Breaking Up and Making Up

Author's note: The story of Laura's and Tommy's relationship thus far is covered in

"Laura's Fire", published in the romance section

"Being Free Together", published in Lesbian Sex category

"Love Thy Neighbor", published in Exhibitionist and Voyeurism category

This is an independent sequel but reading at least "Laura's Fire" first might be a good idea.

All comments and ratings are greatly appreciated.

-#-#-#-#-#-

They bought a small house at the outskirts of Chicago. Tommy set upon renovating it like he always did. Laura worked on her writing like she always did. This was the way of their nomadic existence, they moved around depending on where they found the next project to spark Tommy's interest. Chicago was a good place to be, because it was the location of Laura's publishing company, and she was able to meet her publisher and editor in person for the first time.

Her editor was called Mark. He was in his thirties and extremely interested in her writing. He was thrilled to meet Laura, and kept suggesting she should give out interviews and host autograph sessions in bookstores to elevate her public status. He was adamant her work should become better known to a wider audience.

"But Mark, it's porn, it's hardly going to be mainstream entertainment even if I participated in every talk show in existence," she argued.

"Well yes, but 'Lighter Times' could easily be cropped to a format suitable for book clubs," he said, referencing her latest book.

"He's right, you know," said Helen. She was her publishing agent, fifty six years of equal parts literary excellence and ruthless businessman. The three of them were having lunch at a downtown restaurant.

"Book clubs? Like something marketed to bored housewives?" Laura asked. She was amused now. "I don't know, I thought if you took the smut out there's not much point to my stories."

"I disagree," said Mark. "And maybe the raunchiest housewives would buy the real deal after familiarizing themselves with your prose."

"Yeah? Well work out a proposal, I'll think about it," Laura said. "It's not that I'm against the idea, I just didn't think there'd be potential there."

"Oh, we will," said Helen. "Here's to book clubs and bored housewives!"

They cheered with their wine glasses.

Laura discussed the idea with Tommy that evening. He was tired, it had been a tough day at the house, and he absentmindedly said it sounded good.

Laura sighed. They had been together for six years now and she thought their routine of having no routines was indeed turning into a routine. They'd buy a house and then there'd be these same stages in the renovations he did. She knew almost down to an hour when he would be tired, when he would have to wait for something or other, and when he would need her to help him with something. It wasn't boring per se, but it wasn't as adventurous and exciting and unpredictable as it had felt with the first few houses they had done.

Their relationship had stabilized as well. In the beginning it had been exhilarating to have someone to share her life with, and what was an essential part of it, her sex life. It had been terrifying as well, but mostly exhilarating.

She was interested in sex, but for the most part of her life it has been almost a theoretical endeavor. She had a birthmark covering part of her left cheek and her ear, and in the small town she was from it had ensured a lonely adolescence of being teased and shunned. In university she had dated some, but she could well say her sex life hadn't really started before she met Tommy.

Both of them harbored a love for erotic literature and it provided a great source of inspiration for things to try out. They had found out they didn't want to actually do a great many things that aroused them when reading about it, but there was a certain fulfillment in the process of trying. It was emotionally very satisfying to have someone who was interested in the same things, who was ready to work to fulfill your fantasies, who had the same open attitude towards most things and who you could trust with your desires.

Well, now the testing was largely done. They had gone over a vast array of kinks and inclinations, fantasies and sex toys, and had pruned it down to a set they were both satisfied with. Their lovemaking was still very satisfying, but lately things had started to show signs of winding down in that department as well. They loved each other, Laura had no doubt about that, and maybe it was just time to move on to something that wasn't quite as promiscuous and virile as before. She was forty one now and he was forty eight and she supposed this would have had to happen sooner or later anyway.

"You need help with the scaffolding?" she asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow, if you would," Tommy said. "Thanks."

Laura smiled and finished her soup. Tommy was a decent cook and once again dinner had been excellent.

