Snow Girl

"Hi," she said shyly.

I just stood there for a moment, wanting terribly to hold her and kiss her. But I was just as desperate not to frighten her away.

Finally, I said: "Hi, yourself. Can I take your coat?"

She slipped it off and handed it to me. She had dressed with far more care than I had. She wore loose wool pants that flowed over her hips, reminding me of the slave girl outfit she'd worn in the costume warehouse. On top she wore a magenta leotard, cut low, her cleavage pale and soft in the dim light of my entryway. She looked down demurely and tilted her head as I stared at her. I was still at a loss for words, but it wasn't awkward. We both seemed held in a sort of spell.

I took a breath. "I'm glad you could come." I hung up her coat and led her back towards the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Whatever you're having looks nice."

I poured her a glass of wine while she looked around and admired my copper sauce pans and sleek small appliances.

"What are you making?"

I pointed at a simmering pot at the back of the stove that was fogging up the window behind it. "That's a butternut squash and apple bisque with a walnut gremolatta." She nodded, impressed. I smiled immodestly. "The main course is broiled salmon with a pomegranate glaze with a winter vegetable ragout and a gratin dauphinoise of fingerling potatoes."

"That sounds lovely. Can I help with anything?"

My kitchen is narrow, and when two people work there at the same time they tend to bump into each other. So having Shannon help was exactly what I wanted.

"Can you separate the pomegranate seeds for me?"

I handed her a piece of fruit and our fingers touched. The sensation was electric. She looked up at me and I saw that frightened look flicker in her eyes. Her hand shook a little as she took the pomegranate.

"I had no idea that you lived here," she said. "I walk right by this building on my way to work most mornings."

I smiled. "I know. I've noticed you going by."

She said nothing. I watched her tear the pomegranate apart and start to pull out the seeds. Their deep translucent red contrasted startlingly with her pale hands. She picked up a seed between her fingers and held it up to the light. It shone like a jewel.

"Some mornings I wait by the window," I said, "hoping that I'll see you. I was late to work a couple of times when you didn't come by."

She didn't react to that. She just put the pomegranate seed between her front teeth and crushed it gently. The juice ran along her lips. We looked at each other. I was suddenly conscious of how close we were, only a few inches apart. I leaned nearer still and kissed her, tasting her lips and the tang of the pomegranate juice. She threw her arms around my neck and suddenly we were joined, and I was lost again in the scent of her skin and the gentle pressure of her lips and her breasts. My tongue found hers, and it was as if no time at all had passed since that afternoon in the warehouse.

After a long time I let go and stepped back. Her eyes were wide and her breath came in hard gasps.

"Look," are you sure?" I asked. "I remember what you said at the restaurant. About wanting someone safe." I was flattering myself. But I knew I was right.

Her eyes were transparent, hiding nothing. Her face glowed, became even more beautiful. I took her hand and held it chastely. I remembered to turn the stove off before leading her back to the bedroom, but only just.

* * *

My arm went around Shannon's waist as we walked side-by-side. I loved the feeling of her bumping gently against me with every step. After a moment she laid her head against my shoulder.

We walked down a short hallway, hung narcissistically with some of my architectural drawings, until we reached the door to my bedroom. I hadn't picked up in there, and there were some papers lying on the bed along with a pair of gym socks. Fortunately, Shannon was only looking at me. We stopped just inside the door. I had no thoughts on how to handle the awkwardness of the next moment, but she just smiled shyly and began to unbutton my shirt. Her fingers pressed lightly against me as each button fell open. The intimacy of the act left me breathless. When my shirt was open all the way she pushed it off my shoulders and laid her palms on my chest and ran her fingertips along the skin, playing with my curling hair. She kissed my neck where it met my collarbone then leaned further down and teased one of my nipples with the tip of her tongue.

After a minute she stepped back and looked into my eyes. She shrugged one strap off her shoulder, then the other and she pulled the leotard down to her waist. Her breasts, alive with youthful tension, rose and fell with her breathing. Her dark nipples were already stiff, the aureoles puckered. She let me admire her for a moment, then she untied the drawstring that held her pants and pushed them down over her hips. She wriggled the leotard down the rest of the way and stepped out of it. She was only wearing a pair of silky white high-cut panties and short black boots. I started to move towards her, but she put her hand lightly on my bare chest, holding me back. I could only stare at her, my loins aching, my legs starting to shake.

