Chapter 5: The Loner and The Recluse Take The Next Step

Roger stirred on Heaven's Day, The Merry Go Round of Life playing through the walls of his room.

"Five more minutes…" he groaned, waking up.

Roger sleepily looked at his watch. It was past noon. And then the day dawned on him.

Right! I slept in! Damnnit, damnnit, damnnit!

Roger jolted awake now. He had promised to help Norman with the dinner tonight, and then of course, he needed to exchange gifts with Dorothy. He shook his head. Of all days to sleep in!

Dorothy stopped playing the piano as she heard commotion from Roger's room. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What's got into him?"

Dorothy was wearing her black dress from the night of the play and had gifts waiting for Roger by the piano. Since Roger didn't have Heaven's Day decorations, Dorothy had some left-over art supplies from the play, and made some hanging ornaments out of construction paper. She hung them by the fire after dinner the night before. She had been so caught up producing the play, she had forgot to ask Norman if they could go out and get decorations. They would have to do for now.

The commotion died down in Roger's room and Roger stepped out wearing his normal attire, minus his suit jacket and gloves. He looked around and saw Dorothy. He grinned sheepishly.

"Morning Dorothy?"

"Afternoon Roger," she said, mildly amused.

"Oh yeah, it's that time of day. Um… Happy Heaven's Day."

"Happy Heaven's Day to you too, Roger. You're acting like you haven't done this before."

"Well, I have. Just… you caught me off guard the last two years and um… this year I was prepared?"

Dorothy cupped her chin with her thumb and pointer finger, eyeing him with mock suspicion. "So, I see… so what are you hiding?"

"Me? Nothing…"

Roger gripped the bags of presents nervously. He had meant to set them by her door early in the morning, but had missed the alarm on his watch. He gave up, sighing and walked out of the bedroom, bag in view.

"Don't worry, I'm messing with you. It turns out I forgot to get decorations since you didn't have any, so that's why I made those last night." She nodded over the handmade decorations hanging over the fireplace.

She motioned for him to come sit by the piano and he walked over, sitting next to her.

"One of your Heaven's Day presents was to be woken up nicely. So that's one."

Roger chuckled. "I appreciate it. Thank you for the nice start." Roger handed the small decorative bag of gifts for her, and Dorothy exchanged three boxes to him.

"How are your roses coming along?" he asked, as she unwrapped the first gift.

"I love them. You know, simple gifts are just fine too, you don't have to spend… oh!"

She had unwrapped the first gift and opened the box to find a cultured pearl and diamond swirl necklace and earring set.

"Roger… this is…"

She had no words, but he understood all the same. "May I?"he asked, indicating he wished to put the necklace on. Dorothy nodded and moved on the bench, her back facing towards him. She lifted up the back of her hair as he put on the necklace. She turned around and put on the earrings.

"You deserve nice things and well… I guess it's my way of making up and being an idiot for the last two years."

"You mean, louse."

"That too."

He gave her a warm smile. She pointed to one of his gifts.

"Open one of yours."

Roger took one of the packages and unwrapped the paper. He opened the box and found a beautiful ebony-colored onyx fountain pain with the cap and barrel outlined in sterling silver.

"I've been needing a new one. But… Dorothy…"

"I saw you eye that one that day when you took me shopping and asked me to be your associate. So… well… here we are then."

Roger laughed, tugging at his tie nervously. "Well, I hope you don't get mad then because…" he pointed at one of the boxes that was similar to the one he had just unwrapped, "Well, it would be better if you unwrapped that one."

Dorothy raised an eyebrow and took the gift he pointed to into her hands, unwrapping it. She opened the box to find a similar fountain pen, only in lapis lazul blue, the cap and barrel outlined in sterling silver. Dorothy giggled.

"Great minds think alike. At least we can tell each other's pens apart now."

Roger nodded, still appreciating his.

"Your turn," and she pointed at flat looking box.

He took it and began to unwrap it. When he took off the lid to the box, he found a black cashmere scarf in a ribbed knitting. It was very simple and elegant.

"Dorothy… this is…"

"Norman told me you didn't have one and I figured with it getting cold so soon, it was probably best that you had one. It was hard to find one without any frills. I wasn't sure if you would even like the ribbed knitting, but…"

Roger smiled. "Dorothy, the fact you thought of me, I'm just grateful. Honestly, having you here is a gift alone. These are just extras. And I'll treasure them."

