Revenge is Sweet?

"There. That wasn't so hard, was it? Not gonna happen, though."

"Why not?"

"We don't even know each other. I don't think I'm of a notion to go to bed with you."

"I intend to change your mind."

She laughed. "Fat chance. See you at the gym sometime."

Hannah was aware that he watched her as she headed for the subway station on the corner. If he only knew that her mind had been made up for some time, and he didn't even realize she was not the quarry - he was.

The next time she went to the gym she found him working out with free weights. He stopped and mopped his face with a towel. "What are you going to do tonight?"

"I'm ready for some cardio and intent to hit the bikes. You can come along if you think you can keep up."

"Ha. You haven't seen me on the stationary bike."

She draped a towel around her neck and set a water bottle in the cup holder before adjusting the settings for a good workout. He watched her and set his bike the same way. "You're on, Sherry. Show me what you can do."

She grinned at him and began, first at 60 cycles per minute, then 70, and finally working up to 90, and eventually 120. He matched her turn for turn, but she hunched over and kept a steady 120. After about ten minutes his legs began to burn and his speed slowly dropped. He gulped water and mopped his face, but she kept on pedaling, her butt wiggling on the seat. Her shirt was wet, but she maintained her speed until he finally gave up and came to a stop. "Cool down, Darryl. Don't cramp."

He nodded and pedaled slowly as she began to gradually decrease her speed. He leaned over to look at her miles, breathing hard. "Cripes. I can't believe you got that many miles."

"I kept it pretty steady today. Sometimes I vary the level of difficulty. Wasn't this fun?"

He laughed. "Okay, you got me. I suppose it would be unfair to challenge you to bench press."

"No doubt. I'm not after bulking up, but try to keep strong and flexible. That's why I do the kickboxing and various martial arts. I'm not after colored belts, but want to be good at basic moves and making quick decisions about when to use what. Mostly I'm after defense, but sometimes it might prove useful to have some offensive moves, too."

Soaking in the hot tub she patted one of his legs. "You're gonna feel that tomorrow, Darryl."

"Won't you?"

"I didn't overdo and I recover pretty quick."

"I knew you're legs looked...athletic. But, man I never dreamed how much."

She laughed "Girls aren't all softies. How was your ex?"

"Who says I have an ex?"

"You are so transparent. You talked all around it in the restaurant. Was she into fitness?"

"Nah. She has a desk job somewhere down around Wall Street. Most of her exercise was from walking to and from the subway. She did always try to use stairs instead of taking the elevator, though."

"Does your job keep you fit?"

"Hardly. I sit at a desk all day, working at an accounting firm. I need the gym."

"Why did you break up?"

The question seemed to make him uncomfortable. "We, uh, had some differences."

"Who cheated on who?"

"Oh, nothing like that. I thought we were going great, but apparently she didn't."

Hannah enjoyed his discomfort. "Why do you suppose that was?"

"You're nosey."

"It's my job to be nosey. I bet she thought you were too full of yourself. Don't look at me like that. Everything about you screams out 'look at me'."

Darryl was silent for a few minutes. He stared at the ceiling. "Yeah, Bethany said something like that. I don't know what I could have done differently. If I knew I would have done it. I was...well...I was comfortable with her."

"Long term comfortable?"

He stared at her. "Maybe. I don't know. We were so different, but she was so beautiful it took my breath away."

"So, if you had married she would have been the trophy wife?"

"Shit, I don't know. I guess I don't know what I'm really looking for. I've never had a girlfriend for over three months or so, until her. But it ended just like all the others."

"Maybe you could figure out why that happens and fix it."

"Jeez, are you a psychologist, too?"

"No, I just study human nature."

"Why are you single?"

"Now who's nosey? Okay, fair's fair. He took pictures of me naked and posted them online. And he used my camera to do it. Nobody messes with my camera - it's top of the line and my livelihood. I think that pissed me off more than the pictures."

"Was he into fitness?"

"Sam? Don't make me laugh. Here's a scoop. He was into sexual fitness. He's been the only man who could send me to the moon. I think that answers a question you had when we first met."

"I'll file that away for future reference."

"How was Bethany in bed? Did you send her to the moon?"

