Romance without Tears (closed)

[slut_in_white]

Naomi laughed, a bright, joyful sound, when Nick explained what he was thinking. She returned his kiss with fervor that left her breathless, and she looked amused when they parted. "So, does this mean you'd prefer me to wear your clothes to bed over sleeping in the nude?" she teased, chuckling.

As they made their way back down the trail, Naomi was unknowingly thinking much the same things as Nick - about how things had changed and about how, now, she didn't have to avoid questions about plans for the wedding. Though, most of her answers remained truthful - she had no idea how many kids they wanted to have, if any at all. There was still no date. But she would be happier to let herself imagine what it would be like, now. Then she began to laugh. "Oh dear. We're never going to be able to escape that expectation that we have at least 6 children now."

---------------

It was a strange experience, coming home and bursting with the desire to tell everyone that she was engaged now, but being unable to because they already knew. It wasn't as difficult as it could have been, however - most of the family was awake when they returned, and Christmas morning rituals took over everyone's attention. Stockings for the children before breakfast, then a huge, incredible breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns and anything else anyone could want. And then, the entire family gathered around the Christmas tree to open presents. It was a ridiculously long affair. The children went first, taking turns with each other to teach them that Christmas was as much about giving as getting, but tempered with the knowledge that none of them had the patience to sit around and wait for everyone to finish opening their gifts. After that, they inevitably ran off to play with their toys, and the adults were left to socialize and open gifts until well into the afternoon.

Naomi had always enjoyed Christmas morning, but the fact that she now got to spend the day enjoying her family while cuddling up to Nick was a joy beyond any she'd yet experienced. And, for the entire day, she kept glancing down at the ring on her finger and grinning like an idiot, which inevitably drew indulgent smiles from anyone who noticed.

 

[Maka]

It was the evening of Christmas Day. A gaggle of excited, shouting, giggling kids had been put to bed, with Nick and Naomi quickly enlisted into the task of reading bedtime stories and checking under the bed for monsters (a particular speciality of Nick's. Lizzie had come around on Nick, and now obviously thought that his height and size would make him an excellent monster-fighter should the worst happen).

Some of the adults were still inclined to linger around the tree in the living room but, as pleasant and mellow as the mood was, Nick felt no inclination whatsoever to join them. Not when he knew what kinds of pleasures waiting for him upstairs. They both made their excuses and left early on, to amused and wry looks from the others gathered in the circle of light around the tree.

Up the stairs. Facing the door. Nick knew Naomi wasn't his wife yet but he couldn't help but yield to tradition -he grabbed her without warning and, cradling her in his arms, pushed the door open with his foot and carried her across the threshhold.

His slender, elfin blonde fiancee was a deliciously squirming, incredibly light bundle in his arms. They were cheek to cheek, his stubble rasping against the flawless ivory skin of her cheek. Nick had wondered if Naomi would object to the unfamiliar feeling of it against her inner thighs when he went down on her, but he had a suspicion that it actually somehow added to the pleasure. He captured her pornographically arched cupid's bow mouth with his and kissed her, tasting her, savouring her.

"I'll miss this place," he whispered, still holding her in his arms at the foot of the bed. He meant it. Then a grin crossed his face. "But there's one thing I won't miss... moment we're back in town, I want to hear the full Naomi Highford Concerto."

One hand crept under Naomi's shirt and fondled her firm round breast.

"Nothing. Held. Back."

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi had to strangle a yelp when Nick scooped her up without warning, sweeping her legs out from under her and catching her with ease to carry her across the threshold. She significance of the motion was not lost on her, and she laughed, mirth borne of pure joy, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, reveling in the feeling of his stubble against her skin.

It wasn't difficult for her to guess why Nick was so excited to get home, even before he said it. Her soft smile turned wicked and she pressed a long, loving kiss to his lips in response. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get me to stop holding back even while we're still here," she accused playfully, prodding at his shoulder with an accusatory fingertip.

His hand against her breast was already enough to set off her sensitive arousal, drawing a gasp to her lips which she muffled by pressing warm, wet kisses to his neck. She squirmed in his arms, already eager to shed her clothes and take what she'd been waiting for - if she was being honest with herself - all day. It was perhaps somewhat nonsensical, but she was looking forward to their first love-making session as an engaged couple. She knew it shouldn't be different from before, but at the same time, she knew it would be nonetheless.

