The Bird in Hand

"You could try that if you want," Ffion laughed. She waved her empty glass and winked. "Get the drinks in first though. It's your round."

The bar wasn't so busy when Nicole walked up but Miles was at the other end pulling pints.

"Hey, you're Nicole," called Bea over the noise of nearby conversation.

"I was when I came in," Nicole replied. "I've had a fair few drinks since then, and I only knew what half of them were, so I could be like 70% alcohol now."

"You feeling ok? You want a glass of water?"

"I'm good, thanks. If Stacey catches me, she'll pour an entire bottle of something down my neck with a funnel."

Bea laughed, "I believe she would do that, yes."

"Can I get three Southern Comfort and lemonades, but put a ton of ice in mine please?"

Bea grabbed three glasses, filled one to the brim with ice, and added a measure to each. She had the soda gun in hand when Miles walked up.

"Bea, do me a favour. Earl's asking for his usual and I can't quite remember what that is. I'll take over here."

Bea raised her eyebrows at Miles, then handed him the soda gun, patted him on the arm and shuffled off down the bar.

Miles smiled at Nicole as he topped up the lemonade. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Yeah, I'm hanging in there, thanks." She reached for the ice-filled glass, and fished out a cube to suck on, enjoying the brief cooldown.

Stacey appeared suddenly behind her, reaching over to take one of the other glasses. "This my drink? Thanks, Nicky. We're heading out to the patio. Come out to the patio Nicky." Nicole managed to hand Ffion the other drink as Stacey dragged her away.

"Party time with Stacey," Miles chuckled, shaking his head. "Puts fear into the bravest hearts."

"I'm a little out of practice." Nicole admitted as she crunched her ice cube.

"How long are you in town for?"

"Just tonight. Getting out of here tomorrow with the hangover I'm brewing is going to suck."

"I know a couple of places you can hide if you like?"

"Like the cleaning cupboard?"

Miles cocked his head to the side and grinned. "Sure. Though I hasten to point out that these days the cupboard's primary function is in the name. I do clean this place now, so I do actually store chemicals and cleaning equipment in there"

"Compared to how it used to be, that sounds romantic."

Miles shrugged. "It is what you make of it, I guess. Geez, Nicole, it is so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Miles. I'm still processing how much you've changed. In a good way, I mean." She cursed her tipsy brain. Liquid courage was all well and good, but liquid smooth-talking would be a handy follow up.

"I had such a crush on you back in the day." For the first time, Miles lowered his gaze briefly after he said it. Nicole swallowed the last of her ice cube, its effects wearing off as heat filled her cheeks again.

"Wow, I had no idea." It was true that she hadn't known, though now she was trying to remember if there had been any signs. She wondered if that was part of the reason younger Miles never looked at her directly when she spoke to him.

He was staring at her intently now. His eyes flitted over her face as though searching for some hidden truth. She suddenly realised that his face was much closer to hers. He had leaned on the bar after putting her drinks down. She lowered her eyes and found herself appraising his body again. Yup, still hot. How long was too long to spend watching the muscles in his arms flexing as he leaned on the bar?

"Right. I wasn't sure if you knew. I thought maybe my brother would've told you to punish me."

"Punish you?" She frowned at him.

"Yeah. I was like 15, so it was just a crush. There was nothing to it, but you were pretty and nice, and always around. Nobody else would ever have known, but one day I was at the house with my friends playingTruth or Dare or something and I admitted it. Jason overheard and lost his shit. Shouted the place down. Said he'd make me suffer if he caught me so much as looking at you again."

"Miles, I'm so sorry about that. Genuinely, I didn't know. Seems there was a lot that other people knew about Jason that I didn't."

"He wasn't like that with you, was he?" Miles asked, and Nicole shook her head.

"I'm glad about that, but it's just as well he's not around now. I couldn't have avoided looking at you tonight. I guess I'm making up for lost time if that's ok?"

Nicole smiled and shrugged. It wasn't like she had been able to take her eyes off him either.

"If I'm honest, I think I've still got a pretty big crush on you," he said.

