Thief

Charlie looked over at the pharmacy across the road.

Her hands were couched by her thighs, as she pondered on an issue that had a clear solution.

Charlie wouldn't call herself a sexually active woman. She had lost her virginity in high school because she had reckoned that was the age every normal girl lost hers. Ronnie Lowell, the boy she had given it to, had been her neighbour for a while and was kind to her, which was more than she could say for the other boys that had crossed her path before him.

The sex had not been world turning, in fact, it had been quick, and if not for the slight pain that came with her hymen being broken, Charlie wasn't sure she felt anything else. Ronnie had enjoyed it though...and they had used a condom. It had been a gift from Ronnie's older brother and Charlie had been glad for it.

Where was she going with all of this?

Well, the truth was, aside that one time with Ronnie five years ago, Charlie had never really gotten around to having sex again. This meant, she hadn't had to go into a pharmacy for a condom, or in this case, a morning after pill.

It was no big deal. At least that was what the commercials said, as well as some of the ladies at the salons she often worked at. All she had to do was go in there and tell them she needed a Plan B or something to keep her from getting pregnant. Yes, she was slightly miffed she would have to spend money she hadn't budgeted for, but better that, than a pregnancy test, or even worse, a kid.

The thought of being pregnant for a man she was sure to never see again, had Charlie springing up from the bench and walking across to the pharmacy. She still couldn't move as sharply as she could twenty-four hours ago, and the reminder had left a permanent flush to her cheeks.

She had never been more thankful for the darkness of her skin.

The pharmacy was mostly empty when she stepped in. It was a bit early in the morning, so, the low patronage was expected. Her eyes scanned the rather unfamiliar surrounding, for the contraceptives section. The cashier at the counter gave her a glance, and Charlie could have sworn the middle-aged woman's eyes wandered over her outfit in question, but aside that, she paid her no mind.

Suffice it to say, she did not strut her way to the contraceptives section, with the same confidence she had walked into Radisson yesterday, despite being dressed in the same outfit.

Going home to change was out of the question, because that would mean Maris would see her, and there was no way Maris would let her be, without finding out just where she had been, in a short, black dress.

Once she stood in front of the contraceptives shelf, Charlie found herself in another state of indecisiveness. There were so many options. She took a deep breath, and snatched a random pack from the shelf, then hurried to the counter and dropped the pack on it with a sharp slap.

The middle-aged woman cocked a brow at her, "You need help, darling?" The woman asked, and Charlie was unsure if she meant help with choosing a contraceptive, or with her mental state.

"Uh..." she looked down at the contraceptive she had chosen, her brows furrowed...was it the right one?, "...I...I'd like to get this morning after pill?" She asked, more than stated.

The cashier looked down at the pack on the counter, "That's just a contraceptive pill, it's not a morning after pill."

If she were lighter, her cheeks would have been flushed pink, "Can you recommend something for me then?" She asked.

The cashier gave her a blank stare for a few seconds, and then shook her head slightly, as she walked over to the contraceptives shelf and fetched the correct pill.

Charlie had never been so relieved to walk out of a place after paying for the pill. Her next stop was at a restaurant to get a quick breakfast, and take the pill...the gazes she got at the diner though, reminded her she was still in her very scandalous dress.

A quick glance at the wall clock told her Maris must have left for her shift. It was now safe to return to the house. This dress was uncomfortable anyway, and if she paraded around town long enough in this, someone was bound to walk up to her and make solicitations they had no business making.

There were a few things Charlie could overlook, but she wasn't the most patient person, neither did she take too kindly to men who spoke faster than their brains worked. The lewd looks were doing enough to rile her up, if someone actually found the guts to walk up to her and put words to those looks, she wouldn't be blamed for her reaction.

She stepped out of the diner and noticed a pawn shop right across the road, she briefly considered walking in to sell the watch, but the last thing she needed was the pawn shop owner assuming she was some hooker that had stolen her client's watch....not that he would be all that far from the truth if he made that assumption.

With her mind made up, she found her way back home. She'd probably come by here some other day.

****

Sergei woke up to a buzzing sound.

His brows furrowed in confusion, unsure of where the sound was coming from at first, as he tried to find his bearings. The first thing he did was look to his left, where he expected the woman from yesterday to be.

