The Bedtime Tales of Be287m

Friends and Benefits, Chapter Twenty

As my flight touched down in Tucson, my thoughts turned to Tina.  We’d talked several times during the holidays, but beyond that, she’d been far from my mind.  Now, as I landed, she flooded my thoughts.  I realized I missed her.

I pondered that.  ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ didn’t quite fit.  It was more like I had a life in Tucson, which Tina was a key part of, and I had a life in Colorado, that involved the weird ‘friends helping each other out’ dance with Sharon.

As the plane rolled toward the terminal, I realized my Tucson life wasn’t so bad.  Tina’d be thrilled to see me as soon as she got back in town.  And that she’d want me.  In her arms, and in her bed.

In her bed.  I was definitely looking forward to that.  Just a few more days and she’d be back from her parents'.  That’d give me some time to put together some cover letters and mail some more resumés.  It’d be nice to have that off my mind, at least for a little while.

Of course, I couldn’t really.  As much as I didn’t want to think about the job search at all, I was leaving, as soon as I could.  I’d keep applying for jobs in Colorado, but I had to be realistic about my chances.  I also had to open it up and accept the possibility of living elsewhere.

Was I willing to look in Tucson, too?  I suppose I had to, since any job was better than no job.  Except I hated so much about Tucson.  I hated the heat.  I hated the dearth of fine dining.  I had too may scars and bad memories of my academic failures and my failures with Alicia.  The only thing Tucson had going for it was Tina.

And Tina was committed to Arizona.  Not only did she have years of school left, being so young, but she was too tied to her family.  I was sure she wouldn’t leave them.

No, the relationship was certainly going to end when I moved.  At least, knowing that, I could avoid getting too attached.  I could avoid any heartbreak like I’d had with Alicia.  For me or for Tina.

* * *

Sherri snorted.

“Yeah,” I said.  “It was a stupid thing to think.”

“You bet it was.”

“If I knew then what I know now….”

“What would you do?”

“Well, for one, I would have talked about possibly taking more pictures of Sharon before the Christmas break instead of after.  Tina was not happy….”

* * *

I thought about the pictures when I unpacked.  After some serious dithering about whether to keep them or pitch them, I ended up sticking them with the others.  The right thing to do was confess to Tina and take my lumps.  After all, she might not be upset.

That didn’t stop me from postponing the conversation.  When she returned to Tucson a couple of days later, she came over almost immediately.  We embraced deeply and quickly found ourselves in bed.  Like our last reunion, she seemed insatiable.  Much later, lying in bed, she mentioned taking an erotic shower together and the memories of Sharon under the spray came flooding back.

“Err,” I began, “speaking of showers.  When I gave Sharon the poster, well, we were both a little drunk.  We started talking about how it looked better than her shower and, well, things got a little out of hand.  She ended up handing me the camera and posing for more pictures under the shower.”

“What?”  Tina’s body went stiff beside me.

“We ended up doing another photo shoot.  Kind of like we did last year.”

“Oh.”  Ice dripped from her voice.

“I’m sorry,” I said.  “I should have probably talked to you beforehand, but I didn’t think it was going to happen.”

Tina turned her face away.  Her body was still tense. 

“We were drunk.”

She still didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry.”

Still no response.

I started to panic.  Now my own body was tense and my heart pounded.

“I said I’m sorry,” I repeated.  “We didn’t touch, or anything.  I knew you didn’t want that, but I thought that the pictures wouldn’t be too bad.  At least not from what you said in Albuquerque.  And we didn’t touch.”

Tina sighed, turned and looked at me.

“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” I blurted.

“You didn’t touch?” she asked.

I vehemently shook my head.  “No.  Not ever.  In fact, Sharon doesn’t want us to touch.”

She slowly nodded.  Then she paused.

“I want to see the pictures,” she said.

I couldn’t tell the tone in her voice, but I bounded up.  Moments later, I returned with the prints.  Tina sat up as I placed the stacks on the bed in front of her.

“Those are the older ones,” I said, pointing to one stack.  “They’re roughly in order from best to worst.  “Those,” I pointed to the other stack, “are the ones we took this break.”

Tina slowly thumbed through them, her eyes carefully passing over each one, studying it.  Then she moved it to the side and picked up the next one in the stack.  She didn’t say a word until she’d gone through all the photos.  Then she sat back, staring down at the collective piles.

