The Piano

"Are you okay Miss?" he said, his brows creasing together.

She nodded and blushed heavily.

"Yes, I'm fine." She said weakly.

"Well what's all the groaning about then?" he said in exasperation.

Rachel blushed even more and swallowed again.

"Sorry," she said hesitantly, "I uh... I had a cramp in my leg."

The driver shook his head nastily and stared at her hard.

"Well try to keep it down would you." He grunted. "You scared me half to death!"

She blushed again and forced herself to stare at the floor, ignoring the gawking looks she was getting from some of the other passengers. Abruptly, she stood up and went to the door.

"Can you let me off here please?" she said to the driver.

"It's against the rules!" he grumbled. "I could get in trouble for letting you off between stops!"

"It's my leg," she said, reaching down to massage a phantom pain. "It's cramping up again. I might start groaning again if it hurts too much. I just want to walk it off."

He grimaced and grumbled but opened the door. She stepped off the bus and then did her best to disappear from the view of any of the passengers by stepping behind the corner of a convenience store. She looked back toward the bus by leaning slightly around the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

She put her back to the wall and looked up and down the street. She saw a park a little ways off and started walking.

Once there she sat on the closest bench and stared into the distance. Her face was still burning from embarrassment but at least there was no one staring at her anymore. She sighed and began pulling at the neck of her tank-top to fan herself when she realized that her nipples were hard as a rock and each time her light top touched them they tingled with desire.

She stared at the ground and tried to make the feeling go away, but it had been months since her last night of intimacy. Even then, like most of her sexual encounters, they were with men who she had admired for their intelligence or their artistic prowess. They had not been men of passion and their sexual technique had been... less than hoped for.

Brian, although seemingly intelligent, had exuded an air of passion and a hint of something wild under his calm exterior. While older than her, he had been good looking as the boy-next-door type; or older-man-next-door type she decided.

She closed her eyes once more and saw herself lying on her back again; this time she was naked. Brian was kneeling between her upraised thighs, his face bent close to her pussy. He was fully clothed and the feelings of being overpowered, of being under his spell swept through her like a tidal wave. She was tingling all over now and she felt a surge of desire radiate outward from her pussy. In her mind's eye she saw him touch her tenderly with his tongue, gently flicking at her clitoris. She shuddered and her hand went to her mound, pressing against the outside of her skirt. She looked around to see that she was alone but she was in the middle of the park, in full view of the street and a number of houses close by.

She got up and found a bench in a stand of trees, the air still hot and humid but slightly less oppressive. She sat down on the bench and sighed as she realized just how horny she was. Her nipples were puckered and hard and her panties were wet, partially from the heat of the day, but mostly because of the wetness seeping from her pulsating vagina.

With a last look around to ensure no one could see, she pushed her hand down the front of her skirt and into her panties. Sighing softly, she began to rub her finger across her hooded clitoris. She closed her eyes and moaned and then her clitoris was peeking out from beneath its protective cover. She sighed again and then put her other hand up the inside of her skirt, pushing the peasant dress up and to the side. She reached into the leg hole of her underwear and slid her finger along her pussy lips. She moaned once more and looked around to see she was still alone.

She stood up just long enough to slide her panties off and then dropped them into her handbag. She then went behind the bench and crouched down with her legs bent and her knees as far apart as she could push them. She reached underneath her with both hands and began touching herself. She placed one finger at her opening and pushed it in, sighing softly as it penetrated her. She held her lips open with the other fingers and started sliding the one digit in and out slowly. With her other hand she was pushing back the hood over her clitoris and rubbing at it softly. She continued to watch over the back of the bench, on the look out for intruders coming her way, as she swayed and ground against her hand.

Never a screamer during sex, she made quiet little moaning sounds, humming her desire softly as her fingers continued to manipulate her vagina. Rolling her clitoris between the fingers of one hand, she pushed three of her fingers held tightly together as deeply inside her as they would go. She clenched her eyes shut as she felt the orgasm building and then her legs began to tremble. With a final gasp, the thrill traveled from her pussy to her nipples and then seemed to lodge behind her eyes as she climaxed.

