Glass Shard

"I'm glad to hear it," said Simon.

"I told you not to get cocky!"

"No -- sorry -- seriously." Paula realised that Simon was actually blushing. It looked odd on him, as he had a stocky, rugged frame and strong features, and didn't look the blushing type at all, but she found that she liked it. "It's just that -- well, like they say, what's life with a few risks? One thing Zoe said that I agree with is that you maybe need to unwind a bit more. I'm glad to hear that you might do that. For your sake."

Paula looked at him with her head on one side for a long moment. "You know," she said, "I think you mean that. Which is sweet of you."

Simon shrugged.

"So," Paula said, suddenly sounding unsure of herself. "Next thing ... oh, shit."

"What's up?" Simon asked.

"I had this whole script in my head," Paula said. "I'd explain, and we'd sort things out -- well, I didn't know the details, but I thought I could explain to you that I wanted to change my mind. Then we could go out for that drink, or maybe two drinks, maybe even dinner..." Her voice trailed off.

"Still sounds good to me," Simon said, putting his coffee cup aside and looking ready to stand up again.

"Yeah, but, you see, I'd decided that I couldn't faff about too much. If I was jumping into the whole boy-girl thing -- well, I think that taking baby steps would just get me all knotted up. So I was damn well going to try it all in one go." She finished in a rush.

"Oh. Right." Simon sounded downright nervous now.

"But I don't know how it all goes!" Paula wailed. "I'd be knotted up all evening anyway, and I'd probably say something stupid, or have too much to drink, or something!"

"Okay," said Simon, "so leave the big steps for now. Forget about them this evening. Just have that drink."

"Can't do that," said Paula, quieter now. "I'd be all uncertain for days. I'd never stop worrying. And..." She stopped as though she'd bitten her tongue.

"What's up?" Simon asked.

"Don't ... wanna ... wait." Paula muttered.

"Oh," said Simon.

"And you can take that as a compliment," Paula added.

"Thanks," said Simon. "I'm sorry," he added after a moment, "but I can only see one solution here, and I don't suppose that you..."

"What? What's this solution?"

"Getting it over with, I suppose. The difficult bit, I mean."

"Oh," said Paula. "Actually, that's fine with me. If you don't mind."

"Christ," Simon said. "Mind? Do you really think I'd mind?"

"I wasn't sure," Paula admitted.

"Didn't your mother warn you about men?" Simon asked with a smile.

"Not really, no." But as she spoke, Paula realised that Simon had moved closer to her, and now he moved closer still. She hastily put her coffee mug aside, and Simon kissed her. She responded -- at least she had some idea how to kiss, she thought, although she hadn't felt a man's tongue sliding into her mouth since some very unhappy school-age fumblings, and never so gentle and, well, nice.

"Oh," she said, unable to think of anything else as Simon put his arm around her shoulder.

"You sure about this?" he asked.

"Bloody sure," she replied. Simon responded by putting a hand on her thigh. Paula shivered for a moment, but then put her hand on top of his, pressing it to her. Then she put both her arms around him and kissed him. When he reacted enthusiastically, she considered matters and came to the conclusion that she liked kissing him.

Nonetheless, she broke the embrace so that she could smile at him, which gave him the opportunity to lean forward, and she found her self lying back on the sofa, with Simon more or less on top of her. They lay together for a while, holding each other and kissing, and then Simon moved away a little, allowing him to bring his hand up and gently hold one of her breasts.

"Oh," Paula said.

"That okay?" Simon asked.

"Fine, actually," Paula said, only a little tentatively as Simon gently fondled her through her clothes. Then she smiled uncertainly, even sheepishly, as he carefully unfastened three buttons on her blouse, and began kissing her throat.

"Just a sec," she said, and he stopped instantly and leaned back, looking to see if she was unhappy. But she followed his movement and remained close to him, keeping her arms around him so that she could caress his back through his shirt. He kissed her again.

"Look," she said, "I don't know if this is too hasty, but this just feels uncomfortable to me."

"Oh," Simon said. "Sorry..."

"Wouldn't be easier on a bed?" Paula asked.

"If you insist," Simon said with a grin. He clambered off the sofa, and led the way to his bedroom. Paula followed close behind him. He turned and indicated the bed, and she quickly kicked her shoes off and lay down on it, bouncing up and down for a moment as if to test the mattress. She managed a relaxed smile as he sat beside her, removed his own shoes and socks, and then lay down. He undid more buttons on her blouse, then carefully placed a hand on her breast, outside her plain white bra.

