Manila, 5:47 p.m.

The air conditioning kicked on, flooding their room with a cool breeze that stirred the golden hairs on his calf and made her dark, silky hair tickle his hip.  Terry grunted and flopped back on his side, throwing a thick arm over his face as he raised one knee and felt his scrotum tighten pleasantly when the cold air wafted over it.  Languid and content with a naked woman in his bed and the first blush of a welcome romance on the horizon.  How long had it been since he'd found himself here?  How long had it been since he'd holed up and done nothing but enjoy some much needed downtime?  

He could feel Heather's eyes on him and he smiled inwardly.  She was perched at his side, legs drawn up under her as she leaned into him, her weight resting on one hand as she studied him leisurely.  It was comfortable.  Easy.  He could feel the gentle heat from her body.  She was tantalizingly close and every so often as their slow breathing moved the bed, the satiny skin of her hip brushed against the plump soft head of his penis and sent warm waves of pleasure up from his groin.  Bliss.  He was pleasantly buzzed, relaxed and content as only a man can be when he is full, rested and knows that he will have sex again soon.     

She was new.  New to him.  New to the Game.  New to that crazy world where sex was supposed to come without strings or complications.  So then why did she feel so guilty?  For a moment she swallowed down that uncomfortable feeling and hummed in amusement at her own inner monologue as she took in the state of their disheveled hotel suite.  It reeked of stale sex and bruised flowers from the vase they'd broken during an earlier romp.  Damp towels that he'd used to wipe away the residue of their lovemaking lay over dishes thick with the remains of their interrupted breakfast.  Discarded clothes littered the floor like festive confetti along with bite sized morsels of sticky scones and syrupy, slithery pieces of fruit they'd dropped in anticipation of an even sweeter repast. 

And none of that even began to scratch the cluttered emotional landscape that lay just under the surface.

Good grief.  In what world was sex ever not messy?

At least their bodies were clean and rested, fresh from a leisurely soak in the oversized tub.  One of them should really get around to removing the 'Do Not Disturb' sign that had been hanging on the door since last night but neither of them could seem to move from their naked sprawl in the center of the big bed.  She fingered the pearls at her throat and felt herself flush at the erotic memory of Terry's gift.  And at that guilty feeling that had never really gone away.  The brutal reality was that she was in bed with another woman's man.  A man she had feelings for.  A man who seemed to be developing some feelings of his own regarding her.  Somehow that made it worse not better.  What was wrong with her?  With him?  With them all?

And worse yet, the erotic memory of his trickle of semen on her skin and the way his lips had felt on the nape of her neck as he placed the pearls around her throat were enough to drown out that sickening feeling that what she was doing was wrong... even if it felt so right. 

She'd barely tasted this world and she'd already begun to feel the undercurrents, a riptide under calm waters.  A look.  A glance.  A veiled warning behind a smiling façade.  Even a few not so veiled warnings. 

He can't love you more than me.

Excuse me?!

Part of her was confused.  Limits on affection in a world where love was supposed to be free?  Part of her was annoyed.  Come and play... but by a different set of rules than they had for themselves?  Or maybe the problem was that overtone of ownership.  It just rubbed her the wrong way. The sharper, less charitable part of her had wanted to snap back.  If his feelings are so easily swayed then I guess he really wasn't yours after all, sunshine.  Sharp?  Yes.  Sharp, but true nonetheless.  She could be such a bitch.  But then couldn't they all?

Humans.  What a mess they all were.  Love.  Hate.  Jealousy.  Passion.  Intrigue.  Pique.  How did their fragile little world not come crashing down?  The dynamics of it fascinated her.  How did they make it work?  Or was it all just smoke and mirrors camouflaging an empty house of cards built of hypocrisy and lies?  Those darker currents had begun to niggle at her the deeper she got into the tangled web, and yet she just couldn't seem to stem the tide of her own selfish interest that kept her coming back for more.  Maybe that was the real secret?  Or maybe it all really was just some crazy love spell....  

"Abracadabra."  

