Talitha

That night, Talitha sat at the kitchen table eating dinner with her family, her mother having declared that they were going to have a nice "family dinner." As she sat there eating quietly, letting the conversation flow around her without participating herself, her father turned to her.

"So, Tali, what did you do today? Anything interesting?"

Talitha promptly choked on her food, resulting in a coughing fit that had her father rising up in concern. She held up one hand, reaching for her water with the other.

"I'm fine," she said, taking a few sips. "Umm, nothing much. Just unpacked and hung out. I made plans with some friends for tomorrow."

"Matt came by to say hi," her brother piped in. "I invited him to shovel driveways with me and Aaron, but he said no. I guess he's home from school for break."

"Matt came by?" her mother asked Talitha brightly. "Oh, he's such a nice boy. And handsome, too. Don't you think?"

Talitha glared at her brother. "I don't know. He didn't stay for very long. And he's not a boy anymore, Mom. He's twenty-two years old."

Ignoring her daughter's surliness, her mother continued on the subject. "His parents are away on vacation for the week. I should invite him over for dinner." Talitha nodded, grateful when her mother turned her attention to her father. "James, don't forget to pick up your tux for the Henderson's charity dinner we have on Saturday night."

Her father nodded, putting down his glass as he suddenly remembered, "Oh, Tali, I saw Jared Henderson today at work. When I told him you were home, he said you're welcome to come to the dinner. I told him you'd be there."

"Dad, I already have plans for Saturday night," Talitha replied, annoyed. "You should have asked me before you said I'd go."

"Well, I think it would be a good opportunity to meet people of influence. You know, you're graduating from college in less than 3 years, and it's not what you know, it's who you know. There are going to be people from all different fields there, different companies, and I already said you'd go. So, you'll go," her father declared.

"Anyway, what plans did you have for Saturday night?" her mother asked.

"I was going to get together with a friend. Why do I have to go?" Talitha whined, aware that she was being a brat, but annoyed nonetheless. "It's not like I'll have anyone to talk to there."

"You're making connections," her father replied, returning to his dinner. "You'll talk to them. Tell them about school, your plans for after school. It's always good to make connections."

Talitha looked gloomily down at her food.

"You could probably bring a date," her mother chimed in, trying to cheer up her daughter. She was the family peacemaker, while Talitha and her father butted heads fairly often. "If you could find anyone so close to the dinner. I could call Jared's wife and tell her that we're bringing one extra person. There are going to be so many people there, one more wouldn't make a difference.

"Besides, even if it did, we've donated so much money to their charity that we could bring ten extra people and they wouldn't say a word," her father said arrogantly.

Talitha rolled her eyes. "I guess I could just meet up with my friend after. It's not like it'll be done really late."

Her mother smiled benignly at her. "I think that's a good idea."

*****

A few days later, Talitha went over to Matt's house. Dressed in jeans and a dark blue sweater, she knocked at the door and waited. Hearing Matt moving around inside, she shifted nervously from one foot to the other, sticking her hands in her pockets. He answered, dressed only in a pair of sweatpants, his hair still damp from a recent shower.

"Hi, Matt," Tali said, forcing her eyes away from his bare chest and up to his face.

"Tali," he replied, seeming surprised to see her. "Did we-"

"We didn't have plans or anything," Talitha said quickly. "I just- umm, it looks like we may have to make Saturday night a little later than we said originally, because I have to go to this charity thing with my parents. I mean, if you want to."

"If I want to...what?" Matt asked, finding it a little hard to keep track of her mixed jumble of words.

Talitha blushed and took a deep breath, aware of the fact that she always made a fool of herself around Matt. "If you wanted to meet up later on Saturday night."

Matt paused for a minute in an attempt to understand, then noticed her shivering. "Do you want to come in?" he asked, moving to the side of the door. Talitha nodded, her body brushing lightly against his as she stepped inside. Once she was in the house, Matt closed the front door and ushered her into the living room.

