Annie languishes across the bed, hands toying with the fluffy hem of her pale pink babydoll. She has a thing for fluff that I'll never understand. "When are you going to stop talking about Olivia? It's been Olivia this and Olivia that all day-" Her pout accentuates her lips, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I also wonder about the pink. Petal pink is not her color, pastels always remind me of my wife.
My first wife. I undo my collar and duck into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a moment." I strip off my clothes and pull on my robe. Sleeping with Annie will placate her, shut her up and serve the dual purpose of quieting my lust. At least, that is my hope as I sit down on the bed next to her. Her lips taste like Cristal as I crush her to me. Annie loves the expensive things of life, even when she doesn't understand them.
AJ runs the rose over the line of my chin, smiling at me patiently. I close my eyes, biting back my sigh of resignation. Gregory would have me begging by now, but he's not here. It's not his hands on my back. I remember when kissing AJ was exciting as he gently insinuates his tongue into my mouth. He's soft, warm and clean-smelling. I keep my eyes closed because I don't want to see him. It's terrible of me.
I'm with AJ now and I should be with AJ in my mind. But I keep running back to Gregory. Gregory's hands on my thigh. His desperation as he shoved me into the wall of the elevator was exciting. The heat of his breath on my cheek made me want him. Tonight it's all I can do just to sigh and let AJ undo the buttons of my blouse as I lie there.
I ignore her attempts to please me. I don't need Annie to stroke my chest and whisper that I'm her man. There's no intimacy between us, and she should know that. I kiss her again to keep her from talking. Grabbing her breasts draws a groan from her throat, wrapping my hands around her rib cage, I shove her down onto the bed. The new bed doesn't creak like the old one. My thrust into her waiting body is quiet. Annie growls in response, pulling me deeper.
She likes it rough so I bend back her legs and drive her into the bed. Annie moans, but it doesn't melt my knees the same way Olivia could. Annie reminds me of my personal trainer, the lithe little thing who amused me for awhile. I've never married a mistress before. Maybe the legitimacy is why I'm bored. I close my eyes as I bite her lower lip. Without being able to see her, it's easier to let my mind wander.
Olivia's hands caress my back, running along my spine as she begs me to take her harder, faster-
AJ thrusts, pulls himself partially out and thrusts in again. My head bounces back against the pillow. He rests on his elbows, moving above me as he works towards climax. When I dare open my eyes the ceiling haunts me. It's dull and white, just like this moment. When I was with Gregory a few days ago in this very room I wasn't even aware there was a ceiling.
I'm being unfair again. AJ's kind to me. He spends a lot of time with me and he's trying to please me. I close my eyes, finding solace in my memories of the way my life used to be. Back when I felt more then the occasional touch of light. When life was all around me, instead of a fog in my mind.
I can tell by his breathing that AJ's close to climax. I'm barely even sweating, but I start moaning for his benefit. It wouldn't be right to let him think all his efforts were a waste.
Annie's on the edge, I can tell by the nails in my back. I try to force myself into the present. The moment here with her in our bed, but I can't focus. I can't stop thinking about Olivia's eyes begging me to fulfill her needs. The way her hands begged me to take her right there in the elevator. Annie doesn't need me.
But it doesn't have to be Annie. I can forget that her hips are too sharp and her skin is too tan. I can forget the smell of expensive perfume that still makes her smell cheap. I can convince myself I'm back in my bed, with my wife. Picturing the way Olivia licks her lips when she's aroused speeds things along, and a moment after Annie cries out in satisfaction I'm on the verge.
Olivia arches her back beneath me. She screams my name into the night and I'm lost. "God Olivia-" I explode and grow limp, pulling out of her and sliding off to her side.
Without something for reference, I'd sound fake. At least that's what I tell myself as my mind runs off with memories of Gregory throwing me down to the sofa in our living room. Gregory tearing me out of my robe the night after he won his big case. When we were good he made me feel like I was the center of his universe. With AJ I'm just a part, a piece of his world. Something beautiful for the end table.
Gregory follows his hands with his tongue, running up my stomach like it's the best thing he's ever tasted. He does things to the underside of my breasts that are indescribable. No one else has ever found the spot that makes me jump out of my body. I run my own hands up to my breasts and forget they're mine. It could be Gregory's touch. I remember how he teases me. Without opening my eyes, without listening to AJ's panting- I could be anywhere. He could be with me, and I could be needed again.
