**Christopher**
I was sweating .50 cal bullets. My head was lightheaded and dense all at the same time, like I had just been through concussion but was on the verge of recovery. My body felt jelly and muscles as if invaded by a thousand paper cuts, aching everywhere.
Unhelping was the rhythmic banging of wood on concrete, and I furrowed my brows at the stinging sunlight, my eyes like virgin irises that never seen such furious rays before.
I found myself covered in two layers of blankets, shaking my head, wondering how I got into this position. Rolling off the twin bed, I checked my watch, realizing it was nearly noon on Saturday. The memory of passing out after drinking one too many martinis drifted into my mind, but it was forced away by the fucking banging that was driving me up a wall.
Twisting the knob and opening the door, I heard that it was coming from the room adjacent the hallway, and I suddenly remembered that I was in Luke’s apartment.
Luke’s apartment where Abigail usually stayed as well.
Putting two and two together, I nearly vomited as I realized the source of the noise, gathering my belongings as quickly as my aching muscles would allow.
Half-sprinting towards the exit, I saw Steve still asleep on the living room couch, and wondered if Luke and Abigail knew – or cared that we were still in the vicinity. By the looks of it, basic host etiquette took a backseat to getting their rocks off.
For obvious reasons, I decided to forgo goodbyes, slipping out the front door quietly, and it wasn’t until I was back in my own bed that I decided to check my phone for any emails needing my attention.
I didn’t see any immediate fires needing tending but my eyes focused on a text from Stacey.
**Stacey:** You’re drunker than Charlie Sheen, but I can try to talk to you more.
**Stacey:** I can’t take that chance, but not because I don’t want to.
*Not because I don’t want to.*
Holy shit, she still wanted me. My heart was setting new records of RPMs in my chest, a mixture of confusion and anticipation rushing through me. I thought that she changed her mind, maybe . . . maybe that she would rather be with that fucker Damon instead. I clenched my fists, remembering the image of that snake’s hands on her, a desire to break his arms striking through me.
But something tugged in the back of my mind, something that happened last night. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember, the thought teasing me at the outer boundaries of my memory.
What I did remember was seeing Stacey’s face with that look of discomfort plastered all over it. Afterwards, I blacked out either from alcohol or a hidden self-preservation technique preventing me from dying of shame.
Ignoring my sensitive ego, I scoured my mind, trying to come up other reasons why she might not want me.
Maybe she preferred her men trim instead of bulky? No, the way her eyeballs basically licked me when she walked in on me the other week busted that idea. Maybe she though I wouldn’t be faithful, like that idiot Todd? He dated way out of his league, and even then he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.
Dumbass.
It was a possibility. After all, Stacey had no idea that I’ve only slept with two women.
But that twinge of curiosity rooted in my head, telling me that there was something I was missing, something that I forgot. I tried to think, but the pounding in my head made it nearly impossible to focus on one thought for more than five seconds.
After trudging through a few emails, I slid the black out curtains over the window, suddenly feeling extremely tired. I closed my eyes, sighing with fatigue, and gave in to that bud of annoyance.
_______________________________________
**Christopher**
I’d been going crazy trying to analyze what happened Friday night. The truth lingered close enough to tease me, dancing outside the reach of my conscious memory.
I’ve read her messages about five hundred times now, and needed to know what she meant. It’s all I could think about.
*I can’t take that chance.*
Why? That had been the questing digging into my side for the entire weekend. I contemplated just calling her and asking, but after realizing I drunk-texted her, I couldn’t bring myself to do it out of embarrassment.
But as Monday rolled around, my need to know overrode all else. Stepping into my office that morning, I was determined to get answers.
I transferred myself to Luke’s office. ‘Good morning, Martini,’ Luke taunted, and the mere sound of his voice activated my gag reflex, the thumping of wood on wall still clearly playing in my mind.
‘Funny. Now call Stacey to my office,’ I replied through gritted teeth.
‘I can’t. She’s not here,’ he said. ‘And you’re not trying to poach my partner are you? I like having her here. She tells me amazing stories about my fiancée. Did you know she once asked out a college professor? I guess she was always into older guys.’
Ignoring the anecdote, I furrowed my brows. ‘What do you mean, she’s not in for work today?’
‘Nope,’ he said, yawning as if he was tired. ‘She called me about an hour ago telling me she was sick with something. I didn’t ask because that woman works hard enough so I told her it’d be fine.’
