[Whispering Dom]

Part 2

It’s still dark outside, she doesn’t have a watch any more and she hadn’t glanced at the clock on the stove. She reckons it’s around 4 am. She walks down the sidewalk, the fresh air helping her hangover. She can see the lights of the 24 hour store a way down the road. Then she notices another person on the sidewalk. He’s walking towards her, not really looking at her. She moves over, giving herself room to pass by him, and as she approaches him he looks up.

She has a moment of recognition, she’s not sure where from, then it comes back to her, he’s the guy from the bar last night. As she reaches him, he smiles in recognition and stops. She stops too and looks at him, feigning a smile. She’d really just like to get some cigarettes and get home and sleep.

“It’s Natalie, isn’t it?” he says and she nods.

“Yeah, you’re the guy from the bar…” She looks at him, she has no idea if he told her his name, but if he did she doesn’t remember it. And he makes no effort to provide it now.

“Surprised to see you up and about” he says. “You were pretty out of it at the bar.”

Well, don’t sugarcoat it she thinks, feeling her face flush with embarrassment. Guess that’s at least one reason why he didn’t want to come home with her.

“Yeah. Sorry if I made a fool of myself…” Feeling her face flush hot, but at least it’s dark and he probably can’t see. “Anyway, thanks for buying me a drink, I appreciate it…” Her voice tails off and she looks down at the pavement.

She hears him laugh quietly. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m sure we’ve all been there before… And you were fine, didn’t make a fool of yourself at all.” She breathes a sigh of relief, but she just wants to get on and buy her cigarettes and go home.

“Well, that’s good, I’m glad. And thanks again for the drink.” She tries to smile at him, ready now to move on. “Maybe see you again some time…”

“That would be nice” he says. “Hey, look, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but could I buy you a coffee or something?” She groans inwardly, all she wants is cigarettes and bed. But she’s going to seem pretty rude, after all he’s been nothing but nice to her.

“I’m sure you have better things to do than drink a coffee with a hungover girl…” she says hopefully. But she can see he’s looking at her smiling.

“No. Honest, I’d like to, and I’m sure you could use a coffee.”

She sighs. “Ok, sure, that would be nice. Thanks.” She follows him as he turns and heads for the all night cafe which is the opposite direction to the store.


He chats lightly with her as they walk the two blocks to the cafe. She’s not really paying attention, her headache has come back with a vengeance, but she makes vague noises of agreement when it seems appropriate. The cafe is deserted and he leads her to a booth. The waitress comes over and he orders two coffees.

Sober, and in the light of the cafe Natalie looks now at him. He’s perhaps in his mid 30’s, short black hair, hazel eyes. He has a nice face and a gentle smile. He’s thin, not gaunt like she is, but in good shape. She feels a stirring that she hasn’t felt in a long time, and she’s surprised to find that she’s glad that she had accepted this invitation. Suddenly she feels very self conscious, she must look dreadful, hungover with her head pounding, she wishes now she’d showered before she came out.

“Do you mind if I go and freshen up?” she asks, feeling not only self conscious, but foolish that he might see anything in her anyway. He’s just being kind because she’s so obviously a total loser.

“Of course not” he says, smiling at her. “Take your time.”

She gets up and heads to the restrooms. Inside, she splashes water on her face, fills her hands and drinks some, rinsing out her mouth. She looks up, sees her face reflected back at her in the mirror. She shakes her head, there’s no chance. If he’d wanted her, surely he’d have taken advantage of her last night at the bar. No, he’s just being a gentleman. She breathes deeply and sighs. Finally a guy she’d like to have sex with, but he’s already seen the real Natalie, the drunk… Fuck it! For the first time in a long time she almost feels sorry for herself.

She dries her face off, pulls her fingers through her hair. It’s been a while since she cared how she looked, and even longer since she’s felt the stirring between her legs that she feels now at the thought, however hopeless that she might have sex because she wants to. And she realizes that she does. She wants to have sex, and enjoy it, and feel pleasure, and cum… Not feel like she’s just enduring something. She shakes her head again with the frustration that this guy is unlikely to be the one. Hell, he’ll probably have taken this opportunity to run now he’s seen her hungover in the light.

She walks back out into the cafe, to the booth. He’s still there, now with a cup of coffee in front of him, and another cup waiting for her.

She sits down, the coffee smells great, and she picks up the cup and drinks. She relishes the warmth of the drink in her mouth and as she swallows it, and it feels perversely good to be drinking something because it tastes good, not because it will send her to oblivion. She looks at him over the cup and smiles.

“Thanks. You’re right, I could really use a coffee. Didn’t realize quite how much!”

He smiles back at her. “You’re welcome.”

“So, I er.. I hope I didn’t do anything embarrassing last night.” She can feel her face flushing warm. “I didn’t say anything inappropriate did I?” Suddenly she feels like a little girl, secretly hoping that he’ll say that she did and he only declined because she was drunk…

He laughs quietly. “No, it was all good. You were mad at the bartender though.” He laughs again. “Didn’t seem to like your landlord much either.” He pauses and looks at her. She shudders, wondering what else she’d told him. Hopefully not too much. “Anyway, it was nice talking with you. You only had the one drink then said you had to go. I was a bit worried you might not get home Ok. I wasn’t sure if I shouldn’t have offered to walk you home.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you, but I don’t think I’d have wanted you to see my apartment, it’s a bit of a mess right now…” Her voice tails off, she blushes at her forwardness, she’s completely forgotten how to flirt, and she’s pretty sure that wasn’t what he was suggesting. She takes another mouthful of coffee.

“Did you get it cleaned up then?” he asks and her heart skips a beat. Is he suggesting that he might have wanted to come back with her? She wishes she had, she’d invite him back in a second, but it’s a dump with a filthy bourbon and cum stained t shirt lying in the middle of the living room, and probably the smell of the landlords sex with her permeating the air. She shakes her head.

“No, I’m afraid not. But I’m going to do it soon…” She blushes and wishes the she were invisible. What a pathetic come on that was.

She sits back and tries to relax. Her heart is beating fast and she feels like a teenager on a date, not sure if the boy she’s with likes her.

“So… Do you live around here?” She really hopes he says yes, maybe she can persuade him to meet up with her in a day or two, after she’s got herself and the apartment cleaned up. “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t trying to invite myself over…” He laughs. She feels her face flush hot and red with embarrassment at how this conversation is going.

“Don’t worry” he laughs. “I know, and I wasn’t suggesting anything either.” He looks at her over his coffee cup. “I mean, we’ve only just met…” He smiles at her and winks.

Again her heart misses a beat. Was that the sound of a door very much not slamming shut in her face. She takes a deep breath, looks at him and feels again that long forgotten feeling of desire. She takes another mouthful of coffee. It really does taste good and she’s feeling warm, surprisingly even a little sleepy. She puts her hand over her mouth and tries to stifle a yawn.

“Oh god… I’m really sorry, I’m not bored honest.” He smiles at her.

“It’s Ok, finish the coffee.”

Her head is swimming lightly. She takes another mouthful of coffee, hoping the caffeine will give her a jolt. She’s looking at him, he seems to be bobbing around until she realizes it’s her eyes.

“I - I… Sorry, I’m feeling a bit odd…” she looks up at him. “I - I think maybe I’d better go…”

She see’s him get up and as if from far away she hears him say “Ok, this time I’m walking you home… No arguments.” She just nods her head as she feels him take her arm and helps her towards the door.