David and Kate

Kate's insides knew it was a bad idea from the very first moment she heard him speak. But she couldn't help it. She lost her mind to him, which was how she thought about it - that she lost her mind, not her heart, - very early on in their relationship.

Kate had moved to Atlanta a few months earlier from Chicago and was working for a publishing house. She lived downtown and could walk to her office from her condo. She was on her way to the office the morning that they met. She was standing in line at her favorite little cafe waiting for her cup of coffee when she heard a low voice with a slight twang in hear ear whisper, "You're about to lose your keys miss."

She immediately reached for her purse and felt her house keys dangling precariously from the back of her handbag. She tentatively turned to give the stranger a smile and all of her hesitation melted away when she saw the handsome, well put together man standing before her.

"Thanks," she murmured. She started to say more, to flirt with this man, but she saw a ring and decided against it. He was sweetly handsome. He looked like he was in his mid 40s and comfortably fit. Plump pink lips, trendy glasses, grey hair and goatee, and a twinkle in his eyes that gave Kate the impression that he just may be up to no good. He was not the type of man she was usually attracted to, but she immediately liked him. She smiled again and turned back around.

They followed that routine for a week. They were always both in the coffee shop a few minutes before eight each morning. They almost always exchanged a few pleasantries but that was all. Names were not exchanged.

After the first week, the flirting started. It was easy, good flirting. He could make her blush with a few words and she could make his eyebrows perk with just as few. She learned that his name was David; he lived in a more rural area outside of the city, took the train in each day, and had been married for just over seven years.

He found out that she was a diehard Chicago Cubs fan, was single and new to the area, and was much more chipper after her first sip of coffee. He had felt his body stir the first day they'd met. His eyes took a moment to focus on her keys dangling nearly out of her purse because they were busy being focused on her perfect round behind. And when she turned around and fixed her blue gaze on him, he found himself wishing he could take her somewhere private and show her just what she was stirring inside of him.

Kate appeared to be fairly reserved to an outside observer. She kept her light brown hair pretty short, usually in a flirty little bob. She typically wore glasses to the office – she felt like it made her look more like she belonged in the publishing world. And she kept her clothes limited to trousers and blouses, with the occasional skirt thrown in, most usually when the weather was warm. At only 27, she and worked hard to get where she was and wanted to be able to stand on the merit of her work, not the curves of her body.

David saw right through this. He could see the curves plain as day and sometimes had a hard time not imagining how it would feel to slide his hands along them.

As the days passed and they began to open up to each other, sometimes actually arriving early so that they could sit and have a cup of coffee before each heading off to work, David learned more about Kate. And the more he learned, the more he wanted to know.

They didn't talk very much about their personal lives. During one of their conversations the second week David made mention of his wife, but that was it. Kate did not talk about her dating life either. They focused on baseball and their pets and movies and music and things they loved in life. For Kate it was so wonderful to have a male friend whom she could just talk to. Though they did flirt, Kate knew she didn't have to worry about David hitting on her or how their relationship would change if they slept together. They both knew that's just not what their dynamic was all about. They were buddies. Their minds clicked in a way that made conversations effortless, and though they were both attracted to each other, they seemed to know that was just off limits.

Kate realized she was in serious trouble a few weeks after they had first met. That weekend, Kate had a date with someone her friends had set her up with and, though the gentleman was cute and sweet, she found herself comparing him to David the entire evening. She didn't fully realize she was doing it until she got home and was speaking to her friend on the phone trying to describe what wasn't just right about the guy.

It hit her like a ton of bricks as she leaned against her counter, sipping wine and chatting with her friend. After she hung up the phone, she thought to herself, "He may be the perfect guy for me. But he's married. And if anything happened I would never be able to trust him in a relationship."

She realized at that point that she had to either come to grips with the fact that he was meant to be just an acquaintance or she had to find a new coffee shop. The thought that if she simply stopped showing up at their shop he would probably never think about her again was a sudden and rather painful one for Kate. She decided that even though he might think she was crazy, she was going to talk to him about it Monday morning.