"So what's this about Saturday night?" he asked when she had turned to face him.

Talitha found herself staring at his chest again, and she blushed as she brought her eyes up to his. "I have to go to this charity event with my parents. I was hoping we could meet up afterwards."

"Umm, sure. What time do you think you'll be back?"

"Definitely not later than midnight. I know that ruins any plan of going out, but I thought we could just rent a movie and just eat whatever you have here."

"Umm-hmm," Matt murmured, satisfied with their new arrangement and done with talking, for now. He reached out and lightly grasped Tali's wrist, walking backwards as his grip on her wrist made her walk forward, until he sat down on the couch and pulled her on top of him.

"Matt!" Tali squealed, as she was pulled down to the couch and Matt's hands moved quickly to her waist to steady her. "I can't stay. A few of my friends are picking me up and we're going out to lunch."

"What time?" he asked, his hands moving leisurely under the bottom of her sweater and caressing the smooth skin there. He watched as Tali's eyes glazed over with arousal.

"Umm, at 1," she gasped, looking around the room for the time.

"We have over a half-hour," Matt said calmly, tugging her sweater up and over her head as she raised her arms to help. He paused for a moment to stare at her in her bra, this time a skimpy one made of blue silk and trimmed in black lace. "Very pretty," he commented, reaching around to the clasp in the back and unhooking it in one fluid motion.

After tossing it aside, he returned his hands to her breasts, cupping them in his large palms. He gently pinched one nipple, smiling as she moaned softly and pressed her breasts further into his hands. He firmly squeezed the sensitive bud again. "Do you like that?"

"You know I do," she gasped, opening her eyes to watch him as he toyed thoughtfully with her nipples, pinching and rubbing them. She squirmed on top of him, as the flesh between her legs began to pulse insistently. "Matt..." she pleaded, uncertain of what exactly she was asking for.

"Lean down," he told her.

"What?"

"Lean down," he repeated, placing a hand on the center of her back and pressing down until her breasts descended over his mouth. Capturing one nipple in his mouth, he suckled hard, as Talitha gasped with pleasure and her hands flew to his shoulders to steady herself. He nipped lightly at the bud in his mouth, beginning to tug at it with his teeth as Tali felt her body react to the new combination of pleasure mixed with pain.

The ache between her legs grew, as one of his hands moved to her neglected breast, soothing its peak with light strokes as he continued to tug on her other nipple. Her sighs of pleasure urged him on, and he suddenly reversed their positions, flipping Talitha underneath him as he straddled her. Letting go of her breasts, his hands glided down her stomach and unfastened the button of her jeans. She lifted her hips, urging him on, and he slid her jeans and panties down to her knees, too impatient to pull them all the way off.

Sliding his hand between her legs, he groaned. She was already wet, her sweet scent enticing him as he slid one finger into her. It was so tempting just to pull off her jeans and sink into her, but a quick glance at the clock told him his time was limited. Sliding in a second finger, he moved them in and out of her slowly as his thumb sought out her clit. Finding the tiny bud, he teased it, rubbing it gently, than backed off.

Talitha whimpered, a soft plea for release, as Matt left his two fingers inside her as he kissed his way back up her body. Her fingers threaded through his dark hair as they kissed, as though attempting to draw him even closer. Matt pulled away, moving back to her breasts and sucking one rosy peak into his mouth, before nipping it lightly. He felt her inner muscles tighten around his fingers as he moved to her other breast to give it the same treatment.

Finally deciding that he'd teased her enough, Matt leaned back up, giving Talitha a grin before plunging his fingers deep inside her as he rubbed her clit. She shrieked, her orgasm rapidly overcoming her as she shattered below him.

