Cassie brushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, before taking a deep breath and picking up her cell phone.  She was afraid of what he might say, but she knew it was now or never.  They had decided years earlier that, their lives being what they were, they would remain friends, but their romantic entanglement needed to end.  He had a family and she needed to have someone who was there for more than stolen moments.  Over the years they had remained in contact, but lately, their conversations had turned toward the flirtatious side, and there were times that he let it slip that their sacrifice had not produced the desired effect.

No, I understand the concept, he had written, after she explained the appeal of remote control panties, I just don’t see that happening.  His tone was almost wistful.  He had often written of being lonely and feeling undesired.  She could almost see the pain in his eyes, even though that had not been in the same room in nearly nine years.  She longed to brush the hair from his eyes and feel his soft lips pressed against hers. 

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she cursed to herself loudly.  With a few taps, Cassie opened her email app and began composing a message to Shane.  

Meet me at the old cinema in Londonderry on Friday at 6 pm.  I’ll be in Theatre #5, in the far left corner.  Noone will recognize either of us there.

Before she could lose her nerve, she hit send.  Her face flushed with excitement at the idea of being close to him.  She could almost smell his unique cologne, a delicious blend of sex and chocolate and something she could never quite put her finger on, but it was definitely the most appealingly masculine fragrance she knew. 

Cassie returned to the mountain of work in front of her.  Between phone calls and the barrage of emails and interruptions, her message had been pushed from her mind until she heard her phone ding.

Okay.

Strange how one word could affect her so.  Her skin started to tingle with excitement and her breathing grew shallow.  She was completely derailed by thoughts of what was to come.  She suddenly realized how she ached for him.  It had been ages since her body had felt this alive and yet nothing had happened yet.  There was nothing to indicate that this was to be anything more than a platonic movie date.  It would be the first time they were in the same room since deciding to terminate their illicit relationship and stay friends.  They both had feared that it would be too much temptation for either of them to see each other, so they mostly had communicated via email over the years.  

As her thoughts ran away with her, her phone dinged again.  Another email.

Wear them.  You know what I’m talking about.  Don’t disappoint me.

Cassie was a strong woman in her day-to-day life.  As a senior manager for a growing company, she made tough decisions and fought to earn the respect of her male counterparts in a male-dominated industry.  She wasn’t accustomed to being told what to do, but the tone in the simple request left nothing up for discussion, and it excited her even more.

"Damn, girl," she chided herself, "it’s just one sentence."  She shook her head, trying to refocus herself on the tasks in front of her, but her mind wandered to their last meeting.  

******

Cassie opened her apartment door, and before she could even say hello, Shane was kissing her.  He backed her into her apartment, kissing her breathless until she bumped up against the side of her refrigerator.  He placed his hands on either side of her head and stepped closer to her nipping playfully at her bottom lip while she caught her breath, then crushed his mouth against hers again.  She moaned softly against his mouth, pressing the palms of her hands against his chest.  She pouted a little when he pulled away and grinned wickedly at her.  

“Hello,” he said with a lopsided smile, “I’ve missed you.” He traced her jawline with his finger and hooked it under her chin, tilting her face up to look at him.  His hair, which was just a little bit too long, fell across his eyes and despite being a few years older than she was, he looked a bit boyish and she couldn’t resist smiling back. 

“You’re late,” she teased, the small dimple in her cheek showed when she smiled at him again.  “I was about to go find some other trouble to get into tonight."

He had looked serious for a moment. “You’re mine, Cass.  Got that?”

He didn’t have to tell her.  Her body knew she belonged to him.  He pulled her hard against him and she nodded wordlessly.  She was his alright.  Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers dug into her arms.  He claimed her lips again and she could feel herself flushing scarlet as his fingers loosened their grip and started fiddling with the buttons on her shirt.  His tongue teased her bottom lip before delving into her mouth.  She wrapped her tongue around his, sliding the tip along it, and he groaned.  Her hands slid up under his shirt, eager to touch his skin.  