She showed up at 7:30am Monday. She waited in line, buying two cups of coffee, and sat fiddling with the creamer while she waited. He finally arrived a few minutes later and took a seat across from her in their small booth. He gave her a small smile, but she failed to see it where it was usually the brightest, in his eyes.

Immediately she knew something was wrong. She furrowed her brow and asked him right away if he was ok. She didn't even know where to begin with asking him what might be the matter because she really knew nothing about his life outside of how he liked his coffee and how much he loved the Yankees. He just gave her a little sigh and shook his head, clearly unsure of where to begin. He lifted his hands in a little shrugging motion and she noticed his sudden lack of jewelry.

She let out a soft little cry as she realized what must have happened. She didn't know what to say to him. Her first instinct was to ask a million questions, but the tired look in his eyes prevented her from doing so. Kate noticed now that David also looked especially out of place this morning because he was wearing jeans instead of his typical dress pants, crisp shirt, and colorful tie. She opened her mouth to say something, anything somewhat comforting, but could come up with nothing.

As David sat watching her bright eyes put it all together, he felt a little tug in his chest that he hadn't felt as he watched his wife pack her bags and leave him. He knew things weren't great with them, but he expected them to get through the rough patch and come out happy on the other side. Unfortunately he failed to mention this to his wife. He supposed they both failed to do a lot of things. But as he watched Kate's eyes go from curious to concerned he knew that for the first time in three days he was happy to be exactly where he was.

She pushed his cup of coffee over to his side of the table as she reached into her bag to pull out her phone. He watched with questioning eyes as she dialed quickly while passing him the cream.

"Anthony, it's Kate. I'm taking a personal day. Yes. I emailed the edits last night. OK. You too. Bye." She kept her eyes locked on his as she spoke, trying to make it clear that she wanted to be there for him if he needed it. She watched as the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly into a little smile and the previously missing twinkle returned just for a second to his grey eyes.

"Look David," she said pausing before continuing, "I know that I don't know you very well at all. And I can only imagine and assume what's going on in your life right now, but I am here for you. All day. If you want to sit here and drink coffee, or go to a movie, or go shopping, or tell me everything, or tell me nothing; I'm here. All day."

He let out a long slow breath and tried to break their eye contact, but couldn't. "Kate, that's the best offer I've had in a long time. " Kate felt herself exhale a breath she'd been holding since she made her little speech and she gave him a smile. She picked up her mug of coffee and took a slow sip, giving him a minute to either change the subject or tell his tale.

And so he talked. He told her about his weekend. How he'd come home from work Friday evening to find half of his belongings being packed and a tearstained wife standing in the bedroom doorway. He told her how, before his wife even got one word out, he knew in a flash exactly what was happening. He said that he could see all of the moments that had been horribly wrong in their marriage all at once and it occurred to him that one of them should have done this months and months ago.

Kate sat back and listened. She had a few friends who had gone through divorces already and had learned the hard way that nothing she could say would be of much help. So she just leaned back and let him talk.

David found her silence and her kind eyes to be a bucket that he wanted desperately to fill. He let his words pour out and made admissions that he had only half admitted to himself before, let alone said out loud. He told her that when he got married, he knew it was a mistake. Not that marrying his wife was a mistake, but getting married in general was a terrible mistake.

At this she touched his arm and said, "David, I don't know how you're feeling right now. I've never really been there. I've been through bad breakups; I've just never felt what you're feeling. But I do know this: how you feel right now, you will not feel forever. And that's just true. Whether you're horribly sad or wonderfully happy, you will not feel that way forever."

He finally curbed his words and simply nodded, pondering her words for a moment. "Alright," he said finally, "enough of that. Let's get out of here and I am taking you up on your offer of a day of distractions. No more sad talk. No more divorce talk. No more wife talk. Only you and I and an entire day."

