Birthday Presents

Jack walked into his office. It was a little before 6 pm. He sat in his chair, and leaned back, bringing his feet up to rest on his desk. He rested his hands behind his head and puffed up his cheeks, letting out a big breath of air.

It was his birthday that day. 50. Half a century. And with the exception of Adam, who had the memory of an elephant, and his sister, who had phoned that morning, everyone had forgotten his birthday. What hurt the most was that Claire had forgotten. She had worked beside him all morning, and had not said a thing. He didn't want to have to remind her about it, and so he had said nothing. She had gone out on witness interviews after lunch, and he had been in a motions hearing all afternoon.

Claire had been in the office, according to the secretary, but had headed home just after 4:30.

"Jesus Christ! 50!" he thought to himself. "This calls for a drink."

Sitting up, he reached down and opened the bottom drawer. He was going for the bottle of scotch he kept there, but stopped short. His less than half full bottle of cheap scotch from a liquor store around the corner had been replaced by a bottle of 12 year old aged Chivas Regal, with a big red bow around the neck. There was a card beneath the bottle. The envelope had his name on it, and the writing was Claire's.

He pulled the card out from under the bottle. There was something small yet semi-heavy in the envelope. He opened it. It was one of those blank cards, with a black and white photo of a little girl and little boy standing on the platform of a train station. The little girl was kissing the little boy on the cheek. He opened the card. There was a key with a little red ribbon taped to the inside, with the following inscription:

"Thought I'd forgotten, hadn't you? Oh ye of little faith! Happy birthday, lover."

Under the key, she had written, "My place, 6 pm."

He looked at his watch. 5:47. He'd never make it on time. But he'd sure as hell try.

"Thank God for the motorcycle," he thought to himself as he weaved in and out of traffic in an attempt to get to Claire as soon as humanly possible, breaking nearly every major motorcycle-related traffic law on the books.

He looked at his watch again just before sliding the key into the lock of Claire's door. 6:13. Good. He wasn't TOO late.

He opened the door, and stepped inside. It was still fairly light outside, but all the lights in Claire's apartment were off. There was a flickering glow coming out of the living room, which he assumed was either candles or the fireplace. As he hung his coat in the closet by the door, he noticed a folded piece of paper with his name on it sitting on the table in the foyer, next to a medium sized wicker basket lined in a gorgeous deep-blue satin. Inside the basket lay two champagne flutes. He picked up the note and unfolded it.

"Take this basket into the living room, where you will find a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice, and a note with further instructions."

"What is she up to?" he wondered to himself. Taking the basket, he walked into the living room, and a roaring fire glowed in the fireplace. A small table had been placed in the middle of the room, with two chairs. The table was set for dinner, with two unlit candles in the middle. Next to the table sat the ice bucket on a stand, with the promised bottle of champagne. The note was on the table, next to a small plate containing 4 raw oysters on the half shell. He picked up the note.

"Eat these," it read, "Then take off your shoes and socks. When you're barefoot, take the bottle of champagne and go into the kitchen. Read the note on the fridge for further instructions."

One after the other, he tipped the shells to his lips, and felt the oysters sliding down his throat, before sitting on the sofa to remove his socks and shoes.

Taking the bottle, he headed for the kitchen. The note on the refrigerator instructed him to open it up and take out the plate of strawberries he found in there. Sure enough, when he opened the door, he found a plate of strawberries, dipped in dark chocolate. Jack smile hugely. She was plying him with well-known aphrodisiacs: oysters, champagne, strawberries, and chocolate. The trouble she had gone to in putting all of this together, and in deceiving him into believing his birthday had slipped her mind was just as much of an aphrodisiac as were the food and drink.

"And to think I had assumed she'd forgotten!" he admonished himself.

He set the basket and the champagne on the counter, and removed the plate of strawberries. Underneath the plate there was another note.

"I think that's everything. When you're ready for the rest of your present, meet me in my bedroom. Bring the items you discovered on your 'scavenger hunt' with you."

He didn't need further incentive. Already he was beginning to feel his groin stir. Balancing the plate in one hand, he carried the bottle and basket in the other, and headed out of the kitchen and down the hall to Claire's bedroom. Her door was shut, but not all the way, so he nudged it open with his toe.

The tableaux she had created made his breath catch in his throat. Light from what appeared to be about 2 dozen candles glowed about the room. Claire was sitting on the edge of her bed, feet tucked beneath her. She wore a thin robe of royal-blue satin, that matched the satin lining of the basket he carried in his hand. The color looked exquisite on her, setting off her dark hair and light, creamy complexion. She had pinned her hair up.

