I left the office early, wanting to be sure I got to my apartment well before Ashley was due to arrive. The night had to be absolutely perfect, and I would go to the ends of the earth to see that everything was just so.

Having searched the internet for the best home chef in the area, I sent the guy a quick message, offering double pay for booking him at such short notice. I received a reply immediately, smiling to myself as I typed out my dinner requests: a nice surf and turf meal, served with a vintage Pinot Grigio, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

While I knew the real dessert would be a thousand times more tantalizing than any cake the chef could provide, I wanted to see that my princess received the true royal treatment. I quickly went about setting the scene, placing a single candle in the middle of the table on my balcony. Realizing that it was missing something, I quickly shuffled downstairs. The florist was a block away, a short enough distance that I could walk it quickly.

Never having been the romantic sort, it was my first time buying a woman flowers. I knew you couldn’t go wrong with red roses and purchased two dozen in a beautiful glass vase. My phone vibrated in my pocket as the florist arranged the blooms and I fumbled in my pocket for a moment before swiping the screen. Seeing that it was a picture message from Ashley, I raised an eyebrow before opening it.

In the picture, Ashley stood poised in front of a full-length mirror, clad in the most tantalizing and skimpy lingerie I’d ever seen in my life. She pouted sensually for the camera, and it was all I could do to keep my composure. The florist was taking an agonizing amount of time arranging the flowers, but when he was finally finished, I was satisfied enough. I thanked the man, leaving a generous tip before rushing back toward my penthouse.

Stepping inside, I walked to the balcony before setting the vase full of roses on the table. I paced the floor as I waited for the chef to arrive. My phone vibrated again, and I grabbed it with quivering hands. Ashley had sent a frowning emoticon, asking if I’d not liked the photo, and I realized belatedly that I’d forgotten to respond. I assured her that she simply left me speechless, which seemed to please her. Just as I was about to send another message, there was a knock at my door.

Welcoming the chef inside, I gave him ample room in my kitchen to do his job. I made sure that the man knew he would receive a very generous tip depending on how quickly and efficiently he finished preparing the meal.

An hour later, growing antsy, I peeked into the kitchen just as the chef finished cooking. We worked quickly to arrange the plates on the table on the balcony, shifting them around until it looked absolutely perfect. I thanked him in a rush, offering a wad of hundred dollar bills as I all but shoved him out the door.

Exactly five minutes later, there was another knock. Inhaling a calming breath, I lit the candle and dimmed the lights before allowing Ashley inside. She smiled coyly, and I noticed that her blouse was unbuttoned just enough to show the slightest glimpse of her lace bra. Unable to help myself, I drew her into my arms and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around my neck, our lips working in perfect synchrony.

“I missed you,” she said softly, after I’d reluctantly pulled away from her. I smiled, gently caressing her cheek.

“I missed you too. Come on, let’s eat,” I said with a grin, guiding her toward the table. Her eyes widened with delight upon seeing the spread of food, as well as the exorbitantly large bouquet of roses. She reached a hand out tentatively, delicately brushing the petals with her fingertips.

“You did this for me?” she asked. I chuckled softly, pulling her chair out for her. She sat down, eyes scanning the spread of the table. She was nearly drooling at the sight of it, while I was hungry for something else.

“Of course I did it for you. Who else would there be?” I teased, taking my own seat and beginning to eat. She watched me quietly for a moment before taking a bite as well. She seemed content, an easy smile gracing her features. A slight breeze ruffled her hair, the candlelight flickering. “You’re beautiful,” I blurted out, my confidence building as she blushed prettily.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she said with a small smile.

While I knew the chef had worked hard on the strawberry shortcake sitting in the refrigerator, I knew in that moment that I couldn’t wait any longer for the real dessert of the evening. I stood, offering Ashley my hand as she dabbed at her lips with a napkin. She met my gaze, her eyes dark with desire as she rose from the table and pressed herself against me.

