BREAKING AND ENTERING ^{© 2003-2007}

By Lessa and Takara Soong

Chapter Three

Lyssa Page wanted to say it was good to be home, but the truth was it was horrible. She had thought herself cried out by the time she got to her little condo in Niles, Illinois, but she was not. Throwing her bag on the double bed in her room, she dug through it until she found the packet of pictures. She pushed the bag off the bed and laid out every one of the photographs to look them over, it did not take her long to notice that two were missing.

"He took two of the pictures. Is he insane? What if Niki finds them?" Lyssa asked her otherwise empty room.

Lyssa was glad she had taken an extra few days off work. She had hoped she would need recovery time from her adventure but the type of recovery she was going to be making was not the one she had expected. She lay on her bed to continue looking at the pictures. There was one picture that was her favorite. It was one of the pictures Helen had taken of the two of them; one of the pair that Sabrin had removed. She ran her finger over the picture wishing she could be touching Sabrin instead of just his image. The pace of her weekend began to catch up with her. She put the pictures, save one, back in the envelope and put them on her nightstand. The remaining picture she propped up against the lamp. She changed quickly into her "normal" pajamas and lay in bed, staring at that picture until she fell asleep, physically and emotionally exhausted.

While it was difficult for Lyssa to be alone, with no one to call to help her with her grieving, for Sabrin it was, in some ways, harder.

With Niki at home when Sabrin got in, he was forced to bury his distress. He had tried to sleep during the flight, but images of Sarah kept coming to mind. He ran through the weekend in its entirety, trying to be certain he forgot nothing. But was that such a good idea? Maybe he should try and forget everything?

Niki was in bed asleep when Sabrin came in, but she awoke when he came into the bedroom.

“Did you have a good nap on the flight?” she asked, believing that he must have, since he always did.

Sabrin put on a happy face, he was an actor, after all. He could convince her that all was well. “The flight was a little bumpy. It kept waking me up. I feel like I haven’t slept at all. I’m going to shower and come to bed.” Sabrin needed to be sure no trace of Sarah's scent was on his body.

Lyssa was awakened suddenly by the ringing of her phone. She was not fully awake when she glanced at her clock to see the time. It was 1:00 p.m. She had been sleeping for hours but still felt drained. She turned to answer the phone on the other side of the bed. In her grogginess she half expected to see Sabrin lying there but she was alone. She answered the phone on the fourth ring.

"Hello," she mumbled, sounding still half asleep.

"Honey, is that you? Were you still sleeping? I just had to call you to make sure you made it back in one piece. Where did you disappear to in Denver after the Q&A? I know you’re keeping something from me, Honey. You met someone there, didn't you? I want details, details and more details. Oh, and I have some news. I'm going to be in Chicago next month. Can you believe it? My boss just out of the blue today tells me that I'm being sent to meet with some clients in Chicago next month. I'll let you know more when I get more details. Now Lyssa, let's talk girlfriend."

Lyssa laughed. "Hello Sonny."

Lyssa told Sonny she had been asleep and was not sure she remembered her own name right now. He told her to take a shower and he would call her back. She agreed, hung up and headed for her bathroom.

Under the water spray, Lyssa decided she really did need to talk to someone about this, even if she could not tell anyone who her affair had been with.

She was just getting dressed when the phone rang again. Sonny was skeptical as his long time friend told him about a man she had met and been instantly and intensely attracted to. She described the mystery man as in the spotlight, but also in a known relationship. She apologized for not being able to give him the full story, but had promised this man she would not cause him any trouble once the affair ended and she intended to keep her word.

Sonny admired her integrity, but he doubted certain aspects of her story. For some reason, the fact that Sabrin Berry was at the restaurant and had seemed to pose for her picture kept coming to mind.

The following day for Sabrin started much the same as Lyssa's. He slept for most of the morning before Niki woke him up around 11:30. She told him about her weekend while she unpacked his bag. When she pulled out the Colorado Rockies jersey, she gave him an incredulous look.

"You bought a new shirt?" she commented as she studied it. She brought the shirt closer to her face and Sabrin was momentarily gripped with panic over what she might smell. "Eeewww! This shirt smells likes beer. Can I throw it out?"

"No, don't!” he said, jumping to pull the shirt from her hands.  “The smell will come out when it's washed."

"Why does it smell like that? What were you up to in Denver?" She looked skeptical.

"I had some time to kill, so I went on a brewery tour, that's all." He motioned to the bag, "I can finish unpacking," he told her with a smile.

Niki relented, but found it odd that Sabrin seemed to favor that shirt as the weeks passed.

The pictures Sabrin had of Sarah were hidden in a drawer of old scripts he kept in his library. He had found himself pulling the pictures out anytime he could not sleep at first, but as time went by, he found himself looking more often and, when he went to Vermont for the film, the pictures went with him.

Sonny was due to arrive tomorrow and had asked to take Lyssa to dinner.

Lyssa met Sonny outside the building where his meeting was taking place. They were going to go for dinner at Sonny's favorite restaurant until Lyssa had to break the bad news that it was closed.

"Closed! They closed Marco's? How could they close Marco's? Marco's was great!" Sonny was quite upset with this news until Lyssa told him the cute waiter he liked was now working at Giovanni’s.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? You know Giovanni’s is really my favorite place. I only wanted to go to Marco's ‘cause I thought you did,” he said this as if it should have been obvious.

She laughed. It was great to see Sonny again. He was a welcome diversion from what she had been going through for the past month.

Dinner was great. Watching Sonny flirt outrageously with Randy, the cute waiter, was side-splittingly funny. They walked to a coffee and dessert place for some chocolate indulgence and then drove back to Lyssa's place. Sonny needed a place to stay for the night and Lyssa insisted he stay in her spare room. Sonny, who wanted the chance to do some detail digging, accepted eagerly.

Since he was only going to be in town overnight Sonny had packed everything he needed in his large briefcase. He told Lyssa about the meeting and how he had forgotten about his things being in the briefcase.

"I started to pull out a report for the client and one item got stuck on the corner. Luckily I spotted it and the client didn't,” he laughed. "Could you imagine his face if I had pulled out that report and there is my leopard thong hanging from the corner?"

"You brought the thong?" Lyssa questioned, gasping and laughing at the same time.

"Honey, you know I always come prepared. Now, I want more details on this mystery man of yours. Okay sister, spill everything," he coaxed.

Lyssa put her hands on her hips and tried to smile. Suddenly it became very hard to lie to him, but she just could not tell him the truth.

"What is that? A new picture?" Sonny exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He almost ran over to her fireplace mantle to grab the picture framed there. It was the one of the whole group at the beer tour. Sabrin was, of course, in it but since most people would not recognize the sexy gray haired man for who he was, Lyssa had seen no reason to hide this one. But she had forgotten Sonny was one of the few who would indeed know that face.

Sonny picked up the picture, scanned it and laughed in triumph. “A new picture and funny if Sabrin Berry isn’t in it. Just how did he come to be in this picture, my Honey child?” Moving to stand just in front of her, Sonny narrowed his eyes at his friend. "You sneaky bitch! So the mystery man in Denver was Sabrin Berry. I knew it! Why didn't you say so?" Sonny was pretending to sound offended but he understood Lyssa's reasons. He replaced the picture and returned to the couch, to sit next to Lyssa. Seeing the turmoil in her eyes, his expression softened.

"Honey, it's me. You know you can tell me anything and it won't go any further than this room. I swear on my leopard thong," he smiled.

Lyssa trusted Sonny more than anyone. She knew he would never betray that trust. But instead of words of explanation, Lyssa burst into tears. It had been hell going to work, seeing other friends and even talking to family, but never being able to say a word about the most awesome thing that had ever happened to her in her life. Sonny wrapped her up in his arms and soothed her for a long while before she was able to calm down enough to talk.

She told him everything. Every last detail she could think of, she told him, including how Sabrin had been jealous of Sonny when he saw them at dinner. Sonny loved that part, but he held back on reacting to that because Lyssa was still very upset.

"You fell in love with him, didn't you, my sweet foolish Honey?"

She did not say anything but Sonny knew. He could read her like a book and this one was reading like a classic tragic love story.

"What are you going to do now, Honey? It's been a month. Have you heard from him at all?"

"Of course not, Sonny. I told you he doesn't know my real name or where I live. How could he possibly contact me?" Her voice was filled with heartache.

Sonny rocked Lyssa in his arms while she tried to regain her composure. "Oh Honey, if he cares about you as much as you care about him, he'll find a way." Sonny thought but did not dare say out loud, ~ I know I would. ~

Three months later, Sonny's words would become prophetic. Sabrin had also found the need to spill the beans to someone. Paul Smythe, one of his closest friends who had also been on ‘Time and Space’, seemed the logical choice. They met for lunch one afternoon and Sabrin laid out the whole sordid story.

“What do you want to do, Sabrin? Is there anything you can do?” Paul asked him. Sabrin admitted he knew almost nothing about Sarah, not even her real name. He showed Paul the picture he kept with him as much as possible now.

"I can see why she's gotten to you like this. She's a beautiful lady,” Paul said as he handed the picture back to Sabrin. "Would you mind if I offered you some advice?” He began in a sympathetic tone, “this situation is torturing you, my friend. You haven’t been yourself for a while. You either need to forget this Sarah completely or find her. You can't go on like this. You'll drive yourself insane."

"Thanks, Paul. You're right," Sabrin agreed, "I can't go on like this but I don't have a clue how to go about finding her."

"That's why you hire people that do," replied Paul.

Two nights later, Sabrin was in the library and working on locating a good, discrete detective when something Sarah had said to him during their all too short time together came back to him like a lightening bolt to his brain. She had mentioned visiting a fan site dedicated to his character. That had been where she had discovered the details of his Denver convention appearance. What if he contacted the woman who ran that site? Would she help him locate a “long lost friend”?

He e-mailed the woman with his request. He had given her an interview or two, so this woman knew his e-mail, but had never given it out. He knew he could trust her if she wanted more interviews. It only took hours before the woman e-mailed him her reply. She gave him her phone number and he called her, blocking his, with his cell phone.

Two days later, her site was updated with a message from Sabrin titled “Desperately Seeking Sarah.” If someone clicked the link, they would be asked three questions: “1) What was the city? 2) What was the elderly lady’s first name? 3) What number was on the shirt?” If all three questions were answered perfectly, the person would be transferred to another site where a message awaited. Even the woman who owned the site did not know how to access it or what it said. But Sabrin prayed one woman would.

The days passed and Sabrin was becoming more concerned each day that Sarah would not find the message. He went to the website every day to check that his plea was still there. All he could do was wait and if he did not hear from her soon it would be on to Plan B and hiring a detective.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Lyssa received a frantic phone call from Sonny.

"Honey, have you got your computer on? Are you on the net?" he all but screamed in desperation. He sounded like he had just run the hundred meter dash he was so breathless. She had never heard this type of urgency in his voice before.

"Calm down, Sonny. I haven't surfed in over a week. Why?"

"Listen to me, girlfriend. Get that computer on and check out Berryfans.org, NOW!" He was practically ordering her.

"Okay, okay. I'm online now and I'll go there. I don't know what your problem is Sonny but-"

Sonny heard a thud. It was the sound of the receiver hitting the floor. A moment later he could hear Lyssa pick the phone back up.

"You saw it, didn't you? I'll let you go now Honey. Love ya. Bye."

Lyssa hung up the phone and stared blankly at her computer screen, reading the words "Desperately Seeking Sarah" over and over again. 

Sabrin got on his computer and checked his online stat tracker, as he had done for the past week. His breathing became shallow when he saw there had been one visitor to the webpage his message was on.

Sabrin had left Sarah a heart felt and, yes, desperate plea to contact him.

"I have been trying to convince myself that what we had was just an affair, but I can't, Sarah. It’s been months and I can't forget you. I don't want to forget you. I love you, Sarah. Please contact me. Please!" He had followed this with his e-mail address and his cell phone number.

He scrambled through his e-mail, praying one was from her, but his heart was in his throat when he realized none of them were.

