"Play Me"

Evan Wells epitomized success. As the CEO for SoDak Game Studio, he took the gaming world by storm. His small team of talented developers just dropped Xbox blockbuster "Dragon Dodgers II". It was the sequel to a title many critics considered to be the breakout hit of the year.

Evan leaned back in his chair and smiled smugly. "'Children of the corn' my ass," he muttered. People had so little faith in his "programmers from the prairie". The media was relentless in mocking his vision of building a world class game studio in the middle of nowhere. Well, he showed them.

His smile broadened. Evan truly had it all--a great career, a beautiful loft downtown, a gorgeous sportscar, money, a shitload of music gear to support his second passion... But most of all, he had Annika. He grabbed the framed portrait from the corner of his desk. The green-eyed redhead took his breath away. They'd been together for three years, yet every single time she appeared, his heart still skipped a beat. It was like he was seeing her for the first time again. He stared at the photo, taking time to admire the way the pearl buttons of her emerald green blouse strained to contain her full breasts. The mere thought of teasing her nipples with his tongue made him hard. Damn, that woman could fuck! Evan shifted in his chair. She constantly surprised him when it came to having sex. No two times were alike. Tonight, he envisioned her riding his cock on the loft's tiny balcony, the gentle fall breeze catching her hair as she arched her back on the brink of cumming...

"Hey, boss!" His lead programmer broke the silence from the doorway. "So today's the big day, huh?"

Evan tilted his head in confusion.

"She arrives today, right," Kyle prompted.

Evan grinned as he returned Annika's picture to his desk. "Why yes, she does!"

"You gonna take tomorrow off to bond with her?" Kyle winked.

"Hmmm, I like that idea!"

"Do it!"

"How are the servers holding up?" Evan asked. He tried his damnedest to focus, but all he could think about was running his hands along her gentle curves.

"The number of concurrent users has stabilized well below capacity. I think we'll be fine."

"Good," Evan replied absently.

"I'm pretty sure the folks with Xbox Live are going to fine us $20,000 for taking up more than our share of bandwidth," Kyle babbled nonsensically.

"Mmmm. Okay..."

Yep, Evan had officially checked out. Kyle grinned in amusement. "Dude, get out of here! You're useless to us!" Kyle joked.

Evan laughed. Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded. "You'll call me if—"

"Yes, I'll call you if the servers go down. Now get out," Kyle ordered, hitching his thumb over his shoulder.

Evan stood up and stretched. Release day tension had built up in his body more than he realized. He had a few choice ways in mind to relieve that stress once he got home. He pulled his car keys out of his jeans pocket. "Okay, I'm outta here." Evan clapped Kyle on the shoulder as he reached the doorway. "You guys fuckin' knocked it out of the park," he smiled. "Thank you!"

"No, we fuckin' knocked it out of the park," Kyle corrected.

Evan smiled as he made his way to his Porsche. Owning his own company was amazing. He made his own schedule, got to handpick his team, and there were no bureaucrats shoving politically correct bullshit down his throat. He chuckled at the thought of making a dirty mind and vulgar language a prerequisite for employment at SoDak. His previous career with the government had clearly brought out the rebel in him.

The loft was a short ten-minute drive from the office, just long enough to appreciate the crisp autumn air flowing in from the sunroof. September was one of like maybe three months out of the year that Evan could drive his sportscar in South Dakota. The rest of the time the ground was covered with snow. He continually questioned his sanity for moving to this hell hole, but he came for the strong work ethic, and stayed to prove the assholes wrong. In some ways his small company was like the Bad News Bears of the video game industry. Evan loved being the underdog. It was a challenge, and there was something alluring about making something out of nothing.

Traffic picked up as he arrived downtown. His heart rate quickened as he thought of her. Just a few short minutes, and he'd have her in his arms.

He pulled into his reserved spot in the underground parking garage, and then took the stairs to the loft two at a time. Evan fumbled with his keys as he tried to unlock the door. So close...

"Hey, sexy!" Annika greeted, opening her arms to fold him in an embrace.

He walked past her and looked around the room frantically. "Where is she," he asked, his voice colored with panic.

"I'm right here, Baby," she cooed, approaching him once more.