Breathing heavily from her orgasm she stood and then sat on the bench once more. Her chest was heaving and her fingers were coated with her juices. She realized with a shock that while she masturbated, she had thought of Brian the whole time. The images had varied; sometimes he was naked, sometimes he had been clothed. The one constant picture in her mind was the piano. They had made love beside it, with her draped over top of it and sometimes she had played it while he fucked her, but it was always there. Although she had only seen him the once, there was a certainty in her mind that he could satisfy her in ways that none of her previous lovers ever had.

She shook her head sadly in the realization that she was now becoming enamored of a man she had only just met. With a heavy sigh she began to gather her things up and pulled her phone out of her purse. She dialed Brian's number and he answered after two rings.

"Hello?" he said.

"Two fifty!" Rachel said breathlessly.

"What?" he said in confusion.

"You said three hundred," she said. "I'll give you two fifty."

There was a pause and Rachel waited tensely.

"The piano!" She said with more confidence. "I'll give you two fifty!"

"Rachel?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes it's me," she said in a quieter voice.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm at the subway station." She lied. Her voice, so assertive and confident when she'd first called, was beginning to sound a little meeker. "I'm... I didn't know what to say when I was there. You... I was surprised at what you said and I... I guess I was a little scared too."

"Well I could tell you were uncomfortable," he said. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you like that. I was just trying to..."

"I know," she said quietly. "I... I over reacted a little bit. I thought... well I was afraid you..."

"You thought I might hurt you?" he said.

"Yes." She said almost in a whisper.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I should have known better. I didn't mean to scare you. Just forget I mentioned it."

"What?" she asked in alarm.

"Just forget it." he said again. "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

"But," she said quickly, "I... I mean, well, we could, I just want to, you know, negotiate."

"Negotiate?" he asked. "You mean you're considering it?"

"Yes," she said a little too loudly. "We could do it, but we'll make it two fifty, not three hundred."

There was another pause and she bit her lip as she waited.

"Okay," he said after a long time. "But there's a condition."

"What kind of condition?" Rachel asked nervously.

"It won't be quick and dirty," he said, "we'll take our time."

"What does that mean?" she asked as her nipples hardened and her pussy began to throb once more.

"I mean," He said, "it won't just be sex for the sake of sex. It'll be slower and more... intimate; like we're making love, like we mean it."

Rachel paused and her breathing became a little heavier.

"What do you mean," she said, "like we mean it?"

Why don't I come and meet you," Brian said, "We'll have coffee somewhere and discuss it. It'll be easier to talk in person."

"I'll come there," she said quickly, the butterflies in her stomach threatening to choke her. "I'll be there soon."

She hung up and swallowed hard. She was having some trouble breathing properly and she was afraid once more that she was going to hyperventilate. She forced herself to relax and closed her eyes as she pictured herself playing the piano.

This time she pictured herself playing from Brian's lap. She felt a tingle rush through her as she imagined his hands inside her top gently caressing her breasts; she started breathing heavily as she thought about it and her pussy glowed in response. She stood up and sighed again.

"Mister," she said quietly, "you'd better be good! I'm going crazy just thinking about all this! I'd hate to be disappointed after all this build-up."

She walked to the bus stop and groaned quietly as she saw it was the same driver who had dropped her off at the park. He stopped and gave her a sour look as she stepped up to show him her pass.

"Try to keep the noise down this time okay?" he grumbled.

Rachel smiled awkwardly and sat at the seat right behind him. He glowered at her as she passed and then pulled out into traffic. Rachel watched him for a short time and then her attention drifted to the other riders. It was a typical hot day on the city transit system. With no air conditioning, the heat on the bus was stifling. People were dressed for the heat with short sleeves and light clothing, but the humidity made everyone uncomfortable.

