faint sadness that she was unable to keep it all.
Lionel tilted her head back and smiled at her. His eyes were green but fully human again, and there was no hint of sharpness in his teeth. She smiled back and moved to kiss him, but he pulled away. His hand dipped below the neckline of his shirt and pulled the small key out. He pulled it over his head and held the chain and the key in his palm.
“You have some of my fire in you now, Lily. Will you care for the egg? Will you clean the hoard and breathe my breath on the egg’s skin until the day that it hatches or you tire of my service?”
She smiled and took the key, carefully slipping it over her head so that it nestled between her breasts. He smiled back, his eyes kind and relieved. She said, “For a price, mister Socard.”
“Of course. What do you require?”
She reached down and grasped him, faintly surprised by her own behavior. “Just that you rekindle the fire inside me as often as you can.”
He smiled, starting to stiffen in her hand. “My pleasure, my Lily.”
B is for Beach: The ABCs of Erotica Series
Erica entered the restaurant tentatively, her knees nearly knocking. She’d spoken to Ben on the phone for months, and they’d even been…intimate. Phone sex! Something Erica thought she’d never do, but they got on well when just talking. The question was: what if the chemistry wasn’t there in person?
She’d been pleased when he suggested a restaurant on the shore and wondered if she mentioned how much she loved the beach? It was nestled right on the boardwalk with wonderful views, and at that time of day, with the sun retreating, the view was spectacular.
Erica’s eyes scanned the restaurant, and she wondered whether he was already there. She fought the urge to turn around and leave, but then she saw him. He looked just like his picture. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Handsome. Was he out of her league? She pushed her insecurities aside and walked toward him, excited yet hesitant. She would not let fear sidetrack her. Her heart thumped in her chest, and she took a deep relaxing breath.
When she reached the table, she slid into the chair across from Ben, silently drinking in all his details. A photo didn’t do justice to the deep brown pools of his eyes, nor did it convey the vitality he exuded in person. The air seemed charged around him. Maybe that was just her exhilaration.
She laughed self-consciously before managing to force out a hello. Ben laughed too and reached out to grasp Erica’s hand across the table while he caressed her fingers lightly. The tension was broken.
'You’re beautiful, just like your photograph.' He sounded like he meant it. She knew her clean-cut look appealed to some men and he must be one of them.
Ben picked up the wine bottle. 'I hope I wasn’t presumptuous in ordering some celebratory wine?'
'No…not at all.' Her nervousness made it hard for her to meet his eyes for any length of time.
Ben poured Erica a glass and proposed a toast. 'To personal meetings.'
Erica returned his smile and they began to chat. Soon it was like they’d been meeting for months. The closeness they’d formed on the phone translated just like she hoped it would. In their conversations he’d been intelligent and funny, and he was the same in person. As she relaxed, her shyness evaporated letting her display the wit and humor Ben had come to know.
The conversation progressed, and Erica couldn’t help blushing as images of their previous interactions entered her mind. That, coupled with the wine, created a slow, building heat within her. She’d been uninhibited at times, and at his urging, she’d let her fantasies take flight. She’d even shared many of her innermost secrets with him. It embarrassed her, and yet on some level it was freeing. He knew so much about her and accepted her.
At times she wondered if the same sensual thoughts crossed his mind, and whether his gaze was heated or if it was just the lighting? Occasionally their knees or feet would touch under the table and she would feel a little zing of excitement. She hoped the reaction was mutual.
Erica ate lightly, a little pasta, a little salad, enjoying his attention. The time passed in a whirl and eventually she realized that the low voices of the other patrons had disappeared and it was time to go.
Ben paid the check and led Erica out of the restaurant and into the night air. A cool ocean breeze floated around them and he guided her down the boardwalk, walking close. His hand brushed against hers, fingertips touching, and he enveloped her hand in his.
They approached a small staircase which served as an entry point onto the beach and Ben gestured toward the sand. She slipped off her shoes, leaving them on a stair and they stepped out into the deep, dry sand. Erica’s foot sank the moment it touched it, and Ben steadied her balance.
They crossed the beach until they were within a few feet of the waves on a wet, densely packed area that supported their weight. They strolled away from the lights of the boardwalk businesses as the waves rolled in and drowned out the sounds of the nightlife around them.
Erica loved the beach. She especially loved it at night when the moonlight reflected off the water and the sound of crashing waves broke on the shore. There was no one else on the beach but the two of them, and the solitude was lovely. During the day, the beach was hot, crowded. But now, with the moon and stars it was a place of dreams. She’d fantasized many times about being on the beach with a lover, alone together in the darkness, the water drowning out their cries of ecstasy. She shook her head ruefully. She was getting ahead of herself.
A gust of wind swept up, and Erica shivered a bit. Ben stopped, running his hands over her chilled arms and then leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. Liquid pleasure filled her and Erica strained closer, bringing her hands to his shoulders. Finally, the moment was here. She’d waited all evening to feel his lips. Again and again, Ben kissed her urgently. He slid his tongue into her mouth, rubbing against the inside of her lower lip while Erica pressed herself fully against him. They embraced for a moment more and then pulled apart and continued down the sand.
Erica moved closer to the edge of the water and a wave broke over her feet, soaking the hem of her long, gauzy skirt. She laughed as the cold, swirling water retreated. Ben grasped her hand, pulling her back toward the dry sand which clung to her feet. They collapsed onto a small, raised dune, and Ben reached down and brushed away the sand. His fingertips brushed lightly over the tops of her feet, sweeping the grains away. She leaned toward Ben and his lips met hers again, kissing ardently. Closer and closer, Erica wrapped her arms around him and he sank back into the sand, taking her with him. She felt her bonds slip away. This man knew her. She could be exactly who she was.
Erica pressed close against Ben, but the barrier of their clothes was intolerable to her. Button by button, Erica opened his shirt and slid her hands inside. Her palms pressed against the smooth skin of his warm chest, touching, caressing. She fingered his nipples, tracing around the edges and rubbing across the puckered texture. Her hands moved up to his shoulders, and Ben sat up so Erica could push his shirt and jacket down his arms. She nipped his shoulder with her teeth and slid her tongue over the mark, pressing her lips against his skin.
Erica sat back and reached for the bottom of her blouse. She pulled it up over her head and tossed it to the side. Ben reached behind her back, his fingers releasing the hook and eye closure of her bra. His hands slid back around to her chest, underneath the fabric and inside the loosened cups. He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples which were stiffly erect, and her bra floated down her arms. She shivered as the night breeze brushed her heated skin.
Ben pulled her to him and pressed his face in between her breasts, licking in the cleavage. Her hands grabbed his belt, unfastening the buckle and then the button of his pants, unzipping them. She cupped him through the fabric of his underwear, feeling him grow hard against her stroking hand. She pressed him deeper into the sand as he licked and sucked her nipples, his hands fondling the undersides of her soft, full breasts.
'Oooh.' Erica laughed playfully. 'I want to bury you in the sand, just a little.' Her hand dug out a furrow by his shoulder, and Erica took his arm and placed it there. Digging through the dry sand to the wet beneath, she scooped out handfuls of wet, dense sand and packed them around his arm. Erica kissed him, pressing her breasts against his chest as she piled the cool, heavy sand over his arm, encasing him shoulder to wrist. Her left hand pushed away the sand beneath his other arm and Erica packed sand around that one too. 'Don’t move them.'
Erica crawled off Ben and moved down to his feet. She grasped one shoe and then the other, pulling them off. She traced one finger down the center of the sole of each foot before grabbing the tip of one sock and then the
