A/N: I have most of this story written, so I'll be dropping a chapter each evening going forward.

Chapter Two: A Taste

"What's the deal with Wendy getting out of control on your birthday? She seems like a nice lady, but that's kind of rude," Tony ranted.

"Well, she's been pretty unhappy at home, and it was a night for her to let loose. Marriage is hard sometimes." Angela recalled her attempt to reconcile with Michael.

"It's not that hard when you're with the right person," he argued.

"I suppose you're right. You know Michael missed every one of my birthdays once we got married? That's why Mother always threw me a surprise party. I wonder why she didn't do anything this year."

"That's terrible, Angela. You deserve better than that. I'm glad Mona stepped in, but from now on, your birthday is my responsibility," he said over the sound of the handheld mixer.

"From now on?" She wondered if he meant what she hoped for, that he wanted to stick around for a while. Forever? She suppressed the thought and waited to see if he would respond.

The beaters continued to spin while he considered his vow. He let go of the button and equivocated while staring into the bowl of glossy brown cake batter. "Well, even if I'm not working for you someday, we're still friends, right? So yeah, your birthday won't be forgotten as long as I'm alive."

"That's very nice of you, Tony." Her heart raced and her cheeks flushed. He wanted to be in her life for the long term. She opened another button and fanned her blouse a bit.

Tony pressed the ejector to release the beaters from the mixer. He handed one to Angela, knowing she would lick it clean, and set the other on the spoon rest. He started pouring batter into the greased cake pans, using a spatula to scrape the bowl. Then he opened the oven and set the pans side by side on the center rack. Without looking at Angela, he reached behind her on the counter for the kitchen timer, which he set to twenty-five minutes. Only then did he stop focusing on the task at hand.

Angela was less than a foot away, and she had her tongue wrapped around the metal beater. Her eyes were slightly crossed, which he found somehow endearing. When she was done, she tossed the utensil in the sink and briefly leaned her head back with closed eyes, letting a breath escape her mouth. Tony was transfixed. He grabbed the second beater and waited for her to take it.

"Don't you want any?" she asked? "You should really taste it." She put her hand over his, around the stem of the beater, and held it between them. He leaned forward and licked at it. "Good?" she inquired.

He swallowed his nerves along with the tiny portion of batter. "Yeah, good. But you finish." He wanted to see her enjoy his work. She took the beater from him. This time, when she began licking the chocolate, she kept her eyes on him. Did she know what kind of effect she was having?

When Angela licked right over the spot where Tony's tongue had been, he lost control, plucking the beater from her hand and throwing it in the sink. He leaned against the counter, between her knees, and ran his hands under the eyelet apron and up her Bermuda shorts, right to the tops of her thighs. No longer feeling drunk, he gazed expectantly at her.

She couldn't believe he was touching her in such a familiar manner. What was he doing, making promises and looking at her like that and putting his hands on her? She looked into his eyes, then dropped her focus to his lips. His mouth was slightly open, and she couldn't resist the temptation any longer. She leaned forward, putting one hand on his chest to steady herself, and pressed a soft kiss against his bottom lip.

Tony first pressed his mouth over her upper lip, then tentatively touched his tongue to her cupid's bow. She tilted her head and parted her lips, hoping he would continue the exploration. In response, he deepened the kiss, tasting residual chocolate. Only then did she send her tongue to meet his. It was sublime. He ran his hands around her backside and tugged her closer, causing her to release the hand on his chest and wrap her arms around him. Her fingers threaded through his thick hair.

She shouldn't be doing this, Angela thought, as she continued French kissing her employee. Then his lips were on her neck, and her brain shut down completely. As he nibbled at her collarbone, she opened another button, exposing her cleavage. "Keep going," she breathed.

Tony couldn't believe she was encouraging him. "So beautiful," he murmured, dragging his lips along the soft skin spilling out over her bra cups. He had thought about her breasts many times since walking in on her fresh out of the bath, but he didn't remember them being so ample. "I wanna see them again," he told her.

She made an unintelligible sound and pulled his mouth back to hers. At first, he thought he had gone too far in expressing his desire. Then he realized that her blouse was completely unbuttoned. He cupped her covered right breast in his left hand as he kissed her jawline. Then he reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, allowing the cups to fall forward within her disheveled blouse.

Tony became painfully hard at the sight of her full, perky breasts. He desperately wanted to run his tongue over them. "Gorgeous," he sighed, cupping her in both hands and teasing with his thumbs while he kissed her. She thrust her chest forward, moving her hands to the counter behind her. "Does that feel good, Angela? I wanna make you feel good," he whispered in her ear.

Not having had any physical contact with a man in months, she jumped at the opportunity. "Do you want to kiss them?" she asked hopefully.

Tony didn't hesitate, brushing his lips across one nipple and squeezing the other breast gently. When she grumbled, he got the hint that she didn't enjoy the squeezing. Instead, he cupped without pressure and licked in a soft circle, eliciting a sigh.

Angela moaned as he closed his lips around the bud and tapped it with his tongue. Then he started sucking and lightly biting. When he switched to the other side, his thumb and forefinger rolled the abandoned nipple. Tony ignored the throbbing under his apron. She moaned loudly, and he started wondering if he could bring her to climax. He remembered "the call of the wild" from a few months back. If Michael could bring her to such heights, surely he could do the same. It was more a matter of how, and whether she'd even allow it.

Angela was fully flushed and starting to sweat. She didn't remember the last time she had gotten so worked up from a makeout session. Or was this foreplay? She realized that Tony was still fully clothed, while she was very much exposed. She worked his shirt out of his pants and began running her hands over his abs. Wendy's request hit her again: Grab his butt. She went for it.

Tony felt Angela slide forward on the counter. Her fingers kneaded his backside, and her long legs started to wrap around him. He paused the pleasure assault on her chest long enough to rip his shirt open. Buttons went skittering across the tile floor. Her hands roamed over his chest and stomach. He kissed her and pinched her nipples gently. "Oh!" she cried out. He could tell she was close by the way she bit her lower lip. He brought his mouth down again and blindly reached between her legs. It was so warm down there, and he had barely started to rub through the fabric when he felt her tense up.

The kitchen timer dinged loudly as Angela peaked. Instead of riding out the feeling of euphoria, shame washed over her. She pushed Tony away and frantically grasped her loose bra to her chest as she hopped down from the counter. "I'm sorry. Thank you. I mean for making the cake. I need to go now. Sorry!" She disappeared through the swinging door.

Tony was hurt. Hadn't he done what she asked? He tucked in his shirt, put on oven mitts, and pulled out the cakes.