Withdrawing his fingers, Matt licked her sweet juices off his hand as she watched him with wide eyes, still breathing heavily. They both lay silent for a minute, until Matt rose off the couch, scooping Tali up and placing her on her feet. He pulled her panties back up, his hands lingering on her legs, before drawing up her jeans and rebuttoning them with quick, efficient movements. Picking up her sweater and bra, he handed them to her. "You have to go, don't you? Better get dressed."

Talitha stared at him in shock, her mouth and nipples still rosy and swollen from his attentions. "But you didn't..." she said, gesturing at his erection, which was clearly visible underneath his jeans.

Matt shrugged. "I can take care of it after you leave." They both heard the blaring of a car horn. "I think that's probably your friends now."

"Okay. Are you sure you don't want me to-"

Matt nodded. "It's fine. Go ahead. I'll see you Saturday night." She put her bra and sweater back on, and he walked her to the front door. "What time do you think you'll be done, again?"

"Umm, my parents said the Henderson's events never go past eleven-thirty. So I should be here by twelve." She leaned up to kiss him goodbye, then stepped out into the frigid winter air, making her way down his driveway.

She stopped at his mailbox to wave, and as Matt raised his hand in reply, he mused to himself, "Henderson. Sounds familiar." He closed the door, then turned to a glass table his parents kept in the front hallway. Opening the top drawer, he shuffled through various social invitations until he found the one he was looking for. Withdrawing it in triumph, he smiled. "Henderson," he repeated.

*****

Saturday night, Talitha sighed in relief as the band stopped playing. She stepped back from her dance partner, holding up one hand as he tried to take her in his arms for another dance. "Thank you, but I'm going to go get a drink," she said, smiling politely. "All this dancing has made me very thirsty." The man nodded his acquiescence, but as soon as Talitha stepped off the floor and towards the refreshment table, she noticed him following her.

She sighed to herself. Every since she and her parents had arrived, she had been dancing with young, single men, mostly sons of her parents' friends. Worse, she had a feeling her father had planned it that way. Every single man she had danced with would be perfect husband material, in her parents' eyes. This supposed charity event, where she would make business connections, had been turned into a matchmaking affair.

She spotted her parents across the room, and made her way towards them, feeling her fury rise up as she got closer. She stopped next to her father, not even bothering to look at the man he was talking to.

"Dad," she gritted through her teeth. "Can I talk to you?"

"In a minute, sweetie," he replied. "What happened to Jason? I thought you were dancing with him."

"The dance ended, Dad," Talitha ground out. "Now-"

"The dance ended? Perfect. Look who I've found. Matt, you wouldn't mind dancing with Tali for a little while, would you?"

"Not at all, sir," Matt replied, as Talitha, her eyes widening, finally saw who her father had been talking to. She took Matt's presented hand as his wide frame easily cleared a path in the crowd, pulling her back onto the dance floor.

He effortlessly twirled her around the floor, leading her through the steps easily. "Well, I guess you took dance lessons when you were younger," Talitha commented.

"I did," Matt confirmed. "My mother forced me to, in preparation for events like this."

"What are you doing here?"

"Hey, my parents get invited to all these things too. When I knew you were going to be here, I made a phone call and got myself invited."

Talitha laughed and shook her head in response. "Well, I'm glad you did. All I've been doing since I got here is dancing with the sons of my parents' friends. I think they're trying to play matchmaker. You wouldn't mind monopolizing me for the rest of the night, would you?"

Matt nodded, hiding his sudden rise of jealousy at he thought of all the other men she had danced with. "Of course not. Actually, I've been here before, so if you want to do a disappearing act for the rest of the night, I know a good hiding spot."

"Where?" she asked, her eyes brightening at the thought.

"They have a pretty large conservatory attached to the back of the house," he told her conspiratorially. "You want to go?"

She nodded eagerly, as he led her through the ballroom to a side door to make their escape. Pulling her a maze of darkened hallways, he stopped in front of a thick glass door. "After you," he said, opening it.

He stepped in after her, barely giving her a second to look around the garden before he took her in his arms and kissed her hard.