Happy Birthday
| Sebastian had finally called it quits with his long time girlfriend, and repeat cheater, Ana, about three weeks ago. Steve waited until the third ring, half expecting it to go to voicemail. Sebastian had been quiet all week.. No posts, no responses to group threads, nothing. The kind of silence that meant he was either fine or very much not fine, and Steve had a pretty good read on which one it was. The line clicked. "Hey." Sebastian's voice was flat. Not hostile. Just flat. "You alive?" "Technically." Steve leaned back against his kitchen counter and looked out at the hills. Late afternoon, the light going gold over the canyon. "You been in the apartment the whole week?" A pause. "I went out for coffee." "Once?" "Twice." Another pause. "Maybe once." Steve exhaled through his nose. "Okay. So here's what's going to happen. You're going to pack a bag, you're going to get on a plane Friday morning, and you're going to come out here." "Steve.." "I'm not done." He kept his voice easy, no pressure in it. "Julia's coming out for her birthday. You've met her, what, three times now? She's good people. Zero drama, zero agenda. You're gonna like her a lot more than you currently like your apartment ceiling." There was quiet on the other end. Not a no. "I've got the guest room," Steve continued. "I've got good tequila. Julia has explicitly, and I mean explicitly, requested a very specific kind of birthday weekend, and I happen to think it lines up pretty well with what you need right now." "What does that mean?" Steve smiled at the hills. "It means she told me, and I'm quoting here, that she doesn't want gifts. What she wants is sex, lots of sex, non stop." He let that land for a second. "She also mentioned something about a DP, which, again, her words, not mine. She called it a massive long release. Her phrase. In writing." The silence on the other end changed quality. "She said that," Sebastian said finally. "She texted it. I've got the screenshot. It has a birthday cake emoji at the end, which I think was ironic, but honestly with Julia you never know." A low sound that might have been the beginning of a laugh. The first one Steve had heard from him in a week. "That's.." "I know." "And she's okay with.." "Seb. She requested it. For her birthday. The woman is extremely comfortable with what she wants, she's known us both for a while now, and she specifically said no messy feelings." Steve pushed off the counter and walked toward the window. "No one's asking you to sort anything out or talk about Ana or be okay yet. That's not what this is." Sebastian was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice had lost some of that careful flatness. "How's Julia doing, anyway?" "She's great. You know how she is. Showing up Friday afternoon, already sent me a playlist for the drive from the airport." "Of course she did." "It's mostly early 2000s R&B, which honestly, I respect." This time it was unmistakably a laugh. Small, but real. "Okay," Sebastian said. "Yeah?" "Yeah. Friday." "Pack light," Steve said. "You're not going to need much." Steve saw Sebastian before Sebastian saw him. He was coming through the sliding doors from baggage claim with a carry-on over one shoulder and sunglasses already on despite the terminal lighting, which meant he'd either slept on the plane or hadn't slept at all. Steve's money was on the latter. He looked thinner. Not dramatically, but enough that Steve noticed. "You checked a bag?" Steve asked as he reached him. "Just the carry-on." "Good." Steve took the bag off his shoulder before Sebastian could protest, tossed it in the back seat when they got to the car. Sebastian got in slowly, the way people do when they've been sitting in a cramped seat for five hours and their body is quietly registering its complaints. They pulled out of the arrivals loop into the crawl of LAX traffic and Steve didn't say anything for a while. He'd learned a long time ago that Sebastian didn't need to be talked at. He needed to be given space in which to eventually talk, which was a different thing entirely. The city opened up around them as they got on the 405. Hazy afternoon light, the particular washed-out blue of the LA sky in late spring, hills in the distance looking like a movie set of themselves. "How was it," Steve said. Not how are you. Just the flight. "Fine. Slept a little." So, he hadn't slept. Steve nodded. Sebastian made a sound. Not quite a laugh, not quite not one. He tipped his head back against the headrest and looked at the ceiling of the car. "I keep thinking I should feel worse than I do. Like there's a version of this where I'm devastated and I keep waiting for it to show up." "Maybe it already came and went." "Maybe." He was quiet for a moment. "Or maybe I've just been done with it for longer than I admitted." Steve didn't push on that. He just changed lanes and let it sit. They drove for a while. The exit for the canyon came and went and Steve took the surface streets up into the hills, the road narrowing and winding, houses tucked behind hedges and gates. Sebastian had been to the house enough times that he wasn't looking at the view. He was looking at his own hands. "So Julia's already there," Steve said. A beat. "Yeah?" "Got in around noon. I gave her the door code." He paused. "You know how she is when