DISCLAIMER: Any resemblance to real people or situations is completely coincidental and unintentional.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to my betas, you know who you are!
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To imaginus75[at]gmail.com

The First
By Imaginus75

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Part III

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*******
Alex
*******

After my conversation with Riley, the blissful feeling that had resided in me from the moment I answered the phone was slowly being replaced by a feeling of panic. I had never even thought about the idea of being attracted to a woman before much less go on a date with one. I wasn't getting cold feet. I just didn't know what to expect. I picked up the phone again and dialed a long distance number.

"Hello?" the familiar voice answered.

"Jules, it's Alex," I greeted my one and only lesbian friend I had back in London. "How are you?"

"Alex! Oh my God, I'm good. It's about time you called! How are you?" she asked me excitedly.

"I'm alright, thanks," I told her and then bit the bullet. "Listen, Jules, I need your advice."

"Fire away, chickee," she told me.

"I have a date tonight," I began and then took a breath. "With a woman."

"Oi? Say that again. I think my mobile's gone bonkers on me," she said and I knew she had heard me loud and clear.

"I have a date with a woman," I repeated.

"That's what I thought I heard you say," Jules said and then asked, "Are you taking the piss?"

"No, I'm not. Can we move on with this conversation, please?" I asked.

"Alright then," she said, calming down. "Tell me all about her and when you decided you were going to shag a woman."

"I'm not shagging her," I corrected her but then the panic set in again. "At least I don't think so. Not on the first date -- do I? I mean that's why I'm calling. I don't know what to do or expect."

"Relax, Alex," Jules said to me this time. "Right, tell me about her. Who is she? Where'd you meet her? Who asked who out?"

"Her name's Riley," I answered. "She's Grace's goddaughter."

"Wait -" Jules cut me off. "If she's Grace's goddaughter...how old is she?"

"She's thirty," I answered and braced myself for the ribbing.

"Thirty?" Jules repeated. "Well done, Alex."

"Oh, God," I said, covering my eyes with my hand. "Jules, I'm forty. I'm too old for her. Am I too old for her?"

"No, darling," Jules replied. "Of course not. So, her name's Riley, she's Grace's goddaughter and she's thirty."

"She's a chef," I explained. "She has her own restaurant and she's very talented. Anyway, we met shortly after I moved here and we kept running into each other. At any rate, long story short, I found myself attracted to her and we talked about it and she asked me out to dinner. Tonight."

"You talked about your attraction to her?" Jules asked. "Christ, you haven't even been on a date yet and already you're talking and processing like a seasoned lesbian."

"Can we focus please?" I asked, drawing her back to my reason for calling her.

"So she's gay?" Jules asked for confirmation.

"Yes, and she's out," I answered. "And she's...let's just say she's quite experienced when it comes to women."

"And are you ready for that? To be out in public on a date with not just another woman, but an out gay woman?" Jules asked.

"I hadn't given that much thought," I answered honestly. "I've just been excited at the idea that she's attracted to me too. But I have no idea what to expect. Do lesbians snog on the first date? Do they shag? What have I gotten myself into?"

"Relax - it's nothing different than if you're going out on a date with a man. Dress to kill, try to relax and have a good time." Jules advised and I felt a sort of relief wash the panic away. "As for the snogging and shagging, it depends. How well do you know her? Is she the type that would shag on the first date? Do you know that much about her?"

The panic flared up again. "From what I've heard and from her own admission, she doesn't date, she 'hooks up' with women," I answered.

"I see," Jules said and I could hear the hesitation in her voice. "But she did ask you out on a proper date, right?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I just talked to her on the phone and she said she was taking me to a friend's restaurant for dinner and then maybe we'd go for a walk."

"Did it come off like she was looking to just shag you, you know, conquer the new curious girl?" Jules asked.

"I don't think so," I answered. "At first, after I told her that I couldn't stop thinking about her, she didn't want to get involved because she had promised Grace to stay away from me. But then she drove me home and she asked me to dinner."

"I'd be interested in meeting this girl," Jules said mischievously.

"Oi, that's my date you're talking about there," I scolded her and she laughed. "So, what do I wear on my first date with a lesbian?"

The doorbell rang and I ran my hands down my white dress. Despite Riley's admission that the snug red number I had worn on my last date was appealing to her, I had opted for a white dress that wasn't as tight fitting and more comfortable should we end up going for a walk out on the pier. The dress had a V-neck which was cut low enough to show enough skin, yet remained tasteful.

I opened the door and whatever reservations I had about our date dissipated. There she was, standing at the door, her blond hair styled in that adorable wind swept look and a shy look on her face. We locked eyes and we both froze for a brief moment. Then she smiled that irresistible lopsided smile of hers. "Hi," she said and I melted. She held out a bouquet of white calla Lillie's. "These are for you."

"Thank you," I said and invited her in. I took the flowers from her and led her into the kitchen so I could put the flowers in some water. As I filled a vase with water, she unwrapped the flowers from the clear cellophane. She was wearing dark trousers and a bluish-grey lace and satin corset top with spaghetti straps. She picked the flowers up and placed them in the vase and looked at me and smiled. I could have sworn that I felt a reserved shyness to her and I felt even more attracted to her. We left the house and out to her car. When she led me to her car, I noted her strong arms and square shoulders and saw that she had a few more tattoos on the back of her upper arm and upper back. I had never had the urge to get any tattoos myself but on Riley, they looked incredibly sexy.

When we got to the restaurant, we were ushered through the dining room all the way into the kitchen, which was visible to the dining room through large windows and glass doors. We were seated at a small table for two with a perfect view of the kitchen and the pass where the food was served up to the wait staff. A tall and solidly built man in a chef's jacket came over to greet us and Riley stood up and gave him a hug. She introduced him as Bobby, the executive chef and part owner of the restaurant, as well as an old friend from "cooking school". Their modesty at calling a culinary institute a "cooking school" as well as their non-pretentious, good natured conversation about Bobby's twin daughters was like night and day compared to my last date who had tried to impress me with his "connections".

"I never thought I'd see the day that Riley would be on a date," Bobby told me and I could see a slight blush on my dinner companion's cheeks. "Nor did I ever think she'd step foot in here."

"Why not?" I asked, wondering if there was a rivalry between the two chefs.

"No meat," Riley answered and it took me a minute to realize what she had said.

"You mean this is a vegetarian restaurant?" I asked completely surprised.

She nodded and said "Only the best vegetarian restaurant in the city."

"So do you ladies want to order off the menu or do you want to be surprised?" Bobby asked us and Riley looked at me, deferring the decision to me.

"I think it'd be an insult to not put ourselves in your hands," I told him and he smiled.

"I like her already," he told Riley. He turned to our waiter who was filling our water glasses and asked him to bring out a certain bottle of wine and then went on his way back to the kitchen to bark orders at his cooks.

"I don't know what to say," I said, once we were alone. "A self-described meatatarian in a place that doesn't serve meat."

"Yeah well, I guess it was time I learned to eat vegetables," she said smiling.

"Thank you," I said, more seriously as I hadn't expected this at all. I had thought we'd just go somewhere where I'd just have to order a vegetarian version of a dish, like every other date I had ever been on. This was a first time in which the dining place of choice was selected solely for my benefit. The wine was brought out and Riley deferred the tasting to me. Slowly the food began to make an appearance and dish after dish, I was amazed at how the chef was able to bring out all the beautiful flavors of both exotic and ordinary vegetables and combined them expertly. Over the course of dinner, we shared stories of our childhoods, what it was like for me to have an older sister and for her to have a younger sister. We also discussed her tattoos and I learned that she had five of them - the two which I had already seen on her wrists, one on her left tricep which was a drawing Claire had made for her of the two of them standing hand in hand, one on her left upper back consisted of four zodiac signs, one for each member of her family, and lastly a tattoo of a Bodhi tree on her right upper back. Our conversations flowed easily and I was beginning to see how easy it would be to fall for Riley Starks Carson.

After dinner, we walked the short distance from the restaurant down to the beach. We found the boardwalk and followed it towards the famed Santa Monica Pier which, even from the distance, sounded and looked alive with people. I wondered if we would actually go to the pier as it was quite crowded and I thought that perhaps Riley would've wanted to go somewhere more quiet and, well, private. We hadn't made any physical contact yet tonight and I wondered what I would do if she wanted to, say, hold my hand in public. After talking to Jules, who's advice was to "just go with it and do what feels right", I had decided that I would be okay with holding her hand in public, regardless of what other people might think. Just being out with her tonight and spending time with her, I wasn't thinking about our date as a "lesbian date". I just saw it as a date between two people who enjoyed each other's company.