"You're late," she said, but it was an observation rather than a rebuke or a complaint.

"I know," he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't get back to the office until quarter of 6."

She stood and walked over to him. Taking the plate of strawberries and the basket containing the glasses from him, she went and set them upon her dresser, saying, "Why don't you open that?"

He uncorked the bottle of champagne with practiced skill, and moved in front of her. She held the glasses up, and he filled each, taking one from her, and placing the bottle on the dresser.

Almost in unison, they raised their glasses to their lips, eyeing one another over the rims. With his free hand, Jack reached for Claire, and pulled her to him. He leaned down to nuzzle her neck. She must have bathed when she got home from work, he thought, because she smelled faintly of recently used soap, and the rose-scented body lotion she sometimes used.

"Mmmmmmmm," he breathed against the base of her throat before beginning a trail of kisses up the long column of her neck, and then capturing her lips in a fervid kiss.

Laughing a low, throaty laugh, she pulled her lips away from his, and said. "Happy Birthday, Jack."

"Thank you, my love," he said earnestly.

"How do you like your present so far?" she asked.

"So far, it's wonderful."

"It's going to get better," she promised. With that, she took him by the hand and led him to her bed, where she pushed him into a seated position. He opened his legs, and she moved between them. Both still held their glasses of champagne.

Jack pulled Claire down onto his knee, where she remained as they polished off their glasses, never taking their eyes from one another. When the glasses were empty, she stood, took his, and set it with hers next to the bottle on her dresser. She returned to him, bearing the plate of the delectable-looking berries. She set the plate on the bed next to him, and removed one of the dark chocolate-coated strawberries. She pressed it against Jack's lips. He held her wrist in his hand as he bit into the delicious item, sending a thin stream of strawberry juice dripping down her fingers. She bit the remnants of the strawberry off the stem, and placed the stem back on the plate. Taking her hand, he sucked the juice from her fingers, watching her all the while.

Jack wrapped his arms around Claire's waist and pulled her against his chest. He stretched up for a kiss, and she obliged him by lowering her lips to his. Her palms were flat against his chest, and soon he felt her fingers nimbly undoing the buttons of his shirt. She lowered her lips to his neck as she pulled the shirt tails from his jeans, and finished with the buttons. When all the front ones were done, she reached for a wrist, and unhooked that button, before doing the same with the other. Standing back a little, she eased the shirt off of him, and tossed it aside.

He reached for a strawberry when she had succeeded in baring his chest, and offered it to her for consumption. They mimicked each others' actions with the previous berry. Jack noticed that his jeans were becoming tighter and tighter in the groin area as they continued feeding each other, until every last piece of the delicious chocolate covered fruit was gone.

"I love you," he said, so low it was barely even a whisper.

"I love you, too."

They kissed once more, and Claire felt Jack's palms sliding up the backs of her thighs ever so slowly. Under her robe they traveled: higher, and higher, until his large hands were gently stroking and kneading her lace-covered behind.

Stepping back, she reached down and tugged at the satin sash that held her robe together. Dropping her arms, she shrugged the robe from her shoulders, and it made a deep blue satin puddle behind her.

Jack whistled low at the spectacle she presented. Beneath her robe, she was wearing a pair of royal blue lace panties with matching lace push-up bra. The colour of her undergarments was the same as the robe. Jack reached out to run his hands up and down along her sides. Pulling her to him, he ran his lips lightly over her cleavage, sending a thrill tingling down her spine.

"You have the most incredible body," he murmured against her skin as she toyed with the hair at the back of his neck. "You smell so good."

She lowered herself to her knees in front of him, and went to work on his belt, and the button-fly of his Levi's, while looking up to meet his heated gaze. Slowly, she slid her hand inside his jeans, beneath his boxer shorts, and with great care and gentleness, freed his semi-erect maleness.

She smiled up at him almost lasciviously before bending her head and taking him in her mouth. Under the loving ministrations of her mouth and tongue, it wasn't very long until his entire body ached with the desire to be inside her. He reached down to pull the pins from her hair, and sent it cascading down over her shoulders. When he knew he was rapidly approaching fulfillment, he tangled his hand in her thick, soft hair, and pulled her head away from him. Smiling, she sat back upon her haunches as Jack stood. She pulled his jeans and boxers from him, and he helped her to stand. Reaching around her, he easily unhooked her bra, and pulled it from her.