she arrives somewhere new." "She makes herself completely at home immediately." "Within about four minutes, yes." Steve turned onto his street. "I'm guessing she's out by the pool." "Probably." "In approximately nothing." Sebastian was quiet for a second and then he turned his head to look out the passenger window, and Steve caught the edge of it, not a full smile yet, but the shape of one, the infrastructure of one, the suggestion that the materials were there if someone wanted to build it. "Yeah," Sebastian said. "Probably." Steve pulled into the drive and cut the engine. The afternoon was warm and still, the smell of jasmine from the neighbor's fence drifting across the air. Through the side gate came the faint sound of music, something slow, something with a lot of bass, Julia's influence written all over it. Steve grabbed the carry-on from the back. Sebastian stood in the driveway and tilted his face up to the sun for just a moment, eyes closed. Then he exhaled. Long and slow, like he'd been holding it since New York. "She’s out back," Steve said, throwing a thumb toward the glass-walled rear of the house. "Go on. I’ll grab your bag and get the drinks started. Consider this your orientation." Sebastian stepped out, his feet heavy on the pavement. He walked through the open floor plan of the living room, his eyes adjusting to the transition from shadows to the blinding blue of the California sky reflected in the infinity pool. Then he saw her. Julia was perched on the edge of a sun lounger, her back to the house. She looked small against the vastness of the canyon view. She was draped in a light blue babydoll, a whisper of sheer chiffon that did absolutely nothing to hide the pale, elegant curve of her spine or the soft silhouette of her hair catching the light. As he stepped onto the stone patio, his shadow fell across her. She didn't jump. She didn't reach for a towel. She simply turned her head, her blue eyes meeting his with a calm that was almost startling. "Sebastian," she said, her voice carrying that melodic, low-key lilt. She didn't stand up, she just shifted, and the hem of the babydoll rode up her thighs, revealing the bare, smooth skin. The garment was completely translucent. Through the fabric, Sebastian could see the dark circles of her nipples and the absence of any lingerie beneath. She was sitting there, exposed to the open air, as relaxed as if she were wearing a parka in a blizzard. "Julia," Sebastian managed, his throat suddenly dry. "Happy birthday." "Thank you." She took a slow sip of her iced tea, her eyes tracking him over the rim of the glass. "Steve said you were coming. I’m glad. I was worried you might stay in New York and be sad, and that seems like a waste of a man like you." She had that European frankness, the kind that bypassed small talk and went straight for the jugular. She wasn't being a provocateur, she was just stating a fact. "I think I was done being sad about ten miles over the Kansas border," Sebastian said, stepping closer. He stopped a few feet away, his gaze involuntarily dropping to where the sheer blue fabric bunched at her waist. Julia noticed his stare and didn't shy away. Instead, she set the tea down and spread her knees slightly, a quiet, intentional movement that made the babydoll sheer out even further over her lap. "You're very quiet, Sebastian," she murmured, her shy smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Are you nervous? Or just looking?" "A bit of both," he admitted, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly register. "Don't be nervous," she said, her eyes locking onto his with a sudden, searing intensity. "There is no judgment here. Only what we want. And right now... I want to see if your hands are as kind as they look." She reached out, her fingers grazing the air between them, inviting him into her space. He took a step forward. Her eyes locked with his, silently checking. “I'm glad you're here, Sebby..” she breathed while looking up at him with a faux innocent smile. The sound of the zipper was dramatically loud in the stillness of the afternoon, a sharp, metallic rasp that seemed to vibrate through the very air between them. Sebastian stood perfectly still, his breath hitching in his chest as Julia’s slender, pale fingers worked the task with a deliberate, unhurried grace. He watched her face, mesmerized by the contrast of her wide, blue eyes, looking so incredibly sweet and unassuming, against the focused intent in her touch. There was no clumsiness in her movements, only a quiet, burgeoning confidence that made his blood roar in his ears. As she eased the denim down, his cock began to stir, straining against the confines of his briefs. He felt himself thickening, a heavy, pulsing heat blooming in his groin as her fingertips brushed against the sensitive skin of his hip. The sensation was electric, a jolt of pure-blooded desire that made his muscles twitch. He didn't pull away, he didn't even blink. He simply loomed over her, a tall, shadowed presence providing a sense of privacy amidst the vastness of the canyon, his gaze anchored to hers. When she spoke, calling him Sebby, the diminutive name felt like a caress against his skin. It was intimate, a secret shared in the sunlight, and the way she tilted her head, offering him that shy, faux-innocent look, nearly undid him. He knew she was playing a game, a gentle teasing that acknowledged her submissive nature while simultaneously taking control of the moment. