Tenant for Rent

Amelia opened the door to Joshua waiting awkwardly in the hallway.

Joshua turned to look at her. The greeting half formed on his lips faded as he caught sight of her.

"Wow," He said, half under his breath. "I mean, 'hi!' You look great!" Then Joshua frowned, unable to decide if that had been an inappropriate comment.

"Hey!" she greeted him. "I'm glad you actually came!"

Joshua chuckled, "Free dinner? Of course I came; wouldn't you have?"

Amelia looked him over, pleasantly surprised. Freshly shaved and out from behind his computer, he looked less weary, more friendly. In dark jeans and a maroon button down shirt, he looked much less stuffy than he had in his suit - much less stuffy and much more attractive. The clothes fit him closely, hinting at the strong physique beneath. Amelia found herself more seriously considering Kendra's parting advice.

In his left hand, dangling by his hip, Joshua held a bottle of red wine. A bit to the right, his jeans hid a bulge that, Amelia was certain, was a bit larger than when she'd first opened the door.

Amelia gestured toward Joshua's hips with a nod of her head, "Is that for me?"

"What?" Joshua asked, surprised, glancing down. Then he blushed. "Oh! The wine, yes, it is. Sorry."

Amelia's eye twinkled in amusement. Away from his spreadsheets, he was so much more human. And so much more delightfully susceptible to the slightest bit of flirting.

"Would you like to come inside?" Amelia asked. The corner of her mouth curled in the slightest hint of a smile.

Joshua paused for a split second before responding, "Yes, thank you."

Joshua stepped through the door and handed Amelia the bottle he carried. Her fingers brushed his lightly as she took it from him.

"Thank you," she said, "Should I open it now?"

"It's a gift," Joshua responded, "Open it whenever you like."

Amelia nodded, "Thanks. I already opened a bottle, otherwise I would. Maybe we'll try it after dinner?"

Joshua nodded his agreement. "Two bottles though," he joked. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"Will I have to?" Amelia's tone was friendly, but less joking; it held the door open to something more provocative.

Joshua resisted taking the bait, but Amelia could tell it was on his mind. The way he watched her as she moved from the kitchen. The way his eyes followed the curve of her ass as she bent over the table to put down the lasagna. The way he shifted his position to get a better viewing angle, silently pleading for her skirt to ride up just a little more, then had to subtly adjust his pants. Amelia couldn't resist playing for her audience, leaning over a little bit more than she needed to, letting her hand linger on his shoulder when she offered him his glass of wine. Neither of them said much of anything until they were seated and eating, but the air was thick with suggestion.

"I felt a little awkward standing outside your door with a bottle of wine," Joshua confessed while they ate, "I thought someone might recognize me and think something untoward was going on."

"Like what?" Amelia asked with feigned naivete.

Joshua blushed again. There was a long silence while Joshua tried to figure out how to respond. "I don't know," he evaded. "As the landlord, coming over to an attractive single woman's apartment. I wouldn't want someone to think I was abusing my position."

Amelia laughed, "Maybe I'll jump up and down on my bed for an hour after dinner; give them some noises to speculate about."

"An hour?" Joshua chuckled, "You might be giving me too much credit."

"I hope not," Amelia's response was matter of fact; her raised eyebrow suggestive.

Joshua, caught mid sip, coughed, choking on his wine. He took a second sip to clear his throat.

"Sorry," Amelia smiled. Her facial expression was reading and not at all apologetic.

"Warn me before you say something like that next time," he pleaded. "You have a wicked sense of humor."

"Sorry. It must be the wine," Amelia demurred, "I'll try to go gentle on you."

"To answer your question from before, though," Amelia, in an apparent act of mercy, changed the subject. "I definitely would have."

Joshua's eyes went wide, his brow furrowed, "Would have what?"

"Come." Amelia responded quickly. Joshua choked on his wine a second time before Amelia continued, "to dinner. You asked when you first arrived."

There was a brief pause while Joshua's memory caught up to his other train of thought, "Right. I remember. When you were surprised that I c- showed up."

For a moment, Joshua looked like he was wrestling with what to say next; he frowned slightly, and he looked past Amelia to stare at her kitchen wall. Then, while lost in thought but before he found a decision, his eyes locked onto her cleavage and he sat, simply staring, for several moments.

Amelia let him stare, curious to see how long it would take him to notice he was doing so, but eventually she snapped him out of it.

"Joshua?" She prodded.

"Hmm?" Joshua looked up, and realized he'd spaced out. A flush spread across his face. "Sorry, I was spaced out I guess."

"What were you thinking about?" Amelia asked innocently.

"Nothing really, just spacing out for a moment," his blush deepened and betrayed his lie.

Joshua took a deep breath and sat up straighter. "Although I guess we should talk about the rent situation before we get too distracted." His comment couldn't have been better timed. Amelia felt like she had him right where she needed him: distracted and pliable.

