Fire Bright

The higher the elevator rose, the more nervous Annaliese became. It didn't seem possible that she was on her way to a penthouse condo for her first Valentine's Day with the man she was falling in love with.

She hadn't told him yet how she felt. Tonight would be the night for that. She only hoped it didn't turn out wrong.

Don't think that way. The kind, gentle way Frank treated her clearly showed how he felt about her. She had no reason to think he wouldn't accept hearing she loved him. After all, it was Valentine's Day. He wouldn't have wanted to spend the evening with her if he didn't feel the same way she did.

Confessing her emotions was only one factor in Annaliese's nervousness. She hadn't been to Frank's home before, and it was on the thirtieth floor of the building. She would have to stay away from the windows, or a panic attack might ruin the entire evening. Even though rationality told her she would be perfectly safe inside the condo, her fear of heights had never responded well to logic.

Finally the elevator reached its destination, and the door slid open to reveal Frank smiling down at her.

She stepped off the elevator, and he embraced her. "Welcome. Any problems getting here?"

"No, none." She kissed him. "Thanks for inviting me over."

"It's long past due." He slid his hand down her back to caress her ass. "Far too long."

"Yes." With a shiver, Annaliese stepped back. His touch held the promise of what he had in store for her that night, and simply thinking about it sent hot chills through her. Tonight, their relationship would finally take a turn to the sexual, and she'd fantasized about it for days.

For the time being, though, she had to keep herself under control. "I think you should hold off on that until later."

Frank chuckled. "Turning you on a little too much, am I? All right, I'll behave until we've had dinner." His voice dropped to a low growl. "Just be prepared for what comes after that."

Her pussy tightened. Hopefully their meal wouldn't take a lot of time. She couldn't wait much longer to finally play with Frank. To finally fuck him. "Believe me, I am."

"Then let's go inside." He opened the door across from the elevator.

Annaliese entered a combination living and dining space and caught her breath. The place was furnished with items that appeared worth more than she earned. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room. On the far side of the room, an entire wall of glass revealed the city lights.

Quickly, Annaliese looked away from the wall. Keeping away from it wouldn't be easy since the table was directly in front of it, but she would have to at least try not to look out.

"Would you like something to drink?" Frank asked.

Annaliese nodded. "Water, thank you."

"That's all?" Frank raised an eyebrow. "You'll be an easy guest, then. Have a seat." He went to the kitchenette, opened the fridge, and took out a bottle of water. "Here."

Still standing, Annaliese took the bottle from him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He took Annaliese's hand and pulled her to one of the white leather couches, where he sat down and yanked her onto his lap. "This is a more comfortable seat."

Annaliese smiled. "Yes. It is. It's a very nice lap to sit on."

"Glad you think so." He wrapped his arms around her. "It's nice having you sit on it."

"I'm sure it isn't the only nice thing you have," she said, trying to sound flirtatious. Her face heated. Nothing like being pushy. But she'd wanted him since they met, and she was tired of waiting.

"I suppose you'll find that out a little later." He nuzzled her neck. "Thank you for coming over tonight. I can't think of anyone else I would want to spend Valentine's Day evening with."

"Likewise." She kissed him. "I—I like being with you." For fuck's sake. Say what you mean! But she couldn't bring herself to say those three words. Not quite yet.

"Shall we go to the bedroom?" Frank asked. "I want to show you a few things before we decide where tonight's going."

"Tonight's going to be us naked in your bed, I hope," Annaliese said.

"Well, of course." Frank looked pleased. "But we've talked about a few other things. Come with me."

He took her hand and led her into a bedroom that was nearly as large as the main room. Against one wall was a king-size bed covered with a dark purple comforter and several pillows in purple or black cases. Two large bureaus took up part of another wall, along with a door. On the opposite wall, by the large windows, two benches sat side by side.

Frank opened the door to reveal a walk-in closet with several whips, floggers, and other implements hanging from hooks on the wall.

Annaliese's pulse quickened. They'd talked about adding kink as well as sex to their relationship, and now, seeing what Frank had excited the hell out of her.