"Fuck if I know. When we were done she seemed content, but I don't know about the moon. I know I went there."

"Darryl, Darryl, Darryl. You've got to give until you can get. Sounds like she gave, but didn't get."

He straightened and looked her in the eye. "I'm no slouch in bed. I can keep up with anybody."

"Like you kept up with me on the bike?"

Darryl sighed and slumped back against the tub wall. "I've always been so sure of myself, but now you've got me all turned around. I don't know which end is up here."

"You'll figure it out."

After showering they met in the lobby. "When are you coming back, Sherry?"

"Probably Sunday afternoon."

"Would you...um..like to do something Friday after work?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Still trying to get into my pants?"

This time he grinned. "It has crossed my mind a time or two. I've never met anyone like you. But we can do whatever you want."

She pretended to consider. "You said your place has a pool, right? Maybe a swim would be nice. Swimming is a great workout."

He scribbled on a piece of paper from a pocket notebook. "Here's the address. Would six give you enough time to change and get there? We can order in."

At five minutes before six she was directed to the elevator by the doorman, who was expecting her. He opened the door before she could knock and grinned as he motioned her in.

"Eat first or swim first."

"Maybe swim. No need to get sick in the pool. Where can I suit up?"

They wore shorts and tee shirts over their bathing suits, and rode the elevator up to the top floor. Hannah was surprised when there were no others at the pool. She looked around at the glass enclosure - walls and ceiling - that protected the pool area from the elements, and the ficus trees in pots at regular intervals around the walls. A set of doors led to an outdoor patio area with tables and chairs.

"Friday evenings it seems to be like this. All day tomorrow it will be taken over by teens and tweens. Sometimes Sunday afternoons are a good time to come, too."

They shed their coverings and he gasped. "Could that thing be any smaller?"

"Don't you like it? It looks like you do."

He glanced down at the bulge in his bathing suit. "Like isn't the operative word here."

She tested the water with a toe and then dove in, with him just behind her.

"You swim laps, Sherry?"

"Of course. Can you keep up with me?"

"How far?"

"This pool isn't Olympic size. Let's start with 25. Any stroke you want."

They touched the side of the pool and started for the other end, swimming easy strokes, touching and swimming back. He picked up the pace and began to outdistance her, touching and turning to start a new lap. She flipped and sprung away from the side in a racing turn and shot ahead of him. His powerful strokes gained distance, but her turns always caught her up. He went faster and she managed to more or less keep up in the same manner. By lap 23 his pace began to take its toll and he slowly ran out of gas. Her last turn shot her ahead. He was determined not to lose to her again and put on a strong finishing kick, touching just before her. They rested with their arms on the side of the pool, breathing hard and laughing.

"You got me this time. I thought that boner might slow you down."

"You say the damndest things. Long about the second lap it was gone."

"So, what prize do you want for winning?"

She boosted herself out of the pool and began to towel off her hair and he said playfully "Oh, I'll think of something."

"I'm sure you will. We'll negotiate."

After showering and changing they dove into the pizza he had delivered, washed down with beer. As they cleaned up the kitchen together she asked "So what do you want as your prize for winning?"

"I think you know what I want."

She looked at his crotch. "I think I can see what you want, too. Well, I've decided that I might fuck you after all."

His eyebrows shot up with delight, but she continued "But...you have to prove yourself worthy."

"I beat you at swimming."

"And that got us to this place. If you prove yourself worthy I will be very good to you. Very, very good."

"And suppose I agreed, what would I have to do to prove myself."

Hannah faced him. "You implied that your exes may not have been completely satisfied. I know a lot of men like that, so this isn't all about just you. Here's the deal. If you send me over the moon I'll send you. And, just to make sure there's no cheating, you must do me with your clothes on. We'll take them off later, IF you prove yourself worthy. Deal?"

"I'm supposed to do...something for you while I have my clothes on? Is that possible?"

"It's very possible. In fact, at this point it's necessary. Don't worry - my clothes will come off along the way. I'll instruct you. It sounds to me like you don't really have the first idea how to please a woman. Think you can do it?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "How would this even work? I don't know where to start."

"Start by doing what you usually do. I suggest somewhere other than the bedroom to begin. You've got a nice comfy sofa over there. I think that would work."

