A Sensual Affair

Maksimillian

I adeptly rolled the condom on my hard staff while the woman I was with in this luxurious room watched me. She was already naked and so excited to get this thing going between us. Since we were at the birthday party-a mutual friend's-in one of the multi-function halls in this same five-star hotel, Anichka started flirting with me. It was the first time we met, but it didn't matter since I'm used to one-night stands and no-strings-attached relationships-if I could count it as one. I always made it clear in the first place to avoid any complications and consequences later. It wasn't only because of unwanted pregnancies but the disease I might catch. After all, health is wealth-not to mention that I already have wealth as the owner of Frolov-Usmanov Inc.

Yes, I am one of the Russian billionaires and still a bachelor at the age of thirty. I own most of the company, that is, since my cousin Rurik Frolov co-owns it. The company stretched its arms in different industries such as steel, real estate, telecom, investments and dating apps. The latter was truly amazing, giving us billions of profits every year. Well, it may not good investing in people's emotions and criminals maybe used them, but it wasn't that bad. Some did find their soulmates by technology nowadays.

Now, Anichka bit her lip as her dark green eyes surveyed my lean, well-built body and especially my big and long staff. She looked happy to see it from the way she smiled widely at me. Well, every girl did whenever they see my proud boner.

I pushed Anichka down the king size bed, which was covered by white sheets. The lampshade in the far right corner was our only illumination, and the heavy curtains were drawn at the ceiling-to-floor glass window to my left.

I touched the soft wet flesh at the center of her thighs and run my fingers up and down her slit. She moaned and writhed beneath me. I rubbed her swollen bundle of nerves that I knew every girl would love to be touched there, making her wetter. Her legs opened wider, and her back arched.

"Ahhh..." she moaned again and again. "Stick it inside right now, Maks!" she said in a begging tone.

"I'll stick it in in my own time, got it?" I said and held her hands above her head. I always loved the missionary position as I could see the woman's face, especially her eyes when she begged for me to take her. And by this, I could lord over her body as much as I wanted to. There were also times that I would love to do it rough. Many, in fact, loved it rough, and that was enjoyable for me. For both.

Anichka breathed hard and fast, too much excitement building in her luscious body. She had huge breasts and pink tips. Her curly blonde hair was scattered on the white pillow. She did look amazing. Nonetheless, she was merely one of those women I wanted to take just once. I knew that by the time we were done here, I would feel nothing.

I propelled my hard length inside her warm and wet canal, and she moaned louder.

"Ahh! Ahh!" Her voice softly reverberated in the room. "Yes! Yes!" Her green eyes were smoky with lust, and I watched her breasts move forward as she thrust them closer to me.

I sucked one puckered tip as I rammed her body, hearing her endless moans. Her legs wrapped around my waist and urged me to go in deeper. And I did. Her mewling became louder and prolonged as I pushed deeper into her. I loved the way her feminine walls getting tighter and tighter as she was nearing the climax.

I slammed into her as forcefully and as deeper as I could. Then, I let go of her taut peak to watch her face. Her eyes were now close and her mouth open as she felt my huge manhood filling her tightly.

She screamed when she reached her climax but I didn't stop driving in and out of her body until I released. Our bodies were damp with sweat, and I removed myself from atop her. I rolled to her right side, and she turned to me with a wide smile plastered on her pretty face.

"You were great, Maks!" she complimented me, panting.

'Of course, I am,' I thought, and I softly chuckled-but didn't say anything. My breathing was getting back to normal, and so was hers.

I got up to go to the bathroom and showered. I leaned my hands against the wet tiled walls while the warm water rushed down my body, relaxing it. And yet, my mind was in chaos.

I had always liked the one-night stands and the pleasure these gave me, but they always left me empty afterwards.

'What's wrong with me?' I pondered. 'What am I supposed to do with my life?'

***

Zenovia

"W-what did you say?" My brows knitted as I stared at Antonia, my best friend who was thirty and actually five years older than me.

That Friday afternoon, I took off half of the day at work as a hotel receptionist, and I was at her private clinic to consult her with my physical discomfort. It'd been days since I felt pain whenever I removed my bowels and even when I urinate. I also had this pelvic pain whenever I had my monthly cycle, worse than before. Since she was an OB-GYN and my best friend-thank God for that-I could open up to her easily.

