Mary

~Le amo mas que las palabras pueden expresar~

As Mary Hawarden settled in for a long plane trip, she decided it would be a long day. Being on a plane for three hours was not her idea of fun, or rest. First class was her only way to fly. She figured if she was going to fly, she was going to do it in style. If the plane was going to crash, she was going down comfortably.

She was a people watcher. The people in first class were usually snobby and glitzy. However on this trip, the passengers in first class were normal, everyday people. There was a group of five men and two were with beautiful women. That was all that was on the flight in first class. She determined that the group was together and she was the odd man out...or woman, rather.

The group was spread out in the cabin and across from her sat a man with tattooed arms, sunglasses on his head, gum in his mouth, reading a book of some sort, and listening to headphones. Every now and then, he would tap his foot to the beat and look out the window. Mary concluded that he was handsome--despite his tattoos.

Being an author, Mary was always on the lookout for new names and characters. The man in front of her was just the character she needed to finish her latest book. She retrieved her pen and paper-she had had too much bad luck with computers- and filled in a description of her mystery character.

"Short brown hair, chocolate brown pools of soul--windows to foreign lands."

A tap on her hsoulder brought her out of her trance-like writing. When she looked up, she saw the man who had been sitting across from her. He stood beside her, looking down and smiling.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"Not at all." With that, Mary moved her bag and placed it at her feet. He continued to talk to her.

"My name is AJ." He said, extending his hand to her. With a smile and a shake, Mary introduced herself to him. His voice was somewhat raspy, but Mary deduced that he wasn't sick; she was also a Registered Nurse. They struck up a conversation and by the time the flight ended, they knew quite a bit about each other. Mary liked him even more than she had when he was sitting across from her. Unfortunately, they parted at baggage claim, never to see each other again. Mary caught a cab to her hotel and checked in.

Her latest assignment was to write a book about a group she had never heard of. She didn’t even remember the name, just knew that she would meet the group in the lobby in three hours. They would go to dinner, get to know one another, then stay at a residence in northern New York. Mary unpacked her suitcase, then decided to repack after her shower. She was dressed for dinner and packed in less than two hours. She grabbed her purse and room key then stepped outside her room. As her door closed, she looked down the hall. There was a lot of commotion coming her way.

Their eyes met. Both of them froze in time. Even though only seconds had passed, the long stare they shared was eternal. He walked right up to her. Mary snapped out of it.
“Hi.” She smiled.

“Mary.” AJ returned. “I didn’t know you were staying here.”

“Yes… I am. Here on business.”

“So are we…we have to meet with a writer in a few minutes.” AJ explained. Mary almost swooned. If this was her group, she would have to get someone else on this job. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”

“Yes, I recognize you, you are AJ.” Mary grinned, rolling her eyes. AJ let out a jovial laugh.
“I know you know that, darlin’, but I was talking about Backstreet AJ.” He smiled a camera smile. Mary let out a laugh this time.

“Who?”

"Are you kidding me?" AJ asked, looking at Mary point-blank. She shook her head no, but thought it was funny how, now that he mentioned who he was, she knew exactly the group she would be writing a book on.

"I have never heard of you until recently...you see I am with Atlantic Publishers and I am the writer that your group is meeting with today in the lobby..."

AJ looked at Mary in disbelief. All this time he had been sharing pieces of his life with her... what a story she would have to write! That would be one hot book once it got on the shelf.

AJ was intrigued with Mary, everything about her, he either found cute or downright sexy. He had wanted to get to know her better, was unsure of how he would get to do this, and here was his golden opportunity staring him in the face! He knew where he was sitting at the dinner the group was scheduled to have with her. The dinner planned was a meet and greet type of thing, where they would ultimately and inevitably all get wasted on expensive wines that they never had a taste for anyway. This was a normal thing, I will not say it happened often, but the guys did like to get together on their off days and have some..."fun."

All the "fun" the group would be having together would be nothing to AJ tonight, he wanted to know more about this Mary Howarden. He liked her and from what he gathered, she liked him, too. The extent of that like was somewhat questionable to him, but he did not care. He had his eye on her and that, in and of itself, would be her demise. Well ok, not her demise, but AJ would definitely do anything he could to get with her.

