Reclaiming Sofia

She pulled out, parked in his driveway. The heat hit her like a hammer as she got out of her car. Fortunately, Ryan opened the door almost as soon as she rang the doorbell, a smile on his face.

"Come in!" he said, stepping to one side. Sofia scurried past him hurriedly, glorying in the coolness inside.

"Three, on the dot," he grinned, kissing her cheek.

Sofia handed him a bottle bag, chilled prosecco. He peeked inside.

"You didn't need to do this, but it looks lovely." He led her through into the house. The ceilings were very high, the design simple, almost to the point of starkness, but Ryan apparently had good taste in art and the broad white spaces were broken here and there with paintings, some very sophisticated, some as bold as they were simple. The furniture was simple, too, but elegant. Together with the artwork, it all came together to make a remarkably attractive space.

Looking around, the girl was impressed with how neat the place was, how clean. It felt welcoming, safe.

The kitchen was small enough, but well-furnished. He opened the refrigerator, pulled out a glass jug.

"I'd made sangria," he said. "If you'd prefer prosecco instead..."

"I'd love a sangria, thanks."

Handing her a tall, ice-filled glass, Ryan showed her about the house. It occurred to the woman that this was the first really social visit she had made since... She pushed that thought away, tried to focus on her host. He was handsome, she thought to herself. And pleasant. And a marshal.

Maybe.

Somebody with whom she had something in common. Maybe  it could be possible. She didn't give much for her chances in a relationship with an accountant or a shoe salesman.

Finishing the tour, he paused inside the main room.

"Dinner won't be for a while," he said. "I promised you the pool, but if you'd rather stay inside where it's cool, I'll understand."

Sofia looked out through the windows into the surprisingly large back yard. Palms and hardy deciduous trees provided shade and the high wall total privacy. A row of chairs and loungers ran along the far end.

"It's too beautiful to stay inside, Ryan! So, definitely the pool, please."

He motioned to a flight of stairs. "You can change upstairs. There's a spare bedroom, top right."

She grinned a little, kissed his cheek, went upstairs. The bedroom was cool, as spotless as the rooms below. Opening the closet to hang up her dress, she smiled to find it half-full of men's clothes. Finding an empty hanger, Sofia hung up her dress. Undoing her brassiere clasp, she started to let it slip down her arms, but caught it instead with her hands, turned to look out the open window. Nobody in sight, she let the garment fall, peeled her panties down her thighs and hung both on the hanger.

The closet door had a mirror and the young woman turned back and forth, examining her image, running her hands over her waist and breasts. Still a bit skittish, but satisfied with what she saw, she reached into the bag she had brought with her, extracted a skimpy black bikini.

"Sofia!" Maria had said, finger again extended. "It's a pool date with a super-cute guy and you are so not going to wear that old one-piece thing! You've got a really hot body to show off, cuz, and I'm not letting you out of this place with second-best."

"It's the only one I have, Maria." Swimming and beaches were not high on Sofia's to-do list.

Exasperated, the other woman had spun on her heels, returning with a handful of black fabric.

"Sofia, we wear the same size. You will  take this and you will  wow Ryan - discussion ends."

Sofia had allowed herself to be talked into it and had indeed grown somewhat enthusiastic at the thought, but looking at it now, she was having some serious second thoughts. On the other hand, her only option was to go back downstairs, to skip the pool with some lame excuse and probably to go home. So, no.

The ties on the bottom and triangle top needed adjusting. Fitted, Sofia again turned, examining herself in the mirror, adjusted the fabric, hefted her breasts. It was, she had to concede, a nice outfit. And, despite her routine concerns about her weight, she looked good in it. She closed her eyes, opened them again, blinked.

The problem, as always, was one of trust or, maybe, confidence. The bikini was hardly scandalously revealing or daring, nothing one couldn't see in public swimming pools. Still, it revealed a great deal of her - and exposure equated to vulnerability, in her case emotional vulnerability. Ryan wouldn't laugh, of that she was sure. But what if he simply wasn't impressed? A man like him must attract girls like...

No. You look good. He's nice.

She ran her fingertips over her stomach as if assuring herself it was flat enough, over one hip, confirming the absence of muffins. She turned back and forth, realized she'd been up here too long.

