"A Birthday Wish Come True" {empath} ( M/F oral rom ) She stood in the doorway of the bathroom, listening carefully. Mikel had pulled the door up behind him, but he was still just outside the door. Maybe he'd forgotten something and was going to come back? She waited, not daring to breathe. Then Nadine sighed as the 'clump-clump' of his work boots receded to the outer door. She grabbed a face cloth from the sink, rinsed it under the hot tap, and briefly scrubbed her face. She regarded herself in the mirror. 'He's here!' she thought, a smile beaming on her reflection's face. 'Well, he's not quite a Ben Chaplin, but plenty close enough, and HE'S MINE!' She hugged herself at that thought. Nadine pulled the shower curtain back, and was about to turn the water on when she noticed the end of his red toolbox poking out past the end of the bed. 'I wonder what other tricks he's got up his sleeve?' She stepped back into the bedroom, sliding over the bed to gaze into the tool-case he'd left behind. The lid was open, and she saw the clear plastic wrapping with "FTD, Hastings" and the distinctive logo of Mercury holding a bouquet of flowers on it. Underneath this was a half-dozen small foil wrappers, unmistakable circles bulging in them. Nadine smirked at the possibilities of his plans. This was just what was in the upper tray, and she grasped the bar-handle of it to see what was underneath it. Her jaw dropped at what was waiting there; a pair - no, TWO pairs of padded leather cuffs, attached with chain; a black leather face mask; a studded collar with a chain leash attached; a rubber ball with a long Velcro strap on it...and IT. It was a whip, but Nadine had never seen one this cruel-looking. The handle was wooden, and about a foot long, ending in a phallic- looking bulb and ridged, though whether that was to improve the user's grip, or... She shuddered. Past the handle, the whip itself was three long leather thongs, pierced every few inches with sharp-looking spikes. She heard the scratch of key in lock and bolted to action. Nadine quickly shoved the upper tray back into the toolbox, and raced quietly to the shower, turning the water on hurriedly, ignoring the shock of cold water hitting her naked form. The front door opened, and she heard Mikel exclaim in a faux-Hispanic accent "Lucy, I'm HOMMMMMME!" She grabbed the soap, and quickly started to lather her chest as the water warmed to a comfortable temperature. The squeak of an object dropped on the bed announced this man's progress. "So, Nadine, are you ready for me to do your back?" he called. She tensed as his footsteps neared the bathroom. He slid back the curtain, and she heard the zipper of his jump suit opening. "Why, I think we could both squeeze into here, but we wouldn't get much bathing done," he declared huskily, kissing her on the shoulder. When he began to stroke her back, he remarked "Hmmm, you're rather tense - the water's not too hot or cold, so why would..." He paused, and she felt his hands grasp her upper arms firmly. "Oh. I know what it is - you've been snooping around, despite what I told you." The voice took a sinister note. "You must've taken a look at my 'tools-of-the-trade'...well, since you've been such a *naughty* little girl, you'll have to be PUNISHED." Nadine nearly gasped at the strange relish with which he said that last word. He let her go. She waited, and tensed even more. She heard him sit on the toilet and drop his boots on the floor. She began to shiver in fear at the thought of what that whip of his would do to her back. Nadine felt his approach, and prepared to whirl around and bite, scratch, kick, ANYTHING to escape what he planned to do to her. He grasped her shoulders again, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his tongue run between her earlobe and head. Then he breathed into her ear "Gotcha." and began to chuckle, hugging her firmly and warmly. "I knew you'd be curious what I had in that case when I was putting my disguise together, so I popped over to a 'specialty shop' in downtown Hastings, and just grabbed the most unsettling stuff I saw - it really gave you a fright though, didn't it?" "YES!" she growled and reached back to slap him harshly. "That was positively terrifying! How could you, after we worked out those ground rules?" Mikel continued to hold her to him. "I'm really sorry, honey. I didn't think you be so scared by the stuff, but you're right - I went too far with the prank, and I apologize for it." He kissed her cheek. "Am I forgiven, at least enough to fulfill my outstanding promise?" She turned her head to look into his face, seeing his mouth curled down at the corners and his lower lip protrude in a miserable pout, his brown eyes big and his eyebrows arching sadly. She tried to suppress a smile at this 'puppy-dog' look he gave her, and assented. He grabbed the soap, and started to run his hands over her back muscles, kneading the heat of the water into them. He coated his lover's shoulder blades, and began to work his way down her spine. "Lean forward a bit, dear." She obeyed and the jet of water started to pound the base of her neck. His hands quickly covered her sides with lather, and then gently brushed her lower cheeks. One hand returned to her upper back as the other began to run the soap over her ass. "Let the water massage its way down your back - just inch forward a bit at a time. A small cloth found its way to his upper hand, washing off the lather wherever