Chapter 5

Anat squatted over him as she grasped his rigid stalk and aimed.

“Ah,” they both exclaimed as she sunk down, taking most of him in one fell swoop. Mikel smiled at her as he gently caressed her swaying breasts. He lightly flicked her engorged nipples with his thumbs as she settled into a slow and sedate rhythm.

“You realize this is not part of the food service,” Anat said as she leaned slightly forward. Her breasts swayed even more as she began gyrating her hips in convoluted circles. Mikel grasped them more firmly, letting their weight rest in the palms of his hands.

“Thank God,” Mikel said. “While the food was amazing, the company has been beyond compare. I think I wanted you from the instant you lifted your grocery bags with that insouciant smile of yours.”

She picked up the pace a little, allowing small thrusts of her hips up and down. Mikel met her with his own thrusts. Sweat began to break on her upper lip.

“Insouciant?” she said. “No one has ever offered me an insouciant compliment. You really are a wordsmith.”

“Can’t lie,” Mikel said, thrusting harder as he began to knead her breasts with more pressure. “I’m too busy trying to find the right word to describe your face of enchantment that you flashed at me when I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“Longer thrusts, but not harder,” Anat said as she quickened her own rotations. “I’m an enchantress too. My, you are good for my ego.”

“Back at you,” Mikel said as he arched his back, trying to grind his pubic bone into hers. “I’m not going to last long. You’ve got me wound up like an old Timex.”

She let out an evil chuckle and leaned into the task. “Have at it, baby. I’m more than ready to go too. If we can come together, well, that would be an incredible exclamation point to a memorable evening.”

“Ah, a grammar reference,” Mikel said with his own bark of laughter. “Now, you’ve gone and done it, missy.” He dropped her breast and grabbed her hips. Grasping her tightly, he began thrusting hard, making sure to grind against her at the top of every stroke. He counted to seven when Anat began moaning and her arms started trembling.

“Grind harder,” she gasped.

“I’m trying,” Mikel said, gritting his teeth. “I’m almost past the point of no return.”

“Me, too!” Anat yelled as she suddenly went rigid.

Mikel let loose a torrent, once and then a second time followed weakly by a third spasm. He collapsed back into the mattress. “Best dessert, ever.”

“Mmm,” she said, dropping down slowly on his torso, letting their sweat mingle. “Stick to wordsmithing and leave the food references to me.” Her head rested partly on his shoulder. “I like having sex with you. You make me feel comfortable, wanted for being me instead of just my cunt.”

“You’re what I needed too,” Mikel said. “I’ve sat in a few too many dark corners lately, staring moodily out at the world. You act with power and speak with confidence while wielding implements of magic food-making. I’ve had all those ingredients in my refrigerator at one time or another, and never have they tasted like what you served tonight. Your talent intrigues me; your confidence lures me.”

“I’m not confident, Mikel,” she said with a sigh. “That’s a façade I use as a professional chef.”

“Hey, I know what confidence looks like, especially after having been beaten into the ground by someone you trust,” Mikel said. “You still have the complete package.”

“I need to take you to my interviews and cheerlead for me,” Anat said. She rolled off him and planted both feet on the floor. “You’re leaking out. I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Mikel said. He propped up his pillow against the headboard before sitting up and leaning back into it. He considered his hesitation throughout the evening, as he reviewed the steps of their mutual attraction that brought them to a sweaty mess in the bedroom. Anat was delightful and charming, and he meant every word he said about her mastery of her craft. His reluctance, which obviously played out as patience, was the sense of being monitored. SHE or one of her subroutines was present, he was certain.

“If I was an exhibitionist, then the sex would have been a non-stop theme park ride,” he grumbled. Still, he needed a guardian angel and right now, this was the price he had to pay to have one. Even more, SHE had sent over Anat, who came to his bed of her own free will. He could joke and play wits with her while fucking. Not only was she not offended unlike the previous girlfriend, she enjoyed it and pushed back in challenge. He never would have met Anat in his previous life; they would have never crossed paths.

He felt like smoking a cigarette even though he had never smoked tobacco. He did not want a joint because he did not want to change the mood in the room. He was excited and she was excited, and he was excited that she was excited.

She waltzed out of the bathroom, waving her hand at her pussy. “It’s still wet,” she explained.

“Will you stay the night?” Mikel asked.

“Funny you should ask,” Anat said. “I was kinda short of a bed for the night. Do I get cuddles too?”

“With pleasure,” Mikel said, patting the bed. After she crawled over him and settled her head on the other pillow, Mikel shuffled down to lay next to her. Spooning her from behind, he draped his arm over her torso and pulled her tight.

“Real cuddles,” she said softly. Mikel held on until her breathing evened out and her limbs relaxed. Finally, he allowed himself to fall asleep.

Mikel awoke to a body crawling over him and then off the bed. He tried to whine, but when he opened his eyes, he was silenced by the sway of a truly fine ass making its way to the bathroom. Round, firm, and daringly muscular; these were the product of good genes, wise choices, and an ethic for health. Those cheeks broadcast that if you like what you see, wait until you get an eyeful of the Full Monty.

“Da-yam,” he whispered when the door closed. He concluded he had not worshiped that ass near enough and resolved to rectify his failure as soon as possible. He sat up, placing both his feet on the ground, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

The toilet flushed as he looked around for some object to tell him the time. He had no idea where his cell phone was. “Aria, what time is it?”

“The time is 6:45:13,” she said from across the room. “You have two voice messages and eleven emails in your queue. You have no text messages. Your personal email account is under surveillance by three entities. Do you wish to purge this surveillance?”

“No,” Mikel said, scratching his beard as he followed his thought. “Post a false trail in the account of purchasing tickets and traveling to a foreign country that does not have an extradition treaty.”

“Your plan has a 67.445% chance of momentary success.”

“Execute, Aria,” Mikel said, making sure his comma was articulated.

“Who’re you talking to?” Anat said as she opened the door.

“Alexa,” Mikel said with a quick wave of dismissal with his hand. “Work came in overnight.”

“Same here,” Anat said. “Someone needs a prep chef this morning and I’m getting my full hourly rate. Eat dirt, the rest of you uneducated slobs. Where’s my bra?”

“I don’t think your bra made it into the bedroom,” Mikel said. “I need to pee.”

When Mikel emerged dressed from the bedroom, Anat was packing up the last of her gear. He invited her to return when she finished, adding that she could sleep here again. “No cooking tonight for you, if you don’t mind. We can watch a movie or play video like real people on a date.”

“You’re asking me on a date?” Anat said with a big smile.

“Asking, begging, pleading,” Mikel said. “Everything last night was fun: the food, the company, and the sex. More, please.”

“I’ve got an eight-hour prep gig,” Anat said, swinging her backpack onto her shoulders. “Sometimes I get lucky, and they will need another line chef, which means I’ll stay through the dinner service. I could be late and totally beat.”

“Offer still stands,” Mikel said, eyeing the coffeemaker. “Update your ETA by sending me a text.”

“Can do, McGoo,” she said, making a gun with her finger and shooting off a round. With that last gesture, she let herself out the front door and disappeared.