She took one last look at the girl in the mirror, squared her shoulders and tried to smile. Trying again, she succeeded, then opened the door and stepped out into the hall, down the stairs in her bare feet.

Ryan, dressed in a colorful, mid-thigh swimsuit, was outside, fishing with a long net at some leaves in the pool. His back was turned to her and she stopped, struck by the play of muscles in his back and shoulders. When she moved forward again, he didn't notice her approach until she was several paces away. He jumped a little.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He smiled. "That's, erm, one impressive  ninja costume, Sofia." Trying to be a gentleman, his eyes still couldn't resist quickly running up and down her body. Sofia noticed the appreciation in his eyes; felt her trepidation fade somewhat.

"I brought the pitcher out," he said, turning away. "Did you bring your glass?"

"Oh. I forgot it."

"No matter."

+

The afternoon passed easily. The pool wasn't long enough to do lengths, but some swimming was possible, rapidly turning into splashing and then simply soaking. The two made small talk, carefully skirting around some areas.

And the yard was big enough space for a badminton net. "My nieces like it," he explained. His eyebrows rose in challenge; Sofia surprised him with a wicked smile..

.

Ryan had thought he could play badminton, but, at the end of a second lopsided defeat, he found himself bent forward, panting, having to work hard to catch his breath. He stood up, looked at a grinning Sofia.

"The hell?" he panted. "How do you do that?"

"Four years at the Academy. It was one of the sports available and I figured that size didn't matter in badminton."

"Well," he said, straightening, "you're pretty good."

In more than one way,  he thought.

Yes, Sofia had been very skilled, very fit and the games had been fairly won. Objectively however, Ryan had been just slightly handicapped by the sight of her toned, bikini-clad form bouncing, stretching and jumping just feet from him on the other side of the net.

That's much woman!  he thought appreciately.

Sofia smiled, very aware that her earlier edginess had been baseless. Yes, he'd certainly taken some admiring glances. How else,  she thought, in such circumstances?  But he hadn't been greasy about it, hadn't leered, hadn't stared. And he'd been a good host, entertaining.

And gentle. No, not wimpy or soft, but kind, gentle to her spirit, what the term 'gentleman' had originally been intended to mean. She suddenly realized how much she'd needed that, too.

And Sofia had been doing her own looking, too. The boy carried himself well. He obviously spent a lot of time at the gym, for his shoulders and biceps in particular were much larger than his height might have suggested. Sofia found her body reacting to him, yin to yang. To her surprise, she realized that that too was comforting, a reassurance.

For Ryan's earlier diffidence had eroded; he looks were more open now. Sofia found herself pleased, even happy at the open approval in the boy's eyes. She blushed at her own sudden image of her running her hands over that firm, bare chest. She turned to put her racquet down, hoping he hadn't seen her eyes.

Seeing the change in her eyes, Ryan was embarrassed to feel his own instinctive reaction, his manhood suddenly hard, stretching the thin material of his suit. He spun on his heels, simply walked into the pool. He surfaced some seconds later on the other side of the pool, laughed.

"Well, I'm going to put dinner on in a minute. Come get cooled off."

She stepped towards the pool, aware, very aware now of man's desire. She felt her own body react more, a heaviness in her loins, a slight tightening of her nipples, but she didn't want to look down to see if that was noticeable. Arriving at the edge of the pool, she instead did a simple, neat dive, surfacing half-way across the water. She shook her head, thumbed water out of her eyes.

Time to change the topic.

"Would you like some help with dinner, Ryan?"

"No thanks. It's all ready. I hope you like shrimp."

"Love it!"

+

I could get used to this,  the girl thought to herself as Ryan poured a second glass of prosecco. The tall wall around the yard provided not only privacy but also, to some degree, a bit of quiet. With the trees, some flowers and the pool, it seemed a little piece of Eden and Sofia felt that always-tense spot in her stomach relax, just a little. She felt calmer here.

"Thank you, Ryan. This is delightful."

Sofia raised her glass to his. The flutes touched with a slight ting.

"You're welcome and thank you back. Who knew beautiful pilots could be this much fun?"

Sofia blushed slightly, saw the truth in his eyes over the rim of his glass, willed herself to accept what he'd said. Her mind drifted to their hugs, their kisses, the way his hand had felt on her bottom back at the cave.

Time,   she thought. Maybe it's time. Maybe it's time to dare, to get out of the box, as Maria had called it. 

