Charlie woke up to sun streaming through the living room window. She was still on top of Bass, the way they'd fallen asleep. At some point, he'd pulled the blanket off the back of the couch to cover them, and it was deliciously warm being snuggled against him. She couldn't help noticing the very impressive morning wood that was obvious between them, and she felt rather than saw that Bass was waking up, too. Sleepily, they began moving against each other. Charlie was still lubricated from the night before, and Bass lazily slipped inside her, rocking back and forth underneath her.

Their hazy morning sex was nothing like that of the night before. It was slow, smooth, unhurried. Charlie felt her climax building unexpectedly, given that she was barely moving, just tilting her pelvis into Bass as he thrust up to meet her. He captured her lips in a soft kiss, and she began to move more deliberately, chasing her orgasm that was just about in reach…

The sound of Miles loudly clearing his throat was like a bucket of ice water being thrown on them. Charlie nearly had a heart attack, until she ascertained that Miles was still in the bathroom that attached to his bedroom and thank god hadn't seen them. She sprang off of Bass and onto her feet, pulling down her nightshirt. Without looking back at Bass, she flew into her room and shut the door behind her as quietly as possible.

Once her panic had subsided, a fit of laughter overtook her, and she covered her mouth to stifle the sound. The whole situation was ridiculous. Bass out there probably still with a raging hard on, Miles puttering around in his bathroom completely oblivious, her racing around the apartment like a lunatic, covering her bare ass with her nightshirt. She leaned back against her closed door and sighed, a smile still on her face. Better laugh while I still can, she thought. If Miles found out what had happened between her and Bass—what she hoped would happen again and again and again—there would be nothing funny about it.

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Several hours later, Charlie had finally managed to get a little bit of sleep but woke up with a raging caffeine withdrawal headache. There was no putting off facing Miles and Bass. She pulled on some form-fitting yoga pants and a tank top, and paused at her mirror to wipe the drool stains off her mouth before going out to the kitchen.

Bass and Miles were sitting in tense silence, reading their sections of the newspaper. As he caught sight of Charlie, Bass' face softened, and he looked at her affectionately for a couple seconds before catching himself and turning back to study his paper. Miles greeted Charlie with, "You slept late enough."

Charlie halted. "Uh, sorry? Were you waiting for me?"

In response, Miles asked, "Are you coming to the bar with me again today? We gotta go get Bass' car first, so we're leaving soon. Then I'm going to put his sorry ass to work for the trouble he caused me last night." Miles smiled a rare pre-noon smile.

Charlie caught sight of Bass staring at her again. When she glanced at him, he shook his head subtly: no. She guessed he thought it would be too stressful to spend the entire day with her and Miles under the same roof. She smirked slightly and said, "I'd love to, Miles." Bass' hands clutched at his newspaper, and she held back a giggle, adding, "But I really should get some studying in. I've been slacking all week."

Bass rolled his eyes, and Miles stood up. "Alright. In that case, we're leaving now." When Bass didn't move, Miles grabbed his elbow and pulled him to a standing position, "Now!"

"Jesus, hey, I haven't even finished my coffee!" Bass objected, setting his mug down reluctantly, looking extremely put out. Charlie recognized one of her uncle's Henley shirts on him.

"We have coffee at the bar. Let's go."

"Great, disgusting bar coffee," Bass mumbled, disgruntled. Miles ignored him and pushed him out of the kitchen.

"See you later, Charlie!" Miles called over his shoulder. She heard the door slam. Shaking her head, Charlie made her way over to the coffee pot.

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Charlie spent the day catching up on reading. The professor she was working with had asked her to review some recently-published articles regarding the global context of the American Revolution. She loved the intrigue of politics and war, especially with the benefit of hindsight to know whose strategies had been best, who had prevailed. Charlie devoured the articles eagerly, and then she reluctantly turned to her reading for a course about the philosophy of biology. She found discussions of why organisms adapted and behaved the way they did exhausting. Wasn't it enough to say that nature worked the way it did without assigning it some kind of higher consciousness? That night, Charlie went to bed earlier than she had in days, finally able to relax, no longer fretting about Bass. She knew that Miles would make sure he didn't get into any trouble.

Charlie awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of her door swinging open and blue light streaming in. Her heart raced as she saw the outline of Bass standing at the threshold to her room. "You might as well come the rest of the way in," she said, borrowing his line from the night before.

Bass needed no further encouragement, quietly closing the door behind him and striding over to her bed. Kicking his shoes off, he sat down on top of the covers, next to her. "Hey," he said in greeting.

