This is a song originally by U2, covered by Cassandra Wilson. If you own her CD "New Moon Daughter," go put it in the CD player now, skip to track 2, and set it on repeat. Otherwise, you’ll have to use your imagination.

Imagine…a voice made of silk and cream, singing words of devastating simplicity, a voice of ancient knowledge that speaks directly to you. …a song that howls, sobs, and murmurs softly all at once…a sound that drugs you and warms you from the inside out and wraps you in a blanket of velvet.

You get the idea.

************

Love is blindness
I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night
Around me
Take my heart
Love is blindness

They swayed gently, his simmering green eyes locked on to her more fiery blue ones. The world outside had disappeared at the first hesitant touch of hands, and their awareness had narrowed to a few square feet of floor and the feel of hot flesh.

He hadn’t intended to touch her. His judgement always disappeared when he touched her. But when he entered her apartment, the stereo had been playing, and the sound of the mournful jazz had worked its way into his soul. It had spoken to him, and he had heeded its instructions without thought. No words were spoken—just an outstretched hand offered, and she had come to him, slightly hesitant, but also under the spell of the song.

Both of them knew better. There were so many obstacles, so much pain, so many reasons not to torment themselves. But at the first touch of his hand on her back, her eyes had drifted half-shut and desire slammed into him, obliterating all other thoughts. So they danced, determined to take what they could get. In his arms, she could forget the lies, the half-truths. Holding her, he could forget the guilt and the responsibility.

In a parked car
In a crowded street
You see your love
Made complete
Thread is ripping
The knot is slipping
Love is blindness

His hands began to roam, lightly rubbing her back, drifting up to caress the nape of her neck. In return, she hooked a finger into his collar and began tracing delicate lines on the skin she could reach. However, she quickly decided that the contact was too limited. Slowly, she trailed her hand down his chest, fingers spread wide, loving the feel of hard muscles under her hand. She reached his waist and gently began tugging his shirt from his pants.

"No…you shouldn’t." he whispered.

"Shh…let me touch you."

He relented then, unable to control the need to have her hands on him. She succeeded in freeing his shirt and slid her hand back up his chest, this time touching bare skin. As the fire began licking at him, he endured the contact until she lightly raked her fingernails across his chest. He inhaled sharply and pulled her hand out from under his clothes.

She gave him a teasing look that disappeared as he began pressing kisses on the sensitive flesh of her inner arm. He nipped the skin at the crook of her elbow, and she felt the results of that gentle touch spread throughout the rest of her body. Her breaths came faster and her head drifted to the side, tempting him with the clean, swanlike curve of her neck. He quickly succumbed to the temptation and brushed away the hair lying over her shoulders, clearing a path for his lips to trace. Her arm…her shoulder…her neck…her earlobe…

Love is clockworks
And cold steel
Fingers too numb to feel
Squeeze the handle
Blow out the candle
Love is blindness

Their world narrowed even further. Heated whispers, gentle fingers, eager lips…each trying to touch the other without interrupting the building pleasure.

His lips finally reached her own, and she reached for his mouth hungrily. He teased her for a moment with quick, light kisses and then covered her mouth completely, shifting his hands up to cup her head, touch her hair. She sighed languorously, her breath warm on his lips, and pushed her tongue into his mouth. He let her take the lead, enjoying her aggressiveness. Her tongue danced in his mouth, now sliding against his, now pulling out to lick at his lips, now sweeping around his mouth in an effort to taste all of him.

When she began sucking on his tongue, pulling it into her mouth, he decided it was time to retake control. His hands began wandering, placing light touches on her meant to arouse rather than satisfy. At the feel of his talented fingers skimming down the sides of her breasts, she quickly became distracted from her pursuit of his tongue. Instead, she began kissing the column of his throat, pausing occasionally to moan her approval into his skin. His fingers reached her hips and began kneading the flesh there.

"Mmmm…more. Please…."

"What do you want?" He punctuated the question with another squeeze of his hands.

"You know what I want. You always know."

"Show me."

