I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point.

As always, a big thanks to Michaelfmx for his beta services. I really appreciate it.

I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. CharahKids would probably also enjoy it, lol. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything.

The Treaty of Paris

x-x-x-x-x

The news reports about the surprise capture of Bête de Race were just starting to come in as they landed back in Monte Carlo. The only station they could get on the TV in the jet was in French, so Sarah and Pussy were the only ones who really understood what was being said. It really didn't matter. You could get the gist of what they were saying just by watching the reporter's faces. Pussy was clearly surprised. She wasn't completely sure yet that her new rich friends hadn't staged this show for her benefit. It had all seemed pretty easy. But the pictures on the television screen were impossible to deny.

The first thing that Sarah did, once they had landed, was to spend a few minutes fawning over Pussy. In fact, the entire family joined in. Even though her role was relatively minor, they were having a good time treating her like the hero.

Sarah wanted to make a point, so she pulled Pussy aside. "I'm very proud of you," she said. "I just want to let you know. Fighting evil usually doesn't go this well. The bad guys are… really bad. You always pay some price. Even when we're able to defeat them, they always manage to get a shot or two in. You honestly risked your life tonight. So please tell me that your spy career is over."

Pussy smiled. "I don't think that you have to worry about that," she replied. "I'm going home."

Sarah's face showed her surprise. "Okay," she said. "We talked about going dancing. I hoped that you'd want to celebrate with us for a while. But if you want, we'll take you home."

Pussy shook her head with a grin. "You're not cheating me out of a wild celebration," she assured. "I meant after this, I'm going home… back to North Carolina. Dad's been running things all by himself for too long. If there's one thing that today taught me it's that life's too short. Thank you for giving Cinderella her fancy ball. It's time to become Maryanne again. It's time that I started living my life… the one you talked about."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "Good for you," she smiled. "It's not quite midnight yet. I do hope that Pussy is ready to end her journey of discovery, and morph back into Maryanne with a bang. Our celebrations tend to get a little on the wild side. It has been said that I'm a different person on the dance floor. I trust that you like tequila."

Pussy was plainly on cloud nine. "I do like tequila," she quickly replied. "I don't drink it that often. Maryanne is more of a white wine person. I gotta tell you. I'm dying to ask you some questions. I hope that you don't think that this is too personal. If you tell me to 'mind my own business', I won't be offended."

Sarah grinned. Everyone always had the same question about her and Chuck. "What do you want to know?" she asked. "I'll tell you anything. You've earned it. Some of it is complicated."

"He's so incredibly hot," Pussy sighed. "Those sexy eyes… how do you keep your hands off him?"

That wasn't really what Sarah expected her to ask. Last week, another woman noticing how sexy her husband was would have sparked some serious jealously. It might have even started a fight. But she had to admit, Chuck had very sexy eyes. And they were at such a good place. Maybe it was time to let some of that possessiveness go and brag him up a little. It even seemed cute. "Actually, I don't," she boasted.

Pussy mimicked fanning herself with her hand. "Oh my God," she said. "You have to tell me what it's like. When was the last time?"

Sarah paused a little. Pussy wanted to hear details about her sex life with Chuck? That was a little odd. On the other hand, Sarah was dying to talk about how amazing it was with somebody. Her usual confidant, Carina, had been consumed lately with trying to punch her own dance card. Ellie would be horrified at any discussion that included her brother and sex. So, by process of elimination, Pussy was nominated.

Besides, she had just offered to tell her new friend anything. So… be careful what you wish for. "Last night," she responded. "It's unbelievable. He is so amazing in bed. It was our third time that day and every time got a little better. He's mostly a shy guy, but he takes firm control in bed. I was teasing in the bar about making you forget your own name. It's close to that. He can get you on the edge and keep you there until you're helpless. I'm trying to think of an excuse to get in a quickie sometime tonight while we're partying."

"I knew it," Pussy sighed. "Please tell me that you're willing to share him for a night. Maybe I could even join you. That would be a first for me. How much does Charles know about this? It's a little… unusual for one person to be that open while the other is monogamous."

