I had just gotten my drink from the barista when I tripped over, something. No, I didn’t spill it on Brandi, no I didn’t fall on her, or any of the other meet-cute deals so popular in romance novels. It was, however, how I first saw Brandi. I did notice her often from then on because we both got coffee at about the same time. About a couple of months later I saw her and decided to introduce myself.

“Hi Brandi, that’s Brandi with an I, right?” 

“Hi Mark, and that’s right, Brandi with an I. You must pay attention to other people’s coffee cups too.” She waved at the other chair at the table.

And that’s how I met Brandi. 

We just started talking and enjoyed ourselves. Eventually, we sat together most of the time and I soon learned she was an account manager at McLean Advertising in the next building to mine. When I invited Brandi to dinner, we met after work and went out to a Thai place a block from work. We shared work stories. The different stories from the advertising and insurance business. Well, I didn’t have stories about clients that didn’t understand the jokes or memes of their target audience. In the insurance industry, we didn’t have sixty or seventy-year-old males trying to understand twenty-year-old women. 

What we have is watching people present spreadsheets oblivious to the fact they clearly ended in inane implausible results. I’ve seen firings happen as a result. In Brandi's stories, it's the bosses that had egg on their faces. What I deal with is the analysis that backs up insurance rates. A mistake equals lost business because our rates are too high or too low, well it can close an entire line of insurance. 

Brandi had stories about commercial shooting disasters. Cameras falling off tripods, the star ending in a hospital on the way to a shoot, and even one that his wife beat up at his girlfriend's apartment. That one went to the hospital, naked.

On the whole, Brandi's stories won hands down.

That was a great first date. I loved the way her nose wrinkles when she laughs. I wonder how our second date will go.

Our second dinner date ended memorably when I drove her home. I got out to escort Brandi to her door when some guy came out from behind a car and knocked me down yelling something like, “I knew you were cheating, you bitch.” From there on it was gibberish. When I was back on my feet, whoso was in Brandi’s face, yelling. 

I had a roll of quarters in my pocket. Yeah, right, a roll of quarters in my pocket. Instead, I tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned, kicked him in the knee. I didn’t destroy it but boy did it hurt. When I hit him in his stomach. he hit the sidewalk. 

I looked and asked, “Brandi, does he have any right to hit me because I’m escorting you home? A boyfriend, husband, anything?” As he struggled to get to his feet I was getting ready to kick him again. 

Brandi was yelling “Ryan, what the hell? One date? Three months ago and you’re doing this again? Still? I’m calling the police. Now.” She was searching her purse for her cell. She dialed 911 and waited for a second and said, “Yeah, a one-date wonder just attacked and knocked down a man escorting me home from work.” She looked at me and said, ”Can you keep him here, get his wallet, anything to prove he was here.“

I kicked him in the stomach saying, “Stay, Ryan, stay. Down, Ryan, down. Sit. GOOD BOY.” He was kneeling retching and I reached into his back pocket and took the wallet. “I hope this doesn’t happen every time I bring you home.“ I looked myself over and I had one pair of ruined slacks at the knee, and blood at the knee. But, all in all, not too bad. 

“So this is Ryan. I can see why you haven’t told me about him. Go inside and I’ll keep kicking him until the police get here.” By the time Brandi understood what I was saying, a patrol car was there. As I told the officer what I saw happen, Ryan was still retching but on his knees. When Brandi explained, she went on a blind date with him and let him kiss her on her cheek and he’s done this, well, he’s interrupted five or six dates but, this is the first time it's gotten physical.”

By the time I was able to get her back home it was after 11:30 and almost midnight when I got home. An interesting dinner date. 

It was a couple of days before I saw her at the coffee and we had other things to talk about than work. 

I asked Brandi, ”Um, Ryan, right. Has he done this before? That was an interesting evening.”

Brandi replied, “Not as bad, but…crazy…he’s nuts. I’m sorry…he’s never gotten violent before.”

As I sat talking, I was trying to be polite, no overt ogling, I hoped. I liked her face and that was where I tried to focus. Yeah, her eyes, her hair, maybe her lips, but not her…um breasts. Nope, not her … breasts, tits. 

I’m a big tit man. Not in the sense, that I like big tits, but rather that I like tits, period. Looking at them, feeling them, and kissing them. I like women that enjoy me appreciating them. Physically especially. Her’s were just the right size from what I could see. Big enough to hold which is all I need. I was thinking about how to get the opportunity to appreciate them. 

I made the decision that I would see if she might be interested. So I started. Held her hand the next few meetings touch her just a bit, then a few light kisses. I knew a couple of people that worked with her and I casually mentioned Brandi.

Steve and I met after work for a beer, and I asked, “Hey, I met Brandi, she works with you, right? Brandi?

