A Slow Build

Author's Note:
This is my first piece of fiction at AFF and my first time to share a piece of original fiction (although I wrote a few fanfiction pieces back in junior high school), so please be gentle with me! I started writing this story on a whim and, though it began as an idea for a short PWP, the story has somehow expanded on its own... Hopefully it won't exceed 3 or 4 chapters in the end. ;D

There will be some (hopefully explicit) adult content in later chapters, so if that's not your cuppa tea then please don't read. Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors I may have skipped over. Although I don't expect to receive any reviews, they are still more than welcome. Enjoy!

A Slow Build


Chapter 1: The 25-Year-Old Girl
(07/03/2008 - 07/05/2008)

For someone named Fanny, she wasn’t doing a very good job of mastering hers. Fanny slumped back on the pillows of her bed and let her hands fall away from their task. Her peripherals registered the novel that lay a few inches from her head, and she recalled haphazardly tossing the volume there in the excitement that its words had ignited. She couldn't see the title on the spine unless she turned her head but, with a blush, she could picture the words Wanton Pleasures in gold embossed letters on its cover. It had taken her months to work up the courage to purchase the novel, which was her first foray into erotic fiction, and now... Fanny expelled a frustrated sigh.

Although she had essentially lived all of her life in Canada, where the word fanny was G-rated slang for butt, having lived in Britain for a number of her younger, more impressionable years, she now couldn’t help bringing her private parts to mind whenever she heard the word. And, unfortunately for her, that very same word had settled itself quite comfortably as her nickname.

Overall, she didn't have too many complaints about the nickname; being called Fanny was a sight better than having to answer to Frances. (Was it just her imagination, or was it impossible for anyone to pronounce her given name without adding that distinctly nasal sound?) During times of masturbatory failure, however, she didn’t appreciate the irony of being nicknamed after the private parts that she apparently knew so little about.

But how could she know so little about a part of own body! She was a woman, wasn't she?

Fanny snickered a little to herself. Woman? Anyone else her age would likely classify themselves as an adult, but she still considered herself to be a girl. A 25-year-old girl. And it was in moments like this where she felt it most acutely.

It was laughable, really. Just like all the other times she'd tried to masturbate, she hadn't reached climax. Not even close.

She'd really tried to have an orgasm, too! Although she hadn't worked up the nerve to waltz into a sex shop and buy herself a battery-operated-boyfriend, she'd agonized a lot over the decision to buy an erotic novel for herself. After years of listening to tales of fulfilling experiences between the sheets (she had blushingly listened to her friends recount these stories), her curiosity won out. She braved all the possible raised eyebrows from bookstore patrons and clerks alike, and finally bought her first adult novel.

Fanny had had sex before, but she was still very much a virgin when it came to sexual pleasure. Needless to say, the few times she had engaged in sexual activities of any kind had garnered lacking results. She'd thought that for sure she could rectify the problem with a bit of help but, despite the rather good job the racy fiction had done in arousing her, in the end it came down to her own two hands. And said hands had so far been unsuccessful in bringing her to that elusive orgasm that she'd heard so much about.

A waft of conditioned air sent a chill sweeping over her naked body. No longer feeling the heat of arousal, she knew that the moment had passed and slowly sat up to reach for her discarded sleep wear. Clothed once more in her oversized pajama shorts and shirt, she slid beneath the thin, summer sheets of her bed.

Dissatisfaction had her feeling a strange mix of exhaustion and restlessness. Fanny shifted onto her right side and was met once again with the sight of her recent purchase. Ugh. She rolled to the left. The digital clock on her bedside table flashed obnoxiously at her, a reminder that the power had flickered off earlier in the day.

"I can't be bothered..." she mumbled, something between disappointment and sleep lacing her voice.

Eyes closed, she fumbled for the off switch of her lamp, and sighed. Within minutes she was asleep, as though determined to avoid dwelling on her incomplete wank. But her dreams were anything but restful. For a girl who had stayed a physical virgin up until age 22, was sadly still orgasm-deprived three years afterwards, and blushed at the slightest mention of sex, Fanny often experienced a lot of sex dreams. Dreams in which the almighty orgasm continued to elude her. Go figure.