Heart beating, her mind filled with a mix of doubt, daring and hope, she slid into his arms, saw the delight and warmth in his eyes, bent to his lips.

Sensing her uncertainty, uncertain himself, Ryan let her lead. His hand swept gently over the back of her head, but did not pull her in. When her tongue tip traced his lips, he opened them in welcome, met it with his own, softly swirling around it without going any deeper.

Sofia breathed deeply, felt his hand on her hip, not moving, not squeezing, just a friendly presence. She pulled back, smiled at him.

"That feels good, Ryan. Thank you again for your patience."

He smiled back. "It feels very good," he replied, this time applying a slight pressure on her hip. Still smiling, she moved back in, kissed him harder now, explored his lips and teeth and tongue. She gloried in the way his solid body pressed against hers made her feel.

She let her right hand run over his head, his shoulder. His skin felt warm, smooth. It felt precisely right to her touch. Her breath caught as his own hand began to move over fabric and skin, drifting slowly over her waist and hip. That too felt good.

It all felt good, she thought to herself. It had been a long time, too long, she realized. This was something she could handle, something to enjoy, not fear. She could  trust him.

Sofia sat up, swung a leg to straddle the man, kneeling on either side of his hips. His hand shifted as she did so, cupping one buttock, squeezing gently. That too felt as it should and she felt her body respond to his touch, wonderful tension, blessed arousal.

She leaned a little forward, ran her hands through the hair on his chest, thumbs drifting over flat male nipples before she sat up again, her eyes on his, her hands resting on her thighs.

Her expression was hard for Ryan to read. He so wanted to avoid hurting the woman, sensing her goodness, her potential, the depth of her wounds. He squeezed again, very softly, waited to see her reaction.

Sofia made up her mind. She smiled, brought her hands up behind her neck, found one end of a tie. Ryan's eyes opened wider as she pulled slowly.

The knot collapsed, tie ends falling down from her neck onto her shoulders. One slithered down to fall over a collarbone. She let go of the tie, covering her nipples with her palms as the bra fell away.

"Please," she whispered softly. "Please."

Ryan had two hands on her bum now, holding, not moving.

"Whatever you wish, Sofia," he replied in a low voice. "However you wish."

She took a breath, dropped her hands, lowered her head and heard an intake of breath from the man below her.

Ryan's hands rose, slid up her waist, stopped just below her breasts. One hand moved up further, a forefinger under her chin lifting her face.

"They're beautiful, Sofia." He paused, then, "May I?"

In response, she smiled, began to run her hands over the boy's abdomen. She trembled slightly as his hands came to her breasts, covered them, lifted them, squeezed very gently.

"Beautiful," he repeated.

Sofia closed her eyes at the sensation, felt her belly tighten. She bent slowly forward, her own hands running up his torso, smiling inside at the feel of firm masculine muscles under her palms and fingertips. Her eyes popped open as his thumbs began to circle her now-hard nipples. She lowered her body more, found his mouth, her tongue swirling and playing with his. As a warmth began to glow within her, she made a deliberate effort, tried to let her fears fall away. Ryan's fingers caught a nipple, stretched it gently and she felt her female resilience take over, slowly push the rock-like mass of grief and sorrow to one side.

His hands clutched, mounded and teased her boobs, pushing her arousal higher. It felt right, the young woman suddenly realized. I've needed this.   She could feel his stiffness between them now, hard inside his swimsuit. She rolled her hips over it, felt his torso and arms stiffen in pleasure.

I can do this,  she thought. I haven't lost that.

Ryan's arms shifted, took her by the upper arms, lifted her bodily, rolled her to lie beside him on the mattress. A hand caressed the side of her head before he leaned in again, kissing her lips, her cheek, her ear. Sofia ran her free hand ran over the hard bulk of his upper arm, down his flank to his waist. She paused, slipped her hand between them, found his hardness, stroked it through the fabric. Her hand closed on it, harder, and the man growled softly.

Sofia hissed in pleasure at the feeling of his hands massaging her breast, one, then the other. Ryan shifted, brought his head down and the girl gave a soft cry as his lips found a nipple, nibbled gently before parting, teeth nipping softly. His tongue flowed over her taut bud, over her soft orbs and the sensation had her shivering with pleasure, shuddering with excitement. She opened her eyes, looked at the man, wanting, hoping. She looked away for an instant, saw the first star of the evening, bent back to him smiling.