"How about we open our last gifts together?"

He nodded and pulled a medium size tall box towards him. Dorothy pulled a flat box towards her. They both unwrapped them at the same time. Roger pulled out a bottom hourglass, custom made as it had the flowers from the first date encased in resin, preserving the color, inside the glass with the sand that was powder blue in color. There were ripples in the glass to add to the effect of the sand going down, the outer casing covered in stained black lacquer, supported by four legs. Dorothy held in her hands Roger's copy of Robin Hood.

"How, but…" they exclaimed at the same time. Roger coughed.

"Ladies first," he said, looking over the hourglass.

"Norman helped me with the resin, and I didn't know what do with the flowers once I had it. Walking around with Angel during one of our lunches, I found a man who makes custom hour glasses and other knick-knacks. So, I asked him if he could incorporate what I did into the hourglass. I know, you feel like it wasn't the best date, but all the same, it was definitely memorable, especially the dance at the end. But, enough about yours. Why Robin Hood? You said this was extremely valuable, and one of the first things you received as payment for your services."

"You were having so much fun with the play, I figured I give it you. Dr. Plebanski wishes to make it a tradition and there are more stories in the book that could definitely use a Little O adaptation."

He kissed her forehead, Dorothy blushing, giggled again.

"Thank you for this. I will treasure this. It's a really good book."

Roger nodded. "I will treasure this as well. You know my love of hour glasses, but now… I really like this one, Dorothy. It'll go next to the one you gave me last year."

"The rosewood one with the lavender sand?"

Roger nodded. "It'll go next to that one on the shelf behind my desk."

He set the hourglass down on top of the piano, watching the sand go down, but was interrupted by Dorothy, suddenly embracing him, tightly. He was surprised at first, but then returned it.

"What's all this?"

"Thank you, Roger. I don't feel like I would've… I don't feel like I would've made it without you. This has been such an adjustment… and well…"

Dorothy tried to put the rest of what she wanted to say into her hug. Roger looked down at her as she looked up, both into their eyes.

"I'm just glad you're here. You mean the world to me, Dorothy."

They closed their eyes as their lips met, holding a bit longer than normal. They broke away slowly, their eyes opening, still looking at each other.

"I think… I think Norman needs our help," she said, not averting his gaze.

Roger gulped and nodded, aware of how close Dorothy was to him, his heart beating fast. "Yeah, I agreed… to help him."

Dorothy broke the gaze. "Interesting, so did I. Did you get anything for him?"

Roger's heartbeat slowed. "My usual, two boxes of 45 ACP that he can go blow on the range."

"I would've given him something more thoughtful."

"It is thoughtful, considering it's nearly $100 for a box of 50."

They collected the wrapping paper, putting it in the bags Roger had brought out. As they rose from the piano and set their gifts on the table, they went to the lift, holding each other's arm as they went to go help Norman with the Heaven's Day feast, laughing.

********************************************

The feast prep was rather interesting. The ham came out great, but I was put in charge of the mashed potatoes with Dorothy. Let's just say, we ended up being disciplined by Norman and are not allowed near the mixer for a while. Thankfully, we had aprons on with the mess we made. As our punishment, we had to prep the green beans. It wasn't really a punishment, as we kept laughing about the whole ordeal at the mixer to the point that even Norman broke down, and laughed with us.

Dinner consisted of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, fresh bread, and a small salad. Norman had risen early to get things started, so we ate in the mid-afternoon, which worked out better in the long run. I insisted Norman join us. After all, he's family and had been through as much as we had. He had a right to eat with us. He was also overjoyed to have bullets for a range day with his 1911 carry that he adored so much as his Heaven's Day gift. Dorothy also bought him a scarf, which he appreciated. His was gray. Norman's gift to us was framed pictures he had taken of us during the night of the play. Dorothy would put hers on her side of the nightstand. Mine would join her hourglasses in our office.

