One Dar Night

News, they tell me, never sleeps, only managers.

Working the night shift can be a lesson in brutality, but it can also be something of a joy. I can get more work done in two hours than many people can craft in an entire day. The work is largely free of oversight and even if there is a problem or breaking news it is easy to find someone who can and will help you, as long as you wake them gently. Most chose to be here at night, one editor runs a charity during the day, for another producer it means they can be there every morning to make the kids breakfast. Myself, I work in Master Control's central hub, a news network's quietest job now that automation is king, until all hell breaks loose that is. And my overnight working joy is derived from the fact that I can do training runs to work in the cool night air of summer and have full access to management's showers . In between work, it also helps me to find the time to write, and do some translation work, and after all that, a morning swim at English Bay Beach with nary a soul to share the ocean with, except perhaps the occasional inquisitive seal. A great place for contemplating the dawn.

Tonight, it was a welcome relief from the mugginess to come into an air conditioned workplace but as I stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor, everything went a little darker than normal. The battery back up light at the end of the hallway switched on and I walked over to Master Control. Normally one would be greeted by a wall of a hundred or so televisions monitoring feeds from across the world, but this time the room was only lit by a laptop screen and a dark haired figure hunched over the keyboard.

I made extra noise on the way through the door with my keys as not to surprise whoever was at the keyboard. People sometimes do get lost in the quietness of overnights, and from time to time, one can expect a coffee fueled fright.

"Hello," she called out without turning from her screen.

It was Alicia, the night shift engineer busy finishing up an email.

"Just me coming on shift, what happened?"

"Somebody forgot to tell us that the new condo build across the way was connecting to the grid tonight. Supposedly they tripped the whole block from the beach all the way up to Hastings."

"Are we off air?"

"No, the main news network took over at ten for the national news, the first power dip hit fifteen minutes later and just now the generators quit, so they took over. I just relaying to them that this looks like it could go on until early in the morning."

"So my elevator ride up finished off the generators?"

She chuckled dourly, and it was the first time I could ever remember hearing her laugh.

"I guess everybody got an early night."

"Everybody but me." Her chestnut brown eyes looked up at me, and in the dim light looked quite sad. It was only until I was standing over her that I realized she was wearing a beautiful blue summer top decorated with flowers that traced down her plunging neck line. My eyes must have followed those flowers down the path a little too far, she turned away suddenly, and I could no longer see her face behind her jet black hair.

"You are not going to stay all night are you? All dressed up, you should be out enjoying the weather on a patio somewhere."

"Thank you for noticing. I was supposed to, but then this stupidity happened."

"Then go, what's the point of sitting around here in the dark? "

"I'm on duty, what if there is a surge problem? I can't leave the morning crew hanging."

"Morning crew," it was my turn to laugh,"in reality not much is going to happen, national has it covered and the reality is that even if things come back in an hour or two, it is going to take us a least two hours to get everything powered back up again which means it will be three or four and then the AM shift starts showing up. Besides, we can't record, the wires are dead and even if there is news, we can't do a single thing about it in a dark studio. Which reminds me, did you send a note to the Assignment desk?"

"All done, I think they are going for last call around the corner."

"Then you should go too. Tell you what, I'll stay in touch, I've got a headlight, a good book and a cellphone. If by any miracle anything comes back up, I will cc everybody on the email you just sent out. Here is my cell phone number, text anytime."

"Must be a good book for you to sit here in the dark, what are you reading?" She lifted herself from the desk and closed up the computer and as she did so, I must admit my eyes indulged in those pretty little flowers once again. Her small tanned breasts held tightly against her chest as she straightened up.

"Are you enjoying your book?"

I paused for a minute because I swore that she had asked if I enjoyed my look. "Oh yes most definitely, it is Andreas Camilleri's Un Mois Avec Montalbano. There is no English translation so I found this translation from the Italian in France."

"You read French?"

"Un peu, but slowly, that's why I work the overnights, so I can read aloud to myself and not sound like an idiot."

"Sweet idea. But isn't it hard to read a novel while working or is it really that slow on the overnights?"

"The secret is to imbibe in short stories and little digests." My phone beeped and a new message popped up. "That was Bob at line up, he wants to know if you are coming and what your drink order is, the bartender warned that last call is coming in fifteen minutes, bottles and cash only, as their power is out too."

"I'm on it."

"And I'm off to the showers to use the last of the hot water in the building!"

"Shower, here? With no power?" she looked at me quizzically as she moved towards the door.

"Yes, up a floor just around the corner from the green elevators. You should check them out, the runners in management had it set up for their power lunches. It is an office gem but a secret office gem, so shh."

"Oh I have always wondered about that. Anything other secrets to share?"

"Way, way too many."

She laughed again, the time a little lighter and then the door shut and all was silent, the air still, the quietest of all midnights, not even a computer fan whirred from the technical access. I could hear the fire door close at the end of the hallway as Alicia took the fire escape street side. I must have been the last person in the building.