AJ's climax happens half a world away. I can only think of Gregory making me wait. The way he could make me beg for him. No one holds out as well as he does. Maybe I'm over analyzing things again, but there's a sudden rush of heat in my head. AJ's kissing my neck, and if he wasn't so close to me, he'd never hear me whisper.
"Gregory-"
"You bastard!" Annie slaps me out of bed, pulling her knees up and tightening the blanket around herself. "How dare you."
I shrug and grab her hand as she raises it to slap my face again. I shove her hand back to the bed and turn away. As I reach for my clothes and start to get dressed, Annie launches a new tirade.
"How dare you compare me to that whore?" She spits out the words and I whirl on her. I can feel the heat of my anger and it's more than my lust was a moment ago.
"Don't talk about her that way." I reply softly, hoping she'll catch the warning in my posture. As I start to button up my shirt, Annie goes for broke.
"Why not?" She hisses viciously. "She cheated on you how many times through the years? She brought my father and your daughter's husband into your bed. She's obsessed with being the center of everyone's attention. I'm surprised she hasn't tried Tim yet-"
My hand lashes out to grab her throat without a conscious thought behind it. Annie doesn't care, obvious to her own danger, she keeps talking. "Or Ben- or Ricardo- they've been in your house a few times, doesn't that merit at least a roll on the rug with the charming Olivia? Maybe they should feel left out because they aren't on the list of men she's screwed yet."
I grab her shoulder and throw her back against the wall. She crashes against the headboard and falls out of the bed in a tumble of sheets and tanned skin. Annie cries out but the pain just spurs her on. She's always been a glutton for punishment. Ignoring the fact that she's nude under the sheet, Annie jumps to her feet and glares at me imperiously. "The more I think about it, the more I wonder if someone shouldn't do a paternity test on your other children. God knows Cole's too young to be the father of all of them, but I've always thought Caitlin bore a striking resemblance to my father-"
"And Sean? Sean looks more like AJ don't you think?"
I force her back to the wall across from the bed, shoving so hard that her teeth rattled as she hits the mirror. I pull my first back, grinning wickedly as real fear finally enters her stupid eyes. Without a word I slam my fist into the mirror, shattering it into a thousand glistening shards of glass.
Annie gaps in horror and I lean close to her. "Annie, if I really wanted to hurt you- it wouldn't be in my house and I wouldn't get caught."
I smooth her red hair, watching as the furious tears start in her eyes. "I never get caught." I shut our bedroom door behind me and listen as she throws something at the door and screams new obscenities at me. I finish buttoning up my shirt and pull on a blazer out of the downstairs closet. I should be able to find her at the hotel.
AJ rolls off me and leaves the bed, pulling on his robe while he looks out the window. I need to apologize, but I can't think of what to say. "AJ-" I start softly. "Oh AJ- I'm sorry."
"You were thinking about Gregory." He answers without turning back to look at me. "How often are you thinking about him?"
"I don't do that." I insist softly as I reach for my robe and get out of the rumpled sheets. "It was an honest mistake."
"A mistake?" AJ sighs heavily and turns around, hurt evident on his face. "How can you make that kind of mistake?" He throws open his arms in quiet desperation. "Are you comparing us in your mind?"
I cough on my laughter. "I'd never compare you and Gregory."
AJ doesn't see it as humorous and something dark flashes across his face. Is it envy? "Of course you wouldn't. It's my own fault really, I've been rushing you to get over him. When you obviously need more time." He takes his clothes to the bathroom and shuts the door. When I hear the shower start I jump to the phone.
I shouldn't dial, but I do. My fingers remember his number like my own name. I start to speak as soon as I hear his intake of breath on the other end. "I'm going to be alone in twenty minutes."
"No, you're not." Gregory laughs into his cell. "I'll make sure I pass Mr. Deschanel in the lobby."
True to my word I'm there in the lobby of the hotel twenty minutes time, and as I expected, the illustrious Mr. Deschanel is sidled up to the bar, knocking back a glass of something strong. Maybe that's his connection to Olivia, the way they both try to drink their pain away. But unlike my former wife, AJ can't blame me for his problems, however much he wants too.
He sets down the glass and gestures the attractive young brunette over to fill his glass again. "You don't know how much time I've spent trying to help her get over her husband. But no matter what I do her ex-husband is always there. It's like he's with us in the bed." He swirls his glass and I can smell the bourbon on him as I slip up unnoticed behind him.