Sabrin was forced to do some serious buying to make up for a fight he caused with Niki that night, all because his temper was on such a short fuse.

Two days had passed since Lyssa read the message from Sabrin. She called Sonny, as she desperately needed someone to talk to about this. Sonny was so happy to hear Lyssa's voice on the other end of the phone. He was dying to know what the message was.

"What did he say, Honey? You have to tell me,” he pleaded.

"He wants me to contact him, Sonny, but I don't know if I should. I want to so badly but I don't want to do anything that will ruin his life."

"Honeybunches, if he's posting a message on a website asking you to contact him it will ruin his life more if you don't. Do it or I'll fly there tonight and force you too. I'm going to call you back in thirty minutes and if you haven't done it by then I’ll be calling a taxi to take me to the airport. Got it?" he told her firmly.

Lyssa sat down at the computer and began to compose a message to Sabrin. She hesitated a long time before pressing the send button.

Sabrin sat at his computer checking his email for the third time when he finally saw it. The email subject line said "Desperately Seeking Sabrin" and was from a woman named Lyssa Page.

"So, I'm in love with Lyssa Page," Sabrin whispered almost voicelessly. He felt sure by the title line, this would not be a refusal. It could not be. She had to agree to contact him. With a shaking hand, Sabrin clicked on the email to open it.

“Sabrin, I’m not sure what you see happening now, but I will agree to call you on January 1st at 11 a.m. central time. I admit, I have been thinking of you too. Send a reply, so I know you received this, but let’s just keep it to that for now. Lyssa Page (Sarah)”

Sabrin was not sure he was going to be able to wait the two weeks for January 1st to come around, but he had no choice. He sent her an email promising to wait until that day and that he would not send another email until they had spoken.

Sonny called back exactly when he said he would and Lyssa told him it would not be necessary for him to fly out. He made her cross her heart swear that she was telling him the truth about responding to Sabrin’s plea. With a laugh, she swore on his leopard thong that she had.

Lyssa tried to throw herself into her work. This was always a strange time of year for her. She had a few Christmas parties to attend and had been invited for Christmas dinner by her friend, Anna who always gathered her single friends together for Christmas so she could commiserate with them about still being single. Even though Lyssa was Jewish, she still had a very busy Christmas time.

Lyssa flew to her parent's house in Southern Illinois for the holiday and Sonny flew to her house for New Year’s. He was without a lover at the time so they had agreed to spend this lover's holiday together.

"I wish you'd get transferred back to Chicago, I miss your nosy nose," she teased Sonny after he asked her if Sabrin had e-mailed her again. "Other than his reply, he’s done as I asked and left me alone."

"You’re calling him in the morning, right?" Sonny asked, making sure.

"Yes, I am." Lyssa rolled her eyes at him.

"So Honey bunny, it's New Year's Eve. Are we going to rock this town tonight or are you going to sit here all night and drive yourself and me crazy?"

Lyssa knew Sonny would not take no for an answer, so she reluctantly agreed to a compromise of dinner, a movie and then dessert at their favorite hangout. The evening went by quickly and she was happy Sonny had forced her out. They enjoyed a couple of glasses of champagne to toast in the New Year and then returned to her condo. Lyssa was a little restless, but eventually fell asleep well after midnight.

New Year's Day started with Sonny's special breakfast as his way of thanking Lyssa for letting him stay with her. They talked for a while and then Sonny looked at the clock. He smiled at Lyssa, handed her the phone and told her he was going out for a few hours. He was meeting Randy, the cute waiter from Giovanni's, for lunch and wanted to be early. He kissed her on the cheek. As he was heading out the door he called back to her, "Good luck, Honey."

Sabrin had partied long, hard and very late with some of the annoying friends of Niki's and then with some of his own friends. He and Niki were in bed asleep when Sabrin was awakened by what he thought was his cell chirping from somewhere. He rolled over complaining about calls at this ungodly hour only to see the time was 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. in Sarah, no, Lyssa's time zone. In nothing but boxer shorts, Sabrin catapulted out of his bed and raced out of his open bedroom door, trying to find the location of the phone. He found his pants downstairs in the front hall and almost ripped the pocket trying to dig out his cell just as it stopped ringing. “Damn!” he groaned in frustration. He looked at the display. “Number blocked” it read. “No!” he sighed in despair. He took the cell with him and went to the library. He would e-mail her to call back; he only missed her call by a second. The computer was booting up when the phone rang again. He answered on the first ring. “Lyssa?”

“Sabrin?” came the voice that he had longed for months to hear.

“Lyssa, I’m so sorry. I overslept. I found my phone just as you hung up. Lyssa, I’ve missed you.”

The sound of Sabrin’s voice had an immediate affect on Lyssa. Doubts and worries seemed to vanish and were replaced with longing and need.

"I've missed you too, Sabrin. Can you talk?" she asked.

"Yes. Niki's upstairs asleep. Lyssa, I've been going out of my mind thinking about you, about us. There’s so much I want to say to you that I don't know where to start."

"It hasn't been very easy for me either but I don't know what we’re supposed to do, Sabrin."

"I have to see you again, Lyssa. We need to talk face to face to figure out what we’re going to do. I'm going to New York next week to meet with a producer about a role. It's for one of the plays I told you about. Meet me in New York, Lyssa. Please!" Sabrin pleaded.

"You seem to think I'm someone who can afford to just go flying about the country," she laughed and tried not to sound upset. There was no way she could afford another plane ticket in just one week. "I'd love to met you, but I-"

"I'll send you a ticket. One week, Lyssa. Please, tell me you'll come."

"I hate to ask you to pay my way-"

"You're not asking, I am. I have to see you," he pleaded.

"I want to see you too,” she sighed. “All right. Here's my address." Lyssa gave him her address and, under protest, her phone number. "Niki's going to find out. What are you going to do if she finds out?"

"That's my problem, Lyssa. I'll deal with it if it comes up. You will come to New York?" he asked again, just to make sure.

"Yes, I'll come," she promised.

“I'll take care of everything. I'll make arrangements for you to be picked up at LaGuardia. You won't have to worry about anything," he assured her. Sabrin tried to keep her on the phone for as long as he could so he could keep listening to the sound of her voice. Lyssa could hear Niki calling to Sabrin in the background.

"You have to go."

"I'll see you in a week. Thank you, Lyssa. It means a lot to me."

They said their good-byes and hung up, but Lyssa wondered if she had done the right thing.

Sonny's date went better than he had expected and he did not arrive back at Lyssa's until the next morning. She was sitting in the living room, drinking a cup of coffee, when he came in. She had taken the morning off so she could take Sonny to the airport.

He prodded Lyssa for details about her conversation with Sabrin but before she could tell him anything there was a buzz on the intercom.

"Delivery for Lyssa Page."

She buzzed the deliveryman in and waited at the door. He had a vase with what looked to be two dozen red roses in his arm. She signed for the delivery and he handed her an envelope and the flowers. The delivery was from Sabrin. In the envelope was her airline ticket. He worked fast.

"Two dozen roses! What did you do with him? I slept with Randy but all I got was a breakfast of coffee and a blowjob."

Lyssa was still looking at the ticket and the card from Sabrin. It read, "Can't wait to see you, love Sabrin." She walked slowly to her dining table and placed the heavy vase of flowers on it. She slowly sank into a chair, staring at them.

"Are you all right, Honey?" Sonny asked, noting she looked pale.

"It just hit me, he's not going to leave Niki. He’ll stay with her and if he decides to, he'll see me on the side. I'll be his mistress." She sounded aghast.

"You could do far worse than be Sabrin Berry's mistress, Honey. You could have been a one night stand that he never wanted to see again or you could have never met him at all," Sonny reminded her, gently.

"I don't know if I want to be a mistress, Sonny. It's not really something I’ve envisioned for myself." Lyssa finally focused on Sonny, but still looked lost.

"Honey, you told me that when you were a little girl, you dreamed of being a princess or the President. Did you ever envision yourself as an underpaid, overworked office manager?"

"Of course not," she halfheartedly laughed.

"Sometimes you have to change your dreams for them to come true. What the hell did I just say? Well you know what I mean. You want to be with this man so do what you have to do to be with him. You only live once, Honey." He gave her a consoling smile and pulled her into his arms again.

Lyssa drove Sonny to the airport three hours later. They had an emotional goodbye and he promised he would be back soon. Lyssa then went to work as the underpaid, overworked office manager she was. Maybe Sonny was right, she decided.

Friday took forever to arrive, but it did finally come. Lyssa's bag had been packed for days and was in the trunk of her car. She made her plane and spent most of the flight shaking. She looked down at her hands, ordering them to be still, but unlike before, when she had broken into Sabrin’s room, they would not listen.

A driver holding a sign with her name on it met her at La Guardia and drove her to the RIHGA Royal Hotel.

She was taken immediately to their suite and had to try very hard not to lose her cool in front of the bellman. It was huge. It was also something out of dreams it was so elegant. Lyssa tipped the bellman and looked around the room for fifteen minutes before she heard the door open again. Lyssa turned around to see Sabrin stride quickly across the room to gather her into his arms.

"I was so afraid you wouldn't be here,” he whispered.

"I said I would be. I wouldn't lie to you." She still could not believe this was really happening. The last time, she had gone to great pains to meet with this man, now the shoe was on the other foot and he was the one risking it all to be here with her.

He kissed her a little tentatively as if he was not sure if she would respond. He kissed her a second time and then a flood of emotion came crashing through the gates as they shared a far more passionate kiss.

Lyssa then walked to the couch in the room and sat down, motioning Sabrin to sit too.

"We need to talk, Sabrin, before anything else happens. We need to talk." She hid her hands between her knees so he could not see them shaking.

"Why do I fear those words?" he asked. He followed her and sat, but he felt his insides go cold. He reached for her hand and with a nervous smile she gave it to him.

"I need to know what you’re looking for? One more fling or-" she began.

"NO! Lyssa, no!" Sabrin turned to face her more directly and took hold of her other hand, his expression passionately serious. "I can't go through that again. I don't want this to end. I said it before and I'm even more sure now. You wouldn’t let me say it in Denver, but it was true then and it’s still true now, I love you!"

"But you don't intend to leave Niki, do you?" Her tone held no accusation. She was only asking for clarification, but he still felt the guilt.

“I can’t.” His expression turned to one of a little lost boy. “I owe a lot to her. Her family is well connected in the industry. I would never have gotten the part in ‘Time and Space’ without her family’s influence. I’m established now but how much of that is because of me or her family...” 

She nodded her understanding. His insecurities over his career were well known, even by his fans. “I would never ask you to give up your career, or even do anything to jeopardize it. I just want to clearly define...what are we going to be?" she asked. "I'm trying to understand what you're asking of me. I didn't want to change your life, but I think you're asking me to change mine."

"You're right. I am asking you to change your life, even more than it already has. That weekend in Denver changed both of our lives forever. We can't go back to the way it was before we met. I wouldn't want to even if we could. The past four months without you have been hell!"

She nodded her head in agreement.

"Please Lyssa, I want us to be together as much as possible. We can find a way," he pleaded.

Lyssa felt like her head was spinning. She had been afraid to hope for more than another brief affair, but this was unbelievable. He was here and begging her to be with him as often as they could manage. It was not a fairy tale, but she was no princess.

"I agree to try," she told him.

Sabrin looked stunned for just a moment before he grabbed her in a fierce embrace. He brought her lips to his and kissed her, releasing all of the penned up emotions he had been forced to hide. He kissed her deeply and hungrily. He broke the kiss for only a moment. “Make love. Have to have you, Lyssa. Please, let’s make love,” his voice was only an impassioned whisper.

Lyssa stood up and held out her hand. Sabrin reached for it as he stood up. Lyssa led him to the bedroom. She ran her hand along his cheek and kissed him.

"I want us to make love more than anything, Sabrin," she whispered and kissed him again passionately.