The locker room was bathed in the red light of an exit sign that was still drawing on battery power. Even under that glow, it was hard to navigate. Eventually I gave up stumbling and just threw my stuff on the shower room bench. What was the point? I am the last one here.

The stalls around the corner from the exit sign were pitch black. For light, I carried my phone and laid it on the tiled shelf with the screen on. From time to time notes came in from network and Alicia looking for updates. Workaholics never give up the ghost.

"Everything but the hot water," I texted back. There was no response, I must have pissed her off with that, as she did not respond or perhaps she finally found someone to hook up with, hell maybe even Bob.

Ten minutes past and I had long since let the phone go dark but was still enjoying the hot water on my back after a hard sweaty run. The salt was finally starting to wash away from my eyes when the shower door slipped open. At first I could only see a silhouette of a woman coming closer. For a minute I thought I must have dozed off into a micro sleep that catches us shift workers.

The shadow moved forward, about a foot shorter than me, I could out make out the differences between regions of black hair, skin and small breasts. She slowly moved closer, her hand reached forward to my face holding my lips shut before they could speak. Her lips then came to mine and even before they met the smell of sweet honey and beer came to me. Her first kiss was cold, but pressed on I as became willing.

Her black hair became wet as she pushed us back under the hot water and she swept it off of her face. I could make out the sharp shape of her jaw and the ruby of her lips as her head swept back, her arms reached up and her hands held her hair back, letting it absorb the warm water. My eyes settled down on her chest, two beautiful round tanned breasts with large brown nipples. A shade I had never seen before, dark but with an undertone of milk chocolate. The areolae were oblong with two outreaching nipples. Her fingers once again touched my lips and gently pulled them down to her breasts, we were of one mind. I worked my tongue around the outside of the nipple, letting my lips brush up against the sides but not engulfing them. She let out a small moan in approval and positioned herself under the shower.

The water cascaded down her muscular chest and channeled between her breasts. Their tight perkiness pushed back against my mouth and she moaned more as her nipples grew. Every time the stream of water abated, the gentle aroma of apricots arose.

Her hips pressed into my chest as she pulled me harder onto her breasts, all the while I tried to lapped around those gorgeous nipples. Her dark hairy sex rubbed across my own nipples making them tingle and my heart beat faster.

I worked my way down to her small compact thighs, the water felt like a torrent and made it almost impossible to reach her sex that was calling me with its sweet brown sugar scent. Sensing my struggle, she lifted her leg slowly up and over my shoulder. The move also opened up her hips and welcoming me. A message came in and in the pale blue light I looked up to see that it was Alicia, and she was lifting herself up with the shower head, a easy task for such a small woman. The higher she pulled herself, the closer I got to her sex. Probing her bush I reached her mound and only then did I realized that she had swung her other leg onto my shoulder as well. I steadied myself and pressed forward. She moaned again in agreement. I circled my lips around hers, opening them with every kiss, until I could finally fully taste her. Her hips pressed down on my head and she began to rock. Her clitoris came out to greet the tip of my tongue and I cradled it, teasing it as I had with her nipples before. After a few rounds I would probe inside of her, flicking, tasting, listening for a moan. Slowly tracing back to her clitoris I could feel the water get cooler as her body heated up.

She was ready, and each time I danced around her, her thighs squeezed in on my head to the point of crushing it, she was not going to let go. A moan came after every contraction and she pulled me yet closer until her sex softened and began to taste like the sweet honey of her first kiss. Her arms let go, her body gave way but her thighs still held me tight. I eased her down on to her feet until she found her footing.

Her hand reached out to my cock and held it, with her other hand she opened the shower door, I turned off the now almost cold water as she led me out. My heart raced thinking of the possibilities.

She turned me back onto the shower room bench and I could hear our clothes fall to the floor as she cleared space. She let her fingers trace my chest muscles and let her wet long black hair follow up the path. She climbed on top of me letting her sex tease my senses again, and then moving backwards she rubbed herself across the top of my cock. Her breasts held me firm and I let out a moan, she pressed them around my cock until they were engulfed and let me brush across her skin.

Then she dropped farther back letting her nipples dance across my balls and finally come to rest pressing up against my thighs. She licked me from top to bottom and I craned to watch her head move up and down. Her skin highlighted by the red light of the sign, made every curve call out to me. I ran my fingertips across her firm shoulders and sensing that I was under her power, she drew my cock into her mouth, played with it and then dug her fingernails up underneath my balls. The sensation and the smell of her body against mine made me lose control. I began to pulse but her fingers squeezed hard around my shaft and let the waves of pleasure grow until I groaned and she let go. Her ruby lips pressed up hard against me and she took me deep until I had finished.

Our eyes met and she stood up letting her skin brush against mine, I sat up too and she turned around and backed herself into me. We straddled the bench and let our bodies melt together, feeling each others waves of pleasure. I reached for the towel and began to dry her body, seeking out all the places where water could hide.