[Day 16 of 365]:
So, I finally got up the nerve to write a sex scene. Yes, my dear adult readers, this scene has sex…. but…. I don’t have the guts to post it, not all of it anyway. My apologies. But, I promise that when I finally finish this story, I will include a link to the entire file & you can read all the lovely naughty bits that I’ve left out. Cross my heart.
In the meantime, it was extremely freeing to write this love scene. I wanted to show the instant rapport that my two main characters have with each other (due to their magical and mysterious history) and yet continue pushing the goal of my antagonist forward (evil forces).
Writer’s Prompt: Describe the physical attraction between two of your characters as it turns toward sex but stay true to your story’s plot line.
Sera allowed herself to be pulled into Marcus’ strong chest. She heard his heart beating calmly and let a silent sigh of fatigue pass over her lips. God it felt good to be held by somebody again. Especially such a solidly built man. She kept her head tucked under his chin, but could easily remember the square jawline and distinctive hazel eyes, one more blue than the other and one more green. He told the cabbie to turn left toward the far end of Capitol Hill and his voice rumbled a little under her ears.
Sera was content for the moment to stay still. She didn’t really hope for more than a one night stand, since Marcus was obviously popular with the female persuasion. But she was definitely going to enjoy an evening of very personal attention. Maybe her friends were right. She hadn’t dated anybody since her father died over a year and a half ago and turning into a nun wasn’t going to bring him back. Besides, she was getting tired of having dinner and a movie with her vibrator. And she could tell that Marcus was hitting her warm and happy button by the soft feeling in her mind and her underwear.
“This is it,” he said “It’s the blue and black building at the end of the block.”
She lifted her head to see that the trees were wet with a recent rain. She hated rain but had been persuaded earlier by her blind date to leave her umbrella at home. She felt a pang of remorse for ditching the guy, but then remembered how he had slapped her ass, unbidden, as she got out of his Boxter. She put her shoes back on, grabbed the hand Marcus offered her, and left her remorse in the cab.
At two stories, his building was shorter than the others apartments. It was older too. Although not rundown, just too many antique elements to be built before the 21st century when most of these places were upgraded for the Seattle earthquakes.
Marcus let the way up the uneven path to a heavy black door. The locks were new, unlike the rest of the place, and didn’t make a sound as he opened the heavy door. She stepped onto a dark landing and looked down the stairs.
“I’m up top” he said as Sera looked up. Moonlight shined through small multi-colored windows, showing dark squat figures standing motionless on every step. “Don’t mind my little army” he said as the stairs flooded with lights.
As she descended, Sera saw that his would be protectors were just small gargoyle statues. Their faces hiding evil grins and mischievous smiles from the harsh overhead lights. Some held small pools of melted wax. But only the top two sentries standing on either side held viable candles. Marcus paused to light them and then motioned Sera into the dark, past a small water fountain.
Their steps echoed in the large open space as Marcus moved toward the center and a large illuminated column. He touched a small white panel and the right side of the room lit up, showing a long wall that held a small kitchen, a large dark oak table, and a smattering of couches and chairs. A large wood stove stood in the far corner with piles of stacked wood and already crumbled newspaper.
He walked toward the kitchen. “Bourbon, right?”
“Unless you’ve got something stronger” she moved toward the closest couch. Clean and firm Ikea cushions were just the kind of comfort she needed right now.
“Ice?”
“Only if you’ll be lighting a fire” Sera took off her shoes and tucked her toes underneath her legs.
He placed both glasses on a nearby coffee table, probably named something unpronounceable by the Ikea design team, and picked up a nearby box of matches. The kindling lit immediately and the fire added a warm external comfort as her first sip heated her inside.
“I’m surprised its not warmer here” she said “isn’t this your glass workshop too?” Sera peering into the darkened half of the room.
“The workshop is on the first floor.” He sprawled in the reading chair across from her “I keep it separate in case I need help on a glass piece or one of my guys is working late downstairs.”
“So, I know why I wanted to escape that art show, but what are you hiding from?” Marcus swirled the Bourbon before he swallowed.
“Blind date turned bad.” Sear said, “My friends mean well, but they need to stop picking men by the cost of their watch.”
