Stranded

Chapter One

"I can’t believe you forgot your passport out here in the boonies," Ciara said to her sister Molly. They’d been driving for three hours and Ciara hadn’t seen another car in the last forty-five minutes.

"I know, I know I forgot it the last time we stayed here. You know it takes forever to get a new one, and we leave for our honeymoon in two weeks."

"Why was your passport in the cabin anyway? New Hampshire may be a different world from New York, but since when do you need a passport to get there?"

Ciara’s idea of roughing it was staying at a bad Holiday Inn. She hated the woods, hated sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows. She’d much rather be back in her civilized, cosmopolitan apartment than driving higher and higher into the mountains. If she didn’t love her little sister so much she would never have given in to her pleading for company on this ride north.

"I still had it in my purse from when we went to Monte Carlo, and I must have left on the dresser when I changed purses. You don’t really mind driving up here, do you? I really wanted a chance to talk with you before the wedding," Molly said, giving Ciara a reproachful look.

"Of course I don’t mind spending the time with you. I probably won’t get to see you much over the next two weeks anyway, with all the wedding craziness. So what do you want to talk about? The caterer is all set, the flowers shouldn’t be a problem, and the music is lovely. It looks like your wedding day will be perfect."

"Thanks to you. I really appreciate all the work you’ve done to help me out. I’m not detail oriented like you are. I can’t keep things straight."

"Maybe that is why I’m the accountant and you’re the artist," Ciara laughed. She sometimes felt envious of Molly’s innate talents. Molly could see how things should look in a room, and poof! She moved this and arranged that, and suddenly what was once drab was now beautiful.

Ciara was lucky if she could hang a picture straight, and only then if Molly held the nail for her. She felt comfortable in her office with her rows of numbers, forms, and spreadsheets. Give her a choice between ecru and cream and she panicked. Ciara couldn’t even dress herself stylishly, let alone decorate a room.

"I can only think of one thing that would keep my day from being everything I’ve always wanted," Molly said.

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"You and Ross."

"What about me and Ross?" Ciara asked with a bit of pique. Ross was Lance’s best friend and best man, and in her humble opinion, a pig. Too bad he was so hot he made her squirm in her seat just thinking about him. What he lacked in manners he more than made up for in looks. But he was still a pig.

"The two of you snipe at each other constantly. I would hate to be walking back up the aisle and hear the two of you bickering behind me."

"I’ll behave myself. You have nothing to worry about on my part, I promise. It’s your special day, and as maid of honor I won’t do anything to ruin it for you. Honestly." Maybe she could come down with a case of laryngitis on the big day? It was either that or bite her tongue all day long. Something about him just made her want to scream.

"I know you’ll try, Ciara. It’s just the two of you can’t be in the same room together without snapping at each other like dogs in heat. What is it about him that bothers you so much?"

"Let’s see, it could be he told me I would be ‘passably pretty’ if I lost a few pounds, or maybe it was when he asked how you and I could possibly be related, or it could be he looks at women like they are accessories instead of intelligent human beings. Gee, I guess I’m oversensitive sometimes."

She hadn’t admitted to anyone that Ross’s comments had been her impetus for losing those last five pounds she had been fighting for years. Not to attract him, but to make him eat his words. She was oversensitive; she knew it and took pains to hide her sensitivity behind a shield of sarcasm. She was used to it when other people didn’t believe she and Molly were sisters, but when Ross said it she had wanted to throttle him.

Molly was beautiful, talented, and always knew what to say. She was the center of attention wherever she went, but still managed to make everyone she was around feel special. Ciara could walk into a room stark naked and no one would notice her. Her only talent was with numbers; a talent only another accountant could appreciate. Her business acumen wasn’t exactly as hot a topic of conversation as Molly’s latest decorating coup.

She was as proud of Molly as her mother would have been if she were still alive. Ciara felt responsible for some of Molly’s accomplishments, since she had helped raise her from the age of thirteen. But she couldn’t help the kernel of resentment that sprouted whenever Molly introduced her as her sister and people, not seeing any resemblance, asked if they were adopted.

"Oh, honey, he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s trying to get a rise out of you. He doesn’t mean to hurt your feelings."

"I didn’t say he hurt my feelings. I think he has the manners of a pig, and the tastes to match. The last girlfriend I saw him with had a bigger bra size than I.Q."

"That isn’t very nice," Molly said, laughing anyway. "I’d like to say she was a kind person, but she wasn’t even pleasant. Lance and I were so glad when he broke up with her."

"I wouldn’t be throwing any celebrations if I were you. She was the same as all his other girlfriends, he’ll find another replacement for her at ‘Bimbos-R-Us’ before too long."

"You are so bad." Molly laughed again. "But that is what I mean. You make comments, then he makes comments about your choice in boyfriends, and the next thing I know you two are screaming insults at each other."

"I told you I’d keep my mouth shut. You know I would do anything for you, Moll."

"That’s what I’m counting on," Molly said cryptically.

***

"Hey, Lance, I don’t see any reason why you can’t use this cabin for the bachelor party. As I recall there are plenty of rooms, perfect for entertaining...if you get my drift," Ross said while waiting for Lance to open the door to the 'cabin.'

Ross wished his house was as big as Lance’s 'rustic retreat.' Ever since Lance had hit the big time with a computer program that regulated e-commerce he had been literally rolling in money. If it wasn’t for the fact that Lance was his oldest friend in the world and generous to a fault Ross could almost be jealous.

Even Lance’s fiancée was worth a pang or two of envy. Molly was a looker all right, not that Ross would look at his friend’s girl. Too bad she was tied to that shrew of a sister. He sure didn’t envy Lance her.

"No hookers. I promised Molly there would be no hookers at the bachelor party. I don’t care where we have the party, I just want to survive it."

"Don’t sound so glum. It’s your last party as a free man, not the end of the world. The end comes a week later when you get the ball and chain soldered on."

"That’s not the end of the world, that is just the beginning. Can you believe it? I get to have Molly all to myself; she’ll be mine forever. Sometimes I still can’t believe she agreed to marry a geek like me."

"Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, that’s my job." Ross mock punched him in the arm. "Besides, you’re going to end up with her dumpy sister for the rest of your life too."

"Ah, Ciara isn’t so bad. She helped so much with planning the wedding, and she is nice once you get to know her."

"I don’t plan on hanging around her long enough to find out how nice she can be. I don’t know how anyone can stand being around that mouth of hers."

Ross refused to dwell on the fact that after every encounter with her he’d left with his dick as hard as a brick. After the last party he went to where she was in attendance, he'd fucked his date three times before he could get Ciara out of his system.

His date--he’d forgotten her name already--had been impressed. Ross didn’t think she would have been so happy if she had known that the whole time he was pounding away inside her beautiful, perfect body he was thinking about a dumpy, mouthy lump of a woman.

He had visions of her using that smart mouth to suck his entire length down her throat until he came as fast as she could fire insults. That would be a way to put those overactive lips to a good use for a change. Thinking about it brought a smile to his face, and yet another hard on to his cock.

He’d have to find someone to deal with his hard on when he and Lance went out that night. After all, he wasn’t the one getting married. He was between girlfriends right now, and for some reason his normal tastes seemed unappetizing to him lately. He didn’t usually go more than a month without at least a casual fuck. He’d have to break the dry spell soon or who knew what would happen in two weeks at the wedding.

"Ross, I have a favor to ask you."

"Hey, buddy, I agreed--no hookers. I said nothing about strippers, but I promise no hookers."

"It’s not that, but I do appreciate it. It’s about Ciara."

"I’ll keep my distance. I don’t want to be near her any more than she wants to be near me." His dick slammed against his zipper, painfully mocking his words.

"I don’t want anything to ruin my day with Molly. You understand don’t you?"

"Of course I do. I promise, I won’t make any comments about her fat butt, her taste in clothes, or boyfriends." His temper grew at that thought. "Is she still seeing that little twerp she brought to your Christmas party last year?" Ross asked as casually as possible.

"No she dumped him right after the party. She said something about needing some space. Hey, why don’t we go inside and get a beer? I was up here last week and stocked the place."

"If you were already here, why did we bother coming up now?"

"Because I value your opinion," Lance said nervously.

Ross didn’t know what Lance was acting so uneasy about. Must be pre-wedding jitters.

Chapter Two

"What do you mean I’m spending the week here with him?" Ciara winced as her voice rose alarmingly. She stared at Lance and Molly who were standing side by side with matching looks of determination on their faces.

"Lance and I decided that the two of you need to work out your differences before the wedding, so you’ll have the next week to spend ironing out your problems," Molly calmly explained for the second time.

"Moll, I told you I would behave, that I wouldn’t say a word to ruin your wedding." She could not spend a week with this ignorant boor. She would end up killing him, or fucking him blind. She didn’t know which was worse.

"Fat chance. You couldn’t keep your mouth shut with duct tape," Ross said from his position by the fireplace.

Ciara shot him what she hoped was a look of death and turned back to Molly.

"See, I can ignore the insipid mouthings of an ignorant prick with no problem whatsoever. This really isn’t necessary."

"Who are you calling a prick?"

"Figures that was the only word you understood," Ciara shot back over her shoulder.

He looked so damned good in his faded jeans and tight black T-shirt. The shirt stretched snugly across his chest, outlining every muscle. With his black hair and blue eyes, black was definitely his color. Ciara felt herself getting hotter just by looking at him, how would she spend an entire week with him?

"See this is what I mean. You two can’t be in the same room together without fighting," Molly said, snapping Ciara’s attention back to her current dilemma. "I will not have our day ruined because the people we love the most can’t get along. Lance and I have made up our minds. You two will stay here for the next week and work out your problems. You have plenty of food, and I packed enough clothes for Ciara to last you the week. You’ll have nothing to do but get better acquainted."

"I’m acquainted with him already. Come on, Moll, there is still so much to do before the wedding. Isn’t that why you wanted me to take off these two weeks?"

Ciara was grasping at straws now. Being around him was making her blood heat and her crotch wet. She knew he was mouth-wateringly hot, but didn’t realize the effect extended to her other set of lips. She would never make it a week trying to hide her every reaction to him. It was bad enough he didn’t think she was pretty enough to be Molly’s sister. It would be worse if he slept with her because he thought she was desperate. There was nothing more humiliating than a mercy fuck.

"You said yourself everything was all set. You two are the only bugs in the ointment. Once you two either fight or fuck your way into agreement, everything will be ready for the wedding."

Ciara looked from one to the other in a last ditch attempt to see any softening or weakening in their stance.

She was out of luck. Not only did they look determined, they looked pleased with themselves. She looked over at Ross. He had been strangely subdued throughout her tirade. He couldn’t want to be locked up with her for a week could he?

"Now, I’ve left you plenty of food, water, and gas for the generator. There is beer, wine, and soda for Ciara. I’m leaving you my phone in case of emergencies, but the keypad has been deactivated, you can only use the walkie-talkie part of it. If something happens press the button on the side and it will beep Molly’s phone, and we’ll call an ambulance or whatever. Uh, we won’t be answering for a little while to give you some time to cool down," Lance said, casting a glance at Ciara.

"Molly, please! Don’t do this to me. I can’t spend a week here in the woods with him," Ciara begged, following them out to the driveway. She hated the pleading in her voice, but she was starting to get desperate.

"Ciara, I’m doing this for your own good, trust me. Go take a bath. I had Lance stock the rooms with plenty of things to keep you occupied. The house is fantastic, and the bathrooms are decadent. Go relax, then check out what I packed for you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up enjoying yourself and not want to come home when the week is over." Molly gave her a quick hug and jumped into her car. Lance had already started down the long driveway back to the dirt road that led to the main highway.

Ciara stood in the driveway and listened as the cars drove away. This had to be a joke. They would be back soon. They had to come back. She couldn’t spend a week with Ross. She would go insane! It wasn’t only the fact that every word he uttered pissed her off; it was that being around him got her blood boiling with more than just anger.

At Lance’s Christmas party she watched Ross as he danced with his flavor of the month, watched as he grabbed her scantily-clad ass and ground her against his cock. When he walked off the dance floor she could clearly see his hard on, and realized she was jealous.

She had broken up with her boyfriend that very night. It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t built like a truck with shoulders a mile wide, and an ass that was so perfectly tight she wanted to sink her nails into it. She didn’t think it would be fair to go to bed with him because she was feeling horny and aroused from verbally sparring with Ross. Her boyfriend had been a nice guy, boring, but nice. He didn’t deserve to feel like second place.

What was wrong with her? Why was her body ready to spontaneously combust at the mere thought of being alone in the cabin for a week with Ross, when she hadn’t even been able to have an orgasm with her old boyfriend? She was stronger than her body. She was not going drop her pride and throw herself at Ross. If he stopped laughing long enough to fuck her she’d hate herself in the morning.

"You look like a kid being dropped off at summer camp," Ross called from the front porch. He was still drinking his beer, and looked almost happy at the circumstances.

"Why aren’t you pissed off about this?" Ciara asked as she walked slowly back to the house.

"Maybe I am," he said with a cocky grin.

"Yeah, you seem broken up over the whole thing. How can you stand there drinking a beer when we are going to be stuck together for a week? We’ll be lucky if we don’t kill each other by the end of it."

"Hey there’s nothing we can do. Might as well make the best of it while we’re here. Have you ever spent a weekend in the cabin before?"

"No, I hate the country. I don’t like bugs, or animals, or trees."

"I can tell you we don’t come up here to get back to nature, that’s for sure. A serious hedonist built this place. You wouldn’t believe some of the extras it has."

Ciara’s body started to heat up even more at the thought of what a 'serious hedonist' might include in his vacation home. She knew Molly and Lance spent a lot of time up here, but had never asked her about it.

"Isn’t that just peachy," Ciara said for a lack of anything intelligent to say. Her mind was too busy thinking of the possibilities of a week spent in a hedonist’s retreat with Ross. If only he would shut up.

"You know, you look different," Ross said as she walked past him into the kitchen. "Have you lost weight?"

"Gee, you sweet talker, you." Ciara couldn’t believe he was trying to flatter her. Maybe she could, he was stuck with her, and he wasn’t one for abstinence. She vowed to make him beg before she had sex with him.

Wait a minute, when had she decided she was going to have sex with him? Apparently her subconscious had already made the decision she was going to go to bed with him, but that didn’t mean she had to fall into his plans like a lovesick fool. Yes, she wanted him so badly she could feel her underwear sticking to her wet crotch, but she could hold out until he was in as bad a state as she was.

She didn’t have any grand delusions that she was a femme fatale, but she knew he was used to regular sex and eventually the celibacy would get to him. She didn’t care what his reasons would be for having sex with her, as long as she got to have sex with him and she didn’t humiliate herself in the process. She didn’t have to fall in love with him to want to fuck him. This was chemistry, not love.

Still, she wasn’t going to lie down at his feet like a sacrificial offering. She wanted him begging for it. She’d give him till Wednesday before the lack of sex got to him. This could get really interesting.

Ciara went to the kitchen and got herself a glass of wine. She couldn’t suddenly be nice to him or he would be suspicious of her sudden mood swing. On the other hand, there was no time like the present to start her assault.

"I’m going to take a bath. I need to do something to relax, maybe when I’ve calmed down we can figure out a way to get through this week without killing each other."

Ciara made a point of starting to unbutton her shirt as she walked by him. She had never had the opportunity to flirt, but it seemed logical to start with the impression of a striptease. She only got to the second button before she was out of his view, but she knew the action of it would get him thinking about her undoing the rest of them.

She climbed the stairs, and made sure the shirt was all the way unbuttoned, but still covering her breasts when she turned at the top.

"Which bedroom is mine?"

"I saw Lance take two suitcases upstairs after you got here. I think he must have packed one for me and the other was the one Molly packed for you. Find the luggage that has your clothes in it and that’s your room."

"Aren’t you the genius?" Some imp inside of her wouldn’t let Ciara stop needling him, even while she was planning his seduction.

The upstairs was separated into two humongous bedrooms connected by a bathroom. Ciara went into the one on the right and couldn’t help but gasp. Ross wasn’t joking when he said a hedonist built the place. The bed must have been custom-made, because it was at least twice the size of Ciara’s queen-size one at home. The headboard was wrought iron and had a row of circles across the top. The comforter and sheets were black silk. There were at least twenty pillows covered in black and red silk in every size and shape imaginable. Wrought iron candleholders were spread throughout the room. White tapers that smelled like sandalwood filled the holders and left a sweet aroma in the air.

One complete wall was plate glass, giving a breathtaking view of the mountains to the east; the opposite wall was covered in a mural. Her pulse quickened as she looked more closely at the mural. It was a black and white impression of a naked woman in the throes of an orgasm. Her head was thrown back, her body arched, thrusting her breasts up. Her hands were splayed over her own breasts, her legs were spread wide to allow the man between them to have unimpeded access to her slit.

The man appeared to be diligently working on the woman’s quim. Her thighs hid his face, but she could see his head and shoulders, and his broad back, which tapered down to a narrow waist and firm ass. She ran a hand lightly across the man’s shoulders and back, imagining herself and Ross in the picture.

She knew her underwear must be soaked through by now; between Ross, the situation, and the setting she was burning with need. She hadn’t had sex in a very long time. She wasn’t the sensualist Ross was, but she had a healthy appetite and it was in overdrive now. She stopped touching the picture before she got herself even more worked up.

A beautiful oak dresser stood opposite the bed; it had two candelabras on either side of a mirror that would reflect the occupants. A small suitcase was standing next to the dresser, so she crossed over to it to see if it contained her clothing. Ciara wasn’t sure how Molly would have gotten her clothes without her knowing about it. It wasn’t like Ciara was a fashion plate; she didn’t have so many clothes that she wouldn’t notice if a week’s worth went missing.

Cira bent down and opened the suitcase. Inside were silk boxers, a tube of lubricant, a box of condoms, and some jeans and shirts. This obviously wasn’t her room.

She cast one longing look at the bed before heading out into the hall to the other room. This one also had a plate glass wall with a view of the mountains and another oversized bed. But her bed was done in ice blue silk with blue and white silk pillows, and her candles smelled like vanilla. Her mural was of naked, cavorting nymphs frolicking with a group of knights. Some of those knights obviously weren’t sticking to any vows of chastity, by the looks of their humongous cocks slamming into the smiling nymphs

She stopped looking at the beguiling picture, and then went over to the suitcase sitting by the dresser. That explained why she didn’t notice any of her clothes missing. Molly hadn’t packed any of her own clothes.

Ciara wasn’t sure whether to be amused or embarrassed as she pulled out the clothes Molly had left her with for the week. She counted five different nighties of varying styles, colors, and levels of transparency as well as a black teddy with snaps that went from the crotch to her breasts. There were push-up bras, thong underwear, crotchless underwear, and shorts so short she’d need the thongs so her underwear wouldn’t show. Cropped tops, low cut tight T-shirts, halter-tops, tank tops, and a spaghetti strapped backless dress that would come to about an inch below her crotch.

Ciara didn’t see a single item that wouldn’t flaunt her body. When she got to the bottom of the bag there was a bottle of perfume, a package of her birth control pills, and a note.

Ciara,

You are probably wondering what I'm up to, but I’m doing this for your own good. I love you, but you are very stubborn. I know that you are really attracted to Ross. I’m pretty sure he is as attracted, but he doesn’t know you like I do and is probably intimidated by your sarcasm. I’ve picked these clothes out to compliment your features, not to embarrass you. You are a beautiful woman and it is time you stopped hiding your attributes. Think of this time as a chance to stretch your wings and try something new for a change. You can do whatever you want, be whomever you want, without anyone ever knowing. If after the week is over you want to go back to the way you are now, then nothing will ever be said again. Take this opportunity to explore the woman inside of you. I know you have so much burning underneath, give it a chance to surface.

I love you,

Molly

Wasn’t that interesting? Ciara took a look at herself in the mirror. Her brown hair was up in a French twist like usual. She didn’t like to have it hanging in her face when she worked, so she always kept it neatly back. She took it down and looked at it critically. Her hair was much darker than Molly’s golden locks, but she had lighter streaks mixed in with the brown. She never really noticed them before because it was always pulled back off her face.

Her complexion was clear, even if her face was unspectacular. It wasn’t that her features were uneven or out of proportion, they were just plain. Her eyes were a light brown, her nose straight, maybe a little too long, but not Pinocchio-like, her lips were full, her chin firm. She wished she had some more experience with makeup to make the most of her features. When other girls were experimenting with blush and eye shadow, she was helping her sick mother and taking care of Molly. She seldom used more than lip-gloss and mascara, and then only for dressy functions.

She shed her oxford shirt and khaki pants and stood straight in her plain white underwear and bra. Since she lost those last five pounds her stomach didn’t stick out so much. There was still a slight rounding to it, she would never be one of those stick skinny models, but she didn’t have too much extra weight on her frame. Her legs were probably her best feature. They were long and straight, and thanks to her treadmill, they were muscular as well. She took her bra off and looked at her breasts. They obviously weren’t fake. She wouldn’t be winning any wet T-shirt competitions, but they stood up under their own power, so that was a plus.

Maybe it was time she wore something that had a little spice to it. After all, if she wanted to make Ross as needy for her as she was for him, she couldn’t very well do it in an oxford and khakis. She needed to shed the cocoon of boring clothes if she was going to spread her wings. The clothes were just the first step of her coming-out party, and besides, what choice did she have?

Ciara stripped off her underwear and walked naked to the bathroom. Molly had said it was decadent, but decadent didn’t even begin to describe it. Sinfully lush didn’t even come close.

The room was done in black marble with gold accents. One entire wall was covered in mirrors, and there were plants in the corners as well as along the edge of the pool size bathtub. The abundance of plants made it seem like a secluded grotto. The shower stood separately, and had three different showerheads all placed at different angles. There were black towels that she could use as bed sheets back home. Several different switches were lined up on the wall, and Ciara amused herself with those while waiting for the enormous tub to fill.

One of the buttons turned music on, soon smoky blues drifted out of hidden speakers. Another button dimmed the lights. Ciara found some matches in one of the drawers of the vanity and lit the candles in the bathroom. Molly had left a bottle of bubble bath, the same floral scent as the perfume in the suitcase. Ciara added a liberal dose to the steaming water, and sighed as the smell filled the room.

The mood set, she grabbed her clip and hurriedly piled her hair on top of her head in a messy bun, no more sedate French twists for her. She stepped carefully into the enormous tub, sank down carefully into the hot water, and put a folded towel under her head. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

The blues seemed to stir something inside of her. She could picture herself singing in a husky voice to Ross, working him up only to push him away. Wouldn’t that teach him a lesson?

As Ciara continued to daydream about working Ross into a lather, her hands drifted down to her swollen clitoris. She stroked herself slowly, bringing herself to a fevered pitch, and then changing the pace to pull herself back from the edge. When she finally let herself go over, she almost screamed at her own release. Her hips bucked, her body shook as the wave crested, but something was missing. The orgasm was there, but empty. Her hand was a poor substitute for Ross’s rock-hard dick.

She was still quivering from the aftershocks when there was a quick knock at the door, and Ross walked right in.

***

Ross waited for five more minutes after the water had stopped running. He wanted to give her time to relax before he brought her the glass of wine she left on the kitchen counter. Maybe some of the bubbles would be dissolved by then. Maybe she wouldn’t even use bubble bath? He could feel his dick harden even more if that was possible.

He hadn’t felt this horny since the first time he had talked a girl into the back of his father’s Chevy. He should probably be mad at Lance for manipulating him like this, but he wasn’t. If he could keep Ciara’s mouth shut long enough to fuck her, it would be worth it. Ross didn’t know what it was about her that got him so fired up, but he was going to purge it out of his system this week.

His plan was to keep her off guard long enough to get into her pants, then keep her so busy in bed she wouldn’t be able to talk. He had been to this cabin before; he knew what treasures it held. Ross had never had the chance to bring a woman here before now. It was high time he made up for those missed opportunities.

There was music drifting out of one of the rooms, she must have left the door open. The rooms were understandably soundproof. Ross smiled as he pictured her prim little look of displeasure when he barged in on her bath. The first salvo was ready.

He knocked on the door and then walked in without waiting for a reply.

"You left your wine downstairs. I thought you might like it." Ross couldn’t believe he was able to form words. If he didn’t know better he would have thought he had walked in on some other woman.

She was deep in bubbles, but that didn’t stop him from imagining what they were hiding. Her hair was piled loosely on top of her head, and steam had formed curls from the wisps of hair against her cheeks. The hot water brought color into her milky complexion; her face was shiny and clean with sweat dotting her forehead.

Her eyes had looked startled when he first opened the door, but now were half closed and sultry. She had her arms up on the sides of the tub, and he could just get a glimpse of the curve of her breast. He wanted much more than a glimpse.

"Why don’t you put it down on the edge of the tub for me," Ciara said, looking at him out of heavy lidded eyes.

"Whatever the lady wishes." Ross put the glass out of her reach, and watched avidly as she leaned forward to pick it up.

He could see a pink nipple peeking through the bubbles and wanted nothing more than to push those bubbles away and suck on it.

"Yum, thanks, this was the finishing touch." She leaned back in the tub and looked at him over the rim of the glass. "You have the black room, in case you were wondering."

"Thanks. Mind if I look at your room too?"

"I thought you had been here before?"

"I have, but I never stay in that room. I always get the black room."

"Be my guest."

Ross got up painfully from where he had crouched by the tub. He felt awkward in his jeans and boots. Hell, he felt in pain from his rock-hard dick being stuffed into such a tight space. If he didn’t do something soon, he was going to explode. Could you die from testosterone poisoning?

He walked into her room before he did something stupid like join her in the tub fully dressed. He was going to have her, but he didn’t trust her change of mood. She was up to something.

Hell, she could be up to anything she wanted, as long as he got his dick into her tight quim. Who was he kidding? Right now he was operating purely on instinct, and that instinct was telling him to take what he could get before the mood changed.

He looked at the bed and smiled. Silk had so many possibilities, and if one bed got too messy, there was always the other one. Those rings in the headboard weren’t for decoration, and he was pretty sure there were padded handcuffs in the drawer of the nightstand.

Ross figured Ciara had limited experience. He was going to take this chance to broaden her horizons. By the end of the week, he was going to have her out of his system, so that when they saw each other again it would mean nothing to him. No more wanting her for days afterwards. No more waking up with a raging hard on because of dreams of her. This week was going to do the trick.

The sound of splashing caught his attention. He looked towards the mirror and could see her clearly in the reflection from the bathroom mirror into the bedroom mirror. She was long and lean, her ass was so tight, and her breasts were high and mouthwateringly firm. They made him think of ripe peaches, and he wanted to take a bite out of them. He couldn’t believe he had ever thought she was fat and lumpy.

She must not realize he could see her every move, because after she dried off, she dropped the towel and started rubbing lotion on her body. Her hands caressed every inch, and he had never been so jealous. Ross wanted to do that for her. He promised himself he would.

When Ciara was finished with the lotion she bent down and pulled something from under the sink. She had grabbed a razor and some shaving cream, and, oh my God, she was going to shave her legs right in front of him, and she didn’t even know it.

There was no way he was going to be able to keep his pants on for this. As quietly as he could Ross shucked his boots, shirt, and jeans; no easy feat with an erection the size of Texas in his pants. He sat on the bed in nothing but his boxers and watched the show in the mirror in front of the bed.

His angle was blocked a little by the door so he couldn’t see everything, which might be a good thing considering his level of excitement already. She had propped her foot on the edge of the tub and was shaving. Ross had never realized how long and sexy her legs were. There appeared to be a lot he hadn’t noticed about Ciara before.

When she was done, she rinsed off and soaked a washcloth. She carefully applied the washcloth to her quim and began to shave that as well. Ross had to stifle a moan in a pillow. His dick was turning blue, and there was already cum pearling on the tip of it.

He wanted to put his mouth on that smooth quim, wanted to suck at her lips, lick the wetness that would come out of her. He’d had enough waiting.

Chapter Three

"Hey, Ciara, do you think you could help me with something here?" Ross called from the bedroom.

"Are you still in my room? I told you to be my guest, but I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously..." Ciara’s voice trailed off as she entered the room wrapped in a towel and saw him sprawled on the bed. His dick was sticking right up out of the hole in his boxers, and it was bigger than she imagined. His naked chest was more massive than she had thought from seeing him clothed.

He had black chest hair, which curled over his nipples and formed an arrow down to his throbbing cock. His shoulders were rippled with muscle, and his abs were clearly defined. His legs were also well muscled and hairy, but the part that kept drawing her eyes was between those legs.