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that," Sebastian rasped, his voice thick and strained. He reached down, his large, tanned hands trembling ever so slightly as he cupped her jaw, his thumbs stroking the soft skin just below her cheekbones. He leaned in closer, until the scent of her, something like vanilla and sun warm skin, filled his lungs. "And you shouldn't use those eyes on me, Julia. You know exactly what they do to a man. They make him want to devour you." He watched her intently, his eyes darkening as he waited to see how she would respond to his proximity, his thumb tracing the line of her lower lip, waiting for her permission to descend further. Julia’s eyes flick back down to his crotch where she finds what she’s looking for, ignoring his words for now. “I see you brought me a lollipop for my birthday, Sebastian..” she smiled softly. The world outside the poolside oasis ceased to exist. There was no canyon, no looming heartbreak, no noise, only the scorching heat of Julia’s breath and the overwhelming sensory onslaught of her warmth. As she freed him from his boxers, the cool air hit his heated skin for only a fraction of a second before she replaced it with the searing, velvet moisture of her tongue. Sebastian’s hands flew to the edges of the sun lounger, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the cushioned material to keep himself upright. When her tongue swiped tentatively, teasingly, over the sensitive, swollen head of his cock, a low, guttural vibration started deep in his chest. Her comment about the lollipop, delivered with that breathtaking blend of innocence and mischief, sent a surge of pure, unadulterated lust through his veins. She looked so sweet, so delicate, yet the way she was looking up at him, those huge eyes framed by her dark lashes, while her mouth worked on him was the most delicious contradiction he had ever experienced. "God, Julia..." he choked out, his head lolling back as the first real envelop happened. She was being agonizingly patient. Instead of the frantic, hungry suction he expected, she moved with a methodical, sensual rhythm. She took him in inch by inch, her lips forming a tight, wet seal around the crown of his shaft. The sensation of her soft palate sliding against him, combined with the gentle tug of her mouth, made his vision swim. Every time she slowed down, dragging her tongue along the underside of his cock, he felt a frantic need to thrust into her, to lose himself in her, but he forced himself to endure the torture. He watched her from above, a dizzying perspective of her hair splayed against her shoulders and her cheeks hollowing slightly as she sucked. The sight of her, this beautiful, usually reserved woman, devoting herself so completely to his pleasure was enough to make his knees weak. "You're killing me," he groaned, his hips twitching instinctively toward her mouth. His-voice was a wrecked, breathless shadow of itself. "So slow... so fucking perfect. Don't stop. Please, don't stop." She looks up at him as she stops. A coy smile plays at the corner of her mouth as she guides him to sit down on the edge of the lounge chair behind him. The sudden absence of her warmth left him feeling achingly hollow, the cool breeze of the canyon momentarily chilling the slick, sensitive skin of his cock. Sebastian sat there for a heartbeat, his chest heaving, his eyes hooded and dark with a hunger that bordered on desperation. He watched her as she rose from the lounger, her movements fluid and graceful, the sheer blue chiffon of her babydoll fluttering around her curves like a summer mist. When she stepped into his personal space, the height difference became apparent, forcing him to look up slightly as she pressed her palms against his torso. Her hands were small and soft, but the heat of them seeping through the thin cotton of his T-shirt felt like branding irons. He could feel the tremor of anticipation in her touch, a silent communication that she was just as affected by this as he was. “You’re wearing too much, Sebastian..” It wasn't a demand, it was a simple, undeniable truth spoken with that quiet composure. "Too many clothes..." Sebastian repeated, his voice a low-frequency rumble that seemed to vibrate in the air between them. He reached up, his large hands covering hers where they rested against his chest, pressing her palms flatter against his racing heart. He wanted her to feel the thudding rhythm of his pulse, to know exactly what she was doing to him. His eyes raked over her, taking in the sight of her standing there, the highlights of her hair glowing in the late afternoon sun, the swell of her breasts beneath the translucent fabric, and the soft, inviting line of her hips. The urge to strip her bare right there on the stone patio was almost violent, but he held himself back, remembering the sanctity of her pleasure. "If that's your opinion, Julia," he whispered, his gaze dropping to her lips before snapping back to her blue eyes, "then who am I to argue with the birthday girl?" With a decisive motion, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it upward and over his head in one fluid