Evan sighed with relief as he spotted the box in a corner of the living room. "There she is!" He ran over to the package, ready to tear into it when he spotted a bright orange sticker. He had to what?!? "Fuck!"

Annika put her hand on his back to sooth him. "What's wrong?"

He jerked his head in the direction of the sticker as if to say "that's obvious". "I have to wait 24 fucking hours to open it, or the sudden change in temperature and humidity could damage the guitar." Evan sounded devastated. "What time did it get here?"

She shrugged. "I don't know...two, three hours ago maybe?"

He groaned. The PRS was his reward to himself for a flawless product release, and now he had to wait even longer to get his hands on it.

Annika stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. She could feel the tension throughout his body. She leaned into him and whispered in his ear, her warm breath tickling his earlobe. "I can think of a few ways to pass the time." Normally a mere whisper was enough to turn him on, but he remained stiff in her arms. "Come fuck me on the kitchen table. You know you want to..." Nothing. She pulled back only to notice he was staring at the box longingly over her shoulder.

"I wonder if she'd warm up faster if I took her to bed with me?" he asked, only half joking.

"Really? Fuck you, Ev!" she laughed, swatting his shoulder playfully. He frowned. "I said 'fuck you'," Annika started. "This is where you say 'yes, please'!" She winked in an attempt to make him smile. "Okay, I see how it is..." Annika lowered her hand to cup his ass cheek and pulled him into her tightly. She trailed her fingers along the waistband of his jeans, her touch sending a shiver down his spine. "Will you play me a song on that beautiful new guitar?" she asked in her deep, breathy phone sex voice. "Please?" She batted her eyelashes.

Holy shit, she had a phone sex voice that was irresistible! It was a tossup which was hotter, her sexy voice, or her scorching texts and IMs. He relaxed as he recalled a boring conference call during which her IMs got him so hot and bothered, he had to mute himself and take care of things. He grinned at the thought.

Annika beamed. "Ah, much better!" She wiggled into him, causing his cock to stir, and then unbuttoned his shirt from the top down. A gasp escaped his lips as she planted warm, wet kisses on his chest. She looked up at him to gage his response. Evan smiled down at her, and held her close. Her hands roamed to the button of his jeans. She kissed his neck as she freed him from his pants. His rock-hard cock made it abundantly clear; there was no longer any doubt that she was getting through to him. A satisfied smile crept across her lips.

His breath caught as she slipped his briefs down to his ankles. "Oh, Anni..." He captured her mouth, hungrily taking in the taste of her. She sank to her knees in front of him. Her delicate hand closed around the length of him, gently but firmly. "Mmmm..." The anticipation of her taking him in her mouth was agonizing. After licking the tip and tracing the shaft with her tongue, she finally closed her lips around him. She took him in down to the base, where she darted her tongue out and licked his balls. "Fuck... PR-what?" She giggled, the sound muffled by his throbbing dick. The enthusiastic bobbing up and down as she swirled her tongue around him was almost enough to send him over the edge.

Evan grabbed her hand and pulled her up to her feet. He was so distracted by that damn guitar that he hadn't even noticed she was wearing the same emerald green silk blouse she wore in the photo on his desk. The vibrant shade brought out the color of her eyes. He was so fucking lucky. Annika was everything he could have hoped for in a partner. And she never once complained that he had too many guitars. A small chuckled escaped his lips.

"What's so funny?" Annika asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Evan kissed the top of her head. "No. Believe me, you've done everything right." He fumbled with the buttons of her blouse, and then paused. "I hope you realize just how much I love you..."

"Do you love me more than your Martin?" she asked.

He nodded.

"How 'bout your Stratocaster?"

"Even more than my Strat."

"And the PRS?"

"Ummm..."

"Wrong answer!" she scolded playfully as she pulled her blouse closed.

He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She let the blouse fall open once more. "I maybe kinda-sorta like you a little more than the PRS." Annika stuck her lips out in a pout. "But I haven't officially met her yet, so there's a possibility I may like her more than I like you." He flashed an evil grin.

"Keep that up, and I may cut you off, mister!"

"No, you won't," Evan said with a cockiness Annika found simultaneously adorable and infuriating.

"Yeah, you're right. I won't." She smiled up at him.