Sabrin felt strong enough to stop a speeding Mac truck and light enough to fly. Two feet from the bed, he picked her up, laid her gently on her back to kiss her and move over her. "I love you," he told her again. He kept hoping she would say it back to him, but she just smiled and kissed him again. He began to unzip her dress while she unbuttoned his shirt. The desire he was feeling was so strong he was sure he would burst into a flame if could not sink inside her now. He could not get her clothes off her fast enough. When finally he had skin to touch he brought his mouth and hands to explore every inch of the body that he had longed for. He was dizzy with passion when he was finally able to enter her. His head was so full of love, desire, passion and insane need.

In a moment of confusion caused by the intensity of the moment, Sabrin called her "Sarah". But it was not another woman's name, so she did not mind.

Lyssa's senses were screaming, trying to gather all they had so desperately missed. His touch gave her gooseflesh, his scent drove her wild and his voice moaning her name, she had missed that so much. Their bodies were brimming over with passion.

It took them no time at all to bubble over and flood them both with wave after wave of love's deep reward. Their bodies, covered in dampness, were tightly entwined as the desperate need left them sated. Sabrin opened his eyes and just looked at her. The face that had filled his dreams and haunted his nightmares was here. He wanted no more dreams of losing her. He never wanted to lose her again.

They lay in each other's arms silently for sometime, just studying each other's faces. He lightly swept his fingers over her arm as he kissed her softly on the lips.

"I've missed you so much, Lyssa. I feel so alive with you." Sabrin was so overcome with emotion. Lyssa watched as a tear rolled slowly down his check. She reached to wipe it off and kissed him tenderly.

"I feel the same. I have to tell you something though. Sonny knows about us. I didn't want him to know, but he dug for the truth and then saw a picture I had at my place of you. I'm sorry if you’re angry with me. He won’t tell, I'm sure of it." She saw he did not look upset.

"Will he help us?" Sabrin asked, sitting up. She could see the wheels turning in his eyes.

"How?" She asked, sitting up too.

"I don't know yet, but if the need arose, would he?" he asked.

Lyssa grinned. "I'm sure he would. He threatened to come and make me contact you if I didn't do it on my own. He was actually the one who saw your message on that website."

"You need to let me officially meet him soon. I’ve got to buy this guy a car."

It was so good to hear Lyssa laugh. When Sabrin first arrived she had seemed in such turmoil but now he could see that glow returning to her face. When she was happy, he was happy.

"When's the last time you were in New York" he asked.

“Last year. I was here for a conference that my employers wanted me to attend."

"Good. Then we don't have to worry about sightseeing."

"Are you saying you plan on keeping me cooped up here the whole weekend?" she asked, giving him a disapproving look.

His eyes went wide. "I-I want to be alone with you. It’s been four months, Lyssa," Sabrin exclaimed.

Lyssa took a deep breath but her expression became deadly serious.

"You don't expect me to believe you have been celibate for that whole time, do you?"

Sabrin said nothing, but his face fell.

"I'm not sure how much honesty I want from you about her,” Lyssa began, with a hesitant sigh. “But I don't want you to lie. I know you’ve been with her. I am going to try to not push you in that area, but you have to understand, I’m going to have a hard time dealing with remaining faithful to a man who has no intentions of remaining faithful to me. You cheat on her with me and you will be cheating on me with her. I'm not going to pull any punches here, Sabrin. This hurts."

"The last thing in the world I want to do is hurt you, Lyssa.” Sabrin took hold of her shoulders and looked earnestly into her melancholy eyes. “I won't lie to you. You're right. I haven't been celibate. I have had sex with Niki in the past four months but it has been much, much longer than that since she and I have made love. I understand if you want to see other men. I don't want to know about them but I understand. How can I ask you to make such a huge commitment to me when I can't make the commitment I want to you?" He kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter to him. "So what should we do while we're here? Would you like to catch a play?" he asked, trying to lighten to mood.

“I'd love to see a play or a movie. And I want to get out of this room for dinner or lunch. I'm not going to let you keep me cooped up in here, but I do want to be alone with you and make love too."

He sighed. "Agreed. Oh, and I guess I should admit, I broke down and told someone about us too. I'm sure you've heard the name Paul Smythe - I told him."

Lyssa's eyes went wide, she gasped and she covered her mouth with a hand. "Paul Smythe! You told the captain from ‘Time and Space’ that I'm a slut?" she said with half sarcasm, half dread.

"I told him no such thing,” Sabrin defended, aghast. “I told him I was crazy about you and he told me to find you. So I did." Sabrin caressed her check tenderly. "I had to find you. I had to see you again. I want to keep seeing you, Lyssa." He pulled her into a kiss. That led to another kiss and that led to arousal in them both.

They kissed long and hard. His hands were getting re-acquainted with her body. He had etched every nuance into his memory but he wanted to search for any changes. Her skin was as soft and luscious as he remembered. His memory had not done her scent and flavor justice and he was overwhelmed by these sensations.

But this was one of the many things Sabrin loved and craved about her. Lyssa was intoxicating. He had dreamt of her so many times in the last four months.

Sabrin was sure it was not a good idea to tell her this, but each time he had been with Niki in the last few months, it was Lyssa he had imagined in his arms. New Year’s Eve, there had been a woman who had been flirting with Paul. She had reminded Sabrin of Lyssa so much that if the woman had turned her attention to him, he was sure the drinking he had done would have placed him in a bed with this woman in no time. Instead, Niki had been the beneficiary of that situation. He had even shocked her with the power of his sexual attack, he had been so turned on, but Niki was not the reason.

And now Sabrin was back in the arms of the woman he loved and desired more than anyone else. He was kissing her soft lips, caressing her incredible breasts and her moans encouraged him on more and more. As he entered her, she brought her legs up to his waist to take him completely. His thrusts began slowly but built with intensity until both were brought to a new level of ecstasy.

Sabrin moved above her, thrusting in and out of her. Lyssa felt her entire body tingle with the excitement and the warmth of being with the man that possessed her so. Everything about him made her crazy with desire. Now it felt like her blood had turned to lava in her veins. Deeper, she wanted him deeper. But she would never tell him to fuck her again. This was love. She was not ready to say so just yet, but she could not deny it to herself. He affected her to her soul.

Lyssa opened her eyes and moved to take one of his nipples and tease it with her tongue and teeth. Sabrin groaned with desire.

She moved her head slowly up from his chest, running her tongue up his neck and along his ear before sucking on his lobe. She found his mouth once more kissing him hard, battling with his tongue. She ran her hands along his back. She loved the feel of his skin against hers. Soon the volcano within her erupted over as the incredible orgasm she was experiencing made its way through her body.

Sabrin’s mouth was pressed more firmly to her and she struggled to draw in enough breath. The fires were fanned by his actions. He was thrusting harder and faster now, pushing her to the brink over and over. She finally pushed his mouth from hers to cry out and gasp for breath. Her cries shattered Sabrin, causing him to explode powerfully within her. His motions slowed, he released his breath in a cry of his own, then he finally lowered his body down to kiss her with gratitude for the great pleasure she brought him.

"I'm not sure I will ever be able to tell you what you mean to me, Lyssa. I love you." He moved to lie beside her. She had to laugh at the soft snores that came from him only seconds later.

It had been a long day for her with work and coming to New York. Making love with Sabrin had re-energized her. She watched him sleep for a little while before cuddling in next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered her name in his sleep. Soon she too was fast asleep.

When Sabrin awoke in the morning he was almost afraid to open his eyes, scared that everything that had happened the night before had only been a dream. He could feel someone lying next to him. He took a deep breath and when Lyssa's scent reached him, he smiled and opened his eyes.

Trying not to disturb her, he lifted up slightly in order to glance at the bedside table clock. 7:08. He had his meeting with Mark Rice, the producer, at 10:30 this morning. He relaxed, laying back with Lyssa and watched her sleep.

He loved this. Just watching her chest rise and fall with her breath was joy to him.

"Do you love me, Lyssa?" he whispered to his sleeping lover. "I love you so much my chest tightens every time I see you. I think if I lose you, I'll stop breathing altogether."

Lyssa began to stir. She opened her eyes and smiled at Sabrin.

"Good morning," he whispered to her and kissed her gently. "I hope you slept well."

She nodded her head in the affirmative and smiled.

"Why don't we have breakfast in the restaurant this morning," he suggested.

"If you want to, but room service is fine." She wondered if he was trying a little too hard on his promise not to keep her cooped up in the room all weekend.

“No, I want to be seen with the most beautiful woman in New York. I’ll be wearing a hat and dark glasses, but I’ll still be the envy of every man who sees us.” He had sat up to add a reluctant shrug to this statement. Lyssa laughed.

“Promise me we can go out tonight and walk somewhere in shadows and I’ll be happy with breakfast in bed, really,” she assured him.

“Shower with me while we wait for it and you have a deal,” he said with a wicked grin.

“I love it when you talk clean to me,” she giggled. He decided to make her giggle more by tickling her. They were both tickling each other to the point where minutes later they fell in a heap off the bed. With embarrassed grins, they got up off the floor and began the day.

Sabrin picked up the room service menu from the desk and sat next to Lyssa on the bed. There were so many great things to choose from that they had a hard time deciding what to order. They decided that the breakfast for two sounded the best, so Sabrin called down to room service to order. It would take an hour for the food to come so they had lots of time to enjoy their time in the shower. Sabrin had kept the promise he had made to himself in Denver about making sure the bathroom had a separate two person shower and large bathtub.

He was not sure which one he enjoyed with Lyssa more. The showers seemed more erotic while the baths more intimate and romantic. He vowed they would share both before time ripped her from his arms again. Lyssa pulled a loufah out of the bathroom amenities basket along with some shower gel. Twenty minutes later both were squeaky clean, but Lyssa seemed intent on causing him to make a little mess of himself again. Her tongue danced teasingly over his penis as her fingers caressed his balls. She took him into her mouth and began to suck and run her tongue around him as she pulled her head back. Sabrin had to use the walls of the shower to keep his legs from buckling out from under him.

She held his shaft with one hand, pumping it firmly while she continued to tease the head of his penis with her tongue. The warm water cascading on them made the feelings that much more sensuous. She removed the head from her mouth and Sabrin pulled her up and pinned her in the corner of the shower, kissing her ferociously. She locked her hands behind his head to keep him from stopping the passionate kiss.

"You set me on fire," he told her when she let him go many minutes later. "You must think I'm either a sex fiend or that this is all I want from you." He sounded almost drunk with passion as he spoke.

"Do you see me stopping you or am I urging you on?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “I want this as much as you do. Do you want to make love here?" Her hands were all over him. He could not think of moving too much.

"God, yes," he exclaimed, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. Pressing her even more firmly against the wall he pulled her to him as he entered her with a lusty sigh.

He grabbed hold of her leg as she wrapped it around his hip. His thrusts were hard and deep. She moaned her approval, clutching at him to bring him closer, deeper. The water from the shower streamed down on them, adding to the sensation of what they were feeling. Lyssa let out a gasp as she reached climax and Sabrin was not far behind her.

They were gasping for breath as they came down from their erotic high. Sabrin pulled Lyssa back into the direct path of the water to rinse their bodies of the spent fluids and for a quick kiss, of course.

"We'd better get out. I'm famished." She ran her hands over his chest with affection and grinned at him.

"Time for towels then, huh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"You never quit, do you? Let go of me, you animal," she popped him playfully on the butt and jumped out of the shower and out of his reach.

They were almost dry when there was a knock at the door.

Sabrin threw on a robe and answered it while Lyssa stayed in the bathroom to comb her wet hair into its style. The aroma from the breakfast reached her in moments. When she came out, the room service guy was gone and their breakfast had been laid out on the table. Lyssa was wearing one of the hotel's complimentary robes and was absent-mindedly running her hand up and down the sleeve of her other arm.

"What are you doing?" Sabrin asked.

When she realized what she was doing, she laughed. "These robes are so soft. I definitely have to take one of these home." She kissed Sabrin and then sat down for breakfast. They were both famished from their activities of the preceding twelve hours.

"I have my meeting with the producer at 10:30. We can go for lunch when I get back and then we can go shopping if you want," Sabrin offered. Lyssa looked up from her omelet with a confused expression. "Shopping? What do you need?" she asked.