He was fucking huge, and suddenly she was scared.

"Uh," she cleared her throat, but it did nothing to ease the huskiness of it. "What do you need my help with?"

"I seem to have this pain right about here." Ross wrapped his own hand around his dick, and only managed to cover half of it.

It was now or never. Either she made the leap now or she’d regret it for the rest of the week, if not her entire life. Her reasoning of course had nothing to do with the fact that her crotch was so wet she could feel the moisture on her thighs. Her skin was so sensitive after having shaved it that walking had turned her on. Thinking about him touching her almost pushed her over the edge.

"Maybe if I massage it, that will help." Ciara took a deep breath and dropped the towel. She climbed onto the foot of the bed and crawled towards him. Her eyes were on his the whole time. Yes, she realized he wanted her, but she wanted to make him beg for her.

Ciara stopped and straddled his lower legs. The hair on his legs brushed against her soaking-wet pussy and made her moan in delight.

"You are so fucking wet. Come here," Ross demanded.

"Not yet." Ciara was building her own pleasure by touching him. She leaned forward and rubbed her nipples against his hairy thighs, the friction causing them to swell and harden. She pulled at the edge of his boxers, and slid them down his legs a bit more quickly and violently than she had planned. She needed to slow down or he would be done before she started.

When he was as naked as she, Ciara scooted back down between his legs, and slowly ran her hands up his thighs. She trailed her nails closer and closer to his cock, almost but not quite coming in contact with the nearly purple member jutting out from a nest of black hair.

Ross was twisting on the bed, every time she got close to his cock he would thrust his hips, and she would retreat back down to his knees. She continued to torment him with her hands, and then switched to her mouth. She was dying to taste him, to lick him, to see if he was as hard as he looked.

When she reached his balls with her nose, Ross became so still she wasn’t sure if he was even breathing. Ciara trailed her tongue around his balls, careful not to touch the shaft itself, then she blew softly over his wet sack. She had read about that trick in a magazine once but had never had the nerve to try it before.

"Ross?"

"Yes?" Ross’ voice was weak and breathy.

"What do you want?" Ciara was on all fours, she knew her ass must be in clear view in the mirror, her breasts were hanging down below his cock, and her lips were poised an inch away from his turgid tip.

"I want you to suck me, then I want to fuck you hard for hours in every position imaginable until you scream for me to stop."

Ciara’s arms trembled with the strain of keeping her body poised above him. His words were working their magic on her body, and she felt weak with need. She had to hold out a little longer. If she gave in now, she’d never have any leverage.

"Beg."

"What?" Ross demanded.

"I’m right here," she opened her mouth and breathed warm air over his tip, "ready to take you into my mouth, eager even, but I have to know you really want me. Not just any warm body, me." This was so important to her. If he couldn’t admit that he wanted her then she would stop immediately. She would probably die from hormone overload, but she had to know it was her he wanted, even if it was only for now.

"Ciara, when I am through with you, you are going to regret this, I promise you that," Ross threatened, his eyes blazing blue fire.

She waited.

"Please, Ciara, oh God, please!"

She didn’t even let him get the second please out before she grabbed his dick in her hand, wrapped her lips around the tip, and sucked hard. She slid her hand higher to make up for what she couldn’t get in her mouth, and pumped furiously.

He was hard enough to pound nails, and so hot, it was like drawing a branding iron into her mouth. She increased her pace as she heard his breath catch. He had his hands in her hair, holding her head closer to him while he bucked his hips frantically. She knew he was close so she kept going, even though she could barely breathe and her mouth was stretched wide. When he stopped thrusting and held his breath she knew he was about to come. She wrapped her lips around his shaft and sucked him in deeper.

His seed shot down her throat, and his scream echoed off the walls. She had never felt more powerful in her life.

Ciara sat back on her heels and watched her victim recover. She was powerfully aroused; her quim was soaking wet, swollen, and so sensitive she had the shivers being close to him. She hoped he recovered fast and didn’t carry a grudge.

"I have been dreaming about shoving my dick in your mouth for months, but I never expected it would be that good," Ross said as he looked at her through blazing sapphire eyes.

"Really?" Ciara was shocked.

"Oh, yeah. But now I have to recover, so why don’t you come here and lay down for a while. I think I can help you relax."

Ciara watched warily as he sat up, but she was still completely caught by surprise when he pulled her towards him, her naked chest rubbing with delicious friction against his hairy one.

Ross kissed her like he wanted to devour her. His lips attacked her mouth; his tongue forced its way inside and challenged her to keep up with him. This was no gentle seduction; this was more like a battle.

Ross shifted them so she was flat on her back and he was on his side. His huge hand grabbed her breast and squeezed. Flames shot their way down to her crotch. She was already so hot and needy she only needed the smallest of touches to go over the edge, but his attention seemed to be focused on her breasts.

"I want to eat you whole. I want to suck on every inch of you," Ross growled between kisses, biting his way down her neck and over her collarbone. He reached her breasts and took her nipple into his burning hot mouth. He nipped it with his teeth first, and then sucked on it with enough force for her uterus to contract. His hands continued to knead her breasts, making her back arch into the caress.

He moved again so that he was lying between her legs, his hairy chest was now barely touching her pussy, and it was madly frustrating. Ciara knew if he rubbed her the right way she would fly apart, but he stubbornly held himself away from her. She wanted to arch her hips against him, but figured he would avoid her touch to pay her back.

In two more minutes, she wouldn’t care, she would take the chance anyway.

"You know I’ve never seen you with your hair down," Ross said looking up at her from her navel.

"Really?" How could he care about her hair at a time like this?

"Take it down for me," Ross demanded.

She knew he was playing payback, but she didn’t care. If it would speed up his descent she would put it into pigtails. She pulled the clip out and felt her hair spill around her shoulders. She heard Ross groan, and smiled. Maybe she wasn’t powerless after all.

"Why do you hide your beauty? No, don’t answer that. I don’t care why. I’m glad that no one else has seen you look like this."

"Oh, and how exactly do I look?" She wasn’t fishing for compliments, but it wouldn’t hurt her to hear him say something nice for a change.

"So hot you’d explode if I do this," he said as he ran one finger down her swollen lips and grazed her engorged clit.

Ciara’s hips bucked, forcing the contact, but he pulled back before she could reach a climax.

"Naughty girl, you’re rushing things. Just for that you don’t get any more touches, for now." He was clearly enjoying putting the shoe on the other foot. Ciara bit her lip, she was not going to beg him and humiliate herself after barely five minutes of foreplay.

Before she knew what was happening Ross had her flipped over onto her stomach. He shoved pillows under her hips so her ass was elevated and her legs were spread. It was the most amazingly wanton position she had ever been in.

"Why was it so important to you to make me say your name?" Ross asked as he ran his hands over her legs. It was his turn to tease and torment.

"Because I wanted you to know who was going to make you see God," Ciara said, trying to speak around her panting breaths.

"I certainly wasn’t thinking of anyone else." Ross ran the tip of his finger over her swollen lips, making her squirm on her bed of pillows. She was completely exposed to his view and his touch. The anticipation was as bad as his teasing caresses.

"Ciara," Ross paused with his fingertip barely inside the entrance of her opening. "Say my name."

"Ross!" It burst out of her lips before her dignity could stop it. She cried out again when he rewarded her by slamming his finger home. He used his thumb to rub gentle circles over her wet clitoris, sending her flying over the edge without looking back.

Ross felt Ciara’s muscles gripping his finger, and that was all it took to bring his cock right back up to full strength. He watched her quiver in reaction, and couldn’t resist stroking her clit one more time. He smiled in triumph when she cried out and spasmed again. She was lying bonelessly across the bed. Her perfect ass was open to his gaze, and her lips were wet and dripping, just waiting for him. He wanted to eat her for hours, wanted to run his hands over every inch of her, wanted to feel her breasts pressed against his chest again, but all that had to wait. He didn’t have enough control left to wait for her to work her way up again.

She was in the perfect position, and so wet he couldn’t wait to replace his finger with his cock. He pulled his finger out of her tight sheath, giving her one last caress.

"Ciara, I’m going to fuck your brains out, do you have any problem with that?" Ross asked, teasing her entrance with the tip of his dick.

"No! Hurry!"

"I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your mouth shut," he said before he pushed himself inside her. She was tight, so tight and hot. He forced himself to go slowly to let her body accommodate his thick shaft. He was sure he had accomplished more difficult things in his life, but he couldn’t think of any right now. Hell, he couldn’t remember his own name right now. When he was sheathed to the hilt he heard her groan.

"Oh, my God, that feels fucking awesome!"

Finally, something they could agree on.

Ross pulled her hips up and held on, not moving an inch until she could prop herself up on her hands and knees. He reached around and grabbed her breasts, rubbing himself inside of her, but still not thrusting.

Thank God he had already come once or he’d never be able to last in her tightness. She was on fire, too. What had felt merely hot to his finger was burning hot to his dick. He wanted to pound into her for hours, but knew he’d be lucky to last five minutes in this position.

Running his hands over her back, he slid them around to her clitoris and tapped gently, bringing even more blood to fill the swollen nub. When she was moaning and rocking her hips against him he circled the nub with his finger and started thrusting slowly. He took his time pulling out of her, and then slammed back inside.

"So help me, Ross,if you don’t finish fucking me for real I’m going to explode," Ciara cried.

"Oh you are going to explode, I guarantee it." Ross grabbed her hips and quickened the pace, slamming into her at a ferocious speed. He could feel the pressure building at the base of his cock. It was happening too fast. He could feel his juices pushing up his shaft, he couldn’t hold back much longer.

Just when he thought he was going to beat her to the finish line, Ciara started to buck and scream, her muscles milking him into a climax that felt like a volcano erupting. He was so consumed with the release of his body he couldn’t hold himself off Ciara when she fell flat on the bed. He landed on top of her and had no idea where he was going to find the strength to move.

"If you shift over a little I might be able to breathe." Ciara’s voice was muffled underneath him.

"Sure, give me a second and I think I might be able to move." Ross had never felt so good or so weak. He couldn’t believe such a sexual dynamo was hidden inside her prim exterior. Her elbow in his ribs reminded him that he was suffocating her.

He rolled off her and used the leverage provided by the pillows to pull her next to him. He watched her breasts lift as she took a deep breath. Impossibly he could feel the blood return to his cock. It was going to take him all week inside her tight quim to get her out of his system.

He liked the feel of her against him. She was taller than most of his usual girlfriends, and he liked the way she fit all along him. He didn’t know what to say. They had never spoken a civil word to each other before, and now they had just had the most explosive sex of his rather jaded life.

He wondered how long she would be able to remain silent. He looked down at the top of her head. She was tracing circles through his chest hair, and wasn’t looking back at him. He looked up at the mirror over the dresser and knew that next time he did her from behind, he was going to face the mirror so he could see her face as she came.

He chuckled at the way his mind worked.

"What’s so funny?" Ciara asked, looking up at him and tensing.

"Nothing, I was thinking how this wasn’t what I expected when Lance asked me to come to the cabin to help him plan the bachelor party." Ross didn’t think she would appreciate him planning their next sexual adventure before she had fully recovered from the first.

"I certainly wasn’t expecting this when Molly asked me to keep her company while she drove up here to get her passport."

"I was wondering what excuse they used to get you up here. You’ve never been to the cabin before."

"No, I’m not really a nature girl." She had avoided looking him in the eye, and Ross wondered if she was regretting having sex with him.

"Like I said before, we don’t come up here to commune with nature. Before Lance met Molly he used to throw some serious parties."

"With rooms like this I can only imagine. I never realized Lance was into orgies."

"Oh, we never threw orgies, not that some guys didn’t borrow the cabin for the occasional fuck fest, but Lance used it to get away from the pressures of work. I’m sure since he met Molly he’s used it for its more earthy features, but before that it was usually for a guys’ weekend."

"I really don’t want to picture my little sister doing it in the same bed I just did it in," Ciara said, burying her face in his chest.

"Oh, Lance’s bedroom is downstairs, so you don’t have to worry about sharing the same sheets as your sister."

"That isn’t quite what I meant." Ciara pulled away from him and started to get off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Ross wasn’t ready for another go around, but it wouldn’t take much to change his mind. He had kind of liked cuddling with her afterwards, another deviation from the norm. He usually couldn’t wait to get away once the sex was over with. He stayed for the token cuddle, but usually left before the girl he was with could recover enough to start getting clingy.

Maybe this was a cosmic payback for all the girls he’d left alone and cold in bed.

"To the bathroom. I need to get cleaned up." Ciara grabbed her discarded towel and wrapped herself up in it before shutting herself in the bathroom.

Man, talk about a buzz kill. She wouldn’t even let him see her walk naked across the room. He didn’t get it. She was so hot for him before that she pulled his shorts right off him without hesitation, but now that the deed was done she was as skittish as a virgin.

She wasn’t a virgin; of that he was biblically sure. He could hear water running in the bathroom, and wondered if she was the type that got grossed out by honest bodily fluids. He didn’t think so after she swallowed the cum he shot down her throat. Maybe she didn’t know how to handle herself afterwards?

He didn’t know what her problem was, but he wasn’t going to lie in bed like a lovelorn suitor waiting for her to return. He got up and put his pants on, but left them unsnapped. He had no idea where his boxers had ended up, but he found the rest of his clothes and scooped them up into a bundle.

He tapped on the bathroom door. "Hey, Ciara, I’m going to go downstairs and rustle up something to eat, do you want anything?"

"Um, sure, give me a few minutes to get dressed and I’ll be right down, thanks."

She was still talking to him, and hadn’t said a single sarcastic word. Looks like his plan was working on that front. Now, if he could just figure out how many times he had to fuck her to get her out of his system, he’d be all set.

Chapter Four

Ciara listened until she heard Ross walk down the stairs before she left the safety of the bathroom. What the hell had she gotten herself into? She was supposed to be the seducer; she was the one who was going to drive him crazy, not the other way around. The situation was getting completely out of hand. It wasn’t like she had a whole lot of experience to draw from here.

She threw the wet washcloth into the hamper and went to get dressed. Her crotch was still swollen and a little sore. It had been a long time since she’d last had sex, and Ross’ cock was gigantic. When he had plowed into her, she thought she was going to be ripped apart. She was somewhat thankful that he didn’t move right away because no matter how wet she’d been, she wasn’t prepared for him. After her muscles relaxed and accepted the fullness, all the need came back with a rush. His hand on her clit probably didn’t hurt either.

Just thinking about him inside of her, filling her, stretching her made her start to drip all over again. She’d be lucky if she was able to walk by the end of the week. Looking at the rumpled bed, she thought that walking might be overrated.

How was she supposed to react to him outside of bed, though? She had never had sex outside of a committed relationship before. Usually by the time she had sex with someone, she knew enough about him to have a coherent conversation afterwards. It seemed a little anticlimactic to ask him what his favorite food was after she had just sucked his dick.

Hell, she didn’t even know what she was going to wear. She guessed it didn’t matter now. He had seen her completely naked, what difference was it going to make if he saw her in one of those skimpy tops and short shorts? She would forgo the thongs for now though, her quim was so enlarged that those just wouldn’t be comfortable. Crotchless panties it was.

She chose a tank top with a built-in bra, jean shorts, and grabbed her oxford shirt to tie around her waist. It looked ridiculous. She took it off and threw it on a nearby chair. If she was going to spread her wings, then she was going to go all the way. Too bad she didn’t have any makeup with her.

Ciara went back into the bathroom to hunt down a brush; she was going to leave her hair down all week. Maybe she would get used to it being down by the time she went home. In one of the drawers she found a brush, several hair products, and joy of joys, Molly had left her a cosmetic bag full of makeup and very specific directions for applying them. She had thought of everything. "Not detail-oriented, my ass," Ciara said aloud.

Feeling a little more self-confident when she looked in the mirror this time, she headed down to confront the lion. It was going to be awkward for sure. You don’t go from insults to hot sex in less than an hour without having a little confusion after the fact, she reminded herself.

"What took you so long? I thought you might be hiding in the bathroom in embarrassment," Ross asked, looking long and hard at her legs as she walked down the stairs.

"I had some trouble finding where Molly had put everything, that’s all. What’s for lunch?" Ciara felt pretty darn proud of herself for actually completing her sentence. Ross was wearing just his jeans and nothing else, standing in the kitchen holding a beer. He looked good enough to have for lunch. There was just something about a man in jeans and no shirt, with six-pack abs shown off to perfection that made her want to drool. It was going to be hard to have a coherent conversation if he didn’t put a shirt on. On the other hand, they tended to fight whenever they spoke to one another, so having no meaningful discussions might not be such a bad idea.

Okay so she was rationalizing again, but so what? He was damned hot.

"So, what exactly are we going to do for the next week?" Ciara could have bitten her tongue off. She had wanted to keep things light, to continue the unspoken truce they seemed to have started, instead she had jumped right back into reality with both feet.

"I have a few ideas," Ross said, giving her another hungry look. His nipples pebbled up before her eyes, and she felt her own responding. He couldn’t want her again so soon, could he?

"Um, yeah, well, uh, besides that. Do you think we should call them on the cell phone and tell them we can behave for the wedding?" Her imagination had jumped into overdrive, and she was thinking of all sorts of ways to behave.

"Do you think they would believe us?"

"Probably not. Molly would think we were lying so we could get out of here. Besides, I think she has an ulterior motive for leaving me up here with you."

"Why do you say that?"

Ciara walked over to the refrigerator and took out the fixings for a salad to go with the sandwich Ross had made. Lance really had left them well stocked. She put the lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers on the counter and began searching for a knife.

"Would you like some salad, too?"

"Sure, if you're making one for yourself. Now what do you mean, Molly had an ulterior motive for leaving you here?"

Ciara tried to think of the right way to say what she was thinking without causing a fight.

"You know our mom died when Molly and I were kids, right?"

"Yes," Ross said, clearly bemused by what that had to do with them being locked away together.

"Well, she had cancer, and she was sick for a long time before she died. My dad left us right after Molly was born, so he was no help. I had to help take care of her and Molly while I was in high school and college. When mom died, I had to get a job as well as finish school and still be home for Molly. I don’t regret a minute of it, but I think Molly does." Ciara busied herself with making the salad so she wouldn’t have to look at Ross.

"So what does that have to do with me and you being up here?"

"I think Molly feels that I never got the chance to be wild and crazy when I was a kid, so she is giving me the chance now. With you." There, she said it.

"What makes you so sure?" Ross got up, took a bag of chips out of the pantry and poured Ciara a fresh glass of wine.

"Well, she left me a note that said something about me having the chance to ‘spread my wings’ and she packed me clothes I wouldn’t normally pick out for myself."

"Really?" Ross looked avidly at her legs. "Like those shorts? I have to say, I never knew you were hiding such stems under those boring suits you normally wear."

"Apparently Molly thought it was time I stopped wearing the suits. Everything she packed me is this short or shorter."

"Really?" Ross’ smile took on a wolfish quality. Ciara wasn’t going to be playing the sheep though.

"Oh yeah, short shorts, low cut shirts, crotchless underwear, multiple nighties, the works." Ciara hoped his mind was working overtime imagining her in all of the clothes she mentioned.

"How many nighties?"

"Oh, at least five, maybe six, I’m not sure." Ciara knew there were five gowns, and one teddy, but it would be nice to keep him guessing.

"That’s one for every night this week," Ross said speculatively.

"Well no one can accuse you of being a dim bulb," Ciara said with a smile to take the sting out of her words.

"What would it take to get you to wear nothing but the nighties for this entire week? I mean, unless we go outside or something."

"I don’t know, what would you be wearing while I was parading around here in transparent dresses all day?"

"As little as possible," Ross was still looking at her with hunger.

"Why would you want me to wear them? After all, didn’t you say I needed to lose weight just to be passably pretty?" Ciara wanted to get him back for that comment.

Ross winced, and tried to explain himself. "I just expected you to look like Molly, you know, short, blond, and petite. When I saw you I was surprised, that’s all. When I asked if the two of you were really sisters, you looked at me like I was something that had just climbed out from under a rock. It pissed me off, so I shot my mouth off. I didn’t mean anything by it."

"Hmmm, I’ll think about that one. You still haven’t told me why I should wear skimpy pajamas all day while you get to wear whatever you want." Ciara was feeling very powerful at the moment. She was sure that her cleft had wet completely through her shorts, because they were pressed right up against her lips. Since she was wearing the crotchless underwear, she didn’t have even that small buffer to help absorb some of the milky fluid that was soaking out of her. She was going to wear the nighties, the thought of tempting him twenty-four seven was too powerful to deny.

"I don’t suppose because I want to see you dressed in them is good enough?"

"You suppose right. What is in it for me?" Ciara felt like a street-wise, sassy, sexy woman of the new millennium, instead of the dowdy, frumpy woman she used to be.

"If you wear the nighties, I promise to do all the cooking. You probably shouldn’t mix hot oil and filmy clothes anyway. They are filmy, aren’t they?"

"Some of them." Ciara smiled a smug little grin over the rim of her glass. She wouldn’t mind having someone else do the cooking for a change.

"Okay, I’ll do the cooking, and I can promise you, if you want the chance to be wild and crazy I’ll make sure you get a lifetime’s worth of experiences to make up for what you missed."

"So let me get this straight. You’ll do the cooking and help me live out my wild and crazy fantasy life for one week, and all I have to do is wear nothing but nighties? You’re on!"

"Perfect," Ross said with another wolfish grin. "Now tell me, what wild and crazy fantasies have you had? I’ll need some information if I’m going to do this right."

Ross had finished his lunch and put his plate in the dishwasher, but Ciara had barely touched hers. Some how ham and cheese seemed a poor substitute for what she really wanted to eat--Ross.

Wild and crazy fantasies? She had never really thought about it before. She wasn’t the one who felt like she had been deprived, Molly was. Ciara didn’t even know of anything crazier than having sex with a man she had barely spoken a civil word to in the last two years.

"I don’t really know, I never really thought about it before. Molly is the creative one. Heck, today was the first day I ever had sex with the guy coming from behind me." Ciara really wished she could learn to keep her mouth shut. She just made herself sound like a complete dork.

"Really? You don’t have any deep, dark fantasies that get you through the night?"

"Not that I can really think of. I’m usually just glad when I manage to get an orgasm some time during the course of having sex." The fact that he was the only man to ever make that happen would go with her to the grave.

"I think I know how a miner feels when he breaks through a cave and sees all the gems just waiting to be dug out of the ground. You, my dear Ciara, are a diamond in the rough, sexually. Why don’t you just leave the fantasies up to me?"

"That’s an awful lot of trust to ask someone who would have sworn you hated her a few hours ago," Ciara said skeptically.

"I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, and if you feel uncomfortable, all you have to say is no. I promise I’ll stop immediately."

"No whips, and no, uh, rear entrance," Ciara stuttered. Her face flamed, but she knew she would never get that wild and crazy.

"Sounds fair to me. You’re going to have to trust me on this, do what I say without question for it to work."

"What do you mean, without question?" Ciara didn’t really like the sound of that.

"I think the reason Molly left you with me for this wing-stretching experiment was because she not only trusted me not to hurt you, but also trusted me to know what I'm doing. She knows I can show you a good time without crossing the line. If you don’t let go of some of that control you carry, you’ll never be able to enjoy yourself. You are going to have to trust me to show you a good time, to show you fantasies you never dreamed of. I can’t do that if you are second guessing every move I make."

Ciara looked at him. He was dead serious. He could show her heights of passion she never dreamed of, but only if she gave him total control of the situation. That was the crux of the matter. She wasn’t very good at letting go of control.

"How do I know that you aren’t going to throw this back in my face some day?"

"Ciara, I know you find this hard to believe, but I am not the bastard you think I am. After this week we will probably only see each other for the wedding and surrounding activities, and then maybe at the occasional party. I never kiss and tell. If you insist, I’ll even take a vow of silence about anything and everything that happens this week."

"Okay, that question was a little insulting, I’m sorry." Ciara didn’t want him to change his mind now that he had gotten her juices flowing. She needed to make a decision fast. Her heartbeat was picking up speed, and her body was heating up.

"All right. I’ll hand over all control to you, but I retain the right to say no if it is something I feel too uncomfortable with. Now what?" Ciara couldn’t believe she was actually going for it. A week of sexual fantasies with the man that she had been dreaming about for two years? If she was crazy she didn’t want to be cured.

"Why don’t you take one of the magazines that are lying around the house and have a seat on the porch while I scrounge around looking for all the things I’m going to need to make this a spectacular week for you."

"That sounds harmless enough." Ciara got up to put her dishes in the dishwasher and look for a magazine.

"Oh, and do it with your shirt off, just to get in the mood."

"Take my shirt off?"

"Yup, think of this as a test."

Ciara looked at him for a minute. It was one thing to say you were going to give up control; it was another thing to actually do it. Well, she had agreed to it so she had better live up to her word. No one was in miles of the cabin so it wouldn’t matter if she was stark naked out there, no one would see her. Besides, he’d not only seen her breasts already, he fondled them, sucked on her nipples, and practically made love to them. It wasn’t like he was seeing something new. She reached down and pulled the tank top off.

She felt ridiculous standing in the kitchen in nothing but a pair of short jean shorts, but the look on Ross’ face was worth it. Those blue eyes of his heated her skin from across the room.

"Where can I find one of those magazines?" Ciara asked, walking slowly across the kitchen to where he was standing by the door.

Ross didn’t move, just watched her walk up to him. When she got to where her nipples were practically touching his chest she stopped. If he wanted to set the mood, he did a good job. Her body felt ripe and lush, and ready for whatever he had in store for her.

"Um," Ross cleared his throat. "I’m sure you can find some in the den, but don’t be surprised if you don’t find Time or Newsweek. When we come up here it isn’t to broaden our minds and catch up on world events."

"I’ll check my sensibilities at the door." Ciara made sure she brushed her nipples on his chest as she turned. She really was going to have to trust him because he was right on the money so far.

Her reading choices were hunting, fishing, or nudie magazines. She thought about bagging the whole idea of reading a magazine, but figured if on the obscure chance someone did show up she’d be able to cover her breasts with the magazine. Ciara picked the nudie magazine. She heard they had the occasional article in them, maybe she could get some pointers on this whole wild and crazy existence she was supposed to be living.

She picked a lounge chair in the sun and sprawled out to read the magazine. The women were obviously augmented in the boob department, but it really did have some interesting articles in it, if one was looking for fantasy reading, that is.

The sun felt warm on her face, and she gradually stopped holding the magazine in front of her bare chest. There was no one to see her, and the gentle breeze was like a caress on her exposed nipples. Maybe one of her fantasies could be having sex on the porch with the sun shining on them and the breeze blowing over their bodies. She’d have to wait and see what Ross thought of on his own before she tried to give him any ideas.

The warmth soon made her drowsy enough that she wanted to take a nap. After all she needed to keep up her strength.

***

Ross felt like a kid in a candy store. Well...a big kid, anyway. His dick had gotten harder and harder the longer Ciara spoke. Just the thought of spending the week with her, playing out every fantasy he ever had was enough to make him want to slam her against the kitchen table and fuck her right then and there. Of course that would have blown his image to hell, so he had restrained himself, for now. She didn’t have to know that most of the fantasies he was planning for her he’d only experienced in his mind.

He knew that Ciara thought he was some sort of playboy who had a different girl every night, and he had worked hard to maintain that impression. Although he was by no means celibate, he wasn’t quite as wild as she thought he was. Molly knew the truth, or she never would have left her sister with him.

He never wanted Ciara to find out he wasn’t the Lothario he pretended to be. Lance knew, of course, so it was okay that Molly knew too, but to the rest of the world he was the original Red Hot Lover. If Ciara ever found out he used to be the neighborhood punching bag she’d never be willing to play out his, er, her sexual fantasies this week.

Ross couldn’t wait to get started. It was like conquering virgin territory. He had never had the chance to play out some of his more prurient fantasies before. Most of the women he dated just wanted to have an orgasm, and that was it. They really didn’t want to do anything that was going to get them too messy. He couldn’t see any of them spending the afternoon on the porch topless just because he asked them to.

He had to restrain himself from going out on the porch and watching her. Ross thought about all the things he wanted to do to Ciara and all the supplies he would need. He had better get busy if he wanted to start tonight.

He knew the basement had some of the more esoteric supplies that had come with the house so Ross planned on doing some exploring there first. He would make sure this was a week Ciara would never forget.