—#—#—#—#—#—

Autumn turned to winter. Laura met with her publishing personnel regularly now that she was staying in the same city, and they lured her into hosting a few autograph sessions and even one meet and greet with readers. Tommy accompanied her to the first events and she was grateful for his support. She found out it wasn't as terrifying as she'd feared. Her readers seemed to be a pleasant crowd, hardly any of them were creeps and some even provided well thought of ideas and suggestions that actually inspired her.

She was working on her next book. It was well underway but still a long way from completion. She met with Mark regularly and they went through the script together. It was gratifying, he raised good points, and getting to work with him now instead of over a finished script was inspiring.

Mark started flirting with him, or maybe he had been for a while before it became so blatant she picked up on it. She wasn't accustomed to this kind of attention, but it did feel nice. She returned the flirting, or thought she did.

For some reason she didn't talk it over with Tommy. They weren't strictly monogamous, they'd had different setups in the past, some shared group experiences and some that hadn't included each other. They had always talked it over in detail, before and after. Now Laura didn't feel like sharing, and there wasn't anything to share, was there? Tommy was absent minded, he had some difficulties realizing his vision for one of the rooms, and they didn't talk much of anything before going to sleep in the evenings.

Once Mark came by the house and Laura introduced him to Tommy. She noticed for the first time that the two of them resembled each other, Mark could've been a younger version of Tommy. They were both tall and had dark hair and brown eyes. Tommy was muscular and the renovation work kept him lean and his hands rough and calloused, whereas Mark was softer and slimmer due to the bookwormish nature of his profession, but Laura thought they were otherwise eerily similar.

To her amazement Tommy didn't seem to like Mark.

"I think he's a bit sleazy," he admitted when Laura asked him about it. "But if you're fine with him then so be it. It's not like I'm required to work with him."

"Weird," Laura said. "I think he's kinda like you could've been when you were younger."

"Maybe that's why," he said and kissed her. "You've forgotten I was a sleazeball when I was younger."

She laughed. He had a criminal past, had even been in prison. Now all of that was far behind, even his parole had ended, and all that remained were tattoos on his arms.

—#—#—#—#—#—

They got invited to a New Year's party at the publishing company. They attended, and Laura thought Tommy looked weird but exceptionally good in his formal clothes.

All went well for about two hours. Laura had been hesitant to come, she was wary of crowds due to being teased so much in her childhood and youth, but as they mingled with other writers and publishing personnel she relaxed gradually. These were all sophisticated people and didn't show any reaction to her birthmark and even less did they mention it. They were interesting people and she had some interesting conversations.

Tommy didn't have such a great time. He had hurt his leg the previous week, and now all this standing and mingling in the crowd was getting to him. He asked if she would be alright staying by herself, and she reckoned she would be. She could always take a cab and follow him if it got to be too much.

"Here, I'll give you this for midnight," Tommy said and kissed her.

"Oh that's nice," she said. "You better give me another in case I lose that one."

Tommy laughed and kissed her again, even longer. And then he left.

Laura sighed and turned back to the crowd. She decided to go find another glass of champagne and someone to talk with, and try to have fun for once. They moved around all the time, they didn't have friends in the usual sense and usually didn't attend any parties, New Year's or otherwise. She supposed the publisher hosted these parties annually, but who knew where they'd be in a year.

She talked for a while with a poet whose books she had actually read. The poet wasn't familiar with her work, but Laura wasn't offended, she didn't think her work was mainstream enough to be widely acknowledged.

Closer to midnight she realized she had maybe exaggerated with the champagne, she was positively inebriated. It didn't feel so bad, she was giggly and had an easier time coming up with things to talk about with all these strangers. She was very nearly enjoying herself.

She hooked up with Mark just before midnight, when she was trying to find her umpteenth glass of champagne. He was as drunk as she was, and they were laughing together as they tried to make their way across to the terrace on the roof to see the fireworks. Mark held her by the arm to steady her, or maybe them both, and when they were out he looked around.

"Did Tom leave already?" he asked.

"Yeah, he hurt his leg last week and didn't want to stand so much," Laura said.

"I don't know how he thought it would be a good idea to leave you here alone," Mark said and looked at her. He was quite close, and now he wrapped his arms around her, presumably to warm her up.