"I don't need anything,” he told her.

"Then why would we go shopping?" Lyssa asked, wondering what he was thinking.

"Don't you want anything, Lyssa?" he asked. Suddenly what he was getting at became clear.

"Oh! You think I'm interested in doing the ‘kept woman’ thing? No, I'm not. I want you, not your money," she said, firmly.

"Of course I know you don't want my money. But Lyssa, this is New York. When in New York you go to Bloomingdale’s. I think there's a law,” he laughed.

"Okay, we can go to Bloomingdale’s but I'll pay for my own purchases."

He nodded his head in agreement.

"What about ice skating? Would you like to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center?" she asked.

"I'll have to think on that one," he laughed.

Sabrin smiled at her between bites of sausage and sips of coffee. He was imagining them ice skating and also thinking about her insistence that she did not want his money. He thought back to the convention and how she had bought him the jersey and the camera, but had allowed him to pay for everything else. She had offered to pay for her beer tour ticket, but he had given her a funny look and handed the guy the cash.

This was a little different for Sabrin. Niki loved to shop. Sometimes he swore she enjoyed his credit cards more than him. Some of the cashiers at Macy’s even knew her by name. There were many times when they had quarreled in the past and Sabrin had been forced to make up with Niki by buying her something, or a lot of somethings.

But Lyssa seemed to be serious. Sabrin made a mental note to keep tabs of this subject for a while.

By the time they finished their leisurely breakfast and got dressed, it was time for Sabrin to leave for his meeting.

"I hope everything goes well," she said. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "For luck," she whispered.

"I could use some more luck," he grinned. She kissed him again.

"Now go or you'll be late." She kissed him again before pushing him towards the door.

"I should be back before noon," he told her before stealing one last kiss and heading out the door.

Lyssa walked back to the table and sat down. She fingered a bite of toast she had left on her plate. "I hope I know what I'm getting myself into," she muttered to herself. On impulse, she grabbed her cell phone and placed a call to Sonny.

"So, Honey child, how are you?" he asked her after a greeting.

"Hoping this is not a mistake. This is bound to end badly. Sonny, I could ruin his career, end his relationship with Niki, or end up dumped and broken hearted," Lyssa sighed heavily.

"Okay, no to #1 and 3, 2 is not so bad. Get rid of her and then you are his main and only squeeze. Just make damn sure you go with him when he travels, no matter what," Sonny laughed, but sighed when he noticed she was not laughing. "If you have to, Honey, take it day by day, each one as a special gift that may never come again. You want him still, don't you?"

"Yes. It's even worse now. He just left for a meeting and all I can think of is the place smells like him." She sighed again, looking around the suite.

"Did you do the nasty?" Sonny asked, sounding all a quiver at the thought.

"Yes. Happy?" she teased.

"Aren't you?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes," she sighed. "Very, but I'm still a little scared, Sonny."

"That's understandable, Honey. I'm going to give you the same advice I gave you before. You only live once. On the merry-go-round called life you only get a few chances to catch the brass ring of happiness. You have it in your grasp. Hold on to it and don't let go. Now tell me what hotel he’s got you in?”

"The RIHGA Royal."

"Oh my God! Honey, that place is beautiful!" Sonny exclaimed.

"You've been here, Sonny?" she asked.

"Oh, Honey love, I can only wish. I just pulled up their website. My oh my, that place is gorgeous!"

"It’s even nicer in person, but it’s missing a person. I hate waiting, but waiting is better than not having anything to wait for, I guess." She still sounded forlorn.

"It is, Honey, it is. You'll be fine. Goose him of me, will you? And bring me a towel."

"I will and, by the way, he knows you know. Bye, Sonny." With a laugh, she pressed “end” knowing this would drive him crazy, but it was something they often did to each other.

Heading for the bathroom, Lyssa decided to get dressed and prettied up.

Sabrin returned two minutes to twelve and could not find Lyssa. He did not call out, but instead looked until he found her in the bathroom, sitting on the vanity, painting her toenails. He chuckled when he saw her.

"You didn't have polish on your toenails before I left, why now? Who are you planning on showing off your feet to?"

"You, smarty. How did it go? You still have your coat on."

"I noticed that. I was hoping we could have lunch. I hope that's fast drying."

"Yes, it dries quickly. Would you like to help?" She held out the bottle to him. Sabrin took off his coat and took the bottle of polish from Lyssa. He sat down on the toilet seat so he would have a good sight line. He wanted to do a good job. He dipped the brush in the polish and painted the toenail of her big toe. He concentrated on his task as he did not want to get the polish on her skin.

"You're good. Do this often?" she asked with a hint of a laugh in her voice.

"First time. I want to do a good job so there will be a next time," he smiled. There was something so erotic about painting her toenails.

"If you live up to my expectations, you’re hired and I promise never to let another man paint my toenails." She tried not to laugh.

"Even Sonny?" Sabrin asked, tilting his head to the side to look up at her.

"Even Sonny. So are you going to tell me how it went, or do I have to wait for the Playbill?"

He dipped the brush in for more polish and pretended to paint a smiley face on her knee.

"It went well, I think. He was rather closed mouthed. I’ll know in a week."

"Will you e-mail me and let me know. I'm sure you'll get it, but I'd like to be able to congratulate you."

"I'll do better than that, I'll call you." He gave her a gentle smile.

Lyssa blushed and grinned. She was not sure why she was blushing, but she just could not stop.

When Sabrin finished painting her toenails he decided that blowing gently on her toes would help the polish dry quicker. He discovered the side benefit that it also tickled Lyssa. He decided to remember that for later.

Once the polish was dry, they gathered their things and went off for lunch. It was a sunny day with above average temperatures in New York. The winter hat and sunglasses Sabrin was wearing were not out of place on a day like this. Lyssa and Sabrin were able to walk down the street, hand in hand.

Lunch was at a little bistro, where they took a booth in the corner that faced away from everyone.

Bloomingdale’s was a bit of a walk, but just being with Sabrin and getting to know more about him as he talked was such a treat that Lyssa did not mind. He told stories of antics he and the other actors from his former show would pull on the set of ‘Time and Space’ and some that they had pulled during the movie shoots. Sabrin was still friends with most of the cast, but was closest to Paul.

"I could invite him along one time when you and I get together if you'd like to meet him," Sabrin offered, seeing her awe at hearing such details about the lives of actors she had admired for so long.

Lyssa tried not to look too excited about the idea. "The way you hold me so tight at night, there would be room for him in the bed," she teased.

"Okay, but he can't do your toenails," Sabrin shook his finger at her, but then grinned and laughed.

"Do you think he would want to meet me? It could put him in an awkward position. I'm not sure how I would react if a close friend called and asked if I wanted to meet his mistress."

Sabrin squeezed her hand. "Paul understands what is happening with us. He's gone through a similar situation himself. It would be okay."

"I'll take your word for it," she said, but wondered about his comment that Paul had been through something like this himself. It took her a while to gather the courage, but she finally asked. "Can I ask you what happened with Paul?"

Sabrin looked surprised. "It was in the tabloids," he told her.

"I don't read the tabloids. You may not believe me considering but I really don't care what the stars do in their private lives."

Sabrin laughed, "You may be the only woman in the US who doesn't." He pulled her closer and began the story of how Paul’s wife had been in hospice care for terminal cancer and, during that time, Paul was in a play to help take his mind off of the pain. Feeling alone, he had gotten to know one of the actresses, a woman named Deborah, who had a minor role in the play, and they became friends. Paul’s wife had slipped into a coma and Paul knew she would never come out of it. He found himself crying on the shoulder of this actress and soon he was doing more than crying. The tabloids got pictures of the two of them kissing just days after his wife finally died. 

"So how did it end up?" Lyssa asked.

"Paul married Deborah. I was his best man," Sabrin told her.

They walked through Bloomingdale’s looking through various areas of the store. At times Sabrin would steer Lyssa into certain departments to see how she would react. In the ladies wear area they went past a few racks of dresses that Lyssa stopped to look at. She saw one dress she seemed interested in until she looked at the price tag. With a disgusted laugh, she put the dress back. When they came to the lingerie department, it was Lyssa's turn to steer Sabrin.

"Help me pick something special," she suggested, with a wicked grin.

They had looked through almost the entire area searching for just the right item when Lyssa's eyes widened.

"How about this?" she asked as she held up a sexy mesh chemise for Sabrin to look at.

"Oh, that's perfect."

She smiled and headed over to make her purchase. When he saw the price ring in, he turned to Lyssa. "Are you sure you don't want me to buy this for you? It’s rather expensive."

"We had a deal. I'll pay for my own things, thank you. Besides, some things are worth the money," she smiled and handed the clerk her credit card.

His eyes widened, but she was turned away and did not see. It was a good sign; he thought to himself and took the package from her hand once it was paid for. She gave him a quizzical expression when he did.

"What? My arm’s not broken, I can carry anything we buy today just fine."

"I don't think I'll be buying anything else today,” she said grinning. Sabrin took hold of her arm and turned her to face him.

"What do you mean? Did you break the bank with that purchase?" He sounded concerned.

"No, I mean I just don't need anything," she shrugged. 

"Bloomingdale’s is not about needs, it’s about wants," he informed her, touching her cute little nose with his fingertip.

"Then I'm in the wrong store. I've made my obligatory purchase, you should be happy, and the state should be satisfied, can we go now?" she asked, tweaking his chin with humorous affection.

"Not quite yet. There are a few areas we haven’t looked at yet."

They walked through the jewelry area. Sabrin asked what she thought of a number of different items that were in the cases.

"Sabrin, why do you keep asking me if I like something?"

"I'm just curious," he responded.

"The jewelry is all very beautiful but it's a bit much for me."

"Too expensive?" he asked.

"That too, but I mean it’s not within my comfort level for wearing. You have to enjoy jewelry, not be terrified you're going to lose it," she explained.  "So are you brave enough for the ice skating?" Lyssa asked him.

“Are you accusing me of cowardice, woman?” Sabrin asked, incredulously. Lyssa grinned and chuckled.

“If the skate fits.”

“I assure you, honey, I can brave it with the best of them.” Sabrin pulled her closer, but he noticed she did not look quite right. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.

Lyssa blushed and looked away. “It’s nothing. Well, it’s just that everyone calls me ‘Honey’ and I’ve never been wild about it. I like my name, but I almost never hear it.”

Sabrin lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “You want me to call you by name.” She nodded. “That’s fine but I should tell you, I wasn’t calling you by your nickname.” He lifted an eyebrow, meaningfully. Lyssa laughed, embarrassed.

They made their way to Rockefeller Center walking hand in hand. Since their route went past their hotel they ducked in quickly and asked the concierge to have Lyssa's purchase taken to their suite for them. Fortunately, the rink at Rockefeller Center was not very crowded. They rented some skates and checked their boots.

"Have you skated much?” she asked Sabrin.

"A little, but I'm not exactly what you would call good," he laughed.

"I've had some experience on skates. I'll help you if you need it."

"I'll need it," he assured her, still uncertain if he could make it to a stand.

Sabrin watched her as he put on his skates. His brown coat was not exactly handsome, but it covered him and disguised him at the same time. Lyssa had a black wool coat on and underneath she wore jeans and a sweater that was very flattering of her perfect figure. Even with every inch of her covered, except for her beautiful face, Sabrin found Lyssa ravishing. Actually, ravishing was a good idea. One he would have to explore once they got back to the hotel.

"Are you going to sit there forever?" she asked, bringing him out of his introspection.

"Coming," he called and carefully got to his feet. She smirked at him and offered a hand.

"Not yet, but the day is young." Sabrin rolled his eyes at her and wobbled forward as she pulled him along.

Sabrin was doing quite well on skates for someone with his experience so they both found it quite amusing when it was Lyssa who ended up on her butt first.

"I thought you were supposed to be good at this?" he laughed. He extended his hand to help her up.

"I am. It's the skates. I need my hockey skates. I can't skate with figure skates," she protested.

