There was not much time to take in any more of my surroundings. My fate had been sealed - the sound of him locking the door behind us stole my attention from the city view. There was no time to rally my thoughts either because he approached me and reached out to peel my jacket away from my shoulders. Involuntarily my body grew ridged, but it was too late - I had been relieved of the denims’ coverage, and the stranger’s fingers were pulling my hair away from my neck from behind me. At the same time, he was gently ushering me towards his desired conclusion by tenderly stroking his hands down my arms as he neared my neck for a kiss. He wasn’t wasting any time in getting to it; I recall thinking.

There was a feeling of foreboding - my heart was pumping so fast it was either going to spring right out of my chest or stop altogether! The instant his lips finally touched my skin, I wanted to wince out of nervousness, but then he whispered, “Relax, unless... You really want me to stop.” Without the distraction of loud club music or a buzzing radio, I could finally hear his voice, unadulterated. It was husky and warm and lulled me into a sense of security. So I did as he asked; I felt his breath against my neck when he sighed, which caused me to do so. “You smell so good.” He whispered again.

“Uhm, thanks,” I whispered back and let my eyes fall closed.

“You’re welcome.” He muttered before kissing my neck again.

I hummed a pleased sort of sound; I couldn’t help but vocalise how good it felt. Consequently, that encouraged him, and soon his lips were busy placing soft kisses over my shoulder, up the length of my neck and jaw until he gently nipped at my ear lobe. As if that sensation was not spine-tingling enough, when I felt his hands slip away from my arms to grasp the small of my waist, I dared to imagine where things were going to progress. The excitement I felt just imagining it caused me to throw caution to the wind. I had been such a good girl in all my twenty-one years. I had been faithful to four boyfriends, and while I hadn’t led a boring sex life with any of them, I had never let loose with a complete stranger before. Screw it. I’m going to get me some, I heard the darker side of my conscience say.

Turning around to face my accomplice, I surrendered myself into his hands. Feeling braver, I reached to wrap my arms around his neck and dared to place a kiss of my own over the skin between his collarbones. Now that I was so close, I could not escape noticing how he smelled as I breathed him in – it had musky, woodsy undertones but was decidedly fresh smelling with citrus notes from soap or his cologne. It was mouth-watering.

With excitement bubbling up inside me, lust took over, and I hungrily set my lips onto his skin again. To savour the taste of him, I opened my lips to lick at him too, and the handsome stranger craned his neck back to allow me to venture there. He let me know he liked what I was doing - I heard and felt him groan when his throat vibrated beneath my lips.

My back suddenly found the wall of the entryway when he manoeuvred me back into it. The sudden contact with the hard surface did not hurt, but it caused me to gasp involuntarily.

That moment was fleeting, and soon I was busy enjoying the texture of his hair between my fingers as I combed into his locks and held his head to me as he bowed it to kiss about the neckline of my top, teasing that he wanted to kiss beneath it.

Suddenly he pulled away, and I met his eyes briefly in the darkness and glimpsed his face. Focused on his lips, the lips that had not long ago been leaving my skin hot and tingly. I contemplated the possibility of kissing him there.

As if he had read my mind, he asked, “Do you kiss strangers on the mouth?” Without an ounce of judgement, it seemed to me that he was asking permission.

“Not usually,” I answered honestly in a breathy whisper. I couldn’t hide how fast my heart was racing. I was already excited by his confident but gentle approach.

“Can I be an exception?” He was asking permission.

I didn’t answer with words, but I did reply with my mouth. I kissed him. We were consumed by the heat of the moment, like throwing a match onto gasoline, and my lips gave way to his. I let him devour me like some starved animal, and we both moaned into each other, begging to steal each other's breath away.

My hands had already messed up whatever style he had fashioned into his hair, and they were eager to continue exploring him. Feeling my way over his jawline where his tame stubble pricked at the skin of my palms, I decided it wasn’t uncomfortable but just confirmed that he possessed a rugged manliness. It almost surprised me that that was a feature of his that I found irresistible because it was so far from my usual type.

Down his neck, my fingers trailed until I found my hands pressed up against his chest. Beneath my fingers, I felt his firm pectorals and my fingers tensed to knead into him without my thinking about it. Whether it was courage or desperation now, I could not tell, but I inched towards the buttons of his shirt. I guess obvious urges drove me. Without prompting or permission, I began to undo them. When our lips broke apart for a moment to catch our breath and so that despite the darkness, I could gawp at his body as I unclothed it, he took the time to confess.

“I watched you dancing.” As he spoke, he helped me remove his shirt and pulled his arms from its sleeves to let it fall into a pool of fabric on the floor. “Do you always let go like that when you dance?”