"In that case, I'm going to need a refill," Amelia joked. She topped off her wine glass and held it up as an offer to Joshua. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded and she filled his glass as well.

"Have you made any progress on the finances?"

"I spoke to my manager, I'm first in line for extra shifts if they need more people or if someone is sick or something," It was a lot of ifs, and even if it did happen, Amelia knew it wouldn't be enough. But she didn't tell Joshua that.

"And I've got a couple potential roommates I'm meeting with this weekend," Amelia continued, "Unless you've changed your mind about moving in now that you see what I have to offer."

Joshua's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what she meant. He leaned forward and asked quietly, "You mean about walking around naked?"

Amelia burst out in surprised laughter and terror immediately gripped Joshua. "No, I meant cooking and, like, a clean apartment," Amelia explained between breaths.

"Oh my god, I- I am so sorry," Joshua stammered, his face beet red, "I wasn't sure what you meant and you, well, you had made that joke earlier in my office, and-"

"-and clearly it stuck with you," Amelia finished for him. Her eyes twinkled in amusement while Joshua burned in embarrassment.

Joshua shrugged guiltily, "I mean... I didn't... I'm sorry." He gave up trying to explain himself and took a large gulp of wine.

Amelia put her hand on his forearm, "It's fine, really. It's my fault for making the joke in the first place. I won't hold it against you if you'll do the same for me?"

Joshua nodded. Amelia didn't remove her hand from his arm, nor did Joshua take his arm back. Instead the two sat together, quietly contemplating, for several moments. And just like that, the issue of her rent had disappeared from their minds.

Finally Joshua took a deep breath and looked around at the empty plates, "Here, let me help you clean up. It's the least I can do."

"No, no," Amelia put some pressure on his arm, stopping him as he tried to stand. When he settled back in his chair, Amelia stood herself and put her hands on his shoulder, giving him a small squeeze. "You're my guest tonight. Let me, I insist."

Joshua nodded and quietly watched Amelia as she collected the plates and brought them to her sink. Although he did his best to be surreptitious, Amelia could feel his gaze wandering over her body when he thought she couldn't tell.

"I don't have much in the way of dessert," Amelia apologized as she cleaned up. "I can offer you some ice cream?"

Joshua didn't say anything. He only stared at Amelia as she walked from table to sink, clearly deep in thought. Then, with an attitude of determination, he drained his glass of wine and stood from the table. Wordlessly, he reached out and caught Amelia's wrist and pulled her to him. Suddenly, unexpectedly, but not at all unpleasantly, Amelia found herself standing close enough to Joshua to feel the heat from him, to smell the sweetness of the wine on his breath.

Joshua leaned closer, as if he was going to kiss her, then hesitated, "I've got a better idea for dessert."

Well, this escalated quickly, Amelia thought to herself. Am I really going to do this? As much as she'd debated all evening, all week even, when the moment of decision came, all of her prior thoughts, convictions, and decisions seemed to flee from her mind. This moment was the only decision that mattered. Ah, hell, why not? He's hot, he's here, and you want him. Amelia wasn't sure if the voice in her head was hers, or Kendra's. Whoever it was, though, she was right.

Amelia tilted her head back and leaned in to kiss Joshua before either of them could change their minds. It was a soft, sensual kiss, but restrained. All temptation with no satisfaction. As soon as she felt Joshua get into it - his hand tightening on her wrist, his weight shifting forward, his tongue pressing into her mouth - she pulled away. Joshua was left aching for more.

"But we never finished our conversation," Amelia breathed, "About if you'll waive my late fees?"

Joshua looked surprised, then he chuckled, "We both know I was going to waive them."

Amelia should have been relieved. Instead, she thought, I should have asked for more. But before she could say anything, Joshua was kissing her again, pushing her back towards the bedroom door. All thoughts of rent and dishes fled from her mind.

Joshua and Amelia were a tangle of limbs and lips as they burst into her bedroom. Amelia made a mental note to thank Kendra for her foresight, glad she wasn't tripping over anything as she and Joshua stumbled in.

Joshua began to unbutton his shirt and Amelia watched in appreciation as he slowly revealed his strong chest, toned abs, and then shrugged out of the shirt entirely. Although Joshua had obviously been in shape, Amelia hadn't realized just how sculpted that shape was. If I had known he looked that good under that suit, I'd have fucked him in his office, she thought to herself. Anxious to make up for lost time, she quickly began to remove her own clothes, slipping her cami straps off her shoulder.

Joshua stopped her, "Wait."

Startled, Amelia looked up at him, "Why?"

"Let me," Joshua answered. He pulled her hands away from her cami. He pushed her hair aside and leaned down to kiss her neck. Then, slowly, he began to undress her. He took his sweet, maddening time, sliding each item off. His touch was gentle, light, and Amelia shivered as his fingers lightly brushed against her skin as he went about his work. As, one by one, Joshua removed each item of her clothing, Amelia's nervousness and hesitation were replaced with impatient eagerness. By the time Joshua slid her panties down her legs, she was on the verge of throwing him on the bed herself and having her way with him.