Dessert consisted of an apple pie and mulled wine Norman had made for the occasion. While it's low on the alcohol content, it's delicious and well, if you're not careful, the bottles will catch up with you. Since it marked three years of the birthday fiasco mix up, Dorothy was poured a glass, now technically of age to drink. We toasted to many things, Norman getting emotional with his by toasting to us, and how glad he was happy to see us together at last. Cat's out of the bag regarding how he feels about us being together.

Dorothy and I were a bit cozy from drinking our glasses a little too quickly, despite having a decent meal. For the night we didn't dance, we made up for it putting on record, after record, after record. It's not like we couldn't do much. It was white out conditions outside and the snow wasn't expected to stop for another day. There was of course the clean up as well and that would take a few days. This was by far the best Heaven's Day I had in memory, the second being watching Dorothy twirl around in her new coat, after fighting a giant mutating tree-like monster.

Dorothy sat down, breathing hard. The last song they had danced to had been a lively jazz piece. Roger flopped next to her and grabbed the bottle of wine to pour them another glass. Norman had brought a pitcher of water and goblets, stating that since it was Dorothy's first time drinking, she should alternate between glasses. Roger had also partaken as well. He was feeling in the right head space. He was not as cozy as he had been after dinner, but somewhat tired from all the good food, drink, and dancing. He gave Dorothy her glass and raised his to meet hers.

"To your health," he said, and they both took a sip.

"I'm not going to lie. I love your taste in jazz, but I need a slow song or two. Those last two… oh, my poor feet."

She leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes, and took off her shoes. The alcohol was not affecting her too badly. She just needed to slow down, and the water had helped. She took another sip before setting her glass down on the table. Roger got up to find another record to fit Dorothy's request.

"You hold your alcohol well," said Roger, looking over his records on the shelf.

"I will admit, Norman's mulled wine is good! It's hard to get past the taste. But the spices he added does help with that."

"The taste comes over time. Once you start getting over it, you pick up on other flavors."

"So that explains your liquor collection in the curio cabinet."

Roger gave a coy smile, snapped his fingers, and pointed at Dorothy in agreement. He found the record he was looking for and put it on the player. Dorothy recognized the tune instantly. It was the song he played on the night of their first dance. Roger went over to Dorothy, extending his hand towards her.

"May I have this dance, Dorothy?"

Dorothy shook her head. "Aren't you feeling sentimental? Is it okay if we sway to this one? My feet are still recovering."

Roger nodded. She accepted Roger's hand, Roger pulling her close. They swayed back and forth to the beat of the music, Dorothy resting his head on his chest, breathing in deep his cologne.

"Where did the time go?" she asked, "I feel like… we've known each other for ages."

Roger looked down at her. "Me too. But I'm glad you're here, dancing with me now. I thought… I thought we would never get to this point, and it's mostly my fault because I'm a…"

"Louse," Dorothy finished and giggled.

"So, did I make up for this Heaven's Day for the others?"

"You mean the one where you thought it was my birthday, and the one where I caught you off-guard and you didn't have a present for me?"

"Heh heh, yeah, those would be the ones," he replied sheepishly.

Dorothy smiled and sighed contently. "Yes, you did."

Outside, the snow kept falling at a decent pace. Thankfully, the wind was coming from the north, so the courtyard was mostly cleared by the door as the snow accumulated by the railing. But if one were to look through the swirling curtain of snow, and through the frosted windows of the French doors, they would've seen a couple, gently swaying to the music, and holding each other close. It was clear that they cared about each other. Roger cleared his throat to get Dorothy's attention, and she responded by nuzzling his chest.

"Dorothy… since you've been here, I feel like I'm a better person because of you, and I thank you for that. I'm glad you're here, with me. I just… I want you to know, you make me happy. And, I hope I make you happy too."

Roger stopped swaying and Dorothy looked up at him. He held her hands close to his chest. Dorothy's eyes widened and trembled, her mouth slightly opened. A moment of realization hit her. It was now or never. The realization seemed to hit Roger at the same time too. And they both gave each other their answer.

Dorothy stood on her toes, closed her eyes, and kissed Roger passionately on the lips, who met her halfway, tasting the wine, the spice, and feeling the softness of each other's lips. He could feel her passion and longing. He closed his eyes and responded, matching her intensity, his hands moving down to the back of her waist instinctively, and pulling her closer to him.

