Combustion (10 page)

Chapter Seventeen

“Finally.”

Eli sighed with relief, pushing his goggles up onto the top of his head and setting the welding gun aside to stare at his creation with no small measure of triumph. For the last two days, he'd been working on the lever system and the machinery that would be the heart of the device. Meanwhile, Astrid had been constructing the vibrators themselves, detail work at which she excelled.

Astrid looked back over her shoulder, setting down the vibrator motor she'd been finishing. “Finished?” She pushed her own magnifying goggles up into her hair and walked over to examine Eli's work. The entire contraption was a mess of levers and pulleys, but as she studied the layout, it began to make sense. “So you've modulated speed, depth and vibration?”

“I think so. I haven't turned it on yet.” Eli rubbed his beard. “Sort of afraid it won't work.”

“Only one way to find out.” Reaching out, Astrid flipped the switch to fire up the motor. It rumbled into life after only a shuddering hesitation, and then the piston began to move up and down, up and down, driving an invisible vibrator they hadn't yet attached.

“Well, would you look at that.” Eli grinned, then turned to Astrid. “I can't believe it works.” As she watched, he adjusted a knob on one lever, and it began to move more slowly. Another knob changed the height of the stroke. Watching the machine, Astrid felt a palpable urge to test it out.

Ever since her night with Eli, she'd been barely able to keep her hands to herself. Rather than getting him out of her system, she'd thought of almost nothing else in the days since. She'd thrown herself into the work with fanatical passion, but every time Eli spoke to her or brushed up against her, she was distracted all over again. He'd seemed relieved when she'd suggested they work on separate projects; maybe he was as bothered as she was.

One of the greatest benefits of working on separate projects was the time she was able to spend ogling his backside while he bent over the machine. How had she never appreciated this man's incredible body? It seemed a waste not to study its various planes and angles whenever she had a chance. As a result, it had taken her two full days to assemble the vibrating components when it really should only have taken a few hours. Fortunately, Eli hadn't seemed to notice her glacial work pace. He'd been so wrapped up in his own tasks that he'd completely ignored her other than at meal times.

Was he feeling awkward about Friday night? Regretting it? He was hard to read in the intervening days, staying so focused on their build that he discussed nothing else. Maybe she was the one being obsessive while he was being professional. Every so often, though, she thought she could feel him watching her, and when she looked, he returned immediately to his task. Maybe he was as distracted as she was. Maybe she was being neurotic.

“Are you all right?”

Astrid snapped out of her reverie at the sound of his voice. “Hmm? What? I'm fine. Why?”

“I've been talking to you for the last minute and you've been staring at the machine.” Eli switched it off and patted the seat. “What, are you planning to hop up and give it a go?”

“Don't be ridiculous.” She forced herself to laugh. “Here, I'm nearly finished with the main vibrators. Why don't you get the attachments ready?”

It was late in the day when they finished hooking up all the gearing and had the machine fully operational. Working so closely with Eli, their bodies often pressed together as they fastened complicated machinery; this contact distracted Astrid more than she wanted to admit to herself. When the last piece was soldered into place and the gears were turning properly, she stepped several paces away from him to catch her breath.

More distracting, however, was the sight of the machine fully operational. They'd covered the saddle with red leather, hiding the components and its unfinished wooden surface, the polished shaft rising up in an obscene pantomime. The thrusting, vibrating machine was both grotesque and oddly fascinating. Astrid couldn't look away and realized after a few minutes Eli was likewise entranced.

“It's…” She searched for a word, could think of nothing. “Wow.”

“I know.” Eli put his hand on the vibrating ridge in front of the shaft. “Everything seems to be working.” He rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead to clear some engine grease. “That's more than enough for one day. I think we should wrap up for tonight.”

Astrid looked back at her work station. “I'm building a different sized shaft to swap out with this one. It's almost done. I think I'm going to stay around for a little while to finish it.” When he glanced at his watch, she added, “I'll leave before it gets dark, don't worry. I'll be perfectly fine.”

Eli hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” She flashed him what she hoped was a dazzling smile. “Just another half hour or so. I hate leaving work unfinished.”

Eli rubbed his beard in thought. “All right. So when should we meet again?”

