In the Dark of Night

'Mmhmm. I'm rubbing it now.'

'Can I put one of my hands on yours and feel how you do it?'

'Go for it.'

I stopped wanking myself until Alice had found my hand. Then, with her fingers resting on mine, I resumed my pace.

Alice reached down for my balls. 'You shaved them again.'

'Yeah, do you like it?'

'Yeah, I do.' She pulled her hand away. 'I should stop interfering and go back to having a shower. Can you tell me what goes through your mind when you knock one out?'

'You probably don't want the details. Some pretty crazy stuff goes through it.'

'What's something not so crazy that you're thinking about right now?'

'You rubbing your plump pussy lips, spreading them, and fingering yourself.'

'Wow.'

'It's sexy stuff,' I said. I leant against the wash basin still rubbing my cock, but not very fast. I wanted to enjoy this, and if I kept up any decent speed, I'd be cumming in no time. 'Some weekends, if I know nobody is coming around, I just walk around naked and play with myself over the course of a few hours. I edge myself, bringing myself close to orgasm, but not letting myself cum until it starts getting painful.'

'Why don't you just find yourself a woman? Lots of the girls here reckon you're gorgeous. You don't look or dress like any of the blokes who live here.'

'I've got myself a woman,' I said. 'You.'

Alice didn't respond.

'Alice?'

'Yeah?'

'I want you to come here and touch me again. Feel my dick. It's really hard, as hard as it gets.'

She turned off the water and held onto the screens as she gingerly stepped out. I reached for her, guided her to me, and led her hand to my prick.

'That's very hard,' she agreed.

'Feel my balls.'

'They're hard, too.' She sounded surprised.

'I'm close to cumming.'

'I could hear you wanking. The sound of it, I mean. And when we were talking, your voice sounded a bit strained,' she reflected. 'What do you do when you cum?'

'Where do I shoot it?'

'Yeah.'

'Normally on my belly. It used to go right up to the top of my chest when I was younger, but it doesn't come out as forcefully these days,' I said. 'Hang on. I'm... shit. Really fucking close. If you want to see how it shoots, turn the light on. I'll keep my eyes shut.'

Alice mulled that over. 'What if you shut your eyes and I hold something over them, to make sure you definitely don't peek.'

'Works for me. Want to hold your underwear over my eyes?'

She giggled. 'You really are in fine form tonight.'

'I'm up to the vinegar strokes. I'm getting shameless.'

She reached for my cock. 'Your penis is getting a bit dry. Before I turn the lights on, do you want to put it inside me for a bit to get it wet?'

'Fuck yes.'

'Okay. Move over a bit and I'll lean over the basin. You can come up from behind.'

We moved around in the small, dark room. My cock was aching. My balls were loaded. And there was Alice, wet and naked, bending over the basin with her arse in the air.

We used our hands to line my cock up with her cunt, which was not only wet, but dripping. As I brushed my fingers against her pussy they were coated in her juices, and there was so much of it that when I pulled away, a thing, wet trail formed.

'Put it in,' she whispered.

How could I refuse? I sank my cock into her wet snatch. It slid in with a soft, squelching noise, and I immediately pulled back out because if I stayed inside her, I was going to blow my load right then and there.

'That sounded kind of gross,' she whispered. 'Sorry.'

'No, no, not gross, but I'd cum if I stayed in there. It felt far too good.'

'You want me to get my undies?'

'Please.'

Alice moved quickly and deftly. She found her panties and held them over my eyes. They were soft, cotton, and smelled of washing powder and her cunt. I breathed in the smell and tried to imagine what she must look like. When she'd put her panties in position her tits had brushed against my chest and it had taken quite a bit of self control not to reach out and grab them.

She asked where the light switch was and I told her not to worry, that I'd reach over and flick it on.

'Are your eyes shut?' she asked.

'Yep,' I replied honestly. 'Ready? Because the light in here is really bright.'

'Yep, I'm good.'

I flicked the light on.

'Ah, my eyes,' she exclaimed. 'You weren't kidding, were you? Fuck that's bright.'

I laughed softly. 'You alright?'

'Yep. Am now. Just took a second,' she replied. 'Oh wow. Your cock and balls. They look really, really good.'

'I'm going to take that as a compliment.'

'You should,' she replied. She pushed my shirt up. 'You have a tattoo on your side. A dragon.'

