Park and Nature Preserve / Picnic for Two (private, attn: Reign) / William 17 years ago

Picnic for Two (private, attn: Reign)

Will stood to the side of what could only be called a vignette. It was a bit like a scene from a story book. A fire blazed around a small tepee of wood, behind that, facing the water, lay a large blanket backed by two large beach umbrella's laid on their sides to serve as a screen and an insulator against the chill in the air. Anchored between the umbrellas and blanket sat a small sturdy table that cleared the ground by a mere three inches. Will had made the table himself, as he'd been unable to find something suitable. Something called a cooler sat next to a large wicker picnic basket, chilling the wine and keeping parts of the dinner chilled.

Will was nervous, as he stood with bare feet in the sand waiting. He had spent the time since his last outing with Reign learning. He had learned how to use the internet and had sent Reign emails and had gotten some in return from her. That was how this particular date had come to pass, and Will was thankful for that, but the little box that spewed things at him from nowhere still made him incredibly uneasy and he had not used it since setting this date with Reign.

He had learned all about telephones and the technology that allowed you to carry one in your pocket. This was not as frightening as the computer, and so he was much more comfortable on it. With MARI's help, another new thing for him, he had rented a limo, ordered the pieces for this little scene, and had food made and delivered. He had even put himself in the limo, or the stretch death box as he liked to call it, and rode to the beach with the gear in the trunk.

He had sent the driver to pick up Reign while he set everything up, and now he stood waiting for that long black car to return.

Reign 17 years ago
“There must be other signs to insanity because there is no way in hell I’m sane.”

A self-deprecating smile accompanied the flip words.

His next comment though got her to blush, very faintly, but blush nonetheless; something very few people could get her to do.

“The room service or my ordering skills?”

Again, she was impressed with Will’s attention to detail, he did know how to make an impression. The pop of the champagne made her laugh. It was a lovely sound, a sound of celebration, how could it not make you happy?

Considering the offered chocolates she picked on at random, a very dark chocolate, her favorite, and offered it to Will.

“So they could be spiked? Is that what you’re saying? Maybe you’d better have the first one, just in case.”

Her eyes danced as she teased him.
William 17 years ago
When everything was settled, including moving the table back out of the way, he settled himself in next to Reign. He smiled at her offer, even though he had no idea what spiked meant, though he could guess.

"That might be safest."

Will took the chocolate from her finger with gentle lips, hooking his tongue around the delectable sphere and sucking her fingers gently as he pulled away. He kept his eyes on hers as he slowly chewed the caramel-filled bite.

"Mmm, no perfectly safe."

He picked up one of the chocolates, a dark one with white stripes across it, and held it out to her in offering. "Care to see for yourself?"
Reign 17 years ago
A slight shiver ran through Reign as he took the chocolate from her. That wasn't quite what she'd intended, or maybe it was. Who knew, who cared it was delicious, and she hadn't even had any chocolate yet.

"Safe wasn't exactly the first thought that came to mind."Â?

For a second Reign felt oddly disloyal, almost as if she was cheating. Which was impossible as she had two guys she was flirting with, going out with, but no relationship. So, she shoved the thought out of her head, although she did again toy with the idea of becoming a nun.

"Yes please."Â?

Leaning forward, she took the treat from him much as he'd taken it from her, lightly grazing her teeth over the tip of his finger as she settled back. It had apparently been too long as this little game was affecting her more than Reign would liked to admit.

"Delicious."Â?

Her voice was slightly breathless, she almost didn't recognize it.
William 17 years ago
Will felt his eyes grow dark with the lust that was beginning to heat him from the inside out. He watched as Reign chewed the chocolate, and when her throat swallowed. He was drawn to the action, then to the pulsing of the blue vein below the surface of her skin. He wanted her, in so many other ways that his hunger was not stirred, though his brain was fascinated by the movement of her life's blood.

Will followed impulse and leaned into Reign, kissing the delicate skin covering that throbbing cord. He inhaled deeply of her, and moved higher up, placing a kiss in the hollow created by ear and jaw bone. Tiny kisses made a trail to her lips, before he captured the slightly chocolate flavored flesh with his own. His hand found it's way up her arm, and into her hair, the other he used as a lever to move himself closer to her.

