Alise in Cardiff

"Here, get this down you," Amanda said, handing a shot of vodka to the shivering Alise. They'd dressed for the cold, but nothing had really prepared them for the wind as they'd made their way up St. Mary street. The weather had turned nasty just in time for Valentine's Day. Alise had been glad of her long coat, but was now ruing her decision to go bare legged.

"Lechyd da," she said, clinking her glass against Amanda's then downing it in one. "Fuck me," she exclaimed as the strong liquor burned her throat, but the warming sensation that followed was worth the momentary pain. Amanda grinned and passed her a glass of champagne.

"Here's a real drink hun, that first one was just medicinal!" They both cackled with laughter and settled onto their high barstools. Alise had never been to this bar before, but it suited her. Sufficiently classy without being too boring. She and Amanda had a long standing agreement to always spend Valentine's Day together if either of them was single. Alise had Lloyd, but Amanda was between men at present. Besides, Lloyd couldn't see what all the fuss was about, and was quite happy to be free of the responsibilities of the day.

"You're looking fab tonight," Amanda said, eyes running over Alise's body as they sipped their drinks. Alise had finally settled on a tight red dress with a deep slit up her thigh. She loved how it gaped just enough to show the long swirl of roses tattooed up her leg, helping to draw the eye to her well toned muscles. A pair of red high heeled pumps helped to keep her calves taught as she walked, accentuating her sway.

"Oh this old thing," Alise quipped, feigning nonchalance with a flick of her plaited ponytail. Amanda laughed again.

"No, seriously babe, it looks great on you. So feminine." Alise felt a tingle of pride at this, knowing that Amanda was well aware of her condition. Alise had been born male, but complications during her adolescence from had led to her current shape.

"If only I had more here," she said, hand gesturing to her flat chest. The dress hugged her well, but she always wished she'd been able to grow more of a bosom. Surgery had been considered, but Alise feared the floating melon look.

"Na," grinned Amanda, hands hoisting her own substantial rack. "Too much hassle," she joked. "It might excite some guys, but I think yours are way sexier." Amanda was what most guys charitably called curvy. She could hardly be more different from Alise's skinny, athletic frame. She was very pretty with big brown eyes, never short of admirers, not withstanding today's momentary lack of partner.

"So what's the plan?" asked Alise, the champagne slowly working its magic, giving her that first fuzzy buzz of alcohol for the evening. "Looking to pull?"

"Maybe," replied Amanda coyly. "What about you?" Alise shrugged and grinned.

"What Lloyd doesn't know about doesn't hurt him. He actually used those exact words."

"I'm so jealous of your arrangement," Amanda replied. "You have it sorted. How'd you ever find him?"

"Just good luck. He saved me. My Guardian Angel," Alise replied, lost in thought for a moment at the time she'd fallen while out running, stumbling upon Lloyd's caravan in the dark forest and falling into his arms. "Besides, it's not just me that gets the free pass. He does too. You should give him a call." Amanda shook her head, setting down her glass as she choked laughing.

"No way! I can't share a man with you. You're too good a friend. Besides, I don't want to have to compete with, well..." she gestured at Alise's body again, "you," she finished. Alise guffawed, getting the attention of the group of middle-aged men next to them.

"I can assure you Lloyd loves a curve. You know Laura? From up our village?" Alise mimed a large chest, making Amanda roar with laughter this time, garnering more glances from the men.

"No way? Is she... I mean, Lloyd... they're... Fuck me!" Alise grinned as she sipped her champagne.

"You're the only one missing out," she replied, setting her drink down and holding her hands about a foot apart. "And I mean... missing out," she finished, eyeing Amanda meaningfully.

"Fucking hell," Amanda replied, a little flushed. "I could do with a full size one after Ellis." They both cackled.

"Excuse me love," slurred one of the men next to them, breaking away from the group for a moment. He was short, bald and fat, already half pissed and swaying. "Are you two lovelies looking for a good time?"

"Yes," replied Alise, looking him up and down critically. "So I think we'll keep looking thanks very much!"

The rest of group of men roared with laughter, one of them throwing his arm around their drunk friend and pulling him back into their crowd. "Don't mind him love," he crowed. "He just hasn't had it off in over six years!" Alise and Amanda grinned at each other, and Alise treated the guy to a wink.

"We'll keep our fingers crossed for him then!"

"Come on," said Amanda, draining her glass. "I want to dance!"

"Is there a dance floor here?" Alise asked, looking around.

