A Little Persuasion Ch. 02

It had been about all she could do not to gasp. He wasn't looking at her the way he usually did, with a sort of guarded look in his eyes. There was no hesitance in his eyes now. Just pure, unadulterated desire.

"George," he'd said. She'd never heard her name sound so sexy before. Her mind had gone uncharacteristically blank as she'd stared back at him.

Why was he stepping closer to her?

Her heartbeat sped up.

Why was his face so close to hers?

Her breath caught in her throat.

Why could she feel his warm breath against her lips?

She leaned in without thinking.

And he was kissing her. She drank him in: the feel of his hands on her face, the softness of his sweater rubbing against the back of her hands, the way his tongue brushed against the roof of her mouth. His kiss was better than any of the ones she had dreamed up in her mind. Nothing she could imagine could compare with the warmth of his lips, the tickle of the stubble of his chin, the heat that spread from his tongue down to her crotch. And then he was pulling away and gazing at her, as if he were asking her something.

She stared blankly up at him, her mind still trying to process what had just happened, even as her lips itched for him to kiss her again. But a look of panic had come into his eyes just as he'd pulled his hands away from her face. He stepped away from her, his head down again.

"I'm sorry," he'd mumbled. "I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have..." He shook his head and started to walk away.

Wait. What?!

"No, Josh," she called after him. "Come back!"

He didn't. Instead he started walking faster, his shoulders hunched up against his ears and his hands in his pockets again. She was immobilized, unsure whether to run after him, but then he turned a corner, and he was gone.

She hadn't known what to do. She'd stood there dumbly, wondering what the hell had just happened until an idea struck her. She ran to the pizza place across the street. She looked around her frantically, and when she finally spotted it, she'd grabbed the phone book and had run into the phone booth. Her finger skimmed down the names, hoping against hope that he wasn't unlisted. There it was: Mullen, Josh. She dug her hand into her purse, looking for that slip of paper Gus had given her in case she'd come in one morning and Josh wasn't there. She compared the two numbers. They were the same.

She had run to his apartment that night, barreling through drunken undergrads and late joggers, slipping into his building behind an unsuspecting tenant, and sprinting up the steps to his door. She hadn't planned on seducing him. The door had just been miraculously unlocked, and when she'd walked in, taking her clothes off had been the first thing to come to her mind.

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There weren't any awkward silences between them anymore, just jokes and playfully dirty grins and steamy make out sessions during their lunch hour that had them tugging their clothes back into place and patting down their hair when it was time to go back into the store.

That night they walked to his apartment together, her arm interlocked with his and her head on his shoulder. She'd been spending more and more time at his place because it was closer to the store and unlike her, he had no roommates. She had clothes there now. He didn't mind that she hung her bras up in his shower, and she didn't mind that he liked to sleep with the window open all night.

They walked up the stone steps together, she laughing at a joke he'd just made, and she waited while he unlocked the door.

"Wait, I just need to check my mail," he said to her, and she nodded. She watched him yank out a heap of papers from his ridiculously small mailbox. One envelope was a maroon-ish color and smaller than the others. It looked oddly familiar.

"What's that?" she pointed to it.

He glanced at her, grinning broadly and shrugging. "I don't know. Why don't you open it and find out?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, taking the envelope from his hands. It had his address on it, but for some reason it was her name that was written above it. She glanced at him quizzically, then peered at the top left hand corner of the envelope. Walsh Brothers, Inc., it said.

"Oh my God."

Her hands started to shake. Walsh Brothers was a publishing company based out of the city. It was the company that had published every Peter Snugland book, which was a popular children's series about a boy who lived in suburbia and had to fight off evil forces by using what he'd learned in school that day. All the books had had the same illustrator, but he'd recently had a huge fight with the company over his salary and had refused to draw for them anymore, breaking his contract and resulting in a very public lawsuit. But Walsh Brothers still had to get the book out within the next few months, with the old illustrator or not, and every prospective illustrator in the city knew that.