"I'm suspecting it's endometriosis, Zen," she said in a frowning face. "Do you know what it is?" She pushed a strand of her fake short red hair behind her ear while looking at me intently. Her dark brown eyes seemed to assess my reaction since earlier.

"Y-yes. I heard about it. But h-how do we know for sure?" I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. I did check for my symptoms on the net and saw some articles about it.

"Well, there's this called rectovaginal exam as a physical exam to know if there are nodules behind your uterus and along the ligaments that attach to your pelvic wall. But there may be no nodules that can be felt. It's not always the nodules that can verify it."

"Then let's do it!" I said to her.

Her face was torn into a laughter and pity. Her lips curved and then became a line in a split second. "Zenovia Cuza, seriously! Did you hear what I said? The physical exam means I have to insert a finger in your ass and one finger in your vagina!"

"So?" I was almost desperate, scowling at her. I didn't know why she was hesitating to do it when I needed to know what was really happening to my body! "Why are you telling me this and not just do it?"

Now she barked in laughter. "Do you want me to take your virginity by my finger right here in my clinic, huh?"

And my jaw slackened.

Zenovia

Thinking of my best friend taking my virginity right here in her clinic did not only gross me out but also more than that. I did have mixed feelings given my unknown state at the moment.

'Doamne ferește!' (God forbid!) I never thought I could get something like this. I never ever thought I'd be in this situation, although I did know that at one point in my life, I could catch or contract something and that I may be hospitalized or see a doctor. And never had I thought I'd need my best friend like this either.

"And to let you know, this physical exam can cause you unusual pain or discomfort," Antonia further explained to me. "It's not conclusive and can't be relied upon to truly establish the diagnosis of endometriosis. I can be wrong, Zen. But... we can instead use ultrasound to rule out other pelvic diseases and perhaps we may find out the presence of endometriosis in your vaginal and bladder areas. But then again, unfortunately, we need to be more accurate to diagnose it."

'So why are you telling me all this and not just go straight to the point?'

I took a deep breath, trying to normalize my heartbeat, and did not blurt out what I had on my mind. I knew she was just explaining to me things but I was getting edgy. And actually, I was on the verge of panicking and breaking down right now.

"Okay. Okay. So, what then?" My thoughts were reeling at the same time. I was really afraid of what might happen to me in the future. Besides Antonia and my parents that I didn't speak with much, I was all alone in life. I had no siblings to talk to or to vent my anger on either.

"For an accurate diagnosis, I have to directly inspect the inside of your pelvis and abdomen and thus need a tissue for biopsy of the implants, as it's necessary. Meaning to say, I need you to be at the hospital since we need either laparotomy or laparoscopy."

I took a deep breath once again and closed my eyes for a second or two, then looked at my friend. "What are these... -tomy and -copy you're saying?" I queried, didn't get what those medical terms were. I guess that slipped from my mind when I was reading some articles or that I may not altogether have met these words before.

"Laparotomy involves opening the abdomen by using a huge incision."

"What?" My eyes bulged, and I looked at my stomach. Of course, it wasn't directly since I had my shirt and jeans on, as I was seated at the visitor's chair in front of my friend's desk, while she sat behind it in her gray swivel chair. "You're going to open me up?"

"Well, if we must, so that we'll know for sure..."

"No, no, no, no! I don't want to be sliced open!" I protested in panic. I wasn't afraid of blood but I was afraid of wounds. Did it make sense? Of course not! I'm that weird!

"As for the laparoscopy, it is the most frequent surgical procedure that most usual employees used for the diagnosis of endometriosis. Laparoscopy is just a minor surgical procedure that is performed under general anesthesia-"

"Doamne ferește!" I cut her off and crossed myself. As a Catholic, it wasn't really my habit compared to Antonia, who was an Orthodox and would cross herself thrice, but at this point... God! I thought this was just getting worse and worse. I wanted to get out of here, for the first time. Before, whenever I visited my friend at her clinic, I was always happy to just chat with her, especially when she wasn't busy. She had a specific time for her private clinic and the rest was at a Iași hospital.

Iași is a university city in Romania and is somewhere northeast of Bucharest, more than a five-hour car drive.