After what seemed like an eternity, they broke away. They opened their eyes and found that they were both breathing hard, their breath ragged and staggered. They leaned in and rubbed their noses against each other, both taking each other's hands. Roger became aware of how he close he was to Dorothy, the distance between them getting smaller by the second.

"I guess there's no time like the present," he whispered, and feeling confident by her response to his statement, kissed her passionately once more, taking in the scent of her perfume, which smelled like the roses he had given her on the night of the play, tasting the mulled wine on her tongue as he wrapped his around hers.

His hands moved up to her face, holding her in his hands. He moved from her mouth, kissing down her neck, now being gentle, working her way down to her chest before pulling up. His breath ragged, his hair had come undone slightly, but Dorothy was smiling. She now understood what Carlye meant, and she was going to enjoy this night.

She laughed as Roger picked her up, and she wrapped his legs around him, Roger grinning. They nuzzled each other once more, looking into each other's eyes with a love and tenderness for one another, and had they been paying attention, they would've heard Norman, who walked in with another bottle of wine, and was startled by the sight.

"Well, that's the last time I drink while on duty," and he turned heel and headed for the lift promptly, eyeing his bottle of mulled wine suspiciously.

Roger and Dorothy met halfway, kissing each other with a sweetness and delight that only came with their realization that their relationship had indeed evolved into something more, something that they both been wanting and cherished at the same time. More than friends, better than lovers, the night was theirs for the taking, their relationship taking the next step. Roger, still holding on to Dorothy, fumbled with the door to his bedroom before finally opening it. He went inside, and kicked his door shut.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Roger gently set Dorothy down by his bed, kicked off his shoes, they both breaking away from kissing each other. No words were said, but their eyes, smiles on their face, and their laughs said it all for them. Then they became quiet as Roger took his hand and gently brushed Dorothy's cheek with it, Dorothy moving his bangs from the center of his face to the edge, staring at each other. Roger smirked before leaning in, their lips met once more, but now their hands moved quickly.

Dorothy went for Roger's tie, loosening it, but having some difficulty removing the knot. Roger, who had been unlocking the clasp on the back of her dress, paused momentarily to assist her getting his tie off. The knot undone, she pulled the tie effortlessly off him, her hands now moving to his suspenders, trying to slide them off, but his hands were busy undoing the clasp on Dorothy's dress. He felt it unlock and now moved to the zipper, unzipping her dress. They broke away, Dorothy stopped struggling with getting his suspenders off, and raised her arms briefly as he raised the dress and slip underneath over her head, and threw it to the floor. Now wearing nothing but her brassiere, her panties, and her nylon stockings, she took the free moment to slide his suspenders off. They took a moment to look at each other, their chests rising up and down from excitement before and what was to come. Roger leaned forward, picking her by the waist, and moved her further back into the bed before laying her down gently.

Dorothy laid on Roger's bed, with her arms raised up on either side of her, feeling how soft his bed was. Roger propped himself up on one arm, aligning himself to look at Dorothy, their eyes meeting briefly before closing them and kissing her sweetly once more, their tongues exploring more of each other. Dorothy's hands moved down his shirt and began unbuttoning it quickly, wanting to free him and feel him against her skin. Finishing with the last button, she tugged at his shirt that was tucked in and pulled it free, sliding it off of him. They broke away. Roger threw it off of him and briefly raised himself to take off his undershirt, more bangs falling in front of his face, his breath becoming more ragged. Dorothy's hands ran down his defined chest and abs, which were rising up and down from the exertion. She felt her heart racing at the sight of him, pumping hard, panting.

Roger's hands slid underneath her back, finding the clasp on her brassiere. He fiddled with it, as it gave him some difficulty, but he felt it unlock. Dorothy raised herself so Roger could slip it off. She found his mouth, kissing him deeply, her tongue tracing the outline of his mouth. Roger held back a moan, enjoying the feeling. He moved her downward into the bed, his tongue meeting hers, tasting the mulled wine, the spices, and their tenderness for one another. Her chest now bare, with the diamond and swirl pearl pendant hanging freely on her skin. Roger ran his fingers along the outline of her chest, tracing the curves of her breasts, gently pulling on her nipples. She tilted her head back gasping at the sensation, her body quaking and quivering, as she grasped his bed sheets tightly. When she recovered, Roger pulled in her close for a kiss once more, their tongues intertwining and mingling with one another.