And with that, they stripped each other hungrily. She ran her hands through his sandy blond hair as he sucked on her breast. A moan rose from her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut. His hands explored every part of her petite body. The slight roughness of Evan's fingertips was evidence of his passion, both as a musician and as a lover. She gasped as he slid a finger between her legs.

"You're so wet, Anni," he whispered. She shivered. "I can't decide whether I'd rather taste you, or fuck you." He circled her clit with his index finger as she began to pant. She squirmed beneath his touch. When he failed to make contact with her clit, she slid her hand down and touched the tiny bud. Pre-orgasm energy shot through the length of her body. Evan stepped back to admire the view. "It makes me so fuckin' horny when you touch yourself, Annika!"

She looked over at him longingly. "Tell me what you want," she said between ragged breaths. "Do you want me to suck you off, or do you want to bury your cock in my tight pussy until you cum inside of me? I know you love it when I talk dirty to you... Give it to me, Evan! Fuck me hard." Her voice had become almost a growl. "Fuck me fast. Fuck me—"

He spun her around and bent her over the back of the sofa before she could even finish her sentence. She let out a tiny squeak of surprise. His cock slid inside her with ease as he pumped and thrust himself in as far as he could go. "Yes! Oh God..." He picked up the pace as they both neared a blissful climax. They matched breath for breath as the peaks built and built until it seemed impossible to go any further. "Fuck!" Annika cried out. They tensed up, and then collapsed in release as they let out moans in unison.

Evan pulled her into his chest where she could both feel and hear his racing heartbeat. In that moment, everything was pure perfection. At least in Annika's eyes. And it would have been for Evan, too, had it not been for that damn cardboard box taunting him from across the room.

~~~

Evan was determined to ignore the box, but the draw to do something creative gnawed at him. He admired the line of guitars displayed neatly on their stands against the far wall, and then closed his eyes, hoping for inspiration. A frown crossed his lips. The thought of spending their three-year anniversary apart dampened his mood, but he had no choice. The meeting with an up and coming artist from New York had been on the books for months, and it was a bitch to schedule in the first place. There was no resting on your laurels in the video game business. Evan was on a mission to conceptualize a new universe set in the distant future, and he was convinced Randy Kaplan was just the person to help bring it to life.

Inspiration struck him like a flash of lightning. Annika lit up every time she heard him play. What if he composed a love song just for her? It'd have to be purely instrumental though. Evan's singing voice was so bad, his buddies forbid him to do the vocal part in Rock Band! Pulling it all together in a single day while she was at work was a tall order, but he was motivated. It'd make Annika deliriously happy, plus it'd be a great distraction while he waited for the latest addition to his guitar collection to acclimate to its new environment.

He walked over to his guitars and picked up the Strat. She was his pride and joy. He sat down on the overstuffed sofa and ran his hand along the contours of the instrument. The finish was cool and slick to the touch. He wondered what the PRS's curves would feel like.

For some reason Annika was obsessed with "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls; she always played the damn thing on repeat. It would have annoyed the fuck out of him if he didn't love her so much. He smiled as he pictured her waltzing around the spacious loft. One day she did it naked, with nothing but a feather duster in her hand. He pinned her up against the cool brick wall and fucked her so hard that there were actually faint bruises on her back. She was so damn sexy...

That was it! He'd "borrow" the chord progression from "Iris", and compose a new melody just for her. Evan mouthed the lyrics as he strummed the chords that would ultimately make up one of the tracks for his project. C, G, F, Am, G, F, repeat. He played the sequence over and over until he was intimately familiar with it.

Finally, it was time to shift his attention to the melody. He noodled around until he found something he liked. The picked melody would provide an interesting contrast to the strummed background, and he took some artistic liberties with the tempo to make the piece more dramatic. That was going to make syncing the tracks a real pain in the ass, but it'd be worth it in the end. Everything fell into place almost effortlessly. He glanced at his Apple watch to check the time. Two more hours until he could open his baby. It was going to be extremely tight, but if he focused, got lucky, and managed to lay the tracks in two passes or less, he'd be done with a few minutes to spare.

