Trivial Pursuits Ch 16

Dear Readers,

Welcome back for another chapter. Thanks for all the encouraging remarks and the interesting debates over the nature of these characters and this story. I feel at least semi-successful that I can get you all discussing it :) even if it isn't always glowing reviews. Anyway, so for the long wait, I hope to be a little more productive and get seventeen out to you as soon as possible.

Thanks to AlreadyTaken for her amazing support through this process. Wouldn't be the same without her. Okay, you all know the drill; feedback-positive or negative-always appreciated as well as your votes.

Enjoy!

Titania

*********

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"If life's what we make

God, we've made mistakes.

So burn this room,

I won't flinch or hesitate."

"Elephants" -We the Committee

Alessa woke up to the gentle sensation of kisses trailing down her spine. She was laying on her stomach, and though she had snuck out of the bed at some point after midnight to put her pajamas on, she now felt cool air on her back. Her eyes opened, but for a moment she could see nothing as it was still dark outside. But she could feel Denny's body moving down hers, kissing her sensually as he went.

When he reached her pajama bottoms, his fingers grasped onto the waistband and slowly pulled them down, exposing the round flesh as he went. Her breath caught when she felt his warm kisses continue over her naked butt. She was grasping the sheets in her fists, apprehension and excitement building together.

She could feel the rough stubble on his jaw as he not only kissed her, but rubbed his cheek on her smooth skin, sending prickling shivers up her spine. Denny had gotten on his knees, though he was still bent over kissing and biting her and he pulled her pants down her thighs until they were completely off. When Alessa felt him settle back on his heels and become still, she slowly ventured to turn over, at least her top half, leaving her right leg angled over her left to cover the juncture of the thighs, even in the dark.

Though she still wore the light gray tank top, her right arm covered her chest as her eyes searched for him. And then she felt his warm hands on the skin of her thighs. Resting, waiting.

"Well?" she finally asked in a voice husked by sleep and growing arousal.

"What's with the clothes?" he asked in an equally affected voice.

"I was cold."

There was silence.

"What did I tell you about lying?"

"I'm not allowed to wear pajamas?" she immediately countered, ignoring his question.

"What did I say about lying?" he repeated, unfazed by her misdirection. He waited, his fingers slowly digging into the supple flesh.

"To not lie to you." His fingers dug a little more deeply. "Or to myself," she finished. And then she felt him move her right thigh off her left, slowly spreading her legs until he kneeled between them. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she could make out his large figure above hers, kneeling all-powerful. Her breathing was drawing faster now as she waited.

"Come here," he commanded quietly, reaching a hand out to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her up and then lifted her arms when she felt him lift her tank-top off. She didn't move as she peered up into his face, resting back on her hands, her aching chest rising and falling.

Denny looked down at her figure cloaked in the darkness of the room. He could just see her illuminated by the blue light of the night filtering in through the floor-to-ceiling window. He lifted a hand and pointing a finger, traced her from the beating pulse at the side of her neck, down her sternum to the valley between her breasts. Slowly, he pushed against her, forcing her to lay back against her pillow, her hair fanning out as her hands found their way to covering her chest once more.

Denny wasn't oblivious to her attempts at hiding herself, but as she was laying quietly, almost at ease, he didn't raise an objection. Yet.

He focused on his one, lone finger, which trailed from between her breasts, down the smooth, taut planes of her stomach, dipping momentarily into her tender belly button, and then continuing on its way to her sex. Alessa bit her lip, wondering if when he touched her he would feel how turned on she had become simply from the hope that he would touch her.

For a time, Denny seemed content to idly stroke her tender and nervous skin around her pelvis. The maddening touches were beginning to work, making her hips restless as they periodically jerked against him.

"You know," he spoke darkly, his eyes now trained on the hand teasing her, "I've dreamt of something since you first walked into my office."

Alessa smiled humorlessly in the black of the room. "I thought you got to do that a few hours ago," she quipped.

He chuckled. "Well, yes, that was one dream come true." He shifted his legs back, drawing his body to lay on his stomach between her legs. As he neared, she could feel the tickle of his warm breath on her exposed skin, making it jump in anticipation.