"Oh my God, Josh. What did you do?" she demanded.

"Seriously, George, I don't know. You're just gonna have to open it," he replied mischievously.

She shook her head at him, frowning disapprovingly. "You're such an asshole."

But all he did was shrug and gesture to the envelope, still grinning.

She took a deep breath, turning it over in her hand, preparing herself for the inevitable. She ripped it open, slowly pulling out and unfolding the one sheet of paper.

Dear Miss Georgiana Jennings, she read, thank you for sending us a copy of your portfolio.

Her heart was thumping in her chest.

I am happy to tell you that I found your drawings to be most exemplary and delightful in their imaginativeness. The creativity and originality I see in your work is just what we at Walsh Brothers are looking for to take our publications to the next level. Please feel free to contact me at the number below. Once again, thank you for your interest in working with us. I look forward to meeting you. Sincerely, Gregory P. Guffner

She paused, not believing what she had seen, and glanced at Josh. Her eyes went back to the letter, reading over it twice before, finally, she let out a squeal of excitement.

"Aaaaaaaaaa!!!" The squeal turned into a laugh as she jumped on him in glee and flung her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his.

"When did you do this?" she cried. "Why did you do this? Where'd you get my portfolio? How did you know about Walsh Brothers?"

"Whoa, slow down. You told me about them, remember?" he said, hugging her and rocking from side to side.

"And you d-didn't have t-the ah --" she was kissing behind his ear and biting on his earlobe, "You didn't have the guts, so I did it for you."

"I didn't have the guts, huh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She bit his neck, then pulled back to inquire, "And what would you have done if I'd been rejected?"

She was kissing him again before he could answer, sucking on his tongue the way she knew would make him groan.

"I have no idea," he answered. One of the other residents passed by them on the way to get his mail, and he stared pointedly at the pair of them, sniffing a little as he passed by them.

"Maybe we should get going," he muttered against her mouth.

"Mmmhmm," was all she could manage to reply with her mouth pressed up against his.

They kissed as they stumbled up the stairs, barley getting into his apartment before he was pulling her shirt over her head. She could feel her blood pumping through her veins, hear it rushing from her heart to all her limbs, to the ends of her fingertips as they plucked at his shirt buttons. She was elated; she'd always been an independent girl, even as a child. She never relied on anyone but herself, and never expected much from others. She wasn't used to people doing anything for her, let alone something so thoughtful and sincere. The rush she got from his surprise sent her heart pounding and intensified every caress of her lips and sigh of her voice.

She kissed him long and hard, loving the way he responded to her, the way he would abandon the shyness that she always associated with him and grab her ass as if he couldn't get enough of her. The way his hands were tugging at her bra and peeling off her panties enveloped her mind in a heady mix of sensuality and strength. It amazed her that he could do this to her, that he could make her feel like she owned the world just by showing her that he wanted her.

She pulled away from his lips, kissing her way down his neck, giving in to the temptation to bite him there. She journeyed lower, skimming her teeth over his nipples and smiling when she heard his sharp intake of breath. He went still as he watched her unfastening his belt, tried to control his breathing as she slipped to her knees and slid his pants over his hips, bit down on his lip at the first lightning bolt caress of her tongue. She kissed and licked her way from the base of his cock to the angry swollen tip. Her hands were fondling his heavy sacs, teasing him, then rubbing up and down his thighs and over his quivering abs, then around to his ass, pulling him closer as she sucked the head into the wonderfully wet warmth of her mouth.

He thought he could feel his bones disintegrating as she slid more of him into her mouth, the smooth caress of her cheeks engulfing him in a sweet torment that had him thrusting his hips forward. She let his cock slide in a little deeper until she could feel the tickle of his hair against her nose, pressed her lips around him a little tighter, savoring the feel of his veiny cock, and purred her appreciation of the granite contours of his length. She felt herself getting wetter as the movement of his hips became less controlled, more erratic. She felt his hand grasp her hair and she peered up at his face to see what she was doing to him.

