- Oh!" Alex stumbled upon a stack of CDs: they jutted unevenly out of a man-high plastic shelf. A primitive cardboard box-like stand took its rightful place to the left of the nightstand, on which the impressively sized music center silently dusted. That wasn't even what caught Alex's attention, though. Bent in an unimaginable hook, he ran his eyes over the names of albums and bands until, with a skeptical chuckle, he beckoned Kate over to him.
- What, Alex? - She grinned at him with amusement. Well, not to betray myself at all. - Major visual impairment?
But his shoulder only twitched indefinitely:
- I just need help, or rather - count on your musical taste.
- Pfft," Kate snorted dismissively, "and what makes you think I have any?
- I don't ask what you don't have," Alex replied admonishingly. His index finger hovered on the corner of the box, but after thinking about it, the man sent the box back to its place with a forceful flick, "but what it can and should be. Doesn't a woman like you, with a gorgeous figure, an enchanting voice, and the stench of cherries in your hair, have any hobbies other than work?
- I have enough hobbies, but you'll never know. It's just that it's my credo in life to do good for everyone. When you are confident in your actions and get the result you want, people around you begin to trust you. They reach out to you with all their hearts, communicate willingly and at ease, and you in return endow them with spiritual equilibrium. You try on their misfortunes on yourself, you carry the mission of revenge for them, so to speak, and at the same time you understand that you do not trample the earth in vain. Speaking about myself, I'll tell you this: I only do what is good for the society and I will never turn away from my intended path. And I'll never give up. You do know, don't you, Alex, when the "death" oath is taken?
- Of course I do! I'm a big and mature enough boy, but you've said too much, I only wanted a simple yes or no," he remarked, pulling out another box. He opened it, moved his lips to read the insert, and chuckled hilariously:
- Who's gonna listen to that, huh? And something obviously tells me that they were going to be out of circulation right after their debut!
Alex returned the box to its place and took out the next one and showed it to Kate with admiration:
- Look, Evie, this is really super classy! The first single of this band rose so high in the chats that the number of its clones in recent years broke every record imaginable and unimaginable!
- The unthinkable? - Beckett feigned steadfast incomprehension, though her heart treacherously fluttered: exactly the same green-orange box was lying in her house. And not just lay there, but topped the list of cardiac healers. It was the one she used to play it after talking to her daddy, and it was the one with a large autograph of the late lead singer of the now-defunct band on it. And it was on that track list that was her favorite song, which Kate thought was hers and hers alone. But she couldn't tell the first person she met about it!
She furtively blew on her palms, hiding her embarrassment, but still watching Alex through her fingers. Now the dude was just sitting on the floor, poking around in his disks. He must have realized he wasn't going to get any help from her.
- Oh, by the way," Alex said, as if unintentionally. - If I have a choice, I'll act according to my own preferences!
- It seems to me that you always do that," Beckett stressed the word "always" in her voice, "and ask the others only as a formality.
- No," Alex objected quickly but firmly, "I care about what I do for others. Because since my childhood I've been in need and even as an adult I've had enough of the "prose of life". And if it wasn't for friendship, trust, I don't know how I would have survived. That's why I don't need much from you. Well, maybe just a little bit. Well, at least as part of the performance.
- You do as you please, and we'll watch you from the sidelines! - With a leisurely gait Beckett went deeper into the room. At the table, she paused and casually ran her palm over the delicate scattering of buds: petals so velvety to the touch, like morning dew, moistened her fingers. And Beckett was struck again by the strange, inexplicable coincidence of her and her partner's tastes: the roses looked as if they had just been cut from her father's flowerbed. That every sunrise greeted her, and every sunset saw her off. And when there are lots of them and in theme, the flowers are truly a joy to behold. Unlike the ones handed to her before.
"Thank you, Alex! As much as it looks, I'm...touched!" - and Kate's heart squeezed strangely as Alex, clasping the box in his hand, smiled broadly and charmingly.
- Good! - His greeting looked like a slight, friendly wave. - I hope you won't regret it!
- I already do," Beckett frowned for good measure, "but I'm not used to giving up.
And slowly sank into one of the chairs. She wiggled for comfort, wiggling the strand of auburn hair thoughtfully on her finger: something was wrong with her. Something strange, even frightening. Something she'd been preparing for, but wasn't ready for. Never before had she had such a strange, prolonged, and even in some ways fascinating foreplay before intimacy. Never before had she been forced to make such an unusual choice, between "to get a good shag" or "to firmly build an impregnable wall. Nor had she ever been pestered with greasy, idiotic jokes, or had her blouse been pulled up and fastened, or her breasts pawed at without preamble. And even, as Lainey had promised, they didn't pry into my soul, but what difference does it make? The ending was predetermined, the only difference was the sauce. She just had to hope that Alex wouldn't let her down... Everything had to look decent...
