Rivals and Lovers (Closed for MistressOfAlaok)

[MistressOfAlaok]

Aubrey ground her jaws together, attempting to keep the rest of her facial expression neutral. Why had she made that bloody comment about being crammed in? Had she lost all reason, all self control? And why? Because Chris turned out to have dried up nicely, being easy on the eye and maybe somewhat charming? Aubrey there and then silently vowed that she'd help herself to an orgasm or 2 tonight. Not because of Chris of course, just to ... Well, that must be all that was bothering her, wasn't it?

"I'll meet you out the front of the hotel at 1PM tomorrow then," the young woman said, before grabbing her drink and downing the last - a considerable half glass still - of it in one go. Suddenly, Aubrey felt as if she just had to get away. And into bed. Or maybe the shower...

"Even if we will be having lunch like tinned sardines, I do hope you smell better," she followed, with what she hoped was a sweet smile, as she picked up her shoes in one hand and her bag in the other, papers haphazardly tucked back into it. As Aubrey turned her back on her fellow doctor, she asked herself why she had needed to make a mean joke, before departing. She didn't like to admit it, but Chris' invite to lunch had stirred up teenage insecurities she didn't even know she could experience. When was the last time she had worried this much on what to wear?!

Not that the doctor would ever admit it to herself - let alone to Chris -, but she had felt the need to make the comment, then stalk away barefoot, head held high, in order to feel better about herself. And maybe to pick out her outfit for tomorrow...

~~~

In her hotel room, Aubrey unpacked her suitcase. Hanging garments in the build in closet, putting underwear in a draw. Something she never did, always preferring to live out of her suitcase. But tonight she found herself arranging her toiletries in the bathroom, the sound of the tub filling behind her. 'What is wrong with me?' she asked herself. Aubrey hadn't taken a bath in ages, preferring the convenience and efficiency of showers.

Yet, her she was, slowly stepping into the hot, scented water. Glancing at her legs, deciding that she would not wear any stockings tomorrow, instead putting her still smooth legs on display. For Chris, a tiny voice added in the back of her mind, one she violently told to shut up.

Instead Aubrey laid back in the tub, soaking in the hot water, hands slowly moving in between her thighs. Stress relief. Stress relief from all the stress that presumptuous pig that calls himself a doctor had brought her today! Stress relief from Chris, she told herself.

Thirty minutes later, Aubrey slid into bed, naked.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Chris wasn't sure what to make of Aubrey's comment about him smelling better. Before they began their "truce" he would have assumed that this was just one more barb in their ongoing war. But...since they had been having drinks together, her hostility had either truly diminished or, at least, gone underground. And...she had accepted his lunch invitation, agreeing to meet at 1:00. And, she had smiled while throwing out her remark before turning and leaving quickly. WTF? Well...who understands women anyway?

As he left the bar to go back to his hotel, Chris realized two things. First, he was close to being pretty drunk after all of those bourbons. And, second, he was getting hornier by the moment. It had started, he realized now, as he and Aubrey downed their drinks and really ramped up when she made the comments about being packed in so closely at the cafe where they were going to have lunch. Chris was actually beginning to feel the pain that a guy does when he is becoming aroused with no outlet.

Chris realized that it didn't take a genius to know what he needed to do to solve this new problem. It's not like he was unfamiliar with this predicament. A hand job, he knew, wasn't quite as good as the real thing, but, fuck, it sure did the trick when the real thing wasn't available. But...Chris always needed a mental image when he jerked off. What he could use came to him quickly. Earlier today, after the panel presentation, he had been at a session that broke out into small groups. There was a young woman researcher - he never got her name - who was just screaming hot! He found it almost impossible to keep his eyes in the right places as the group had their discussion. That was it; her image would do just fine.

Arriving in his hotel room after all of those drinks, Chris could have easily crashed on his bed and been asleep almost instantly had it not been for his partial erection and mounting tension. Quickly stripping to his briefs, he grabbed a towel to clean up the inevitable mess, closed his eyes and started to let his hand do its work, concentrating on his image of the hot, young woman from the breakout group. He imagined her thrashing her hips as he pounded into her. With a few strokes and an audible grunt, Chris relieved his built-up tension. But...fuck!...somehow at the last moment the unnamed woman's image had morphed into Aubrey.