"Or are you sure you just can't skate," he teased.

"Aren't you the funny one."

“Hockey skates?” he questioned as she reached up for his hand. “Why do you usually wear hockey skates?”

“I used to play ice hockey with the neighborhood boys. I was quite the tomboy,” she answered as she took his hand but, instead of getting up, she pulled him down next to her. They got back to their feet and continued to enjoy their skate until the rink started to get a little more crowded.

"You want to eat in tonight or go out?” Sabrin asked her as they walked hand in hand in the direction of the hotel.

"What do you want to do?" Lyssa asked, gazing over at him.

"You're not going to start that again, are you?" he asked, rolling his eyes at her. She gave him a guilty grin.

"Fine, let’s walk around for a while and then we can pick up something to go and eat back at the hotel. Deal?"

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "Can dinner include strawberries and whipped cream?"

"We've done that already," she reminded him. Sabrin laughed.

"I like reruns," he defended.

"Don't get your hopes up though. Strawberries are out of season so we might not be able to find any," she told him with a shrug.

They passed many restaurants, checking out the menus displayed by their doors, trying to find just the right place to stop. They finally found a little Caribbean restaurant that seemed perfect. The outside of the restaurant was quite plain so they were very surprised when they stepped inside. The decor was a romantic island setting. They inquired whether they would be able to get take-out but were only a little disappointed that the restaurant did not provide that service.

"Would you like to stay here to eat or find some place else?" Sabrin asked.

Lyssa was transfixed by the surroundings. "Let's stay. I like the feel here. It's like we’re not in New York any more but at our private getaway."

Once they had checked their coats and were taken to their corner table, Sabrin’s arms were around her. He nuzzled and kissed her temple, whispering silly things that others call "sweet nothings" but they sure did not seem like nothing to Lyssa.

Sabrin ordered a Jerk steak and she ordered shark steaks with mango chutney. They both ordered drinks since they would only be walking a short distance to the hotel. The food was outstanding. They both had three drinks and were feeling quite fine when they began their walk back to the hotel.

"That was wonderful. I felt like I was in the Caribbean again. Only thing is, now it seems colder out here,” she laughed.

"So you like the Caribbean. Which island do you like best?" he asked.

"I've only been to the Bahamas once but it was beautiful. What about you?" she asked.

"I've been to a few of the islands for vacations. It’s very relaxing. Was that your dream vacation?" he asked.

"No, it was on my list of great vacation spots I could afford. There are a few places I would like to visit during my life time."

"Such as..." Sabrin was curious about the destinations she was dreaming of.

"Such as Europe, Australia, Tahiti. There are so many."

"Maybe we'll go to those places one day," he smiled as he put his arm around her.

"What, go there only to spend all our time in a hotel room screwing like bunnies?" she teased.

"You have a problem with that?" he teased back.

"Well, no. But it would be an awful waste of money to pay for trips to a place we have no intention of really enjoying outside of the room. We should put any trips off until after we're over the ‘so hot for each other’ stage of this relationship,” she suggested. 

Sabrin stopped, took hold of her chin and looked into her eyes. "I'm hoping that day does not come for a long, long time, so bite your tongue, woman. Better yet, let me do it for you," he said and pulled her into a very hot kiss, as though proving his point.

"You make your point well but I think I need more persuading," she said, pulling him back for another kiss.

Chapter Four

They arrived back at the hotel a few moments later. After removing their outerwear once in their room, Lyssa wrapped her arms around Sabrin’s waist.

"I'm still feeling a little chilly. Let's take a nice warm bath."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Sabrin assured her eagerly.

The tub was a large soaking tub with Jacuzzi jets. They undressed each other between kisses while the tub filled.

The skating, walking, food and the drinks seemed to take their toll once the pair was in the water. Sabrin sunk down and helped Lyssa to lie back on his chest as they had done months ago, but this time the sexual urgency was suppressed. He held her, running his hands leisurely up and down her arms. She sighed with contentment.

Sabrin remembered the last time they did this they asked each other questions, but Lyssa was not so inclined to answer many. Now was time to fill in some blanks. He asked her about her job, where she lived, her family and how she met Sonny.

"It was kind of a sad story, that one. Sonny and I attended the same Synagogue but we didn’t meet until a mutual friend I knew from school introduced us. Fran, our friend, didn’t know he was gay. I have no idea how it escaped her notice as he never hid it. Anyway, the three of us would go out and, finally, the fact Sonny was agreeing with our comments about the cute guys we saw caused Fran to put it together. She freaked out and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. I thought she was the one with the problem, so the evenings out became just Sonny and I. He was transferred from Chicago to Seattle two years ago, but we’ve kept as close as possible. He's been my best friend for longer than I care to admit," she laughed. "Your turn. I want to know everything about you. The real you, not the guy the studio-released bios say you are," she smiled.

He told her about growing up in Phoenix, his family and how he was affected by his brother’s death from a drunk driver when Sabrin was only ten and his father's death just after he had gotten the role of Sirus on ‘Time and Space’. He told her about his struggling actor days in New York and LA and how much his life had changed when he got the role on ‘Time and Space’. Lyssa was completely enthralled with his life story and was relieved he made no mention of Niki. Her happiness was suppressing the pangs of guilt she felt over being with a man in a committed relationship so the less she heard about Niki the better.

But it seemed that Niki was not to be denied today. Just as Lyssa was about to suggest they get out of the tub, his cell phone rang.

"I was going to call you," Sabrin said as he answered. He knew it was Niki.

"You seem to be forgetting me a lot lately. Can I get an update, or do I have to fly to New York and ask him myself?" Niki said curtly. Sabrin was standing in the bedroom, dripping wet and getting cold. He reluctantly walked back into the bathroom to fetch a towel. He put a finger over his lips to Lyssa. Both looked guilty.

“I won’t know anything for another week. I’m going to stay the weekend and relax here. I have a few more feelers I can put out.”

"The whole weekend,” she huffed. She was silent for a moment. “Okay, I'll see you in a couple of days then. I have something that I need to talk to you about when you get home," Niki informed him. Sabrin was worried Niki might suspect that his motives for staying in New York were not work related.

"Talk about what?"

"It can wait until you're back. Enjoy New York."

They hung up and Sabrin returned to the bathtub and Lyssa.

"Is something wrong?" Lyssa asked, as Sabrin had a strange look on his face.

"No, nothing. She was just a little mysterious about something on the phone. I'm fine. Actually I'm better than fine." He kissed Lyssa and pulled her close to him.

A half hour later, Sabrin had forgotten all about Niki's call and was playfully chasing his lover through the living room. They ended up running around the couch that was in the furniture grouping, but not up against a wall. Lyssa squealed as he reached across the back of the couch and lunged at her. She tried to break free, but he had her this time. He brought her closer to the couch for a quick kiss. Bringing her around without letting go of her hand, he directed her to sit on her knees, facing the back of the couch and to hold on to it, for support. Sabrin ran his hands over her sensuous curves and kissed her neck after moving her hair aside. The view of her backside was tantalizing.

He stroked her arms gently as he moved his kisses to her shoulder. His fingers began to dance along her spine, moving slowly down until he reached her lovely rear. He smiled, as he thought how there was not a single feature on her wonderful body he did not find sexy and alluring.

He slipped two fingers gently within her to ensure his love play had readied her for him. She was almost dripping wet. He withdrew his fingers, licked them clean and slowly entered her. He enjoyed the sight of his penis disappearing within her and the sight and sensations as he came back out again. After taking a moment to enjoy that, he moved to lean his knees against the couch so he could also grasp the back for leverage. He kissed her temple again as he continued his thrusts. She gripped the back and moaned quietly. She was enjoying this, but not as much as he wanted. Reaching around her, Sabrin began to stroke her clit with his index finger. She drew in breath sharply and released it slowly. She was enjoying this more now.

Lyssa turned her head so their lips could meet. Their passion was blazing hot as their lips burned with desire. Her moans were deeper and more intense. The pleasure he was giving her was staggering.

Sabrin was almost blind with passion. He pumped Lyssa and teased her with his fingers. His tongue danced with hers as they kissed until neither of them could maintain the kiss for the need of savage cries of ecstasy.

Lyssa was certain no other being alive could be as on fire as she was for this man right now. She clung to the back of the couch and let her orgasm wash over her. Sabrin was cumming within seconds of her. He moaned and called her name and, she decided in that moment, he had never sounded sexier than now. He relaxed against her, but did not lean in with his full weight. She wanted to hold him desperately.

Sabrin collapsed onto the couch with Lyssa snuggling up next to him.

"Sabrin, hold me."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her forehead.

"When you have your arms around me, I feel like the rest of the world doesn't exist. I love that feeling," she whispered.

"So do I, Lyssa, so do I."

They cuddled on the couch and talked as they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Sabrin had learned a lot about Lyssa that day but he wanted to know every detail of her life. He peppered her with questions until she finally laughed.

"You're asking so many questions about my boring life. I'm going to put you to sleep soon."

"I find nothing about you or your life boring. You're the most interesting person I've ever known," Sabrin defended.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she joked.

"Right now, here is where I want to be. With you, right here.” He kissed her forehead again. "So, you've never had a pet? In some ways, I envy you. Those German Shepherds of...that live with...me, they tear up the yard, poop on everything and jump on everyone."

"I've considered getting fish, but-"

"Don't," he warned her in a tone that sounded like he was very uncomfortable saying so.

"Why?" she asked, looking up to see his face.

"I would hate to whisk you away and in doing so be the cause of dead fish. I don't want to kill anything, even indirectly." He looked almost embarrassed to admit this.

"That's a good quality to have,” she said, tilting her head to smile at him. “I have a habit of killing plants if someone gives me one, so don't ever give me one," she intoned. "But I have people lined up to take the plants safely away from me and my two black thumbs should someone be foolish enough to give me one." Lyssa grinned and Sabrin found himself laughing.

"Did you kill the roses I sent you or are they a safe thing to send."

She blushed. "They were going to die anyway," she defended. Sabrin just laughed and gave her a squeeze.

"It's getting a little chilly here. Let's go cuddle in bed," Sabrin suggested. As soon as they got into the bed, Sabrin wrapped his arms around Lyssa, holding her tightly.

"Okay, no plants. Are there any other things that you kill or don't like?" he teased.

"Plants are the only thing I kill. I'm allergic to cats, so no cats."

"That's fine. I have as much luck with cats as I do with dogs."

They talked for hours in bed before they fell asleep still wrapped in each other’s arms.

 "Okay, so I did hear right what you said to Niki." Lyssa was saying over breakfast. "Do you really have feelers out there or were you making up a reason to stay with me?"

Sabrin took a sip of coffee and sighed. "I only have one other contact for a small part in a short running play. I made plans to drop by today. It will be very brief and you can go with me if you want," he offered.

"If you don't mind, I want," she admitted.

"How could I mind? We'll drop by at noon and then we can go to lunch."

"Is it on Broadway?” she asked.

"Yes. Have you ever been?"

"I saw Cats once like everyone else in the world, but that was it."

"I’ll have to make sure I do at least one of these plays so you can have another Broadway experience."

"Is the one you're meeting about today a musical?"

"No, straight play. What type of play would you rather see me in?"

"A musical. Your singing makes me hot," she smiled.

"I'll be sure to remember that and maybe even use it to my advantage," he laughed.

"You're bad,” she said jokingly. "If I went to a musical you were in and sat close enough so that you could see that I was getting turned on, don't you think that would be a little distracting to you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Sabrin laughed. "I'll just have to make sure that on the nights you attend, I bind "Mister Happy" to my leg."

She laughed even louder than he did. "I take it you think no one would take exception to you hopping around on one leg?"

They both were laughing now.

They talked and laughed while they finished their breakfast. Lyssa got up from the table to get dressed when Sabrin grabbed her around the waist.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"I was going to get dressed."

"But if you get dressed now I'll just have to undress you again."

“Sabrin, you promised to not keep me captive,” she pouted.

"Looks like I'm going to have to pull out the big guns now," Sabrin teased. He stood before Lyssa, kissed her and began to sing while he led her to the bed.

