“Who the hell does he think he is?” Sara exclaimed as she paced the bedroom floor, still as frustrated as she was leaving the shop the day before. Her still damp hair clinging gently to her cheeks in soft red curls. Her long white tank stop stuck to her skin, making it lightly transparent against her otherwise bare chest and black underwear. “He literally can’t take a blunt answer let alone a whole fucking hint!” she punched her tight fists in the air then kept pacing. Slightly hunched over and chewing angrily at her left thumb nail, thinking of anything she could do to take care of this and keep her job.
“It’s shitty that we don’t have an independent HR department that I could make a formal complaint to. He is the HR department.” Her upper lip curled in frustration as Alistair watched from the edge of the bed. A damp towel still wrapped around his shoulders, his red flannel print boxers barely clinging to his hipbones.
“I could kick his ass?” He offered as a sort of consolation prize. “Or at least kick him where the sun don’t smile.” Sara shook her head no.
“He has at least one-hundred pounds over you, Pumpkin. I’m more scared he would just sit on your chest and suffocate you. No offense.” She looked at him with one of her more pathetic of pouts.
“None taken?” his brow went up. “Doesn’t mean I can’t try.” Alistair’s arms shrugged, lifting then lowering his towel with the movements before going back to drying his hair with it. “Start looking somewhere else. Find a better job and rub it in his steroid inflated face.”
“Should I? I mean… I love Azzi, and Emilio is okay.” Sara took her seat beside Alistair, looking at the floor, more depressed about the idea of leaving the shop she loves rather than dealing with one human sized hemorrhoid. “Maybe I could hire a lawyer, sue his ass, and then open my own shop with the money he would have to pay me to settle the case out of court!” She grinned maniacally, rubbing her hands together in an overly cartoon fashion.
“True, and make sure to add that he would have to pay your law fees as well. We don’t want that hanging over us like a sword of Damocles.” Alistair couldn’t help but grin as he tossed the towel into the hamper on the other side of the room near the turtle tank. “I know he’s a bastard, but you have a good thing right now, and all he’s done was ask you out. Annoying, but at the very least, he has yet to lay a fowl hand on you. If he ever does…” Alistair paused then slid his arm around Sara’s waist, pulling her closer to himself. “He will have to deal with yours truly.” He smirked then planted a soft warm kiss at the corner of her jaw.
“I will pay real money to watch you knock the shit out of him if I wasn’t so worried about him either murdering you, or you getting deported for assaulting someone.” She could not help but smile at him trying to comfort her. He always tried hard, taking hints from American day time dramas that he absorbed like a dry sponge dropped in a lake. She giggled as he began to plant more kisses along her jaw neck and shoulder. “You are such a dork.”
“Don’t think that I don’t know that.” He nipped gently at her ear lobe. “I am your dork, and you love me, and you don’t want to see me get my ass kicked apparently. You’re a strange one yourself, missy.”
“I don’t think that constitutes as me being ‘strange’, but if you think so then it must be true.” Sara cuddled up against his side, placing her hand on his chest, catching his lips with her own as he passed his face by hers. Their lips lingered together for a moment before she smiled again, pulling her head back to look up at his face. “I love how you try to make me feel better. You always seem to manage at least a grin from me. I can’t be mad around you even when I try.”
“Oh stop, lass. You’re starting to sound like my programs.” Alistair reached up and pushed her hair away from her cheek, tucking the drying lock behind her ear. “Though, some of the ladies on there are rather attractive.”
“I didn’t know you were into comatose girls?” she inquired, poking her fingertip into his side a couple times.
“Oh yes, I love them so much.” He answered in a flat robotic tone that left each word dripping in sticky sarcasm.
“I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m in a coma. I’ll make sure someone comes in and does my makeup every day so I can look good when you come for a conjugal.” With a laugh Sara pushed him back onto the bed. Straddling his hips with her hands on his chest for balance. “Don’t want to be caught looking terrible as I fight for my life.” Her grin grew ear to ear as she tried to hold in a belly laugh.
“You’re the dork now.” Alistair answered, resting his hands on her thighs, his thumbs gently caressing her pale skin. “But it’s good to know that you would go to such lengths to keep me happy.” He sat up on his elbows and pecked her lips once more before laying back and relaxing.
“You’re a lucky man, Alistair Evans.” Sara leaned down and began to slowly kiss at his neck. “A damn lucky man.” She winked at him then kept trailing kisses down to his collar bone.