~~~~

Chris overslept. He was shocked when he looked at his phone and saw that it was already 8:30 am. Showering didn't take long. He'd grab some breakfast from a street vendor. What took some time, though, was deciding what to wear. Who was he trying to impress. Aubrey? Did she, God forbid, already have some hold on him?

The morning conference sessions passed quickly. Chris left at 12:45 and made his way to the hotel entrance where he and Aubrey had agreed to meet. His hangover gone, Chris found himself in a rather upbeat mood. And, just a little bit nervous.

 

[MistressOfAlaok]

Aubrey spent longer than usual in front of the closet that morning. Throughout the lecture she sat through, her hands kept smoothing the short skirt down her legs. Not that it was really that short, but Aubrey was used to wearing stockings at least. She sighed and inwardly cursed herself, as she walked out of the large conference room that had been used for this lecture. The young doctor could barely remember what the topic of this morning's lecture had been on. And that all because of a bare legs. Why hadn't she put on the stockings this morning anyway? On impulse. Certainly not because of Chris, she firmly told herself.

Aubrey looked at her watch. 12.55. The young woman decided to make a completely unnecessary stop at the bathroom. She went to touch up her lipstick, comb her hair, straighten her skirt and pluck some imaginary fluff of her blazer. After carefully examining herself in the large bathroom mirror, Aubrey decided to leave her blazer unbuttoned, exposing the crisp, light blue satin top underneath.

Fashionably late, Aubrey strut out towards the entrance of the hotel, walking into Chris' view 6 minutes past one. She smiled at him. Even she herself wasn't sure if it was a "it's nice to see you"-smile or a "I'll spit on your corpse"-smile.

"Would you lead the way? Nothing to increase your appetite, like a lengthy lecture on the advantages of animal testing," Aubey said, as per greeting. The young doctor knew that, whilst she had obviously been sarcastic, her conversation starter hardly passed for small talk. That was fine with her however, as she didn't think she would be capable of engaging in much small talk with Chris anyway.

"What have you been up to this morning?" She asked him. Immediately she wanted to kick herself for it. Did this class at small talk? Or worse, did it sound like she was too interested? Unknowing, Aubrey bit her lip.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Chris arrived at the hotel meeting spot at 12:58. He had timed it pretty carefully. If Aubrey had arrived quite early, he didn't want her to think that he was that anxious to meet her. Conversely, arriving late might be seen as a snub or indifference. Why was he worried about this so?

At 1:00, though ,Aubrey was not there. 1:04, the same. Chris began to wonder if she was standing him up or, more likely he thought, jockeying for position in their never-ending competition. He steeled himself, ready to lead off with a snarky comment about her being late. Chris' impulse, however, was derailed. When Aubrey appeared wearing a short skirt, rather than her typical jeans or slacks, and with her blazer unbuttoned to reveal the blue top that was filled out by her nicely sculpted breasts, the image of her that had flashed into his mind last night at the moment of his orgasm burst again into his mind. Chris worked hard to present a facial expression that was warm but not overdone.

Chris was pleased to "lead the way" as Aubrey had suggested. He was about to reply to her comment about the morning lecture that she had apparently attended, but before he could reply she jumped in with:

What have you been up to this morning?

This should have been a softball question, but Chris was seized by the thought of what he would have said if Aubrey had asked what he had been up to since they last saw each other. Taking a slow, deep breath, Chris began to summarize the one lecture that he had attended before lunch. But, he could feel the warmth in his face as he started to blush. He hoped that Aubrey didn't notice.

The couple entered the cafe and went directly to the counter to order their lunch. Without asking each other, they ordered separately. When the orders were ready they would each be called by number to pick up their order. As predicted, the cafe was full, packed in by others from the conference. The only spots left were at a small table with a matching bench on one side. Aubrey had ordered first and moved rapidly to claim their spot. Chris followed as soon as he had paid for his order.

Taking the remaining spot next to Aubry on the bench, Chris realized that he could sit with hanging a little bit over the end, thereby not touching Aubrey's side. Instinctively, he knew that this would probably be the most appropriate choice. But, somehow, he ignored his better judgment, slipping fully onto the bench pressed firmly up against Aubrey's left side.