"What are you doing?" she questioned quietly, the wariness in her voice carrying to him through the darkness.

"Like I said, I've dreamt about this since we met in my office." The one finger that had been harassing her sensitive skin was now joined by another, and together they skimmed possessively down her slit, widened the distance between her wet folds as they went until they were exposing her delicate, pink flesh hidden underneath. He felt her shift beneath him, her thighs, which held up his forearms, straining as if to twist away from him.

But he knew she wouldn't leave, knew she wanted every ounce of pleasure he wanted to give. He could smell the headiness of her arousal as he neared, the musky, tangy sweetness that was common to all women and unique to her alone.

He seemed to burrow down, adjusting her thighs so they spread even more and rested against his shoulders. She felt him wrap his arms under her thighs until his hands came back around to touch her where she ached most.

Alessa waited with her lip between her teeth, knowing what was to come, having written about it profusely, but never having experienced. She wondered if he could smell her, if it was disgusting. She wondered if he could see her, see the weird folds that had never been attractive to her, and yet strangely held such beautiful erotic power.

And then her wondering was over as the tip of his tongue caressed the straining bud of her sex. Alessa took in a sharp breath and froze, her tense body waiting for the following pleasure as his mouth discovered her tender body. It was almost like a tickle, she thought, slowly relaxing as his gentle, exploring tongue licked her, but then it began to change as Denny's first tentative touches broadened, growing in confidence and ardor. She began to feel a burn, could feel it spread painfully up her neck and over her cheeks. Without conscious thought, she began moving her hips in concert with his pleasing mouth, grinding against him even as his fingers began to probe her.

Denny worked tirelessly to make love to her with his mouth, savoring the rich flavor and silky texture. He felt a tangible pleasure at each of her helpless whimpers of surrender, and moaned into her ever-growing sensitive folds. He slowly began to touch her with his fingers as his seeking lips and tongue licked and suckled and nipped every inch of her sex. He alternated between pinching and stroking the folds on either side before venturing into her slick and heated depths, taking his time to gently reenter her, assuming there would be some amount of residual pain.

His efforts were greatly rewarded when she let a breathy moan and mindlessly began threading her fingers through his hair, scoring her nails against his scalp. A delicious wave shivered down his spine and he growled into her delicate body.

Alessa was drowning in the gradually-building pleasure, sinking below the surface of reason as she allowed his talented mouth and deft fingers to stoke a burning, aching wonderment inside of her. Denny finally began focusing on the area just inside her vagina as his mouth latched onto her nub, his tongue thrashing it between bouts of intense suckling.

"Oh, Denny," she gasped, feeling pleasure wrap itself around her like a weight to pull her off a cliff. She said his name over and over, her fingers no longer a pleasure as she grasped his dark tresses tightly. She felt her orgasm build, and then, shouting his name, her body tensed and her inner walls clenched down on his fingers.

Denny didn't stop his voracious devouring of her tender flesh as he was endlessly turned on by the rhythmic ripplings of her silky walls. Alessa was breathing harshly when she finally released his hair before resuming stroking her fingers through it.

"Denny, that was..." she attempted to praise him in between gasps of rough air, but couldn't quite seem to find words to describe how she felt.

Denny crawled up her body, kissing her slightly damp skin as he went until her reached her face and fluttered kisses across her panting mouth. It didn't take long for Alessa to respond to the new weight of his body settled over hers and the tempting lips caressing hers. When Denny's tongue slid inside, she moaned against the altered flavor of him, instantly recognizing that the musky tang must have been from her own body.

Alessa, now alive in the glow of post-climax bliss, was undulating her body against his hard one, kissing him with languid strokes of her tongue. It wasn't long before she realized that Denny was very hard, and as they had shifted and moved, his erection was once again rubbing against her groin. He had made no mention of it, or even attempted to enter her. But with a fluttering of her heart, another ache deep inside, Alessa wanted to try again.

The sex they'd had however many hours before had fulfilled her dreams and relieved her fears, at least, released them in her mind. But she wondered if the surge of awkwardness and alienation would materialize again, no matter how unbidden and unwanted.

