Roxanna sighed as she pushed away from the conference table. It had been a long day in the seminar, and while most of the presenters had been quite informative or entertaining, this last one had bordered on absolutely boring. At least, though, she had supper with Henrik to look forward to. Stretching, she heard the joints in her back crack a little as she groaned under her breath, seeing the speaker make her way towards her.
"Will you be presenting tomorrow then, Doctor MacMillan?"
She nodded as she looked towards the door, hoping that Henrik was almost finished with his seminar and would come to her rescue before she had to make too much small talk. "That is what's on the schedule," she replied, giving the woman a stiff smile. "If you'll excuse me, I do have plans for the evening." Giving her a small nod, Roxanna turned on her heel and scurried over to the door, weaving her way through the others still mingling in the room.
Not seeing Henrik, she turned down the hall and escaped the conference center as quickly as she could, slipping her sunglasses onto her face as she squinted at the bright San Francisco sunlight. Letting out a deep sigh, she drifted over to a nearby bench and plopped down, pulling out her phone and flicking through the pictures that she had taken of them during their downtime. Henrik had said that she was being overly sentimental, but this was the first time that she had travelled for work in nearly nine months, as her recovery had lasted much longer than expected, and she wanted to make as many happy memories as possible.
"I thought I might find you out here," Henrik said as he took a seat next to her. Roxanna smiled as she looked up at him, shrugging a little before closing out the picture gallery and scooting closer to him, letting her head come to rest on his shoulder as she stared out at the tree closest to them. "I take it that you were less than enthused with your last panel?"
"However did you guess?" she drolly replied as sat up straight, turning to gaze at him through the haze of her sunglasses. "The last speaker was doing amazing work in her field, but her presentation was so boring and run of the mill that I felt like I was back in primary school listening to my least favorite teacher just drone on."
Henrik rubbed her back gently before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "I'm sorry that you had to sit through that. At least I'll be able to keep you company tomorrow."
"I am looking forward to that. Now, where are we going to eat again?"
"Gary Danko. I remembered that you like French cuisine, and it appeared to have excellent reviews. I ordered us a taxi, since we'll both want to change before we head there." She nodded and stood up, smoothing her skirt down her legs as she gazed out at the horizon. A little sigh slipped from her lips as his arm came to rest around her waist, and Roxanna shifted closer to him, letting his warmth cocoon her comfortably as they waited for the taxi to arrive.
She didn't find herself truly relaxing until they were seated in a secluded table at the restaurant, their orders placed, and a glass of red wine in her hand. Smiling across the table at Henrik, she sipped at her drink as she reached out with her foot under the table, running the toe of her shoe up and down his leg, watching how well his control held out. She could tell by the way his nostrils flared slightly that she was arousing him, and a little smirk curved her lips upwards before she gasped to feel his own toe running up and down her leg, causing her to subtly squirm in her seat as her hand tightened around the stem of her glass.
"It does take two to tango, Roxanna. How long has it been since you danced this particular dance?"
"Too long, it would seem," she replied evenly as she drew her foot back and set it on the floor, leaning forward to stare at him a little. "Though the distraction is most welcome tonight, since I am finding myself starting to become keyed up with thoughts of my presentation tomorrow."
"I can think of a different way to distract you, but we need to finish our meal first."
Roxanna licked her lips slightly as she nodded before taking a gulp of her wine. Thankfully, their server dropped off their appetizers before their conversation could further devolve into what was on Henrik's (and now her) mind. "There certainly are different appetites to sate, aren't there?" she said lowly as she took a bite of her seared foie gras.
Henrik picked up one of his oysters and ate it while keeping his gaze on her. There was something so heady about that stare, as if he was picturing her naked on the table, his oyster her vulva. The image was enough to get her squirming in her seat again as she drew in a deep, measured, breath before taking another bite of her food. "I know what you're thinking," he said as he picked up another oyster and ate it, his eyebrow quirking up for just a moment. She swallowed thickly as she nodded, focusing on her appetizer.
