A/N: This chapter shows what happened in the middle of Chapter 32 of Bobby and Jess Take Phoenix. Also, I'm battling a cold, new duties at work, and still volunteering to get out the vote. Chapter 33 is going to be important, so I need to take more time with it.

Chapter Seven: Strut

Tony removed his clothes and began brushing his teeth. Over the next two minutes, he looked at his body from every possible angle, flexing and bending in the mirror. It hadn't been easy, losing eight pounds of fat, but he was more sculpted than ever. The line of his obliques led down to the V of his lower abs, and what that led to wasn't bad either. He had trimmed to enhance the appearance of his privates, and he hoped his partner would appreciate it.

It was difficult to think of Angela as either his girlfriend or his wife. She was both, and yet neither. He had never really had Angela. Sure, he had kissed thirteen-year-old Ingrid. And thirty-mmmph year-old Angela Bower. He had even had a trial run at pretending to be her husband in early Fall. But he had never gotten close to being in a relationship with her until after they decided to live as husband and wife.

Jess was something else. A paper tiger. Or maybe the opposite. He couldn't be sure. She was domestic and maternal. A homebody and a bargain shopper. She excelled in bureaucracy…or was that Angela peeking through? It was so confusing. He had gotten used to Jess' brown hair, but maybe his fondness for it was because it was a hidden truth of Angela's. The carpet matched the drapes. That was all he knew for sure.

Tony had one way of stripping away all the artifice of Angela Bower and Jess Moretti. When the woman opened her body to him and allowed him to bring her to a fevered liberation from earthly drudgery, she belonged to him alone. He was aware of his rival for her affections. Nate was superior on paper, and he had charm to spare, but he couldn't get through to Jess in the way that Tony could get through to Angela. She wouldn't let him even try.

After a peek out the bathroom door, Tony was ready to strut his stuff. The anticipation had left him long and firm, just as he had been on Christmas Day, before they consummated their marriage performance. Angela was reclined against her pillow waving her hands in the air. She said something flirty and he responded in kind, brushing his hand down the length of his cock. It felt good, but it was just a warm-up. He didn't intend to stop until both of them were seeing stars.

Angela protested, blaming her fresh manicure, but he could tell she was turned on just looking at him. It was the way her tongue darted out while her eyes lingered on his midsection, then a bit lower. He could use her limited mobility to his advantage. He wondered if she liked being tied up. This would be a baby step on the path to light bondage. In his experience, the more powerful a woman seemed, the more eager she was to give herself over.

"You don't need to use your hands, baby," he said. Her laugh was genuine. It was the same laugh she'd had back in Fairfield when they were just close friends afraid to admit they longed for more. He leaned over her and unbuttoned her pants while she watched passively. A tiny moan escaped when he slowly pulled at her zipper. He parted the two rows of teeth and ran a finger along her panties where the fly had just been. Now she was biting her lower lip.

Angela lifted her hips, encouraging Tony to tug her pants off. He was fully erect now, but he knew better than to jump ahead. He sat down on the side of the bed, nearly facing her, and she leaned forward to embrace him, still mindful of her wet nails. He nibbled at her lip, leaving temporary bite marks. "Stand up," she ordered, and he complied without question.

"Your body is out of control," she marveled, kissing down one side of his torso. The first time she departed from her path to lick the head of his cock, he gasped. When she mouthed her way along his V to the base, he groaned.

"Suck it," he begged without niceties. She held him close with the heels of her hands against his muscular ass and put her soft lips right where he wanted them. She kept her tongue relaxed and stayed there until he jerked involuntarily. It felt so right to have any part of her around him. She pulled away and looked up.

"I want you on top of me," she told him.

"Gotta get your top off," he said, starting to assist her in getting undressed. He bunched her cuffs and sleeves in a wide oval, and she pulled her hands free one at a time. Before he could take the top off her head, he got distracted, engulfing her exquisite breast and working her to a stiff peak. She laughed again, and he got back on task, pulling the garment over her head and tossing it on the floor, somewhere near her pants.

"You could keep doing that," she suggested. He settled between her legs and listened to her soft moans of pleasure while he worked his magic on her chest. When she flushed pink and red, he kissed up her neck, trying not to leave any marks. It was difficult to hold back from sucking her delicate skin between his lips. She turned and caught him in a passionate kiss. They could barely breathe through the frenzied lip lock, finally pulling apart with their chests heaving. He slid his hand over the gusset of her panties, finding it hot and moist. "Take them off," she insisted.

Temptation had him by the balls when he rid her of the one remaining item between them. He pulled her thighs apart and held them over his shoulders so he could dive into her with his tongue. After months of regular practice, he had perfected his technique.

"Fuck, Tony," she exhaled. It was exhilarating to hear him say his name like that. They did their best to never use their real names at home. The threat of danger and her loss of control aroused him even more. She hadn't even peaked yet. He was working her into an almost intolerable state of excitement.

"Gonna come for me, Ange?" he asked, switching to his closing technique of pressing his stiffened tongue against her clit. He didn't want to work her g-spot just yet. Not until he was inside her.

"Suck it," she said in a reversal. He did as he was ordered and felt her lift up against his mouth. "Oh. Oh. Oh," she gasped, losing her sophisticated vocabulary. "Ahhhhhh!," she exhaled prematurely. "That's it. Oh, I'm coming," she told him, squeezing her eyes closed and feeling the surge of endorphins flood her body. Before she could open her eyes, he swiped his tip through her generous natural lubrication. "In. Put it in," she said inelegantly, and she felt the delicious stretch as he buried himself in one stroke. His weight pressed her into the mattress and his smell enthralled her. She set her hands against his back, still aware of her nails, and they found a cadence together.

His sexual endurance had improved along with his fitness, and he was able to ride out the tantalizing squeezes of her second climax with no trouble. They slowed it down and spent another few minutes kissing while they enjoyed the inevitable resolution to their lovemaking. Both were calm enough to look each other right in the eye while they came together. Even afterward, they were hesitant to decouple, kissing a little longer and pressing themselves together.

The lights were fully bright as they laid in a mutual haze doing their best to stare into each other's souls. "I love you, Angela," he told her without reservation.

"I love you more," she said with a teasing smile. She fell back into quiet contemplation and knitted her brows together. "I love you, too, Tony," she said, shaking her head in a miniscule show of disbelief over what her life had become.