As we walked along the boardwalk, she was close by my side, but not close enough for contact. And as we got closer and closer to the pier, it became apparent that she was not going to make contact. I wondered if she was shy and nervous as the dating scenario was new to her as well, or was she just not attracted to me as maybe I had hoped she would be. We walked around the pier, looking at the various shops and watching the entertainers and I felt as if I had known her a lifetime. We joked and chatted and I felt completely comfortable in her presence. She got us tickets for the ferris wheel and eventually we got into one of the passenger cars and sat back to take in the view. The first time we got to the top I felt the ocean breeze and while it wasn't cold, it wasn't warm either. I involuntarily rubbed my upper arms and she draped her jacket over my shoulders. I thought for sure she would keep her arm around me but instead, she just sat back, her hands clasping on to her small purse on her lap. We sat side by side, our upper arms touching and she proceeded to point out various landmarks to me whenever we were up high enough. Every once in a while, I would catch a trace of her perfume which had a citrus hint to it. It was clean and refreshing. It suited her perfectly.

When the ride was over, we walked around the pier a little more and came across an ice cream cart. We looked at each other and broke out into wide grins. We got some ice cream and sat down on a bench and enjoyed our dessert. After awhile, the crowds started to thin out as the shops began to close up for the night. We walked back to the car and she drove me home. She walked me to the door and stood beside me as I unlocked it.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked, hoping she would say yes.

"Aunt Grace will probably be home soon if she isn't already," she answered. If I hadn't seen the look of regret in her eyes, I would've guessed that a second date was probably not in the cards.

I leaned on the door and looked into her beautiful green eyes, wanting so much to reach up and touch her face, wondering what her skin would feel like under my fingertips. "I really had a lovely time tonight."

"Me too," she said and smiled that signature smile of hers. Then, she looked as if she was pondering her next action.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"How beautiful you look tonight," she answered, blushing. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"I'd be offended if you didn't," I half teased her. Before I could say anything more, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. It was quick but soft, and my senses were quickly overwhelmed by the softness of her lips and the scent of her perfume. I inhaled deeply and soon she was pulling back.

"Goodnight, Alex," she said quietly and smiled shyly.

"Goodnight, Riley," I told her and she backed down the steps and headed towards her car. I opened the door and took a step inside. I looked back out at her car and saw her wave. I waved back and closed the door behind me, my back and head resting against the door. I closed my eyes and sighed. She had smelled so good and I had to admit that I had wanted her to initiate contact during our date. Was she not interested? Of course she was - she asked if she could call me. Was she waiting for me to initiate things between us? Or was she playing games and holding back in order to make me want her more? Thoughts began to nag my mind about whether or not I had made a mistake allowing myself to become attracted to Riley Carson. She was, after all, a Casanova, a player. She had admitted herself that she was not the monogamous type. I mentally shook my head and exhaled. If I got hurt, I'd have no one to blame but myself so I'd have to tread carefully.

"Nice flowers," I heard Grace's voice. I opened my eyes and saw her walking down the staircase. "You've been out with that writer fellow again?"

I shook my head and lifted myself off the door. I followed her into the kitchen and perched myself up onto one of the stools at the counter, admiring the flowers. They stood tall, the stems a vibrant green and strong and the virginal white flowers were flawless.

"So then who is he?" Grace asked.

"No one you'd know," I lied.

"Where did you go?" she continued.

"A place called 'Fresh', out in Santa Monica," I answered. I didn't see the need to lie to my sister completely.

"I've heard great things about that place," she commented. "That's very thoughtful of him to take you to a vegetarian place."

"I thought so," I agreed.

"Did he treat you well?" Grace asked, and I could tell that her maternal instincts were kicking in again.

"Very gallant and chivalrous," I answered. She was very much the 'gentleman' I thought. Maybe too much of a gentleman.

"Oh dear, is he married?" Grace asked, completely serious.

"No," I answered, hoping she'd stop interrogating me.

"Well, if you do end up liking him, do bring him around so I can meet him," she said and i was glad that our conversation was hopefully drawing to a close.

I nodded and hopped off the stool and gave my sister a goodnight kiss on the cheek. As I was leaving the kitchen, I heard her call out to me. "Alex - I'm glad to see you dating again, love."

I nodded and smiled and headed up the stairs to my room. I checked the time. It would be just after seven in the morning over in London and I knew that Jules wasn't a morning person. 'She'll understand,' I told myself and I picked up the phone.

*******
Riley
*******

I opened the door to the house from the garage and was greeted with a view straight into the family room where my roommate and best friend was buck naked with her back to me, sitting on top of her girlfriend and obviously riding her. "Holy shit, do I have to disinfect the couch now?" I called out to them.

Lenny stopped dead in her motions and turned her head around with Gabriella peering out from behind her. "You actually think this is the first time we've fucked on the couch?" Lenny asked, completely uninhibited by the fact that I had just walked in on them.

I turned to the closet by the door and went to hang up my jacket. I could smell the faint scent of Alex's musky perfume on it. I held it up to my nose and inhaled deeply. She had smelled incredible all night and I had to fight so hard with myself to not touch her.

"Why are you smelling your jacket?" Lenny's voice called out to me. I opened my eyes and turned to her. She had gotten off the couch and was pulling on her underwear as was Gabriella.

"Please, don't let me interrupt your mounting," I told them while I hung the jacket up on a hanger. Lenny came over and buried her nose in the jacket. When she came up for air, she grinned a shit eating grin.

"She smells good," Lenny said, looking at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked, self-conscious.

"Why are you home already?" Lenny asked, handing the jacket back to me. "Shouldn't you be lying between her legs and making her scream out for a deity?"

I fixed her a look and she held her hands up in mock surrender. "Apparently I've hit a nerve."

I hung up the jacket and followed her into the kitchen where Gabriella was pouring herself a glass of wine. I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer and plopped myself down in the arm chair in the family room.

"So, what happened?" Lenny asked as they joined me. "How'd it go?"

"Dinner was fantastic," I said and took a drink. "Then we went for a walk on the pier, went for a ride on the ferris wheel, had ice cream. It went well. I think."

"You think?" Lenny questioned.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I haven't been on a date since I was nineteen," I barked.

"Wow, someone's a bit touchy," Gabriella commented.

"I wish," I blurted out before I could stop myself. Seeing their raised eyebrows, I added, "I didn't touch her all night. Except to kiss her goodnight on the cheek."

"Tell me you're not going hetero on us. Did you want to touch her?" Lenny asked, concern in her voice. She probably thought I had gone and lost my mind.

"Oh God yes," I answered.

"Then why didn't you?" Gabriella tag teamed in the interrogation.

"Because this is her first time ever out with a woman," I answered. "I didn't know if she quite fully realized that we were two women on a date, you know?"

They both nodded. "So I didn't wanna put any pressure on her or put her in an awkward position," I continued. "I wanted her to be comfortable. Besides, we talked a lot and I got to know her a bit more."

Lenny was staring at me and Gabriella had this look on her face that I even knew what she was going to say before she even said it.

"Aww, that is so sweet!" my roommate's girlfriend said, practically clapping her hands together. "You were being such a gentleman!"

"Must've been painful," Lenny finally chimed in. "Being that close to her all night, with her smelling they way she did. Was she wearing something sexy?"

I nodded.

"Man, you must've been ready to explode," Lenny continued to rib me.

"You have no idea," I told her. "The entire date, I forced myself to not look at her chest. I've got the female equivalent of blue balls."

"So is there going to be a second date?" Lenny asked.

I nodded and took another sip of beer. "I asked if I could call her tomorrow."

"You asked if you could call her tomorrow?" Gabriella repeated my answer. "Where is all this chivalry coming from? Are you not well?"

"I'm very capable of being chivalrous, thank you very much," I said indignantly.

"And yet you're an ass most of the time," Lenny added.

"It's easier," I replied matter-of-factly.