Hours later, Fanny's eyes were still closed but she was suddenly awake and aware of her surroundings. It was morning now, she could see the sunlight even through her eyelids. But something seemed off. Her shapely brows furrowed in thought. She felt her blanket twisted around one leg, and knew she had probably kicked most of it off the bed. Nothing new there. Hazy, erotic images flickered through her head, her body ached with unfulfilled arousal. This, too, was quite usual. So what was it?

Knuckles rapped on the other side of her door. "Fanny! Fanny, are you still sleeping?" Her roommate's muffled voice carried through the door.

Suddenly it registered. Fanny jackknifed into a sitting position and tore her eyes open. She was late! Shit, why hadn't her alarm gone off? Her eyes darted to the clock on her left and she remembered, belatedly, that she had seen it blinking pointedly at her before.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Releasing another string of curse words, Fanny half-jumped half-tripped out of bed (she'd forgotten about that sheet around her leg) and hurtled towards her bedroom door. She wrenched the door open and was met with the artificial blues of her roommate. If Sadie already had her contacts in, Fanny must have slept later than she'd feared.

"What time is it?" She blurted to the taller woman.

"G'morning to you too," Sadie chuckled, tossing her raven curls over her shoulder with a practised flick of her head. "Your shift started two minutes ago."

Needing no further encouragement, Fanny swerved around her friend and raced into the small bathroom across from her room, her momentum swinging the door closed with a slam. She faintly heard Sadie's twinkling laugh and her footsteps travelling towards the kitchen.

In a rush, Fanny squeezed a jagged line of toothpaste onto the bristles of her toothbrush while shimmying out of her pajama shorts and panties. She plunked down onto the toilet, hurriedly scrubbing her teeth and tongue with minty paste while she did her business. If there was anything Fanny was most used to, it was rushing; even on the days she actually set her alarm, she rarely got out of bed on time. As a result, she'd mastered multi-tasking down to a fine art.

Standing up from the toilet and washing her hands, she glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror and wished she could master makeup application too. She plucked her toothbrush from her mouth and rinsed while she contemplated. What little makeup knowledge she had was rarely put to use, especially given her rushed routines, so she generally went to work with a plain face. She wasn't really unattractive, but neither was she an obvious beauty. Sadie was a beauty. But Fanny, especially next to her friend, was nothing special at first glance. Average height, boring brown hair and eyes, a mouth that was just a little too wide and full, Fanny thought she looked much too ordinary.

Her one great attribute was her body; full breasts, a small waist, and shapely hips that created an hourglass figure that was, quite frankly, sexy. Or would be, if anyone could see it beneath the clothes she wore.

She didn't have bad taste in clothes, but it was how the clothes fit her body that made her blend into the crowd. Still unaware that her body had evolved since her high school days (read: baby fat days), she generally chose clothes that were one or two sizes too large for her shapely frame, unknowingly hiding her most attractive traits. On some level, Fanny realized she was selling herself short somehow but she'd never taken the time to identify what she was doing wrong. And there certainly wasn't time at this very moment.

After managing a three minute shower, Fanny threw her pajamas back on and darted across the hall to her bedroom while finger-combing her damp hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. It was a bit messy, but it would have to do. Next came her clothes: a simple lace bra and mis-matched panties, followed by loose slacks and a v-neck that, had she bought the correct size, would have hugged upper body nicely. Blissfully unaware of her fashion misstep, she picked up her tote bag from its place beside her small desk and exited her room.

Sadie usually left for her acting classes by around this time of day, and Fanny wondered if the two of them might be able to travel together, at least until their paths diverged. Opening her mouth to ask her friend as much, she found her voice suddenly caught in her throat. She had reached the open-concept kitchen and common room area of their modest apartment and couldn't help blushing at the sight before her.