She walked over and fingered the strands of one of the floggers. "This looks like fun."

"I suggest you let me be the one to choose the tool for now." Frank took down the flogger and hit her arm with it. Although the hit was light, it stung. "This one would be too much for you right now. We'll work up to it over time."

He hung up the flogger and took down one with wider strands. "This will be better for you, if that's where we're going tonight. We could just keep it vanilla this time."

Annaliese hesitated. Thoughts of being bound and beaten had filled her fantasies for years, and now she finally had the opportunity to fulfill those desires. But this was her first time doing anything like this with Frank. Maybe it would be better to take things slowly.

"Let's see where it goes." Tired of talking, she kissed him.

He flicked his tongue against her lips and she parted them. The kiss grew in intensity, sending heat through her. Her skin seemed to tingle, though Frank had yet to touch her other than the contact between their mouths.

That needed to change. Her hardened nipples needed his touch, as did her wet pussy. If he meant to torment her before he gave her what he knew damn well she wanted, he was doing a great job.

She let out a soft sound against his mouth, and finally he cupped one of her breasts. Parting his lips from hers just enough to speak, he said, "Is this what you want?"

"Yes. Please."

He undid the top two buttons of her blouse and slipped his hand inside her bra. His cool finger touched her nipple, and a jolt ran through to her core. Just that small touch had her ready to beg him to fuck her.

"Let me undress you," he said. "I want to see you."

Annaliese nodded and allowed Frank to remove her blouse and skirt, both of which he neatly folded and set on top of the nearest bureau. He stepped back and surveyed her. "Beautiful. Why did I wait so long to bring you here?"

"I don't know, but I hope you aren't going to wait much longer to finish taking off my clothes."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't want to make myself wait anymore, though making you wait could be fun."

He reached around her to unclasp her bra, then slid the straps down her arms and let the garment fall to the floor. Without a word, he bent and took one of her nipples in his mouth.

As another current ran through her, Annaliese gasped. Frank's lips and tongue felt incredible, and when he brought one hand up to play with her other nipple, her pussy contracted so strongly she thought she might come on the spot.

"Please," she murmured.

"Please?" Frank repeated without taking his mouth off her. "Oh, I do like to hear a woman beg. Maybe I should get those panties out of the way and touch you where you really want, hmm?"

"Please," she said again. It seemed to be the only word her brain could come up with.

"Ah, but you're fun to play with." He sounded disappointed, though Annaliese suspected it was an act. "All right, then. I'll be nice to you."

He knelt and pulled down her panties, then steadied her as she stepped out of them. Standing naked before him, Annaliese felt both vulnerable and powerful. He was still fully clothed, but his eyes were on her body. She was what he wanted.

And she desperately wanted him. After only a few moments of play, her arousal was so strong one touch of her clit might send her over the edge. She craved that touch.

But instead, Frank stood and stepped back, his expression suddenly serious. "I can't do this yet. Before we go any further, there's one more thing I need to show you."

"What?" Why now?

"Have a seat over there." He motioned toward the benches. "I need you to trust me, and that means you need to know everything about me. So sit down, please, and look out the window for a moment."

"Um, no." Her chest tightened, and she forced herself to breathe evenly. "I'll close my eyes if you don't want me to look."

"That will do. Keep them closed until I tell you otherwise."

He folded his arms, merely looking at her until she moved to follow his command. The way he was acting worried her, but her instincts told her she was safe with him. Whatever he had to show her was important, but not dangerous. At least not to her.

She sat on one of the benches as closed her eyes. For several minutes, as Frank remained silent, she battled the urge to see what he was doing.

Just when she could barely stand another moment, he said, "All right. You can look."

Relieved, she opened her eyes.

In front of her stood a bird made entirely of fire. One that stood as tall as Frank, who was nowhere to be seen.

Heart racing, Annaliese bit back a scream.

"It's all right." The bird spoke in Frank's voice. "I won't hurt you."