 

[MistressOfAlaok]

As they walked towards the place Chris had suggested for lunch, Aubrey asked Chris about his morning. For a second he seemed hesitant and Aubrey felt a flare of annoyance. His morning events would be too much for her? Then he began with what seemed like an honest recount of his morning and she felt the annoyance slowly flow away. She couldn't shake the feeling however, that the man was hiding something or that something else was on his mind.

Aubrey had to admit to herself that the cafe did look pleasant. It was a bit too packed for her tastes, but she could hardly fault Chris for that. "I might have to come back here, sometime after the conference, when it's less busy," she mumbled, mostly to herself, as they stood in line to order.

If Aubrey was on a date, she'd order together and split the bill. However, her lunch with Chris was definitely not a date and it did not even enter her mind to order for him. She settled on picking a nice sounding grilled fish and salad off the menu, before making her way to the only free table in the place.

In passing, the woman spotted a few familiar faces. At most, she smiled and nodded. One particular table however, she ignored and sped up as she walked past. When one has a temper, drive and ambition like Aubrey's, one can not avoid making a few enemies throughout one's career. Chris was not the only one on Aubrey's 'do not engage'-list...

Aubrey slid into the bench behind the last free table. At some point there would have been a chair opposite the bench, but as the cafe was chocker, it had been undoubtedly taken for someone else's use. Therefore, Aubrey wasn't surprised when Chris slid in next to her.

She was surprised however, when he pressed himself against her. The woman wasn't sure what to think of the extreme heat that seemed to be radiating from the left side of her body, through her whole system. Damnit, how are we going to sit like this for the next hour?! she thought. However, she refused to move and sacrifice her precious little space!

"Sardines, huh?" she commented with a small grin, part sarcasm, part humour, referring to their conversation the night before.

A waitress dumped some bottled water and glasses on their table in her passing. Automatically, Aubrey reached for them and filled a glass for both herself and Chris. As she pushed a glass towards him, she scolded herself. You'll be folding his laundry next? she asked herself silently. All thoughts disappeared however, when Chris' hand touched hers as he grabbed the glass.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Chris sat quietly, pushed firmly against Aubrey's left side, as she carefully filled their water glasses. His mind was focused on the fact that she didn't move away from him as he settled in so close to her. What did this mean? Several different thoughts flooded through Chris' mind. Maybe it would simply be uncomfortable physically for her to move a little farther down the bench. Or, she actually liked him sitting this close. Chris, himself, was beginning to realize that he quite liked her being so close to him. Or, perhaps, this was still a move in their ongoing war. After all, his bold move of taking this spot so close to her could be perceived by Aubrey as sort of a hostile dominance, to which she was not going to submit. Yes, maybe that was it. Still...there was the possibility...

When his and Aubrey's hands touched Chris's mind snapped back to the present, lost in thought only momentarily. Was her not avoiding touching his hand somehow significant? If so, what did it signify? The more pressing question, though was how should he start their conversation? They had already both briefly summarized the events of their respective mornings at the conference. He didn't think that he should ask probing, personal questions. They had come a long way since their fiercely hostile interactions yesterday morning, but they were hardly close friends.

A mischievous thought sailed through Chris' mind. Her last words to him had simply been "Sardines, huh?", referring to their previous discussion of what it might be like to come here for lunch. Turning slightly to his right so as to be able to see a bit of Aubrey's face, Chris smiled broadly and said, "Sardines. Yes, they're an odd little fish, aren't they? What do you suppose sardines do for sex and romance?"

 

[MistressOfAlaok]

The longer they sat together, the more Aubrey became aware of the fabric of Chris' pants against her own bare thigh. How short exactly was this skirt? Had it ridden up that much when she sat down? Why hadn't she thought to shimmy it down before sitting? And most of all, why the hell was she nervous?

Then Chris asked her about the love life of a sardine. Aubrey was perplexed. What kind of question was that? Well, her conversation starter as they had walked to the cafe, hadn't exactly been small talk material either. A joke? Well, an odd one... Aubrey was surprised, but for the moment it didn't even occur to her that Chris might have been hinting at something other than sardines.