We sat and watched TV in a companionable silence for awhile and then Gabriella headed upstairs to go to bed. Lenny and I went outside onto the patio where she proceeded to light up a skinny joint, after making sure I was okay with it. Despite the abundance of marijuana that was smoked at the restaurant after closing every night, I never partook in any of it. Smoking, drinking and drugs were common vices among the restaurant crowd and I knew them all too well. One of the reasons I came back to Los Angeles was for a fresh start and where I had the support of my family. I had gotten into too much trouble in New York on my own where I'd work until two, sometimes three in the morning, go hit an after hours bar or party where there would always be a variety of drugs available. One day, I had done a couple of lines of coke in the back office during a dinner shift. I returned to the kitchen and a Beef Wellington was called for. I reached into the oven and grabbed the pan with my bare hand. Of course I burnt my hand quite badly and it hurt like a sonofabitch later on. Being a chef, we've all had burns and lacerations so that was not a big deal. The big deal was that I was so high, I hadn't even realized what I had done because I hadn't felt the pain. That was when I decided it was time to sober up before I hurt myself any worse.

I moved back to L.A., went into rehab and sobered up. Being in the food industry, drugs and alcohol are plentiful and always available and present. It wasn't easy to stay sober but I stayed on track. I still allowed myself to indulge every once in a while with the beer and wine, to the dismay and concern of my parents, however I felt that I was always a responsible drinker. After three years of sobriety, my father showed his support for me by investing in Claire de Lune. Because my father was always a businessman who only invested in things he knew could make him money, I knew that he believed in me and that I couldn't let him down. So I kept my nose clean and worked hard at the restaurant. My only rule with the staff was that they could get stoned on their own time or after closing. If any of them were high or drunk during a shift, they were tossed out on their asses, even if it meant we'd be short staffed for a full house.

Lenny knew of my past and had always checked to make sure I was okay before anyone around me lit up, She took a couple of puffs on the joint as we sat out on the patio in the abnormally warm November night.

"Are you going to see her again?" Lenny asked after exhaling away from me.

"I hope so," I answered.

"You've never really told me why you never dated before," she stated her question. "I know you play the role of the monogamy-challenged heart breaker, but I don't buy it. I've known you too long."

I smiled. Of all my friends, Lenny knew me the longest and the best.

"Maybe I'm trying to beat my old man's record," I joked.

"Have you?" she asked, smirking.

"I doubt it," I answered. "Besides, I really don't want to know how many women my father has slept with."

"Seriously, though," Lenny asked after taking a drag on her joint. She exhaled and then continued. "Have you just never met anyone you liked enough to date, or did someone..."

"Break my heart in the past?" I finished for her. "That would be pretty typical and cliche wouldn't it?"

She shrugged and nodded.

"My first year in New York, I met a girl," I explained for the first time. "I really liked her and we dated. Typical lesbian pace, I brought her back to L.A. with me on Spring Break even though we'd only been together for about three weeks. At any rate, she spent the week trying to get my dad to listen to her demo tape."

"How hard was she trying?" Lenny asked, putting out the last of the joint.

"She was willing to get down on her knees," I answered.

"How did you find out?"

"My dad told me," I answered. "I sent her packing after that."

"You were in love with her after three weeks?" Lenny asked skeptically.

"Who said anything about love?" I asked in reply. "She didn't break my heart, if that's what you're thinking. She just reminded me that people will use me to get to my dad. I just learned to stop trusting, because I'll never know if a woman is with me because she wants to be with me, or because she wants something from my dad."

"Like not knowing if people are your friends because they like you or because of your name," Lenny added and I nodded in agreement. "So what about Alex?"

"I do like her," I confessed. "I can't stop thinking about her. And when she talks, I don't ever want her to stop."

"And it's not like she needs the fame or fortune, more like she's shied away from the spotlight," Lenny pointed out. She looked at me pointedly. "I hope things work out for you and Alex. I like her. I like what she's done to you too."

"Shut up," I told her, feeling the blush creep across my cheeks.

"Did you quit smoking for her?" Lenny asked, knowing me all too well.

"I quit smoking because Kris got busted smoking at school," I said, omitting the other half of the truth, but I couldn't avoid the smirk on her face. "And Alex thinks it's a disgusting habit."

Lenny busted out laughing. "I knew it!" she said, pointing at me. I fixed her a look.

"Seriously," Lenny continued. "I know the Riley that the others don't, but I've never seen you...smitten."

"Yeah, seriously, shut up before I hurt you," I warned her, half jokingly.

"You're cute when you're smitten," she added, ignoring my warning. "I won't tell anyone that you have a soft spot."

"You and Jason," I said, shaking my head. "You're both enjoying this too much."

"I just want you to be happy," she said and stood up from her chair. She came over and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I said to her retreating back.

Despite the rule about not calling your date the next day because you don't want to seem eager or desperate, the first thing I wanted to do as soon as I woke up was call Alex. However, my father beat me to the punch by calling me and inviting me over for dinner Sunday night because as he had put it, "there's someone who's going to want to see me." After agreeing to his demand so I could get him off the phone, I called Alex. I didn't care if I was coming across as needy. I missed hearing the sound of her voice, and then to find out that she was still lying in bed when I had called her, it took everything in me to not talk dirty to her or touch myself while talking to her.

If my day hadn't already been booked up with meetings with Jason and the rest of the restaurant staff, I would've asked her out again. She was being accosted by Grace to go shopping while the girls were spending the rest of the weekend with their father. Reluctantly, I had hung up the call with Alex as I needed to shower before heading to the restaurant.

We spent the afternoon brainstorming for menu ideas and I finally got Jason to agree to a couple of vegetarian dishes for the upcoming week's menu. We cooked up a few of the dishes we had never made before to decide whether or not the flavours worked like we had hoped and by evening, we had settled on a menu for the next couple of weeks. By then, the rest of the staff had arrived and tried out the new dishes as well as the wine samples that our vendor had brought by earlier in the week.

When I got home that night, I had to will myself to not call her again. I didn't want her to think I was a lost little puppy without her after just one date.

"Who are you kidding?" I asked myself and picked up my phone. But before I could dial her number, my phone rang. It was Alex. I smiled.

"You know, I should be on a date right now," I told my father as I walked into his house.

"You? On a date? Did I hear that right?" he asked, completely surprised.

"Yes, me, on a date," I replied in the affirmative.

"Stop teasing us, you know your old man's got a weak heart," a deep voice with a British accent which I hadn't heard in a long time said. I turned around to see one of my father's oldest friends, James Miller, or Uncle Jim as he's always been known to me. My dad and Uncle Jim had been friends long before I was ever born and despite being a famous television and film star in the UK, his true passion was music, and so he would spend most of his spare time with his band. They were a cover band and did a lot of covers of my father's band's stuff. He and my father would get together one or twice a year to collaborate on set lists that Uncle Jim's band would play at their shows. They mostly played in smaller venues like jazz clubs and at fund raisers, and most of the proceeds they ever raised were for charity. Uncle Jim was successful enough as an actor, he certainly didn't need the money from playing music. He played music because he loved it.

I went over to him and gave him a big hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you had a new girlfriend so I had to come and see for myself," he said, straight faced. A few seconds later, he busted out laughing. "Oh you should have seen the look on your face. It was like I had just caught you going down on the Queen or something."

I closed my eyes and exhaled. "I'm glad I can amuse you," I said to the two men who were laughing at my expense.

We headed into the kitchen where my mother and sister were busy cooking. With the strict promise that I was only to help and do as I was told, as this was not my kitchen, I was allowed to assist them. Once dinner was ready, we settled in the dining room and visited with Uncle Jim. As it turns out, he was here for a few weeks to play a few gigs for charity.

"I have a friend who would love to see one of your shows," I told him. "She's a big fan. Think you can score your favorite chef a couple of tickets to one of your shows?"

"Cat Cora's here?" he asked, looking around.

"Funny!" I told him, not laughing.

"Come by the beach house next Saturday. I'm having a little get together after our first show," he told me. "And bring your friend," he added waggling his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes at his suggestion.

"You do realize that I do have a condition for these tickets," he said, putting an arm around me.

*******
Alex
*******

I was beginning to see why Lenny's girlfriend was so upset that night that we had gone out to the bar after the restaurant had closed. I had only been on one date with Riley, well, two dates, but after a long week of not seeing her, I was getting pretty antsy and couldn't wait for Saturday night to come fast enough. Despite my own warnings, her daily phone calls had wedged her into my heart and I was missing her terribly.

