JON

Tech Crunch Disrupt, Berlin

December 5^th

We fist bump while the announcer is warming up the crowd, introducing us as the dynamic duo behind the multimillion-dollar tech startup firm Pacifica, which just landed huge contracts with the US Defense Department to provide satellite tech and software coverage for the modern battlefield.

India's excited to be here and give the presentation. I'm excited as well, because this time, we're doing it together. She looks amazing in her black dress and heels, her hair down, her face fresh and smiling. I'm dressed in matching black, shirt and slacks.

We're a pair.

Our tag-team presentation, we call it, is perfect – just like our relationship. We've rehearsed this for a couple of weeks and have it down pat. When the announcer finally calls out our names, we walk on the stage together to a roar of applause. India starts the video while I begin delivering the presentation. We each have our own sections, and the presentation goes seamlessly, cutting from the image of our satellite in the production facility and then on the top of a Falcon 9 rocket, being delivered into orbit. India talks about the modern battlefield and the importance of communication for the soldiers and decision-makers. She tells the story of her brother and how he lost his life in an ambush that our technology could have seen beforehand, and possibly prevented.

The crowd is riveted as she tells the story of Steven's death and of the founding of our company, Pacifica, and how it went from my parent's garage in Pacifica, CA to a multimillion-dollar tech company in Palo Alto – and now, the Dulles Technology Corridor just outside of Langley, Virginia.

When the presentation is over and the lights come up in the auditorium, there's a loud and appreciative round of applause and even some cheers as we bow to the crowd and then walk off the stage, shaking the hand of the announcer in the process.

When we're finally behind the curtain, I grab India and kiss her. I'm overwhelmed with how successful we've been these past few months since we decided to come out to our staff and friends.

We shocked none of them in the process.

We were the last to know, it seems. But that's all in the past. Since then, we bought a place in Virginia. Now, we divide our time between Palo Alto and D.C., so we can be closer to Washington and our primary contractor – the US Government. We have a place on the coast very much like India's bungalow. We wanted it to reflect both our tastes and provide us with access to the beach.

Now that our presentation is finished, we have a week off and are taking a cruise in the Mediterranean as soon as we can get to the airport and catch our flight to Rome. After a night in a local hotel, we'll take a Viking cruise from Rome to Barcelona and then fly back to Virginia.

Life is good.

In the car back to our hotel in Berlin, we discuss the convention and how our presentation was received.

"It went well," India says and smiles, taking a drink from her bottle of water.

"It went fantastically well," I reply, needing at least one superlative to describe it. "Our timing was perfect."

She nods and smiles at me, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright.

At that moment, I realize once again just how much I love her. I lean over, taking her hand and kissing her.

"I love you, India," I say, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"You’ve told me that more than a dozen times today already," she says, smiling up at me, her eyes narrow. "What is it you want? There must be something you’re shooting for to say it so many times."

"Can't a man just tell the woman he loves that he loves her?"

"Yes, but a dozen? That's high even for you. What's up? We already had sex twice today."

"Only twice?" I grin at her, because I'm thinking we'll probably fuck one more time before we crash tonight. Both of us are exhausted, but I'm hyped. "I want to run you a nice bath and pamper you. We have that outlandish hotel room with the jet tub. We should take advantage."

"Sounds perfect."

I kiss her one more time and then we drive through the streets of Berlin in silence, watching the pedestrians on the sidewalks with interest. Once back at the hotel, I do exactly what I've planned – running her a nice warm bubble bath while she pours us a couple of glasses of wine. I pour in some bubble bath, then turn on the jets. I go out to the main room, and India and I toast each other.

"To us," I say, holding up my glass of red wine.

"To us and Pacifica," India replies.

I nod, correcting myself. "To us and Pacifica. May our partnership and relationship be successful."

We both drink and I wrap my arm around her shoulder. Together we stand at the window and watch the fading sunlight and the city lights blinking on in the city below our hotel room. We stand like that for a few moments and then I pull her into my arms and kiss her. The kiss is intense and my body warms to her, my dick thickening, my mind going to thoughts of us fucking after the bath is finished.

India glances around my shoulder.

"Jon," she says, her voice sounding hesitant. "How much bubble bath did you put in the tub?"

"I don't know," I reply, frowning. "A couple of big squirts. Why?"