"Huh?" Sarah paused for a moment to allow Pussy's words to sink in. It really didn't make anything clearer. "Huh?" she said again. "I was talking about Chuck." She paused for an even longer moment. "Who are you taking about?" she finally asked.

Pussy was surprised at Sarah's confusion. "Why Casey, of course," she said. "Three times in one day? You have to tell me, what exactly does he do that gets you on edge?"

Sarah did a major double take. Part of her was a little relieved that Pussy wasn't seriously asking her to share Chuck. There was also the suggestion of a threesome… talk about something that wasn't going to happen. But mostly… "You thought I was talking about Casey?" she asked in genuine horror. "Ewww. What makes you think that I've ever slept with Casey? Have you been talking to Ellie?"

Pussy quickly backpedaled. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I'm not trying to make you mad."

Sarah laughed. "I'm not mad at all," she assured. "I'm just a little surprised. Me and Casey? Ewww. It's not something that I even want to think about. I'm afraid that voyage of discovery is going to be totally up to you."

"I don't think he's interested," Pussy said sadly. "I was trying to channel you. I all but took my dress off in the car and all I got was a lecture about not distracting him."

That got Sarah laughing even harder. "You have to understand him," she was finally able to get out. "Casey is all about duty. We were on a dangerous mission. It doesn't mean that he isn't interested. All but take your dress off sometime tonight and I predict you'll get a completely different reaction. Just make sure that Chuck isn't watching… or me, for that matter."

Pussy got a lot more serious. "You're pretty jealous with him," she observed. "Tell me… why isn't he jealous with you? He didn't react at all when you were in the next car getting busy with that terrorist. Most men would freak out knowing that another man was screwing their wife."

Sarah sighed. Pussy was assuming the worst had happened in that limo. Was Chuck? Casey clearly hadn't told them that she had conned her way out of any physical activity with Sven. That was a conversation they would definitely be having sometime tonight. Denying it now would just make her sound defensive. But Sarah made it a point to find a time sometime tonight to explain to her new friend about seduction missions… and how actual sex rarely happened.

Why wasn't Chuck jealous? That was a new and wonderful development. It would take a month's explanation or none at all. "It's… complicated," she settled for saying.

"Do you worry that he's taking you for granted?"

x-x-x-x-x

It was as private of a party as they could make it. It wasn't exactly Chuck and Sarah's basement, but at least Pussy was able to pull some employee strings and get them a mostly private room. It was just off the dance floor, so that made the girls happy. It was also a short walk to the casino, so that made the guys, especially Devon, happy. Back home, they lived about a three hour drive from the biggest collection of casinos in the world. Yet Ellie would never let him go to Vegas. She still wasn't crazy about throwing their hard earned money into a slot machine. But Devon argued that they were now ridiculously rich. He also pointed out that Chuck had just spent half a million dollars on an abstract painting without suffering any bitching from Sarah. Guilt must have worked because, finally, even Ellie reluctantly admitted that spending a few thousand dollars gambling wouldn't be the end of the world, as long as he didn't make it a habit. Devon didn't stand around and wait for her to change her mind. She hadn't seen much of him since.

The guys split their time between the casino and the room, even Steven was participating. Naturally, it was hard to get the girls off the dance floor. Carina was feeling pretty good once the patch kicked in. She was taking it easy, obviously keeping her powder dry for later tonight. But Ellie, Sarah, and especially Pussy, more than made up for her.

Sarah knew that Chuck didn't like to dance much. With Devon and the guys having fun in the casino, she didn't want to press him. With Carina taking the night off, she found herself dancing mostly with Ellie. That was fine. They were usually laughing so hard at Pussy, that dancing became almost secondary anyway. Sure, with the guys rarely around, the male suitors had no reason to be shy. So they were constantly being hit on.