The second date wasn't really a date, but it was just the two of us spending some time together. It was more of a working date for Riley than anything. Apparently she and her sous chef had come up with some vegetarian dishes and she wanted me to try some, so on the Monday when they were closed, she had taken me to her restaurant and prepared the new dishes for me to try. I felt quite privileged and honoured to be her sole audience and the fact that whenever I would taste a dish, she had this adorable look while waiting for my approval. The whole experience made me feel important to her and her world. Despite having had a wonderful time with Riley and watching her in her element, I think that day only added to my frustrations as we barely made any physical contact and like our first date, she left me with a kiss on the cheek and disappeared before I had a chance to pull her back for a proper kiss. Yes, I was getting frustrated because I was finding myself craving for her touch.

I finished putting on my makeup and gave myself a last look in the mirror. I had bought a new dress when Grace had dragged me out shopping with her and was now glad I had gone. Just as I grabbed the cashmere sweater off the bed, the doorbell rang and I headed downstairs. Riley, who was wearing dark jeans that rode low on her hips and a green satin halter top, had refused to tell me where we were going, just that it was a house party. Again, she was very chivalrous and held the car door for me as I got in and as I watched her walk around to her side of the car, I don't know if it was because I hadn't seen her in a few days or because of the lighting or what, but I suddenly noticed how sexy her lean and muscular arms were. My mind, by it's own volition, began to wonder what it would feel like to have those strong arms wrapped around me, or how her long slender fingers would navigate my body. Suddenly my mouth went dry and I felt a very distinct warmth growing inside me.

We drove down towards the coast and I managed to get my mind off her sexy bare arms and form coherent sentences, mostly to pester her about where we were going and who would be there. Eventually we pulled up to a beach house in Malibu and the driveway and street were already lined with cars. She opened the car door for me and we walked up the front steps to the brick mansion. She opened the door without even knocking and held it for me. As I walked through the threshold, I felt her hand on my lower back and that warmth that was inside me that had started in the car began to resurface. She guided me through the the house and people and finally out to the back of the house by the pool. We walked up to a tall man in a black t-shirt and jeans and she reached out and put a hand on his arm. He turned around and reflexively, my eyes widened and a grin began to grow on my lips. The man was more handsome in person than I had remembered him on screen.

"Uncle Jim," Riley said after he excused himself from the other guests he had been conversing with and gave her a hug and kiss. "This is Alex McGovern. Alex, James Miller."

"Please, call me Jim," he said and took my hand and gave it a chaste and gentlemanly kiss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I managed to tell him through my excitement. "I'm a big fan of your work."

"As am I of your work, Ms. McGovern," he said and I gave him an inquiring look. "You're a very talented writer. I never expected Nicholas McGovern to have produced such a beautiful and smart daughter with his demon seed. You must take after your mother."

"You know my father?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered. "The bastard made me audition for one of his films. I told him to sod off."

"He was a fool," I told him and smiled and received a deep throaty laugh in return. I turned to Riley who was watching us with an amused expression. "How do you know each other?"

"Her father and I go back a ways," Jim replied and put an arm around Riley. "I've known this one since she was still wearing nappies."

Riley blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Do you want a drink?"

"Sure," I answered, nodding and gave her a grateful smile. I had mentioned in our conversations that I had grown up watching James Miller films and knew most of them by heart but never did I realize that she knew him, much less take me to meet him. I found it ironic that despite having a film director and producer for a father and that Jim Miller and I came from the same country, I finally got to meet the man in a foreign country through someone completely new in my life.

While Riley went to get us some drinks, I asked Jim what he was doing here, whether he was filming or vacationing and found out that he was doing some benefit concerts for a few weeks. We chatted quite amicably about my move to L.A. and some differences we have found between the U.K. and America.

As I was telling him about how it's still taking me time to get used to driving in L.A., I realized he was looking at me quite intently. "What is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"You are absolutely, amazingly, beautiful," he said. Had those words come from any other man, they would've sounded like a lame come on, but from James Miller, it only made me blush.

"Ms. McGovern, would you indulge an old git and have dinner with me sometime?" he asked. Again, any other man asking a woman out after only meeting her for several minutes would have been called stupidly ambitious, however with my fellow countryman it was simply charming.

At that moment, Riley returned with two drinks and handed one to me. Jim was still looking at me expectantly and so I reached out and took Riley's free hand in mine. "Thank you and I'm extremely flattered, however, I am seeing someone."

An eyebrow rose slowly on Riley's brow as she turned to look at me.

"Blimey!" Jim exclaimed and shook his head. He reached out and put his arm around Riley's shoulder. "I do apologize, lass. Had I known she was with you I would have refrained from behaving like a smarmy git. I do have to ask though, what in the hell were you doing having dinner with us last week when you could have been spending time with this lovely lady?"

"My dad told me someone wanted to see me," Riley answered, placing the stress on the word 'someone'.

"I'd have told him to piss off," Jim answered with a jovial laugh. Someone came up to him and told him something in his ear and he turned back to us. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and make a fool of myself with some visitors. I'll see you in a bit." With a wink and a kiss on our cheeks, he left us.

"Did he just do what I think he did?" Riley asked uncertainly looking at his retreating back and then back at me. I smiled and nodded while she shook her head.

"You never told me you knew James Miller," I said to Riley in a half joking, half accusingly.

She turned to face me completely, her hand still in mine and arched an eyebrow. "You never told me you were seeing someone."

I couldn't help the smile that was growing on my face. "Thank you for bringing me here."

She smiled shyly. "You're welcome. You wanna take a tour of the place?"

I nodded rapidly and she led me by the hand back into the house. She took me to tour through the upstairs, the gourmet kitchen, family room, entertainment room and the home music studio where Jim and his band would play. It took us a while to navigate through the house as there were people everywhere. Lastly, we headed back out to the pool house in the back. When we opened the door to the pool house, not surprisingly, there were about five or six people in there already, sitting around a coffee table smoking. It only took a couple of seconds to know that what they were smoking wasn't a regular tobacco cigarette. One of them leaned forward and lowered his face to the coffee table upon which I saw a few white lines of powder. He quickly snorted and a line of the powder disappeared. he sat back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"You girls wanna party?" The guy beside him held out the rolled cigarette to us.

"We're good, thanks," Riley told him and we backed out the door and closed it behind us. She turned to me and hesitantly asked, "I didn't mean to speak for you...did you want to...?"

I shook my head. We headed back into the house and I don't know if it was because I hadn't noticed it before or if it was just that time of night at a party, but there were people in the kitchen, snorting up more white lines on the kitchen island counter and in the living room, people sitting around, passing joints between them. I felt Riley lean into me and whisper in my ear, "Do you wanna get outta here?"

I heard the tension in her voice and nodded. We navigated through the house and finally found Jim in the entertainment room at the bar. We thanked him for the party and said our goodbyes. He told Riley something about just telling her name at the door tomorrow night and we left.

"What was that all about?" I asked as we headed to the car.

"We're going to go see him and his band tomorrow," she said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Really?" I asked, the excitement in me rose instantly.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. We reached the car and she opened the door for me. She let go of my hand and that's when I realized that she had held onto my hand the whole time we had been exploring at the party and I hadn't felt the least bit uncomfortable. I was reluctant to lose her touch but knew she had to get into the car to drive.

"So where do you want to go?" I asked after she got into the driver's seat. She seemed to be in deep thought for a moment and then smiled. She pulled out her iPhone and made a quick phone call. She drove away from the beach house without a word, just that damn smile on her lips. Normally, being left clueless would frustrate me to no end, but somehow with Riley, I enjoyed being left at her mercy.

We pulled up to a security gate and one of the two security guards came out and approached the car. Riley opened her window and the guard had a smile on his face. She shook his hand and introduced him as "Marcus". After a brief exchange, he returned to the security booth and said something to the other guard. The security gate opened up for us to drive through, with Marcus in tow on some kind of all terrain vehicle. We drove up to a large Romanesque building and parked the car. Once again, Riley led me by the hand into the building after Marcus had unlocked the doors and let us in.

"Call me to lock up when you're done," he said to her and left us to roam through what I had concluded was a museum. Slowly we walked through the building from room to room, the only sounds echoing through the halls were the clicking of our heels on the marble floor. It was so quiet that we found ourselves involuntarily whispering as we peered at the various Greek statues and exhibits. We walked hand in hand, and whenever we stopped to look at something, our bodies would navigate together. And every time we were in close proximity like that and she'd turn to say something to me, the butterflies would stir in my stomach.

After we had ventured through the exhibits, we walked through a set of doors and ended up in a long garden with hedge-lined pathways and stone benches. In the middle was a fairly long rectangular reflecting pool that was surrounded by various plants, shrubs and bronze sculptures. Soft lights glowed from the covered walk ways along the length of the garden and gave it a warm and inviting feeling. We strolled leisurely through the garden and eventually settled down onto a bench that offered us a spectacular view of the city's lights.