He no longer simply wanted, as their kiss deepened, he craved and was to the point of demand. It thrilled him, frightened him just a tad, and spurred him to lay her back in the sand and cover half her body with his own. He pulled away from her lips long enough to whisper. "I want you, Reign." Before returning to his devouring of her.
Reign 17 years ago
Right for the throat, literally. Reign’s neck had always been very sensitive and guaranteed way to get her attention. It was so easy to fall into his kisses, to get lost in his smell, his touch. She hadn’t even noticed she was laying prone in the sand with him extremely close.

No. Why not? It wasn’t right. Wasn’t it? It was too soon. Was that the only reason? Yes… no. No it wasn’t. Just admit it Sorensen, you still have feelings for Bastian and it wouldn’t be fair to either man or to her. Reign was just old fashioned enough to be conservative in the sexual arena.

God she wanted him thought. Did she want him or was it just a case of lust? Her head was swimming with thoughts, feelings, emotion it was near impossible to think straight. With one last longing kiss she broke away and sat up just a bit.

“Its too soon.”
William 17 years ago
Her words cut through his fog of lust faster than a bucket of cold water ever could have. With a soft sigh, Will pushed himself up and away from Reign, putting a little bit of distance between them. He wanted very much to feel slighted or somehow wronged, but he was too practical for that, though Mr. Happy was really pissed and throbbed painfully against the confines of his pants to let him know it.

He took Reign's hand in his own and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "I'm sorry. I have to tell you that I don't know how this is supposed to work. I don't generally have to deny myself the things that I want." He gave a small depreciative chuckle. "And I want you Reign, very much, and not just to slake my lust or to have one more conquest. I want you to reveal everything to me, even those things that I can only find out on my own."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles he's been rubbing. "I will wait until it is no longer too soon, but if I'm to be honest with you, I can not say I am happy about it. You are the first woman that has interested me in a very long time, and I am anxious to follow this road and see where it leads."


Turning her hand over, he kissed the center of her palm, and breathed deeply of her scent. He could not look up at her, until he was sure the lust was no longer darkening his eyes, and that wouldn't happen until the painful pressure below his stomach was gone.
Reign 17 years ago
Damned, damned, damned. Reign was cross with herself, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to be an ass and give her an excuse to storm off and leave him, but instead he was nothing but polite, sincere, considerate and perfectly wonderful about it. Well at least it proved she had good taste.

And yet again, this was all Bastian’s fault. If he hadn’t come back into her life she could be trying to make things work with Will, or at least find out if they should. But he was a phantom gnawing at her mind and heart. Even with that she couldn’t bring herself to apologize, she was making the right decision for her.

“My road has developed a fork I hadn’t planed on and no one has given me a map.”

Fork hell it was a sheer cliff, a cloverleaf off ramp, one of those dammed round about they had in London… yeah that was it. Driving around in circles on the wrong side of the road.
William 17 years ago
Will sighed softly once more. He was spending an awful lot of time sighing lately. He hated sighing. Sighing implied a wrongness somewhere in his life. 'Damn. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing or I'm too young to care and I'm not sure which it is.'

"Would it be easier to navigate your new road if I took myself off of it?" He swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat. "It would not be my first choice, certainly, but I do not wish to be the cause of turmoil in your life. You deserve better than that. Much better."

Finally he looked up into her eyes, he knew his lust still darkened them, but he also knew that his desire for her, along with his conviction that he was right in his words showed there. She deserved so much more than to be torn in two by a new lover and an old. He hoped she would decide to travel his half of her road, but he was practical enough to know that old flames died hard. It was not the outcome of the evening he had foreseen, no, he'd foreseen them culminating the activity they'd begun just a few minutes before, right there on the beach, in the cocoon of heat created by fire and umbrellas.
Reign 17 years ago
At his words, Reign frowned and bit her lip, hard. Well damned it! She was wonderfully conflicted. On the one hand, she was flattered by his generosity and consideration, on the other she was extremely put out that he wasn’t going to put up more of a fight and then she was also cross with Bastian for putting her in this position in the first place. Damned them all. Damned them all right to hell.

It would have been immensely satisfying to give in to her less reasonable side and go into a tirade, but she checked herself that was hardly fair to Will; but she hated not knowing. It made her… cranky. She took comfort in the beach and the sound of the water. Reign had always sought out some body of water when she was upset.

Some where inside her she found a laugh.

“Right now I probably deserve to be shot or at the very least forced to listen to Barry Manilow records for a month.”

Running her hand through the sad Reign turned options over in her mind. One, none or both, one, none, or both; it became a litany for which she had no answer.

