Lavinia muttered under her breath as Matthew playfully commanded. "Come on then. Keep up!" And he turned and picked up the pace a bit.

"How are your boots?" He asked a bit later as they jogged side by side cooling down in the last few minutes of the run. "Breaking in a new pair is crap and causes you to lose pacing and fall behind."

His concern sounded so genuine. But still definitely of the big brother variety. And of the perverted perfectionist who hated marching out of step and not keeping an even interval between the squaddies marching.

Once she assured him her boots would hold up during the forced march, they joined several other JAG officers out running the walkway and discussed the standards of conduct and Freedom of Information Act lectures that day.

Matthew was glad of all the distractions.

The coursework kept his mind busy. Off the fears the future held. The deployment was now two weeks closer and he found himself more and more on edge. John's words of experience on that deck back in Brooklyn gave Matthew pause. A glimpse into his future. Of course John was an infantry sergeant and in the thick of it while Matthew still persisted in the probable lie that he would spend his enlistment in some backwater office, pushing legal briefs, and dealing in governmental doublethink and red tape.

Did he want anything else? Did he really want action? A life in the cross hairs of war? A part of him, he had to acknowledge, was curious. Would he measure up under fire? Could he aid Britain's efforts in Op Herrick in Afghanistan?

That seemed the most likely scenario for him as Operational Law had been one of his specialties at Oxford and Colonel Bailey hinted to him very recently in a private word after class that he would be recommending Matthew for Intelligence work as his quick mind bespoke an ability to quickly assess a situation and his diplomatic skills in handling his fellow class members made him a stand out candidate.

Matthew was both astonished by the apparent honor and humbled by his colonel's trust, but also wary about such a secondment and hence cagey in his acceptance.

He'd wait for the official assignment. "Never volunteer," his grizzled drill master at Sandhurst had said, "wait until they fucking order you."

He caught back up with Lavinia and Colin for Criminal Admin class after taking a quick shower and a change into his uniform at the flat. The all were to meet again that coming Saturday afternoon to review once the case files they were assigned. Mary was in New York on her advertisement gig and he was alone. So the activity of planning the court case was welcome.

In fact for the past week and most of the next week, Mary and Matthew realized they would not be able to meet at all. Both were too busy.

For Matthew, the entire week after returning from New York City had centered on their case prep. This week they had completed the assigned guilty plea. The following week, the contested trial. It was the heart of the JAG course and took up all of Matthew's time and attention.

The guilty plea, lengthier in a US Army court-martial rather than a state or federal court as they all learned as exchange students, had been worded and edited to conform to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Given their case involved sexual assault, a guilty plea did not mean lighter punishment. Guilty of aggravated assault even as a first offense could mean dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay. The codes of Army Regs were detailed and their wording in case documents required careful scrutiny.

In class his group's plea was heard and accepted. They had all received high marks. So that left only the contested trial. That would take up the following week. After that the JAG course load lightened as they would be more in the field on trips and doing physical training.

The contested trial included simulations with Senior Defense Counsels and the Chief of Justice. Exacting standards of litigation and knowledge of military law were required. Their trial involved a soldier marked AWOL and discourteous upon capture by the MPs while intoxicated and on the premises of an illegal gambling establishment.

So here they were in the library ironing out the details of their case.

"If we argue that it was the intoxication that caused the insubordination, maybe the punishment could be reduced to time served?" Lavinia offered as they laid out several options on the library table.

Colin snorted. "The punishment was getting caught in the first place. He deserves whatever he gets."

"What kind of shyster lawyer are you anyway?" Lavinia rolled her eyes. She had no patience with Colin anymore.

"The kind that will retire early to my vacation home in the Caymans from all the guilty clients I'll get off." And he hung back against his chair.

Lavinia, disgusted, turned to Matthew. He usually was the peacemaker between them.

But he was far away in thought. And she knew where. She left him alone.

Matthew's eyes were closed. He knew he wasn't being much help at the moment, but they had worked twelve hours the previous day and then the PT run. He just needed a few minutes to regroup.

He liked his fellow squad members. He had learned to tolerate Colin both as a flatmate and a classmate. Lavinia turned out to have an excellently trained legal mind, better than he at discerning the full truth hiding under the surface evidence. The rest were fun loving, smart, and invested in the program.