Crap.  Had she said that out loud?  Maybe she shouldn't have had that third glass of wine.  

"Whaaa?"  Terry opened one sea green eye and looked at her.  What was she on about?  Women.  Couldn't they ever just lay there in peaceful silence like a man? 

She blobbed him with her pillow.  It made her round breasts bounce pleasantly.  Unconsciously he noted the generous curves were different from the willowy figure he was accustomed to, but he slammed down that avenue of thought almost as fast as it had opened. 

"Eloquent as always..."  She blobbed him again.       

He grinned in spite of himself.  He liked her.  She was just what he needed.  Someone with whom he had no history.  Or at least not much.  The only thing she wanted was his company.  No soul mates here, friend.  Just a shoulder to lean on during a bit of a rough patch and a soft body to lie on afterwards....

It had been a while since he'd had a new lover.  For a man who usually steeped himself in work to escape his problems, he found steeping himself in sex to be remarkably diverting, provided he could keep all those neatly ordered compartments in his head from falling in themselves.      

The soft feminine hand that had been absently caressing his leg stilled.  He could feel the mood shift between them and that agreeable warmth in his groin concentrated and thickened into a dull throbbing as his cock filled, raising proudly from its golden nest to prod her hip.

She trembled.  He was going to touch her.  She was going to touch him.  Soon she would feel him on top of her, buried deep.  That empty place inside her wept and throbbed.  In moments, a slippery glaze shone wetly between her thighs, advertising her desire.  Her profound reaction to nothing more than the idea of making love was a little embarrassing.  What would he think of her?  What should she think of herself?

His rough palm cupped the back of her neck and drew her in for a soft kiss.  It deepened as the angle changed and the tip of his penis inadvertently nudged into the cleft between her cheeks.  The wet welcome already waiting there for him both surprised and pleased him.  He hadn't even touched her yet and she was dripping with want.  Her blatant arousal excited him; made him feel aggressive and powerful.  A welcome feeling after the recent events in his life.  He nudged deeper, relishing the proof of her desire as he kissed the mouth of that silky little opening with his wide, broad tip.  Not stretching her... just teasing until she whimpered against his lips. 

For a moment he simply basked in mindless physical sensation.  He wasn't thinking about the recent kidnapping and how powerless it had made him feel.  He wasn't thinking about nearly losing the woman he loved more than all things.  Hell, he wasn't thinking at all.  Her luscious welcome had even blunted the subconscious need most men feel to perform adequately for a new lover. 

It should have been simple.  The bed was soft.  She was wet and ready.  His cock was hard.  And yet they were still new enough to each other that there was that awkward moment when they drew apart and their eyes met to ask that silent question, what next?  Top?  Bottom?  Who's moving where?  If it had been Uma, he'd have known instantly what to do and moved effortlessly into position, but he was with someone he couldn't read half as well.  Lodged just inside her opening, he was acutely aware of her hesitation.... the moment grew uncomfortable and he did what he always did in such moments.  Took charge.

In one easy motion, Terry pushed deep inside her from behind even as he guided her forward to her hands and knees.  The fleeting indecision was gone and he could feel her responding to his dominance, really opening up to him as he began to thrust into that exquisitely tight embrace.  Reaching around, he slipped a hand between her legs, not to stimulate her, but to revel in her undeniable physical response to him.  He was a man and the woman in his bed desired him.  His hand shifted and he smiled at the back of her head when she hummed deep in her throat.  He could pleasure the woman who wanted him.  His ego surged.  So did his hips.

He wanted to come and then he wanted to sleep.  He wanted her to come too, to have the satisfaction of knowing he'd been able to deliver what her mind and body had so clearly anticipated.  Luckily, he didn't think he'd have to wait long.  She'd been half way across the finish line before he'd even revved his engine.  And he bloody well wasn't having any trouble on that score.  Her primal response to him had evoked an equally primal reaction from him.  He grunted in pleasure.  It wasn't his typical smooth style, but there was something about fast and hard with a receptive partner that really raised the tempo.  A little bit of quick and dirty to get them both off and into dreamland.  What could be better?  Sweat trickled down his back.  His muscles burned. 