Shane moved her further into her kitchen until she was pinned against her washing machine.  She jumped up and sat on the edge so they could be eye-to-eye, her short denim skirt riding high on her thighs, which he had come to rest between.  His hands slid up her now naked thighs as she began unbuttoning his shirt.  He fumbled with the tiny buttons on her shirt, then, in frustration, just pulled the shirt up over her head.  Her fair skin, flushed with arousal, was soft and he stepped back a little to take in the sight of her.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” he said, almost in a whisper.  She squirmed a little under his intense gaze, then shivered as he reached up and touched her cheek softly.  She turned to kiss the palm of his hand.  He ran his thumb across her bottom lip, down to her chin, then stroked her jawline.  She stayed very still when his hand came to rest at the base of her throat.  He moved closer and bent to kiss the swell of her breasts, and his breath was warm on her skin.  Her nipples instantly tightened beneath the black lace of her bra and she was throbbing already.

He continued to torment her with his gentle exploration of her body.  He ran his hands across her shoulders and down her arms.  When he got to her elbows, he pushed them forward, guiding her arms around his neck, pulling her close.  His voice was hoarse, “Tell me what you want.”  The emotion behind it was undeniable.  He wanted to hear that she wanted him, all of him.  It wasn’t something he heard from her.  The pain and vulnerability in his eyes were unmistakable, and though she wanted to hold back, to try to maintain some small piece of her pride, she could not deny him this.  

“Shane, I want to feel you inside me, now.  I need you…” her voice trailed off.  She felt raw from the admission, even though her body was saying it in so many ways already.  His hands found their way to her breasts and his thumbs stroked them into hard peaks.  She groaned when he bent and put his warm mouth over one of her nipples.  The thin fabric of her bra seemed impossibly thick, and she craved more of him.  

“Please," she whimpered, arching her back against his mouth.  He reached behind her and undid the hooks of her bra with one deft move, then slid the straps down her arms.  Her soft pink nipples had stiffened with his attention and he reached out, pinching one slightly while taking the other into his mouth.  She buried her hands in his hair as he alternated between slow gentle licks and quick little bites, that had her squirming against him.  

“I love those little noises,” he said absently while continuing to work her into a frenzy. “Let’s move this to someplace a little more comfortable."  

Cassie jumped down from her washing machine.  Grabbing his hand, clothed only from the waist down, she led him to her bedroom.  Her soft, auburn curls fell just below her shoulders and as he followed her, he felt the urge to run his hands through her hair.  The moonlight shining through the windows fell on her skin, highlighting her adorable freckles.  She paused and he had been following so closely they were almost touching.  She could feel his heat against her back, and for just a moment she leaned back against him.  His arms circled her waist and pulled her against his chest.  He placed a soft kiss on the spot where her neck met her shoulders, and he lingered there for a minute, taking in the sweet smell of her perfume. 

“You okay, Cass?” he murmured against her hair.  She nodded and he knew what she was feeling.  They had been talking a lot lately that they should stop this and he should recommit himself to his family.  As bad as things were with his wife, he loved his girls and did not want to do anything to jeopardize their happiness.  She knew this was borrowed time and didn’t know if she would see him again.  

“I just want to slow this night down a little,” her voice wavered a little and he pulled her a little closer to him, allowing for a moment of real affection instead of raw lovemaking.  

She could feel his arousal against her backside, and his thumbs brushed against her hardened nipples.  It wasn’t long before their need overtook them again and they crossed the room into her bedroom.  She turned to face him and was once again caught by that vulnerability.  He needed her to reassure him again.  She stepped closer to him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him gently, at first.  “Shane, please…”  Her voice was a whisper and his mouth closed over hers again.  