He was already rummaging through his disks again, sniffing and snorting noisily, and he paid no attention to Beckett. As if she were not a living woman with luscious forms, but a beautiful but soulless doll, whose wire frame allowed to give the body any desired pose. Opening the boxes one by one, Alex read the names of the tracks, but shook his head grudgingly until he summed it up confidently:
- Here we go. Still, as they say, the first eye is a diamond.
He turned on the music center and, confidently slipping a CD into the slot, slid almost inaudibly to her chair.
- Come on, Evie! It's going to be great! - Alex hovered over Kate, his whole body weight pressing his hand to his heart. - You're going to love it!
- And if you don't... - Beckett began lazily, fiddling with her strands, but her fingers froze involuntarily as the music began to play - Alex had set HER music. But how so? But how did he know? It just couldn't be! Could it be that Lainie had blabbed... Lainie?! Lainie! Well, wait a minute, girlfriend!
Kate's lips quivered in anger and indignation, and the leaky backrest creaked, but Alex, seeing the disgruntled, nervous turn of "Evelyn's" head, didn't hesitate to kneel down in front of her.
It came out loud and noisy and rambunctious, and while "Evie" rounded her eyes in amazement, Alex immediately took her hands in his. Kate sluggishly resisted, burning with resentment and dissatisfaction, but her "man for an hour" had already arched his whole body in an inordinate way, trying to look into his partner's face. She seemed to be in a stupor, while his eyebrows were already moving intensely, his cheeks were bubbling, and as Kate bitterly ironically noted to herself, there was something of a dog in Alex. Domestic, loving and loyal, with a pure look and an equally sincere soul. Only a dog would not, sighing heavily, gently and tenderly stroke her knuckles. And Alex (I could feel it!) clearly knew a lot about that sort of thing. He caressed her hands so insistently and inventively that Beckett was involuntarily relieved. She was a little ticklish and pleasant, and then, as you know, more. Here she was, dizzy with a riot of hormones, blood pulsing through her veins, and her body sinking into a pleasant stupor. And it was all him, Alex. With his hot breath, his fingers as searing as boiling water, he threw and threw Kate into a thrill. And she didn't want freedom anymore. From him. Were they soul mates?
- Trust me, Evie," Alex whispered huskily and with a gasp, "just for a few minutes. And I don't need your inside, no matter how strange or incomprehensible it is. Just be with me, here and now. And yes, I can talk beautifully, but I can do without words with you. And yes, I'm naturally sensual, but with you it will be even more intense. And it makes no sense for me to repeat myself, achieving you, since intuition and partly unconsciousness interpret for me. And I am not even ashamed to admit to you-selves that I just vomit from the luxurious flora of your perfume, from the softness and weightlessness of your hair that clogs my vision and tickles my nose... And your body, so close, magnificent and mysterious is something in itself... And if it were not for the strange circumstances of our meeting, I would act a little differently.
- Different? What do you mean by that? - Beckett tried to stand up, but Alex touched her neck so gently and fantastically that Kate almost "gasped. Even just sitting and doing nothing was akin to self-torture, but now he was playing the lead fiddle. And not everything was still clear-cut between them.
Alex was apparently of the same opinion, because with a flick of his hand he adjusted the short, unruly curl that had been bunched up on her forehead.
- Don't get too excited. That's not why you're here. Just step towards me... Take my hand and let... Me... Yourself... Us... And this is definitely not a joke...
"No kidding!" - Kate sighed unevenly, but he barely heard:
- I wish I could believe you... But so much piggishness...in a man's nature!
- You make it sound like you've given up on all of us a long time ago..." Alex froze, looking at Kate point-blank. - Yeah, I'm a man, so what? I may not be your friend, but I'm not your enemy. So just close your eyes and believe not in me, but in yourself. Separate the mind from the body, push behind these walls, what's eating you from the inside. Make up your mind... Share with me a part of your self...
- ... I'm not like most people, Alex, and I'm capable of a lot of things ... that you can't even imagine ... but I'd rather not say anything ... I'm happy with my situation now, but no one knows what will happen then ...
- Later?! We! - His fingers were so red-hot they seemed to burn her skin down to the bone, but Beckett pressed her lips together and closed her eyes wearily. - An hour! For two! For twenty-four hours! Out of the world! Out of reality! Outside our own ideas of what ultimately moves us! So hold my hand, and isn't it strong enough?