"As I am sure you know, sardines go into a massive spawning frenzy of eggs and sperm," Aubrey said, with an eyebrow raised out of curiosity. "I am not so sure they actually practice much romance, but it's often said that the thrill of danger is quite erotic for humans." Aubrey continued.

"You'll just have to ask yourself, does it sound romantic to risk being eaten alive by a predator, as you participate in a gigantic orgy with semen flying about?" she ended up asking Chris casually, as if asking him about the weather.

Just as Aubrey finished her sentence, a waitress placed their lunches on the table. With a shocked look and a shake of the head - undoubtedly at the parts of conversation she had overheard - the girl disappeared. Aubrey gave an half smile at her back, as it sunk in what the waitress must have heard her ask Chris.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Chris wasn't sure of his own motivation in making a quip about sardines having sex. What made him do that, he wondered. But, it was Aubrey's response that surprised him the most. She could have simply brushed aside his ridiculous comment or made a joke about his silliness. She didn't, though, she answered the question factually then added her own quip about how much risk one might take in pursuing sex.

Though quite well-versed in science, Chris actually did not know how sardines reproduced. He found it quite interesting. Using as neutral a voice as he could under the circumstances, he confessed his ignorance and casually thanked Aubrey for the information. As their food arrived and they each began to eat, a brief silence settled in. But Chris was not feeling that calm. Originally, his sense of their physical closeness had focused on how closely their arms and torsos were pressed together. Now, he became increasingly aware of the sense of Aubrey's bare leg pushing against the pant leg of his jeans. Her skirt, while covering her thighs, was not that thick; he could feel the warmth of her against him.

As they continued to eat, with just a few words between bites, Chris recognized an unmistakable feeling. He was becoming aroused and rapidly so. Their physical closeness, he concluded, was no doubt a large part of the reason but both her reference and joke about sardine sex was clearly also part of what was going on.

Better judgement, Chris realized, would be to not return to the sardine sex story line and, perhaps also, to subtly move so as to reduce the physical contact between them. Better judgment failed him.

"As to risking being eaten by a predator or avoiding an orgy," he said with a broad smile, "gee...I don't know...I mean if you hadn't had sex in a long time and had nothing lined up, maybe all kinds of risks would be worth it."

Chris could, once again, feel the heat rising in his face as he blushed. This time, he feared, his blushing might be fully visible even in the daytime light in the cafe. A surge of fear of having gone way too far nearly overwhelmed him as he hastened to add, "Um...uh..I meant to say 'if a sardine hadn't had sex' not if 'you'...or...uh..'one of us'...um...uh..you know what I mean."

“Fuck!”, Chris thought, “I’ve just made it worse.”

 

[MistressOfAlaok]

Aubrey snug a glance at Chris' food. Undoubtedly you could tell a lot about a person from his choice of food, but that wasn't the woman's expertise, so she wasn't about to make any assumptions on Chris based on what he ate. Still, she was curious what he had ordered.

Her own fork was attempting the fiddly task of picking the bone out of her grilled Snapper. If she had been among friends or family or on her own, she'd have used her fingers for this. However, in Chris' presence, she felt hesitant to. What the fuck, she swore at herself. Why does it keep bothering me what he might think of me? Aubrey angrily stuck her fork in the fish, maybe a little roughly. She couldn't decide if she was imagining stabbing Chris or...

"gee...I don't know...I mean if you hadn't had sex in a long time and had nothing lined up, maybe all kinds of risks would be worth it."
Aubrey turned to her left, looking at Chris. Now this was some interesting stuff! Even better, was the instant blush that crept up his cheeks. Aubrey's face grew a grin. Almost predatory, as if finding a weakness in her prey.

Calm down woman! she internally scolded herself. You're trying to make peace. Or at least not be hostile... Chris stumbled his way out of it, or at least tried to. Aubrey didn't feel like letting him go this easily however.

"Hm, no, no, I don't think sardines would have the mental capabilities to assess their risk versus orgies like that. It's just instinct, regardless of risk present or not. More... Sentient species are a lot more interesting. It makes one wonder..." Aubrey put on her most innocent face. - Which wasn't very innocent, as innocence wasn't a look or act Aubrey much practiced.

