“Yes.  Why?”

       “I’m getting the itch for a little more fun.  Care to join me?”, he whispered, touching her chin gently, coaxing it close to his lips.  His kiss, warm and sensuous, pulled her in, and she felt herself lose her balance and fall into his arms.  She reveled in his lustful advances, forgetting all her worries and troubles, and was so caught up in all of him that she didn’t notice the weightlessness enveloping their bodies.  When she opened her eyes, her arms still wrapped around his neck, she was floating… the midnight skies met an endless ocean of burgundy and light, its waves lapping over her shoulders and soaking her auburn hair.  He seemed oblivious, instead holding her close and nuzzling her cheek. 

       “Isn’t it fabulous?”, he murmured in her ear.

       She felt the tingling warmth swirling around her bare legs and hips and instinctively squeezed her legs together.  “We’re naked!”, she squealed, hoping her modesty wasn’t too obvious.

       He giggled devilishly.  “Skinny dipping… in wine!!  Yeah, baby!”.  He pushed himself a little farther out, pulling her along for the ride.  “You know, wine is very good for your skin… it’s more fun to get drunk this way, too.  Here… taste.”.  Holding his fingers to her lips, he flashed a sexy smile.  Cheri hesitated, then gave in to temptation.  It was heady and deep, surprisingly sweet and fresh, with just a hint of cherry and orange, and it awakened a ferocious need for satisfaction inside her, a need to explore all that life had to offer.  Every suck on his fingers heightened her senses, as if she was seeing with a new pair of eyes, breathing with virgin lungs… she was ready to find out what else was out there, and for the first time she wasn’t afraid of the consequences.

       As the waves played over her breasts, she impulsively pressed her body close to his, aching to feel her wet skin against his.  She wrapped her arms around him, feeling every muscle on his back and upper shoulders.  In the moonlight, his eyes were dark and rebellious, but full of mirth.  He was a misunderstood genius… he really knew what it was all about… Cheri suddenly realized what she’d been missing out on by living in fear of the unexpected, and now that she was in the presence of someone who could give her a little guidance, she was aching to make up for lost time.

       He cupped his hands under her backside, her legs straddling his waist.  The muscles in her inner thighs clutched at him to keep her balanced as they floated along, entwined in a kiss that left her breathless and hungry.  She wore herself out on him, finally resting her chin on his shoulder as he ran one of his hands through her damp hair. 

       “I should just ravage you right here….don’t you think?”, he asked her, not really expecting a straight answer.

       Cheri’s eyes flew open in surprise.  “Are you serious?”.

       “Well, it would be a nice way to get acquainted.”.  He nibbled on her neck, bringing his hands around to rub her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples until they were stiff.  “It would be so easy for me to do that right now, to take you exactly the way you like.”.  Another lingering kiss, and she had made up her mind.  Without another word, he lifted her up and sucked the wine from her skin, his hot tongue parting her cleavage and making her gasp in surprise.  He trailed his way down her stomach, holding her steady while the waves buoyed her weight against him.  She was amazed at how strong and agile he was, and before she could comprehend everything that had happened, she realized she was floating on her back, fully exposed to the soft moonlight.  Before now, her vulnerability would have left her uneasy and timid, but when she felt his hands on her hips and his tongue dragging across her thighs, she lost herself to a passion she didn’t realize she had. 

       “Hmmm….”, he said as he spread her legs over his shoulders.  “What kind of wine goes with redheads?”.  Before she could come back with a witty response, he flicked his tongue between her legs while tickling her with his fingertips.  The sensation was unbelievable, and she instinctively grasped his head in lustful anticipation of all that she knew he would give her.  “You taste so good… you have no idea… this is even better than I imagined…”, he whispered feverishly as he devoured her like a gourmet meal, sucking and stroking her, bringing her to him so many times that she almost passed out, then finally giving her release.  She tried to close her eyes and take in all the sensations around her – the velvety touch of his tongue, the warm ocean of wine, the moonshine – but he was insatiable.  Pulling her upright and into his arms made it very clear to her that he wanted it all right then and there. 

       “I hope you don’t consider me barbaric,”, he gasped through clenched teeth as he wrapped her legs around his waist, “but I’m not very good at practicing restraint.  I need to be inside you now!”.  Cheri was at a loss for words, so she merely nodded in agreement, mesmerized by the way the light hit his eyes.  He made her feel brazen and wild, ready for anything as he took her completely, the wine rushing over their skin to match their rhythm.  Her eyes flew open in surprise when he thrust inside her, and in response he moaned with exquisite pleasure. 

