My Autumn and My Winter

"Something else, ain't it? The view is one of the reasons I leased this place to begin with."

Vanya turned to face him, big blue eyes shining. He stiffened up a bit as she approached him closely, but all she did was take his hand in hers.

"Let's go inside, yes?"

"Uh, sure, babe."

Rich turned and led her across the bridge to his building. A rush of cold air hit them as he pulled open the glass door separating the bridge from the apartment complex.

He glanced at Vanya as they walked. It was strange, holding hands. In the last decade he had been with—literally—more women that he could remember, but he had not held hands with a single one of them.

Shit, I haven't held hands with a chick since I was in high school.

The corners of Rich's mouth twitched slightly. He hadn't really believed in love since High School, either.

"Is something the matter? You are not going to vomit, yes?"

Rich snapped his gaze back on her. A smile quickly spread over his features.

"Naw, nothing's the matter, gorgeous."

He squeezed her hand slightly, and she squeezed back. Again he felt a bizarrely thrilling shock go down his spine. It was sexual, and yet not.

Once they got to his apartment he was on more familiar territory. He swung open the door and gave her the grand tour of his spacious apartment. Rich had taken great care to tastefully decorate his abode. He had learned his lesson in college, that a dirty dorm room was a turn off. Women were like that. So, yes, he had spent six hundred dollars on a Tiffany lamp, and sprung for leather upholstery on his Ashley loveseat and recliners. There was no couch, though. He preferred to sit quite close to his dates.

"So, you want to listen to some tunes, or have some wine? I have a bottle of Krystal I was saving-"

Vanya's smooth hand pressed against his cheek, turning his head enough that she could lean forward and kiss him. Her breath filled his mouth, and he eagerly accepted her probing tongue. Rich gave as good as he got, embracing her close. His hand reached up and smoothly slid the thin straps of her peach dress down low on her shoulders.

Her creamy bosom, now only hidden by a lace bra that looked a size or so too small, beckoned him. He drove his face between them while his hands worked to undo her bra. Rich was well experienced, and was pleased that she had chosen one with nylon hooks. The problem with bras that had metal hooks was that they tended to bend, and you had to twist the strap to and fro to get them to release.

"You are like child."

Rich looked up at her in alarm, but her face bore a teasing smile.

"Those are for babies."

She stepped back for a moment, and he took in the sight of her naked breasts. They were large and round and perfect, pink nipples hardening in the cool stream of conditioned air. Vanya slid the straps off of her forearms and let her dress fall to the floor. No panties guarded her privates from his view. There was only a downy bit of platinum blonde hair shaved to resemble a lightning bolt. Rich swallowed hard as she used her fingers to spread her outer labia wide.

"This is for big, strong men like you..."

She moved forward and again they kissed. Her hands brushed through his hair, kneading his scalp with their painted nails. They parted briefly, eyes meeting eyes for a long moment.

Rich took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom. No sooner had they crossed the threshold than she was pulling his shirt over his head. With a smooth movement, Rich doffed his pants and underwear at the same time. His soldier was fully deployed, bouncing slightly. Vanya gave him a little giggle and gently slapped it to make it tremble once more.

"Do you like it, babe?"

"It's very cute."

She moved in close and their mouths met with moist kisses. Her hands played with him, one on his shaft and the other on his coin purse. The touch was not gentle, but it wasn't painful either. He had the distinct impression that his Swiss Miss was experienced...very experienced.

"How about a blow job?"

Vanya pulled away slightly, her eyebrows arched.

"I no understand. You give me oral?"

"Well, I was hoping that you'd go fi—"

"Give me oral, please."

Rich grinned.

"Okay, babe, but you should know that in America it's the custom to reciprocate."

He put his hands on her shapely calves, kneading the tight muscle. Slowly, he slid them upwards, over her alabaster thighs. Rich moved his fingers inward, and Vanya gasped as his pinky lightly touched one of her swollen labia.

Rich moved his face in close, basking in her scent. A tiny bead of moisture hung from her lips, catching the light like a jewel. Gently, he pursed his lips and kissed her spongy flesh, growing more bold in his explorations. His hands swept around to cup her buttocks tightly. Though he did not spot an ounce of spare meat on her bones, her bottom was soft and pliant. He liked that. It was getting old, the way that so many women toned up their tush to the point it was firm as a rock. Rich preferred supple to solid.