 

[Maka]

"I don't know what you're talking about, future wife," Nick said innocently. Unable to resist the impishly mischevious grin on Naomi's lips, he kissed her hard, one big hand supporting her firm little ass while the other continued its explorations under her shirt.

Then, he broke the kiss for just a moment, an involuntary little mewl of protest escaping Naomi's lips all the same. He'd undone the buttons on her shirt and lifted it off her slim shoulders in one smooth motion. A flick of his fingers behind her back and her bra fell away, leaving Naomi's ripe, dainty small breasts and candy-pink nipples exposed.

He drew in a breath. No matter how often he saw Naomi nude or semi-nude, the erotic beauty always took his breath away. He bent down to tease and caress them with his tongue, taking swipes with his tongues at those irresistible stiff little nipples, around the areola and then across the flawless, creamy, exquisitely feminine breasts themselves.

"Of course," he said, lifting his head to look at her with a wicked grin of his own. "Maybe we should wait til we're married. What do you think? Would that be the Highford way?"

Flexing his fingers against her ass, his movements suggested very strongly that he intended no such thing.

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi knew he was kidding, of course, but that didn't stop the short look of displeasure from flashing across her face, along with a squeak of "No!" She stopped, a blush staining her cheeks as she realized how ridiculous she sounded. Shooting him a dark look, she grasped at his shirt and pulled until her lips were nearly brushing against his. "Don't you dare. Unless you want to elope and get married tomorrow." Which... now that she was thinking about it, seemed a remarkably tempting option.

She grinned, her deft fingers going to work on the buttons of his shirt while her lips brushed gently against his. "What do you think? How long would our parents disown us for if they woke up tomorrow to the news that we've run off together to Paris to get married without them?" she asked, chuckling.

 

[Maka]

Nick grinned at the look on Naomi's face -the obvious, immediate panic and alarm on her lovely face at even the joking prospect of no longer enjoying Nick's huge cock until the wedding was both enormously cute and sexy as hell. Nick was certain he couldn't have done it. It was hard enough just getting through the day with Naomi's slender, lithe, sprite-like body so tantalisingly close to hand, especially when she took a page from Beth's playbook and began mischeviously putting her body on display for him -arching her back as she bent over to reach for something, her movement lifting up her cute little rump and wiggling it deliciously.

Several times throughout the week they had found excuses to slip upstairs in the middle of the day, to the inevitable accompaniment of indulgent smiles from elder Highfords. But Nick found that his hunger for Naomi, for the pleasures of her body and the thrill of her passion, was only increased by satiation. He'd never felt anything like the extraordinary, wonderful loving lust that drove him around her, nor the mindblowingly great sex that accompanied it.

"Mmm... " he said as Naomi whispered about Paris, while deftly undoing the buttons of his shirt. "Don't tempt me... "

His own hands had not been idle, even as he continued to nuzzle Naomi's breasts and his shirt was unbuttoned. He had undone her belt and then pushed her pants and panties down, leaving her smooth legs bare and nude.

Then, with a truly wicked grin, he hoisted her upwards, so that her legs rested to either side of his broad shoulders, her head just below the room's high ceilng and the fine, silvery-blonde down of her pussy rested directly in front of him. Although Naomi was tiny, the fact that all of her previous relationships had been with women meant that she was thrillingly unused to being handled in the way that Nick could, effortlessly picking her up and moving her about. Her total helplessness in his arms at such moments seemed to bring her a frisson of arousal in itself -Nick loved to feel her wriggling and trembling with excitement.

He bent his head forward and began licking and lapping at the sweet pink slit in front of him, delicately and painstakingly at first, his hands on her knees holding her steady.

 

[slut_in_white]

He was tempted, was he? She purred, wiggling her hips to help him strip away her pants, and considered whether or not Paris was a terrible idea. She knew it was. She knew her mother would hate her forever if she did that, but it was still very tempting. Maybe an elopement to Paris now, and they could come back for a "real" wedding later?