Though she couldn't see his face from where she stood, Fanny recognized the man that her roommate was straddling on the cramped, second-hand loveseat. It was Evan, a tall, handsome man a few years their junior, who had been dating Sadie for the past three months. So far Sadie had been casual about the relationship, openly dating other men from time to time. But Fanny guessed that Evan, in all his young, earnest passion, would eventually inspire Sadie to make their relationship exclusive.

Presently, the two were pressed close to one another and, as far as Fanny could tell, kissing passionately. Sadie's slender behind was firmly encased in Evan's large hands, and the two appeared to be completely oblivious to their audience. Fanny cleared her throat a little, looking away. Sadie pulled back slowly from the involved kiss and twisted her head to look at her friend.

"Oh, you're ready." She said simply, if a little dazedly. Then she smiled broadly, completely nonchalant. It was amazing how open she was about her sexuality; she was never embarrassed about being seen in situations like this. Sadie leisurely disentangled herself from Evan and rose to her feet. "Evan stopped by for a little snack on his way to school," she winked at her roommate.

Fanny forced a small laugh, still feeling the blush in her cheeks. She stole a glance at Evan and noticed that, though he looked slightly sheepish, his face was sporting a broad, boyish grin. Fanny smiled little, in spite of her discomfort. The young college student's adoration for Sadie was written all over his face. Hopefully Sadie wouldn't grow tired of this one too soon.

"You look like you could do with a some breakfast," Sadie called.

On reflex, Fanny caught the apple her friend tossed at her. She smiled her thanks and bit into the fruit. "I really have to go," she enunciated around a mouthful, already shoving her feet into a pair of simple flats and heading towards the foyer. "You leaving now?"

Sadie nodded and made to follow her friend. Evan trailed behind them smilingly, uncaring that he was probably close to being late himself. He swatted Sadie's bum as she bent in front of him to fasten the straps of her open toe heels, and Fanny bit back a laugh on her way out the front door as the two lovers grappled playfully behind her.

As always, the elevator ride from the 5th floor was anything but speedy. The elevator crawled its way up to them (Fanny wondered again if it was in perpetual slow motion) and crawled back down once they'd boarded it, but eventually they reached the ground floor and Fanny led the way somewhat impatiently out of the apartment building. After a quick goodbye to Evan, the two women started the ten minute walk to the closest subway station. Fanny hoped she could divide that by two with a little hurry in her step.

"You don't have to rush," Fanny repeated to her friend for the third time, but Sadie answered laughingly, "No harm in a little power walking!"

Once they had made it to the station and caught their breath, Sadie asked her friend, "Did you hit the snooze button a few too many times?"

"Yeah, something like that," Fanny sighed. "I hope I won't get an earful today... but this definitely isn't the first time I've been late for work. Although," she grimaced at the time on her cell phone, "I'm usually not thirty minutes late." She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I wish I had a signal down here."

"If you're planning to explain away your tardiness via cell phone, I have to remind you that you're not the most convincing liar."

Fanny laughed at this. "True," she conceded. "But at least it would look like I put in a little extra effort."

By this time the two women had swiped their transit passes and descended to the subway platform. Sadie's eastbound train was already sitting in wait, and the subway chimed to signal its imminent departure.

"Well, this is where I leave you. Good luck today, Fanny!" Sadie winked, and stepped into the closest subway car just before its doors slid closed.

Fanny smiled and waved to her friend while the train pulled away, then turned towards the opposite platform. Thirty seconds after the drones of the eastbound subway could no longer be heard, Fanny still could not hear or see any signs of the train she was waiting for. She sighed. It figured that Sadie, who wasn't even behind schedule, caught a train before Fanny did. Was that Murphy's Law?

It might be too much to ask, considering how often she had been late for work in recent weeks, but she hoped her boss would give her a break today.

"I should fire you on the spot!" Did this count as a break? Not so much.

Fanny caught a bit of spittle on her face amidst the yelling, but she didn't dare to wipe the offended cheek lest she anger her boss even more. She merely listened to the tirade, doing her best to keep from flinching.