Love is blindness
I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night
Around me
Oh my love
Blindness

As his request hovered in the air, she lifted her head to look at him. The look in her eyes terrified and satisfied her all at once. Still swaying gently within the circle of his arms, she began hiking up her long skirt. Each time they moved together, her skirt went a little higher, until finally, a short eternity later, it was gathered around her hips. She astonished him then, sidling closer, trapping one of his legs within her own and beginning to gently grind herself against him. He quickly recovered from the erotic shock and began helping her, lifting his leg slightly, then retreating…pulling her closer, then releasing her.

She raised the stakes then, making sure that her leg began brushing him, feeling him grow harder and harder against her. He retaliated by taking her mouth in a quick, violent movement, no tongue this time, just the feel of his lips pressing hers. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth, tugging gently at it, while they both continued the grinding motion she had started.

She pulled away from him to gasp. "God…I could die happy in your arms…"

"Don’t say that."

"It’s true."

A little death
Without mourning
No call
And no warning
Baby...a dangerous idea
That almost makes sense

The thought of losing her enraged him. He was no longer content to feel her moving against his leg—he needed to touch her, to move inside her and feel himself made whole by their joining. He reached behind her, under her skirt, and grasped the waistband of her panties.

"Wait…"

He paused, although he left his hand where it was. "Wait…or stop?" he asked.

She looked at him, examining the features she knew so well. The jawline she had traced with her fingers. The eyes she had kissed shut. The lips that had mouthed lies, but spoken the truth, if she would only listen. She took a moment to listen, and she heard his heart speaking to her. Reaching for his belt buckle, she kissed him and spoke into his lips.

"Never mind."

He took a moment to enjoy the kiss and then resumed his efforts to remove her panties. That proved difficult, however, because she was busy walking them backwards. Several small steps brought them to the wall.

He leaned into her then, still rubbing against her, pressing himself into the cleft between her legs. She smiled at him…a knowing, smoky invitation. This time, when he began easing her panties down her hips, she made no move to stop him. Instead, she concentrated her attention on freeing him from his pants.

Both their tasks completed, he surprised her by turning his attentions to her blouse. He slipped the first button from its slot. The second one followed, then the third, his lazy motions only serving to inflame her more. She tried to speed him up by curving her leg around his, but he continued with his task, finally baring her breasts to his gaze. Only then did he grasp her thigh, raising it and rubbing himself against her. He continued teasing her, evading her attempts to coerce him into her.

She finally took the decision out of his hands by grasping him and guiding him to her entrance.

"Please," she whispered. "It hurts…"

Love is drowning
In a deep well
All the secrets
And no one to tell
Take the money
Honey
Love is blindness

He paused for a moment, hoping he’d be able to last long enough to guarantee her pleasure. Then he began pushing into her, so slowly, loving the velvet, warm feel of her.

She closed her eyes as he became part of her, feeling his soul join with hers as her body accepted him. "I love you," she whispered, hoping she wouldn’t regret the words.

He accepted them as the gift they were, smiling and placing a kiss on her forehead. Then he began moving, withdrawing from her slightly, then pushing back inside, deeper this time. As he felt her body adjust to him, he began to establish a rhythm, thrusting and retreating, but never leaving her completely.

She increased his pleasure by raising her hips to meet each time he pushed in, squeezing him intimately each time he pulled out. The pleasure built deep inside her, temporarily assuaging the emptiness she felt whenever they were separated. The fact that they could so rarely be together intensified her desire.

He felt her beginning to shake and lifted her off the ground completely, prompting her to encircle his waist with her long legs. He thrust harder. Encouraged by her answering moan, he sped up the rhythm, using short, hard strokes.

Her sense of reality was quickly disappearing. There was only him…the feel of him moving inside her. His hard thrusts quickly brought her to the brink of climax.

"Michael…"

As he felt pleasure overtake her, he lowered his head to one breast and took her nipple between his lips. Gently, he grazed it with his teeth and bit down lightly.

"Oh God…Michael…"

As her climax intensified, she began caressing him internally, begging him to join her. The feel of her squeezing him, combined with her uncontrollable spasms, destroyed his control. He thrust into her quickly, one, two, three, four more times and moaned as he erupted.

"Nikita…"

They slid to the floor, still joined, speechless.

For that moment, they were alone and complete in each other.

The song trailed into silence, then began again.

Love is blindness
I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night
Around me
Oh my love
Blindness.