New Years Eve. 11:45 pm. The Mayors bash at the Sphere. A room full of couples surround them, and somehow, they'd found each other. Both had expected to be at work, each turning down invitation after invitation for various festivities, and each, for their own reasons, found themselves here and dateless.
She was on the balcony, her arms, left bare by her strapless purple gown, wrap around herself against the chill of the desert night air and she stares out at the neon lights glowing against the blackness of the near mid-night sky laid out before her, wondering where exactly her life had taken the wrong turn.
He stood inside, just on the other side of the door, watching her for a moment before opening the heavy glass door. She heard the noise of the party swell through the open door, then fade again as it closed. She assumed it was a couple coming out to catch a breath of fresh air, or perhaps a moment of privacy, an easy assumption, since the entire world seemed to be populated with couples tonight. He slipped up behind her, already shrugging out of his tux jacket, and slipped it over her shoulders. She started, surprised by the touch, and turned her head, looking over her shoulder, meeting the eyes of her knight in black wool armor. She smiles, genuinely glad for his company. "Thanks." She tells him, and puts her hand over his, still resting on her shoulder. His skin is warm and she wonders if that's the reason for the sudden wave of heat surging through her body.
"Anytime." He answers, smiling back. She detects a moment's hesitation in his smile, and she wonders if he's feeling the same rush of heat that's still pulsing through her. Breaking the tension she purposely eyes his tie and reaches up fingering the material, feigning adjustments to the already straight knot, anything to be able to touch him, keep the connection, the warmth. "Thanks" he tells her when she pulls back, a slight, satisfied smile on her lips.
"Anytime." She repeats him, her smile growing brighter, their eyes meeting and locking. She knows, in that one split second, that if the world were to crash down around them, she would not be able to look away to watch it happen. His smile falters as a drape of seriousness covers his face. An intensity she'd hadn't seen before appears in his eyes and she darts her tongue out wetting her lips. His hand is still on her shoulder, and he pulls her closer to him, her eyes close and suddenly his lips are on hers, lips that are warmer than his hands, and softer than she ever would have imagined them to be. She wraps her arms around him, one hand massaging the back of his neck; and presses herself up against him. She feels his lips part, and he licks her bottom lip just slightly, like he's softy knocking on her front door, asking to be let in. Instinctively her own lips part and his tongue dives into her mouth meeting hers and sending bolts of electricity down her spine. Her knees give way but he catches her, his arms enveloping her, his hands on her back.
The music and laughter of the party billows out as the door is opened. The kiss breaks and he moves them behind some tall potted plants, not willing to share her just yet. Her hands slide away from his back around to his hips, she holds on. Familiar voices say each of their names, not calling them, referring to them. "Wonder when they'll figure it out?" One voice says before adding "It's almost midnight, let's go back inside." She watches the familiar forms, silhouettes against the brightness of the lighting inside, move back through the door.
Before it closes, they hear the yearly ritual chant of the New Year count down.
"Ten. Nine. Eight."
She looks up to find him staring at her; his expression changed just slightly but the intensity remains.
"Seven. Six. Five."
He kisses her again.
"Four. Three. Two."
A kiss that's softer and deeper; less hungry, but fuller. This kiss is suggestive, full of promises.
"Happy New Year!" The people inside shout and begin to cheer, the band begins the opening notes of Old Ang Zyng and a moment later, the crowd, their own new year kisses given out, begins to sing along.
He pulls away, and stares at her, her eyes still closed, hoping he'll be returning those wonderful lips back to hers. "Let's go" he whispers. Her eyes pop open and he sees the glint of momentary fear before it falls away, replaced by desire. Not trusting her voice, she simply nods her consent. He takes her hand, his is still so warm, so engulfing, she's astonished that she's never noticed his hands before, and leads her to his car.