"Wow...I would have never thought you would be the writer...I mean, I am sure you can do it if you are assigned to the job, but...you don't look the part. Most of the 'writers' we see are all professionally dressed and stiff nosed. You look so relaxed and comfortable."

"All the better, that way I can be on your level and not above you." Something in the tone of her voice turned him on when she said that. He loved the implications that she had made, whether or not she had noticed it. He wanted her above him...hell anywhere would work for him, but he deifinitely didn't want to scare her off. He would have to take his time, judging from all the things she had shared with him on the plane. He felt something for her that he simply could not put his finger on.

Kevin walked over and told AJ it was time to get ready. With some parting words, they left each other and Mary went to get dressed for the dinner she would share with the Backstreet Boys. She was unsure of what to do with her suitcase as the entire group would be leaving for another hotel after this night. She was partly thankful, her hotel room was a little cramped. When she was at last ready and her suitcase was repacked, she journeyed down to the hotel lobby and sat in one of the cushioned chairs there. After reading through the latest gardening magazine, she heard the distinct sound of grown men talking and laughing, and in general, carrying on pointless conversations. Upon their entering the lobby, she stood and AJ introduced her to the group, this time as their writer. The Boys were shocked they had known her since the plane and only AJ had known that she would be the writer.

After the initial shock was over, they all decided on a restaurant to eat at. Then they left, all in one big unmarked tour bus that had been parked at the back of the hotel. They chose the Olive Garden and asked for private seating in the back of the restaurant. They were of couse obliged and their drink orders were taken.

The group was sitting in an odd formation, but one that was to be expected. Mary was sandwiched between Kevin and Brian and AJ sat across from her. Kevin had engaged Mary in a conversation that she found irresistable. They had been talking about writing when Mary mentioned that she was mainly a fiction author and so this was a stretch for her to write the truth and not make it up as she went along. Kevin asked her what kind of fiction she wrote, and shamelessly, and absentmindedly she replied:

"I write erotica."

"Really?" Kevin asked, trying to conceal his shock and his smirk. He sipped his water as she replied a yes.

"I have been writing for over four years now and I find little joy in anything else. It opens my mind to all kinds of possibilities and leaves me wondering when I will ever find a man of my own."

"Are you saying that you are single?" Kevin asked. AJ rolled his eyes. *Yes, that's what she's saying you dumbass, what else would she be saying?!* AJ also knew that Kevin was trying to get with her now. He had to stop that, for sure.

"Yes...I don't see myself with anyone in the future. I think I will be all alone the rest of my life."

"Yeah right..." AJ smiled. "You know better than to think that way. You are smart, talented, and on top of that, very beautiful, there is hardly a man on earth who would disagree." Mary grinned, then looked at the table.

"Well, thank you, AJ, but I am afraid they cannot put up with my attitude and my decorating ideas." At this, Kevin laughed.

"I have that same problem...ironic..."

"You? Never, I am sure you have thousands of women that clamour over you.

"This is true but one can hardly assume that I have ever met a woman that I would like to be with forever... or who would want to be with me." AJ did not like this conversation, or where it seemed to have been heading. He tried to keep Mary's attention throughout the meal, but eventually, she found him annoying and would have much rather had Kevin to talk to all night long. When Kevin excused himself to go to the restroom, AJ made his move and asked her if she would like to have dinner just the two of them sometime. She smiled, then replied.

"Isn't that a little too unprofessional?" AJ was crushed. Nothing was too unprofessional to her. She would clue you in to her most intimate places, but would not go to dinner alone with you if you begged her.

"What do you mean? It could be a working dinner..." AJ smiled.

"Well in that case you would be disappointed when it was over, wouldn't you?" She had him pinned to the table now. He didn't like it that she had him figured out so quickly. Dinner went on as planned, but Kevin kept Mary entertained for the most of it. After dinner, Kevin and Mary were still talking. All the way to the hotel, they talked and until they got to their rooms they talked.

AJ went into the room and closed the door, then flopped on the bed. Kevin looked over at him.

"What's your problem?" Kevin asked. AJ rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling. "Do you like Mary?"

"She's a peach." AJ said quickly and with much sarcasm.

"Alex... you know what I mean."