'Yeah, it goes over my shoulder and arm, too. I got it when I was twenty-one and thought I was cool. I used to go to the gym a lot. I had a six pack and used to go to the beach and strut my stuff. I spent a lot of money on razors keeping my body hair under control, too.'

Alice chuckled. 'It's very sexy, actually. Now, if I hold your shirt up, can you make yourself cum?'

'Sure.' I reached down for my cock with one hand, and my balls with the other. 'Apologies in advance if I look stupid.'

She kissed me. 'You look really hot.'

'Keep kissing me, please,' I requested. 'I like it, and when you're kissing me you're close enough for me to feel your tits against my chest.'

Alice pressed her lips against mine, while holding her knickers over my eyes. Her large, soft breasts were smushed up against my chest but she was standing with her hips tilted back, to give me room to wank.

By this stage I was so ridiculously horny it was a feat in itself that I didn't cum within seconds. I was groaning and gasping as I wanked myself, moving at a furious pace, until it all became too much and I exploded.

I kissed her long and hard as I came, no longer worried about my orgasm face, or the weirdness of the situation, or anything at all. I just lost myself in the moment, my lips pressed against hers and my cum spraying everywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~

After I'd cum and cleaned myself up, I took Alice to bed and ate her out. Fuck, she was wet. I'd never come across anything like it before, and I feasted on her, only moving away after she'd orgasmed and kicked me away.

We lay together in the darkness, Alice's head on my chest. I stroked her hair and tried to figure out why she didn't want me to know who she was.

'I need to go home soon,' she said.

'It's still raining heavily. Stay with me for a little while longer.'

'You're very snuggly tonight.'

'I like you,' I admitted. 'I like spending time with you.'

She kissed my nipple. 'You're very sweet.'

I rubbed her shoulder. 'You're divine. I had an awesome time with you tonight.'

'Me too.'

'Hmmm,' I kissed the top of her head. 'My lovely girl. While we're lying here, tell me what you got up to this week. Tell me something non-identifying.'

'What I got up to?'

'Yeah. I like talking to you and learning more about you. Tell me something about your life.'

'There is something, but you might laugh at me.'

I was intrigued. 'Is it sexy?'

'No, you goose!' She burst out laughing. 'I tried felafel. Dad and I had lunch together and I bought a kebab from the kebab store.'

'What did you think?'

'It was kind of uninspiring,' she admitted.

'What else was on your kebab other than felafel?'

'Cheese, lettuce and tomato sauce.'

'Alice! Fuck!'

She laughed. 'Yeah, my old man was pretty horrified. He had a proper kebab with all of the things on it that they recommended. He said it was great.'

'Felafel?'

'No, lamb. Dad told me I better not plan on getting friendly with any Lebs because their mothers would want to choke me.'

'You'll be pleased to know I have no Lebanese ancestors, and my parents were both born in Australia so they're pretty chill. My grandparents are relaxed, too.'

'Your grandparents are still alive?'

'All four of them.'

'Wow. Wow. Really, that's some long-living people you come from.'

'I believe legumes have been known to extend your life expectancy,' I agreed.

Alice giggled and kissed my nipple again. 'I'll take my rare steak and cheap whiskey and die young.'

'Naughty girl. I like it.'

'You were the naughty one today.'

I grabbed her arse and rubbed it. 'I hope I didn't do anything that made you uncomfortable.'

'No, but I'm a bit worried I won't be able to keep you satisfied. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I'm completely winging it.'

'Hey, don't you worry about that at all,' I reassured her. 'You're amazing. And if I ask you for something you're not comfortable with, you just tell me to back it off.'

'Okay.'

'Really,' I added. 'I'm really liking spending time with you.'

'Me too, but I really need to be off.'

'Next Friday?' I asked. 'And can I give you my email address?'