~~~

Once the Happy Anniversary email with the recording attached was scheduled to be sent, Evan placed the Strat back on its stand. The moment of truth had arrived. He walked over to the box and took a deep breath. The sketches of the guitar posted online were gorgeous; he hoped she lived up to his expectations. He made quick work of unpacking the instrument. His breath caught as he lifted her from the box. Her finish was spectacular! Even more beautiful than he imagined. He fiddled with the tuners to fine-tune the pitch, and then lifted the guitar to play her for the first time. Evan had waited for this moment for years. He had wanted a PRS since his high school garage band days. The perks of being an entrepreneur, he grinned smugly, happy that money was no longer a concern for him.

He strummed and picked a variety of chords and notes to get a feel for the guitar. The weight distribution took a little getting used to, but once he adjusted to that, he launched into an assortment of intricate riffs. It felt so good to let loose for a change. Evan hadn't realized how much stress his body was harboring. Work had gotten so intense as "Dragon Dodgers II's" release date approached that he barely had time to breathe let alone play guitar. He tweaked the tuners a bit more before playing the opening measures of an ambitious rock piece he titled simply "A". He had written it in high school just as he was falling in love with Annika. He pulled out all the stops to show off his musical talent. Playing the song took serious skill. In fact, Evan wasn't a hundred percent sure he'd still be able to play it. But adrenaline and muscle memory kicked in, and he shredded his way through it.

Annika got home in time to hear the last few measures. She smiled as she watched Evan's fingers work their magic. Musicians were so fucking hot! He looked so damn happy, too. The piece reminded her of their early days together; it'd been one hell of a ride, she noted fondly.

As soon as Evan finished playing, Annika approached him. "Incredible."

He ran his hand over the top edge of the instrument's smooth body and grinned proudly. "She is, isn't she?"

"I wasn't talking about the guitar," she said with a wink. Annika loved it when he played for her. He was incredibly shy about playing in front of anyone. It was a stunning contrast to the super-confident man he was at work. It saddened her that he hid his musical talent, but she knew it was result of his perfectionism.

"Play 'Destiny' for me," she ordered. It was more of a command than a request.

Her assertiveness was a major turn-on. "Do what?" he asked, pretending not to have heard her. That was all part of the game. In reality, he'd do pretty much anything she asked.

"You heard me." Annika wanted to hear the romantic piece he wrote for his senior music recital.

"I don't know, Anni..."

"Play it," she demanded. She smiled sweetly. "Please?"

Evan knew it'd sound better on the acoustic, but Annika was being persistent. He'd make it work, he decided. He turned down the amp, and then picked out the first few notes of the song. She reached out and grabbed his cock through his jeans.

He gasped, eyebrows raised in surprise. "What are you doing?" he asked over the music.

She smiled devilishly. "Keep playing, sexy!" She rubbed him from the head down to his balls.

Evan enjoyed her touch, but if she kept it up, he was going to have to step up his concentration in order to play the song to the end. The natural high of playing combined with her touch turned him rock hard in no time. He could see that Annika was pleased with herself. She reached for the button of his jeans. His finger slipped, resulting in a dissonant sound that made him flinch.

"Don't stop."

Fuck, she noticed the mistake. He squeezed his eyes shut to restore focus.

Annika sank to the floor and moved her head closer to him, and grabbed his zipper pull with her teeth. The sight alone made his cock stir within the confines of his jeans. He breathed deeply. He didn't want to disappoint her, yet the distraction was making it damn near impossible to pull off his private performance. Evan opened his mouth to ask her to wait until after the song was over, then immediately clamped it shut. What fuckin' idiot would refuse a blowjob while he was playing? And why the hell hadn't they tried this before? It was in that moment that he made up his mind to rise to the challenge. He chuckled silently at his lame pun. Annika lowered the zipper, causing his jeans to fall in a pile at his feet. He sighed and then hit another bad note. This was going to be trickier than he thought.

"You're so sexy when you play!" She tucked a finger into each side of the waistband of his boxers. "I've been waiting all day to fuck you." Her voice was deep and husky with desire as she lowered his boxers. She looked up at him with those beautiful green eyes. "I'm going to suck you off until you're ready to cum, and then I'm going to ride you hard and fast." She wrapped her hand around him and licked her lips. "Mmmm, I can't wait to feel you inside of me..."