"I hope that I don't seem too naïve," Paula said. "I mean, I must seem very clumsy to you."

"You're fine," Simon said, and kissed her again. As they pressed together, his hand slipped round her back, and she realised that he was unfastening her bra.

"Okay, smooth move there," she said after the kiss finished.

"Sorry," he said, "but I'm afraid you're not the only one who doesn't want to wait."

"Thanks, I guess," Paula said with an uncertain smile. Then she pushed Simon aside, sat up, and pulled her blouse and disarrayed bra off together, throwing them onto a chair across the room. Then she turned, and moved her arms so that they weren't shielding her breasts from his gaze. "Okay?" she asked.

"Fine," he replied, then "You hurt yourself there?"

Paula remembered the bandage on her shoulder, and shrugged. "Nothing serious," she muttered.

Simon pulled her to him, putting his arms around her and kissing her on the mouth again.

When they broke apart, she smiled nervously at him, flicked a strand of her hair away from her face, and then nodded. "You know, I think that I could learn to enjoy this," she said.

"Good," Simon answered. Then he sat up and removed the T-shirt that he was wearing, before embracing her again.

"Mmm," she said, then "oh, god."

"What's up?"

"That's your erection, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah." Simon shrugged. "Well, it isn't anyone else's..."

"Okay. Sorry. I've just got to get used to the idea."

"You are a ... Okay, never mind," said Simon as Paula looked uncomfortable. "Look, don't worry about that for a while." He kissed her again.

"Thanks," said Paula, "but..."

"I said don't worry." Simon worked a series of kisses over her face, then down her neck to her shoulders (working delicately around the bandage) and then to her breasts.

"Mmmm," Paula responded, "I do like that."

"Good," said Simon, and began gently teasing one of her nipples with his tongue. Paula gasped softly, twice. Simon cupped her other breast with one hand, caressing that nipple with a fingertip, then switched sides after a minute or so as Paula made the occasional appreciative noise.

Then he moved a little further down her body, taking a moment to tickle her navel with his tongue, at which she gave a startled laugh. Then he stopped, and she looked up to find him kneeling beside her, sitting back on his heels.

"I've got a suggestion," he said.

"Uh-huh?"

"Take the rest of your clothes off," he said softly.

Paula drew a breath, then nodded. Sitting on the edge of the bed, then standing, she stripped off jeans and knickers, folding them and placing them on the chair with calm precision.

"Lie down again," Simon said, looking her in the eye.

Paula gazed back at him, then obeyed. Simon returned to kissing her breasts briefly, then her belly, then her hips. Then he shifted to kneeling at the foot of the bed, and placed a series of soft kisses on her inner thighs, until his mouth arrived at her crotch.

"Oh," Paula murmured again.

Simon set to work gently with lips and tongue on her pussy, gently parting her cunt lips and probing the soft saltiness, then moving up a little to find her clitoris, caressing that with circular tongue-tip motions. Paula's gasps came faster, still with an edge of uncertainty but with clear enthusiasm mingled in, until she gave a deeper moan from the back of her throat.

Simon raised his head and grinned at her as she looked at him down the length of her torso. "Okay there?" he asked.

"Fine," she said quietly. Then she grinned sheepishly. "I've got an idea," she added.

"Mmm?"

"I think perhaps... oh hell. I think you should fuck me."

Simon said nothing, but stood up and stepped over to a bedside cabinet. Reaching into a drawer, he produced a condom packet. Then he his trousers and underpants joined Paula's jeans on the chair.

"Oh," she murmured.

Simon opened the packet and carefully fitted the condom to his straining erection. Then he lay down beside Paula, kissed her once more, and then moved to kneel between her legs as she opened her thighs to accommodate him.

"Oh," Paula repeated softly.

"What, lover?" Simon asked as he looked down at her.

"Put it in me!" Paula whispered urgently. "I want it... inside me."

Simon said nothing, but reaching down with one hand, he carefully positioned the tip of his hard, wrapped cock. Then without hesitation, he pushed.

Paula gave a gasp that was half a moan, and Simon couldn't hide a wince at her tightness. But Paula drew her legs up and as far apart as they would go, and he rocked his hips, driving his cock into her.

Then he paused. "Sorry if that hurt," he murmured.

"Don't worry," Paula replied with a tight smile, "I've suffered a lot worse."

"Okay..."

"No, really." Paula managed a softer smile. "It's fine." She wriggled her hips experimentally. "Inside me," she murmured, "deep ... right inside me."

