Reaching the third floor, Suzy opened the door and stepped into the darkness. It swung closed behind her, eclipsing the light coming from the stairway. Standing in the near black for a few moments, she collected herself, took a deep breath, and walked toward a stool placed against a brick wall on the far side of the loft. Two spotlights mounted on the ceiling illuminated the stool, letting her know where to sit.
She'd been here many times, though it had been nearly two months since her last visit, and she moved slowly in the gloom between the door and the small circle of light. Taking short, careful steps, she felt her way with her feet, and the sound of her high-heeled ankle boots tapping on the hardwood floor echoed in the open space.
Sure Bryan was watching, she tried to listen for any movement other than her own. Reaching the stool, she turned to sit down. The light in her eyes made it impossible to see more than a few feet. Unconsciously, she smoothed the fabric of her mid-thigh length, blue, flower-print dress, letting her fingers travel a few inches past the bottom and across her fishnet-covered thighs.
"I was surprised you called," a voice said.
She jumped when he spoke. Using a hand to shade her eyes, she looked in the direction of the voice.
He had to be close, she thought, but could see nothing.
Trying to disguise her unease, Suzy raked her fingers through her long brunette hair, pulling it back to let it fall past her shoulder blades.
"Were you busy?" she asked, as her hands returned to her lap.
"No," he said. "But, with only two days left, I thought you'd be making last-minute preparations to become Mrs. Suzy Block," he continued.
"That's Suzannah Singer-Block, thank you very much," she retorted. "And, how do you know when the wedding is?"
"Well, I didn't receive my invitation, but we're still friends on FaceSpace," he answered. "You've been posting fairly regular updates about it."
"Yes, I have," she allowed.
"Don't worry, I'm not insulted," Bryan said. "I suppose it would be bad form to invite the guy you've been fucking the entire time you've been engaged."
"It might make it difficult to repeat that 'forsaking all others' vow," she said.
There was something strange about the way she delivered the comment. It caught his attention, but he decided to let it pass.
"So, you thought you'd go slumming one last time before getting married?" he said, more than asked.
"One last time," she repeated, whispering to herself.
"Should I feel honored?" he mocked.
An exasperated sigh escaped her throat.
"I left my bachelorette party to come here," she said.
"Really?" he asked.
"We were drinking and dancing," she revealed.
"With the strippers?" he asked, teasing.
"I told the girls I didn't feel well," she answered.
"And, you thought some cock would make you feel better?" he asked, rhetorically.
"You're such an asshole sometimes, Bryan," she spat.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Counselor," he said.
"Don't call me that," she snapped. "You know I haven't passed the bar yet. At this point, I don't know if I'm even going to take it."
"Isn't your soon-to-be husband going to let you work?" he asked.
"We're not Hasidim," she answered. "I can do anything I want."
"That's mighty nice of him," Bryan said with a laugh.
She crossed her legs and glanced down. Seemingly distracted, she fiddled with the large, sparkling, engagement ring on her finger. Normally, she removed the ring before meeting him, and now he knew for sure something was wrong.
"Well, after all that school, why not take the test?" he asked, softening his tone.
"Look, I have enough people at home telling me what I should or shouldn't do," she said, raising her head. "I didn't come here to listen to you give me bullshit, too."
"What did you come here for?" he asked, knowing - even as the words left his lips - it was the wrong thing to say.
"You know what, I don't know," she said, standing up from the stool. "I'm leaving."
He moved into the light, and she saw he wore a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He towered over her; his large frame dwarfing her petite build, and her 5'0" - even augmented by the four-inch heels she wore - seemed slight before his 6'3". His right hand came up and, despite his size, gently took hold of her left shoulder as she passed him. Rotating his body so he could sit on the stool, he spun her as he pulled her to him. She didn't resist, but looked away as their bodies collided.
"Hey, I'm sorry," he whispered, "what's wrong?"
Suzy continued to avoid his gaze. He moved a hand to her chin and turned her head to face him. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Come on, tell me," he said.
She leaned forward, attempting to touch her bright red bee-stung lips to his, but he retreated, leaving their faces an inch apart. The smell of her - her body, the sweat from her earlier exertions, the almost effervescent scent of her flowery perfume, even the alcohol remaining on her breath - was intoxicating.
"Please," she croaked.
"What do you want?" he asked, shifting his attention from her sky-blue eyes to her lips.
Suzy put her hands on his knees and quickly slid them up his legs to his crotch. Closing the distance between them, he kissed her hungry mouth. Her tongue met his, and their bodies melted together.
Slipping his hands under her ass, he lifted her, dragging her onto his lap. She straddled him, precariously hooking the heels of her boots on the horizontal supports of the stool. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as her hands crawled downward between their bodies. Her fingers clawed at his waistband, and she began to grind against him.
"I want you to fuck me right now," Suzy whispered, breaking their kiss.
His right hand fell to his sweats. Awkwardly, he rose from the stool - just an inch - and fumbled to push down the pants. He managed to lower them, exposing the head of his cock, before his bare ass returned to the cool wood. Suzy wasted no time, running her fingers over the tip, exploring the stiffening member.
"That's what I need," she cooed.
Her hands latched onto his shaft, and she stroked him, her hands making jagged movements in the confined space of his lap. His mouth fell open as she began jerking him roughly.
"Suz," he groaned. "Slow down."
She shook her head.