That quickly put Sarah in a bit of a spot. Pussy was dancing with anyone who asked. In fact, she was eating it up. Ellie was also not that hard to get on the floor. Maybe she was teaching Devon something of a lesson about gambling away their money. Nobody knew where Carina was. Sarah really didn't know what to do. In the past, Chuck had almost insisted that she dance with other men. It was his way of proving a point. He was telling her that he wasn't jealous. She certainly didn't want to do anything to change that. And honestly, dancing in public wasn't very intimate. The way Sarah bounced around the floor, the man she was 'dancing' with became a vague thing anyway. Still, she would have felt a lot more comfortable hearing him say that it was okay. Ellie was plainly making fun of her for being so uptight. There was also the fact that turning down the steady stream of men that approached her was becoming noticeable. She didn't want to act like a snob. So she finally gave in and danced with some of the guys.

Of course, that only served to turn the steady stream into a torrent. Sarah looked at the line that was, almost literally, forming.

"I wish Chuck was here."

x-x-x-x-x

Steven was actually in a pretty good mood. Casinos weren't quite his thing. But he was having fun bonding with the guys. Then it hit him. Maybe Carina would enjoy a little gambling. The problem was, when he went looking for her, nobody knew where she was. So he decided to check the room.

The sleeping arrangements for this trip had already been the subject of some serious discussion. It was well documented that Steven and Carina hadn't had sex yet. Till now, they hadn't even slept in the same bed. Everyone knew that it was inevitable. But until Carina was healed, sleeping in the same bed would just make her frustration even more unbearable. Yet, for the past few weeks, they had been spending virtually every waking minute together anyway. Separate rooms would be awkward. Finally they compromised and got a suite with two bedrooms.

When Steven turned on the light, he saw her sitting on the sofa. "Why are you sitting here in the dark?" he asked. "I thought that you wanted to party? Aren't you feeling well?"

Carina paused for a long moment. The truth was that the Fentanyl had just kicked in another notch. It was more powerful than she expected, and she felt a little odd. "I feel fine," she finally answered.

Steven took full note of the coldness in her voice, something that he had never witnessed before, and suddenly, inviting her to go gambling was put on semi-permanent hold. So he took the seat on the sofa next to her. "I'm out of practice on the relationship thing," he started softly. "And I was never good at it in the first place. But even I get that you're not happy with me. So we can play this game where you make me guess. But one of the things I love about us is that we don't play those games. I'm really hoping that you can just tell me, so we can talk about it."

Carina considered that for a moment. He had a point. She had nothing to lose by putting her cards on the table. "You were flirting with her," she finally replied sadly. "Do you think she's pretty?"

That was the very last thing Steven expected her to say. He even had to run tonight's events through his mind to figure out who 'her' even was… and then only by process of elimination. It couldn't have been Ellie. Surely Carina couldn't be thinking that he was flirting with Sarah. He also knew by the tone in her voice that he needed to tread very lightly here. Denying that Pussy was gorgeous would just sound fake and probably turn her sadness into anger. Something odd was going on here. "I honestly don't think that I was flirting with her," he said defensively. "I wasn't trying to. I'm sorry if you think so."

Carina threw the tissue she had been holding to the floor in disgust. "You danced with her," she said.

"And I resist dancing with you," Steven finished her statement. "I didn't want to. I'm really uncomfortable dancing. She really didn't give me a choice." That part was true. She just grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Steven paused for a moment. "I'll make more of an effort to dance with you if it means that much to you." It was a major concession. He paused for an even longer moment waiting for some sign that this was over. Finally, the tense silence forced him to admit that this was something deeper. "But that's not really what's going on here, is it?" he asked. "I honestly didn't think that we had to worry about things like jealousy with each other. I get that you're upset. It would help me a lot if you would take a deep breath and tell me the real reason so we can fix it."