The world is full of people, but none like you,

They're ordinary people, but none like you.

How far away is yesterday before you came along.

It seemed to be just a dream to me, until you proved here on.

The lanes are full of lovers, but none like you,

Just ordinary lovers, not dreams like you,

I shut my eyes to realize this grand surprise is true,

That I'm the lucky one who found you.

Lyssa found she could not help but blush outrageously at not only his singing to her, but the words of the song he had chosen. He sang until he had her on the bed and was opening her robe. He only stopped in order to kiss her.

He kissed her tenderly and then sang some of "Fly Me to the Moon” to her. He interrupted himself, pressed his lips to hers and lost all interest in singing. His robe joined hers on the floor seconds later.

Sabrin’s hands were roaming Lyssa's body as they kissed. He explored her breasts before running his hand further down. He was surprised at how wet she was already. She had really meant it when she had said his singing turned her on. He fingered her clit as she moaned with pleasure. Their kisses were red hot, their desire reaching the boiling point.

Lyssa was the one who was almost crazy with need this time. She did not want to wait for Sabrin to come to her; she pushed him off of her and rolled him over on his back. Straddling him, she lowered herself onto his erection with a pleasurable sigh. They were meant to be together like this, she told herself. It was not evil or wrong for her to be lovers with a man who also was a lover to another woman. It could not be wrong. Not when they fit so perfectly together, in and out of bed. She moved with him. He gripped her ass cheeks and helped her to move, taking him in and out of her body. Her pace quickened as the intensity of their pleasure increased.

"Lyssa," Sabrin moaned. She leaned down and kissed him without missing a beat. The pressure in both of them was mounting with each rise and fall until it could no longer be contained. Sabrin brought his hands to Lyssa's face pulling her to him so he could taste her sweet lips again. Lyssa grabbed his hands, pushing them to the bed and locked her fingers with his. She squeezed tightly as the force of her orgasm exploded. Sabrin followed moments later.

Lyssa chuckled as Sabrin gave her his ‘that was good’ grin. But she could not disagree. It truly had been. He pulled her down next to him and touched his nose to hers.

"You make me feel like a teenager again. Except now I know the value of loving the person I'm with instead of just wanting them for sex." He kissed her forehead.

"We're not teenagers. I don't want to be a teenager again. I was so skinny and geeky looking. I was shy quiet too."

Sabrin ran a hand over her shapely bottom.

"You grew out of all that, lucky for me. If you had remained shy, I imagine you would never have dared to break into a certain actor's hotel room, and that would have been a travesty."

"We really should get ready for your meeting. I’d hate to be the reason for you not getting a part."

He kissed her. "That would never happen. The only person to blame for my not getting a part are the casting people.” With a pause, he laughed. "Or myself," he finally added.

It did not take long to get ready. They dressed casually in jeans and sweaters. Sabrin was wearing the black jeans she found so sexy and a black sweater. Lyssa wore her black jeans too but chose a red sweater that Sabrin complimented her on as soon as she put it on. They bundled up and headed off for Sabrin’s meeting.

They had the time, so they walked slowly. In New York, this is not easy since the pace of the foot traffic often times seems faster than the pace of the cars, bound down in traffic jams. Haylin France, the show’s producer, was waiting in the front row of seats in this smaller, ‘close to off Broadway’ playhouse. Sabrin suggested Lyssa stay in the lobby and, with a parting tender kiss, left her there. He walked down the aisle towards the stage, greeted France and sat down in a seat a couple down from the man.

Haylin France discussed the play and the role with Sabrin. It was a good role as it was very interesting and played a vital part in the play. Haylin knew having a known actor who was as well respected as Sabrin Berry in the play would help it in many ways. The role was Sabrin’s if he wanted it. Sabrin thanked Haylin and said he would let him know next week what his decision was.

Meanwhile, Lyssa was walking around the lobby of the theatre, getting a feel for it. This theatre was not as large as the one she had seen Cats in. It barely met the seating requirements to be considered a Broadway theatre but she thought the ambiance was better suited for theatre here than the one Cats was playing in.

Sabrin’s meeting only took twenty-five minutes.

"Well, how did it go?" Lyssa asked, once he had rejoined her.

"The role is mine if I want it. I'm going to wait until I hear back on the other one before deciding. Both parts are very interesting so if I'm given the musical too it will be a tough decision."

"They would be fools to not offer you the other role. You know you can call me next week if you need to talk."

"I'll be calling even if I don't. Now, it's time for lunch." He kissed Lyssa and took her hand in his.

Lyssa grinned at him, but shook her head too. "You go out a lot alone, or are you planning on taking a bunch of risks to contact me?"

He gave her a confused look. "Are you trying to protect my relationship at home?" he teased.

But Lyssa came to a dead stop.

"Do you see me as someone who wants to be a home wrecker? I've had the misfortune of being attracted to a man that is not free to be with me. I'm flattered that you want to give me any time at all, but that doesn’t mean I want to try and sabotage you're relationship with Niki. After all, this is an affair. You don't give up a marriage for a simple affair."

There were many things about that statement Sabrin did not like.

"Niki and I are not married and-"

"You may as well be," she interrupted, sharply.

Sabrin was not sure how to answer that.

"Okay, Niki and I have been together for a long time but we have been drifting apart for years. It hasn't felt like she and I have been partners for a long time, long before you and I met. As for this being a simple affair, no it's not. Our relationship is too important to me to be called that. I love you, Lyssa. I don't make a habit of telling every woman I meet that."

He pulled Lyssa into his arms to give her a hug.

"I want to be with you but sometimes the guilt-"

This time it was his turn to interrupt.

"Try not to feel guilty, Lyssa. I want you to be happy."

Lyssa found a tear running down her face. She tried to wipe it away quickly, but Sabrin beat her to it. He gave her an encouraging smile as he wiped the tear from her cheek.

"I haven't wanted to push you on this, but I really need to know. Do you love me, Lyssa?" The expression on his handsome face was heart wrenching.

"Yes," she told him, her voice half breaking. He let go of a soft sigh, showing her just how relieved he was at her answer.

"I can't promise this will be easy," Sabrin told her, now looking close to tears himself. "But I really want to try and make this work if you do."

"I do want that. I do."

She kissed him lightly on the cheek as he held her tightly in his arms.

"Are you still up for lunch?" he asked.

"Yes, let's have lunch." They gave each other a quick squeeze before releasing each other. Again Sabrin took her hand as they walked along the sidewalk. They came across a quaint pub a few blocks later. Sabrin had eaten there before and led Lyssa inside. They were seated at a table and given menus. Everything sounded good so they took a little longer than usual to decide what to try. They both ordered Philly cheese steaks with French Fries. Lyssa excused herself from the table and headed for the ladies room. When she returned a few minutes later, she could see two women standing at the table. They were getting Sabrin’s autograph and chatting. Lyssa waited at the back of the restaurant until the women left before rejoining Sabrin.

"I thought you didn't give autographs in public?" Lyssa noted.

"You saw that? Well, it was quicker to sign and get rid of them than say no and listen to them beg for ten minutes and interrupt everyone's lunch, including ours. What took you so long?" he asked.

"I was waiting for them to leave. I couldn't just sit down with you while they were watching. I don't look a thing like Niki and I'm sure at least one of them knows what she looks like. I do."

"So do I. Sorry, couldn't resist. I see your point. Honestly, I never have understood people's fascination with wanting to know who an actor is sleeping with. Why does it matter?" He sounded a bit miffed.

"It’s not that they care who you’re sleeping with, exactly, it’s that they wish it was them. They may look for pictures of her to see what kind of woman you’re attracted to, to see if they are anything like her and thereby stand a chance of turning your head."

"But as you just pointed out, you look nothing like Niki."

“Very true. You like to keep your fans guessing, don't you?"

He laughed. "I suppose in a way, yes. Though many of the things they have to guess about are none of their business, like who I'm sleeping with for example," he teased.

The waiter brought their orders over. The Philly cheese steaks were outstanding.

"Any suggestions for the afternoon?" he asked between bites.

"How about some tourist-type things? I've never been to the observation area at the Empire State Building,” she laughed.

"We also need to see if we can get tickets for a play. We could walk by the ticket booth and see if anything interests you," Sabrin suggested.

"Sound's good. But I have plans for dinner though. We’re eating in, so let’s see if there is a matinee for tomorrow before our flights out."

"You have plans? Evil plans?" he asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

"Yes," she told him, but just looked towards the ceiling for a moment, grinning. She intended to give nothing away.

They walked to the ticket booth that sold tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows. They decided to see "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" that was appearing Off Broadway. They bought tickets and then made their way to the Empire State Building. There were mostly tourists waiting for the elevators. With the observation area being outdoors, the number of people going up on a Saturday in January was limited. Once they arrived and found a quieter area on that level they looked out at the city. The view was spectacular. Sabrin put his arm around Lyssa and pointed out a few of the places they had been. They stayed for close to an hour before heading back to street level. They passed a movie theatre that was showing a new romantic comedy that one of Lyssa’s favorite actresses had a role in so they decided to check it out. The theatre was not very full so they were able to find two seats by themselves in one area.

"Great, no one else around. Perfect make out seats,” he teased.

"I thought we were here to see a movie?" she asked, wrinkling her nose at him.

"That too," he grinned, pulling her down into the seat. "You want some popcorn. Salty kisses turn me on."

"Bad breath kisses would turn you on," she chided him, shaking her head at him. Sabrin grinned.

"If it was you, I'd forgive you for it and yes, I would still be turned on."

"Go get popcorn, you horny man. You want to share a coke? Oh, can we not have extra butter, it makes my stomach hurt."

"Can't have my lady sick. No extra butter, one coke. I'll be right back."

When he returned he handed her the popcorn and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "How attached to that bra are you?

"Sabrin, you are incorrigible. You forgot napkins. I'll be back in a flash," she kissed him quickly before she got up to go to the theatre lobby.

Sabrin was a little disappointed and worried he might have gone too far. Lyssa came back a few minutes later, napkins in hand.

"Now you were asking how attached I was to my bra. I would say this attached," and she opened her purse to reveal she had removed her bra while she had been gone.

"You're something. Here I was scared I had gone too far," he laughed.

"You can only go too far if you leave the country and don't come back."

They ate popcorn until the lights went out and the movie started. The movie was good, but Sabrin’s antics were more interesting and keeping her focus became impossible. He draped an arm around her and slowly began to gently rub her shoulder, then her collarbone and then more towards her cleavage. When he finally ran a fingertip over her right breast, she almost gasped out loud. Lyssa bit her tongue and tried to resist the urge to rip his clothes off right there and take him.

Lyssa ran her hand up and down Sabrin’s thigh. She was about to throw her coat over his lap to explore further until a person changed rows and sat a few seats down. Lyssa decided not to risk a PeeWee Herman scandal for Sabrin. Sabrin, however, was still able to play without risk of being caught. When the movie finally ended, they rushed back to the hotel as quickly as they could.

Lyssa grabbed him even before he had his coat off and pulled him to the bed. He was completely undressed in record time and she was on him even faster. Sabrin was shocked he could cum that fast. But he had also been shocked he had been able to walk to the hotel. He had hoped for some cuddling after they had made love, but Lyssa kissed him once more and got out of bed. She disappeared into the bathroom for several minutes and returned in the mesh chemise she had bought the day before. It had a g-string that was very sexy. Oddly she did not get back into bed, but walked into the living room.

“Where are you going?” Sabrin called to her. “I wanted to enjoy taking that sexy little number off you.”

“Oh, no,” she called, patronizingly. “You have to let me wear if for at least a few hours before taking it off. Let’s turn on the gas logs and sit by the fire in here.”

Sabrin joined Lyssa on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"I hope you don't mind but I pre-ordered dinner. It should be arriving soon," she kissed Sabrin sensuously on the lips. Almost as if it had been timed, there was a knock at the door. Room service had arrived. Sabrin grabbed two robes, giving one to Lyssa. He put his on while he went to the door. Lyssa had ordered well. The dinner consisted of a number of hot and cold finger foods they could enjoy in front of the fire. There was a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket and two fluted champagne glasses. When he saw dessert he smiled - strawberries and whipped cream. The hotel employee started to leave.