Vanya's fingers raked through his hair, and she giggled ever so slightly, but she was not making the sounds he craved. Rich switched up his technique, using his tongue to lube up her clit with saliva. That helped, but most of the women he had slept with would have been rubber-legged by now.

Time for the Rich Rocket!

He pulled his face away from her crotch, quickly using his fingers to keep her going in the interim. Rich tugged her gently as he leaned back on his bed.

"C'mere, babe. Sit on my face."

Vanya smiled gently, eyes half-closed as she complied. As soon as her pale thighs were on either side of his head he arranged her pussy so it was right over his mouth. Again he felt that she was quite adept at things sexual, because she didn't smother him like some women did. Vanya was very careful, even as she writhed and moaned atop him, not to put too much pressure on his face.

With her weight helping to mash her nether lips to his mouth, he was able to get much better results. Soon she was screaming loud enough to shake the windows as his tongue moved in slow circles, thumb carefully rubbing her clit. Vanya collapsed backwards, her glistening body draped over his own. Rich didn't mind; He had a fantastic view.

"Okay, babe. It's your turn."

"I no understand. Please to be fucking my pussy, yes?"

"Man, I got to do all the work?"

"You sound like big baby, Richard."

Rich's eyes narrowed, though a smile spread across his face.

"I'm starting to think I'm being used here."

"We use each other for sex, yes?"

Vanya rolled off of him and laid on her stomach. His eyes ran over her back and shapely buttocks, past her long legs to her delicate looking feet. With a sly smile she arched her back like a cat in a supine stretch that made Rich's breath catch in his throat.

Wordlessly, he rolled over on top of her. She rose up on her knees, lifting her rear so he could enter more easily. Vanya was wide open, the scent of her lust overpowering. Wishing he had not lost his cock ring, Rich began thrusting his hips into hers.

"Faster, please!"

Rich raised an eyebrow but did his best to increase his pace.

"Deeper! Please! Deeper!"

What am I supposed to do, grow my dick longer like Mr. Fantastic?

Though Rich felt he was already hitting bottom, he strove for more powerful thrusts. Vanya let out a moan at the apex of each one, her hands gripping the sheets so tightly he was sure the satin would have permanent wrinkles. She was an active participant as well, grinding her bottom against him and swiveling it at just the right moments.

Rich was in great shape, and he was fond of saying so. Still, after fifteen solid minutes of sweaty hip slapping, he was barely able to catch his breath. He was grateful when Vanya came at last, letting out a long wail before collapsing face first onto the bed. Exhausted, he disengaged their bodies and slid to his side, caressing her hair.

"You are good at sex, yes?"

"I'm good? Babe, you're nothing short of brilliant! When you catch your breath, how about that blow-"

"I got tired. Let's sleep for a while, yes?"

She rolled onto her side and snuggled her bottom against him. Spooning was something he normally did before sex, but it sort of felt natural with Vanya. And he was pretty worn out at that...

Rich was soon snoring softly into Vanya's hair.

Chapter 3

Steve rolled over onto his back and groaned at the light bleeding in through the curtains. He glanced over at Autumn, her nude form snuggled up next to his own. A slight smile played at his lips as he recalled the previous evening. He ran a finger lightly through her hair, then rose slowly to his feet, careful not to disturb the mattress too much.

After relieving the pressure in his bladder, he stood in front of the mirror and inspected the monkey bites and hickeys decorating his neck and chest. He also noticed his deltoid definition was not as high as it could be, and resolved to do more work on his shoulders at the gym.

He went back into the bedroom and found Autumn lying on her back, staring at him. She dug in the corner of her eye and removed a glob of yellow goo, staring at it disgustingly before wiping it on the headboard. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Woman, there's a box of tissues not two feet away on the nightstand."

Autumn stuck out her pierced tongue at him.

"Whatever. We're getting a new bed when we get married anyway. Let the goodwill families wipe my eye boogers off themselves."

Steve chuckled, his deep voice filling up the small bedroom.

"No sympathy for those less fortunate?"

"Sugar, I was one of the less fortunate until just recently."

"Yeah, but now you're not only a famous wrestling manager, you're also becoming well known as a graphic designer."

"Pffft. A few t shirts for WWL, some lighter jackets and one booth at an art show don't make you the next Van Gogh."