"I do know what you mean, and I am going to tell you the truth. I think I am in love way over my head this time...She's the most beautiful and most talented women I have ever known. Not to mention she sees right through me. I really thought we could maybe have something, but from the way dinner was going, I have an idea that you will have her a long time before I ever get the chance to touch her hand." With that, AJ rolled over and walked to the bathroom.

"AJ, wait a minute." AJ stopped in his tracks and Kevin caught up. "You are just now telling me how you feel about her? Why didnt you tell me sooner? You know I would have backed off if I had known..."

"Yeah right... just like you backed off when Sabrina and I were dating. Are you just out to ruin my chances with every woman I meet?"

"Alex that is rediculous and you know it. Here, this is what I will do. You can have her... she really isnt all that into me anyway, at least not as into me as I am into her. I know that for a fact. I think she likes you but doesn't want to admit it." Kevin walked onto the balcony of the room and sat in the chair there, leaving AJ to his own devices. AJ showered and went back to bed.

That night he awoke with a headache and decide to walk around the hotel, and to go see the view from the pent-house floor. He had the pass up there anyway. He might as well try to see it. The elevator never asked him for his pass, and soon the doors to the pent-house floor were opened to him. He stepped onto the floor and stood still, eyes wide. In front of him was a view unlike any he had ever planned on seeing. It was Mary. Her dress she had worn to dinner hugged her body in all the right places and flowed in all the right places. Her back was to him and she was leaning on a railing looking out over the city. The lights from outside shilouetted her figure and instantly AJ felt something like hot lava running through his veins. The elevator dinged, breaking the moment. Mary spun around.

"AJ...what are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

*silence* AJ took a step forward, slid his hands in his pockets and looked down.

""Thinking."" They said in unison."About what?" AJ asked softly as he took a spot beside her on the rail. He looked over at her as she looked at him . Their eyes met and her reply shocked him.

"You."

"Me?" I asked. With a small smile and another look out over the city she replied a yes. I was speechless, but eventually came up with a sensible question. "What about me?"

"To tell you the truth," she began slowly. Her hand slid up to my shoulder as she looked at me. "I was wondering what it would be like if you were to ever kiss me." Finally as I looked into her eyes, I realized the reason for her change. She had been drinking. I laughed slightly, to which she frowned.

"Have you been drinking, Mary...are you sure you want me to kiss you...are you sure you don't want someone else?" She moved her hand and looked at me incredulously.

"I beg your pardon, I do not drink." Her look of surprise melted into a sexy grin as she walked walked around me. "Oh I don't know...maybe you are right, Alexander, maybe I am wanting someone else." There was a long pause, and then the smooth words coming from her candy lips. "But I am thinking that's a negative...I am definitely wanting you." In what seemed like a very short few minutes, we were in her hotel room and halfway naked.

"AJ!" Kevin yelled. I shook the sleep off as I was confronted with blinding light that shined in my eyes as the curains to the room were whooshed open. My hands covered my eyes and I pulled the covers over my already uncomfortable hard-on I had developed from my dream. I was suddenly thankful for remembering to put on my boxers before I just fell into bed. "Man we are getting late. Get up, Age. We have to be in the lobby in about...six minutes." Kevin said, checking his watch. I gave Kevin a thumbs up and nodded. Kevin walked out of the room, to which I sighed a sigh of relief. I remembered my dream and my hand mindlessly slid into my boxers and grasped my cock. I began stroking gently, then slowly speeding up. I had become used to having to jack off quickly, so I thought nothing of it. Within three minutes I was finished and within two I was making my way to the lobby.

When I got to the lobby, I saw Kevin and Mary talking. She didn't look too happy this morning. Kevin looked like he was apologising for something. That was fine by me. I hoped he had to beg for forgiveness from her. I looked at my watch, two minutes late.

"Good morning." Mary smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Sorry I'm late." She smiled and waved her hand in the air to dismiss my apology.

"You are on time by my watch." She was completely ignoring Kevin. "AJ today I am going to talk with you for a while, then I will talk with the other guys. Would you like to have breakfast so we can get away from here and concentrate in a more appropriate setting?" I was floored and wondering if I was dreaming again. I nodded and agreed. "Then you might want to put those shades on your face and pull your sleeves down." She grinned. How does she have me figured out so fucking fast? I thought. I shook the thought out of my head and did as she said. Kevin got up and stormed off to the room. She looked at me. "Forget about breakfast. I need to talk to you." She said, taking my arm and walking out the door with me. "Let's go to the park on the next block." She said. I agreed.