“Why haven’t you asked me to pose?” she asked.

“Uh….”  This was not the reaction I’d expected.  “Because I didn’t think of it.  I never actually asked Sharon to pose, though.  It was her idea or it just kinda came up.  I never asked.  And as far as asking you….”  I realized there was only one possible response.

“I would love for you to pose,” I said.  “It’d be incredible to have you in front of the camera.  In fact, I’d rather have you pose than Sharon, any day.”

Tina looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

“Any day,” I repeated.  “You’re beautiful.  You’re incredibly sexy.  And it’d be hot. I’m sure we’d get better pictures than these,” I said, sweeping my hand over the pile of prints.

Tina cocked her head, still looking at me.

“Besides,” I said, “you and I can touch.  Which means instead of having to remain all distant and professional-like, we can have a lot more fun.”

“More fun?”

“Sure,” I said, my words speeding up as I continued on my roll.  “We could take racier pictures.  Or sillier.  Maybe get me in some of them.  Maybe get really naughty.”  I waggled my eyebrows, which invoked a smile from Tina.

“You and I have so much more,” I said, “than I could ever have with Sharon.  Don’t you think it would come across in the pictures?”

Tina hesitated and then nodded.

“Look,” I said, “I’m sorry I took the pictures with Sharon without talking to you first.  And I’m sorry I haven’t asked you to pose.  But it’d be great and you’d be great, and we should do it.”

I reached out, scooped all the pictures into a single pile, and lifted them to the nightstand.  Then I reached over and put my hand on Tina’s shoulder, turning her slightly.  When she met my eyes, I looked deep within them and continued.  “You are the sexiest, hottest woman I know, and I would love to have pictures of you, now and years into the future.”

She blushed and smiled simultaneously, looking away and then looking back.

“Into the future?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”  I wouldn’t feel guilty masturbating to pictures of Tina, so I was sure I’d love having them in years to come.

“Okay….”  Her face softened and her eyes warmed.

“Great!”  I smiled as wide as I could.  “In fact, how about if we do it next Friday night? Now that we’ve discussed it, I can’t wait!”

She nodded and then took my hand.

“You still should have told me earlier.”

“I know,” I said.  “And I’m sorry.  I’ll make it up to you however I can.”

She nodded, and then didn’t resist when I put my arm around her and hugged her.  We just held each other for a few minutes.

Finally, I cleared my throat.  “In the meantime,” I said, “we were talking about getting a shower.  I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry, and I don’t think they’ll let us in the Bluebird Café dressed like this.”

Tina looked down at our nakedness and chuckled.

“C’mon,” I said, starting to slide out of the bed and tugging on her hand, “I’ll wash your back.”

“That’s not all you’ll wash,” Tina said, her eyes dancing for the first time.

“I hope not,” I said, and waggled my eyebrows for emphasis.

In the shower, I gently soaped and caressed Tina as best I could.  As the water flowed and the soapsuds slewed off of us and circled the drain, she relaxed further and further under my fingers.  I persuaded her to let me wash her hair, massaging her scalp and neck, until she was almost limp.  Finally, as she rinsed off, she kissed me.  We slid into each other’s arms and kissed several more times before finally escaping waterlogged from the cascading spray.  By the end of dinner, things felt back to normal, and our goodnight kiss had all the heat of the past, as well as hints of things to come.

In the following week, I spent some time pondering whether to get a Polaroid or a regular camera.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to hand over nude photos to a regular developer—who knew where copies might end up?  But I also knew that I wanted better quality than I’d get with a Polaroid.

In the end, I called Sharon.

“Get a good 35mm camera,” she advised.  “You need something decent or you’re wasting your time.”

“Okay,” I said.  “but what about developing?”

“Find a photo shop that caters to the arts community.  They’re used to nudes.  They won’t blink twice.”

“I don’t know where to do that here,” I muttered.

“So send the film to me.  I’ll do it.”

“Okay.”  I had a momentary twinge, thinking about what Tina might say about Sharon developing the pictures, but then let it go.  Tina would be far more upset if someone unscrupulous made copies for themselves.

“Oh,” Sharon said, “I got the letter for Allen done.  You should see it in a few days.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to do a double envelope arrangement,” she said.  “So all you have to do is add the address to the inner one and send it on to him.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Great!”