But…

Matthew needed to see Mary and soon. The sweet agony of anticipating another night with her clung to his skin and his brain. He encouraged the sensation. It heightened his need. It kept him sane. It kept the thoughts of the future away.

Unfortunately getting with Mary was the problem. His hectic school schedule wreaked havoc with any date. The past week or so had been impossible. He had not seen her since leaving her in the hotel room in New York. He had returned to Charlottesville and class. She had stayed in New York until the advertisement shoot was over.

Upon her own return they managed a phone call late one night after he closed his room door to his rowdy flatmates playing video games.

He could hear the excitement in her voice.

She could not wait to tell him her news. "The execs of the mobile phone company loved the ad so much they've commissioned three more. Can you believe it?!"

"That's great. When…" before he even got the question out she answered

"So I'll be returning to New York for the next three weekends to complete the shoots. The director promised to share my name around so who knows where it will lead." The words spilled out. "I've already gotten to know so many people on set."

Three weeks? He groaned inwardly. But did not want to sound unsupportive. "I'm sure you'll get all kinds of work out of it." He asked, "What about the play, though?" It had been the reason for the NYC trip in the first place.

A quality of dejection slipped in. "No. I didn't get the part." An audible sigh across the mobile reached his ear. "They said I was good, but a bit too old." She snorted. "That's ironic. I spent years being told I was too young for parts. That I should be looking for roles more suitable to my age. God what supercilious crap." She vented. "But even still, I made friends with the producer of the play who had been at the audition so all the connections count. So overall I'd say the trip was worth it."

Mary could be so detached when she needed to be, Matthew reflected. An excellent quality in her professional life. But could also shut him out. What could he expect he corrected himself. Her career should come first.

But then…

"And besides," Mary's intimated, "we got to get to know each other a little better."

Oh yes they did, he could not agree more. "Speaking of that," Matthew's voice turned down an octave, "when can we see each other again? You did promise something special."

He loved Mary's light, enticing giggle. "Not one to forget, are you?"

"Never." He replied, "I intend to remind you of it constantly." His mind spun wildly as images of Mary danced in his head. Her dark hair splayed against his bare chest. Her fingers tickling his skin and driving him mad with need and desire.

Then he was forced back to reality.

She reluctantly admitted, "I'm working at the theater most of this week until I leave again on Friday for New York. I've also got to squeeze in my voice lesson." Mary scrolled her calendar. "Wednesday maybe?"

Mary caught his silence. Knew what it meant. "We have uniform inspection that day and then our group has to plan out more of our guilty plea strategy."

Mary knew his group included Colin the ogre who pawed at her during the reception and Lavinia who seemed (at least to Mary's way of thinking) to have her own eyes set on Matthew. Mary prided herself on not being the jealous type.

At least most of the time.

But something about Lavinia, her honesty, her openness set Mary's teeth on edge. As terrible as that sounded, Mary should have found such directness refreshing, instead she found it annoying. And disconcerting. As if in comparison Mary appeared manipulative and bossy.

Well Matthew seemed oblivious to Lavinia's flirtations, so she let it go.

Matthew had been a most wonderful, passionate lover. Giving of himself to her in ways that made her intensely aware of her own libido while enflaming erotic thoughts of him pushing against her body and driving her to a sexual fever that threatened never to abate.

God she needed him again. She was beginning to sound like some trashy romance novel! She needed his "burning loins..."

"What about next week then?"

Matthew scrunched his face and leaned into the phone. He wanted to see her but was so knee deep in work.

"We're all done with Advocacy Week on Thursday. So Friday?" He paused….He waited…

He held out desperate hope she wouldn't reject it outright.

Mary flipped through her mobile's calendar. Next Friday? "That might just work. If you can get here in the late afternoon, we could have the whole evening."

His heart soared. "Sounds good so far." He'd take an evening. A whole night would be better. But a desperate man accepts any bone offered to him.

"Could you drive?" She asked.

"Absolutely." He barked the word out.

She laughed again the sunlit chortle he loved so much. "Don't be so easy, Matthew, I might get used to it."

"I might want you too." He bantered back.

"Good." Her voice soft, come-hither, making his physical ache for her even more hard and painful.

His voice muffled as he swallowed to recover. "Tell me a time, and I'll be there."

"Say around 6? That way we could drive together to the airport and I won't have to leave my car in the long term parking."

"You got it." He could not stop smiling. Next week could not come soon enough.