"But there are some cases where a patient is just under local anesthesia," Antonia added, trying her best to educate me. "This is most commonly performed as an outpatient procedure, so you don't need to stay in the facility overnight. To tell you more so that you have an idea, laparoscopy is carried out by first puffing up the abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide by a small incision in the navel."

I instinctively palmed my navel area as she spoke, and I grimaced while thinking about what she said. I thought this was really graphic, imagining that I'd be on that surgery table and my friend was doing it to me.

"There's a thin, tubular viewing instrument, which is called the laparoscope, that is then inserted into, let's say, your blown up abdominal cavity. That way, I can inspect your abdomen and pelvis. Through this, endometrial implants can be directly seen, if you have, that is," she said with a gesture of her hand in between sentences.

I visibly gulped twice while she gave me a measuring look. I may be amazed at her professionalism but I knew she was telling me all this like a friend, filling me in with those little details so that I would understand what I was about to get myself into and be prepared in the near future.

I had no words, although my mind was in a riot right now. What if this was really endometriosis? What then?

"I can schedule you immediately, within next week, once we're done with the ultrasound today, if you want," Antonia spoke again, bringing me back to the present.

My eyes wavered.

'Today,' I thought miserably. That was indeed immediate. This was going all too fast! I didn't like it. I felt nervous.

"Hey, hey, Zen!" Antonia flicked her fingers in front of my face when I zoned out again. "Hey, don't worry, okay? Having this endometriosis is not the end of your world!"

"What? How can you even say that? You should know what it is! You know what this entails, Antonia," I told her bitterly. "Now tell me honestly, so I can at least fully prepare myself."

"We're not even sure if it's endometriosis yet, Zen."

"I know, Antonia. But what if you're right? What's going to happen to me, honestly?" my voice croaked.

***

Maksimillian

Days passed by quickly. After that encounter with Anichka, I buried myself at work. I was happier when I kept myself busy and not think about life at all.

My parents died in a helicopter crash when I was eighteen, the reason why I had to work at the company at such a young age. I was even the first to step on the family business, ahead of my cousin Rurik who was two years older than me. He joined the company and started to work his fat ass off at the age of twenty-three. My uncle, my late father's younger brother-in-law and was Rurik's late father who died a few years back, was the one who taught me everything about businesses and people around us. He taught me the importance of legalities and everything in between, but I did man up on my own.

"So, why did you call me to meet you here? You missed me, moy kuzen (my cousin)?" Rurik smirked as he sat down on the stool at our favorite bar in downtown Moscow one weekend night. It was summer, late June, so it was warm for us.

We both wore white shirts and dark jeans. His had a round neck, with his stomach slightly bulging in the middle because of his chubbiness. The edge was tucked in, making him look ancient. As for me, I wore a V-neck shirt, and it was untucked. He wore loafers, while I wore sneakers.

I put the tall glass of my Black Russian cocktail down the bar, while the stocky bartender in his thirties eyed us once in a while as he served other customers. He already knew us, as we were patrons here-not just because we were rich.

There were quite a number of people in the bar, mostly men. Some women were with their guys, but they didn't drink hard liquors to keep their femininity. As far as I knew since I became aware of drinks and other adult stuff-and it had nothing to do with being sexist at all if I'd say this as I'm not-Russian women don't drink vodka. It was considered unladylike.

The liquor scent wafted in the air. Russians do drink a lot. It was one of the reasons there are numerous traffic accidents and deaths, mostly men, in the country. The cars would just collide with another vehicle or swerve off road and crash even in the middle of the day.

"No, why would I miss someone who's an eyesore?" I returned while he ordered a drink for himself, his favorite whisky.

Rurik guffawed. "Wait 'til you see Mother back from her Greek vacation," he said.

"Is it already two months since she's there?" I asked and downed all the remaining content of my cocktail.

"Yes, but she's not through with her vacation. I think she's still going somewhere when she arrives back home," he said and drank his whisky, half of its content. He gritted his teeth as he savored his drink and swallowed. He eyed me with furrowed thick brows. "Tell me, Maksimillian Usmanov, what the hell's wrong with you, huh?"

I took a deep breath and signaled to the bartender that I needed another glass of my cocktail. Then my sea green eyes regarded my kind cousin. "Honestly, I don't know what I would do with my life. You and I have it all in terms of money and everything, Rurik, but I can't see and feel the joy in all of this. Now tell me if I don't have a problem with this? Is it even normal? I don't sense my purpose except when I work."

