Laid Up, Laid Down Author: Limonize Email: spiral@spinfinder.com Rating: R Summary: Nick and a new friend Author's Note: 2nd Nicfic *ADULT MATERIAL; SEXUAL SITUATIONS; MUST BE OVER 18* --+-- Nick looked around her bedroom, through his drunken stupor. I can't do this! he thought. ~ ~ ~ Nick was on his fourth bender in just over a month. It was also his third try at nighttime companionship. He was so sure he would be able to comfort himself this time around, with Venna. Venna was the booking agent for a trip he had coordinated for his father and a client. Venna was vibrant young woman with long, blond hair, enthused about travelling to exotic places, whom he had met earlier that week. She had been very fascinated with the mysterious Nick Fallin who seemed to want to fade into the travel brochures and not be noticed, shortly after arriving at the travel agency. Her high-spirited comments about Nick's projected travel destination had been summarily derailed when he said to her quietly, "Uh, I'm not going. It's not for me." He looked away from her direct gaze. "It can't be for a lucky girlfriend, because it's for two. So it must be your family!" she replied buoyantly. He couldn't help but smile at her obvious "fishing". He glanced at her ring finger to ensure his upcoming question that he was going to ask her, was not made in ignorance. Alhough a ring would not have deterred him, in the kind of mood that he was in.. "Yeh, it's for my father and a client. His regular agency doesn't specialize in Japanese travel packages, so..." "- So, you're stuck doing all the work? That's hardly fair!" she pouted in a mocking tone. She completed the booking and handed him the tickets. "They'll need to book their luggage at least three hours ahead" she warned in a more serious tone. Nick was drawn to her cameraderic way. "I don't like to work all the time. Likely, you don't either?" "No way!" "Are you free Friday night? Would you like to go see a jazz quartet at the Fairview with me? Or..maybe take in a show? He surprised himself by adding the "show" part. She tried hard to look as if she were debating over her choices. But she had basically drawn everything from her "once-over" of him that she needed to know. She would have felt comfortable agreeing to green tea, beer, sex, mudwrestling, gym workouts and - yes - even to jazz. All of which she disliked intensely, but wished desperately that she didn't. At least she could relate to the music part, she thought. "Say! That's be a great idea. I finish here at 5:00. Six-thirty or anytime after that? But, there's a problem…" "What's that?" said Nick, small gray clouds now emerging through shallow creases on his forehead. "I don't know your name. And…" she continued, "You haven't asked me mine!" "Oh, right." He looked at her sheepishly. "Um, Nick." He offered his hand to her. Sh took it in her own, shaking it a little hesitantly. "Venna" she smiled at him as she shook his hand. "Well, Nick – that's better – I like to know a man's name – here's my phone number, and maybe I should have yours, just in case." Nick reached into his wallet and gave her his "Fallin & Fallin" business card. "Oh." She paused. "Nicholas Fallin" she read on the card aloud. "What a nice name – see you Friday – Nick". As he left, she sat back down, feeling a little stunned. A lawyer? Would she need to mind her "Ps & Qs"? Oh well, she hadn't fallen off a turnip truck, but still. She had not been out with a lawyer before. Not on a date. What did they like to talk about? As it turned out, the quartet had been cancelled, leaving Nick and Venna very little to talk about. Nick found it difficult to draw Venna out into a discussion about more abstract matters like world events; Venna kept trying to start a conversation focused more on signficant people and relationships. However, he kept shutting these forays down. He didn't want to talk about his father, or Lulu, or work or philosophize about relationships. Or hear about her family, or friends or past relationships. And when it came right down to it, that didn't leave much of anything else for Nick. At least nothing that either of them were able to come up with. Their waiter came around frequently asking them if they wished to have more drinks. Receptive to this prodding, they went through more beer than common sense would dictate. It was Nick finally who said: "Venna, I find you likeable…I find you a nice person, but…." "- but I don't turn you on…" she said with a not-so-subtle sound of misery and disappointment in her voice. "Huh?" responded Nick in surprise. Where did that come from? Her potential to arouse him, was probably Venna's only clearly redeeming feature at this point of his inebriated condition. Nick reached over under the table and placed his right hand on her knee. He moved his warm hand slightly forward along her thigh, under her skirt. Venna did not normally like sex, as she did not normally feel aroused by anyone she had done it with. Arousal had seemed to be the stuff only, of her late-night fantasies. But she gasped at his unexpected, provocative, arousing gesture. She looked at him with the first steely gaze she had mustered all evening. Nick had triggerd in her some "late-night fantasy" feelings, with some of his real touching. "I want you." she said to him, eyes blazing. She had never so openly expressed her desire to anyone before - in keeping with the fact that she had not felt such intense desire for someone before. Period. He saw her lack of equivocation, and felt his entire body warm over pleasantly in response to it He smiled back at her, moving his hand out now and stroking the