movement, tossing it carelessly onto the-lounge chair. The air between them practically hummed with static electricity as she moved. Sebastian watched, breathless, as she straddled him, her thighs, smooth, pale, and impossibly soft, sandwiching his hips. The weight of her settling onto him was a revelation, the sheer, heavy pressure of her pelvis grinding against his aching cock made his vision blur for a split second. Then, he felt it. The initial, staggering sensation of her warmth enveloping him. As she guided him inward, sliding him into the tight, velvet-slick depths of her, a choked, broken sound escaped his throat. It wasn't just the physical sensation of being sheathed, though the warmth of her was unlike anything he had experienced recently, it was the intimacy of it, the way she claimed him so deliberately. As she settled fully, her weight pressing him back into the cushion, their faces were mere centimeters apart. He could feel the humid heat of her breath on his lips, smelling faintly of the tea she had been sipping. Her question, "Is this ok, Sebby?" was whispered with such genuine, sweet concern that it nearly broke his resolve to remain composed. "Ok?" he managed to gasp, his hands instinctively finding the plush, rounded curves of her ass to steady her. "Julia, it’s... it’s more than okay. It’s everything." When she began to undulate, moving in a slow, rhythmic grind that sought to maximize every millimeter of contact, Sebastian felt his entire soul shudder. She wasn't thrashing or rushing, she was moving with a torturous, hypnotic grace, her hips circling and tilting in a way that drove his cock deep against her cervix. Each slide of her wet, swollen folds against his shaft sent waves of lightning through his nerves. He watched her closely, his eyes dilated until the blue of her irises seemed to glow. He saw the way she bit her lower lip, the way her chest heaved with shallow, expectant breaths, and the way her hair swayed with her movements. She looked like a deity of pleasure, a quiet storm of desire. He leaned forward just enough to graze his nose against hers, his voice dropping to a needy, desperate hush. "Keep doing that and I won't be able to control myself" “That's the point, Sebastian.. I want you to ravage me..” the smile was almost wickedly innocent. The playful glint in her eyes, paired with that devastatingly sweet, innocent smile, was the final blow to his restraint. The wink was a silent dare, a command wrapped in a velvet ribbon. She wasn't just inviting him to participate, she was handing him the reins and telling him to run. "You want to be devoured?" Sebastian repeated, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a dark, predatory murmur that rumbled in his chest. "Careful what you wish for, Julia. Because once I start, I don't plan on letting you catch your breath for a long, long time." He didn't wait for a verbal answer. His hands, which had been resting tentatively on her hips, suddenly tightened, his fingers digging into the soft, yielding flesh of her backside to anchor her firmly against him. He surged upward, meeting her slow, undulating grind with a powerful, driving thrust of his own hips. The impact of their pelvises colliding sent a shockwave of pleasure through them both, a wet, slapping sound echoing softly against the stone tiles of the patio. He abandoned the slow tempo, replacing her teasing rhythm with a more primal, demanding pace. He began to pump into her, his movements heavy and purposeful, burying his length deep within her soaking wet heat with every lunge. He watched her face intensely, craving the sight of her expression fracturing, wanting to see that shy composure melt into pure, unadulterated bliss. "Is this what you wanted?" he rasped, his breath hot and ragged against her ear as he leaned in, his teeth grazing the sensitive lobe of her ear. He began to kiss her neck, his mouth hungry and wet, leaving a trail of scorching heat along her collarbone. "Do you like it when I take you like this?" He increased the speed, his thrusts becoming harder, more rhythmic, the friction of her thighs rubbing against his hips creating a feverish heat. He could feel her walls clenching around him, milking him with every stroke, her body responding to his sudden ferocity with a desperate, welcoming tightness. "Yes.." she gasped. He was no longer just Sebastian, the man recovering from a broken heart; he was a man possessed by the woman in his arms, driven by a singular, voracious need to devour every inch of her. The sound of her voice, that high, melodic gasp of pure satisfaction, was the most intoxicating music Sebastian had ever heard. It shattered the tranquil atmosphere of the patio, replacing the peaceful lapping of the pool water with the raw, visceral soundtrack of their union. Her moans weren't loud or performative, they were deep, soulful sounds of release that seemed to vibrate from the very center of her being, and they acted like fuel to the fire raging in his gut. "You like that?" he grunted, his voice sounding primal, almost animalistic. Every time he drove himself into her, he felt the exquisite, tight squeeze of her gripping him, a rhythmic pulsing that felt like she was trying to pull him even deeper into her core. "Tell me how much you like it, Julia. Tell me." He was losing himself