They had both ordered the Branzini, and Roxanna tried to savor the taste of it, even as she focused on Henrik and his soft features, the way he was giving her heated looks that spoke only of seeing to her desires. "And I know what you're thinking," she finally managed to squeak out, listening to him chuckle a little. The rest of the meal passed by too quickly and too slowly until they were finally being served their desserts. She had settled on the crème fraiche cheesecake with the port ice cream, while Henrik had been a little more traditional, going with the apricot soufflé.
It was only as Henrik was settling the tab that Roxanna began to feel keyed up once more, wondering how she would do tomorrow, when she had to give her presentation. Henrik had been so steadfast in his support of her when she had said that she wanted to pick up her research where she had left off, feeling like it would give her purpose after the way that John had left her. "Are you ready to go?" he asked as he held out his hand towards her. She nodded and accepted it, allowing him to tug her to her feet before he slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and guided her out of the restaurant. "Would you like to walk along the pier, or just head back to the Argonaut?" he asked as they stepped out into the warm night air.
"I think that I'd just like to walk back to the hotel and relax there, if you don't mind." Roxanna looked up into his face and saw the knowing smirk dancing in his expression. Shaking her head a little, she tightened her hand around his arm as they started the short walk to their hotel. "Usually I'm the one that has the one-track mind here, Henrik."
"But you are much too keyed up right now to have that on your mind. Though I'm not certain that you'll like what I have in mind to keep you distracted tonight."
That intrigued her greatly, and Roxanna gave him a quick, questioning, look before turning her attention back to the walk ahead of them. The breeze from the bay filled her nose, and she let out a contented sigh as she rested her head on his upper arm as they walked along. She gave a soft smile to the doorman as he let them in, taking a few deep breaths as she focused on the love of her life on her arm. They had managed to get a room on the fourth floor of the hotel, and she wondered how much the view of the bay was costing Henrik, since she was almost certain that the conference was not paying for that, as they climbed the stairs up to their room.
She realized that she had thoroughly managed to get lost in her thoughts when she felt her back hit their door, and she shook her head a little as she turned her face upwards to look at Henrik. "What is it?"
"I just wanted to get your attention before I did this," he said softly before leaning in and kissing her passionately, one hand cupping her arse, the other pressed to her cheek as the kiss deepened. She sighed a little as she felt his tongue dart along the seam of her lips, and Roxanna parted them a little so that they could taste each other a little more fully. "Let's head inside now, Roxanna."
She let out a small sound of disappointment as she felt Henrik move away from her. Blinking heavily, she watched as he dug out his keycard and let them in, brushing past her to enter the hotel room. "You're seriously going to leave me like that?" she asked as she followed after him, closing the door with her foot as she moved further inside.
"I am going to leave you waiting a lot tonight. If you trust me, that is."
That gave her pause, and she frowned a little as she watched him pull out four silk ties out of his bag before turning to face her once more. "Of course I trust you, Henrik. I just don't know what you're going to do to me tonight."
"Something that will take your mind off your nerves, and that will hopefully last until you take the stage tomorrow." He laid the ties out on the pillows before pulling the covers down to the foot of the bed. "Now, let the fun begin," he said as he loosened the tie around his neck before starting to undo the buttons on his shirt as he went over to the closet and hung the shirt and jacket on a hanger before undoing the fly of his trousers and slipping them down his slim hips. "I do hope I'm not the only one who is going to be on the bed this evening."
That seemed to prod her into motion, and she nodded her head as her hands fumbled with the zipper on her skirt, running it down her bum as she drifted over towards him. Stepping out of the fabric, she bent and picked it up, folding it before setting it on the dresser so that her hands were free to start working on the fastenings of her blouse. "What are we planning on doing on that bed?"
"Patience, darling, there's no need to rush headlong into anything. We have a number of hours to use before we have to fall asleep. And I plan on wearing you out so thoroughly that you won't have any space left in your brain to worry about your presentation."
Roxanna gulped as she nodded, shrugging the blouse off her shoulders and handing it to him to hang up as she rolled her tights down her legs and folded them as best she could before placing them on the dresser atop her skirt. "All right, now what?"
"Now? You take off your underwear and leave them here."
