They had arranged to meet just after noon on Sunday, but Eli arrived at their workshop an hour early with two large bags of supplies. He felt rested, finally, having caught up on the sleep he’d lost Friday night. Working in his shop on Saturday had been brutal, battling exhaustion while trying to look cheerful for customers after having gotten no sleep at all the previous night. He’d made himself go shopping late that night, though, wanting to surprise Astrid with the machinery they’d need to build their device.
Astrid. Eli paused in unpacking the supplies to think back on Friday night’s encounter, reveling in the memory of her face as she came, the feel of her body beneath his. He had relived that night a dozen times in the intervening day since. What had he gotten himself into with her? He was sure one night had not been enough to dispel the tension between them. Previously, he had been able to put her from his mind, but now he couldn’t stop thinking of her. Her scent was in his clothes and on his skin, his cock rising to attention at completely inopportune times during the workday. Despite his exhaustion, he had had to bring himself off when he got home in order to sleep.
He returned to unpacking supplies, smiling despite himself. Sleeping with Astrid may have been a bad decision, but he couldn’t make himself regret it. At least he would have the memories, since he couldn’t allow himself anything else. Girls like Astrid were adventurous, spirited, courageous, and eventually they would all grow tired of men like him.
“Hi.”
Her voice behind him made him jump, bumping the worktable where he’d arrayed all their equipment. Turning, he saw her standing in the doorway, looking hesitant. Had she spent the previous day questioning their night together? Regretting it? Did she wonder if he regretted it? He smiled, wanting to allay her fears. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I suppose the front door is pretty quiet.” She set her bags of tools down on the workbench. “What’s all this?”
“I picked up a few things. Wanted to get here early and set up.”
“I guess we both had the same idea. Seems like you beat me.” Astrid began to poke through the gears Eli had set out on the table. “How did you know what to get?”
“I had to guess. I figure it’s enough to get started.” Rubbing his beard, he wondered if he had been too presumptuous. “I thought it might be helpful.”
“I appreciate it.” She smiled up at him. “So where do we begin?”
He lost himself in the work at first. They’d decided to focus on the saddle, which involved so much labor that he could distract himself from her scent. Between the shaping, fastening and sanding, they worked well into the afternoon without making much discernible headway. They also worked in near silence. Was she feeling uncomfortable or just focusing on the work? Why was he even wondering? Their night was over. He wasn’t going to bring it up again, and she certainly wouldn’t.
When they took a break for lunch, Eli considered their progress. The saddle shape was coming together, albeit more slowly than he’d expected. Astrid was apparently thinking the same thing. “When do you think we’ll get it finished?”
Eli leaned back on the worn sofa. “Later this week, maybe? We have enough time if we work diligently, I think. The Judges’ Viewing is still almost three weeks away.”
Astrid tapped her fingertips against her lips in thought. Eli remembered the feeling of those lips against his and was overwhelmed by the urge to feel them against his again. What was wrong with him? He took a sip of water to hide the wave of emotions. Astrid seemed oblivious, staring off toward their workroom down the hall. “This is just the mock-up. Our final one is going to be made out of metal, not wood, so that might take even longer. All that soldering and welding. We should leave enough time for that.”
“But we’ll have the mock-up to work from, so that will make things easier.” Eli imagined how it would look, picturing the finished design from their drawings. At the same time, he imagined her riding it the way she had ridden him their second time together, her head thrown back, crying out in pleasure.
Astrid finished her sandwich and tea. “Ready to get back to it?”
Eli nodded, setting his own trash aside, his pants uncomfortably tight. “Ready.”
By the time evening arrived, they had at least finished crafting the rough frame of the saddle. It was easy to lose track of time down there in the flat without windows. When he checked his watch at last, growing weary, he realized it was past six. He gestured to Astrid, who was working over the surface with a steam-powered sander, and asked if she was ready to wrap up for the evening.
“Almost. Let me finish this sanding.”
Eli ran a hand over the smooth surface. “We’re covering it with leather, right? It doesn’t need to be so smooth.”
Astrid brushed the hair out of her face and slid the goggles up her forehead into her hair. “I didn’t think we’d cover it until it was finished. What with needing to drill holes in it and all that. I want it to be smooth before we start covering it, since we’re going to need to test it for size.”
Eli cleared a spot on the worktable around the saddle and offered her his hand. “Climb up. Let’s take a look.”
Astrid hesitated, then accepted his helping hand onto the workbench. After brushing the sawdust aside, she swung one leg over their base. Her skirt rode up on her thighs as she did so. Eli wondered if she was wearing any underthings.
Shifting slightly, Astrid frowned. “It’s low.”
“You can sit down on it. You have to lower yourself down.”
She shook her head. “No, it should just fit when I kneel, I think. It would be even better if I couldn’t quite reach, so my legs dangled a little. That way, all my weight would be on the device. Much better stimulation.”
That mental image was going to be the death of him. He swallowed and nodded, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
Astrid swung her leg back over the saddle and climbed down. “We need to raise it up.”
“I suppose. You’re the expert, after all.”
“It’s going to be heavy.” She surveyed the device. “Maybe we should attach it to some kind of frame, so she doesn’t have to put it on her table or her bed.” Astrid returned to their blueprints. “We don’t want her to do the heavy lifting. It should be self-supporting.”
“All right.” Eli began to sketch legs on the drawing. “So she sits astride it?”
“Pads here and here.” Astrid took a pencil and drew them in. “That way she can let her legs hang or kneel on the pads, but either way, full penetration. The device does all the work.” She stifled a yawn. “I think you’re right. Maybe we should wrap up for the evening.”
The night was cool but clear, and as they walked back to Astrid’s flat, Eli admired the few stars visible above the glow of the city. She walked so close to him that he could feel the warmth of her body against his hip, and he wanted to wrap his arm around her waist but knew it was improper. These feelings were only because they’d been working so closely together that day. He hadn’t been with a woman in too long, so Astrid was affecting him more than she normally would have.
At her door, Astrid extended her hand. “So Wednesday, then? Around ten a.m.?”
Eli kissed her hand, wishing again that he were going inside her flat. “Ten a.m.”