Carina paused for what seemed like an eternity. "Don't you ever want to have sex with me?" she finally asked tearfully. "Do you even realize what I've been going through trying to make this happen for you? You don't even seem to want it. You've spent all night with your face in a fucking slot machine. How do we fix that? Am I wasting my time here? How long is it going to be before you move on? Most men…"

Finally the light went on. Part of Steven wanted to laugh at how silly she was being. He briefly considered correcting her. He had been playing blackjack with Chuck, not slots. But that would be the exact wrong thing to do. Even he knew that. "Most men would jump on you every chance that they got," he finished her statement. "They wouldn't care if you were in pain. Treating you as an object is what you've come to expect from men. Sex is what you think that you bring to the table. I get that."

Steven put his arm around her and pulled her close. "I need you to listen very closely to me," he continued. "I'm trying to use my words carefully because I know that you hate romance. And that's good because, frankly, I suck at it. But if you think that I don't want sex with you, well, you couldn't possibly be more tragically wrong. I'm simply not willing to jump on you. Has it ever occurred to you that it's exactly the opposite of what you said? That I want more than just sex? That I'm willing to wait until this thing that we're growing has a chance to take root and flourish without sex getting in the way? Don't you get that knowing that you're in discomfort would take all the joy out of sex for me? We have tons of obstacles. I'm far too old for you. We're very different people. I'm already oh-for with CIA agents. But here it is as plain as I can say it. I'm crazy about you. I have been since the minute I met you. And it has nothing to do with sex. I'm sorry that I don't seem to be providing what you need."

Carina melted into him for a long moment. "Wow," she finally said. "Nice save. It turns out that the tough girl thing was just a ruse. It appears that I'm pretty fucking needy, huh? I'm embarrassed."

"Don't be," Steven replied. "I probably shouldn't admit this, you being such a badass and all… but I kinda like it when you're needy. I like what it infers about us."

That broke the tension in the room and got them both laughing. "As it turns out, you're better at the romance thing than you think," Carina teased. "You just told me that you love me without making me hurl. Nice work."

"Thanks," was all Steven said.

Carina waited for a long moment for him to say something. Finally the growing silence was too much for her. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" she asked. "Do you really want this big, sappy, romantic scene? This is hard for me."

Steven wasn't about to let her off the hook. "Don't you want that big, sappy, romantic scene?" he asked. "Isn't that really why we're up here? I get that it's hard… but that's exactly why it's important. I don't want you to say anything that you don't mean. But I do want the truth."

Carina had just been gently called out… and she knew it. "You're not going to let me get away with anything," she moaned. "Okay, yes. I love you. I want more too. I'm feeling things that I never thought possible. Please stop worrying about the age thing. It couldn't possibly be less relevant. And yes, I even like the sappy romance. So I think you're no longer oh-for. Are you happy? Does that cover everything? Is my surrender complete? Can we please have sex now?"

That got them laughing again. "I'm not happy with you taking Fentanyl just to have sex," he said. "Before I agree, I really want the honest truth here. How are you feeling?"

Carina considered how to answer. The patch had done a great job, but… "It's still a little tender," she admitted. "But, please don't make me wait any longer. I really need this."

Steven wordlessly reached behind Carina for the zipper to her dress. "I see that you want to drive," she said with a grin as tugged slowly. "That's more than fine with me." Once it was unzipped, gravity did its thing and it slowly fell and was bunched at her waist. All Carina did was pull her arms free… and wait.

She didn't wait long. Steven stood and gently pulled her to her feet and helped her step out of the dress that was now pooled on the floor. "I see that you have been talking to Sarah," he teased.

"Hey," Carina responded, still holding his hand, and mimicking his teasing tone as she stood there and posed in only her blue stockings. "Chuck forbids Sarah from wearing panties. I figured it might be a 'like father, like son' sort of thing. Why risk it? Maybe we can go over your complete set of bedroom rules… um, later."

"I feel like I should do something romantic," Steven teased. "I'm so out of practice about these things. Do you want me to carry you to the bedroom?"

"That would be romantic," Carina admitted. "The romance aspect even sounds very tempting. But maybe you should save your strength. You're going to be needing every last bit of it."

"I have a long night planned."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had a feeling in her gut that this wasn't going to end well. She had seen that look in a guy's eyes far too many times. And it always led to the same destination.