"No stupid, grab your coat. We're off to Pulse."

"Huh?" said Alise, fumbling for her coat while finishing her champagne.

"Fuck me Alise you don't get out enough," replied Amanda, helping her find the arm hole. "It's a club, just down the road. Really good music. And generally a good hunting ground."

***

The club was hot and noisy. Alise followed behind Amanda as they made their way to the bar through the mass of jostling bodies. It wasn't really Alise's kind of thing, she was more of an acoustic chill kind of person, but the thumping beat was hard to ignore, and she found herself grooving as they went. Her dress was having the desired effect, plenty of appreciative glances from the women, and outright leering from the guys. Alise felt a wave of pride, feeling so feminine and sexy. She knew she was swaying her hips way more than usual, helped by her heels.

Amanda handed her a sticky cocktail, which Alise took with good grace. She'd have preferred a beer, but thought it churlish to complain seeing how Amanda had bought them.

"See what I mean?" shouted Amanda into her ear. Alise glanced around, watching the crowd jumping and dancing to the beat, a sea of bodies rippling and pulsing in time to the music. There were indeed plenty of men in matching polo shirts, hair all gelled and waxed to perfection, gym fuelled arm muscles bulging in the lights.

"Mhmm," Alise replied, scanning the crowd just in case there was anyone who actually stood out, who looked a little less like they shopped in the same place as everyone else. Alise had always been drawn to the outsiders, the nonconforming.

Amanda apparently had other ideas, beginning to sway and gyrate towards a nearby crowd of guys, drink held high in the air. She got a big cheer from them and was soon subsumed into their midst. Alise just grinned. This was the deal. She'd accompany Amanda to the club, then leave her be. She'd keep an eye out for her, make sure she wasn't getting in too much trouble, but Amanda was a big girl and knew how to keep herself safe.

Alise turned her attention back to the crowd, finding an empty spot by the bar to lounge and sip her sickeningly sweet drink. She consciously stood with her right leg bent, poking through the slit in her dress, calf muscle taught, showing herself to her best potential. The alcohol was strong, so she drank slowly, not wanting to lose control.

"Well now, that is a dress," said a deep voice beside her, and she turned to see an older guy standing next to her, hand loosely holding a glass of whiskey on the bar. He was dressed in a sharp three-piece wooden suit, dark blue with a broad check tweed. Somehow he seemed out of place here, too well dressed, too urbane.

"Why thank you," she replied, giving him a small mock curtsey, knowing it would reveal even more of her leg. It had the desired effect, making him look down and smile.

"You and me seem a little out of place here. Like we dressed for the wrong kind of club." Alise had been thinking the same thing, noticing all the other women were wearing much shorter dresses, more designed to overtly show off bosom and ass than entice and titillate.

"I'm just here with my friend. Keeping her in check," replied Alise, inclining her glass towards the dance floor, although Amanda was now nowhere to be seen. Probably already deep in some guy's throat she mused.

"Are you always the restrained one?" asked the guy, taking a sip of his whiskey. Even from a distance Alise could smell the peat, recognising an island single malt anywhere.

"Oh, I love being restrained," replied Alise with a hint of a wicked smile. It made the man chuckle.

"I'm glad to hear it. So few people seem to understand the art of restraint." Alise felt herself tingle. She couldn't be sure, but she hoped he was hinting at bondage, something she'd never been able to convince Lloyd to take up.

"Isn't that what life is all about?" Alise replied, turning to him more fully, taking her time to examine him. "Taking our time to enjoy things fully, properly, slowly even?" He looked in good shape, standing a few inches taller than Alise, even in her heels, and broad in the shoulders. It was hard to tell through the suit, being so well tailored, but he looked lean and toned. Good shoes too, possibly hand made. Shoes tell you everything you need to know about a man, Alise mused.

"Oh I agree. I never rush anything. Not when there's enjoyment to be gained from prolonging the fun." He sipped his whiskey again, eyes locked on Alise's. She placed her drink on the bar and waved at the barman.

"This is terrible, I need a proper drink."

"Allow me," said the man, leaning across her and gesturing himself. He glanced at Alise, eyebrow raised.

"I only drink champagne," she replied with a wicked grin and he laughed.

"Of course you do. Well, in that case, a glass of champagne please!" The barman moved off, bustling quickly, not engaging in their playfulness.

"See? So little time taken to enjoy the moment," the guy said, sliding the hastily poured glass towards Alise. She took a sip.