She knew he had been flirting with her but she hadn't taken it seriously. He was much younger than her and besides they had a professional relationship. She hadn't had that many professional relationships with men before, but she had an inkling the situation was now rapidly progressing towards nonprofessional territory.

"What do you mean?" she asked a little nervously.

"I just mean you're an attractive woman. Someone might pick you up."

"Oh yeah? You think I'm gonna go with just anyone?"

"Well, no...I thought you might go with me."

They looked at each other in silence. He had upped the ante now, he had moved to the next level. He was offering, he was asking, and now she had a decision to make.

"You'd like to try out an old hag like me?" she asked. She was stalling and they both knew it.

"I would," he said quietly.

Countdown to midnight started. Fireworks were going off all around them, but Laura didn't look around, she was looking into Mark's eyes. His look was intense, he was waiting for her to decide. His arms felt good around her, he wasn't strong like Tommy but he was very appealing anyway.

Countdown got to zero. The first thing Laura did in the beginning of the new year was to kiss her editor. He responded eagerly and they got quite deep into it quite quickly. He pulled her closer into his arms and she could feel him getting harder. She pulled away from the kiss and looked at him. He smiled, and it lit up his face.

"Happy New Year's, Laura," he said quietly.

"Happy New Year's, Mark," she replied.

He turned her around to go back inside. Without discussing it further they went to collect their jackets and ordered a cab to his hotel.

She wondered about it. He lived in town, right? So how come he had a hotel room booked?

But he kissed her, and slid his hand under her skirt, and she stopped questioning. Lust was bubbling inside her now, it was boiling hot and building, and she wanted to see how it would be with him.

They stumbled into the hotel room. As soon as the door closed behind them they were shedding their clothes around, undressing each other and themselves amidst fervent kissing.

"Aww gawd, you're beautiful," Mark said in a husky voice and grabbed her breasts. Her nipples throbbed against his palms, he was rough but she was so into it now it just fed the flame. They fell down on the bed and embraced tightly, their hands roaming the other's body. He groaned when he cupped her mound and found out how wet she already was.

"Oh this is going to be so good," he growled and pushed her over on her stomach. She left her upper body on the bed but got up on her knees, offering herself to him. He got on his knees behind her and wasting no more time he searched for her opening with his cock and started to push inside.

He wasn't as big as Tommy, but he filled her up well enough, and considering the haste with which he rammed himself inside it was good he wasn't any bigger. He started to thrust straight away, he held onto her hips and moved inside her, and she let out a small moan.

She could feel herself trying to catch up with him. It felt like he was a few steps ahead at all times, she could feel her orgasm building but it was still a way to go. Maybe it was all the champagne, although it didn't seem to slow him down.

"Aww babe, you're wonderful," Mark said and slapped her butt. It wasn't really hard, but she bucked forward anyway, surprised more than hurt. She could feel her arousal backtracking a few steps.

"Don't," she managed to say, her face against the mattress.

"What? Oh, okay," Mark said and kept on thrusting.

She had a premonition he would cum soon. He would and she wouldn't. She hurried to keep up, she let her weight on her right side to her shoulder which pushed her ass up even higher,

and moved her right hand up to her crotch to reach her clitoris. Mark groaned when the angle of her pelvis changed and picked up the speed. It did feel good this way, and hastily she started to touch herself to catch up with him.

He came, he jerked against her and pulsed deep within, growling and hanging onto her hips. She pushed herself harder, and just as his weight started to push her forward to lay on the bed she got there and had a quick and somehow hurried orgasm. She twitched around him but he was already pulling out, and with a satisfied grunt he pushed her over on her stomach and fell down beside her.

"Awh, it was good," he said with a satisfied voice. "Did you cum many times?"

"Wha?" she asked. Was he really this clueless? And hadn't it been awfully brief for her to cum many times? "Once," she said. "And yeah, it wasn't bad."