She grabbed the open neck of her top and fanned at herself, looking down at the valley between her breasts and at her nipples. As she looked at them they hardened slightly as she pictured Brian with his lips wrapped around one of them, his hand caressing the other. She looked up again and noticed a woman a few seats away who had been watching her as she opened her top. The woman frowned as she looked at her then shook her head and turned to look out the window. Rachel blushed and settled back in her chair with her eyes fixed on the floor.

As her stop approached she rang the bell and stood up. The driver stopped and opened the door. She stepped off the bus and stood still as it pulled away. Then she was staring at Brian's apartment building right across the street. She swallowed hard again and the butterflies in her stomach were reaching into her throat.

'Can I really do this?' she thought. 'Can I really make love to a man I've just met for the first time less than an hour ago?'

She gulped nervously and looked up the street to see another bus heading this way toward the subway station. She could get on that bus and get away from this whole situation; it was that easy.

She tried to think about the piano and then realized with a start that this wasn't about a piano anymore; this was about sex. More to the point, this was about sex with Brian, the man she'd met for the first time less than an hour ago. She tried to think negative thoughts about him; something that would convince her to leave.

She conjured up the idea that he was a pig for bringing up the idea of exchanging sex for a discount on the piano in the first place.

'He was a pig for saying that!' she told herself sternly. 'He should be ashamed of himself for saying that kind of thing to a decent girl!'

She wondered then whether decent girls masturbated in parks as they fantasized about getting fucked from behind over a piano. She blushed and sat at the bench provided for the bus stop.

She then brought up the idea that he was so damned smug; suggesting that sex for barter was no big deal. Her eyes narrowed to slits and she gritted her teeth.

'I'll bet he thinks girls just fall all over him whenever he opens his mouth!' she thought.

She thought then about his mouth with those marvelously soft lips as they kissed all the way down from her collar bone to her tummy. A shiver passed over her then and she put her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She stared at the ground as her conflicting emotions ran roughshod over her, and then she heard her name.

"Rachel?"

She looked up and saw Brian walking across the street toward her.

"Rachel!" he said with a smile. "I thought that was you. I was just on my way to the store to get a soda. What are you doing sitting here?"

She looked up at him and the fear was back. Her eyes were big as saucers and her breath was caught in her throat.

Brian nodded knowingly and smiled again.

"You changed your mind again huh?" he said. "I understand. It's a big thing and I get it, really I do."

She looked up at him, still unable to speak.

"I just don't want you to think badly of me you know." He said, sitting on the bench but leaving a couple of feet of empty space between them. "I know we don't know each other, but I'd hate to think there was someone out there who thought I was some kind of pig."

She looked up at him as he said those words and he was wearing a friendly smile. She didn't trust herself to speak but she gave him a shy smile in return.

"Let me take you out to dinner." He said. "It's the least I can do for getting you so upset."

Rachel gaped in surprise and then he was holding out his hand to her.

"Come on," he said, "we'll go to a nice restaurant with proper air conditioning. Do you like steak?"

Unable to resist, Rachel let him take her hand and then he was leading her across the street. He went to his car and held the door open for her then went around to the other side to get in.

"I know it's hot now," he said wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, "but the AC will kick in shortly."

He took her to a steak house about fifteen minutes away. He made small talk most of the time, talking about the weather, his music and many other things. Rachel was grateful he never once mentioned the piano he was selling or what she may or may not have agreed to.

They had wine with dinner and Rachel finally started to open up. She even laughed out loud at some of his jokes. At one point she found herself gazing into his eyes as he described a weekend in Algonquin with his friends. He said he didn't have many friends in the city, that most of them were in his hometown far away and she smiled sympathetically.

Long after they had finished their dinner, and after Rachel's third glass of wine, he pulled out his wallet to pay for dinner. He led her to the car and held the door for her once more, taking her by the elbow to help her settle in. She felt a thrill as he touched her and she turned toward him. She locked her gaze on to his and then she leaned forward and kissed him softly.

"You gave me quite the fright you know." She said into his ear as she hugged him. "I thought you were some kind of... some kind of..."