She giggled at my discomfiture, then stepped forward and unbuckled my belt. I started to unzip my pants, only to get the zipper predictably but infuriatingly stuck. I finally got it open and let my pants fall around my feet. I hadn't taken my shoes off, I realized. I pulled them back up and started the process over, feeling like a complete idiot. Shannon pretended not to notice, but she had to put her hand over her mouth to avoid laughing. She concentrated on unbuckling her boots. Bending over gracefully, dressed only in her wisp of clothing, she reminded me of one of Degas's dancers. I stopped, partway through kicking off one shoe, completely entranced.

Finally freeing myself of my pants, I skinned off my boxers as well and, flushed and panting slightly, stood opposite her, completely naked. She took me in for a moment. I found myself holding my breath, uncertain, before she finally smiled and tilted her head.

I wanted, very much, to hold her again, but not like this. There was a right way, I thought. I bent down, put one arm behind her knees and lifted her off the ground. I was suddenly grateful for all those afternoons spent in the gym (and also for the fact that my bed was only a few feet away). I laid her down as gallantly as I could manage, avoiding the socks, and stood back to look at her. One of her knees was raised and her hair lay in fetching disarray around her head. My nightstand light edged her profile with silver.

She turned her head towards me, staring dreamily into my eyes. I lay down alongside her and traced the line of her neck and her shoulder with one fingertip. Her pale, finely-knit skin shivered at my touch. I let my finger drift across her chest and up the delicious swell of one breast. The tip of the nipple offered just the slightest resistance to my fingers. She sighed softly as I traversed it.

My hand roved on, bumping over her ribcage and onto her stomach, dipping into the soft well of her bellybutton. She giggled. I'd found a ticklish spot! Later, I thought; I had other plans for now. I slid my fingers under the waistband of her panties until I could grab the narrow part along her hip. I took the far side with my other hand and began to pull downward. Shannon lifted her hips and the thin fabric slid weightlessly down and off. Where the front of the panties had been I saw a neat triangle of dark hair arrowing down to prominent, puffy outer lips glowing with a light sheen of moisture.

I stopped, holding my breath, unable to move.

Shannon came to my aid. She rolled onto one side, facing me. She snuggled up against me until our bodies touched along their full lengths. My hand began, gradually, to move again, sliding over her hip, along the outside of her thigh, then behind her to stroke her butt. Her nipples were burning points pressing into my chest; the tip of my cock nestled in her soft pubic hair.

I'm not certain when my lips found hers again; I only know that suddenly she was kissing me deeply, meeting my tongue with hers. She wrapped one leg around behind me and pulled us together more tightly. My cock had grown harder than I could ever remember it being. Fluid seeped out of its tip and onto her belly turning the space between us moist and slippery. I was conscious only of the softness of her lips and the closeness of her body.

Then, abruptly she untangled herself and, with a giggle, pushed me onto my back. The loss of contact with her made me almost desperate. I reached for her and tried to pull her back, but she touched my chest to calm me and swung one leg across my legs until she was straddling my thighs. The pressure of her bare butt on the tops of my thighs made my thoughts evaporate. I was only dimly aware of what happened next. She leaned over until she could kiss my nipples and tickle my chest hair with her tongue. Her breasts pressed lightly into my belly. She kissed my stomach, swirled her tongue inside my bellybutton, then scooted back between my legs until her cheek brushed against my cock. I inhaled sharply. I could see her breasts hanging down heavily from her chest, swaying as she leaned forward. She took the shaft in one hand and stroked it experimentally. Her expression was serious, focused, and I could only wait, unable to control my trembling. Her tongue darted out tentatively and brushed across the tip of my cock. She looked up at me, her eyes huge and questioning.

I nodded mutely, pleadingly.

Her head dipped back down and her tongue swirled, licking up the pre-cum smeared at the opening. I gasped and felt sparks racing up from my groin. She moved her head to one side and ran her tongue down the full length of my cock, tickling the spot where it met the wrinkled skin of my balls. I twisted on the bed as if I'd been shocked. I'd never known that spot was so sensitive. And then her head moved down further until her mouth surrounded me. I jerked my hips upwards and my cock slid against the back of her throat. She made a muffled sound and pulled back, surprised. I groaned in disappointment as I slipped from between her lips.

