Verbal:
Grace adjusted the pillow under her cheek, finding a facet of coolness that soothed her, and felt a hand brush her hip.
"Mmm." She said, keeping her eyes shut but smiling at her new boyfriend.
Grace had been trying out new boyfriends every now and then for about six months now, she had no shortage of interest and had enjoyed forgetting her organised, capable self for a while to enjoy her secret life.
She hadn't been sure about getting men delivered to her door like pizzas, it seemed slutty to her to audition them. But the guy from a few weeks ago had been great, although he said he didn't like to repeat visits.
It was still dark, and she could still feel the post-coital ache from the energetic bout halfway up the stairs, and the other one here in the bed.
Her new man was different, she had decided. His hand stroked fingertips slowly down her spine, finding a point of tension and pausing to circle it, soothing her.
Another little ache reminded her of their more relaxed liaison in the shower afterward. Usually she showered alone after a casual hook-up, it seemed to be the accepted practice to take turns with her other men; but he seemed to enjoy the afterglow.
His hand circled, his touch was so light it tickled, goose-bumps rose behind the slow swipes of the warm palm. It was unlike the rough grip that had excited her earlier, she'd felt like a change and had picked him because he was big and strong looking, and she wanted to work up a sweat.
Their workout had been passionate enough, and she'd let him sleep over mostly because he had good arms for cuddling and he didn't seem to talk.
Affectionate though, she noted as his hand continued its soft journey across her body beneath the covers.
It hadn't woken her up, but now she was awake she focused on the sensation. The thing she liked most about mobile dating was also the thing she liked the least. You didn't have to get to know someone to fuck them, you only had to like their picture and say yes. Most guys who were regular swipers would show up on no more information than her address and her picture.
It had been nice not to pretend, to skip the date and begin with the kiss at the door. The nervous energy while she waited for them was another turn-on for her, and a certain type of guy hit the starting line at full tilt. It made the experience a fast, visceral hit of sensation and emotion. For an hour or so, Grace could forget everything but her bed and the man she chose to share it with.
Well, sometimes an hour. It depended on the guy.
This would be a dangerous habit for a vulnerable young woman, but she'd taken jiu jutsu classes since she was eight. Unless she swiped right on a misanthropic ninja she was probably okay.
Oh yeah...
She remembered more. That's why they were talking about fighting, he was a boxer. She still wasn't worried, people who fight wearing mittens didn't scare a woman who could twist a man's thumbs clean off. But he actually knew what he was talking about, the little they had talked before he asked to come over and her week-long frustration rubber-stamped the request.
She tried to remember what else they had talked about, and couldn't. It was a guilty realisation that, despite not wanting to feel like a slut, she had acted a bit like one tonight.
Just a little bit. But that could stay between Grace and...
Fuck.
She thought. She couldn't remember his name either.
His warm, broad hand was now stroking gently up and down her entire back in slow sweeps. He probably thought she was still asleep.
She should probably try to get a name out of him somehow. Or check her phone, it would be in there.
The as-yet-unnamed guy had been fun, but he didn't have the decency to be a 'come-and-go' type. But at least he wasn't one who wanted to stay up talking about nothing all night, as if this were a romance instead of an unusually explicit sort of dance.
He was softly rubbing her back and seemed content to keep doing it. He was being nice, for no good reason. The prick.
Being a teeny bit slutty didn't really count when you were doing it for a player, but Grace was aware she might have miscalculated. She'd thought there was something there with Pablo a few weeks ago, but now she was pretty sure a lot of women had the same feeling about Pablo and got disappointed in the end. He talked a big game, and he had nice abs, but Grace was coming to understand that talk and abs weren't really what she needed.
She didn't lie to herself, if he'd been a little more serious she might have been more upset not to see him again. If he'd stuck around for breakfast she might actually miss him now.
Her anonymous man had a little more potential, though perhaps she was expecting too much of the guy who hadn't even gotten upstairs before getting inside her the first time. She wasn't sure whose idea that had been, but she was forced to admit the erotic possibilities of stairs in terms of positioning.
She sighed a little without meaning to, his hand was sensual on her skin and it made her breathe deeper, relax further against the mattress.
