A Battle of Wills

"On behalf of Air Canada, the crew and I would like to welcome you all to Vancouver. The local time is eight in the evening, and it is a reasonable December evening hovering right around zero degrees."

With the end of the captain's announcement, the inefficient ritual began with among the passengers, many who seemed to stand all at once in an effort to reclaim their bags from the overhead bins. Then, they all stood, and stood, and remained standing in a long line all the way down the aisle, and waited. As the landing crew worked to get the door open, impatient huffs and puffs could be heard throughout the aircraft.

The next few hours were a total blur for Thomas, who had spent the last six hours on a flight that had left two hours later than it was supposed to. After much catching up with his family and friends, and too many texts on his phone from more who wanted to meet in the coming days while he visited between semesters, Thomas was beat and ready to get some needed rest and relaxation.

It would be a great time to catch up with family over the next few weeks. His sister, Mary, would be joining them back home in another week, as her final exams went unfortunately late into the holiday season. For now it would be the three of them, plus Celine, which was a bit of a special treat for Thomas.

Celine was a friend of the family from years ago. She and her husband, Ted, had played cards with his mother and father, and they had gone to shows and vacationed together when Thomas and Mary were older. It came as a shock to everyone when Ted suffered a heart attack in the middle of a short run, one he took a few times a week. Ted, who had worked out often, who ate well, who did not smoke or drink in excess, dead at only fifty-eight years of age.

Thomas and Mary had both been away studying for finals when that happened two years ago, and their parents had kept it from them so as to spare them any grief during their already stressful time. There was always the option to simply take a deferred exam, but that was something they all wanted to avoid. Ted was the kind of person who never wanted to be a bother, and later on they all joked that travelling back for a funeral would have resulted in his ghost coming back to yell at the kids for wasting their time, instead of finishing their exams.

When finally they told Thomas and Mary, months had gone by. The shock was great, but they seemed to understand. Thomas called Celine by phone and expressed how sorry he was, and she was grateful. This was now the first time that Thomas would be seeing Celine again, since she was going to be staying with them for the holidays while her new apartment was being renovated.

Thomas carried his small carry-on luggage, the only bag he had brought for the short trip, and walked inside with his parents. Once inside, Celine greeted them all in the living room, and beelined right for Thomas to give him a welcome hug back home. Thomas needed to do a double take. He had remembered Celine as rather plain, with an average body, similar to his mother in most respects.

Instead, Celine looked as though she had swapped bodies with someone much younger, and more fit, than she actually was. She wore a pair of simple, black yoga pants, and t-shirt that said "Drink up fellow Grinches, it's Christmas!", and quite appropriately, held a glass of wine in one hand. While Thomas' parents moved to the kitchen to prepare dinner, Celine gave Thomas a big hug, the smell of wine strong on her breath. As she pressed into him, Thomas could hardly believe how great she looked.

"Celine!" he began, awe in his voice, "You look so, so...different now."

"Oh, well," she began, stepping back to turn around in a few circles, "I've been taking pilates, and swimming, and lots of running. I've turned into a bit of an exercise junkie in the last year. What do you think?"

Thomas found himself staring a little too long, which rosy-cheeked Celine had no problem with, laughing and saying, "You're silence is more than enough!"

Thomas laughed at himself, thinking about how he was never shy around the girls in his dorm and the parties he attended, but Celine had stupefied him.

"You look great, and it's great to see you," he finally said, taking off his coat and hanging it in the closet.

"Why thank you," she replied, "Now, let's eat. Your flight being delayed has meant I've had lots of time to drink wine while waiting for dinner."

The rest of the evening passed and by the end of meal, Thomas was glad to be back home with his family. It had been too long, even though only four months had passed without seeing them, he missed them.

As the time neared midnight, dinner ended and everyone went to bed. His parents stayed upstairs in the master bedroom, Celine would be staying the guest room on the main floor, while Thomas made his way down to his room in the basement. When his sister came the following week, she too would be in the basement in her room.