There was only one clothing barrier on the each of them, but Roger slowed down, gently kissing her while moving downward along Dorothy's body. He got to her chest, admiring the firmness of her breasts, the areoles on each of them flushed, and her nipples hard. He gently kissed them before moving over to right breast and taking the nipple into his mouth. He altered the pressure from soft to hard on it, Dorothy crying out, enjoying the feeling, as he held her hands, Dorothy gripping tightly to them. He ran his tongue around the base around her nipple, then using the tip of his tongue, began moving it circles on it. She felt him moving off her breast, as he wanted to explore more of her body, and she moved her hands to keep his head there, running her fingers through his slicked back hair, whimpering. The feeling was amazing, and he understood what she wanted. She lifted her hands briefly as moved over to the left, repeating movements he had done with her right breast, her whimpers becoming more noisy in response to his movements.

Dorothy moaned. She wanted the last bit of clothing off herself and off of him. She felt his response while he moved down to her breasts and she wanted to free him. Roger knew what she wanted. He removed her panties and her stockings, one by one. She was now completely naked and free. She sat up, moving toward him to undo his pants, but was having difficulty get the fly undone, her hands trembling.

Roger kissed her and whispered, "Let me…" and he undid the button and fly of his pants carefully. Dorothy pushed them down far enough for Roger to kick them off. He still had socks on, annoyed by them, and he quickly removed them before laying back on the bed, above Dorothy.

They were now free and were looking at each other, marveling at one another, both breathing hard. Roger ran his hands along Dorothy's face, down her neck, then moving to her breasts before finally finishing tracing the outline of her hips. She in turned traced the well-defined features of his muscles, he letting out a small chuckle as she traced the outline of his abs as it slightly tickled. They paused briefly as her hand found his, holding it. Dorothy was covered in goosebumps from her skin being exposed, the after effect of the excitement of him kissing her and touching her.

Then Roger and Dorothy met halfway, kissing once more, wrapping their tongues around one another. He moved away again, kissing her body, his tongue finding her breasts once more, giving each one a generous amount of attention with his mouth. Dorothy's skin became more riddled with more goosebumps before she slightly moved her legs apart and arched her back, pressing her mound against Roger, an ache growing from below she wanted sated by him. He felt her smooth silkiness against him, the feeling amazing against him, as he was ready to go as well. Dorothy was ready and wanted him. She quivered with excitement. It would be rude to keep her waiting.

Roger made his move, slipping himself inside of her slowly before stopping. Dorothy had been ready for a while, which made it easier, but he also understood it was her first time, and for him, it had been a long time since he had been with anyone. She gasped has he made contact, the pressure catching her off guard and causing her to tense up for a moment. From what she could feel, he was well endowed. She took a deep breath, relaxing her body. The pressure slowly went away. Roger on the other hand, closed his eyes tight, admiring how soft and silky she was on the inside. His breath became raspy, enjoying the tight sensation around him. She felt amazing and now they were both one.

Their eyes met each other. Roger paused, tracing the outline of her breasts once more, then took his right hand and grabbed her left hand, moving slowly back and forth. He slowly set the pace, still sinking into her. They didn't look away, Roger rocking his hips against Dorothy's, still at the same slow pace. Dorothy felt herself breathing hard, taking sudden breathes quickly, starting to tense up again. The sensation she was feeling… she didn't know how to compare it. But she knew she didn't want it to end either. It felt wonderful. And then there was the intensity of Roger looking into her eyes while rocking back and forth. She relaxed once more as she got lost in them. She wanted to close her eyes and enjoyed the sensation, but Roger's dark eyes were transfixed on her deep indigo eyes. She was memorized by him.

Roger broke eye contact and moved back to her breasts, grabbing one with his mouth and began giving it a generous amount of attention on it gently first, then increasing pressure. Between feeling Roger inside her moving at a slow rhythmic pace, and the alternating pressure on her breast, a groan escaped Dorothy, voicing her pleasure at what he was doing. Roger moved over to the other free breast and began repeating the motions with his mouth, making Dorothy utter a primal groan again, then gasping as he gave a gentle nibble on her nipple. He could tell she enjoyed that as he felt her relax around him. Now it became easier to move inside of her.