Grace kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the attention. It was soothing in a way she had missed since deciding that relationships were more heartbreak than happiness.
It was funny, when she couldn't remember his name and hadn't opened her eyes yet, he seemed perfect.
A phone rumbled suddenly, loud in the silence. Grace felt the hand on her back twitch slightly at the sound, then he withdrew it and reached across her. Their phones were next to each other, she'd let him use her charging pad.
Grace decided that this was probably as good a time as any to pretend to wake up.
"Someone expecting you back?" She asked, opening her eyes and lying on her back as he returned to his previous position.
He shook his head slowly, his hand rested lightly across her hips, above the thin sheet she used for covers this time of year.
"Do you have to go?" She kind of liked the idea of him staying to cuddle more, but she knew most guys wanted to go around this time. They felt they had done their bit, gotten their reward, and then they wanted to go back to normality instead of sleeping in a strange bed with a strange woman.
Again, instead of speaking, he shook his head slowly. In the half-light she couldn't see much detail about him, just edges and shadows. Pretty inscrutable.
"I don't do this very often." She said and then wondered why she was making things up. "I mean I never used to." Grace looked up at the ceiling, not even sure what she was trying to say. She didn't have to justify herself to a midnight booty call, and it's not like the guy was even asking.
She just wanted to talk to someone who wasn't currently giving her stress, and her silent partner seemed an amiable volunteer in the quiet dark.
He nodded, his hand on her belly started moving in slow circles now, like he were trying to keep her warm. The air was cool, just how she liked it, her apartment still.
"Not much of a talker, are you?" She smiled and his shadowy silhouette seemed to return it.
He shook his head, but his hand made wider circles, had a more confident pressure now he wasn't afraid of waking her.
Grace stretched, lifting her arms above her head before lying back on them, letting her sheet slip down to her midriff. It was a little less direct in the dark, but she felt his hand back on her skin and enjoyed it.
She sighed, flexing her arms and sticking out her chest in another stretch. A subtle flex reminded her that she really did need to stretch, and it ended up a little more wanton and brazen than she intended. But if he could feel her skin blushing for a long moment in the shadows, he didn't comment.
He took the hint, his hand's path expanding to include all of her body not covered by the sheet. Grace felt her nipples hardening to points under his palms, knew he could feel the difference and enjoyed the soft exhibitive thrill.
The air on her skin was delicious contrasting the heat and texture of his hand. Grace shivered from the sensation as his hand alighted in the middle of her chest, above her heart, before changing the direction of the slow arcs.
"Mmm..." It was a relaxed noise more than a sexual one, but Grace did nothing to conceal it. Her eyes drifted closed and she again focused entirely on the pleasurable sensations.
In a little while, Grace decided, she was going to see if his tongue was as soothing as his hands were. She wanted to know if he could actually use it, since he didn't seem to waste it on talking. Foreplay had been something of an afterthought last night for both of them, he'd arrived ready to go and Grace had helped herself along while she was waiting for him. It wasn't so much a race as a rush, they both seemed to need the first two fucks to remember that it was fun to slow down too. Grace decided that the last soothing touches in the shower had been the most enjoyable.
"Do you do this a lot?" She whispered now, knowing she wanted to talk but not quite knowing what about. "Meet a lot of people?"
Her shadowy lover slowly shook his head again, he let out a deeper breath and she felt the breeze across her skin, cooling slightly before it reached her.
His skin was scented with shower gel, and now she was aware of the masculine aura in her bed, the scent bringing back memories of long mornings with...
Grace accepted the distraction, and then pulled her attention meditatively back to the moment. She felt the need to talk again, his silence seemed patient and intent, and Grace didn't have that kind of attention in her life right now.
"Feels like you've done that before..." She trailed off as his fingers dipped under the edge of her sheet, teasing her. Grace was having one of those insatiable nights where her hands or her toys just weren't what she needed, he seemed to know without being told that she enjoyed a slow buildup just as much as she enjoyed impulsive fucks against the furniture.
He didn't answer this time, unlike the little he had answered before. His touch softened slightly as he traced along the inside of her outstretched arm and back, making her ticklish where she wasn't before. She flexed under his hand and drew in a deep breath, the dark quiet was gently erotic and neither of them wanted to interrupt the moment.
