She stripped the rest of her clothes off and went to him, touching his hard length. He pushed forward into her hand, and she held him firmly, stroking his cock, feeling him strain against her hand. He murmured something incoherent, his palm running over her nipple, making her lean into him. Then his other hand stroked her mound, going lower to tease her clit. Max lifted her face to him, and his lips met hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth in the same rhythm as his fingers slid into her sex.
They stayed like this for several minutes, the water from the shower growing hot, making the bathroom steamy. Slowly he manoeuvred them both into the shower enclosure, the water running down her body, exciting her senses. Reaching behind her he grabbed the soap, and made a rich lather which he spread over her breasts, and then slipped the soap into his other hand, sliding it over her clit. She parted her legs further, and closed her eyes to fully enjoy the sensations of his hands gliding over her lathered flesh.
Wanting in on the fun, Max held out her hand for the bar of soap, and set to work making him squirm, her slippery hand sliding up and down his shaft. His fingers pushed deeper into her, finding a steady rhythm that matched her own. It was good, too good, there was no way she was going to hold on much longer. Her breathing became ragged, and sensing victory he propelled her towards the edge of her climax, and then pushed her over into the abyss.
Despite his efforts, Max determinedly held onto her self control, and kept the pressure up on Dan, her hand sliding up and over the head of his cock, then down his shaft. As wave after wave of her climax hit her she wanted him to come too, to lose all control. Using her free hand she cupped his balls, and exerted enough pressure on him to make his cock throb and pulse, his seed spurting out, the running water washing it away.
He leaned forward onto the wall of the shower enclosure, trying to hold himself together, but she was enjoying this too much, and she milked him dry.
"Damn, Max, I guess we'll be saving that condom for later."
"Are you flagging, Dan? I thought firefighters had great stamina?" she teased, not knowing where she got her new found confidence from.
"I like the idea of making love to you in your bed, after Robin has gone out." He reached for the shampoo and started washing her hair, something she found hugely erotic, his hands massaging her scalp, and she leaned back into him. Dan lowered his head, whispering just above the sound of the water, "Then I'll show you how much stamina a firefighter has."
Shivers ran down her spine, and not just from the water cascading down her back. He excited her, and she longed to spend the night in his arms. She was addicted to him and the touch of his hands on her skin.
How could her life have changed in such a short time?
Before Dan, she had been happy enough, but he had opened her eyes and her mind to so much more. He made her feel like a grown up woman, where as before she had simply been the little girl in her father's shadow.
He washed the shampoo from her hair, and then conditioned it, in between, he washed her body, and she did the same to him, caressing his skin. Smiling at him, she saw his face light up, and her heart fluttered in her chest, she was in love with him. Whether he felt the same way, she didn't know. But she wanted to learn all about him, what he liked, what he wanted from life.
And what he looked like in his uniform.
"I should get dressed and speak to Robin before she leaves," Max said reluctantly grabbing a towel.
"Sure. Shall I give you a few minutes alone?"
"Do you mind?" she asked, wrapping her hair up in a towel.
"No. Me coming home with you must have been a surprise. I don't want to cause trouble between you."
"You won't," Max said, pulling on a robe. "We go back too far for a man to get between us."
"So now you've had your way with me, I'm just a man."
"No," she said, shocked he might think that, but then she saw his wicked smile, and threw her wet towel at him. "I'll be back in few minutes. Don't go anywhere."
"Not even to your bed. I could warm it up for us."
"No. After Robin has gone out we are going to sit down and talk like normal people do." Although his offer was very tempting. She left the bathroom to find Robin before she changed her mind, the thought of that unused condom making her picture him in her bed. She would need another shower, ice cold, to enable her to keep her hands off him.
"Hi there, Max. How's it going?" Robin was in the living room, dressed to go out.
"Great," she said, hesitating before adding, "You do approve don't you Robin?"
"Would it make a difference if I didn't?"
"I don't know."
"Listen Max, You need to make decisions for yourself because they make you happy. I am not your father, I won't walk out of your life, or give you ultimatums if you don't do as I want."
"I know, but I love you, you know that." Max went to her and hugged her tightly. "I guess I'm scared. It's all happened so fast."
"That's the way it goes sometimes. You had no opportunity to second guess yourself and you grabbed hold of Dan and held on tight. And it's about time, professionally you're this one woman force to be reckoned with, but no offence, your personal life sucks."
"Thank you for that insight."
"It's true, and you know it. That man in your bedroom is the best thing that's ever happened to you." She held up her hand to stop Max protesting. "Even better than me. He can give you the fairytale ending."
"I never believed in Prince Charming."
"Well you should, because right now your version of it is waiting for you. So go."
"Thank you Robin." They hugged each other tightly. "I'm scared it will change things between us."
"Of course it will. But don’t think for a minute that if I'd met my Prince Charming first I wouldn't have left you in a heartbeat." They both collapsed into giggles. "That's better. Things never stay the same, Max. But you are always going to be my best friend."
"Always."
Robin pulled away. "Now I have to go, I have my own hot date to go on. This guy I met today. We just clicked, weird thing is I'm sure I know him from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it."
"Intriguing."
"I know. A man of mystery."
"Just take care of yourself."
"I will. Now don't do anything I wouldn't do," Robin said, kissing Max on the cheek. "And if it makes you feel better, I do approve. Who wouldn't? Those biceps..."
"Talking of which. I have to go. I'm afraid if I leave him too long he might disappear."
"Like you did on him."
"Yeah. I guess he must really like me if he came looking for me after I ran out on him like that."
"Oh, he really likes you."
"How do you know?"
"I know. It's written all over his smitten face."
"Shhh. He might hear you."