"Sounds nice to me." I loved the feel of her arm on mine. My hands were in my pockets when I felt her hand slide down to join mine in my pocket. I looked down at her she just looked ahead. I let her keep her hand there, I wanted it there...maybe a little over to the left more, but I wanted it there. We got to the park and she led me off to a quiet secluded corner. We sat under the trees in the grass and she began speaking.

"AJ." She looked into my eyes. "I was very rude to you last night." I shook my head and looked away.

"Ah, Mary, don't--"

"AJ...I like you...a whole whole lot." there was a pause. "I have since you asked to sit next to me on the plane...last night I was just...I don't know what I was, but I was awful...and now Kevin thinks that I like him and that...that...I don't know...I guess I was afraid last night. I don't usually have many guys liking me, so I really don't know how to react to them. I push them away...like I did with you last night."

"Mary it's okay..."

"Please listen..." She pleaded. I nodded. "When I went to bed last night, I had a dream...a dream about you. I had prayed for years for a sign that God would give me whenever I met the guy that I would be with forever...and I prayed for a specific sign...that sign was revealed to me last night in my dream. I have no doubt that we are supposed to be together." She sighed. "There I said it." I looked into her eyes and all I could see was truth and honesty. I had never seen that in a woman's eyes and it made me want to kiss her. I pulled her close to me and did just that. Our kiss was slow and thorough. Our world melted away as we formed our own.

We were disturbed my the modern technology of cellular phones. I cursed softly that our time was interrupted. I looked at my caller ID, ignored Kevin's call and put the damned phone on silent. I pulled her closer to me this time and kissed her deeply. Her kiss was incredible. It wasn't fancy and it wasn't perfect, it was honest and...Mary. My hands slid through her soft, long, curly tresses. I noted her scent. She smelled clean, yet she had a feminine flare. Not overpowering and not like flowers or candy. Just... clean. Her skin was soft like rose petals and her cheeks were a slight pink from all of our kissing. I looked into her green eyes. For minutes we sat in silence and simply watched each other. We were open and honest, something I had never been with anyone. It was like our lives were laying out there and we didn't care what the other thought. I took her hand in mine, kissing her finger tips. This was true intimacy. There were no barriers and there was not a faint trace of awkwardness. I bet we looked like a couple who had been married for twenty years. That thought made me happy.

When her phone rang and it was Kevin wondering where we had been for the past three hours, we decided it was a good time to head back. Her hand was locked with mine inside my poket again and it felt ten times better than it had earlier. When we reached the hotel, though, we separated and we had decided on the way back that we would keep it quiet and tell no one, but we could meet at anytime. All we needed to do was call one another. Kevin was waiting for us in the room like he was my dad or something.

"Where have you guys been?" Mary walked in a little further and smiled at Kevin.

"We've been fucking like crazy for the past two hours!" She smiled. Kevin finally broke down and smiled.

"Okay okay... When I couldn't get AJ's phone, I got a little scared...sorry to interrupt you guys..."

"Gosh, Kevin...don't be such a worry wart...he was with me... he was fine." Mary smiled.

"So where did you two eat?" Kevin asked. Mary had an immediate response.

"I told you we were fucking like crazy for the past two hours...we didn't eat..." Mary grinned. I shook my head.

"No we weren't...we were working on the book. We didn't eat, though. We went to Risner park and just worked on the book."

"Now that you mention it, I am hungry though..." Mary smiled sweetly at me. I nodded in agreement. Kevin interjected and agreed that we should all go to get something. So.... the three of us went to the little cafe on the corner of the next street. Mary sat across from me and wrapped her legs around mine. Throughout the meal she would pull my feet closer to her and would smile at me slightly. She was enjoying this and truthfully so was I. I hadn't been with anyone in close to two years thanks to my former habits. Now that the group was back together and working on the new album, fate was shining on us. And as I sat looking at Mary, I knew God had definitely been listening to my little prayers. Kevin's phone rang and he excused himself, giving us time alone.

"What are you doing to my feet?" I asked, smiling.

"Absolutely nothing...well...maybe a little something..."

"And what would you call that little something?"

"Playing." She grinned. She was beautiful.