outside of her leg softly, communicating his approval. He then withdrew his arm from under the table, whispering to her evenly: "I think you're very hot. Don't move. I'll bring the car around, and come in and get you. We'll go back to my place. Okay?" "Okay" she mumbled almost inaudibly. She sat there almost frozen while he paid the waiter generously and swiftly disappeared. She tried not to think the worst. That he might not come back for her. He would return, she assured herself with difficulty. He said he thought she was "hot". He hadn't seemed ungenuine when he had whispered this to her. After an eternity had passed in Venna's inner clock time, Nick arrived and went in and put his arm around her and escorted her out briskly. She climbed into the front seat gingerly. Was she making a mistake? Would he do something unexpected? He was a lawyer, but he was a stranger. Perhaps she was going too far, too fast. Nick started the car and did not look at her, looking straight ahead instead, lost in his thoughts. Venna continued to watch him carefully. He eventually glanced over at her and saw her looking directly at him. His inward excitement rose. He smiled at her in a close-mouthed but friendly fashion, and put his hand back on her thigh casually, igniting electricity in Venna again. He traced light whorls along her skin with his fingertips. Her fears were instantly lasered away by his light touch and gentle manner. She too, placed her hand on his upper thigh, to which he reacted - instantly - the blood seemed to course through his leg and coax her to squeeze him, with it's altered texture. This could be good, thought Nick. This could be better than good, if I don't start thinking again. Venna broke the silence, "Nick, do you..live very far?" He answered: "Just down the street." It's going to happen, she thought. It's really going to happen. He leaned over to help her unbuckle her seatbelt. She grabbed him around his neck with her arms and kissed him gently on his lower cheek in response to his unbuckling gesture, which she had misinterpreted as moving towards her for intimacy. She had missed his lips, because of the darkness, but this did not deter her. His muskiness excited her. She tilted her head slightly, he moved over slightly and their lips eventually connected in deeply pleasurable kiss. Her fingers probed and began to explore his somewhat coarse, blond hairs. He broke away, and caught his breath quickly. "I'll..get your door." He scuttled around the car to assist her. She eagerly took his hand, as he guided her out and away toward the house. When she saw his front door she felt a mixture of fear, excitement and desire wave through her. She had never done anything this impulsive. He guided her along the short path, lighting her senses ablaze whereever he touched her. She glanced at him again, and He noted how aroused she seemed, staring at him with heavy lids, but nonetheless, staring intensely at him. When they were inside the door and he closed it, he realized that this might be not be too late a time to research for any complications to the scenario that seemed to be unfolding between them. He asked her bluntly, "Are you a virgin?" Venna's response was to take Nick's hand down to where he could confirm for himself whether she was or was not. This had a thunderbolt effect on Nick's libido, being made to probe her, and to feel her alive wetness. His erection started to become unbearable to him, with his suit clothes still tightly on him. "Guess not" grinned Nick lasciviously at her, barely able to breathe. "Want me to undress you?" asked Venna, pleased at how his face had become much more flushed with desire. "Would you?' replied Nick weakly. "That would be nice." He truly hoped she wouldn't be very slow about it. She began to loosen his tie, which he felt immediate relief from. She began to pick away at his shirt buttons. Impatiently, he took her hand and moved it to his belt, to signal his wish to be released. But she surprised him by moving her hand down further and stroking Nick's erection through his pant material. He felt himself floating and stuck at the same time, unable to will his legs in any direction. Gasping, he pulled Venna toward him, trapping her hand in the process. He reached down and guided her hand out and away from his crotch area, instead wrapping her arm around his waist, all the while grinding himself against her pubic area. She felt his burning heat right through the cloth, as he rhythmically massaged her into insensibility. "Oh, Nick" she moaned. "I'm so hot!" Upstairs, Nick was thinking in his occasional lucid moment. And condom. Upstairs, gotta get upstairs! .. Her hot hand reached down and began stroking him again, deftly drawing his circulation to a place where he could not unglue himself from her in time - Venna's skilled hand had boiled him over like an egg. "Ngah!" he bellowed. Explosions ripped through him. His breathing took a long time to normalize. Eventually, after some time, the room became very quiet. "Uh. Do you want to go upstairs?" Nick heard himself ask her rather falteringly. "Why don't we pick this up tomorrow night – at my place?' suggested Venna, in a non-sultry tone which momentarily surprised Nick. "Uh. Sure. Let me get a pen." He steadied and straightened himself, tucking in his shirt. He took down her address and phone number, and told her he would drop by "around seven", and called her a cab. They waited in silence. He kissed her briefly on her cheek, before she left for the cab in silence. He felt a small twinge of guilt at having left her unsatified, but tomorrow night thankfully, he