For the rest of our conversation, I was distracted both by thoughts of cameras and the nagging feeling that I should warn Allen about the letter.  The next day, I went camera shopping and that evening I sat by the phone, pondering whether to call him.

In the end, I did.

“Dude, what’s up?” Allen asked once he’d gotten on the line.

“Mostly the usual,” I said.  “How are the wedding preparations coming?”

Allen sighed.  “Jenna’s mom is… helping.  And our small wedding has become a medium-sized wedding.”

I snorted.  “What fun.  Anything you need me to do?”

“Not much before you get here.  Then we’ll have some stuff for you to do.”

“Cool.”  I paused.  “Listen, there’s another reason I called.”

“Yeah?”

“Sharon found out you were getting married.  She asked me for your address.”

“I hope you didn’t give it to her.”

“No,” I said, “but I agreed to forward her letter to you.  You’ll get it in a couple of weeks.  I’m not sure what she’s going to put in it, but I figured it was your call on whether you read it or not.”

“Hmmm.”

“Look, if you’d rather me not send it….”

“No,” he said.  “Go ahead.  I might as well see what she has to say.”

“Thanks.”

The line fell silent for a heartbeat.

“So,” Allen asked, “how’s the job search going?”

I proceeded to catch him up on both it and my preparation for my thesis defense.  He, in turn, filled me in on more of the wedding preparations.  When we got off the phone an hour later, I couldn’t help the being amused over his soon-to-be mother-in-law’s antics.

That Friday, Tina arrived with a garment bag over one shoulder and a duffle bag in the other hand.

“What’s this?” I asked, helping her in the door.

“Clothes,” she said.  “And my make-up kit.  I want to look my best for the pictures.”

“You look fine without all that,” I said.  “You’re beautiful just in jeans and with morning bed head.”

Tina’s cheeks dimpled and her eyes sparkled.  “That’s sweet, but I still want to look my best.”

“Whatever the lady would like.”

“The lady would like to change.”  She glanced around the living room.  “Where are we going to do this?”

“The bedroom,” I said.  “I’ve cleared one wall to give us a backdrop.  And we can use the bed itself, of course.”

Tina just grinned and pushed past me into the bathroom.  “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

I wandered back into the bedroom.  I’d shifted my nightstand and dresser away from the bed, so that the wall at the head of the bed was completely bare and unobscured.  There wasn’t enough room to move the bed too, so I’d have to be careful how I framed any shots with Tina standing.  I fiddled with the camera a little and paced left and right, ostensibly to find good angle to shoot from.  After a while, I realized that Tina was taking more than a few minutes getting ready.  I sat on the bed to wait.

It was worth it.

Tina appeared in the doorway, a nervous smile on her face.  Her eyes scanned mine, and, once she saw my delight, she sighed and relaxed.  I winked and then slowly trailed my eyes down her body, conscious of her watching me as I did.

She’d found a gauzy black robe, which hung loosely from her shoulders.  It didn’t hide the black bra beneath, but teased the view instead—blurring where the lingerie ended and her skin began.  It did the same with her garter belt, turning the edges into a mélange of black and pale flesh.  Her panties seemed maddenly smaller than the ones I’d seen before, but the tails of the robe made it hard to tell.

At least her stockings were familiar—sheer and dark.  Tina stood with one leg forward, slightly bent, highlighting the smooth lines of her thighs.  I’d have to remember to get a shot like this later.   She also wore her black heels.

My smile now that of a kid in a candy store, I returned to meet her eyes.  She’d put on make-up, I realized, darkening her eyes and highlighting the blush of her cheeks.  She’d also pulled her hair into a loose pony tail, tied with a ribbon.

“Wow,” I said.  “Wow, wow, wow.”

Her eyes twinkled.  “You like?”

“Boy, do I like!”

She softly chuckled.  Then, following a mock curtsey, she slowly spun around.  My eyes darted everywhere as she did—hungry to drink up all the sight.  I realized there was more of her ass visible through the gauze than I’d expected.  A g-string, of course.

“Some of this is new,” I said, still grinning ear to ear, when she’d completed her turn.

“Marcy loaned me the robe,” she said.  “And took me shopping for the new panties.”

