L'Affaire C. 09

Carly was in a funk that not even cookie-dough ice cream was lifting. Liam hadn't called in almost a week. True, she hadn't returned his calls when he'd left messages the two weeks before that, but she'd never had a guy stop calling her after silence so quickly. It took all the other boyfriends in her life much longer to get the hint that she didn't want to talk to them. The only difference being that she did want to talk to Liam. She desperately wanted to talk to him, to fall asleep with her head against his broad shoulder, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

She changed the channel again, her mind finally nowhere near her estranged husband. But then, she'd signed the papers. Now he was her ex-husband. She'd never intended to be a divorcee but did anyone? She was on her overstuffed leather couch wrapped in a chenille blanket that was the color of caramel and soft against her skin. It was late. So late that paid programming was starting to pop up on a lot of the channels and she found herself doing more and more channel-surfing. She had plenty books to read, but she found she was flipping through the pages, her eyes grazing over the words, then realizing after six pages or so she hadn't processed anything beyond the first paragraph of the first page.

She decided she was being ridiculous. Even she didn't know why she was avoiding him anymore. It wasn't to avoid getting attached, because that had already happened. She reached for her cell phone and flipped it open, her heart beat intensifying as her nerves got the better of her. The phone rang three times before he picked up.

"Barbie?"

"Yeah, it's me. Hi."

"Hey. How are you doing? Haven't heard from you in awhile." Liam sounded guarded and tense. Carly squeezed her eyes shut. He was mad. He had every right to be mad.

"I've been busy," she said, lamely.

He laughed at her obtuseness. "Doing?"

She decided if she was going to take the risk she might as well be bold about it. Like getting in cold water, if you went too slowly it got hard to change your mind. "Trying not to think of you."

There was silence on his end. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. And for a few horrible moments she thought he wasn't going to respond. "I'm coming over," he said.

There was silence again, this time because he'd hung up.

***

There was no traffic at midnight and he made it to her house in fifteen minutes. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth when she heard him knock.

She quickly rinsed her mouth out with water and rushed to the door, the backs of her slippers slapping against the floor.

Carly opened the door a little tentatively. He was still in his suit from work, minus the tie. He'd chosen a sleek medium grey and paired it with a lighter grey button down shirt. He looked dashing, and suave, and a little bit cross.

"Liam?" Carly asked, silently questioning what was wrong as she stepped away from the door and watched him stride in.

She closed the door as he turned to her, almost accusingly. "Did you talk to your dad about me?"

"No."

"You're sure?" his disbelief was clear on his face though he tried to keep it out of his voice.

"Positive. What's going on?"

"I made partner."

He watched her reaction closely, looking for cues. The wide-eyed surprise, the way her lips parted slightly and she drew in a breath. She was genuinely surprised, but didn't know whether she looked genuinely surprised. She wasn't able to worry about his suspicions for long, though, and she broke into a wide grin. She threw her arms around him, drawing him to her. She could feel the warmth of his body through his shirt when her breasts pressed up against his chest. He smiled for a moment, and hugged her back, before his guard went back up. She noticed his suspicions weren't getting in the way of his libido, as his erection was pressing into belly below the navel.

Liam broke the contact and took a step back, his hand on her shoulder. He was holding her at arms length, literally. "I need to know, Carly. Did you discuss it with him?"

She didn't like the way he said her name. Or maybe she didn't like that he had used her name. He rarely called her Carly, and she'd become accustomed to his habit of referring to her as Barbie. If he didn't, it was because something was bothering him.

Carly dropped her arms and pulled at the hem of her sweatshirt, pulling it down a little to cover up. She suddenly wished she slipped a pair of jeans on, and had not answered the door in her shorts. Her legs were bare and she felt exposed.

"You made partner because you're a huge asset to the firm, not because my dad is the senior partner."

"Did you discuss it with him?"

"No!"

"Not just about us, I mean in general. You didn't offer an opinion?"

"Liam, what is this about?" Her heart raced. She was losing him and she didn't even have him yet, and she didn't understand any of this. She had no idea what he was talking about, and he didn't believe her. But even if she had expressed an opinion about him being the right choice for partner, where was the harm?

"Timing, Carly." She felt herself wince. That name again. She liked her name, why was she having so much trouble with it tonight? How many times had he whispered her name as they lay sprawled on her bed making love, his face buried in her damp hair. She had loved the sound of it then. She realized with a start that he was still talking, and hoped she hadn't missed anything important as her hormones raged. "—little odd that the day after the announcement, you call me. Was I not good enough before? Was I not important enough? Did I not have enough earning power?"

Dumbstruck, she moved to the door and reached for the handle. "I think you should go, Liam."

"What's different today than it was two weeks ago?"

"Please just go." When she opened the door it hit him. He had waited for her to come around, to get used to the idea of being in another relationship, and when he finally had her in the same room he picked a fight.

"Wait," he said, putting his hand on the door and pushing it closed. She didn't put up a fight. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to have made partner on my own merits, I've worked really hard. So many hours and I—"

"You did." Carly said, suddenly recognizing the issue. She had her own battles with lack of confidence, but looking at someone as self-assured as Liam it was hard to believe he harbored feelings of inferiority. "I didn't say anything. I didn't offer my input, and before you ask, no--he doesn't know about us."

Liam ran his hands over his head and started kicking off his shoes. He slipped out of his jacket and placed it on the table beside the door, then moved to Carly again, pulling her into him. "I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. Of course you didn't talk to him about me, or tell him about us."

Carly relaxed into his arms, but didn't return the embrace. "But you do know the day will come. He's going to find out about us. He has to. How long do you think we can keep a lid on this?"