The radio plays softly, filling the car with hushed love songs. At a stoplight he turns to look at her, for the first time since starting the engine with one final glance over at her, giving her one more chance to back away. Now, sitting at the practically deserted intersection, her face bathed in the glow of the red light, he sees a small trace of a smile on her lips. A quick flash of light bounces in the corner of his eye, and her expression changes quickly into a mixture of shock and delight. "Lightning" she whispers, awed. He turns back again toward the windshield and looks up into the sky just in time to see another flash, somewhere far out in the desert. The light turns green and he puts the car in motion again.
The rest of the ride goes by in a flash for her. Another stop light. More lightning. His neighborhood. His driveway. At his front door, she watches those remarkable hands of his fumble with his keys, his fingers shaking. He glances over his shoulder at her, smiling stupidly; she smiles back at him, understanding the anticipation. He finds the right key and slides it in, the lock tumbles open, and the knob turns. He steps aside, giving her first entrance. As she brushes past him, she can't help but touch him, putting her hand on his waist, letting it run across his stomach as she passes. He swallows hard, and she grins, pleased with the effect her hands have on him.
She's been here a million times before, but now she stands just inside the door; unsure of where she's allowed. He closes the door behind him, thumbs the dead bolt. They stand there, staring at each other, each wanting the other, but unsure, unable to move first. In the end, it's a mutual beginning, some signal of the eyes, and they come together, body against body, mouth against mouth. Such is the rush to get their arms around the other; their arms crash at their sides.
His lips move away from hers and she utters a small noise of protest as his tongue makes a trail over her jaw and down her neck. She throws her head back, not believing how good he feels, and his mouth settles in at the base of her throat as his hands roam over her back and down, settling on the curve of her ass.
His mouth moves back up her neck and he gives her ear lobe tiny kisses in between nips with his teeth. She clutches at his head and whispers in his ear "Take me to bed." Instantly, he reaches down, wrapping his arm around her knees and lifts her into his arms. He fights to keep his eyes open as she licks and kisses his ear and jaw.
In his bedroom, he sets her back down on her feet. For too brief a moment, their eyes connect, illuminated by a flash of lightning from outside the window, the electrical storm moving in from the parched desert. Left in the darkness again, she turns around, her back to him and lifts her hair away with one hand. He moves in, caressing her bare shoulders leaves a wet trail as he kisses and licks her neck and down her shoulder blades. She steps out of her shoes and his hands move to the zipper, kissing the flesh of her back as it's exposed, she grabs at the wall to keep herself from falling. The dress plunges to the floor in a pool off purple silk and she turns back around, letting him see her for the first time, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth. He stares at her, running his eyes slowly down and back up her body. In one quick step, he's in front of her, seizing her, pulling her into him, his mouth clamped down on hers. Her fingers lightly touch his jaw, rough stubble meets her fingertips, she slides down to the tie she had so carefully adjusted, it seems like so long ago to her. The black fabric unknots and she tosses it to the floor. Her fingers find the buttons on his shirt, and they tremble as badly as his had with the keys. He takes his hands off her only long enough to shrug out of the white shirt, as her fingers move to his buckle. She slips the belt out from around him, lashing it across the room, then crouches down in front of him. She looks up, locking eyes with him as she slides the zipper down, deliberately slowly. Her hands move to his hips and she tugs the fabric down, where it falls on top of her dress.
He cups her chin, gently pulling her back to her feet. He kisses her gently and softly as he leads her in their dance to lay her down on his bed. He stands over her as she settles in on top of his sheets. She runs her hands down the soft material, surprised that this man would think to buy bed clothes this expensive. He watches as she moves her hand from the sheets onto her stomach and runs her fingertips up and down her own skin for a moment before she reaches for him. He crawls onto the bed, laying on top of her; his hands braced on the mattress near her head hold his body weight. He stares into her eyes, a stare so deep she can feel it in her toes. "You're so beautiful" he mummers and nuzzles into the hollow of her neck. She sighs deeply and burry's her fingers in his hair.