They made plans to meet that Sunday, which was ideal: Astrid needed a few days away from Eli to clear her head. He dawdled around after they finalized plans, straightening up his work station, seeming reluctant to leave. Finally, Astrid had no choice but to start ignoring him and begin working on the alternate shaft that, at the moment, she didn't care at all about finishing. At last, Eli said his goodbyes and left.

With a rapidly beating heart, Astrid waited for at least ten minutes for him to come back to the flat with some excuse about having forgotten something. When he didn't reappear, she put her work aside in relief to deal with the real reason she'd stayed behind. She wanted to test this machine.

Astrid took a moment to familiarize herself with the switches. A hand-crank adjusted the maximum height of the shaft at full penetration. Would she be able to reach the crank when she was seated? A quick examination told her no. Well, that was a design flaw that would need fixing. She adjusted the crank to what she considered a reasonable height. After brushing the sawdust away from the machine, clearing a path for herself, she carefully climbed up onto the workbench.

Mounting the device was more complicated than she'd anticipated. With the shaft in the “up” position, she had to almost squat on the table, since kneeling over it didn't put her at the right height. They needed a way to set the cock all the way down for easy penetration. She made a mental note to tell Eli, then raised herself awkwardly up over the saddle, aligned her body appropriately and sank down onto the shaft.

Oh God. When her knees came to rest on the table, her clit pressed down on the ridge in the machine, and she was fully impaled on the hard cock beneath her. Astrid squirmed, lifting herself as much as she could, but found that she couldn't move off it without awkwardly climbing back up to a squatting position. This was it, then. She took a deep breath and exhaled, then reached down under the machine and flipped the first switch.

The vibrations started first, rumbling directly against her clit, and she gasped at the suddenness. With her legs spread like this, her clit was exposed, pressed hard against the unyielding leather by her own body weight. A whimper slipped out through her lips. With fading composure, she reached down to flip the other switch.

The shaft inside her seemed to shiver for a moment as the machinery kicked in, and then it steadily withdrew. When only the tip remained inside her, it reversed direction and began sliding all the way upward, driving deep into her. She'd just caught her breath when the cycle began all over again, up then down, while the ridge continued to vibrate against her clit.

Reaching down beneath the lip of the saddle again, Astrid found the dial that would increase the speed of the shaft. With a half turn, the penetrations became more rapid, the device fucking her steadily. It was too much, the pleasure sharp and relentless. She felt helpless to get away, unable to move off the vibrator even as it quickly grew too much to tolerate.
Fuck
. As the hard cock continued stroking into her over and over again, her pleasure began to border on pain. She liked to ease off the vibrations when she approached climax, give her body time to build gradually, but with this machine, that wasn't an option.

Her orgasm felt as if it was torn out of her. Breathlessly, she crashed over the peak, her body clenching around the fake cock driving in and out of her, its rhythm never faltering, never varying, the vibrations consistent and merciless. She couldn't quite come down, couldn't move the toy away like she always did when it became too intense, forced instead to ride out the wave after wave of inescapable pleasure. Beside herself with the incredible sensations, Astrid dug her fingers into her own thighs, peaking again as her breathy sighs became moans and then whimpers.

At last, she had the presence of mind to reach below the machine and flail for the switches, clit throbbing from overstimulation, pussy still clenching and unclenching around the device as she turned off the components. Once the machine was silent at last, Astrid couldn't climb off right away, had to wait for her legs to stop trembling before she could dismount.

Astrid collapsed down onto her stool, knees red and legs wobbling, waiting to recover completely before attempting to stand up again. That was a wicked machine. With a cloth, she wiped down the components, then sat down to make note of necessary modifications. Maybe she'd even complete them on her own and give it another try later in the week.

Chapter Eighteen

Eli couldn't help whistling to himself as he walked through the light rain on Saturday night, heading to the workshop. In the past two days, he'd managed to put Astrid mostly out of his mind, turn a decent profit in the shop, and even plan for a few improvements on the machine. They were scheduled to meet up the next morning, but he wanted to get started ahead of time. It was easier to focus when she wasn't next to him, smelling soft and sweet and desirable.

Shouldering his bag, he let himself into the building and headed down the dark stairway. With any luck, he could finish up his work within the next hour or two. He turned the key in the downstairs lock and walked into their flat.

