PeakExperience (14 page)

“I love the way you kiss,” she said when they broke apart
for air.

“The way I kiss what?” She gave him a quizzical look. “Your
lips?” His mouth claimed hers again.

“Your neck?” he asked as he swept her hair back and found
the sensitive places behind her ear and the side of her throat.

“Your breasts?” He licked one nipple to a peak then sucked
it hard, creating a sensation of pleasure and pain causing her to lift her
chest, offering him more. The other breast received the same treatment before
he ran his tongue gently between and under her breasts. She shivered as the
moisture on her skin sent a cool ripple through her.

He slowly kissed his way to her belly, driving her crazy
with need. His weight shifted as his hands moved under her ass. He lifted one
of her legs and rested it on the back of the couch, leaving her open and ready
for him. It made her feel both vulnerable and sexy.

“Perhaps,” he said, his breath flowing across her skin, “you
like it best when I kiss your pussy.” Without waiting for any answer, he
covered her with his mouth and the flat of his tongue stroked her from top to
bottom and reversed direction. The contact was exquisite and she practically
levitated as her body responded with a rush of wetness. “Yes, you like that a
lot.”

“Like is not exactly the word I’d use,” she managed,
surprised to get a coherent sentence out.

His short laugh created shivery vibrations, but he said
nothing more as his tongue swept lightly down the outside of her lips,
switching sides. She never knew how sensitive parts of her were before Daniel.
The men she’d been with usually focused on one spot until she came. With Daniel
she was discovering an abundance of responsive places which, when touched,
rushed fire through her.

She was caught in the sensations of his tongue. When he
inserted a finger into her, her back bowed.

“That’s it, beautiful. Give yourself to me and all I want to
do for you.”

“God, Daniel, yes.”

He continued to stroke and lick her, bringing her close to
peak, but not over. It was frustrating. And wonderful. When she thought he was
finally going to let her come, he changed his position slightly and his finger
caressed then slid into her ass. She tried to grip something, but found only
the back of the couch.

“You like that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“I’m going to have you there. Soon. I’m going to tease you,
then lubricate you. Finally, I’ll stretch you with my fingers before I enter
you with my cock.”

Lena could feel the intent behind his words as he stroked
her with the finger inside her. When he finished talking he focused his mouth
on her clit. The images he created followed by the intense reactions sent her
over the edge.

“I’m coming, Daniel,” was all she managed before wave after
wave of pleasure coursed and crashed through her. She involuntarily lifted her hips
and his mouth connected more completely with her pussy. Instead of experiencing
her usual ebbing, he bought her to new heights and she screamed as the passion
overwhelmed her.

Her ears were ringing when he slowed the strokes of his
tongue. She could sense he was moving, but didn’t know what he was doing until
he kissed his way up her body and whispered in her ear, “I want you on top of
me.”

He moved off her, took her hand in his and pulled her
forward into another kiss. Skillfully—and carefully—he turned their bodies
until when he lay back, she was above. Typically she was on the bottom with her
partners, but today she felt daring and sexy. She found the condom, put it over
his erection, then, straddling him, guided him into her, sheathing him completely.

Instinctively he raised his hips to meet hers, taking her
more deeply.

Damn, she looked beautiful above him. Like a goddess of sex
and beauty. “Oh yes, Daniel,” she said, arching her back, forcing her breasts
out. He pinched her nipples lightly as she gasped.

She rode his cock slowly and he met her every thrust,
increasing both of their pleasure. She raked her hands down his chest then
grabbed his hips to give herself better balance as she made circles with her
pelvis. He felt every inch of her pussy gripping him. It drove him crazy.

In this position, it was difficult for him to tease her clit
so to increase her pleasure he found a pillow, put it behind his back and
leaned forward slightly which allowed him to grab her ass. As they became
accustomed to this position, he moved to her cleft and teased the opening of
her anus. When she rose off his cock, he wet his finger with her juices then
let it slip gently inside her.

She gave a sound that was a mix of a groan and a squeak and
Daniel knew he’d found a way to pleasure her as much as she pleasured him. The
knowledge made his cock swell inside her, and he pushed, allowing her to feel
his excitement. Her response was a rush of wetness which bathed his shaft and
made it easier for him to move with her.

“Daniel, I’m so close,” she said.

“Then come for me. Let me see your passion.” He followed her
rhythm as he continued to tease her ass. As her orgasm approached, her pussy
tightened around him and he watched her climax explode through her body.

His hips kept pace with her need as she gripped him and
called out his name in her release. It was the most exquisite thing he’d ever
seen and it sent his own body over the edge. He thrust hard and let himself
come deeply inside her.

He was still caught in the shivery aftershocks of his orgasm
when she fell against him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“So that’s why some women like being on top,” she said, her
breath warm on his chest.

He turned his head to look at her. “You’ve never enjoyed sex
in that position?”

“Not in years,” she admitted. “But I hope you don’t mind if
we use it on occasion.”

“Any occasion you want, my sweet. You looked so fucking sexy
riding me.”

“Now that’s the way to spend a rainy afternoon.”

“From here on,” he said as she curled against him, “I’m
going to think of that game as Connect Foreplay.”

Chapter Nine

Unfortunately, their game turned into the highlight of the
day. The rest of the hours were filled with frustrations and false starts.

“Let’s try something different this morning,” Lena said the
next day.

“Because what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked at all?” He was
annoyed and short-tempered. His run hadn’t calmed him. All he could think about
was how out of his depth he was beginning to feel. He hated doubting himself,
but he was concerned his desire to get close to Lena could cost her this
account if they didn’t come up with something soon. “Sorry, that was nasty. I
just never knew how challenging this work could be. I’ve had deadlines, but
nothing like this.”