He shook his head in disbelief as she took his hand and led him to the sofa, sat him down and sat next to him. "I'm sure you can take it from here. What do you want to do, other than rip my clothes off? Take it slow. You've got to please me. Do what you think I like. I'll give you a big clue. Ripping my clothes off isn't it."

He looked at her and considered. He could probably get away with what he usually did but she was strong, agile and not easily intimidated by him, so it would probably be unpleasant for both of them. He wasn't into rape.

She tipped her face up to him and he took the hint and kissed her. "Good start," she whispered, "what else you got in that department?"

He deepened his kiss and stroked her face and still damp brown hair, then nibbled on an ear, kissed again, sucking on her upper lip and using tongue. As he kissed her he felt her relax, and she kissed back, with her hands clasped behind his neck. He remembered that Bethany seemed to like it when he rubbed her arms while kissing, and was rewarded with "mmmm".

He moved his hands to her sides and ran them up, brushing the sides of her breasts. Another whisper "Don't be in such a hurry. I like what you're doing."

Much more slowly than he usually moved, he gradually did put his hands on her sides and use his thumbs to rub the sides of her breasts. He rubbed her back and took his time before touching her breasts through her clothes. Listening for her clues, he found it very erotic to work so slowly. He felt he would burst out of his pants, but continued with light strokes over her body - sometimes on skin, sometimes over clothes. She kissed him and kept her arms around his neck, making little noises when he did something she especially liked.

When he finally cupped her breasts she was ready for it and gave sounds of pleasure. He studied her breasts through her clothes - their size and shape, feeling for the nipples.

Hannah took one of his hands and put it up under her shirt. He felt the swelling over the top of her bra and, when he couldn't stand it anymore, lifted her shirt up and off over her head while she lifted her arms to make it easier. He was looking at a bra that covered more than her bathing suit had, yet found it to be very arousing. When he reached behind her to unclasp the bra she shook her head.

Darryl wasn't used to thinking about how a woman felt about what he was doing, and was momentarily stymied. He finally thought to lower his head and kiss the swelling over the bra and the nipples through the bra. Her nod was his encouragement.

Very gradually and slowly she led him through caressing her abdomen and briefly kissing her navel. When he did remove her bra he reached to squeeze a breast, but she pushed his hand away. What the hell else was he supposed to do? He thought to lower his head and kiss the breasts and she sighed. Very gently he rubbed over the nipples with his fingers, and kissed the swellings. She held her hands behind his head to hold him there, and he used his tongue on them. "Oh, yessss!"

Never had he thought about how sensitive breasts were, and treated them as almost fragile, gently kneading and kissing, and periodically raising his head to kiss her again.

When he got to the waistband of her shorts he thought about how to proceed, and decided to try rubbing her bare legs and the outside of the shorts, and was rewarded when her legs opened to him. Gradually he unbuttoned and unzipped the shorts, feeling what new surface was exposed during each step. She lifted her hips when he tugged her shorts down and off. There was the musky smell he associated with sex, and her underwear had a definite wet spot, which he explored. He'd never really thought about what a woman felt like down there; through her underwear things felt different and he explored engorging labia. When he reached to remove the garment she did not resist, but lifted her hips once again. She reached to pick up her shirt from the floor and lifted her hips to spread it beneath her. "No need to ruin a perfectly good sofa." He didn't give a damn about the sofa at that point.

His finger slid between the wet folds and momentarily into her, whispering "are you there yet? Are you close?" and was dismayed at the shake of her head. This was all new territory. Hannah slid her body down to stretch out on the sofa, with one foot on the floor and the other leg bent and against the sofa back, opening up for him to explore.

Now he began a quest of discovery - discovery of the real mysteries of a woman's body. When they had started he had been impatient, ready to plunge into her, but that was forgotten as his fascination grew, and he became eager even, to find what make her tick. Instead of being what he had originally considered a necessary chore leading to quick sex it became a delight to watch her reactions.

Hannah almost purred when he nibbled on her nipples while stroking inside her vagina, and he watched her face as he kissed her and began to move his kisses elsewhere. He used both hands to gently manipulate her breasts while he kissed down the outside of her leg and then up the inside of her thigh and was rewarded with a gasp and an arch of her back as his tongue pushed between the folds. Bethany had liked that too, the few times he had taken the time to do it. He used his tongue in creative ways and she fisted his hair.