"Oh my God," she says and puts down her glass of wine before running to the bathroom.

As I watch, bubbles start frothing from under the door. "What the fuck?"

"Oh, you put in too much!" She opens the door and a wall of bubbles falls out of the doorway and into the room.

She pushes her way through the bubbles to the tub and turns off the jets.

"Holy shit," I say, following her inside. I can barely see her through the white bubbles. We grab towels and start flapping them, trying to burst all the bubbles. For the next five minutes, we flap and slap and flop towels around, until most of the bubbles have been burst and are just faint soapy traces on the carpet and bathroom counter.

When we're done, we stand and look at each other.

Then we burst out laughing.

India's leaning against the counter and I'm standing beside the tub, wiping my eyes.

"We can still have a bath," I say, and I start to undress. She nods and undresses as well. Soon, we're both naked and we step into the huge oval tub and sit across from each other. The water is warm and fragrant and even without the jets, it's relaxing.

I take India's foot in my hands and start to massage it, kissing the sole of her foot before sucking on her little toe.

"Mmm," she murmurs, leaning back, watching me. "That feels a bit kinky. Do you have an unreported foot fetish?"

"The only fetish I have is for your entire body and mind."

She smiles coyly. "They're yours."

I put her foot down and then I crawl on top of her, my arms on either side of her shoulders. I float just above her, my body between her spread thighs, my erection pressing against her belly.

We kiss and when the kiss is finished, we lie in each other's arms and savor the moment.

"This is nice," she says, and I nod in agreement.

"It is," I reply. "Six months ago, who would have thought we'd be here now doing this?"

"Marina, apparently. And everyone else assumed we already were doing this."

"I was so angry when she had the nerve to invite an outsider to our team meeting after the convention. And for it to be a date for you, and a totally wrong man for you? I was livid."

"He was so totally wrong for me," she says, and we both laugh at the memory. "I can't even remember his name, but he told us how great he was. That I do remember."

"Total pencil-neck. Skinny neck, big head."

She grins. "As opposed to a small head and thick neck?"

"Exactly," I say and tense my upper body, trying to make my muscles pop. "In contrast, I have a big head and a big neck."

She laughs out loud at that. "You do have a big head," she says and presses her groin up against me, wrapping her legs around my hips.

"I do," I reply and press the head of my erection against her.

Those are the last words we speak for a while, and our last sounds besides moans of pleasure.

Later, after we've dried off and are wrapped in the hotel bathrobes, we lie on the king-sized bed and feed each other fruit from the gift basket TechCrunch sent us to welcome us to the conference. She pops a grape in my mouth and I chew, then I hold a chocolate-dipped strawberry out for her to nibble on.

"Get me one of the candied pineapple pieces," I say and she digs into the basket, searching for the non-existent candied pineapple.

It's a ruse to get her searching through the bottom of the basket, where I’ve deftly hidden the brilliant five-carat diamond engagement ring.

"I don't see any candied pineapple," she says, sounding slightly frustrated.

"Keep digging. I think there's a red box of it."

She searches, moving items out and pushing aside the stuffing. Then she finds the small red box.

"Here it is," she says, and frowns. "It's awfully small."

When she sees the inscription, she realizes what it is.

"Cartier?" she asks, glancing up at me. "What's this?"

"Open it," I say, barely able to hold back a grin.

She does and, of course, inside is the ring. It's a simple solitaire, five carats, flawless.

"Jon!"

She stares at the ring, her hand over her mouth. Then she looks in my eyes.

"Are you serious about this?"

I nod solemnly. "Yes," I say. I pull her into my arms and we lie together while she continues to stare at the ring. "I've never been more serious in my life."

Then, because she's continuing to stare at it, I take the box out of her hands and remove the ring. I take her hand and slip the ring on her finger.

"India, you are the love of my life. I can't imagine not spending the rest of my life with you by my side as my partner, as my lover, as my wife. I love you. Will you marry me?"

She examines the ring on her finger. Then she looks up at me, her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes," she whispers, and throws her arms around my neck. "Yes, of course I will. I love you."

We kiss and, despite the fact that we've both only recently had mutual orgasms, my body and mind can't get enough of her. Less than six months earlier, I was afraid I’d lose her. I couldn't imagine letting her go.

Now, I never have to.

THE END