A Little Dirty a Little Bit Salty

"Coming here wasn't my idea." She watched a girl working her way through the room, and he took the opportunity to get a closer look. Maybe coming to the party wasn't her idea, but she was playing the game well. She had a casual grasp on a wine glass he thought might hold half a bottle. The lines of her throat were long and sleek, and the thin fabric of her blouse didn't hide the way her breasts moved underneath.

"Your boyfriend's idea?"

She used her wine glass to gesture toward two girls not far away. "Barb and Peg dragged me here. They said 'All work and no play makes Ivy a dull girl.' I thought they might be right." Her eyes flicked down from his face. If not for the wine she might have been more subtle.

Sam watched her trace his jaw, his shoulders, his big hands, until her attention snapped back to his eyes. "What do you do... What's your name?" she asked.

He offered his hand. "I'm Sam Albright."

She switched her glass to her left hand and touched his. "Ivy Reynolds," she said and stopped to let Sam finish his answer.

"I'm a grad student in Civil," he said, "or I will be when the semester starts. Right now I'm on one of my dad's framing crews." He cocked his head at her. "You look familiar. Do you work in the library?"

"Did," she said. "I've cleaned enough computer screens, so for the summer I'm trying to make some money writing for a news blog."

"Is that working out?"

"Maybe. If it doesn't, then I'm back to cleaning computer screens when the semester starts." Ivy was close enough for Sam to pick up the scent of her perfume. He liked the way things were going so much that he almost forgot it was his party--partly his, anyway.

There was a squeal from the kitchen and a beer cup hit the floor. Sam looked around for Bernard and found him looking back. Bernard shook his head and pointed at Sam to say "This one's yours."

"Got work to do," Sam said, and Ivy leaned just a little closer when he touched her elbow. "I'll look for you later. Will you be here?"

"For a while," Ivy said. "Barb's driving, so it may not be up to me."

Someone must have kept Barb busy, because it was late and getting cool when Sam found Ivy under the trees in the backyard looking at him from beside a tiki torch. He picked his way through the thinning crowd while she smiled over her nearly-empty wine glass--first at the guy who was trying to keep her attention, and then at Sam.

"Good party," she said. "I didn't know it was yours."

"It's a team effort," Sam said. "It's Bernard's house. I pitched in on the keg and promised to help, and Laurie agreed to clean up. We're the three musketeers."

"That's what I heard." Ivy turned away from the guy she'd been talking to and steadied herself with a hand on Sam's arm. "I heard that, and I checked your résumé with the other girls here."

"I hope you weren't talking to Allison." Sam looked over his shoulder. "Is she still here?"

"I don't know who that is." Ivy drained the last of her wine, and Sam took her empty glass. "Everybody gets a bad review now and then," she said, and she made a little show of pulling the tie off her ponytail and shaking her hair out.

Sam watched her tie her hair back again then he tore his eyes away when the music got a little louder. "I have to keep the sound down so the neighbors don't complain. Come with me, and we'll fill your glass."

Ivy lurched after Sam and caught his arm to steady herself. "I don't think I want more wine. Maybe water."

He towed her to the living room where Bernard's TV streamed music, and then to the kitchen where he gave her a bottle of water from the fridge. Sam watched Ivy slam half the bottle. She laughed while she wiped her mouth. "I think I needed that," she said.

Sam rinsed Ivy's glass in the sink and held it up. "What do you want to do with this?"

"Let's find Barb. She has a bag for things."

Barb looked bored in the corner of the patio; the guys trying to talk to her weren't as interesting as they thought. She took Ivy's glass without smiling, tucked it into her bag, and pulled Ivy aside. "Peg left with Jason, and I want to go pretty soon," She glanced at Sam. "Did you find rebound boy, or what?"

"I don't know," Ivy said. "Give me a little more time." She stepped back, bumped into Sam, and turned around close against his chest.

"Rebound boy?" Sam wasn't supposed to hear that, and Ivy looked confused. "Come with me." He snatched Ivy's hand and tugged her across the patio, away from the light and the sound.

There was a couple in the dark, exploring each other on a concrete bench. Sam stopped Ivy in front of them, and she stuck her chin out before he could say anything. "Are you just going to assume we were talking about you?"

"What? Yeah, I thought I would." The couple scrambled off the bench and tugged their clothes back into place. "I thought things were going pretty well, but coming here to play and coming here to find rebound boy are different things."