We look at each other for a moment. Her eyes had a wildness in them now. Her mouth moved over me again her throat closed around me, her muscles fluttering along the length of the shaft. I felt her swallow and an overpowering pressure began to build in my loins. Her head began to bob, her lips sliding slickly along the shaft, her tongue tickling the underside. I gripped the bed covers, my hips moving on their own, straining upward, and I could feel the hot liquid rising from my balls and I tried to warn her that I couldn't hold it any longer, but I could only groan incoherently. And then her lips were squeezing me harder and moving in a wet, accelerating rhythm and the cum poured into her throat, one huge spurt after another until my whole body seemed to be contracting and emptying itself into her mouth.

Finally, she released me and I sank back down onto the bed. After a long time, my breathing slowed and I stopped trembling. The light in the room had narrowed, faded, but Shannon's face still floated in front of me, my only point of clarity.

I blinked, forcing my eyes to focus.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to ..."

She put a finger to my lips. "Shhh," she whispered. "My turn."

She smiled at me and then closed her eyes and stretched, arms extended above her head, her upturned breasts pulled taut on her chest. She raised one knee, opening herself to me completely. My balls still ached, but I knew that it would be a while before they'd be useful. I was grateful, in a way. I wanted to be able to explore her unhurriedly, to savor every inch of her. A few minutes ago I'd felt almost frantic to hold her and touch her, uncertain of how long my luck would last. But for now at least, I knew she was completely mine.

I started by kissing one breast. I was still shaking a little, but the touch of her skin calmed me. I leaned closer until I could suck her breast gently into my mouth. I ran the tip of my tongue in a circle around the aureole, around and around, until I felt the nipple turn rock-hard inside my mouth. My hand moved downward, caressing her hip and her inner thigh. She drew in her breath sharply when my fingers found the smooth folds of her pussy lips. Moisture seeped from the dark cleft between them, and I smeared a little along one lip, then the other. I kissed her lightly, moving down to her belly until I felt it quiver.

Her breathing began to come in high-pitched gasps as my lips dipped between her legs. I raised my head for a moment so that I could look at her. Her creamy skin shone with a faint sheen of perspiration. Her breasts rose and fell with her labored breathing and her scent drifted upward, heavy with excitement. I wanted to look at all of her at once: The smooth skin around her pussy and its delicate folds -- several shades darker pink than the rosy hue of her thighs and her belly -- the soft curls of dark hair; the feminine swell of her pubic mound. More moisture had dripped along the skin of her inner thigh, and I bent down to lap it up, drawing my tongue along the silky flesh, taking a moment to appreciate her taste.

I knelt between her legs, my hands on her thighs, my fingers holding her pussy lips apart so that I could explore her moist recesses. I swept my tongue upward along her pussy, moving slowly so that I could follow every fold of her inner lips. She lifted her hips, pressing herself against my mouth, and I reached under her to hold her bottom and dug my fingers into her skin. My tongue probed her opening, coaxing the walls apart, then moving upward, feeling around the soft skin of her hood, teasing it away from the firmer flesh of her clit. Somewhere far away I could hear her indrawn breaths coming faster and her feel hips thrashing underneath me. And then I found it, the hard little knob of flesh, white heat against my tongue. I squeezed it between my lips, kneaded it, tickled it. She dug her fingers into my hair and her voice rose in pitch. I held her hard against my open mouth, tasting all of her pussy, licking her clit over and over, swirling my tongue around it, drinking in her moisture and her excitement. She arched her back and lifted her hips for a moment as a scream built in her throat, all her muscles quivering. She held herself against my mouth and I tasted a sudden flood of her cum. Then, just as quickly, she collapsed back onto the bed and turned onto her side.

I tried to touch her, but she pushed my hands away.

"No," she almost sobbed. "... just give me a second."

I sat up and looked at her, a little concerned. She was hugging herself, her legs drawn up to her chest. Her hair was fanned out under her head. She looked vulnerable and exhausted and utterly irresistible. I tucked myself in behind her, my hardening cock pressing gently into the space between her buttocks. She shivered at the contact, but gradually relaxed until her breathing calmed.

