My Autumn and My Winter

"Just dinner." Crawley's eyes rolled. "Settle down sweetie."

"So you didn't slide under the table and uh, seal the contract?" Rich said.

"I'd ask you to get your mind out of the gutter, Rich, but I know that's asking too much."

"Ask the mountains not to be tall!" Rex said.

"Ja, ask the ocean not to be deep!"

"Well, I trust my lady," Phil said.

Rich faux gagged when they kissed again. Rex cleared his throat with a wry grin.

"I don't wanna interrupt your soap opera...but I'm interrupting your soap opera. We need to get our sound check out of the way, yesterday! It's going on nine and I told Chet we'd be playing by eight thirty!"

Rich set up his instrument, trying to pretend he wasn't jealous of Phil and Crawley.

Chapter 2

Autumn patted Steve on his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, Sugar. It happens to a lot of people."

"Yeah, but it's never happened to ME before."

"You're only human."

"You don't have to be so understanding about this. It almost makes it worse!"

"Well, I'm just trying to be supportive, so excuse the fuck out of me."

"I'm sorry. It's just so pathetic looking, you know? So limp and flaccid..."

Steve sighed as he looked at the white crockery cups bearing what was to have been egg souffle. Unfortunately he had slammed the oven door a bit too hard when he was checking on them, and they had both collapsed.

"They'll still taste pretty much the same, sugar. I'll eat yours if you don't want it."

Steve chuckled. They were standing in the kitchen of his modest apartment, a strong breeze from his window air conditioner stirring both of their hair. Sweat stood out on his brow from being so close to the oven. Wordlessly he stripped off his shirt to bask in the cool breeze. Autumn giggled and began to doff her own top.

"Or we could have dessert before we have...well, dessert."

Steve looked at her bare breasts, the rounded smooth edges and the light brown puffy nipples with their prominent piercings and swallowed. All he wanted to do was cool off, but...

"You're still mesmerized by my tits?"

Steve looked up at her face and shrugged.

"If I lived next to Angel Falls, or the Grand Canyon, or another natural wonder of the world, I'd probably still be mesmerized by them, too."

Autumn tilted her head to the side and bit her lower lip with the hint of a smile.

"You always know just what to say..."

"I try."

"...to make my panties get wet."

"You're such a dirty girl, that's not hard."

Autumn's brows rose, and she took in a breath sharply. Steve thought for a moment that he'd blown the mood, but then her teeth were bared in a sly smile.

"Yes, I am a dirty girl..."

She ran her hands through his chest hair, kneading his flesh roughly. He took her by the shoulders and started kissing her neck. The scent of her sweat mingled with perfume was intoxicating, and he felt his body responding. Autumn arched her head backwards and allowed him to trail his lips down to her chest.

"God, I love you so much..." he mumbled into her breasts.

"I know, sugar, I love you too....hurry up, I'm on fire!"

Steve continued to nibble, lick, and gently suck on her nipple while he used his right hand to rub the outside of her sweat pants. They felt hot and moist to his touch. He groaned himself as Autumn used her own hand to fondle his cock.

"Better let this out before it splits your pants..."

She jerked the hem of his garment down. Steve gasped at the sudden exposure, feeling the heat from the oven and her body as well as the chill air from the window unit ac on his most delicate skin. In a moment she was sliding her hand up and down the length of his shaft, making it difficult for him to concentrate on his own ministrations to her labia.

He lifted his head, another moan muffled by the mouthful of pierced nipple he was wetly sucking on. Steve kept his teeth clenched, lifting her heavy breast away from her ribcage. Autumn gasped at the mix of pain and pleasure, her hands gripping him tight as a vise. Her eyes met his for a moment, shining in the half light of the kitchen.

"I want you inside me," she said breathlessly.

Autumn assisted him, stepping out of her pants as Steve yanked them down to the floor. He cupped his hand under her buttocks and lifted her to sit on the counter next to the still-warm oven. She stroked her hands through his hair as used his fingers to spread her cunt wide. Slowly, he slid inside of her. Both of them grunted as their bodies melded together. Her vagina shuddered, then jerked closed in a series of spasms. Steve threw his head back and let out a long groan through clenched teeth. Autumn looked at him with half lidded eyes and giggled.

"You like that?"

"God, yes!" Autumn was talented with her body. Very talented...

