TWENTY-FIVE

Without argument Jon leaned forward and grasped the ladder’s sides.  He dipped his head to place a kiss against Cate’s navel, then nimbly jumped to his feet.  Once again eye-to-eye with his wife, he smiled.

“You don’t have to keep your arms up, you know.”

Cate returned his smile with a little nod, then released her grasp on the ladder rung.  Her hands dropped to Jon’s chest, resting lightly on his pecs.  Jon pulled in a deep breath as her fingertips ruffled through his chest fur, then circled his nipples.  He grunted as the stimulation made his cock throb painfully.

Noticing his discomfort, Cate quickly dragged her hand down her husband's torso and to his fly.  She gave him a sympathetic smile as her hand curved over Jon’s shaft, his pre-cum soaked briefs moistening her palm.  “You didn’t wait too long, did you?”

“Fuck, no.  Feel how hard I am?”  Jon’s answer was half-growl, half-groan.  He winced as Cate tugged at the waist of his briefs, then circled his rigid shaft with her hand.

Cate chuckled softly.  “You didn’t have to do that, you know.  The most important thing is getting your boys in there to meet my girls.”

Jon grimaced again as another surge shot through his genitals with her gentle squeeze.  “Female orgasm can help conception.  It helps you relax, opens the cervix.”  He chuckled at Cate’s amused smile in response to his comment.  “Hey, I read too, ya know.”

“And I love you even more for it.”  Cate gave Jon’s shaft a slow stroke as she leaned forward to brush a light kiss over his mouth.  She smirked a little as she tasted herself on his lips, recognizing a tang not unlike that of Jon’s favorite wine.  Pussy Grigio.  Cate snickered quietly at the naughty pun.

“So…”  Cate gently released Jon from her grasp and pushed at the slack waist of his jeans.  “You got a job to do, right?”

Jon nodded as he grinned sexily.  “Yeah, I do.  And I fuckin’ love my job.”  He hooked his thumbs into the waist of his briefs and jeans and shoved downward.  The elastic slid over his taut glutes and settled at the tops of his thighs, the dark denim bunching over it.

“And you’re very, very good at it,” Cate purred seductively.  She shifted her position on the ladder, again finding her seat on one of the rungs.

Jon let out an approving growl in reply, raising his hands to grasp Cate’s hips. He stepped in close, his erect cock rubbing against her steamy slit cloaked in wet lace.  Jon gasped softly and moved an eager hand to push the scrap aside.

“I want you, Cate.”

“Fuck me, Jonny.”

Cate’s quiet demand was all Jon needed to hear.  His hands clamped around Cate’s hips, pulling her off the ladder rung. He hesitated for a moment, his swollen head pressing against the moist, flexing entrance to her pussy, then with a long groan of relief buried himself in her.

A soft yelp from Cate made him pause.  “You okay?”  Jon anxiously scanned Cate’s expression, afraid to see pain there.

She nodded breathlessly.  “Uh huh.  You’re… big.”

“I know.”  Jon took a breath as he felt his release already threatening.  “Baby, I need…”

Cate smirked and dropped her hands to the sides of the ladder, gripping the wooden rails tightly.  “Go.”

Jon rasped out a wicked chuckle at her response, then reached down to hook a hand behind her bent knee.   Cate obliged by pulling her stilettoed foot from the ladder rung and curving her leg over Jon’s hip.  Bracing herself against the ladder, she raised her other foot from the floor and wrapped it around Jon’s waist.

“Fuck, Cate…” Jon growled, feeling her thighs tighten around him.  He gulped in a deep breath, then slowly pulled his hips back.  The feel of her walls flexing around his swollen head nearly made his knees buckle.  He held the pose for a moment, then plunged back inside her.  Jon couldn’t stop a groan of wonderment at their perfect fit.

“Jon…” Cate’s breathy gasp was the signal.  Jon looked up at her and saw her sapphire gaze swirling with want.   With a sultry roll of his hips to seat him as deeply inside her as possible, Jon paused. 

Then he began to fuck her, fast and hard.

The ladder’s wooden creak and scrape against the limestone floor mingled with grunts and moans of rising ecstasy.   Recognizing the signs in Cate’s increasingly frenetic vocalizations, Jon tried hard to control his release.  He wanted to climax with her, to share in her pleasure.  It was always so much better for him when they came together.

“Oh… Oh… OH!.. JON!... JON!.... JONNY!”  With each thrust Cate squealed, unable to contain herself any longer.