She smiled at his words, forcing herself to ignore the "you and I" part. Kate told herself that he clearly meant nothing by it. She had offered friendship and a fun day. Nothing more. As he smiled in return, Kate bit her bottom lip and reminded herself yet again that he was just a friend going through a hard time, not a man to pine for. Most certainly not a man to pine for right now.

They finished their coffee and set out. They began their day by just walking around, window shopping, chatting, enjoying each other's company. They caught an early afternoon movie, shared snacks, and had a good time dissecting the finer points of the film on the walk back towards her condo. David had suggested an early dinner together after they left the theater and Kate wanted to change out of her work apparel and into something more casual.

His phone rang as she was opening her door so she left him outside to talk while she changed out of her slacks and blouse and into a pair curve hugging jeans and a tank top. She slipped her glasses off and popped in her contacts, playing with her hair and putting on a little make up. She scolded herself for letting first date butterflies build up in her stomach while she was changing. She fastened a necklace around her throat and gave herself one last look in the mirror, satisfied that she looked good hopefully without letting David know that she wanted to look good.

He heard her door open and started to say something as he turned around to greet her but his words caught in his throat when he saw her. "Shit," he muttered, "you're beautiful." Her already wide eyes widened even more at his words and she had to fight to keep the blush that started on her cheeks from spreading down her neck.

She shooed his words away and fell into step next to him. "No Kate, seriously, you look incredible. I mean, work Kate is gorgeous, but casual Kate is sexy as hell."

She couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she shook her head. "Oh stop it, you're just on the rebound," she shot back. "True," he returned, "but if I'm on the rebound then I'm taking you home tonight."

She felt her body tingle at his words but she refused to respond to them. She was suddenly very aware of the heat of his body next to hers as they walked along. And she was keenly aware of his strong firm hand on the small of her back as he ushered her into the restaurant.

She tried to keep a clear head, but it just got harder and harder as the evening progressed. Their conversation was just too easy, the wine was just too good, and the meal was just too intimate. Right down to the chocolate cheesecake that they shared for dessert.

She tried to keep her moans of pleasure under control when she took the first bite of the chocolate amazingness on the plate in front of them, but she just couldn't. When she opened her eyes after swallowing, she was surprised by the look of unbridled lust she saw in David's eyes. She'd seen glimpses of that look before when they were letting their coffee shop flirting go one step too far, but it had always been a bit hidden and cleverly disguised. Now it was raw and wide open.

Their eyes met, and for a moment he almost looked embarrassed for being caught watching her so wantonly. "Kate..." he started, but she shook her head and cut him off before he could say any more.

Kate leaned in, her slips still sticky and sweet, and kissed him. It caught them both by surprise and she was about to pull away and apologize when a low growl sprung from his chest. David deepened the kiss, taking her by the arms and pulling her closer to him. Kate's little gasp of surprise was muffled by David's tongue as it began to slip past her lips.

The sensation was electric. She felt her entire body warm as blood began to rush to the now throbbing spot between her legs. They tasted each other, nibbling softly on lips and tongues, exploring, learning, until the waiter cleared his throat and set down the check.

David seemed intent to continue, but Kate pulled her head back and gave him a warning smile as she licked her lips, tasting him still. His eyes followed her tongue as he reached for the bill, dismissing the waiter.

Kate slid away from him just a little as she tried to catch her breath and calm her mind. "David..." she started unsure of how she was going to finish. But before she could worry about it, he cut her off. "I know," he said. "I know that this is a terrible idea and we really barely know each other and I'm supposedly fragile right now, but I don't care. I want you. I've wanted you from the moment you first looked up at me. In fact I've wanted you from the moment just before that when all I'd seen was the back of you."

Kate opened her mouth to answer, but all she could do was grin. "This is crazy," was all she could manage to get out. David simply returned her grin and nodded. He finished signing the receipt and took her hand, leading her towards the exit.