She gripped him again, and they began to work together in a smooth rhythm. Steve would thrust shallow several times and then once deeply. When he felt the head of his penis hit the mass of her spongy flesh, she would clench down rapidly. The sensation as he dragged himself back out was nothing short of amazing, and judging from the long rakes Autumn scratched down his back it was quite enjoyable for her as well.

He kept up the slapping of their thighs for as long as he could, but soon he shuddered and spent himself. Steve collapsed against her, propping himself up with her body and the counter. She kissed him on the neck and shoulder, sighing as their sweaty bodies lurched together.

"That was great, sugar."

She put her hands on either side of his face and lifted his gaze to meet hers. Again their lips met in a passionate kiss, tongues exploring each other. Steve slid out of her, leaving a bit of moisture to spatter on the floor below. Autumn put her hands up behind her head and stretched like a cat. Her breasts rose with the motion and bounced gently when she put her arms down once more, making him want her all over again.

With a grunt, Steve grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off of the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"I want more."

Steve put her over his shoulder and carried her down the short hallway to their bedroom. He felt her belly vibrate with laughter.

"Oh, no! Please don't force yourself on me, I'm just an innocent woman!"

He bent his torso forward and dropped her gently onto the memory foam mattress. A smile graced his lips as he stared between her thighs to meet her gaze.

"Woman, absolutely. I'm not so sure about the innocent part..."

"Hey!"

Steve kissed the inside of her leg, just above the knee. Her muscles danced and she giggled.

"That tickles...you missed a spot on your chin when you shaved this morning."

"It's not that bad, is it?"

He found the little patch of hair and rubbed it deliberately against her smooth thigh.

They both laughed, eyes meeting again for a moment. Then Steve used his tongue to blaze a trail upwards, approaching her dripping hole. Autumn ruffled his hair as he gently began to kiss the outer lips. When he very gently nibbled on the soft skin, it quivered like jelly. Encouraged, he used his teeth to pull slightly on the ring piercing her hood. She groaned softly as he alternated licks, nibbles, and simply blowing across her clitoris.

"You're so bad," she said, grabbing firmly a hold of the back of his head. She forced his face deeper into the moist folds of her skin, and Steve's face was soon covered with her secretions. He paid it no mind, continued to apply his mouth to her most sensitive flesh.

Autumn lurched backwards, back arching as he moved his tongue in strong circles. Steve felt her grip become painfully tight on his hair.

"Oh god! Oh god you're so baaaaaaad!"

She punctuated her assertion with a long scream that had Steve's ears ringing and his upstairs neighbor pounding on the floor. Steve lay with his head on her belly, looking up at a face framed by breasts.

"You're so good to me," she said, stroking his hair. "Why are you so good to me?"

Steve shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know. Probably because I love you, but then again I really like the sounds you make when you come."

Her eyes lit up, and her lips spread into a wide grin.

"Oh, you like the sounds I make, do you? Well, let's see what kind of noise you have inside of you..."

She prompted him to roll over onto his back. Lithely, she climbed over his body and arranged herself with her head near his rapidly engorging member.

Steve wasn't sure if he was as loud as Autumn was, but judging by the pounding on his ceiling, it must have been close.

***

Rich slumped against the side of Rex's van, wishing he could throw up. He'd knocked back one too many, and was in that awkward phase between being recovered and hung over. When he heard footsteps he assumed it was Phil coming back to hassle him.

"Back off, nerd, or I'll puke on your shoes."

"I'm not a nerd, Richard."

Rich blinked, bleary eyes focusing on the woman who had spoken. She was tall, beating him by an inch, and carried herself with the easy sinuous stride of a top tier athlete. A pair of large blue eyes stared back at him, perched over a slightly hooked nose and gently smiling lips. Her light brown hair was done in a simple braid down her back.

"Susie," Rich said, straightening up as much as he could. His hands smoothed wrinkles out of his clothing as he tried to will his brain into sobriety. "I didn't know you were in town. Why are you here?"

"For Steve's wedding. Duh." She leaned up against the van and tsked. "You've seen better days, my modern day lothario."

"No, I mean why are you here harassing me?"

"I had to see it for myself."

"See what?"

"The great Rich Richards wallowing in self pity."

"Hey!" Rich chuckled in spite of himself. "I was so not wallowing. I was working my way up to it, but I certainly wasn't wallowing."

"Well, you should get back in there. It's late in the evening and most of the girls are drunk. Should up your odds."