"Sweetheart," Denny growled when he felt her hand grab ahold of his hardened shaft and begin to angle herself. "What are you doing?" His face was buried in the crook of her neck as the intense pleasure that made him want to thrust his hips forward rushed up his spine.

"I thought that was obvious," she answered, her folds stretching to accommodate him. Denny was a stone above her, hard and unmoving. But he wasn't stopping her either, Alessa noted with a cocky smile. Biting her lip, she continued to move her hips gently back and forth, sliding farther down his thick length.

When he was in as deep as she could manage, the two stayed still, only the sounds of their harsh breathing filling the quiet, dark room. Several long moments passed before Denny brought himself up on his elbow, looking down for her face.

"Well?" he asked, knowing her thoughts.

Alessa swallowed, sifting the cacophony of emotions swirling inside her head and her heart. "It's okay," she began tentatively, feeling that panic rise, but not far, not real enough to be a threat to the pleasure coursing through her blood. She turned her head to run her lips over the bicep of the arm that kept him propped up. After placing a few kisses there, she turned her face back towards him. "Well?" she asked. "Aren't you going to do something?"

Denny leant down to kiss her, relief that she wasn't going to break down again relaxing the knots in his stomach. "And just what did you have in mind? Maybe this?" he asked, his mouth leaving hers to nibble alongside her neck. "Or this," he queried as his right hand found her breast and played with it. "Or, maybe it was this?" he questioned as he withdrew and thrust hard into her.

Alessa's breath hitched, and then she moaned on a slow, tortured exhale, "That."

He returned to kissing her. "Hm, I think I can give you

that

," he mused, ramming hard into her again.

"Yes, definitely

that

. Always that." And then there were no more words exchanged as Denny began to give her that, over and over until she convulsed almost painfully in his arms. After his own release, Alessa came to with her hands on either side of her head, his fingers laced through them and his mouth slowly kissing her.

As he rolled them over so he could spoon her, the fingers of one of their hands still interlocked, Denny yawned, "I think

that

was exactly what we needed."

Alessa smiled, feeling his lips on her neck before she knew no more.

Denny was the first to stir when the morning sun filtered into the room. He watched her only a moment, temporarily mesmerized by the serenity of her features as she slept unaware. Smiling, he kissed her bare shoulder, happy that she hadn't woken to yet again put on her pajamas. He slipped from the bed, donning a robe as he headed into the kitchen for coffee.

He was scrolling through the Sunday paper on his e-reader when a sleepy-eyed Alessa emerged from the hallway.

He smiled in greeting. "Morning, Sweetheart," and then he noticed, not only had she put her clothing back on, but had also covered up with a sweatshirt.

She smiled shyly, glancing at him then looking around. "Morning," she answered.

Denny stood and walked to her. He pinched the loose material of the sweatshirt and drew her near. She looked up, and he took note of the blush on her cheeks. He kissed her gently. "Coffee? Breakfast?"

She pursed her lips in thought. "Okay, sure." He kissed her quickly under the ear and then turned for the kitchen.

"What would you like?" he asked conversationally as they entered.

"Oatmeal."

He turned to look at her with an incredulous expression. "You ate that yesterday," he pointed out.

"What can I say? It's healthy and I like it," she defended.

"Hm...omelet, too?"

She nodded. "That sounds good. You do make pretty tasty omelets, after all," she conceded with a smile.

He had a cocky-half grin. "Why, thank you, my dear." While Denny set about preparing the egg dish, Alessa began the oatmeal, recalling where all the necessary items were stowed. Before long, the two were sitting outside on the balcony, drinking coffee and eating.

"Did you have any plans for today?" Denny asked.

Alessa looked up from her ham and cheese omelet. "Actually, I was thinking I would like to go home this morning."

"Oh," he replied. He was quiet a moment. "Any particular reason?" he prodded quietly.

Alessa looked down in her coffee. She seemed to be uncomfortable until she finally looked up. She gave a simple shrug. "I just need some quiet time to regroup and prepare for the week. I should call my mom, call my sister. I need to do laundry. You know, I just need time to myself."

Denny studied her a minute, before responding. "Of course. I can drive you home whenever you'd like," he offered, understanding the weekend thus far had been extremely taxing on her, even if rewarding.

