Turning of the Stars Ch. 02

"Let me be very clear," he said, his voice low and heavy with intent. "I want there to be no doubt in your mind that I want you."

He grabbed her hips and pulled her to him, pressing himself against her, letting her feel the hardness against her belly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"If wanting you was the only factor in this situation I'd have fucked you last night when you invited me inside. Or on the floor of your apartment after your shower this afternoon; don't act like you didn't want me to because I know you did," he said, cutting her off again and pressing closer, backing her against the brick wall.

"Hell, if wanting you was the issue I'd pin you up against this wall right here," he lowered his head so he was whispering right into her ear. "I'd tear your panties off and make you scream my name."

Anna shuddered, her neck flushing and her breath coming short. She felt dizzy and her hands came up and splayed against his chest to steady herself.

"You like that idea, don't you?"

He darted his tongue out and pressed it against the pulse point under her jaw, slowly moving up to behind her ear. Anna's mind was whirling and she couldn't think, let alone speak.

"Would you let me fuck you right here?" he whispered, moving his hips against her.

She trembled as he brushed his hand up the front of her thigh and ran his thumb along the elastic of her panties at the top of her leg. He exhaled slowly.

"You would, wouldn't you? God, I could do it, too. I could do it in a second," he murmured, almost as if he were talking to himself.

His thumb snuck under the elastic and caressed the joint just under it, tantalizingly close to where she was aching for him. Anna clenched his shirt in her hands and whimpered. Suddenly nearby voices startled her out of the trance. She pushed against him and looked around, panicked.

"Grant, stop. There are people coming."

"I guess you'll have to try to be quiet, then."

He angled his body so she couldn't be seen from outside the doorway and snaked his thumb further in, running straight down her crease without penetrating. He could feel her wetness seeping out from between her lips and took a deep, steadying breath.

Anna bit her lip to keep from crying out as he ran his thumb back up and down again, pressing harder this time, barely slipping inside her. A group of noisy drunks passed by the open doorway, oblivious to them.

"Do you really want me to stop?" he murmered in her ear, repeating his slow, teasing touch.

Anna shook her head and without warning Grant moved his hand up and slid it back down the front of her panties, slipping one finger deep inside her. Anna let a cry escape and pressed her face into his neck to smother it. Grant tightened his grip on her waist with is other arm and plunged his finger back inside her, eliciting another muffled groan. He slid his finger out and slowly circled her clit with it before plunging two fingers inside her.

"I want you to come for me again. I want to see it this time," he murmered, his lips brushing her ear. He slid one knee between hers, forcing her to step her legs apart a little further.

Anna was too caught up in the moment to be mortified, though somewhere deep inside her she knew she should be. Someone could look in at any moment and see them, but that only heightened her arousal. And he knew it.

Her fingers were digging painfully into his pecs and he felt her breath coming in shallow gasps against his neck as he stroked her clit again with his fingertips a few times then penetrated her once more.

This time he slid his fingers as deep as they could go, his palm pressing right up against her clit as he fingered her. Anna burrowed into him, opening her mouth against his collarbone and sucking hard to keep from making noise. Her hips were rocking against him in silent encouragement, grinding herself against him and spreading her wetness all over his hand. Very slowly he drew his thumb in to strum her clit.

"Come for me, Anna," he demanded in a low voice.

And she did. Clinging to his chest she shattered into a million pieces. Her eyes squeezed shut and her knees gave out, but he held her weight, pressing her firmly against the wall and tightening his arm around her waist. His fingers continued to plunge into her in time with the clenching of her muscles, prolonging her climax until she thought she might pass out.

He withdrew his hand as her breathing slowed, gently drawing his fingers up over her clit eliciting a final shudder as he slid his hand out of her panties. She stayed there with her face buried in his neck for a moment, trying to get control of herself.

"You're killing me," he muttered.

Anna looked up at him with an expression of disbelief. "I'm killing you?"

Grant took advantage of the fact that she was looking at him to kiss her again, gently this time, feeling her breathing slow and her body relax. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

"Yes, you're killing me. I have to go to work now and act like I can concentrate on anything other than all the other things I want to do to you."

