ds_flashfiction | it's like an audit, only fun

and slipping in under the wire with exactly one thousand words, here i come! many thanks to ces for late-minute beta and ass-kicking.

Documentation Decadrabble: Playing with fire

*****

"Hey-hey-hey! Put those down!"

Ray looked up at Kowalski. "You collect matchboxes? You're as big a freak as Fraser."

Kowalski grabbed the wooden box off the dresser and held it defensively. "Sentimental value," he muttered, staring sideways across the bedroom.

"Yeah--" Ray began, dubious, and stopped at Kowalski's look.

"Here," Kowalski said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I'll show you." He smoothed down the comforter and dumped out the box. "It was Stella's idea."

Ray craned his neck around, enjoying the way the starched collar cut into his neck because it meant he was out to dinner with his girl. "Are you writing something?"

Stella fluttered a hand at him, then bent down over the matchbook again, nearly pressing her nose into the fancy tablecloth. "You'll see when I let you see," she said. Her pen matched her earrings, he noticed.

"She passed you notes in matchbooks?" Ray said. Mutely, Kowalski flipped open a green matchbook and handed it to him. Ray squinted at the faded ink-- "Is that -- wait, wait, what is that?"

Kowalski smirked at him. "It's a stick figure giving another stick figure a blowjob. Stella's way of letting me know how good she thought the restaurant was. The better the place I took her, the better the sex."

"I can't believe Stella would--" Ray started, then shook his head. "I can't believe you'd show me this."

Kowalski rubbed the back of his neck. "You married her too. I mean, you had sex, right?"

"I'm not the kind of guy to kiss and tell," Ray said, and Kowalski leaned over the pile of matchbooks and kissed him, hard and sloppy.

"Stella is," Kowalski said, and thinking back Ray had to agree.

Stella slipped him the matchbook as he finished off the dessert. For what he was paying he was damn well getting all the chocolate sauce -- and then chocolate went right out of his mind. "Stel?" he said, nervously.

She smiled the wicked smile that made his toes curl. "Like the artwork?" she asked.

He coughed. "Yeah."

"Then pay for dinner and let's go."

"Here's another excellent restaurant," Kowalski said. Ray took the scrap of cardboard with trepidation.

He swallowed. "Well, her artwork's improving."

"That one's right out of the Karmic Sutra," Kowalski said proudly. "And let me tell you, definitely worth the price of a dinner for two."

"She didn't go dutch?" Ray said, shifting nervously as Kowalski's hand slide up his thigh.

"It's tradition," Kowalski said.

Ray opened the door for her, but Stella shook her head. "Back seat," she said.

"What?" Ray said.

Stella sighed. She tapped the little white matchbook he was clutching. "Back seat. See?"

"Stella, we're--"

"Parked on a completely dark street in the middle of the night," she said calmly. "Get in the back seat, Ray." So he did, wiping damp palms nervously on his jacket and propping the matchbook carefully on the back dash. She pulled the door closed behind them with a heavy thunk and climbed on top of him.

"Stella seemed to like making her own traditions," Ray said.

Kowalski grinned at him. "I hope you were taking notes," he said.

"I don't own any handcuffs anymore," Ray said.

"I do," Kowalski said.

Ray winced and paused in the line of kisses he was laying along Stella's neck. "Careful with that!" he said.

Stella stroked her hand gently over the head of his cock in apology. "Here, let me sit back a second," she said, and wriggled out of his hands. "I've got this open -- here we go."

Ray caught her shoulder. "Stella, that's a condom!"

"I'm going to college, Ray, I can't get pregnant," she said. "And you didn't bring one, did you?"

"Uh," Ray said. "No."

"Remember that next time," she said, mildly scolding, and leaned against him again for another kiss.

Ray shifted, caught between the joy of kissing Stella and the vulnerability of his dick sticking straight up out of his trousers with the rubber so tight around it that his eyes were crossing.

Kowalski swept the matches back into their box and started kicking the covers off the bed, clearly inspired to get Ray naked now and start reliving some good times. Ray caught an errant matchbook and handed it over.

"You used the matches in that one," he said, and Ray flipped the little white cardboard in his fingers with a sappy little smile.

"Yeah, to light candles on our honeymoon," he said. "This was the restaurant we lost our virginity for."

"Stella," Ray whispered, hands trembling against Stella's bare breasts where she'd unbuttoned her dress and pulled down her brassiere. "Stella, oh my God. What are we doing?"

Stella panted in the steamy air, her hand holding the head of Ray's penis tight against springy curls beneath her skirts. "You bought me dinner," she said.

"Yeah, but--"

"You took me out to dinner!" she said. "That's what it means, Ray. Oh my God," she added, and Ray felt a thrill of terror as she came down onto him.

"Stella," he whimpered.

She made a noise that might have been pain. "You're my guy now," she said.

Ray closed the box and pushed it firmly aside. It was weird thinking of Kowalski and Stella married to each other, probably because it made too much sense. "I'm not a crazy romantic," he said as Kowalski bore him backward against the mattress.

"You'll do," Kowalski said.

"I'm not going to write you love letters. Or porn." Kowalski bit his nipple and Ray whimpered.

"I've got plenty," Kowalski said.

"I don't really want to put you in your handcuffs," Ray admitted, running his hands across Kowalski's chest.

"I'll put you in them, then," Kowalski said, and rolled them over until he had Ray pinned to the bed.

"Just so we're clear," Ray said.

"Got the message loud and clear," Kowalski said, and kissed him until he couldn't breathe.

END