"The ones worth having aren't drunk." Rich focused on her lovely face. What was Susie now, twenty-three? She'd become a lovely woman, not the skinny teen he remembered tagging along with their crew in high school.

"Oh, stop." Susan rolled her eyes. "You know I've built up an immunity to your 'charms.'"

"Was a time you didn't have any such immunity."

"I know." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, which stunned him into silence. "And I'll never forget the way that you took a hormone-crazed fifteen year old girl's hands out of your lap, held them in your hands, and set her straight."

Rich wished he had a drink, because his mouth was suddenly dry. He remembered the night she spoke of. It was eight? No, nine years ago. Steve was home from College so of course there was a huge party at Rex's.

That was back in the days just after his own twenty first birthday, when he used to get badly wasted. Little Susie had followed him out to check on him while he spattered the rose garden with bile. She had helped him sit on the low wrought iron bench and brought him a glass of water.

Then they'd started talking. Truth to tell, before that point Rich hadn't had much use for Susan. She was cute, of course, but had an attitude that she was right about everything. The fact that she was sharp as a tack and usually was right didn't help much.

That night, he'd seen a different side to her. Susan could be caring and nurturing, and it occurred to him that she probably was so critical about Steve and everyone else because she cared about them. She simply cared that much, and it wasn't in her nature to stand by quietly while someone she cared about made a mistake.

While he was waiting for the world to stop spinning, she lectured him about the dangers of binge drinking. In a strange way, her voice helped him focus and keep from falling right off the bench every time he swooned. Then he'd felt her fingers in his hair, and when he looked over at her she kissed him. Just a quick peck on the lips, but then her hands had got busy in his lap.

It wasn't like anything major happened, so why was he so nervous thinking about it? Susan had tried to kiss him, perhaps a bit tipsy on stolen wine coolers, and he'd gone against type and played the gentlemen. Partly, he felt guilty thinking of Susan in that way, seeing her as the little sister he'd never had.

Mostly, though, he had been afraid of Steve-fucking-zilla stomping the shit out of him.

"No problem, Susan. You were underage, and therefore persona non coitus."

"I don't think that's Latin." Her eyes lit up when she laughed. They were a deep blue, and it seemed even her pupil wasn't truly black but just a dark shade of cobalt. "Why don't you get back in there, slugger?"

She slapped him on the arm.

"You know what?" He stood up straight and tucked his shirt into his pants. "I think I will."

"That's the spirit!" Susan took his arm as they walked back. "You see that girl there? The one with the green blouse? I just know you can't strike out with her!"

** *

Richard blinked rapidly, sputtering as the sour smelling beer dripped down his face.

"But you seemed like such a dirty chick!" he said.

The busty, short brunette he had been speaking with gave him one last withering glare before she turned on her heel and stalked away. He grabbed a handful of napkins off of a nearby patio table and used them to mop up the sticky liquid. Phil came up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tough break, huh buddy?"

Rich stared at him, eyes hard.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes I am."

"Even great major league players hit a slump now and then. At least I wasn't a virgin as of last year."

"Oh, fuck you!"

Rich had a witty rejoinder prepared, and was about to unleash it on Phil and leave him a sputtering mess when something caught his eye. A tall, long legged blonde woman dropped her purse, and was bent over trying to collect the items that had spilled onto the grass. Her face was veiled by her thick mane of hair, but he could see down the front of her knee-length dress. An expanse of creamy bosom that he longed to drive his face into was on perfect display.

"Target locked. I'm going in!"

Phil's brow furrowed.

"What the hell are you talking-"

Rich didn't care to hear the rest. He was already moving confidently on eager legs towards the damsel in distress.

"Pardon me, miss." The woman turned to look up at him, and Rich's heart skipped a beat. Deep blue eyes stared at him from a face as smooth and pale as an eggshell. "Can I help you with that?"

He bent low before she could respond and began helping her gather up her various accouterments.

"Oh, please to be thanking you."

Rich glanced at her, lips pursed. She spoke with a heavy accent that seemed kind of familiar, but he got lost in her eyes before he could piece his thoughts together.

"It's no trouble, miss-?"

The woman crouched near him, blinking her eyes in confusion.

"Uh, I'm Rich."

He offered his hand for a shake. When she took it he noted how smooth her skin was.

"I am called Vanya."

"Nice to meet you, Vanya. You have a lovely voice, but I can't place your accent."