Ivy watched the couple pull themselves together before she answered with her own question. "What difference does it make to you?" The guy pulled his girl back toward the house and the torchlight flickered on Ivy's face while she watched them leave.

"For one night maybe I wouldn't care, but I'd like to know how much baggage I'm dealing with."

Ivy took a step back. "'Rebound boy' was Barb's thing. It isn't like that." She sat down on the bench, and Sam followed her. "We were together for about a year and a half. I was over it a long time before he was, but I didn't have the time to deal with breaking up. You know, it was that 'all work and no play' thing. He finally took care of the breaking up, and I'm fine."

She sighed before she turned on Sam. "That's me. So what's the thing with Allison? Do I have to deal with that?"

Sam grabbed the front of the bench between his knees and sat forward to study the ground in front of him. "She thought she was my girlfriend and I thought she wanted to marry my dad's money. I was enjoying the sex, so I took too long calling it off. Listen to her, and I ruined her life."

"We all have different points of view." Ivy watched Barb getting restless on the patio. "Barb needs to leave."

"Let her go." Sam sat back and settled his arm around Ivy's hips. "I'll take you home."

Ivy leaned her shoulder against Sam, but there was still tension in her body and in her voice. "Do you mean your home, or mine?"

"Your choice." He stood up and pulled Ivy to her feet. "You have time to make up your mind. I shouldn't leave while there's still this many people around."

Ivy stepped close, and Sam gave in to an impulse. He rested his hands on her hips, leaned down and inhaled the warm air the rose from her neckline. He brushed his lips along the sensitive skin below her ear, and he heard her catch her breath.

A silent moment passed while they watched each other in the dim light, and then Sam cupped his rough hand behind Ivy's neck and brushed her lips with his. She hesitated before she met his tongue with hers.

It was a short kiss, but Sam tasted Ivy's eager mouth, and her hot, wine-tinged breath brushed his cheek. He pulled their bodies together, and she rose in his arms; she clutched at his chest, and she pushed him away.

Sam wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and Ivy glanced toward the house. "I'll tell Barb to go without me." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Oh God. I have to pee."

The party crowd dwindled to a few friends. Sam turned the music down for the last time, and Ivy slipped her hand into his back pocket. "I talked to Laurie about you."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Good person to talk to, I suppose."

"Tell me something. What do you want to do when you get your degree?"

"Make things?" Ivy followed Sam into the kitchen, and he backed her against the sink. "I've always wanted to be that top-gun engineer. The one they call to do what other people can't. I've always wanted to solve the big problems--to be someone's hero."

Sam pulled Ivy's blouse taut, so her nipples stood out under the thin fabric, and when he looked up again he found her watching. "You have nice tits. I've gone all night wanting to touch them."

Ivy looked down and laughed. She glanced back to the living room to see if anyone was paying attention, but she didn't say anything to stop him. He stroked his hands up under her blouse and over her soft skin. Each of her breasts made an exciting handful.

"Someone might come in." she said, and pushed Sam's hands down. She fluffed her blouse to hide the way her nipples peeked out. "You know, you could just be someone's great Dad, and you'd always be their hero."

"That too." Sam found a lock of hair that escaped Ivy's ponytail and watched her expression while he tucked it behind her ear. "You said you were writing for a news blog. What are you writing about?"

Ivy shrugged. "Real estate developers. Well, one real estate developer--Bailey Westwind."

"My dad makes a lot of money off them--some of them."

"He's a building contractor?" Sam's nod was all the answer she needed. "It's a high-risk, high-reward business. The newspaper and channel 10 called me after the second article. They're interested, so I made a little money this week."

Sam glanced into the living room. "Let's get outta Dodge."

They barely paused to say goodnight on their way out the door. Ivy leaned back against Sam's truck and looked up at the starlit sky. "It's a beautiful night."

"Almost a beautiful morning." Sam reached to open the door for Ivy, and she stopped him with her hands on his chest. She stood on her toes and a thrill shot through Sam's shoulders when she breathed into his ear and dragged the tender skin on his throat between her teeth.

Sam jerked back. Ivy settled on her heels and laughed into her hand. "I let you do what you wanted to do. That's what I've wanted to do."

"Fair enough," Sam opened the door for Ivy to climb in and buckled the seatbelt over her lap. "You never said, so now it's time. Am I taking you to my place or yours?"