"Just don't cut off your ear and give it to me as a present."

"That wasn't Van gogh, that was Hemmingway....wasn't it?"

"No, it was van gogh with the ear. Hemmingway put a shotgun to his head and blew his brains out."

Autumn's face scrunched up, and she shook her head.

"Why do so many creative, successful people kill themselves? Do you think it's the burden of being a genius?"

"I'm not sure. I kind of understand not wanting to live if you're in constant pain, physical or emotional, but..."

Autumn sat up, nostrils flaring as she fixed him with a pointed gaze.

"You've thought about it before."

"Thought about what? Hemmingway and Van Gogh?"

"No, the way your face looked just now...you've thought about suicide, haven't you?"

Steve turned from her and stared out the window. He watched silently as a garbage crew emptied the dumpster behind their building. Autumn waited patiently while he gathered his thoughts.

"Yeah, I have thought about it. Never actually tried it, but I thought about it."

"When?"

Steve glanced over at her, teeth grinding as he wrestled with himself.

"When you left me."

Autumn slid off of the bed and padded on bare feet over to him. She embraced him from behind, fingers knitting across his hairy belly. He felt her lips kiss him on the shoulder, the vibration of her voice as she spoke.

"I'm sorry I ever made you feel that way."

He put his hand over both of hers.

"Don't worry about it, beautiful. As I said, I was just thinking about it."

"What made you change our mind?"

"What would happen to Ma and Pop, not to mention Susie. Then there's Rex, and Sven, and Phil, and well...it seemed kind of selfish."

He felt her jaw working as she swallowed.

"I've thought about it too, the first time I got bad sick."

"I'm glad you didn't, obviously, but what changed your mind?"

"Wanting to piss off as many people as I could before I died."

He laughed, squeezing her hands warmly.

"That so sounds like you. My little rebel."

She giggled, the feel of her soft breasts against his hard spine and ribcage absolutely sublime. The world could go hang itself for he cared, because at that moment he was happy.

Apparently very happy. His penis was pressed up against the glass window, already at half mast.

What the hell, I'm on vacation.

He reached back with one hand and caressed her inked back, reaching her buttocks and giving them a hearty squeeze. Autumn hugged him tighter around the waist.

"Stop teasing me, sugar."

"I'm not teasing you."

He took one of her hands off of his belly and dropped it down lower.

"You're really not, are you?" Autumn eagerly ran her hand up and down his shaft. Steve tilted his head back, groaning as he became even larger. "You know, we're supposed to go and make our wedding list this morning. I promised dad and Brad that we'd be done by noon."

"Yeah, but then THIS happened."

Steve turned around and grabbed her around the waist. Autumn laughed heartily when he lifted her from her feet and deposited her on the bed. He trailed hot kisses all over her breasts, giving her nipples extra loving care.

"Sugar, do you think we'll be this horny once we're married?"

Steve did not stop his amorous advances, just mumbled into her soft flesh.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I just don't want you to get bored with screwing just one pussy the rest of your life."

Steve looked up at her, eyebrows arched. Silently, he went back about his business, getting ever lower in his labial explorations. When his mouth was inches from her shaved nether lips, he cocked his head to the side and rubbed his chin as if he were deep in thought.

"Well, it's the most awesome vagina I've ever been in, so why would I ever want to downgrade?"

Autumn's face lit up with a toothy smile.

"Right answer—OH!"

Steve buried his nose in her crotch.

** *

Much later than planned, they hopped in Autumn's Focus and headed for the local retail juggernaut. The clerks provided them with a pair of hand held scanners, and they set about trying to fill up their wedding gift registry.

Steve was trying to be conservative; After all, the people buying the gifts were friends and family, and only Crawley was what could be considered well-off financially. Autumn, on the other hand, seemed to want to tag everything in the store. After following her around for ten minutes, he finally broke his silence.

"What in the hell do we need an egg timer for?"

Autumn glanced up from the white plastic device in her hands and arched an eyebrow.

"For timing things. Duh."

"We can use the oven timer for that, or our cellphones, or—"

"We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because shut up! I'm adding this to the list."

Steve sighed, though a smile was on his lips as she scanned the barcode.

"Just try not to get carried away, okay?"

Autumn stuck out her tongue at him.