Roxanna shivered a little at the commanding tone of his voice, and she nodded as her hands reached behind her back to fumble with the clasp of her bra, suddenly clumsy with desire. Henrik seemed to recognize her reactions, since he chuckled lowly as he held out his hand. She handed over the bra before skimming her panties down her legs, the scent of her arousal seeming to fill the room as she stepped out of the garment. She went to pick them up, only for Henrik to take hold of her wrist and shake his head. "You don't like mess."
"I'll deal with it for an evening," he replied as he led her over to the bed. She nodded and took a seat, looking up at him with her mouth ever so slightly open as she waited for him to speak again. "While I wish that there were posts to tie these to, I think that we can make do with what we have."
She swallowed thickly as she nodded, scooting into the middle of the bed, allowing him to kneel next to her and take hold of her arm, tying the end of one tie around her wrist in a loose knot before stretching out her arm and tugging the tie off the side of the bed. It was long enough to fit beneath the mattress, and he smiled as picked up another tie and went around to her other side, copying the movements with her right arm. "Are you going to do my legs, too?"
"We'll have to see. I want them free for the moment, since I think I can trust you to follow orders. Yes?" She blushed and nodded, watching him remove his boxers before he tossed them onto her panties, creating a little bit of order in the chaos, making her smile. "All right, now to make you forget your troubles. How long has it been since you've denied yourself pleasure?"
She shrugged as best she could, trying not to dislodge her restraints. "I'm not certain that I know what you're talking about, Henrik."
"Denial, Roxanna. Allowing your body to ramp up to the very precipice of orgasm, only to be pulled back and left waiting for fulfillment. I know that this might seem a bit cruel to you, but I've heard that it can do wonders for making you focus on the moment."
Taking a deep breath, she gave him a small nod, wondering how he was going to go about things. Her question was soon answered by Henrik climbing onto the bed and kneeling at her feet, picking one up and rubbing it gently as he caught her gaze. There was something so erotically charged about staring into his eyes, and she drew in a deep breath as she arched her foot against his hand, a soft moan escaping her lips as he leaned in and pressed his lips to her calf, the softness of his lips against her skin tickling slightly.
That moan dragged on as Henrik kiss up her leg, his tongue swiping at the crease of her knee before peppering a series of quick kisses up her thigh until he stopped just shy of her vulva. Roxanna tried to arch her body so that he would get the hint and press his lips there, where she wanted him most in that moment. He shook his head a little before starting to kiss down her right leg, ending with a gentle buss on that calf before he sat back up again, watching her intently.
She was finally starting to catch on to the game, as she felt the burn of an impending orgasm deep in her belly, and she went to bring her thighs together, knowing that she could very easily use the friction to get herself off. Henrik chuckled as he gently parted her thighs once more, removing that option for her. "Henrik, this is so cruel," she gasped out as her hips twitched beneath his hands, trying to get him to do what she wanted.
"The buildup to the sweetest pleasure can be cruel, Roxanna. Trust me, the outcome will be exactly what you want." Roxanna tried to nod, but found her neck almost weak as it lolled forward, her chin resting on her chest as she watched for his next move. She didn't have to wait long, as he maneuvered himself further up the bed, almost straddling her as his hands slid up and down her torso. "Did anyone ever tell you that you have the softest skin?" he murmured as he drew patterns on her stomach before dragging a few digits up to run under her breasts, setting her nerves on fire.
"Your hands are very soft, too," she said before drawing in a shallow breath. "I almost wish there was a little roughness to them, so that the friction would tease me."
"Aren't I doing a good enough job of that already?" he asked teasingly as he brought his finger to his lips, wetting it slightly before running it over her nipples, causing them to tighten up painfully against the coolness of the air in the room. "Roxanna?"
She nodded a little, pursing her lips to try and keep herself from whimpering. "You really must take things faster, darling. I feel like I'm coming apart."
Henrik tilted his head to one side as he studied her, as if he was trying to think of his next plan of attack on her body. "That is the end goal," he finally said as he once more lowered his body so that he could press his mouth against her belly button, his tongue flickering against it even as she bowed her body upwards, trying to meld her body with his. It was a delight and a distraction to feel his chuckle rumble across her skin as he dragged his lips upwards, his nose bumping against one of her full breasts as his tongue darted out and lapped at the too sensitive skin there. Roxanna's breathing became harsh and thready to her ears as he continued to nuzzle and nibble at her skin, building her up to another plateau. And just when it seemed like he would finally let her fall over the precipice, he once more sat up, giving her that same placid smile he always used when he knew that she was frustrated with him.