"And tonight-" He taps the bottle in her hand with his empty glass and I can barely hold back my laughter. I know what he's going to say before AJ finishes the complaint. "Tonight I'm kissing her neck and I think we're both enjoying the afterglow, but she closes her eyes and whispers-"
"Gregory." I finish for him as I open my waller to drop some money on the bar for his drinks. "Let me buy those for you AJ." I pull out a twenty, but exchange it for a hundred dollar bill. "Twenty might not be enough."
He stares daggers at me and his hand tightens around his glass. I can see the violence in his eyes. "Don't look so surprised AJ, I'm sure it's happened to you before. You can't be a international sensation without having a little problem with names now and then." I study the pain in his face and bury my smile, taking on a serious tone. "Though it's never hurt as much as it did tonight, did it?"
I pat his shoulder and turn to walk away. AJ grabs me and pulls me around by my collar. The stink of alcohol is ripe on his breath. "Olivia isn't yours anymore."
I put up my hands innocently and dissuade the bartender from getting involved. "That is the trouble with you AJ. Olivia was never 'mine', although, I must say I've always known what she likes-" I twist out of his grasp and retreat towards the elevator. "Something it seems you need to work on."
I leave the bed a mess and fill the bathtub. Oceanview's bath oil gives the room the deep scent of jasmine. The bubbles pile high over the edge of the marble tub. I remove my robe and hang it over the corner of the open bathroom door. The stereo in the corner comes on to tonight's symphony concert. I turn it up, wouldn't do to have our neighbors complaining. I shiver as I climb into the hot water, I slip beneath the water and close my eyes. I'll deal with AJ tomorrow. Tonight I deserve to spend some time thinking about myself.
The door creaks open, but he feels no need to announce his presence directly. Gregory hums along with the symphony as he pulls my robe off the edge of the door. It's silk, west Indian, black with rich lavender embroidery. More of his taste than AJ's and it's obvious in the grin on his face that he knows and appreciates my choice. He holds it to his face for a moment, and I wonder if he remembers that perfume from our trip to Carmel.
"Sindora de Galimard," He remembers with a suggestive smile. "Smells better on you-" Gregory sits on the edge of the tub and stokes my cheek with a lazy hand. "Most perfumes do."
Gregory's hand traces down the arm I left on the edge of the tub, but he's most gratified to find my knee.
I run my hand through the bubbles, all the way down her calf to her ankle, as I'm working my way back up I lean over to kiss her cheek. "So you called him Gregory?"
Olivia laughs and reaches for my collar with a damp hand. "I've called everyone 'Gregory'"
I join her laughter as I move towards her lips, her neck is silky soft from the bath. "I did the same thing. Got myself kicked out of Annie's bed."
"I'd kick you out to if you called me 'Gregory'." She splashes me playfully and takes her knee out of my reach.
I capture her teasing mouth and press her down into the bath. "Maybe I won't let you speak."
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Olivia teases me as she pulls herself up slightly in the bath. Her breasts are still hiding under the layer of bubbles, only the thin translucence of soap between me and the unmatched beauty of her nude body. Her hand strokes it's way down the open front of my shirt. "We've never been good at talking to each other."
Her fingers trace my lips, letting me taste the jasmine water on her skin. Olivia's right but she has an insight into our relationship that's hers alone. "I want you." I respond without preamble. "I've been thinking about you for days- the only way I even got in the mood for Anne was to think about you."
"I bet she loved that." I return vindictively as I pull his hands down beneath the bubbles to my breasts. "This is what a real woman feels like." Licking my lips as he finds the sensitive places and explores them with knowing fingers. He knows the curve of my breast, and the way to caress it so that I can't think about anything else. The water soaks up the sleeves of his shirt and he bites down into my bottom lip.
"I don't think 'real' describes you accurately-" Gregory whispers as he nibbles down the side of my neck. "Exceptional-" His hands squeeze harder, coaxing a moan unbidden from my throat. "Stunning-" One hand slips down my stomach, cupping the rise of my hip bone. Gregory pulls me up, pulling us together against the rim of the tub. The cold marble is such a shock that we're both catching our breath. "Gorgeous-" His thumb grazes across my left nipple, teasing it to a point as he rises up on his knees.
"And oh so very tempting-" He lowers his mouth to the rise of my breasts and bites into them, there's a hunger in his voice that can't be faked. Something he only has for me.