Suffice it to say, he had not expected to find that side of his bed empty. It was enough to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, as he hurriedly sat up. How long had he been out for and how had she snuck out?

The buzzing sound continued, pulling Sergei's attention. He got out of his bed, to get his phone which was in his pants pocket, the entire time, trying to wrap his head around how the lady had left his bed.

If there was one thing Sergei prided himself on, it was being a light sleeper, yet, somehow, be had been knocked out long enough for his bedmate to sneak out.

He answered the call, and placed the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Brat, I've been trying to reach you, I hope you're ready to go." He said.

The question of their destination was just at the tip of his tongue, but then, the actual memories that should have been at the forefront of his thoughts came slamming through; they were supposed to meet up with some business partners.

He groaned softly, and rubbed his forehead, "Where are you?" He asked.

"I'm still in my room, but I'll be in yours soon."

"Okay, I'll be ready in a few minutes." Sergei responded. On that note, he ended the call.

Almost immediately, thoughts of the girl from last night flooded his mind. Sergei couldn't quite place his feelings on finding her gone. Usually, he had to chase the women he slept with, yet, finding this girl gone didn't satisfy him.

He shook his head, he could do this some other time. He had to prepare for that meeting in a bit.

*****

It was a one night stand.

Sergei was no child.

He knew what that entire night was supposed to be, with a stranger whose name he had never gotten, despite how avidly he had learnt of her body. A one-off, steamy sexual experience he could remember with fondness on occasion as he grew older.

So, why couldn't he shake off thoughts of his bed partner and focus on the business that brought him to the States?

Why did the image of brown limbs and dark areolas, full lips and light brown eyes haunt his every waking moment? Why did he spend almost an hour in the bathroom, jerking off to the thought of breathless moans and full breasts coated in sweat? Why did he imagine his cock sheathed in her wet warm orifice, while his hand stroked his length?

He had never known this sort of obsession, he had never imagined it existed, yet, here he was, a captive of his own carnal thoughts of a woman who had snuck into his room to steal from him, and snuck out successfully. Why was he more angry at the fact that she had left his bed while he slept, rather than her theft of his designer wristwatch?

It had been two days since he woke up to the buzz of his phone. Two days since he found himself alone in bed just before he groggily picked up Dimitri's call and had to have a quick shower to meet up with their planned meeting.

Sitting at that conference room, had been his first introduction to zoning out in business meetings. He had seen it happen with others, and once upon a time he had looked upon the act with derision and its perpetrators with distaste, yet, he had taken a moment longer than was normal, to bring himself up to speed on their discussions, multiple times.

It had been embarrassing, and Dimitri had not minced words when he spoke to him after the meeting.

They were alone in the privacy of their rental car, when Dimitri brought up the subject.

"You seemed a bit off earlier." His cousin began in their native tongue.

Sergei had not been blindsided by the discussion. Dimitri and him were a lot alike in their assessment of scenarios and their work ethics, it was why he looked to him for guidance whenever it felt like he was straying...such as this moment.

Telling him he was distracted because of a woman though, because of a night of wanton, casual sex, did not seem the smartest thing. So, Sergei had shrugged it off, "I had a restless sleep last night, it gave me a headache."

It wasn't completely false, but there was little truth to it...almost negligible if you considered he had, in fact, enjoyed his most peaceful sleep in months that night.

Dimitri stared at him for a bit, as if trying to read the truthfulness or otherwise of his words, before yielding with a stiff nod, "You should try to sleep better before our next meeting." He advised.

Sergei nodded in response.

"If you need something to put you to sleep..."

Dimitri let the rest of his words linger in the cabin of the car. They both knew what he meant, it was how they had sorted out some of their restlessness in the past, but Sergei did not think that solution would be effective this time.

He shook his head in the negative, 'No, I'll be fine." He responded.

The only woman he needed to ease his body was the dark brown one who had been in his bed only hours before. Dimitri couldn't get her for him, he would be lucky if he ever saw her again.

Yes, he would be fine. He would forget about her like he had the other woman who had graced his bed. It was a simple enough resolution

Twenty four hours later though, and Sergei swore his fantasies of the woman had only gotten more vivid. He had come up with enough scenes that involved her curvy frame rolling in his sheets to create a blockbuster porno, yet, he was no closer to forgetting about her than he had been when he woke up alone in bed.

He feared he was fighting a potentially lost battle.