"So hasty I think he might've mistaken the cheap sparkling stuff for champagne," she said with a wince, but held her glass up. They clinked and sipped.

"We could always go back to mine if you want the real thing? It's not far."

"A tempting offer," replied Alise, glancing over at the dance floor.

"Or are you still worried about your friend?" Alise spotted Amanda in an embrace with a huge rugby player type and grinned.

"Oh no, I think she's found what she was looking for." She reached out her hand to the man, placing her nearly full glass of warm wine next to his whiskey on the bar.

***

He opened the door to his room, ushering Alise inside. It was on the top floor of the Marriott hotel, a suite. She strode in elegantly, her coat slipping off her shoulders as she went. She felt him take the weight of it, releasing it to him to hang by the door as she entered the sitting area. It was well appointed, recently refurbished in muted teal and grey, a splash of mustard orange here and there in the curtains and cushions.

"Very nice," Alise said, standing in the middle of the room and turning to the man as the sound of soft jazz filled the air. She held herself, posing, making sure her legs were slightly tensed, hands loosely clasped in front of her.

All the way back to the hotel she'd been wondering how this would go. Should she mention the surprise hiding between her legs? She was pretty sure he hadn't guessed yet. It was a gamble, she knew, and a dangerous one at that. Some years ago she'd been badly assaulted when a guy had found out her secret in not dissimilar circumstances. But she loved the thrill. It was all she could do to stop herself getting hard at the thought of revealing herself to him.

"You are a very attractive woman," said the man, moving slowly across the room to her, holding out a glass of champagne for her. Alise blushed, flicking a stray strand of her ponytail over her shoulder.

"And you're a very generous man," she replied, taking the glass and clinking it against his. She noted he had joined her in wine, perhaps saving the whiskey for later.

"I only say what I see," he replied, sipping, his eyes remaining on hers. "You haven't told me your name yet."

"Neither have you," she replied, a wicked grin on her face, a twinkle in her eye. He smiled in response.

"Nathan," he said simply, voice soft yet deep, somehow both comforting and confident at once.

"Sarah," replied Alise, plucking the name out of thin air. No point in telling him too much in case he didn't like the coming surprise. He just raised an eyebrow, and Alise felt a stab of panic. Maybe he knew she was lying. Maybe that as a test. She was a famous author after all, so he could well know who she was. He didn't say anything.

"Well Sarah, here's to good health and the pleasures of restraint." She raised her glass once more to his and they drank. He moved to one of the arm chairs, placing his drink down and removing his jacket, folding it carefully and placing it to one side. He sat, gesturing to the one opposite. "Come, sit. I'd like to get to know you better."

Alise did as she was bid, taking care to cross her legs to take advantage of her dress, right leg over left, dress falling to her side and showing the tattoo disappearing up the side of her body. She noted how Nathan couldn't stop himself from staring, a momentary break from his suave persona. The moment caused her an electric shock of excitement, knowing her body was exciting him. She longed for that sensation, longed to feel like she could make men stare like that.

"So what do you do Sarah," asked Nathan. A broad question, Alise pondered.

"I enjoy life," she replied, trying to be equally broad, but realising she just sounded evasive. "I like to write," she continued. "When I'm not out in the fresh air, exploring the world."

"What do you write about?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Things that catch my eye, that grab my attention," she replied. "A bit of poetry, some stories, even a bit of philosophy."

"Will you write about me, I wonder?" he said, holding her eye as he drank.

"That depends," she quipped.

"On what?"

"On whether I find you interesting." He laughed, and Alise caught him stealing another glance at her leg and dress. She felt a tingle of excitement as she let her heart think before her head. She placed her glass on the table and got to her feet.

"I feel like this is distracting you," she said, slipping her dress off one shoulder, then the other. Nathan just sat, watching her intently. He cracked as she lowered the skinny straps, tongue darting out to lick his lips. Alise smiled to herself, taking her time to let the dress slide down over her breasts, first one, then the other. She could never quite decide if wearing a bra made this sexier or not, but was rewarded with her decision not to today by the look on Nathan's face as she revealed herself to him.

She slid the dress lower, a slight wriggle at her hips before it fell noiselessly to the floor. Alise stood there for a moment, hoping her tuck was still good, not wanting to ruin the biggest reveal of all. Luckily she'd chosen a pair of opaque red knickers today, and not a see through thong like she sometimes wore. They hid her well she knew from experience. Silently she took her seat again, picking up her glass and sitting back, legs once again crossed. At times like these she was grateful for the amount of time she spent on her abs, knowing without looking down that her belly looked good even when sat like this, not a hint of rolls or folds.