She couldn't wait for this song to be over. But wouldn't you know it? Luck betrayed her. The music they were dancing to quickly morphed into one of the few, slow, romantic songs that were interspersed through the night. He really didn't give her a choice. He just grabbed her hand, pulled her close, and starting dancing. Short of making a serious scene, she really couldn't get away. So she just went limp, stayed as far away from him as she could, and prayed that the song would soon be over so that she could retreat back to the safety of her table.

It wasn't until she felt his hand that she realized the futility of that strategy. For a long moment, all she could see was red. "I'm not trying to embarrass you or make a big nasty scene," she said. "But clearly we have a misunderstanding. If your hand stays on my ass for one more second, that misunderstanding is going to grow into a serious problem."

Sarah didn't have much hope that this would be settled without some serious ass kicking. And she had a perfect opening to introduce her knee to his testicles. But she spent the moment kicking herself instead. She shouldn't have ever been in this situation. She should have paid more attention to her instincts. The problem was that men like this didn't understand. This was a game to them. They assumed that 'no' was just her first move in that game… that he could soon sweet talk her into 'yes.' Fortunately, he took an honest look at her and saw the anger in her eyes. There was one good thing about Sarah… when she was angry, her blue eyes turned into a warning sign in the form of lasers… the kind that could cut through steel. The man got the message and was gone like he had been shot out of a cannon… lucky for his pride… and his testicles. Sarah found herself alone on the dance floor.

It was only a few steps back to their private room. She was feeling pretty guilty. Here was yet another story she would have to tell her husband about having to peal some strange man's hand off her ass. Ironically, Chuck was sitting at the table alone, waiting for her. Sarah could feel the blush driving up her neck. She was sure that her face was as red as her dress. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

"A couple of minutes," Chuck replied. "I missed you."

And there it was… today's example of what made her new life so wonderful. Sarah was feeling pretty lousy. With just three words, he had turned her mood completely around and had her on cloud nine. The unfortunate incident on the dance floor was forgotten as she took the seat next to him. "I missed you too." It was true. Never mind that he had been gone less than an hour. "Did you win me any money?"

Chuck considered the question. One thing that Jill had taught him was the proper answer to that particular question. If you won, she'd figure out the least fun way possible to help you spend it. If you lost, you'd get a lecture about wasting money. He wasn't sure that logic applied to Sarah, but in this case it was true anyway. "I'm about even," he answered.

Sarah leaned over, put her head on his shoulder, and snuggled.

"Am I taking you for granted?"

Pure surprise caused Sarah to raise her head. In her current mood, the question struck her as funny. At first she was sure that he was teasing. But then she looked at his face and saw the genuine concern there, sadness even. So she kept the grin from her face. "Why would you think that?" she asked. "Chuck, I don't think that at all. We're in such a good place."

"We are," Chuck agreed. "But that doesn't mean that we don't still have to work at it. Pussy thinks that I'm taking you for granted because I don't get jealous. Sarah, I don't want to ever make you feel that I'm taking you for granted."

Sarah did allow her lips to finally curve into a soft smile. "She said the same thing to me," she admitted. "I wouldn't worry too much about Pussy. She doesn't understand us. In her defense, we aren't the typical couple. She doesn't know what to make of us. The fact is, I'm proud of you. I don't tell you that enough. There was a time when you were very jealous… now you're not. You trust me. You know that I would never betray you. I like it a lot better this way. It makes things so much easier. Thank you for that. It's something that I need to learn from you."

Chuck joined her smile. "Can I tell you something without you judging me?" he asked.

Sarah's smile turned into a grin. She didn't answer, she just nodded.

"There was a time when another man simply looking at you would have driven me crazy," he said. "It happened almost every single time we went on a mission. Those guys were getting something that I wanted. Even worse, I had to pretend that I was getting it. Watching you on that boat last year, necking with that mark, was maybe the low point of my life. Now that we're married… it's different. You just put it very well. I trust you. So now I find that I actually enjoy when men recognize that you're the most beautiful woman in the world. I love it that I have this amazing goddess hanging on my arm dressed as skimpily as possible. I watch the men drool… and now I can laugh at them. So maybe you shouldn't be so proud. Is that wrong?"

