Chapter Text
Heinrey led Navier to the courtyard, and they stood by a propane heater while Bird ran off-leash. Navier didn’t say a word to acknowledge the awkward encounter with her ex, and neither did Heinrey. He felt guilty for leaving her alone at the party. He was furious at himself for failing her and ruining the night. Huddled up next to the woman he loved, his heart should have been filled with contentment as they watched the happy dog prancing in the snow; instead, Heinrey was filled with apprehension. When Navier finally turned to him, he braced himself for her reproachful words.
“Have I mentioned that you look very handsome today?” she said, timidly.
He chuckled with relief and pulled her closer. Navier squirmed, looking around to check that no one could see them.
“You take my breath away, Navier,” Heinrey said. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all night.”
She stilled and surrendered to his demanding hands.
“This dress looks incredible on you, it’s driving me crazy… I can’t stop thinking about your body,” he continued, hands moving, descending, hinting at indecent things. “What I want to do with you when the party’s over.”
Navier shivered and Heinrey muttered something about the cold; she didn’t know how to explain that she wasn’t cold but excited, so she said nothing. Heinrey recalled Bird, fastened the leash, and led them inside. Navier stepped into the waiting elevator with Bird, his wagging tail brushing her dress softly. She pressed the button and noticed that Heinrey didn’t follow. He held out Bird’s leash.
“I think it’s best if I wait for you, alright? I’ll be right here.”
“Why aren’t you coming?” Navier asked, not taking the leash he offered.
“You said you couldn’t control— Didn’t want to go up—”
The elevator beeped, urging a decision. Navier grabbed Heinrey’s wrist and pulled him inside.
“I can’t control myself, and I don’t want to.”
***
Navier was on the bed, the silk of her dress pooled beneath her, a patch of green on the snowy expanse of the bedsheets. Heinrey, stripped down to his boxers, hovered over her, his fingers fumbling with the clasp of her dress. The fabric around Navier’s chest loosened and she felt the cold air on her breasts, so sensitive with arousal that the first gentle stroke of Heinrey’s hot tongue was more than she could bear. She needed to feel his skin against hers, but Heinrey’s attention was fully devoted to Navier’s breasts and he didn’t take the dress off.
He swept his hands over her body, touching provocatively, leaving no part of her body unexplored, the silk so thin and so tightly wrapped around Navier’s body that Heinrey could feel every dip and ridge. The sensation of silk on bare skin was delicious, hot bodies separated by a cool layer of fabric, silk soft like butter caressing the skin.
It was disorienting — to feel so beautiful and irresistible to a man who kept her in a constant state of arousal, a man so handsome and attractive, whose touch was glorious, who understood her body intimately, who worshipped her with devout intensity. Navier was trapped, pinned to the mattress under his body, engulfed under the weight of his desire, and this was her power: to provoke his desire. The appearance of surrender multiplied her passion. She wanted to give more of herself to Heinrey, test how far her powers could take him, show him that she, too, was consumed by lust.
Navier wrapped her legs around Heinrey and he yielded easily to her unspoken entreaty, rolling them over. She straddled him and her dress fell to her hips. She pulled it off and Heinrey’s hands immediately settled on her hips, fingering the thin strap of lace, her panties the only garment she still wore. They made eye contact, Heinrey gazing at her with unabashed greed, and she saw herself through his eyes: sitting upright, perky breasts on display, coy panties, a sight of carnal beauty. She brimmed with newfound sexuality, rushing from the depths of her body in a tumultuous stream.
The air was hot and thick with the promise of sex, the erotic sounds of heavy breathing and sheets rustling against skin, the thrilling closeness of their bodies. Navier leaned forward to kiss Heinrey and her nipples grazed his flushed chest. He groaned and raised his hips, urging Navier to prolong the moment, and she repeated the motion, kissing him lightly and rubbing her nipples against his skin, barely aware of her hands’ movements until she held Heinrey’s boxers. She tossed them aside. A surge of the lust flowing through her veins impelled Navier to trace her breasts lower, lower, lower, until they met Heinrey’s erection. She leaned back, mesmerized. All she wanted was to… She licked her lips and bent down, tip of her tongue against tip—
“Navier!”
Heinrey’s body shook violently. He held Navier’s shoulders, slowing her down, but she didn’t stop, couldn’t stop, wanted more. Soon after, Heinrey shifted back to disengage, gently but firmly.
“Navier…” he said, panting heavily. “Navier, I can’t, I won’t last very long…”
“Didn’t you like it?” she asked, disappointed. It was the first time she wanted it, the first time she liked it, but perhaps she wasn’t good enough.
“Too much.” Heinrey sighed. “But if you carry on I’ll be unable to resist.”
He pulled her up, exchanging their positions on the bed with expert coordination.
“That felt so good, Navier,” Heinrey whispered in her ear. “So good I wouldn’t last more than a minute in your mouth, and it’s still too soon. It’s my turn now.”
It didn’t seem fair to Navier, and now that she’d acquired a taste for Heinrey she wanted to give him more. But as he settled between her legs, she reflected that there was no reason why she couldn’t go down on him later, after she herself had an orgasm or two.
