******060:

Except it was snowing again.

Ben looked out the window and exclaimed about it.

"The perfect day for finishing music." I clapped my hands and rubbed them together, then reached for Aubrey and pulled her close by the back of her head---carefully. My whole demeanor with her was careful--- naturally--- pointedly.

"You rock my world." She whispered in my ear.

I kissed her below the ear and grinned against her cheek, splaying fingers in her long, riotously curled hair.

"Kids still napping?"

She glanced at her phone, no messages, so yeah. She looked back up. It was like fire and lightning passed between us.

I jerked my head in teensy weensy jerks toward the closet--- that closet.

And to my astonishment, in one big slow knowing nod, she assented. I felt my blood race.

"Are we back to work, Superman?" Ben called and I stepped away from my woman, never taking my ever loving eyes off her.

"So hard, yeah, we are back to work. I just need a pit stop along the way, meet you guys there. Aubrey, you want to stick around and watch the session for a little while?" I started out of the cafeteria in the direction of the bathroom and ---the closet---and everybody else got up, chatting, laughing, ignorant.

I saw Aubrey slide to her feet before I turned and sprinted out of the hall and down a familiar lit pathway, passing day time occupied sound rooms, and professionally sounding collaborations. I knew Parker was in one of these rooms with Draft Jam, my band--- the one I'd been working with almost exclusively. He—and they--- were just tweaking some minor parts before cutting the final.

I found the closet and turned the handle. It came open as if it had been stuck since the last time we'd been in there. It was dark--- there was a little window, up high and on one wall, but it wasn't letting in very much light due to the oncoming storm. I felt exultant.

The last time---- the last time we'd been here--- I'd come so close to pushing her--- I'd wanted to fire her up--- win her over---- get her so hot she'd give in to me. You'd think that might be a bad memory for us--- me pushing, her resisting, both feeling stifled and frustrated. But for some reason--- I think it was the atmosphere--- it had been snowing that day too--- we both connected that moment with strong erotic pleasure and trust--- yeah, trust.

The door opened in my hand as I stood there staring around me for a better place. There was nothing--- shelves with cleaning supplies.

In cream and gold colored sweater dress, and black leggings, her hair gloriously, riotously swinging, and out of breath, my co-conspirator locked the door behind us.

I stepped back, eyed her up and down and then we fell together as if we'd never left this damn closet in the first place.

"I need you. Now." I growled as I had then, lifting her sweater dress, pulling it over her head and kissing her body as I went, handling her familiarly, knowing what she liked and what I wanted.

"Rafe--- I want you." She breathed, and I about had a heart attack--- she hadn't said that exactly before. It was way sexier now that we were free to do something about it, and ----and everybody was waiting for us out there.

Her hands in my hair pulled hard, but it felt good as I kissed her lower--- trembling to hold what had been forbidden before. I pushed her up against the bare place in the wall and she lifted one leg against the counter, and then wrapped the other one under my arm and shoulder and around my back. I knew what she wanted too.

I gave her my most devilish grin and then accommodated--- since there was no way we were going to do it on the cement floor.

Her groans of desire set me on fire.

"Hey loveybirds! Come out, come out wherever you are." Jeff's whimsical song just outside the door was like a freaking freight train bucket of cold water.

"Don't stop!" Aubrey commanded, groaning and holding my hair with her fingernails scraping my scalp.

"Hey honeynooners, I saw you go in there." Jeff was adamant about revealing us, and thwarting our tryst. This was a damn important tryst, not to mention I was about to explode with what else was coming.

I felt Aubrey convulse, and stood, grinding into her full force, holding her off the counter and against me. We ended together---- overwhelmed, shaking and panting, and giggling in relief and release.

"Damn, I swear, Rafe, you do the craziest stuff. I can hear every f-ing grunt you make, and I've heard it all before, don't think I haven't, so I know what the f--- you're doing!"

And then in this out of breath, gutsy little voice, my wife addressed our discoverer, "Jeff, you owe me fifteen bucks."

"Damn!" Came his reply as he swung his fist against the door and then stomped down the hall for good measure. I barely held myself and her up.

I caressed her leg, felt the sweat on her back, and under her neck and kissed her lips--- covering her with my whole essence. "I love you so much!" I laughed, more than exultant, more than exhilarated. I was beyond....

She lowered herself to the floor---- shivering---- probably from release, and ---- well, let's just say aftermath. I felt her drag a box of rolled paper towels closer on the counter and open one, as I kept my eyes closed and my forehead pressed to her neck, breathing---- just breathing. I gave her the tiniest bit of space as she cleaned herself up.