Ross turned on the fluorescent lights and looked around the cellar. There was a closet down here somewhere that had all the supplies he would need. After the third try he hit the jackpot. He found bottles of massage oil, more padded handcuffs, some leather bra and panty sets that might come in handy if they fit Ciara, vibrators of various sizes, and edible underwear. That reminded him that he never got the chance to eat her pussy this afternoon. An oversight he was going to correct very soon. He checked the packages to see if they had expiration dates, no sense taking chances, after all. All the edible products seemed to be fairly new. Ross had a sneaky suspicion that Lance had stocked more than the kitchen.

Digging back into the closet he found a bottle of something called "Red Hot" which claimed to taste like cinnamon and heat up on contact. That could offer some possibilities too. He found a box and dumped out the contents to carry his spoils upstairs. When he noticed the French Maid outfit, he couldn’t help but add it to the pile. He wondered if she had any high heels to complete the outfit. He’d have to ask.

On the way up the stairs he saw the video camera in the corner. He wasn’t sure if Ciara would go for that. She was still pretty prim and proper for all her talk of being wild and crazy, but maybe he could hook it up to the TV without having a tape in it and they could watch themselves on the big screen in the bedroom.

Ross made a mental list of all the things he’d always wanted to do, but had never had the guts to try with the women he dated. He definitely wanted to use the handcuffs; the beds had the rings in the headboard for just that reason and it would be a shame to waste them. He should probably put that fantasy off until the weekend. It might take her a while to trust him enough to handcuff her to the bed and have his way with her.

God, he was getting so horny he was in pain, and he’d already shot off his load twice today. Let’s see...he could start off with just her walking around topless all day, just so that she could get used to being naked around him. He’d have to see what the kitchen held, if they didn’t have any champagne to lick off her. He could use her wine, but he’d always wanted to watch the bubbles flow over smooth skin. There must be some champagne around here somewhere.

Tonight he’d start with the massage oil. She had been so tight, she was probably sore after their afternoon romp. The oil would help soothe that and rev her up enough that she wouldn’t mind the pain for the next round. He still couldn’t believe his luck. He was going to get to spend the most carnal week of his life with Ciara, and she was going to thank him for it. He was going to have to give Molly and Lance a huge wedding present.

He put the box in his room, and then crossed to Ciara’s. He grabbed the suitcase. He wanted to be the one who decided what she got to wear each day. When he got to the birth control pills, he smiled. He’d put them in the bathroom, wouldn’t want her to miss one of those. He was glad he wasn’t going to have to use the condoms that Lance had packed. It was hard to surprise her and slam into her heat at a moment’s notice when he had to stop to put on a rubber.

It was getting late; he had better let Ciara in before she got sunburned. The sun wasn’t that hot this far north, but she had fair skin and it would put a kink in his plans if she ended up burnt for the week.

Ross walked out onto the porch and saw that Ciara was asleep. She had the magazine splayed over her chest. She was prim and proper even in her sleep. Her hair caught the highlights from the sun and looked golden. Her long, beautiful legs were shown off to perfection in the short shorts. It was criminal that she had hid those legs for so long. He couldn’t believe that he had thought her fat before. Fat and frumpy. He should know better than most how deceiving looks could be. Most of his life was based on hiding his true self from the world.

He highly doubted that Ciara purposely dressed like a schoolmarm to hide herself from the world, but there was definitely more there than met the eye. Maybe she just hadn’t figured out yet that the real her was a sexual dynamo. Perhaps it was time to start another lesson.

Carefully, so as not to startle her awake, Ross took the magazine out of her loose grip. Her nipples pebbled up as soon as the air hit them. He really needed to spend more time on those beauties. He had seriously neglected them in their last go round. Ross knelt beside her lounge chair and gently drew a tight bud into his mouth. At first he sucked gently, but when all she did was moan a little and sleep on, he sucked harder.

At the increased suction, her eyes opened and focused sleepily on him.

"Well, hello."

"I thought I’d wake you before you got a burn out here," Ross said before he went back to work on her other breast.

"I think the only burn I’m in danger of getting is from your five o’clock shadow, but don’t let me stop you," Ciara said breathlessly.

"I guess I’ll have to shave later. Did you leave me any shaving cream?" Ross asked her with a little smirk.

"How did you know I shaved?" Ciara was starting to squirm in her seat, a positive sign if he ever saw one.

"You didn’t shut the door all the way, and I got a front row view of you shaving this afternoon."

"I think I should be upset, but right about now I honestly don’t care."

"Maybe next time I’ll do it for you."

Ross moved his lips down her stomach, using his hands to squeeze her breasts while his lips and tongue wrecked havoc on her navel. Taking his hands away from her breasts, he unsnapped her shorts and wiggled them down her hips. He thought his heart was going to stop when he looked back up and saw her nether lips pulsing through an opening in her panties. That was right, she had said Molly packed her crotchless panties.

The red silk framed her pink lips perfectly, and he just had to have them. Pulling on her legs, he slid her down the lounger so that he could spread her legs wide. When they were wide open on either side of the lounge chair he crawled up the middle and attacked her swollen lips. He had wanted to give her a chance to recover, but he didn’t know if he was going to be able to hold back. She was moaning and squirming in the chair, her hips started bucking and he knew she was close.

It was too soon, he hadn’t had enough of her flavor. He sucked hard on her clit, and then she was spilling over him. He didn’t know if he could ever get enough of that smooth quim. He was beginning to wonder if one week was going to be enough.

"Now that is a very pleasant way to wake up from a nap," Ciara said, stretching her arms over her head, quivering again when her legs rubbed together. "So what have you been up to while I’ve been lazing the day away?"

"All sorts of things. I can honestly say if this isn’t a week you don’t long remember, then it wasn’t for lack of trying."

"That sounds promising. What is first on the list?" Ciara asked avidly.

"If I tell you, it takes away half the fun."

"It does?"

"Oh, yes, part of the fun is in the anticipation. You are going to wake every morning knowing that something wicked and wonderful is going to happen to you. By not knowing what it is or when it will happen, your senses will be heightened, the anticipation will keep you on the edge of arousal all day long." Ross shot her a grin then pulled her up to stand next to him.

He felt a thrill of triumph when her knees buckled. He had to push down the surge of desire that was eating away at him when he felt her nearly naked body rub up against his naked chest.

"Now what?" Ciara asked breathlessly.

"Dinner."

Chapter Five

Ross had Ciara sit at the counter wearing just her panties while he prepared the simple supper of frozen lasagna and salad. She thought she would feel uncomfortable, but apparently her delicate sensibilities had taken a vacation for now. Bon Voyage!

"So what exactly do you do for a living? I can’t believe I know your dick intimately, but don’t know more than you teach karate for a living."

"Honey, you don’t know the half of my dick, but you will, I can promise you that."

Ross shot her a lascivious grin and smiled as she squirmed in her seat. She couldn’t believe she could get worked up again so soon.

"That sounds promising, but I’d kind of like to know a little more about you than the size of your penis."

"To start with, I rarely teach karate anymore. I own several martial arts studios on the east coast, I train the instructors, and they teach the every day classes. I make it a point to do workshops with the instructors and the students regularly, but I don’t spend my days in the dojo anymore."

"Do you miss it?"

"Yes and no. I miss working with my students, watching them progress and grow, but now that the business end is so huge. I don’t want to entrust it to anyone else, so something had to give. I guess that is one of the sacrifices you have to make if you want to be successful."

"Is it worth it?"

"Now that is a funny question. Most of the women I know never ask if having a big business is worth the sacrifice, they only want to make sure it is profitable enough to support them."

"You still haven’t answered my question," Ciara said, wondering if it was good or bad to be different from most women.

"Who doesn’t want to be successful?" Ross asked, evading the question.

"I guess it depends on what your definition of success is."

"What is your definition of success? Being able to afford homes all over the world like Lance and Molly?" Ross asked, raising and eyebrow.

"No, I think he is successful because he has Molly and is happy. They would be successful even if they didn’t have a penny to their names, because they have each other. To me, being able to stick together during the tough times is a much bigger sign of success than being able to buy your way out of trouble."

When she finished expounding on her theory, she noticed Ross’ eyes were focused on her bobbing breasts and not on her face.

"You know, dinner won’t be ready for an hour and a half, these frozen things take forever. Why don’t we go upstairs and try out phase one of your week of fantasy?"

Ciara was surprised at Ross’ change of subject, but the effect of his blue eyes blazing hot on her body made her more than willing to go along with him. He was staring at her tits like he wanted to eat them whole, and for the life of her she couldn’t remember what she had been talking about.

He still hadn’t put a shirt on, and his mammoth chest drew her attention like a lodestone. She wanted to spend more time on his chest, too. He may not teach martial arts any more, but he sure hadn’t let his body go downhill, either.

"Um, sure! I’m all for new experiences. Do you think we should set the timer just in case?" Ciara winced at the boring words popping out of her mouth. She wished she could be the footloose and fancy-free type of girl he usually dated, but she just couldn’t. It didn’t matter what she was wearing--or not wearing--she was still the same logical, stick in the mud Ciara.

"Probably a good idea. I don’t want a burnt dinner, and when I’m around you I tend to lose track of more mundane things." Ross crossed over to the oven and set the timer. "Will that help you to relax now?"

Ciara couldn’t believe he understood that she wouldn’t be able to relax if she was worried about dinner burning. Maybe there was a little bit more to him than just great abs and a big dick.

"Yes, actually, I feel much better now. Thank you."

"Good, because I want you completely relaxed until I’m ready to tense you back up again." Ross’ smile could have melted butter in Alaska in December. It almost fried her underwear, that was for sure.

"I sure do like how you think."

Ciara followed Ross up the stairs to his room. He directed her to lie on the bed while he got some things prepared in the bathroom. She could hear water running and see him grabbing fresh towels, but couldn’t figure out what he was up to. He came out in a few minutes with several towels and a bowl of steaming water. In the bowl was a bottle that looked like it contained some type of oil. Ciara had never had a massage before, but she thought she might be getting one now.

"Stand up and take your panties off. I’d do it for you, but then we’d never be done by dinner," Ross directed her.

Ciara got up and pulled the sopping wet panties down slowly. She tried a little wiggle too, but it was lost on Ross who was spreading one of the humongous towels out on the bed. He arranged the pillows around the towel and put the steaming bowl on the nightstand.

"Lie down on your stomach facing the mirror." Ross was looking at her with eyes so hot Ciara could feel their burn across the bed.

She wordlessly followed his instructions and made herself comfortable on the bed. Ross surprised her by covering her lower body with another towel. She looked up at him in the mirror and watched as he peeled off his jeans. He was naked underneath, and so damned sexy Ciara’s pulse shot through the roof just watching him.

Ross took the bottle from the water and tested the contents on the back of his hand.

"Perfect," he said with satisfaction.

He poured a generous amount on Ciara’s back and began working it into her spine and shoulders.

He had great hands as well as a great body.

Ciara tried to keep her eyes on the mirror so she could watch him, but his soothing fingers made her lids so heavy that she had to close them, just for a minute. His martial arts training must have taught him where all the pressure points were, because he knew where and how hard to press to make her more relaxed than she had ever been.

"This feels wonderful," Ciara sighed. "I’m going to have to do this again when I get back to New York." Ciara felt Ross tense for a minute, but then he continued to work his magic.

"This is only the beginning, just wait and see."

Ciara couldn’t think of any witty response to that, so she kept her mouth shut and enjoyed what Ross was doing. Maybe she didn’t always have to have the last word after all.

Ross moved around so he was kneeling by her side. Ciara hazarded a glance in the mirror and got a delicious view of his profile. His body was well toned and muscular, even his butt had definition. She got a great look at his raging hard on as well. Her pulse bumped up a few more notches at the evidence of his arousal. It was no small turn on to know that just touching her skin made him hard as steel.

He poured more oil in his hands and began massaging her arms, running his fingers over every inch. She had never had such thorough attention paid to her in her life. His clever digits pressed, squeezed, and rubbed her arms, shoulders, back and neck until she was as warm and loose as a puddle of wax. He even ran his hands over her scalp and face to relax those muscles too.

Ciara couldn’t have moved a muscle if her life depended on it. She didn’t know what sexual game he had in mind, but if he was expecting her participation in it, he’d be out of luck. For the first time since she met Ross, she was too relaxed to be horny. Or so she thought.

When Ross grabbed her foot, Ciara was a little afraid he was going to tickle her, but when he only rubbed her arch with the same smooth strokes, she relaxed into it with a purr. He used the same deft touch to massage her calves, her thighs, and even her butt cheeks. When one leg was completely massaged, he moved to the other one, every stroke moving him closer and closer to her suddenly wet center.

His hands should be classified as lethal to the female population. Every stroke he made on her thighs made her writhe a little bit more. His earlier ministrations had relaxed her; these were pushing her higher and higher.

"Turn over," Ross directed in a husky voice.

Ciara turned over on the towel, not even making a token effort to cover herself. She wanted him to see her naked body. She wanted him to touch her naked body! He had kept his hands away from the parts that were begging for his touch, now she exposed them to his view.

"Time for the front." Ross smiled wolfishly again.

"Thank God," Ciara said breathlessly.

"What, aren’t you enjoying your massage?" Ross asked as he poured more oil on her stomach.

"I’m enjoying it too much, that’s the problem." Ciara couldn’t keep her eyes off his blazing blue gaze.

He looked right at her as he spread his hands across her stomach, just above her navel. He slowly ran them up over her rib cage to right below her aching breasts. Just as he got close to the point of no return, he slid them to the side and ran his fingers up almost to her armpits.

Ciara had to bite her lip to keep from begging him to touch her. He ran his fingers back down and started his torturous journey all over again, this time going between and over her breasts. Ciara’s breath was coming in small pants and gasps, the oil was warm and felt decidedly wicked along her body. Ross’ hands were magical in their own right, and his body was absolutely the best eye candy she had ever seen. He was exploiting all her senses and she was more than willing to go along for the ride.

Ross picked the bottle up again and slowly drizzled more of the warm oil over her aching breasts. The feeling of the oil sliding along her sensitized breasts was mind bending, but when Ross finally, finally, used those long fingered hands on them, Ciara’s system went into overload.

She squirmed and moaned unashamedly as he plucked and squeezed her nipples until they were as red as raspberries. When she thought she would come just from the feeling of his hot hands on her breasts, he slid his fingers lightly down her sides until they rested on her hip bones.

Ross’ fingers gripped her ass and he ran his thumbs in small circles over her hipbones. Ciara felt like she was going to scream in frustration. He was working her up to a frenzy, and then backing down. Her clit was so engorged it felt like a new entity, a soaking wet and pulsing one.

"Ciara?" Ross asked as he moved slowly to her feet.

"Yes?" she choked out.

"Did you know feet are an erogenous zone?"

Ciara had a different erogenous zone she was a little more interested in at the moment, but she didn’t want him to stop touching her, so all she did was shake her head no.

"You are about to find out."

Ross pressed his thumbs into her arch and sucked her oiled toe into his burning hot mouth. Ciara could swear she felt the heat from his tongue sizzle its way down her leg straight into her crotch. The suction seemed to pull on every nerve ending in her body and made her almost fly off the bed.

"Oh, my God!" Ciara was dizzy with need. It felt so good, but at the same time she wanted him inside her, pounding away until she was screaming with release instead of frustration.

"I want you so bad, Ross, so fucking bad," Ciara moaned and thrashed on the bed, her body felt like every nerve ending was on fire.

"Good, that’s the way I want you to be."

Ross slowly let her foot fall to the bed, and then he spread her legs, wide. He put more oil into his hands and slicked them up the insides of her legs.

Slowly.

Torturously.

Ciara’s quim was throbbing in need. Her blood was racing so loudly in her veins she didn’t know if her body was slick from the oil or from the sweat popping out all over her. All she knew was if he didn’t touch her soon she was going to lose her mind.

"Ciara, look at me."

Ciara could barely keep her eyes open and he wanted her to look at him?

Ross lifted her hips off the bed and positioned a pillow under them, then he slid his hard, hot, hairy chest up over her thighs and waited for her to look at him.

When she managed to open her eyes part way, she saw his mouth perfectly poised at her entrance. His flaming blue eyes burned into her brain as he slowly, slowly, lowered his head to her dripping wet slit and licked. Once.

That was all it took to send her straight up and over the moon. Her body convulsed in spasms of pleasure, she could feel waves and waves of sensation spread out from her quivering clit. Her breath was coming in gasps, and it was all she could do to stop moaning.

Ross reached over to grab the almost empty bottle of massage oil, and while Ciara recovered her equilibrium as much as she could with a gorgeous specimen of man between her legs. When he had her attention again, he drizzled more oil over her freshly shaven mound.

"You came too fast, now I’ll have to start all over again," Ross’ grin was mischievous.

"Oh, darn." Ciara could think of worse things to happen.

Ross used his thumbs to rub the oil over her lower lips, than used two fingers to rub more inside her tight sheath. Ciara’s recently calmed pulse began hammering away again. His fingers were long and reached the entire length of her channel. She could feel every inch of him rubbing against her muscular walls. When he slid out, he ran his knuckle along her engorged clitoris and sent tremors through her entire body.

"Good thing this oil is edible," Ross said as he dipped his head in for another, longer taste of her soaking wet quim. His tongue lashed her clit mercilessly, and his fingers dove in and out furiously. Ciara couldn’t believe she could come again so soon, but come she did, like a hurricane gone mad.

While she was still gasping and thrusting wildly, Ross positioned himself above her and waited for the latest storm to settle. Ciara could feel his tip at her entrance and couldn’t stop herself from reaching down and pulling him home. Between her own wetness, and the slickness of the oil, he slid in like a well-oiled machine.

"Oh, Lord I knew it would feel good to have you on top of me, but I never knew how good. Fuck me Ross, hard." Ciara grabbed his ass and dug her nails into his muscles. She bent her knees so she could get more of him in her. He went deeper and deeper, she felt like he must be touching her very womb, then he pulled out slowly only to slam back in.

Ross pulled her legs higher, over his shoulders, and grabbed her ass this time. He started slamming into her faster and faster. The position sent Ciara’s senses scrambling and she screamed out her pleasure.

"Yes, yes, oh my God yes!"

Ross grunted in her ear, and she barely heard him shout out his own release over her pounding pulse. He let her legs fall as he collapsed on top of her, and she didn’t care one bit.

***

Ross felt every breath Ciara took against his chest. He had meant to build her desire by making her weak with anticipation, but he was the one who almost lost it in the end. His anticipation was red hot by the time he finally got inside of her.

He rolled to the side, but pulled her with him. He didn’t want to lose the feeling of her nipples pushing into his chest with every breath. Her face was slack with relaxation, and he realized he had never noticed how pretty she was before. Not pretty in the stunningly beautiful way of her sister, but pretty.

He felt a curl of self-disgust at his questioning her relationship with Molly. She had probably always been in Molly’s shadow, and jerks like him had probably always compared the two of them, with Ciara falling short in the comparison. Molly’s beauty was like daffodils, bright, sunny, demanding of attention. Ciara was more like a violet, just as beautiful, but you had to search the shadows to find it. Ross vowed if it was the last thing he did, by the end of the week Ciara would no longer feel like second fiddle to her younger sister.

He was beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep when he heard the timer go off downstairs. Good thing he had set it or they would have burnt offerings for their first dinner together. He slid his arm out from underneath Ciara and started to get up.

"Where are you going?" Ciara asked without opening her eyes.

"I’m going to grab us some robes, then go down and check on our dinner before it's burned to a crisp."

"Dinner! I completely forgot about it!" Ciara scrambled out of the bed looking for something to wear.

"Good thing you told me to put on the timer then, isn’t it?" Ross had set the timer to pacify her and to make sure she wasn’t thinking about burning their food instead of him. He was pleased with himself to realize she had forgotten completely about it.

"I never even heard it. Good thing you were listening." Ciara only had her slightly wilted underwear to put on, and by the disgusted look on her face, she didn’t want to chance it.

"Don’t worry, I’m getting you a robe to wear for now. This way you won’t get any oil on your clothes. After supper we can wash it off you."

"And you too. You’ve got it all over your chest, and ah, lower."

Ross looked down at his still semi-erect dick and saw the glint of the oil still on it. He looked at Ciara and noticed her staring at it, and immediately his dick got harder.

"Good thing it’s edible now, isn’t it?" Ciara said, licking her lips.

"If you keep looking at me like that, it will be the only thing you get to eat tonight because we’ll burn dinner."

"Spoilsport."

The levels of sensuality Ciara was displaying amazed Ross. He felt like an explorer discovering uncharted territories every time he showed her some new aspect of her own body. Her reaction to the foot massage was priceless, absolutely priceless.

He didn’t like the idea of any other explorers entering his territory though. He felt his jaw clench in annoyance when he thought about her getting another massage in New York, with someone else doing the massaging. Ross had thought he had it made when she agreed to one week and that was it, but what if he wanted to see her afterwards?

What was he thinking? After he did everything he had planned this week he wouldn’t want to see her again, never mind fuck her. All the mystery would be gone, and he’d know her body as well as she did. There wouldn’t be any challenge left by Sunday.

"Did they pack you any socks? I know Molly didn’t include those in my suitcase, and I have oil on my feet. I’ll probably kill myself walking down the stairs." Ciara took the robe from Ross.

"Nope, no socks. I guess I’ll just have to carry you." Ross scooped Ciara up before she had time to react to his statement, and carried her out of the room.

"Ross, stop it. You are going to hurt yourself!" Ciara held herself stiffly against him.

"You’re supposed to look scared if I carry you to the bedroom, not out of it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop you."

"I’m more worried that you are going to throw out your back. I’m not rail-thin like most of your girlfriends, you know."

"Thank god for that. Sometimes it’s like screwing a pretzel with boobs."

"Ha, ha. Please, put me down before you get hurt."

"I won’t let you down, I promise." Ross didn’t know whether his promise was for now or later, but he knew he meant it with every fiber of his being.

Ciara was quiet for the rest of the trip, and relaxed visibly when he deposited her on the bar stool near the kitchen counter. Ross quickly checked the lasagna and took it out of the oven.

"A little crisp around the edges, but not bad. I’ll let it set while I get the salad and bread together."

"I’ll set the table," Ciara said, getting up from the counter.

"Nope, this is supposed to be your fantasy week, let me handle it."

"My, my, my! The ever-macho Ross Flanders playing house-husband to dumpy little ole me. Will wonders never cease?" Ciara looked at him through her lashes.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Ross handed her another class of wine and got back to work. He didn’t reveal that he loved to cook, but rarely had the opportunity to do so. Most of his girlfriends wanted to go out, to see and be seen, not stay home and enjoy a home-cooked meal. It was going to be harder to hide the real him behind his usual masks than he thought.

"So how come you didn’t jump on the bandwagon when Lance hit the big time? Didn’t the two of you grow up together? He could have set you up with some cushy job, maybe director of security or something," Ciara asked, blithely unaware of his attempts to put his mask back in place.

"Well, he did give me the loan to expand the school. Before he got the patent for his program, I only had two schools, and I taught at both of them with just part time help. Once he struck it rich, he loaned me the money to hire more help, which enabled me to get more students, which then helped to expand the business to where it is today. I was able to pay back his loan with interest," he said with no little pride. No one could accuse him of sponging off his friend’s success.

"I’m sure he wasn’t worried about you missing a payment, you two are friends."

"I know, he tried to give me the money outright, but I only wanted a loan. Friends don’t take advantage of friends where we come from."

"You know Ross, there is a lot more to you than meets the eye," Ciara said thoughtfully.

Ross was beginning to panic at the thought he was so easy to read.

"I don’t think so, what you see is what you get. I’m a successful businessman who is living a dream. Now you on the other hand, hide a great deal behind those beautiful eyes of yours." Ross thought it was a good time to turn the tables on her.

"Not really, no one has ever been interested enough to look." Ciara got up and put her wine glass in the sink.

Ross reached out and grabbed her as she was passing by.

"I’m interested, damn interested, and I like what I see so far." He covered her mouth in a fierce kiss. In the back of his mind he realized he was trying to prove something to her, maybe her own worth. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss whole-heartedly, he realized it didn’t matter what he thought. All that mattered was he had her in his arms and he wasn’t about to let go.

"You are a dangerous woman. Sit down before I forget dinner completely and we starve to death. I don’t think we can survive on what we have been eating today."

Chapter Six

Ciara watched Ross from the living room while she read a magazine with a deer on the front of it. He told her to relax while he did the dishes, then they would take a shower and wash off the now-sticky oil. She didn’t believe her body could handle any more fantasies tonight, she was a little stretched and sore, but the idea of rubbing soap all over Ross’ gorgeous body held a definite appeal.

She didn’t know what to make of this New Hampshire Ross. When she had run into him at parties in New York he had been brash, bold, arrogant. Here he was spoiling her rotten, cooking for her, doing the dishes, and making her feel like she was the most desirable woman on the planet. She wasn’t sure what to make of the switch, not that she was complaining.

It would be really easy to get used to this Ross. Too easy.

Stop right there, girlie! Her mind screamed. Of course he was different here, none of his friends were around to see him with Molly’s dumpy older sister. He was stranded in the woods of New Hampshire with no one around for miles, with no women around for miles. Was it any wonder he was being nice to her? As soon as they returned to the city he would be on his merry way, and she’d be right back to where she started. Alone.

Yeah, he was going to leave when the week was up. He was a man, and if Ciara knew anything it was that she couldn’t keep a man. Hell, she couldn’t even keep her father around, how was she supposed to keep a playboy like Ross interested enough to stay? He would get bored by the end of the week, and come Sunday that would be the end of this little fantasy for sure.

Ciara steeled her heart. So what? She had said right out she only wanted to use him for sex, to get rid of the bone-deep wanting she felt for him every time she saw him. She wasn’t looking for a relationship any more than he was. She just wanted to get him out of her system so that she wouldn’t quiver with lust every time he was in a ten-mile radius, not marry him.

It still stung though that at the end of the week he would go right back to being that arrogant jerk that only dated Barbie look-alikes and wouldn’t give her the time of day.

She shook off the depressing thoughts. She was going to enjoy everything Ross could show her this week, and she would pick and choose what she wanted to take away from this experience. A broken heart wasn’t one of the things she had on her 'take' list.

"Now that is a serious look, what are you reading?" Ross asked as he walked out of the kitchen, an incongruous site with muscled abs and a dishcloth.

"Not Glamour, that’s for sure. Are you all done, do you need any help?" Ciara asked, changing the subject.

"Nope, the kitchen is clean. I’m sure you have trouble believing it, but I actually have the ability to cook and clean up after myself. I’ve been doing it a long time."

"Then you are the first man I ever met that could."

"I’m the first man you ever met for lots of things, cooking for you is just one of them. Let’s go upstairs and wash off this oil," Ross said pulling her to her feet, and effectively shutting down her ability to speak.

Ciara couldn’t believe her body could want him again. Her hormones were writing checks she wasn’t sure her body was going to be able to cash. She had never had sex so many times in one day before, and didn’t realize she had ever wanted to. Being close to him was like taking a powerful aphrodisiac. She just had to smell him and her juices started flowing, straight to her crotch.

Ross pulled her close and held her against him, surprising her. She didn’t expect tenderness from him. Lust, passion, unbearable desire and longing, yes, but tenderness didn’t even show up on her radar. Ciara let herself enjoy the feeling of being held against his solid bulk for just a minute before she forced herself to move away. Falling in love with him would only get her heart tromped on.

"Come on, I’ll wash your back," Ciara said, pulling him towards the stairs.

Before she could get more than a yard away, her foot slid on some residual oil and she went sprawling backwards right into Ross’ arms.

"I knew that would happen. See, you need to trust me, I won’t let you get hurt." Ross picked her up again and carried her toward the stairs.

Ciara was sure he meant he wouldn’t let her get hurt falling on the floor, but what about if she fell for him?

***

Ross woke at the first crack of dawn. He loved this time of the day, it always seemed like the world was holding its breath, waiting for the day to begin. When he had been a kid, he’d had a morning paper route. He had to get up in the dark every morning to get his papers out before the other kids in the neighborhood got the chance to catch him alone and beat the snot out of him. Early morning was one of the few times during the day he actually felt safe, and that feeling had stayed with him his whole life.

On this morning he felt more than safe, he felt downright happy. He looked over at Ciara who was curled on her side, her ass snuggled up to his warmth. She had been incredible in the shower last night, touching him with a hunger he never imagined she had hidden behind her serious façade. She had wanted him with an intensity he had never thought possible.