"Don't you need me to sign for this?" Sabrin asked.

"No sir, it's already been taken care of, including a tip," he added as he saw Sabrin trying to find his wallet. "Have a good evening."

Sabrin returned to the floor and looked at Lyssa "Already taken care of?"

"You didn't think I was going to let you pay for everything did you?" she smiled.

He had an objection on his tongue, but it was forgotten when she let the robe fall to the floor. Her sexy backside was facing him when she reached the table the platters of food had been left on and Sabrin felt himself already becoming hard. God this woman got to him.

After moving the platters to the floor, Lyssa sat facing him so he was able to look down her front at the impressive cleavage of the woman he had just made love to and was quickly becoming ready to make love to again. But Lyssa had other things on her mind.

 Sabrin brought the champagne and glasses from the table and sat next to Lyssa on the floor. He popped the cork and poured a glass, which he gave to Lyssa and then one for himself. Lyssa took a sip of champagne before picking up a carrot stick from the vegetable platter and dipping it in dressing. She looked at Sabrin as she ran her tongue sensuously around the carrot, licking most of the dressing off. Sabrin just stared. He would never look at carrots the same way again.

Instead of eating the carrot, she returned it to the dressing but this time she took the long stick fully in her mouth, sucking it in and out again. Sabrin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Yes, he was hard again and he was already aching with need.

Sabrin reached for her without realizing he was doing so, but Lyssa moved just out of reach. She dispatched the carrot and reached for a strawberry. She dipped it in the cream and brought it to her mouth. She ate the berry, but had managed to get cream over her fingers. Sabrin thought he may indeed die as she licked them clean.

She picked up a bite-size morsel from one of the platters and dipped it in the sweet and sour sauce that came with it. The sauce dripped down her fingers slightly when she fed it to Sabrin. Sabrin found the way Lyssa licked the sauce from her fingers to be very erotic. Lyssa continued to tease Sabrin with the food foreplay until it was finished. Sabrin leaned over to kiss Lyssa but before he reached her, she stood up. Lyssa retrieved a CD from her carry-on bag before turning on the stereo system that was in the suite. She began to move to the rhythm of the sultry sounds. Sabrin was so turned on from the events of the evening he was sure he was going to explode.

He still had his robe on and he considered removing it so she would see just how serious he was about having her, but he rejected the idea, relegating it to a fall back plan. He got to his feet slowly, like a lion stalking his prey. He prowled closer to her, coming up from behind her as she was swaying her sexy hips in time to the music. He grabbed her so suddenly, she gasped. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her up against his body. He began to kiss her and nibble her neck and shoulders. The perfume she had put on was weaving a lusty spell around him. Her scent, her taste, the sight of her body draped lightly in this sexy chemise. It was too much for him. Sabrin pulled the robe from his body, letting it fall to the floor. He pulled her against his throbbing erection, grinding it into her back. He could not help but moan with his desire.

Lyssa unwrapped Sabrin’s arm from her waist and moved away from him slightly.

"Not yet," she whispered. She took his hand and led him back to the area in front of the fireplace. She lay down on the carpet and raised her hand up for his.

"Now it's time," she smiled.

Sabrin dropped to the floor next to Lyssa and slid Lyssa's g-string off.

"God woman, you make me crazy." Sabrin threw the g-string away. He penetrated her quickly after that. The expression on his face mimicked that of a drug addict receiving a long awaited fix. He sighed as soon as his full length was within her. His mouth was hungry to kiss her - all of her. She wrapped her arms around him and almost at once, her fingernails were digging into his back.

Sabrin buried his face into her neck, thrusting into her like a man possessed. The sounds he was making were deep and guttural. But Lyssa too seemed to be entering a mating frenzy of her own.

Her moans were becoming louder as her body reacted to each thrust. It did not take long before she quaked from the ecstasy she felt. Her back arched, pressing her breasts firmly against his chest. She felt the orgasm go through her like flood waters overflowing their banks. He continued to thrust deep inside her. She climaxed a second time before Sabrin came. She grabbed his face and kissed him madly.

His tongue thrust so deeply into her mouth, she felt as though he was fucking her mouth with it. He had come, but did not seem through with her. He kept up his thrusts. He had not lost his erection or his enthusiasm. She began to grind her lower body to his. She was already nearing another climax and Sabrin seemed bound and determined to follow quickly behind her.

Her moans were becoming so loud she was sure the entire floor knew what they were doing. As she climaxed yet again her fingernails dug even deeper into his back but he felt no pain from it, as his body was too overcome with pleasure. He called out as he came inside her once again.

When they finally relaxed and Lyssa's hands came away from Sabrin’s back, her nails showed traces of blood.

"Oh my God! Sabrin, I scratched you! I'm so sorry! I was just- I just- "

Sabrin let out a loud laugh. He sounded like he did not have a care in the world but was also exhausted.

"My love, that was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced. Forget about the scratches. You are the most incredible lover. That was incredible."

She found herself laughing.

"You just said incredible three times," she teased him.

"You expect me to think straight after THAT? God in heaven, it was incredible!"

He kissed Lyssa while moving beside her. They lay on the floor kissing and touching each other with gentle caresses. The warmth from the fireplace was nothing compared to the heat still emanating from them.

Lyssa stared into the fireplace. "I love fireplaces. There is something so sexy and romantic about making love in front of a fireplace," Lyssa sighed.

"I'll make sure that I find a place with a fireplace while I'm here doing the play," he said as he stroked her cheek.

"I take it you intend to be flying me out here for a few of the weekends during that time?" she asked, moving to rest her head on his chest.

"A few? How about all?" he exclaimed, softly.

"Sabrin, be serious. You can't expect me to believe that Niki is going to leave you alone here for that length of time."

The feel of Sabrin’s whole body changed. He was not tense, exactly, but he was less relaxed.

"No," he finally admitted in a very small voice. Lyssa lifted up so she could look him in the eye.

"We've decided this isn't over. But we both know the score. Talk to me when you can, but don't take any unnecessary risks. We will see each other again, right?"

He nodded. "Right. I can promise that-"

"Shhhh, I'm not asking for any promises.”

"I know you're not," he whispered and then gently kissed her cheek. They held each other silently for a few moments before Sabrin spoke again. "I wish I could stop time and lie here with you forever. I love you, Lyssa."

"I love you too, Sabrin."

The contentment he felt earlier returned. She had admitted earlier she was in love with him but this was the first time he had heard her say the words and it felt great.

"Lyssa, I’m going to miss you when we separate again," he told her.

“Tomorrow afternoon. Back to the real world Monday," she mused, sounding almost forlorn.

He sighed. It was sneaking up on him again, but he was not going to let this joy go easily. The lovemaking had been breathtakingly wonderful and the long awaited words flowing from her beautiful lips were enough to make his heart sing.

It also gave him an idea. Giving her a squeeze, he took a deep breath and began to sing "Close To Me."

"Again! I shouldn't have told you what your singing does to me," she laughed. As Sabrin was serenading Lyssa, she teased him by putting her hands over her ears. Sabrin moved them away and continued the song. Lyssa stood up and started walking to the bedroom. Sabrin followed behind her and scooped her up in his arms just before they reached the door. He carried her to the bed and lay her down in the middle of it. He climbed on top of her, the whole time he did not miss a beat in the song.

"I may have to hurt you if you don't stop," she shouted, still trying to block out the sound of his voice.

Sabrin just took hold of her wrists and pulled her hands from her ears. She grimaced at him and closed her eyes as though that would help.

"I am not listening to you," she said, above his singing.

"You have...owwwww, kisses sweeter than wine," he told her.

"Oh no! Don't you dare sing that one. Don't you dare," she warned, coming partially up from the bed but, as he was straddling her, she could not raise up far.

Sabrin grinned and began to sing just that song. She let out a groan of frustration and threw herself back down on the bed. Sabrin just grinned and leaned down to kiss her between lines.

By the time Sabrin had finished singing the last song the only sounds coming from Lyssa were her moans. Sabrin’s kisses moved slowly from her lips, down her neck until he reached her breasts.

"You can't possible want to make love again," she scolded him and then moaned again.

"Somebody does." He moved to press that ‘somebody’ more firmly against her.

Lyssa had her eyes closed, but her hand moved. Reaching down she found and began to fondle his erection, lovingly. Now it was Sabrin’s turn to moan with desire.

Lyssa stroked Sabrin’s erection while they kissed. She gently rubbed the head of Sabrin’s penis against her clit before guiding him into her. She gasped as he began to thrust.

He was moaning as he thrust deeply. He could not get enough of being inside her. He was delighted he could excite her as she excited him.

She grabbed his shoulders and he could tell she was trying not to dig her nails into him again, but he would not care if she did. It never felt like pain with Lyssa. Sabrin leaned his face closer and kissed her. "I love you,” he breathed.

"I love you," she answered just before arching her back in orgasm.

He nuzzled her neck as he continued to thrust deeper and deeper. As her orgasm moved through her body she let out gasps of pleasure. She grasped on to his shoulders tighter with each gasp. His own orgasm followed shortly. The intensity was enhanced for him by her orgasm.

She had called out his name again and again as she came. Sabrin collapsed on her, spent. He did not want to withdraw from her. He loved being inside her. Just thinking about being here excited him, but the reality was unbelievably wonderful. He had no idea how he had lived without her for so long.

Reluctantly, he moved beside her, pulling her over to rest her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair. It was only moments before Lyssa pulled the blankets over both of them and they fell asleep.

Lyssa was the first to wake in the morning. The wonder of the previous night was still evident but tempered by the impending dread that this would be their last day together until...she knew they would be together again but she did not know when. When Sabrin awoke, he saw Lyssa was staring at him with a melancholy look in her face.

"What's wrong?” he asked.

"I have the end of the weekend blues," she smiled. Sabrin held Lyssa in his arms tightly.

"I got them last night. I know how you feel. I keep remembering you talking about this like it was a dream that we have to wake up from. Put me in a coma, I don't want to wake up."

She ran her hand over his chest, loving the feel of him. She inhaled his scent deeply. "No comas. You would have to be injured to be in a coma and then there would be a scene because I would be there at the hospital and Niki would not like that one little bit."

Sabrin turned his head to make eye contact. "You'd come?"

"Damn right, I'd come. Then the jig would be up and it would be all over the place what was going on, so NO COMA!"

"Okay, no coma," he smiled, flattered by her words. "But the idea of everyone knowing how much I love you does have a lot of appeal."

"Not now, Sabrin. It's enough that we know." She leaned to kiss him.

"The play doesn't start until 2:00 so we have lots of time before we have to dress," he said playfully.

"If we keep this up I'm not going to be able to walk for a week," she laughed.

"Hey, don't make me sing again," he warned.

"No, not the singing," she teased putting her hand over her ears again.

Once she could pry herself from his arms and she had caught her breath again, she went to the phone and ordered their lunch. She ordered him to the bathroom while she called. He grinned and obeyed, hoping she would not be far behind. She joined him in the shower as soon as she was ready. Sabrin kissed Lyssa as soon as she stepped into the stream of the water.

"It's hard to believe that I use to think of showers as something that should be rushed - in and out in five minutes. Now thinking of you in the shower with me produces a much different reaction," he whispered.

"I can feel that reaction now,” she said as she reached down to stroke the erection that Sabrin was already forming. They kissed long and hard before deciding to forego the soapy foreplay this time, as both were so ready for each other.

They were drying off later, and Sabrin finished first so he grabbed her and finished drying her himself.

"You only love me for the sex, don't you?" she teased, as he let the towel fall to run his hands over her body.

"I am still trying to decided that.” He pulled her against him and kissed her with growing need.

"You’ve become insatiable. We just finished-"

"We will never be finished," he interrupted her.

Laughing, she took his cheeks in her hand to bring his face to hers to kiss him.