“Uhm, yeah. I suppose it’s the only place I let my hair down.” I heard myself explain; it seemed that when I was distracted, I was my most honest. I was busy enjoying how his torso felt beneath my meandering fingertips. It had been months since I had touched someone like that. I found myself carefully watching where I placed my hands on him. He was sculpted beautifully, not overly muscular but toned and smooth feeling despite his masculine edges. Only fine body hair interrupted the lines of the artwork that adorned his skin. I was trying to focus on the image he had drawn over his left hip when he tipped my chin back and stared down into my grey eyes. His were dark, too dark to tell what colour they were, but his gaze was intense and caused me to swallow down the lump that grew in my throat.

“What about here?” His thumb stroked my lower lip, and it trembled as I tried to answer him. All I managed was a stutter; I was lost in his eyes. “We don’t have to talk.” He said to comfort me in my silence. I glimpsed the grin he pulled before he bowed his head to my shoulder again and went back to kissing my neck.

Caught up in what he was doing, I suppose I did let go. I didn’t flinch when his hands slid up my waist and beneath my crop top without a pause. The way his fingers kneaded into my breasts and how he teased my nipples made me moan shamelessly. Spurred on by the sounds I made, he freed me from the top altogether in a flurry of motion. With my arms reached upward, he disarmed me completely by grabbing hold of both my wrists in one hand and pinned them back to the wall above my head. Liberated from the use of my hands, I gasped at the confidence with which he acted. Feeling unthreatened and irrevocably turned on, I had no choice but to surrender. Fortunately, what he wanted to do to me, I yearned for and the familiar tingling sensation of arousal I noticed growing in intensity between my thighs was set on fire when my chest gained the attention of his lips. He kissed and sucked at my skin in just the right way and teased more moans and gasps of pleasure from me. Each time I made a sound, he reciprocated by making his own to indicate he was enjoying it too.

What I felt next made his mood clear...

In the darkness, I strained to see his face out of my peripherals; I was intrigued to find him staring at me intently. I quickly realised why when he pushed his clothed hips against mine and rubbed himself up against me - he was excited. I could feel it, and in reaction, I couldn’t help but squeeze my thighs together in an attempt to sate my own excitement. My yearning for the void to be filled swelled. The look on my face must have amused him because I heard him quietly chuckle. I saw him grinning again, and instantly my mind was made up that he had the most stunning smile I'd ever seen.

My hands were still held captive by his, so he was free to touch me how he liked; I was helpless to stop him. Curious about where his hands would go next, I looked down to watch him unfastening my combat pants and subsequently slip his hand down the front of them. He teased me by feeling over my underwear first. The way the first tease made the nerves in my skin set alight and prickle all over caused me to want to pull back into myself. If he carried on, he'd get to experience an unbridled, private version of myself that I only showed to those I'd trusted romantically - I did not know if I was ready to be that open with a perfect stranger, so I moved to turn my face away. He was not going to settle for that and nuzzled the side of my face with his nose; he tilted my head so that I had to meet his gaze instead. We shared a long look. I must have seemed surprised to be so quickly aroused by him, but he took it all in his stride and stole another kiss from me, all while he massaged me with more vigour. I moaned uncontrollably into his lips as I resigned to the fact that I had to let loose how he desired.

In minutes I was writhing in pleasure and thirsty for more when I felt my erect nipples brisk up against his bare chest. The whimpers I made spoke to how starved of affection I had been recently, but if at that moment he had figured that out, I wouldn’t have cared. My legs were trembling when I heard myself gasp, “Please.” I needed more than what he was giving to tormenting me.

“You want more?” He asked calmly, reading my tone as well as the expression on my face.

Desperate and shameless, I nodded yes, in reply. When he let go of my hands, I thought my request would be answered and was briefly disappointed when I felt him move away. Left wanting, I felt foolish and blushed when I watched him take a knee and relieve me of everything below my waist. The patient he had in unlacing one of my combat boots and peeling off my sock was caring and not aggressively sexual. He left me naked and at his disposal. The way he caressed his hands up my legs made me I wanted him there - no doubt. But I was made shy by how he examined me so hungrily. With my palms covering my mouth, I held my breath in anticipation as he set a kiss beneath my navel. He was about to give it to me in the way I liked best, but it had always been something I had only dared try with one of my past boyfriends; a boy that I had gotten to know was committed to and trusted.