No, she wanted the image he showed the world, not him. When he had tried to just hold her, not attack her, she had backed off. She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, she wanted a temporary lover and that was all. She wanted a lover who could show her all the dirty little fantasies her solid, reputable, boyfriends could never dream of. If she knew the real him secretly dreamed of a wife and kids, she’d run screaming from the cabin and stay in the woods for the rest of the week.

Ross got out of bed carefully. He didn’t want to wake Ciara this early. She needed her sleep, and he needed to work out some of this confusion. He slipped on a pair of boxers and went down to the living room.

After he pushed some tables and the couch out of the way and rolled up the rug he had plenty of room to practice. The discipline of karate helped him focus his energy and cleanse his mind and body. He had started taking karate when his mother got sick and tired of seeing him beat to a pulp every week. At first it was just a means of survival for him, later it became a direction in life.

Ross could feel his energy flowing by the time he was done. His mind felt clearer, and his body felt stronger. He felt in control of himself once again; it was going to be a beautiful day.

"Now that was impressive. You could make a fortune just by selling tickets to deprived women to watch you work out in your underwear," Ciara said, looking down at him from a seat on the stairs.

Ross was startled to see her there, watching him attentively. She was wearing just her oxford shirt from yesterday, and her hair was tousled and sexy from sleep.

"I didn’t know you were up, did I wake you?" he asked, looking for something to wipe the sweat off his face.

"Nope, I’ve always been an early riser. It used to be the only part of the day I had to myself."

"I know that feeling, let me grab a quick shower and I’ll make us some breakfast. How do you like your eggs?"

"In an omelet, but don’t worry, I can make it up while you’re in the shower."

Ross could sense her trying to put some distance between the two of them. He was having none of it.

"Not a chance. This may be the only week you get to enjoy being pampered for a long time, I’m not going to let you ruin it for yourself."

"It’s only been one day and it has already been a week to remember. Ross, I appreciate all the attention, but it really isn’t necessary. I can at least help out."

"We’ll see. In the meantime, why don’t you come up and take a shower with me? I have to wash this sweat off, and I don’t trust you not to make breakfast while I’m getting clean. Besides, we should conserve water, don’t you think?"

"Well, since you put it that way, how can I resist? I always try to do the environmentally friendly thing, you know." Ciara’s smile started slowly, than grew brilliantly. "By the way, where did you put my suitcase? I can’t find any clothes other than this, which I found crumpled up in a chair."

"I took it. I thought since I was thinking up the fantasies I should pick out your wardrobe. Is that a problem?" Since Ross knew Ciara was used to calling the shots, this was another test of sorts.

"I don’t think it’s a problem, but I haven’t exactly been thinking since you walked into the bathroom to bring me my wine."

"I stopped thinking the minute you walked out of the room unbuttoning your shirt. Hell, half the time I’m around you my dick is doing the thinking for me."

"That’s usually because you are with one of your supermodels," Ciara said wryly, walking towards the stairs.

"Hardly. They don’t stay in my mind five minutes after I leave their bodies. You, on the other hand, keep me worked up for days after every meeting."

"Come on," Ciara said in disbelief.

"I never thought I’d admit it, but yeah, something about you makes me crazy. Even now, after I’ve made love to you a half-dozen times, I’m already thinking about the next time."

Ciara remained silent for a while. Ross figured she didn’t know what to say after his little confession and cursed himself for being a fool. She was looking for only the here and now, she didn’t want to know that he had wanted her for months.

"Me too," she said quietly as they entered the bathroom.

"What?"

"I said, ‘me too’ to all of the above."

Ross wasn’t quite sure how to take her statement. She could be agreeing with him about wanting to make love again, or she could be agreeing with him about wanting her for months. Either way, it was music to his ears. If she wanted to make love with him, than she couldn’t pull herself back any more than he could.

Ross turned the water on in the shower and watched Ciara slide the shirt down her body. He’d never look at an oxford the same way again. He could see every inch of her in the myriad of mirrors lining the bathroom. Her breasts stood up bold and beautiful, just waiting for his touch. Her nipples were rosy pink and pearled up when he looked at them. Her body had curves, not the kind that made the covers of a magazine, but the kind that made his hands itch to touch them. He couldn’t believe that no man had noticed how perfectly her hips were made for cradling a man, how ripe her tits were, how soft and sweet her clit was. He couldn’t believe it had taken him so long to figure it out, either.

As Ciara walked over to test the water in the shower, her gaze focused between his legs. She licked her lips a little breathlessly as she neared him.

"You had better take off your shorts or your dick is going to rip them to shreds," she said, sliding her hand along the length that was sticking out.

He could feel himself get even harder and tighter, if that was possible.

"Here, let me help," Ciara said, sinking to her knees and taking him into her mouth.

"Oh, dear God," Ross groaned.

Ciara’s mouth felt so hot around his shaft that he thought he was going to come right then and there. She used her free hand to caress his sac through his shorts, and added more suction with her mouth. He braced his hands against the walls of the shower to keep from grabbing her head and fucking her mouth. He didn’t want to scare her, but his control was slipping fast.

"Ciara, I’m not going to make it much longer if you keep this up."

His plea seemed to spur her on and she sucked even harder and faster. His blood, as well as other bodily fluids, were racing through his body like a tidal wave, and he knew exactly where the tsunami was going to crest--right down Ciara’s throat. He felt it coming and there was nothing he could do to stop it, his body jerked with the force of his orgasm and his knees actually buckled.

"I think I’m ready for that shower now," Ciara said, calmly getting up off her knees and stepping into the warm spray.

"Me too," Ross said as coherently as possible, stepping in alongside her. He didn’t think his brain was in working order after being denied oxygen for so long.

"Uh, you might want to take off your shorts first." Ciara’s smile was more than a little smug.

"That would be a good idea." Ross stripped off the soaking wet shorts, too buzzed to care that he had stepped into the shower with them still on. He couldn’t believe how calm she was acting. He felt like his world had just exploded, and she was lathering up the soap as if he wasn’t even there. That needed to change. Just because it was going to take him a little while to recover didn’t mean she could dismiss him completely.

"Here, let me do that, you just enjoy," Ross said, grabbing the soap from her and turning her around so the spray came down across her breasts. He lathered up his own hands and ran them across her wet back, moving around to fondle her breasts. He had been touching her for most of the last twenty-four hours and he still couldn’t get enough of her.

He ran his hands over her like a blind man, trying to imprint her body on his fingertips. He wanted to memorize every inch of her. He wanted to know intimately every freckle, birthmark, scar and mole that decorated her form. A voice in the back of his mind warned him that memories weren’t going to be enough for him later, but he pushed it away and concentrated on feeling Ciara.

Her skin was like silk, and his soapy hands slid over it like liquid silver. He could feel her rib cage going in and out more rapidly as his hands worked their way over her. He used more soap and did her back, careful to keep his touch light and teasing. If she was still nonchalant when he was done with her, then he must be doing something wrong.

Ross leaned against her back, pulling her tight ass against his already semi-erect penis. He held her against him and just enjoyed the feel of her softness against his chest. With hands clasped loosely below her breasts, Ross used his fingers to toy with the lower slopes and nothing else. He rubbed his cheek against hers and nipped at her ear. When he felt the shudder, he knew that he had another weakness to explore.

"Has anyone ever told you that your skin is like hot silk?" Ross whispered in her ear. The mind was the biggest erogenous zone of them all.

"Ah no, I can’t say as they have." Ciara’s voice was breathy.

"What about your breasts? Has anyone told you that they are as firm and ripe and sweet as peaches? Or that your nipples get red and plump like fresh raspberries when I suck on them?"

Ross could feel her trembling, feel her breath coming in shallow gasps. Calm my ass.

"You make me sound like a fruit salad," Ciara’s tone didn’t quite make it to sarcastic because she was breathing too hard.

"How about your ass? Has anyone told you about your ass? You have the sexiest heart-shaped ass I’ve ever seen. I love to grab onto it when I make you come. I can’t wait for you to take the top so I can grab it and squeeze while you are riding me to your pleasure."

Ross continued to nuzzle her neck and her ear while lightly rubbing her breasts. She was squirming against his crotch so wildly that he was becoming fully erect in record time.

"You also have hips that were just made for fucking. I love how they curve to hold me. Your legs are so long, I can’t believe I never noticed them before, but I’m noticing them now. They are so fucking sexy I can’t stand it. And the taste of you, you taste like warm honey in my mouth. I love how much you enjoy what I have to show you. I love it that you don’t care if your hair gets mussed or the sheets get messy while we are making love."

"You are driving me crazy Ross, you know that don’t you?"

"I’m barely even touching you," Ross denied innocently.

"You might not be touching my body, but you are seducing my mind. Touch me!"

"Whatever the lady asks."

Ross eased Ciara’s body over one arm so her ass was sticking out. With his free hand he danced his fingers in and out of her hot, wet channel, causing her to squirm even more.

"Brace your hands on the wall, I want to use both of mine now," Ross directed.

When she complied, Ross spread her legs even farther apart and slid two fingers inside her sheath. He knelt down between her legs and sucked gently on her clit, then harder as she started to come almost immediately. While she was still quivering in reaction he moved behind her and slid himself home, being careful not to push too hard in the slippery shower.

"Oh my God, you feel so good inside me."

"Just wait," Ross promised.

He made sure she was holding on to some very conveniently placed handles in the shower and pulled her legs up around him. She caught on quickly to what he had in mind, and clasped her legs around his waist the best she could facing forward. Ross wrapped one arm around her middle, high enough to grab her breasts and squeeze them enticingly. The other hand he used to spread her nether lips open so the hot water rushed over them, teasing her exposed clit.

He couldn’t slam into her the way he normally did in this position, but by the way her muscles were clenching against his shaft, he had the feeling he wouldn’t need to move at all for either one of them to get their pleasure.

"I can’t even tell you how erotic this feels," Ciara groaned.

"I’ve got a pretty good idea," Ross replied, teasing her already stimulated clit with his thumb. He couldn’t hold back much longer, and began to rock with her, gently at first, than more forcefully as she responded by rocking back against him.

The frustration of not being able to move freely was making every miniscule movement feel exaggerated. Every time she grabbed at him with her muscles he felt it along every inch of his shaft. When her climax began to build, he could feel it in the set of her body, the catch in her breath, and every inch of her quim around him. He knew the minute she dove off the cliff, even before her channel milked his shaft dry.

"That was the most athletic, frustrating, erotic, sexual experience I’ve ever had in my life," Ciara said after Ross pried her legs off his waist.

"The week isn’t over yet."

Chapter Seven

Ciara’s senses were reeling. She couldn’t believe her body could feel so many different forms of pleasure just from sex. Sure, she’d had sex before, a few times at least, but this was as different from her experiences as a Porsche was from a Duster. Hell, her experiences couldn’t even be compared to a bicycle.

"I’ve wanted to do this since the first day I watched you doing it yourself in the mirror," Ross said as he rubbed perfumed lotion all over her legs.

She was more than happy to let him do what he wanted. So far all of the things he had shown her had been highly sensual, but not exactly pornographic. She wasn’t complaining; she had loved every second of it. She wanted desperately to remember every moment of this week together with Ross. She wanted to hold these memories close to her heart, so on lonely evenings she could take them out and replay them and never regret having had this one week. No matter what the cost to her heart.

"You have the most amazing legs. When I look at them, all I can think of is feeling them wrapped around my waist while I’m fucking your brains out."

Oh, yeah, that’s right. To him this was fucking, best to keep that in mind.

"That might prove awkward at Lance’s next Christmas party. I had better not wear a mini-dress or your date might not be amused." Ciara knew she sounded cold, but she wasn’t going to let him know how much the thought of seeing him with another woman was going to hurt her.

"Let’s focus on the here and now instead of thinking about Christmas."

Ross had moved behind her so she couldn’t get a good look at his face and couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

"I think I can manage that. So tell me, what is on the agenda for today?" Ciara loved his hands. If he could mass market those hands he’d be richer than Lance.

"If I tell you, that will ruin the surprise."

"Can you at least tell me what I’m wearing today?"

"Besides body lotion?"

"Yes, please."

Ross appeared to be deep in thought, but Ciara caught the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"I think for today you should wear the virginal white gown. Let’s play damsel in distress."

"I’ve never been very good at being in distress, but I’ll give it a try. Help, help," Ciara deadpanned.

"Ha, ha, very funny. I’m going to be the evil pirate who captures you, so you had better show your appreciation or I’ll make you walk the plank."

Ciara reached behind her and fondled Ross’ dick through his shorts.

"I can think of lots of ways to show my appreciation you know..."

"That’s what I’m counting on. Now go get dressed, before I forget this is supposed to be your fantasy week and not mine."

Ciara walked naked and unashamed out of the bathroom. She no longer cared if Ross saw the jiggle of her thighs, or the pouch of her stomach. She has spent more time undressed around him than dressed. If her imperfect body turned him off, he hid it really well.

The nightgown Ross had laid out for her was a silky white one. It was a sheath that clung to her every curve, but had a slit up the side for easier movement. The top came across her breasts to one shoulder, leaving the other one bare, as well as much of her back. When she put it on she noticed the slit came all the way up to her matching thong underwear.

"Put your hair up," Ross ordered from the doorway.

"I thought you liked it down?" Ciara asked.

"I do, but I want to be the one who takes it down. Make sure you don’t make it too complicated for me," he shot her a wicked grin and headed back to the bathroom.

Ciara started to put her hair up in its usual French twist, but stopped herself. He didn’t say boring, he just said up. She bent over and pulled it loosely to the top of her head where she secured it with an elastic band. Standing back up, several stands fell around her face. She looked like she had either just woken up, or just been thoroughly laid. Perfect.

She dug around in the closet until she found a pair of sandals. They were just plain leather flip-flops, but they’d do to complete the image. She felt like a goddess on Mount Olympus.

Ciara crossed through the bathroom into the adjoining bedroom to see where Ross had gone. He was no longer upstairs. As she walked down the stairs, she wondered what he was up to, but figured it was all part of the game. When she reached the kitchen and got a look at Ross’ outfit, she was glad there was a chair nearby for her to fall into.

Ross was making omelets in skintight leather pants and a loose white shirt that was open to midchest. He wasn’t wearing any shoes, but if she wasn’t mistaken she could see the glint of an earring in his left ear when he turned to put the plates on the counter.

"Oh good, you’re here. You look ravishing, which is perfect as I plan on ravishing you as soon as you have had something to eat."

Just the impact of Ross’ searing gaze over her body was enough to make her nipples pucker up and her juices start flowing. Then again, seeing his gorgeous body encased in tight leather was doing strange things to her pulse as well.

"Where did you get those clothes? And is that a real earring in your ear?"

"You would not believe what is downstairs in the store room. If I looked hard enough I could probably find you matching pants if you want. And no, this is a fake earring, just part of the fantasy. There was a wig too, but I just couldn’t do it."

"That’s okay, long hair on men has never really done much for me," Ciara said inanely. She was trying to look him in the eye, but her gaze kept straying to his crotch, outlined perfectly in black leather.

"That’s a good thing," Ross laughed and ran his hand through his closely cut hair. "Sit, eat before it gets cold. After all, you have to keep up your strength today."

"So when exactly does this little fantasy start?" Ciara asked as she forked up a bite of omelet. "This is delicious! You better be careful, I could get used to this," Ciara said without thinking, then almost bit her tongue out.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that like it sounded," she tried to verbally backpedal.

"What do you mean? How do you think it sounded?"

"Like I was trying to make a claim on you after the week is up. I’m not. I know what the deal is, and when the week is over you’ll go back to your real self, and so will I."

"You don’t think this is the real me?" Ross asked her point blank.

"Yeah, right. I can see you making Barbie breakfast every morning and doing the dishes every night. I’ll bet you rarely even eat at home." Ciara didn’t even want to think about him rubbing lotion all over one of his perfect model girlfriends. She pushed the plate away, no longer hungry.

"Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do," Ross said, looking into his coffee cup.

"Well you are right about that. Look, maybe we should just forget this whole fantasy thing after all. I’m sure if we call Molly up and tell her we have resolved our differences, she’ll come pick us up and you won’t be stuck with me any more," Ciara said, suddenly feeling ridiculous about wearing a nightgown at eleven o’clock in the morning.

"I don’t feel like I’m stuck with you. If you are too chicken to spend the week here with me, that is fine, we’ll call Molly, but don’t blame it on me."

"Chicken? I’m not chicken!"

"Hey, you are the one who is trying to get out of here before we’ve even started the good stuff."

Ciara thought what they had done so far was pretty darn good, but she didn’t want to stroke his ego any more than she already had.

"Fine. If you can handle it so can I. You’re on, Pirate Boy, but don’t say I didn’t give you the chance to back out of it early." Ciara was trying to act mad, but the truth was she was so excited that he didn’t want to leave she could have floated a foot off the floor. She had given him the opportunity to leave and he didn’t take it. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

"I can handle it, wench, now run."

"Run?"

"Run. Your castle is being invaded by a hoard of pirates, and I’m their leader. I’ll give you five minutes to run and hide before I steal you away," Ross said with wicked gleam in his eye.

"You want me to run and hide? From you?" Ciara asked in disbelief.

"Four minutes and thirty seconds--"

"I’m hiding, I’m hiding!"

Ciara couldn’t believe she was playing a game of sexual hide and seek, but she was willing to do anything Ross told her to at this point. He hadn’t been wrong yet.

She ran upstairs, and thought about where to hide. The closet looked good, but too predictable. Under the bed? No, she was too claustrophobic for that. The bathroom? No, with all the mirrors he’d find her immediately. Well, she did want him to find her after all, but not right away. Where could she hide?

She took off her shoes and put one near the bed and one by the bathroom door to throw him off. With her shoes off she tiptoed down the stairs past Ross, who had his back turned to her while he washed the breakfast dishes. He really did look good in those pants.

Ciara crept downstairs to what she thought must be a family room. It was dark, but she didn’t dare turn on a light for fear that Ross would see it and find her immediately. She felt around until she stumbled against a leather couch and hid behind that. Just in time too, she heard the water shut off and Ross call out,

"Ready or not, here I come!"

The sound of his feet running lightly up the stairs made her smother her giggles in her hand. Her heart was racing, her blood pounding in her veins, and she realized she hadn’t had this much plain fun since she was a kid. She was definitely going to change her lifestyle when she got back to New York.

She could hear Ross’ voice carry through the house, and her blood grew hotter.

"Come out and let yourself be caught, wench!"

Ciara was almost snorting with laughter. The anticipation of what he would do to her when he found her was making her hot. She could feel her breath catch when Ross’ light tread came down the stairs. For such a big man he could move as quietly as a cat. She held her breath and blinked when he flipped on the light switch flooding the room with the fluorescent lights overhead.

"I know you are down here, come out now and no one gets hurt," Ross said with an attempt at menace. A failed attempt because his laughter kept getting in the way.

Ciara dared to peek around the couch and saw him bending over to look for her under a table. This was her chance to sneak by him and up the stairs. She crouched down and waddled behind the couch until she had a clear view of the stairway. One more quick look showed Ross’ attention was still on the other side of the room. With her blood pounding so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it from where he was, Ciara took off running for the stairs.

"Gotcha!" Ross shouted as he swooped down and swung her over his shoulder.

"Don’t hurt me, Mr. Pirate Sir," Ciara said, laughing.

Ross slapped her on the ass and ran a caressing hand up her leg to the naked globes of her butt. A thong left quite a bit of her cheeks bare. "That’s what you get for trying to hide from me wench. Now to the victor go the spoils!"

Ciara could have struggled more, but she was laughing too hard. Her position gave her a great view of Ross’ ass in black leather, and she figured one good turn deserved another, so she slapped him on his tush as well.

"Don’t call me wench. I’ll have you know I’m a proper lady, and my father will have your head if you deflower me."

"Deflower, where did you pick that up? A romance novel?"

"Maybe. Now stay in character, this is more fun than I thought."

"Your father can’t save you now, my pretty. My crew of seadogs has taken the castle and all its spoils are mine."

"Oh you brute, you beast, don’t hurt me. I’ll give you my gold, my jewels, only don’t hurt me," Ciara tried to sound helpless.

"Maybe we can work something out here. What will you do to avoid punishment?"

"Anything, I’ll do anything!"

"Anything, hmmm?" Ross threw her across his big, black bed. "Let me see you touch yourself."

"What?" Ciara wasn’t sure if she was really shocked or still in character. Touching herself was something she did in the dark, under the covers, with a little bit of shame attached to it. Usually, at least. She did take herself over the edge in the tub, but that was only once. Could she really trust herself to do it in front of Ross? Could she trust him enough?

"You heard me, wench. I want to watch you touch your silky clit and make yourself come right here in front of me. And I want you to leave your clothes on. I’ll be the one who takes them off you. With my teeth."

Ciara felt herself get wet just from the thoughts rushing through her head. She could picture Ross taking her underwear off her with his teeth, and the image was rather motivating. She could do this; she could brazen her way through this, especially if he didn’t want her to take her clothes off all the way.

"I’ll do whatever you say, Mr. Pirate Sir."

"I knew you would see it my way. First, lie back against the pillows and spread your legs. Wide."

Ciara did as instructed; the slit in the nightie left her one leg completely bare, exposing her panties to Ross as well. The position made her feel wanton and naughty, and plenty aroused.

"God I can tell you are getting wet for me already. I want you to touch your nipples through your gown so that they pop out at me."

Ciara slowly slid her hands up her torso until they were covering her own breasts. She stared straight into Ross’ eyes, watching him watch her. Never taking her eyes off him, she tugged and pinched her nipples until they stood out like torpedoes poking through the gown.

Ross let out a groan, and Ciara risked a glance down at his crotch. His dick was straining the leather, and she had the irreverent thought that she’d never be able to get them off him if he got any harder.

"Move your hands lower, until you can run them over your panties," Ross ordered while watching her with a devouring stare.

Slowly, slowly, whether to tease Ross or herself, she didn’t know, but Ciara inched her hands down to her tiny panties. "Like this?" she asked.

"Now slide your fingers inside until you are touching your clit."

Ciara did as she was told and shivered in delight. Her fingers knew what to do, and the visual foreplay had almost been enough to make her come. When Ross licked his lips and wiped the sweat off his brow, she knew she had been right to trust him.

His laser stare bore into her one more time. "Come for me," he demanded.

Ciara took one more look at his enormous dick trying to break free from its leather prison and came in a rush, her body quivering and spasming around her fingers.

"Is that what you wanted, Mr. Pirate Sir?" Ciara asked innocently.

"It was a damn good start."

***

Ross watched as Ciara tried to cover herself with her nightie. He knew he should say something, do something, but he was still recovering from the site of her bringing herself over the edge. A part of him had been jealous, but another part of him had been aroused beyond belief.

"Don’t try to cover yourself, I’ll be taking care of your clothes shortly," Ross said when he could speak again. "But first I want you to take off my pants for me." Ross didn’t mention it was because he didn’t think he could get them off by himself.

He pulled the loose shirt over his head and threw it to the floor while he waited for Ciara to get out of bed and walk to him. Her eyes were sultry with satisfaction, and her body had the lush, ripe look of a woman who has been well pleasured. He was going to make sure that look stayed on her face the rest of the day. Hell, he’d keep it on her face the rest of the week if he had his way.

Ross stood with his arms crossed over his bare chest and watched as Ciara carefully undid the snap at his waist. The sound of it was like a shot in the quiet room. The zipper sliding down slowly was equally as loud, and erotic. He closed his eyes and sucked in his breath as she carefully slid the zipper over his raging erection. One little slip here would ruin the mood for sure.

She made it down without mishap, and he felt his dick spring free, right into her waiting hands. His pants hadn’t moved an inch, but she didn’t seem to be in any hurry to release his penis and push them off. Neither was he.

When she licked his shaft from base to tip, then sucked him deeply into her mouth, he knew he had to reassert some control or the damsel in distress was going to have him at her mercy, instead of the other way around.

"You seem to be having some trouble getting the pants down, wench," Ross said throatily.

"Oh yeah, I knew there was a reason I was down here," Ciara said with a last caress.

Ciara tried to tug the leather pants down, but they didn’t budge at all. She moved around him and pulled down from the back and had a little more success there. She was grunting with effort by the time she got them over his thick thighs and down to his calves. Ross was clenching his teeth in agony by the time she finished. Her grunting reminded him of the sounds she made when he was pounding into her, and her face kept rubbing up against his ass. After her dicktease earlier he didn’t know how much control he had left.

"’Bout time you got them off. Now, back on the bed and spread your legs for me."

"You promised not to hurt me," Ciara said, falling back into character.

"I promised not to hurt you if you did everything I said, so do it!"

"Yes, sir!"

Ciara climbed back onto the mammoth bed and spread her legs wide. Ross just looked at her a moment. He could see the dampness between her thighs clearly, and knowing she wanted him was turning him on unbelievably. Ross crawled between her legs, breathing in the smells of her perfume and musk. He ran his fingers lightly up her legs, touched her behind the knees briefly, then moved on and up. When he got to her soaking-wet panties, he ran a finger lightly over them.

"Is this hurting you?" Ross asked.

"N-no, sire," Ciara said breathlessly.

Ross continued to tease her through the panties until she was squirming around on the bed, thrashing her head from side to side. When he thought she couldn’t take any more without going over, he stopped touching her clit and kissed her beautiful legs.

The straps of the thong underwear were conveniently tied on either side, so he untied them with his teeth, and dragged the panties down her body. The smell of her arousal was making his mouth water, and he couldn’t wait any longer to taste her.

"I have to have you, now!" Ross lifted her hips with his hands and attacked her cleft with his mouth like a starving man. He was starving, for her. She was so soft, so sweet, and when she cried out with her completion, he felt a surge of happiness he never knew possible.

Before she could fully recover from his assault on her senses, Ross yanked the white gown over her head and tossed it to the floor. He pushed her thighs back and spread her legs even farther, and then slammed into her with one thrust. The feeling of her tight, hot sheath surrounding him, milking him was heaven, but he knew he could go higher.

Kneeling to get a better angle, Ross lifted Ciara’s legs over his shoulders and pumped into her for all he was worth. When she screamed his name over and over again, then shattered around him he could hold back no longer. With one last out of control thrust his body poured into Ciara’s and drained completely.

"Woman you are going to be the death of me by the end of this week," Ross said as he collapsed next to her.

"I guess it’s a good thing we will be going our separate ways on Sunday, then. If I saw you afterwards, I’d kill you for sure."

Ross didn’t like the feelings her words gave him. It was almost like this was a dirty little secret that she was hiding from the world, and when it was over she’d never think about it again. If that was what she wanted, then fine. He didn’t want to be tied down to a frumpy accountant when he could have any number of gorgeous women at his beck and call. But the week wasn’t even half over yet.

"So, what do you say if the next time you wear the leather?" Ross asked her, just to judge her reaction.

"Hmmm, and do I get to be the one in control then?"

"Whatever you want, it’s your fantasy," Ross said, feeling better.

"Yeah, but you are the one with all the experience. I didn’t even lose my virginity until I was in my twenties."

Ross cringed at her words. He didn’t have any experience acting out these fantasies. Then the second part of her sentence clicked in.

"You were a virgin until you were in your twenties?" Ross sat up on one elbow to get a better look at her face.

Ciara looked down at his chest. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and he detected a slight blush in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the passion they had just shared.

"Tell me about it." Ross wanted to know why she had waited so long to have sex. He also wanted to know about the man who managed to get in her pants after she had waited so long.

"There isn’t much to tell. I had graduated college, mom had already died, and Molly had just started college. I was working in a large accounting firm, the competitor to the one I work for now, and I was pretty low on the totem pole. One of the CPAs who had been there for a while noticed me, and we started dating. I had always wondered what the big deal was, so I didn’t stop him when he wanted to go to bed with me. I don’t know if he realized I was a virgin or not beforehand, but once the deed was done he shot out of bed like he had been bitten by a snake."

Ciara got out of the bed and went into the bathroom. Ross listened as she ran the water, but didn’t move. There was more to this story, and he wanted to know it all.

"Do you want to get some lunch yet, or are you still full from breakfast?" Ciara asked as she walked back into the room, obviously trying to change the subject.

"I want to hear the rest of your story, please." Ross may have said please, but he wasn’t feeling very polite. There was definitely something else that she didn’t want to tell. He was determined to find out what it was.

"I’m sure that the trials and tribulations of my boring sex life can’t interest you," Ciara said, looking very uncomfortable.