"You know, for someone who doesn't date, you do know how to show a girl a good time," I told her. She hung her head but I could tell she was smiling. "Riley Carson, are you blushing?" I teased her and nudged her shoulder.

She looked up, grinning, her cheeks red. In the short while that I've known her, I have found her grins quite addictive.

"So how do you know Marcus, the security guard?" I asked, having decided to not tease or torment her further.

"We went to high school together," she answered. "His family runs a security company." She bit down on her bottom lip. and grew serious. "I'm sorry if I dragged you away from that party before you were ready to go."

"Something made you uncomfortable," I ventured a guess. Although she hid it well, I had sensed something was off. "It was the drugs wasn't it?"

She nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude and offended by it," she explained and then took a deep breath. "I'm a recovered addict. I did a lot of coke when I was in New York, and I hurt myself pretty badly one night so I came back to L.A. to...get better. I should have told you this sooner and I wouldn't blame you if you just want to go back to being friends -"

Her words were hurried now as the nervousness rose in her and I did what I felt would best convey my feelings for her. I closed my eyes and I kissed her. Her lips were soft and I could feel her surprise at what I had done, but then her lips relaxed and accepted my kiss. It was chaste, yet caused my heart to beat loudly in my chest and a distinctive tingling sensation south of my abdomen. I slowly pulled back, realizing how heavily I was breathing.

"I've been sober for six years and I promise you I have no intention or want to go back to that stuff," she whispered and I could see the sincerity etched in her face and eyes.

I nodded and smiled. "I believe you."

We spent the next while just talking and it slowly became clear to me that for all the confidence, sometimes arrogance, and self assured image that Riley projected, deep down inside, she had her own fears and insecurities just like everyone else. I found myself fortunate to have been given a glimpse into who the real Riley was and it only made me that much more attracted to her.

The place was already in full swing, loud music enveloping the establishment by the time we arrived. Riley had left the restaurant early to pick me up and we had arrived shortly after the scheduled showtime. Riley had a brief conversation with the security guard and the manager of the club and soon enough we were seated at a table close to the stage. As we sat down, we got a nod and smile from the man himself on stage. I had seen every James Miller film but I had never seen the man play music before. His band was a lot larger than what I had thought. He had no fewer than three singers, and a total of about twelve band members if I had counted correctly. He himself played guitar and bass guitar but did not sing. As Riley informed me, despite his artistic talents as an actor and guitarist, singing was not his strong suit. Besides, he simply saw himself as another band member, even though 99% of the audience who attended his shows were there because of him.

They were a polished band, their performance well rehearsed. They played various songs from all types of genres from classic rock and roll to jazz and blues and even disco. As we enjoyed the show, we ordered some more drinks and Riley excused herself to the restroom. The band wrapped up Stevie Wonder's Superstition and Jim traded his bass guitar for an electric guitar.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have a special guest with us," he said into the mic. "Someone whom I consider a daughter to me. I used to spend a lot of time with her father who helped me with our musical endeavors and every time I'd jam with him, she would always sit and watch us, basically from the time she was in diapers. Eventually, she started playing with us, and quite frankly, I much prefer playing with her than her father. Despite her talents, she rebelled against her father and myself, refusing to become a musician - children are so ungrateful sometimes aren't they?"

I looked around to see if Riley was coming out of the restroom yet or not but saw no sign of her.

"Please give a warm welcome to the lovely Riley Carson," Jim added with a wave of his arm. I was shocked as I saw my date walk onto the stage, carrying a guitar. She gave a shy wave and then looked at me with a shrug and a smile. She strapped on the guitar she had been holding. She was a spitting image of Rod when he was much younger, with her haphazardly spiked blond hair, wearing jeans and a black sleeveless button shirt. Despite her shyness and hesitancy when she first stepped onto the stage, as she began to play, she looked more and more at home.

They began playing Beethoven's "Fur Elise" with a hip hop percussion flare to it and then they transitioned to "Flight of the Bumblebee". I was in awe of how perfectly synchronized Riley and Jim were playing on their guitars. Finally, they finished with Pachelbel's "Canon" with Riley, Jim and a third guitarist playing what was normally the different violins and it was absolutely amazing as evidenced by the audience's applause and whistles. I had had no idea that Riley played any music at all, but it shouldn't have surprised me as she was the offspring of a musical legend.

After the applause simmered down, she and Jim were now both seated on stools and sporting acoustic guitars playing a flamenco version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" with the three singers in the band providing the vocals. As she played, the muscles in her right forearm flexed as she plucked the strings, and her long slender fingers floated over the frets effortlessly. She made it look so easy. After the song was over, she gave a wave and disappeared off the stage. The band wasted no time and started to play another song, calling everyone to get up out of their seats and start dancing. As the people began to crowd the dance floor, I saw Riley making her way over to me. When she reached me, she held out her hand and I took it, letting her pull me to the dance floor.

*******
Riley
*******

After the show, we were invited into a private party room with the band while they wound down and relaxed. We sat in one corner of the large booth in the room while Uncle Jim went to fetch us some drinks. Alex was sitting closely beside me, her hand on my thigh. "You are full of surprises aren't you?" she asked grinning. She had been basically grinning non stop since we had arrived at the show and I didn't want her to stop.

"If that's what it takes to keep that smile on your face," I told her.

"You make me smile," she said in return and leaned in, pressing her lips to mine. I forced myself to calm my racing heart and to just relax and enjoy the feel of her lips on mine. I felt her soft lips part and mirrored her movements as the tip of her tongue darted across my bottom lip.

"Ahem, ladies," Uncle Jim's voice announced his return. Breaking apart, we smiled sheepishly as he set our drinks down onto the table.

"Thank you," we said in unison and he smiled smugly at us as he sat down across from us.

"I could tell from the look on your face," he started, "that you had no idea this one could play, did you?"

Alex swallowed her sip of her wine and shook her head. "Not a clue. It was quite the pleasant surprise."

"It's the first time she's ever played in public," he continued and I felt my cheeks growing warm. "Stubborn one she is. I've asked her to play with us numerous times before but she's always told me to piss off. Not this time though. She agreed to do it for you."

Alex turned to look at me for confirmation and I shrugged and nodded.

"Thank you," Alex said, her hand that was on my knee now grasped my hand.

"You're welcome," I answered.

"Why haven't you ever played before? You're fantastic!" she asked and Uncle Jim questioned me silently with a raise of his eyebrows as well.

I took a drink of my beer. "I guess... I just don't want to be compared to my dad. I look enough like him, you know?" Then I added, jokingly, "Besides, I don't wanna steal the spotlight away from the old man. It's all he's got."

Alex and Uncle Jim laughed. "Alex," Uncle Jim said, turning his attention to my date. "I've no idea what you've done or how you did it, but thank you for coming into this girl's life. Whether you know it or not, you've made quite an impact on the lass."

"Have I?" Alex asked, looking from Uncle Jim and then to me with a teasing look in her eye.

"Aye," he answered for me.

Feeling affected by her gaze, I picked up my beer and held it up. "Drink up, old man. You're starting to get sentimental."

He raised his beer and tapped his bottle against mine, and then against Alex's glass and we drank a silent toast. I could tell Alex was was cataloging what Uncle Jim had said, probably to interrogate me about it at another time.

"Now, Ms. McGovern," my surrogate uncle continued. "I've a project that's in the works next year for a autobiography and quite frankly, I can read a script like nobody's business but I'm shit at writing. So I've been looking for a writer to do a biography, but I have yet to meet anyone who's work I give a rat's ass about enough to trust to write my story. That was until yesterday, when I met you. I'm familiar with your work, and after seeing what you've done to this girl, I have an instinctual trust towards you. So what do you say, will you write my story?"

"I'm extremely flattered that you even know my work let alone trust me to proposition me," Alex responded, clearly surprised. "However, I'm not a book writer. I'm a freelance journalist and blogger. I've never written a book. In fact, I've no desire to write a book."

"Really? I thought that that was what all writers ultimately want to do - write a book," I joked.

"Not this writer," she answered and I could tell she was being completely honest.

"Why not?" I asked out of curiosity and not as though I was challenging her sincerity.

"My mother's penned over ten bestsellers in her career, five of which have been turned into films," Alex explained.

I nodded my understanding. Alex and I were more alike than I had thought. "You don't want to be compared to her."

