The Woman On the Balcony

My Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2023 entry. For fans of summer romance and a bit more of a vanilla flavor.

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Elliott slid open the balcony door and moved from the air-conditioned hotel room and into the balmy ocean air. The buzz from the whiskey at dinner had worn off, leaving his head feeling only slightly swimmy. He wished he'd thought to buy a six-pack at the corner mart. What kind of person got dumped by his long-term girlfriend one week before a nonrefundable vacation and didn't think to stock up on booze?

He sucked down a deep breath of salty air and leaned against the railing, staring out at the sand. It seemed almost blue from the moonlight, while the ocean was inky and black. The foamy white crests were the only thing differentiating it from the late-night sky.

It was hard not to think about Kira and the fact that she should have been standing next to him right now, Elliott's arm wrapped around her waist. It was hard to sleep in the California king bed alone, without Kira's cold feet pressed up against Elliott's legs as they slept.

"Hey!"

Elliott jerked back to attention, his head swiveling to the right.

There was a woman on the next balcony over, standing in her bare feet and black bikini. She had on a white, sheer coverup that opened in the front and billowed in the breeze.

"Hey," said Elliott, straightening up. "How's it going?"

"It's going," she said, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Except I lost my friend."

"Oh." Elliott felt awkward. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." The woman let out a single, short laugh. "Wait, she didn't die or anything. She's just out with a guy she met at the pool this afternoon. Who knows what they're doing? Some girls' trip this is, right?"

Elliott pushed his fingers through his wavy brown hair and laughed. "Damn, I'm sorry."

The woman leaned against the railing of her own balcony, as though wanting to get as close to Elliott as she could. Her blonde hair was tangled and slightly wet, like she had just risen up from the sea. A piece of it stuck to her cheek, and Elliott wished he could pull it off.

"Are you here with someone?" the woman asked.

"No. Just me."

"Do you want to go on a walk or something? I know I'm a stranger, but. . ."

Elliott felt a spark of joy, something he hadn't experienced in several days. "Sure! That sounds fun. I guess we could just meet in the hallway?" He laughed. "In five minutes?"

He went back into the hotel room and quickly surveyed himself in the mirror. He fixed a few pieces of stray hair and headed to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth. The last step was to give his neck a spritz of cologne before he finally opened the hotel room door.

She was already standing in the hallway. The only change appeared to be the flip-flops on her feet and a small backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"I never told you my name," she said, a smile sliding up her face. Elliott noticed two endearing dimples. "Claire."

"Claire," he repeated. "I'm Elliott."

They walked to the elevator together, with Elliott stealing glimpses of her the entire time. She was a few inches shorter than he was, and as her fingers ran through her hair, he noticed a small tattoo on her wrist.

"Do you always go on solo vacations?" Claire asked as the elevator doors opened on the first floor. The lobby was quiet as they walked through it.

"I know this sounds lame," said Elliott, "but my girlfriend broke up with me a week before coming here. We were going to come together."

"Ouch." Claire's green eyes looked sympathetic as she met Elliott's gaze. "I'm sorry."

It struck Elliott that Claire didn't ask what happened. He was grateful for it.

The two of them headed out to the beach, which was just a stone's throw from the hotel. Claire seemed to have an idea of where she wanted to go, and Elliott followed along without question. It looked like they were headed to the pier.

"I'm newly divorced myself," said Claire, reaching for the ties on the coverup so she could fasten it along her stomach. "This trip is in celebration of my new singlehood."

"That's a good way to look at it. Too many people view divorces as tragic, I think."

The breeze picked up, and Elliott caught wind of Claire's perfume. It was sweet and fruity, like the essence of summer had been sprayed onto her skin.

"I think we've got an hour before the Ferris wheel closes," said Claire, as they neared the pier. "Trina and I were supposed to ride it together, but—"

"I'm the next best thing?" Elliott said, laughing. "I'd be honored."

The Ferris wheel was glittery against the night sky. The rows of lights twinkled in various colors, while soft carnival music played from somewhere beneath it. There was only a short line, so Elliott and Claire were able to hop on right away.