For a moment, he wasn't sure why the lights were already on. Then he spotted Astrid's cloak hanging on the coat rack and heard the muffled whine of the machine running. Apparently she wanted to get some work done on her own too, maybe making her own modifications to the structure. She would certainly be surprised to see him.

As soon as he walked into the doorway, he stopped. In front of him was the most erotic sight he'd ever seen. Astrid balanced on the worktable, straddling their machine, which was clearly fucking her without mercy. Head thrown back, eyes closed, lips parted, her profile was illuminated like a goddess in the light from the lamps. Her skirt had ridden up her thighs, and she was digging her fingernails into that tender skin with each rocking motion of her hips.

Eli stood frozen, unable to look away from the incredible spectacle of Astrid riding the machine. Oblivious to his presence, she moved and arched in her pleasure, forcing her clit down onto the vibrating ridge and moaning with the contact. Holy hell, that was incredible. He'd been with women, but he'd never witnessed this kind of intimacy before. Until Astrid, he didn't even really know that women liked to take pleasure with their own hands. Watching her writhe and sigh had him rock hard in his trousers.

She hadn't seen him; he could take his coat and go, never mention any of this, meet her there the next morning and pretend like nothing happened. At night, when he took his cock in hand, he could think of this moment, remember the look on her face and the hot, musky smell of sex hanging in the room. There were many reasons to leave, he was sure. Probably something about his professionalism, or maybe about not wanting to get involved with her for some reason, but he couldn't really remember the details. All he knew was that his dick was straining against the front of his trousers, and he couldn't seem to make his feet move. If she came, it was going to drive him over the edge, right here, without even touching himself.

As he stood rooted to the spot, his bag of tools slipped down off his shoulder and crashed to the floor.

Astrid's head whipped around, and she looked over to where he stood watching her, her mouth falling open.

“Eli! Shit!” She slapped around at the base of the machine, searching for the levers, her face and neck suddenly crimson with embarrassment. “Oh, God…fuck…where is that fucking switch?”

He was at her side in a moment. Without thinking, he took her face in his hands and drew her lips to his.

Her hands fluttered for a moment on the edge of the machine, still scrabbling automatically for the switch, before they gave up and slid to his shoulders. Her mouth trembled, then opened with a sigh as she shifted slightly to kiss him back. When he moved one hand down her back, he could feel her hips rocking against the machine still running beneath her.

Astrid broke the kiss. “Eli, turn it off… I can't…”

Eli buried his face into the soft skin of her neck and inhaled, overwhelmed by her scent. “Christ, Astrid, when I see you like this…I just want to throw you down and fuck you. Do you know that?”

She clutched at the back of his head with her hand, holding his lips against her neck, fingernails digging in as if trying to keep her composure. “Do you want to watch me come? Is that what you want?” As she spoke, she couldn't help gasping as the machine continued to fuck her.

It would be incredible to watch her ride this machine to orgasm, but he wanted more. His throbbing cock was making it difficult to think. “No. I don't want to watch you come. I want to make you come. I want to split you open. Do you want that?” Still nibbling down her neck, he pressed her hips forward with his hand on the small of her back, driving her clit hard into the vibrator. She cried out, her body jerking in surprise. “Tell me you want that.”

“Yes! Fuck, yes. God, Eli, make me come.”

He was already unbuttoning his trousers as he switched off the machine, spinning each dial and lever, bringing the gears to a shuddering halt. Astrid's body sagged slightly, still quivering with unsatisfied pleasure. Before Eli could think twice about it, he lifted her off the machine and set her down on the edge of the worktable. Stepping between her spread knees, he thrust into her warmth. She was soaking. Her pussy quivered around his shaft, tight and slick as he drove all the way in.

Astrid gasped, wrapping her legs around his hips to pull him in even deeper, her hands gripping the back of his shirt. She buried her face in his neck and clutched his back as he began fucking her, moaning into his skin. “Yes…oh, yes, Eli! Fuck me.”

He could barely control himself. His entire mind seemed fogged, the world dissolving except for her hot, tight pussy, her breasts pressed against his chest, her breath on his neck, her nails digging into his back. He sucked and bit at her ear, her jaw, desperate to taste her as he thrust harder and faster into her warmth. Grabbing the side of his head, she pulled his face to hers, devouring his lips and tongue. He swallowed her moans and sighs. In some recess of his mind, he realized he wasn't going to last very long, his thrusts already erratic.

