The next morning, Joe woke up before Natalie. He watched her sleep for a while, and felt conflicted about waking her up or making breakfast. His erection made him want to throw himself on her, but he didn't want to piss her off by waking her up; after all, it was only the second time they woke up together and he wasn't quite certain what her reaction might be.
Instead, he decided to take his mind off his sexual fantasies and went downstairs where he made coffee and prepared some things for breakfast. When the coffee was ready, Joe poured two mugs and returned to the bedroom where he put down one mug on Natalie's nightstand before slipping into his side of the bed. Not long after, Natalie began to stir and woke up. She looked puzzled at first, but then smiled: "Oh, wow, can I have this every day? Coffee in bed – and," she paused and looked sternly at Joe:" I am dead serious when I say that I won't tolerate any attempt at conversation until I had my first one?"
Joe nodded towards her cup and said: "Alright, drink up, babe."
Natalie sat up and took her first sip of coffee. "That's some strong coffee you're brewing there," she murmured while resting her head on the wall behind her, her eyes closed. Joe watched her in admiration. Just as two days ago, she wasn't wearing any makeup, her hair was tousled and this made her look at lot younger. Also, she seemed entirely satisfied; she didn't have her guards as high up as usual, and neither did she seem as stressed and annoyed. He was intrigued. Was this the real Natalie then?
He was tempted to ask her why she had come over in the middle of the night, but he knew better than to risk spoiling the moment. They still weren't a thing; even though he sensed that they were about to navigate some entirely new territory within their relationship, he wasn't sure whether Natalie with her usual way of shielding her inner self against the outer world wouldn't feel she'd have to defend herself and just dismiss his interest as overstepping.
Instead, he put down his mug and slid down along his mattress until he came to lie on his back. He closed his eyes and focused on his other senses. He marveled at Natalie's scent around him while listening to her breathing and taking an occasional sip from her coffee. He wondered whether she was watching him but didn't move or open his eyes.
After a long while, he heard her putting her mug down on her nightstand. Next, he felt her shuffle closer to him and then an electric jolt flashed through him when she touched him. She didn't do so gently; she immediately reached under the duvet and grabbed his dick.
"Okay, so you said my blowjobs suck. So I might just skip it and give you a hand job then, if you prefer."
Joe groaned. This was already too much. "Oh no," he said hoarsely. "I was a goddam idiot. I've never had a better blowjob. Oh, fuck, stop it or I won't last any longer, Fig, please," he winced and tried to escape her grip. But Natalie persisted and Joe continued, now panting heavily: "I apologize, alright? I am sorry, that whole thing was just a real… fuck-up.. on my side. I should never have. –" he stopped when all of a sudden he felt Natalie taking him into her mouth. "Woah, easy, babe," he moaned, but Natalie didn't stop and it only took a few more seconds and Joe came almost without warning.
A few minutes later, after he had calmed down again, he looked over to Natalie who was now sitting next to him, cradling her coffee with two hands. She grinned and said: "Sorry, but I needed to redeem myself. No one ever said my blowjobs sucked. I couldn't just let this stand between us."
Joe opened his mouth but was unable to say something. Natalie put down her mug, chuckled lightly and bent over towards Joe to playfully tickle his belly. "Joe, you're really sweet – and this is coming from me who never appreciates anything sweet in people."
Joe pinched his eyes and chuckled, too. "Stop it, Fig. I am sorry, okay, I am going to say it, I am sorry. I should never have forced you that day, and you definitely didn't suck that day. You never suck, by the way."
"Okay, we're even," Natalie decided and sat up again. "So what are we going to do today?" she asked.
Joe looked at her, his eyes wandering from her face down her body which was covered by her leopard-print negligee. "How 'bout I repay you with my tongue?" he suggested.
"Nah, not interested," Natalie said, seemingly bored. "I prefer the beer can."
"Sorry, but then you'll have to wait a short while."
"Alright then. I'll go take a shower," she replied and got out of bed. Joe watched her leave the room for the bathroom and smiled. They were definitely moving toward another level. He tried to ignore the fact that he was about to leave for fucking Missouri, and that it would certainly be difficult to get her to commit to anything, but for now, he didn't want to think about any of it. He decided they should make the most out of the few days he was still in town.
He got out of bed and went into the bathroom where he smelled her shampoo or shower gel. How long was it that a woman had spent some time here, he wondered, time longer than a fuck or a one-night stand? Years, he thought.
"Here's a fresh towel," he said and put it on the towel ring outside of the shower.
Next, he began to shave, watching in the mirror how Natalie stepped out of the shower and toweling herself off.
"How is it your house is always that clean?" Natalie asked. "I would expect someone like you to live in a complete mess."
"Hey, what, just because I am old and single and don't make enough to pay a maid?" Joe complained and turned around to face her. Then he explained: "It's the only area where my mom, in every other way very traditional, taught my brothers and me to take care of ourselves. She used to say that with all the girls now wanting to work and have careers, we needed to be prepared to clean and cook, or else, we'd never get a wife."
"Yeah, worked out well for you, huh?" Natalie sneered, and went to the bedroom in order to get dressed.
Now, Joe stepped into the shower and shouted: "I may never have married, but I've been in a few relationships where we shared responsibilities, just so you know."
He made quick work with the shower gel, then stepped out of the shower, dried himself and went to the bedroom where Natalie was, now fully dressed in the same pair of jeans from last night and an elegant black blouse with single silver threads woven in.
"So is she still alive? Your mom?" Natalie asked, rummaging through her toiletry bag.
"Yeah, going on eighty, living with my brother near Boston. She used to live in the Bronx until ten years ago. She's doing quite alright, you know, Italian ladies, they're like weeds, nothing keeps them down."
Natalie grinned. She went to the bathroom and Joe, still naked, followed her. He remained in the door frame, watching her put on her make up. "I never got why women are putting all those things into their faces," he said.
Natalie shot him an angry glance. "Oh yeah? Maybe because men keep commenting on women's looks all the time, and maybe because a woman's look decides on the job she gets, on the guy she gets, on basically anything she can achieve?"
Joe lifted his hands in defense. "Whoa, sorry. All I wanted to say is that you are looking hot as hell without all that stuff painted in your face, fuck yeah you do. So you don't have to do it just for me."
Natalie cocked her head. "Oh yeah? What if I wanted to do it for myself then?"
Joe pressed his lips together. This seemed too sensitive a topic to discuss right now.
"Alright, I'll get dressed and go downstairs. What do you want for breakfast? Pancakes? Eggs? Anything else?
"I am gluten and dairy-free, thank you very much," Natalie snapped. "And I am generally not the breakfast type."
Joe, who had done some quick reading on eating disorders after what Natalie had told him during their date, knew better than to try to convince her to have something. Instead he said: "Alright, I am going to have some eggs, and if you want, you'll grab a bite."
He went downstairs and began to fry himself some eggs. A few minutes later, Natalie came down. She refilled her coffee mug and then silently sat down at the dining table and watched Joe get his breakfast ready. He had placed a few apples and grapefruits in a bowl along with a small knife, and while he began tucking into his enormous plate of eggs, Natalie began slicing an apple for herself.