"We're not getting out of here alive." She whispered, that gutsy little collaborator voice in place.

"I know."

"I'm a little giddy."

"I will make you presentable." I started sucking on her neck, like the vampire that I am, creating a visible mark of my affection---- like a freaking teenager. I hadn't been that teenager, mind you--- but later---

"Hey, baby----." That thought occurred to me. "Does it bother you that I talked about the times when I was promiscuous?"

She finally pushed my head back and wriggled out from against the wall, she was pulling up her leggings, and found her sweater dress. I wasn't sure where her boots had got to. "Some. Yeah. But I am the one that explicitly told you I did not care to hear all their names, ages, and birthdates."

"I suppose the media has kept that record if you were ever interested." I zipped my pants, found my shirt. "Meaning that I can't think of any other woman ever again, I won't, ever again, but baby, you have to know--- I don't want to think of any other woman ever again. You are the one. You give me more--- you bathe me in your love and your---- Aubrey--- I'm confident now--- it's true, I always was. I'm not afraid of things, and I'm not insecure in who I am--- but I was, and I think every guy is to some extent, insecure with their woman--- there's always that little doubt, that we're not good enough, that we can't hold their attention long enough--- there's just so much guys don't get about women. But you--- you give me confidence. I am not insecure, I am complete. That's what it means to be complete. You complete me."

I was rambling, and I knew it, trying hard to express something that in the aftermath I still felt and had the guts to say, but it wasn't coming out perfectly.

I stood there, shoe in hand, shirt askew, hair more than messed up----

Vulnerable.

Aubrey pulled on her other boot and then leaned against the wall, which now made us only twelve inches apart. Her fingers lifted--- my heart flip-flopped--- Aubrey has perfect fingers--- slender, not knobby like mine, pristine, exquisite---- I love her hands, and she cupped my cheek, her eyes huge and luminescent in the faint light from the snow storm outside us.

There were no words, and no kisses and no raging desire--- we were sated and easy--- and glowing. I loved aftermath--- even in the closet I loved aftermath. I needed to write a song about aftermath.

Her eyes were light, her lips slightly parted. I ran a hand down her wildly curling hair, smoothing it back into place, behind her shoulder, across her forehead. And---- and----

I'm the one that got choked up.

Yep.

That's me, the blubbering idiot.

I'm the one that welled up and overflowed.

I'm the one that started crying.

"Seriously, Rafe! Aren't you guys done?" This time it was Ben's good natured, and slightly irritated voice. "Everyone knows. Just get out here. We know you're in there, and we know what you are doing."

I pulled on my leather slip-ons, messed my hair differently--- couldn't help the shag look now. Gave her my most appropriate wink and then unlocked the door.

He looked into my red-rimmed eyes. "What the f---?" He took a legitimate stagger backward.

"I'm sorry man." I said, and was really gratified to hear the unshed emotion in my now cocksure attitude. Damn, but I'm good---- didn't even need to process those buggery tears--- just wipe them off and use them to----

Ben looked behind me. Aubrey had her head down and her hair completely covered her face.

"Shit, are you guys okay?" Ben didn't know what to say, he obviously thought we'd been fighting or-----

"It was the talk about my former sex life." I said low, very seriously.

"Shit." Ben reached out to clap me on the shoulder. He was eyeing Aubrey surreptitiously. "Aubrey, he wasn't the guy you know--- I mean back then--- it wasn't like it is now---."

"I know." She sniveled, and I couldn't have been more proud, as she slipped by us, into the hall and then turned. "It's just that you guys are all having relationship problems and I'm--- well, we--- we were just feeling left out."

Ben's eyes clouded instantly, his lips puckered as he tried to figure out what she meant. I could see the wheels turning as I carefully took Aubrey's hand, farce over. I pulled her in close and kissed her lips soundly.

Ben blew out his breath. "You're an asshole." He kicked my shoe.

"I know." I laughed, and turned to head down the hall.

"I thought you guys were----." Ben shook his head and followed us, lumbering now, like a St. Bernard.

"You owe me bucks." Aubrey said with a hotty smile.

"It was worth it. I'd say it again too, if the moment warrants it. He is one--- and you're not far behind. You had me thinking you guys were having a fight or something, and----. You suck. You both suck." He wasn't mad. He wasn't hurt. But we'd played him--- and we'd had freaking hot amazing sex in the closet---

Cross that one off the bucket list.

******