“I understand. It takes some getting used to and you’ve been
doing really well, especially given the fact this is your first attempt at a
more commercial use of art. Truthfully, I think we’re closer than we know. I’m
starting to get that feeling. The one that means a breakthrough is coming.”

He needed her to be right. “I hope so. What’s your idea for
today?”

“We’ll grab two of my cameras and black-and-white film, walk
around the camp and see what we discover.”

“A back-to-nature campaign?” he asked.

“Women do want to look both natural and devastatingly
beautiful. We’ll take a roll or two then this afternoon we’ll develop them in
the art cabin’s dark room.”

“Just like old times.” Although it wasn’t anything like old
times. Now he wasn’t just interested in her. He was falling in love with her.
Meanwhile, her company and career rested on their ability to come up with
something brilliant. He’d never put this kind of pressure on his work before.
As he felt himself tensing again, he took a deep breath. Maybe getting out and
taking pictures was a good idea after all.

“Do you ever use a digital camera?” he asked as they were
loading the 35mm cameras.

“Sometimes, especially when I’m photographing people. I like
being able to take shot after shot and see immediately if I got what I was going
for. It’s good at the fairs when my mom is telling stories and posing with tiny
fans. She’s posted my work on her website.”

“The immediate gratification is nice.”

“And I enjoy being able to manipulate the images on a screen
afterward. I’ve created great publicity material for Mom and my brothers, but I
always find myself going back to film and the hands-on experience of developing
the pictures myself.” Maybe she shouldn’t have used the expression “hands-on”
because as soon as she said it, all she could think of was the ways his hands
made her feel, and how wonderful he felt underneath hers. “You used a lot of
digital photos for your exhibit, right?”

“I did, especially when I needed to enlarge the picture.
Sometimes I actually put the photo on the canvas and then altered it, but I’ll
tell you something no one else knows—your early influence is still there.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, almost all the images in the show have a
black-and-white photo counterpart. I couldn’t break the habit of using it.
Alice wants me to do something with them but I take those for me. They aren’t
for public viewing.” She smiled at him and he shrugged. “I do so much digital
work, I can’t resist the occasions to hear the click of a film camera.”

“I know what you mean. Being able to feel the shutter open
and close, the film advance, not knowing if you got exactly what you wanted but
being hopeful anyway,” she said. Her heartbeat was a touch faster. It felt good
to share this with someone who understood, not someone who pretended to know
what she meant.

“The anticipation of sending it off to be developed—or
developing it yourself,” he continued, “and waiting to see if you captured that
perfect split second of time.”

“And the elation when you do,” she finished. She stared into
his eyes, knowing the shimmer in them probably matched her own. It was easy to
talk to him, share this with him. It was an experience she hadn’t enjoyed in a
long time, too long a time.

They roamed the camp, taking pictures of nature and
occasionally each other. A few hours later they wolfed down their lunch in
their hurry to get to the dark room. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Someone’s anxious.”

“I am. The camp looks different from the focused perspective
of the viewfinder and a distance of more than ten years. Not only am I taller,
but I’m more patient and observant. And it’s great that I just snapped these
photos and we get to see them today, at least on the negatives.”

“Patience is clearly not one of your better developed
qualities.”

“It’s better than one-hour photo.”

“I agree,” she said. “I wish I had dark room access in the
city.”

“That’s something we’re going to have to change when we get
back. I don’t think I have space in my apartment, but maybe we could see about
finding a place we could buy and convert. Maybe make it a place with membership
for others to use. We can’t be the only ones in Boston who want to develop
their own film.”

She looked at him, but said nothing. This was the first time
one of them mentioned what might happen when they returned. Although the
thought thrilled her, it also made her a little nervous. Nervous enough she
decided to change the subject rather than respond directly. “I’ve got what I
need. Ready?”

“Absolutely,” he said.

The dark room was smaller than he remembered and the close
proximity was more distracting than when he was younger. Fortunately this time
he knew how the woman with him felt about him.

He quickly remembered the steps from canister to developed
negative and it wasn’t long before strips of film where handing from the
clothesline.

“We’ve got at least two hours before the negatives are dry.
If there’s nothing specific you were thinking of doing there’s something I’d
like to show you. Would you want to see my studio?”

“Is that where you disappear to when you’re working?”

“Yes,” she said.

“I’d love to. I’d be honored,” he said and meant it. He took
her hand, and wasn’t surprised to find it cool to the touch. He knew it could
have been all the hand-washing they did after using the chemicals, but he
sensed it was nerves. He knew how special it was, for her to offer this to him.

As they walked slowly back to the house, she leaned against
him, but didn’t say anything. Her invitation was enough and he knew to let her
set the tone and pace of everything that happened next. Her trust was something
special and it was not easily given.

Not knowing where her studio was, he was surprised to walk
upstairs and into her bedroom. When she looked at him for reassurance he kissed
her and she walked over to a door he thought led to a closet. There was so much
light flooding into the space from the windows and two skylights, his first
thought was they were standing outside.

“This room must take the rest of the floor,” he said, unable
to keep the admiration out of his voice. “It’s huge, especially compared with your
bedroom.”

“All I need to do in there is sleep,” she said quietly.

He understood completely. “This is amazing and beautiful.
Can I walk around or do you want to give me a tour?”

She didn’t answer immediately, and he was willing to be
patient. “Feel free to walk. If you want, I’ll answer any questions I can or
tell you what you’re looking at.”

“Sounds great,” he said, but he heard something in her voice
and he turned from what lay before him to the woman who stood beside him. He
caressed her cheek and waited for her eyes to meet his. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“I want to hear you say it before I take one step in.”

“I’m sure. I want to show this to you, share it with you.”