"So? It's written all over your smitten face too. You're made for each other, and no I don't care if he hears me." She lowered her voice. "Be honest with each other, Max. That's the most important thing. You started off a little shaky, but make it right, and you'll be happy."
"I will, Robin. Goodnight."
"Don't wait up," she said, heading out of the front door.
Suddenly the apartment seemed awfully small, and hot. Very hot. In her bedroom, Dan was waiting for her. What should she do? Now Robin had gone they had the apartment to themselves, and Max felt incredibly nervous about that. She had probably spent as much time having sex with Dan as not. What if they didn't click now?
She told herself not to be so stupid. After all they had been great together when they first met, they had talked all night, even though he had been pretending to be something he was not. Now he could be open with her, and tell her all about his life. Maybe wine would be a good idea. She headed to the kitchen to get a bottle out of the fridge. She was in no way avoiding Dan. In no way at all.
"I thought you'd got lost."
His words made her jump, and she nearly dropped the bottle she was trying to get the cork out of. "Sorry. I thought we could do with a drink."
"Here, let me." He took the bottle and corkscrew from her, and effortlessly pulled the cork out. Max watched, enjoying watching him move, he was one sexy guy.
"I bet women fall over themselves to date you," she blurted out, feeling tactless once the words were said.
"They do. But then they realise there's more to me than muscles and a uniform, and they don’t hang around. It’s not part of the fantasy."
"Oh," she blushed furiously, remembering the earlier conversation at dinner.
"It's OK. You're off the hook, you didn't know what I did for a living until after you slept with me."
"It's so much easier to sleep with a man who's an escort."
"Funny. I did wonder if you only did that because you thought it would be fun. When you ran out on me, the first thing I thought was that I had got it so wrong. I'm not good at reading women you know."
"No. I only ran because I thought you were married. I knew if I'd stayed we would have made love again, and I couldn't bear the thought of you cheating on your wife."
"My sister."
"Your sister. I apologise for jumping to conclusions, but also wanted to thank you for coming to my office today. It must have been hard, not knowing why I left."
"It was, and I did feel more than a little ridiculous standing there in front of Shirley with those flowers. But I'm glad I did."
"So am I." She poured the wine, and handed him a glass. "So what do we drink to."
"Fresh beginnings."
"Fresh beginnings, sounds good." She took a sip of wine. "So, a firefighter?"
"Yeah. Remember how I told you about being part of a community, well it seemed a good way of helping people. I enjoy it, and I'm good at it."
"Every woman's fantasy, to be rescued by the hunky fireman."
"That is the problem. Getting women to see past the uniform. Once their fantasy is fulfilled they’re not interested, the shifts and the pay aren’t an attractive option."
"So you've never had any serious relationships?" She wondered how much he had played the field, all those women throwing themselves at him.
"One. We were engaged." He took a gulp of his wine, and Max wondered if he was going to say more. She wanted to know, but already she felt jealous that there had been a woman who meant so much to him he had proposed marriage. Did he still love her? Or had he called it off?
"Engaged. That's a big commitment."
"I thought so. But she decided I should be more career minded, wanted me to better myself. In the end she left me for a property developer. More money and was upwardly mobile."
"Ouch."
"Yeah. My parents were devastated, my sister was going through a messy divorce, and they had their hopes pinned on me settling down. They liked Angie, but afterwards they admitted they knew she wasn't right for me. My poor parents, they've been happily married for so many years, and they can't work out where they've gone wrong. They want their children to experience the same happiness they've had."
"That's so sweet. And such a contrast to my parents. I think my father wouldn't care how happy I was as long as I married the right man. And by that I mean one with a large bank account and some clout in the business world."
"The opposite to me then?"
"Probably. But then it's a good job he doesn't call the shots in my life any more."
"So you would marry against their wishes?"
"Yes."
"You would walk down the aisle without your father giving you away?"
"If I thought it was the right thing for me. I learned long ago that my parents don't care about my happiness."
Listening to her words, Dan felt her pain. Coming from a close family, his parents had always been there for him and his sister. As a family they very supportive of each other, both professionally and personally.
"But that's a long way off, marriage has never been a priority for me," Max said, casually. If she were after a reaction, she was going to get it.
"What happens if you meet the right man and he wants to settle down?" Dan asked.
Max nearly sprayed her wine over the kitchen. "I have a career, that’s not something I'm planning on giving up any time soon."
"OK. So I guess we've found something we have to work on after all." He wasn't sure where he was going with this, they had only just met, but everything about their relationship had been so unconventional he felt they had a deep connection. His parents had always talked about love at first sight, and that you would know when you met the person you were meant to be with for the rest of your life. He had always thought it was because their relationship had worked like that. But every moment he was with Max, he felt at ease, time melted away, despite the difference in their background she didn't make him feel as though he should act or do things differently.
"Third date and you're already asking about marriage. I know most women would find your headlong rush into commitment wonderful, but it's different for me. I've never seen how real functioning families work. So I am in no rush to plunge into marriage, and I've always hated the idea of kids."
"Hated the idea. That's pretty strong."
"It's the whole turning out like your parents thing. I would never put a child through what I went through."
"But don't we also learn from our parent's mistakes? So you wouldn't treat your children the same. Anyway, I'd be by your side to make sure that never happened."
"OK. This is a little deep, can we change the subject?"
She was right, this was too much, too sudden. "Sure. Ask me something?"
"Oh, I don’t know... First kiss?"
"Sarah McDonald, fourth grade."
"Fourth grade? You did start breaking hearts early."
"Who said I broke her heart? She bought me lollipops and a slushy at the mall, I gave her a kiss."
"So you've accepted favours for your services before? I see I'll have to keep an eye on you." He knew she was trying to raise the atmosphere between them, make it less strained.