Ben groaned as his throbbing head reminded him of going overboard at the bar last night. His bleary eyes blinked open, only to be met with a pair of blazing red eyes set in a scaled, obsidian-black face. The dragon's head tilted, nostrils flaring as it studied him.
"What's that look for? You're the one who brought me home," she said, her voice a low rumble that somehow carried an air of exasperation. Ben's mouth worked silently, trying to piece together words, the events of the night before, and how the hell a dragon, of all things, was sprawled across his tiny apartment. Her body occupied nearly every inch of floor space, with his meager furniture unceremoniously shoved against the walls. Her lips curled into a smirk, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Here, let me make you more comfortable,"
Her body shimmered and then began shifting and shrinking, the scales being absorbed back into what looked like soft dark brown skin. The red crest on her head reduced to long wavy red hair. After a moment she appeared to be a mature, middle-aged, but fit human woman, laying on the twin bed naked.
"You were pretty drunk last night, so I'm not sure what you remember, but I was impressed when you turned down my cousin saying you weren't interested in girls, you wanted someone with maturity."
He groaned sitting up in the bed, reaching for his head and his stomach. "Last night is pretty fuzzy, right now, and I drank way too much. Did we?"
She nodded her head, "we did, and I don't regret it one bit."
Throwing back the covers, he saw he was also naked. "Let me go get some coffee on."
Walking over the stove he grabbed the Moka pot that was sitting on it, grabbed the can of coffee from the cabinet, and began setting the pot up. Once the pot was on the burner he turned back around, "Amahle, right? That's what you said your name was?"
She nodded, "Yes, you do remember. I was afraid you were so drunk you might not."
He shook his head, "I remember some of last night. It's been a long time since I got blackout drunk, and it's not something I enjoy doing. You were there with the younger woman, your cousin you said, Kiri, I think her name was."
She smiled standing up, not bothering to reach for any of the clothes scattered on the floor, her red, apparently naturally so, hair standing out in contrast to her dark brown skin. "Yes, it was her 250th birthday, and she wanted to celebrate among humans, since now that she became an adult she can change into a human form."
"We ended up talking about books, right?" He began digging through the clothes on the floor and finding his jeans began to pull them on.
She walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm stopping him from getting dressed, "Yes, we did. You said that if you were a dragon, books would be what you made a horde out of. I was impressed. First, that you realized Kiri was as immature as she is, most men your age wouldn't turn down the attentions of a much younger woman, and second, I love books and reading so that impressed me as well."
She wrapped her arms around the man, her dark skin contrasting with his pale complexion, and twining a finger in his long curls, looking him in the eyes she smiled as she spoke, "Also, I don't think we're done yet."
He looked down, "Well, my stomach is telling me I need to do something very unattractive in just a moment."
She stepped back from him after giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "Well Ben, you do that, I'll pour the coffee when it's ready, and then I'll join you in the shower."
Ben walked over to the small bathroom attached to his studio apartment, it was cramped with only a small sink, toilet, and shower stall. Sitting down on the toilet he let nature take its course flushing multiple times and spaying a copious amount of air freshener. After washing his hands, he sat back down on the now closed toilet and shook his head. The memories of last night were still fuzzy, he remembered going out to the bar, his divorce had just been finalized, and he wanted to celebrate. Amahle and Kiri had been sitting at a table together at the back of the bar. He remembered Kiri coming up to him; she had looked so young. She had offered to buy him a drink, which he had accepted; even though he was celebrating. His finances were strained. Amahle had followed as he was explaining to Kiri that while he found her very attractive, she was just too young for him and she might be better off at the dance club down the street which catered to a younger crowd. At that point, he and Amahle had started talking once she told Kiri it would be okay to head to the club. Kiri and another girl had left and Amahle had stayed.
Ben stepped back out of the bathroom, and Amahle handed him a steaming cup of coffee. She still hadn't bothered getting dressed, and he was becoming increasingly concerned about his own nakedness. She walked over to his bed sitting down and then patted the bed signaling for him to come sit beside her.
He sat down, and she put her arm around him as he sipped the espresso. She giggled and then kissed his cheek, "Well, it looks like somebody else is walking up."
Ben felt a certain part of his body becoming aroused and promptly blushed. "I, um, well that has happened in a long time." His erectile dysfunction had been a huge part of his divorce from Jessica. Apparently it was less of a medical condition and more just her. He turned to look at Amahle, she was absolutely gorgeous with a lithe, athletic build, soft now brown eyes, and red hair. She had a wide nose and high cheekbones that only accentuated her eyes, and full lips. She was just stunning. That she had come home with him was confusing. Ben had never considered himself to be particularly good looking, he wasn't particularly muscular and had the typical middle-aged beer gut. He was only average height, and with his bad back walked with a limp. What could she possibly have seen in him?