***
Minutes or hours had passed since Navier’s dress came off, she wasn’t sure, but she knew she’d been on the cusp of orgasm for an eternity. Heinrey moved in and out of her rhythmically, adjusting pace, position, and potency in response to her shifting needs and his body’s demand for release, keeping her on the brink, prolonging her pleasure and deferring his own.
He slowed to a cadence that was intimate and loving, positioned himself so he could kiss her and hold her. Between each kiss, he interspersed half-whispered confessions.
You feel so good, Navier … You are the most beautiful, the sexiest woman … I don’t want this night to end …
She felt her arousal rise every time she heard his deep voice.
You turn me on so much, Navier…
She moaned, sinking deeper into the sensations, too deep to say that she felt the same way about him, Heinrey’s kiss too decadent to stop…
I love you, Navier.
She heard the words without recognizing them; the tides of passion rising to a tempestuous climax, overwhelming her, sweeping her away in the most devastating orgasm of her life. She cried out and clung to Heinrey with shaky hands, she couldn’t feel her legs at all, the mattress beneath her seemed to vanish. The ripples of pleasure dissipated gradually, until she lay very still, breathing heavily, choking out the last few moans as her orgasm came to an end. She had tears in her eyes and sweat ran down her temples.
Heinrey collapsed on her, spent, the full weight of his body making it difficult for Navier to recover her breath, and she slowly understood that he’d also climaxed, but she didn’t know when or how. She stroked his hair gently, affectionately, a silent gesture of gratitude. He sighed with profound satisfaction. Their eyes met and they smiled at each other shyly. Then, many things happened at once — a loud bang penetrated the comfortable silence, a flash of light illuminated the dark room, and Bird barked. A crowd roared in the distance.
Navier propped herself up on her elbows, startled. “What happened?”
Heinrey was already out of bed, pulling on a bathrobe. “It’s midnight!” he said, and rushed out of the room.
Navier dashed out of bed to pull the curtains open. Then she slid under the sheets — it was cold without Heinrey’s body to warm her — and watched the showers of colorful sparks. Moments later, Heinrey entered the room with Bird in his arms. The dog whimpered and trembled with fright, but seemed to calm down when Heinrey deposited him on the bed next to Navier.
“Are you scared of fireworks, Bird?”
The room glowed red, then green, then blue, in quick succession. Heinrey and Navier tried to comfort Bird but the noise was relentless. Fortunately it didn’t last very long. After several minutes passed without any loud bangs, Bird hopped off the bed and curled up on a pillow that had fallen to the floor.
Heinrey and Navier looked at each other. He blushed, smiling apologetically. “I didn’t realize it was almost midnight. I’m sorry we missed the countdown.”
Navier took his hand. “It’s better this way. Poor Bird was so scared!”
“Happy new year, Navier.”
Her heart fluttered — she was reminded of Christmas Eve, when Heinrey’s voice strained with emotion when he wished her a merry Christmas. Only a week had passed since that night; yet here she was, lightheaded and unsteady, atop messy sheets, cheeks red, makeup smudged, emotions running wild.
I love you, Navier.
Did Heinrey truly say that? He’d said many things; some sweet, some thrilling, all of them exciting… but love. Did she misunderstand? And if so… did she misunderstand because that’s what she wanted to hear?…
She had to stop thinking because Heinrey was kissing her, so tenderly, so lovingly, that she became convinced that she wasn’t mistaken. When he pulled back, Navier studied his face: dazed smile, dimpled cheeks, kind eyes lit up with happiness. The possibility of love, a dreamy haze at first, began to acquire corporeality, not yet solid but real nonetheless, something she could hold onto. Her face felt warm.
“I almost forgot!” Heinrey said, breaking the spell. He left the bedroom and returned with the complimentary bottle of champagne and glasses, which he set on the nightstand, and started to remove the foil over the cork.
“Don’t you want to go back to the party?” Navier asked.
Heinrey shook his head. “Not at all. Do you?”
“No, but I thought… your friends…”
Heinrey popped the cork and poured generous portions into their champagne flutes.
“The only reason I wanted to go to the party was to kiss you at midnight, Navier,” he said, clinking her glass with his. “That’s all I wanted. And for my wish to come true.”
“Your wish?”
Her stomach swooped with excitement — suspecting, hoping, wishing…
“Yes. Though if I’m being honest, I made this wish on Christmas Eve.”
“What is it?”
Heinrey stroked Navier’s cheek with the back of his hand. “I wished that you and I will be together. You know, after our time at the cabin is up.”
Navier sipped on the champagne to mask her inner turmoil, the feelings bubbling within her, sharp and complex like the champagne trickling down her throat. She felt giddy and anxious, delighted and frightened, assured and incredulous. She wanted to lunge at Heinrey and cover him in kisses but she also wanted to bury herself under the sheets.
Heinrey seemed to interpret her silence as a bad sign.
“I know there’s a lot to figure out!” he said, speaking quickly. “Obstacles and logistics we have to think through, but I promise I’ll find a way to be with you. No matter what it takes.”
“Heinrey…” she said, taking his hand and smiling.
His agitation vanished, replaced by the earnest passion of a man in love.
“Navier, I’m… I lo-… I really like you. I have never felt this way before. I want to be with you.”
His heart thumped loudly while he waited, seemingly for an eternity, though it was less than a minute — Navier’s words stumbled out of her in a shy whisper.
“I want to be with you, too.”