"Not yet," Joshua resisted as she tried to drag him onto the bed. "I'm still wearing too much."

"Hurry up," Amelia commanded, reclining back onto the softness of her pillows, and draping herself across the bed like a cat. Her blonde hair splayed out, framing her face looking up at him. It had the opposite from the desired effect; for several long seconds, instead of undressing, Joshua only stared.

Joshua eventually stepped out of his jeans. He picked them up, folded them, and laid them on the chair by Amelia's dresser. If he'd taken any longer, Amelia would have jumped up and dragged him into bed. Fortunately for her, Joshua delayed no longer. He stepped away from the last of his clothes and moved towards the bed.

Suddenly, he was on top of her. His heat contrasted the cool sheets beneath her. Slowly, he trailed light kisses down her body: down her neck, over her breasts, and across her stomach until his mouth was between her legs. Each kiss was warm and soft, leaving a tingling chill in its wake. Amelia was torn between impatiently wanting him to fuck her and desperately wanting his kisses to continue.

When his tongue touched her clit, however, the decision was made for her. Amelia sank into the bed, tilting her head back and letting out a long sigh of pleasure. His tongue was gentle and steady, slowing building the pleasure inside her. He didn't rush her, didn't push too much, too fast. He let the sensation fill her utterly and completely. As Joshua went about his work, Amelia lost the ability to think about anything else.

Perhaps it was the wine, perhaps it was the fun of the flirting, or perhaps it was the anticipation Amelia had built up spending a week fantasizing about fucking her way out of paying rent. Or perhaps it was all of it. Whatever the reason, it wasn't long before the pleasure began to build up inside of Amelia. While one hand had a death grip on the bedsheets, Amelia's other hand reached forward and held Joshua's head between her thighs, guiding him to just the right rhythm and pace to send her body surging into an orgasm.

"Oh god," Amelia sighed heavily, "That was really good. You're welcome for dinner anytime."

Joshua didn't answer. His mouth was otherwise occupied. After a moment of letting Amelia recover from her first orgasm, Joshua went about serving her seconds. He wrapped his arms under her thighs, grasping her hips and firmly holding her in place. Then he began again.

Joshua's style shifted. Before he had been slow and luxurious, taking his time as he let Amelia ride the waves of pleasure gently, at her own pace. This time he drove her. His pace, his rhythm, his movements, everything Joshua did was with a focus and a passion. Amelia was swept up in waves of sensation, barely able to breath as ecstasy crashed through her. She lost control of herself. She squirmed in the bedsheets; were it not for Joshua's firm hold on her, Amelia wouldn't have been able to hold still as the cascade of pleasure rushed through her. Her moans announced her impending orgasm, until her senses overloaded and she came, shivering.

Joshua released her. A glistening sheen of sweat covered her body.

"Please," Amelia begged, gasping for breath. "Please fuck me."

"I'm going to," Joshua declared.

He entered her without any resistance and Amelia sighed contentedly. As worked up as her last two orgasms had made her, every single touch of Joshua's was electric on her skin.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes."

Joshua's rhythm began steady. He drove into her constant and strong. Amelia found her breathing matching his pace. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him into her, pushing back to meet his thrusts. Urging him deeper on each movement.

And then something shifted, and Amelia found the perfect angle. An involuntary groan escaped her lips.

"Right there," she instructed. "Oh, that's perfect. Right there."

Joshua acquiesced and kept himself fixed at that perfect spot. Each thrust bewildered Amelia, flooding her mind with sensation. Unable to restrain herself, she moaned and cried out, loudly and with abandon, each time Joshua hit that certain spot. What would her neighbors do, complain about the noise to her landlord? Gradually, steadily, Joshua began to quicken the pace, thrusting harder and faster with each passing moment.

And slowly, Amelia rode to her inevitable climax. As she grew nearer and nearer, the anticipation grew maddening, until finally she came again, quivering beneath Joshua. Her legs gripped him, holding him in place. Arching her back, pleasure wracked her body as her deep moan announced her orgasm.

As she subsided, Amelia's legs released their hold and her eyes opened to look at Joshua. A faint smile crept onto his face and he raised his eyebrows at her. It was almost a question. She nodded in reply, not knowing - or not caring - what he was asking. Joshua's smile grew slightly, and he began to thrust again.

Joshua's eyes grew wide and face taut with a single-minded focus. She could see him tightening in the muscles in his chest, feel it in his grip on her shoulder. And suddenly, his eyelids shuttered as he came. He released a shuddering groan and then fell to the bed beside her. Amelia curled onto her side and pressed close to him. She could feel his heart racing in his chest.

I should have stopped paying rent months ago, she thought.