Alistair sighed softly as he felt her lips run down his body. Reaching down with one hand, he stroked her fiery curls as she crawled back, kissing lower and lower until she reached his boxers. With a grin she stood back up and removed her tank top in a clean movement. Alistair smiled wider, taking in the sight of her nearly naked form as if it were the first time he’d seen it, his erection growing bigger with each little movement that caused her breasts to move and jiggle. He admired the shadows that flowed down her body, over her chest and across her waist. Her skin nearly glowing in the mildly yellow light of the bedside lamp.
“Come here, Lass.” He beckoned her closer with his finger, his eyes twinkling with excitement. Sara crawled back onto the bed, straddling him again, she pressed her hips down slightly to cause gentle friction between them. Alistair grunted slightly as he throbbed against her. He ran his hands up her thighs to her hips, then her sides before wrapping around her back and pulling her down into a deeply sensual kiss.
Sara held herself up a bit with one flat hand buried deep into the mattress as their lips moved together in an elegant dance, her other hand feeling the peaks and valleys of his chest and shoulders, occasionally running into the brown chest hair located between his pectorals. She wiggled and pressed her hips back against his hard-on, moaning quietly into the kiss. Alistair slid his hands slowly down the arch of her back before resting them on her buttocks, squeezing them softly then carefully thumbing for the waistband of her underwear, rolling them down and over her ass before clumsily trying to work them off of her, causing her to have to move and maneuver with him in an equally clumsy fashion. She tittered as she moved and worked her legs out of the tiny black undergarment, both entertained and a little embarrassed at the less-than-glamourous moment in love making.
Quickly, Alistair slid out from under her and flipped Sara back onto the bed. Without a moment’s hesitation he slipped out of his boxers and into a condom before moving himself back on top of her. He rested his hips between her milky white thighs before kissing her again. His hands cupping her breasts and massaging them leisurely. Sara wrapped her arms up and around his shoulders, breathing deliberately and deep, her eyes closed as she savored his gentle loving touches. Alistair pushes his pelvis against hers, grinding his erection into the soft wet folds of her vulva. Sara moaned, her own hips bucking up slightly as he passed over her clitoris once, twice, three times and more, stoking the flames of her passion and yearning for him. Long moments passed as he did this, enjoying each little squeak, moan, and sigh that slipped past her lips before he finally reached down and lifted her left thigh high up to his own waist. Using his muscle memory he lined himself up to her and pushed himself inside.
Sara moaned, arching her back as she felt each inch of him work its way inside of her. Her body pulsed around his cock, happy to welcome him past her gates of paradise. Alistair let out a happy sigh as his whole length sank deep inside. Holding there a moment, he kissed her again, whispering a soft “I love you” into her neck, kissing and sucking at her shoulder as he began to move in a slow comfortable pace. More eager to hear her sounds of pleasure than to get himself off. He took her left hand in his right, lacing their fingers together then pinning their hands against the bed. Sara clung to his hand as though it was her only connection to the surface of a vast ocean and fresh air to breath. Her free hand rested on his back, each fingernail finding its way to his skin, pushing down but not quite digging in enough to do any damage. Alistair moaned against her skin as his body picked up a little pace, his hand squeezing hers more as his body moved into a more comfortable position while also trying to keep her thigh up with his hip. His thrusts weren’t speedy, but they were deep and purposeful. He listened to her carefully, making sure to stay where he was according to the volume of her obscenities. He grunted as he picked up more speed, her fingernails pressing deeper into the skin of his back, pulling down a bit leaving behind freshly pinked skin that welted ever so slightly.
Sara’s back arched high as she shouted his name. The hand on his back pulled down quickly, taking a little bit of surface skin with it. Alistair let out a deep grunt as the enjoyable prickling pain washed over his body, he thrust faster, determined to maximize her climax. He smiled through his panting, pushing as deep as he could before her hand took another fist full of his skin. Sara’s jaw dropped as her eyes rolled back, she bit her lip and moaned loud enough to echo off the ceiling and immediately back into his ears. She held back a shout as her body tightened down on his thrusting erection, clear warm fluid dripping from between her thighs and onto the bed sheets. Her body quivering below him as he went faster and faster, running the race to finish before she was done completely. With a few more deep strokes he buried himself inside of her. His body erupting with several spurts of his own warm liquids as he spilled himself into the condom before pulling out. As he did Sara shivered in pleasure as a cool breeze passed between them due to Alistair moving off of her. She smiled as she panted deep in her chest. Her breasts heaving up and down over her expanding and compressing ribs, her thighs shaking ever so slightly as her cloudy eyes tried to focus on him.
