After the Fall Ch. 03

He pushed her further. "I am going to fuck your ass, kitten. Maybe not today, but I will do it."

She looked exasperated. "I'm sure you will."

Michael abandoned his theory. She hadn't even flinched.

She got off the bed. "I'm going to get dressed."

"Come back here, kitten." He caught her brief look of irritation when he called her "kitten."

"You already turned down a blow job." If he could be crude, so could she.

"On the bed, now."

She shrugged and sat back down on the bed. He reached for her and tangled his fingers in her hair to pull her mouth against his. He wasn't gentle. All morning long, she'd had him stewing in frustration, fear, worry and disappointed desire. He poured it all into the kiss. If she was too resistant to open up to him, he would find ways to get her into a more agreeable state of mind. He pulled her down and rolled her beneath him. He kissed her roughly, nipping and sucking at her lips and tongue.

When he drew back, he was pleased to see that her chest was rising and falling in subtle, shallow pants and her eyes were dilated. Seeing the signs that she was tipping into a haze of arousal, he pressed his advantage.

"What was your third condition, kitten?"

"Companionship and sexual submission to you."

He laced his fingers through hers and pushed her hands down beside her head. "Do you think sexual submission means that you can substitute the sexual favor of your choice for whatever you think I want?"

For a fraction of a second, she looked like he had slapped her, but then the expression was gone as fast as it had come, leaving nothing in its place.

So that, she thought, was the real reason behind his purported concern over her emotional state. She was careful to keep her face blank to hide her disappointment. His inadvertent revelation didn't surprise her, but it did sadden her. She wouldn't allow herself to react to it now, though. Later, when she was alone, she would process it and decide what it meant to her. For now, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

Michael was searching her face for a hint of her feelings. She blinked and her focus sharpened. The influence of arousal vanished before his eyes. He swore under his breath.

"No," she answered.

He frowned, his earlier question forgotten. "No?"

Her mouth tightened and her forehead creased. "No, I don't think sexual submission means that I can substitute the sexual favor of my choice for whatever I think you want."

"Hush, kitten."

The look she gave him was an equal mix of confusion and outrage. He kissed her again before she had a chance to voice whatever smart remark she had on the tip of her tongue. She offered neither resistance nor response. He kissed her until he forgot about making her respond, until he just got lost in the soft warmth of her mouth. When her lips started moving against his, he released her hands.

He slipped his fingers behind her neck and ran his thumb along her jawline. With his thumb beneath her jaw, he tilted her head back to kiss her throat. His teeth grazed her skin and she gasped. It dawned on him that her defenses weren't triggered by physical vulnerability. Where sex was concerned, she responded transparently and naturally to his dominance. She never failed to bare her throat when she felt his mouth on her neck. It was an unconscious reaction. He knew that If she recognized the possessive need it triggered in him, she would have guarded against it.

Exercising restraint, he nipped and kissed his way down her neck and across her collarbone. He shifted his weight to one hip and watched her face as he ran a finger from her lips to her belly button.

"What am I going to do with you?"

She started to say something, but he shushed her. When she tried to touch his chest, he laid her hand back on the bed. Not knowing what he wanted from her was making her anxious.

He caressed the side of her breast. "I have questions for you, Mariah. Eventually, you're going to have to answer them. But, if you answer one question for me about earlier this morning, you don't have to answer any others about it today." His fingers were on her nipple now, teasing it with feather-light touches, making her to struggle to concentrate.

"Why didn't you want to tell me what you were thinking about?"

"Because I was thinking about your cock." She was expecting a harder question.

He pinched her nipple and rolled it back and forth between his thumb and finger. "That didn't answer my question. I need you to tell me why you didn't want me to know you were thinking about my cock."

"I don't know. It was just a very personal thought. I didn't think about why I didn't want you to know."

He gave her nipple a firm pinch. It was an unsatisfying answer, but it rang true. She probably hadn't even considered why she didn't want him to find out. It was her reflexive reaction. Hence, the flimsy lie she instantly told when he asked. No thought had gone into that.