'Yes and yes.'

~~~~~~~~~

Carver was in Logan for business on Friday, and he organised to have lunch with me.

At first it was pretty casual, but the conversation quickly took a more serious turn. Far more serious than one would be prepared for in KFC at one pm on a Friday.

'I'm thinking of leaving Linsey,' he said.

'Really?'

'Yeah. I can't take much more of this. No sex. No affection. She barely speaks to me and refuses to go out anywhere on the weekends. I asked her last night if she still loved me and she shrugged and said 'I suppose so'. I asked her what she felt she was doing with her life and she replied 'enduring it'. For fuck's sake, she's all but said it's over.' He poked disinterestedly at his chicken. 'I don't know where I'm going wrong. I've bought her flowers. Tried taking her out to dinner. Organised weekends away, too, even though she refused to go with me every single time unless the kids came with us.'

I literally couldn't think of anyone less equipped to give him advice than a single thirty-two year old man whose only regular contact with the female species was a Friday night shag with a woman who wouldn't even let him see her face. Nonetheless, I felt burdened by the request for advice, and yet uncertain about what to say.

'Where would you go?' I asked.

'I dunno. If you're interested in renting out your place short-term, I could stay there.'

I nearly choked on my coleslaw. No. No, no, no. That wouldn't do at all. I wasn't someone who was inclined towards sharing their personal space with others, let alone renting it out to someone who was newly separated. My weekender was mine and mine alone. Besides, I knew nothing about divorce, nobody in my family having done it, but it seemed a big move.

'What about your kids?' I asked.

'I don't know. I... I really don't know.'

I quickly considered my options. My only possible lifeline was my sister, Annette. She was a psychologist and if I remembered correctly, she helped couples with marriage counselling. That was what Carver really needed, not a shitty partially-renovated besser block house.

'Maybe give it just a few more weeks,' I said. 'I'll get my place tidied up and if you still want to leave, you can stay there for as long as you need.'

The relief showed on Carver's face. 'Thanks mate. You have no idea how much I'd appreciate that.'

Carver headed back home shortly after. I returned to my office and rushed through the last bits and bobs of work that I had to do. It was only a small office and most of the staff were either at the pub, or out 'on site' - which was really just a euphemism for 'titty bar' - or hanging around chatting and doing not much of anything.

Shortly after four I excused myself, ostensibly to buy a coffee, and called my sister. She always knocked off early on Fridays and sure enough, I got her in that sweet spot between her last client and her trip home.

'Darren,' she said. 'You never ring unless you want something, so what is it?'

The last time Annette had rung me was when she'd bought a new couch and her husband needed help taking the old one to the tip. I'd gone to help without hesitating, just as I knew that she'd help me if she felt I needed it.

I told her all about Carver.

'The wife's depressed,' she said.

'Really?'

'Without assessing her I couldn't give a definite answer, but Darren, really, I'm giving you a definite answer anyway. You say she's lost a significant amount of weight over the past few years, sleeps excessively, has withdrawn socially and is pushing her husband away. She's either sick - and I doubt that, otherwise she would have gotten worse over the past few years - or she's depressed. Tell your friend to take her for a mental health check-up.'

'Carver's not a particularly close friend.'

'He confided in you that he's planning on leaving his wife,' she argued. 'That's close enough.'

'He's lending me his zero turn mower tomorrow. How do you feel about coming over and talking to him?'

Annette sighed. 'Sure. Why not? I'll get Mum to mind the kids and come around. What time do you want me?'

'Ten o'clock?'

'Ten? In the country? I'm going to have to set an alarm.'

'Love you sis.'

~~~~~~~~

Alice came around that night. She'd done as she'd promised and set up an email account, and she and I had emailed back and forth during the week. The conversation had all been fairly clean and free from sexual content - except for one picture she'd sent Thursday afternoon. It was of her standing next to some sort of shed, wearing a white tee with no bra. It didn't include her face or much of her body, but it was enough to get my pulse racing.

'Hi,' I greeted, kissing her.

'Hi.'

The lights were off, and I still had no fucking clue who she actually was, but that night I just didn't care. All I wanted was to be with her.

We had sex. Good sex, great sex. Not perfect sex, but the sort of sex that you have when you feel comfortable with them, you like them, and you're attracted to them.

Afterwards, we laid in bed and talked. At some point she fell asleep. I was almost on the verge of sleep myself, and it was tempting to just surrender to it, but I knew she'd panic when she woke up. Besides, her parents might be worried if she wasn't there in the morning.

'Alice,' I whispered, nudging her. 'Alice, wake-up.'

She let out a gasp of surprise. 'Oh. Oh shit. What time is it?'

'Probably only somewhere around one. You fell asleep.'

'Oh thank God you didn't fall asleep with me.'

'I nearly did,' I admitted with a hoarse laugh. 'And if you want to go back to sleep in my arms, nothing would make me happier than waking up beside you tomorrow, but I know you probably want to go.'