"Aren't you cold?" she replied groggily, yanking on the blankets under him. He laughed at her and hopped up, pulling the covers back and sliding in with her.

"Better?" he asked.

"I'm just thinking of you, you're the one who's been outside," she said, molding herself to him, tracing her bare feet up his jean-clad legs. "How was the bar?"

"Ugh," Bass said. "I hate it when Miles is pissed off. He has no mercy. I must have washed five hundred pint glasses."

Charlie squeezed him. "Poor you." She carefully avoided discussing her uncle being mad at them, not wanting Bass to retreat from her again.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But it wasn't so bad. He had me tend bar, and I got some pretty good tips. Women love me." Charlie listened for some hint of irony in his voice but heard none.

"Oh god," she said. "You're actually serious." Arrogance was sexy to a point, but she still felt she had to give him a hard time.

"Miles and I have this awesome routine we do," Bass explained. "If the right song comes on, we act like we're passing an invisible ball back and forth. We'll roll it around our shoulders, toss it in the air, catch it in our mouths…" He moved his arm around, demonstrating for Charlie. "It's bad ass."

Charlie sat for a few seconds in stunned silence, then said, "That is probably the lamest thing I have ever heard. Ever." She started cracking up.

"Hey! No! You have to see it with both of us!" Bass protested, then started laughing too, rolling Charlie onto her back. "Shhhh," he said with a teasing smile, covering his mouth with hers in a kiss. Charlie hummed with pleasure as he pressed her into the bed with his weight, holding her tightly as his tongue explored hers. She ran her hands up under his shirt, feeling the hard lines of his muscles. Bass leaned over and whipped his shirt off over his head, settling back in over her, kissing her neck softly, making her moan.

"Is… he asleep?" she asked, not wanting to say Miles' name, nor make his presence just down the hall seem too real.

"Yeah," Bass said, pausing in his attentions to her neck. "We've been back for about an hour. I waited. A." He kissed her. "Long." He kissed her again. "Time." Bass sucked hard on her neck, and she cried out, the spasm of pain shooting right down to the nerves between her legs, making her instantly aroused.

"You like it when it hurts." It was a statement, not a question. She breathed raggedly, not responding. Groaning, he kissed his way down her neck, down her chest, impatiently pulling up her tank top to reveal her breasts, then pulling it all the way off her. "Ahh, yeah, fuck," he said as she laid before him half naked. He lowered his head to one nipple and took the other between his fingers, greedily palming the flesh there. Charlie pushed into him, feeling her wetness building. As he worked over her breasts, Charlie reached down and pushed her pajama shorts down and off, so she was completely naked.

Bass ran his hand down her body, feeling that she was naked, tracing his fingers lightly through the curls between her legs. Charlie tugged at his belt, her unspoken message: you're wearing too many clothes. Obligingly, Bass rolled to his side and removed his jeans and underwear. Charlie pressed herself into Bass, savoring the feel of their legs entwining, their torsos moving as one as they breathed hard, her bare arms around Bass' shoulders.

Bass disentangled himself from her and sat back, moving as if to crouch between her legs. Charlie put a hand behind his neck, stopped him. "Bass, can you just… can you stay here? I want to be close to you. Is that okay?"

A slight laugh in his voice, he said, "Yeah, that's okay," and he covered her with his body again, kissing her tenderly. Charlie felt his hot arousal against her thigh and spread her legs apart so he was between them.

Bass pressed his pelvis forward, the head of his cock aligning with her opening, sliding into place. Not touching himself, he patiently, slowly worked his penis into Charlie, as she writhed and keened beneath him, urging him deeper, her slick folds yielding to him. Finally, he slid all the way inside her, burying himself to the hilt, and Charlie gasped. Bass withdrew, pushed into her again. The friction was heavenly. Charlie threw her head back into her pillow.

After a few minutes, Charlie needed more of Bass, deeper. Pushing him up slightly, she sat against the headboard and then turned around. Now on her stomach, leaning up on her elbows, she looked over her shoulder at Bass. He gave her a heated stare, stroking himself slowly, then lowering himself over her, entered her from behind.

Charlie bit her lip hard to stifle a cry. From this angle, Bass felt huge inside her. She could feel every thick inch working in and out of her, and she heard his breath speeding up. Quickly, she pushed a hand underneath herself to tease her clit as Bass pounded into her, his thrusts growing deeper, more deliberate.

"Oh, fuck," he groaned. "Charlie…" She could hear the warning in his voice, pushed back against him, seeking her release. Finally, she found it, her nerve endings exploding in pleasure. She sighed vocally and felt Bass' hands gripping her hips hard for leverage. A few more smooth strokes, and she felt him come, pushing into her hard. Immediately, he rolled over to the side and collapsed, facing her.