"Kitten, you do realize that I already know you enjoy my cock, don't you?"

She flushed and turned her head away from him. "But you didn't know I was thinking about it then. Why do you always have to know everything I'm thinking?"

His hand traveled down her body. "Because I need to know how you feel so I can take care of you."

"But I don't need you to take care of me."

His expression hardened. He turned her face towards him. He pressed a finger between the lips of her pussy and stroked up and down through her slick center. "Do you need that?"

He watched her reactions as he circled her clit. His finger was moving maddeningly slowly. She bit her lip, then released it when she saw that he noticed. He placed his fingertip directly on her clit and began rubbing it slowly. She bit her lip again without realizing it.

"I asked you a question, Mariah."

"Hmm?"

He gave her clit a stroke and her hips jerked. "Do you need that?"

She shook her head.

"Out loud."

His finger moved faster on her clit.

"I don't need it."

She gasped when his finger plunged into her. "How about that?" He pumped his finger in and out until he coaxed a moan from her. "Do you need that?"

She shook her head, then remembered to say it out loud. "I don't need it." Her voice was strained.

He pushed a second finger into her and continued stroking in and out of her pussy. Her breathing transitioned to soft pants and her head tilted back.

"No, kitten. Eyes on me."

She turned her face back toward him. Her gaze was soft and unfocused.

He rested the pad of his thumb on her clit. "Your little clit's so swollen, sweetheart." He ran his thumb across it and she gasped. "Are you sure you don't need anything from me?"

He rammed his fingers hard into her pussy and her hips arched. She whined when he returned to slow, steady strokes. He rubbed his thumb hard across her clit. "Answer me, kitten."

She blinked. "Uh, I—" She had forgotten the question. His thumb rubbed back across her clit. She shuddered and repeated her mantra. "I don't need it."

"We both know you do. We both know you're lying there needing to be fucked."

She squeezed her eyes shut. He smacked her pussy and she moaned.

"I told you to keep your eyes on me, kitten." She opened her eyes. Her expression was pained. He almost felt sorry for her. She whimpered when he pushed his fingers back into her and returned to rubbing her clit.

"Don't you think you're being silly, sweetheart? I can play with your needy little pussy all day long. I'm not going to stop until you admit what you need. I'm not going to give you a break and I'm not going to let you come. You're just going to have to lie there and take it until you can't stand it anymore. And then you're still going to have to tell me."

She tried to twist away from him, but he held her hip down with one hand and delivered a smack between her legs with the other.

"I'll be happy to tie you up if you don't want to behave."

She stilled, and he stroked up and down through her slick folds. "I could always just fuck you without letting you come, you know."

He laughed when she nodded hopefully. "That's what you really want, isn't it? You just want me to fuck you."

He knelt between her legs and spread her thighs so that she was wide open to him. There had been many nights after watching her on the video feeds when he imagined her just like this. His imagination couldn't compare with having her here in his bed whimpering because she wanted him to fuck her. He would, but not until she admitted that she needed his touch. He rubbed the head of his cock up and down through her center. Her soft whine made his cock throb.

He eased the head of his cock into her and groaned when she raised her hips for more. "There's just one big problem for you, kitten. You don't get to decide what's going to happen. I'm not going to fuck you until you come for me. And I'm not going to let you come until you admit that you need what I'm doing to you."

When she frowned, he pushed deeper into her and was rewarded with her sigh of enjoyment. "Do you like that?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm."

"Okay. You know what you have to do to get more."

He ignored her bemusement and returned to teasing her clit. If she didn't cooperate soon, her clit was going to get sore. Then he felt her tighten around his cock and realized that if she didn't cooperate soon, he was going to have a problem of his own. When she tried to rock her hips, he held her down. She grunted in frustration.

"Please?"

"I like it when you beg, but it's not going to get you what you need. Not this time. You know what you have to do."

He brought her closer to the brink. When she was squirming and begging again, he stopped.

"Tell me, kitten."

She gave in. "I need it."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to fuck me."

"I'm not going to fuck you until you come."