"Thanks," she replied simply, her eyes darting to her oatmeal and spooning a bite into her mouth.

The rest of the day was uneventful for her after she returned home. She stood under the warm spray of the shower, the memory of Denny kissing her good bye from his car circling in her mind. He had wanted to walk her to her door, but Alessa declined, stating it was ridiculous for him to get out only to climb a flight of stairs. When she had turned to open the door, he stopped her with a warm hand on hers. And when she turned back, he cupped her cheek and kissed her.

Just when she had begun to feel normal again, his mouth lit her up, making her stomach fly like a soaring kite in too strong a wind. She instantly opened her mouth to his and the kiss he gave her made her wish she had invited him in. When he allowed her to pull away, she moved slowly, reluctantly, but ever forward to her own place.

She spent the day meticulously cleaning every inch of her apartment before turning her mind to the two cases she had brought with her as a distraction from Denny. For the most part, the hard work was done, but she found herself rereading one of the contracts she had drafted, searching for any loopholes, any chinks in the armor. At six she went for a run, and by ten she was in bed, but suddenly so far from sleep.

Alessa raced to her desk the following morning, cursing herself and her obsession with Denny. It was her uncontrolled thoughts about him the night before that kept her awake until nearly three. And when her alarm went off at six, she had somehow failed to wake up. It was well after eight when she sat down and pulled up her work load for the day.

Despite the recurring images of Denny's body thrusting atop hers or the erotic sounds of his sexy moans that frequently flashed through her mind, Alessa was able to find a rhythm with her work and had made a sizable dent in the tasks assigned to her when a familiar voice broke her concentration.

"You're going to sweat blood if you work any harder."

She looked up in surprise to see Hyun-Joong Park. She smiled and leaned back in her chair with a chuckle. "That would never happen," she replied confidently.

He lifted an eyebrow in question.

"I couldn't possibly risk ruining this shirt," she replied, gesturing to the cream-colored silk blouse. He broke out into an honest laugh at that. "What brings you here?" she asked, turning her head to look in the direction of Denny's office. Though she knew he couldn't see her from there, she felt as if she was about to get caught doing something she shouldn't.

Hyun-Joong didn't miss the action, but chose not to comment. "Actually, Denny has some suggestions for that proposal I brought by a few weeks ago. He wanted to discuss it."

Alessa gave an understanding nod, the mention of her boyfriend dampening her playful attitude. She had begun to view Hyun-Joong as a friend and had the vague feeling that he should know she was dating someone and that the someone was his friend. But the notion was overridden by her preference for privacy and the doubtless awkwardness that such an admission would cause, and so she just smiled and wished him luck.

She could tell he had something more to say as he paused before leaving. "Hey, I was hoping since I wasn't fortunate enough to win the bid at the party," he began, causing her to blush, "that I could take you to lunch." When he saw her surprise and following hesitation he quickly clarified, "no obligations. Just as friends."

She was about to refuse when she rebelled against the mild guilt she felt. Hyun-Joong was her friend; why should she feel guilty for spending time with him? "Sure, that'd be nice. I did bring my lunch, though."

He chuckled. "Okay, then that coffee shop again?" When she agreed, he said he would come back for her when he was finished with Denny. At one-thirty, he appeared as promised, and together the two headed out to lunch, Alessa looking over her should just in time to see Denny appear around the corner, his dark eyes trained on the two of them.

A knot began forming in her stomach, and despite Hyun-Joong's attempt to lighten her mood, she couldn't quite seem to find the carefree mirth required to enjoy his company. Eventually, when she had finished the last of her salad, he broached the topic.

"Are you okay? You seem...down."

Her eyes flittered up to his. She forced a smile and began to shake her head to deny anything was bothering her, but then stopped, admitting she couldn't lie to him. She couldn't lie to herself. "I feel a little guilty," she confessed.

His eyebrow shot up at that with a confused frown. "Why?"

She sighed and looked out the window, the top of her office building just visible from where she sat. "I'm dating someone, and I guess, knowing your interest in me...my interest in you...I feel guilty being with you."