The words reverberated in his mind. She's always wanted to. Always.

Nathaniel felt emboldened by Rebecca's declaration. She had wanted him from the beginning. These feelings weren't one-sided. He hadn't just imagined the chemistry between them. Maybe all those times he had intrusive thoughts about kissing her again, touching her...maybe she had those thoughts too. And now she was under him, arching her back to meet his touch.

He dragged his hand slowly down her body, savoring the swell of her hip and then her upper thigh. He found the edge of her dress and slipped his hand underneath.

She gently pushed on his chest and he took his hand away.

"Sorry," he apologized, panting.

"No, no... Listen, I have a complicated series of pulleys and levers keeping me in this dress," she huffed with a smirk. "You're not going to be able to get me out of this thing."

"Ok…" he smiled. She pushed on his chest again and he took her cue to untangle himself from her limbs.

She got off the bed and walked to the corner of the room, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. He fidgeted, unsure what to do. "Listen, this process is going to be incredibly unsexy to watch. Can you just..." She twirled her finger in a circular motion.

"You want me to turn around?" he asked, incredulously.

"I don't want to ruin the illusion of how effortlessly sexy I am. You think this," she gestured up and down her body, "just happens?!"

He let out a small laugh and turned to face the other way. He busied himself by pulling a condom out of the drawer of the nightstand and setting it on the top. He heard a series of grunts from the corner where Rebecca was undressing.

"You ok over there?" he asked while unbuckling his pants.

"Yep, doing great! Boobs in t-minute 10 seconds."

He smiled to himself and then a thought dawned on him. "Hey, could you also...take your hair down?"

She was silent for a moment. "Uh, sure. Whatever you want, remember?" He heard the clink of bobby pins hitting the surface of his dresser. It bothered him a little that she was still alluding to their deal, but he decided to push the thought aside. She said that she wanted this. He took off his boxers and suddenly felt nervous.

"Ok," Rebecca purred in an affected, sexy voice.

He turned around and she was just a few steps away from him, fully naked. Her dark hair fell around her face in messy curls and her lipstick was smudged. His mouth was suddenly dry. "Wow," was all he could say.

Her eyebrows climbed high on her forehead, "You really haven't been with someone bigger than size 2, huh?"

"No, no, it's not that. You're..." he exhaled sharply, completely lost for words.

Her eyes slowly trailed down his body and he felt hot under her gaze. She bit her lip and she smiled, apparently pleased with the appraisal. Then their eyes met. She closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So...what do you want?" she asked seductively, still playing the vixen.

"You," he replied earnestly and then kissed her. He gently edged her backward until her knees hit the bed's edge. She laid back and he followed. As they shamelessly made out, she dragged her hands up and down his back, urging him to press against her. Each time he did, her hips rose to meet his. She started making soft, whimpering sounds and the sensory overload made him realize he had to slow down. He lifted his hips away from hers and started kissing along her collarbone. He then started kissing his way down her body, the intention of his journey clear.

"Hey wait," she said and he stopped and looked up at her. "I really appreciate the sentiment and I would love for you to do that another time...but we've had months of foreplay and I just want…" and her eyes darted to the condom on the nightstand. He smiled, happy that she was expressing what she wanted from him.

"Are you sure? I'm happy to…"

"God, I'm sure. Please just…" she seemed to be having a hard time formulating any more complete sentences.

He got up and made quick work of putting the condom on himself. Then he resumed his position on top of her and angled himself at her entrance. She had her eyes closed and her mouth open, in an expression he was starting to recognize as her aroused face. She was breathing heavily in anticipation. He slid his arms under her back and threaded his left hand through her hair, cradling her head.

He pushed into her slowly. He stopped moving when her face changed to a pained expression. "It's the good kind," she anticipated his question without even opening her eyes. A subtle smile played at her lips. She exhaled deeply, "Please god keep going."

He obeyed and established a slow rhythm.

"Hey," he said gently. She opened her eyes and the intensity in her face took his breath away. She looked aroused and vulnerable. "Nathaniel," she said softly, almost like she was seeing him for the first time. He couldn't remember the last time he had a moment with a woman that felt this intimate. He hoped she saw in his face how much he wanted her, all of her. Her eyes darted down to his lips and he kissed her.

He reveled in the feeling of holding her head in his palm. It felt like he was completely possessing her. She started making a humming sound low in her throat, and the sound shot straight through him.

While she seemed to be enjoying herself, he started to worry that she wouldn't climax in their position. And there was no way he was going to walk away from this night without seeing her face when she orgasmed. He wanted to see her completely lose control.