would have a chance to make amends. Oh, man, thought Nick. I think this is the therapy I need! He sunk into his couch, covered himself in a blanket, and dozed off. ~ ~ ~ Nick was dressed more casually than the evening before, when he arrived at Venna's. He wore a yellow and blue rugby shirt, light pants and sneakers. He entered her home cautiously scanning the room. It seemed really, to be one large studio room, divvied into "areas". It was well windowed, but the windows were quite covered with generous valances and coverings. There were many cushions, pillows, knick-knacks, and a – a mirror on the ceilng - really? For the first time, Nick felt uneasy. "C'mon in, Nick" said Venna, obviously more comfortable in her own surroundings than in his. Would you like a Scotch, or a Bourbon? "Ah, Scotch. Scotch would be good." Nick didn't normally drink either one, but she hadn't offered him anything else. It went to his head quickly. "Say, Nick. What do you say to a bit of music?" "Sure." "I got fast rock, medium rock and slow rock." "Some kind of rock, yeah, sounds good." "Which?" "Oh. Slow. Slow okay?' "Of course. How about Celine Dion?" "Titanic lady, you mean?" Venna thought Nick had said "gigantic lady". She giggled. "No, not gigantic – skinny, you know, long hair." Nick was momentarily confused. His way out of the confusion: "Dion is fine." After only a few moments of quiet, the sound of violins "take me back into the arms of love…" crooned from her Venna's sound system She sat herself down beside him and sipped her own drink, while she peered over her glass at him. Nick then asked her, "What made you decide to become a travel agent?" Venna looked uncomfortable for the first time. "Can we talk about it AFTER I go down on you?" Nick gulped his mouthful of scotch down awkwardly, almost spluttering it in every direction. His memory of the previous evening went straight down from the top of his stomach into his groin area where his level of interest in body contact with her began to swell quickly. He tried with great difficulty to deflect both his and her attention from his increasingly flushed, aroused condition. "I think perhaps this the moment where I should practice disrobing you. I really need the practice…". He swigged up his last gulp and set his glass down. He leaned forward toward her. Then he began to slowly unbutton her light blue blouse, pushing her long strands of blonde hair out of the way. He espied a thick 8-inch diagonal scar across her chest. It startled him. "Um. I've got a couple of those. They're old scars. No big deal." She said somewhat nervously. "Sorry – just a little unexpected. Do you prefer to have them avoided, or?" "No. No, that's cool." The talk was abating their mood. "I don't really notice them." The awkwardness of the situation was only momentarily deflected, this time by Venna. She hopped off the couch they were sitting on and went to undo his sneaker laces. She had loosed one set and wiggled off one of his sneakers, when Nick finally said, "Venna, wait. Er...do you mind telling me why you became a travel agent?" She looked unhappy to say the least, looking much like a cornered mouse. Nick could not have explained to himself why he brought this non-descript subject up at such an indelicate time, but his arousal and hesitancy, and difficulty in achieving some feeling of natural balance between them had brought him to a point of mild combativeness. He wanted to somehow feel more in harmony with his own sexual longing. He didn't know how. He was grasping. Venna at last answered: "If you really have to know, it's because my pimp – yeah, I was in the trade – bought a travel agency. To get out the business - the "trade" that is. He offered me a partnership. And I accepted. And so I went for a course. Now I'm a licensed travel agent." A stunned Nick asked: "Is that where you got your scars?" "Ya. That's where I got my scars." she answered him tersely. "Bad johns. Satisfied?" she sighed wearily. Nick could think of nothing to say, but felt he had to say something. "Venna?" "Your face says it all, Nick. Do I really want to hear what you're going to say next?" I don't even know what I'm going to say. How do YOU know? Nick thought to himself. "Venna.. he said at last. "We don't have anything in common, but.. but I want to make it really good with you tonight. What do you say?" "Say Nick. You turn me on, you know? What if I don't want this to just be a one-time thing?" Nick looked around her bedroom, through his drunken stupor. I can't do this! Oh God, I can't do this. She saw his face. A steel trap came down inside her. "I can't do this with you" said Venna coolly. "I want something more." Nick felt paralysed. He could not bring himself to say anything to her. "Your face says it all, Nick. And I want something more." she repeated calmly to him. She arose with feigned disinterest and walked away, leaving him alone with his own thoughts. He had been dismissed. Now he wasn't so sure of what of what it was he was unable to cope with of the things he had decided he definitely couldn't cope with. But there was no second chance in her voice. He got up and left quietly, stinging from the humiliation of having been judged by his facial expressions and his silences. Which in so many of his exchanges with others, spoke only half-truths in place of the words he often could not summon. ~ ~ ~ Venna withdrew more deeply into her world of protective self-lies, believing it was only a matter of time before she could lose all caring about the Nick Fallins of the world, who seemed to have the power to pleasure her, but didn't really. ~ ~ ~ THE END