Alex nodded. "I enjoy what I do, which is more of a commentary on life than anything. My mother's the story teller, not me."

"The sarcasm and wit that I've read from you leads me to believe you would be able to tell my story quite effectively," Uncle Jim tried to persuade her. "I've never written a book either but that's not going to stop them from paying me to do so. I'm not asking you to say yes or no right now. But please do think about it."

And she did pause and seemed to be thinking about it. She glanced at me and I just gave her a smile and a supportive squeeze of her hand. "I'll think about it," she finally told him and he grinned widely, knowing that half the battle had been won.

He jotted his phone number down onto a napkin and handed it to her. "Please let me know what you decide, and I hope it'll be a resounding 'yes'."

"By the way, Uncle Jim," I told him, realizing that he was the only one aside from Lenny who knew about us. "Our families don't know that we're seeing each other, so we'd appreciate your discretion." He nodded his understanding.

When we left the club, I wasn't sure where to go but I knew I wasn't ready to part with Alex just yet, even though it was already well after one in the morning. I abandoned all warnings in my head to take things slow and asked her if she wanted to go back to my place.

"Yes," was all she said with a look that made my heart stop and I had to remind myself to breath again when I got into the car.

When we got home, Lenny's car wasn't in the garage which meant there would be no chance of us walking in on her and Gabriella having sex. I gave Alex a tour of the house and we wound up in the family room. I poured us each a glass of wine and went to turn on the fireplace. She was about to sit down on the couch. "I wouldn't sit there," I told her, grimacing, recalling the last activity which had taken place on said couch the last time I had walked in on Lenny and Gabriella. She looked at me questioningly.

"Lenny and Gabriella," I began but was unable to tell her. "Let's just say that I have no idea if they've disinfected it yet."

She chuckled. "Got it." She smiled her understanding. She placed a cushion down onto the floor and sat on it, facing the fireplace, her back against the couch. Once the fire was started, I plugged my iPhone onto the stereo dock and turned on some soft flamenco music. I moved back and sat down beside her. We clinked glasses and took a drink.

"You have a lovely home," she complimented me.

"Thank you," I accepted. "It's big for one person. That's why I have a roommate. If my father had his choice, he'd have expanded his house and I'd stay in one end of the house."

"But?" she asked.

"But, I need my own space," I answered.

"For your hookups?" she asked teasingly but I felt that part of her was curious about my sexual past.

I shook my head. "I haven't brought anyone home in over ten years. It was always at their place or wherever, but never my place."

"Why?" she inquired.

"You can't exactly leave if you're at your own house," I answered. I saw her digest what I had just said and added, "I'm just being completely honest."

She nodded. "I appreciate that."

"I never did sleepovers either," I added. "This is my safe place...my own space...for me. Where I can just be me."

"And so you broke your own rule by bringing me here," she pointed out.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Thank you," she said quietly. I wanted to lean in and kiss her, to kiss her mouth, her neck, her chest, her breasts, her body. But I held back. Was she ready for all that?

"I need to ask you something," she said, not meeting my gaze.

"Sure," I said and finally she looked at me.

"Why...I...," she stammered. She took a deep breath and then exhaled. "Are you attracted to me?"

"Since the first day we met," I confessed.

"Then why..." she began and then paused to take another quick breath. "We've kissed twice and both times, I initiated it. Have you been holding back?"

I nodded. She was wondering why I wasn't being physical with her. It felt refreshing to be with a woman who wasn't afraid to tackle questions or issues head on instead of one who expected me to know if something was wrong. Even from the first time we sat and had a conversation upon the hills after I took her for a ride on my bike, she was direct in asking me about myself. I appreciated her not playing the typical dyke drama head games.

"I'm not sure how to explain it but I'll try," I started. "I've been with a lot of women, some of whom I didn't even really care to know their name. But I care about you and I don't want to do anything that you're not comfortable with, and quite honestly, I'm at a loss as to what you're ready for so I don't want to assume. And I don't want to take things lightly or for granted, if that makes any sense." I was struggling with my thoughts and how to convey my feelings. She took my wine glass and placed hers and mine on the coffee table and turned back to me. She lifted a hand and placed it against my cheek, her hand warm and soft.

"Kiss me, Riley," she told me, a hint of a smile on her lips. I looked into her crystal blue eyes and I couldn't deny her request or my own want. I leaned in slowly, teasing both her and myself with my snail's pace but I wanted to relish the moment. My eyes fluttered closed and I inhaled the scent of her perfume. She smelled delicious. I touched my lips to hers gently. I had kissed a lot of women in my lifetime, but kissing Alex felt different. Her hand which had been cupping my cheek slid into my hair and her lips parted. My tongue slid into her mouth and her tongue welcomed me. Suddenly, it felt like all those kisses before Alex were simply practice to lead up to her.

She massaged my mouth with her tongue and lips and despite the throbbing between my legs, I focused on just kissing her and tasting her. The slow languid strokes of our tongues began to grow slightly faster with surer movements. I cupped her cheek with my hand while the other ran up and down along her arm. She wrapped her lips around my tongue and started sucking on it and I had to fight with every fiber of my being to not rip her clothes off.

She finally released my tongue and I had to break away from her for air. We were both breathing heavily.

"Where did you learn that?" I asked, breathlessly.

"You like?" she asked smiling smugly.

"Yeah," I answered, still laboring for breath.

*******
Alex
*******

I was quite satisfied with myself when I saw how affected she had become from my tongue teasing. I leaned into her again and her lips met mine, her tongue immediately searching for mine. It felt so different kissing a woman. There was no scratchiness of stubble or a beard, in fact, her skin was incredibly smooth and warm. And oh did she know how to kiss. I had had my reservations about how many women she had possibly kissed before me, but I no longer cared. All I knew was that with every stroke of her tongue against mine, I just wanted more of her. No man had ever aroused me this much through kissing.

Although the hunger was growing between us, her kisses were gentle and soft. I still had my hand tangled in her hair which was surprisingly quite soft. My other hand ran down along her bare arm which had found its way around my waist. She pulled me closer to her and I snaked my arm around her, finding a bare strip of flesh along her back, between her jeans and the hem of her shirt. She held me tight against her and her kisses were doing things to me that I had never imagined kisses could do. I felt the butterflies in my stomach and the fire between my legs and wondered if she was feeling the same way. Our lips parted, and we pressed our foreheads together

I opened my eyes and watched her slowly open her own. Her eyes were dark and she was catching her breath.

"I want you," she managed to breath out in a husky whisper. Her tone was not lustful, but rather held a raw honesty and vulnerability that I had never heard from her before.

Any reservations I had about being with another woman, never mind that woman being Riley Carson, were extinguished and there was only one thing left to say. "You have me."

She rose up and held out her hand to me. I took it and she pulled me up off the floor. We made our way upstairs to her bedroom, and as we walked up the stairs, my hand developed a mind of its own and reached out and slid its way under her shirt and grabbed a hold of the waistband of her jeans. When we got to the top of the stairs, she turned around and pinned me against the wall, her lips against mine. Again, I ran a hand into her hair and my other arm wrapped around her with my hand having snaked up her back under her shirt. She pressed herself flush against me and I felt my whole body light on fire. Our lips and tongues played, quickly becoming familiar with each other. Her arms were around my waist, and she slid one leg in between mine as she continued to pin me against the wall. I had to do all I could to not grind my hips against her thigh.

Thankfully, she pulled back and led me into the bedroom. I swore that had she continued to press into me in the wall, I would've wanted her to take me right there and then. Once in the bedroom, our lips met again and she slid her hands under my shirt and ran her hands along my sides and back. Her hands gently and patiently roamed over my flesh and I felt like my whole body was a live wire, ready to ignite. I couldn't resist any longer and so I slid my hands under her shirt, caressing her back and then her stomach on which I swore I felt some ripples.

She moved down to my neck, her soft lips and tongue searing my skin with kisses.Her hands slowly moved over my stomach and hands brushing the underside of my breasts and I felt myself arch into her, begging to be touched. She removed her hands from under my shirt and before I could protest, she lifted my shirt up and then off. She repeated with my camisole. Her lips were on my neck, collarbones and chest and finally her hands cupped my breasts, giving them a soft squeeze through my bra. Her mouth sought out mine again and I began to unbutton her shirt.