Their thighs touched as they settled onto the small seat in the Ferris wheel cart. The ride took them up and overlooking the beach, where the boardwalk was still full of life and lights. Various stalls offered tie-dyed t-shirts and shot glasses. Tattoo parlors kept their neon signs on past closing, hoping for extra business during these popular summer nights. People cracked open crab legs and beer cans, diving into indulgence without batting an eye.

Elliott was about to say something, though he wasn't sure what, when Claire reached out and squeezed his thigh.

"Thanks for coming with me," she said, grinning.

Then she put her head on his shoulder, just for a moment, but long enough to awaken all of Elliott's senses. A shiver ran down his spine when Claire pulled away, her hair tickling his neck.

"Can I kiss you?" He blurted it out before he could second guess himself.

Claire had been staring out at the ocean, but she snapped her head back to face Elliott. Her eyes looked sleepy, and her dimples appeared again. She sucked in her bottom lip and nodded.

Elliott pressed one hand up to the side of her face and brought his mouth to hers. They stayed like that for a moment, simply touching their lips to each other's, but then Elliott began to slip his tongue between Claire's lips. She moaned in response, and Elliott could feel her leaning in toward him.

When they pulled away, their gaze stayed connected.

"You're blushing." Claire brought her hand up to Elliott's face. "It's very cute."

He rubbed his chin and laughed. "No way!"

The ride only lasted the length of one more kiss, and before they knew it, Elliott and Claire were back on the pier.

"Where to now?" said Claire, mostly to herself as she looked around. "Are you hungry?"

They found a stand selling tons of fried food, and Claire ordered two corn dogs and churros drenched in chocolate sauce. She dove into them first, while she and Elliott found a seat on a nearby bench.

"Oh my god," she moaned. "Heavenly." Her eyes were closed like she was savoring every bite of the churros. "Try one."

Elliott took one and hummed his lips together at the first taste. "Hell yes."

A big glob of chocolate had dripped down from Claire's pursed lips and onto her collarbone. Elliott held out his finger.

"Hold on, you've got. . ." he trailed off, rubbing the chocolate off Claire's skin.

The cover-up revealed enough of Claire's cleavage to catch Elliott's eye. Her breasts looked soft and heavy, two tan slopes supported by the string bikini top. One pull on the knot at the back of Claire's neck and the fabric would fall away.

"I have an idea," said Elliott. Claire's energy had rubbed off on him.

He led them in the direction of a bar, Hammerhead's, that he'd found earlier, where you could stretch out on hammocks or swings, letting your toes touch the sand while you drank.

"Oh, I've been wanting to come here!" Claire said, beaming once she saw where they were. "They serve little plastic sharks in all their drinks."

Hammerhead's was filled with people, all in various stages of drunkenness. The bar itself was indoors, set up to look like a cabana strung with lights and palm tree decor. Half of the people inside were in their swimsuits, holding plastic cups in their hands. A door toward the back of the bar led out to the beachy, sand-covered area.

"Can we get two of the Great Whites please?" Elliott said to the bartender, while Claire clapped her hands excitedly beside him. "You're very cute." His eyes met Claire's.

She reached out to squeeze Elliott's arm. "Thank you. And thank you for this drink, oh my god. Look at it!"

The Great White cocktail was a lurid blue mixture, with a plastic shark shoved into the center and a layer of bright red grenadine on top.

"There's only one hammock left," said Claire, as they headed outside. "Bummer."

"No way, we can both fit." Elliott stuck out his hand so that Claire could get into the hammock first.

"Do you think? It's kind of a tight—whoa, okay, you're right," she laughed, as Elliott ungracefully crawled into the hammock with her. They were half-sitting, half-laying as the hammock gently swayed back and forth.

At some point, Claire's cover-up had come untied, and Elliott looked down at Claire's tan belly. Sitting like this made a soft fold of flesh crease over top of her belly button, and he loved the way the sides of Claire's bikini bottoms rested right against the curves of her hips.

"What?" said Claire, looking down at her body. "Do I have chocolate on me still?"

"No, I was just checking you out," said Elliott bluntly.

The playful energy between them shifted into something more intense. Claire leaned over and kissed him, their lips both cold and sweet from the cocktails. Elliott put his hand on the back of her head to keep her just like that, her mouth parted and her tongue intertwining with his. Claire dragged her free hand down the front of Elliott's chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles through his t-shirt.

"It's not fair that you have more clothes on than me," said Claire teasingly.