"What am I going to do with you?" she shook her head.

"The first thing you can do with me is make love followed by a nice lunch and an afternoon play," he joked.

Lyssa laughed, "Well when you put it that way..." and she turned and ran for the bed with Sabrin following closely behind her.

It took some convincing to even get him to consider getting out of bed, but she finally did and even got him into some clothes for the first time in many hours. Sabrin seemed to turn into a nudist whenever they were together. Lunch arrived and, while he played during most of it, he did eat.

Finally, it was time to leave for the play. Their bags were packed and sitting by the door, ready for them to pick up once the play was over.

Bundled in their coats, they left the hotel hand in hand.

The theatre was far enough away that they decided to take a cab. It was a small theatre on the second floor of a historical building. The theatre sat under 300 people and it was almost a full house that afternoon. Sabrin and Lyssa found their seats. They were located twelve rows back but center stage so the view of the stage was excellent. The curtain raised twenty minutes late, which Sabrin told her, was not unusual. They stayed in their seats during the twenty-minute intermission. Sabrin had wanted to stay and talk to her so Lyssa agreed but her reasons were more on the practical side. She thought it would be better to stay in case there were people who might recognize him in the lobby area of the theatre. The play was over an hour later and both Sabrin and Lyssa had enjoyed it immensely. They waited until some of the crowd had thinned out before going outside to hail a cab to go back to the hotel.

For the short cab ride back, Lyssa rested her head on Sabrin’s shoulder. Sabrin had checked out from their suite before they left for the play. Arrangements had been made for their bags to be held until the hotel car could drive them to the airport upon their return.

This time, Lyssa’s flight was the first to board. Both checked their bags and then went to her gate to wait for her plane to board. They held each other tightly trying to not knock Sabrin’s baseball cap off in the process.

The announcement came on the speakers for passengers who needed to pre-board on Lyssa's flight. Sabrin kissed her gently on the lips.

"I love you, Lyssa. God, I miss you already. I'll call you as soon as I can," he whispered and kissed her again.

A voice came over the speakers again calling for passengers in the back rows to board.

"I love you too." The tears began to stream down Lyssa's face. Saying goodbye was even more difficult this time. They kissed again. Finally the announcement for Lyssa's section to board was made.

Sabrin held her tightly not wanting to let her go. They kissed again and then Lyssa walked towards the boarding gate. She turned to Sabrin before she went through the gate door, kissed her fingers and waved to him.

Sabrin’s shoulders sagged as soon as she was out of sight. He had to resist the incredible urge to run down and beg her to come home with him.

"Talk about National Enquirer," he mused, mournfully. He began the long walk to his own gate alone.

Very alone.

Sabrin got home very late, so he was shocked to see Niki awake when he came in the house. She even kissed him and gave him a warm hug once he had put down his bags.

“We need to talk," she told him carefully. She took his hand and led him to the living room.

~ This cannot be good, ~ Sabrin decided.

Niki was not one to beat around the bush when she wanted to give him news. He was having difficulty in reading her expression though. The combination of his longing for Lyssa and the long flight were affecting him greatly.

"Sabrin, I know we decided that we didn't want to have children but that was such a long time ago," she began.

Sabrin looked at her blankly.

"A lot has changed since then," she continued.

"Niki, what are you trying to say?" he asked almost in a panic.

"New Year's Eve was pretty incredible. We haven't gone at it like that in years and well, I think I might be pregnant."

Sabrin felt as though someone had siphoned all of the warmth out of his body. This could not be happening. He did not want children. Not now and certainly not with Niki. She was reaching over to take his hand and pull him closer, but he could not be the actor now and feign compassion. He was angry. He was not in love with this woman. He was not sure if he ever had been at this point. Sabrin Berry rose from his couch and looked down at Niki, his expression harsh.

“I’m going to bed in the guest room. Good night, Niki.”

“Sabrin, wait. Shouldn’t we talk about this?” She got to her feet and came after him.

“Bring me that little colored stick. Then we will talk.” This said, he collected his bags and left her.

Sabrin stared at the ceiling of the guest room for hours. Children had never been in his plans. Even if things had been okay with Niki, the idea of being a father at his age was not something he wanted. But things were not okay with Niki. He did not want to be with her. He wanted to be with Lyssa. ~ Lyssa! What am I going to do? I can't tell Lyssa about this or she'll end our relationship. ~ He finally fell asleep, completely exhausted.

It was almost noon when Sabrin came out of the guest room. He went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Niki was in the living room but he did not acknowledge her. She came into the kitchen after him.

"Sabrin, I don't understand. I thought you’d be happy."

"Happy!?" He sounded incredulous. "You know I don't want to have children, Niki!” ~ Especially not now! ~ “When did you do the test?"

"I haven't. I missed my period and can feel things happening to my body,” she replied.

"You drop a bombshell like this on me and you haven't done a test! Make an appointment with your doctor. When you get the results, we'll talk. Meanwhile, I'll be staying in the guest room." With that he got up from the table and headed out the door. He needed to go for a walk.

Sabrin grabbed a coat and his keys and headed for the door. Giving it a second thought, he grabbed his cell phone. He was a block from his house before he was calm enough to dial up Paul.

“Fate or Murphy has it in for you, my friend,” Paul commented once he had been brought up to date.

“You could say that. I can’t believe it. Niki knows how unhappy I am. I wouldn’t put it past her to have planned this to keep me. But then she’s never wanted kids before. She always seemed to find the idea of motherhood distasteful.”

“How do you find it?” Paul asked.

“Poorly timed. I want out. I don’t want her more deeply entrenched.”

“Why don’t we get together Tuesday, Sabrin. We can have dinner, a few beers and talk. Did you ever find your mysterious lady friend?”

“I was with her all weekend,” Sabrin admitted.

"I see. It looks like we'll have a lot to talk about tomorrow. I'll meet you at the Elephant & Castle then at 7:00 unless...I could cancel this dinner and meet you now," Paul offered.

"Tomorrow's fine. I'll be okay," Sabrin replied. The two friends hung up and Sabrin continued his walk. Lyssa, he needed to talk to Lyssa. He hoped he would not fall apart while talking to her.

There was no way he was going to say what was happening with Niki, at least not until they knew something for sure. He dialed her number but got her voicemail. ~ Damn time difference. It's only mid-afternoon there. She'll still be a work. ~ He left Lyssa a message saying he would try to call back that evening.

Lyssa was distracted all day. She had checks to print, get signed and mail out. She had checks to deposit too. Money in, money out. She tried to focus on what she was doing, but a certain man’s handsome face kept invading her thoughts. During lunch she gave in to temptation, googling his name to pull up some pictures of him. This was great until she came across some pictures of Sabrin with Niki. He was smiling and had his arm around her waist. Lyssa felt her stomach turn to ice. Was this a huge mistake? Was he happy with this woman and Lyssa was invading where she did not belong?

Lyssa’s drive home was long and lonely. The fact Lyssa’s voicemail indicated she had messages was not surprising. Sonny was desperate for an update on her weekend with Sabrin. Listening to her messages using her phone’s speaker, Lyssa laughed as he went on and on about “did he do this or that?” She was grinning brightly when she hit the number pad to listen to the second message.

“Lyssa? Sorry, I forgot you’d be a work. Life of an actor, I forget about 9-5. I miss you. I’ll call you tonight, okay?” There was a click and that was all. Lyssa tapped the necessary number pads on her phone to listen to that one again. Sabrin sounded off. There was something wrong.

Lyssa tried to follow her normal evening routine however her mind kept coming back to the message Sabrin left. Each time the phone rang she would jump and run to the phone. So far her mother, her friend Anna and some telemarketer had called. She got them off the phone as quickly as possible and continued to wait for Sabrin’s call. She made herself a light dinner and ate as much as she could but her stomach was churning. The evening seemed to be dragging on forever so she finally decided to get ready for bed. Lyssa had just lain down with a book when the phone rang. She grabbed the receiver off the phone next to her bed.

"Hello?"

"Lyssa, it's so good to hear your voice. I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier but I was just able to get out of the house. I miss you."

“I miss you too. What’s going on? Are you okay?” Lyssa could not keep the worry out of her voice. He sounded breathless and out of sorts.

“I-I just miss you. Terribly.”

“There’s more to it than that. What’s wrong?” She was not convinced at all and Sabrin was beginning to panic. He could not tell her. She would end it. He knew she would. He needed her too much to lose.

“I just wish you were here. I wanted to see you so badly before we finally got together. I think it’s just coming back to me how hard it is to believe that I found you. Don’t leave me forever again. Please.” He spoke so softly and slowly. A hint of his Arizona accent could be heard in his voice. Lyssa had only noticed this one other time. When he had been begging her to tell him her name before.

"I won't leave you. Sabrin, I love you. There's something more than missing me to this, isn't there."

Sabrin was silent.

"When you're ready to tell me, I'll be here to listen. Okay?"

"Okay. Lyssa, I love you. Always remember that I love you."

Lyssa was still worried about Sabrin but decided not to push him.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"I've gone for a walk. I needed to get out of the house. Get some air."

“Does she know?” Lyssa could not stop the words. They just tumbled out of her mouth.

“No, I don’t think so. I didn’t want to worry you, Lyssa. I just needed to hear your voice. Make sure you were safe. What are you wearing?” He wanted to change the subject.

“Wearing?” His abrupt left turn threw her off. She looked down at her flannel pajamas and tried not to laugh. “I’m wearing a purple silk nightgown that is backless and slits up the left side all the way to my upper thigh.” She lied.

“Have you ever been a phone sex operator? You could do it. Just that and I’m getting hard.”

"Oh my! You are insatiable."

"Only for you, my love, only for you. Where are you in your condo?"

She did not have to lie this time. "I'm lying on my bed. The silk sheets are so soft against my skin."

"Go on," he urged.

"Sabrin, I can't. What if someone sees you walking around with an erection or worse."

Sabrin had arrived back at the house and saw there were no lights on. He talked quietly to Lyssa as he headed to the guest room.

"Don't worry. I'm back in the house now. I'm alone."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm in one of the other bedrooms. The lights are out in the other bedroom and I have the door locked. I'm alone, honey - I mean, Lyssa."

Lyssa let it pass, she knew which way he meant that one. She could tell from the changes in the clarity of his voice that he was undressing as he talked to her.

She waited a few moments before asking, "Are you lying down, Sabrin. I want you to lie down and close your eyes."

How did she do that? Just the sound of her voice was making him almost crazy he wanted her so badly.

"It's so quiet and secluded on the beach. The sand is tickling my toes as we walk along the shore. The moon reflecting off the water is the only light. And the breeze...aaah the breeze feels so good in this heat. You're holding me in your arms. I can feel your desire for me in your touch and your kisses. Oooh your kisses are so hot. You want me Sabrin so badly."

"Beach?" came Sabrin’s near breathless reply.

"You can see it, can't you? Your hand is moving up my thigh. You find my panties and your need is so great, you rip them away. I gasp, but you don't even pause. I can feel you inside me. Hard and hot. We hear voices in the distance. They’re coming closer."

"We have to stop?" He sounded lost and broken hearted.

"No, I don't want you to stop. I want you buried deep inside me. I can feel you. I move with you. Pulling you deeper and deeper. The voices are louder, but we don't care. I need you. I have to feel you cum inside me. Your mouth is hard on mine. Your thrusts are faster now. The voices are even closer, but you are faster and deeper. Harder! Faster! Deeper!"

Lyssa heard him take in a deep breath and hold it.

"They can see us. They know we’re making love. But you are so near you can't stop. You’re blind with need. Cum for me, Sabrin. My lover, cum!"

Lyssa could hear Sabrin gasp. She knew that sound so well. He had cum for her.

"I love you, Lyssa."

"I know, my love, I know," she replied softly. "Get some sleep now. It will help you feel better."

"The only thing that would make me feel better is having you in my arms."

They talked for a few minutes more when Sabrin’s phone started to beep. He needed to recharge the battery of his cell. They had finished saying good night to each other just as the battery to Sabrin’s phone went dead.