Her mind was still daydreaming about her fantasy trip when Nick abruptly hoisted her upwards, drawing a little cry of surprise as she suddenly had to balance herself instead of just leaning against his chest and trusting his arms to keep her there. Sure, he was still holding on tight and would never let her go, but she still had to keep herself upright once he seated her on his shoulders, and the slight movements of his body made her feel like she was on a boat before gaining her sea-legs. Her fingers buried into his hair as the only thing she could grab onto for balance, and she closed her eyes, trying not to pay attention to the height.

She could feel his hot breath on her pussy, followed by the first few tentative licks, and she wobbled dangerously, the pleasure making her want to arch and writhe while her fear of falling made her legs lock around his shoulders all the tighter. The adrenaline of the balancing act sent the bolts of pleasure of his tongue seeking out her clit race through her even more powerfully than before. She clutched tighter at his hair, whimpering softly as the tension in her body thanks to her attempts to keep herself upright warred with the pleasure's seductive temptation to relax. Her hips were rolling as much as possible against his mouth, but it was serving to undermine her balance even further.

The distraction of her balance was quickly fraying her nerves. She couldn't quite give herself completely to her pleasure, as much as she wanted to, because every time she did, she'd sway and her instincts would panic. The feeling of Nick holding her down was mercilessly teasing, because she knew she could let go and give herself over without falling, but her body wouldn't let her. The result was a certain sweet kind of torture where her own body fought the onslaught of bliss, regardless of how desperate she was becoming.

 

[Maka]

A stream of soft whimpers, fearful yet ecstatic, was tumbling from Naomi's lips as Nick ran his tongue with ever-increasing passion across her sensitive folds. Her grip tightened in his hair, her legs curled around his shoulders. She was trembling constantly, the incoherent animal sounds she made sounding something like a prayer.

Grinning, savouring the sweet taste of her, Nick kissed the soft flawless skin of her inner thighs, raising it up between his lips, nibbling it. At last he returned to her sex, and began greedily suckling on her clit, his tongue licking the juice from the slippery, firm little nub before pushing its way into her pussy. He alternated between clit and pussy, between pussy and clit, his tongue lashing and licking frantically, his lips kissing and sucking, pushing his sexy, elfin blonde fiancée to the very limits of pleasure and beyond.

 

[slut_in_white]

She could feel his shoulders shifting with silent laughter at her predicament as she bit her lip, swaying above him like a drunk. "Nick!" she whimpered, clinging desperately to him as he renewed his assault on her pussy. "Please please please!" She wasn't entirely sure what she was pleading with him for - she was certainly enjoying herself, despite the imbalance.

His tongue was relentless, though, and soon, despite her body's resistance, she felt herself climbing towards the precipice. Her legs tightened around him again and she gave a short, breathy cry. "Fu-uck!" The orgasm crashed through her with enormous power, flooding his face with her juices and causing her whole body to shake and tremble as wave after wave of pleasure raked over her nerves. Her muscles gave out and she yelped as she collapsed, tipping over backwards even while the aftershocks of her orgasm were still ripping through her.

The feeling of falling while still enduring that kind of ecstasy was disorienting to say the least. By the time she figured out which way was up again, the falling sensation had stopped and she found herself cradled against Nick's chest, gasping for breath. She looked up at him, grinning, and straightened her spine to press a firm kiss to his lips, humming at the taste of herself on his lips. "Asshole," she whispered, the amusement and lust both clear in her voice.

 

[yummyyum1]

I'm so fucking horny

 

[yummyyum1]

She could feel his shoulders shifting with silent laughter at her predicament as she bit her lip, swaying above him like a drunk. "Nick!" she whimpered, clinging desperately to him as he renewed his assault on her pussy. "Please please please!" She wasn't entirely sure what she was pleading with him for - she was certainly enjoying herself, despite the imbalance.

His tongue was relentless, though, and soon, despite her body's resistance, she felt herself climbing towards the precipice. Her legs tightened around him again and she gave a short, breathy cry. "Fu-uck!" The orgasm crashed through her with enormous power, flooding his face with her juices and causing her whole body to shake and tremble as wave after wave of pleasure raked over her nerves. Her muscles gave out and she yelped as she collapsed, tipping over backwards even while the aftershocks of her orgasm were still ripping through her.