And this all happened just last week. My talk with Rurik proved to be fascinating because he did lend his ears to my whining, if I could call it that. Fucking pathetic, really. I wasn't easy to break down just like that, and I wasn't the type to complain about the mishaps of my life but my cousin could always sense if I had a problem, even how little it is. He was that perceptive.

And now, I found myself in Brașov, Romania, inside The Black Church because my aunt dragged me onto this vacation.

I was listening to the organ playing and secretly recording it on my phone even though taking videos or other sorts of recording was not allowed. But just because! I thought the music was heavenly.

When I surveyed the other people seated on the long benches facing the front that had the organ playing, where the altar was located as well, my eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of the black-haired woman across the aisle. She was openly staring at me with those slightly big gray eyes of hers... and everything seemed to fade away right then...

Zenovia

It was confirmed. I did have endometriosis, and the cause was unknown. How could I be so unfortunate with my life?

"What's the worst that can happen to me, Antonia?" I asked her on the phone when I was out of the hospital and was at my own apartment. It was already night and I did not even have to stay overnight at the hospital as an outpatient. I had to leave work for a couple of days though. I wasn't feeling good or keen to go to work anyway.

I could feel my stomach area numb from the procedure. The small incision in my navel was still fresh but the pain was nothing I couldn't handle. Anyway, I had the pain reliever for it.

"Well, one of the symptoms of it is infertility actually, but we detected it earlier and it's mild endometriosis you have. You're still healthy when it comes to fertility, as we already examined that. But it could reach to that point if you don't take medication. The good news is you can still have the baby you desire. Yay!" she said, trying to cheer me up.

Yes, I did want to have a child, and I needn't have to be married for that. I could just have the child on my own without the father, if only I could arrange it that way.

I sighed heavily and sat on the sofa in my living area. My apartment had a bedroom, a kitchen with a dining area and also a living area. It was not really big but it was comfortable and spacious enough for someone who lived here alone. My unit was on the fifth floor of an eight-storey building, so it was nice to look out of the window during the night and see the lights from other buildings and the streetlights, as well as the passing vehicles and the different colours of neon lights of some nearby establishments.

I gathered my knees, ignoring the little pain of my navel when my thighs pressed against my abdomen. My eyes went to look out of the glass window, since my curtains were out of the way.

"How can I even have a baby when I don't have a man?" I scowled, my lips protruding, and I grimaced afterwards.

"Right. I forgot you're slightly a misandrist. But I don't get you. You still want a baby," she said. "For that, you do need a man, Zen!"

And yes, we circled to that.

"I can't afford the in vitro fertilization. It's way off my pay grade!" I told her and sighed again.

"Well, I can help you with the IVF if you want," she offered as though she was just going to give me a piece of cake.

"You do know my stand on your being so generous to me, don't you?" I returned gently.

"Well then, you do it in the normal way." I could just imagine her eyes grew bigger to point it out.

"Right. It's more enjoyable," I sarcastically said, thinking of my parents that were divorced.

My mother was a university professor in Physics in Iași, while my father was an engineer who remarried and had a sixteen-year-old son. Right, I did have a half-brother but whom I couldn't vent my anger on if I wanted to. How could I forget that detail? We were not close, although he wanted to. In fact, he would always leave me messages in my social media inbox, asking how I am and when we could see each other in Bucharest, since they were living there now. They moved from Iași a couple years back. And yet, I never answered his messages. If I did, it was just to say "I have no time."

Reminding me that I was "slightly" a misandrist was maybe mildly put by Antonia. She did know I hate men generally, though I did want to have a baby. And of course, I need a man for that.

"Uh! About that. I think I forgot to tell you that with endometriosis, you might feel pain during and after sex, Zen. Sorry to tell you this late."

"Right!" My voice went higher. I did remember about it in an article I read on the net.

'Just a great life I have! How could I even enjoy making a baby if this was the case?'

"But don't worry, I'll tell you some tips on sex positions so that if and when you find the right man you want to have a baby with ASAP, you can do it without pain."