“Thank Marcy for me,” I said, my eyes doing another quick tour of her curves.

She laughed.  “I’ll be sure to.”

I nodded and sighed.  Our eyes met again.

“I suppose I should take some pictures.”

Tina nodded.  “Where do you want me to stand?”

I indicated the wall I’d cleared.  Tina strode over, then turned and stood facing me.

“Now what?” she asked.

I stifled a sigh.  Despite the outfit, this pose didn’t appear sexy at all.  Too clunky.  I supposed that was my job to fix, though.

“Put your foot forward, like you did by the door,” I said.  Tina complied, and the pose was much better.  I suggested she put one hand on her thigh and the took the picture.

Most of the first roll of film went the same way.  She’d strike a basic pose, and then I’d give her some directions to improve it before taking the picture.  Slowly, her poses became more fluid, probably because she was beginning to relax.  I knew that some of early ones weren’t going to be great, but I had hope for the later ones.

“How are you doing?” I asked, when I’d stopped to change the film.

“Okay,” she said.

“You look great,” I said.  “Some of these are going to be really hot.”

Tina smiled.  “Thanks.  I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

I nodded.  “Are you ready to try some nudes and semi-nudes?”

Tina took a deep breath and then nodded.  “How do you want to start?”

“Let’s have you take the robe off, slowly.  Maybe roll it off your shoulders?”

“Facing which way?”

“Let’s try a couple of different ways.”

The first shots, with Tina’s back turned, were pretty good—the gauzy fabric sliding slowly past her shoulder blades, while she gazed back at the camera.  But the side shots were even better.  Since the robe bottom overlapped the tops of her stockings, her side was a solid swath of black from toe to the newly bared flesh.

I paused.  “Can you do smoldering?” I asked.

“Like this?” she asked, promptly narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips.  Her expression was sexier, but still a tad cold.

“Try thinking of sex,” I said.  “Think about how I’m going to throw you on the bed and ravish you when we’re done.”

Tina smirked, but then returned to her harder look.  Except now there was a little fire in her eyes.  I took the picture.  I got several more good shots before the robe fluttered to the floor.

Tina bent and picked the robe up, tossing it on the bed.  Then she faced me, smiling, and wrapped her arms around her waist.  Then she slowly and smoothly raised them up to her shoulders, crossing them across her breasts.

“That was nice,” I said after I’d taken the picture.  “You’re getting the hang of it.”

Tina’s face beamed.  She turned slightly and struck a pose straight out of Vogue, her hands sweeping her hair up and back away from her body.  I managed to avoid shaking the camera too much with my chuckles.

“Ready to remove the bra?” I asked.

Tina took a deep breath and nodded.  She reached for the clasp.

“Wait,” I said.  “let’s make this sexy.  Face the wall and look back at me over your shoulder.”

Tina did so, and her gaze smoldered once again.  She reached up and slowly unhooked her bra, then dropped her hands, sliding the straps off her shoulders and letting it drop.  I snapped away as she crossed her arms across her chest and slowly turned around.  Her eyes flashed wide for just a moment, almost nervous.  I pulled up from the viewfinder and smiled at her, as reassuring as I could.  With another breath, she relaxed and dropped her arms.

I’d seen Tina’s breasts so many times over the past year that seeing them again brought nothing new.  Except a raging erection and a pounding pulse as I looked through the viewfinder.  She was absolutely beautiful, I realized all over again.

“Now what?” she asked.

I realized I’d stopped taking pictures and was just looking at her.  I quickly glanced at the exposure count—we had only about six left.  I sighed.

“We’re almost out of film,” I said.  “I’d like to get one of you from behind in that g-string.”

Tina smiled and slowly pirouetted.  I got two good pictures of her ass as she turned.  When she faced me again.  I stood up for a moment and stretched the cramps out of my legs.

I grinned and waggled my eyebrows.  “Can I talk you out of your panties?” I asked, a mock leer in my tone.  I licked my lips for emphasis.

Tina laughed, her eyes on my mouth.  “If that’s what you’re offering….”  She hooked her thumbs under the strings at her hips.  Slowly, she peeled it past her hips, exposing her dark hair inch by inch.  Then, it bunched into a band, almost a tangle that began sliding more than rolling, until it stopped halfway down her thigh.  It perfectly framed her womanly charms.  I dropped to one knee for the direct shot.  Tina sensed my intent and moved her hands out of the way.