She had finally reached her destination, a Call Centre where she was one of a number of phone operators responsible for fielding incoming calls (read: complaints) for a large phone company. She could understand her boss being upset with her; while she wasn't alone in her task, a massive number of calls flooded the Call Centre daily and missing even one operator made it significantly more difficult for the remaining workers to manage the volume. Plus, the more that customers had to wait before reaching an operator, the more they wanted to complain when they were finally patched through.

Recently, Fanny's lack of time management skills was getting the better of her, and the punctuality she'd exhibited upon first being hired a year earlier had now disappeared. No matter how much she rushed, it seemed she could never quite make it into work on time anymore.

Today really took the cake, though. Forty minutes late! Being summoned to her boss' office didn't surprise her. She was going be sacked right then and there, she could feel it.

"You cannot continue this tardy streak," Mr. Laugherty continued in his booming voice, spittle and all. He'd contained his yell a bit by now, probably trying to his best to remain cool-headed, but he was generally a loud person in any situation so the difference in volume was very slight. She hoped his office was sound proof. "In future I expect a prompt phone call and legitimate reason for lateness. In fact, if you are even 5 minutes late without notice or reason, Miss Jeffers, then I'm going to have to let you go. Is that understood?"

Fanny nodded emphatically. While she wasn't in the most favourable position right now, it was becoming clear that her boss wasn't going to get rid of her just yet. "Yes. Yes, of course," she answered him.

Her boss sighed, the wind out of his sails somewhat. "You still have your job, but I won't be so generous again. Well, go on, girl, get to work!" he said, when Fanny (feeling slightly heady with relief) made no move to leave his office.

"Ah. Yes, sir! Thank you." She almost tripped over her own feet in her haste to exit the tense situation, and sagged with relief only when she finally settled into the computer chair in her familiar cubicle. Crisis averted, at least for now. Maybe she should start looking at the classifieds...

With that thought, and the sudden awareness that her nearby co-workers were less than pleased at the effect she'd had on the day's work process (if the pointed looks they gave her were any indication), the brunette hunkered down to work.

Fanny worked overtime that day and her stomach wouldn't let her forget the skipped lunch. As it generally was in the summer, the sun was still shining quite strongly even though late evening was approaching. She was glad for days like this; when she worked overtime during the winter months, it was almost depressing to see night fall long before she was set to head home. Today was a Thursday before a long weekend so most people had left early. While Fanny had worked, the office suite had slowly emptied around her. She had continued to do paper work even after the phone lines closed and her main duties were completed, so she wouldn't be surprised if she only shared the office with janitors by this time.

Her stomach griped again and Fanny thought she probably couldn't wait long enough to get home before eating. She considered dinner options while she tidied her desk and packed her tote bag. Fast food? No, maybe not. It wasn't the healthiest food choice, and she wasn't really in the mood for burgers and fries. Fanny strode to the elevator and pressed the down button. She was kind of hankering for some pasta. But she couldn't see herself sitting in a restaurant by herself. Maybe she could get take-out and eat it outside...

The elevator arrived at that moment with a decisive ping. During the busy hours of the day it was a habit of hers to wait to the side of the elevator doors in anticipation of alighting passengers. But this practice didn't apply when she thought herself alone. So, Fanny was currently waiting smack dab in the middle of the doorway, ready to step into the vacant lift when its doors slid apart. This was most definitely the reason that she found her forehead connecting with a hard chin when she stepped towards the elevator a moment later.

"Shit!" she cursed on reflex. She rubbed the sore spot on her forehead gingerly. Generally she didn't bruise easily, but she hoped her forehead wouldn't show any telltale signs later on. Peeking up under her hand, she chanced a look at the form she'd bumped into, ready to apologise. She felt her mouth go dry. It was him!

Okay, maybe this should have been mentioned before but, although Fanny had not dated in the past couple of years (her previous sexual blunders hadn't given much incentive to find a new relationship), there was a man who had popped up on her radar almost a year ago, not long after she'd begun to work in the building. They worked in two different departments and on two different floors but, every so often, Fanny would catch a glimpse of him. She didn't know his name, didn't have the crafty nature or gall to ask around about him, but that certainly didn't stop her from forming a crush on the man.