"Yes!" Simon said with a smile of his own, and kissed her again. Then he looked at her expression. "Still okay?" he asked.

"Never better," she answered with a wry smile. "Come on, show me what this is all about."

Simon reacted by thrusting gently but steadily into Paula, until first her smile relaxed to something softer, then her well-toned arms clenched tight around him, and her responding gasps rose to another soft, half-orgasmic moan. Then, when she released her embrace and he looked her in the eyes again, she smiled ruefully.

"Guess I really should have tried this before," she muttered.

"You do seem to be a natural," Simon said. "But I'm happy to help you now."

"Fine!" Paula said, and gave a twist and a push with one leg that sent Simon over onto his back, with her on top of him. Now it was Simon's turn to moan, as Paula's weight pushed her still-tight cunt hard down on his cock.

"You okay there?" he asked with a gasp as she raised herself up with her hands on his shoulders.

"Fine," she replied. "I told you, I've had worse than this happen to me -- and I've got some catching up to do."

"Happy to help," Simon repeated, as Paula closed her eyes and began rotating her hips, grinding her crotch against his. He realised that she was driving herself towards orgasm, and he raised his hands to caress her breasts while responding to her hip movements with some of his own. It took a few minutes, but Paula reached her goal with a great moan of release. Her sheer passion triggered a matching response in Simon, and a moment later he pushed himself hard up into her, giving a gasp as his erect cock throbbed and pulsed inside Paula.

For a moment, both of them paused, and then opened their eyes and looked at each other. Then they both laughed.

"Hello," Simon said. "And welcome."

"You're welcome," Paula answered, flopping down to lie on top of him. "Bother," she said after a moment, "feels like you're going. Guess I'd better let you go so you can get rid of that... thing."

"I'll be back later," he reassured her.

"Taking something for granted?" she asked, rolling off him.

"Well... I got the impression that you were enjoying yourself there," Simon said, getting to his feet and peeling the condom away.

"May-be," Paula allowed. Then she grinned as Simon threw himself back onto the bed. As he lay flat, she rested her head on his chest and one leg over his thighs.

"I hope that was okay with you," Paula asked after a moment.

"God, yes," Simon replied. "What made you think it might not have been?"

Paula sighed. "I must have seemed very amateurish," she said quietly.

"I wouldn't know," said Simon. "I've never done it with a professional."

They looked at each other for a moment, then laughed.

"But there must be lots I don't know," Paula insisted.

"You did fine," Simon told her. "Okay," he added after a moment, "I admit that I was hoping to deprave and corrupt you a bit more later."

"Sounds good to me," Paula said quietly. For a moment, she was quiet. Then she raised her head a little and kissed one of Simon's nipples, then caressed it gently with a fingertip. Simon made a soft appreciative noise.

"Oh, good," Paula said. "It looks like these things work both ways."

"Yep," Simon agreed. "I'd be happy to go into detail."

"I'll take you up on that later," Paula murmured. "We still haven't had that drink, though," she pointed out.

"Well, I've got some champagne in the fridge." Simon said. "Seems appropriate. Actually," he went on, "I was going to offer to make you dinner."

"Oh. I was going to offer the same," Paula responded. Then she noticed Simon looking cautiously at her. "Don't worry," she added quickly, "I'm not going to go all domestic on you. Cooking's a hobby of mine, that's all."

"Hah," said Simon. "It's one of my hobbies, too."

"Really?" Paula asked. Simon nodded. "Oh well, perhaps we'll just have to collaborate. I have a feeling that I'll be looking for a lot more collaborative hobbies in future."

"Sounds good to me," said Simon. "Want to go get that champagne?"

"Let's," Paula said. She rolled away from him, and began rummaging after some of her clothes.

"By the way," Simon said, throwing on a lightweight robe, "if you are still worried about working together..."

"No," Paula cut in. "We'll be fine." She paused from buttoning up her blouse, and reached into her handbag to extract the pendant, holding it up to look at it for a moment. "It'll just be a matter of... dressing the part, I think. You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit stern in working hours, I'm afraid." She realised that she was scowling, and dropped the pendant back into her bag. Then she smiled again, looking at Simon.

"Fair enough," he said. "What was that?"

"Just some jewellery," Paula said. "Something to wear at work, actually."

"Okay." Simon smiled back at Paula. "Not that you need it," he said.

"You bloody bet I don't," Paula agreed. She stepped up to him and pressed her lightly dressed body against his, squirming happily against him. "I don't need that at all."

She kissed him again.

//END//