“Astrid, touch yourself.”

She leaned back, breaking the kiss, and reached down between her legs to the place where they were joined, finding her clit. At the contact, he felt her spasm around him, hissing in sudden pleasure. Leaning back even farther, she propped herself up on one arm as the other rubbed her bud. She looked incredible. Feeling the tightness, he gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his orgasm at bay, wanting to watch her come, knowing he needed to pull out. He forced himself to slow down, drawing back most of the way before pushing in again, giving her the time she needed. With each thrust, she rubbed harder and faster, biting her lip, seeming as desperate to come as he was.

He felt the beginnings of her orgasm, the first rippling spasms around his shaft. She was so close, he could tell. Her face and neck were flushed, whole body trembling. That was it. Right there…just a little more. “Yes.
Please
, Astrid, come for me.”

At his words, her body snapped back, her pussy clutching at his cock so tightly he thought he was going to burst right then. Then she curled forward, her legs squeezing his hips like a vise, and the room was filled with her erotic orgasmic cries. Letting himself go, he began to drive into her, over and over again, harder and faster, fucking her without mercy until finally he found his own release. At the last possible moment, he pulled out, his climax tearing through him and nearly buckling his knees. He rode out the waves of pleasure, emptying himself into his fist as he gripped the worktable with his other hand.

When at last he was spent, Eli sank down onto the bench, dizzy, breathing hard and trying to make sense of what had happened. In the moments after orgasmic bliss, the reality of their situation settled down around him. What had he done?

Astrid slithered down off the table and settled beside him on the bench. She didn't say anything, just sat there with her hands resting on her thighs, waiting. He didn't want to talk about this. Trying to gather his thoughts, he got up and began cleaning up with a cloth. Taking direction from him, Astrid did the same, wiping down the machine.

When there was nothing else to clean, Eli stood there, his feet leaden, unsure what to say. Turning from the machine, Astrid faced him across the space between them. Her face was flushed, short hair wild from their frantic sex, lips swollen from his kisses. Her stance challenged him, legs slightly apart with her hands on her hips. What was it about her that made him unable to control himself?

Before he could frame a question or statement, Astrid gave him a half smile. “So I suppose you caught me.”

Right, there was that. “How long have you been using the machine?”

She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, ducking her head. How was she embarrassed after all that shameless display? “A couple of days. I've been coming in here at night. No pun intended. Well, I guess the pun is appropriate.” Her smile was infectious, and he found himself relaxing a bit. This wasn't the end for their working relationship, right? He just got carried away.

“I'm sorry for what happened there.” Eli leaned against the worktable, reminded suddenly of how she'd looked sitting on it while he fucked her not ten minutes earlier. “We shouldn't have done that.”

Her smile faded. “If you say so. But I wasn't the one spying.”

“I was not spying! I came down here to make some modifications. I wanted to make the switches easier to reach, for one thing.” He walked past her to examine the machine, more so he didn't have to look at that disappointed expression on her face. Each time he looked at her, he wanted to take her into his arms again. But if he let himself have that, if he got too close to her, it would hurt all the more when she ultimately left him. “I think maybe we should take a few more days apart. I don't want this kind of thing to happen again.” That was a blatant lie, of course, and she probably knew it. He wanted this kind of thing to happen over and over again, but it wasn't prudent.

“Well, maybe you should keep it in your pants, then.”

The anger in her voice made him turn. She folded her arms. “I mean it. If you don't want to have sex with me, don't have sex with me. But this ‘yes, yes, yes' followed by ‘no, no, no' isn't fair to either of us.”

“I'm sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair. How could he explain this? Now she thought he didn't want her. “It's not that. It's only that I think this is a bad idea. You and me? We're such different people, Astrid.” That was an understatement. He was boring, predictable, professional, and she was wild, brave and creative.

Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Oh. Okay, I get it.” She looked off to the side. “Sure. Let's take a few days off. Wednesday? Normal time?”

“All right.” Her annoyance unsettled him, but he didn't know how to address it. Maybe by Wednesday, all would be forgotten.