"Yours," Ivy said.

The gray light from streetlamps overhead cast shadows that moved across Ivy's face while Sam drove. "The streets are really empty," she said. "Eew, there's a skunk! Look, they're building something on to Finnegan's."

She talked until Sam pulled into the driveway at a shaded bungalow, and she talked more while he led her around the house. "This is a nice place. How does a college kid afford this?"

"My dad owns it. I live in back." Sam stopped Ivy under the light by the door of the little back house. "I pay half rent and make up the difference by taking care of the front house. It's the same deal Frank had when he lived here--Frank's my brother. Now old Mrs. Cleveland lives in the front house, and I don't do much more than make her feel safe now and then."

He unlocked the door and held Ivy's arm while he closed it behind them. "I didn't think you were that much of a talker." He reached past her to flick on a light by the door. "But you haven't stopped talking since we left Bernard's."

Ivy glanced around the kitchen. "I talk when I'm nervous."

"I can fix that." Sam reached under Ivy's shirt and tucked his hands into the top of her shorts. "No more time for nerves."

Ivy squeaked when he popped the snap and tugged the zipper open, but then she laughed and let the shorts slip down her legs.

Sam licked his lips then growled under his breath and swept her off the floor with one arm under her knees and one under her shoulders. "You get the quick tour," he said.

Ivy wrapped her arm around Sam's neck and kicked her shorts off her ankle. "Fridge is full," he said. "There's juice and water and all kinds of breakfast. You don't need to ask." He kicked her shorts to the side and stopped in the living room. "TV, games, sofa." He turned to get her through the bedroom door and stopped inside. "Get the switch by the door?"

She flicked the switch, and Sam stopped between the bed and the bathroom door. She laughed in his ear. "Put me down. I need the bathroom."

The door closed behind her, and Sam caught his breath. Water tinkled in the toilet while he turned on the bedside lamp and flicked off the switch by the door. He tossed his shirt in the corner, sat on the edge of the bed to kick his shoes off, and he dropped his socks on the floor. Water ran in the sink, and he fell back on his elbows to wait.

Noises from the bathroom fell quiet, and the air conditioner's hum was the only sound in the cottage. It was Sam's turn to be nervous. He was ready to get up and pace when Ivy opened the door and dowsed the bathroom light.

Ivy hesitated and dragged her fingers through her ponytail. "I left my shoes in there. They might be in the way."

Sam laughed. He sat up, snatched Ivy's hand and pulled her over him onto the bed. "You could have left the top and the panties, too."

She settled astride his hips and pushed herself up on his chest. She bit her lip and traced his pecs with her fingertip. "And then what would you have to do?"

Sam sat up under Ivy and rolled her onto the bed. He covered her mouth with his and pressed her into the mattress. It was awkward at first; her reactions were new to him. They gasped and fumbled until their excitement took over.

Ivy wrapped her arms around Sam's shoulders and gave him her mouth. She gave him her throat, and he inhaled her excited scent. Sam stroked his rough hands up under her top and trapped her nipples between his fingers, and she caught her breath to push back against his touch.

They were both panting like animals when Sam pulled back. He watched Ivy's smile while he dragged her top off and over her head. He bent over her to kiss and suck her tits while he pushed his hand under the fabric between her legs. Sam combed his fingers through Ivy's curls and she lifted her knees when he reached deep between her thighs.

Ivy's pussy was soft and warm, and then she was wet. Sam sucked her hardened nipples between his lips while he explored her intricate folds and the soft skin inside her thighs. She clutched his head and moaned when he cupped his hand over her mound and pressed his fingers into her.

Sam groaned at the way his hardened cock throbbed inside his jeans. He let Ivy go and sat up on the bed with her legs across his lap. He inhaled her scent on his hand and sucked her nectar from his fingers. Sam grasped the damp gusset between her legs and Ivy squawked when he pulled her panties down.

Ivy's bare breasts gleamed under the lamplight, and she stroked her fingertips down her slick belly. Sam watched her, and his hard shaft sprung up when he pushed his jeans and his boxers to the floor.

Anticipation made her writhe on the sheet while he climbed over her again. "Give me your skin," Ivy whispered. Her voice rasped, and her eyes searched his face. "I need to taste you."