“Cate!  The… the party!…” Jon gasped, desperate to control himself as he attempted to quiet her.  “Shut up!”

Gasping as she nodded, Cate released her grip on the side of the ladder and grabbed for Jon.  He responded by lurching forward, fully covering her body with his.  Her arms wrapped around his torso, clutching him tight as he pounded her.

Jon snarled at the pleasure that built with every rapid stroke.  He felt Cate’s nails bite into his back as her walls clenched around him again, bringing him to the brink. 

“Baby…” Jon gasped.

Cate’s shriek in reply was muffled as she buried her face against Jon’s shoulder.  A rush of liquid heat engulfed him, sending him over the edge.  Jon pounded her in a final frenzy, gasping her name until his voice deserted him. 

His release was glorious.  It erupted inside her as she clung tightly to his torso, her own spasms rendering her helpless.  Jon clutched Cate tightly and slumped against her, pinning her to the ladder.  Together they gasped for oxygen, seeking to calm their racing pulses as they silently prayed for success in their labor of love.

Minutes or an eternity later, it was Cate who spoke first.

“Baby?  You okay?”

Jon pulled in a deep breath before raising his head.  He gave Cate a relieved smile and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “Never better,” he sighed.  “You?”

Cate blinked at him for a moment.  “That was… well…”  She dropped her gaze to his chest as she smiled sheepishly.  “It hasn’t been like that in awhile, huh?”

“No,” Jon admitted softly.  He waited for her to look up at him, then gave Cate a tender smile.  “But we still got it, Baby.”

“Yeah.”  She nodded slowly and took a deep breath of her own.  “How… how long have we been in here?”

With a little groan Jon levered his torso away from Cate’s, raising his wrist to his view.  “Uh…  about a half-hour.”

“What?”  Cate’s eyes widened.  “Jon, the party!”  She pulled her hands from around Jon’s waist and pushed at his chest.  “Shit!  Everybody’s gonna be looking for us!  Get off me!”

“Okay, okay… calm down.”  Jon chortled at her alarm. “It’ll be fine.  We’ll give ‘em some bullshit excuse.”  He dropped his hand to stroke her cheek.  “But this was totally worth being called a lame party host, don’cha think?”

Cate looked into Jon’s gleaming blue eyes and melted.  She smiled gently, then nodded.  “Yeah.  It was.  But still… we have to get out of here and get back to our guests.”

Jon nodded.  “Okay.  But first… one more kiss.”

Cate giggled softly, then sighed as his mouth stroked over hers. 

“Merry Christmas, Baby,” Jon murmured against the kiss.

"Merry Christmas."

Jon pulled his face back from their tender nuzzle and gave Cate a little smirk.  “You gonna be able to climb off that ladder?”

“I think so.  My ass isn’t quite that big, to get stuck between the rungs.”  Cate’s sarcastic retort was playful.  “But you can be a gentleman and help me up.”

“You’re assuming I can move my own old ass.”

Cate chuckled and dropped her hand lower to give Jon’s bare cheek a light smack.  “I’ve seen you move that thing, Baby.  You can do it.”

“Oh, all right…”  Jon sighed dramatically and dropped one more gentle kiss against Cate’s mouth before bracing his hands on the ladder rails.  With a little grunt he separated his hips from hers, then stood upright.  He gave his wife a sweet smile and offered his hand.  “Your turn.”

“Gimme a second.”  Cate grimaced with discomfort as she felt the expected rush of warm, sticky fluid roll down her inner thighs to soak the tops of her stockings.  “Uh, Baby…”

“Oh, right.” Jon chortled at his wife’s comical expression.  “Sit tight, let me get you something.  There should be some towels somewhere in here…”

Tugging his jeans up over his ass and pushing his moist dick back into his briefs, Jon turned to stride over to the tasting bar.  He leaned down to rummage in a drawer under the small porcelain basin.

“Want me to wet it?” Jon asked as he waved a small woven dishcloth at Cate.

Cate shook her head as she tried to ignore the stickiness coating her thighs and creeping toward her knees.  “No.  Just give it here.”  She held out a demanding hand, signaling Jon to hurry.

He heeded her gesture, moving back to her and placing the cloth in her hand.  “I can help with that…”  The words were only half out of his mouth before Cate had swiped the cloth over her thighs and across her crotch.

“I got it,” she replied, a little more gently.  Her nose wrinkled again as she attempted to clean herself with the small square of fabric.  “This is all there is?”