The feeling of falling while still enduring that kind of ecstasy was disorienting to say the least. By the time she figured out which way was up again, the falling sensation had stopped and she found herself cradled against Nick's chest, gasping for breath. She looked up at him, grinning, and straightened her spine to press a firm kiss to his lips, humming at the taste of herself on his lips. "Asshole," she whispered, the amusement and lust both clear in her voice.

Plzzzz

 

[Maka]

Nick had timed his moves to perfection. He could feel Naomi's body starting to go into a frenzied spasm of pleasure, erasing her ability to maintain her precarious position. With a final flick of his tongue, her undoing was complete. Her legs trembled and went limp on his shoulders and with a yelp of alarm, she toppled backwards.

Nick had been prepared for this and reached out to catch her in strong, powerful arms. Naomi seemed to drift like a feather into them, her large cerulean eyes still wide and amazed from an explosive orgasm.

"Asshole," she gasped, though her smouldering gaze up at him made the word sound like something else. She kissed him, making muffled sounds of satisfaction at her own juices on his lips.

Nick smiled at her.

"I'm always going to catch you," was all he said.

He deposited his lovely burden, his armful of golden-haired sprite, gently on the bed and undid his belt buckle. In a moment or two, he was completely naked and his massive erection sprang free, hitting the flat, solid wall of his chest with a thump.

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi sat eagerly on the bed, her gaze hungrily following Nick's motions as he stripped off the rest of his clothing. It left him standing in front of her, his cock bouncing right in front of her face... and that hunger still hadn't left her gaze. She glanced up at him, a wicked, playful little smile glowing on her expression. Before he could react, she grabbed his hips and slipped his huge cockhead into her mouth, spreading her lips to the brink as she forced the entire thick width inside.

She moaned, finding the taste unexpectedly savoury. Her girlfriends had all been sweet and somewhat tangy, a light flavour that somehow matched their ethereal, petite bodies. Nick tasted rich and salty, a stronger flavour that served to drive home just how different his body was from any of her previous lovers. Her tongue laved across the surface of his head while she sucked him deeper and deeper. It was a struggle to push his cock any further into her mouth - his head was already beginning to bump against her throat but her lips were only halfway down his length. And again, it seemed like a miracle that her sweet little pussy could take all of him like this.

Her head started to bob up and down with a regular tempo while one of her small hands came up to wrap around the base of his cock and massage the length she simply couldn't fit into her mouth. Her gaze strained upwards, seeking out his, looking for approval and the sign that she was doing well - she had, after all, never actually done this before.

 

[Maka]

Nick knew from the irresistible, playful smile curling Naomi's lips that she had something deliciously naughty in mind. Before he could react, she had grasped his hips and leant down, mouth open wide, to pop the thick head of his cock between her cupid's bow lips.

Nick was unable to contain his gasp of ecstasy at the incredible feel of her warm, wet little mouth forming a perfect seal around the tip of his cock. The sound mingled with the muffled purr of satisfaction coming from deep in Naomi's throat as she began to lick and lather the head for all she was worth, while steadily lowering more and more of his shaft into her mouth.

It felt incredible, especially as Naomi reached her limits and her small hands slipped out to gently caress the base of the huge shaft of his cock, her soft hands and greedily sucking mouth working in perfect unison. Her eyes rose to meet Nick and Nick felt an even greater surge of arousal at the look in her blue eyes -love and lust and happiness all mingled together, above the beautiful sight of her obscenely distended lips as she joyfully went about her work.

Nick threw his head back, his fists clenched. He could run a mile without being winded, but now he had to take great lungfuls of breath to keep his composure, to keep from coming in Naomi's hot little mouth there and then. This tiny, golden-haired ethereal spirite of a girl was well on her way to bringing tall, muscle-bound Nick to his knees.

"Fu... fuck, Nai," he gasped between breaths. "You're incredible."

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi felt her heart fluttering in her chest at the realization that Nick was on the border of losing his control. Her mouth started working harder, her tongue seeking out his most sensitive spots with even greater eagerness and adoration.

Her own body, soon, was starting to burn with desire as well. She was enjoying the taste and feel of him in her mouth so much that she had ignored it up until this point, but the ache was getting to be too much. Gasping with need, she finally tore her mouth off of him and climbed up so that she was kneeling on the bed in front of him. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him down for a fiery kiss.