She got her hand away from her crotch and turned to look at him. He seemed to be ready to sleep already, so probably there wouldn't be more to come, at least for now. She kissed him, and he responded, but he didn't pull her to his arms. He just pulled the covers around him and turned his back on her as they settled down to sleep. She was so drunk and tired that she made her own nest between the sheets and let her eyes close as well.

-#-#-#-#-#-

She woke up closer to morning and went to take a shower. She realized there weren't any toiletries, nor did Mark have a suitcase anywhere. She washed herself with the hotel soap and shampoo, hoping she wouldn't start to smell like sweat before she got home to her deodorant.

Mark was stretching in bed as she searched the room for her clothes. They smiled at each other.

"Good morning, Laura," he said.

"Good morning," she said.

"You leaving already?" he asked.

"Yeah, I wanna get home," she said. "Aren't you going? I was a little surprised you'd have a hotel room, don't you live somewhere near here?"

"Well I was hoping for something like this," he confessed unashamedly. "And I couldn't well take you home, so."

"You were planning on screwing me?" she asked, stunned.

"Or someone else," he said. "But I'm glad it was you. I've been thinking about you."

"Huh," she said. "And you couldn't take me home because...?"

"Because my wife is there," he said and rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't know. It's the same reason you couldn't take me home, isn't it."

Laura stared at him. She didn't remember if she had known he was married. His cheating seemed so casual she guessed this wasn't the first time. His suggestion that she was cheating on Tommy made her uneasy. She hadn't thought of it like that, they'd had outer relationship experiments before and somehow she had thought of this as something similar. But technically she was cheating, wasn't she? Screwing someone else behind Tommy's back without him knowing.

Suddenly she really wanted to go home. She turned her back on him and went to get the rest of her clothes. Her party dress felt flimsy and too small now that it was morning.

Mark got out of bed and came to hold her jacket for her in a mockingly gentlemanly gesture. He looked at her via the long mirror beside the door. It reminded Laura of a moment she'd shared with Tommy when they were first starting out, and it made her miss him like crazy.

"Have you considered getting rid of that?" Mark asked and nodded towards her mirror image. She didn't ask what he meant, she knew what he meant. He meant the birthmark. She froze.

"What?" she asked.

"I just thought," Mark said and shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose there weren't treatments for it when you were a kid, but I think they could get rid of that now. I remember reading about something like that. You'd be really beautiful."

He finally picked up something from her eyes, because he lifted his hands up and said, "I mean, you are really beautiful already, of course."

He went to the toilet and Laura left the room. She was shaking a little, it had been so long since anyone had said anything about her birthmark it had hit her quite hard. Mark hadn't been mean, more like unthoughtful, but his comment triggered all kinds of old emotions inside her. She was suddenly disgusted with herself and almost ran down the corridor.

She checked her phone in the cab and noticed Tommy had called multiple times, starting at two AM. Oh God, he must be so worried. She sent him a text saying she was coming.

He was waiting for her. When he heard the car door slam he opened the door and waited when she climbed the stairs up to the small porch. He looked at her closely and pulled her into his arms, and she melted against him, it was so good to be home again. He closed the door behind her and helped her out of her jacket.

"So?" he asked as she kicked off her shoes and they wandered inside. "Wanna tell me where you've been? I got really worried when you didn't come home and didn't answer your phone."

"Oh Tommy," she said and started crying. She told him of her fling, how it had gone down and what it had been like, about the comment Mark had so offhandedly said about her birthmark just before she left. They had moved to the kitchen, he had coffee ready and they sat beside the kitchen table and drank. He listened, didn't interrupt, she poured her heart out to him and eventually she had nothing more to say. She hiccuped a little. It was suddenly very quiet.

Tommy had his face in his hands. Laura looked at him, and now she was afraid. He looked tired and upset, there was something in the line of his shoulders. She didn't want to ask, she wanted to prolong this moment, because she guessed she wouldn't like what he would say next.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry it didn't go the way you wanted. You see, there's a difference between fucking and making love, and I guess it's roughly what you just described. You gotta be more explicit when the one you're fucking isn't that interested in what you want. You gotta make them do it the way you want it.