Sitting down, I said, ‘Why didn’t she call *me*? I’m the managing partner who hired her.’
Luke snorted out a laugh. ‘Yeah but you barely talk to her. It shouldn’t surprise you that you can be a little . . . prickly. Plus, she’s in here all day so she’s probably more comfortable with me.’
Hanging up, I breathed out deeply, my mind full of questions. Realizing that this needed to be taken care of before I could even think about my cases, I grabbed my coat and headed out the door, trying to remember Abigail’s address.
___________________________________________________
**Stacey**
‘Honestly Abbs, you should go to work. I’m fine,’ I pleaded, the words coming out like water forced out of a bent hose. My nose was completely congested, and the mountain of used tissues was peering out of my wastebasket.
‘What’s the point of being the store manager if I can’t take a day off with my sick roommate once in a while? I’m going to make us chicken soup, and then we’re going to watch an entire season of *Friends* while eating Haagen Dazs,’ she beamed, fists on her waist.
This woman was a force of nature, and there was no denying her boundless warmth; it was how she made you love her.
I sighed, shaking my head and grinning downwards. ‘I don’t deserve a friend like you, you know that?’ I said.
She flipped her hair. ‘Yeah well who does?’ We both giggled. ‘Alright, let me get started on soup,’ she sang as she began for the hallway.
‘Sugar is the one with the larger crystals and salt is the smaller one!’ I called out as she disappeared from view. Abbey was competent, even excellent at a lot of things, but cooking was not one of them.
‘Yeah, yeah,’ she mumbled sarcastically, and I could practically hear the roll of her eyes.
*Ding-dong!*
‘I got it!’ she called out. ‘It’s probably just a door-to-door salesperson.’ I wasn’t so sure, wondering what kind Girl Scout would be selling cookies at nine in the morning.
‘Good morning Abigail.’ a deep, full voice called out. I froze, immediately recognizing who it belonged to. What the hell was *he* doing here? Sweeping the covers off my legs, I bent down to assuage Mount Kleenex, the cool air attacking my weak body.
My face was makeup-free and must have been tired-looking, and my nose was spewing unidentified fluids, but at least I could make my surroundings presentable.
‘Hey Chris, what are you doing here so early?’ Abigail replied, none the wiser.
‘I came to . . . is Stacey here? I wanted to talk to her. About work, of course.’ There was a hint of desperation in his tone.
‘Oh yeah she’s here, but keep it short okay? She’s got the flu.’
‘Right, of course.’
‘Hey Stace, Chris is here to see you!’
I hesitated for just a moment. ‘Okay!’ I bumbled as I scrambled back into bed, still a few tissues strewn beside the wastebasket. My insides were full of fluttering butterflies, my cheeks hot, and not just from the fever.
A few seconds later, he emerged looking like a Hugo Boss model, his coat hugging his tapered sides and his slacks showing off powerful legs. His large hands hung lowly at his sides, his large presence dominating the room.
Undeniably, this was a surprise visit I wasn’t ready for. Something else that was undeniable? My traitorous body’s immediate reaction towards him. Even in my degenerative state, a slickness fell between my thighs at the sight of him, a hot flush reaching up my neck.
We met eyes and I watched as his mouth opened but closed again as if he was finding the courage to say, ask something. He agitatedly scanned my room, looking for a red herring. ‘You’re sick,’ he said plainly, and I nodded back. While I was fashioning foggy orbs today, his were bright and full of vitality.
‘And you’re not sick anymore,’ I buzzed, sounding like I just drank a gallon of concrete.
He narrowed his eyes at me, slightly shaking his head, and his mouth opened as if he was surprised. ‘How did you know that I was sick too?’
I mocked contempt by folding my arms and raising one brow. ‘Who do you think gave me the virus in the first place?’ I teased. As soon as the words left my mouth, my playful grin disappeared and my jaw hung open in the most rigid way, realizing the implication in the words I just said.
Catching on quickly, his eyes grew wide as he swallowed once, twice, and a third time in succession, blinking rapidly. He brought his hands to his sides but then moved them into his pockets before moving them once more, lacing them behind his head, all the while unable to meet my gaze.
‘I meant – We didn’t, you know,’ I jostled quickly, trying to dance around the topic. There was a series of broken words and abrupt exhales, the air dying more and more with each passing second.
‘This is more awkward than that time I represented Jillian’s ex-boyfriend,’ he mumbled, hands in his pockets and staring downwards. Then, a creep of a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and seeing that made mine curve up as well.