"Don’t be so sure of that. This guy obviously made an impression on you, I just would like to hear how much of one." Ross refused to let the matter drop.

"If you want to hear the whole sordid tale, fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you." Ciara took a deep breath and began tidying up the room.

Ross didn’t stop her because he figured she needed to do something with her hands while she told her story. He told himself to be quiet no matter what she said so she wouldn’t stop in the middle of the tale.

"Jack, that was his name, made a habit of picking out the newer members of the firm and going to bed with them. Apparently he had already worked his way through the upper ranks of the company and was forced to prey upon the newbies that didn’t know any better. I had ‘sucker’ printed on my forehead and fell for his act hook, line, and sinker. I guess when he figured out I was still a virgin at the age of twenty-two he was afraid that I would start problems for him with the CEO, so he made sure I was so miserable I quit. I made it a point for the next few years to go after every one of his clients and bring them over to my company. People thought I was ambitious, they never knew I was just vengeful."

Ciara picked some shorts up out of her suitcase and went into the bathroom to change.

Ross sat in the bed stunned. He had heard of high schoolers doing stuff like that, but never thought professionals would be so immature. Ciara must have been devastated, no wonder she was so sarcastic. He’d be bitter and sarcastic too if that was his experience with the opposite sex.

But wait a minute, she'd had a date at Lance’s Christmas party, what about him?

"Hey Ciara?" Ross called, getting out of bed and putting on some jeans.

"Yes?" Ciara’s face was filled with uncertainty, and something that might have been shame.

"Who was the guy you were at Lance’s party with? That wasn’t Jack, was it?" Ross knew it wasn’t, but wanted to find out who it was without looking like a jealous idiot.

"No, he was a guy from work. We had been dating for a while, but I realized I not only didn’t love him, but he bored me as well. After Lance’s party I knew I couldn’t go on pretending, it wasn’t fair to him, so I let him down gently. He’s dating the boss’ secretary now, a woman who has had a thing for him for years. They seem quite happy together so I’m glad I made the break."

"How many other boyfriends have you had, I mean serious ones?"

"Not many. After Jack I was a bit gun shy, and other than Tom, the one you met, I really didn’t bother dating that much. If you are asking how many men I’ve slept with, the answer would be three, counting you."

"Why does that embarrass you?"

"Well, it is rather like admitting you were right and I am a fat, dumpy broad who no one wants," Ciara said as she stiffened her back.

"I wasn’t right, I was an idiot. You aren’t fat and dumpy, and your only fault is that you don’t have very good judgment in the dating department." Ross pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her silky hair. "You dated some real losers, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t an attractive, desirable woman that any man would love to have in his life." Ross stopped his words there before he blurted out that he wanted her in his life. She would think he was just trying to make her feel better, or worse yet, pitying her.

"Yeah, well, I don’t see anyone knocking down my door to date me. And even my father couldn’t wait to get out of my life, so I don’t think you really know what you're talking about."

Chapter Eight

Ciara couldn’t believe she had just spilled her guts to Ross. Why not paint a sign and hang it around her neck that said, 'I’m a big loser!' That would be just as humiliating. She hadn’t meant to tell him everything that happened with Jack, or that she dumped Tom right after the Christmas party. She had really dumped him because she was so hot for Ross that it wasn’t fair to Tom to continue with the relationship. If Ross ever found that out, Ciara could kiss her pride good-bye in a hurry.

It was bad enough that he knew she had only slept with two other guys, there was no way she was going to tell him that she had never had an orgasm without the use of her own fingers before him. She couldn’t believe how she just fell apart every time he touched her, but it was more than that now.

Until this week, she wouldn’t have believed that they could be in the same room without fighting. She thought he was a superficial playboy who was only interested in getting his next conquest and sponging off his friend’s hard work. She never knew that he had worked his way from the ground up to start his school, or that he paid Lance back any money he had borrowed. He was showing a moral fiber that both impressed and confused her. Which was the real Ross?

And if this was the real Ross, how was she going to keep from falling in love with him?

He had said any man would love to have her as part of their lives, but he didn’t say that he wanted to have her as part of his life. He wouldn’t talk about what was going to happen when this week was up, even though she had brought the subject up several times. Was he avoiding the discussion because he was afraid she would press for more?

Ciara didn’t know what to think, but she did know she needed some time to get her head back on straight. The shorts she was wearing were as short as her bathing suit, and the halter-top she had grabbed could pass for a bathing suit top. She might as well lie out on the deck for a little while and collect herself. Maybe if she waited long enough outside he would forget the whole conversation. She didn’t want to be crying on Ross’ shoulder the next time she saw him. Although, she had the feeling this Ross would offer his shoulder without her even asking.

She grabbed a soda out of the fridge and went out on the deck to get some sun. It was still a little cool here in the north, but the sun felt good on her face. She had just started to relax and enjoy the warmth when she could feel Ross staring at her.

"I didn’t know if you wanted to take a walk in the woods with me?"

"Uh, I’m not exactly dressed for hiking. I don’t think Molly packed me any boots," Ciara said shyly.

"That’s okay, we’ll stick to easy trails. I just thought it might be nice to get out of the house for a little while." Ross held out his hand to her.

Ciara had the feeling he was offering more than his hand.

"That might be nice, thanks."

Ross didn’t let go of her hand once she got up from the chair, and she wasn’t going to remind him that he had it if he had forgotten. Maybe a walk in the woods wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Ross broke the silence after they had walked for a few minutes without speaking. "Do you know that I have been up here at least five times since Lance bought this place, and this is the first time I’ve ever gone walking in the woods here?"

"No, I didn’t know that, but you had said you guys usually came up here to drink, not experience nature."

"I know, but you would think over the years I would have at least tried to see this place from a different point of view."

Ciara wasn’t sure where he was headed with this, but she had an inkling that he hadn’t forgotten their earlier conversation as she had hoped.

"Well, it sounds like you were too busy with the guys to pay much attention to the sites around you."

"Seems like I’ve been doing that a lot lately."

Ciara stopped in the middle of the path and looked at him. "What are you trying to say, Ross? You are dancing around something here, and I’d rather if you just spit it out." She knew she sounded like a bitch, but when she was feeling insecure she always attacked.

"What I’m trying to say is that I never noticed you for all you were worth before, and I’m sorry."

"Ross, I didn’t tell you that story to make you feel sorry for me, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything at all." Ciara dropped his hand and turned to walk back towards the cabin.

"Ciara, that isn’t what I meant. Stop!" Ross grabbed her arm.

"Look, you don’t have to make me feel better just because you insulted me the first time you met me. You are used to having beautiful women throw themselves at you, and I’m used to having people ask if Molly and I are adopted. I know you didn’t notice me before. It’s okay, really. Don’t make a big deal about it." She wished he would just drop the subject.

"Don’t put words in my mouth, Ciara. You are right, I am used to women throwing themselves at me. I’m not used to looking for beauty that is more than skin deep." Ross pushed his hand through his short hair and looked around the woods for a moment, apparently collecting his thoughts.

"I’ve always thought that it was really important to have a woman that all my friends would be jealous of. First impressions and appearances have been very important to me. You are the first woman whom I’ve gotten to know more about than her bra size. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known...on the inside. I don’t know of any other woman who would take on raising their kid sister while taking care of a sick mother and going to school. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your lack of experience with men, they should be ashamed that they didn’t know you enough to appreciate all you had to offer."

Ciara was speechless. She had never, ever had anyone who thought she was beautiful because she took care of her family. It wasn’t something she ever thought about, it was just something she had to do. That Ross could look below her surface sent a thrilling tingle through her.

She took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You know, I’ve had this fantasy of having sex against a tree."

"Really? Do tell."

Ciara could feel Ross getting harder by the second.

"Yes, I always thought there was something exciting about having sex standing up, and outside makes it even more fun."

"I’m here for your wish fulfillment, after all. Why don’t you lean back against this tree over here and let me see what I can come up with?"

"You don’t seem to have any problems coming up with all sorts of ideas," Ciara said as she rubbed against his denim-clad erection.

"Not with you around I don’t."

Ross backed Ciara against the tree and slid his hands beneath her shirt. The bark was rough against her back, but Ross’ hands and mouth on her nipples was distracting her nicely. She could smell the pine trees strongly now, and the sharp scent mixed with Ross’ manly, musky smell made her heady with delight. By the time he slid a hand down to remove her shorts she only noticed the need burning through her body.

Her heart was racing as Ross ran butterfly kisses across her shoulder to her neck, all the while running his thumb over her clit and sliding his fingers in and out of her sheath. The feel of his chest against her bare nipples made her whimper with lust. She reached down and unsnapped his jeans. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, and his rock-hard dick sprang joyously into her hands. She gripped him firmly and started to pump his shaft. His skin was so smooth, like velvet over steel, and she reveled in the contrasts.

" If you keep that up, your fantasy is going to come to a quick end," Ross said, his face almost grim with the strain of holding back.

"As long as I come, I don’t much care at this point. I want you inside me, Ross, now."

"Whatever you say."

Ross lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist. Bracing his muscular legs, he slid Ciara onto his shaft with a groan that could be heard through the forest.

Ciara thought she was going to explode from the moment his thick tip entered her body. He was so long, so wide, that she felt him along every nerve ending. When he pulled her close and ground his body against her clit, it was all she could do not to howl like a wolf.

"Don’t hold back, come for me, baby," Ross growled into her ear. He slid his hand between their bodies and manipulated her clit to make sure she obeyed.

Ciara screamed out her climax, not caring that she probably scared every forest animal for miles. Her brain had just been scrambled and she saw no need to change the condition.

Ross finished seconds behind her, slamming into her quickly until he reached his release. He continued to hold her against the tree, breathing heavily in her ear. Ciara could feel his heartbeat mirroring her own heart’s rapid pace. The tree was starting to be a little uncomfortable against her back, but she didn’t care. She could feel his dick start to shrink down to normal, and it tickled. She had never felt that before, and the sensation made her smile into Ross’ chest.

"What’s so funny?" Ross asked, finally letting her legs slide down to the ground. He barked out a smug laugh when she could barely stand.

"I never felt your penis shrink inside me before. It felt funny."

"That's because I'm always hard around you. I’m barely out of your body before I want you again. And if this conversation keeps up, I’ll be hard again in no time. I’d prefer to make love to you inside next time if we can. I think a family of mosquitoes made a picnic lunch out of my ass."

It was Ciara’s turn to laugh now. "Well, if you had your back against the tree than that wouldn’t have happened, now, would it?"

"Smart ass."

"Better smart than itchy," Ciara teased. "Don’t worry, I’ll put lotion on every bite later on tonight."

"But will you kiss them and make them feel better?" Ross grabbed Ciara’s hand again as they headed back to the cabin.

"Only if you are a very, very good boy."

"I’m always good," Ross said with a devastating grin.

Ciara felt the grin right down to her toes. He wasn’t lying; he sure was good, every time.

***

Ross waited for Ciara with bated breath. Her comment about him being a very good boy had reminded him of the leather bra and panty set he had found in the cellar. He had laid them out for her in his bedroom, and was waiting in hers. The thought of what she was going to look like in them, and what she was going to do made him hot. She had really gotten into the damsel in distress this afternoon. He hoped she would get into being the bad girl tonight.

The candles around the room had all been lit, and he left the blinds on the window open so it acted like an enormous mirror. He couldn’t wait to see what Ciara looked like in the leather. What was taking her so long? Finally, he heard her crossing the tile in the bathroom.

"Ross? Are you still awake?" she called from the bathroom.

The light from the bathroom blinded Ross so he couldn’t see her, but he could tell she was nervous.

"Yeah baby, I’m still awake. How could I sleep? I’ve been waiting to see what you look like. Come on into the room so I can see you."

"I feel ridiculous."

"If you don’t like it, you can take it off. I don’t want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with, but I’d like to see you first, if you don’t mind. This is one of my little fantasies."

"Okay, but don’t laugh," Ciara said as she stepped into the room and shut off the bathroom light.

"No, I can honestly say that laughing is the last reaction on my mind right about now."

Laugh? Ross had to remind himself to breathe. She had found a pair of high heels somewhere and wore them with a pair of black, sheer stockings, the panties, the bra, and nothing else. The bra pushed her breasts up until they were overflowing the cups in a display nature never intended. Her smooth belly led to the low cut panties that he knew were crotchless. He hadn’t noticed the hooks for the stockings when he had picked them out, but he was glad Ciara did.

The sheer black hose caressed her legs until a few inches below the panties, leaving a tantalizing strip of bare thigh peeking out. The heels made her legs look miles long, and oh-so-sexy.

"Uh, if you want to take them off, can I help?" Ross knew he sounded pathetic, but he didn’t really care at the moment. She was the human embodiment of every wet dream he had ever had as a teenager.

Ciara looked at him and must have seen desire in his eyes instead of ridicule because her head went up, and she threw her shoulders back. She crossed to where he was reclining on the bed with what could only be called a strut, and bent over at the waist until she was practically nose-to-nose with him.

"Have you been a good boy?" she asked him in a sultry voice.

"Uh huh," Ross answered, not taking his eyes off her. He knew if he let his eyes stray to her generous display of cleavage he’d never let her out of the room.

"Then maybe I’ll let you take my shoes off."

Ross knew he had her now. She only needed to know he found her sexy to feel comfortable in her own skin. He figured he could make her feel pretty comfortable for the next twenty years or so. That would be how long it would take him to no longer find her sexy.

Ciara sat down on the bed and lifted her foot out for Ross to take off the shoe. Ross scrambled around in his boxers until he could grasp the heel. She had a cat-who-ate-the-cream smile on her face, and her arms were crossed behind her head.

"If Cleopatra wore leather, this is exactly how she would have looked," Ross said, running his hands up her stocking-clad leg.

"Oh, and how is that?" Ciara asked as she arched her back, threatening to spill her breasts right out of the leather cups.

"Like she has the power to bring every man in the vicinity to his knees," Ross answered, sucking her toes through the stocking.

"I don’t want every man, just you."

"That’s a damn good thing." Ross wasn’t about to tell her that her power over him was growing every day. "Your shoes are off, what’s next?"

"You can take off my stockings, slowly."

"Yes, ma’am."

Ross could tell she was enjoying herself now. She had a smirk on her face that said blatantly, "I know you want me, and I am in complete control." Ross wondered if it was the first time she had ever felt in control of a sexual relationship. He vowed to do whatever it took to let her keep that control, at least for tonight. He would do whatever she said, no matter how much he wanted to screw her brains out.

Ross ran his fingers slowly up Ciara’s leg, brushing lightly over the spots he had discovered were her favorites. When he got to the top where the stocking met flesh, he bent over and licked delicately around the straps of the garters. He was so close to the heat of her that he could smell her arousal, feel her desire pouring out of her very skin. Sweat started to pop out on his brow.

His fingers detached the snaps one by one; pausing to caress the skin reveled. The panties were crotchless, and Ciara’s nether lips had swollen to the point that they were sticking out through the hole in the crotch. He knew the sensation must be erotic; he couldn’t wait to devote his attention there.

Once all the snaps were unfastened on the first leg, Ross rolled the tube of nylon down her leg, kissing every bare inch. By the time he got back down to her toes he could see the moisture from her quim wetting the bed. And he still had one more leg to complete.

"Do you know how absolutely sexy you are now?" Ross asked as he pulled the other stocking down and devoted the same attention to that leg.

"I never knew you were into leather," Ciara responded breathlessly. Her eyes were half closed, and every time Ross touched a sensitive spot her back would arch off the bed.

"It isn’t the leather that’s so sexy, it’s you. What do you want me to do now?"

"Uh, what do you want to do?"

"No way, you have to tell me exactly what you want this time around," Ross said, as he blew on her engorged quim.

"Then for heaven’s sake eat me, before I go up in flames."

"Thank God!" Ross lifted her hips up and slid a pillow underneath them to put her at just the right height. He was going to spend some time down there, and wanted to be comfortable. First he just blew across her soaking wet lips; he wanted her to feel every sensation he could deliver. After the cooling breeze, he breathed out warm air over her lips, hoping the contrast would be noticeable. When she lifted her hips off the bed and moaned, he figured he was on the right track.

Rooting around by the nightstand, he found what he had stashed earlier; a long, soft feather. He had never done this before, and was a little nervous that it would backfire on him. Ross slowly ran the feather from Ciara’s graceful throat into the valley of her enhanced cleavage and over her stomach. When he got down to her lower lips, he brushed the feather lightly over them. When she moaned in delight and bucked against the feather, he ran it up her slit to her clitoris.

"Don’t you just love the contrasts in texture?" Ross asked huskily. Ciara was thrashing on the bed, and his flesh hadn’t even touched hers.

"Textures, sure."

Ross put the feather aside for now, it offered many interesting possibilities later. He lay back down between Ciara’s thighs and ran one finger lightly up and down her slit. He didn’t go inside her yet, he wanted to extend the teasing as long as possible.

When she thrust her hips at him and growled, "Touch me!" he knew he had put it off as long as he could.

Pushing his finger in between her swollen lips was a torture all its own. The sweat was now flowing down his face and back. Her sheath felt as hot as fire, and the muscles were squeezing him so tightly he feared for his penis.

"Eat me!"

"Whatever you wish," Ross said with joy.

He bent his head and licked her clit, delicately at first. When she pushed herself at him he sucked and licked, harder and faster. His finger was moving inside of her in time to his furiously beating heart, and it wasn’t long before she screamed his name and her pleasure. Ross had to push the thought of those milking muscles working on his dick out of his mind or he would explode then and there.

Ross waited for her to calm down a little, and then attacked her again. This time she took longer to come, and he relished the extra time to taste her sweet juices. Until Ciara, the act of oral sex was a way to please a woman, nothing special. With Ciara he couldn’t wait to lick her up. It wasn’t just for her enjoyment; it was for his, too.

"Take off the panties, the sensation is too much," Ciara sobbed when he finally stopped stroking her with his tongue.

Ross was sorry to see the leather panties go, but when he saw her freshly shaven pussy, he didn’t mind. She shaved off every hair this time, for him. He was a little sorry he didn’t get to see it.

"You’ve been busy, I see," Ross said as he dropped the leather panties on the floor.

"I wanted to try something different for you. I usually keep it well trimmed, but this seemed, well, naughtier."

"I like it, I wish you had let me watch again," Ross said as he ran his hands over the bare mound.

"Really?"

" Oh yes," Ross said, lightly stroking the soft smooth skin. "The first day we were here when I saw you shave your legs, and then shave your pussy, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. That was why I had an erection the size of Texas when you came into the room."

"I think I should be embarrassed, but since I like the end result I’m not going to complain. I figured it would take you until Wednesday before you got horny enough to want to have sex with me."

"I’ve been wanting to have sex with you for a long, long time, Ciara. I’m glad we didn’t wait until Wednesday arguing instead of screwing."

"No kidding. You know, this is going to stubble in a few days. I’ll let you watch me shave it off if you want," Ciara offered hesitantly.

"Can I do it for you?" Ross watched her intently. For someone as private as Ciara, this was a big trust issue. Could she trust him not to hurt her?

He deliberately stopped touching her; he didn’t want her current desire to influence her decision. This had to come from the heart, not the loins. He realized that this was about more than just a prurient sexual fantasy; this was about how close she was willing to let him get to her. And about how close he wanted to get.

"We’ll see," Ciara said at last.

Neither a yes nor a no. Ross hid his disappointment by stroking her abdomen lightly.

"I guess I’ll just have to work on tipping the scales in my favor," Ross murmured into her belly as he kissed a trail to her still leather-clad breasts.

He didn’t know why it was so important to him that she trust him with more than her sexual fantasies, but it was.

Ross pulled Ciara upright and kissed her with a hot, openmouthed kiss. He knew it was primitive, but he wanted to brand her, to let her know without words that she was his, whether she admitted it or not.

He reached around and unclasped the bra, letting her breasts spill free for his hungry mouth.

"So much for cleavage," Ciara groaned as Ross lavished kisses over her breasts.

"Who’s complaining?" Ross sucked her nipple into his mouth, loving the feel of it. He grabbed the feather again and teased her other nipple with it.

"Oh my God, Ross, what are you doing to me?"

"What ever you want," Ross groaned as he pushed her back on the bed.

"Then fuck me, just fuck me," Ciara demanded, pushing his shorts off and grabbing him by his hard dick.

"Now that is an order I can live with."

Ross slid inside of her slowly. His body was screaming for release after watching Ciara build, climax, and build again. He wanted to prolong their pleasure, no matter what his body was telling him.

"Ross, please! Faster, now, please!" Ciara demanded.

Ross wanted to keep it slow, but his body took over at Ciara’s command and he found himself grabbing her hips and pumping in time to her wildly thrusting body. Ciara’s hands were everywhere, scratching his back, grabbing his ass, and clutching the sheets when she screamed out her plunge.

Ross finished seconds behind her, and fell asleep with her in his arms.

Chapter Nine

Ciara relaxed on the deck wearing only the nightie Ross had picked out for her to wear that day. This one was a sapphire-blue wispy number that was almost sheer except for a few strategically placed flowers and vines. The bodice had spaghetti straps and a plunging V-neckline. The skirt was layered in the same sheer material and flowed lightly to her knees. She felt like a woodland fairy in it, and enjoyed the sensation. It came with a matching thong, but she decided to skip that for the day.

Ross had wanted to work out, claiming she was draining him of all his physical and mental energy. She had wanted to watch him again, but he had politely requested that she refrain.

"Knowing you are watching me, wanting me will be too much of a distraction. I won’t get anything done, then the next time I go to give a demonstration some little kid is going to whip my ass. I’ll be done in a little while, then you can have your wicked way with me," Ross told her with a kiss.

"Promises, promises."

Ciara had taken a relaxing bath then got dressed in the nightie du jour. It was kind of fun to wear nothing but sexy clothes all day. When she got back to the city she was going on a major shopping spree. No more drab suits for her, boy.

Maybe Molly was right to force her to branch this way. Ciara knew she never would have dared to seduce Ross when they were at home, but then again, she hadn’t seen this side of Ross at home either. This Ross was someone she was going to miss in and out of bed.

Pushing the disturbing thoughts aside Ciara got up to pace the deck. She was so new to this, she didn’t know what the next step was. Going into this week, all she wanted was a chance to finally have sex with Ross. To get rid of the ache she had whenever she was around him. Ha! Fat chance of that happening now. Now that she knew what he was like in bed, just seeing him made her want him all the more.

Everything was so different now, so much more complicated than she had expected. Ciara paced the length of the porch again. If this was a problem at work she would know what to do, but how could she put Ross on a spreadsheet? It was such a great plan in the beginning. How did she go from using Ross for sexual gratification to falling in love with him?

No! She was not falling in love with him. It was just that he had been helping her explore this other, sexy side of herself. When she got back home, everything would be fine.

Right.

She could never go back to that boring existence now. Not when she knew what was out there. It was like going from an old black and white T.V. that got three channels in to a widescreen stereo-enhanced entertainment system. Her life had color, texture, and emotion now that she had never let herself experience before.

The discovery that she had cut herself off from so many feelings was scary. Ciara had never even realized what she was denying herself, so she had never missed it. Now that she discovered the big, exciting world out there, she couldn’t crawl back into her cocoon. She really had become the butterfly, the only question now was, where was she going to flutter to?

Ciara ran a hand through her loose hair. No more headache-tight twists for her. There were going to be a lot of changes in her life. But, now that she knew she couldn’t live the same old boring existence, how was she going to live without Ross?

His request to shave her had thrown her off her stride last night. If she was more sophisticated she could have come up with some pithy response, but her mind had gone completely blank at his request.

Why was she making such a big deal about it? It was just another one of the sexual fantasies he was cooking up for her along with his delicious meals. He probably had shaved several of his skinny little model girlfriends before. He probably didn’t think anything of it beyond the sexual connotations, but she did.

The porch was too small to contain her pacing, so Ciara hopped down the steps to the lawn. She didn’t have any shoes on so she couldn’t go too far, but at least now she could pace without getting a splinter. Was she overreacting to Ross’ request? No, he said only what she was comfortable with, and the idea of him doing something so, so, husbandly was too much for her.

She was being ridiculous. They had made love in ways she had never thought possible; he had licked every inch of her quim, for heaven’s sake, why was she worried about him shaving it?

Because that would be letting go of the last of her barriers, and it scared the hell out of her.

If she let down all her defenses and Ross didn’t want her, she would be devastated. The old adage from Shakespeare, better to have loved and lost, blah, blah, blah, was crap. She would rather leave here never knowing if she could have worked things out with Ross than to try and have him laugh in her face. Maybe she was a coward, but that was it. She was going to enjoy her time with Ross to the fullest, and when the time came she would let him go back to the life he wanted with a smile. So what if her heart was breaking all the while? She’d rather have a broken heart and some pride left than a broken heart and be totally humiliated.

"You look like the wood nymphs in the painting in your room," Ross called to her from the porch. He was wearing a towel loosely draped over his hips and his hair was wet from a recent shower.

"Does that make you my knight in shining armor?" Ciara’s heart leapt in her throat just looking at him standing there. He was so gorgeous with his jet-black hair shining in the sun, his muscled chest naked to her gaze. She was getting some pretty nymph-like ideas just by looking him.

"Well, your knight in a damp towel, at least. What are you doing in the yard?"

"Avoiding temptation," Ciara walked towards him, getting hotter and hotter by the second. She knew she was hanging on the edge of heartbreak by her fingernails, but she no longer cared. She’d take her time, and screw the consequences.

"If I had stayed in the house while you were working out I wouldn’t have been able to keep from watching you, so I came out here."

"And what exactly were you tempted to do if you stayed and watched me?" Ross asked, running a finger lightly down the V of her bodice.

"Let’s go up to the bedroom and find out." Ciara yanked the towel from his hips and ran into the house and up the stairs. She shrieked when Ross caught up with her by the bedroom door and swooped her off her feet.

"You little vixen, I ought to tie you to the bed for that little trick." Ross rubbed his freshly shaven cheeks against her neck before he tossed her on the bed.

"Maybe another time. Right now I just want you to lie down on the bed for me, get comfortable."

"You are not tying me to the bed, I’ll tell you that right now," Ross said, still standing.

"Hmm, looks like we have some control issues here."

"No, I just don’t like to be tied, there is no reason too. I can control myself."

"Oh really? So if I said I wanted you to just lay there and not touch me while I had my ‘wicked way’ with you, you could?" Ciara asked incredulously.

"Of course, I have complete faith in my ability to control myself," Ross said smugly.

"Okay than, lay down. I’ll be right back."

Ciara scurried to the bathroom and turned on the bluesy music she had listened to her first day in the cabin. She searched around until she found the matching panties she had discarded earlier and shimmied them on quickly. A couple dabs of some perfume on her neck and between her breasts, and a quick wash of her bare feet, and she was ready for action.

When she came back in the room Ross was lying sedately on the bed, though his enormous hard on belied his casual stance. Ciara didn’t need to make him beg this time around, but she did want to make him lose control--hey, fair was fair. He blew her control so far out of the water she didn’t think she’d ever find it again.

The bluesy music was weaving its way into the room, making Ciara feel like the sexy singer she had fantasized about being before. She moved to the windows to shut the shades, knowing the sun shinning in through them would render her nightie transparent. Once the shades were shut and the room was as dimly lit as a forested glen, she began her attack.

Remembering how excited she had gotten when Ross talked to her in the shower, she took a deep breath and went about seducing his mind.

"Do you know that at the Christmas party I saw the hard on you got from dancing with your date and was so jealous?" Ciara asked, climbing on the foot of the bed, making sure he got a glimpse of her breasts as she bent over.

"Would it make you feel any better to know that hard on was from fighting with you instead of dancing with her?"

"Really?" Ciara asked, before she remembered she was supposed to be playing him, not the other way around.

"I keep telling you, every time I’m around you I get hard. Look at me now."

"Oh I am, believe me, I am." Ciara ran a caressing hand lightly down his chest and abdomen. God he was built.

"I just love your body, not just what it does to me, but the pure masculine beauty of it." Ciara ran her fingers over the muscles in his arms and down to his fingers. She sucked each one before she continued her verbal assault.

"I love to watch you work out, it is almost like watching a dance. You move so gracefully when you are doing your karate, it is beautiful and sexy at the same time." Ciara stood up near his hip and pulled her underwear back off, leaving it near Ross’ head so he could smell her scent on it. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and jumped off the bed.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ross asked leaning up.

Ciara took a deep breath and moved between the mirror and the bed.

"Just right here, to dance for you."