Sam wasn't sure what to do. He lifted Ivy until she closed her teeth on his throat, and he gave her his flesh. She wrapped his shoulders in her arms, and her hot breath burned his skin. He pulled their bodies together, and Ivy wrapped him in her legs. Her nails dug into his back, and he groaned at the pain. He pushed his hard cock deep into her, and her body tightened around his shaft like she would never let him go.

Ivy opened her mouth and gasped at the ceiling. She lifted her legs around Sam's hips and bucked in his grip. Their bodies slapped together, and his thrusts drove her against the headboard.

The world behind Sam's eyes lit with fireworks. He groaned into Ivy's ear then bellowed at the wall. His hot essence pulsed the length of his shaft. He plunged deep and held her tight while he emptied himself into her.

* * *

Sam put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Ivy--not too wet, with toast and bacon. He sat down across the table and watched her page through something on her phone. "Busy?" he asked.

"A little. One of the leads I spent weeks trying to get came in a few days ago, and I need to corroborate things before I can use them." She set her phone down and picked her fork up. "Can you give me a ride, or do I need to call someone?"

That offended Sam. "I'll take you anywhere you need to go." He glanced out the window. "I thought we might wait out the heat, though. It's miserable out there."

"You'll probably make it hard for me to get things done."

"I'd like that." Sam speared a forkful of eggs. "I might be seeing what your friends meant by 'all work and no play.' Don't you take

any

time off?"

Ivy made a face at Sam before she swallowed. "Remember last night? I'm pretty sure you remember last night."

Sam smiled around a bite of toast. "I remember." He tipped his chin up and touched the bruise on his throat. "You were into it."

Ivy kept her eyes down and finished the last of her bacon. "I'm pretty sure that'll heal."

Sam ate faster than Ivy. He sat back in his chair, washed his last bite down with coffee, and searched for words that might get them back in bed. "Seems like a shame to waste the afternoon on work."

"Don't you need to build a house, or make Mrs. Coolidge feel safe?"

"Bright and early tomorrow, and she's Mrs. Cleveland."

Ivy waved her toast. "I was close. One president or another." She used the toast to push her last bite onto her fork then left her coffee cup with her phone and reached over the table to take Sam's plate. Ivy stacked his plate on hers, and he turned to watch her butt while she carried it all to the sink.

She hadn't shut him down yet. That was good. He followed her to the sink and rested his hand on her hip. Ivy's scent was familiar--she smelled like his shampoo. "I'll dry," he said.

Her phone chimed and she glanced over her shoulder. "I guess you'll wash, too." Ivy rinsed her plate and stacked it by the sink then went to check her phone. She carried her phone and her coffee cup to the sofa and left Sam in the kitchen.

Sam snorted in frustration, but he washed the dishes and set them in the drain rack before he followed Ivy. He settled on the cushion next to her and asked, "What's so important about your new lead?"

Ivy put her phone on the table and dropped her hands in her lap. "Joe--Joe Caldwell--was a home builder--probably like your dad."

"I've heard his name," Sam said.

"Thought you might have. He made a lot of money off developers then he lost his company. I have to make sure that he didn't just make some bad decisions and blame them on the developer.

"Before him, my articles were about public lies and shortcuts. With him, there's bribery, kidnapping, extortion... My third article is on schedule. The fourth is in trouble, and with money coming in I have real deadlines."

Her phone chimed again. Ivy checked her message and groaned. "And dead ends, dammit."

Sam lifted his arm around Ivy's shoulders and pulled her against him. "It makes you hard to get."

Ivy laid her head on Sam's arm and watched his expression. "I don't want to lead you on. Barb might have been right when she called you 'rebound boy.' I

really

missed the excitement and the intimacy--especially the intimacy--and maybe that's all I was after."

Sam pulled Ivy closer and bent over her so their lips almost touched. "I'm willing to take a chance."

Maybe Ivy meant to say something more, but Sam took her mouth the moment she parted her lips. Their lips touched; her tongue became soft and welcoming. She slipped her hand under Sam's tee-shirt to stroke his bare skin, and she relaxed against him.

The kiss didn't last long, and both of them were a little breathless when Ivy broke it off. Sam whispered into her ear. "Intimacy's fine, but the orgasms are great."

Ivy laughed, then covered her mouth like that was a mistake. Sam drew back far enough to focus on her. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. You'll just take it personally, and that's not how I mean it."