"Masher?" he said with a chuckle.

"Yes!" she agreed as she kissed him once more, allowing her tongue to dance over his lips seductively. "You were a masher!"

He returned her kiss and then held her at arm's length.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he said, cocking his head to one side.

She giggled and pulled him close again.

"Not in the least!" she said as she nuzzled his neck with her chin.

"Maybe I'd better take you home." He said as he sat her down in the car. He reached across to pull her seatbelt into place and then studied her face. "We can make a decision on the piano another day; when you haven't had any wine."

He got into the car and started it up.

"Let's go to your place." Rachel said as seductively as she knew how. "I've got a piano to earn!"

Brian chuckled and nodded.

"I'll make coffee when we get there." He said. "Then we can talk for awhile until you can make a decision without the wine affecting your judgment."

She giggled and sat back in the car seat, her head lolling toward him as she looked at him slyly.

"You should probably do me as soon as we get in the door!" she said with a laugh. "If you haven't noticed it yet, I'm a real prude, and I don't get laid that much."

Brian laughed and just kept driving.

"In fact," she said, reaching out to Brian's leg and gliding her finger tip up and down the length of his thigh, "the last time I got laid was over six months ago; and he finished before my nipples even got hard! It's a good thing he used some of that lubricating jelly, because I certainly wasn't lubed up!"

Brian grinned and glanced sideways at her. She was looking at him expectantly as if she were waiting for him to say something. He returned his attention to the road and kept driving.

"You wouldn't do that to me would you?" she said in a small voice. "You wouldn't leave a girl hanging like that would you? You'd be man enough to make me feel good before you finished wouldn't you?"

Brian shook his head and then they were stopped.

"Come on," he said, "let's get some coffee."

He ushered her into the building, holding the door for her as they walked through. He led her to his apartment and then left her in the living room as he went to the kitchen.

By the time Brian finished making coffee, Rachel was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed and her eyes darting from one side of the room to the other. She had her arms folded across her chest and there was an apprehensive look on her face.

He put the coffee in front of her and sat beside her on the couch with several inches of space between them. He sipped at his coffee and then smiled at her.

"We don't have to do this you know," he said.

Rachel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking him in the eye the whole time.

"I know," she said. "I could walk away right now and this whole thing could be just a memory."

She frowned and looked away for a moment and then met his eyes once more.

"I was pretty silly on the trip here wasn't I?" she said with a blush.

Brian pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

"Maybe a little bit," he said with a grin, "but I didn't mind. I thought it showed a lot of trust."

Rachel snorted and looked at the floor.

"You mean it showed how much wine I drank at dinner." She said.

Brian shrugged and touched her shoulder with his fingertip.

"I'll answer your question for you if you want." He said.

"What question?" she asked.

"No," he said quietly, "I wouldn't leave you hanging."

He leaned in to her and touched her lips gently with his. She looked him in the eye as he kissed her and he returned her gaze. His kiss was soft; not a probing soulful kiss but one that told her in simple terms, I'm here if you want me.

He leaned back and smiled once more then reached for his coffee.

"I'm going to have to be careful," he said. "If I drink too much of this stuff, I'll be up all night."

'I hope you are up all night!' the thought screamed through her mind as he looked at her.

Outwardly, she remained calm. Only a tiny flicker in her eyes betrayed her inner thoughts and she masked that by looking down at the space on the couch between them.

"You do realize that I'd never be here right now," she said nervously, "if it hadn't been for the wine, don't you?"

Brian shrugged and frowned a bit.

"Yeah I guess." He said, "But then, I don't think you would've drunk that wine if you didn't want to be here right now."

Rachel frowned too and looked down once more. She looked up then and this time her eyes were intent and her expression cool and resolute.

"Okay," she said. "Let's do this!"

Brian grinned in surprise and studied her for a moment.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said with finality, "I'm positive. I'd like to take a shower first though. I've been wearing these clothes all day and with this heat, I'm sure I stink!"