"Please, Henrik," she said, hating the slight whine in her voice, since she knew that gave him more control of her and her reactions. "I don't think I can take much more of this!"
"I rather think that you know that's far from the truth, Roxanna. You can handle a lot more than this. Do you really trust me that little?"
She bit her lip as she gave her head a little shake. "You know I trust you fully, Henrik. I just want to find my release right now!"
"I had thoroughly forgotten how impatient you are. If you can't stop whinging, I might just leave you like this for the whole night." Her eyes widened a bit as she shook her head. "That's what I thought." He reached up and caressed her face before dragging his hand lightly down her neck, raising gooseflesh along his path. Roxanna let out a high-pitched moan as his thumb and forefinger closed around one of her too sensitive nipples, pinching and tugging before twisting ever so gently, the friction bringing more pleasure than pain. As his hand slipped across her chest to treat her other breast in the same fashion, Henrik lowered his mouth to her breast, sucking her nipple between his lips and laving it with his tongue before biting gently.
Again, she arched her body up against him, trying to feel all the more deeply. Henrik nipped her breast a little more sharply, enough to raise a mark, she knew, at that action, and she sighed as she closed her arms around his shoulders, pulling the ties out from under the mattress. "Henrik, please, mark me," she babbled, digging her fingers into the muscles of his shoulders. She was trembling with need as he bit down a little firmer, the mix of pain and pleasure so exquisite that she was seeing stars. "Oh god, Henrik, please."
He released her breast and started to kiss back down her stomach, and Roxanna couldn't stop her muscles from twitching beneath his touches, her hips rolling against his hands as she let go of herself, moaning and babbling incoherent words that were supposed to encourage him to take her to fill her, to complete her. Roxanna raised a hand to her head, slipping her fingers into her hair as she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead as she closed her eyes and threw her head back to dig into the pillow, the sensation of his mouth on her vulva short-circuiting her synapses until the only thing she could focus on was Henrik and what he was doing to her body.
He pulled away from her just as she was about to fall over into an orgasm, and her eyes snapped open, meeting his. "No more teasing, Henrik. I need you, I need this orgasm."
Henrik nodded as he slid into her, his cock filling her completely. Roxanna sighed as she hooked her left leg around his hips, drawing him in deeper, trying to set the pace for them. He didn't heed her, setting a slow, almost lazy pace to their lovemaking, and she shook her head a little as she held up her arms to him. Finally, he listened to her, stretching out along her body, which allowed her to encircle her arms around his neck, pulling him down even lower so that his chest rubbed against her breasts with every thrust. Though the silk of the ties bothered her a little, she found that to be a tiny thing compared to the pleasure he was giving her.
The next thing she knew, Roxanna was opening her eyes, staring up into Henrik's face and taking in the tender look of love on his face. "Le petit morte, eh, Roxanna?" he murmured as he traced his finger along her collarbone.
"Is that what that was? I've never felt quite that level of pleasure before."
"Then are you glad you trusted me?" She nodded. "Good." He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly before slipping off the bed and padding down to the foot of the bed, taking hold of the covers and pulling them back onto the bed. "Do you want to shower before we go to sleep?"
"That sounds lovely," she said as she sat up and stretched. Holding out her hand to him, Roxanna let him tug her to her feet, welcoming his arm around her waist as they made their way into the bathroom. And suddenly, she wasn't worried about how long it had been since she had given a presentation. Now, she could only think about him, and the love they shared. "I love you," she said softly as she slipped the ties off her wrists, letting them fall to the floor as she stepped into the shower with him.
"I love you, too," he said as he turned the water on, letting it fall down on them. Roxanna smiled as she nodded, stepping a little more beneath the drops so, letting it wet her hair as she stared up at him. "And I know you're going to be amazing tomorrow. But if you get nervous, just remember tonight." She giggled as she lightly smacked his bicep, shaking her head as she watched him grin and join in her laughter. Everything was going to be completely fine, she knew that down to the marrow of her bones, and she only had Henrik to thank for that.