"You're sure you can't come over after work?"

"Believe me, I would like nothing better. Please don't think it's because I don't want to be with you. I can honestly say I've never wanted any woman quite like this. I can barely control myself around you. And it's not just wanting to fuck. It's you. I want you."

"Ok, you want me. I believe you. Then what's the problem? Why do you keep backing off?"

"Part of it is that I want to do it right. I told you I didn't want just one night with you and I don't want our first time to be a quickie on the floor-"

"Or in a dark doorway?"

"Or in a dark doorway," he said, shooting her an unamused glance. "I just want to do this right, for once."

"That's sweet, Grant," Anna said, placing her palm against his cheek. "You're turning me into a crazed ball of raging hormones, but that's really sweet."

He laid his hand over hers, holding it there, but not meeting her eyes as the color rose in his face.

"Yeah well, there's a less sweet reason, too," he paused a moment, unsure how to continue. "The truth is that I slept around for a long time and I was really stupid about it. Most of the time protection wasn't on my radar. I've avoided thinking about it until now, but I didn't want to risk it with you. I went to the doc this morning to get some tests done and I'll get the results on Monday."

Anna was silent for a moment, considering his words. It was actually a relief to hear that there was a solid reason. As much as she liked the idea of him wanting to make their first time special she'd had a hard time believing that was the real reason for his hesitation. She pressed gently on his cheek and leaned to look at him so he couldn't avoid making eye contact.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"It's not exactly something I'm proud of."

"Don't be embarrassed. Your past, even the parts you aren't proud of, is what made you the person you are now. And I kind of like the person you are now. So far, anyway. And I appreciate you getting tested, it's a smart thing to do no matter what."

"Thank you."

"It was my pleasure. Literally."

He snorted and pulled away, taking her hand and continuing toward the parking lot.

"So Monday, huh? That's a whole two days away. What on earth will we fill all that time with?"

"Oh I'm sure we can come up with something. Work and sleep will take up at least a few hours each."

"I do have to work tomorrow. I do double shifts at the bookstore on Saturdays so I'm there until nine."

"Bummer. I have to be at the club at nine, so I guess we're safe from temptation at least until Sunday. Oh wait, I have to cook Sunday afternoon, my chef has the day off. But I could come torture myself with your presence for a little while in the morning."

"You really know how to flatter a girl."

"Is that a yes?"

"What time?"

"Not too early, I'll be up late the next two nights. Would ten work?"

"Yep. I'll make breakfast for you."

Grant eyed her skeptically. "I thought you said you couldn't cook."

"No, I said I didn't cook. But breakfast happens to be my specialty. Um, assuming you like eggs."

"I love eggs. And I'd love for you to make me breakfast."

"Well ok, then."

They rode home in a companionable silence, Solomon Burke singing softly in the background. Anna felt like she was glowing inside, probably in part the after effects of the amazing orgasm he'd given her.

She'd never done anything remotely like that before. She didn't consider herself to be either a prude or overtly sexual, though she also didn't have much of a frame of reference for comparison. She knew most people considered her naïve, but she wasn't totally innocent. She'd had a few lovers and of course she read a lot, so even though there were plenty of things that she had no personal experience with, she felt like the naïve label was misplaced.

At any rate up until now her sexual experiences had been pretty basic. Mostly fumbling around in the dark, on a bed, with whoever her boyfriend was at the time. But this; this was something different and she couldn't quite put her finger on it other than to say that he made her feel different than anyone else had.

Now that she knew she had a similar effect on him she was ready to explore where that might take her. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling the dampness of her panties and thought to herself that Monday couldn't come soon enough.

...

Grant jumped at the knock on his door, his knees almost knocking the little table over. He looked up blearily from the computer and stretched his back, calling out for whoever it was to come in. Corie walked in and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, so you wait for an answer to your knocks now? I guess that means you learned your lesson," Grant said, in attempt to wipe the stern look off her face.

"We need to talk."