"You are so pretty." I said, leaning forward. She smiled wider.

"Thank you, Alex." Our hands joined across the table. The waiter came and sat our food down. We didn't wait on Kevin to start eating, with him, he could have been on the phone for hours and we weren't gonna wait that long. "Thank God." Mary smiled, placing her napkin on her lap. "All that kissing made me hungry."

"Me too..." and that's not all it made me. I thought. She must have read my mind cause she giggled slightly. "What?" I asked.

"Oh nothing..." She whispered. Kevin walked over to the table before I had a chance to respond to her.

The next few weeks were weeks of growth and for me, anticipation. This was our last week to be working with Mary on the book. We were becoming unsure and a little bit leery of the future. We sat in the dark of her room one night just enjoying each other's company. She was the first to break the heavy silence with the question I dreaded to hear.

"AJ? What will happen at the end of this week?"

"I'm really not sure, baby." I whispered pulling her into my arms even more. She snuggled against my chest. We had become close, very close, and even though we thought we were going to be together forever, we simply couldn't see how. One part of me was aching with physical longing as well as emotional longing for the woman that now lay securely in my embrace. And the other part of me was so happy to have her there and so happy to know she was mine. 100% of me, however, was not looking forward to Saturday. It was Thursday. "I just really hope that things will work out to where we can be together. I love you, Mary." She looked up at me with a cute smirk.

"I love you, too, Alexander." She kissed me softly. She was so innocent, she really was. Despite my efforts to try to woo her into my bed, she always weasled me into hers, where we never took an article of clothing off unless it was our socks or my shirt. The thought of not having her before the week was over was gnawing at me. Would she forget me once the week was over? Would she find someone else? Would she want me back if I let her go? "What are you thinking, mastermind?" She teased.

"Thinking about the what if's in this relationship. What if you forget me, what if you found someone else, what if--" I was silenced by a clean, sweet smelling finger over my lips.

"I was thinking about what if's, but they were, what if I could move my job, what if I could move to Orlando and get a new job, what would happen if I let the one man in my life who makes me complete walk out the door in a few days. Would I be willing to let him walk on and would I be willing to let him go, even if it was for just a few days?" There was silence between us. I snuggled in closer to her and kissed her forehead.

"Let's just sleep on it tonight, baby. We will see what tomorrow brings." She agreed, then sat up a litte. She removed her bra and her shorts, then settled under the covers.

"Join me?" She asked. I thought about it for a minute, then decided I might as well. I pulled my shirt off and slid under the covers. "You don't have to sleep in jeans...I know it bugs you."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I want you to be comfortable." She pushed me toward the edge of the bed. I slid my jeans off and regained my position next to her. She rolled over and faced me with a cute grin. "No one's ever slept beside me in bed before." She whispered, scooting herself into my arms. That answered several questions I had for her. "I'm glad you are the first person. It feels right." She added, tracing her finger over my jawline to my chin. She smiled again, then kissed me softly. I was so happy to be there. She was right, it felt right, no, it felt perfect. "Hold me." She whispered.

"I am holding you." I replied.

"Hold me closer...tighter." I wrapped her closer to me in a tighter embrace. She smelled so good and felt so perfect, so soft. Her skin was cool and clean. Her hair was still damp from her shower and it smelled like sandalwood incense. Her smooth, long leg wrapped around my waist. My eyebrow cocked and I thought that if she tried to get any closer, she would be flat on her back and we would be as close as two people can physically be. After a few minutes, I realized that that is what she was aiming for.

"If we get any closer, Mary..."

"I know." She whispered, shushing me again with that finger. "I want to know."

"Know what?" I asked, getting lost in her touch as her finger slid down my chest and continued to slide lower.

"I want to know how to please you." She whispered, nuzzling her nose into the crook of my neck. Her finger timidly slipped into the waist of my boxers, making my already hard erection become harder. She pressed her hips against mine, making me groan and press against her. I rolled her onto her back and hovered over her. "I want you so bad, AJ...so bad." My hand made its way to her breast and gently massaged. She placed her hand over mine and helped me along. I knew how delicate and tender the soft flesh of a breast was, and I didn't want to bruise her. She moved my hand down to her waist, where the elastic of her panties waited patiently for me to remove them. I took my time, exploring her in the bluish light of the street lamp outside.