Both jumped when her phone alarm sounded, a strident bugle call.

The girl pulled back, a look of dismay on her face. She wriggled out from under him and sat up.

"Oh, dammit!" she hissed. "I'm so ready, Ryan! Really."

"What is it?"

She sagged, reached for her bikini top.

"I'm flying tomorrow morning, remember? I have to sleep tonight. I have  to, Ryan! I'm sorry."

She sniffed slightly, bent down and lowered her breasts into the cups before sitting up and beginning to retie the strings. Finished, she bent down, gave him a quick kiss.

"You could sleep here," he said. "I promise..."

The girl thought for a second, shook her head sadly, caressed his jaw. Another quick kiss turned softer, longer, then hungrier. Again, she pulled back.

"No. I live on the other side of the city and I have to be in uniform." She stood up.

"But ask me another time, Ryan. Please. You're a good host and... So, please?"

He stood up, pulled her into a hug. He understood deadlines and regulations. His arms pulled her against him, harder now and she again smiled at the feeling of his length pressed between them.

"Thank you for coming, Sofia. Thank you for the badminton lesson and.... well, for everything." His hand swept down her side.

"Soon?"

She gave him a quick kiss.

"Soon. Oh, and Ryan?"

"Yes?"

Soft fingertips traced along his rigid length. He growled slightly, deep in his chest and the girl laughed softly.

"Don't lose this."

A minute later, she was in her car and gone.

Sleep did not come easily to her, but she slept with a smile for the first time in months.

+

It had been a week, a long week. 'Overtime' was a concept rarely mentioned in the Air Force, yet Sofia definitely had felt no guilt whatsoever about taking the extra day off when it had been offered.

A long weekend,  she thought. Saturday and Sunday.  She and Ryan had talked on the phone, texted. Tonight would be the first time they'd been together since...

Since.

Sofia had spent a lot of time thinking 'since'. Once again, she felt split. One Sofia remembered the natural pleasure of it, the look on Ryan's eyes, the warmth and the growing confidence in her; the other Sofia mocked, warned, trivialized, doubted. She found herself several times with the phone in her hand, ready to cancel. Finding courage from somewhere, she'd put it down each time.

She'd tidied the apartment relentlessly, looked through her mother's old cookbooks, bought flowers, waited until almost too late to put on the Dress.

Less than formal, slinkier than casual, the black fabric clung to her form, emphasizing bare arms and legs and shoulders. It had been the first really pretty dress she'd bought in a long time. She tried it with heels, wobbled a bit, decided they wouldn't be worth the effort in her own apartment.

She turned in the mirror, smiled slightly. While covering considerably more than her bikini, the dress was substantially more seductive. The salesgirl had whistled when Sofia had emerged from the changing booth.

"I hope he appreciates you, honey!"

Sofia grinned at the memory. Her grin faded; every effort was another gamble. She took a deep breath, held it, stared at herself in a mirror before letting it out slowly. It would be fine. She could do this.

The knock on the door startled her. She took one more look at herself in the mirror, smoothed out a non-existent wrinkle in the dress.

Ryan's jaw didn't quite drop, but the look in his eyes sent a tremor deep within her. Yes, she remembered the power she had, if used properly.

"Erm, that's very nice," the boy stammered. There was no doubting his acceptance and again she felt reassured.

His hand appeared from behind him, bringing an unwrapped, long-stemmed red rose into view.

"Um..." he continued, still stammering, still trying not to obviously stare. "Flower?"

Sofia giggled, took the rose and stepped back, inviting him in. As he passed, she gripped his arm, held him and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"It's lovely, Ryan! Thank you."

The boy looked about. "Where's Maria?"

Her face fell just a little. "She's out East checking out a job offer."

"Oh. Something big?"

"She hopes so. May I get you a drink?" Maria leaving would mean change and Sofia was not happy about that.

"Please. Anything you have, um, whatever you're having. Please."

Sofia felt her body react instinctively to the deep voice, the look still in his eyes. Her breath caught at the memory of their time by the pool and she felt a sudden quickening in loins, stomach and bosom. She turned suddenly, hoping he hadn't noticed, hoped she hadn't seemed too familiar.