"Does that mean if I kiss you, I can have drinks for free?" she asked, then let out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "What would you be willing to do if I threw in some snacks as well?" He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, then added, "sorry, I'm trying to flirt with you, but I should state clearly that I would never ask for any kind of favour as payment, no matter what Stacey may have led you to believe."

With a sly smile, she grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled until his face was a fraction of an inch away from hers. "I didn't want free drinks. I was just trying to get you to kiss me."

Nicole was still smiling as Miles closed the distance and their lips met. He took her hands in his across the bar and she squeezed his fingers as she leaned into the kiss. People up and down the bar cheered and wolf-whistled at them. Someone -- possibly Bea -- shouted at them to get a room. The kiss broke as they both laughed

"So, cleaning cupboard then?" Nicole suggested.

"For old times' sake?" Miles laughed.

Nicole fought a memory of Jason that sprang unbidden into her mind. If anything similar had occurred to Miles, she couldn't see it in his face.

"How about for tonight's sake?" she offered.

Nicole followed Miles's gaze as he turned to look around the bar. It wasn't very busy in that moment. Outside it was still light, so most people had made their way out the back. Bea, who was still handing drinks to a few of the remaining customers, shrugged at them.

Miles turned and plucked a key off a hook over the counter behind him, then walked to the end of the bar near the pool table. He lifted the flap and stepped out. Nicole abandoned her drink and joined him. He offered his hand, and she took it, then he walked her to the corridor.

It was strange to think that if she or any of her friends had ended up in the cleaning cupboard with a boy back in the day, there would have been some elaborate drunken plan to sneak in there while nobody was looking. Now, it was obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. Ironic, since the preceding event in this case was a single kiss, whereas when they were younger, they would have been unconcerned with who was looking on as they all spent the evening making out in the bar.

Either way, Nicole didn't much care. The cupboard was just a shorthand for agreeing to take things further. That's what she wanted, badly. Even if her body was now 70% alcohol, the rest of her was topped up with lust. Just looking at Miles, and the way he stared at her -- which he was still doing, even as they crossed the room -- was getting her going. The buzz that had hit her the second she downed that first drink, and had continued to grow through the evening, made her whole body tingle from just that one kiss. The warmth spread from her lips to the tips of her fingers wrapped around Miles's hand, to other places she wanted to be touched by him.

Miles unlocked the door and pocketed the key before pushing it open with his free hand. Nicole stepped quickly inside, and Miles followed. The door clicked shut behind them. The cupboard -- actually, a small room about 5 square feet -- was dimly lit by the fading sunlight coming in through a small high window. There was a low sink on one wall and a metal cabinet adorned with chemical warning signs against the other. Various mops and brushes and a vacuum cleaner stood about. It was clean and tidy and smelled faintly of chlorine. It felt so much smaller.

"Cosy," said Nicole when she noticed Miles watching her.

"There's a better place we can go, if you like," he offered.

Nicole shook her head. She couldn't deny the effect of the nostalgia of being in there again. While she didn't want to consider any actual memories of time spent in the cupboard, the old feelings of excitement and anticipation flooded back to her. She wrapped her arms around Miles's neck and pulled him back in for a kiss.

Their lips parted this time as they met. A deep passionate kiss. Miles's hands went to Nicole's waist, and he walked her back against the wall, the blocks rough against her bare shoulders. She twisted her fingers in Miles's hair, holding him against her as he explored her mouth with his tongue.

She still wore her bag across her body and his fingers ran up the strap to her chest. He cupped and kneaded one of her breasts. Her dress had narrow straps, so she had braved not wearing a bra, and she gasped into his mouth as his thumb teased her nipple through the fabric. His hand moved round to her back, and he lowered his head to kiss her neck.

"Nicole," Miles breathed into her neck. She shivered as he whispered her name. Her whole name. NotNic orNicky. Her whole name whispered like a prayer. He said it again and a moan escaped her throat as he sucked her earlobe.

The coolness of the wall against her bare shoulders did nothing to dampen the fire burning inside her. Her skin flushed all over and her heart raced. The heat prickled along her arms, her chest, and between her legs. She squirmed under the touch of Miles's lips and fingers.