The act was personal and intimate, and I was about to give it away to a stranger! I knew that if I let him have me in that way, I was bound to lose control. I could not help feeling daunted by the fact that he might witness me at my rawest. There would be no way I could uphold any pretence that I was comfortable and confidently promiscuous if he saw me undone so easily. Oh, but he was hot, and he made me feel hot too! The anticipation was electrifying, but my nerves rendered me motionless. I think he sensed my apprehension because he found my eyes and smiled up at me before he kissed me again, in the same place, as if making sure I was certain I wanted him to continue. I nodded again, and holding the attention of my eyes, he reached out his tongue and moved it against me. I quivered and whimpered into my hands; it felt so good. Closing his eyes, he took control of the moment and devoured me in a way I had only dreamt possible in private moments of self-love. My ex had never lived up to my vivid imaginings, but this stranger made me feel feverish in mere seconds. Oh no, the stranger’s skills didn’t disappoint - he set the bar at a new high. No time had passed at all when a wave of intense pleasure drowned me. My hands fell away from my face firstly because there was no point in hiding now he’d seen me undone but also to grasp a hold of his hair. I let out a primal cry which was admittedly a sound that was a stranger to my own ears; I'd never felt like that before.

Sat back on his heels, he became my private audience, and though I had feared how shameful letting him see me at my most vulnerable would feel, it was sinfully delicious and liberating. He let me know he enjoyed watching me lose it by biting his lip.

We were barely inside his house and had already gotten this far. Now that my nerves had dissipated, it is evident that there was an unspoken magnetism between us that was raw and carnal. He utterly enthralled me, and since I felt safe and pleased, I didn’t care how he exploited my body; it felt too good to refuse. He didn’t give me time to calm down because I felt his fingers trace up my inner thigh before I could protest; one nestled into place and added another layer of delight.

“Ah, God.” I groaned.

“More?” He took his lips away from me for only a second to put forth his question.

“Yes.” I barely thought about how desperate I might have sounded. Without further prompting, another finger joined his other and moved as if to beckon another climax from me. I dared not imagine how it could feel any better, but then it did, and I was propelled deeper into ecstasy.

Along with the work of his lips, it did not take long until he got what he wanted, and I cried out again, trembling against the wall with my back arched away from it. I thought I was going to lose my mind! My hands let go of his hair, and I sent them grasping into my own. Even if my life had depended on it, I couldn’t have caught my breath any faster and was panting uncontrollably.

“I think you’ve had enough.” He concluded. One moment he was there; the next, he wasn’t. Stood upright in front of me as I attempted to centre myself.

In my mind whirled a thousand questions; Is that is? Is it over? Is that all he wanted? Did he even get anything out of it? I mourned a lost opportunity to have sex with him until it dawned on me that maybe he wanted me to make the next move. My hands dropped from my hair and were about to reach for him when I noticed his hand delve into the back pocket of his jeans to remove his wallet. Watching him opening it up, I jumped to a mortifying conclusion. Suddenly, my hands clasped over his to stop him from retrieving any money.

“I- I’m not a prostitute!” I exclaimed in shock.

“What?” He found my eyes and looked equally as shocked and confused as I probably did. “I know. I was getting this.” Held between his fingers, he presented me with a square foil packet that excused his actions and painting a clearer picture for me.

“A condom,” I muttered, identifying the object, red-faced and defeated as I held my hands over my face. “Oh My God, could this be any more embarrassing? I- I should go.” The door was still in sight. I just wanted to get away quickly and save face.

“You definitely shouldn’t leave yet.” He said calmly. I was still in shock, and despite myself, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I watched what he did next with eager eyes; he unfastened his jeans and pulled his underwear down to allow himself freedom. It sprang toward me, and he met my eyes before biting down onto the corner of the packet to tear it open. “Unless you’d leave me like this? That’s kinda mean, though, don’t you think?” Offering the packet my way, he indicated he wanted me to put it on for him, and although I had decided the moment I saw it that I didn’t want to leave, I was unsure I was bold enough to do what he wanted. “It won’t bite.” He assured me, and I realised I was keeping him waiting.

So far, he had had patience with me, but I was clearly ruining the moment. Pushing my indecision aside, I plucked it from its casing and slid it onto him before I could think myself out of it. Now I couldn’t help but wonder if we were going to stay in the entryway. Like before, he seemed privy to my private thoughts, and in reaction, he crouched down and helped me out of my other boot so that I could leave my clothes behind. On his way to standing upright, he grabbed hold of my thighs and hoisted me into his arms. I had no choice but to wrap my limbs around him, but in return, he held me tightly.