My mouth opened. We were best friends but I hate to talk intimate things with her. It just so happened she was an OB-GYN that I had to consult my problem with. But everything was really mortifying. Although Antonia was not the one who would put on the brakes when it comes to intimacy topics because she openly discusses hers to me, I didn't mind because it wasn't mine. Nonetheless, she did know that I am still a virgin, as she knew too well I never had a relationship, intimate or not, with a man. Unlike her, who did have five boyfriends so far, if I did count them right. Now, she was hunting for men. In fact, she wanted me to go on vacation with her just so we can concentrate on finding a man for me! And of course, for her as well on the sideline.

If I'd think about it, our friendship started when she and her family moved from Piatra Neamț to Iași when I was ten, and we became neighbors. Their house was bigger than ours since they were well off. However, no one liked to speak with her since she always dominated the conversation. It was only I who endured it, that's why she was so taken with me. From then on, she claimed that she was my lifetime best friend, and she'd take care of me no matter what. But I did know better. I was the sister she never had. She always wanted to have one, but her mom couldn't get pregnant anymore because of her heart problem.

"Maybe I'll get back to you on that. I have to hang up now. You know, I still have to call Mămică," I said to Antonia.

"Okay, my best regards to your mom, Zen! I'll drop by to see you tomorrow and see how you're doing, all right? Bye!"

After I hung up, I did call my mom. I asked how she is and stuff like that. When she asked me how I am, I wasn't brave enough to tell her. I didn't know how she would react if she knew I wasn't really well.

"Have you started dating?" she asked, without teasing in her tone. She was curious, and God knows she was dying to know if I'd settle down soon.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't call you to discuss my love life, Mămică!" I was irritated.

"But we can," she insisted. "Why don't you date? You're already almost thirty!"

I blew my face in vexation, trying hard not to shout at her. "That's still five years from now. Don't exaggerate for heaven's sakes! Mămică, I won't date ever, all right? Just accept it. I'll never get married just like you did and then break up afterwards! I can't let my child, if I have one, suffer the same fate as I did. Men are dicks, Mămică! You should know that better than I do! Look what Tati did to you. He cheated on you and then, what? He divorced you and he's now living happily with his little family, leaving us in a miserable state!"

I heard my mother sigh. "If your father did it to me, it doesn't mean your man will do the same thing, Zenovia. Just give yourself a chance, will you?"

And I hung up, feeling so annoyed with her. I did feel remorse that I hung up on her. It was so rude of me, so I just texted her to say sorry.

***

A month later, I was in Biserica Neagră (Black Church). It turned out that I was alone in this vacation, which Antonia and I planned but she was the one who paid for it all. It was indeed unfortunate as she had an emergency at the hospital just before we were supposed to leave, and no one could attend to it because her fellow OB-GYN got sick and couldn't make it. Antonia told me she would be here maybe in a couple of days to join me. I knew she badly wanted to have this vacation with me, as it had been long since we had our last one-maybe three years ago. Even though I've lived in Romania all my life, I'd never been to Brașov (a city in south eastern Transylvania); so was Antonia. It's why we picked this place to have a summer vacation for two weeks. There were many places we could visit and have fun.

Now as I listened to the organ played by one of the priests, I looked up at the interior balcony of the church. It was empty but there were about a hundred or so guests in the church, seated on the long benches. I swept my eyes around me, taking in all the beautiful details of the Gothic-style monument of Romania. During the Great Turkish War in 1689, the church was partially ruined and burned when the Habsburg forces invaded. The church was then repaired with the help of Danzig masons, and the vaults were completed in Baroque style.

The sound of the organ echoed in the church; it was mellow and beautiful with a gothic vibe but it was good to listen to it. Then, I saw him... opposite to where I was seated. I was at the farthest side of the bench on the left side facing the altar, while he was exactly across the aisle. Without the aisle, we could've sat side by side.

I had no idea but my heart skipped a couple of beats, before it did again, only to hammer my chest hard. I could feel my blood warming up and travelling fast in my entire system. His eyes were the most beautiful green I'd ever seen-thanks to the lights I saw them well.

"You need to get laid, Zen! Let's search for someone who can make you that baby you so want in Brașov!" I suddenly recalled Antonia's words while we planned our vacation. These words rang in my head, as though she was just right here in the church.

The music's vibe seemed to turn into a more romantic one for some reason. I had no idea if it was just my imagination or not. But then the gorgeous man held my eyes like he held me physically that even if I wanted to look away, I couldn't.

And my breath became ragged.