Jon shrugged.  “Sorry.  Only thing that was in there.”  He took a step back and settled his behind against the edge of the farmhouse table.  Not bothering to button his shirt or fly, he crossed his arms over his perspiration-slicked chest.  Jon couldn’t help but smile amusedly as he watched Cate’s efforts to manage the aftermath of their encounter. 

With a little growl of frustration Cate dropped the soiled cloth to the stone floor.  “Shit.  How the Hell am I gonna make myself presentable enough to walk out of here?”  She raised a hand to push back a thick lock of loose auburn hair.  “I’m a fucking mess.”

Jon laughed softly.  “You are not.  Once you put your clothes back on you’ll look fine.”

Cate tugged at her hair, realizing her sleek updo was now in shambles.  “Jon, I must look like Hell!”

Jon's smile gentled as he regarded his wife.  She looked even sexier she had at the night's beginning.  Even ignoring her current state of semi-undress, it was clear that Cate had been doing something much more stimulating than playing hostess.

Her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink, her deep blue eyes sparkled, and her thick chestnut tresses hung in a wild tangle of waves down her satin-covered shoulders.  In the soft light of the cozy room she seemed to glow with contentment.

“You look beautiful.  Relaxed.  Satisfied.”  Jon allowed a note of smugness to slip into his tone. 

Cate’s heart squeezed at his reassurance, then she snorted softly at his subtle self-congratulation.  But she couldn’t stop a little grin from curving her lips. 

“Well thank you, Baby… But you’re full of shit.”  Cate carefully picked at the black fabric bunched around her waist, feeling for the hem.  “I’m going to have to figure out some way to get upstairs and get myself back in order.”  Succeeding in her search, she tugged her badly-wrinkled skirt downward over her legs, being careful to press her wet thighs together in an attempt to avoid staining the ebony crepe.

“So we’ll sneak you back through the kitchen.”  Jon tipped his head toward the room not far outside the pantry door.  As he glanced in that direction his earlier-abandoned wine glass caught his eye, reminding him of the catalyst for his successful ploy.

Pushing himself away from his perch against the table, Jon sauntered over to the refrigerator-sized cooler built into the wine pantry’s corner.  “You want some wine?  I’m gonna open a bottle while you get yourself together.”

“No thanks.”  Cate snorted.  “What about you?  You just gonna go back out and greet your friends and neighbors with your pants hanging open?”  She rearranged her breasts back inside her bra before tugging the halves of her blouse together.

Jon grinned cheerfully as he turned to face Cate, making a show of buttoning and zipping his black denim jeans.  “See there?  All ready to go.”

Cate rolled her eyes but chuckled at his gleeful taunt.  “What about your shirt?”  She pushed the last blouse button through its hole and smoothed her hands over her satin-covered abdomen.

“The ladies like it when I leave it open.”  Jon winked and turned to tug open the cooler door.  He grinned at his wife's mumbled “Oh Puh-lease!” while he selected a white-labeled bottle of pale wine and stepped over to the wine bar.  Within seconds he had skillfully extracted the cork and poured himself a fresh glass. 

With a smug grin Jon turned to face Cate, leaning back against the wine bar as he took a sip.  He rolled the liquid across his tongue as he watched Cate attempt to tame her unruly locks.  She was still sitting on the rung of the ladder where she had reclined during their escapade, both hands raised this time to tidy her appearance rather than in submission to his command.

"Mmmm... P.G."  Jon chortled, knowing Cate would catch the double meaning of the initials denoting the type of wine.  "My very favorite."

"I'm sure..."  Cate's reply was cut short by the loud click of the wine pantry door's latch.

“…It’s one we stock at the restaurant.  Hang on, I’ll grab it.  I know he’s got a few bottles…”

Cate and Jon both froze at the familiar voice.  They exchanged a wide-eyed look, then Cate hissed out a swear as she jumped up from her ladder-rung seat, letting her hair tumble from her grasp down her shoulders.  She frantically smoothed her hands over her skirt, trying in vain to rub away the wrinkles.

“Shit!”  Matt gasped, visibly jumping before halting in his tracks just inside the pantry door.  His eyes widened as they swung from Cate to Jon.  “What the fuck?”  He blew out a breath and shook his head.  “Man, you guys about gave me a heart attack!”

“That’s what you get for raiding my wine cellar, Little Brother.”  Jon grinned smugly and took a drink from his glass.

“Yeah, yeah.  It’s wine I gave you, and I’ll get you more.  Nicky wants to try it.”  Recovered from his startle, Matt stepped further into the pantry.  He leaned down to pull a bottle from a bin, then straightened.