Finally, she reached back and ticked my thigh.

"Would it be okay if we had dinner now?" she asked. "I'm really hungry."

* * *

We ate just after midnight. She asked for a shirt to wear and I gave her one of my button-down oxfords. It reached barely below her hips. She only fastened a few of the buttons, showing off the soft swells of her cleavage with every shrug of her shoulders. I put on a pair of boxers.

"You've done this before," I said, watching her zest the lemons for the crème anglaise.

She just smiled. "We southern girls all get basic training."

We sipped butternut squash soup and Shannon complimented me on the walnut gremolata I used for garnish. We smiled at each other, and it seemed to me that the spoon disappearing between her full lips was unbearably erotic.

We cleaned up afterwards and I gave her the job of loading the dishwasher so that I could surreptitiously watch what happened when she bent over and the shirt tail rode up over her butt. Eventually she caught me staring and she held my eyes as she stood up. Still looking straight at me, she undid each of the buttons on her shirt. It fell open, exposing her breasts and her smooth belly down to the dark place between her legs. The look in her eyes was exactly the one I remembered from that afternoon in the costume warehouse when she'd worn nothing but the gauzy slave-girl trousers. But we weren't in a drafty warehouse this time; no owl-eyed receptionist was going to interrupt us.

I stepped back into the dining room and pulled one of the chairs away from the table. I sat down and lifted my hips and slid my boxers down and off. I took her hand and drew her towards me, pulling her onto my lap. She settled across my thighs, her pussy nuzzling up against my suddenly erect cock. She put her hands on my shoulders and leaned towards me until our foreheads touched. I held her warm hips and we sat that way for a minute, the tips of her nipples brushing my chest, the sounds of our breathing mixing with the late-night traffic that rumbled below my window.

Shannon lifted herself off my thighs and reached down with one hand to take hold of my cock. I inhaled sharply as she guided it towards her pussy. I felt her moisture in the space between us, the steady pull drawing me in, then a small gasp as she dropped another inch and our thighs met. She rocked her hips forward, her pussy squeezing me, and she took my face between her hands and leaned towards me until her lips crushed mine. Our bellies and our noses rubbed together and her soft breasts flattened against my chest.

I put my hand behind her butt and pulled her against me hard. She began to rock her hips forward and back, her pussy releasing me for a moment and sliding back to expose my shaft until only the tip was still inside her. Wetness dripped onto my balls and thighs and I felt her shiver. She sat upright and arched her back. I took the opportunity to push the shirt off of her shoulders. We sat still for a moment, both of us breathing hard. Then she closed her eyes and began to lift her hips and drive them back down against mine. We both made hard, breathless gasps as our bodies met. I put my hands on her breasts, feeling the hard nubs of her nipples against my palms. A warmth rose in my loins and my hips began to lift up off the chair to meet hers.

I groaned deep in my chest and held Shannon motionless against me as my balls erupted deep inside her. I'd thought that I must be out of fluid by now, but I just kept coming convulsively as her belly quivered and her pussy pulsated around me until I lost my breath.

As my spasms began to subside she sighed and settled down onto my lap. She kissed me soothingly on the nose while she messed up my hair and our heartbeats slowed and the flush that colored the skin of her neck and her chest faded.

"Back to bed?" I asked, once I was able to speak again..

She nodded and stood up. We walked to the bedroom, naked and unsteady. She put her arm around me and held on, laying her head against my shoulder. I wrapped one arm around her and kissed her forehead. I felt warm tears fall onto my neck as I stroked the bare skin of her arm and traced the edges of her shoulder blades.

I rearranged the jumbled bedcovers and pulled her down beside me. She curled up, facing me as I lay on my back, one thigh drawn up and thrown over my legs, her cheek on my shoulder. She was asleep a moment later, but I lay awake, stroking her hair and listening to her breathing.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of the shower running. I looked at the clock. 8:30 AM. I had a staff meeting in half an hour. I wondered sleepily if Shannon would welcome my company in the shower. Then I was suddenly awake, my thinking clear and apprehensive. I had to wonder: Now that she'd had a night to think things over, would she welcome my company at all?