'Want to and need to,' she agreed, sitting up and yawning. 'Wow. I normally can't sleep around strangers. I used to hate sleepovers and school camps.'

I sat up, pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head. Her hair was messed up from sleep and her skin was impossibly soft. 'My beautiful girl. Wake up properly before you get dressed and drive home. You don't want to fall asleep behind the wheel.'

'I won't do that.'

I gave her the biggest hug I could, planting kisses all over her. 'I'm gonna miss you so much this week.'

'You're going to miss me for two weeks. I can't come around next Friday.'

'What about next Saturday?'

'The whole weekend will be a write off.'

'Shit,' I swore. 'That's... that's really fucking depressing.'

'Yeah, but I need to help Dad on the farm. So, no sex and broken nails.'

'I didn't realise you were a farmer.'

'I'm not, my father is, and he'll be the last one in our family to do it. There's no money left in what we were doing.'

'Is that why you're still at home? To help out financially?'

'No, no, Dad wouldn't take a cent from me. He lets me buy groceries, and I get him lunch once or twice a week when he's in town, but that's it. I'm there to keep him company. My Mum's dead and my brother and sister have moved away, and I don't want him getting depressed or anything. Besides, he lets me do my own thing, and I do mine.'

That was more information about her life than I'd received to date.

I rubbed her leg. 'I'm glad you trust me enough to talk to me.'

'Well, I just gotta hope you don't take what I've told you to try and find me,' she said.

'I won't,' I replied. 'Originally... yeah, I was slightly tempted. But not now. Does that make sense? I'm just gonna hope that at some point, you tell me who you are and let me take you on a proper date.'

'What if that never happens?'

'Never say never,' I told her. 'I'm optimistic like that.'

'It's never gonna happen,' she whispered, as if it was a secret. She kissed me. 'Send me a picture of you this week. I sent you a picture and you didn't send me anything back.'

'Alice, I say this from the bottom of my heart; there is nothing - absolutely nothing - a man can send you that would in any way equal the beauty of a topless woman with hard nipples in a white shirt.'

'Try. I'm not asking for anything identifying.'

'Maybe that's why men send dick pics. We figure not many people get to see our willies, so you'd never be able to identify us by our hard-ons.'

'You're bloody hopeless, you know that? You ask for nudes. I send you something racy. Now you're making excuses as to why I can't have something saucy of you.'

'I'll do better this week,' I promised. I kissed her once more. 'I'll miss you.'

'I'll miss you, too. Wait for me, okay? I know at some point you'll get fed up with this and tell me to fuck off, but I don't want that yet.'

There was absolutely no way I was telling her to fuck off. Not when I knew she was feeling the same way I did. I'd just wait, and hope that sooner or later she felt confident to tell me who she was.

~~~~~~~~

Carver came around on Saturday with his zero turn, presumably to help me get my lawn cut but in reality, probably because he wanted to laugh his arse off at me.

There wasn't much lawn around my house, most of it being natural bush, which is a fact I became immensely grateful for as he and Annette shrieked with laughter as I got acquainted with a machine which operated unlike anything I'd ever been on before. While my sibling and Carver laughed and talked, I wondered if Alice knew how to operate one.

Seriously, though, I'd got the hang of it by the time I finished the lawn. Annette and Carver were deep in conversation as I parked the machine and went inside to get a glass of water. The tee I was wearing had shrunk in the wash and it was giving me the shits. I shucked it off and went to my room to get a new shirt. I didn't keep a huge amount of clothing here but I had enough to get me through, because I was yet to buy a washing machine for my getaway. Every weekend I'd just bring my dirty clothes home and clean them there.

I changed my shirt and inspected my sheets. I probably needed to bring them home and wash them. They'd been on the bed two or three weeks and Alice and I had had sex on them a few times.

That's when I saw it. Blonde hair. A few stands of it lay on the pillow Alice had used the night before, shining in the sun that filtered in through the window. I hunted around the bed and found a few more.

My mystery girl was a blonde. A blonde, chubby girl who lived on a farm with her father but had her own, likely professional, career. Yes, she must have had a white collar job, because her hands were soft and she'd complained about her nails getting broken.

I wondered why she was so insecure. Over and over she'd made comment about me being gorgeous, but I can assure you that I was nothing special. I didn't dress well. I lived in a house that despite being rendered was still annoyingly similar in appearance to a toilet block. I'm not being self deprecating, either, I'm just telling you how it is.