Sarah started laughing. "I'm still proud of you," she insisted. "Some people might think that it's wrong. I sure don't. That's something you've… well, earned isn't the right word. It's not something you can earn. Here's what I think. If people think it's wrong, who cares? Maybe it's not our proudest moment, maybe it's even a bit cruel, but we've paid the price to have a little fun at the expense of a group of lecherous men who have their heads filled with impure thoughts. That seems like justice to me, some small payback for the things we've had to endure. I know that you don't believe this. I'm going to keep saying it anyway. I enjoy playing this game as least as much as you do. As far as the 'skimpily dressed' part, I think you know that I don't have much personal modesty. We can find some ways to even push the outside of that envelope a little farther. I think that would be a bit-o-fun."

Chuck joined her laughing. "Now I'm afraid of what I've just gotten myself into," he teased. "Especially with Carina around egging you on. Just how wild are we going to get? We're talking looky, no touchy, right?"

"I keep telling you," Sarah replied. "You're always wise to be a little afraid. Definitely looky, no touchy, at least if you'll stop flashing on some evil terrorist every ten minutes. The good news is that you're in charge. Compared to Carina, you're something of a sissy when it comes to nudity or getting wild. Besides, you can always tell me if my flirting pushes it too far and I'll rein it in." She turned a little serious. "Now it's my turn. Can I tell you something without you judging me?"

"Of course."

Sarah paused for a long moment. "Men have been hitting on me for the past ten years," she finally started. "And I'm not even talking about the marks. It never failed. Anytime I set foot into someplace like this, including tonight, a steady stream of men in tuxedos were all sure that they could charm me into bed. It got to be… ridiculous. Oh, they were all smooth and confident. Most of them were rich. Some of them were even really good looking. But it was obvious… they were after one thing. I'd be lying if I said that I never fell for it. I did a time or two at first. I wasn't used to being pursued and some of them could be very charming. But it was always the same. They were just looking to use me. For the first couple of years, I had fun shooting them down. But eventually, even that got tiresome. Now it disgusts me. I almost kicked a guy's ass five minutes ago. One of the main reasons that I fell for you was that you weren't like that. From the first day, you wanted more than a night of loveless sex. You loved me for me… even when you found out how messed up I was. You became my best friend. Then you made me part of your family. And you did all of that when I was treating you horribly… when I was telling you that you were never going to get anything out of it."

Sarah noticed Chuck's grin and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "I know," she teased. "I haven't told you anything yet that you don't already know. I do have a point. Standing there in that tux, you look exactly like all of those men that I've grown to despise… just like the moron, five minutes ago, who thought that my agreeing to a single dance was license to put his hand on my ass. But Chuck, it's completely different with you. It's like you have a spell or something. You make my knees weak and my throat dry. Look at me. I'm sitting at a table with my husband, who I've had sex with about a hundred times in the past month, and my hands are shaking. I'm trained to keep my cool in any situation, yet right now, I'm stammering like an idiot. I feel exactly like all of those men who were trying to charm my pants off always wanted me to feel. I really don't understand it. I'm sitting here helplessly aroused just by looking at you. You know me… I hate being helpless. But I'm too far gone to care. And I know you. You're immediately going to jump to some stupid conclusion that plain old Chuck is no longer good enough for me. That's not it at all. Don't think that. In fact, I don't want you to change. Please don't make this a bad thing. Chuck, here is the honest, no bullshit truth. You just take my breath away."

Chuck leaned over to kiss her. He really wasn't expecting to start a make out session. It just turned out that way. "How could I possibly twist that into a bad thing?" he asked. "You couldn't have possibly given me a better present. You trust me. You know that I would never exploit you. Thank you."