“I’m an old fashion girl at heart I suppose. I can’t sort out two beaux at once… but… … but…”

But what? Good question, but what?

“I’m not going to ask you to be second choice… I think I just need time to figure all this out.”
William 17 years ago
"Then time is what you shall have Reign. I am nothing, if not patient." He offered her a genuine smile, one that came from his heart. He decided then and there that he would simply follow her lead in this. There was nothing else to do.

"Well, since the remainder of my plans for our time on the beach are out of the running, what say you to an expresso and a warm coffee house in which to drink it?"
Reign 17 years ago
Reign laughed softly, but still had the good grace to look abashed. She really did feel bad about her conduct and how she was treating Will. He was so wonderfully sweet to her, he really did deserve better. What that meant was the next time she saw Bas she’d probably have a bit of a fit, well he was going to have to deal with that.

“I think I could be talked into that with out much effort at all.”

Looking about she couldn’t quiet decide where to start cleaning up. It seemed like quite a lot for one person to manage, which of course made her feel worse. She was an awful person, and should have just canceled but no she had to be selfish she’d had to try to ‘have her cake and eat it too’.

“Where do we start?”

She asked gesturing to the perfect little enclosure he’d made for them.
William 17 years ago
Will grinned at Reign. He was not a big fan of cleaning if he could help it, so he'd arranged for that as well.

"We don't. The nice lady that set all of this up with me will come and take care of it as soon as the driver contacts her.

Will stood in a single fluid motion. His pride was bruised, and his pants were a bit tight in places, but he was dealt no lasting harm this night and that was at least a small bonus. He helped Reign to her feet and with her hand firmly in his own he moved them into the chill wind of late winter.

The car waited just over the rise and the driver emerged as they approached. He opened the door and handed Will a pair of those slip on boat shoe things, and closed the door, leaving them in lightly scented warmth. The driver entered the vehicle as well and his deep baritone came over the intercom.

"Where to, sir."

"A nice cozy coffee house somewhere, please."

"Very good, sir."

The car began to move forward and they were left alone in the dimly lit interior.
Reign 17 years ago
Reign managed a little giggle, perhaps still a bit self-conscious but it was a slight lightening of her mood.

“I like that answer a great deal.”

Happy to follow a long and settle in the car Reign thought as little as possible. At least she managed not to think until the car started moving again. Finally, after several long seconds she put a name on what she was feeling, guilt. It wasn’t something Reign liked.

“It was a wonderful set up. I really can’t thank you enough…” She hesitated, looking for something to fidget with but unable to find something in her quick scan. Instead, in the dim light, all she could find was his eyes. “I am sorry. Its not how I’d intended the evening to go either.”

She finished with a weak smile.
William 17 years ago
Will felt compelled to comfort the lovely woman beside him. He took her hand and cradled it gently in both of his. "We can spend the rest of our evening playing the intentions game, but I think it would be better spent in good conversation, hot coffee and easy comfort. If we continue down this path I am afraid we will lose the easiness between us, and I would lament that much more than the absence of our coupling."

His eyes began the smile that spread over the rest of his face, as he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss upon her lips.
Reign 17 years ago
It was an odd sound, nearly a giggle and Reign cursed her odd habit of laughing at inappropriate times. She returned the soft kiss.

“I’ve gone further down the road to hell than good intentions could ever take me. So I think that we’ll go with your plan. I’d rather not be further condemned.”

And yes this would go on the great check list in the sky; leading on a perfectly nice man. Well at least she’d had the presence of mind to stop things before she’d condemned them both, her own soul (if you would) Reign would take responsibility for but to tarnish another’s… that would be unforgivable.
William 17 years ago
The ride to the coffee house did not take very long and Will was rather annoyed with himself at having suggested ever getting out of the car. They had regained the easiness between them, something he had come to take for granted in the three encounters he's had with Reign. From that first moment on the beach they had a come to an easy rapport.

Shortly they were curled into a booth at the back of the shop, speaking quietly about whatever topic came to mind over expertly brewed Hawaiian coffee. It was a couple hours and several cups of coffee later that Will was leading Reign to the limo once more and they were heading to her home.

They shared a lovely, and to Will, bittersweet good night kiss. He took the limo back to the Towers and climb slowly up the stairs mulling over where he should go from here and whether the heart ache Reign was sure to cause was worth continuing to pursue the golden-haired goddess.






((both out with permission)