His eyes were heavy with lust and his lips parted as his breath stuttered in his chest. She moved her head back, letting him slide out off her mouth with a pop. She found his tight globes, pulling each one into her mouth for a good suck, and he thought he would explode with the need to come. Her mouth was working over him again, her head bobbing, her tongue probing his slit and exploring the sensitive underside, her eyes inky black with desire as they bore into his. And suddenly her lips curved into a dirty little smile around his dick and she gave him a wink that was so wicked and recklessly teasing that it was all he could do to cry out her name while he surged forward, shaking as he felt her swallow him down, his come spurting down her throat.

She was already on her feet, sashaying over to his bed and grinning from ear to ear as he slid down to the floor, crouching with his head against the door, trying to catch his breath. He watched her as she stretched out on the mattress, then pulled the sheets around her.

"Josh, won't you come and play with me?" she called out in a sing song voice.

He pushed himself up from the floor, smiling, and walked over to her. She was completely covered, peering up at him from under the sheets innocently, as if she hadn't just made him shout out her name in elation. He picked up a corner of the sheet and slowly dragged it off of her, then stood there, his eyes roaming over her body.

She was so beautiful. It wasn't just her body, either. It was the way that she was able to give herself over to him without question, the way she would spend hours perfecting one drawing, making sure it was exactly what she wanted it to be, the way she was able to be who she was without any doubt. It fascinated him, how someone could be so confident and still be so unaffected.

He was doing it again. He was looking at her the way no other boy ever had, with that serious look on his face, that look that was genuine and completely exposed to her. It made her lose all signs of her previous playfulness. She had to look away from him because that gaze held so much honesty in it that she felt as though she shouldn't see it.

"Georgiana."

How could his voice be so gorgeous? It was low and smooth and it slid over her like an enchantment and sent shivers through her.

He bent over her, reaching for her face and dipping his head to kiss her. His tongue was gentle as it swept her mouth. She twisted her head to the left, the better to skim her tongue over his smooth teeth, sucked in a shuddering breath as his lips traveled to the side of her mouth. His kisses were searing spots of heat sprinkled across her jaw line to her ear, where he pulled her lobe into his mouth, nibbling on it and sucking away his teeth marks. She welcomed his warmth and weight as he settled over her and stretched like a cat against him, delighting in the way her skin rubbed up against his. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, gripping it for a moment, pressing his head closer to her skin, and then sliding themselves through it. She breathed in, letting her lungs fill themselves up with the smell of him, with the smell of both of them, together. She let her hands roam down his back, her palms flat against his skin. She loved the sound he made when she gripped his firm butt and pushed his hips to hers and ground up against him.

He was kissing her again as his fingers teased her. They would tweak and roll her nipples just enough to make her moan into his mouth, then scuttle down her stomach and between her legs to cup her mound, the flat palm of his hand grinding against her, creating a delicious friction. His thumb would rub and nip at her clit, making her buck her hips. A finger would dip into her, give her a few tantalizing strokes and then retreat to just caress her swollen lips, making her bite into his shoulder and mewl. He was driving her crazy. She laced her arms around his, trying to bring him in closer, but he resisted, pulling himself up away from her.

"Joshua."

Her voice was a low growl. He had to smile: she only used his full name when she was really frustrated. His hands went to her thighs and pushed them open wide so he could look at her. It always surprised her whenever he did this. He was incredibly curious, for someone who was so shy. The cool air of the room hit her open pussy and she breathed in her own scent. She watched him as his grey eyes seemed to devour her. She could see the hunger in them and the luscious fire in her mounted at the thought that she could bring that out in him.