in the sensation of her. The way her soft, curvy body bounced and jolted with every heavy thrust, the way her breasts swayed beneath the sheer fabric of her babydoll, and the incredible, slippery friction of their bodies meeting. He could feel the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead and chest, a fine sheen that made their skin stick together in a delicious, tacky embrace. "Oh god, Sebastian.." breathy, pleading. Driven by the sound of her whimpering his name, Sebastian reached up, his large hands sliding under her thighs to lift them higher to deepen the angle of his entry. This allowed him to bury himself even further, his pubic bone slamming against her clitoris with every forceful lunge. The sensation was overwhelming, it was a direct line of white-hot pleasure shooting straight to his brain. He began to pick up the pace even more, his thrusts becoming shorter, faster, and more frantic as he felt the tension building in his loins, a mounting, heavy pressure that signaled he was approaching the precipice. He leaned in, capturing her lips in a bruising, hungry kiss, his tongue tangling with hers as he poured every ounce of his intensity into her, determined to make her feel exactly how much he craved this. From the shadows of the living room, Steve stood motionless, a glass of amber bourbon held loosely in his hand. He leaned against the doorframe, a silent spectator to the raw, beautiful chaos unfolding on the patio. A slow, knowing grin spread across his face as he listened to the symphony of Julia's whimpers and Sebastian's guttural grunts. It was exactly what they both needed, a total, uninhibited surrender to the senses. He watched the way the sunlight caught the spray of water from the pool and the glistening sheen of sweat on their bodies, feeling a profound sense of satisfaction that his plan was working perfectly. On the patio, the world had narrowed down to the friction of skin and the desperate need for release. Sebastian, fueled by the sound of Julia’s voice crying out his name, felt a surge of adrenaline that eclipsed any exhaustion. He didn't want to just sit there, he wanted to dominate the space, to claim her in a way that left no doubt about his need. With a grunt of exertion, he slid his arms beneath her thighs, lifting her from the lounger. Julia let out a startled, airy squeal that melted into a moan as he carried her toward the massive, floor-to-ceiling glass pane that overlooked the canyon. He pressed her back against the cool, solid surface of the glass, her skin contrasting sharply with the transparent barrier. He didn't break the connection for a second. As he stood, he kept her pinned against the window, his hands gripping her thighs and ass with bruising intensity to stabilize her as he began to piston into her with a relentless, driving force. The glass vibrated with the sheer power of his thrusts, a rhythmic thud-thud-thud that echoed the pounding of their hearts. He was driving into her with a primal, unyielding rhythm, his cock bottoming out inside her with every heavy, wet lunge. The sensation was overwhelming, the coolness of the glass against her back, the heat of his chest crushing against her breasts. The sound of her voice, cracking with the sheer intensity of her approaching peak, was the final trigger for Sebastian. As she cried out, her fingers digging into the hard muscle of his shoulders desperately, he felt the climax coiling in his own gut like a spring being wound tighter and tighter. The friction was astronomical, the combination of her tight, pulsing walls and the rapid, punishing pace of his thrusts was pushing them both past the point of no return. He didn't slow down, he accelerated. He hammered into her, his hips slamming against hers with a rhythmic, violent yet tender intensity that made the very glass behind her tremble. He could feel her inner muscles convulsing, a series of frantic, rhythmic spasms that signaled her orgasm was erupting. She was shaking, her entire body vibrating against the window as the waves of pleasure crashed over her. Seeing her face contort in that beautiful, desperate mask of ecstasy as he went over the edge. With one final, deep, soul-searching thrust that buried him to the very hilt, Sebastian let out a strangled groan. His entire body stiffened, his muscles locking into iron cords as he began to erupt inside her. He felt the hot, thick jets of his cum pulsing deep into her womb, filling her up, matching the frantic contractions of her own climax. He stayed buried deep, his forehead dropping to rest against hers, both of them gasping for air as if they had just run a marathon. Their chests heaved in unison, the only sound on the patio being their jagged, uneven breathing and the distant, rhythmic drip of water from the pool edge. The sweat from their bodies mingled, creating a slick, salty bond that made it hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Sebastian didn't pull away. He couldn't. He simply held her there, pinned against the glass, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as if he were protecting her from the very world they had just escaped. He pressed a lingering, tender kiss to her temple, his breath still shaky. "You were incredible," he whispered, his voice a bruised, reverent wreck. "Happy Birthday, Julia." |