Miles lifted her bag over her head and dropped it to the floor, then his hands went back to her breasts. Both her nipples were rock hard. He moved one hand up to clutch the back of her neck as he consumed her mouth once more. His other hand slid down her body until his fingers reached her thigh below the hem of her dress, then moved upwards again. She sighed and adjusted her stance, spreading her legs more in anticipation. When his fingers grazed the inside of her thigh, hers tensed around the back of his neck. It was her turn to gasp his name as he slid his hand into her panties.

He didn't tease. He immediately spread her labia, letting out an appreciative grunt as he realised how wet she was for him. He gathered up slickness on the tips of his fingers before seeking out her clit. The fire inside her flared as he found his target.

Nicole slumped against the wall, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she fought to steady herself. Miles put out his other arm, bracing himself against the wall, caging her in with his body, leaning forward for better access. Her legs shook as he circled her clit. It wasn't always so sensitive right away, but Miles's very presence did something to her, and he had happened across just the right place to touch her. Maybe he did have magic fingers. He kept up the pace without moving as though he had read her mind.

"Jesus, Nicole. You're so beautiful," Miles grunted.

Nicole looked at him through lidded eyes. Even now he was studying her face with his intense gaze. She twisted her fingers back into his hair and pulled him in for another kiss. His mouth was hot on hers as he kissed her again and again. She gasped and whimpered. Years ago, in this room, she had learned how to get off quietly, but Miles was touching her in a way that made her want to moan, and cry out, and scream his name.

Their kiss broke as her head lolled against the wall. She gasped, "Miles, please..."

"Tell me what you want," he whispered. "I'll give you anything."

"Put your fingers inside me, please," she begged.

She felt his hand shift, spreading her lips again. He pressed the heel of his palm against her clit, and as he slid his middle finger inside her he rocked his hand to keep up the motion that had brought her this far. Nicole suppressed a squeal as the pleasure shot through her from two directions. Her insides clenched around his finger. He spread her again, pushing a second finger inside her, curling them against the front wall of her vagina, squeezing his whole hand against her vulva.

Nicole melted into the wall. The fire inside her raged as Miles, with one hand, drove her to unexpected levels of pleasure. She whimpered helplessly, her voice scratching in her throat as she fought not to scream. She released Miles completely, clamping both her hands over her mouth as she came. She bucked and shuddered as the waves of pleasure rolled through her. Miles didn't let up until she begged him to stop, and then he put both hands on her back and held her to him as he kissed her again.

"Oh. My. God," she panted, as she struggled to stand under her own power. "I needed that. Almost as much as I wanted it."

"My pleasure," Miles replied with a grin.

"It was definitely my pleasure. We can work on your pleasure next."

Her mind was racing with ideas of things she wanted to do to Miles when they were startled by a loud cheer from the bar. Miles looked to the heavens and groaned. Nicole's first thought was that she had made too much noise, but the timing seemed off. Then there was a knock.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt boss," Bea called through the door. "We've had a spillage."

The cheer had come after someone spilled their drink or broke a glass. Standard procedure. Miles grabbed a mop and dustpan and brush and shoved them into a bucket on wheels. He motioned to Nicole to stand out of the way of the door and cracked it open. It was only when he moved to stand awkwardly behind the open door that Nicole became aware of the obvious bulge in the front of his trousers. Bea stood in the doorway with a hand over her eyes and a sheepish grin.

"Everyone ok," Miles asked as he wheeled the bucket out to her.

"Yeah, fine, just Earl talking with his hands at the bar again, knocked over a pint. You ok in here?"

"Yes. Ongoing," he said. "Are you coping out there, or do you need a hand?"

I need your hands in here, Nicole thought.

"All under control, boss," Bea said, with a salute. "Take your time. Honestly, I'm impressed. I thought you would have embarrassed yourself by now."

"You suck." Miles grimaced and started to close the door.

"You love it," she smirked and turned away with her bucket.

He turned back to Nicole with an apologetic look on his face.

"What's the deal with you two?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"No deal," he said, "just good friends since school. She wastes her talents working for me and I let her give me a hard time to make up for the shitty wage."

"Why did she think you would have embarrassed yourself?"

He tilted his head. "She means, y'know, 'embarrassed' myself." He did the air quotes. Nicole gave him only a blank stare, so he clarified, "she knows how I felt about you the first time around. She thinks that if I've had a crush on you for seven years, I would have come in my pants the second we walked through that door."