It was going to be so good.

She was so close she couldn't breathe.  Her legs were trembling and she was making that soft whimper he now knew meant she was teetering on the edge.  Grabbing her hips, he rutted harder, grimacing with the effort even as a warm surge of satisfaction bloomed in his chest.  Bloody good timing, mate.  Pacing two orgasms between new lovers could be a bit tricky.  Well done.  She ground herself back on him and that warm ripple inside him crackled into the searing heat of a violent orgasm.

Yes....  Yes.  YES!

No....  No.  NO!

Shit.  Buggered that one up, hadn't he?  He was ready for a tank of oxygen and a nap and she was still struggling on the edge, moving as frantically now as he had moments ago.  Shudders still wracked his body.  Christ, it was hard to think while the last of the dying pulses shed the dregs of himself into her.  Whoopsie daisy.

He winced as her wild movements began to make his over-stimulated nerve endings throb unpleasantly.  He tried to take her over with a sharp bite to her shoulder and the play of his fingers, but they'd lost the moment.  He drew back. 

"Sorry, love..."

She protested with a groan as he pulled out.  He smothered a sigh of relief.  And yet the sight of her exposed vulva, red and open and oozing his essence still had the power to excite his mind even if his body was spent.  So there it was.  Proof Tink was right.  She reckoned his wiring went from eyes to cock, bypassing his brain entirely.  He shook his head to clear that line of thinking.  It appeared he still had a job to do.    

"Terry..."

So much for that nap.  Though what he really wanted to do was curl round her and sleep the sleep of the dead, he smiled boyishly at her instead and clapped his hands together.  "What's your pleasure, darlin'?  You want to wait a bit for round two?"  He pulled crudely at his half hard cock.  His other hand seemed unable to keep from slithering between her legs to stroke the carnal display set out so prettily before him.  "Won't be long with that view."  He tossed himself down with a giggle.  "But never let it be said I'm not the gentleman... if the lady doesn't prefer to wait, there are always other options..." 

The frantic light in her eyes had dimmed but had not gone out entirely as she considered his proposal.

His mind, or at least the part he hadn't just ejaculated, was turning with possibilities.  "Hands?  Mouth?"  He hoped she didn't go for that choice.  He was just being polite.  He really didn't fancy a mouthful of his own spunk.  Think, Terry, think....  His eyes sparkled.  "There's a candle over there that might work a treat...."

"Terry!"

Crap.  Too much?  Had he scandalized her?  His wits were still addled.  Her eyes were lingering on the vanilla scented taper.  Well, well.... Maybe not so scandalized then.

"You're bigger."  She pouted playfully, still not yet willing to give up the idea of coming with at least some part of him deep inside her.

"Not presently, but we do appreciate the thought."  As the fog cleared from his brain, he was slowly warming to the idea of more sex.  They weren't nailing down his lid just yet.  He would manage to soldier on somehow.  Tough job and all that.   Well, that and the x-rated view was working its magic on his sleepy cock.  It twitched appreciatively.  "Ho, ho....you are in luck, lassie.  The troops appear to be rallying....."

Thank Christ.  Imagine if this little encounter got round to the others?  Not that he cared much or measured his worth by what others thought of him, in bed or out... it was just he didn't much fancy the idea of being the butt of that particular joke.  He was doing enough deflecting as it was.

The three hours that followed were among the longest of his life.  Pleasurable, yes.... but long nonetheless.  He tried everything and still she seemed unable to find that elusive release.  He soothed and teased and pushed and bullied, alternatively enticing and dragging her right up to the edge again and again without managing to push her over. 

They must have tried every position.  He'd kissed, licked, nibbled, stroked, pounded..... He'd ridden her until his knees ached.  She'd ridden him until they were both sore.  Talk about one for the record books, he though wryly.  His tackle felt like a sausage left too long on the fire.  She was red-faced, limp and trembling. 