So now here he was, counting down the days until Friday. They really did have everything in order. He agreed with Lavinia's strategy and they got down to wording their briefs, referencing the UCMJ manual when necessary.

He idly wondered what Mary was up too? Something far more fun and exciting he suspected. He reflexively checked his mobile for messages. She rarely texted him while on set, but he could hope.

Lavinia grabbed his attention with a resigned sigh of her own, and he returned his full attention to the task at hand.

XX

Mary had known from a very early age an instinct to perform. When on stage, at four or five, in a school play she had received a round of applause. The surge of happiness that provided her, that enveloping, warm acceptance of both family and total strangers, had never left. She never looked back. Despite her father's not overly enthusiastic approval of her choice of profession, she persevered. Hard work displacing natural voice talent, she added singing to her resume. Some dance lessons later, she didn't have to lie anymore when asked if she could handle learning choreography.

Now, though, she thought ruefully to herself, as she waited out yet more delays on set as the gaffers and assistants tinkering with the lighting, you gets what you asked for. She looked at her watch. Another eight hours at least. These commercials were her foot in the door. She knew that. She appreciated the break. She worked hard. She arrived on time. She stayed without complaint.

And she hoped it would lead to better things. To more connections. To stage work. Maybe a spot on a TV show that filmed in New York. Her mind drifted at such moments to being discovered like in the old days of Golden Hollywood. Then she was called back on set and reality called.

It was all in the offing however. She felt it in her bones.

Even so she felt anxious to get back to Charlottesville. It was Monday afternoon. They were just wrapping the second to last commercial. She'd go home only to turn around on Friday she'd be back. Staying yet again with the ever patient Anna and John who had been putting her up each of these trips. They had offered actually to let her stay all week so that she would not have to return to Charlottesville at all.

But that would not do. She had her job back in Virginia. And the grad classes. And Matthew.

He was such an enigma to Mary. So self-assured and true to himself, he unnerved her.

For being herself, being her true self, frightened her. Another reason she concluded she became an actor. Never having to look into the abyss of one's own psyche.

She was breaking her own rules. She was falling for him. Hard. Anna saw it coming. But something in Mary knew that Anna approved.

Her Aunt Rosamund would not. Always keep men right where you want them, Aunt Rosamund told her, and break them when you have too. Be in charge and never get hurt.

Sound advice, Mary had always thought. She had slipped once or twice but came out the other side unharmed. Stronger now, she assured herself. She could handle Matthew. He would not get the better of her.

And yet…

She found herself daydreaming of that surprise she had outrageously suggested to Matthew in both texts and on the phone. She knew exactly what to wear on the Friday he was coming to her house.

Or..., she corrected herself, what she was not going to wear.

XX

Matthew raced over to be on time at 6pm. Had crashed after class let out early for a nap, a quick shower, change of clothes, and in the car. He texted Mary he was on his way.

He arrived at her door. Knocked. He heard the rustle of the lock and she opened the remaining barrier between them.

The kiss upon entry was immediate and wordless. Their mutual desire apparent in body language. The clenching, tight embrace. The frisson of spine shivering lust.

Mary slammed the door without ever letting go of his mouth.

"If you had a set of stairs, I'd carry you up naked." Matthew teased in between pulling and biting on her lips.

"I've got something even better…." Tantalizing him with a slight flick of her skirt.

They fumbled their way into her living room. Laughing even as they tripped over each other's feet, just managing to crash on the sofa.

They came up for air. She recovered first. "I'm not quite ready."

He thought she meant packing for New York. "That'll wait, right?" And he played with the buttons on her shirt. Opening one, she eased closer so he could sink his hand down into the cup of her bra and tease her nipple to erection.

Her groan was all he needed to continue his ministrations. But she pulled back.

"I meant ready for you." The sultry tone her voice took on made him more than ready to take her right there on the sofa. But he restrained himself.

Instead he quirked an eyebrow. "Hmmmm?" He leaned his head into her neck and started to nuzzle. After two weeks away he could not keep his hands and fingers still.

"Come with me." And she led him away from the living room. "Eyes closed." Taking his hand, she guided him slowly into her back bedroom.

She commanded him, "Lie down." She quizzed him, "Are your eyes still closed?"

He did as he was told and stretched out face down on the duvet cover. It was soft and smelled of Mary's lavender scent.