As Charlie looked up at him, he put a hand on her cheek and pulled her in for a fervent kiss. "Damn," he said. "Damn, damn." Giving her a pointed look, he said, "It's probably a little late to be asking this, but you are on the pill or something, right?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, it is a little late to be asking that. But yes, I am."

He stretched out, not really seeming concerned. "Good. Cause I'm usually a little more careful than this. You make me do all kinds of things I shouldn't."

Charlie scooted closer to him. "Like stay here in my bed all night?" She ran a hand up his bare chest, up his jawline.

Bass shook his head, but pulled her into his arms. "No. Definitely not. Maybe for an hour. Two, at most."

Resting her head on his chest, Charlie breathed, "Works for me."

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On Sunday morning, Miles decreed that Bass could go home. Bass had been planning to have a bunch of friends over that night to watch the Bears game, since they were playing on the road that week. Miles wanted to go and was looking forward to seeing everyone, he said, so he wasn't going to punish himself by making Bass cancel it.

Charlie and Miles walked Bass to the door. "Thanks for the hospitality, brother," Bass said. Then, with more significance, "And for… everything."

Miles clapped him on the back, nodding silently. Bass went on, "See you in a few hours?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Miles said.

"You coming, too, Charlie?" Bass said offhandedly.

Charlie was totally caught off guard—Bass had not even hinted that he would be asking her to join them. "Uh, sure… if Miles doesn't mind giving me a ride."

Miles shrugged, "I don't care. It's just going to be a bunch of old-ass ex-Marines, but if you're up for it, you should definitely come."

Obviously, I don't have any problem with old-ass ex-Marines, Charlie thought to herself. She saw Bass' smirk and figured he was thinking along the same lines.

"Hey, don't forget about the old-ass barflys and old-ass gamblers," Bass admonished him. "I have quite a diverse group of friends." With that, he waved with a final "see ya," and ducked out the door.

A few hours later, Charlie and Miles arrived at Bass' condo. As they entered without knocking, Charlie could hear the sound of people talking and laughing already; apparently, they weren't the first to arrive. Bass came around the corner. He looked amazing, Charlie thought, in jeans, a navy button-down, and brown boots. By the way he gawked for a few seconds at Charlie's short red and blue tunic dress, she suspected he felt the same.

"Kind of dressed up for a night sitting around the house," Miles grumbled. He himself looked practically homeless in a stained Bears t-shirt and cargo pants.

Bass laughed, "Yeah, well, after three days of wearing your shit, it's nice to feel like myself again." He held his arms out, showing off the complete package. Miles looked disgusted, and Charlie giggled.

They made their way back to the kitchen, where three people were gathered around the island. "Everyone, this is Miles', uh, niece, Charlie," Bass said awkwardly, pulling open the fridge. "Beers, guys?" They took them, and Bass introduced her around. The tall blonde guy was Jeremy—he had been a Marine with Bass and her uncle. The chubby Asian guy was Rick—he and Bass met through a mutual friend's poker game. The alarmingly beautiful brunette woman was Duncan—she was also a former Marine, who now headed up her own security staffing agency.

As they talked, Duncan's eyes darted between Charlie, Bass, and Miles with increasing amusement. She pursed her lips, suppressing a grin, and asked, "So Charlie, you're visiting Miles?"

"Well, for the semester," Charlie said, nervous. These were Bass' friends. She wanted them to like her. "I'm doing research and taking classes at U Chicago."

Duncan raised her eyebrows. "U Chicago huh? A smart one!" She eyed Bass meaningfully. Bass seemed not to notice.

Charlie, who never knew what to say when someone commented on her intelligence, changed the subject, "And you have your own security firm? That must be interesting."

Duncan grinned proudly. "It's a blast. I mean, I get paid for ordering around hot guys in their 20s. Doesn't get much better than that. Why do you think I joined the Marines?" Everyone laughed at that, and she added, "I'm always trying to get Miles and Bass to partner up with me, but as you know, Miles has a calling helping the masses to imbibe. And Bass… I guess my work just isn't bloody enough for him. Bass doesn't feel alive unless he's getting his hands dirty." She drank smugly from her beer bottle.

"Thank you, for the free psychoanalysis, Duncan," Bass cut in. "Unless someone wants their palm read next, can we move to the other room and put the game on?"

The guys laughed at this and shuffled out. Duncan lingered behind in the kitchen as they filtered out. "Charlie," she called. "Hold on."