"We can do this again later, you know."  His words were light and his eyes were kind but deep inside he felt a bit like the buffet spread out for her last meal.  There was no need for her to be so gluttonous.  He wasn't going anywhere and neither was she.... 

He really did mean that.  They could do it again later.... Hell, he knew they would do it again later.  Albeit much, much later after his cock stopped smoking, he'd had a good kip and swallowed down a cow, horns and all.  He could sympathize though.  Leaving her in that state would be pretty cruel.  There had been a time or two in the past when orgasm had eluded him despite his best efforts. 

She was hot and exhausted and so itchy she was about to jump out of her skin.  All she wanted to do was come so she could get some relief and yet the harder she tried to make it happen, the more elusive that final pleasure became.  She was acutely aware of how long it had been.  The more she focused on it, the more self-conscious she became until she could hardly stand her own skin.  The only thing worse was imagining what it would feel like to stop now.  All that work with nothing to show for it.... no explosion of pleasure melting into soothing sleep.  No emotional closeness as they surrendered together.  Just raw stinging skin and a throbbing ache that wouldn't go away.  It just didn't seem fair.... and it was horribly embarrassing.

In one last spurt of inspiration, Terry rolled her over and slipped in gently.  It was probably the only position they hadn't tried.  Good old missionary.  Worked like a charm.  Why hadn't he thought of it earlier?  Just a slow rocking and some deep kisses and she was there.... after waiting to be sure he hadn't misjudged her release again, he let himself go with a long, shuddering sigh. 

Ahhhhh...... Finally. 

It was far from the most earth-shattering orgasm either of them had ever had, but as far as blissful sweet relief went, it was bloody spectacular.

Terry slumped down and rested his cheek on her breasts with a groan.  "My God!  I feel like I should get up and take a bow except I'm not sure my legs work anymore..."

Heather pushed a lock of wet hair off his sweaty brow with a giggle.  "Forget the bow.  That performance deserves a standing ovation.  I'd get up if I could..." 

"You okay?"  There was real concern in his eyes.

She nodded.  "Just sore, you know?"

He looked down at his own aching bits.  "I do indeed."  Terry sat up long enough to splash one of the linen napkins in the melting ice water in the bottom of the empty champagne bucket and then wound it round his cock with a shiver. 

She giggled.  "Well, at least the flames are out now."

With a snort he limped back over to her.  "Your turn."  He casually slapped the cold dripping cloth between her legs with a devilish glint in his eye, chuckling to himself when she yelped.  It was cold.

Really cold. 

"Now that was just cruel!"  It was a token protest only.  Once the shock had worn off, the numbing cold felt wonderful.

"Paybacks."  He flopped back with a sigh and that little part of him that liked order smiled inwardly.  They were back in the exact same position they'd been when they'd started their wild little ride.  Except the frigid rag had shrunk his once proud penis to the size of a cocktail sausage.

"Hey!  Be nice!"  She pulled a face at him, smothering a laugh.  "Or the next time I write in my diary, it will begin with 'The last time I saw anything that size, it was on a tray with a toothpick in it...."

He blobbed her with the pillow.  

They were both relieved.  And red raw.  And happy.  The mood had lightened considerably now that the pressure was off them both.  She'd finally been able to let go.  He'd finally made her come.  A nap was on the horizon.  All was right with the world.

Except for that niggling voice in the back of her mind that sounded remarkably like Uma.  Took you long enough!  Well, wasn't that the truth?  Tired as she was, it was hard not to let her mind dwell on it.  Maybe some subconscious part of her had wanted it to last forever?  Or at least how long she could make this fleeting forever last.  Now that their passion had faded, her guilt was back.  Or at least it was until Terry drew her into his arms and tucked her head under his chin.

Beside him, Heather had relaxed into sleep.  Terry stared up at the dark ceiling, a little smile on his face.  He was lost in his own thoughts as he drifted towards sleep.  How strange it was to be in bed with one woman and be thinking about another.  He couldn't help but think about the woman he loved when he was sexually stated.  It was instinctive.  He didn't even think it was strange.  It was just natural. 

Or at least was passed for natural in this crazy little world of theirs...