Once they parted, she gazed up at him, her eyes darkened with lust. "I need you. Right now." And without another word, she dropped back onto the bed, her arms stretching up above her head and parted her legs for him in a deliciously wanton display of need.

 

[Maka]

As much as he loved to tease Naomi, Nick could see from the fiery hungry in her eyes, the absolute abandon of her pose, that she needed him inside her there and then, and that knowledge fanned the flames of his own furious desire.

He lifted her head up and bent over to kiss her, his body looming over her, his cock massively erect, ramrod stiff from her attentions and glistening with her saliva. That slickened and eased his passage into her exquisitely tight, wet pussy. It sucked and squeezed at the head of his cock as eagerly as her mouth had done just moments before.

Nick pushed all the way inside, until they were face to face. And for a moment, before beginning the pistoning onslaught they were both anticipating, he just enjoyed that moment -staring into the big blue eyes of his beautiful fiancee, imagining the bliss of the life they were about to start together.

 

[slut_in_white]

The next several days were certainly lovely, and Naomi was happy to spend quality time with her family, but by the time it was time to go home, she was nearly bursting with excitement. She couldn't wait to go home and spend some real, proper time alone with her new fiance - even if the thought of telling all their friends was weighing on her mind a little.

When they first arrived at home, Naomi simply put off the prospect of telling anyone by simply closing herself off to the world for a few days before they had to return to work. She and Nick cocooned themselves in his apartment for 3 straight days, doing very little besides eating, sleeping and making love. And, as promised, Naomi sang for him from the very first moment they arrived back home.

For the few days after that, Naomi drove herself insane with anxiety over telling other people about her new relationship with Nick. She wasn't normally a high-strung person but, for some reason, she hated to think about the number of times she'd have to deal with people giving her a strange look and saying they thought she was a lesbian. And yet... once the news actually started to spread, no one really seemed to care. A few people were confused, but they weren't judgmental. Well, for the most part.

There were a few - namely, one or two of Naomi's exes, and a few of the men who had harbored secret crushes on her for a while, plus some others that were in Naomi's circles of friends but whom Naomi had never been that close with to start - who disliked her new relationship. They, however, never really had the guts to confront her about it. They smiled and congratulated her when it was socially appropriate, and then spread ugly rumors behind her back. It caused more than a few rifts between friends - some people who were very close to Naomi had once considered these people close friends of theirs, and discovering that a friend harboured a secret kind of hate like that was never a pleasant experience, and few friendships were capable of weathering that kind of storm.

But Naomi herself couldn't let those naysayers bother her. She was too busy - first, moving into Nick's apartment, and then planning their upcoming wedding. Too busy losing herself in her joy to care what a few small-minded people wanted to say.

 

[Maka]

Nick had never really shared his apartment with anyone before, but he doubted it could ever have been better with anyone else. It was just a constant thrill to him to have Naomi around -her irrepressible grin in the mornings, the beauty of her slender form, naked and exposed just for him or wearing a sly nod at clothing in the form of a skimpy T-shirt or easily disposed-of underwear. Being taken again and again, in new ways and positions, only seemed to arouse her appetite to new heights and Nick was always ready to satisfy his golden-haired girl. Often, over the past week, he had given her no more warning than an animal growl before grabbing her and bending her over the living room couch or placing her on the kitchen table in order to have his way with her. Naomi was the same, a girl possessed, and it was a rare morning that Nick didn't wake up to find Naomi's mouth wrapped around the head of his cock, a cheeky wink up at him as he slowly surfaced to an unbeatable morning alarm, or else the door to the shower open and Naomi 'innocently' humming to herself as her soapy small hands massaged her breasts and she presented a provocative, arousing silhouette against the frosted glass.

Nick had come to know the pleasures and thrills of that petite, slim body better than anything in the world in the past few days, and yet Naomi kept surprising him, kept stunning him with the depths of adoration and sexual pleasure they could plunge into together.

She was sitting demurely beside the window now, a quiet smile on her face. It looked like an innocent enough picture but Nick sensed that it was meant for him. Leaning over her, he was about to draw her up into a kiss... when the phone rang.