She smiled, showing off pretty dimples.

"I come from Estonia. Is quite close to Sweden, yes?"

"Huh. One of my band mates is from Sweden. Did you know I'm in the band? I could introduce you if you want—"

Her pretty face wrinkled.

"No, that is okay. I would rather go someplace where we can be alone."

Rich's eyes widened. She couldn't have meant what she said. Must have been lost in translation...

"You should be careful, saying things like that in English. Somebody might try to have their way with you."

Vanya's full lips spread in a toothy smile. Her face was even more beautiful.

"I am hoping so, yes? Please to take me home with you so we can have sex."

Rich's eyes narrowed. He began glancing around himself, but he saw no one looking at them amid the dwindling party guests.

"All right, where is he?"

"I don't understand. Who is it you are asking of?"

"Phil. That little sneak...trying to set me up with a ringer."

"What is a ringer?"

Rich stopped swiveling his head about and looked at Vanya. Her eyes were open wide, lips slightly parted. If she were in cahoots with Phil, then she deserved an Academy Award.

"Nothing." He let a smile spread across his features. "So, anyway, let me show you my ride. A beautiful lady like you deserves to travel in style."

Vanya dimpled at him, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes.

"Okay!"

As he led her towards his black Lexus, he could barely believe his luck. Striking out four times in a row had just been a tease, a celestial goof. All was STILL right with the universe...

...as long as he was at the center where he belonged.

Rich held the door open for her, admiring her shapely legs in the process. Vanya seemed possessed of an almost ethereal grace. He found himself barely able to contain his excitement as he fumbled with the keys.

The drove towards Manhattan, the skyline evident on the horizon. Rich turned to find Vanya staring at him, smiling sweetly.

"You want to hear some music, babe?"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!"

Rich glanced at his sound system.

"What kind of music do you like?"

"I just love American music of any kind, but I really like your Hannah Cyrus Montana."

"Ah. No problem."

Rich spoke in a clear voice, aiming his words at the stereo.

"Stereo on. Play mix number seven. Skip to track four."

Soon Wrecking Ball was pounding from the speakers, throbbing through their bodies. It was a song Rich didn't care for much, but part of getting into a girl's pants was NOT mentioning such facts. Vanya's eyes lit up, and she leaned back in her seat, seeming to luxuriate in the pounding bass.

"This is awesome! I wish I had a car this nice!"

Rich arched an eyebrow at her. He wasn't sure, because the radio was so loud, but it sounded like her accent was greatly diminished. Vanya's eye twitched a couple of times, and then she spoke again.

"I have smart car. Good for planet, but not very big, yes?"

Rich grinned. It must have been his imagination. She was a tall, beautiful Swedish woman with a warm personality.

And she was going home with him.

They rode wordlessly into the city, neon lights casting bright patterns across the Lexus's smoothly polished exterior. They slipped through the streets like rain through a sluice, the agile vehicle more than able to deal with Rich's penchant for weaving around slower moving cars.

They got to the parking garage of his building, and he used his card to lift the wooden barricade. Vanya didn't ask all the questions that most women would have, surreptitiously trying to gauge how high his income was. In a way, that was both a good and a bad sign. It was good in that she wasn't annoying him with prattle, but it was bad because it probably meant that this was going to be a one night stand. That should have been fine with him, but...

He looked over at her gently smiling face. There was something about her, a cool placidity in her azure eyes that seemed to relax him even as it turned him on. Maybe it was because they had no pretense.

Vanya's mouth pursed, and her eyebrows arched when he chuckled.

"What is amusing?"

"Nothing, babe." Rich couldn't tell her the truth. He had been musing that it would be a new frontier not having to seduce his date. She was already pre-seduced. For a moment he felt a bit guilty, feeling he was taking advantage of a naïve foreign girl.

Those notions faded instantly when she dropped her hand into his lap and began squeezing his dick.

"Wow, you're aggressive!"

"Please to be taking me inside and screwing me, yes?"

Well, how could he say no to that? Soon they had parked the car on the fourth level of the garage, his favorite spot since he was already on the same floor as his apartment. They walked across the glass-windowed bridge that spanned the narrow road between his building and the garage. Vanya stopped for a moment, enchanted by the skyline. Her eyes were shining and her lips were slightly parted as she stared out of the window. It soon developed a patch of fog from her warm breath.