Charlie knew what was coming. She wasn't an idiot. She glanced up at Miles, who fortunately was completely absorbed in Bass' demonstration of his new remote control, as were Jeremy and Rick. Then Charlie turned to Duncan, a wary look on her face.

"So Miles doesn't know." Duncan stated, a gleeful smile spread across her face. Charlie saw that there would be no point in trying to deceive this woman.

"He doesn't know," she confirmed.

"I figured, since Bass is still, you know, alive. How serious is it?"

Charlie blushed furiously. "It's not… I mean, we're not… it's nothing."

Duncan's mouth dropped open, the smile never leaving her face. "Oh, my dear. Well then. Okay." She paused, continued, "You know, your uncle talks about you all the time. I mean, practically like you're his own kid." Another pause, and then she added, "Miles is a serious hard-ass. Are you as tough as he is?"

Charlie shrugged. "Tough enough, I guess."

Duncan laughed at that. "Good. Cause you're going to have to be, with that one. He's amazing. Until he's not." Charlie heard a hint of wistfulness in Duncan's voice, then it was gone as she said, "Anyway, I just like gossip. And now, I know gossip!" She bounced over to the men, exclaiming in mock-elation over the new remote, snatching it away from Bass teasingly, and then handing it to Miles, who immediately handed it back over to Bass.

They all arranged themselves in Bass' spacious living room to watch the game. Charlie burrowed in one corner of the couch, trying to stay out of the way and trying not to think about how much she wished it was just she and Bass curled up, watching together. Instead, Miles sat next to her, with Duncan on his other side, flirting with him outrageously. Bass planted himself on a chair he'd pulled in from his dining room.

The group was lively and really into football, which Charlie loved. Nothing frustrated her more than going to game-watching parties where she couldn't actually watch the game because people wanted to talk about politics or flip to reality TV shows during commercial breaks. It also helped that the Bears were playing lights-out football.

As they all got tipsier and the night stretched on, Duncan started making up stupid fan chants and forcing the group do them, even at one point making up dance moves to go along. Charlie had to admire her audacity and laughed along with her. It helped that, while Rick and Jeremy, and to an extent Miles, were clearly impressed with her antics, Bass wasn't. He was not so much into the group cheering, just pumping his fist into the air with a wry smile.

At one point, Bass' phone rang. He picked it up, listened for a second, and handed it to Miles. Miles answered, then asked, "Don't you know it's Sunday night? Can't a man get a night off?" He sighed, looking extremely put-upon, and grumbled, "Okay, I'll be right there." He handed the phone back to Bass and stood up.

"Apparently, there's some emergency at the bar," Miles explained, standing up. "Maggie's locked in the storage closet, and they can't tell whether it locked accidentally or she just won't come out… and she's got all the limes locked in there with her? I have no idea. I'm firing Len."

"You gave them my number?" Bass said disbelievingly.

"It's for emergencies only!" Miles exclaimed, exasperated. "Come on, Charlie, I'll swing you home first."

"What!" Charlie yelped. "There's almost a whole half left!" And she had been looking forward to another couple hours of being in the same room with Bass.

"I'll take her home after the game, Miles," Bass offered. "It's no problem." Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie saw Duncan cover her face with a couch pillow and kick her feet in the air.

"Thanks, brother, I appreciate it," Miles said, and left. Bass plopped down in the seat that Miles had vacated next to Charlie. Though they sat not touching, Charlie was acutely aware of his presence beside her for the rest of the game.

Once it was over, with the Bears winning, 41-20, Rick immediately hopped up and said he had work the next morning, thanked Bass for hosting, and headed out. Jeremy seemed inclined to linger, channel surfing to a fishing show, then to America's Next Top Model. Charlie thought she would die of frustration, when finally Duncan intervened.

"Jeremy, Bass doesn't want to watch TV with you all night," she said, pulling on his arm. "Come on, walk me to my car." Throwing a small smile at Charlie, she guided Jeremy to the door. Bass walked them out.

Duncan pushed Jeremy into the hall, then leaned in to Bass. Charlie heard her say, "I like this one, Bass. A lot. Don't fuck it up like you always seem to. We don't want another Flora situation."

Bass rolled his eyes and started to close the door with Duncan still standing halfway in the apartment. She squeaked indignantly and hustled into the hallway. Bass closed the door behind her, locking it as loudly as possible.

And suddenly, they were alone. Charlie felt excitement and nerves climbing up in her throat as Bass stalked toward her. "Finally," he growled, sweeping her up into his arms. The tension drained from her body as she relished the feel of him holding her. Their mouths met in a searching kiss.