"And you want me." She answers with quiet certainty as she wraps her arms around the back of my neck. I kiss her upper lip, slipping inside her mouth with a questing tongue. Olivia knows the answer to her question, but she pulls us apart.
"You called me." I remind her as I undo the buttons on the cuff of my shirt, letting me roll up the sodden sleeves.
Deciding she'd rather have my shirt off, she pulls herself up in the bath exposing her breasts just over the rim of the tub and entirely captivating my attention. Smiling knowingly as she follows my gaze, Olivia leaves a trail of kisses down my chest. "I called you because I needed something-"
We reach for my pants together, water sloshing over to the floor. She rises back to my neck, biting curve of my ear playfully. "Something I couldn't get from AJ Deschanel."
I laugh, feeling the flush of pride and arousal redden my face. I suck on the soft flesh of her neck, feeling a free tendril of hair brush my cheek as it escapes from the twist on her head. "And you can get that from me? What if I'm tired-"
Olivia's hand reaches boldly into my fly, reminding me just how well she can read my breathing as she manipulates me. "It seems that Annie didn't wear you out at all."
I let her tease me as I enjoy ripeness of her breasts as they rest on the rim of the tub between us and come close enough to touch my chest I know I can resist her long enough to be what she wants. There's a dark hunger in the back of her eyes because he didn't even have the good sense to finish her off. AJ left her wanting and it's suddenly it isn't a surprise that she called me. "Annie lacks your experience-"
That same need crawls into her voice. The way her tongue plunges into my mouth is desperate. "And AJ lacks your endurance."
I press our bodies together, realizing that the positioning is going to need to change. Gregory's kneeling there, nearly panting with arousal and I'm already out of my clothes. I push him back and stand up, listening to the cascade of water off of my body. Instead of standing in response, he nuzzles my thighs, finding the most sensitive place to flick out his tongue. I grab his head, digging my fingers into his hair as I feel the moan fight out of my throat.
He remains there a moment, pulling me into his mouth to tease me between his teeth and lips. My legs tremble and I have to grab the wall with one hand to keep my balance. "Oh god-" Falls from my lips as the flash of heat runs up my stomach. Gregory decides not to let up, and instead of moving his way up my body, he remains where he is. And he knows exactly what he's doing with his tongue. He sucks, catching me between the softness of his lips and the teasing wall of his teeth.
He pulls me down to sit on the edge of the bathtub, thoughtfully noticing that my legs are shaking under the maddening touch of his tongue. I lean back, keeping hold of his head with one hand as I hold on to the wall behind me. There's no containing my moan of pleasure or the desperate trembling of my body. I close my eyes, losing the ability to feel anything but his touch. His hands crawl up my hips, keeping me right where he wants me.
There's a beauty in the way her body arcs back, an earthly expression of the incredible glory of her. Something AJ obviously missed because the her cries are hungry. Olivia's losing fast, spiraling up to where I want her. Her fingers dig into my hair, pulling at my scalp but she only spurs me onward. My name slipped out before, but this time she's going to scream it. Speeding up together, I let the need in her breathing guide me.
I watch as her head rolls across her shoulders. Olivia's dark hair curls in the steam from the bath and the graceful line of her neck twitches as she screams. It starts without meaning but coalesces into my name. Her eyes snap open, and the sudden contraction of her body nearly knocks her back into the bath. I catch her and hold her steady, kissing the hollow between her breasts as I feel the expansion of her chest. Oxygen can't seem to come fast enough and she drops her head to my shoulder.
Running my hands over the s-curve of her back, I can still smell the jasmine of the bathwater. The taste of her is on my lips as I lick up the beads of moisture from her skin. Letting her take her time to recover will be worth it and I've never needed any encouragement to play with her body.
He stands up slowly, licking the water from my body as he goes. I take a slow breath and embrace the way Gregory's left my head spinning. Pushing him back against the sink, I press into the friction of his chest. His hands slide in the skim of water left on my skin. I can hear the stereo from the living room, the orchestra races like his heart as I press my forehead to his chest. His skin is salty with sweat and I chase up to his chin with my lips.
"I want you." I growl out as I strip him of his pants. I push him down to the tiled floor, stradling his waist as I lower myself down over his chest. I kiss his forehead and run the tip of my tongue ever his temple down to his cheek. Gregory sucks on my upper lip and I can taste myself as his tongue leads mine into his mouth. His hands find my breasts and catch my nipples. Gregory squeezes into them until I bite his neck in retaliation.