After what seemed an unbearable amount of time, he heard Mary stirring in the room. He could only tantalizing hear her rustling about. He thought he reckoned she was undressing. A teasing rip of the zipper. An enticing whoosh and breeze of cool air as her shirt lifted over her head. A flick of shoes across the room.

Then to his surprise the room darkened. His senses, heightened already by the torment of her disrobing, was now sharpened to hear the click of a lighter and his nose took in the wafting aroma of a scented candle. The clicking continued as he estimated three or four candles were lit.

He could sense her move about the room.

He was on the edge of stealing a look when she whispered and tickled his ear, "How are you holding up?" Her voice teasing, tormenting. She stroked her finger nails down his spine, raking across his back, easing and pulling up his tee shirt till it was free of his body.

He shivered with desire. He then felt her hands, warm and supple, massaging him. Moving in concentric circles making him groan in increased decibel as she loosened the muscles that had tightened over prolonged sitting in those library chairs.

His groans of pleasure were her reward.

She leaned down again. He could feel the pressure of her breasts against his naked back. "I'm glad you like it so much."

Matthew shifted beneath her. "I highly approve of returning the favor. You can do it anytime you want."

She asked close to his ear, "How did you get to be so good?"

"Natural ability." He taunted. "I was told by my first girlfriend that my fingers were magic. After that I decided to hone my talent to perfection. I've managed to reap the benefits a time or two."

"I bet it has." She murmured. . "I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well." He chuckled.

"Mary…." He whispered. "I want to see you." The ache of his arousal, the need for her touch, was gripping him in a fervor. He turned over onto his back, making his need for her apparent as his trousers bulged.

She yielded. "Open them."

And as his eyelids slowly opened and adjusted to the semi-darkness of the candle lit bedroom, he saw she was clad only in a clinging, open to her waist, belted Chinese silk robe. Her legs were bare. The décolletage allowing him a view of her breasts as her skin came in contact with his own. He inhaled her luscious scent and move closer.

His hands undid the robe belt and it fell to the floor. Mary's breaths became ragged. She moved in so that his mouth could go down harder on her nipples. He placed his hands alongside each cheek of her buttocks. He squeezed and massaged as her balance was tipped and she fell down on top of him.

They giggled but continued. She tugged his pants off and exposed his hardened member.

Without thought, Mary moved astride him and took him inside. He gasped at the suddenness of her bold move. But his body bucked and throbbed as it moved deeper and deeper inside.

Her grunts of pleasure were rhythmic and soft at first. Then as she felt her peak rise and muscles contract she pushed down harder on him. He rose up to meet her but she took control. Taking him to a slow, excruciating climax.

Her actions knowing, instinctual. Eyes closed as she felt the sensation of his member hard against her inner thighs. She drove him on as he continued to buck and thrust under her. Her legs closed in tight around him bringing him even more to the brink of oblivion.

"Oh…God…Oh…. Fuck… fuck…" his words incoherent as he gripped the duvet cover and his legs came up behind hers and squeezed her rear. He shouted a final rasping moan of excitement and the sensation of climax flooded his body.

Her back arched and she shuddered in time with his own as she came to a shattering satiated peak.

He wrapped his arms around her and brought him down on top of his body. She was sweating, hot and sticky, from the exertion.

Coherent thought returned slowly. Mary had done all of that instinctually. She had gone with the sensation her body demanded. She had wanted him. Needed him inside her. And she would never question the urgency or the deliciously satisfying response of her body to his touch.

Matthew rolled her over gently onto the side of the bed. He could spend a lifetime touching and memorizing the contours of her body.

"You are so very, very beautiful." He whispered.

She smiled lazily, content to just stay in his arms. She wished they had all night.

But they had only a few hours. It would have to be enough.

XX
Dropping her off at the sidewalk in front of the airport, Matthew did not want to let of her hand. They had started off late and she had to get inside to get through baggage check and meet the plane at the gate.

She reached in to car from the passenger seat and brushed his cheek with her fingers. "I'll be seeing you soon."

He had no idea the words were to come out of his mouth, "Be safe. I love you, you know." He gripped his mouth with his free hand. How did that slip out?

Mary gave him an enigmatic look, but did not respond. Swept up by the throng of traffic and having the airport security giving him the eye about illegal parking by the dropoff point, neither had a chance to say anything further.

XX

On to more much more serious matters in the next few chapters I'm afraid… get thee prepared!

Reviews of course are most most most welcome!