He leaned over her, relishing the way his narrow hips fit so snugly between her parted russet thighs. He looked down at her, loving the way her lids dipped down her eyes, the lazy smile playing about her lips. They parted with a quick intake of breath when his cock brushed up against her. Her hands went to his hips, gripping him, helping him as he pushed inch after delicious inch of himself in her. He stayed like that for a moment, completely buried in her, watching the emotions flit over her face as she soaked in the pleasure of being filled up by him. She never looked better than when she was enjoying herself. He pulled himself back and then pushed back in, using slow, deep thrusts that made them both grunt out their pleasure with every stroke, that seemed to pierce through her and push her closer and closer to the edge of a chasm that was enticing her with the ecstasy she knew she would find just beyond it. He shoved into her one last time, knocking the breath out of her, and she came with her arms clasped around him. He collided with her, the muscles in his body seizing up as he emptied himself into her.

They were both panting, their breath hot against each others' cheeks as they continued to hold onto one another. She closed her eyes as she regained her breath and smiled as he pressed his lips weakly to hers. She brushed his hair back as he settled against her, pulling the sheets up to cover her and resting his head just under her breasts, with his ear pressed against her ribcage. He fell asleep to the sound of her slowing heartbeat and the feel of her fingers running along his scalp.

She loved this part of fucking him as much as anything: the peace she felt afterwards, the way she actually wanted to stay with him and continue feeling his body next to hers. Usually after she came she was done, she was ready to get up and go, never letting herself want anything more regardless of whether or not the other person was willing to give it. But with Josh she wanted to stay. She would let her mind travel while her fingers played languidly in his hair, let it drift until she fell asleep and couldn't remember in the morning exactly when she'd dozed off. She knew what she felt for him and her heart would skip a beat every time she thought about it. But was she ready to feel that way? Was she ready to feel so much for someone else, ready for everything else that came with admitting she felt that way?

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George kept her eyes closed the next morning, even though she knew she was awake. Light poured into his bedroom from his open window, seeping past her eyelids. She could hear the noises of early morning drifting past her: a garbage truck rumbling down the street and stopping, then rumbling on; the faint cry of the baby two apartments down wanting a morning snack; the flutter the wings of fat city pigeons getting ready for a day of picking at food thrown out of car windows. She pressed her thighs together and sucked in a soft breath, savoring the sweetly dull aching between her legs.

She could hear his deep and steady breathing behind her and feel its warmth against the crook of her neck. One of his legs was thrown lazily over hers and one of his arms draped over her side. She had to smile at this because she loved how it felt to have him so close to her. It was a kind of simple physical satisfaction, the kind she got when she stepped out into the sun after being under fluorescent lights all day.

She rolled over as quietly and carefully as she could, turning to face him, not wanting to wake him and not wanting him to move away from her either. She studied him while he slept, soaking in all the things that made him so beautiful to her. His hair was a total mess, rumpled and matted and falling across his forehead. The sheets tangled themselves around his long limbs, bunching up low on his hips and making her want to sneak her hands under them. His pale hand now rested on her hip. His face was calm and peaceful, his chest rising and falling in time to his faint snores.

Could she tell him?

She bit down on her lip as she wondered. She'd never meant those words before. Sure, she'd said them a couple of times. But they never meant anything. She'd said them as teasing little treasures, things meant to tempt and beguile. The words had never held any weight. They had never tied themselves to her, squeezing around her heart and drumming a rhythm all across her veins every time she thought of saying them.

Was it too early? Did he feel the same? Would she scare him away?

The words had never made her question herself before. She had dropped them casually, not caring how they landed or what response she would get to them. But not now. This time she wondered if the words could even express what she wanted to say. This time the words made her feel vulnerable.

Fuck it. She was going to say them because she wanted him to hear them. She was going to say them because they were true.

"Josh?" She raised a hand to his face, pushed his untidy hair out of his eyes. "Josh?" She brought her lips closer to his when she said his name, smiling at the way he grumbled at her and wrinkled his nose in protest.

"What is it?" he mumbled.

"I want to tell you something."

He sighed, pulling himself closer to her, burying his face in the crook of her neck to block out the sunlight. "Can't this wait until I'm awake?" he muttered.

"No," she said, running her fingers down his back.