I stood back up.  “I was right,” I said, “you are the sexiest woman alive.”

Tina couldn’t decide whether to blush or just grin.

“Seriously,” I said.  “We should have done this earlier.  I can’t believe we didn’t.  You are so hot and so beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like.”

“Well,” I said, “I’d like one more of you stretched out at the bed.  And then…,” I raised my eyebrows again, “it’s time to pay my model.”

“Mmmm.”

Tina slid onto the bed, shifting some pillows so she could lay propped against them.  She leaned back on her elbows and bent one knee.  I moved to the foot of the bed and knelt down.  Her thighs framed the shot of her smiling face.  After the click, I set the camera aside and slid forward.

“Ready?” I asked, lifting her legs over my shoulders.

“Mmm hmm,” she said.

As I touched her sex with my tongue, I knew she really was ready.  She was already soaked and the scent of her arousal filled my nose.  I licked tentatively, and she shuddered.  I licked harder and she groaned.  I found her engorged clit and gently sucked it.  She moaned louder.

I decided not to tease her.  I slid one finger inside her, stroking her lightly as I licked her clit.  I repeated the strokes again and again, not letting up as her moans increased.  In a few minutes, Tina let out a shriek and bucked against me, going stiff.  She collapsed back on the pillows, panting heavily.

I sat back on my haunches, smiling at her.  She loopily grinned at me through half-lidded eyes.  Impulsively, I reached forward and ran my finger lightly up her lower lips.  She shuddered and closed her eyes.  I found her clit and stroked it lightly, applying just enough pressure to make her whimper.  I speeded up, moving in small circles as well as up and down, and she squirmed her hips.  Her breathing became shallow and I realized I could probably make her come again.

That’s when the devilish thought hit me.  Doing my best to not pull my finger back, I slowly reached for the camera with my other hand.  I fumbled with it, bringing it up, but didn’t drop it.  There was indeed one exposure left.  I checked the view—close enough to focused to take my chances.

Returning my attention to Tina, I increased the speed with which I was stroking her clit.  Her gasps increased, and I realized they’d been steadily increasing the entire time.  I shifted around so that I was beside her, ignoring her groan of frustration when I temporarily broke contact.  The new angle let me turn my hand up, so that I could slide my index finger inside her and rest my thumb against her clit.

The new angle was enough.  As I moved my fingers in small circles, Tina’s gasps turned to moans and she began to tremble.  I held the camera up and ready.  When she exploded, I quickly aimed it at her face and took the picture.

Then, as Tina slowly collapsed, I set the camera aside and shucked my own clothes.  We cuddled together until she’d revived enough for me to roll on top of her and have my own reward.

* * *

“So how’d the picture come out?” Sherri asked.

“Blurry,” I said with a sheepish smile.  “Tina wasn’t real thrilled that I’d taken it, but she didn’t give me too much grief for it.  Particularly since she looked really good in some of the others.”

“Which ones?”

“The ones where she’d really relaxed.  Like the one with her arms across her bare breasts.”

Sherri nodded.  “Did you do it again?”

“Take pictures?” I asked.  “Only once, and not for a while.  We never quite got around to it.  A lot happened first….”

* * *

The early spring flew by.  My thesis defense went well, with fewer hiccups than I’d expected.  One committee member wanted me to rerun some data to check for statistical correlations, but it turned out to be easier to do than I’d expected.  By March I was done, except for that pesky task of finding a job.  My advisor said he’d fund me until May, but we both knew it was make-work and I’d be cut off then no matter what.

Fortunately, he did offer to help my job search by making a few calls.  I continued to send our resumés and make follow-up calls.  I managed to get two interviews—one at a research institute in Southern California and one at a little company on the Florida panhandle.  Neither of them offered me a job.

I complained about it to Tina when I got the second rejection letter. 

“I thought I’d really impressed them,” I said over dinner that night.  “But apparently not.”

“I’m sure you’ll impress someone,” she said.  “You’re smart.  You work hard.”

“I couldn’t finish my Ph.D.,” I muttered.

Tina pursed her lips.  “You’ll still impress someone.  You can’t get discouraged over one rejection.”

I signed and nodded.  “You’re right.  I shouldn’t complain.”