Nick scowled, and his expression deepened when he saw the caller ID.

"It's Alison," he told Naomi.

Alison was Naomi's ex, and she had made little secret of her displeasure over the past week. It didn't matter that she had been the one to betray Naomi, not that Alison saw it that way. Naomi was, according to Alison, either cynically denying her true orientation in order to conform to gender stereotypes, or else revealing herself to have been nothing but a tourist and a poseur all along, dipping her toes in the queer world for the sake of street cred before settling down with a man.

Nick had always been civil to Alison, both before and after the events of Christmas, for Naomi's sake, but with every barely-disguised insult towards his fiancee, his anger grew. Alison, for her part, had done little to conceal how much she hated Nick. Nick doubted very much it had anything to do with queer politics. Alison had realised what an idiot she had been to have let Naomi slip through her fingers, and would have found some phony reason to loathe anyone, male or female, who replaced her.

He couldn't imagine why she was calling now, but he knew one thing: it wasn't to talk to him.

"It's for you," he sighed, handing the phone to Naomi.

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi was distracted, thinking about Nick's lips. He was moving closer to her, parting them. She knew what was coming. A smile flitted across her lips, her eyes fluttering shut...

Riiiing.

Naomi made a small sound of annoyance and frustration. Just like life to interrupt them at the exact wrong moment... though, in fairness, in recent days every moment would have been the exact wrong one, given how rarely they were out of each others' arms.

"It's Alison."

Naomi blinked. Alison was calling? Why? Sure, she'd found a few excuses to rant at Naomi about how she was either giving into stereotypes or a poseur, but surely she was done with that now, wasn't she? She had to be. Was there really anything more to say? And was she really going to sink so low as to call out of the blue for nothing more than to just rant some more?

She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"I didn't want to have to do this," came the quick response. It was Alison alright, and she sounded stressed.

Naomi just looked confused. "Do... what?"

"I can't just let you get away with this. Either I have to save you from yourself, or I have to reveal you for the fake that you are. Either way, I know I'm making the right decision."

Naomi had stopped breathing. She didn't know what Alison was planning, but whatever it was, there was no way it was going to be good. "Alison, what did you do?!" She pushed herself to her feet and began to pace the room, agitated.

"I collected various pictures of your life as a lesbian, with me and a couple of your other past girlfriends. Some of them are... explicit. And I'm going to send them to your family so you can't hide anymore. Either you'll thank me later for getting rid of their homophobic influence so you don't have to pretend to love a man anymore, or you'll get your just desserts for being a fake, lying bitch."

Naomi froze. "Ooh my god, you can't do that! Alison, please! Please don't!" But it was too late - only the sound of the dial-tone greeted her after Alison hung up. Naomi choked, unable to think of anything but growing fear that, if she went through with this, her family might not come to her wedding. All she could see was an image of herself, walking up the aisle alone because her furious father refused to come after she'd lied to him for all these years...

Tears welled up in her eyes and her hands started shaking. She dropped the phone, but, for the moment, it didn't matter. She simply stood there, staring at Nick, unable to even make herself speak to explain what had happened.

 

[Maka]

Nick's heart seemed to stop at the look of terror and consternation on Naomi's delicate features. It was clear from her side of the conversation that Alison was threatening something terrible -but what? Tears were glittering in her big blue eyes.

"Nai, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling her to him. "We can fix it, whatever it is."

He ran a hand through her short, silky golden hair, trying to reassure with his physical closeness, gathering up her slender petite body in his arms.

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi hadn't properly cried in quite a long time. Years, even. She just wasn't the sort of girl to break down at the first sign of sadness. But this? This drove her to tears, especially once Nick wrapped his arms tight around her and she felt safe enough to let it out. She clung to his shirt, sobbing softly, grateful for his silent comfort and strength while she drained herself of tears.

It didn't take long, however, for her fear and sadness to be overtaken by anger, and once that happened, her hands on his chest balled into fists and she had to purposely calm her breathing to keep from screaming. "Alison... has pictures. Of me. With her, and with a couple other exes. Some of them are, um... intimate. And she's going to send them to my family, I guess as some sort of punishment for 'pretending' to be a lesbian all these years." Because she wasn't even going to try to repeat what Alison had said about Naomi only pretending to love Nick. The thought of it made her feel sick.