I began laughing, finding humor in his dry reply, and he gave me a wary smile while shrugging those massive shoulders. ‘You were sick, so I covered you with a few blankets and I must have, I don’t know, breathed in your viral air,’ I explained, clearing the presumptuous air.
‘Ah,’ he punctuated, nodding slowly, finally looking me in the eye. ‘You were in the room with me? Were the others there too? Please don’t tell me Jake and Steve did weird shit to me while I was passed out.’
I laughed again, and his expression lightened. He enjoyed making me laugh. ‘No one did anything to you,’ I explained. ‘It was just me.’
‘Just you,’ he said lowly, watching me with focused eyes. ‘And me.’
Another tension swept over the room, but this one was different, charged full of sexual energy. I couldn’t stop my body from responding to the electricity, my nipples budding underneath my sweater. My head felt light and a hotness rose from my core, warming me and making me forget all about my illness. This time, it was me who had to swallow, the pain of my inflamed throat barely registering.
He removed his coat, hanging it up on a hook behind the door, his musculature testing the buttons of his dress shirt. Somehow, he looked even more built than when I walked in on him changing in his office two weeks ago, filling every cubic inch of that custom-tailored large.
His eyes traced my body, moving up from my breasts to my eyes to my hair, and then they rested on my mouth, something causing his mouth to grin darkly at the corners.
Blinking, I realized I was biting my lower lip, and exhaled in embarrassment as I released it. My lips were dry, so I licked them, and something flashed in his eyes, something that turned me on as well.
Desire.
‘Hey Stace, we’re out of Chunky Monkey and Green Tea, so I’m going to run to Whole Foods to get some. They’re having another sale!’ Abigail’s high voice called out, full of excitement. ‘A big sale. This could take a while.’
I shook the lust away quickly, clearing as much as I could of my throat. ‘Alright!’ I replied, raising my phlegm-filled voice to it’s maximum capacity. ‘Take your time!’
Breathing out, I used the distraction to claim my mental resolve and at the same time, secretly cursing Abigail for butting in at that very second.
The moment the front door slammed shut, Chris took two long strides forwards and brought his lips to mine, and all the willpower in my body melted away.
__________________________________________
**Christopher**
Her lips were soft and willing as I invaded her cavity with my tongue, claiming what I wanted for so long. Our fingers groped feverishly for each other, my hands finding fistfuls of hair that I’d been craving like a drug addict, hers pressed against my chest.
Fuck she tasted good.
‘Wait,’ she said weakly as she pulled away, irritatingly. ‘I’m sick Chris.’
I flipped the covers off her, revealing a pair of yoga pants that hugged her thighs perfectly, and my cock engorging even further at the sight. ‘Does it look like I give a shit?’ I growled, finding her mouth again, and taking it more firmly this time, pinning her down to her pillow.
I wouldn’t care if she had gonorrhea right now, my brain playing third fiddle to my dick and balls.
I dug my hands underneath her, cupping her ass cheeks, and she squealed as I clenched the firm flesh between my hands, massaging with my fingers.
‘Chris, I don’t know if this is a good idea,’ she murmured, her mouth saying one thing but her body saying another, her pupils dilated, blooming nipples making their presence obvious underneath her sweater.
‘You want this Stacey,’ I breathed, ‘I know you do. Whatever is holding you back, we’ll work through it. Don’t deny me Stacey. I want you. I need you.’
‘Chris . . .’ she whispered, and in the next second, she lifted herself off the bed to meet my lips, bunching my dress shirt in her hands, desire pooled in her grip. I matched her intensity, our tongues rotating around each other, teeth biting lips and all the while she was working my buttons.
As soon as my shirt hit the floor, I swelled with masculine pride as she slowly dragged her hands across my abs, her teeth offering my lip a spirited bite. A hand moved up to squeeze my pec, and she released my mouth form hers, a soft moan escaped her throat as she closed her hands around my muscle.
Breathing heavy, I loosened my belt and unbuttoned my slacks, allowing my cock some room to grow. He was engorged beyond recognition at this point, ready to fill his duty at any moment.
Surprising me, she closed her lips around my nipple, and a ticklish tingling sensation flooded that area as I felt her slick tongue dancing around the areola. ‘Whoa,’ I whispered, unsure of how I felt about this. I knew that nipples were erogenous zones, but I thought that was only applicable for women.
Bringing my body backwards, I moved away from that eager mouth and dug my fingers into the waistline of her pants, and in a few seconds, her pale legs were laid beneath me, her slit protected by a pair of white and black striped panties.