"Fuck, you're so hot," Bass mumbled into her neck as he ran his hands over her body. "What is this that you're wearing?" He pushed his hands under the hem of her dress, running his hands along the bare skin of her thighs, then up over her ass, toying with the lace of her thong.

He walked her slowly backward, toward his bedroom, still kissing and rubbing her. They made it through the door, and Charlie took it all in—the gray stone wall, the black fluffy bedcover, the recessed lights along the headboard providing mood lighting. "Wow," she said, slightly taken aback.

Bass held her tight to his body then fell back on the bed, pulling her down on top of him. "Charlie," he said. "I have to tell you something."

"What?" she asked, looking at him worriedly.

"Tonight," he said, "I need to taste you." She breathed in heavily at this, and he went on, "Since the minute you walked in wearing that sexy little dress, all I've been able to think about is you sitting on my face. Still wearing it. I was half fucking tempted to just pull you onto me while everyone was still here. But now they're gone." He kissed her deeply. "So, does that work for you?"

"I guess I should start by getting rid of this," Charlie responded, rolling to her side and working her thong down her hips, off her legs. She left it hanging on one toe, then dramatically kicked it off, secretly proud of how smooth she made it look. Laying against Bass, she confessed, "I don't really know how to…"

Bass scooted down about a foot, so his head was resting just below his pillows, and he tossed them out of the way. "Just come up here," he urged. Charlie slowly moved toward him on her hands and knees. When her hips were about where she guessed was right, she lifted a leg so she was straddling Bass' face.

He immediately buried his tongue in her slit, and knew she had found the right place. Oh God, it was so right. She bucked down into him, unable to help herself, as he worked his tongue, hard and fast, in her cunt. Any insecurity she'd felt slipped away as she gripped Bass' headboard in pure ecstasy. His grunts and groans of appreciation increased her own arousal, and she knew she would come quickly. After the initial flurry of passion, Bass suckled her clit more gently, then explored her tender folds with his tongue, reaching one hand up to push his fingers inside her, giving her the feeling of fullness only he could provide.

Charlie was so wet, she knew her juices were all over Bass' face, and that thought turned her on even more. Bass tongued her clit relentlessly, holding her against him as her muscles tensed. She shattered against him, crying out loudly, enjoying the reckless abandon of not having to stay quiet, of finally letting him hear her come.

Apparently, he liked what he heard, as he threw her off him and quickly pulled off his clothes. Charlie went to remove her dress, and he stopped her. "No. Leave it on." Then, "Turn around." Charlie turned and, once more, grabbed the headboard.

Bass kneeled behind her, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into him. He kissed along her neck, grasping her breasts through the thin fabric of her dress and lacy bra. He teased her nipples to hardness, and she pressed back into him, needing him inside her. "Bass," she begged, and that was all it took.

Hitching her dress up out of the way, Bass rubbed the head of his cock along her slit, tantalizing her still-raw nerves. Then, with a groan, he plunged inside her, slamming up into her swiftly, pushing her into the headboard. Charlie pushed back against him as he moved his cock in and out of her. She arched her back and shrieked with pleasure at the angle, his depth. Bass crossed his arms around her and held her nearly motionless as he pumped up into her. Then he planted his hands next to hers and grabbed the headboard for leverage, touching her only where they were joined. Charlie felt him speed up, then he grabbed her again as he cried out loudly, coming hard inside her. They both rode out his orgasm, kneeling on the bed, shaking. Then Bass pulled Charlie down beside him, spooning her. It was late, and Charlie was suddenly very tired. It took no time at all for her to drift off to sleep.

They were awakened a few hours later by the sound of the phone ringing. Bass sat up, disoriented, and stumbled into the next room to pick it up. Charlie could hear the frantic yelling, tinny-sounding through the phone line, and realized it had to be Miles. "Miles, calm down, she's fine, she's here." A pause, then, "She fell asleep on the couch right after the game, Jesus. I didn't want to wake her up, I figured she'd be fine here." Another pause, then Bass' voice broke as he said, "I was a perfect gentleman the entire time." Miles said something else, and Bass replied, "Well, yeah, we're both up now since you decided to call at three in the morning. I'll ask if she wants me to drive her back. … I can't force her to get in the car, Miles. … Okay, we'll be there in a half hour or so. See ya."

Charlie was already getting up, searching for her panties in Bass' sheets. Bass smiled at her wryly. "So… that was Miles," he said unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I kind of figured," she said. "Guess we better go."

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