Now he sat in the basement rec room, comfortably on the end of the couch while everyone else slept, wearing only the workout shorts he had brought for running. He sipped at his cold beer and half paid attention to the TV, watching nothing in particular and flipping channels every so often. The coolness of the basement rec room with the drink in his hand were like heaven after the stressful exam period he had experienced. To keep his mind sharp and focused on his exams, he had spent most of his time either running or working out to alleviate stress, and had ruled out most alcohol. The result was that while only two beers down, Thomas felt a wave of euphoria descend upon him. It was only one in the morning, and yet, back on the east coast, the time was six in the morning, and despite the total lack of sleep, Thomas sat awake and relaxed.

As the show ended, so too did the last drops of his second drink. Stepping up a bit too quick, he stumbled forward off balance, laughing to himself at the lack of coordination and how cheap of a drunk he had become. He stepped out into the hallway and as softly as he could, ascended the stairs into the kitchen. Another drink would be great, he thought, and then he would finally be ready for bed. At least, he would force himself to try and sleep, despite the hours of jetlag he felt.

Climbing the final step and entering the kitchen, the sound of the refrigerator door opening gave Thomas a bit of a start, as the light from inside spilled dimly across the floor. He turned to see not his mother or father there, but Celine, wearing a nightshirt that likely covered her body down to her mid thigh. Thomas found himself frozen, not wanting to make a move and disturb her, as she peered inside the fridge, bent slightly at the waist, causing her nightshirt to creep up the back of her legs. Thomas saw no sign of her panties, and wondered if she wore anything underneath. Her legs were slender and so well toned against the light from inside the fridge.

Not wanting to be caught staring, nor wanting to startle Celine, Thomas stepped back down the carpeted stairs about halfway, still making no sounds, and then resumed upwards, stepping more heavily and announcing his arrival. This time when he reached the top, Celine was standing upright and looking back to the visitor. She flashed him a smile, "Can't sleep?"

"Jet lag for me. And you?" he said, walking past Celine to place his empty beer bottle in the recycling bin with the others from that evening. Her eyes gave his body a once over, surprised to see how toned the young body was.

"I'm a bit of a night owl actually. On any other night, right about now, I'm usually deep into my writing. So, I thought another in the long line of drinks might calm me down." She looked to the beer placed into the bin, "Same for you?"

And they chatted for a few minutes there, Thomas leaning back against the counter, still only in his shorts, and she in her nightshirt. He spoke of the stress of exam times, and how nice it was to be home, watching TV in the rec room with a few drinks to accompany him. While he spoke, he was sure he saw her eyes wandering along his body. Or, was it only his imagination, a trick of the little bit of moonlight that came through the windows overtop the kitchen sink. She spoke of her work and how nice it was to be back in the city visiting old friends.

It happened without any thought, not really, when Thomas blurted out, "Would you like to have a drink with me downstairs?"

In the darkness of the kitchen, Celine found herself rather taken aback at the question, yet she responded without thinking as well, "That sounds nice. There are quite a few bottles of wine left in the fridge." She turned again and opened the fridge door, taking a bottle of rather sweet red wine. She closed the door and saw that Thomas had taken two glasses from the cupboard.

Thomas meanwhile, surprised that Celine had agreed to the think, walked back towards the stairs. She followed quietly, not wanting to wake anyone in the house, even if they were upstairs and there was no chance that would happen. Without a word, the pair descended the stairs and moved down the hall, into the rec room.

As they stepped inside and Thomas closed the door behind them, both felt that it would be fine to speak now, separated by two floors by those who were sleeping, and they did not need to worry about waking anyone up. "I'll take that," Thomas said, exchanging the bottle of wine for one of the glasses.

He poured Celine a glass until it was about half full, and then did the same for his own. They each sat on either ends of the three-seater couch. Celine leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs and taking a sit of the wine. She loved sweet things, and sweetness in her wine was her favorite. Thomas sat back down as well, taking the remote into his hand and asking, "In the mood for anything in particular?"

"What were you watching before?" she asked.

"I was sort of flipping through channels. It was the drinks I was enjoying more than anything I was watching."