"But I said what I was supposed to say."

He reached up and tweaked her nipple. "No, sweetheart, you didn't. But I think maybe you're having trouble concentrating, so I'm going to help you."

He rubbed circles around her clit. "Do you need me to touch you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Good girl." He found a speed that made her inner muscles clench and her hips jerk at the end of each stroke. "Do you need to come for me, kitten?"

"Yes."

"Tell me."

"I need to come for you."

"That's my good girl."

It didn't take long. He increased the intensity of his strokes, and soon she was cresting. Her spasming muscles were still squeezing his cock when he began plowing into her. He thrust hard and deep, driving the breath from her lungs. When her eyes fluttered shut, he stopped.

"Don't try to hide from me, Mariah. Look at me when I'm fucking you."

Her forehead creased and she looked up at him with what would have been a scowl if she were capable at the moment of expressing anything other than need. As soon as he resumed his thrusts, pleasure suffused her features again. Her nails dug into his skin where her fingers were wrapped around his forearms. When he made a low, growling sound that she liked, her hands slid up to wrap around his biceps. He resisted her efforts to pull him down on top of her.

"Be still for me, baby."

The only thing he wanted was to keep sliding through her slick heat. She was looking at him with that look she had sometimes, the one that made him feel the pride swelling in his chest. Each sensation built the tension in the pit of his stomach. The tingling at the base of his cock signaled his approaching orgasm. He sank into her and surrendered to the radiating pleasure expanding through his core. As he emptied himself into her, he shuddered with the intensity of his release.

When he could move, he dropped on his back beside her. He reached for her and she rolled over to lie against his chest. She was soft and pliant, and he wanted to enjoy her this way while it lasted. For an idyllic few minutes, they basked in a contented afterglow. He stroked her back while she traced lazy patterns over his chest and side. Then he felt her tongue on his skin. He looked down at her.

"I wanted to taste your skin there, and I never get a chance. You never let me touch you."

He sighed. Apparently, Mariah had decided that the moment of peaceful contentment was over. "You're touching me right now."

She wiggled off of him and laid on her stomach. She propped herself up on her elbows and smirked. "You closed your eyes when you came."

Michael swatted her butt. "You didn't learn a damned thing, did you?"

She laughed and rolled away. "I always learn something."

"Just not what you're supposed to learn. You're exhausting."

"And messy. I'm going to go take another shower."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Michael was already dressed and waiting for her when she got out of the shower. He pulled her to him for a kiss.

"I'm going to go downstairs and get coffee started. Meet me at the breakfast bar in front of the kitchen when you're ready. After that, there are a couple of buildings left to show you."

"First, I've got to take Henry out before he wets his pants."

"That's fine. Just meet me when you get finished."

While Henry was taking care of his business, Mariah tried to figure out what Michael was up to. She was sure he was going to try to make her eat breakfast. They could have had coffee in the kitchenette upstairs. Why did he think he would have more luck at the breakfast bar? It wasn't even ten o'clock yet. Her stomach was not open for business.

As she approached the breakfast bar a few minutes later, she smelled cooking beneath the welcome aroma of the coffee. But how did he think he was going to make her eat it? She got her answer when she turned the corner. Marcus was at the island making an omelet for her.

"Good morning, Mariah! How are you today?"

Marcus' sunny disposition made her smile. She already had a soft spot for him and was unwilling to ruin his morning with her anti-breakfast agenda.

"I'm fine. It's a beautiful morning. How is your day so far?"

"It's good! Andy brought me some mushrooms he found and I'm deciding how to use them. So many possibilities!"

He dished up her omelet and placed it in front of her. "Michael said you like your omelet with cheese only, but I can make a veggie omelet some time if you'd like."

"Thank you. This looks great."

Michael slid her coffee in front of her. He must have been paying attention yesterday, because he'd added cream and sugar just like she liked it. She took a bite of the omelet first, to satisfy Marcus. The texture was fluffy and the flavor was excellent. It was a shame that she didn't want to eat it.

"That's really good. What kind of cheese did you use?"