Ciara had never danced in her life, she never thought she had rhythm, soul, or grace, but she was going to try for Ross. The bluesy music made it easier, so at first she closed her eyes and just swayed her hips to the music. When Ross didn’t start laughing hysterically at her, she started to gain a little confidence and used her hands to lift her hair up and let it fall down her back. She bent over at the waist, knowing full well the outline of her naked ass could be clearly seen in the mirror, wanting Ross to see all of her.

"I’ve never done this before," she said as she ran her hands over her breasts. "I’m a little nervous."

"Oh," Ross cleared his throat. "You’re doing just fine." His voice was thick with arousal.

Ciara spun around so her skirt flew up high enough for him to see she was naked underneath, then she walked slowly toward him, running her hands over her body the whole time.

"Do you know how much I want you right now?" she asked him.

"Why don’t you tell me?"

"I want to feel every inch of the wonderful dick of yours inside me." Ciara ran her hands over him, stroking it from base to tip.

"I want to feel those magical hands on my body. Your fingers should be classified as dangerous to the female population. They feel so good when they touch me, when they are inside me.

Ciara straddled Ross’ hips; she could feel his penis straining against her ass, and his sweat between her legs. She leaned over him and licked the sweat off his forehead, making sure his face was in the deep V of her gown.

When he leaned up to kiss her breasts, she moved back.

"Where is that control of yours? No touching," Ciara scolded.

"I never knew you had such a nasty streak in you Ciara. This isn’t the first time you’ve tried to control me," Ross said, looking at her through heavy eyes.

"This isn’t about controlling you, Ross, this is about losing control. You make me lose control almost hourly, all I’m trying to do is return the favor. Don’t you like it?"

"Too much, I like it too much," he groaned.

"Good."

Ciara got off his hips and knelt down by his dick, giving him an unrestricted view of her soaking wet pussy. She could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. His breath was coming in gasps, his fists were clenched in the sheets next to her, and his muscles were so rigid she could tap dance on his stomach. When she leaned over and took him in her mouth, his breath came out in a whoosh. His hips bucked, and she heard him groan.

"Ciara, I want you so badly, come here, baby," Ross said as he reached for her.

"Okay," Ciara said with a grin. He hadn’t lost it yet, but he would. He had better; touching him like this was making her crazy.

Ciara moved so she was once again straddling his hips, she slowly pulled the nightie up, until it was off and she was as naked as he. She lowered her hips and grabbed his dick, adjusting him until he was just touching her entrance.

"Look at me, Ross. I’ve never done this before and I want to see what you look like when you go in me."

Ross’ blue eyes were as hot as lasers as they stared into her. She felt another rush of heat flow straight to her crotch, wetting her more, and Ross in the process. She slid down him, inch by glorious inch, filling herself completely with him.

"This feels so different," Ciara said with a moan, throwing her head back in delight.

His penis filled her to the brim, rubbing her in all the right places, making her arch her back to rub even more.

"This feels so good, and I can control the pace any way I want."

Ciara continued to move slowly up and down Ross’ shaft, loving the feel of him inside her. She gripped him with her inner muscles and that must have been the last straw, because with a shout of frustration, Ross released the sheets, grabbed her hips and began thrusting into her wildly.

"Oh my God, that’s even better!" Ciara shouted, bending over him so that she could thrust with him. The movements of his hips, the feeling of his fingers gripping her ass, and then his teeth on her nipple was more than she could stand. She heard Ross’ hoarse shout and climaxed with him.

***

Ross held Ciara in his arms and waited for his breathing to settle down. Had he actually just bragged about his control? He ran a hand through Ciara’s thick hair. She had been ripping his control to shreds since the first day in the cabin, and he really thought he’d be able to resist her this time? Maybe he was getting brain damage from lack of oxygen. God knew all the blood that was supposed to go to his brain had been busy in points south all week.

"That was so awesome. I definitely want to go on top again," Ciara said, rolling over and snuggling up to his side.

"I can’t believe it has taken us until Wednesday to get you on top. What have we been doing?"

"Let’s see, against a tree, in the shower, on the porch, gee, I wonder why it has taken us so long to work on this one, but it is Thursday, not Wednesday."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, today is Thursday. You said Wednesday."

"Boy, time does fly when you are naked all the time. I guess that means after today we only have two more days left." Ross tried not to show how unhappy he was with that idea.

"Yeah, then you are free of my clutches, at least until we dance at the wedding," Ciara said into his chest. She was no longer looking at him.

"I’m beginning to like your clutches. So tell me, have we missed any fantasies you’ve been harboring?"

"Hell, we’ve hit fantasies I didn’t even know I had. Thanks, it has been an eye opening experience."

"Always glad to help a lady. But don’t act like it is already over, we still have three more nights." Ross knew he’d be thinking about this week for years to come. She seemed so resigned to their parting ways. He had to do something to get her to stay with him afterwards.

"What is on the agenda for tonight?"

"You see, I’ve found this French maid costume, and it seems to me that you would look ravishing in it. I can’t decide though if I should be lord of the manor who lusts after you or the gardener who loves you from afar."

"Oh the gardener, definitely the gardener."

"Why the gardener? Wouldn’t you rather have the filthy rich lord who worships your body and can give you whatever you want?" Ross knew every woman he’d ever met would take the lord without blinking.

"Nope, because he would only want me until my appeal ended, or until I got too fat or old for his tastes. If I were in that situation I’d take the gardener; he may be dirt poor, but if he loved me then it wouldn’t matter. I’ll take substance over flash any day of the week. Besides, I like flowers."

"But the lord could buy you hundreds of flowers!" Ross hated the panic in his voice. He had to remind himself this was a hypothetical situation, and not real life.

"True, but the gardener would grow them just for me, with his own hands and effort. Most women don’t care how much money goes into a gift, it is how much thought and effort that goes into it that counts. So where is this little costume? I had better take a shower if I’m going to be ready to serve tonight. I don’t have to cook, do I?" Ciara got up from the bed.

"No, just serve me, bending over a lot. I’ll get it for you while you are in the shower."

"Okay, I’ll be ready and at your service by dinner time." Ciara walked proudly towards the bathroom with none of the shyness she showed their first day here.

Ross got up and put the cheesy little French maid costume out for Ciara, then slipped on a pair of jeans and went downstairs to figure out what to make for dinner. He wanted to make the next few nights more than just sexually fulfilling for Ciara, he wanted her to see him as someone who could be in her future as well.

Ciara had changed over the course of the week, she really had learned to let go and lose her inhibitions. The old Ciara would never have put on a French maid outfit, forget a leather bra and panty set. She still didn’t trust easily, but with her past experiences, he didn’t blame her.

How was he going to get her to trust him enough to want to pursue a relationship with him? She wasn’t the type of woman who would be happy with half measures; she would want the whole him, body, mind, and soul. He had spent years building up his reputation as a carefree playboy, how was he going to convince her now that he really wasn’t? And would she really want him after all? He had been the leading man in her sexual fantasies all week, when they left here would she want to be reminded of all that she had done?

Ross pulled some vegetables out of the fridge and started chopping up a salad with a vengeance. In the beginning of the week he had only wanted to fuck Ciara enough to get her out of his system. It was only Thursday, and not only had he not gotten her out of his system, but he wanted her more and more every day.

Carrot bits flew off the cutting board and on to the floor as Ross slammed the knife down repeatedly. He convinced her to spend the week having sex with him by telling her he could make all her sexual fantasies come true, now that he had she would have no further need for him. She knew what she wanted, and had the confidence to go after it. She saw him in the role he had played for years, cultivated for years, and he was trapped by it now.

He finally met the woman whom he wanted to settle down with, spend the rest of his life with no matter what his friends thought, and he couldn’t ask her, because if he showed her the true him she wouldn’t want him. If he kept up the fake him, she wouldn’t find that respectable enough for her to be seen with outside of the cabin.

Ross was in a catch twenty-two; he couldn’t risk showing her his true self for fear she would reject him, but was doomed to lose her if he kept up his charade. There had to be some way out of this situation before Sunday. Maybe he could call Lance and get him to leave them up here until the wedding? No, they were having the bachelor party here next week. Ross’ thoughts chased themselves around his brain looking for a solution.

"What are you making for dinner? You’ve got carrots and lettuce everywhere," Ciara said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Uh," Ross racked his brain for a meal. "Grilled chicken salad. I made a huge salad, and I’ll cut up some of the leftover chicken from last night. I don’t want to leave a bunch of leftovers here when we leave." Ross turned around and looked at Ciara for the first time.

Ross forgot what he was talking about, forgot how to talk, hell, he forgot how to breathe. When he had grabbed the costume out of the storeroom, he hadn’t paid much attention to it other than a vague thought of seeing Ciara in a short skirt and high heels. She had those on, but it was so much more than he’d imagined.

Ross looked at her spellbound from her shoes to her head. Ciara had put on the same high-heeled shoes and black stockings from last night. He could see the white of her thighs peeking out over the tops of the stockings before the brief skirt of the outfit came into view. The skirt was black lace over some poofy white material that made the skirt stick out away from her by at least a foot. Every time she swayed the flirty little skirt would play peek-a-boo with the tops of her stockings.

The waist of the dress was cinched tightly, showing off Ciara’s slender figure, and the body of the dress was equally tight against her frame. Ross didn’t know what Ciara had on under the dress, but whatever it was was a miracle of modern science, because it pushed her breasts up and almost over the very low cut of the bodice. He wasn’t positive, but he was almost sure he could see the top of one of her rosy aureoles peeking out.

To complete the look, Ciara had a black velvet ribbon tied around her neck and a perky little cap on top of her head. She had put her hair up in that just-got-out-of-bed bun she had been wearing lately, and she looked wanton and willing as hell.

"Well, what do you think? Don’t just stand there, say something," Ciara’s hand kept pushing the skirt down, and every time she did the bodice would dip a little lower.

"I can’t imagine anyone in France ever got much work done if that is what the maids really wore. I can’t even remember my own name now." Ross’ mouth had gone completely dry, probably because it was hanging open. When Ciara bent over at the waist to pick up the carrots off the floor, and Ross caught a view of her thong-clad backside he knew he’d never make it through dinner.

"So are you the gardener or the lord? I can’t tell by your outfit," Ciara teased.

Ross looked down at his jeans and bare feet, and thought about changing into something a little dressier. Did he have anything dressy?

"Looks like I’m going to be the gardener since I don’t think I have anything else to put on that isn’t denim or leather."

"Good, I’d rather have the gardener anyway. Not that I’d complain about the leather, mind you, but the gardener is better." Ciara puttered about the kitchen, stopping his heart every time she picked up another fallen carrot. Ross had never been so thankful for veggies in his life.

"If I’m the gardener, how are you going to serve me?"

"Well, I could be coming home to our little cabin outside of the manor house," Ciara began, laying out plates at the kitchen table. "And you could already have made dinner while I finished serving at the main house. I’d still be in my uniform because I’d be so eager to see you that I wouldn’t bother changing. I’d run home, in my four-inch heels, and quickly serve your dinner so that we could enjoy the rest of the night together."

"I thought I was the one coming up with the fantasies? That one sounds pretty good to me. I’ll finish up with supper, and you can serve me as my loving wife."

"This really is a fantasy, isn’t it," Ciara said laughing as she walked out of the kitchen.

Ross’ heart lurched at her comment. Maybe it was a fantasy, but this was his week to fulfill them, so he figured he had a pretty good shot at getting this one too. Pushing that thought aside, Ross warmed up the chicken and sprinkled it over the salad. Dinner was served, although he didn’t think he’d ever look at carrots the same way again.

"Dinner’s ready!" Ross called as he placed the bowls on the table and sat down.

"Hi, honey, I’m home!" Ciara came tottering in on her heels, clicking across the tile floor. She leaned over and gave Ross a big kiss, one that was far too brief from his point of view.

"How am I supposed to serve you if you already put it on the table?" Ciara asked him, hands on hips.

"Why don’t you get me a beer? I have a feeling I’m going to need it."

Ciara sashayed over to the refrigerator and got a beer for him and a soda for herself. The straps of the garter belt showed up dramatically against her fair skin. There was a lot of her fair skin exposed too.

When she finished retrieving the drinks from the fridge she placed his beer in front of him, and leaned over so that his bare shoulder brushed against her bulging breasts. Ross heard her quick intake of breath, and knew the contact had been felt on both sides. She might be hiding it well, but she was as aroused as he.

"Do you think you could move it a little closer honey? My shoulder hurts from hauling and planting today," Ross asked with a grin.

"Sure, dear," Ciara said, playing along and brushing up against him again.

Ross leaned back and slipped his other hand inside the deep valley created by the bodice, rubbing the underside of her breasts until she moaned. With a burst of inspiration, Ross tugged the bodice down until they were freed and framed beautifully by the bodice instead of being pushed up by it.

"Ross, do you know how hard it was to get them in there in the first place? Now what am I going to do?" Ciara asked, making no move to push them back in the dress.

"Enjoy. All you have to do is enjoy." Ross pulled her onto his lap and sucked her already turgid nipple into his mouth. Once he had told her that her nipples looked like ripe, red raspberries when he sucked on them. He planned on making her dessert, raspberries and cream.

Ross confined his hands to her breasts, although her legs were oh so very tempting. He didn’t want to rush his hand yet. When she was moaning and writhing on his lap, giving him a rather painful hard on, he set her back on her feet. He almost laughed when she wobbled on her fuck-me heels.

"I hope you aren’t disappointed, dinner is only salad tonight. That skinflint boss doesn’t pay me enough," Ross dug into his salad while Ciara was still standing in a daze.

Chapter Ten

Ciara couldn’t believe Ross had worked her up, just to set her aside and eat dinner. She knew he was as hard as a rock; he must want her as badly as she wanted him. So why had he stopped? Her breasts were heavy and swollen from his attention, and her miniscule panties weren’t doing much to stop the rush of juice coming from her crotch. She was hot and wet, and could care less about eating dinner.

She turned and sat right next to him, determined to get even. She didn’t bother putting her breasts back in the bodice, even if she could fit them back in at this point. It felt deliciously wanton to have Ross’ eyes drawn to them every time she spoke. He was concentrating on his salad like it was his last meal on earth. He must be just as aroused as she was, or he’d be filling the air with his usual banter.

Their meals together had been the second best part of the week. He was a great cook, and she really enjoyed having relaxed dinner conversation that didn’t have anything to do with year-end audits. This silence was strange, but not unnerving. Ciara figured he was plotting how he could drive her even more crazy with desire. Well she was going to fight fire with fire, or in this case, ice.

"Poor honey, I was thinking about you today when it was so hot outside. It was nice and cool in the big house today, not hot and steamy like our home." Ciara took an ice cube from her glass of soda and sucked on it for a minute before taking it out of her mouth and trailing it between her breasts. Her nipples puckered at the coolness of it, and goose bumps rose along her skin. Whether they were in reaction to the ice or the heat of Ross’ gaze she didn’t know or care.

"Are you done with your meal, honey? I’ll clear the dishes." Ciara deliberately dropped her fork on the floor. "Oops, clumsy me," she said as she bent over, giving Ross a perfect view of her derrière. When she stood back up, Ross had moved away from the table with a pained expression on his face. Good, she hoped his dick was killing him.

"Do you want another beer?" Ciara asked innocently as he drained the one he had clutched in his hands.

"Sure," Ross’ voice came out in a squeak.

Ciara cleared his bowl and brushed her swaying breasts against him as she reached for his empty beer bottle. She went to the fridge and bent over again while getting him his next beer. She walked over to him, and struggled a little to open the top. When it finally came off, beer foam sprayed all down the front of her.

"Oh, my!" Ciara said, with a little more surprise than she had planned. It was cold!

"I’ll help you clean that up," Ross said with heat in his laser blue gaze.

Ciara straddled Ross’ lap and leaned her elbows back against the table, thrusting her beer-soaked breast at him. "Go ahead," she challenged.

Ross needed no further urging and leaned forward to lap the beer from her breasts. Ciara could feel his erection pressing against the thin barrier of her underwear. She wanted to feel him so bad, to hold and fondle his length in her hands, to touch him everywhere. She wiggled closer and nipped him on the neck. This position offered so many possibilities, she thought as he pulled the top of the dress off her shoulders and down to her waist.

"Lift your hips. I’ve got to see all of you, and this skirt has been making me crazy all night," Ross growled against her ear, nipping her earlobe in the process.

Ciara felt a shiver go all the way through her body, straight to the ache between her legs. Ross’ hands pushed the dress off her, and slid slowly back up her legs. When he got to the space where the stockings ended, he groaned again and lifted her up onto the table.

"All I’ve been thinking about all through this ridiculous meal is eating you," Ross nipped playfully at her panties, her position on the wide oak table offering him a great view.

"I figured I’d offer myself to you for dessert," Ciara said before she lost her ability to speak when Ross exhaled over her clitoris, then licked her right through her panties.

"The best dessert I’ve ever tasted. I definitely want seconds, and maybe even thirds."

Ross pulled himself closer to her and literally ripped the panties right off her body. If she hadn’t already been so emotionally charged that would have shot her to the roof. As it was, it almost shot her right over the edge before he even touched her aching slit. There was something wickedly sexy about the sound of ripping cloth.

All Ross had to do was stick a finger inside her and give her one, long, slow lick to send her convulsing and writing on the table. Ross couldn’t seem to stop touching her. He kept licking her clit and rubbing her channel until she came again, and yet again.

"Ross, stop, I can’t take it anymore!" Ciara pleaded with him.

"What can't you take, Ciara?" Ross asked, standing up long enough to pull his jeans down.

He hadn’t bothered to put on any underwear and his dick sprung loose, hard, and hot, just for her. Ciara got off the table, still in her stockings and shoes, and pushed him back down in the chair without bothering to let him take his jeans off his feet completely.

"Now it is my turn," Ciara said, licking her lips in anticipation. She knelt down and blew lightly over his entire length. Hey, it had worked the other way around, it was worth a try. She sucked as much of his dick into her mouth as she could. She loved the feel of him, loved knowing she could make him groan and wriggle in his seat.

"Come here, baby," Ross said, indicating his lap. She thought about the fun she was having driving him insane with lust, then thought about how he felt inside her and got up.

Ciara was a little hesitant as she tried to figure out how to get him in her slit, but once she got the tip in Ross surged up and filled her completely. She marveled at how well he fit inside her, like two halves of a whole. Completion had never felt so good.

She began rocking up and down, back and forth, experimenting with different rhythms, trying to find the pace and motion that felt the best for both of them. When Ross grabbed her ass and slammed her back onto the table, she figured that experiment was a success. Ross looked like a man possessed. He was cradling her body in his arms, and pounding the hell out of her with his hips. Ciara couldn’t believe she could come again, but when he reached down and pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked on it hard, she came like a flood.

"Thank God!" Ross shouted as he climaxed with shuddering force.

"I wonder if Lance would mind if I borrowed that costume again," Ciara said without thinking. She could see herself greeting Ross at the door to her apartment wearing that.

"Since he's getting married next week, I doubt he’d miss it. Unless you think Molly wears--"

"Stop right there. I don’t even want to think about it," Ciara said, putting her hand over Ross’ lips.

Ross sat back in the chair and pulled her onto his lap to cuddle with her. She lived for these moments. She loved to snuggle into his hard, hairy chest and feel his arms around her. Part of her wondered if she was making up for all the cuddling she didn’t get as a child.

"Why does it bother you so much to think of Molly having sex? She’s a grown woman, soon to be a married woman, you must know she has sex."

"It is one thing to be aware of it intellectually, quite another to picture her prancing around in heels and leather. I guess I still think of her as a kid. We are six years apart, you know."

"It must have been hard when your father left then. You said he left right after Molly was born. You were old enough to know him by the age of six," Ross said.

Ciara stiffened on Ross’ lap. He just held her tighter, and rubbed her hair. This was something she never spoke about, with anyone. She always harbored a deepdown fear that her father left because he didn’t want another girl, and she wasn’t good enough to keep him around.

"My mom and dad had problems long before Molly was born. My memories of their time together are of my father yelling and storming out the door, and my mother crying. Looking back, I realized that my mother wasn’t a very strong woman." Ciara took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she was actually talking to another human being about this.

"My dad used to leave for days, then come back with roses for my mother and candy for me and every thing would be hunky dory for a few more weeks...until it started all over again. I think it was during one of these honeymoon periods that my mother got pregnant with Molly. After my mother died and I was going through her things, I found their marriage license. They got married five months before I was born. I think they were probably both too young to get married, but didn’t know what else to do. My father was probably overwhelmed with the thought of having another mouth to feed and depend on him, so he split.

"I don’t care how young you are, when you have kids they are your responsibility until you die. I think your father was weaker than your mother, and a fool to leave two such wonderful girls."

Ciara turned her head into Ross’ chest and hid her face. For the first time in her life she had told her deepest secret, and instead of blaming her, Ross supported her. How was logic supposed to compete with that? He did the one thing that was guaranteed to make her fall in love with him, and she wasn’t sure the zing that went through her at that knowledge was happiness or fear.

"Thank you Ross. Somehow I never pictured us having a deep discussion about my past while we sat naked and sated in a kitchen," Ciara was dying to blurt out her feelings, but bit her tongue hard instead. If there was one sure way to send him running for the hills declaring her undying love for him was it.

"We did a lot of things I never pictured us doing this week. And speaking of pictures--" Ross trailed off tantalizingly.

"Yes? I am not letting you take pictures of me naked. Some how those always come back to haunt you."

"Okay, we won’t use film, then. I kind of thought you’d feel that way. I was thinking tomorrow night we could combine two fantasies into one."

"And one of them involves a camera?" Ciara had no idea what he was talking about.

"Well, a video camera. I’ll hook it up to the TV in our room and we can watch a home movie without actually using a tape in the camera."

"That sounds innocent enough, even fun. What is the other fantasy?"

"Well, have you noticed there are several pairs of padded handcuffs in the house?"

"Bondage? I don’t know about that. I’ve liked, loved everything we’ve done so far, but I don’t think getting tied up and smacked around would do it for me," Ciara said dubiously.

"No one said anything about getting smacked around. I would just use the handcuffs to keep your arms and legs spread while I had my way with you, and you watch the whole thing on the wide screen TV. They’re fake handcuffs, they don’t really lock you know. You can pop them off any time you feel uncomfortable."

Ciara thought about it, of being at the mercy of Ross’ talented, magical hands. The idea had some merit to it. As long as she could get out at any time it would be okay, maybe even fun. She realized she really had fallen completely in love with him, because she had unquestioning trust in him not to hurt her or do anything she wouldn’t want to do.

"Okay, let’s do it tomorrow night. I just want to go to bed now." Ciara really just wanted to curl up next to him and revel in her newfound feelings, but didn’t think he wanted to hear that.

"Whatever you wish is my command," Ross said as he picked her up in his arms and headed for the stairs, almost dropping her when his pants, which were still around his ankles, made him trip.

"I knew that was going to happen if you insisted on carrying me around like an invalid. I knew it!" Ciara laughed as Ross managed to kick the offending article away from him without putting her down.

"I like carrying you around. You always have this terrified look on your face and cling to me. It does wonders for my ego."

"Like you need any help with your ego. Don’t worry, I know you won’t drop me. I trust you," Ciara put as much meaning as she could into those words without actually coming right out and saying ‘I love you.’

"Good, you should trust me. I’m a stand up kind of guy, you know."

"No, I don’t know. You haven’t been standing up much this week. Well, parts of you have," Ciara said with a laugh. She had never felt this happy and carefree in her entire life.

"Oh, a wise guy, huh? Well, I’ll show you..."

"You have Ross, believe me, you have."

***

Ross couldn’t believe Ciara was actually going to let him handcuff her to the bed. He had been in a perpetual state of arousal since she had agreed to do it. He didn’t want to read too much into it, but he felt like this was a sign she really trusted him. She even told him that she trusted him last night. She must feel something for him if she was letting him tie her up and have his way with her.

On the other hand she could just be saying she trusted him enough to show her a good time and not hurt her. She might not be ready to trust him outside of this cabin. He had to find a way to get her complete trust without letting her know about his nerdy side.

A little voice in the back of his head chided him, saying that if he expected trust and honesty from her he had to be willing to give it himself, but he pushed the voice away. If she knew the real him had never done any of these things before, had been as much a geek as Lance was before Molly reformed him, she’d never want to be with him.

The voice piped up again and said that she had confided her innermost secrets, and he didn’t think any less of her for them. That was different. Her fears were unfounded and ridiculous. He had created an entire personality out of his own imagination, she didn’t know the real him.

Ross forced himself to stop arguing with himself before men in white coats came to carry him away. He had two more nights with Ciara, and he was going to make the best of them. Tonight was the topper of all his fantasies and he had even found more leather for Ciara to wear for it. Tomorrow he was going to surprise her not with wild sex, but with sweet romance. If she still wanted to leave him after that, nothing he could do would stop her. Except ask her to stay, said the stubborn voice.

Ross ignored it yet again and lit the candles in the room. They were in 'his' room this time, although they shared both rooms equally. He looked again at the mural on the wall, thinking of Ciara, and almost came on the spot. He had seen the picture many times, but never realized how much the woman in the picture looked like Ciara. Ross could picture her making mewing sounds low in her throat as she came again and again. He wondered if it would turn her on to see herself looking like the woman in the picture.

"What’s so interesting?" Ciara asked, walking into the bedroom in a robe. Ross had left the new leather bra and panty set in the bathroom for her to change into after her shower. He wondered if she had it on under the robe or if she'd chickened out.

"I was just looking at the painting and thinking it looked like you. I was wondering if it would turn you on to see yourself coming like that on the TV tonight," Ross said, crossing over to her and taking her in his arms.

"I guess we’ll just have to find out," Ciara said as she dropped the robe and stood in front of him in all her glory.

Ross had picked this particular set out of the collection because the sides of the panties and the bra were held together by Velcro and he wouldn’t have to worry about how to get them off of her without undoing the cuffs. He hadn’t paid much more attention to them than that. Even if he had known what to expect, he didn’t think he would have been prepared for the sight Ciara made in a leather bra with holes cut out for her nipples, and leather, crotchless panties that were cut so high they were close to a g-string.

"Are you sure I can’t tape this for real?" Ross asked half in jest. "Probably better if I don’t, if I had a video of you in that and handcuffed to the bed I’d never leave the house again," he teased her.

Ciara just smiled at his goofiness. She didn’t seem uncomfortable at all, which surprised him.

"You are all right with this, baby, right?" He wanted to make sure she wasn’t doing it just for his sake. "We don’t have to do this just for me. I want this to be your fantasy."

"Oh, it is. I’ve been thinking about it all day. You have great hands Ross, I’m looking forward to feeling them all over me."

"Then let’s not keep you waiting. Welcome to my parlor," Ross wiggled his eyebrows and tried to sound like the villain in one of those old B movies.

He walked her over to the bed where he positioned her with care, making sure her arms wouldn’t get tired from being held uncomfortably. He had her put her hands where he would cuff them and placed several of the numerous pillows under her shoulders and arms before he cuffed her with a snap.

"See this button here? That is the release; if you get uncomfortable at any time, just press that and they will spring open. Okay?"

"Ross, I’m fine. It is hard to be frightened of handcuffs that are lined with pink fuzz. I’m not scared, I trust you."

There it was again, trust. He felt a little fission of fear go down his back at the responsibility that trust demanded. For the time being he could justify it by saying she trusted him not to hurt her, to show her a good time. That was all he could deal with right now.

Ross moved down to secure her legs to the bottom of the bed. It was a good thing she was tall or he would have had to rig something up so that he could cuff them as well.

"How’s that? Not spread too far apart, are they?"

"You tell me, you have the view," Ciara shot back.

"You are pretty mouthy for a woman who is tied to the bed at my complete mercy."

"What are you going to do, spank me?" Ciara said laughing.

"You really are cruising, babe. Just you wait and see what I do to keep your mouth shut."

"Promises, promises."

Ross tickled her foot until she screamed for him to stop, laughing so hard she was breathing heavily when he finally complied. "I told you to behave, now I’m going to move the TV so you can see it, let me know when you don’t have to crane your neck to get a good view of it," Ross directed.

"That’s a really wide screen, I don’t know that I want to see any part of my body displayed in that large a view," Ciara said dubiously.

"Stop being a wise ass and tell me if you can see the TV or not," Ross ordered, trying not to laugh at her mouth. He used to hate her sarcastic sense of humor, but after spending this week with her he’d come to appreciate her sometimes caustic wit.