"That sounds perfectly nice to me." she said softly, taking long sips of the wine. Thomas slowly moved through each channel, stopping for a moment to see if it was anything interesting, and moving on after a few moments. Thomas was less than halfway through his first glass when he noticed that Celine had at some point already finished hers. Not wanting to be left behind, he drank deeper of his own glass, trying not to be too obvious in his attempt to keep up.

"Would you like another?" he asked.

"That would be nice, thank you."

He stood once more and poured her a second glass, filling it about three quarters of the way now, hoping it would be enough so he could keep up, and filled his own only halfway. Sitting back down, he changed the channel a few more times, when Celine said, "Wait, can you go back?"

Thomas did, and on the screen was a man in a rather colorful suit, monologuing about his life, when his car exploded.

"This is one of my favorite movies from when I was younger."

Thomas did not know what the movie was, nor did he recognize the actors.

"Have you seen this before?" she asked.

Thomas shook his head and looked over to Celine, "No. What is it?"

"It's Casino with Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. Ring any bells?"

Again Thomas shook his head, taking a another drink of the wine. Celine kept her gaze focused squarely on the television. She had not seen the film in years, and she took another long sip from her glass as the memories flooded her mind. Thomas meanwhile, had kept his own gaze on Celine, who had not changed positions since she first sat down. She lay back in the seat, legs still crossed, but over time, the nightgown had moved up and up and now gave Thomas a perfect view of her slender, toned leg.

As they watched the movie, Celine explained what had been said in the beginning that Thomas had not heard. It only took a few minutes and Thomas was hooked, losing himself in the movie. At some point once again, the two had finished their glasses, and poured the rest of the bottle to finish it off. After only a few minutes, Celine turned to Thomas and asked, "Would you care for some more wine?"

Thomas was more relaxed in that moment then he had been in months, and he nodded eagerly in agreement. Celine stood up, and perhaps not thinking she was at all tipsy, stumbled slightly in her step towards the door. Thomas watched as her hips swayed from side to side in her nightgown, and wondered if she had on anything underneath.

A minute later she returned with another bottle of the same wine, only this one had not been opened. "Would you mind?" she asked, handing Thomas both the bottle and a corkscrew. She sat back down at the end of the sofa, but now she sat with both her legs up and to the right side. Thomas tried not to stare at her legs, curled up on the couch, meeting the fabric of her nightgown.

Soon they both had full glasses again, and the film went on. From time to time, Thomas stole a glance over at Celine, but they were not often, as he was thoroughly enjoying everything about the film. Thomas did not attempt to keep up with his wine drinking, but it turned out that it was not necessary, for Celine had slowed as well. Eventually the movie came to a close, and as the credits began to roll, Thomas felt invigorated.

"Wow, that was fantastic!"

Celine nodded along as well, "It's always nice to watch that one. Though I don't care for some of the violence, I love the way they build up the story."

Thomas nodded in agreement, long having finished his wine and feeling quite lightheaded. Celine too had finished her wine, having a few glasses more than her companion throughout the movie. Thomas was about to call it a night, thinking it would be the proper thing to do with the movie at its end. Celine however, did not share this idea, taking the remote control in her hand. "Let's see if there is anything else good on," she said.

In that moment, fate seemed anxious to intervene, as Celine thought she was pressing the button to bring up the menu of channels, but instead accessed the favorites section of the cable box.

"Oh that's not what I meant to do," she said quietly, looking down at the remote to rectify her mistake. She pressed what she assumed would exit the menu, and instead, the channel flipped over one that Thomas did not know his father had ordered. On screen was a rather stunning woman in her thirties with a toned body and long blonde hair, completely naked, sucking one of the largest cocks either of them had ever seen. Both were surprised, and Celine let the remote slip from her fingers and fall to the floor.

Both stood up to grab the remote control, only to see that the batteries had fallen out. Each scrambled to look around and beneath the couch, until finally both were recovered. Celine had sat back down now and watched as Thomas replaced the batteries in the remote, finally hitting the power button, making the image blink away, leaving the room dark.

Thomas sat back down, and neither said a word. A moment later, Celine laughed softly, and Thomas joined in at the silliness of it all. The moment had passed, and neither was sober enough to feel embarrassed at what had transpired. They spoke again of the film they had seen, and Celine recommended others that Thomas might like to watch, perhaps Goodfellas would be a good next step, which Thomas agreed to, saying that he would find it for tomorrow night.