Tina reached over and took my hand.  “It’s okay.  You can complain whenever you need to, and I’ll listen.  We’ll get through this together.”

I smiled and squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.

I didn’t complain much over the next few weeks.  With little to do, now that I’d turned in my thesis, I spent many of my afternoons at Tina’s dorm room, hanging out with her and Marcy.  When Tina wasn’t at my place, of course.  Early on, I complained about being stuck in Tucson and saw Marcy wince.  Her eyes darted to Tina, who didn’t look up from her books.  From then on, I only complained about the job search itself, letting the varied implications hang unspoken.

I enjoyed getting to know Marcy.  She generally bubbled with good-natured humor, though she had a wicked wit she could turn on in a moment’s notice.  She also had an uncanny knack for sensing when Tina and I wanted some time alone, and often made an excuse to give us those few minutes to ourselves before our next class.

I also talked to Sharon weekly.  She sympathized with me about my job search, every time I called.  Her own graduation was imminent, but she didn’t have a clue as to what she wanted to do.  We swapped war stories about dealing with Career Services on our respective campuses and interviews that seemed to go wildly awry.  She, at least, had a backup.  Her part-time job looked like it could become full time.  Not at a great salary, but at least she wasn’t going to be on the street.

“We’re going to have to celebrate big,” she said during one phone call in late April, “when we both get jobs.”

“Agreed,” I said.  “When we have money, we need to go out to the best restaurant in town.”

Sharon laughed.  “I was thinking of a big party!”

“Who says we can’t do both?”

She laughed again and agreed.  “We’ll have to really cut loose! Be a little wild!”

I liked that sentiment, even if I wisely bit my tongue.

In mid-April, my advisor’s phone calls paid off, after all.  One of the scientists he knew at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center knew of a programming job that was open.  Was I a good fit?  I was on a plane the following week.

The interview was with a government contractor and not with NASA itself.  Apparently, a bunch of little ‘beltway bandits’ made their money by providing contract labor to the various government agencies.  Everyone reassured me that it was a long contract—five years, which could be infinity.  I’d work onsite and be indistinguishable from the civil servants, except I could be fired.  At the end of the day of interviews, they offered me a job.  They apologized about the salary, but it was many times what I was making as a grad student and I accepted without a moment’s hesitation.

Sharon was thrilled for me, when I called her from D.C..  She asked more questions than I could answer, and I started taking notes about all the things I needed to ask my new employer.  The most immediate ones were about the relocation expenses.  They said they’d pay them, but I needed to know what all they covered.  Toward the end of the conversation, she joked that D.C. might not be Colorado, but at least they were paying me enough that I could come visit frequently.  I laughed and agreed.

Tina was equally excited for me when I told her about my offer upon my return to Tucson.  She made me tell the story of the entire day, from my flight’s arrival at BWI to the actual offer.  As my story stretched, we ordered pizza, and she lay on the floor, looking up at me with smiling eyes, while I recounted the questions I’d been asked by each interviewer.

“So, when do you start?” she asked, when my excitement had finally run its course, leaving me temporarily out of steam.

“June first,” I said.  “I’ll need to move the week before.  And God knows how I’m going to find an apartment there.  There’s not much time left.”

Tina’s smile faded and she nodded.  “What do you want to do before you leave?”

I sighed.  “Gawd.  I haven’t really thought about that.  More than I have time for, probably.”  I broke off, mentally running through the things I had to do to get my apartment ready to move, get my campus office packed up, close out my remaining tasks for my advisor….

“Maybe we could go to the Grand Canyon,” Tina said.  “and have a weekend away together.”

“That’s a good idea,” I said.  “I’ve been in Arizona, what, three years?  And I haven’t made it up there yet.”  I paused, and looked at Tina.  She was watching me, waiting, her eyes serious.

“Besides,” I said, “we should have one final fling before I leave.  A weekend away with just the two of us.”  I smiled as I thought of what we might do, when there were no other distractions.  “Something special.”

Tina’s eyes sparkled and she broke into a grin.  “We’ll definitely make it special.”

“I’m sure we will,” I said with a leer.