"You really are the most exquisitely beautiful woman," Nathan breathed, clearly taken aback by her gesture. Alise once again felt a tingle of excitement at the compliment, ecstatic to be seen as a real woman, if only for this moment.

"And that must make you an extremely lucky man," she replied with a smile, holding her glass to one side so he could get as much of a view of her chest as he wanted. He took the opportunity, eyes wandering shamelessly across her skin. She silently thanked him for setting the lights low, no overhead lighting to cast any ugly shadows.

Nathan set his empty glass down on the table and unclasped his cufflinks, taking his time to slowly roll up each sleeve, one, two, then three turns, revealing his toned forearm muscles. He sat, one arm loosely on the arm of the chair, the other gently supporting his head, tilted to one side.

"It seems like you are enjoying yourself," he murmured.

"Aren't you?" she replied and he laughed softly.

"Oh I assure you Sarah, I am having a very lovely evening. How could I not, in the company of such a beautiful woman?" Alise finished her drink and spied the bottle on the side. She felt like she needed one more for courage before letting him see what he was really in for, so she got up and walked slowly across the room, still in her high heels, to pick up the bottle. She returned to the table and poured him another glass, then herself one, bending over a little more than necessary so her breasts, such as they were, dangled enticingly not far from Nathan but just out of reach.

A solitary drop ran down the edge of the bottle, so she delicately ran her finger up to meet it and scooped it up, dipping her finger into her mouth momentarily to taste it. She didn't look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her body as she placed the bottle back on the table. She picked up her glass and turned to him again, drinking deeply as she held his eye contact.

"Did you want to see more?" she asked softly, an eyebrow raised. He sipped his wine.

"Of course I do," he replied, eyes moving to her groin. She could sense him struggling to contain himself, a hungry look forming on his face. She knew that look and knew that it was now or never. Much more teasing and he might react angrily if he didn't like what she had to offer.

"I hope you like this," she said, placing her glass on the table then tucking a thumb under each side of her panties waistband.

"I'm not sure how I couldn't..." Nathan began, but his voice faltered as her panties peeled down between her thighs to reveal the top of her penis, tucked tightly underneath her. As they travelled down it sipped forwards, until it was free, small and tightly scrunched, no more than a nub. Alise let her panties fall and stood, hands hanging by her side. She'd shaved the day before and her balls remained tucked up, small enough to disappear entirely inside her. All that hung between her legs was her tiny dick.

"Wow," was all Nathan could say, eyes roaming her body but pulled inexorably back to her crotch. They darted away a few times, but he couldn't help himself.

"I was not expecting that," he breathed quietly. Alise felt herself tense, stomach tight, mentally calculating whether the door of the suite or the bathroom was closer in case she had to make a bolt for it.

"Not many people do," she replied, voice husky and shaking.

"But I love it," he continued, finally tearing his eyes off her body and back to her face. Alise felt the tension lift a little, her stomach still in her throat.

"You do?" she whispered.

"Just when I thought it wasn't possible for you to get any sexier," he breathed, "and you show me this. You're... magnificent," he said, slowly getting to his feet and approaching her. Slowly he reached out with both hands and placed them on the sides of her neck, thumbs brushing her cheeks. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. She returned his kiss after a brief pause, her senses filled with his musky scent and the faint whiff of peat from his earlier whiskey.

The kiss started slow and gentle, each of them exploring each other, testing out what they each wanted, until soon it was deep and passionate. Nathan let her face go, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to him. She obliged, pressing her body against him, the rough wool of his pants ticking her cock as her knee slipped in between his partly open legs.

His hands roamed her back, slipping down to her ass. She broke from his kiss for a second, grinning at him.

"What happened to restraint?"

"Fuck restraint," he breathed, moving to kiss her more urgently. She pressed her thigh into his groin, rewarded with the feel of something hard, making her long for more herself, but she pushed back again, harder and further this time.

"You'll disappoint a girl if you don't keep your promises," she said sternly. He could only laugh, placing his hand on her cheek once more, stepping back himself for a moment.

"You really are the perfect woman, aren't you?"

"I try," she replied simply, blushing as another wave of pleasure ran down her spine, deliriously happy in the knowledge he was so deeply attracted to her, not a hint of calling her anything other than a woman, despite what was between her legs.

Silently he turned and walked towards the bedroom.

"Come," he said, and she followed.