He laughed “I don’t wear a watch”
“I noticed. It’s one of the things I like about you” she finished the rest of her drink
“I’ll make the next one a double” he said and brought the bottle back from the kitchen.
He filled both their glasses and sat down on the couch, further from the fire “So, what are you really hiding from?”
Sera pulled out the metal chopsticks that held her hair in place and let her head lean back against the cushions.
“Long story short. My dad died a year ago and I’ve been trying to find a way out of his damn bar ever since. Plus, I’m trying to finish my engineering degree part time at UW, so my social life has been pretty non-existent.”
“You can’t just sell the place?” Marcus
“My dad left the Tooth and Nail to my brother and me. 50-50 split. He can’t run it alone, so I can’t leave. I’m not even a good bartender.”
“And your mother?”
Sera took a careful breath and exhaled slowly “She died in a fire when I was young”
“Okay, I’m going to stop asking questions that are none of my business.” Marcus said, “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Let’s.” Sera peered into the darkened half of the room. “I don’t see any of your pieces. Are they all downstairs?”
Marcus’ eyes creased with a smile at the edges “You’re drinking out of one of my pieces”
“Then how about another?” Sera peered at him through the empty glass.
“How about I show you my display wall?” he pulled her out of the couch and led her toward the room’s center column again.
“These are my favorite pieces” Marcus flipped a switch and the left corner filled with soft sparkling light, glinting glass, and a mixture of swirling colors.
“So that means you don’t hate them yet.” Sera chuckled
“Not yet” he led her toward a large bowl that seemed to emerge from the floor like a liquid hurricane. There was a light built into the floor to expose all the deliberate bubbles of color. “They’re all up here until I figure out what’s missing & finish them.”
“What’s that one missing?” she pointed to large planter filled with dirt, and tall spears of glass jutting like giant green and blue grass growing in the soil.
“What’s this one missing?” she stopped short of plucking it up off the shelf.
“If I knew, it would be finished” she wandered past the display cases and over sized shelves until something small pulled her over. A glass white rose sat on one shelf. All the other pieces were carefully lit and displayed to show off their aesthetic value, but this flower lay almost discarded near the edge of a table, holding a series of black and gray vases.
Marcus stopped short for a moment and slid his hand along her arm, turning her away from the flower into his warm chest. “That’s just an excuse to thank you for finding my missing flower” he said and let his lips drape over hers. Sera hear hesitation in his voice, but none in his body. She leaned into the connection, letting her lips part as his tongue pushed gently past them. It was so easy to let her hands slide up his wiry back, so easy to enjoy his kiss becoming stronger and more urgent.
His arms enfolded her easily and closed the gap. She could feel his strong and steady heart beat in the increasing heat of his chest. She matched that with a heat of her own. His palms spread across her buttocks and easily lifted her, walking her slowly into the darkness of the yet unlit corner until she felt soft bedding beneath her legs. She never let go of his mouth, exploring the contours of his lips, the taste of bourbon thick on his tongue.
She layed back for a moment, watching him undo the four white buttons and shift a small glass amulet onto his back. He leaned across her and a single light threw shadows into the darkness. Sera slid her fingertips along his forearms, hairless from the constant exposure to a glass furnace. They were perfect, without a single cut or blemish until the wrists. Each hand had a palm length scar from thumb to pinkie finger and was rough with calluses. She felt the controlled power within them as Marcus let his hand enclose her chin and kiss her again.
[a little too hot and steamy for my blog]
She closed her eyes to rest and felt him move her into the center of the soft folds of blanket. Then Marcus slid next to her, his fingers playing with imaginary string along her waistline and coming to rest on her warm belly. Sera couldn’t see the frown lines in the darkness or feel the tension in his shoulders but she could see his glass amulet resting on his chest. It seemed to pulse with a purple glow in the barely lit shadows of the loft. She reached out to touch it, expecting warmth, but the amulet was cold, colder than body heat. Marcus opened his eyes while Sera closed hers. As sleep enveloped her, she assumed she was dreaming but Marcus knew better, and he didn’t seem to like it.
 |
Are you comfortable describing the physical attraction and sensuality between two characters? Which is easier to write; love or sex? |
Comments, links to your writing prompt results, and lurkers are always welcome.