       “Ohhhh….ohhhh, you’re so warm and tight… so soft… mmmmm…”, he whispered as he thrust harder and faster, sucking on her breasts again.  She could barely hold on, clinging to his shoulders and bouncing wildly, feeling the intense pressure build up until she lost all control.  He was grunting and sweating, and she was thrilled by the idea that he was enjoying it even more than she was.  When he finally satisfied himself with her, he kissed her neck tenderly, then reached up for her parched lips, licking them softly and cradling her head on his shoulder.  “That was fantastic… exactly what I needed.”, he said, then looked down at her.  “Now are you having a good time?”.

       She heard herself giggle, and she nodded her head in response.  She just couldn’t speak worth a damn around this man.  Their hearts were beating together… she could feel it, even if there was nothing to hear but the waves rippling over each other.  Afterwards, they made out like teenagers for what seemed like hours.  It was enough to just kiss him, and she had almost forgotten the simple pleasure that could be had from two sets of lips pressed together in the height of passion. 

       “Cheri…”, he said, breaking the silence.  “You know how I hate to see a great party end…”.

       He didn’t need to say anything more.  She knew it wasn’t possible to remain with him forever, wherever they were.  Until now, it honestly hadn’t dawned on her to question the whole thing… the massive festival, the costumes, the ocean of wine… but now that she realized that it was all part of another chapter in her life coming to a close, she couldn’t help but wonder what had really happened between them.

       “But this isn’t real, right?  I mean, it can’t be real.”, she asked him, but he pressed his finger to her lips before she could continue.

       “Of course it’s real… if you want it to be.  All I did was help you learn to have fun again.  Granted, I did go a bit overboard with the wine,”, he laughed, “but I guess you’ve figured out by now that I’m not one to hold back on anything.  You can have fun anytime you want… and when you want it, I’ll be there, baby.”.  He came close to kiss her on the nose, but this time she was ready.

       “No, wait!  I don’t want to leave!”.

       He merely sighed, then dipped his hands under the waves and fiddled around.  Drawing out something round and shiny, he placed it in her hands.  “Here.  I want you to have this… it will make things easier for you when you go back home.”

       She was holding one of his rings… gold and chunky, it was centered with a square amethyst stone.  The band was scrolled with intricate loops and curlicues that gave it a regal, delicate look despite its size.  When she held it up to the moonlight, she thought she saw the jewel swirling and bubbling inside… it appeared to be much too big for any of her fingers, but when she slipped it on anyway she was surprised to discover that it fit perfectly.

       “A ring?”

       “Yes.  No good story is complete without a magic ring, right?”, he laughed, then rolled his eyes.         “Yeah, it’s cheesy, but what can I say?  I’m a sucker for clichés.”.

       “How do you know I won’t pawn this after I go home?”, she asked teasingly.

       “I can promise you, that ring is worth nothing to anybody except me… and hopefully, to you too.”, he replied.  “Now… one last kiss?”.  He lunged in again, but she backed away.

       “So what does it do?”

       “You’ll figure it out.”.  Wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tightly, he planted a fiery kiss on her that made her toes curl.  His tongue darting around inside her mouth made her squirm with delight… it was so powerful that she lost sensation in her legs and didn’t realize what had happened until she woke to the sound of the wind rushing past her driver’s side window.  Glancing at the clock on her dashboard, she saw that it was nearly 2:30 a.m., just an hour or so later.  Instinctively she wrapped her arms across her chest, then realized she was fully clothed.  At that moment a creepy fear of dread overcame her, and she quickly stuck her hands inside her pockets.  She didn’t want to look at either of them… she just didn’t.  So she simply sat and stared straight ahead, listening to the breeze.  It sounded so fresh and carefree, so playful.  It reminded her of her dream.  She wanted to remember everything about it… the party, the music, the wine and of course the sinfully handsome master of ceremonies who showed her the true meaning of fun.  Those hands… damn.  Cheri loved a man with a beautiful pair of hands, and as she mulled every detail over and over in her mind, she willed herself to look at her own.

         She was not at all surprised to see that ring, just as she had remembered in her dream, nestled on her finger… but it didn’t scare her the way she thought it would.  In fact, holding it out to the light and looking at it again brought a smile to her face and reminded her that nothing could take away her sense of humor.  As she drove home, she hummed a strange tune to herself and found herself craving a glass of cheap red wine.