"What risks would you brave, for sex?" she finished, fixing him with an intense stare. Aubrey silently dared Chris to back out of this and change the topic.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Chris was working hard with mixed success trying to calm down and dimmish his blushing. Aubrey’s musing about the mental capacities of sardines was helping him out. Nothing like an esoteric topic to direct attention away from anything personal.

What would you risk for sex?

Fortunately for Chris he was not drinking his water when Aubrey hurled this challenge. If he had been, he would have choked for sure. What the fuck was she up to? The same two thoughts that he had had a few moments before returned instantly, namely: (1) Aubrey, for some unknown reason, wanted to continue a conversation that was, at least implicitly, about sex, OR (2) her statement was a tactic to put him on the defensive, just one more small triumph in their ongoing rivalry.

Fuck! Chris was not going let her win. This could be fun!

He went on the offense. Turning sideways a quarter turn so that he could face her more squarely but being careful to still keep their knees touching firmly, Chris returned her grin and gave his reply. “Well…”, he said self-confidently, “given the way I’ve been feeling lately I’d likely take quite a lot of risk for sex. For example, I’d risk being shot down by my intended lover. Or, I might risk that my advance was unwelcome and that she would smear my reputation with those whom we know in common. Or, fuck, I might even risk trying to start something with a woman with whom I had generally had even a hostile relationship but who might be interested in channeling that energy in a very different direction.”

Not leaving Aubrey any time to reply, Chris launched the final blow. “And, Aubrey, what’s your answer to your own question? What would you risk for sex?”

 

[MistressOfAlaok]

Aubrey felt a crazy mix of disappointment and excitement, as Chris turned to face her. He clearly wasn't backing down on the challenge she had posed him and the woman could not seem to make up her mind whether this annoyed her or if she was keen on it.

Aubrey couldn't help but snort in amusement at his comment on being willing to risk getting shot. "Ah, I suppose that that willingness is fairly natural. Look at many spider or mantis species," she smiled. An image of Chris without a head came to mind. An oddly satisfying image, to Aubrey's competitive mind.

But the more Chris talked, the less Aubrey felt like smiling. It slowly became clear what Chris was referencing to. Or more so, who, in his assessment of risks he was willing to take. Aubrey's jaws began to clench every so slightly as he continued on. Her instincts told her to put up her walls. Hell, fortify them and put boiling tarp on top! Yet a small part of her felt... Flattered?

“And, Aubrey, what’s your answer to your own question? What would you risk for sex?” Aubrey had hoped he would not ask her this, but since fair is fair and Chris would surely be nothing but unfair, she had expected it. "Oh, I don't know... I am not feeling that... Desperate, at the moment," she said, lying through her teeth, trying to jab at Chris' implication of 'the way he had been feeling'.

"I guess for us women there is always the chance of an unwanted pregnancy, despite precaution. That is pretty much a permanent risk I am willing to take," she answered, hoping to have given Chris enough to satisfy his clear attempt to draw her out.

Aubrey turned away, under the pretence of digging into her lunch. A casual glance at her watch told her they still had 30 minutes to get through. How the hell did it happened we reached the subject of sex already? she frantically wondered.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Aubrey's response surprised Chris. He had expected something more provocative, either a hostile reply or perhaps an accusation that he was coming on to her, or maybe even an upping of the ante, daring him to take the bait. Instead, she responded in a calm, matter-of-fact sort of way without avoiding his question.

There was also, Chris thought, some sincerity to Aubrey's reply. When he was a teenager Chris' older sister had taken him aside and explained to him how much greater risk casual sex posed for women than for men. He could understand Aubrey's point about the permanent risk for her and other women.

Aubrey's calm, measured response posed a challenge for Chris. He was enjoying the parry and thrust of their interchange and, given his being "desperate", even if Aubrey wasn't, raising sexual tension between them was becoming quite desirable. Chris chose a more nuanced approach.

"Well," he said echoing her calm tone of voice, "I get that the danger of an unwanted pregnancy would be ever-present. I'm not sure that men always get that." After taking a bite of his lunch he continued, "There is, though, the danger of overlooking an opportunity. But, for a woman who is as good-looking as you are, I suppose there are lots of opportunities. So, I guess, you can afford to be very selective."