"Beautiful," he sighed in appreciation. Backing up, he sank down into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, and pulled her to him. He slid his hands along her sides, up from her waist, and brought them to her breasts. With one hand, he cupped a breast while his thumb rubbed back and forth across her nipple. The other hand also cupped a breast, but instead of using his thumb, he pulled her closer, and she felt his tongue snake out and graze over her nipple. His tongue flicked back and forth over the dark, rosy nub, and he reveled in her sharp intake of breath as he sucked it gently into his mouth. After a few exquisite moments, he switched off, and began to suckle upon her other breast.

His big hands slid down her sides again. He hooked his thumbs in the waist band of her panties, and slowly lowered them, until she, too, was completely naked.

Sliding back onto the bed, he beckoned her to join him, which she quickly, and happily did. They lay on their sides, facing one another for a few moments, without touching. Slowly, Claire leaned in, and, closing her eyes to abandon herself to the feel of his lips on hers, kissed him. He pulled her close, and she could feel the hardness of him against her pelvis.

He brought his hands up and resumed caressing her breasts as the kiss deepened into something hot, wild, and impassioned. Stroking her side, he slid his arm around her. Palm against her back, he worked his way down to her behind with light, feathery strokes. His hand slid over her smooth behind, down the back of her leg, to her kneecap. Gripping it lightly, he dragged her thigh up over his hip. He slipped his hand in between them, and Claire sighed with pleasure as his hand began to stroke the softness between her thighs. He smiled against her lips as he felt her grinding herself against his hand. He thanked his lucky stars that the woman he loved was always just as hot for him as he was for her. He loved her more than he had loved anyone in his life, and what's more, he knew she loved him just as much.

She adjusted herself higher on the bed, until she felt the hardened tip of him rubbing against her. Inch, by slow inch, he entered her, until he had filled her full of himself. She whimpered in delight as he lay embedded within her, still.

"Open your eyes and look at me," she heard him whisper. She complied, and they smiled at one another lovingly. In unison, they began to move, arms wrapped tightly around each other, lips engaged in a slow, sensuous kiss. He slipped his tongue between her parted lips, imitating the action of his pulsating manhood.

Jack rolled onto his back, pulling Claire on top of him. Bracing herself with a hand on either side of his head, she leaned down to kiss him. She had stopped their movement, in order to make their union last longer. The kiss she was now placing on his lips started out nearly chaste: lips fluttering against each other. Soon, it was so hot and out of control, that he was begging her to ride him to fulfillment.

She continued kissing him as her hips resumed the sensual rhythm of love. The sounds of their lovemaking filled the room. She rose up and down on him faster and faster and he began to move his hips in time with hers. As she approached her climax, she tore her head away from him, finding it nearly impossible to breathe.

He could hear her breath coming hard and fast near his ear. Their cheeks were touching as she continued to increase their pace.

"Jack!" she panted, breath coming very, very short, "I'm so close."

It was all he needed. Rolling her to her back, he thrust into her, once, twice, and a third time, her hips meeting his thrusts measure for measure. She began to feel like her mind was separating from her body. She could hear very little over the hammering of her heart.

"Jack!" she sobbed as she dragged her nails down his back. She felt as though she were going to die if she didn't find her release soon. In what was left of her brain that could still think, she determined that didn't care, so long as Jack didn't stop this sweet torture.

Jack whispered words of honeyed reassurance in her ear, but she barely heard him, as she soared higher and higher into the vortex of passion. Only the hot, full hardness of him sliding in and out of her seemed tangible. Her whole body seemed molten, and she felt herself dissolving under the force of their intense, burning passion, until nothing was left but incredible pleasure. She wasn't aware of it, but she nearly screamed his name. The last thing she remembered before surrendering to the blinding, scorching inferno he ignited within her, was hearing her name on Jack's lips as he convulsed, and poured his hot seed into her.

When she could breathe again, and had decided that she was in fact still breathing, she reached up to stroke Jack's dampened hair. Jack lay sprawled on top of her, panting, his hands tangled in her dark hair. He rolled away, but caught her hand tightly in hers.

After several silent moments as they continued to recover from their bout of passion, Claire rolled to her side, and propped herself up on her elbow so that she might look down into Jack's face.

"Happy Birthday," she said softly, before leaning down to kiss him lightly. "I love you."

"Thank you, Claire," he said earnestly. "I had thought...well, today it seemed like this birthday was going to be pretty shitty. Especially when I thought you had forgotten. But....but now. My god! Claire...all this trouble you went through...I....thank you. You've made this the best birthday I can remember."

"It was no trouble, Jack," she assured him. "I was glad to do it. It was so hard earlier today. I knew you were hurt that I hadn't mentioned anything, but I wanted tonight to be special....so I had to make it a surprise."

He pulled her head down for a kiss.

"By the way," she grinned, winking at him, "the night isn't over. Not by a long shot."