“Always a gentleman~” she cooed, carefully moving off the bed, balancing herself with one hand on the mattress as she made her way to the bathroom to wash up. Alistair disposed of the condom and toweled off with his damp towel from the hamper before dabbing the bed sheets mostly dry then crawling in under the blankets as Sara returned to the scene of the crime. She moved onto the bed beside him, pulling the blankets up over her naked form before cuddling up to him and resting her head on his chest. “I love you.” She kissed his chest then resumed her comfortable position as Alistair wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“And I you, lass.” He relaxed back, sinking into his large overstuffed pillow. His eyes slowly closed as the two drifted into a deep comfortable sleep.
The next morning came and went as usual. Shower, coffee, and toast with yogurt instead of a coffee shop pastry. Sara finished putting on her favorite alizarin lipstick when her phone made a plink sound, alerting her to a new text message. She picked up her phone to discover a text alert from Craig. She swiped her lock screen and opened the text.
‘Hey, Sara. Your appointments for the day were re-scheduled. Don’t worry about coming in today. –Craig’ Sara pursed her lips and squeezed her phone with all her might, unable to made a dent in the steel body.
“He’s fucking with me.” She smacked her phone down on the table. “He rescheduled my appointments today again, gave them to Emilio, or took them himself. No matter what, he’s telling me not to come to work today. Not even to sit at the fucking desk!” She slapped the kitchen table with the flat of her hand. “Two days straight with no work because of this ‘rescheduling’. All because I told him I wasn’t interested in a date with him. That’s a few hundred dollars at least. He’s costing me money! Well I’ll tell you this…” Alistair, sitting across the table, watched her without blinking as he was being forced to bear witness to his girlfriend go temporarily bonkers. “If I don’t work tomorrow, I’m taking my portfolio to other shops. I know I can get a damn fine job somewhere else.”
“Well,” Alistair finally spoke up. “That is the suggestion I made the other day.”
“I know.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I just didn’t want to have to do the interview-foot-work rigmarole. I hate that. I just want to be in a shop, work on my customers, and come home to a hot meal. Is that such a crazy thing to want?” She questioned out loud causing Alistair to scoff into his coffee.
“In this day and age, not having to eat ramen for every meal can be a pipe dream. We have enough in savings to get by for a while if he have to.” He reassured. “I just want you to be happy with the work you’re doing. At the very least, we aren’t making tuition payments.” Alistair referred her back to his full ride. “For our ages we are in an amazing position financially.” He stretched his arm across the small table and took her white knuckled hand in his. “Don’t let this septic arse hole get you down, lass. You’re a strong woman, and you will pull though with grace and your integrity intact.” Sara couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at her cheeks.
“You’ve been reading those cheesy romance books again, haven’t you?” She giggled softly into her other hand. “Nerd.”
“I love you too, dork.” Alistair kissed her hand then happily went back to his coffee and newspaper. “So what are your plans for today then?”
“Well,” Sara sighed as she tried a bit harder to relax back into her seat, gaze landing dully on the table as she searched her mind for a decent enough answer. “I suppose I’ll get online and start a list of all the shops within a couple miles of the house, call around, start there. Then, if I don’t end up working tomorrow, I’ll start hitting the pavement and start officially looking for another job.” She nodded once, sealing her agenda for the day.
“Sounds like a perfect plan to me. Honestly, try to take most of the day for yourself. Make a sandwich, drink a beer, take a hot bath and send me nudes. Make today nice for yourself.” Sara erupted into laughter at the notion of sending her boyfriend nudes to make herself feel better, but she appreciated his courage for even suggesting it in the first place, given her mood.
“Jesus Christ on a cracker.” Sara rubbed her brows. “What on earth am I going to do with you?”
Once Alistair left for class, Sara began to gather her goodies for her one day stay-cation. She poured snacks into bowls and covered the surface of the table in all sorts of goodies ranging from salty to sweet, then placed a little foam cooler filled with ice an beer on the right side of the couch. After making a lovely pillow nest on the couch she snuggled down with her lap top and started making her list with some old D-rated horror film playing on the television simply for background noise.