 

[Maka]

The revelation made Nick, a calm and patient man, furious. He could never remember feeling so angry in his life. Alison was blackmailing Naomi plain and simple. It was a cowardly, spiteful act from a woman who'd once claimed to care for her -a transparent attempt to destroy her life.

But he swallowed the anger up, instead gently soothing the sobbing Naomi, whispering to her, letting her dry her eyes on his shirt and rest her head on his chest. At last, he could sense her spirit returning.

He thought. He thought he understood Alison, probably better than she did herself. She could accomplish her goals by simply sending the pictures to the Highfords right away -but if that was what she really wanted, then she wouldn't have called Naomi in the first place. No, she wanted Naomi squirming on the hook for as long as possible, she wanted that sadistic pleasure... and she wanted maximum humiliation when the time came.

They had until the day of the wedding, he was sure. It was then that Alison would release the pictures.

"Don't worry," he told Naomi, his voice a deep rumble. "We'll keep on with planning the wedding. I'll talk to Alison, I'll find a way to stop her. You don't need to worry about a thing."

 

[slut_in_white]

Naomi nodded against Nick's chest, feeling better. It was crazy, because she knew that if anyone else had promised to find a way to stop Alison, she would have laughed at them. Alison was bitter and stubborn, a combination that pretty much guaranteed that words alone wouldn't work. But Nick? Nick had a certain power of presence that made her actually believe he could pull it off. So, smiling weakly, she tilted her head up to look at him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Thanks, Nick. I love you."

 

[Maka]

It was several days later. Nick sat in a cafe, watching the steam curl up from his cup of coffee. Beth and Susannah had come to town, allegedly to help with wedding planning but mainly, Nick figured to get a taste of their glamorous sister's big city lifestyle. Naomi had looked a little panicked but had gallantly agreed to take them out on the town. Nick had begged off, citing work and receiving a pout from Beth.

Alison was his real reason, though. He didn't know why she'd agreed to meet with him, although he guessed it was to have a chance to gloat and perhaps watch him beg. If that was the case, she was going to be disappointed. Nick would do anything to get her to call her plans off, but begging wouldn't help.

She entered the cafe -a slight, petite figure like all of Naomi's past girlfriends, with cropped blue hair and a nose stud. She scoffed, looking at him as she sat down.

"Jesus. Look at you. Naomi really did go out of her way to find the manliest man that ever manned, didn't she? Ever occur to you she might be overdoing it?"

"Hi Alison," said Nick levelly. "Thanks for meeting with me."

"Ahh, cut the shit. I'm not the kind of dyke you cure with your magical cock, you got it? I'm not Naomi."

She virtually spat out the name. Nick kept his temper.

"She told me what you're planning. I'd like to ask you to reconsider."

"Two words. Fuck. Off."

 

[slut_in_white]

It wasn't until after Beth and Susannah had arrived that Naomi realized the fatal flaw in taking them to her usual hangouts.

Naomi spent a lot of her time in gay bars. Perhaps that was unsurprising, but there was certainly some concern that they'd realize what was different about these places. Her friends assured her that there was nothing to worry about - they weren't that different from normal bars, and her sheltered sisters would almost certain write off any unusual occurrences as a result of being in the big city. And they were right, she was sure.

That really didn't stop her from being nervous, however. They arrived at a local restaurant - Killer Fish - which had become a known hangout for the gay community in town.

"I'm starving!" Beth announced as they got out of Naomi's car in front of the restaurant. The three girls stepped into the restaurant, and immediately, four voices called out, "Nai!"

A pair of couples, two men and two women, immediately waved them over.

"Hey guys!" Naomi felt herself relaxing. They looked like just a group of friends, and even if Beth and Susannah figured out they were couples, it didn't say anything about Naomi's sexuality. She just hoped that Beth had enough sense not to ask any prying questions.

Introductions were made, and the sisters joined the group, and within moments, Naomi realized there would be no issue of Beth figuring out that her friends were all homosexual. Though, the alternative might not be that much better, since, from the moment they sat down, Beth began flirting with the lithe, attractive blonde Joseph. In front of Joseph's boyfriend.