Laughing as I gasp in shock, we find each other's mouths again. He's becoming more aroused, wanting more of me as his stamina roars back to him. Gregory shoves me down his body, grinding our hips across each other. He's swollen with desire and I lift myself from him, letting him slide inside. Widening in pleasure, his dark eyes remind me what connection is. Our bodies are secondary, they serve only to act out the pantomime of our souls.
Being within her is the kind of sensation heaven is made out of. I may not have earned a place there, but in this brief tragedy of life I know what it feels like. Olivia surrounds me with warmth, the kind of gentle heat that burns through my skin. Her teeth dance across my chest, teasing before she makes her way back to my chin. Holding steady, she denies me the friction of motion.
She likes the upper hand, the sense of power in knowing that all she has to do is move her hips to deliver me to ecstasy. Her lips curl into a wicked smile as she leans up from my chest. It's too warm in the bathroom to feel cold, even with the tile beneath my back. Olivia rests her hands on my chest as she pulls off of me and exposes me to the air for just a moment. It's long enough to send a shiver down my spine before she slides back down.
Rocking forward again, she keeps her body close to my chest and locks her arms beneath my shoulders. Finding my lips again is her urgent plea to have more of our skin in contact. My hands grab her hips, tracing down over the fullness of her nude bottom. Olivia's knees are bent to the floor and as she releases me to the air again I slip my hands between us so I can find her nipples again. This time the pressure of my fingers earns a moan from deep within her chest.
Gregory's hands leave my breasts to cradle my shoulders, he flips us over, turning me to the tile that's still warm from his back. He thrusts into me as soon as he finds the leverage, eyes gleaming black and hungry. Bending back my legs gently, he finds the angle he prefers and dives within me. Our positioning is instinctual because we know how our bodies fit. Teasing around the curve of my breast, he takes the tip of it and sucks it into the warm wetness of his mouth. His hips grind against me and moaning does little to relieve the tingling sensation rising up from my hips.
Thrusting deep, he caresses my with the firm thumb of his right hand. Gregory wants me to tighten around him, to enjoy his presence as much as he needs to be within me. It's impossible to allow him my body without pulling him into my heart. He sees that in my eyes, hears it in the way i can't stop whispering his name.
"Liv-" Gregory's voice holds an offer, as much as he has to give he'll pour into me. The tingling explodes, sending my nerves into a storm of electricity. Black eyes beg me, and the smell of his cologne reminds me of the hundred times I've been in this place. My body's running without my mind, heart steering me towards the wanting. I'm tired of being empty, tired of trying to remember what love tastes like.
I crush our mouths together, arching against the weight of his chest and suddenly- finally- I'm not empty anymore.
Lust burns away in the purity of her scream. I'm lost to her, my body trades ejaculation for the sensation of fulfillment. Olivia returns my gesture, enfolding me in her arms as though she could pull all of me within her. Our lungs empty together and in that moment we're both dead. We've died together and resurrect each other as feeling returns to our bodies. Olivia's trembling lips kiss my neck and I feel tears burn my eyes. Love's made and exchanged in the space of a heartbeat and consequences are an eternity away.
Lying over me, she keeps me within as the sound of our labored breathing draws me back. Her cheek brushes against mine and mingles our sweat on my face. The tumble of her hair and the responsibilities of our lives are going to be a nest of tangles tomorrow. I brush the errant mass out along the floor and wish life were as easy to smooth.
Olivia releases me as she gets shakily to her knees, and I reach up for her, sitting up to thank her with a kiss. It deepens, trading our gratitude as our lips sigh apart.
"You don't have to go home tonight-" Olivia whispers into my hand as I cup her face.
i can't trust myself to lie about wanting to return to my house and my eyes fall into a grin. "Are you asking me to stay?"
I pull the robe over my shoulders with my back to him, pulling out my hair free from the silk and letting it hang down my back. Gregory's arms encircle my waist, and I lower my hands to greet him. "I'm offering to keep you."
His whisper of reply echoes down my ear to quake in my heart. "Liv, tonight there's no question who I belong too." His ring, his wedding ring, clinks metallic as he drops it next to the sink.
Naked now, his hand slips into my own and I lead him to the bed. The bath, the sodden pile of his clothing, and the terrible mess of our lives can all wait until morning. Now there's the bed, the comfort of his body and rhythm of our breathing. Now is all we have.