its warm wetness touched her. The soap was forgotten, its task completed as his lower hand slipped down her crack, to gently tickle her nether lips. Nadine stiffened, and Mikel chuckled at her surprise. He shifted his attentions solely to rinsing her back. "Good, I was worried you might be considering another...well, delay," the woman sighed as he massaged her sides. "I'm eager to find out where this lunch date is - you've seen Geneva and its food- service industry!" "Oh, don't you worry - I think you'll find it rather interesting, love." was Mikel's reply, concluded with another kiss on the back of her now clean neck. He grabbed the shampoo as he eased her head into the stream of water, and once her chestnut tresses were wet, he began to work the soapy fluid into her scalp. She assisted him, and her hair was lathered and rinsed more quickly than if either one of them had done the task alone. Mikel turned her around, and took the cloth to clean her face of shampoo. A kiss on each eyelid, followed by one on each cheek, another to the tip of her nose, and a final press of lips to hers. They kissed as the water soaked them, and broke off when they shifted and got the spray in their faces. After recovering from the shock, he pushed her chin up to gaze into her eyes. Neither seemed able of blinking for an era, and then they both tried to utter "I love you" at the same time. They simply hugged again, each trying to pull the other into their body forever. "Anyway, you're done, Nadine - you'll find a towel on the sink; if you could put another there for me, I'll attend to the cleaning of this body you like so much!" His grin reappeared, creasing his cheeks with dimples, and laugh lines around his eyes causing his second scar to appear. "Fine, but don't take too long - there can't be that much hot water left, and I don't want to show off a raisin to the neighbors!" They switched places, and he reached down to grab the soap and got his buttocks fondled briefly by his lover. He quickly began to lather himself, his mind swimming with emotions. 'She LOVES me, she really loves *me*!' was predominant in them, and he just couldn't stop smiling, even when he wore out the silent screaming of 'Those Three Little Words'. After a year-long 'email romance', it was still thrilling to have his feelings returned in kind now that they had met face to face. Mikel thought about his plans for the day, and his smile jacked up even higher; he had come to know Nadine as well as he knew himself, and she'd love the next surprise he had for her. A call came from the bedroom: "How should I dress?" Mikel stuck his head out of the shower and replied, "Well, it's a nice day, but not too cold, by your standards. I suppose just something informal - not 'full battle-dress', but clean and presentable - a blouse or a sweater and slacks, maybe? I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in whatever you pick out!" He ducked back into the shower to avoid the towel she threw at him. When he had rinsed off and dried his hair and skin, Mikel strolled into the bedroom to see his belle sitting on the bed, already dressed in a fetching blouse and loose slacks; her hair pinned back from her face. A long woolen coat was folded on her lap. He sighed pleasantly, and approached her to hug. Physics, however, let him down two steps into the room, when the towel wrapped around his waist slipped loose and was left behind before he was halfway to the bed. She smiled at his accidental nakedness, and adjusted her glasses to better examine his crotch. "Hmmm, feels bigger than it looks." "Oh, come ON; surely you know that cold water - which I was unable to avoid where we took so long to clean you - causes 'the tortoise to draw back into his shell'. It's never a fair estimation of a man's, um, worth! Besides, I was extremely aroused when you last saw Mister Happy here - more than ever before." He had closed the remaining distance, and took her into his arms, luxuriating in the feel of her body on his. "Come on, come on; as much as I like this, I want to see what you've got planned! Get some clothes on!" Nadine demanded as she extracted herself from his embrace. He sighed "Women are always telling me that!" and turned his attention to the suitcase he'd dropped on the bed before their showers. Opening the bag, he remarked "Well, this one ain't been tampered with - did we learn our lesson about snooping around?" He looked up into the sulky face of his sweetheart. "Again, I'm sorry," he said and her pout softened. He dressed quickly in a pair of casual slacks and a short- sleeved shirt. He completed the outfit with a pair of dress boots taken from the bottom compartment of the suit-bag. She regarded his color co-ordination and asked "So, Mr. Beige, where are we off to today?" "Well, first of all I ain't tellin', and secondly none of these articles is actually beige; the pants are taupe, the shirt is a shade called ecru, and the boots aren't even close..." "Bitch-bitch-bitch!" Nadine joked as she interrupted his trademark nit picking. He swooped onto her and kissed her passionately. Mikel willingly broke off the lip-lock, and told her "You know? It's weird but I feel so in love with you when you nag me like that. I look forward to spending a life being henpecked by you, beautiful. C'mon; let's go out to lunch." He grabbed a parka from the suitor, checked to ensure that his wallet was in it, and locked arms with her as they left the apartment.