Now, being in such close proximity with him, she felt tongue-tied; he was even more handsome up close! Deep, dark eyes and hair, kissable lips, a toned frame that always seemed to fill his clothes to perfection. She could tell that he was of mixed ethnicity, guessed he had some Asian blood to thank for the attractive shape of his eyes. She remembered that when he smiled or spoke she could glimpse dimples in his cheeks. She'd heard his rich laughter and strong voice and wondered what he would sound like in the throes of--

Fanny suddenly realized she was staring at the man. Staring! The expression he gave her was quizzical as he rubbed his tender chin, and she suddenly felt her like her face was on fire.

"Are you okay--?" "I'm so sorry--!" They started speaking at the same time.

Fanny squeezed her eyes shut in mortification. Only to have them snap open again at the unexpected sensation of a warm hand on her arm. She could swear that his hand, even with this innocent gesture, was sending delightful shocks through her whole body.

He bent his head slightly to look at her. "You okay? Sorry, I didn't mean head-butt you. Well, I guess it wasn't exactly a head-butt."

Fanny blinked at him. "Uh, yeah... yeah, I'm good. I think. Uh, sorry." She wanted to kick herself. Could she sound anymore stupid?

But to her surprise, tall-dark-and-handsome flashed his dimples at her shaky response. "That's good to hear." His hand fell from her arm and Fanny inwardly protested the loss. "I'm trying to catch Mr. Laugherty before he heads home, so I didn't notice you right away. Sorry, once again!" He stepped around her and started in the direction of Laugherty's office.

Fanny turned towards him, shyly. She wondered briefly why all of her confidence seemed to fly out the window whenever she was faced with a handsome man. "Um, Mr. Laugherty has already left the office, I'm the last to go home. I mean, on this floor..."

The man stopped in mid-step. "Oh yeah? Guess I'll have to send him a quick e-mail instead." He retraced his steps towards Fanny's side and peered at her face again. "You sure you're okay?"

As much as she wanted to stare at him, Fanny swung her eyes to a spot on the floor. "Fine! I mean, yeah, I'm fine." At this rate, her face would stay red all night.

She heard him chuckle beside her and peered at him through her lashes.

"Going down?" Was that flirtatiousness in his voice? He should be careful throwing that around, she might have heart palpitations.

Then she realized the reason for his laughter. She hadn't noticed that, following their collision, the elevator he'd ridden had since disappeared from sight. Seeing as she hadn't pressed the button to summon it again, Fanny was essentially waiting for, well, nothing at the moment. If it was possible to blush on top of another blush, she certainly did. Hoping to save face, her hand came up to press the down button again--and collided with his own hand as he went to do the same. This was getting ridiculous. She was reduced to a bumbling idiot in his presence!

But again, the handsome man merely laughed. It was a pleasant laugh, somewhat different to the laughter she'd heard from afar, and seemed to sound sympathetic. Listening to it, she had an urge to gaze at his dimples. She stared towards the elevator instead. Oh, this wasn't too bad, she could see his reflection in the chrome doors and almost make out his dimples in the distorted surface.

After a minute that stretched like an uncomfortable eternity, the elevator arrived. Forgoing her usual common courtesy, she pretty much ran into the lift ahead of him and slammed her finger a little too hard on the 'Lobby' button. Her handsome crush strolled in after her and she suddenly felt as though she'd been rude. "Oh! Uh, what floor?" she asked belatedly as the elevator began its descent.

"Don't worry, same as you," he said kindly from slightly beyond her left shoulder. She didn't look at his face, but she could hear the smile and picture the dimples. "You've worked here for a while, haven't you?" Oh my God, was he small talking with her? Oh my--had he noticed her before??

Fanny tried to keep her voice steady as she turned towards him slightly. "Yeah. About a year now." Good, that sounded pretty normal, although a little stiff. Maybe she should say something else to keep the conversation going. "...How about you?" Well, she wouldn't win medals for conversation anytime soon, but it was a start.