"I'll get carried away if I want. I'm allowed to be a Bridezilla. It's an American tradition!"

"Well, just don't go too far, or I'll carry you away on my shoulder right out the door."

Autumn put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.

"Don't make promises you can't keep! It's been a while since we played the Barbarian kidnaps the noblewoman game..."

"If you'd stop escaping from my knots--"

"If you'd learn to tie them better I wouldn't be able to."

"I'm not about to cut off circulation-"

"Pfft, I'm not a porcelain doll! I'm just saying if you're going to do it, go for broke! Dad was in the navy, and they had a saying; If you can't tie good knots, tie many knots."

Steve noticed an elderly woman listening to them at the end of the aisle, toothless mouth wide open in shock.

"Maybe this isn't the best place for this conversation..."

"Oh, bullshit! We're living in the post Fifty Shades world now."

Autumn looked directly at the elderly woman.

"Shit, she probably has a pocket rocket and a romance novel in her purse."

That was the final straw. The old woman gasped, pushing her cart away while her gaze remained riveted on the couple. Autumn had a good laugh, while Steve slapped a palm over his rapidly reddening face.

"I can't take you anywhere."

"Just not anywhere with boring people. Which one of these do you like?"

Steve focused on the pot holders she had in her hands. One had a duck hunting motif, while the other was decorated with fruits and vegetables.

"I don't care."

"Pick one already!"

"The duck hunting one, I guess."

"You chose poorly."

Autumn scanned the botanical-themed one.

"Ha!" Steve jabbed a finger at her and grinned. "Got ya! I really liked the fruit one better, anyway!"

Autumn put her hand on her hip and pursed her lips. Using the scanner, she deleted the last selection and scanned the duck hunting potholder.

"Ha! I just used reverse psychology!"

Autumn shrugged.

"Okay, you got me. You know, sugar, all this homemaking stuff is putting me in the mood. How about if I slip on the schoolgirl uniform when we get home?"

"Really?"

"No, I just used reverse psychology on you!"

"That's not really reverse-"

"Shut up. If our marriage is going to last you're going to have to indulge me in these moments."

Steve spread his hands helplessly.

"Consider yourself indulged."

Autumn smiled, eyes half lidded in her smugness.

"Good."

"But that still wasn't reverse psychology. At best that was a swerve."

Steve flinched as both potholders smacked into his face.

Chapter 4

Rich sauntered up to Phil and punched him in the arm before the bespectacled young man could even set down his briefcase.

"Thought you were smart, geek. How is it you're soaking wet on a sunny June day?"

Phil's eyes, partially obscured by beads of moisture on his glasses, narrowed to slits. His nice suit was drenched, hair plastered to his head. Rich tsked mentally at the start of what he took to be male pattern baldness.

"Construction crew on fifth accidentally ran into a water tower. I got knocked down on my ass by a two foot high wave of none too clean water, so I'm not in the mood for your quips."

Rich cocked an eyebrow at him.

It's when you're not in the mood for them that it's the most fun. Haven't you figured this out yet?

"Settle down, nerd. By the way, you might want to hit the bathroom and comb your hair out. Your marathon scalp is going to cost you Ellie."

Phil carefully took off his blazer and draped it over his chair. He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turned back to face Rich.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but just what is a marathon scalp?"

"When your hair is running for all it's worth off of your head and down your back. When your hair is wet it's more noticeable."

Rich grinned when Phil paled several shades.

"It's sinking through the first few layers..."

"I'm going bald?"

"DING DING DING We have comprehension! Tell him what's he's won, Don Pardo!"

Rich adopted a pose as if he were holding a microphone and affected a deeper voice.

"Well, Richard, Phil will be enjoying having women react to his pick up lines as if he were made of uranium, children chanting 'baldy' and snickering as he walks past, and that's not all; Don't forget a lifetime supply of overcompensation! That's right, Phil will be buying a motorcycle, dating a stripper, and possibly even partaking of a marijuana cigarette just to prove he's still young, hip, and with it!"

Phil had removed his tie during Rich's presentation, accepting it with nary a twitch of his nose. He waited until Rich had wound down, and smirked at him.

"Are you done, wise ass?"

"Yeah, that about covers it."

"Good. Because while you've been working so hard to devastate me and ruin my morning, I can devastate you with just one sentence. Susan went home with a guy last night."