Tina leered back, and the moment was right, so I leaned in and kissed her passionately.  One kiss led to another and we ended up having sex right there on the floor—the pizza box pushed to the side and the remaining slices cooling in the late evening air.  When we were done, despite it being Thursday and both of us having early classes, we cleared the floor and pulled the air mattress down, falling asleep cuddled in each other’s arms.

When Tina and I talked later the next day, I’d lost some of my enthusiasm.

“I don’t think I can go to the Grand Canyon until the Saturday after finals,” I said.

She read my frown correctly.  “What’s wrong with that?”

“Won’t you be living back at home then?” I asked.  “I don’t think your dad is going to let you go spend the weekend in a hotel with just me.”

Tina pursed her lips and stared into space for a moment.  I could see her set her jaw.

“My father needs to recognize that I’m an adult,” she said, her voice firm and hard-edged.  “This is too important to me and he’ll just have to accept that I’m going.”

I let out a deep breath.  “You sure?”

She nodded.  “Let me deal with my dad.”

I shrugged and conceded.  The less I had to deal with him, the better.

It turned out I didn’t have to deal with him at all.  When I went to pick up Tina at her parents’ house that weekend, she was waiting on the porch alone.  She headed over before I even got the car turned off.

“Ready to go?” I asked.

She nodded.

While I was putting her bag in the trunk, I glanced around, but didn’t see anyone else.  Tina’s eyes followed mine.

“They’re all at church,” she said.  “Garage sale fundraiser.”

“Oh.”  I didn’t ask how that happy coincidence had happened.

“Let’s go,” she said as she slid into the passenger’s seat.

As we headed north out of Phoenix, we caught up on the last few days.  While I’d been busy the last few weeks getting ready to move and Tina had been swamped finishing her semester, we’d still found time to get together nearly every day.  Most of the time it was only for a few minutes, but we still stole long overnights when we could.  Those had ended on Tuesday, when Tina had headed back to Tempe after her last final.  We checked into our motel in Flagstaff in the early afternoon and then headed over to the Canyon.

We stopped by the Visitor’s Center first, and walked around the viewing area.  I snapped a couple of pictures of the cliffs and the river below.  I marveled at how far down it was.  It looked like more of a stream from this height.

“Breathtaking,” I said when Tina stood next to me.

“Uh huh.  But there’s another place you should see it.”

“Oh?”

She grinned mischievously.  “My family comes up here a lot.  We found a place off the main trails with a great view.”

“Well, let’s go!”

It took us about an hour to get to the Delgado family view.  We drove west from the Visitor’s Center for a while and then parked along the side of the road.  Then we followed a narrow footpath until, after a handful of twists and turns, we came out into a small clearing on the canyon’s rim.  Large rocks hid it from most approaches other than the one we’d taken, and another almost formed a shelf, squatting just shy of the drop-off.  Steep cliffs plummeted down into the depths of the far side and the rocks were spackled in hues of red and brown.  The Canyon twisted just enough to imply that it went on forever, just around the bend, in both directions.

“Wow,” I said, looking around.  “The view really is incredible.”

“Told you,” Tina said with a grin.

We stood, admiring the view for some time.  Tina started talking about how her family had discovered this place, and that shifted into a conversation about family vacations.  I pulled a thin blanket out of my pack and we spread it out in a small nook just back from the edge.  We slowly settled into silence, sitting side by side, looking out at the clouds and listening to the birds.  The late afternoon seemed years away from the bustle of the last few weeks.

In fact, it was far enough away that I realized I’d completely lost track of time.  A few glimmers of orange appeared in the sky, hinting about the end of the day. 

“Remember Sharon’s story about watching the sunset with her boyfriend?” Tina asked, breaking our silent reverie.

“The one where they had sex in the back of his pickup?”

“Yes.” She continued to watch the beginnings of orange glints in the clouds.

“What about it?”

She turned and shot me a mischievous smile.  “Let’s watch the sunset that way.”

I chuckled.  “You sure?”

“Yes.”  She pulled herself to her knees, and  smoothed the blanket out in front of her. Then Tina unbuttoned her shorts and started tugging them down.  She chuckled when she realized she’d have to stand to get them off.  As she did so, I shed my own.  After stepping out of her panties and tossing her shirt and bra aside, Tina sank back to her hands and knees, facing the sunset.  She leered at me over her shoulder.

“You coming?”

“Not until after you do,” I shot back, as I quickly moved behind her.