"I told you I was taking you home," he said rather hoarsely when they hit the sidewalk.

She squeezed his hand as they walked along. Kate wanted to tell him that she didn't do this sort of thing, that she'd never slept with someone she wasn't actually with, but she didn't. There wasn't any reason to. David knew. And he knew that she wanted him in a way that she'd never wanted anyone else. It felt primal, instinctive. So to him, it just couldn't be wrong.

He took her keys from her and opened the front door to her condo when they arrived. She closed and locked the door behind them, as she slipped her shoes off.

Kate took him by the hand and led him down the hall to her bedroom. She could hear his breathing quicken as they entered. She led him to the edge of the bed and sat him down, his eyes locked on her in wonder the entire time.

Her cheeks broke into a soft smile when she heard the low moan come from him as she pulled her top off. "Oh my god Kate..." he whispered. She was happy with her body and was even happier to see just how much he liked it. It took her the duration of her early 20s but Kate had come to love her curves.

She took a step back from David as she undid her jeans, slipping them down her full soft hips. She heard his breath catch at the sight of her standing in just her bright blue bra and panties. For a moment she thought that she should feel uncomfortable stripping for a man she'd only shared coffee and one great date with, but the look in his eyes stopped her from these thoughts. His eyes told her not to stop, that he needed what she was offering more than anything.

She stepped forward, reaching to unbutton his shirt, her fingers working slowly, carefully. She felt David's firm hands slid along her back and down across her hips. It was her turn to moan softly when his hands came into contact with her warm skin. She freed him from his shirt as he lay back, pulling her down with him. He buried his face in her neck as he inhaled her deeply.

He scooted up the bed until he was half sitting up and then rolled them so that he was hovering above her. Their eyes met in the dim light of Kate's bedroom and he growled lowly, "I'm going to taste every inch of you." Her breath stuttered and she nodded, knowing that it wasn't a question.

He crawled painfully slowly down her body, nibbling and kissing as he went. He softly kissed his way down her stomach, his hands preceding his lips, travelling down along her thighs, pulling her legs apart. Kate was anxious for him to find what lay between them. She was carefully shaved and dripping wet. Her pool of wetness had started to build during their after dinner kiss and every touch of his skin against hers up until now had caused it to grow.

When his fingers finally slid across the dampest part of her panties he let out a hungry groan, as if he had stumbled upon a secret treasure that he had only dared to hope might exist. He looked up at her and told her to take her bra off.

Kate leaned up and instantly did as he asked, realizing that she had now put herself fully and completely in his hands. She was in. She wanted anything and everything that he was offering to her. His eyes fixed on her round firm breasts pleased to see that her nipples were already hard. He couldn't help the proud smile that crept onto his face when he realized just how aroused she was.

Her hips wriggled, bringing his focus from her gently heaving breasts back to what lie before him. David licked his lips and gently slid a finger across her panty covered mound. Kate's body shuddered at the contact that he finally gave her. But she wanted so much more.

David looped one finger under the thin fabric of her panties and pulled them to the side, giving him an unobstructed view of what he singularly wanted. His eyes darkened when he finally got a glimpse of her glistening lips. He felt his mouth water at the sight and surprised himself with his own reserve as he planted several slow and soft kisses along her thighs, carefully working his way closer.

Kate moaned louder, her hips moving with anticipation. She felt like a goddess as David marveled at her body, but she needed to feel his lips and tongue on her. Now. He finally dipped his head and made contact, sliding his tongue through her wettest spot and up to her very sensitive clit.

Kate sharply breathed in as she forced her body to relax, fighting the urge to clench every muscle she had around his head and grind away for all she was worth.

Her hands traveled down her body, slipping over her breasts first, then down her stomach, her hips, and finally to the back of David's head. She traced her fingertips along the back of his neck before gripping his shoulders, half massaging and half digging her nails in. Then she moved her hand to grip the thin piece of fabric seperating her from David's warm mouth. She held it firm, giving him full access.