He broke the kiss and shifted off of her. He sat up with his back against the headboard. She followed wordlessly and straddled him, easily sliding back down on him. They were face-to-face now and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders while he held her against his chest. "I want you to take control," he whispered. She simply nodded and and started moving up and down on him slowly. He watched her face in rapt attention as she tested different angles to find what was pleasurable for her. He loved how unabashedly self-possessed she was in her sexuality. Finally she scrunched her face and he knew she had found the spot. With each thrust now her clit was grinding against his pelvic bone. He tried to replicate the movement with each push into her.

He buried his face in her neck, kissing her there and tasting her sweat. She started to speed up and her little moans and gasps were proving to be his undoing. He could tell she was almost there and wanted to give her the push over the edge.

He had a pet theory, developed over his many sexual conquests, that smart women like dirty talk during sex. He whispered into her neck, "Rebecca, you're so sexy." She threw her head back, eyes shut and mouth agape. "Oh god, keep going," she said. He wasn't sure if she meant his movements or the talking, so he met her thrusts harder and said, "I want to see you come, Rebecca." And that was it. Her face went slack and she let out a guttural moan, "Oh my god, yes, yes, yes." He couldn't hold on any longer and exploded inside of her.

She collapsed on him, her arms around his neck and her head lolling on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back and held her while they both caught their breath. His heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest. He rubbed his hands over her back soothingly.

After several minutes of holding each other, Rebecca got off of him carefully and then silently walked to the bathroom and shut the door. He got up and disposed of the condom and then laid back down in the bed to wait for her return. He heard the toilet flush and she came back into the bedroom. Her chest was completely flushed red and she had a demure smile on her face. He was relieved that she seemed pleased.

For a moment they just looked at each other, both smiling shyly. "You're going to stay, right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yea, is that ok?" she asked in a small voice. He nodded. He suddenly felt very vulnerable.

"Hey, I obviously can't sleep in that dress. Could I borrow something?" she asked.

"Of course. Take anything you want. Go in the - " Before he could finish, she disappeared into the entryway of his apartment and came back wearing the white shirt he wore earlier.

"Does this do anything for you?" she asked in a mock-seductive voice. Her relaxed demeanor put him at ease.

He grinned. "Yea, come here," he said, pulling back the blankets for her to join him. She gladly slid under the blankets and laid beside him so they were facing each other. He leaned over and turned off the light. The room flooded with darkness except for sparse streaks of moonlight escaping through the window. He put an arm around her waist and settled himself so their faces were mere inches away from each other.

"Hey," she whispered in the darkness, "I'm curious...what is the thing you wanted to do tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember I said you could do anything you want tonight? Are you sure we did it? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great..."

"Don't worry about it," he cut her off, hoping she would just drop it.

"Oh no, come on, tell me." She wiggled closer to him.

He cleared his throat. "We did what I wanted so we're good."

"Interesting…" She sounded even more intrigued.

"Ok, if I tell you, you have to promise you won't mock me," he said.

"Ok, now you have to tell me! Please please," she pouted.

He paused for a moment, debating whether to tell her. "So, I had this...dream about you when we first started working together," he started. He expected some quip or other reaction from her, but she was silent. "We were having sex...I was on top of you…" He trailed off, beginning to feel self-conscious about this admission. "Never mind. Just don't worry, we did what I wanted."

She was still silent and he wished he could see her face in the darkness. "I'm seeing a whole new side to you, Nathaniel," she finally said.

"Is that a good thing?"

"I like it," she said softly. "So why the big-bad-scary-boss song and dance at work? Seems like maybe you're kind of a softie."

"I could ask you the same question," he replied. "Why the 'espresso-haired vixen' routine all of a sudden?"

She was quiet for a long time and he again wished he knew what she was thinking. He moved closer to her and cupped her face in his hand. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and found dampness there. "Hey, what's going on?" he whispered.

He felt her shake her head. She was crying but made no sound. "Um, sorry. Listen, I know I've been acting all detached and above-it-all lately," she paused. "The truth is I'm broken. I'm fucked up," her voice caught in her throat.

"Rebecca, no one could possibly blame you for being hurt by what happened at the wedding. Not to mention the shit your dad pulled," he reassured her. "Listen, you don't have to pretend in front of me. I don't buy that uncaring, hot and tough act for a second."

"Yea, but you kinda liked it," she said with a smirk in her voice.

"Ok, yea, I did think it was kinda sexy," he conceded. "Rebecca listen, everyone is fucked up. You think I haven't done some messed up stuff in my life?" He wiped away her tears with his thumb and then wrapped his arm tighter around her. She nuzzled into his chest and let out a deep exhale. He felt her body relax. Soon, her breathing evened and he joined her in sleep shortly after.