He rolled his eyes and tried to joke again, "You know those are four words every man dreads." Corie just stared at him stonily, her lips pursed so hard her mouth looked like it had been carved into clay with a fingernail. Grant shrugged and gave up. "So talk."

"What are you doing?"

"Payroll," he said, gesturing at the laptop

"You know that's not what I mean, what's up with this little groupie you picked up at the grocery store?"

"She's not a groupie and it's none of your business," Grant said, thoroughly unamused by now.

"They're all groupies. And it's my business when it starts to affect the way you run this place. Hell, you've only known her for a few days and already you're showing up to work late with goddamn hickies on your neck," she said with an expression of extreme distaste.

"You were half an hour late last night and then you had to go deal with whatever the fuck's going on at the restaurant so you didn't get here until after ten on a Friday night. I had to skip my break and Brody didn't get his until nearly eleven-thirty. It screws everything up when you're not here when you're supposed to be here-"

"You're right, I'm sorry about last night. I'm really sorry you didn't get a break. I shouldn't have been late and it won't happen again. Why do I feel like I'm talking to my boss right now?" It was Corie's turn to roll her eyes, but before she could say anything Grant continued. "But Anna isn't a groupie and I'm not turning back into an evil troll."

Corie sighed and flopped down on the couch next to him. "I'm not trying to be a bitch. I'm just all stressed out and you're acting weird. And hickies are gross."

Grant put his hand up and strained unsuccessfully to look at his own neck. "I didn't even know it was there," he murmered.

"Yeah, well, we all did. What the hell, who gives people hickeys? Was she trying to stake her claim or something?"

"Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to hear the story behind it. And seriously, she's not a groupie. She had no idea who I was when I met her. Not a clue. She grew up on a commune, never watched television, never heard of my dad. She still doesn't know anything about me other than what I've told her."

Corie shot him a strange look. "Have you told her-"

"No," he said quickly. "It hasn't come up." He was quiet for a moment, knowing what Corie was thinking and not wanting to acknowledge it. "It's just been so cool having real conversations. Not having to dodge awkward questions or give explanations."

"So what do you even know about this girl, other than the fact that she's out of touch and has the sucking power of an algae eater?"

"You know what? You'd like her if you'd give her a chance. She doesn't bullshit, you know? Just lays it out there and you can take it or leave it. I feel like I can be myself with her. I don't feel that way with anyone else. Well, other than you."

Corie rolled her eyes again and got up from the couch, heading for the door. "Whatever, just please try not to be late again. It's hard to keep everyone else in line when they see you do it."

"Are you having problems with anyone in particular?" he asked, concerned.

"Not really. I mean, Brody's been spotty, but with the new baby at home that's understandable. And the new cocktail waitress is obnoxious as hell, but I only need her until Maria is ready to come back to work. But you know most of these guys are cool, I'm just being twitchy."

"You're not happy unless you have something to be twitchy about. It's one of your many charms."

"Whatever," she said and started to walk out the door.

"Hey, why don't you leave early tonight," he said before she disappeared. "I'll cover the bar after midnight to make up for your break last night."

"Score! Thanks," she said with a smile.

Corie had been working hard lately and he wanted her to know he appreciated it. Plus he wanted a break from paperwork and he always liked working the bar, it was fun. He understood why Corie enjoyed it so much, he just wished he could talk her into taking the manager position he kept offering her.

He knew she could run the place on her own, she'd done it before and she pretty much carried out all the duties of a manager as it was. But every time he offered the promotion she just said she preferred bartending. It was too bad, he was going to have to hire someone to do it since he couldn't keep up with running both places for much longer. Especially if he couldn't resolve these inventory issues.

...

"So you didn't do the dirty?"

"No, not yet." Anna was reluctant to say more, she already felt a weird sense of loyalty to Grant.

"That's crazy, Anna. Jeez, anyone can look at the two of you and see you're dying to get in each other's pants."

"Yeah, well. We are I guess. I'm a little nervous, though."

"Why, do you think his dick is too big for you?"

Anna ignored the comment and continued, "You've seen some of the guys I've dated, right?"