He moved her backward until her thighs were pressed against her bed, and he pushed her down onto it until she was lying on her back.  He remembered that she kept makeshift restraints tucked between her mattress and boxspring and began searching for them.  He was quickly rewarded and roughly tied her wrists and ankles so she was spread eagle, totally exposed.  The vulnerability of the position heightened her arousal and she began to throb.  She tried to squirm and rub herself against, well anything really, but there was nothing close enough to give her relief.  

When Shane was certain that she was completely secured, he crawled up her body until their eyes met.  “You’re really turned on, aren’t you?” he asked roughly.  She nodded, as his hand was slipping up her inner thigh.  When his fingers were mere inches from her, she tried to grind against him.  His eyes widened, “You need to behave, you’re not getting touched until I say so.”

The words intensified her arousal and she could feel how wet she was getting.  He slowly and deliberately ran his fingers over every inch of her body.  She was so sensitized that she was panting from his efforts.  He followed his fingers with his mouth and she was sure she was on fire.  She was whimpering again and writhing beneath him.  The restraints had her opened up wide and he settled between her legs.  The second his tongue caressed her core, she started moaning loudly and grinding her hips against his face.  He clamped his arms around her waist, forcing her to stay still.

She felt his tongue invade her folds, then start lapping at her.  Slowly and deliberately he licked, not changing pace or rhythm.  He could feel her thighs shaking, and her moans were growing louder.  He slid two fingers inside of her, curling them up to stroke that sensitive bundle of nerves up inside, while continuing to lick at that maddening pace.  He could feel her pleasure building and with a couple of firmer strokes of his fingers, he began to suck her into his mouth.  Her moans had grown so loud, he was sure her neighbors could hear, but that didn’t slow him down.  He felt her tense around his fingers.  Her eyes had closed and her head was thrown back in pleasure.

“Cassie, look at me,” he ordered roughly.  She complied and opened her eyes.  His gaze held hers as he sucked her into his mouth one more time and he felt her release on his fingers seconds before her juices coated his face.  He moved his way back up her body and kissed her.  

“Please fuck me, Shane,” she said, looking straight in his eyes.  “I need to feel your cock inside of me right now.”  That was all it took.  He quickly grabbed a condom from the nightstand and rolled it down his shaft, which was so hard now it hurt.  He knew how it would feel to slide inside her, as he had done so many times in the past, but he wasn’t prepared for how different this time was going to be.  

“Is this what you want?” he teased as he ran the tip of his cock along her slit.  Her strangled cry was response enough and he buried himself deep inside of her.  He wanted to move slowly, to make this a night she remembered, but once inside her, she clenched her walls around him, driving him crazy.  What he really wanted was to feel her hands on his body.  He stopped long enough to free her hands and feet from their restraints, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.  

As he slid inside her this time, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began telling him how very much she loved the feel of him.  She reached up and ran her hands over his ass, urging him on.  He turned her on her side and lifted her leg to allow deeper penetration.  He hit that spot again and she almost came undone right there. “God, Shane, you feel so fucking amazing.”  She dug her nails into her palms to avoid leaving marks on him and with another thrust, she found her release again; this time, he was mere seconds behind her.  He collapsed next to her on the bed and when her breathing slowed down to normal, she turned on her side and nestled her head on his chest.  She knew she didn’t have long before he had to leave, so she pressed her cheek against him and absently fingered his chest hair.  

“Cass,” he started to say.

“Shane, please don’t say anything.  I know.  Let’s not ruin tonight with this conversation.”  

Cassie pressed her cheek to where she could feel his heartbeat and listened to him breathe.  They lay together in silence for several long moments, neither sure what to say but both knowing that this was goodbye.  After wrapping his arms around her, he gently kissed her forehead and stayed like that, with his lips pressed to her for several long moments.

He got up to leave and she suddenly felt cold.  She slid into her robe as he dressed quickly and walked him to her door.  He looked in her eyes and reached out to touch her cheek.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him goodbye, as she knew she wouldn’t see him again.  She watched him as he walked away and then closed her door when she could no longer see him.