Slowly it approached her. She wanted to run, but she would have no chance to get away before it caught her. Panic raced through her mind, and she could say nothing.

The flames would burn her. She was sure of it. But as the bird came closer, she felt only a pleasant warmth.

It reached out to her, and she scrambled backward on the bench. She couldn't allow it to touch her. Surely that would burn.

"I won't hurt you," it said again, and touched her bare leg with the tip of its wing.

Although flames licked around the bird, including where its wing made contact with her skin, she still felt no burning. Only a slight heat.

"What—what are you?" she gasped.

"A phoenix." It pulled back its wing. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Before I brought you here. But I'm falling in love with you, and I was afraid I'd lose you."

"You..." She stared at him. He had said the words she'd dreamed of hearing. She should have said them back.

But she couldn't. Not now. Not when he'd just admitted hiding something this huge from her.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Phoenixes didn't exist. At least not in the form of the man she thought she'd gotten to know over the past month. This wasn't possible.

Yet the impossible stood beside her, its eyes filled with sadness.

She clenched her fists. If it was sad about her reaction, it had only itself to blame. It—he—had been dishonest with her. She'd believed he was a typical human, no different from her. He should have told her from the start what he was.

Then again, she might have walked away if he had, just as she was considering doing now. At least she would have been walking away knowing the truth, instead of falling for him believing a lie.

"Say something," the phoenix begged.

"You should have said something," she snapped. She gestured at herself. "Before we got this far. You weren't going to tell me at all tonight, were you?"

"No." He bowed his head. "Not at first. Then I realized I couldn't keep it from you. You aren't like most of the people I've been with."

"You keep it from others?"

"Most others, yes. Over the years, I've trusted a few partners enough to tell them." He took a step back. "I trust you, but if you don't trust me now, I understand. You can leave if you want to."

Annaliese studied him. This bird, flames and all, was Frank. The man who had completely changed her life. For the past month, he had taken her places she never could have gone on her own. She'd wondered why someone like him, rich and powerful, wanted anything to do with her. They'd seen each other twice a week since the day they met, and each time, she grew more certain that she loved him.

Accepting this aspect of him would take a while. But if she loved him, she could accept him, and forgive him for not telling her the truth sooner. Trust built over time, and telling her he was a phoenix had taken a lot of trust.

"You'll never keep anything this important from me again," she said.

The phoenix shook his head. "No. I promise that as long as something is mine to tell, I'll tell you."

"Then I'll stay."

"Thank you." He moved closer to her again. "I would ask if I could take you flying, but—"

Vehemently, she shook her head. "Not a chance."

"Afraid of heights? That's a shame." He looked toward the window. "I love being airborne. That's the biggest plus to this."

"I'm glad you enjoy it." She shuddered.

"I'm sorry you wouldn't." He turned to her. "I shouldn't be looking out the window right now anyway. A beautiful woman is nude in my bedroom, and here I am paying attention to the scenery. What am I thinking?"

With one wing, he caressed her cheek. The light touch pushed away the last of Annaliese's doubt. She did love him. More, she wanted him to resume what he'd interrupted with his revelation.

"Should I shift back?" He moved his wingtip to her breast. "Or stay like this?"

The sensation of feathery flame on her nipple was exquisite. Though the fire didn't hurt her, flames seemed to lick all of her skin. The warmth of Frank's touch grew to heat within her, and she could barely think enough to say, "Stay. Please."

"Gladly." With his beak, he nuzzled her neck. "I would love to bring you pleasure. Do you trust me enough to be restrained?"

They had discussed restraints and bondage as they'd planned tonight. The idea of being completely at Frank's mercy had appealed to her then. Now, it excited her beyond words. He could touch her anywhere she liked, and she would be unable to stop him. That warmth and flame would be everywhere on her body.

What the hell is wrong with me? Only moments before, she'd been stunned to learn that the man she knew was something she hadn't believed was real, and now she was considering fucking him in that form.

"I trust you," she said.

"You don't seem sure about that." He brushed her thigh with a wingtip, and she shivered despite the warmth. "Or are you not sure whether you want me back in human form?"