Unceremoniously he carried me through his apartment until we were in a bedroom. Fortunately, the black-out blinds cloaked the bedroom in darkness despite dawn being on its way. I don’t think I could’ve stood the shame that would have inevitably haunted me should I have screwed him in broad daylight. This way, at least I had the excuse of being enchanted by some type of temporary lunacy.

Sprawled back on the sheets of his bed, I was not alone for long; he slipped out of his jeans and joined me. As I watched him prowl towards me, I shamelessly admired his body again now that he was naked. Looking at his physique, I felt a pang of carnal hunger ripple up from the depths of my womanhood. The moment his hand reached out to stroke up my leg, I was more than ready to stop thinking and let my body have its way. With my long slender legs clinging to either side of his hips, he hastened to position himself between my thighs and put us together. Immodestly he watched as our bodies moved like tidal water to and from each other in steady motions.

We eventually crashed into one another - engulfed by tantalising feelings, our limbs entwined, our lips locked too, and we writhed together until it all got too much again. Arching my back pushed my body into him when I grasped at his shoulders as I moaned. That was when it occurred to me that I might have called out his name if I had known it, but I didn’t. Patiently he soothed me back into the rhythm of our horizontal dance as I came down from my high, and with his lips wandering about my neck and chest, I was free to whisper, “I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Cole, and yours?” The sheen of perspiration we had spent had bonded our bodies together, and in peeling us apart, he met my eyes to introduce himself with a charming smile and swept my hair back from my face.

“Ana. I’m Ana.” I muttered. Taken with the look on his face, I reached out and set my hand onto his neck. My thumb stroked over his jawline, but I quickly realised how overly affectionate the gesture seemed. Perhaps it was inappropriate behaviour towards such a casual acquaintance? Convinced of this, I was about to retract my hand when I felt his hand cover mine to keep it where it was. He smiled again, still staring down into my eyes though he hadn’t stopped the pulsing movement of his hips.

“You have pretty eyes, Ana.” I didn’t need a mirror to know that what he said made me blush, but he gave me no opportunity to thank him because he stopped my lips with another kiss. A kiss that quickly turned into another feast. We devoured each other as if our hunger would never be satisfied. To say that Cole was taking care of me passionately was to understate how precious he made me feel. I was by no means under the illusion that he was making love to me, but he was still tender even in his urgency to ensure we both tasted the maximum amount of pleasure.

The pace built and built until, at last, he finished, and when he did, he held onto me possessively. Seeing that he knew my name now, he unashamedly growled it into my neck so that there was no mistaking that I had been the cause of his undoing. His climax ripped through him and caused him to quake against me because my hands clung onto his back. I could feel how his every muscle spasmed. Flopping back against the sheets at my side, he huffed a great sigh and instigated a convalescence.

The silence between us was deafening and no sooner had I come around and crashed back into reality, I started to feel self-conscious that I was laid there naked. I had never felt like that around my boyfriend’s, but Cole was still very unfamiliar. He didn’t know me from Adam, even if we now knew each other biblically. I dared to tear my eyes away from the ceiling and look over at him at my side. Swept away with admiring his body all over again, I bit my lip and the preverbal bullet and said, “Can we do it again?” I sat up, indicating that this time I wanted to mount him if he would let me.

“Sure.” He agreed and welcomed me as I straddled his hips. “Uh- but we need another one of these.” Cole gestured to his nightstand, and when I reached into the drawer, I spied his stash of condoms and other erotic paraphernalia. He wasn’t remotely bashful about the drawer’s contents, it seemed, so I brushed it aside and tended to getting him 'ready' again. “Someone’s not so shy anymore.” He chuckled as he watched me move my hands around him. The little noises he made let me know I was doing it right at least, but even once I had managed to get the condom on him, I felt inspired to do something else daring. Shimmying into a new position, I took him off guard when I took him into my mouth. There was something about fellatio that I had always enjoyed; perhaps it was because I had an oral fixation - I was an avid pen chewer. Of course, I didn’t presume to bite him! But after a few minutes, he reached for my hair. Not to force me further down him, although I would not have minded, but to pull me back.

“If you don’t stop that now, I’m not going to be of any use to you.” He managed through gritted teeth. I felt triumphant in getting him on edge but gave in and slipped back up to his hips and lowered myself down. The transition came naturally now that I was not overthinking what I was doing.

This time around, it didn’t take either of us as long to reach our climaxes. They were each as explosive as the others. His eager eyes watched as I moved up and down and aided my pleasure along by stimulating me while I rode my way to ecstasy.

At the mercy of the rapid pace I had set, Cole had to surrender soon and grasped my hips suddenly. With force, he pulled me down onto him so that he was buried into me as deeply as was possible, and we both moaned in harmony until it was all over.