"It's gruyere." Marcus looked pleased that she had noticed. He disappeared back into the kitchen, humming to himself.

Michael sat in silence as he finished his own omelet and coffee, probably gloating, Mariah thought uncharitably. She set down her fork and picked up her mug. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could forget about everything but the coffee for a minute. Regrettably, a minute was all it took before the coffee was gone and the omelet remained. With a sigh of resignation, she made short work of cleaning her plate. She felt bad wasting Marcus' good cooking by eating it when it wasn't wanted, but at least he would never know. When she tried to wash her dishes, he shooed her out of the kitchen.

Michael took her with him to the garage for a golf cart. She knew he expected her to say something about breakfast, so she didn't. She just hoped she could keep it down. It wasn't sitting well in her stomach. Once they left the pavement outside the entrance to the garage, the ride across the grass made things worse with all the jostling. Fortunately, the building that housed the pool was only a short distance east of the house.

Michael glanced over at Mariah when they arrived. She looked pale, and small beads of sweat had formed along her hairline. He walked around to her side of the cart and raised her chin to look at her closely.

"Do you feel okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine." She got out of the cart and started walking to the entrance. "This is an awfully big building for a pool."

"Well, there's an awfully big pool inside. It was here when my dad bought the place. It's more like a public pool than a private one."

Michael unlocked the door.

"Wow. You weren't kidding. It's like the YMCA in here."

They walked to the edge of the pool. Surely something this big had to be useful somehow. "The ceiling looks like it has panels. Do they open?"

"Actually, most of the ceiling opens up. I'll show you."

He found the control panel for the roof, but nothing happened when he turned the dials. While he fiddled with the controls, she leaned against the wall and pressed her cheek to the cool tile. Her stomach seemed to be settling.

"I'll ask the twins to take a look at this. If they can get it working, everywhere you see panels will fold back like an accordion."

He gave up trying to get the controls to work and turned back toward her. She pushed off the wall and wandered back toward the edge of the pool.

"Mariah, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking that if the twins can get the ceiling working so that we can get sunlight, it might be possible to use the pool as a water garden. We could grow watercress. Even better, we could use it to root cuttings from tomatoes, bell peppers and other plants. We would need less seeds that way. It's not like we can get seeds at a nursery anymore, and it's not easy collecting them from produce and preserving them to last the winter. If we grow some plants in the greenhouse over the winter, we could use cuttings to have new plants ready for spring planting without using up all our seeds.

"Another thing I'd like to try is having everyone save scraps from the kind of vegetables that will regrow in water. If you cut off the base of lettuce, cabbage, or celery and put it in water, new leaves will grow and you can plant it again. You can even grow carrot tops for salads or animal feed from the top of the carrot that you cut off. We would be getting something useful from what we'd otherwise throw away."

"I had no idea you could do that. How do you know about it?"

"I looked it up at the library. The library has been locked up for so long that people have forgotten about it, but almost all the books are still there. I found a way in, so I just go there whenever I want to look something up, or if I need something to read. I've seen at least two other people's footprints in the dust in the aisles. It's like a secret club where the members never meet.

"I looked for books on water gardening because my garden keeps getting flooded. So does everyone else's garden. We get floods so late in the year now that there's not enough growing season afterward."

Michael nodded. "It's an interesting idea for the pool. Let's talk to Seth and the twins and figure out what sort of modifications we would need."

He showed her the rest of the building, which consisted of a room with a smaller pool, a mechanical room, a room full of pool furniture, changing rooms, and showers. The smaller pool room had beautiful teak paneling and travertine tiles. It had its own roof with a long skylight that curved around the room's barrel ceiling. It seemed a shame to put the room to purely utilitarian purposes.

"Michael, what was this pool used for?"

"It was an 'endless pool.' The kind with a current you can swim against."

"If it was working, could you control the current?"

"Sure. The control's on a slide like a dimmer switch. What are you thinking?"

"I really love this room. If it has to be used for vegetables, so be it. But I do have an idea that's semi-useful and would save the room for being a big container garden for carrot tops."