Elliott let out a big, dramatic sigh. "If you want me to give you a striptease, Claire, just say that."

"Shut up!" Claire laughed, and her eyes were swimming with excitement as she watched Elliott pull his shirt off over his head. "You've got a great body."

"Thank you."

Claire couldn't stop herself from running her hand along Elliott's chest, across his stomach, and back up. She was a sucker for guys with a body like his.

"We should, um, finish these." Claire cleared her throat and sucked down a few gulps of her drink. "And then we should leave."

Elliott didn't need any persuasion.

They drained their cups and pushed their way through the crowd of people that had formed near the exit. They both felt buoyed by thrill and adrenaline as they walked back to the hotel faster than they had left it.

"Is your room okay?" asked Claire, pushing the button in the elevator. The salty air had left her hair looking wild and messy, the sort of hair you couldn't run your fingers through. "I'm not sure when Trina will be back, if at all."

"My room's fine."

Claire stood behind Elliott as he slid the key card into the door, scanning the room as it opened in case he had left it a mess. Luckily, he hadn't.

"That was really fun," said Claire, kicking off her sandals. "I needed that."

Elliott smiled at her and took a step closer, his fingers grazing her waist. "Good. I think I needed it, too."

When they kissed, it was different than before. It was frantic now, and eager. Claire shimmied out of her cover-up as Elliott's mouth latched onto hers, both of them moaning with pleasure.

Elliott pulled away only to move her to the bed. Claire laid down on her back, and as Elliott crawled onto her, he noticed she was shaking.

"Are you okay?"

Claire nodded. "Mhm. I'm just excited. A little anxious. It's been a while."

Elliott softened. "Same."

He kissed her again, gently now, and then began to work his way over the front of her throat while Claire's mouth fell open. She sighed and whimpered, her body breaking out into goosebumps as Elliott explored her body with his lips. He kissed her ears, her neck, her shoulders, and then he trailed downwards to the curve of her collarbones. She didn't think anyone had ever kissed her there before.

"You're driving me crazy already." Claire's laugh tapered off into a moan as Elliott reached her breasts. "Fuck."

Elliott pushed aside the thin cups of her bikini, revealing her breasts. They dropped slightly as the material fell away, and Elliott noticed the wavy stretchmarks running up the sides of them. She had the cutest light brown nipples he had ever seen. He ran one hand through the valley between her breasts, and then up and over the curves. His thumb brushed away a few pieces of gritty sand.

When he lowered his head down to pull one of her nipples into his mouth, Claire let out a shuddering breath as a wave of arousal rolled over her shoulders. Elliott's tongue snaked around her peak, sending shockwaves of electricity straight to her pussy. She had always had such sensitive nipples.

"Holy shit," she panted, her eyes alternating between closed and snapping wide open to watch Elliott suck on her breasts. "That feels so good."

Elliott switched to the other nipple now, cupping the breast in his palm, while his free hand massaged the other. His tongue flicked across the hard peak, and Elliott looked up to watch the way Claire's face contorted every time he did so. It made his cock twitch to see her looking like that, so undone and responsive.

Finally, Elliott moved from Claire's shiny wet nipples down to her belly. He pressed his lips right above her belly button as his fingers untied the two knots holding up Claire's bikini bottoms. Her thighs were shaking even more now, and Elliott looked at Claire's face, amused.

"I find it hot how much you're trembling."

Claire giggled. "I know, I know. I can't help it." She exhaled shakily.

Elliott let out a low whistle as he saw Claire's pussy for the first time. She was completely shaved and smooth, except for a patch of dark blonde hair at the top of her mound. He slid two fingers across her pussy lips, parting her and gently prodding her opening. His eyes looked up at Claire's face. Her eyebrows were bunched together, and her lips were slightly parted with anticipation.

He slid onto his belly between Claire's legs, pushing her thighs apart. His mouth latched onto her entire pussy, breathing her in and tonguing her until he finally moved up to her clit. His tongue massaged her there, in slow, gentle circles.

"Fuckkkk," groaned Claire. It sounded like she was speaking through gritted teeth.

Encouraged by her reaction, Elliott applied more pressure with his tongue. Her thighs were doughy and warm as he held them open. They weren't trembling anymore, but Claire's chest had begun to heave up and down.