Roger quickened his pace, now moving slightly faster. He moved back up to Dorothy's lips and kissed her sweetly, like the first night he kissed her, closing his eyes in the process. Then he moved down her body once more, kissing it gently. Dorothy stared up at his ceiling enjoying the pleasure she was experiencing and the fact it was him delivering it to her. She ran her fingers through his hair and grabbed his back, running her fingers down the taunt muscles, digging her fingernails into his shoulders. He gave a small grunt, letting her know he enjoyed the sensation. She then noticed he had completely let his guard down. Dorothy timed the movement of his hips and perform the hip roll he had taught her. She was now on top, catching Roger by surprise, however, he remained inside of her. Roger gave her a soft chuckle.

"Somehow, I'm not going to regret teaching you that move."

Dorothy gave a soft smile. Roger found himself breathing hard, looking over Dorothy's naked body in the dim light from the dome that lit the room through the blinds. Dorothy remained sitting up, seated on top of him, and began rocking her hips back and forth on him. The change in the position felt different for both of them, and he felt himself slip deeper inside of her. He grunted again, enjoying the feeling of exploring her, becoming buried deep in her. Dorothy, on the other hand, grew flushed in her face as she began moving around, discovering new areas of pleasure hidden inside of her. She let out a soft whimper as she kept moving, now feeling an increasing tightness down below, wanting it to release from her.

His hands began running down the curves of her body that was so firm, soft, and supple. The headband on her head came loose and he removed it, her hair falling around the frame of her face. His hands found her hips and he set the pace, telling her through the movement she could go faster. He felt himself go deeper, becoming buried in parts of her that were now being explored by him. She began to move faster, her breathes now becoming more staggered, now feeling different areas being explored by the speed and intensity in which she moved. He gasped as he felt what had to be the top of her, kissing the top of him. It felt like a gentle pressure that would release every she moved. He felt himself getting closer to the end goal, and he groaned, the sensation proving to be too much. If she kept this up, he knew he would finish prematurely, and he wanted to make sure she also experienced pleasure too. But at the same time, it felt too good to make her stop.

He moved her hips back and forth faster on him. The look in his eyes became more determined as he enjoyed watching Dorothy rock against him. Dorothy turned her head back, looking at the ceiling, the diamond pearl swirl pendant bouncing against her naked chest. She looked back at Roger. Dorothy knew what he wanted as she was close too. She felt ache below her hips increase in pressure, and Roger rolled her back onto the bed, now on top once more.

His face now was flushed from the exertion of their combined efforts. He grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head, intertwining his fingers with hers. He now began moving his hips in earnest back and forth. He felt her tightening around him, and he didn't dare adjust his position, the feeling felt amazing around him, moaning in ecstasy. Her deep indigo eyes trembled as she looked at Roger's dark eyes, and a moan escaped Dorothy as she briefly closed her eyes. His eyes remained calm and determined. He never appreciated anyone like this before and he was enjoying himself, but more than anything, he wanted to make this night memorable for her.

Roger increased his pace, kissing underneath Dorothy's neck, before gently moving down to where the base of her neck and collarbone met. He altered between nibbling and kissing on it gently. Dorothy groaned and managed to free her one of her hands, running her hands through his hair and along his back, her fingers digging into his lower back. But the sensation was distracting him, and he needed to focus. The walls inside of her were now closing tighter around him. He floundered, trying to grab her hand. He found it and pinned back at top, intertwining his fingers with hers once more, grunting in satisfaction.

Roger now moved to kiss Dorothy deeply, his eyes closed, and his pace now faster. He was so close, and she had to be too, from the way she was squeezing him so tightly. Dorothy returned his kiss with a sweetness and desire he longed for, closing her eyes in the process. The tension she felt below was tight, but she wanted release so badly. She broke the kiss to whisper his name.

"Roger."

Roger quickened his pace at the sound of his name. The whisper of his name sounded like a desperate plea, a want, a longing. Roger understood and now, Dorothy was gasping, and holding tight to his hands.

"Dorothy," he said weakly, almost with an ache in his voice.