Liam kissed the top of her head, his lips brushing against strands on blond hair that smelled like coconut. A new shampoo? She hadn't smelled like coconut last time. "So--what?" He pulled her in tightly, positioning her body so that he was pressing his erection into her belly. His hand was underneath her sweatshirt, caressing the small of her back in slow, delicious circles. caressing the small of her back. "Are you saying this thing between us is going to last awhile?"

She tilted her head in order to look at him, slid her hands up until she was cupping his face, and brought him down. Carly started the kiss but Liam was quick to escalate it, and before she new it he was pulling her sweatshirt up over her head. She assented, and lifted her arms to allow him to remove her shirt.

He groaned when he saw her bra, a turquoise push-up bra intended to put breasts on display. It succeeded admirably, and almost in the next moment the backs of his fingers were stroking the swell of her breast. Carly groaned and pushed forward, into his touch. He cupped her breasts next, pulling down the straps of her bra and kissing each shoulder where the strap had sat.

Liam lifted her into his arms and carried her in the direction of her bedroom. Carly clung to him, laughing when he tossed her onto the bed and positioned himself over her. She started unbuttoning his shirt. "You need to get nekkid."

He was nibbling on her ear, one hand roaming between her thighs as the other tangled itself in her hair. "Mmm, I think getting your clothes off is the priority." His breath was hot against her ear and Carly almost cooed as a chill went through her. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders, revealing smooth brown skin and a sculpted, hairless chest. She lightly dragged her fingernails down his chest to the waistband of his trousers where she began working his belt loose.

Liam reciprocated, dragging her shorts down her legs before pulling away and dragging her up into a sitting position so he could tug her sweatshirt over her head. She only stopped with his pants long enough to lift her arms and facilitate the removal of her shirt, and soon had his zipper down. She hooked her toes into his pants and pushed down over his hips and down his legs. Liam stood and pushed his boxers to the ground, revealing his erection. Carly sat up on the bed before he had a chance to lay down with her again and wrapped a hand around his cock, drawing him forward and into her mouth.

Liam closed his eyes and focused on the way her body responded to her touch. Her mouth was wet and warm and her tongue slid up and down his length as she started sucking. She was pushing her face into his crotch, trying to get more of him into her mouth, and he knew she was having trouble accommodating his size. He watched her nostrils flare as she struggled for breath and resisted the urge to grab her by the sides of her head and fuck her mouth. She seemed to sense his thought and started bobbing her head as she sucked. When he couldn't take any more he pushed her away.

"Turn around," he instructed. "Get on your hands and knees."

Carly did as she was told, her feet hanging off the edge of the bed. Liam positioned himself behind her and slid inside her in one smooth stroke. Carly cried out as both his length and his girth tested her limits. Her head fell forward and she pressed backwards into him, encouraging him to start his thrusts. She was impossibly wet. He stood behind her and started his strokes, watching his cock sink into her and re-emerge, covered in her wetness. Her ass looked delicious and he tentatively pulled out of her and pressed the tip of his erection against her tight puckered hole. Carly stiffened, but she didn't pull away, so he tightened his grip on her hips and started applying firm pressure, trying to get into her ass.

His fingers digging into her hips, he pulled her back as he pressed into her was finally admitted into her ass. Carly squeaked, and stiffened again, but he held tight to her hips and kept applying pressure. By the time he was halfway in she was grunting with the effort and burying her face into the bed, trying not to cry out. But she wasn't telling him to stop.

Liam reached between them and found her clit. He manipulated the little bud but stayed in her ass. She groaned as his fingers circled around her clit, mostly teasing but, every once in awhile, sliding across the nub and bringing her closer and closer to orgasm. He kept this up, never moving deeper into her, until she came for him. Almost instantly, he buried himself in her ass as she moaned and shook beneath him. She cried out in surprise when he sheathed himself and bit into her lip as he stretched her until she thought she might tear. He stroked gently, watching his cock invade her ass, until he too was coming and grunting and spilling semen into her tight little ass. "Oh God," he said. "Oh my God."

A cell phone sounded from somewhere on the floor and her groaned as he pulled out of her. She collapsed on the bed almost immediately, turning her head to watch him as he bent down and dug his phone out of his pants pocket. He listened for a moment before reaching down to start pulling on his clothes. "So they have her at the police station now? "

Carly rolled over and propped her head up on her arm, watching him with interest. She had a bad feeling they weren't going to get a chance to talk about what was happening between them before he disappeared. What was happening between them? Had she just let him fuck her in the ass? She reddened slightly with the memory.

"Okay, I'll head over there now.... Yes, right now....I said I'd go, Jack....Alright, I'll call you once we're out. And Jack--? You owe me."

Liam snapped the phone shut and he looked down at the device in his hand before letting himself look at Carly. She was on the bed, gloriously naked, looking embarrassed. He wanted to lay down next to her and pull her into his arms. He wanted to wake up next to her, her hair spilling onto his pillow and tickling him awake in to morning. He wanted to make her French Toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. He'd bring her breakfast in bed and they could ignore the breakfast and concentrate on the bed.

"That was Jack," he said, pulling his pants on. "His sister was arrested. I need to go down to the police station."

Carly got dressed, too, and walked him to the door. He buttoned his shirt as they walked in a urry to go, and Carly put on a brave face, trying not to show her disappointment. Trying not to let on that, despite her best efforts, she'd become attached. And maybe it wasn't so bad that he was desperate to leave her apartment. Maybe she should be alone for awhile, after everything with Mike. But she was done with Mike and falling for the man pulling open her front door and smiling apologetically before planting a kiss on her forehead—her forehead?—and practically sprinting out the door. She closed the door behind him, dejected.