She was beginning to feel rather dimple-obsessed when her heart fluttered as he flashed those babies again. "Yeah, I started here around six years ago, pretty much straight out of college. It was one of those jobs I expected to be temporary but ended up sticking with," he chuckled.

For the first time since (literally) running into him, Fanny started to relax. She could definitely relate to his sentiment; it hadn't really been her intention to keep working at Call Centres during the past few years, but somehow she'd fallen into the habit. She smiled at the irony. "I know what you mean, mine isn't exactly the ideal job. I'm sure that nobody envies how many complaints I hear in a day."

At that moment she noticed the change in the expression of the man across from her. He was still smiling at her, but it seemed... different, somehow. "You have a nice smile," he told her suddenly.

Whoa, way to pull the rug out from under someone! Fanny averted her eyes, feeling the heat return to her cheeks again. The elevator opened just then, already at the ground floor, as if to offer her an escape. But her feet felt planted to the floor. And, truly, other than to hide her embarrassment, she wasn't really in a rush to leave the conversation.

The man placed his hand against the open doors on one side to hold them in place, gesturing for the flushed young woman to precede him from the elevator. She ducked her head and exited, sensing that he followed closely behind her.

Unsure of how to respond to his earlier statement, and yet unwilling to separate so soon, she paused in the middle of the lobby and tried to think of something to say. She needn't have worried though, because it seemed that he didn't plan to part ways with her quite yet.

"I'm Quentin Townsend, by the way." His hand entered Fanny's field of vision as he offered it for a handshake.

Inside, Fanny was elated. The man she'd admired from afar this past year was going out of his way to introduce himself to her! Hopefully this meant they would at least be acquaintances after today. But she couldn't hope to make a good impression by introducing herself without looking at him properly. Fanny swallowed and lifted her face to meet that warm dark gaze with her nervous brown eyes.

"Fanny Jeffers. I mean, Frances. Well, Fanny is preferred though..." She bit her lip and shook his hand, kicking herself again for stumbling. The handsome man, now identified as Quentin, must think her a ditsy fool for the way she'd communicated with him so far. "It's what my friends call me," she continued lamely.

Somehow, instead of being repulsed, Quentin appeared to be delighted by her babbling. "Fanny," repeated, as though testing the name on his lips. "Pleasure to meet you."

Quentin's hand, firm and warm, lingered in the handshake a little longer than necessary before releasing hers. Fanny felt an excited jolt in the pit of her stomach. The fact that this man was even paying attention to her at all was nothing short of amazing. And, though she'd spoken to good-looking men before, Quentin made her feel more excited than any of those men had. Although Quentin was not handsome in the classical sense, somehow all of his traits melded together to form the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on, much less spoken to.

Fanny smiled shyly. "Thanks, you too," she answered him finally. "Well, um. Enjoy the long weekend."

"I think I will," he smiled broadly and tilted his head towards her a little. "You wouldn't turn down a dinner invitation, would you?"

She spluttered. "Wh-what?" She did not just hear that. Did she?

"Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?"

"I, uh..." Fanny was at a loss for words. He couldn't be serious, could he? But another look into his liquid eyes made her believe the sincerity of his invitation.

With comic (and mortifying) timing, Fanny's stomach took the opportunity to remind her that it felt neglected. Fanny hoped it wasn't too much to ask that the growling from her abdomen had gone unnoticed by her handsome companion.

"Tonight is good for me too, if you're hungry now." His smile had become a teasing grin and it was more than obvious that he'd heard the loud protestations of Fanny's stomach.

Fanny felt embarrassed beyond belief, but somehow a giddy feeling was beginning to override that. Her crush was asking her out to dinner! She was tempted to take a rain check, if only to regroup, but what if he didn't ask her out again? This seemed like an opportunity that shouldn't be wasted.

She gathered her courage. "That sounds... great." Fanny allowed her first true smile that day to light up her face.

Dimples rewarded her.