Matt turned to give his brother a suspicious look.  “What the fuck are you doing in here, anyway?  People are asking me where you went.”

“I needed a refill.” Jon answered smoothly.  He shot a smirk in Cate’s direction, betraying his lie.

Matt followed Jon’s glance, for the first time noticing his sister-in-law’s disheveled state.  He looked back to Jon, realizing his brother was bare-chested, his black dress shirt hanging immodestly open.   He smirked.

“Ahh,” Matt observed knowingly.  “I see.”

Jon shrugged and grinned at his youngest sibling.  “It’s a Christmas party.  Mistletoe.”

Matt looked up, scanning the wooden beams that crossed the wine pantry’s ceiling.  “I don’t see any mistletoe.”  He gave Cate a cheerful wink.

“I… um…”  Cate took a deep breath, willing her blush to subside.  She smoothed her hands again over her skirt.  “I need to run upstairs and fix my hair.  I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

“Alright, Baby.  I’ll cover for ya.”  Jon pushed himself away from the wine bar ledge and strolled over to where Cate stood.  He raised a hand to tuck an auburn lock behind her ear.  “But you should leave it down.  I like it like that.”  He dipped his head to brush a kiss across her swollen lips.

Cate smiled, relieved that Jon wasn’t going to tease her in front of his youngest brother.  She knew she had no reason to be embarrassed; she and Jon were married and in their own home.  What they chose to do was their own business.  It wasn’t like Matt had caught them in the act.  Besides, he was family.

But still, she couldn’t wait to escape.

“I’ll be down soon.”  Cate promised.  She turned and gave Matt a sheepish smile as she hurried past him and bolted down the short hall toward the kitchen and the staircase beyond.

Matt chuckled and shook his head as he watched his sister-in-law depart.  With a sly grin he turned back to his big brother.  “Mistletoe?  That’s the best you got?”

Jon shrugged and took another gulp from his glass.  “It’s Christmas,” he repeated.

Jon gave his little brother a cheeky grin before stepping forward and draping an arm around his shoulders, turning him toward the wine pantry door.  “I’ll be back out in a couple minutes.  Gotta take a leak first.”

“You might wanna get dressed, too,” Matt pointed out, waving a hand at Jon’s torso.

“Yeah, yeah.  Cover for me, okay?”

“What’s your story?”

“I dunno.   Tell ‘em I was upstairs on an urgent call from the Foundation or the White House or some shit.”

“What about Cate?  She have an urgent National Security call too?”  Matt’s gleeful sarcasm made Jon snort.

“She had to go upstairs and change.   Fuck, I don’t know… She got a snag in her stocking or something.”  Jon tipped the glass to his lips again.

“Sure that’s not a shag she got in her stockings?” the younger Bongiovi brother wisecracked.  He laughed as Jon choked on his mouthful of wine, sputtering breathlessly for a moment before managing to swallow.

Matt slapped Jon between his shoulder blades.  “Breathe, Idiot.  Mom will kill me if I let you choke to death.”

“Ha ha.” Jon gasped.  He coughed and cleared his throat, then grinned.  “Jesus.  With a brother like you, who needs enemies?”

“That’s why I’m your Chief of Security.”

“Great.”  Jon rolled his eyes, then gave Matt an affectionate slap on the back.  “Alright, Chief.  Go do your job.  Come up with some cock-and-bull story to cover for your rock star boss, who was backstage shagging a hot redhead when he shoulda been out front performing.”  He guided Matt to the door.

“About damned time I got to do something rock-and-roll like that.  I missed all the real fun, back in the Eighties.”  Matt grinned and gave Jon a light punch in the gut.  “Now go clean up.  You’re wearing your wife's lipstick.”

*****

Cate took a deep breath and stepped in front of the full-length mirror.  It had taken her almost fifteen minutes, but she had managed to pull herself back together well enough that she looked almost like she did at the beginning of the evening.

The only exception was her hairdo.  Unable to resist Jon’s suggestion, she had left her hair down, flowing in soft chestnut waves over her shoulders.  At least she had managed to brush and somewhat tame it with her curling iron.

She had stripped completely down the second she hit the bedroom door, tossing her sex-soiled stockings directly into the trash and her panties and bra into the hamper.  Having no time for a shower, Cate had done the best she could with a wet washcloth, towel, and body spray.  Now, with her hastily-ironed skirt and blouse covering clean underwear and nylons, and her touched-up makeup, she felt refreshed.