- It's enough... And... boldly put! What then? We have..." Beckett suddenly felt the tears come to her throat, and then she clenched her fists until they hurt.
- Whatever it is, it's always easier with two...
His hands moved to the armrests, and his fingertips trembled slightly-although Alex had the foresight to pause, even though it wasn't easy for him, either. He'd just seen the way her Adam's apple twitched nervously, so he took his time. He waited for her words to express the course of her thoughts, and Evie's voice was quiet and dull:
- It's like... you're hitting on me as a partner... and you're repeating yourself again...
- I don't care... I'd do it a hundred times over... If you wouldn't mind...
- You could do it again in another life
- I'm different in life too... I have no fear... Even if my hand is broken... Especially when my partner has such explosive strength...
- I'm even more powerful, but I'd rather just break your legs... So just shut up... Alex...
- I know what you're thinking... but I love tough women... Rugged and sweet in their own way... Like you... Independent... proud... uncompromising... Because I can not otherwise... You are a woman of mystery, and I am interested in you... Very...
His palm rested on her shoulder, and Kate involuntarily squinted her eyes, assessing. Large, long fingers, soft and warm - oh-so-pleasant. The flesh-colored fingernails were trimmed short - a sense of professional care. Royce's trained fingers, they were many times stiffer and sloppier, rougher, more impatient. When Royce grasped her nipples in a tug, the calluses scratched the delicate skin so hard that Beckett involuntarily shuddered. Which Mike took as proper foreplay. And Alex? He doesn't look like Royce, and who wants to be disappointed, huh? And to that wonderful music... which the abundantly "caring" Laney... prompted. To it and only to it...
As if in response, Alex's hand froze in one place, holding his palm, gently stroking the dainty shoulder with only fingers, trying not to break contact. One, two, three. Left and right, back and forth and back and forth in circles: it felt great. The pressure was subtle at first, then more palpable-and then "weightless" again.
- You're good with your hands... What, years of practice? - Kate smiled relaxedly, and Alex eagerly picked up on it:
- Yeah... Braying... You can't do without caressing there, too, because horses are also, as you know, ladies, only bigger and on four legs. They are more vulnerable and more offensive than a human. And if you don't have the gift of foresight, you can't penetrate their walls.
- What... Walls?! What a strange association... It's as if you...
"... read my mind... I'm the only one who knows about it... Not you, alas... It's been there ever since I was orphaned, since my mother was killed... But I've learned to live with it... It's just a taboo subject... for everyone... Because it's only my business... And my revenge on the killer... Nobody should... Nobody... A- alex..."
His brazen hands were already touching her body wherever they could reach it: her neck, her arms, her cheekbones, her thighs. It was as if they were probing beneath the elastic skin for a lump of nerves that only he alone knew about. Only his chest was left "uncovered," and Alex had clearly saved it for dessert. Especially since "Evelyn" didn't seem to mind.
Alex gently pulled the girl to his shoulders, and Kate gently rested her head on his shoulder, powerful and reliable. She would have sat and sat like that while the pad of his finger, rotating back and forth gently, pressed firmly against the recesses between her vertebrae. And suddenly Kate felt as if a needle had been thrust into her back, so painful and hot in one spot.
"О!.. Damn!...! The devil!... What are you doing..."
But Alex didn't hear her message; he just did his thing, confidently removing her inner, debilitating clamp until Beckett naturally floated. Her clothes became obscenely tight, and the rest was just a blur.
Alex lightly stroked the graceful line of her cheekbone with the knuckle of a bent finger, and they parted briefly. Languishing in a pleasant, waiting bliss, Beckett heard a lighter flick, and then the room filled with the scent of incense. The chandelier in the center of the room went out, the sconce by the bed clicked dryly, the bedspread rustled, and a returning Alex took Kate by the arms. And she obeyed him, willingly and without fear. To his courage, to his power, until, at full height, they came close together and intertwined in a slow, lingering dance.
Alex was indescribably correct, but they didn't look each other in the eye. And for some reason neither of them rushed to seize the initiative. Until the tune ended and the track started up again. And Alex held Kate tightly against him. She felt his arousal, but she appreciated his restraint. She didn't push him away, as she easily could have, but simply took his face in her hands. She kissed his lips until he trembled and moaned. And responded so artfully and unobtrusively that Kate almost lost her mind.
She was naturally short of breath, and none of her exes could match Alex. Plus, he just didn't leave her any time to dig into herself. What's the self-torture for, though, huh, Kate? Rest promised? Yeah. Was the surprise a success? Quite, and she was ready to let Alex inside her. To feel the power, to be charged with his sexual drive, to get rid of her worries for a while. So that tomorrow (or Monday!) to return, rested, to her righteous self and live. To live and live and live, for a single and unchanging purpose.