Our lips met again, slowly and sensually at first. However, as I pulled her inside and toward my bedroom, the embrace intensified. She moaned against my lips, and I drew away to lower my mouth to her beautiful neck. I kissed and nipped along her porcelain skin, arousal reaching fever pitch as she moaned softly. I drew away, pulling her into my bedroom and all but tossing her on the bed. She gasped, hitting the bed and bouncing slightly.

“You’re so strong,” she cooed, curling her finger to beckon me forward. I crawled up from the bottom of the bed, pressing her back against the pillows. Our lips met tenderly, one sweet kiss after the other. While her mouth was occupied, she began to unbutton my shirt at a slow and leisurely pace. I shrugged it off, and she sat up slightly to spread her hands across my chest.

There was something different about this encounter, something softer. Our normal hurried pace was absent, and while we’d simply been having sex all the times previous, this felt more like…well, lovemaking.

She lay back, making a show of unbuttoning her blouse. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, watching my expression as she revealed inch after inch of her beautiful, unblemished skin. The bra she was wearing was even sexier in person, and I was all too eager to see the matching set.

I drew away slightly, drawing her jeans down past her hips and tossing them over my shoulder. Her gaze was smoldering as she watched me, and I felt myself growing almost painfully hard. I lowered my head to her chest, kissing the skin that wasn’t covered by the bra.

“You’re perfect,” I said breathily, meaning it with every fiber of my being.

Ashley reddened, curving her back obligingly as I reached behind her to unclasp her bra. It fell away from her breasts, and my pants were uncomfortably tight as I considered her perfect little pink nipples. I groaned, unbuttoning my pants to relieve a bit of the pressure before continuing my tender ministrations on her chest.

Taking a nipple between my lips, I sucked lightly as I tweaked the opposite with my fingers. She moaned, her hips rolling up against me. Her clothed womanhood brushed against the crotch of my pants, and it was all I could do not to rip every shred of clothing off of us. I wouldn’t throw away this moment of tenderness, though, not for anything in the world.

“Jensen, I—” she gasped, her voice strangled as I kissed down her stomach. I dipped my tongue into her navel, smiling up at her as I made my way between her thighs.

“What is it, sweetheart?” I murmured, running my fingers along the waistband of her panties. She whimpered, raising her hips to allow me easier access.

“I missed you so much,” she gasped out as I stroked a finger along her slit. Her body quaked, and my anxiety fell away upon seeing how she was coming undone at my hands. I smiled up at her, lowering my mouth to her lower lips and flicking my tongue out to taste her. Her breath caught in her throat as I continued to explore her with my lips and tongue, parting her and enjoying every taste of her essence. “More. I need more. Jensen…please?” she implored.

I rose up on my knees, pushing my pants and briefs down my hips, then rocking back to kick them the remainder of the way off. The two of us were entirely bared to each other, and she looked at me with sheer adoration in her gaze. I stretched out above her, pressing my face against the side of her neck as I positioned myself at her entrance. A soft gasp later, I was pushing slowly inside of her. She moaned, a long and appreciative sound.

“You’re always so tight for me, baby,” I said lowly, drawing away and pushing back into her much more quickly. She bounced slightly, sensually taking her lower lip between her teeth. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she groped at her own chest as I began to establish a steady pace. “Oh, no. Bad girl,” I said as I moved her hands aside. She whined, but settled when I began to palm and caress her breasts.

It was a short reprieve before I began to pound into her in earnest, and my name repeatedly fell from her lips. I grabbed her hips, bringing them to meet mine with a lewd little slap every time I hilted myself inside of her. She was moaning incoherently at that point, and I pressed our lips together to silence her as she began to spasm almost violently as she came. Feeling her clamp down on my manhood, all it took was two shaky thrusts before I emptied myself inside of her. She sighed softly, eyes fluttering open as I stilled inside her.

There was so much I wanted to say to her. However, as she settled comfortably in my embrace and closed her eyes, I let the moment speak for itself.

The actual words could come later.