I walked backwards to the bed and sat down on it. She shrugged her shirt off her shoulders and I had to swallow hard at the sight in front of me. She had the faint outlines of a hard stomach and an unmissable and well defined "Apollo's belt". She was more toned and fit than any guy I had ever dated.

"Isn't there a saying to never trust a skinny chef?" I teased, my mouth practically watering at the sight before me.

"Skinny chefs are the only ones who'll fit into a restaurant kitchen," she told me with a smile and leaned over me. She reached down to the waistband of my jeans and looked into my eyes. "Can I?" she asked quietly.

The gentleness in her voice rendered me speechless and all I could do was nod. I reclined back onto the bed and she started to kiss my neck and down my chest. Her lips on my stomach were like flutters on my skin. She unbuttoned my jeans and eased them off my hips and legs. Her eyes raked over my partially nude body and when her eyes met mine, I saw desire in her now dark eyes.

"You are absolutely gorgeous," she said and I felt myself blush.

She laid down beside me and I turned to her, my mouth seeking out hers. I was already addicted to kissing her and the feel of her lips on me. She caressed my arm and the next thing I knew, she had unhooked my bra. Slowly she slid my bra off and with some maneuvering, it was soon tossed over the side of the bed. She planted random kisses along my neck and then a hand cupped one of my breasts. I moaned into her mouth as her thumb brushed over an erect nipple. Reflexively, I wrapped a leg over her hips, pushing my body closer to hers. I raked my nails over her abdomen, relishing in the feel her firm muscles. I ran my hand up her side and then across her back.

"I've never unhooked a bra off someone else before," I told her hesitantly as I was afraid I'd fail miserably.

"There's always a first time for everything," she whispered into my ear in between licks and sucks on my earlobe. "Just take your time."

I felt for the clasp on her bra and used my fingers to feel it out. Then with a couple flicks of the wrist, it was unhooked. "Yay!" I cheered triumphantly and she laughed. She rolled me over onto my back and removed her bra. She lowered herself onto me and we both let out a moan as our skin and breasts came into contact with one another. Lying on top of me, she had one leg resting in between mine and I was growing increasingly wet by the pressure of her thigh against my crotch.

She rested on her elbows on either side of head, her tongue endlessly exploring my mouth and vice versa. I ran my hands up and down her back and then finally slide my hands under the waist band of her jeans and felt the wide elastic band of her underwear. It didn't surprise me that she would wear boy shorts. I gave her ass a squeeze with both hands and reveled in the firmness of her backside. She started to plant kisses along my jaw and then my neck. Her hands had found my breasts and were teasing them mercilessly. Soon, her lips replaced her thumbs on my nipples and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

I reached around to her front and undid the button on her jeans and slid the zipper down. She rose up off the bed and slid the jeans over her hips, dropping them onto the floor. She stepped out of her jeans and returned to the bed, lying on top of me. I had spread my legs, welcoming her back and she nestled her hips perfectly in the vee of my legs. We laid there, kissing and enjoying the taste of one another but soon enough, the throbbing between my legs was too noticeable to ignore. Before I could say anything, she moved downwards and took a nipple into her mouth and I closed my eyes at the sensation of her lips and tongue on my breast. Her mouth was warm and her tongue was flicking over my nipple, and I swore I must have been soaking through my lace thong.

Her mouth tortured my breasts and nipples slowly as she took her time, lazily drawing random patterns with her tongue. My breathing was growing ragged and every time I saw a peek of her tongue over my nipples, I became more and more aroused. My hips were noticeably moving and grinding against her body and I was sure she knew I needed more. She licked and kissed her way down my stomach. As if to tease me, she skipped over my pubic region and kissed along my inner thighs as she slid lower. Just as I was about to voice my frustration with her teasing, I felt her mouth over my flesh, through my underwear. My hips bucked upward in reaction instantly. Her fingers slowly peeled the undergarment off my hips and she tossed them aside. With a feral look and a smirk, she dipped her head in between my legs and I felt her tongue on me. A moan escaped from my throat and I grasped the bed linens with my hands.

She ran her tongue along my folds, alternating between quick flicks and long slow broad licks. I raised my knees and spread my legs wider and she hooked her arms under my legs, her hands reaching up to touch my stomach and breasts. I had never felt this aroused before in my life and the sensation of her mouth on my sex was out of this world. Then I felt the suction on my clit and my hips started to grind against her mouth. The pressure was building and I knew that with all the foreplay we had had, I wasn't going to last much longer. I ran a hand into her hair and I felt her enter me with her finger. I had to force myself to keep my eyes open and watch her. She was sliding in and out of me effortlessly and her lips were wrapped around my clit. I ground my hips faster and harder into her and I couldn't hold on any longer as my eyes rolled up and closed and my orgasm ripped through me as cries fell from my lips.

Wave after wave washed over me as she continued to stroke me and as my movements slowed, she released the suction on my clit and eventually her hand stilled. When I finally opened my eyes, she was kissing her way back up my body. She laid down, her length partially on top of me, her hand still between my legs, her finger still inside me but motionless.

Her lips claimed mine in a hot searing kiss and when we broke apart, I had to take long slow breaths to calm my heart and body. I licked my lips. "That was amazing," I told her. I had never had an orgasm as intense as that before. Our legs were entangled and I could feel her wetness against my thigh. I wanted to give her the same pleasure as she had just given me but she simply nuzzled my neck and told me that there was no rush and that we had all night.

*******
Riley
*******

When she screamed out her orgasm, I almost came but I held off. This was about her, not me. I wanted her first orgasm with me to be memorable and not distracted by my own needs. I buried my face in the crook of her neck and inhaled her. She smelled out of this world, her perfume mixed with her arousal.

I simply held onto her, nuzzling her neck, my finger still deep inside her. Her warm, wet and silky walls surrounded my finger and I had no desire to extract it. I began kissing along her jawline and then her lips with little quick kisses. When I felt her body had relaxed completely, I slowly started to move my finger, gently rubbing her G-spot.

"What are you doing?" she asked, smiling, in between kisses.

"Enjoying myself," I answered her.

She placed a hand on my hand that was rubbing and stilled my movements. "I don't think I can have another one."

I just smiled and sucked on an earlobe.

"I've never had multiple orgasms before," she admitted quietly, the blush coloring her cheeks.

I kissed her softly on her lips. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded and slowly removed her hand from on top of mine. Instead, she reached up and cupped one of my breasts and I had to force myself to focus on the task at hand. I slowly stroked her and took one of her erect nipples into my mouth, my tongue massaging it and licking it in random patterns. I took my time, enjoying the taste of breasts and skin and the feel of her flesh surrounding my finger. Gradually, her hips started to move and she was growing wetter. I moved back up and captured her lips in a slow kiss which escalated to one with much more hunger as her hips moved faster and harder against my finger and hand. She wrapped a leg around my hips, giving me better access to stroke her deeper. I withdrew my middle finger and then re-entered her with two fingers and she let out a loud moan. I stroked her with more pressure and soon her hips were bucking wildly. I had to stay cognizant to not grind my own hips against her leg when she screamed out my name.

She laid still, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling rapidly with her breathing. I saw the smallest of movements on her neck - her pulse point. I licked it and sucked on it. "You'll leave a mark," she managed to breath out.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I whispered to her after having released her flesh from my mouth.

"You're terrible, you know that," she scolded me. I finally lifted my head from her neck and saw that she had opened her eyes. She grinned and I melted. "I haven't the words to describe how fantastic that was."

"What? A writer at a loss for words?" I teased her and she playfully slapped my arm.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to not insult a woman after you've made her see stars?" she teased me back.

"My mother would freak out if she knew what I was doing to you right now," I told her. "She knows Grace would kill me."

"Well," she said, thoughtfully, "We can't have you dying before I get a chance to give you an orgasm now can we?"

"That would be rude of you if you were to let that happen," I agreed.

With a mischievous smile, she rolled me onto my back and straddled my hips, her hands pinning my arms above my head. I gazed at her long arms, her breasts above me, her slim waist, flat stomach and her legs, those legs seemed to go on forever, and I felt like the luckiest woman on earth. The dumb fuck of an ex-boyfriend of hers didn't know what he had lost. She lowered her head and her tongue teased my mouth, licking my lips and then pulling away. She licked my tongue and lured it into her mouth and started to suck on it again and I reflexively lifted my hips upwards. I needed contact. Knowing what I wanted, she lowered her self down onto me, our pubic bones touching.