"Oh!" she let out a nervous giggle, her eyes flitting back to his crotch. "Did you?"

"Please don't be insulted, but no, I didn't."

"That's ok," she said, walking slowly towards him, "there's still time."

She tilted her head up to kiss him again. He cupped her cheek with one hand and caressed her breast with the other. Her hands roamed under his t-shirt, fingers tracing the lines of his toned torso. Keen to see what she was feeling, she pushed his t-shirt up and he let her pull it over his head. In response, he ran his fingers across her shoulders and curled them under the straps of her dress, pulling them down her arms, freeing her breasts. His hands were all over her again, caressing the curves of her breasts, pinching her still-hard nipples.

Miles's touch was distracting. Nicole had to focus on what she wanted to do to him before he rekindled the fire inside her. She bent to kiss his neck and chest as she ran her hands over his abdomen, then worked to unfasten his belt buckle. Miles kept playing with her breasts, but he was watching her as she unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down over his hips. She wasted no time tugging his boxers down as well before wrapping her hand around his erection.

His cock was smooth and warm in her hand, and Miles murmured as she began stroking him. She ran her thumb over the head, spreading the glistening fluid that leaked from the tip. She moved slowly at first to test her technique, then with Miles making all the right noises, she picked up the pace.

She turned him against the wall where she had been, so she could press against him. The tingles started again as her erect nipples grazed against his chest. She tipped her head up and he bent to kiss her. She sucked his bottom lip between her teeth, running her tongue over it, before moving her tongue into his mouth. His one hand slid into her hair, and the other caressed her neck and shoulder.

As she worked his shaft, she moved her other hand between his legs, cradling and massaging his balls in her palm and teasing his perineum with her fingertips. Miles groaned into her mouth and breathed her name again, and that alone had the power to stoke her fire. The skin prickled on the back of her neck as he stroked it, and she sighed as he tugged at her hair.

His words echoed in her mind.Tell me what you want. I'll give you anything. She wanted to say the same to him, but she feared what he would ask of her because she knew in that moment, she would give it to him. She lowered her mouth, and a growl escaped his throat as she kissed her way along his jaw.

"I want you inside me again," she whispered into his neck. "Not your fingers this time."

Without a word, Miles grabbed her hips and turned her, switching places, and pressing her back against the wall. With one hand, Nicole guided his cock under her dress, pulling her panties aside with her other hand and pressed the tip between her labia, slicking it in her own juices. Miles ran his hand down her thigh and hooked it under the back of her knee, adjusting their positions by lifting her leg over his arm.

"Kiss me," she murmured, and he leaned in to capture her mouth with his. Tender but insistent.

His cock twitched in her hand, and against her vulva, sending tingles up her arm and through her swollen labia. She guided it down, teasing herself, and positioned the tip at her wet entrance. Miles groaned into her mouth as his fingers gripped the back of her neck. With the barest movement of his hips, she opened for him as he pushed inside her.

They moved gently together as Miles's cock inched into her. As wet as she was, she could feel herself being stretched out bit by bit in one long slow movement. Her walls squeezed around him, and she flared with desire as he slowly moved out again. The next few strokes were exploratory, each reaching deeper than the last. Each time he pushed in brought a greater pleasure as she opened around him. A delicious ache, like scratching an itch.

Miles gradually found his rhythm, rocking his hips to push up into her. His free hand moved to one breast again, kneading, caressing, and pinching her nipple. Her other breast bounced as his thrusts shook her. Nicole's arms clung around his neck as she sucked his tongue into her mouth.

Miles picked up the pace and Nicole gave herself over to him. His cock worked deep inside her and his fingers dug into her flesh. She gasped weak cries of desire that were stolen away by his mouth as he kissed her.

Miles shifted his position and let go of the leg he was holding up, allowing her to stand flat on the floor again. Nicole whimpered as he pulled his cock out of her. His hands moved to her hips, and she let him turn her to face the wall. His hands ran up her back and she raised her arms to lean with her palms against the blocks. He pressed himself against her back. His fingers twisted in her hair, and she turned her head as he leaned to kiss her.