The pleasure of making her squirm spurred him on until her breath was notably quicker. He tried new things and was surprised at her reactions.

"Beep, beep, beep"

He paused and frowned. "What the hell was that?"

She gasped "That was the sound of the launch vehicle being moved into place. All systems are go," and he laughed at the analogy.

Her body arched and bucked and her grip on his hair tightened.

"Ready..." pant, pant..."for..." pant, pant... "liftoff. Hit the launch button with your tongue, dammit!"

Darryl was momentary puzzled, but laughed when she pushed on his head and he realized what she wanted him to do. With a finger working inside and one hand on a breast his tongue snaked between the folds to the 'launch button', a bit larger than Bethany's, and she almost lifted her entire body off the sofa. He caressed it with his tongue. He sucked on it. Time and again she lifted either her lower or upper torso in almost a rocking motion and she screamed, the scream trailing off to a moan, and she continued to writhe.

Darryl had no question when she was finished because she pushed his head away and clamped her knees together while continuing to writhe for a few moments. Her body went completely limp and she gasped for breath. He noticed she was covered with sweat.

For a few minutes he stroked her hair and face. "Did it work? Is that what going to the moon looks like?"

She laughed and slapped his shoulder. "Nope." When his face fell she added "You missed the moon and sent me to the stars. My head almost exploded. Damn, Darryl, you are trainable. Wow. I think that's the best one I've ever had, and I've had some good ones. I don't think you could ever top that."

Darryl looked her in the eye and bent to kiss her. "I'd like to try. I got so wrapped up with you that I forgot about myself. I don't think I've ever been harder than I feel right now. Pleasing you has gone a long way to pleasing me."

"You see? That's how sex should work - two people pleasing each other to their mutual benefit."

She sat up and he noticed the spreading wet place on the shirt under her. "But now, big guy, I think it's time for you. Let's see just how hard you are."

He didn't wait for her to do anything, but immediately stripped off his shirt, shorts and underwear, revealing a large, throbbing red erection.

"Ouch. That looks almost painful."

"I don't know if I could be much good at sex right now, to tell the truth. I think as soon as I started to put it in it would be all over."

"Well, let's take care of that first, and then we can talk about real sex."

She bent to kiss the tip and felt it jerk upward. She pulled her head away and wrapped her two hands around him as he exploded powerful jets that splattered across her face and chest. When the spurts died away she took the softening member in her mouth and sucked out the last drips. His knees gave way and he collapsed onto the sofa beside her, breathing heavily. "Sorry about that. I can't believe how good that felt. I think I saw stars, too. I guess that's from the extra excitement of watching you."

Hannah laughed as she grabbed his shirt off the floor and wiped herself off. "I seem to remember a couple of slices of pizza left over. I could use a snack." She rubbed her body against his. "Food snack first, sex snack afterwards. I want to make sure you have time to recharge."

They sat at the table naked, sitting on their folded shirts. After eating she headed for another shower. "Maybe in the morning we could play in the shower and see if your lesson carried over to tomorrow. Real shower tonight - I want to get this sticky stuff off before bed. That is where we're headed, isn't it?"

He agreed, and while he showered she toweled her hair while exploring his bedroom equipment. He returned to find her on the rowing machine. "You told me you had a nice setup here, but I never imagined all this. There's hardly room for the bed." She stopped rowing and put her hands on her hips. "I see the shower didn't cool you down completely."

"The thought of you out here kept my excitement level up."

"Think you can remember enough to take us to nice places? I don't expect the moon again. That's a rare occurrence."

"If you were with me I'd try to make it not so rare."

She started on him, rubbing his chest and he kissed her breasts. Her hands slid down his muscular thighs and up the insides, cupping his testicles and encircling his erection. He kissed down her abdomen and she surprised him by pushing him over onto his back and straddling his chest. She leaned over and slid up his chest to position herself over his mouth. He immediately went to work with his tongue and she guided him in sucking and tonguing. He remembered from earlier just where to use his tongue and was rewarded with gushes of wetness in his mouth.