Chuck paused for a moment. "This is what I think we should do," he started. "We're young, healthy, rich, and in love. Let's take some time for ourselves and just have some fun with each other, seeing the world. If, in our travels, we tease and frustrate some jet set playboys with impure thoughts, I can live with that."

"I thought that you wanted a family," Sarah said sadly. "We're fighting this war to be able to have a family. Chuck, I don't want you to give up what you want, just for me."

"You don't understand," Chuck answered. "I'm not giving anything up. This is what I want. Our war is almost over. I still want that family just as much as I ever did. I think you do too. But we're young. We can have fun for a couple of years and still be in our twenties. Won't the messy diapers wait for a couple of years while we get it out of our system?"

"Two years of sexy playtime," Sarah finally agreed. "No longer. Then we work on the family."

"I do have one request," Chuck said. "Could we go to Paris and see the Eifel Tower?"

Sarah grinned. "I don't think you understand how sexy playtime works," she said. "If we're going to become Lothario and his blonde conquest for the next two years, terrorizing horny men around the globe, you're now completely in charge. Sex is a key part of that, but it's more than just sex. You don't make requests. We're all meeting at the beach tomorrow. If you want to show off your new conquest, say the word and watch how quickly my bikini top hits the sand. If you want to go to Paris, we'll go tomorrow night. If you want to sneak in a quickie at the top of the Eifel Tower, say the word, and watch me make it happen. We already have a robust sex life. I'm afraid that I'm at the point where I need you to step up your game a notch or two. It's going to be a long two years. I find that I need to be seduced… almost continually."

"Wait a minute," Chuck teased. "I think that the blonde conquest has some game to step up herself as well. I might need… encouragement."

Sarah started giggling. "I'm way ahead of you, pal," she said. "My new assignment for the next two years is to constantly keep you as 'encouraged' as I possibly can. Whenever we're in public, you can expect me to smile, hang on your arm, rub my chest against yours, and follow your lead with a look on my face that says that you just rocked my world. When we're not in public, hopefully, you'll allow me to make the occasional respectful request of my own. You can also expect a nightly erotic lingerie performance. For the record, nothing happened in that limo tonight. But that doesn't mean some of those erotic performances couldn't include me reenacting some fictional account of what he was hoping would have happened. Any questions?"

That got Chuck laughing. She was obviously partially teasing. The idea of Sarah becoming a genuine blonde conquest was pretty silly. Then again, she was plainly also partially serious. He could see the arousal that was normally in her eyes now was at a record level. He was also convinced that she would honestly enjoy playing her role. The topless beach thing would be interesting. Finally, the nightly erotic lingerie performances didn't sound half bad. "Just one," he said, trying to control his laughing. "This sounds pretty intense. Am I going to survive?"

"That remains to be seen," Sarah answered. "I hope so. I've grown rather fond of you." Sarah moved over to sit on his lap and moved her mouth to his ear so she could whisper seductively. "But be warned. I'm going to do my level best to make this as hard for you as I possibly can for the entire two years," she said. "The double entendre is very intentional. So, do you want to go upstairs and get our new deal consummated with a bang?"

Chuck shook his head. "Not yet," he replied. "I want to show off my flirty conquest in the casino for a while."

Chuck laughed at the look of dismay on Sarah's face. "I'm teasing you," he said. "We can go now. Understand something. I'm in charge. You're going to pay full price tonight for calling me a sissy. I'm thinking erotic lingerie performance, sexy fictional story, and a long, creative lap dance."

Sarah smiled at him. "The sexy hat trick?" she asked. "On the first night? Aren't you afraid of keeping up that pace for two years? Not that I'm complaining."

"You're the one who wanted to consummate our new deal with a bang," Chuck answered with a grin. "You're not all talk are you?" Of course, he knew full well that he had just challenged her… and might live to regret it. This time when he kissed her, it was with every intention of starting a make out session. Their tongues danced for a long, wonderful moment. When they finally had to come up for air, Casey and Pussy were standing there looking at them, laughing so hard that they had to lean on each other.

"You were right," Pussy said.

"He gets lucky four times a day."

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