"I live for revenge!" - Kate hadn't thought the phrase through yet, and her fingers, tangled and confused, were already pulling his clothes off. Alex did the same until he was piling everything up. He scattered the things with his feet, picked Kate up in his arms, and sprinted to the bed. He lowered the woman, so desired, so burning with excitement, onto the cool linen bedspread. Immediately, without any preamble, he turned her over on her stomach. Beckett had time to notice on the bedside table a box of condoms and some flat jar.
With a quiet squeak, Alex twisted the lid off it and applied all his skill to Beckett's body: it was some kind of gel, slightly cold and sweet-smelling. With noisy exhalations and snapping joints, Alex ruthlessly turned Kate around like a doll, but her own malleability, her submissiveness didn't embarrass her. Because the most important thing was something else. Voluntarily or involuntarily, Beckett lowered herself. Alex was already stretched out beside her, and his big, strong body was warmer than the sun, and his skillful and self-consciously gentle hands were woven into a cozy love nest for Kate. How cool it was to be adrift, swooning in anticipation of what was to come and feeling no desire to resist. Alex burned her with his breath, gently exploring the small hollow behind her ear with his slightly moist lips, and once again today, Kate felt the familiar tugging sensation between her thighs. Her soul, hungry for real, authentic feelings, was tugging toward something unknown, cozy, homey. Something that was trusting and comforting, allowing her to forget for a time the unyielding clamps and inner walls and carefully guarded secrecy.
And the smell of incense already filled the entire room, drawing the two of them into a love frenzy. Soft and unwilling, Kate didn't remember herself at all, didn't even realize what she was being asked so unobtrusively but consistently, and no one anxious, cautionary inside was screaming at her to stop and turn back immediately. She wasn't herself now, and when Alex whispered something in her ear, she responded obediently, with a relaxed smile of voluptuousness.
- Wait!" he rustled the tinfoil bag, then moved deftly on top of her. Hovering mightily, he came in and froze inside, waiting for a hug, and she crossed her ankles behind his back. She even pulled herself up against his sizzling penetration, begging pathetically for more. He didn't even think about backing down. He moved leisurely, with a lag, as if in a frozen frame, almost coming out and coming back in with increasing effort, to a juicy and loud slap. Then suddenly he froze, and she felt his hot, wet breath on her cheek.
- What are you doing to me? - Kate mumbled lazily as his teeth gently clenched the skin on her shoulder and pulled away a little.
- Probably saving you from yourself," Alex continued to nibble the fold of her neck until he reached her earlobe. Playfully, he tickled her ear canal with his tongue, and Beckett sobbed thinly, barely managing a smile; she laid her cheek wearily on the pillow, exposing her sweat-damp subclavian hollow to his kisses.
- You don't want to stop, do you? - She knew how this kind of fun usually ended, and tonight would be joined by another hickey, dark purple and no less colorful than the others. The essence of the memorable sign of the night - extraordinary, unforgettable, in the tart aromas of love.
- I can't stop... without a stop word... spoken by you... so sweet..." Alex mumbled inaudibly, his tongue and lips working deftly together. - And it's not a coke Santa phrase, it's a juicy, fresh, crisp word... Like a young apple, for example.
- And you really...like apples?
- It's more like the word itself... as a definition... It doesn't have to be peeled.
- Then have an "Apples!"... And...
- Don't take my bread... I am my own master of my word...!
- ...unless circumstances force you to do otherwise... Shut up, Alex, and do your job.
- We're in this together. Fifty-fifty.
- No, ninety to ten... My goal game... with a hit...
- He's in! - he muttered, slipping out of her tightly clenched bosom and letting hot air out somewhere below her navel: the slight stirring in the chocolate triangle of hair again and again threw her into a shiver of love.
- You're a stranger to rejection, aren't you? - Kate almost panted and let out a gasp. His sensitive fingers, unyielding and expertly moving inside her, drove her to the peak against her will.
Alex remained silent. His noisy, labored breathing became more frequent, and he lay down between her legs, using both tongue and fingers, then crawled over her again, pausing for a moment, bursting inside. He was flailing and flattening her against the bed with his powerful thrusts, naturally thrusting all the way up to her nub, and they cum at practically the same time. The final climax was indescribable. Beckett was shaking and pounding and shaking, wild, lingering screams were woven under the ceiling, her breath was taken away, and the hot, lingering mass of orgasm was all over them.