She finally released my tongue from the sweet torture of her suckling and moved down to my breasts. She started kissing them and slowly, eventually, after much begging from me, she took a nipple into her mouth and my eyes slammed shut. I arched my back, and she licked and sucked on my nipples expertly like she'd been doing it all her life. While her lips and tongue played with my hard nipples, she reached down and slid my underwear off my hips. I lifted my hips and released my nipple from her mouth to discard my shorts. She returned to me, crawling up from my legs with a feral look in her eyes. Smiling, she licked up one side of the muscles along my hips and then up the other. I quietly said a prayer of thanks for my genetics and that I found someone who seemed to appreciate my physique.

She was kissing me around my navel and lower abdomen and despite her skills with her mouth, I was aware that this was also her first time with a woman. "Alex, you don't have to," I told her softly.

She looked up at me and then kissed a trail up my body. "I want to feel you," she said, kissing my jawline while her hand roamed over my stomach. I nodded and her hand slid lower until she was cupping me in her hand. Slowly, she rubbed me and then a finger slid into my folds. I closed my eyes and focused on her touch, telling myself to be patient and not rush things. I had been so wound up from her orgasms that I was already close to exploding when I felt her finger on my clit. She dipped her finger slightly into my opening and then drew it back up to my clit, coating it with my juices.She did that a few more times and finally I opened my eyes.

"Alex, I'm about ready to explode here," I panted and she smiled smugly. Looking into my eyes, she slid a finger inside me and we both gasped at the feeling of her penetrating me. She slid her finger in and out of me a couple of times and then she entered me with two fingers. She leaned down and kissed me, her tongue invading my mouth and she flattened her hand against me, her fingers stroking me, the heel of her hand providing pressure against my clit. I bent one leg up and turned my body into hers and she took the cue to thrust harder and faster. I felt my lower abdomen tighten and then white light behind my eyelids as my orgasm exploded.She let me ride out the last waves until I was spent and lying limply on the bed.

When I finally opened my eyes, she was lying beside me, her head propped up on arm, watching me with a satisfied smile on her face. Her hand was still between my legs, cupping my sex, her finger just teasing my folds lightly. I reached up and cupped her face in my hand, my thumb brushing over her lips.

"I'm in no condition to drive you home tonight - knees are too weak," I told her, smiling. "You're just going to have to spend the night here."

"I have no objections to that," she said and leaned down for another kiss.

For the first time in my life, I found myself waking up without the aid of an alarm clock. When I opened my eyes, it was already bright outside. I was lying on my stomach and the bed was empty, save for me. I lifted my head from the pillow and turned to look at the other side of the bedroom and I saw her, sitting on the floor, her back to me. She was wearing her camisole from last night and what looked like a pair of my boy shorts underwear. Her legs were spread and outstretched in front of her, her back straight. She lifted her arms up from her sides and clasped her hands above her head, her index fingers pointing upward. Slowly she bent at the hips and leaned her torso and arms forward, folding half way over her legs. She held herself there for about ten seconds and then returned to her upright position. she lowered her arms and brought her legs in, folding them and rested her wrists on her knees. She remained that way, completely still for quite a while and I took the opportunity to study her. She had strong, sexy arms, broad shoulders, and the curvature of her waist was incredibly sexy from the back.

I had to smile at myself when I recalled the events of last night and how I had enjoyed just exactly what those toned arms and strong fingers were capable of. She was the sexiest woman I had ever laid my eyes on, and she had been in my bed. I had kissed her lips, touched her flesh and tasted her arousal and brought her to a screaming climax. I was both self satisfied and in awe that she was here with me. Slowly she stood up and turned around and saw me watching her. She smiled and my heart melted.

She walked over to the bed and I scooted over on the bed to make room for her. She sat down beside me. "You're awfully cute when you're waking up," she told me, still smiling. "I hope you don't mind, but I found these shorts in your folded laundry in your bathroom."

Returning her smile, I shook my head. "I like you in my underwear."

She grinned and leaned down and kissed me. "Come on, sleepy head," she said with a tilt of her head towards the bathroom. "It's time to get up and shower. I'm hungry."

I slowly and reluctantly sat up on the bed as the covers slid off me. I was still naked from our love making that night. She looked down at my breasts, still grinning. I took hold of her hands and pulled her to me and kissed her again. As the kiss deepened, I felt her hands on my upper arms, and then on my breasts. Lifting up the hem of her camisole, I said in between kisses, "Come back to bed."

Without answering, she stripped off the satiny garment and we resumed our kiss. I laid back onto the bed and pulled her with me. Hovering over me, she planted kisses along my neck and then sucked on an earlobe. "I want to taste you," she whispered.

I was putty in her hands. "Are you sure?" I managed to squeak out. "You know you don't have to."

"I want to," were her final words as she kissed her way down my chest and soon, her lips were on one nipple, then the other. Slowly she descended, planting random kisses and licks all over my body until she was nestled comfortably between my legs. She started kissing along my inner thigh and with one last look up at me, she dove in and slid her tongue in between my folds. I closed my eyes in ecstasy and her tongue found my clit and stroked it with slow, broad licks. She applied gentle suction on my clit until my hips began to grind against her mouth. She reached up with one hand and massaged my breast. As my pace increased, she then pressed down on my pubic bone with one hand and slid a finger inside me with the other. I grabbed the bed sheets in my fists as my orgasm overtook me. "Oh, Alex!" I cried out as I fell over the edge. She continued to apply suction on my clit until I was spent and I placed a hand on her hand, my hips having ceased all motion.

I had to force my eyes open to see her looking up at me with a wicked grin. She kissed her way back up my body, lying her full length on top of me.

"Holy shit," I breathed out heavily. "Where the hell did you learn to do that?"

"Learn?" she asked. "That's all natural talent!"

"And you've never been with a woman before?" I asked, amazed at how easily she made me come.

"You're my first," she told me quietly.

"And you're my first sleepover," I told her and kissed her softly. A rumbling sound from my stomach interrupted us.

"Now will you get out of bed and into the shower?" she asked, grinning.

"Only if I get to return the favor," I grinned.

"I'm counting on it!" she said and sat up, pulling me with her.

Following her, I sat up but when she started to get off the bed, I pulled her back to me and started to kiss her. Slowly, I raised up onto my knees, and pulled her up onto her knees as well. I began to kiss along her jawline and then down her neck and along her collar bone while my hands pulled on her underwear and slid them off her hips. I whispered to her as I pressed my body against hers, "I want us to watch."

She gave me a questioning look and I gave a lift of my chin and raise of my eyebrows at the wall behind her. She turned her head to look and saw the full length mirror. She turned back to me and gave me the must lustful smile I had ever seen. Our mouths melded again and slowly she turned around in my arms as I continued to kiss and lick her neck and shoulder. I wrapped one arm around her waist and the other reached around to her front and fondled her breasts. She raised an arm and ran her hand into my hair while I nuzzled her neck and sucked on her earlobe.

My hand that was on her stomach began to descend down over her navel and lower abdomen and then cupped her mound. She placed her free hand on top of my hand and guided my middle finger into her folds and I heard a hitch in her breathing. I lifted my eyes to the mirror and her eyes caught mine. I slid a finger inside her and she bit down on her lower lip. With her hand still on top of mine, I stroked her and her hips slowly gyrated rhythmically into our hands. Her juices were practically running into my palm and so I added a second finger. I studied the image in the mirror and it was the sexiest thing I had ever imagined in all my fantasies about her. Her slim yet strong thighs, flat stomach, her firm round breasts, and her arms, those toned and tanned arms - yoga exercises had done her body good. And here she was, sharing her body, giving her body to me. The thought alone and the sensations of her flesh surrounding my finger were enough to stir up the arousal between my legs again. She turned her head and lifted her chin and I captured her mouth with my own. Our tongues slid against one another, tasting and playing. Moments later, her hand pressed down harder on my hand as my palm rubbed against her clit and her hips began to buck harder. The hand in my hair balled into a fist and she tore her lips away from mine and threw her head back against my chest and shoulder, her eyes closed. I watched in the mirror as she screamed out her release.

After the waves subsided, I stilled my hand and watched her come back to earth as her eyes slowly opened. I tore my eyes away from the mirror and looked over at her. She turned her head to look at me and smiled. I slid my fingers out and wrapped both arms around her. She wrapped her arms around mine. "I've never done that before," she told me breathlessly and the admission took my own breath away.

I kissed her. "You are so beautiful," I told her. "I've never wanted anyone as much as I want you."

"Like I told you last night," she said softly. "You have me."

Part 4

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