He didn't have much longer left, but he was holding out for her. He let out a moan, as he felt the overwhelming urge and knew there was no stopping him in his last moments. But the surprise came when Dorothy began calling his name, softly at first, then louder.

"Roger… Roger…ROGER!"

He felt her come around him, the force almost pushing him out of her completely, but he kept his pace. She gasped at the continued motion of him pushing inside, the tremors racking her body violently. But he didn't have to wait much longer for himself.

"DOROTHY!" he cried out, "Dorothy… Dorothy…"

He felt his release, gasping for a moment as all the blood moved to one location in his body, making him extremely lightheaded. He moved with the tremors, both of them trembling in sync, and waited for them to pass. Then he collapsed just above her shoulder, gasping for air, breathing hard. His body felt heavy. He felt Dorothy breathing hard against him, he was still inside of her, and made him shudder as he was now sensitive to all of her movements around him. He raised himself ever so slightly, saw her face, and gave her a deep passionate kiss, releasing her hands to cup her face. Dorothy returned his kiss and held his face. Their dance of one, expressing how they felt for one another was now completed and they remained one for a while, wanting to be close to one another, holding each other.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Roger moved off of Dorothy, laying next to her. Dorothy crawled closer to Roger, and he helped her by moving her closer. They both felt hot, weak from the exertion, and covered in sweat, not that they cared. He began to caress the outline of her body, her hand resting over the top of his heart. She could feel it pumping hard as his chest raised up and down with his breathe. They remained silent for a while, thinking over what just happened.

"Roger?" she whispered.

"Mmm?" His brain was slowly starting to recover as the blood flow returned to normal.

"That was… that was… I really enjoyed that."

Roger nodded, holding her tight. "Yeah, me too."

She began moving her fingers back and forth, drawing the outline of his pectoral muscles.

"Where do we go from here?"

Roger looked down at her. "Well, I guess we just took another step, so… I guess we enjoy that and live in the moment. And then, when we're ready, we take the next step."

"And… what is the next step?"

"I… I don't know. But wouldn't be fun if we could find out together?"

Dorothy giggled. "I think so too."

She raised herself on his chest, looking at him. Roger's eyes were looking at the ceiling, deep in thought. They had not only taken the next step, but leapt on to it with such intensity and eagerness. Roger realized that Dorothy must've felt the same way as he did and had been ready for a while. Yet, Roger was enjoying the pace, despite at times, he could feel himself wanting to go faster.

He looked at her and she moved up closer to his face. Feeling her naked body against his… he wanted to do the dance again, as there was so much he wanted to show to her and express through his actions, but the intensity of the first dance lingered. There would be no more for a while. He raised himself slightly and kissed her gently. She broke away.

"Is it okay if I go take a shower to freshen up?" she asked.

He nodded. "Do you mind if I join you? We can use mine. I think some rest afterwards would do us both good, if that's okay."

Roger sat up and kissed her once more and Dorothy understood what he meant. They had shared something so personal, so intimate, and he was telling it was okay for her to stay the night (which was unusual considering they lived in the same household for so long). She giggled softly as he pressed his head against hers, his hair now fully undone. He took her hand and led her to his bathroom, momentarily taking a pause as she took off her pearls and set them on the self above the sink. They stepped inside the shower together, Roger shutting the glass door, and turning on the water. The water came out warm, leaning towards hot instantly, and fogged up the glass, obscuring them from the mirror on the vanity. Had anyone been able to see them, they would have seen them in an loving embrace, kissing one another passionately. But the water beads on the shower glass were the only witnesses, and they would be gone by morning, taking their story with them.

After a few minutes showering off their exertion, Roger shut off the shower. He grabbed his towel hanging near the rack and grabbed a fresh, folded towel for Dorothy. He handed it to her to dry herself off. They finished toweling themselves dry, now the efforts of the evening catching up with them. Dorothy crawled into his bed while Roger went to go shut the blinds and curtains, the room now encompassed in darkness. Roger crawled into bed next to Dorothy. She embraced him and he kissed her.

"Good night, Dorothy," he whispered softly as he got comfortable, holding her in his arms.

"Good night, Roger," she whispered sleepily, resting her head on his chest.

Sleep found them quickly and they drifted away into their dreams as it continued to snow outside, the blizzard swirling around the mansion.