Only the contented gleam in her blue eyes betrayed her naughty secret.

With a little smile at her reflection, Cate turned for the door.  She would slink down the back stairs and hopefully slip into the crowd without calling attention to herself.   When she stepped out into the hall, though, what she heard made her hesitate.

The music floated up through the open two-story foyer, the piano and voices accentuated by laughter and good-natured cheers.  Cate smiled as she heard Jon’s unmistakable Elvis croon, followed by Johnny’s bluesy rasp.  Jon had warned her that this party would eventually turn into a singalong, though she hadn’t expected it so early.

Cate stood and listened for a long moment, until finally she was drawn to the music.  Rather than turning away from it and heading down the long hall that led to the back of the house, she stepped toward the top of the grand staircase.  With a smile Cate slowly started down the long, curving descent to the front foyer.

She reached the bottom step just as the song ended, followed by a raucous cheers and applause.  Cate crossed the foyer to the wide arched doorway of the front parlor, where Jon’s grand piano sat in the center of the ornate room.  He was there, seated on the bench in front of the keys, surrounded by a clutch of smiling guests and flanked by his friend and mentor.  More partygoers mingled in clusters around the room, engaged in conversation and holding drinks and plates.

Cate paused in the doorway, watching him.  Immediately his eyes found her, as easily as if her arrival had been announced.  They shared a smile, then Jon gave her a wink before turning to scan the crowd.

“Stevie! ”  Jon craned his neck to look around the room.  “Where’d Steve go?”

“Probably to the can,” Johnny announced boozily.  “What the Hell you need him for?”

“Nothin’.”  Jon shook his head and grinned.  “Just wanted to warn him what I’m gonna do.”

“Whatchoo about to do?” Johnny parroted.

“I’m gonna play a song he might know.”  Jon grinned and looked back at Cate.  His fingers moved over the keys, making the piano sing out a combination of bluesy chords.  “And Lord knows there were never truer words than these.”

"Awwww Brothah. You got that right."  Johnny agreed sagely, recognizing the tune underlying Jon's keywork.  He nodded vigorously before taking a long slurp from the whiskey glass in his hand.  "You sing it, Kid.  For that fine woman o' yours."

“C’mere, Baby.”  Jon tossed his head, beckoning Cate to join the group at the piano.  He gave her a sexy grin as he started to play the introduction to Bruce's rollicking ode.

At Jon’s bidding Cate moved closer, the crowd willingly parting to allow her to sidle up to the baby grand near Jon.  He puckered his lips in a playful simulated kiss before turning back to inform the spectators of his dedication.

“This one’s for my Girl.”

Well.... Brunettes are fine, man

Blondes are fun

But when it comes to getting a dirty job done

I'll take a red-headed woman

A red-headed woman.

It takes a red-headed woman to get a dirty job done.

Jon gave Cate a gleeful wink and a beaming grin before continuing his rendition in a sultry Elvis croon.

Well, listen up Stud

Your life's been wasted

'Til you've got down on your knees and tasted

A red-headed woman

A red-headed woman

It takes a red-headed woman to get a dirty job done.

Cate felt her cheeks heat at the naughty  lyric, one that was especially apropos given their activities of the past hour.  Her womb gave a little twinge as the vision of Jon on his knees before her flashed through her mind.  She couldn't stop a satisfied smile from curving her lips as her eyes locked with her husband's.  He smirked back, reading her mind.

Tight skirt, strawberry hair

Tell me what you've got baby, waiting under there.

Big blue eyes that look like, Son

They can see every cheap thing that you ever done.

With another wink and a roguish grin Jon gave his head a little toss before turning to address the crowd with his last lyric.  Cate laughed softly and rolled her eyes, enjoying her husband's playful showmanship.

Well, I don't know how many girls you dated, man

But you ain't lived 'til you've had your tires rotated

By a red-headed woman

A red-headed woman

It takes a red-headed woman to get a dirty job done.

It takes a red-headed woman to get a dirty job done.

He ended the song with a flourish and final wink for Cate.  As the partygoers cheered his performance, Jon’s gaze again met his wife's.  His heart swelled as he saw in the deep sapphire pools what had been absent for so long.

Happiness. 

Cate’s hand slipped to flatten against her stomach, silently communicating their shared hope as she exchanged a tender smile with Jon.  Through the noisy chatter of the celebration he mouthed the message that made her heart smile.

“I Love You, Baby.  Merry Christmas.”