"Um, yeah. I've smelled them, too. You have a thing for hippies," Claudia said, making a disapproving face.

"There's nothing wrong with hippies," Anna said to her friend, rolling her eyes. "But it's not just that. I don't really know how to explain it, it's like up until now I've been with...dudes, you know? Just regular guys and they were nice and I liked them and we had okay sex. But Grant is..." She paused, searching for the right way to say it. "He's so virile and sexual and...I guess I'm just a little afraid that I'm not going to be enough for him. Like he's out of my league, do you know what I mean?"

"No, I don't know what you mean. Anna, you are beautiful and funny and kind and you might try to hide it, but I know you've got a filthy mind in that pretty little head of yours. You're thinking too much about it. You just need to let go of those inhibitions and get a piece of that ass while you can because men like that are surprisingly hard to come by. And if you don't want him, you can just pass him right along to me. I've got a few things I'd like to teach him."

Anna made an apologetic face at the young man who just walked up to the register and started ringing him up. Claudia was, fortunately, quiet until he walked away.

"Are you seeing him tonight?"

"No, he's working late, but I'm making him breakfast tomorrow."

"Does that mean he's sleeping at your place?"

"No," Anna rolled her eyes and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe I should read some of his book tonight."

Claudia looked at her speculatively and said, "Maybe you should hold off reading his book for a while. Get to know him first, you know?"

"Why? Is he a horrible writer?"

"No, not at all. Nevermind, it was just a thought."

The afternoon passed quickly, the store was much busier than usual and the time flew by. Anna wondered on more than one occasion what Claudia had meant and by the time she cleaned up and closed the shop she was itching to get home and start Grant's book.

Claudia drove her home, dropping her off with more admonishments to "jump on the horse and ride him" and Anna laughed all the way inside. She ate a quick dinner of leftover beans and rice, changed into her favorite old worn tie dyed t-shirt and snuggled into bed with Grant's book.

Three hours later she was still reading. It was surprisingly good; full of stories about wild parties and close calls, but written with a self-deprecating, cynical humor that made it clear he wasn't trying to glorify the playboy lifestyle he'd grown up with. She was just about to start the last chapter when the buzzing of her phone startled her out of her skin. She looked at the screen and was surprised to see a text from Grant.

"you awake?"

She smiled and texted back, "yes caught up in a good book"

"can I interrupt?"

"can you control yourself?"

"I can try"

"come on then"

Anna leapt out of bed and changed out of her old baggy t-shirt into a set of silk pajamas shorts and top that Claudia had bought her for last Christmas. This was the first time she'd had occasion to wear them. She brushed her hair and teeth quickly and was standing in the middle of the living room scanning for things to clean up when she heard the knock. She peeked to make sure it was him and pulled open the door.

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Hi. This is a surprise."

"I know, I'm sorry," he said, bending to give her a peck on the cheek. "I just thought I'd take a shot on you still being up."

"You caught me on an odd night. It's way past my usual bedtime, past yours too by the look of it."

"Yeah, it was kind of a long night."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Well, have a seat, can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks."

He flopped down and leaned back against one arm of her salvaged brown couch stretching his legs out along the front of it. Anna looked at him curiously. He really did look tired and she got the feeling there was something else wrong. She sat down facing him at the other end of the short couch and nudged his calf with her foot.

"Why'd you come over?" she asked him when he met her eyes.

"I wanted to see you."

She reached her hand out to him and when he took it she pulled him toward her until he was leaning against her, resting his head on her shoulder. They wrapped their arms around each other and lay there in silence for a few moments.

"Thanks," he said, his voice muffled against her neck.

"For what?"

"I needed a hug."

"I could tell." She paused a moment before adding, "Are you worried about the tests?"

"How did you know that?" he asked, looking up at her without lifting his head.

Anna shrugged. "I would be. It's pretty nerve-wracking."

"I didn't think it would bother me so much, but it does. I feel guilty. I should have done this a long time ago. All those times, if I thought about it at all I just thought about me, figuring if I got something, fuck it. I wasn't even thinking about whether I already had something and was passing it on to somebody else. Pretty damn selfish."