"Yes, I can see it just fine."

"Just to reassure you, here is the place for the tape. See, it’s empty." Ross didn’t want her fears to hold back her reactions.

"Ross, I told you I trusted you, now can we get this thing moving?"

"This is your last chance..." Ross trailed off suggestively. When she just rolled her eyes at him he took off the lens cap, turned on the TV and threw off his robe. "Then it’s show time!"

Chapter Eleven

Ciara stared at the widescreen TV displaying the image of her spread-eagled on the enormous bed. So that’s why the headboards all have the same circle design on them, was the first thought to enter her stunned brain. The second was that she didn’t look as ridiculous as she had been afraid of.

Ross stood at the foot of the bed wearing nothing but a rock hard erection and a smile. He pulled a towel off the nightstand with a flourish. Underneath was the feather from the other night, two bottles of what looked like massage oil, and something that could only be a vibrator.

"Uh Ross, is that what I think it is?" Ciara asked him a little nervously.

"What this?" Ross held up the object in question. "This is a vibrator. What haven’t you ever used one before?"

"Um, no, my fingers have worked fine in the past. I don’t know if I really want to get intimate with an electrical appliance," she said hesitantly. Her thumb hovered over the release button.

"Do you trust me not to do anything you won’t like?" Ross asked, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes," she answered firmly.

"Then just sit back and enjoy the show."

Like she had a choice? Ciara watched him pick up one of the bottles of oil and rub the bottle between his hands. He straddled her hips, leaving his huge cock out of reach on her stomach.

"I’ve never used this before, so tell me if it gets too hot."

"What is it?"

"It’s edible massage lotion, but when you blow on it, it gets hot. Once I eat it off you it should cool down, but I’ve never used it before, so let me know how it feels."

Ross ran a trail of the oil across the tops of her breasts that were exposed by the bra. She didn’t feel much heat at all. Then Ross blew across it, and suddenly she felt heat flow through her breasts straight to her groin.

"Yum, it tastes like cinnamon. How does it feel?"

"Hot!"

"Good hot or bad hot?" Ross questioned.

"Good hot, very good hot," Ciara said, thrusting her breasts up for more. When his mouth was on her flesh, it was like tongues of fire sizzling in her veins.

Ross trailed more of the magic potion down her body, on her legs, and of all places, across her foot. She didn’t care where he put the stuff, as long as his mouth was on her body. Ross licked the oil off her, leaving a fiery trail blazing over her causing her to squirm against her bonds. Her breasts were burning, and her quim felt swollen and bulging out of the hole in the crotch of the panties. When he pulled her toe into his mouth, no easy feat with her legs still cuffed to the bed, Ciara felt the heat and the tug of his mouth on her toe go straight between her legs.

"Look at yourself, look at us," Ross ordered as he dropped her foot and moved between her legs. Ciara looked at herself on the TV, Ross was blowing across her clit, causing waves of need to ripple through her. The assault on her senses was mind-numbing. She could see Ross licking his way around the exposed parts of her cleft, could feel the burning heat of the oil and the pressure of the outfit on her engorged parts. She wasn’t going to last much longer, and he had just started. He didn’t put any of the oil on her lips, but as he licked her slit, residual oil rubbed off on her and sent heat spiraling through her entire body.

She tried to watch herself, but the feelings were overwhelming her and she threw her head back as she came.

"And that was just the appetizer," Ross said with a smile, wiping off his hands with a washcloth he had nearby.

Ross grabbed the feather next, brushing it over her exposed nipples. The contrast between the pressure of the bra forcing the blood to her nipples and the cool touch of the feather was incredible.

"I’m going to take the panties off, but not quite yet. Look at the TV, watch what is happening to your body."

"I’m ready to explode feeling it happen to my body, watching it keeps sending me over the edge," Ciara said with a breathless sigh as Ross ran the feather over her swollen and sensitized clit.

"That’s the point," Ross said with a cocky grin.

Ciara watched on the TV as he moved so that she could actually see her own pussy and the feather brushing over it. Her lips were red and pulsing out the hole in the underwear, she could see the fluid dripping off her, see the way her clit jumped out of its protective hood when Ross continued to tease it with the feather. Watching her body’s physical reactions to Ross’ torment was causing her hormones to slam into overdrive. She had never wanted anyone, anything this badly, ever.

"Ross, I need you," she moaned, still not taking her eyes off the screen.

"And you will have me, later."

Ross ran his finger inside her slit, the roughness of his knuckles rubbed against her channel, soothing her emptiness, but not enough. She wanted him inside her, filling her. Her eyes closed against her will, and her head began to thrash.

He took his finger out of her body, and put something else at the entrance to her slit.

"Ciara, watch."

Ciara looked at Ross. He was kneeling between her legs and holding something in his hand. When she looked at the screen to see what it was, she saw the vibrator poised to enter her. She was so drugged with lust she lost any fears she may have harbored earlier.

She could see the vibrator disappear inside her body. The sight was almost as arousing as the feel of it inside of her. She could feel its smooth coolness in her channel, and then felt Ross’ hot, wet tongue on her clit when he turned it on. Wave after wave crashed over her again and again. The combined vibrations were like a tidal wave taking her under for the last time. Ciara bucked and thrashed as multiple climaxes slammed through her body.

"God, do I wish I had that on tape," Ross said when he finally stopped torturing her with desire.

"It sure would liven up a lonely evening," Ciara managed to say while still floating on the waves cresting through her.

She felt Ross’ chuckle ripple through her body as he moved away from her slit. As he reached around to undo her panties, his hands brushed against her clitoris, making her buck and spasm again.

"You are so sensitive now, no matter what I do you are going to explode. Do you know how arousing that is to me?" Ross asked as he removed the bra.

"Are you kidding? If I got any more aroused I’d set the bed on fire," Ciara said, arching her back to thrust her breasts towards his hovering mouth.

Ross took the invitation she presented him and sucked hard on her nipple. His other hand squeezed and fondled the other breast, then he switched. Ciara dared to look into the TV again, and the sight of Ross on top of her, suckling at her breast was branded on her brain.

"Ross, I need you inside of me, now!" Ciara was past the point of begging. She had had orgasm after orgasm while Ross manipulated her body and her mind, but all she wanted was to feel him inside of her, filling her, completing her.

"Then watch," he ordered.

Ciara watched as he positioned himself at her entrance and slid home. The image of his dick sliding into her slit was devastating. She didn’t think the flames of desire could burn any hotter, but watching him move within her, combined with feeling him move within her was beyond anything she had ever dreamed.

. She wanted to hold him in her arms, to wrap her legs around him, but she was still cuffed to the bed. Ross held onto her hips, raising them so he could pound even more forcefully into her. She risked another look at the TV and could see his sac swing against her quim with the power of his thrusts. Her body had turned into one compete nerve ending. She could feel the sweat drip down her neck, could feel the hair of Ross’ chest rub against her nipples, his breath fan her face. Every motion, every sense was magnified a hundred times.

"Ross! I can’t take it anymore!" Ciara wanted to grab his ass and pull him against her, but couldn’t.

As if reading her mind, Ross popped the release on her cuffs and suddenly she was free to grab him and pull him close. She could thrust her hips and join in the dance.

"Too soon, this is way too soon," Ross groaned, his face a study in desire and agony.

He pounded her once, twice, three more times, and then screamed out his own release before collapsing against her. Ross managed to pop the cuffs on her feet before pulling her in his arms and falling asleep.

***

Ross woke up holding Ciara. The smell of burned candles, cinnamon, and sex filled the air. There were definitely worse ways to wake up in the morning. Ross held Ciara while she slept and rubbed her back lightly. He realized this was going to be their last full day together, and he wanted to make it special. Maybe if he hurried he could make her breakfast in bed before she woke up and came downstairs.

She was one of the hardest people to spoil he had ever met. If he had offered to spoil any one of his ex-girlfriends he would have been running ragged all week long. Ciara had only wanted to get out of the cooking, and even then she usually helped prepare their meals if he wasn’t paying attention. Although nothing could beat the time they had in the kitchen when she was dressed as the maid, some of their best times were when they were just bumping around in the kitchen together.

A picture filled his mind, almost against his will, of him and Ciara making dinner together when they got home from work, having drinks and a quiet evening home. Ross felt his gut clench as the picture in his mind grew to show Ciara glowing and pregnant in a house of their own.

Hold on there a second! What was he thinking? Could he ask Ciara to stay with him when he had been doing nothing but lying to her this whole time? Well, lying was a harsh word, maybe just trying to pretend to be something he wasn’t. Call it what you would, it still was being dishonest. Ciara thought that he was some experienced swinger who indulged in sexual fantasies nightly. She didn’t know that in some ways he was doing this all for the first time. He loved her too much to ask her to be with him without knowing the truth; that behind his playboy mask was the same nerd who got the crap beat out of him for years.

He loved her; he could finally admit it to himself. He had fallen in love with mouthy Ciara, and loved every second of the descent. After the wedding he would take her out on a real date, one that involved flowers, dinner, a movie, even. He could slowly introduce the real him he had hidden so long. Maybe if he did it slow enough she would get used to it before she realized what an act he had put on.

Decision made, Ross carefully got out of bad and hopped down the stairs to make coffee and start breakfast. French toast today, he thought, with maple syrup. He took some chicken out of the freezer to defrost for tonight, and checked the contents of the fridge. They had pretty much used up most of what was stocked, but it looked like he had enough to make Chicken Divan for supper. He couldn’t take her out to dinner yet, but he could set it up like he was if he put his mind to it.

Coffee was dripping in the maker, sending enticing aromas through the kitchen as Ross scrambled eggs for French toast. He was going to miss these lazy morning breakfasts. During the workweek he usually grabbed coffee and a bagel on his way to one of his schools. He ate lightly because he generally went out to dinner with the lady of the moment at night. The thought of going back to that pretend existence was enough to turn his stomach.

Ross wanted to make today the best day of Ciara’s life. He wanted her to feel cherished and special. He had a feeling that she didn’t feel that way very often. When they got back to the city, he would make sure that she felt that way every day. Today wasn’t going to be about sex; today was going to be about emotions.

The coffee was ready, the French toast golden and warm, and Ross sliced some strawberries for the finishing touch. He wished he had a tray or maybe some flowers, but this would have to do. Ross balanced two cups of coffee carefully and walked upstairs. Ciara was still sleeping, sprawled on his side of the bed now.

"Ciara, honey, I have coffee for you," Ross said, waving the cup in front of her face.

"Um, coffee," Ciara said without opening her eyes.

"If you open your eyes, I’ll give you breakfast too," Ross said enticingly.

"What kind of breakfast?" Ciara still didn’t open her eyes.

"French toast with maple syrup. Now sit up so you can eat and I’ll run you a bath."

"Wow, you really did make breakfast," Ciara said, sitting up in bed finally. "This is fantastic, Ross, thank you."

"It’s our last morning together, I wanted to make it special."

"This whole week has been special. I’ll never forget it, or you. Thanks," Ciara said, emotion shinning in her eyes.

Ross wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was going to make sure that she wasn’t away from him long enough to forget him.

"After you taste this breakfast, I know you’ll remember this week. Move over and I’ll help you eat it." Ross slid next to her sleep-warm body. She was soft and mussed, and very sexy. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t about sex today and he couldn’t attack her before she had finished her coffee.

"This is fabulous. I’m going to be going to aerobics twice a day to recover from your cooking. I’m nowhere near as good a cook as you."

"Yeah, but I can’t even balance my checkbook and you control the finances of several companies, so we’re even."

"Come on, you have to be able to balance your checkbook, how do you know that your accountant isn’t cheating you?" Ciara asked in disbelief.

"I figure he’d be really stupid to cheat the owner of a karate school."

"Ross, you have to be able to check on these things, he could be embezzling from you and you’d never know it," Ciara appeared to be aghast at his financial indifference. This could be his opening to see her after tomorrow.

"Maybe when we get back into the city you could take a look at my books and make sure my accountant isn’t robbing me blind," Ross said as casually, as if his life wasn’t hanging in the balance.

"You bet. You have to be careful about these things you know. Lance’s accountant wasn’t embezzling from him, but he wasn’t doing his job either, you have to stay on top of these guys or they won’t do the best they can." She was indignant.

"What about you? Don’t you always do your best?"

"Of course, but I see it as a personal challenge to make the most money and pay the fewest taxes for my clients. They know I care about their portfolios, but if they wanted another accountant to look over my books I wouldn’t care, because it's their money and they have every right to watch over it."

"I’ll be sure to give you a call when we get back, but for now finish your breakfast and I’ll run you a bath."

"You don’t have to tell me twice."

Ross smiled at her over his shoulder as he walked into the bathroom. He now had the perfect reason to get in touch with her. The pressure was off him for the moment. He didn’t have to profess undying love in order to see her again. He could play things a little more casually and ease her into his real self. Disaster was averted.

The tub took forever to fill, so Ross went back to check on Ciara. She was staring out the windows with a dreamy look on her face.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Ross asked, popping a strawberry in his mouth.

"Oh, ah, the wedding, I was just thinking about next week. Molly is going to be so surprised to see us getting along."

"Do you think so?"

"Maybe not. She obviously knew something we didn’t or she wouldn’t have stranded us here together for this week."

"Remind me to thank her for that when I see her tomorrow," Ross said, leaning down to give Ciara a gentle kiss. He was trying to tell her without words how much she had come to mean to him. He kept the kiss soft and sweet, gentling his lips against hers. He hadn’t fully appreciated how soft her lips were, how sweet her mouth was. He was going to make up for lost time today.

Ross stopped the kiss as Ciara leaned her naked breasts into him. He was hard as a brick and he didn’t know how he was going to get through the entire day without making love to her. He had to wait until tonight after dinner. It was going to kill him.

"Your bath is probably ready now, uh, why don’t you get in and I’ll take the dishes downstairs."

She gave him a puzzled look, but got out of bed and walked naked to the bathroom. He watched her heart shaped ass sway seductively across the room, and knew this wasn’t helping his control any. He shook himself out of his daze and brought the dishes downstairs. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Twelve

Ciara couldn’t believe what a day she was having. Ross had made her breakfast in bed, ran her a bubble bath, took her for a walk in the woods, and given her a massage. All without touching her sexually, except for those mind blowing, gentle kisses. Now he was making her dinner and telling her to wear the fancy black dress Molly had packed so they could pretend to be on a real date. He was being the perfect gentleman, and it was making her very nervous.

The dress was probably the sexiest thing she had ever worn besides the French Maid’s costume. The top was scooped very low, exposing the breasts that some miracle of science forced up and out of the neckline. The back of the dress, for lack of a better word, was bare until it reached about an inch above the cheeks of her butt, and the skirt ended just a few inches south of her underwear. No wonder Molly had packed her thongs, what the hell else could she wear? She decided to forgo the torture of pantyhose and slipped the high-heeled black shoes over her bare feet.

Ciara dug around until she found the make-up instructions, and carefully applied the cosmetics. She was almost as nervous as if it was a real date instead of their last night together. She didn’t know if this was Ross’ way of letting her down gently or not. He just seemed so different today, so unsure of himself, and nervous. He was probably afraid she’d make a big scene and demand to see him when they got back to the city and returned to his real life.

He was going to be in for a big surprise if that was what he was waiting for. Ciara straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. She might be in love with him, but she wasn’t her mother. Just because she loved someone who didn’t love her back didn’t mean she was going to give up on life and die by degrees. Ciara was stronger than that. She’d say good-bye to Ross with a smile and a wave, even if it killed her. He may be preparing her for the big let down, but she was way ahead of him. She knew she wasn’t beautiful enough for him to take her out where his friends could see them together, and she wasn’t going to be kept hidden like some crazy relative. If he couldn’t accept her for who she was, inside and out, then this was the end. He may have said that she was the most beautiful woman on the inside, but that didn’t mean he wanted to show her off to his friends. He’d already told her that first impressions and appearances were very important to him, and so that was that.

Ciara shook off the dismal mood. She had no one to blame but herself for it. She knew what she was getting into right from the start. Ross had agreed to one week of sex and she had jumped, literally, on the offer. She knew that she only had one week with him and she had made the best of it. If her heart had gotten involved without her permission, well that was just too bad.

Giving one last brush to her loose hair, Ciara took a deep breath and waited, as per instructions, for Ross to pick her up for their 'date.' She didn’t have long to wait. Ross knocked on the door before she had time to pace the room twice.

"Ciara, are you ready to go?" Ross asked, opening the door. "I guess you are. You look absolutely stunning. Turn around, I want to see all of you," Ross ordered.

She spun slowly on her heel, giving him time to look his fill. "So do you like it? I’m going to ask Molly where she got it so I can get one like it in red for Lance’s next Christmas party," Ciara teased.

"Don’t you dare, I’d drop dead on the floor the first time you bent over. Come on, I’m taking you to this great restaurant I know of. Very private, very intimate." Ross took her arm in his and escorted her out of the room.

"I hope the food is good, and the service. I just hate it when I get shoddy service you know, ruins the whole meal," Ciara was enjoying this playacting as much as all the other scenarios this week.

"I can guarantee the food is good, and the service very circumspect, I assure you. We have reservations for a private room."

"How exciting." Ciara couldn’t stop smiling. He was so much fun to be around when he was like this. God, she was going to miss him.

Ross escorted her to a small table he had set up in the living room. He had moved all the furniture to the side so it looked like they had a table by a dance floor. Candles were lit all over the room, and there were several in the fireplace as well as one on the table for two set with beautiful china. He even placed a red silk rose in a vase in the center.

"This place is beautiful, how ever did you find it?" Ciara asked.

"I have contacts you wouldn’t even dream of. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll see about getting us some wine before dinner."

Ross held the chair for her, and as she sat down she heard his sharp intake of breath. She turned to look at him. He had his eyes closed and a pained expression on his face. She glanced down to his pants and saw a noticeable bulge. He might be setting her up to let her down gently, but his body still wanted her.

"I’ll, uh, go get the wine," Ross stuttered, fleeing the room.

He came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses, not a beer bottle in sight. This must be a momentous occasion.

"I hope you like champagne. We’re having chicken and this will go perfectly with the Divan and the salad."

"It looks fine to me. Let’s have a toast, shall we?"

"To what?"

"How about to the best week of my life?" Ciara said boldly.

"I’ll drink to that, this has been a memorable week for me, too." Ross clinked his glass against hers and they drank the bubbly wine together. "It’s about time for our salads. I’ll just go see what is taking them so long."

Ciara ate her meal staring into Ross’ eyes by candlelight. His handsome profile was even more devastating in the golden glow, and she felt her heart clench every time he laughed or smiled. His hand held hers through most of the meal, and he would brush his lips across her knuckles when she was least expecting it, causing shivers to run up and down her spine.

When the delicious chicken and broccoli dish was finished, Ross fed her chocolate-covered strawberries, occasionally dipping them in the champagne, causing a flavor explosion on her tongue.

"This is so good, Ross, you have to try it," Ciara said, dipping a strawberry into her champagne for him to taste. Ross ate the strawberry, and trapped her fingers in his mouth, sucking gently on them, one by one.

"I hear they have a great band here, would you like to dance?" Ross held her hand and melted her with his eyes and his touch.

"I’d love to." Ciara had never been dancing before, but figured since it was the two of them Ross wouldn’t care if she stepped on his toes a few times.

He took the remote off the mantle and turned on the stereo. The Everly Brothers’ Unchained Melody came across the speakers.

"Did you plan this song?" Ciara asked looking up at him as he took her into his arms?

"No, I just picked an easy listening station, why?"

"No reason, I just love this song ever since I saw the movie with Demi Moore and Patrick Swaze in it," Ciara said, leaning her head against Ross’ chest. She didn’t tell him that she had always dreamed of someone loving her so much that he couldn’t leave her even after death, just like in the movie.

"I remember that movie, the guy gets killed and comes back as a ghost, right?"

"Yeah, that’s the one, I used to watch it all the time when I was home alone and Molly was out on a date. You could say I had a steady relationship with a ghost," she said disparagingly.

"Not anymore," Ross said and kissed her again with a gentleness that completely unraveled her. His lips were so soft against her mouth. It wasn’t a kiss of passion so much as a kiss of caring, and it made her want to weep. She was the one to pull away this time.

"Be careful, if you distract me too much I’ll step all over your toes," Ciara tried to laugh it off.

"I’ll take my chances. This dress is absolutely killing me. I can feel every inch of your back, and every time you took a step I kept waiting to see a glimpse of your panties. I don’t know whether I want to burn it or bronze it after tonight."

"I think it might look good in bronze. I’m definitely going to have to find another one in red," Ciara would buy one in every color of the rainbow if she thought it would do any good.

Ross groaned against her temple, sending a delicious shiver racing through her body. As she moved against him, she could feel his erection brush against her stomach. She deliberately brushed up against it again, enjoying the thrill of the contact. She could feel his next groan all the way to her center; it inflamed her already heightened senses.

His fingers had been running lightly up and down her bare back, now they were creeping under the edge of her skirt, teasing the flesh of her butt. She could feel the moisture pooling between her legs, she had been waiting for this all day and the anticipation was as much foreplay as any touching he was doing now.

"I know this great place that has the most amazing view of the stars you’ve ever seen, want to come stargazing with me?"

"I’d love to see the stars with you."

"Oh, you will, I promise you, you will."

Ross swept her off her feet and carried her towards the stairs, grabbing the bottle of champagne on the way. He stopped half way up to kiss her passionately this time, the sweetness lost in the rush of heat. Ciara nibbled on his neck as he kicked open the door to their room and carried her to the window.

"See, I told you it had a great view of the stars," Ross said, sliding her down his body until her feet touched the floor. By the time she was on solid ground, her skirt had hiked up to her waist in a crumpled mass.

"I never noticed the view at night before," Ciara said as Ross turned her around to look out the window. She could feel his hard on pressing into her nearly naked ass.

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Ross whispered, running his tongue along the shell of her ear.

"I’m not surprised," Ciara breathed, rolling her head to give him better access to her neck. His hands had crept up to cup her breasts, and she thrust them into his hands, begging for attention.

Ross backed away and quickly removed his shirt and shoes. When he wrapped his arms around her again she could feel his chest against her bare back. The feel of his hair against her was different, and arousing. She watched their reflection in the window, could see Ross watching as well as he slowly slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders. The dress quickly pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but a thong and high heels.

"You are so beautiful." Ross said, again fondling her breasts.

She watched as his hands moved on her breasts, then lower, and lower. She saw as well as felt him run his finger over her already sensitized clitoris, and the one-two punch was a knockout to her senses.

"Take me to bed," Ciara breathed into his chest as she turned around.

Ross didn’t say a word, just led her by the hand to the bed. She kicked off her shoes on the way, and then reached for Ross’ belt buckle.

"Slowly, honey. There’s no rush tonight," Ross said, kissing her forehead gently.

He lay back on the bed and pulled her into his arms to hold her quietly. He was putting her under a spell with his magical hands. In response, her hands slowed their somewhat frantic touching and she lightly brushed them against him instead.

After Ross had decided she was soothed enough, he began stroking her back up to a fevered pitch, kissing his way over her body with light butterfly kisses. He touched her with the pads of his fingers, fanning the flames with the lightest of touches. Ciara could do nothing but enjoy the sweet torture.

Ross parted her thighs and slid easily home, not moving inside of her for a long, delicious moment. He looked right into her eyes. She looked right back, marveling at his control. Slowly, deliberately, he began to rock against her, never losing eye contact. Ciara felt like he was trying to tell her something with his eyes, with his body, but she couldn’t figure out the message.

She closed her eyes and lifted her hips, urging him on to a faster pace. When he was slow to comply, she squeezed his shaft with her inner muscles, clenching and releasing as she lifted her hips into him. With a groan, Ross picked up the pace, pumping faster and faster, building her higher and higher with every thrust.

Ciara was lost in a sea of sensation, she could smell his musky, spicy scent all around her, could feel his arms around her, and his dick inside her. His breath was feathering her face, and she could hear his grunts as his slammed into her. She licked his neck and tasted the saltiness of his sweat, his arousal for her on his skin. Her sea had turned into a maelstrom, and was swirling her higher and higher in its grip.

"Look at me, Ciara, I want you to look at me!"

She forced her eyes open against the swirling depths she had entered. His blazing blue gaze burned into her, scorching her with emotion. He thrust harder into her pushing her up higher and higher.

"Come for me baby, come for me." Ross reached between their bodies and manipulated her clitoris, sending her over the edge with an explosion. Before she could come back to earth he built her up again, "More, baby, I want more."

Ciara could feel every inch of him rubbing against her, sliding in the wet he created, his sac banging against her behind as he slammed his way home. She was riding the waves again, her head thrashing from side to side. "Ross! I love you!" Ciara rode yet another climax to its stunning conclusion.

"Say that again," Ross ordered, staring right into her eyes when she was able to open them again.

"What?" Ciara was hoping she hadn’t actually said that out loud. She hadn’t meant to let him know how she felt, but since the cat was out of the proverbial bag now, she wasn’t going to take it back.

"I love you," she said almost defiantly.

Ross threw his head back and slammed into her as he came with stunning force against her cervix. Ciara could feel every inch of him jump and spasm as he came within her body. The force of their combined orgasms was too much for her to handle, and she fell asleep with him still inside of her.

***

Ross woke up to the sun shining in his eyes. He must have forgotten to close the shades last night. When he remembered why he had forgotten, he smiled a lazy smile and reached for Ciara’s warm body. It wasn’t there. He sat up in bed quickly, fully awake now. Where was she? He got up and went into the bathroom, the shower had already been used, and her wet towel was in a neat pile on the floor. He pulled open the drawers. All of her bottles and tubes were gone.

Frantic now, Ross ran into the adjoining room, her room originally, and searched for any sign of her. Nothing. Going back to his room, their room, he looked in the closet, her suitcase was missing along with her nighties and clothes.

How did she get out? Did she call Molly to come and get her? Why would she tell him that she loved him then run away?

Ross was pulling on his jeans, ready to chase after her when the unmistakable smell of coffee drifted up to him. She hadn’t left him, she just woke up before him. He didn’t know why she had packed all her stuff already instead of waiting for him to wake up, but knowing Ciara there was a logical explanation for it.

They had made love two more times last night, once tenderly, and once frantically. Ross got to fulfill his desire to drink bubbly champagne off her smooth belly, as well as lower. He was amazed at how insatiable she was last night. She had touched him like she wanted to imprint him on her body.

The memory was enough to make him want to see if they could repeat the intensity this morning before Lance and Molly came. He didn’t know what time they were arriving, hell, he didn’t even know what time it was now. He had better get some coffee into his system if he expected to do anything before their 'rescuers' came.

Ross zipped the jeans carefully over his erection and followed his nose to the kitchen. He saw Ciara wearing the clothes she had arrived in, but the uptight CPA was gone for good. Her hair was loose, the buttons on her shirt weren’t done to the top, and she had a subtle layer of make-up on. He liked her better in the short shorts and leather, but he couldn’t deny she looked good as she was right now.

"Now this is the second best way to wake up in the morning, with a beautiful woman and coffee already brewed," Ross said as he walked into the kitchen.

Ciara jumped at the sound of his voice and dropped the bowl she was holding in the sink.

"Oh, you startled me, I didn’t realize you were up already. I was going to make you breakfast in bed this morning," Ciara said, nervously wiping up the contents of the bowl.

"I can go back up if you want?" Ross teased, wondering why she wouldn’t look at him. "But since I’m already dressed, why don’t I just eat down here with you?" he suggested, pouring himself a cup of coffee and reaching around to give her a kiss.

She softened against him for a moment, and then jumped away. "The eggs! I hope you like them dry because I’m afraid I overcooked them. I told you I wasn’t much of a cook."

"I don’t mind, I don’t like them runny anyway." Ross sat down to eat his brown, crunchy eggs and slightly burnt toast. "Aren’t you going to have any?" he asked when she moved back towards the sink.

"I’m not much of an egg eater, and I had some toast when I woke up. You go ahead, I’m going to do the dishes and then make a run through the house to make sure I didn’t leave anything lying around. I have no idea what time Molly and Lance are going to show up."

Ross ate his eggs and wondered why she was so nervous today. She was jumpy and babbling, and still wouldn’t look him in the eye. Was she embarrassed because she had told him that she loved him?

He pushed his plate away and got up from the table with his coffee cup. "Ciara, about last night," he began.