As the conversation naturally faded away, Thomas thought again of the adult film that had come on, when Celine asked in a low voice, "And, what did you think of that last thing we saw?"

Thomas thought he knew what she was asking, but he was not positive. Celine continued, "It looked pretty nice, don't you think?"

Thomas nodded in the dark, saying nothing. In a small, unassuming movement, Celine took the remote control once again, hesitating for a moment, before pressing down on the power button once more.

The screen came to life again. The blonde was on her back now, legs spread wide, with the large man and his enormous cock pumping in and out of her. Thomas said nothing, glancing over to Celine, who had placed the remote back on the couch, and leaned back to watch. He did not know what to do, so he did nothing. He simply sat, watching the action on screen.

A few minutes passed by and the couple on screen had switched positions to doggystyle, with the camera front facing the woman, who moaned with each thrust. Thomas could feel himself start to harden, so he shifted a bit in his seat, bringing up his right leg to obscure his growing problem from Celine. She meanwhile had also shifted a few times now, engrossed by the show. Thomas watched as the woman's breasts moved back and forth with each thrust from behind, and in no time at all, he was rock hard.

Every so often, he stole a glance over at Celine, who still sat and moved every so often, but otherwise was focused on the action on screen. Completely carefree after so many drinks, Thomas decided that this was no time to let a chance slip away. In one smooth motion, he lowered his right leg down and hooked his thumbs into his shorts. He slipped them down and off his legs, letting his manhood stand tall and proud. It was Celine now how glanced over, as Thomas readjusted himself to began slowly stroking his cock, watching the screen intently.

Not to be undone, Celine sat up slightly, crossed her arms, and pulled her nightgown up and over her head. Thomas found himself dumbstruck, staring at a body that was absolutely gorgeous, hidden until now beneath the bagginess of the nightgown. As the arms crossed over and the gown went up, Thomas saw her breasts, somewhat saggy but still perfect, bounce and settle back into their natural position.

Celine sat back as well, comfortable and leaning right into the couch, her right hand working now between her legs. The pair each watched the action on screen, and from time to time stole the occasional glance back towards the other when they thought they could do so unnoticed. Thomas kept his strokes slow and deliberate, shocked still by the events unfolding around him, but not wanting to rush anything. They were in rhythm now, watching the screen, and occasionally each other.

The action on screen had been well ahead of the action here on the couch, and soon the man began to moan, signaling his impending orgasm. The blonde on screen spun around and gripped his cock, trying her best to take it all into her mouth, succeeding only about halfway. The man moaned more intensely as he blew his load deep into the mouth of the blonde. When he finished, the camera closed in on the woman, who opened her mouth to show that she had indeed swallowed every last drop, before fading out into blackness. Right away, the next scene began, with a different couple, fully dressed, kissing on a sofa.

With the hot and heavy action dialed back at the start of the new scene, Thomas and Celine now focused entirely on each other. Thomas gripped his cock and pumped, slowly and with good tempo. Celine, perhaps realizing that she had not been as open as her companion, shifted her weight and straightened out her left leg, giving Thomas a perfect view of her right hand, circling her clit.

The new view had quite the effect on Thomas, who began stroking himself faster now, excited to see a woman bearing herself so completely to him. This in turn made Celine even more excited as well, and she felt herself nearing the edge, rubbing her clit in just the right way until it overtook her.

"Ooohhhhh" she moaned, throwing her head back, her legs tensing slightly, as the orgasm took her. Thomas loved it everything about what he was seeing, and maintained his tempo, wondering what more would come. Celine let her hand drop to the side, her breaths coming back from each deep, long sigh, until returning to normal. She opened her eyes and looked to see Thomas watching her. Her eyes fixated upon his hand and its rhythmic movements up and down, and before she even knew what had come over her, Celine had slipped down onto the floor, and in between his strong legs. She slid her hands up and down his thighs, finally grasping at his shaft, while he let go, and in one swift motion took half of it eagerly into her mouth.