"Yes, just like that!" she panted. Her fingers tugged gently at his hair.

Elliott didn't plan on stopping until she asked him to. His eyes flicked upwards to watch Claire, her naked body dimly lit by the one lamp he had left on earlier that night. He couldn't believe this was happening, that he had lucked into having a hotel room next to a woman like Claire.

When Claire came, it was like something primal had been unlocked inside of her. Her back arched away from the bed as her orgasm took over, and her hands held Elliott's face right where it was. He tongued her clit the entire time she came, her moans growing increasingly louder.

A few moments later, Claire released her hold on Elliott's head and smiled down at him. He could see that she was trying to catch her breath.

"That was. . . so fucking good," she said, grinning blissfully. "Oh my god."

Elliott sat up. His lips were glossy, and he wiped his chin free of the wetness that had formed there. His fingers pushed against the entrance of her pussy again, finding her absolutely soaked and sticky.

"Fuck," he hissed. "You're so sexy."

Claire sat up and reached for the waistband of his shorts. "Get out of these."

Elliott stood beside the bed and stepped out of his shorts and underwear, and his cock bounced out. It was hard already, and big enough that it made Claire shiver again.

She quickly scrambled onto all fours and lowered her face down to Elliott's cock. She went slowly and teasingly, her tongue rubbing the tip of him before working down his shaft. She licked him up one side and down the other, making Elliott let out a long sigh.

He grabbed her hair and brushed it back behind her shoulders just as Claire slowly slid her mouth down his cock. Her lips were stretched out, and her cheeks were suctioned inwards as she sucked him, trying her best to get all the way down to the base. Elliott loved the slight gagging sounds coming from her throat. His eyes wandered across her body, to the arch in her back and the shapely curves of her ass from this angle.

"Yes, Claire," he growled. "Just like that."

She had started to bob her head up and down, moving faster each time. The hottest part was her noises, those adorable whimpers and moans she made each time she came up off his cock. They made Elliott want her even more, if that was possible.

Spit pooled at the corners of Claire's mouth as she slobbered on Elliott's cock. She was more enthusiastic as time went on, wanting to pleasure him with her best efforts and turning herself on in the process. Strings of wetness dripped from between her legs.

"Claire," said Elliott, after a couple more minutes of Claire's mouth gripping his cock. "I want you."

He pulled out from her mouth, and Claire crawled backward until she was in the center of the bed.

"How do you want me?" she asked, pushing her hair to one side of her head.

"Fuck," Elliott choked out. "God, I don't know. Let me get on top of you."

"Yes please."

Claire nearly pulled him between her legs, their faces coming together for a quick kiss before Elliott slowly started to press his cock into her wet hole. He took his time, wanting to savor this moment.

"You're so wet," he groaned.

Claire laughed softly. "I'm so wet because you made me so wet."

Finally, Elliott was completely buried inside of her. She was impossibly warm and tight, and she seemed to pulsate around his cock.

Claire's face was tense and creased with an expression that looked like arousal mixed with surprise. Her eyes couldn't stop staring into Elliott's, like she was trying to decide if this was real.

"Your cock feels so good," she sighed, as Elliott began to gently thrust into her. "Like it was made for my pussy or something."

She finally looked down between her legs to watch his cock plunge in and out of her hole. He was glistening wet, the hair at the base of his cock sticky with her juices. Claire spread her legs a little wider, giving Elliott deeper access to her.

Elliott's jaw was locked tight, and his brow was furrowed as he picked up the pace. His balls swung underneath him, and each time he dove into Claire's wetness, her pussy made a satisfying squelching sound.

"Here," said Claire, putting her hand on Elliott's chest to slow him down. "Let's do this. I love it."

Elliott sat back while Claire put her legs up over his shoulders. Then he leaned forward again, bending Claire in half. The position made her pussy feel so much tighter, and Elliott shook his head, smiling down at her.

"I don't know how much longer I can last with a pussy this good."

Claire's fingers were trailing up and down his arms. "That's okay. It's a compliment." The last word was followed by an involuntary whimper as Elliott pushed into her, deep and fast.

"Where should I finish?" asked Elliott.

"I'd like it in me." Claire swallowed hard. She was almost desperate for that feeling. "I've got an IUD. And I. . . I really need it."