"I'm not sure I can say anything right now."

He chuckled and ran his wingtip up her leg, stopping just short of her pussy. Nothing she'd fantasied about their first time together had prepared her for how good his touch really felt. It sent heat through her, a fire of her own that had nothing to do with Frank's flames.

"I can't restrain you like this," he said. "Will you cuff one of your wrists for me? Unfortunately, I doubt you can do both."

Quickly, she fastened around her wrist one of the cuffs attached to the bench. With her free hand, she grasped the chain of the other cuff. Not quite as she'd envisioned during their discussions, but it would do.

"Beautiful." The phoenix touched his beak to her forehead. "Only this for tonight. You've had enough to process. We'll have many more times to explore, yes?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then let's begin."

For several moments he teased her, touching her thighs and belly but never between her legs. Her need peaked, and her breaths grew shallow, but she refused to beg him to touch her. No matter how badly she craved it.

Finally, he brushed against her clit, and she moaned. The heat within her grew stronger, hotter, though the temperature of his touch remained the same.

"Do you like this?" he murmured.

"Yes." She closed her eyes to savor the sensations racing through her. "Oh, yes."

"Good."

He continued stroking her, and the pleasure build until she could barely stand it. The warmth of his flames against her wet pussy only added to the intensity of his touch. Within moments, she was at the brink of climax, gasping for release.

Instead, he stopped. She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Why?"

"I want to feel you come with me inside you." He pulled back his wing. "May I?"

"I have to wonder how you'll wear a condom."

He laughed. "That's a good question. I don't generally use them. Human disease and infections don't affect me. Is pregnancy a concern?"

"No."

"Then will you be more comfortable if I use one?"

She considered it, though her brain was too fogged with the need to come for her to be able to think too much. She trusted him, and had no reason to doubt anything he told her. Despite his dishonesty about himself, he hadn't overtly lied to her, and she didn't believe he was doing so now.

"It's all right if you don't," she said.

The phoenix looked pleased. "Thank you."

He covered her body with his, enveloping her in his flames. She reached up her free hand to touch him, and as her fingers brushed against him, suddenly he was Frank again.

Before she could react, he thrust his cock inside her. The delicious friction was more than she could take. Moaning his name, she came, her cunt contracting around his shaft. The waves of ecstasy engulfed her, but did nothing to quench her fire. She needed more.

And he gave it to her, fucking her hard and fast. Their sounds mingled, and Annaliese felt his pleasure as her own. She couldn't hold back from coming again, nor did she try, and as the climax exploded through her, she screamed.

"Good girl," Frank murmured. "Very good girl."

He thrust into her one last time and cried out her name as he shuddered. Beneath him, Annaliese breathed heavily. He couldn't be finished yet. That would mean removing his body from hers, and she needed more.

But after a few moments, he withdrew from her and slowly stood. "That was well worth the wait."

"Yes." She uncuffed her wrist and reached up to him. "Should I go?"

"God, I hope not." He took her hand and bent to kiss her lips. "I'd like you to stay the night. There's so much more we can do."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure." He gently pulled on her hand. "Come lie on the bed with me so I can hold you. Let me breathe for a bit."

She nodded and allowed him to help her up. Together, they stretched out on the bed, and he pulled her into his arms. As she lay her head on his chest, he said, "Thank you for accepting me. I love you. Happy Valentine's Day."

Warmth overspread her again, and this time, she was able to answer. "Happy Valentine's Day. I love you too."

"I don't need to tell you to keep the phoenix to yourself."

She snuggled against him. "No, you don't. I give you my word."

"Thank you."

He stroked her hair, and the rhythm of it dropped her into a state somewhere between waking and sleeping. The entire night had been more than she'd anticipated, in some hoped-for ways and some very unexpected.

But Frank loved her. She hadn't believed he would say it so soon, and her happiness was like a balloon in her chest. He was hers. Whoever, whatever he was, he was her partner, and she would do nothing to betray his trust.