I knelt and stroked her slit lightly.  She was already wetter than I’d expected.  I slid a finger in and she moaned softly.  She pushed her hips back into me as I slowly teased her.  Then I felt her own fingers, lightly touching my hand, questing.

“Don’t tease,” she said, “the sunset’s not going to last long.”

I hunched forward and my cock head brushed her thigh and then her slit.  She grasped it and moved it slightly to one side, lining it up for me.  While she lightly held the shaft, I pushed forward, slowly sinking into her.

Tina gasped when I’d reached my full depth.  She returned to all fours, supporting most of her weight on her arms.  I held her hips and started sliding slowly in and out.  Tina arched her head up so she could watch the sunset.  My eyes followed hers.

The sky was already painted with oranges and reds of all shades.  Some shadowed clouds appeared almost purple, while the brighter sides sparkled like tangerine sugar.  Even the air seemed heavy with color, as the blues rolled and twisted among blacks and shades of grey.

“Mmmm,” Tina moaned, not looking back.  I glanced down only for a moment, enjoying the arch of her back and the way her skin shone in the fading light.  Our joining had already faded into shadow.  Amusingly, I felt no pressure to come, nor any flagging of my erection.  I continued my slow rhythm, almost pulling out of Tina completely before thrusting in again.

The sky continued to fade.  I spotted a bird circling off to the right, but almost lost it in against the clouds.  The oranges had fled the sky and only the reds, slowly turning more scarlet, remained.

Tina sighed and pushed back against me.

“What me to speed up?” I asked.

She nodded, and so I complied.  She started pushing back against me, meeting my rhythm.  With the sky now almost grey, she lowered her head and shoulders to the ground.  The new angle set shivery bolts up my cock, which only intensified when she squeezed her pussy.  I gasped and speeded up.

Surprisingly, now that we were getting serious, it didn’t take long for Tina to begin moaning and shaking.  I thrust harder, holding her hips tightly.  After a dozen strokes she gasped and went stiff.  I paused, watching the tremors of her orgasm roll through her body.  Then I started thrusting again.  She shifted her weight, changing the angle once again, sending hotter shots of pleasure through me.  In only two thrusts, the bolts turned to lightning and, with a thunderous gasp, I came.

We slowly parted, and then collapsed back onto our blanket.  Tina cuddled into my side, draping an arm and a leg across me.  We both slowly caught our breath as a light cool breeze danced across our skin.

“Wow,” I finally said.  “That was incredible.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“How many people can say they’ve had sex at the Grand Canyon?” I mused aloud.  “Much less while watching a fabulous sunset?”

Tina giggled.  “That was fun.”

“Yeah.”

“It was also so beautiful,” she said, gesturing toward where the sunset had been.  “I wish we’d been able to get a picture of it.”

“I’m not sure it would have come out,” I said.  “Sunsets never look as good on film as they do in real life.  Unless the photographer is really good, and I’m not.”

“Oh,” she said, settling deeper into my arms. I idly stroked her arm, staring out at the last rays of color as the blue-grey twilight continued to envelop us.  My fingertips accidentally brushed the side of Tina’s bare breast, reminding me that we hadn’t gotten dressed yet, and were still relying on the remoteness for our privacy.

Then inspiration struck.

“There is a picture we could take,” I said, low into Tina’s ear, “and it would definitely be memorable.”

She cocked her head slightly.

“You, nude, by the rock, looking out over the canyon.”

Tina chuckled.  She paused, and then slowly nodded her head.

“Sure,” she said.

“Great.”

We unentangled and she brushed herself off before heading over to the rock.  I found the camera and got it ready.  I paused, wondering whether I should use a flash or not, and decided to try both.  When I turned, Tina was ready.

She smiled at me and then leaned against the rock, turning slightly to the side, which accented her curves.  Then she swept her hair back beyond her shoulder, where it blew lightly in the breeze.

“Put your hand on your hip,” I said.

Tina immediately complied, while resting her other hand on the rock.  I double-checked the framing and then took a breath.  She was strikingly beautiful, standing nude against the rock.

In the low light, I wasn’t sure the picture would come out, but it didn’t matter.  The image would be burned in my memory for some time.

--Fin--

© 2006, all rights reserved.

Read the next chapter in this story: Chapter Twenty-one

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