She made sure to only check for shops that seemed to have more ratings online than others, meaning quantity not quality necessarily, which to her meant that they could have more walk-ins and regular clients than the others perhaps due to reputation or location. Sara also made note of shop layouts from pictures on their websites, privacy walls or screens between stations, and a private piercing room. She knew those would be things that she wouldn’t bend on, as well as their sanitizing methods, and you cannot judge sanitizing methods online through still photographs. As the hunt continued her brows slowly moved into a creased position. The tip of her tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth ever so slightly as her finger tips traced and danced across her track pad. Site after site popping up then quickly being replaced by another page. Sara spent nearly two hours balled up with her lap top before she finished a short list. Finally closing her computer and setting it aside so she could stretch and pop her bones back into their proper positions. After a hard POP came from her back, she relaxed again. Picking up the remote and choosing a more popular movie, she went about her snacking and binge watching on her forced day off. Trying to make the best out of the little time she might have to not face the world or the troubles of adult hood.
A whole television season came and went before Alistair returned home. Walking through the garage door into the kitchen, he smiled at his beloved who stood dutifully over the stove, doing her damnedest to make a quick decent dinner for the two of them.
“I hope you’re down for spaghetti.” Sara smiled proudly into her pot of half store bought sauce. “I made dinner for once.” Her voice was high and proud, but also a little slurred. Alistair looked around the kitchen for clues then noticed the small pile of beer cans in the recycle bin beside the trash.
“Amazing. Drunk off your ass, and still managing to cook dinner like a functional person.” He threw a teasing grin at her before removing his jacket and book bag, then wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. “Smells absolutely delicious.” Alistair sniffed the air. “Do I smell garlic bread?” His tone now more excited at the prospect of his favorite side dish.
“You bet your cute face.” Her favorite expression while inebriated. “I knew you would want some, so I made some, ‘cause I love you.” Sara swayed in his arms a bit nearly falling if it was not for his secure grip.”
“Alright there princess, let’s have a seat and I will finish making dinner. Yes?” HE sat her down as carefully as he could at the kitchen table before checking the time on everything. “Just a few more minutes it seems.” Alistair leaned back against the counter and smiled at his little lush. “It seems like you had a nice day. Get your list done for tomorrow?”
Sara nodded affirmatively while rubbing her right eye. Half a smile formed from the left corner of her mouth. “Craig is gonna be so mad that he decided to be such a huge ass hat to me.” She swayed again and laughed.
After dinner Alistair helped her up the stairs to their bedroom, handing her a night gown to change into before helping her slide in under the blankets for a good night’s sleep. He also left a full glass of water with two acetaminophen tablets beside it for when she woke up. “I’m going to study downstairs a bit.” He leaned down and kissed her lips. “Sleep tight, Lass.” Sara was out like a broken lightbulb in moments, curled up tight in her blanket, a smile stuck on her face as her dreams set in for the night.
The next morning, Sara awoke at her usual time, happy to choke down the pills with a room temperature water chaser. She sighed, setting her glass down before crawling out of bed and into the bathroom to do her morning routines. With hair and most of her makeup in place (minus her lipstick), she changed into a clean graphic t-shirt and her fitted jeans, stained with a little ink on her thighs from work. She went downstairs to find Alistair already up and alert, frying some hash browns and eggs for breakfast.
“Smells awesome down here.” Sara worked her way over to the coffee maker and poured a tall steaming mug full, sipping at it even before adding cream and sugar. She sat down at the table, stirring her creamy concoction as she monitored her phone like a hawk hunting a rabbit. After her breakfast, it was half an hour before she was supposed to get to work to clock in, still no message. Her hands started to shake, waiting and wishing not to see Craig’s name pop up in her alerts.
Plink! The dreaded sound coupled with the dreaded name. Already she was about to explode with anger. She swooped up her phone and swiped her screen lock to read the message.
‘Hey Sara. You have a Client waiting for you. Get here ASAP. –Craig’
“He messaged me to tell me to come to work this time.” She felt oddly confused. She knew that she was scheduled to come in that day, but she was unaware of any scheduled client for that time frame. “I think he’s trying to ruin me, for sure. Making a client wait for me, making me look like an irresponsible shit.” She groaned, grabbing her things for the day, sliding on her sunglasses. “C’mon Alistair, give me a lift to work?”
Alistair nodded in agreement and grabbed the keys before they both went out to the car.