While I was attracted to women, even finding most of them pretty, I wasn’t the type of stare down random women in the streets. The ones that did catch my eye were typically shorter and curvy, and that body type always satisfied my biological urge to procreate, but the attraction was limited to practical reasons.
Staring down at Stacey’s athletic legs, I felt a sense of need to claim, to keep. I felt an urge to dominate, and to make it mine. I never knew that I could feel such possessiveness, but I wanted no other man to touch or even see this other than myself. Ever.
‘You are so beautiful angel,’ I bent down to whisper her into her ear, biting her lip once more. She covered her mouth with her sweater as I removed the striped delicates, averting her gaze, and I found this shy version of Stacey adorable, adding on a desire of protection to my need to claim.
When she was completely exposed, I could see a small patch of red and brown above her slit, trimmed short. I clenched my jaw, a carnal pleasure rushing through me as I peppered kisses up the inside of her thigh, inching closer and closer to my target.
She wasn’t mine yet, but I would show her the perks of being so.
Her hands found my hair as I released my tongue on her hood, flicking back and forth over top. Her breaths quickened and her fingers tightened around my head. My hands gripped the tops of her thighs, the flesh supple and skin smooth.
Taking her in my lips, I sucked on her pearl, applying gentle pressure while licking smaller movements with my tongue, isolating the pleasure. ‘Oh, oh fuck . . .’ she moaned as her back arched naturally, and I watched her cup her own breast.
Realizing I’d been neglecting those babies, I coasted a hand over her legs and slipped it underneath her sweater, finding her delightfully braless underneath. Quickly locating the pillowy flesh, I began gingerly rolling her breast around in my palm, using my other hand to support myself on the bed. Meanwhile, my tongue worked diligently over her clit, building without allowing for depression.
‘Oh Chris . . .’ she whimpered, her voice sounding like she was nearly holding back tears. ‘I’m . . . I’m going to come.’
‘Come angel,’ I whispered before my tongue returned to its target, devouring her hungrily. A few moments later, I felt her entire body tense, her back arching more intensely, and her grip on my hair became nearly painful. Her thighs squeezed together, wrapping me up in a momentary prison.
I nearly came myself.
It lasted for maybe three seconds before her muscles relaxed, but then flexed again, less intensely this time, an aftershock of her original orgasm. ‘Oh my god,’ she breathed. I forced myself to hold her naked, sated body for a few minutes before I wriggled free, the complaints from my throbbing cock unable to be ignored any longer.
I sat up in a kneeled position, and suddenly realized I was unprepared for the next step. ‘Are there any condoms here?’ I asked, slightly embarrassed at the question. It was the first time I’ve ever asked it, and I wasn’t even sure if she wanted to go there.
‘Oh,’ she said, laughing. ‘Right. You don’t have one? Don’t guys carry one in their wallets or something?
I shook my head, but relieved that she wasn’t opposed to the idea. ‘Not me. Shit, I guess – I guess another time then . . . besides, I don’t want to tire you out when you’re sick,’ I mumbled as I realized how ridiculous this was, rolling of the bed. She should be resting, I thought to my protesting cock.
Her arm captured my wrist, and I turned around to those beautiful hazel eyes just melting me. ‘Don’t leave yet,’ she whispered, nearly a plead. ‘Keep me warm Chris.’
I opened my mouth to complain about needing self-release, my sac heavy, but then I remembered that I was the cause of her sickness. She was there for me when I was running hot, and I needed to return the favor.
Nodding, I slipped in next to her, cradling her head on my bicep, covering both of us underneath the blankets. My free hand was set on her ass, and I tried to forget about my blue balls, focusing on the softness of her skin underneath my palm, closing my eyes.
Then, I felt something move between us, and before I knew what was happening, her hand was in my briefs, tugging at my member, stroking up and down the shaft. There was wetness on her hand as well, and I realized she must have lubricated her palm with her own saliva. ‘Fu-uck,’ I mumbled lazily, my eyes rolling back to the whites. ‘Yes, good girl.’
‘Yeah, fu-uck,’ she imitated in a whisper into my ear, biting the lobe. ‘I’ve been wondering what you were packing down here.’
‘And?’ I asked breathlessly, her long, fast tugs breaching me to the edge.
‘Let’s just say that I *really* wish we had that condom now.’
Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/7vtq4e/brimstone_series_book_2_episode_6_without_a_rubber