"Let’s just forget about it, can we?" Ciara said with her back to him. "I was caught up in the moment and lost my head. You don’t have to feel obligated to let me down gently. I won’t make a scene or embarrass you, and I’d appreciate it if you would do the same for me. It’s been fun, but now it’s over and we both have our separate lives to go back too. You have your karate schools and your supermodels, and I have my job and my life."

"Ciara, wait! That isn’t what I’m trying to say," Ross tried to stop her as she fled up the stairs. He made it to the first step when he heard cars pull up the driveway.

The sound of an automobile was unnaturally loud after a week of silence. He ran to his room and saw the connecting door shut tight. He looked out the window and saw Lance’s Jeep as well as several other cars coming up the drive. Ross quickly threw on a shirt and some shoes and ran back downstairs, hoping Ciara had picked up any leftover toys from their adventures.

He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew she would be mortified if her sister saw evidence of her wild week. He was taking a quick look under the couch when the door burst open and Lance came in carried on the tide of several men. They were laughing and teasing Lance about something, hauling in cases of beer and bags of food.

"Ross, I had nothing to do with this, I swear!" Lance protested as the men hauled him into the living room and dumped him on the couch in front of Ross.

"What’s going on, buddy?" Ross asked.

"The guys decided to have my bachelor party now so that I wouldn’t be too hung over for the wedding. Apparently they felt one day wouldn’t do me justice and they kidnapped me from my apartment this morning. Molly is following me to pick up Ciara before things get out of control." Lance looked a little wild around the eyes.

Ross knew his friend wasn’t much of a drinker, and the whole idea of a bachelor party had scared him witless.

"How did it go this week? We didn’t hear a peep out of the two of you. Molly was afraid that Ciara had killed you in your sleep and made a run for Canada when we turned the phone back on and didn’t hear from you."

"It went well. We came to ah, an understanding. I need to clear a few things up about that before she leaves though," Ross said. He didn’t know how he was going to convince Ciara that he didn’t want to go back to his old life, that he loved her even if he didn’t say it last night. He had wanted to say it back to her, but was afraid she would think he was humoring her. He wanted to say it when the time was right, not just because she said it first. He may have waited too long for his chance.

Molly came in looking for Lance first. When she saw that he was no worse for wear after his kidnapping, she walked over to Ross.

"What happened to my sister?" she asked with an edge to her voice. "I didn’t hear a word out of her this whole week. What did you do to her?" Molly demanded, tapping her foot impatiently.

"He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to do, Moll," Ciara said, walking down the stairs and surveying the mob scene.

Several of the men let out wolf whistles and catcalls at her appearance, and Ross wanted to throttle them. That was his woman they were leering at, and they could keep their roving eyes off her.

"Ciara, are you sure you are okay? I was a little worried about you," Molly said, flushing a bit.

"Feeling guilty, huh?" Ciara said, not letting her sister off the hook so easily.

"Maybe, but only at first. I knew you needed this week," Molly defended herself.

"You were right about that. I forgive you. It all worked out for the best in the end."

Ross watched her take a deep breath and square her shoulders before she turned to look at him for the first time that morning.

"Ross, thank you for a memorable week. I’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner on Friday. Remember be at the church at six o’clock sharp. Lance, behave yourself with this crew, I don’t want to have to wheel you out of the hospital to get you to the church on time. Moll, my suitcase is on the porch, I’m ready to go when you are."

The old Ciara was back in place, her walls were up and Ross couldn’t see past them. He wanted to stop her, to make her understand, but he couldn’t do it in front of all these guys. He watched her as she looked at him, waiting for some sort of reaction from him. What could he say? Was he supposed to announce that he loved her for the first time in front of a bunch of guys he grew up with? He had to say something before she walked out of his life for good.

"I’ll um, call you when we get back to the city," he offered lamely, aware of several pairs of eyes following the scene. He watched as her shoulders slumped and she turned away.

"Don’t bother," she shot back.

"What about your offer to look over my books?" Ross was getting desperate now. He couldn’t let her leave without trying at least something. There were shouted suggestions about what kind of books she could look over, and he saw her face flame in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah, I’ll be sure to get you the name of one of the guys I work with. I’m sure he’ll cut you a deal because you’re a friend of mine. Good-bye, Ross, Lance. Molly, I’ll wait for you in the car while you say good-bye to Lance." She walked out without turning around.

Ross watched her leave, numb. Didn’t she understand that he couldn’t say anything in front of all of these guys? What did she want from him? He managed to get up from his seat on the couch and get himself a beer, even though it was well before noon. He stood on the porch and watched as Molly drove off. Ciara didn’t so much as turn her head once.

It was a good thing they brought a lot of beer, because Ross was in the mood to get rip roaring drunk, and stay that way for a good long time.

Chapter Thirteen

"I’ve had enough of this, Ciara Marie Daily!" Molly stormed into Ciara’s apartment hands on hips and mouth set in a grime line. "You won’t answer the phone until after your machine screens the call, Ross said he tried to get in touch with you several times and all you did was pass his number on to some dweeb you work with, you’ve lost so much weight you’ll be lucky if the dress doesn’t fall off you tomorrow, and you smile, but your eyes look miserable. Tell me what is going on," she demanded.

"Good morning, little sister. How nice of you to visit on the day before your wedding, I know how busy you must be." Ciara knew how busy she was supposed to be, because Ciara had scheduled Molly’s every moment so as to avoid just a scene like this. "Aren’t you supposed to be at the caterer’s right now, finalizing the menu?"

"I sent Lance to the caterer, he owes me after spending the last three days recovering from his bachelor party. Thank God all you girls did was take me to a strip bar, and Lance will never know how that g-string ended up in my coat pocket. But that is besides the point!" Ciara’s delaying tactic didn’t work for long. "I want to know what happened up at the cabin and why you are so miserable, or I’m going to ask Ross," she threatened.

"Go ahead and ask him. He’ll tell you the same thing; we did what you wanted me to do. I wore the clothes you packed me, got into the mood of the cabin, and fucked Ross all week long. Now the week is over and we are both going back to our old lives. I’m sure he has a date all lined up for the wedding already." Ciara refused to give in to the temptation to cry over that thought. She knew what she was getting into when she slept with him the first time. This was her own damn fault.

"Is that what you really want, Ciara, to go back to your old life?" Molly asked, anguish clear on her beautiful face.

"Not exactly the way it was. You were right about a lot of things, Moll. That week taught me that I have a lot more to offer than I ever thought. It taught me I don’t have to waste myself on ‘safe’ guys just because Dad left us, and just because I got screwed over once by a conniving asshole. It taught me I can be beautiful and I can be wanted. Eventually I’m going to put those lessons into good use, but not right now."

"Did it also teach you what it was like to fall in love for real?" Molly asked pointedly.

"Yes, it did, and oh, how it hurts when they don’t love you back," Ciara said, crying for the first time since she left the cabin.

"I knew it! I knew there was something between the two of you!" Molly crowed, even as she pulled a wad of tissues out of her purse and wrapped her arms around Ciara.

"You’re still wrong. There is nothing between the two of us but sex. In order to have something, it has to be felt on both sides, and I’m the only side that said ‘I love you'.’"

"What? You told him you loved him, and what did he say?"

"Nothing," Ciara sobbed.

"Nothing? He just looked at you or something?"

"Well, not exactly. I had just, you know, come and I kind of said it, then fell asleep. But he woke me up a little while later and didn’t bother to say it back then," Ciara said hotly.

"So what did you do?"

"The next morning I got up before he did, packed my stuff, made him breakfast and saved him from giving me the ‘it’s been fun but now it’s over’ speech by giving it myself. Then all the guys came in and I left."

"So let me get this straight, you told him you loved him, while you were climaxing so hard you passed out, and when he didn’t wake you up by saying he loved you, you decided he must not, so you packed up to leave. Then the next day instead of giving him a chance to explain, you dumped him and left with me."

"Hey, he could have said something before I left, it isn’t as stupid as you are making it sound," Ciara said, feeling pretty darn stupid.

"Yeah, he’s going to declare his undying love for you in front of a whole bunch of drunken assholes. Get real. He’s a guy, he isn’t going to do something like that."

"Especially not for someone like me," Ciara said derisively, getting up to pace the room.

"Now what idiocy are you spouting?" Molly asked, getting up as well.

"He told me that appearances are very important to him, and that first impressions mean a lot. He dates super models, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I don’t measure up to his standards for taking out in public." Ciara tried to hide the pain those words caused her. It was so hard to not to let it be a confirmation of her secret fear of being unlovable.

"Oh, that."

"Yeah, that." Ciara had been hoping that Molly would vehemently deny the thought, looks like this was her week to be disappointed.

"Let me tell you something about Ross, but you have to swear yourself to secrecy. I promised Lance I would never tell a soul, but this is extenuating circumstances." It was Molly’s turn to pace the room now.

"I won’t open my mouth, but I don’t think it is going to change anything," Ciara said, interested in spite of herself.

"I don’t know if you realize it, but Ross and Lance grew up in the same neighborhood, a pretty tough, poor neighborhood," Molly started.

"Ross told me he and Lance had been friends since they were kids and Lance gave him the money to expand his school."

"That is another story, but this one first. Lance and Ross used to get beat up all the time. Lance has always been brainy, and intelligence wasn’t exactly prized in his neck of the woods. Ross was scrawny, and best friends with the brain, so he got beat up as well."

"Come on, look at Ross, he is way taller than I am, and I’m not exactly short."

"He hit his growth spurt late. He was the shortest kid in eighth grade, then came back to school the next year six inches taller. His mother signed him up for karate lessons to keep him from getting killed, and he took to it like a duck to water. After he had done it for a few years, he got good enough to protect himself and Lance. Lance swears he would have gotten killed eventually if it wasn’t for Ross."

"Well that is touching, but I don’t see what it has to do with him not wanting me," Ciara said.

"If you could stop feeling sorry for yourself and let me finish, maybe you could hear what I’m trying to say. Ross has short man syndrome, even though he is over six feet tall now. Inside he still feels like the little kid on the block who got his butt kicked for his milk money. He dates those stick women and works his ass off to make a lot of money and be a big shot to show up all they guys he grew up with. It’s his way of throwing it in their faces that he did better than they did. That is why he acted like such a player. That isn’t the real him, the one Lance and I know."

"Then why didn’t he just say so? He acted so different from the person I had met at first. I fell in love with the Ross that cooked for me, made me laugh, took me for walks in the woods. If that is really him, and not the jerk who was at your party, why didn’t he trust me enough to tell me what you just did? I told him about Dad, I told him about Jack, I told him everything. He knows all my deepest fears, but he couldn’t trust me enough to tell me his? Then I was right, he doesn’t love me. When you love someone you take a chance on them and trust them even though you are afraid."

"If that is so, then why are you still hiding in fear? Did you give him a chance to explain himself when he got back from the cabin? Have you spoken to him since then? I know he’s tried to call you. He called me to see if you were home when he kept getting your answering machine. You don’t trust him to love you back, that’s why you turned him down before he had a chance to talk to you, and that is why you are avoiding him now. Think about it."

"When did you become a shrink?" Ciara asked, sniffling into her wadded up tissue.

"I’ve had lots of practice being on the listening end of advice, this was my first chance to be on the giving end, so sue me. Take a bath, put some cucumber on your eyes, you know you can’t cry pretty, you get all puffy and blotchy, then go out and buy something wicked for tonight. You and Ross can talk after you tease him ruthlessly all through the rehearsal and the dinner."

"I thought you thought Ross was the injured party here?" Ciara asked with a watery smile.

"I do, but you should never let a man know you're wrong, they never let you live it down. Plus, I owe him some misery for letting the rest of those punks get Lance so drunk it took him three days to recover from the hangover. I can really see them beating kids up for milk money," Molly said disgustedly.

"Wait, those guys are the same guys Ross is so hot to impress?"

"One and the same. Amazing isn’t it? Ross is a handsome, intelligent, successful businessman and he has been living a lie to impress a bunch of Neanderthals. I guess we don’t hold the patent on stupidity."

"You got that right. I’ll think about what you said and see you at the church tonight. Now go, you have an appointment at the nail salon in twenty minutes and I don’t want you looking like a fishwife tomorrow. And Molly, thanks."

"Any time, sis, any time."

Molly had given Ciara a lot to think about, again. She wondered when her baby sister had gotten so smart, and realized she really had grown up.

"Mom, you should be proud, we did good," Ciara said with one last sniffle. She went to the kitchen to get the cucumbers and think about everything Molly had said. Even if she didn’t try to talk to Ross tonight, she wasn’t going to the rehearsal looking like she had been on a crying jag. Molly was right, she couldn’t cry pretty.

Putting the soothing cucumber slices on her eyes, Ciara lay down on the couch and turned over everything she had learned. Ross seemed to have just as many insecurities as she did. Maybe it was as hard for him to accept love as it was for her to give it?

Ciara thought clearly about what had happened Sunday morning. Ross hadn’t said he didn’t want to see her anymore, she had just assumed he was going to and jumped in with both feet. She cringed with embarrassment. What if he had wanted to tell her he cared?

But what if he hadn’t? The little voice of insecurity whispered in her ear. What if Molly was only putting her own spin on Ross’ background, and Ross really didn’t love her? If she said something to him tonight, she would be mortified all day tomorrow during the wedding

No, she’d wait until after the wedding. She could tell him that she wanted to see him afterwards, and if he became an aloof asshole, she could tell him it was because she was feeling guilty about not looking over his books. That’s what she would do.

If she was going to look her best though, she had better get moving. She already had the perfect dress to wear tonight. It was a plum-colored sheath that had been in her closet for years. It was sleeveless with a high neck, but clung to her every curve. She had fallen in love with it one day while shopping and bought it impulsively, but never had the courage to wear it. It was perfectly appropriate for the rehearsal dinner, but still showed off her figure.

She’d wear her hair down and loose, and put on the sandals she wore when she was playing the virgin sacrifice. If nothing else it would get his hormones churning. She was going to torment him all night long, then tell him she’d talk to him after the wedding. This was going to be great!

***

This sucked, Ross thought with disgust. It was the night before his best friend’s wedding, he’d finally get a chance to talk to Ciara instead of her damn machine, and he was stuck on the New Jersey Turnpike in traffic that showed no sign of letting up. He had heard on the radio that a tractor trailer had turned over stopping traffic in both lanes, after he was already on his way home from his Jersey school.

He had called Lance and explained what happened. Luckily he had understood and there was no problem finding a stand in for him at the rehearsal. But damn, he wanted to see Ciara! If he got her machine one more time he was going to go over there and throw it out the window.

As soon as Ross recovered from the worst hangover of his life, he realized what had happened with Ciara. He should have told her he loved her right away, before she said it, or even right afterwards. By waiting for the 'right' moment, he had blown it. She saw it as either being used like that jerk she worked with, or being unlovable.

When he got home the first thing he did was call her up, but he’d gotten nothing but her machine all week. He was desperate, but not desperate enough to declare his undying love to an answering machine. He had been desperate enough to try a ploy to get her to answer the damn phone. Ross thought if he asked her to look over his books, she would just because she was so appalled by his lack of concern. Instead she had given his number to one of the guys she worked with and he had called Ross telling him he’d be glad to look over his books. So much for professional dedication.

He thought for sure he’d be able to corner her tonight, but with this traffic he’d be lucky if he made it home in time for the wedding. He’d get her tomorrow-- she had no choice then. After Molly and Lance were hitched, he’d pull her aside and straighten out this misunderstanding for good. If he made it to the wedding.

Ross had a lot of time to think about the changes that he’d gone through in one short week. He finally realized that the only person he had to impress was himself. It was time he grew up and stopped trying to show how successful he was in work, women, and life, and just enjoy the success he had. He had been thinking over and over again about the things Ciara said during the week, asking him if he missed teaching, telling him it was more important to be happy than rich, telling him she’d rather have the gardener that loved her than the lord that only desired her. Her comments had tipped the first domino, and now the whole shooting match was falling down.

All of Ross’ notions about what it meant to have "everything" were now skewed. It no longer mattered to him if his buddies wanted the woman he was with. In fact, it had bothered him a lot when they leered at Ciara in the cabin. He was beginning to realize that Ciara already liked the real him, and not the mask he presented to the rest of the women in his life. Except for the sexual fantasy part, the rest of the week he’d been himself for the first time in years, and it felt good. Ciara got more pleasure from cooking dinner together and going for a walk in the woods than the rest of his girlfriends ever did from dinner and a show.

He didn’t have to ease her into accepting the real him. She already loved him, and he blew it.

No, he refused to believe that he only had one shot at this. He was going to make sure he got another chance to talk to Ciara, and this time she was going to listen. Now he just had to figure out what to say. If he had the chance, was he willing to go all the way with it? Should he ask her to marry him? Maybe he should wait until after they had dated for real for a little while? No, waiting was what got him into this mess, he’d go with his instincts this time and propose as soon as she let him speak.

Ross had a taste of what it was like to be with Ciara, and what it was like to be without her, and knew he definitely preferred the latter. He was not going to be without her any longer if he had any choice in the matter. Now that he knew what he wanted, he was going to hold on with both hands. Or at least he would, if he could ever get off the New Jersey Turnpike.

Chapter Fourteen

"You look so beautiful," Ciara said, sniffling back tears. Molly was radiant in her white satin wedding gown. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head and a ring of daisies encircled the shimmering curls. Molly’s smile lit up the room, and her eyes shone with happiness brighter than the summer sunshine. "I’m so glad the weather stayed nice, it is going to be a perfect day."

"Oh, Ciara, I am so happy, I can’t wait to see Lance. This is the happiest day of my life," Molly gushed.

"Only the first of many, Moll, just the first of many. Here are your flowers. Let’s get you ready for the longest walk of your life."

"Thank you so much for everything, Ciara. You took care of all the details so I could just enjoy today. I never could have done it without you," Molly said, taking her sister in her arms.

"Sure you could have. You can do anything you set your mind to."

"Then I’m setting my mind to making sure you are as happy as I am."

"Don’t be silly, if I was any happier I’d split in two."

"Ross didn’t get home until after midnight last night, there was nothing he could do to get home any sooner. It wasn’t his fault he missed the rehearsal dinner."

"I know, don’t worry about a thing. Ross and I will handle ourselves just fine. You worry about putting the ring on the correct finger and nothing else," Ciara said, adjusting the veil unnecessarily.

"Oh great, I never thought about that before," Molly said twisting her fingers in the ribbons of the flowers.

"Stop fidgeting, you’ll do fine. The priest will hand you Lance’s left hand, just put it on the ring finger of the hand and you’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go before you destroy your flowers. Every thing is going to be just fine." Ciara just wished she could believe that herself.

She had waited with butterflies in her stomach all night for Ross to show up for the rehearsal, and when Lance got the call saying he was stuck in New Jersey, her heart sank with disappointment. Now she was nervous all over again and her courage had fled her. All she wanted to do now was get through the first dance with him, and then she would quietly fade away. She just hoped he didn’t bring one of his Barbie look-alike girlfriends as a date to spite her.

Ciara checked her dress one more time in the mirror. She didn’t want to have it stuck in her pantyhose or something like that when she walked down the aisle ahead of Molly. Although with Molly beaming like the sun, Ciara could walk down stark naked and no one would notice. She felt tears well up in her throat for her little sister. Molly was getting the man she loved, and nothing could make her happier.

Ciara’s dress was a full length, hunter green gown with spaghetti straps. Her hair was piled on top of her head and curled. The style made her eyes look huge, and she played them up with a subtle touch of make-up. She looked pretty darn good considering her week of sleepless nights. She was so nervous about seeing Ross again she felt sick to her stomach.

"Ladies, it’s time. The organist is starting the processional," the sexton called from the other side of the door.

"Here we go," Molly said with a nervous laugh.

"Ready or not," Ciara said, equally nervous.

Ciara adjusted Molly’s train and veil one more time before picking up her bouquet of lilies and walking to the head of the aisle. She took a deep breath and refused to look to the right of the altar. The church had never seemed so big before, nor the aisle so long. She smiled as flashbulbs went off and concentrated on not tripping over the pristine white runner. Almost there. A few more feet and she would be at the altar safely.

Ciara stepped up the small stair to stand next to the priest and turned to wait for Molly. As she turned she caught sight of Ross staring at her with those blazing blue eyes of his. His gaze was devouring her in front of hundreds of people, and she couldn’t care less. He was devastatingly handsome in his black tux and tails. The formal attire made him look like he stepped out of a James Bond movie.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him until Molly blocked her vision when she stepped up to the altar as well. Ciara shook herself out of her daze and took Molly’s flowers for her, then straightened the train again. She missed Molly’s entire walk down the aisle because she was too busy eating Ross with her eyes. Good thing everyone else was too busy watching Molly to notice.

The wedding ceremony went by in a blur for Ciara. She had to force herself to pay attention to what was happening so she would stop staring at Ross. He wasn’t making it any easier on her, every time she tried to look discretely over at him she saw him looking right back at her with that hungry gaze.

When the ceremony was over and the happy couple fled up the aisle, Ciara’s stomach dropped to the floor. She tried to hold Ross’ arm casually like her pulse wasn’t drumming in her ears and her heart wasn’t pounding in her chest. The touch of his hand over hers sent her nerves skittering in her body, straight to her groin. He was holding her hand so tightly she was afraid he might leave marks.

"You don’t have to squeeze so hard, I’m not going anywhere," Ciara said through her teeth as she smiled at the guests on their way out of the church.

"I’m not taking any chances. You and I need to talk when this is all over," Ross growled back.

"Fine, but let’s play nice until after the reception, for Molly and Lance, okay?"

"I’ll behave until after the dinner, but I’m not making any promises after that."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Ciara asked as they stepped out of the church. She turned to see what he had to say, but a bright flash stopped her in her tracks. The street was lined with reporters, cameras, and microphones all trying to get a piece of the millionaire’s wedding. Ciara hadn’t planned for the rush of the press and was at a loss for what to do.

"Here, get in the limo with Molly and Lance, let’s get out of this zoo."

Ciara was grateful for Ross’ quick thinking. She knew Lance was famous because of his invention, but she didn’t realize the lengths people would go too to get pictures of his wedding.

"Oh, Molly, I’m so sorry I never even considered the press getting involved. I should have hired guards or something to keep them away. I hope it didn’t ruin it for you."

"Don’t be so hard on yourself, Ciara, the limo driver whisked us inside without a single problem. You didn’t think of it because to you, Lance is just Lance, not some computer mogul."

"I know, but I should have thought of it," Ciara said contritely, very aware of Ross right next to her. His long, lean thigh was pressed against her, and his arm was up against her breast. There seemed to be plenty of room on the seat, but he showed no signs of moving over.

"Why don’t you pour us some champagne, Ross, and we’ll have a toast," Molly suggested, leaning over to give Lance a kiss.

"Here’s to new beginnings and old friends," Ross said when everyone had a glass of the sparkling elixir.

"Hear, hear," Lance said, laying his hand on Molly’s and drinking from his glass.

"I just love new beginnings, don’t you Ciara?" Ross said pointedly, rubbing his knuckles along the side of her breast, his hand being hidden from view.

"Maybe, it depends on what is beginning," Ciara said feeling every nerve ending in her breast jump to life.

Some how she made it through the pictures, the cocktail hour, and the dinner, and the cutting of the cake without screaming in frustration. Ross took every chance he had to touch her. When he wasn’t touching her, he was giving her devouring looks or making double-sided comments. She wanted to get through the first dance and have it out with him before she exploded in anticipation. He was working her up to a nervous, needy frenzy, and she had to smile and act like nothing was wrong in front of hundreds of guests.

Molly and Lance stood up from the table and went out on the dance floor, swaying softly to their chosen song. Ross slid into the seat next to Ciara and grabbed her hand.

"Would you relax? We’re going on next."

"I know I’m not letting go of your hand until after we’ve had our little talk. After this dance our obligations are over, and I’m not giving you the chance to skip out on me."

"Will the bridal party please join our happy couple on the dance floor?" the D.J. said into the microphone.

"Come on, that’s our cue," Ciara said, standing up with Ross.

He eased her onto the dance floor, moving so smoothly, so fluidly she couldn’t feel awkward. She felt the nervousness of the day bubbling up inside of her, what if she was reading this all wrong and he wasn’t going to ask her to be with him? What if he only wanted an affair? What if he just wanted her for kinky sex and didn’t love her? Tears spilled over her lids, sliding silently over her cheeks. She tipped her head down so that Ross could see her falling apart. She needed to pull herself together before the dance ended.

Too late. "Hey, what’s wrong? Are you crying?" Ross asked her, lifting her face to his with a finger under her chin. "You are crying. Come on, we’re done here. We need to talk." Ross pulled her off the dance floor as everyone else piled on. He dragged her, still silently weeping, to an open janitor’s closet and pulled the door shut behind them.

The closet was full of mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies. It had very little room for a man of Ross’ size, never mind Ciara in her gown. "Ross, this is ridiculous. I’m fine, the day just got to me all of a sudden. I’m just so happy for Molly and Lance, that’s all," Ciara said, trying to stifle her tears.

"I don’t believe you. And this time, I’m not going to let you railroad me, either. We are going to stay in here until I’ve had my say, even if I have to tie you up with dust rags." Ross said, pulling her against his large frame.

"Then go ahead and say what you have to say," Ciara said defiantly. It was just her heart hanging in the balance, no biggie.

"I know when I first met you I acted like a real jerk. I’ve apologized for that already, but now I need to tell you why I was such a jerk, and not just to you." Ross ran a hand through his hair and banged his elbow on a shelf.

"When I was a kid, I was the smallest kid on my block. Man, I used to get beat up constantly. Lance and I were the resident punching bags for our neighborhood. I didn’t stop getting kicked around until I was in high school, and even then I still had a chip on my shoulder. I never had a girlfriend in high school because all the girls saw me as the short kid who got the snot beat out of him all the time. No girl wanted a wimp for a boyfriend. I swore if it was the last thing I did, I was going to be better than the guys that beat me up all the time."

"But you are better, don’t you see that? You could wipe the floor with any one of them now, but you never did, did you?" Ciara said, looking into his eyes for the first time. She knew the facts of the story, but hearing it from his perspective was really different.

"How do you know that I didn’t?"

"Because I know you, and beneath all that bluster, you are a kind and generous person. You could have used your talent at karate to terrorize them, instead you turned it into a successful business. You didn’t use your strengths to harm anyone, but to teach other little kids how to defend themselves against bullies. You are no bully, Ross Flanders."

"You’re right, and you have been right about a lot of things all along. I have been so busy trying to look happy and successful to everyone else, I never considered what would make me feel happy and successful."

"And what would make you happy, Ross?" Ciara asked with her heart in her throat.

"You. All I want is you. You said you loved me when you saw the side of me that very few others have seen. Now I’ve shown you another side that even I didn’t want to see. Can you love the whole me?" Ross’ heart was in his eyes.

"I always have," Ciara said, her voice husky with new tears. She leaned up to kiss him and he stopped her with his hands on her face.

"Wait, I need to tell you this before I touch you, or I’ll lose my nerve. I love you Ciara. I fell in love with you from the inside out, and I never want to be without you again."

Ciara felt her heart flip over in her chest, the tears were now of joy and relief, and they fell unheeded down her face. "I love you so much, Ross, but I want all of you, every night. I don’t want just sex, I want to have dinner at home and out, I want to curl up together and watch TV, and take long walks together. I love you completely. I need you to love me back the same way."

"You had better believe I do. I want the whole picture, I want the house, kids, and the happily ever after. Ciara, will you marry me? I had planned on asking you in a more romantic setting than a broom closet, but I waited too long to tell you that I loved you, and I’m not going to risk waiting too long again."

"Yes! Yes I will marry you, and we’ll live happily ever after together. I don’t care about the setting, all I ever wanted was you."

"Thank God you said yes," Ross said, pulling her face up for a mind-blowing kiss. "If you had said no I was going to kidnap you and take you back to the cabin until you changed your mind."

Ciara could feel his arousal pressing against her stomach. Her body grew wet in response. He kissed her again, running his hands feverishly up and down her body. Ross was pulling up her dress and pulling down her stockings even as she was unzipped his fly.

"Is there time to change my answer? I wouldn’t mind another week in the cabin," Ciara said, sucking in her breath as Ross slipped inside her soaking wet channel.

The closet was so tight they could barely move Ross had to brace his feet and lean back to thrust into her, but the feeling of him filling her at last more than compensated for any lack of mobility.

"I missed you so much Ross. I never want to feel like that again."

"If it’s up to me, you never will. I’ll never leave you stranded again."

The End