“Oh right, I  heard something about…an ex-boyfriend? No, that’s not right. Jill said he was a blind date that’s been bothering her. Jill was impressed with you. Brandi too. From what I heard you did a number on him. Impressive. There’s been some talk in the office. Sue, that’s Brandi’s best friend in the office, says she likes you. Uh,… Brandi likes you. Altho, what’s not to like, right.“

OK, that’s good to know. Later, when I invited her to spend some time in China Town, we spent a few hours looking at the shops and then dinner at a restaurant that I knew. I was enjoying looking at her, holding her hand, and a few … more personal touches. During the second kiss between shops, she started to respond. She held me too. She licked my lips, just a touch, and she started reaching for my hand. On the way to her home, I was able to get some better kisses and I touched her breasts. As I drove up, I could see her hesitating. What I thought I saw was, should I invite him in? Or not? 

As I pulled up in front, I acted by pulling her head toward me, kissing the nape of her neck. My left hand was on her shoulder, moving to the side of her breast. Just touching it. Her hand held me and the kiss became more passionate. Until both of our breathing made us pull apart.

Ok, do I try to encourage her to invite me in or … not? In the end, I walked her to the door, kissed her, and waited. Again, I could see her hesitate. Trying to decide. I decided that if she wasn’t sure, the answer was no. So, I said good night and stepped back. Letting her go in. 

Yes is yes, no is no, and maybe is no too. 

The next day I texted her that I knew a taco truck near our offices and invited her for lunch. I drove us the few blocks and during the drive, I got in a kiss and some breast touching too. While we were eating Brandi started saying, “I’d like to invite you to dinner at my house, um, next Friday. I can fix something.” 

That was what I was hoping for so I agreed and said I would bring a bottle of Pino-Grigio. 

When we saw each other for coffee that Friday I gave her a greeting card, ‘Here’s to getting to know each other. Better!’ with better underlined, twice.

When she came to the door. she was dressed …I n a wrap-around dress. It looked, maybe it was intended to look, easy to get off. 

She greeted me with a kiss which I replied with a deeper kiss. A lot more intense. I held her shoulders, then moved my hands down touching the sides of her breasts. Then one hand moved to her ass and pulled her to my erection. I continued until I was invading her mouth, holding one breast, and holding her against me. 

I looked at her then pulled back and deliberately slowly reached for the tie holding her dress together. As I was untying it she reached for my cock. Rubbing it through my pants. My hands slipped inside her dress while I asked if we had time for a short, or maybe not a short diversion before eating. 

She kissed me harder and sighed, “Yes, um, as long as we want.” 

I replied as I pulled the dress open, “Yes, let me see you.” I pulled it off her shoulders and then dropped it to the floor.“ Beautiful but here less is more.” I undid her bra and pulled her panties down. Red bra, red panties with white lace. “Beautiful, inviting, luscious “ I moved my mouth down so I was kissing her tits. “Do you, do you want me now or after we eat? I want … I w-want, I want your bedroom.”

She led me to her bedroom and as I followed her, I told her, “I want to make love to you, all of you.” 

She stood there naked as I undressed. She was standing there with her tits at attention for me to appreciate, and her bush trimmed to just outline her pussy. I interrupted myself undressing, several times, pinching her nipples, touching her clit. It was wonderful seeing her, touching her, and hearing her respond to me. 

When I was naked too, I pushed her to the bed and my lips were on her neck and shoulders. My hand moved over the curves, her soft luscious skin, feeling her. My mouth was worshiping her body.

That was when I changed my mind, well, kind of changed my mind. I turned her so she was face down with her ass at the edge of the bed. I pulled my belt from my pants so she could watch. Her response was, “What are you doing, Mark? Uh, Mark?“

My response was simply to double my belt and use it on her ass, once, twice, three times. when I paused. Brandi made a noise. Not 'stop', more like, “Ahh. Mark. Oh … Mark no one …” And then I used the belt the fourth and fifth time. Her ass was starting to turn pink. 

Brandi hesitated. “Mark, that … that, Mark, do it again. Again, Mark. That hurts so good. So good. I never realized it would hurt, but feel so … so good. Again.”

I don’t know why but I wasn’t surprised. I’d never done this before, but I seemed to know that she would enjoy some pain. A couple more times with my belt deepened the pink and I stepped between her legs and put my cock just outside her pussy. It touched her and she pushed back against it forcing my cock in. I reached under her, grabbed her tits, and pulled her completely onto my cock. I was fucking her. “Brandi, I’m fucking you. My cock fucking, my cock in your cunt. Your cunt.” 

All she could do is make unintelligible noises. Until finally she moaned, “I’m…ah coming.“ I pulled out moved her fully onto the bed and turned her over. My hands were moving over her, her face down her neck down across her tits. I was pinching her nipples and pulling on them. I was devouring her mouth I was going crazy, losing control, going berserk. Or, I was doing all of them at once. I put my cock back in her and just fucked her. 

Finally, I could feel myself go over the edge. I was coming in her, our first time. I collapsed on her. I was reveling in my sensations as I relaxed. Trying to lock them in my mind, sweet memories, forever.

It was three hours later that we stopped to eat dinner, and it was morning before we got dressed. 

Our daughter Susan was born two hundred seventy-five days later. Just in time for our six months wedding anniversary.